Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard in the Gospel the famous Beatitudes, or the Sermon of Jesus on the Mount. In this Beatitudes, we heard the series of blessings which our Lord gave all those who have listened to Him and followed in His ways. Thus blessed are all those who are peacemakers and those who are merciful and gentle, loving and caring for others, and those who are unbending even in the face of persecution, keeping their faith in God peacefully.

In the Beatitudes, what Jesus wanted to tell the people is that those are the qualities and virtues which He expects the faithful to have, so that having done all these, or some of those qualities, they would be found worthy to share in the eternal glory and life everlasting which the Lord our God had promised all those who have kept their faith in Him.

And another theme of today’s readings which we heard, is the reward which God has given to all those who have done all that He had instructed, and which He will also give to those who are walking in His ways. In the first reading from the second letter of St. Paul to the faithful in Corinth, he also affirmed this that God will succour and comfort all those who have suffered and grieved because of their continued faith in Him.

God will grant all that we need, and to those who walk in His ways, He shall show His favour. They will never be in need again, for God Himself is with them. We have to take note that it is often that the ways of the Lord are at opposites and at contradiction with the ways of this world. And therefore, those who seek to be accepted by the world, shall likely not receive the blessings and graces of the Lord.

After all the way of this world is selfishness, self-aggrandisement, violence, war and conflict, desire and greed, and the glorification of the self, shutting out the call of others around us who are in need, and ultimately, the closing of ourselves against the love of God. And indeed, we cannot serve two masters at the same time, just as Jesus said that we will love one and despise the other, so that we cannot both serve the interests of the world and the interests of God at the same time.

The Beatitudes is there not just for us to admire or to dream about. Otherwise, it would forever remain just like that, a dream and a wish, forever beyond our grasp and reach. On the other hand, Jesus taught the people and showed His generous blessings in the Beatitudes is to push us all to be proactive, that is to take up the challenge and responsibility which has been entrusted to us as the children and servant of the Lord, to be the bearers of the Good News of God.

We have to break free from norms and the confines of the world, and often we may need to stand up for our Faith and its truth, even against the opinions of the world and the society around us. Where there is war and conflict, let us all bring peace, even while many people clamoured for fighting and violence. Let us be the ones who challenge the world and its ways, and show to others around us that the Lord has the truth that will dispel the darkness and lies in the world.

When we see anyone unloved, ostracised and abandoned around us, instead of becoming bystanders or worse by joining in ostracising these people, we should go forth and embrace these brethren of ours who need our love. We must not be afraid to do this, or else we will be forever passive and we will forever do nothing. Our Lord wants us all to have a proactive faith, and not a passive one.

Therefore, on this day and from now on, let us all renew our commitment to the Lord, that we may grow ever stronger in our faith, and become more committed in our hearts and be more stirred to do something to help our brethren in need around us, to love them and to love and serve the Lord our God. God bless us all. Amen.