Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded to continue to be faithful to the Lord at all times despite the difficulties, trials and challenges that we may be facing in life. We must always remain faithful at all times, persisting through the hardships and trials, all the obstacles and disappointments, all the times when we want to give up due to all those challenges and hurdles. This is because the Lord is always ever faithful to the Covenant that He has made with us, and He will never abandon us or leave us behind, and will always provide us all that we need. In the end, we shall be triumphant with Him and if we have enough faith and trust in Him, then we shall share in the eternal glory and joy that He has promised to all of us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Wisdom in which the author spoke of the events of the past, and how the people of God trusted in the promises of the Lord, in everything that He would do for the sake of His people, all the love and kindness that He would show, and how He would not forsake everyone who are dear to Him. That was how they endured the hardships and sufferings that they faced, because they believed in the faithfulness of God’s promises and love, referring to the moment when the people of God, the Israelites were enslaved in the land of Egypt for a long period of time, after they had settled there for centuries. God had promised their ancestors that their descendants would be blessed and would return to the land promised to them, and that was what God exactly had done.

They remained hopeful and continued to hope for a deliverer to come from the Lord as they had been promised, and God did send them a deliverer indeed in the person of Moses, who brought God’s consoling words and reassurances at last, and showing the great power and might by which He brought them out of the land of Egypt, the Ten great Plagues which He had struck Egypt and its people with, humbling the mighty Pharaoh and his armies, destroying his chariots and forces, all so that the Israelites could go free, departing from the land of their enslavement and suffering, to journey towards the land that had been promised to them. This is one of the many proofs of God’s great love and faithfulness to everything that He has promised to His beloved ones.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews, we heard of the words of the author of the Epistle speaking about the importance of our faith in God, and how the author quoted the examples of our fathers in faith, from Abraham and his wife Sarah, to Isaac and Jacob among others, in how they had been faithful to the Lord, despite the challenges and trials that they had to face in their respective paths and journeys, just as what we have heard in our first reading earlier. For example, Abraham was childless with his wife and was without an heir, and God was calling on him to follow Him to a distant land away from the comfort of his homeland and family. And yet, Abraham believed and trusted in the Lord, followed Him faithfully and did everything that he had been asked to do.

That was how Abraham received everything that he had been promised, as were Isaac and Jacob, and all those who had faith in the Lord. And as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews mentioned, they all still believed even though they could not see what it is that they had been promised for, and even when what they had been waiting for took longer than expected. Abraham remained firmly faithful even when he was tested for his faith, such as when he had to wait longer and longer for the promised son, and when the promised son had been given to him, that is Isaac, he obeyed perfectly even when the Lord asked of him to offer and sacrifice his own son. Abraham trusted wholeheartedly in God and did as he was asked, and his faith is truly an example for all of us.

That is why we are reminded that we too should be faithful to the Lord, doing whatever that the Lord has asked of us, because God is the only One Who will never disappoint us, and unlike depending on worldly things which may be fickle and unreliable, we should first and foremost trust in the Lord. And true faith is such that we continue to believe even when we cannot see clearly where the path forward will lead us, and what we shall have in the end, other than knowing that God will be true to all of His promises. To be truly faithful for us as Christians require strong and enduring faith in God, and this is not something that is easy or smooth-going for us. Instead, there will be lots of challenges and trials facing us, but with faith in God, we must remember that there can be no obstacle that is too great for us all to overcome.

Lastly, we heard of the parable that the Lord Jesus told to His disciples in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist. In that parable, the Lord told the disciples of the servants of a household awaiting for the return of their master, and He used that parable to highlight the importance of trusting in God and to be prepared for God’s return one day, as the Lord indeed will return just as He has promised to us. He will not abandon us and He will always be with us, although the waiting may be long and arduous. In the end, if we remain truly faithful to Him, we shall indeed enjoy the fruits of our labours and faith. At the end of our journey, at the very end of time, at the time of the final reckoning and judgment, we shall have to account for our every deeds and actions.

That was what the Lord presented in the parable He mentioned to His disciples, comparing the actions of the servants who ignored their responsibilities and slacked in their duties, thinking that the master was not returning soon, with those servants who faithfully carried out their duties and responsibilities even when the master was not yet returning. Those servants clearly represented each and every of us, God’s holy people, with God Himself being represented by the master of the household. If we do not have faith in God and continue to walk down the path of worldliness, then in the end, we will regret it because when the reckoning comes, we shall be found wanting and lacking in faith, and I am certain that we do not want to end up in this situation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence remind ourselves to be ever more faithful and committed to God at all times. Let us not be easily swayed by temptations and hardships of this world, the obstacles and challenges that we have to face in our path. Let us continue to have faith and trust in God, doing our very best to walk consistently and faithfully in this journey of faith and life, loving God and loving one another, especially those who are dear and beloved to us. Let us all grow ever stronger in our faith and in our commitment to God. May the Lord continue to bless and guide us all, and may He continue to strengthen and encourage us all in all things, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday all of us are reminded that we should not seek to gather for ourselves treasures of this world, all the riches and glory found in this world, all of which are truly transient in nature, and merely a distraction for us in our pursuit for the true treasures of our lives, which is the treasures that we can find in the Lord alone. And we are reminded of this fact today so that we may truly reevaluate our lives and directions so that we may be aligned to what the Lord has called us all to be in our respective various areas of life, in our various calling and missions, in each and every purpose that God has provided to all of us as His beloved and holy people, called to be His faithful missionaries in this world.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Ecclesiastes in which the author famously said the words, ‘All is meaningless, meaningless, meaningless!’ and how everything that mankind usually toiled, laboured and put their efforts for, all the hard work and all the things that they had done, all of these are ultimately meaningless as all the things that they had done, all that they had searched for, all these were ultimately not going to bring them good rest and peace in the end, as one’s desires, pursuits and ambitions usually lead to even more of what we want and desire in life. And that was why the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes used this to share with the people of God that they should not follow this path of ambition and desire in life.

But we must also be very careful that we do not end up misinterpreting or misunderstanding the intentions of the author of this Book of Ecclesiastes particularly with what we have heard in our reading today. The author did not intend for us to abandon all kinds of worldliness, or to reject all kinds of worldly works, labours and efforts. This is not what the Lord wants us all to do, and we must not think that He wants us all to leave behind our lives, our works, our actions and go forth to seek Him, while abandoning our responsibilities, our calling and mission in this world. It is dangerous if we only merely understood the words of the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes on the surface level without understanding the deeper meaning and purpose underneath all those words.

Indeed, in tandem of the reminder of our mortality as highlighted in our Psalm today, what all of us should take heed of is that we should seek to detach from unhealthy attachments, obsessions and desirees for worldly glory, fame, from all sorts of ambitions and things that can distract us in our journey towards God. We must always strive to keep ourselves free from those things that can make us to lose our way, just as St. Paul in his Epistle to the Colossians in our second reading this Sunday ought to remind all of us. The Apostle spoke of the need for all of us as Christians to embrace new life and existence in Christ our Risen Lord, having received from Him the path towards eternal life and salvation, by sharing in His death and resurrection.

All of us should always strive to keep ourselves free from what is wicked and immoral, what is distracting us away from God, our worldly pursuits and ambitions that make us to be so preoccupied and filled with desire that we end up forsaking God and His ways. In fact, some of these pursuits and ambitions, desires for fame and worldly glory, our attachments to various desires may lead us to disregard our responsibilities and duties in this world, to those whom we love and hold dear. This is why it is important that we must always be firmly rooted in our faith in God at all times, focusing and aligning our lives and actions with Him, so that we do not end up losing our direction in this life’s journey towards our Lord and Saviour.

Then, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to the people and responding to someone from the crowd who asked Him to be a judge between him and his brother. At any time and age, disputes between family members, friends and others regarding money, material wealth and privileges are commonplace, and it can really be very damaging in relationships. I am sure we have witnessed and heard how families, relationships and friendships are torn apart by these disagreements and conflicts, and unless we realise the folly of such arguments and contentions, then there will be only more of such heart pains and sufferings among us.

And in line with what our earlier readings from the Scriptures had highlighted to us, the Lord used a parable to show the folly of pursuing worldly ambitions and desires, such as what we often argued and bickered with each other for, for money, material possessions, status, fame and others. In His parable, the Lord showed how a rich man who possessed a lot of riches and wealth was so preoccupied with thinking and planning about where and how to store his wealth that he forgot about his own mortality and the impermanence of all the wealth and worldly possessions that he had accumulated. If that man were to die that very day, then all of the things that he had accumulated and gathered would have gone to waste, as none of them would follow him to the world that is to come.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore as we have listened from the readings of the Sacred Scriptures today and as we have discussed, we are all indeed reminded to keep ourselves away from all these unhealthy attachments and desires for worldly goods and matters. However, it does not mean that we neglect our affairs and works in this world, as at the same time God wants us all to be responsible and accountable in our actions and works, in everything that we say and do, so that by our responsible actions and deeds, by our accountability and reliability, our steadfastness in our interactions and ways of dealing with one another, and also our focus and emphasis on the Lord instead of the many worldly desires and ambitions around us, people may know that we are Christians.

May the Lord, our most loving God continue to help and guide us in our journey as we strive to live a truly faithful and committed Christian life. Let us all put God first and foremost in our lives and do our best such that in all things we will always live in accordance with His will and truly attuned to His will for us. Let us all continue to go forth courageously in each and every moments to proclaim our Christian faith, our belief and the Good News of God to everyone we encounter, not just through words but also through actions and by living up to our Christian teachings and ways, as the Lord has told us all to do. May God be with us all and may He continue to help and encourage us in our journey and good efforts and works, now and forevermore. Amen.