Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded to put our faith and trust in the Lord, that we should always put our focus in life and centre our attention and efforts on the Lord and in glorifying Him instead of trusting in the various worldly means and methods for us to seek happiness and achievements in our lives. We must not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by those temptations and coercions of the world, all the things that may end up leading us down the wrong path in life, because they may end up preventing us from recognising God’s presence in our lives and turning us into people who are more concerned about attaining wealth and all sorts of worldly pleasures and ambitions rather than to live our lives in a righteous and worthy manner.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans in which St. Paul the Apostle spoke about the faith that Abraham had in the Lord. Abraham, who is the father of many nations and the faithful servant of God, with whom the Lord has established His Covenant, was found righteous, worthy and just because he trusted the Lord wholeheartedly and obeyed Him, His will and commands, despite perhaps having doubts or uncertainties at times in his heart and mind. Abraham allowed the Lord to lead him in all of his path and actions throughout life, and dedicated himself and his every moments to do what God has told him to do. He left behind his past life, his homeland and ancestral family in Ur of the Chaldeans, in what is now parts of Iraq, following the Lord Who called him to embark on a journey to the land He promised to him and his descendants.

Then, Abraham also obeyed the Lord when he was told to bring his beloved son, Isaac, whom the Lord had promised to him, and whom he finally received, to be offered as a sacrifice at Mount Moriah. But despite the prospect of losing this precious son to be slaughtered and offered to God, Abraham trusted in God wholly, and according to St. Paul in another occasion in one of his Epistles, Abraham had faith in God that even if he were to lose Isaac, in some way or some form God would restore Isaac to him, or fulfil His promise to him in another different way. This complete and total obedience to God is something that is truly rare amongst us mankind, and it is what made Abraham to stand out and why he is revered as the paragon of virtue and faith.

In what we have heard from our Gospel passage today, there is something similar in what the Lord Jesus had told to His disciples and followers, as He answered one of them who asked Him to be a judge and to convince his brother to share the family inheritance with him, and as He used a parable to highlight to them the futility and folly of one’s pursuit of worldly matter and inheritance, possessions and material wealth, as all those things will not avail us and will not remain with us in the end. None of our worldly goods, wealth and all the riches we have will be ours to possess or bring as we move on to the world that is to come. All those things are ultimately temporary and fleeting in nature, and no matter how rich or how many things we possess in this world, those things will be taken away from us at the end of our brief earthly sojourn, and as we enter the afterlife.

In that Gospel passage today, as we heard in the Lord’s parable, of how futile the rich man’s efforts and plans were, when he planned everything he could, to store for himself more and more of the worldly riches, when he already had so much, in his many granaries and storehouses, but only to lose all of them, because the Lord, the Master of all life and death, could call him back to Him, that very night, and all of his worldly plans, desires, ambitions and all of his attachments and designs, all of them would come to nothing in the end. This is an important reminder that if we allow ourselves to be swayed by worldly temptations and desires, we will likely end up being disappointed, and we may even end up falling into the path towards eternal damnation, because those things will likely tempt and keep us away from truly being able to follow the Lord and trust in Him. Abraham, on the other hand, was willing to even part with his precious treasure, his own beloved son, Isaac.

This is why all of us as Christians must always keep ourselves free from the temptations of worldly desires, ambitions, glory and the pleasures of life. All of us must always stay away from the things that can distract and mislead us down the wrong paths in life, and we must always remind ourselves to stay focused in the Lord at all times. We should always be inspired by the examples of our holy predecessors, like Abraham and the many other saints, holy men and women of God who have dedicated themselves thoroughly to the Lord, in obeying His Law, His will and commandments. Each and every one of us must also follow their examples and inspirations, their lives and works, so that we ourselves may also ever be faithful to God in all things.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. John of Capestrano, whose life and examples should inspire us all in how we can be better disciples and followers of the Lord in all things. St. John of Capestrano was a famous Franciscan friar and priest, and a courageous and dedicated preacher and servant of God who committed himself wholeheartedly to the Lord, in obeying the commandments and the Law of God. He was a renowned theologian whose works and efforts, in spreading the Good News and the truth of the Gospel of Christ have borne a lot of good fruits, in proclaiming the salvation of God to more and more of those who have not known them. He preached to huge crowds that came to listen to him, which numbered even more than a hundred thousand people in one occasion, and he also attained great successes in other places as well.

St. John of Capestrano also dedicated himself to the Lord, putting Him above all else, even volunteering to raise and lead a large army together to fight against the forces of the Ottoman Turks that were threatening Christendom at that time, fighting in a Crusade launched by the Pope to resist the mighty forces of the enemy and unbelievers. He kept on inspiring all the soldiers who fought during that Crusade and conflicts, and while he eventually survived the battle, he fell ill from the bubonic plague and passed away shortly after. Nonetheless, the memories of his courage, commitment to God and efforts in proclaiming the Lord, in giving himself completely to the Lord and His cause are remembered by many long after his death, even to this very day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all henceforth renew our commitment to the Lord, and strive to lead a life that is also truly holy and worthy of the Lord. Let us all commit ourselves to follow God in all things, and do whatever we can so that our lives may always be exemplary and inspirational to all others around us, and to all who interact and spend time with us. We should always be the source of inspiration and the bearers of God’s light and truth to others all around us, that we may help more and more people to come ever closer to the Lord and to His loving Presence. May God be with us always, and may He empower and strengthen each and every one of us, in our every day moments, and may He bless our every efforts and good works in glorifying His Name, now and always. Amen.