Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of what we, as Christians should do in our lives, in each and every moments and in everything we encounter daily so that we may always be truly faithful in all things and have a genuine faith that is strong and vibrant, full of love for God and for our fellow brothers and sisters, in following the examples that the Lord Himself had set before us. Through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, God has shown us all what it truly means for us to love Him and to love our fellow brethren. Without love, compassion and mercy, none of us can truly be called or considered as Christians, as after all, if we are God’s beloved children and people, how can we act contrary to the ways that He has shown and taught us?

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Romans, in which the Apostle how God has shown all of His people His mercy, love and kindness, which as St. Paul mentioned, many among the Jewish people had rejected, and the same love was offered and shown to the Gentiles, or the non-Jewish people as well. This has to be understood in the context that most Jewish people at the time of the Lord’s ministry and St. Paul considered that only the Jewish people were God’s chosen people and hence were deserving of salvation and grace from God, while the pagans, all the non-Jewish people who did not obey the Law and commandments of God in its entirety, as how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law enforced them, were unworthy of God.

This could be seen in the Gospels and the other parts of the New Testament, where the attitude among the Jewish people, their prejudices and biases could be seen, in how the Jews would not enter into the house of Romans, Greeks and other Gentiles, most of whom were pagans, as according to their customs, practices and traditions, this would make them unclean and impure. That was why the chief priests and the elders during the time when they arrested and accused the Lord Jesus before Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea, did not step into the Praetorium, the governor’s house, for that according to them would make them unclean according to the Law and hence they would be unable to partake in the Passover celebrations that was about to happen then.

But they have forgotten that external purity and appearances do not equate true purity and cleanliness, as the Lord pointed out that while the Pharisees focused on the externals and appearances, and thought that they knew better about God and His ways, their hearts and minds were still closed off to Him, and they did not let Him to enter their hearts, as they were too full of themselves, their prejudices and pride, which closed themselves off from the grace and love of God, His wisdom and truth. Instead, they chose to trust in their own power and intellect, and hardened their hearts against Him. This was why they remained away and far from the salvation which God has offered His people freely, and how those the same Pharisees had condemned and treated as unworthy, like prostitutes and tax collectors, were ahead of them on the way to God.

The truth and reality is that God loves everyone equally, and what He wants from all of us is not just obedience for formality and appearances only, but for us all to have true love and commitment towards Him, from the depth of our hearts. He does not want us to have a faith that is merely superficial, and like in the case of many among the Pharisees, a faith that is used to advance their own ambitions, pride and greed, which is not something that they should have done, and which the Lord rightfully criticised them for, as not only that they had not done what they had been entrusted to do, in caring for the well-being of the people of God, especially in spiritual matters, but they had also prevented many from coming closer towards God because of their heavy-handed imposition of an extremely strict version of the Law of God, as well as their treatment of those whom they should have reached out to, in showing them the love of God.

This is what is echoed in our Gospel passage today, as the Lord told His disciples, followers and all those who listened to Him, that each and every one of them as His followers ought to show love, care and concern for everyone, and not just to those who are dear to us, or those who can bring us the most benefits. We must always show God’s love to all, including even to those who might have hurt us, or been uncharitable to us. The Lord Himself has taught us this, and the show of that ultimate love is when He has chosen willingly to suffer, to take up His Cross and all the burdens of the punishments due for our sins, and then to die for our sake, when we are all still sinners, unworthy and wicked, so that, by loving us this way and showing us the perfect love of God, He might indeed bring us all closer to Him, and to help us to be reconciled completely with the Lord, our God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore today commit ourselves anew to the Lord, reminding ourselves of whatever it is we have just discussed and reflected upon. We should allow the Lord to show us how we can be truly faithful and committed to Him in all things. We must allow the Lord to lead us in the path of virtue, and in the path of compassion and love, which is what He has shown us, and which He has called us to walk through. We must be always ever vigilant that we do not allow the temptations of our human pride, worldly desires and pleasures to distract us from God and His grace, His path and commandments. We must resist the temptations to sin against God, and learn from Him humbly how we can indeed be good and faithful Christians in all things.

May the Lord continue to bless each and every one of us that we may always grow ever stronger in faith in God, and be ever more loving, both towards Him and to our fellow brothers and sisters, just as He Himself has loved us all so wonderfully all these while. Let us all entrust ourselves to the Lord and let us all allow Him to guide us in the path of His love and grace. May all of us draw ever closer to Him, and be ever filled with His light and truth, His love and compassion at all times, that our lives may truly shine with perfect examples of our faith, focused on God and glorifying Him, and not upon ourselves. May God bless each and every one of us, in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.