Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we are reminded of the Lord’s mercy and infinite love, which He has shown us, and which He is willing to give us, again and again. And this is despite of the disobedience and the stubborn attitude which we have shown repeatedly, in various occasions. He despises our sins and wickedness, but in the end, at the centre of it all, God’s love is even greater for us, His beloved children, than His anger for our sins.

After all, He did not create us all without a good reason, and that good reason is exactly because He loves every single one, every single part of His many and unfathomably vast arrays of creation. And He created us mankind as the last, greatest and as the pinnacle of His creation and universe. Do not forget, brothers and sisters in Christ, that out of all creation, we alone have been created in God’s own image.

That is why, we were actually destined for great things, that is to enjoy forever the perfect bliss and happiness in all the good things that God had created for us. Unfortunately, we mankind chose to satisfy our inner desires, the pride and greed that entered us through the temptations and lies that Satan had given us. We fell into those temptations and failed to resist. In the end, the outcome is that we become more and more distant from God and become estranged from Him.

Sin is a very dangerous disease that is constantly attacking us, corrupting us and eating us from the inside out. Unlike any forms of earthly diseases, even those seemingly incurable ones, sin alone is capable of affecting our deepest and innermost being, and can end up causing us fate far worse than death. Even the worst diseases can only cause the death of our physical body, but sin can cause us to suffer eternal and true death, eternal suffering in hell.

And many of us did not realise that we are in this state of sin, which makes us unworthy of God. As mentioned earlier, God truly loves each and every one of us, even the greatest sinners and those who have been estranged for a long time from Him. And He is willing to reconcile ourselves to Him, by forgiving us our sins. He offers us this forgiveness and mercy freely, and yet, ultimately, whether we are forgiven or not, also requires us to accept His mercy with sincere desire for change.

Perhaps, what we heard in the Gospel passage today, can inspire us to do what is necessary to be more attuned to God and His will, and to accept His mercy and love present in our midst. In that passage, we heard of the moment when a blind man in Jericho cried out incessantly calling out to the Lord Jesus, wanting Him to heal him from his blindness so that he might be able to see again.

And despite the scolding and ridicule from all the other people who were around him, the blind man did not give up. In fact, he cried out all the louder, asking the Lord Jesus to come to him and heal him from his afflictions. The Lord heard his call, and showed pity and mercy on the blind man. In the end, the blind man could see again and his wishes were fulfilled.

How does this compare to us, brothers and sisters in Christ? We are like the blind man, afflicted with sin, that become like a veil, a distraction and temptation that kept us away from being able to be fully reconciled with God. And the call that the blind man made, is like our efforts and attempts to seek the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness. But there are also, at the same time, the voices of those who ridiculed and scolded the blind man, and these are the temptations that often prevent us from being able to accept God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Now, the question is, are we faithful enough and willing enough to put in the effort to love the Lord, even despite the challenges and difficulties that we may encounter in life? Are we able and willing to commit ourselves wholeheartedly and call out to the Lord, just as the blind man had done? Doing so will also require us to humble ourselves and to desire that healing which can only come from God. God alone is capable of forgiving us our sins, and He is willing to do so. But are we willing to accept His offer?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are called to make a change and a difference in each and every one of our lives. We are called to a conversion of hearts, minds and indeed, our whole being. Let us commit ourselves to God anew, and let us turn to Him with all of our abilities and strengths, from now on, that we may be eventually be worthy of God’s love and grace, and have a part in the eternal inheritance and glory He has promised us who are faithful to Him. May God bless us all. Amen.