Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in today’s Scripture readings which we have heard. We are reminded that the Scriptures are the representation of the Word of God, and while not directly written by God Himself, they were written by the ones whom God had inspired through His Wisdom and the Holy Spirit in order to reveal the truth to the world, the truth which He has wanted to present to all of His beloved people. And through the Scriptures, we are led and guided through the right path and journey so that despite all the distractions, temptations and all the things that have threatened to keep us away from the Lord, we may still end up enduring and persevering through the difficult journey of faith and life with God as our strong anchor.

In our first reading today, we are reminded from the continuation of the Epistle that St. Paul the Apostle wrote to his protege, St. Timothy, one of the earliest leaders and bishops of the Church, where he reminded the latter of the great power of the Scriptures, the Word of God and what the Word of God can do in guiding and helping the faithful people of God to steer their path well in life, to help them to remain steady amidst all the darkness of this world, and so that they will be able to help others to remain faithful and steady in their own journey, by having the Word of God, as it is revealed through the Scriptures to guide them and keep them focused on the path of truth and righteousness of God. That is why it is important for us to have regular access and contact with the Scriptures, and keeping them around in our daily lives.

However, we also should take note that it is easy for us to be distracted and even misunderstand the true meaning of the Scriptures especially if we only try to understand them superficially and literally. There are so many people who have misinterpreted the Scriptures and even misused them for their own selfish gains and benefits, because they chose to follow those words without properly understanding and appreciating the context, the nuances and the historical background of every single moments those Scriptural accounts were written. This is why we are reminded that in order to fully understand and use the Scriptures, we have to first understand of why and how it was written, the context, the intended audience and all the nuances behind every Scripture passages, or else, it may easily lead us to misinterpret and misquote the Scriptures.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist where the Lord Jesus spoke to the teachers of the Law who questioned Him and wondered at His teachings and identity, of how His coming into this world as the promised Saviour or Messiah had been foretold by the prophets and especially so as highlighted in today’s passage, by the much respected King David of Israel, the wonderful and faithful King of Israel, whose faith in God was truly exemplary and whose reign ushered a golden age for Israel and the people of God at that time. The Lord Jesus spoke of how David had received some foresight and knowledge from the Lord of the coming salvation and fulfilment of God’s promise.

And He also pointed out the peculiarity of what David himself had spoken, in saying that the One Who was to come into this world, the prophesied Son of David, to be born into his own family and lineage, was one and the same as the Lord his God, the One Whom He glorified and worshipped, and he called this Saviour, his own descendant, ‘Lord’. This revelation showed that Jesus, as the One Whom God had promised to send into our midst as the Saviour of all, born into the House of David and fulfilment of all the prophecies of the prophets, was not merely just a Man or a mere Prophet, but is also none other than God Himself incarnate in the flesh, the Son and Word of God Incarnate, taking up our human existence and nature to make God’s Love tangible and approachable to us, so that through Him, all may be saved.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Boniface, a great bishop and martyr who had dedicated his life and all of his works for the greater glory of God. He was an English Benedictine monk who was especially remembered for his efforts in evangelising amongst the Germanic people in the northern parts of what is Germany today, proclaiming the Good News and salvation of God to many of the people there who still believed in pagan and false gods and beliefs. He was born in England to a rather prominent family and then against the wishes of his father, learnt theology and eventually became a monk and priest. St. Boniface was then appointed as a missionary to the region in northern part of Germany and what is today Netherlands known as Frisia. In his mission to Frisia, the Pope appointed him as a missionary bishop to establish the Church in that region and to convert the people there to the true faith.

In a story still well-remembered to this day, St. Boniface once persuaded many among the pagans as he chopped a great oak tree held sacred by the German pagans, who revered the tree and the spirits. Miraculously a great wind blew upon the oak tree and the whole tree fell down to the ground. Having witnessed the miracle and the fact how St. Boniface was not struck down by their gods and deities for such a supposedly sacrilegious act, many among the pagans believed in God and gave themselves to be baptised by St. Boniface and other missionaries. He went on to establish many churches and institutions in his mission areas, and continued to labour for the good of the Lord and His Church until eventually he was martyred when he and his entourage was beset by a group of Frisian bandits during his last missionary trip to the region.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore remember what we have just discussed and pondered about earlier on. Let us remember to put ourselves firmly in the path of the Lord by keeping ourselves immersed in the Scriptures by our regular appreciation and use of its words, but at the same time also understanding its context, meaning and purpose so that we may truly understand God’s will and intentions for each and every one of us instead of having blind obedience and shallow faith. We are reminded that through the Scriptures and the Wisdom that God has given us all through His Church and the Holy Spirit, we will be strengthened and encouraged, just as He had once inspired St. Boniface in all of the efforts that he had shown in devoting his life to the conversion of souls and the salvation of many.

We are reminded that although persecutions, hardships and challenges may be part of our journey and lives as Christians, but we are never alone in these struggles and trials, because God Himself is always by our side, providing for us and strengthening us all throughout our journey. We must never forget that He is always with us and that we are never alone, no matter what. We should indeed thank Him and appreciate everything that the Lord Himself had done for our sake, as He has always supported us through whatever challenges that we may face, so that even if we have to endure difficulties and hardships for a while, but in the end, we know and we can be sure that we will ultimately be triumphant with God in the end.

May the Lord continue to provide for us and strengthen us all in our resolve to live our lives ever more faithfully in His Presence. May He continue to bless our every efforts and good works, so that we may continue to proclaim His truth and Good News, as well as manifesting His love through each and every one of our own actions and efforts in this world. May He help us to understand fully and correctly His intentions for us through careful and guided understanding of the Scriptures, the Word of God manifested in this world. May God be with us always, His Church and His beloved ones, now and forevermore. Amen.