Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are being reminded yet again that as Christians, that is as those whom the Lord our God had called and chosen to be His own people, we are all reminded that we should always strive to live our lives faithfully in the manner that is truly worthy of God, and also by understanding and appreciating wholly what the Lord Himself had taught us to do, in how we ought to live our lives as Christians in this world, amidst our communities and among all the people whom we encounter in our daily lives, all those whom the Lord had put in our path and entrusted to our care as well. As Christians, we are always challenged to be the bearers of God’s truth, love and hope in everything that we say and do.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city and region of Rome, we heard of the continuation of the Apostle’s exhortation to the faithful there as we have heard in the past week, of how each and every one of them ought to leave behind the path of worldliness and sin, the paths which they had used to walk when they were still living in the ignorance of God’s truth and ways. Since they have then received the truth and Good News of God through the hands of the Apostles and missionaries of the faith, therefore, they ought to seek what the Lord has shown them, to be truly faithful to Him in all things. At that time, the faithful were surrounded by the many hedonistic, materialistic and pagan practices of those they lived amidst.

And it was likely at times difficult for the people of God, the Christian converts to live up to their faith amidst such a hostile environment, where persecutions were rampant and common, and where there were a lot of pressure for those converts to the Christian faith to conform to the pagan practices and customs of the state. St. Paul therefore reassured the faithful that they should continue to persevere in their way of following the Lord, in their righteousness and virtues amidst the wicked and darkened world, because ultimately, they do not belong to the world and to those vices but to God, the One Who has led them out of the darkness and into the light, and as His children, each and every one of them therefore should live their lives worthily according to the path that their Father has taught them.

And as St. Paul said, this means that they ought to abandon their path full of vices of the world, of greed, ego, pride, prejudice, lust and others, all the things that can lead them all astray and away from the Lord and His salvation. Since they have all become the members of the Body of Christ, the Church of God, therefore, they should be good role models and examples for everyone in their midst, including to those who have not yet believed in God. For all those things they had suffered and their path was not an easy and smooth one, but many of the faithful kept on going nonetheless, doing their best to glorify God by their lives. They became inspiration for so many people, for many of the faithful even long after their passing.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the account of the time when the Lord Jesus healed a woman who came to Him and had been suffering from difficult predicament of being crippled for a long time. And the Lord healed her miraculously by His power and authority, making her whole and healthy once again. This happened on the Day of the Sabbath, the day which according to the Law of God revealed through Moses, the Israelites were not allowed to carry out any work or activities, which therefore made it according to the Pharisees who were there, that the Lord Himself had committed a grievous sin because of the apparently blatant disregard against the Law of God. And yet, the Lord immediately rebuked the Pharisees and their narrow understanding and appreciation of the Law.

The Pharisees at that time were very strict and rigid in their way of practicing the Law, enforcing excessive emphasis on the details and rituals involved in the Law, but failing to appreciate the true intention and purpose of the Law in their very strict and rigid understanding of those rules and laws, which was why God gave the Law to His people in the first place. The Lord intended for His Law and commandments to help guide His people towards Him, by teaching them all on how to love Him and to focus their lives and attention on Him even as they carried out their daily activities and works, that they do not end up forgetting their obligations and the need for them to follow what He has taught and shown them to do as His people.

That was the original intention of the Sabbath day, to remind all of the people that their lives should not only revolve around all of their labours and works, but also to centre their lives and existence around God, and to glorify Him and to give thanks to Him for everything that they had done. While the people should indeed also carry out their works for their own needs, desires and wants, but they must not be so engulfed and preoccupied by them that they completely forgot their obligations and the need for them to serve the Lord and to do His will, in loving Him and also in loving their fellow brothers and sisters around them, all the fellow children and people of God. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we recalled what we have discussed in the Scripture readings today and as we have discerned and reflected, we are all reminded that we should not allow ourselves to be swayed by the temptations and the desires for worldly glory, all of which had misled and misguided many of our predecessors down the wrong paths in life. That is why we should always remember that God should always take the central place in our lives while at the same time we must also still continue to carry out our obligations and works in this world in a good and balanced manner. Let us all be good role examples and models for one another in how we are genuinely faithful in all things, now and always. Amen.