Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we heard today in the first reading how Abraham and Lot, his possessions and servants contended with each other because of the lack of land between the two of them, so rich and great were their possessions. And God blessed Abraham because of his dedication and great faith. He kept holy and worthy what God had shown him in life.

In the Gospel then we heard how Jesus exhorted His disciples and the people to keep holy what has been given to them in the Law and in the teachings of the prophets, namely to keep the ways of Abraham, their forefather. They ought to listen to the teachings and to practice these in their own daily actions and behaviours, that they truly are worthy to be a holy people, a people chosen by God and blessed because of the faith of Abraham, their forefather.

The way of this world is wickedness, selfishness, filled with human desires and greed, filled with utter disregard for the Lord and His Laws. This was shown by the conflicts between the shepherds of Abraham and those of Lot, his cousin. These conflicts show perfectly how many of us often succumb to our desires, and being driven by those desires, we end up acting in ways that contradict the way of the Lord.

The conflict between the shepherds of Abraham and the shepherds of Lot show this inability to detach ourselves from these afflictions. If we look back at the past century and the many centuries before in the history of mankind, we can see easily how so much violence and conflicts were born out of mankind’s jealousy and desire for more worldly things. Many of these were born out of our failure to adhere to the ways of the Lord.

All of us have to learn the lessons from the past and on what mankind had wrought in history. It is very often that because we do not learn from our past mistakes, and because we refuse to listen to the reminders which God had sent to us, that much sorrow and troubles had appeared. Had our ancestors learnt from their mistakes and repent, and had they listened to the prophets and messengers which God had sent to them, they would not have suffered such.

Now, the impetus is upon us, and the ball is in our park. It is now our turn to see and realise what our actions had done upon others around us, and ultimately upon ourselves. Do we realise that whenever we give in to our desires, to our greed, to our selfishness, to our pride, and to many other negativities inside us, then we are actually taking steps closer towards doing what our ancestors had done? All their wickedness and all of their vile things?

Then what should we do, brothers and sisters in Christ? All of us should take some time to reflect on our own life, on our own actions and deeds, and on every words that had left our mouth. Have we been agents of love, of compassion, of harmony, of peace, of faith and of total devotion to our Lord? Or have we instead been agents of chaos, of violence, of hatred, of jealousy, of darkness and destruction?

Let us all therefore from now on be more careful in what we do and in what we say. Let us remember that when we say something to others, we should be loving, nurturing, understanding and gentle, rather than being proud, condescending or being judgmental. So that when we interact with others, we do not hurt them or cause them suffering, but instead to have joy together in the love of God.

And the same should apply to our actions. If we have been very selfish up to now, and thinking only about ourselves, our wants and our desires, then it is truly the time for us to change. Let us have more love for one another, more concern and more attention. Let the gaze of our eyes and our minds not be concentrated just upon ourselves, but instead let them be upon those who are around us, especially those who are in need of our help.

May Almighty God help us to understand His ways and His Law more, for His Law is love, and He is Love Himself. May He help us that we may have more love in us, both for Himself, and for our brethren around us. Let us all die to our pride, to our desires and to our selfishness, and let us rise again in a new life filled with love, with compassion, with peace and the harmony that God had shown us, through His prophets and His Laws, and ultimately, through the ultimate sacrifice of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, on the cross. God bless us all. Amen.