Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded that as long as we have faith in the Lord and as long as we continue to hold on to the faith which we have in our loving God and Saviour, then we can be strong amidst the many challenges and obstacles in our path, as we continue living our lives as Christians with faith and commitment to God. We should not allow worldly distractions and temptations to distract and mislead us down the wrong path, and we must always remain strong in God, and in all the things that He has taught and shown us to do. We should always strive to be righteous and just, virtuous and full of grace from the Lord, in everything that we say and do, and in how we interact with our brothers and sisters around us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. James in which the Apostle St. James the Greater exhorted the faithful people of God that all of them must always hold fast and firmly to their faith in the Lord, knowing that it is in Him alone that there is certainty and assurance of true happiness, joy and salvation, and of the other things that the world cannot provide. If we allow ourselves to be swayed by those temptations and distractions, then we may end up walking down the path of sin, and getting further and further away from the Lord and His salvation, which is something that we should not be doing. That is why St. James reminded us all that we should always do our best so that we may continue to draw ever closer to God and His salvation.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus as He spoke to His disciples regarding the matter of the Pharisees and the way that they had constantly opposed His works and their lack of faith, their doubts and refusal to believe in His truth, which He mentioned as the ‘yeast of the Pharisees’. He also mentioned the ‘yeast of Herod’ as a reminder to all of them that they should also not allow worldly matters and desires, all the comforts and pleasures present all around us from leading us down the path of ruin and evil. This was because the Pharisees were those who thought themselves as superior and better than others around them simply because they were better educated and had better knowledge of the Law and the Prophets. Meanwhile, Herod and his court were corrupt and worldly, filled with vices and sins of the world, as they enjoyed the pleasures of the world and the flesh.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is why we are all reminded by these Scripture passages that we should not be easily swayed and tempted by those various worldly matters, attachments, temptations, desires and all the other things which may end up causing us to fall into the slippery path towards rebellion, disobedience and lack of faith in the Lord, from which it will be hard for us all to escape unless we make the conscious effort to turn ourselves away from all those sins and the temptations to sin, and embrace once again the Lord and all of His truth, love and grace. Each and every one of us are parts and members of His Church, and we have been blessed and given the great honour of being so beloved and dear in the sight of God, our loving Father and Creator.

However, many of us often disobeyed Him and turned away from Him, refusing to listen to Him and follow His Law and commandments, because we allow ourselves to be tempted by the various concerns and attachments in life, by the wickedness and desires of the world, by our pride, ego and arrogance, that we fail to realise just how mistaken and erroneous our path in life has become. We refused to listen to the words of truth and advice that God had given us, either directly or indirectly, and this leads to us getting further and further away from the path of righteousness and truth. All of us must always embrace God’s love and kindness, His ever consistent desire to reach out to us, to be reconciled with us and to redeem us from our sins.

Now, we are about to enter into the Season of Lent, which starts tomorrow with the Ash Wednesday. This reminder we have received today is therefore very apt and timely, as a reminder for all of us to turn away from all of our sinfulness and wicked ways, from all the temptations of the world. All of us should strive to get rid from ourselves the taint and corruption of sin, and all the other impurities and obstacles which have prevented us from coming closer towards the Lord. This upcoming Lenten season is the perfect opportunity for us to make a difference, and to find our way back once against towards the Lord, and we really should not squander the opportunities that have been presented and provided to us by the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore renew our commitment to the Lord, in doing what God has called us to do, to be faithful once again to Him and to follow Him in the path which He has shown us. Let us all turn away from the temptations of sin, resisting all those things that may bring us down towards this path of wickedness and evil, and help one another that we may always remain strong and firm in our faith and in our conviction and desire to live our lives wholeheartedly in the Lord. Let us all do our best so that our every moments and our every actions, words and deeds will truly be filled with righteousness and virtues, and with all that the Lord has shown and taught us to do, that we may show good examples of our Christian faith and beliefs to others.

May the Lord be with us all, and may He empower each and every one of us so that we may grow ever stronger in faith and persevere amidst the challenges and temptations, obstacles and trials facing us. May God bless our every efforts, our good works and actions so that in all things, and at all opportunities, we will always glorify Him, now and forevermore. Amen.