Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord speaking to us and reminding us all again and again what it truly means for us to be Christians, as those whom God had chosen and called to follow Him, and to be His witnesses among the people of this world. He has taught and shown us His love, and how He has loved us sincerely and tenderly, and therefore, we are expected to show this love through our lives and actions, at all times and in all places and occasions.

In our Gospel passage today, we are all reminded that as Christians we are all entrusted to be able to love one another, that is to learn to forgive those who have sinned against us and to reach out and care even for those who despised and hated us. This is what the Lord has taught and shown us to do, to be exemplary in our faith and in our way of life, that we may be walking in the same path that the Lord has walked before us, as He showed us all what it truly means to love.

Many of us love only ourselves and those whom we love or those who are dear to us, and we are biased against those whom we disagree with or whom we find to be different from us or incompatible. That is why we have not truly been wholehearted in our obedience to the Lord and His path. We are often too blinded by our selfishness and pride, our human desires and many other emotions and distractions that led us astray and keep us away from the true path of Christian love and charity.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, it is easier said than done for us to love others, especially more so for those whom we despise and who consequently also mutually despised us. It is difficult for us to let go of the anger and the negativities, the bitterness and pain that exist between us. But this is exactly where we should then model ourselves upon the Lord and His own example of love, as He has shown us what is meant by true and most unconditional and selfless love, love that is genuine, sincere and vast beyond all things.

How is it not so, brothers and sisters, when the Lord has given so much for our sake, loved us so wonderfully and patiently even when we have already caused Him so much pain and anger, and after we have betrayed, abandoned and wronged Him time and again, from the moment that we first fell into sin. Through our disobedience and our wickedness, we have been sundered from the true grace and happiness in Eden and in heavenly glory, and yet, God still loved us all, even when we are dirty, corrupted and wicked.

He ceaselessly reached out to us and sent to us His messengers and servants, to call on all of us to return to Him and to be reconciled with Him. He reached out to us with love, hoping that we will change our hearts and minds, and be willing to open the doors of our hearts to allow Him to enter and transform us, freeing us from the chains of our sins and from the tyranny of evil and death. And last of all, He fulfilled all that He has promised us by sending us His own Beloved Son, the same Christ, Our Lord, to be our Saviour.

He endured all the worst of sufferings and pains, the worst of humiliations out of love for us. He bore the blows and insults from His enemies and all those who hated Him, and even still, He prayed for them all and asked His Father not to hold anything against those who had condemned Him to death and made Him to suffer. And when He referred to this, we need to realise that He was in fact also referring to each and every one of us. It was our burdens and punishments that He bore, and yet, He bore them faithfully with love, for us, that we will not have to suffer that damnation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, can we see now just how fortunate we are to be so beloved by the Lord? And therefore, can we grow to appreciate His love more, day after day, by welcoming Him into our hearts, embracing His love and mercy, and allow Him to transform us into His beloved children, a people of the true Light? And in this same manner, we should also imitate Him in all things including love, and it means that we should be the wonderful beacons of His love and light in our world today.

May all of us as Christians, in our every works, efforts and endeavours, in our interactions and outreach will always be filled with true love, love that is pure and selfless, in being concerned and caring towards each other. May God be with us all and may He guide us in our path, that we will always be faithful to Him. Amen.