Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened in the readings from the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded of the mission which we have been given as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people. All of us are reminded that we have been entrusted with various gifts, talents and abilities which we all should make good use of so that we may truly be good and worthy disciples and followers of His, in proclaiming His Good News and wonders at all times, by our exemplary actions, words and deeds. The Lord has given us all these gifts and opportunities so that we may touch each others’ lives and inspire more and more people to come towards Him with faith, and to be more committed and dedicated to His cause, and not to depend on our own strength and might, but rather to trust in Him ever more wholeheartedly from now on.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Proverbs in which the author spoke of the assurances of God’s Providence and help for His people, for those who are faithful and committed to Him. The author also spoke of seeking the Lord for His help and guidance, to provide us with just what is necessary for us lest we allow ourselves to be tempted by pride, desire and ego, all of which would end up leading us down the slippery slope of sin into our downfall and destruction. Each one of us are reminded not to give in to the temptation of evil all around us, of worldly pleasures and ambitions, of all the pursuits of fame and glory, and all the other things which can lead us into the path of damnation because of our desires and ambitions that may cause us to commit acts that are sinful against the Lord our God.

Instead, we are all exhorted through what we have heard to be ever more committed to the Lord and to be faithful to the commandments that the Lord has given us. We should strive to resist the various temptations present around us so that we may not falter in our efforts and desire to follow the path that the Lord has put us to walk through in life. All of us as Christians have been called and expected to embrace wholeheartedly this path in life, to be always firmly rooted in our faith and obedience to God, to our trust and belief in His providence, love and grace. Without this strong faith and conviction, 

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Luke in which the Lord spoke to His disciples as He sent them all out to minister to the people, that they all should not bring excessive things with themselves during their missions. This is meant to prevent them from thinking that it was by their own power, abilities or might that they had all done their works, wonders and efforts, and that any successes that they had gotten was because by their own performance and efforts alone, and not due to the guidance and strength from God. They are reminded to trust instead in God’s providence, His love and grace, and everything that He would provide fo them through the people and the circumstances they might encounter in their respective journeys and ministries.

All of us are essentially reminded that we must not allow ourselves to be swayed by worldly glory, pride, ambition and all the things which might distract us from the path towards God and His salvation. We must always remind ourselves that all those things are ultimately illusory and impermanent, and we must not allow ourselves to be easily attached and swayed to follow those ambitions and all the things that can derail us in our path towards God and His salvation. This is why we must always get our focus and attention correct, and our lives ought to have the right bearing, intention and direction, or else we may easily be dragged into the traps of sin and all the efforts which Satan and all of his fellow forces of evil and wickedness have always put up against us, in trying to bring us to our downfall.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us as Christians are reminded that we have important missions and directions in life which the Lord has entrusted to each and every one of us. And if we think that we are incapable or unworthy to take part in such occasions, efforts and works, the reality is that no one can truly be worthy of the Lord in this manner. Yet, the Lord takes the unworthy and makes them to be good and worthy, blessing and empowering each and every one of us in various unique ways so that each and every one of us may be able to give our own respective contributions for the good and benefits of many of our fellow brothers and sisters all around us. Each and every single one of our efforts do matter and we should not underestimate them, as they are all important parts of the works of the Church, in bringing mankind ever closer to God and His salvation.

Let us all continue therefore to do our very best at each and every moments in our lives, so that by all the things we do, by our every words and interactions with one another, by our commitments and dedications in the Lord’s path and commandments. Let us all spend more and more time to do our part to be faithful and committed disciples and followers of the Lord, to fulfil whatever it is that the Lord has entrusted to each one of us, making good use of the various blessings and opportunities that He had provided to us. We must no longer be idle or ignorant of our calling and mission, the parts that we can do in order to be the worthy bearers of God’s Good News to the world. Each one of us have been given this important mission in life, so that we may truly glorify Him by our lives.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father continue to help and strengthen us in our respective journeys, paths and efforts all throughout life. Let us all continue to do our best to follow His path, and may He continue to encourage and strengthen us in all the things we do, so that by our hard works and efforts in doing His will, and in proclaiming His glory and truth, His love and compassion towards each and every one of us, we may continue to be exemplary and inspirational examples for everyone around us, helping more and more people to come ever closer to the Lord, now and always. Amen.

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded that we are all called to be faithful and committed disciples and followers of the Lord in all things, to do His will and to obey His calling and commandments so that by each and every one of our actions, words and interactions with one another, we will always strive to do what is right and just in accordance with what the Lord has taught us to do, to be full of His love, kindness and mercy, and not to follow instead the path and corruptions of this world, or the distractions and temptations of worldliness around us which can keep us away from the path of God’s salvation and grace.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Corinth in which the Apostle reminded all the faithful people of God that unless each and every one of them have love in them then all their gifts, blessings, abilities, specialties, talents and all sorts of other things they possess, all would come to nothing as these would not bring them to true righteousness and virtue in God, as God seeks the hearts and minds of those who love and showcase this same love in all opportunities, those who truly love Him and love one another in the same manner as how God Himself has loved each and every one of us, His beloved children and people. God wants each and every one of us to model ourselves based on His love, kindness and compassion, and to follow His path at all times.

St. Paul the Apostle reminded the faithful in Corinth and elsewhere that their Christian faith must not be based on boasting of one’s own proud ambitions and power, and all the glory and fame of the world. Instead, the greater each of us are, the more loving and the more humble we should become, and the more we should show the generous love that God Himself, our Lord and Master has shown to each one of us. A lot of sufferings in this world came to be because of our failure to do so, and our inability to resist the temptations of worldly glory and pleasures, all of which led us down the ruinous path towards our doom and downfall. If we allow our pride, ego and ambition to lead us this path to ruin then there will be nothing for us but regret in the end, of having chosen the wrong path of rebellion and disobedience against God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord to His disciples in which He spoke of the inconsistencies of the people of His time, those who criticised and attacked Him and His efforts because they disagreed with Him and refused to listen to reason despite everything that He had done to them and showed them. The Lord told them all of how those people were swayed by their worldly desires and perceptions, and hence refusing to accept the truth and Wisdom of God guiding them in their path in life. Instead, they preferred to trust in and follow their own worldly prejudices and preferences, their arbitrary sense of judgment and understanding of things rather than to trust in the Lord and to follow Him in each and every moments of their lives.

Linking to what we have heard earlier in our first reading today, this is a reminder for us that if we allow our ego, ambition, pride and all those things to distract us from God and His path, and if we do not put His love at the centre and as the focus of our lives and existence, then it will be easy for us to end up falling ever deeper into the trap of sin and worldliness. Those Pharisees, Sadducees and teachers of the Law who often opposed the Lord in His ministry and works were all swayed by their pride and ego, their sense of self-righteousness and superiority which led them to think that they were better and more worthy than all others, and hence, looked down upon anyone else who did not obey the Lord or lived their lives in the manner that He had taught and shown them to do.

Each and every one of us are reminded that unless we do our best to focus our lives on God and embody His love in our hearts and minds, we cannot truly be faithful and worthy, righteous and committed disciples and followers of the Lord. As Christians we must always centre our lives and existence on God’s love, and do our best so that in each and every one of our own actions, words, efforts and everything that we take up in this life, we will always be full of love and care for those who are less fortunate than us and all those who are in need of our love and kindness. God has blessed us greatly and loved each one of us and as a result we should follow Him and His examples, and not be tempted to satisfy selfishly our own ambitions and desires in this world.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our best so that in everything that we say and do, we will continue to embody our love for God and for our fellow brothers and sisters around us. We should always be the shining beacons of God’s Light and grace, proclaiming His Good News and love at all times, by our exemplary living and actions, loving those who have none to love them and showing care to everyone, to those who are in our families, our relatives and friends, but even also those who have hurt and persecuted us. Certainly this is much easier said than done, but that is exactly the challenge that each and every one of us as Christians have received from the Lord, for to be Christians is to be truly like the Lord Himself, Who has loved everyone including even those who persecuted and oppressed Him.

May the Lord, our ever loving God and Father continue to strengthen us with His love and kindness, blessing us with His generous and ever abundant compassion and care, His patient and ever enduring generosity and passion in reaching out to us and in spending time and moments with us. May He continue to strengthen and empower us all with His love and teach us to continue to love in the same manner and to be always generous in giving from the depths of our hearts, to be fully attuned to God’s ways and love, to be ever worthy to be called His disciples, followers and children. Amen.