Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and reflect upon the Lord’s words, we are reminded to do what the Lord had told and shown us to do in our lives, to be truly faithful and committed in all things, to be truly obedient to God and to do our parts and contributions as the ones whom God had called and chosen, as those whom God has gathered from among the nations to be His own beloved people. All of us should always be exemplary and do whatever we can so that we may be shining and good examples of our faith to everyone around us.

In our first reading passage today, taken from the last parts of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle, we heard of the gratitudes which St. Paul gave to all of those whom he had collaborated and worked with throughout his various ministries and works, and he also elaborated on all the good things which each one of them had been doing and carrying out in those collaborations he had done with those fellow Christian missionaries and disciples. He has worked faithfully and collaborated with those mentioned in doing the great works of the Lord, which God had entrusted and given to each one of them.

Thanks to their hard works and efforts, the Church was growing fast and spreading more and more throughout the whole known world then. None of those disciples of the Lord were acting alone or in silos, as they all worked and collaborated together for the greater glory of God. They endured many sufferings and challenges from those who have persecuted their faith, those who challenged them and made their lives difficult. And yet, they trusted in the Lord and believed in His ever constant Providence and guidance, as they continued to walk faithfully in following the path which the Lord Himself had led them through in their journey of life.

This is therefore a reminder for all of us as Christians that we should also continue to do our best in living our lives with great and genuine faith, and we should not forget that God will always provide for us all that we need. He will not give us a challenge that is truly beyond our capacity to endure, and with Him by our side, we will be triumphant in the end. And not only that but God also wants us all to work with one another, to live our faith sincerely with each other, in helping and strengthening one another in genuine living of our Christian lives, inspiring one another to be ever stronger and more committed to God at all times.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, in which the Lord reminded His disciples that they must be careful and vigilant in making important choices in their lives, in choosing on what paths they ought to take in their respective lives. This passage follows right after the parable of the dishonest steward that we heard yesterday where the Lord presented the dichotomy and the stark choice between following God and following the ways of the world. The Lord presented this as the choice between God and Money, and showing how the people cannot be half-hearted or divided in their focus, as ultimately, they all have to make a choice between following God and following ‘Money’ which is representative of worldly manners and ways.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we must not misunderstand this as God wanting us to reject all kind of worldliness and money itself, as money in itself is in fact neutral and not evil. Instead, it is the attachment and desires which we have for money and for other worldly desires and ambitions, all of which are leading us further away from God and closer towards the path towards damnation. That is why we are being reminded to keep ourselves focused on the Lord and not be tempted or swayed to move away from Him, exchanging our faith in Him for the pleasures, ambitions and desires of this world. Instead, we should make good use of whatever blessings, good things and opportunities which God has given us for good purpose in accordance with the will of God.

That means each and every one of us should strive to make good use of whatever the Lord has entrusted to us, be it small or large, insignificant or significant. He has given us all these with the aim of teaching and guiding us all on how we can responsibly make use of everything that He has granted to us, so that they may be used for good and worthy purposes, for the greater glory of God and for the good of those whom we encounter in life and for the benefit of those whom we have been entrusted with by God, especially for those who are truly dear, precious and beloved to us. We should continue to do our best to contribute our actions and efforts for the good of the Lord’s Church and all the people of God around us.

May the Lord continue to strengthen and empower us all in each and every moments of our lives in living up to our faith in God. May He continue to encourage us to persevere in faith and remain truly faithful to Him even when we may be facing hardships, trials and difficulties in life. We should not easily give up the struggle or give in to the many temptations present all around us. We should instead continue to inspire our fellow brothers and sisters in the faith, now and always, through our every actions, words and deeds. Amen.