Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday we listened to the Scripture passages which remind us of the mission which we all as Christians have received from the Lord. As Christians, all of us are called to follow in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus and His Apostles and disciples, whom He had sent to proclaim the Good News, to minister to the people who are in need, those who are sick, those who are poor.
And it is important for each and every one of us to remember that in all that we do in the Name of the Lord, we must do them for the right purpose, with the right intention and in the right manner. Otherwise we will end up losing the purpose and meaning of what we do, and instead of gaining grace and justification, we will end up receiving rebuke and condemnation because of our lack of faith and commitment.
In the first reading today, we heard the passage taken from the Book of Job. Job was a devout follower of God living several millennia ago, many years before Christ came into the world. It was told that he was a very rich man, blessed with a great and loving family, with many worldly and material properties, thousands of animals, flocks, camels and all sorts of things that mankind at that time would have desired.
Satan wanted to test Job and see if he would buckle under pressure of temptation and despair if he were to remove from Job all that were precious and important to him. Thus, Job lost his properties to thieves and brigands, and he lost his family due to tragic accidents in very short period of time. He was very unfortunate and in sad condition, and we can surely notice that in our first reading passage today.
He recognised how our life is truly momentary and fleeting in nature, and he lamented on his then miserable state of life. But in the end, Job remained faithful to God, and despite his misery and despair, he did not blame God for what happened to him. He blamed himself instead, but God told him the truth about everything that had happened, and showed him how God’s purpose is far above even the best of human intellect and understanding.
In the second reading today, St. Paul in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in Corinth mentioned that as someone who serve the Lord, he did it because he wanted to glorify God and to obey His will, not because he wanted to be rewarded or to gain from whatever it is that he was doing. Ultimately, all of his efforts and works were not about himself, but about serving the community and the faithful people of God.
St. Paul devoted himself wholeheartedly and spent his time to serve the people, making himself the servant of all. He was following in the footsteps of the Lord Himself, Who in the Gospel passage today went from place to place, preaching to the people and teaching them about God’s way, and healed many of their sick ones. Through all of these, we see how to be true disciples of the Lord, by devoting our time, effort and attention to God.
In our world today, it is very easy for us to be tempted and lose our way. There are plenty of temptations, from money, material possessions, power, glory, and all others that can prevent us from finding our way to the Lord, or from being able to give our very best in serving Him. When those who serve the Lord do not put God first and foremost in their mind, it is very easy for them to end up doing things for their own selfish gains and not for God’s sake.
Now, let us ask ourselves, have we been like those who are concerned only for their own benefits and good? Have we done all the things in our life being concerned only about increasing our own wealth, prestige, glory and all other things? Brothers and sisters in Christ, as Christians, all of us should not do this. We should be more like Christ, Who is humble, obedient and devoted to all that has been entrusted to Him.
Let us all pray and discern carefully how we should carry on living our lives from now on. Let us all humble ourselves and recognise that all the things we say and do, we should say and do them for the Lord’s greater glory and not for our own. He has loved us so much, and cared for us so much, that He gave us His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may live. Ultimately, it is only by clinging on to Him that we will survive, and not in all of our worldly attachments, which are temporary and fleeting.
May the Lord awaken in us the courage and the strength to live faithfully according to His ways. May He empower us to do more for the sake of our brethren in need, those who are poor, those who are downtrodden, lonely and without hope. Let us show care and concern for them, that we may show them God’s love, that God is always there for all of us. May God bless us all and all of our good endeavours. Amen.
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