Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded of the challenges that those who are faithful to the Lord often faced in the midst of their lives and ministries. It is easy for us to lose sight and focus on our direction and destination in life, and for us to be swayed by the many distractions of worldly desires and pursuits, ambitions and glory, like how many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law during the time of the Lord Jesus had experienced, which He had criticised them for, for their lack of faith and sincere commitment to God, and for their worldliness and attachments to worldly glory, that distracted and kept them away from fulfilling what the Lord had wanted them to do.

In our first reading today, we heard of the continuation of the words of the Apostle St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Thessalonica in what is today part of Greece. St. Paul detailed how him and the other Christian missionaries faced rejection and challenges during their missions in the nearby Philippi in Greece, where they encountered refusals and obstacles, unlike the kind of treatment which they met in Thessalonica and the willingness of the Thessalonians to listen to the words of the Lord. But such indeed was the trials and the challenges faced by the early Christian missionaries which God Himself had spoken and predicted beforehand, as what His disciples and followers would have to be prepared for.

Just as they would encounter great successes and many conversions for the Lord, there would also be equally many challenges and trials, refusals and rejections which they would face from those who hardened their hearts and minds against God. They had experienced all these earlier on as they journeyed with the Lord Himself, just as there were many of those who followed the Lord and were touched by His words and actions, there were also many of those who continued to resist Him and persecuted the Lord and His disciples. St. Paul himself was one of these opponents of the Lord, who was a young ardent enemy of the earliest Christians as Saul the Pharisee. But the Lord called Saul and turned him to be one of His greatest defenders and champions instead.

Therefore, St. Paul strengthened and encouraged the faith of the Thessalonians, that their faith had been noted, and they too should be strong in faith, supporting one another just as they had supported the efforts of the Apostles and the other missionaries. He also reminded them all of what the Christian missionaries had done, in serving the Lord fearlessly and courageously, generously and wholeheartedly. They did not serve their own desires and ambitions, or any kind of worldly pleasures and pursuits. They struggled and continued to strive nonetheless, even though they had to face a lot of disappointments and difficulties, ultimately because they believed in God’s Providence and in serving Him rather than seeking their own selfish desires.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the continuation of the Lord’s criticism and rebuke against the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, whose actions and behaviours as mentioned were not according to what the Lord had entrusted to them and what they were expected to do as the custodians and guardians of the Law of God. Many are members of each others’ groups and both of these groups were known as the intellectuals and the elites of the community of the people of God, those who were most knowledgeable about the Law and the teachings and prophecies of the prophets of God from the time of the Old Testament.

However, ironically, despite knowing so much about the Law and the Prophets, they refused to believe in the Lord, and they were hypocrites and inconsistent in their actions and way of living their faith. They spent a lot of time worrying about the many details and intricacies of the rituals and ways how the Law and commandments of God ought to be practiced, and they were focused more on exterior appearances and aesthetics rather than true and genuine understanding and appreciation of what the Law of God is truly all about. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we reflected on them, we are reminded that as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, we should always be truly faithful in Him and we should resist the temptations of worldly desires, ambitions and grandeur. We must not allow ourselves to be swayed and tempted by those things, which may result in us having unhealthy attachments to them, and therefore end up losing focus on our relationship and commitment to God. Like those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, they were more concerned and focused on their worldly matters and ambitions, their prestige and status in the community of the Jewish people rather than truly serving God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore remind ourselves and one another that we should not be easily distracted and deluded by false treasures and happiness in this life, in all the temptations that we may be facing all around us in this world. Let us instead seek to live our lives firstly with love and devotion towards God, and then with the same love towards all those who are around us, our neighbours and all, and especially to all those whom we love. Let us all be the good inspirations and role models for each other that we may help one another in our journey together towards God and His salvation. Amen.