Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday, we heard a very strong theme in the Scripture Readings, which told us about the impermanence of all things. Beginning from the Book of Ecclesiastes or Qoheleth, the one speaking in the Book told about the uselessness of and meaninglessness of the many things which we have in life.

And this ties in nicely with what we heard in the Gospel passage today, where our Lord Jesus Himself spoke to His disciples about the cautiousness that people should adopt in the way of their life, lest they be trapped into the trap of human greed and pride. The parable which Jesus told His disciples, reflected clearly this warning, should any of us fall into the temptations of worldly pleasures and desires.

In that parable, Jesus spoke about a rich man who had many possessions, barns after barns of crops and the results of bountiful harvest, which he stored until they were all in full capacity. And he planned to tear those barns down and create even bigger barns so that he might accumulate even more crops, grains and thus wealth. And thus he in his moments of pride and self-praise thought that he would gain even more and became greater, but he forgot that he is not the master of his life.

Indeed, all of us, each and every one of us are accountable to the One Who is the only Master of all our lives, the Lord and Master of all. He alone has the jurisdiction and power over us, over our life which we have no control over. And yet, many of us unfortunately fell into the thinking that we have that illusory degree of control, and thinking that we can do what we like with our lives because we should get what we want in this life.

But in case we think in that manner, then we should know that such a way of thinking is mistaken. Let us just ask ourselves, how often is it that we go out of our way to seek for more things in this world which satisfy our wants and our ego? How many of us spend much time just so that we may gain more of the wealth of the world for its various reasons?

Indeed in this world there are uses for our possessions and our wealth. We do use them for a variety of purposes, and in many cases, even for good purposes. But when that becomes an addiction and a pursuit of the flesh, then it is where the pursuit of more worldliness becomes our greatest obstacle on this path in which we are walking towards God now.

We are all mortals, all of whom live at the mercy and at the will of God. It is God Who gave us life and it is God again Who will take it back, when He calls us all to return to Him, and receive the judgment, whether we are worthy to receive His promised glory, or if we are unworthy and thus should be cast out into the utter darkness and eternal suffering in hell.

This is the fact that many of us are unaware of. We continue our pursuit of wealth, fame and human pride, satisfying our ego and wants, but at what price? Are all these going to be any help for us at the end? Just a gust of wind, a bonfire of flames, the shaking of the earth, the power of rust and other worldly forces, and in the blink of an eye, all of these may perish.

If we put our trust in these perishable things, then are we not then like those whom the Lord mentioned in another parable, that we built our houses upon the weak foundations of sand? One moment and everything may just come tumbling down. That is how meaningless and useless it is for us to be so preoccupied with worldly things that do not last, that we end up forgetting about our true goal in life, that is the Lord our God.

If we put our trust in God, we surely will not be disappointed, for God Himself is forever faithful to His people. And to all those who keep their faith in Him, He will also show His grace and love. And that was what exactly happened to the great saint whose feast happened to be on this day as well, the great founder of the Society of Jesus, more commonly known as the Jesuit order, that is St. Ignatius of Loyola.

St. Ignatius of Loyola was born into a Spanish noble family, a family of high esteem and prestige, of high social status and expectation. And as a member and heir of that family, he was brought up in a life of privilege, and grew up aspiring for greater honour and glory for himself. And thus he became a knight and went through battles after battles seeking greater glory for himself.

But during one of the battles, at the siege of the castle called Pamplona in northeastern Spain, he was injured and therefore was left out of much of the battle. And at that time, he had a revelation and received the calling from God which changed his life forever. From then on, he devoted himself to a new cause, one that was far more worthy than what he did previously.

Instead of seeking personal glory and honour, St. Ignatius of Loyola from then on sought to bring forth the greater glory of God, as shown in his personal motto, which is also the motto of the Jesuits, that is ‘Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam’ or ‘For the Greater Glory of God’. It was no longer human glory and worldly desires that St. Ignatius of Loyola sought for, but instead the true treasure that can be found in God alone.

And when he gathered together like-minded people, he helped to establish one of the most influential and largest contributor to the efforts of the Church in combatting and countering the terrible heresies and damages of the so-called Protestant ‘reformation’. In the Counter-Reformation, St. Ignatius of Loyola and his Jesuit order were often at the forefront of the effort to reclaim many souls back for the Lord.

St. Ignatius of Loyola and many others who have followed in his footsteps have made their choice, to abandon behind the worldly desires of the flesh, and to take up their crosses and follow the Lord their God. Shall we all also follow the same then? Shall we not also reject the temptations of the devil, who tempted us with the temptations of pleasure and flesh to distract us from finding our true treasure in God?

May the Lord help us in discerning our path and help strengthen our faith, so that we may devote ourselves more to the Lord, and commit ourselves thoroughly to His ways. May He bless our endeavours and may He strengthen us always, be our Guide and help us to reach Him at the end of our journey. May St. Ignatius of Loyola also be our intercessor and be our inspiration on how we ought to live our lives. For the greater glory of God. Amen.