Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard from the readings of the Sacred Scriptures reminding all of us that we must always remain united in purpose, faith and commitment in our whole lives, in all the things that we say and do in the Lord, our God and Master. We must not allow ourselves to be swayed and tempted to the wrong paths because of the many temptations present all around us in this world, or else we may find it easy to lose ourselves amidst all the distractions and temptations which may lead us astray from the path towards righteousness and salvation in God. This is what the Scriptures have been reminding us all today, that is to remain firmly rooted in our faith in the Lord.

In our first reading today, we heard from the account in the Acts of the Apostles detailing to us about the moment when St. Paul the Apostle faced the whole assembly of the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council in Jerusalem, who had been making lots of complaints and pressured the Roman authorities about the works and activities which St. Paul had done in teaching and proclaiming the Risen Lord Jesus and all of His truth to the many people, both to the Jews and the Gentiles or non-Jewish people alike. This was one of the several things which made St. Paul to be hated by many among the Sanhedrin, who worked hard to prevent further spread of the teachings of the Lord, with little success or progress. Instead, the Church kept on growing faster and more quickly even when they were persecuted.

At that time, the Sanhedrin was also composed of two main, very influential groups within the Jewish community, namely the Sadducees and the Pharisees, who dominated the political and religious landscape of the people of God at the time. The former, the Sadducees were those who were composed on the richer and more influential elites, the caste of the high priests which were selected from among them, the nobles and aristocrats within the Jewish community, as well as the rich and powerful merchants. Their great influence and power, coming from their control over the Temple and the commerce in the region made their position to be very powerful, and they clashed with St. Paul and the teachings of Christ over the belief in the Resurrection, in the other spiritual matters and the afterlife, which the Sadducees tend not to believe in, as they were people who were very much attached to the world, and they did not believe in the life beyond this world, a world where they thrived and excelled because of their power, wealth and influence.

They saw the Lord Jesus as a great threat to their status, power and influence, and the works which the Apostles including that of St. Paul had done in his many missionary journeys and works, all those things were seen by the Sadducees as threats to them, and therefore, they wanted to stop whatever that St. Paul had done, just as they had attempted to stop the Lord by persecuting, arresting and crucifying Him. Obviously none of them were successful, and the Church kept on growing rapidly, as more and more people came to believe in the Lord, listening to the words of the missionaries of the Lord, and being inspired by their great and loving examples, through which God’s love has been made manifest and real to them all. The Lord was also with them, with His Church and His disciples, and that was why they were all very successful despite the challenges facing them.

On the other hand, the Pharisees represent the religious and intellectual elite, all the experts on the Law and the Scriptures, the ones who were very concerned about the preservation of the Law and the Jewish ways of life, unlike the Sadducees who were more influenced by the Hellenic or Greek culture. The Pharisees also believed in a more egalitarian view of the participation of the people in worship, and not one that is dominated by the priestly caste, which quite a number among the Sadducees belonged to. They were in opposition to the Lord and His teachings, His ways and workings, and also those done by His Apostles and other disciples because of the disagreements in the manner how the Law should be observed, practiced and enforced. This had also led to bitter experiences and disagreements as recorded throughout the Gospels and the New Testament, like that with the Sadducees.

But we heard how the so-called united disagreement and plotting against the disciples of the Lord like St. Paul quickly disintegrated the moment St. Paul, ever so wise and astute, guided by the Holy Spirit, uttered before the whole Sanhedrin that he believed in the Resurrection and believed like how a Pharisee was, just as he himself was a Pharisee in his youth. We heard how the whole assembly ended up tearing apart and being divided, focusing on their own strife and disagreements with each other. Essentially this showed how God was not with the efforts and works of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, in trying to destroy and crush the early Christian Church and the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who did not have the Lord’s guidance and help, would see their efforts flounder and fail against those whom God had guided and strengthened, as what happened proved this point really well.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. John in which the continuation of the Lord’s prayers for His disciples and followers have been told to us. The Lord prayed for guidance, strength, wisdom and empowerment for all those who have answered and heeded His call, and that they all may remain united, one and strong together as a community of believers, the Church, the Body of Christ, amidst all the challenges and persecutions that they would be facing throughout all the time. The Lord prayed that they all may be One just as He and the Father are One, to be united in love and purpose with Him, and not be divided like those Pharisees and Sadducees in the Sanhedrin. All these showed just how much He truly cared for His Church and for all of His disciples and followers in the Church. He has always been with us throughout the whole entire journey, guiding and helping us, providing us with whatever we need in our path.

The Lord continued to help and guide His Church, and despite the many sufferings that His servants endured, including that of St. Paul himself, they all gladly did them and committed themselves because of their faith and trust in Him, and they knew that God was with them, by their side, protecting and providing for them at all times. They gave their all to serve the Lord and to do His will, entrusting their lives and missions to Him. That was how the Church kept on growing in strength, despite all the challenges and hardships that they were facing throughout all the time. This is why we are all reminded that we too should always continue to carry out the Lord’s works and all the things which God had entrusted to us to do in whatever circumstances and calling that He has presented to us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore renew our commitment to serve the Lord ever more faithfully with every moments we have in our lives. Let us all continue to do our best to live our lives worthily as Christians in all of our actions, words and deeds, so that by our lives, by our faithful and inspirational examples throughout life, like that of St. Paul and the other Apostles and disciples of the Lord, we will continue to inspire and help others all around us to come ever closer to God, and to remain united to Him and with Him, and not be divided because of our worldly desires and ambitions. May God be with His Church, and bless all of us in our every good efforts, works and endeavours. Amen.