Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we are reminded through the Scriptures that God will never abandon us, His people, and all of us who have given ourselves to His service, and dedicating ourselves to Him, will not be disappointed, for God will bless us and reward us with His grace and blessings. He is ever loving and ever faithful, and He will keep us all in good care.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what we need to focus on and realise today, is the fact how many Christians, many among God’s people have not been willing to make sacrifices and commitment in becoming the followers of Christ. Many of us are lukewarm and indifferent to our faith, treating it as a mere side note to our life, and not taking our faith and our beliefs in the Lord seriously.

There are many reasons for this, first of all is the doubt that we have for the love of God. We doubted because we were not able to understand just how God truly exists in our daily lives, guiding us and being with us every single moment of our lives. We did not realise that even in little things and in minute details of our lives, God is truly present in all things, and He is with us.

Instead, we worry, we become concerned, and we withdrew our commitment to our faith. We began to think about what would happen should what we have done for the sake of the Lord and His Church was to come to nothingness, and what if difficulties and challenges are to come in our way. We worry if we are able to give ourselves and commit ourselves wholeheartedly, because while we may believe in God, but inside us, in our hearts and minds, we are truly divided and disunited.

What do I mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? I mean that because we mankind are so easily distracted by the many comforts of this world, the comfort of money, of material possessions, of worldly convenience, prestige and fame, and many other forms of distractions, we have often fallen into the trap of sin. We become disconnected from the Lord, and we become ignorant of our faith, and we become cold and indifferent to the effort to help the Church and the faithful.

Instead of turning outwards and doing what we can to help one another, we turn inwards instead, and focusing on ourselves in selfishness. We end up thinking more and more about ourselves, and less and less about others. This is what have caused many of us to falter and fall. We become reluctant to offer ourselves and our help to those who need it, and as a result, the Church as a whole became inactive and paralysed, being unable to function properly.

If each and every Christians, members of the Church turn inwards and do nothing to contribute to the good works of the Church, making sacrifices and efforts to keep up those good works, then there will be no progress made by the Church on the salvation of the whole race of mankind, that God had initiated by His coming into the world. He has commanded us all through His disciples to continue His good works, calling all the people to Him, to be reconciled and to receive the fullness of God’s grace.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are challenged and asked to think carefully about our role in the Church of God, and what each and every one of us can do in order to take part in the greater works of the Church. Each of us has unique abilities and talents, which God had given to each and every one of us. Therefore, it is not right for us to demand every one to do the same thing and make the same contribution.

Rather, all of us need to have that commitment to contribute to the Church in whatever way we can, in whatever we can spare in order to help. Each and every one of us must do our part in order to ensure that the whole Church can work together and move together in its efforts for the salvation of the whole world. In this, sacrifices and efforts are needed, and we alone can choose whether we want to devote our effort and time or not.

The Scripture passages and the Gospel today in particular assure us that those who have given to the Lord and to His Church will not be disappointed, for God will not forget those who have followed Him, obeyed Him and done what He had asked them to do. He will bless them, protect them and lead them all to His grace and glory. All that we have done in His Name, for His sake, and for the success of the great works committed by His Church will be rewarded.

But we do not do the good deeds because we want to be rewarded, for such is a wrong purpose for us to follow. Instead, we commit ourselves unconditionally and lovingly, so that in all the good works that we do, we may glorify God and make His good works more evident in our world today, bringing countless more souls that had once been lost in the darkness into the light of God’s salvation.

May the Lord bless us all and strengthen our resolve, that we as Christians and members of His Church may devote ourselves, commit ourselves, in our time and efforts in order to help the works of His mercy and love, calling all mankind to grace and salvation, so that through us He may bring about the salvation of our fellow brethren who need our help. God bless us all and be with us always. Amen.