Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Christ, our Lord, is our shepherd, our Good Shepherd, who cares for all of us His sheep, and who laid down His life for us. For we are His friends too, and we belong to Him, and He loves us with infinite love. He feeds us and provides for us, ensuring that all of us are well-fed with His divine food, which for us is the Eucharist, in the Most Precious Body and Blood of Christ.

He gave us Himself, as the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God, sacrificed as our Paschal Lamb, on that cross in Calvary. Because He gave Himself up, we, who are His sheep can live. He died so that our death that is our punishment may be destroyed, and through His glorious resurrection, we have a new life in Him. That is what happened when we were baptised, because as we were immersed in that holy waters of baptism, we became dead to ourselves, and leaving our sinful past behind, we took on a new life of holiness, and clothed in pure white to symbolise the clean slate upon which we embark this new journey upon.

If we remain faithful to our God, and remain in His love, we will be saved, and gain eternal life. But remember, brethren, that our faith itself cannot be dead, and neither can the love that is in our hearts be dead. How can they then be dead? That is when we no longer project out that love from ourselves to others, and no longer let the faith of others grow through our own faith. Remember that faith without action, is a dead faith. A living faith is what is necessary for salvation.

What is a living faith then? A living faith is not just a faith sustained by prayers, devotions, and worship. Yes, these are important too, for there can be no faith without those, and faith must also be sustained by proper internal orientation towards the Lord, which can only be achieved by having a healthy and strong prayer life.

Living faith is by practising our faith through our words and actions towards those who are around us, and within our own society, to our neighbours and to those whom we meet in this life. Through our actions and deeds, we must reflect Christ in all of them, by infusing them with the love that is of God, and by infusing the knowledge of God into our speech and our thoughts.

This is the faith as practised by Paul in his ministry throughout the known world at the time, travelling tirelessly across the Mediterranean, visiting the many burgeoning communities of the Church, that eventually will grow into mature communities that became the basis of Christianity and Christendom of the later era. He preached the Good News and practised his faith through his numerous healings and miracles that he performed, helping countless peoples, Jews and Gentiles alike, that many turn their hearts towards God and believed.

That Paul did not even worry about putting himself on risk to spread the Gospel of the Lord, by attracting to himself all the oppositions and all the hatred of those who hated the Lord. He had even endured trials and persecutions while preaching the Good News. Yet he did not show fear because the Lord is with him, and provide him with all that he needs. That is because in his heart, his faith is alive, and the love of God filled him to the brim, and transformed him.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us strive to follow in the footsteps of St. Paul and the apostles, in making our faith concrete in this world, through concrete actions, even small ones, to make a difference in our society and those around us. May God’s love strengthen us and empower us with His love and the Holy Spirit. Amen.