Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to trust in the Lord wholeheartedly and to remember that as God’s servants and followers, we should always live our lives in fulfilling what He has commanded us to do, in doing what the Lord has taught us, in proclaiming His Good News and truth to all the people of all the nations. Each and every one of us as Christians have been given the mission and the responsibilities to be good and faithful disciples, to be dedicated to one another and to be exemplary in our lives and ways so that everyone may know the Lord and His truth and Good News through our lives and actions.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles in which the works of the Apostles like St. Paul was told to us. St. Paul was speaking in the synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia where he proclaimed the words of encouragement to the people of God, the Jewish community in that place in their synagogue, by going through the history of God’s salvation for His people, and how He has been with all of them throughout history, providing for all of them from the time of the Exodus from Egypt and then afterwards when they were already settled in the land promised to them by God. He continued to show them all His love and all of these were fulfilled completely in the Lord Jesus Christ, Who manifested God’s love in the flesh, making Himself approachable and tangible to us.

St. Paul wanted to share with the Jewish community in that place of the truth and Good News which the Lord had brought into their midst by His coming. He wanted to convince all of them that Jesus was truly the One sent by God, the Messiah long awaited by the world and prophesied by the many prophets throughout history. This is because many among the Jewish community still had not yet believed in the Risen Lord, especially those who sided with the Pharisees and upheld their opposition against the Lord and His ways and teachings. And although St. Paul was chiefly remembered for his missionary works and efforts, as well as focus on evangelising towards the non-Jewish people or the Gentiles, but it did not mean that he neglected ministering to the Jewish people.

This is a reminder for all of us that God’s love and salvation has been meant for everyone, for all of His creation, all mankind, without any exceptions, and no one is truly beyond the reach of God’s love and mercy. That is why we are also reminded of our own respective calling and mission in life to proclaim the Good News and truth of God to more and more people, to everyone whom we encounter daily in life. Each and every one of us have the responsibility to reveal our most loving and compassionate, merciful and kind God to everyone through our own actions, words and deeds in life, through our every interactions and our every moments in life. We have been given the opportunities and more to do what God has entrusted to us, the abilities and all the means through which we can positively impact the lives of others around us, by revealing to them the face of God’s love and truth.

Then from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the account of the moment when the Lord told His disciples that the servant wasn’t greater than the master, and also at the same time predicting how He would be betrayed by one of His own disciples. Then, He also said about how those who truly know Him also know the Father, the Lord and Master of all. As the Lord said this, it was in fact a reminder to all of His disciples and hence all of us to follow the example of Christ’ obedience in all things, in how He obeyed perfectly the Father’s will, even to the point of suffering betrayal and the worst of sufferings, pains and hardships all so that He could perfectly fulfil everything that God had planned for us, the great love that He has for each one of us.

We are reminded as the servants and followers of God, all of us should always imitate our Lord and Master in all things, and this means that we should always be full of love just as He is Love itself, manifested perfectly in the flesh and in all of His actions. All the love that He has generously shown to us, we should also have in us, and we should love Him first and foremost above all else, and then we should also show that same love to our fellow brothers and sisters as well, loving everyone around us to the best of our abilities. Without love, we are empty and dead in us, and without love, our faith is meaningless and empty. That is why, as Christians, we truly must reflect the light of Christ in us, His love and kindness, His mercy and compassion, just as the Apostles like St. Paul had done, in inspiring everyone that he encountered with the love of Christ.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the works of the Apostles are far from over, and there are still many areas where the efforts of the Church are still needed in this world. There are still many areas where evangelisation and the teachings of the faith are needed, and our contributions, in whatever areas we can contribute and commit are very important, as although each one of our efforts may be small and minute in comparison, but all of these combine together as the efforts of the whole united Church, the Body of Christ into a mighty endeavour and effort for the Lord. We must not neglect our responsibilities as Christians to help lead others towards the Lord, and we have to begin from ourselves, from how we live our own lives as Christians and from how we interact with those around us.

May the Risen Lord continue to be with us and guide us in all of our journey, our sufferings and trials, in everything that we do, so that by our every good efforts and works, we will always continue to be faithful and committed to His cause. Let us all proclaim Him ever more courageously through our own exemplary works and actions in each day, in doing our best for the greater glory of God, now and always. Amen.