Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scripture, we heard of the moment from the Book of Genesis when Joseph, son of Jacob, was reunited with his brothers in the land of Egypt, in a most unlikely encounter between Joseph, who was then the second most powerful man and Regent over all of Egypt, and his brothers, who had come from the land of Canaan seeking for food and provisions during the great famine that time.

Initially, none of the brothers had recognised Joseph, and since they had thought him long gone after they sold him off to the Midianites, and even probably dead, they did not expect to see Joseph again, after so many years and in such an occasion no less. Joseph, on the other hand, recognised his brothers immediately, and although he could have revealed himself immediately, but he waited and tested his brothers first to see how they were doing.

Eventually, Joseph could not take it anymore and revealed himself before his brothers, saying that it was God’s plan and grace that allowed everything to happen as it was, that their evil plots had been turned to good things as God sent Joseph to Egypt to pave the path for Jacob and his descendants. God sent Joseph ahead of the rest to prepare everything, so that when they would eventually come, they would eventually be taken good care of, as Israel would eventually stay in Egypt for quite many years.

Then in our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord speaking to His disciples regarding the way that they ought to live up to their lives and mission as those whom the Lord had sent to be His servants and witnesses, His disciples to be the ones to proclaim His truth among the peoples of all the nations. The Lord called on them all to turn towards Him and entrust themselves to Him, not worrying about what they were to bring and how they were to survive, for God Himself would be with them.

Those disciples would encounter significant challenges and opposition, trials and problems throughout their ministry, just as almost all the Apostles save for St. John encountered martyrdom along with numerous other saints of the early Church and beyond. Throughout the history of the Church, there were then still so many others who had suffered in the midst of their trials and journeys. Yet, they all persevered and remained faithful.

This is what we have been reminded of through today’s Scripture readings, that each and every one of us as Christians ought to trust in the Lord and to follow Him wholeheartedly, and not to be easily swayed by worldly temptations or our fears. We must never be afraid since we will always be preserved and protected by the Lord Who loves each and every one of us without exception. If only that we all have this great faith in Him and love for His kindness and compassionate Heart, with which He has generously taken care of us as always.

Today, we are all called to refocus our attention and focus on the Lord, and do our very best to glorify His Name by our every actions and commitment in life. Are we capable and willing to commit ourselves to be the true bearers of God’s light and truth, brothers and sisters? If we have not followed Him in the manner that we should have, then we really ought to begin doing so now. God has called us to follow Him and to respond to this calling. He has revealed to us what we all need to do as Christians.

We can no longer be complacent or idle as Christians, ignorant of all that we can and should be doing as those who proclaim to believe in God and His truth. God has called on all of us to walk in His path, and that is what we all should be doing, with great faith and dedication. That is why, we should dedicate our time and effort to serve Him, to be His witnesses to all the whole world. Let us all be good witnesses and servants of God, and let us show our devotion, now and always. May God be with us always, and may He ever strengthen our resolve to walk in His path. Amen.