Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard yet again about the Lord who criticised the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law on their unbending and unreasonable attitude on the observances of the laws of Moses and the Jewish tradition, to the point that not only that they imposed on the people a heavy burden to bear, but they also prevented others from doing good deeds based on such limitations and imposition.

If we ask a Pharisee or a teacher of the Law to explain the rationale behind why they imposed strict observance of such laws, then most likely what they would answer is that because the laws so and so said so, and so they must obey. But this is a very superficial and incomplete understanding of the Law of God, for the laws were not given to us in order to purposefully oppress us or to make our lives difficult.

On the other hand, God gave us His laws so that we may find our way to Him more easily and readily, and it is a way for us to discipline ourselves and keep our lives straightened so that we will not fall into the way of wickedness and into eternal damnation in hell. But it is meant as a reminder and a constant encouragement for us to lead an upright life at all times, with the intention of enhancing and making greater the love which we have for the Lord.

And the Law is meant to teach us about love, and thus about caring for others who are in need, and about sharing what good we have with all those who have little or none, and Jesus made this point when He asked the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law the question of what would they do if one of their donkeys or animals happened to fall into a pit on a Sabbath day.

There is clearly a choice here, on whether the person ought to obey the law strictly without bending, meaning word by word of the law itself, taking and understanding it literally, and therefore letting the animal to die in agony in the pit, while the owner looks on it until the next day when he can finally help. The other option is for the owner to immediately go down and help the animal or the donkey to get out from the pit, and therefore saving it.

Then again, let us look then into another time in the Gospel, when we heard about how Jesus spoke of the time of the Last Judgment, when on the last day God would separate those whom He had judged to be righteous and those whom He had judged to be wanting in their faith and wicked in their ways. And remember what each of the two groups said to the Lord Jesus, the Judge?

The ones on the right side of the Lord, the righteous ones, asked when they did all the good things that the Lord congratulated them for, when He praised them for having been good to the weak and the sick, the unloved and the suffering ones. And what did the Lord say to them? He said that they did all these, while they showed love and care, concern and dedication to all the least of their brothers and sisters around them.

And those who are on the left side of the Lord are those who have been rejected by the Lord, and they are condemned because of all their inability and refusal to do whatever is good and beneficial to those who are less fortunate and weak around them. Indeed, committing evil is not just about doing what is bad and evil in the sight of God, or what we often know as the sin of action.

Truly, there is the kind of evil, that is the sin of omission, that is committed when we fail to do what is good or what is expected from us to aid our brethren in need, when we are truly capable of doing so. And this is just what the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had committed as they obstructed people from doing good deeds on the Sabbath just because they enforced that no one can do anything on that sacred day.

What God wanted to let them know is that, yes, indeed, for all the vices that we have committed in this world on daily basis, then at least we must spare a single day of honour, to do what is good and sanctify that day for the ever greater glory of God. In this we have to keep in mind the commandment of God, that is keep holy the Day of the Lord, and thus, this is what we ought to do.

And keeping the day holy is not just by abstaining from doing anything at all, since doing so will mean that we do not commit anything evil, but at the same time, we also close the door of opportunity for us to commit good things too. In this, if we fail to do what is good in the name of preserving literally what the laws of God had taught us, then what good or holiness will be there?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all on this day recommit ourselves to a new life in God, one that is filled with true and genuine love for Him, and let us devote ourselves to walk faithfully in His path, that in all of our words, deeds and actions, we may always proclaim His glory and truth, and reveal Him for all the nations to see. God bless us all in our endeavours, and may He keep our faith strong forever. Amen.