Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the readings from the Sacred Scriptures that all of us must always put our faith and trust in the Lord at all times, and we should not allow the pressures, trials and temptations of this world from leading us astray into the path towards our damnation. As we heard in our Scripture readings today, it is easy for us to end up in the wrong path, and to be swayed by the various storms, trials and hardships of life, if we do not have that firm anchor of faith in the Lord, and if we do not centre and focus our lives upon Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel, of the time when King David of Israel, the legendary and great king of Israel who managed to win many victories for God’s people and make the kingdom truly prosperous, who was faithful to God, but in this case, he lapsed into the path of sin. Why was that so? That was because of his lust for the wife of his own army commander, Uriah, whose wife, Bathsheba, was truly beautiful and attractive. David saw Bathsheba and was tempted by the temptation of lust and worldly desires, and hence, he ended up plotting the death of Uriah by his machinations, and took Bathsheba as his own wife.

This was a truly wicked action on David’s part, and was a grievous sin against God. For in order to obtain for himself a beautiful woman as a wife, and despite the fact that this woman was already married, David caused the death of another person, and seized that woman for himself. Therefore, God punished David and told him of the consequences of his actions through the prophet Nathan, who guided David at that time. God chastised David for the wicked deeds he had done, reminding him that while he may be king, but it is not right for him to take what did not belong to him for himself as what he had done in taking Bathsheba as his own wife. David’s lust and desire for the beauty of Bathsheba became the source of his undoing.

But David was repentant, and unlike Saul, his predecessor, who continued to disobey God and followed the whim of his own desires, David continued to follow the path of the Lord, and he genuinely repented and regretted his sinful ways, such as the one he experienced with Bathsheba. God forgave David and continued to bless and guide him as the King of Israel, and not only that, but one of David’s sons by Bathsheba, Solomon, was made the rightful heir and King after David, as a clear sign that God has forgiven David and blessed his reign and that of his house. This is in fact a good reminder that the Lord did not hate any one of us or despise us, but rather, what He despises is our disobedience, wickedness and sins. By his repentance and genuine regret of his sins, David had been redeemed and returned to the state of grace.

Meanwhile, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus miraculously calmed the storm and the waves before His disciples at the Lake of Galilee. At that time, He and His disciples were travelling on a boat at the lake, and they were all struck by a great storm that threatened to sink the whole boat. The disciples panicked and were frightened, and the Lord chided them for their lack of faith and trust in Him, before proceeding to calm the storm and the waves by the mere power of His words. Through this occasion, the Lord showed that He is truly the Lord and Master of all things, and all of us should put our faith and trust in Him, and not to be swayed and misled by the temptations of the world and by our other worldly attachments just as King David had done.

The boat was a representation of the Church of God and the disciples represented all of us as Christians. Those waves, wind and storms represented the challenges, trials, difficulties that we may face as Christians amidst our lives because of the oppositions and persecutions against our beliefs and faith in God. Yet, as we all heard, the Lord calmed the storm before all of them, and saved them from their predicament, reminding us that in the Lord, we do not have to be worried, as in the end, no matter what happens, we shall be triumphant together with God. The disciples had the choice to jump from the boat, and tried to save themselves, but if they had done so, they would have perished in the storm. Like how David trusted in his own instincts and thoughts, and ended up committing great sin against God. This is why, we are all reminded to stay faithful to the Lord at all times.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Angela Merici, a renowned holy virgin who founded the Order of Saint Ursula, also known as the Ursulines, that are well-known for their contributions to Christian education and upbringing of youths. St. Angela Merici were orphaned at a young age, and she also lost her sister shortly afterwards. It was told that she saw a vision that her sister was in Heaven, in the company of the saints and Angels, when she was sorrowful that her sister passed away before receiving the last rites. She devoted herself to the Lord wholeheartedly henceforth, and despite her great beauty and renown, she committed herself in holy virginity and sanctity for the rest of her life, inspiring many others to follow in her footsteps and examples.

Many followed her and embraced their calling to serve those who are less fortunate and underprivileged, and through the Company of St. Ursula mentioned earlier, reached out to many young girls, and helped them to grow up in faith and wisdom in the world. St. Angela Merici taught her companions and fellow collaborators to commit themselves wholeheartedly to God, to do what God has called them to do, and despite having not taken the religious vow and habit, but each one of them placed their faith in God and let Him guide them all in their lives, that their actions and works might benefit many others, whose lives they had influenced and affected. The examples of St. Angela Merici and her companions, their faith and dedication should inspire us all as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our best in each and every moments of our lives so that by our commitment and efforts, in each and every moments of our lives, we may come ever closer to the Lord and to His salvation and grace. Let us all remind ourselves to place our focus ever more on Him, and resist the many temptations present all around us. Let us all not be easily swayed by the worldly pressures, coercions and temptations, and stay faithful to God at all times. May God bless us always, in each and every moments, now and forevermore. Amen.