Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us on this very last day of this current liturgical year cycle are reminded to look back at our lives thus far, and reflect on whether they have been righteous and in accordance with God’s will, or whether we have erred and fell astray in our path, that we ended walking down the path of sin. Then, we are also reminded to look forward ahead, to the life that is to come, and which God has promised us, His eternal glory in Heaven to be lived together with us.

Therefore at this very important juncture, at the crossroads between the liturgical year cycles, we are kept being reminded, year after year, time after time, that we have to be faithful all throughout our lives, to be vigilant against falsehoods and the powerful temptations of the devil and all those seeking our destruction by turning our ego, desire and pride against us. We have to resist these temptations, which have been laid bare by the Lord in our Gospel passage today, and which is fleshed out further by His Apostles and the Church.

The Lord does not want us to fall into these temptations, for they serve as distractions and obstacles that will make it difficult for us to commit to His path, and as history and times past had shown us, through temptations the devil and his allies had ensnared so many souls and while many were saved, there were also those many souls that become lost forever to God, through sin and through their conscious rejection of His mercy and compassion.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord has given us the wisdom and the free will, together with the guidance of His Church and all the holy ones, saints and blesseds who are our role models. We are presented with the difficult task of choosing which path we are to take going forward in life. It may seem to be easier than it looks, as after all it is just a choice is it not? But in truth, throughout life, there will be many occurrences and moments, as I am certain that it had happened frequently before, that we have to make difficult choices with regards to this matter.

Many of us have had to choose between conforming with the ways of the world, and even between our friends and following them, or following God and remaining faithful to Him. And especially in our world today, surrounded constantly by all these worldly temptations of power, wealth, glory, and all other things that lead us away from God, it is increaasingly difficult for us to remain faithful. Those who have kept the faith often had to make sacrifices and suffer for their choices.

In all these, the devil often presents us with the easy way out, the seemingly more enjoyable and easier path, one that is easier to tread and endure. However, we must not easily be deceived by his lies, and we have to look clearly and discern carefully on many matters, that we can keep ourselves free from these continued assaults of the devil and all those seeking our ruin and destruction. Let us all put our faith in God and entrust ourselves to Him, as we move forward in life and begin the new cycle of liturgical year.

As Christians we are always called to live virtuously and righteously in accordance to what the Lord had taught us to do, and that is especially in loving God wholeheartedly and in showing that same love to our fellow brothers and sisters, in particular those who are most in need of our love, care and attention. Are we capable and willing to accept this calling and responsibility, brothers and sisters in Christ? The choice is ours to make, and we have to keep in mind that, if we are faithful, in the end, what awaits us is eternal glory and peace.

As we enter into this new liturgical year cycle, let us all continue to inspire one another to be faithful, to be good and righteous at all times, in our every words, actions and deeds, and in our every interactions with each other. May the Lord continue to guide us and strengthen us in our journey of faith, and may He help us to endure the trials and challenges, the temptations and many other efforts that the devil and his fallen allies have always been trying so hard to use to attack us with. May God be with us always, and be our source of strength, hope and inspiration in life. Amen.