Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today’s Scripture readings, taken from the Book of Revelations and the Gospel according to St. Luke have very simple and yet clear message to all of us Christians, that we all ought to be faithful, to be true to the ways of our Lord, to be righteous and good, and amidst difficulties and challenges, remain firm and devoted to the Lord, seek Him and find Him, and then we shall not be disappointed.

In the first reading today, taken from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle, St. John saw a vision of the Lord Who sent His Angels to the Churches in the region, reminding each and every one of them with the same message, that while they have persevered in their faith, and remained true to the Lord and His ways, but they had fallen away from the true path and is in need of repentance and change.

The Lord reminded His people that in order to find their way to Him, they need to have that profound change in their heart, mind and soul, that they should open these to Him, allowing Him to enter into them and transforming them entirely, that they will be transformed from the people of darkness and of worldliness, into people of the light and as those who truly belong to the Lord as His children and His followers.

And many times, we do not realise that in order to do these, we have to have that strong desire in each of us to change ourselves, to challenge ourselves from the status quo of our lives, especially if we are often spending little time to reflect about what we have done, and about what we have not done. And this is perfectly represented in the Gospel passage we heard today, when we heard about how Jesus our Lord healed and opened the eyes of the blind man.

The blind man heard that Jesus was coming to the place, and he shouted to Him, asking and begging Him to heal him and make him able to see once again. But the people ridiculed him and asked him to stop screaming. Yet, the blind man continued to shout even louder to get Jesus’ attention, and the Lord came to him, seeing his faith, He healed him and thus once again, he could see and he followed the Lord henceforth.

The story of the blind man is a parallel to our own lives, in each of their unique situations and circumstances. When we sin, and when we commit things that are mistaken and wrong in the sight of God and men alike, we are like the blind man, as sin acts like a veil that prevent us from seeing the truth. Sin corrupts us, not just the body, but also the mind, heart and soul. The more we sin, the more we are desensitised to it, and after a while, it becomes even our second nature. We no longer feel when we sin.

And yes, we are sinners, and we sin from day to day, from time to time. And no one is perfect. We always make mistakes in our respective lives. But what matters is, whether we are willing to make a difference and a concrete change with our lives, that while we once were sinners, we are willing to let all of these go and take a bold new step forward, committing ourselves to a renewed life filled with repentance and the desire to love the Lord with faith.

This was what the blind man had done. He used whatever courage and strength he had to scream out loud to get the attention of the Lord, and he was determined in doing so. Are we that determined to change our lives? Are we willing to go the distance in order to find our way to the salvation in God? These are the questions that we really need to ask ourselves today as we reflect on the Scripture readings we have just heard.

Then are we also making it difficult for our fellow brothers and sisters, especially those who are in need of God’s help and mercy? Are we acting like those who are trying to discourage the blind man from seeking the Lord’s help? This is what we need to reflect on as well, as we need to move away from these actions, and instead, learn to help one another on our journey towards the Lord.

Let us be merciful, be forgiving and be loving in all of our actions and interactions with each other. Let us not harden our hearts, but welcome the Lord in them, and allow Him to transform us and make us people of the light, worthy of His salvation. May God bless us all. Amen.