While salvation is a gift from God, there is a part for man to play. Today, let us ask Our Lady for the same grace to co-operate with the will of God, with the role He has given us to exercise in the salvation of humanity and our own salvation.

In today's Gospel passage, we read of how Jesus related to a deaf man with compassion, sensitivity, and respect. Like Jesus, our model of evangelisation, we too are called to proclaim the Good News with such loving actions and touch.

Today’s gospel reading tells us that we need stability in our faith by finding strength in the authority of Christ. Relying on Jesus, we can be certain that what He says is true. Finding faith in our Lord is to recognize that we have been reconciled to God "by Christ's death in his mortal body.". Justification is the work of God in us. What is required on our part to be reconciled with God is to have faith in Him. Indeed, it is the hope of sharing in the resurrection of our Lord at the end of our pilgrimage, and inspired by the unconditional love Christ has given for us, we live no longer for ourselves but for Him and for our fellowmen. Our aim in life is not to serve ourselves but to serve others and to help others to find meaning and purpose in Christ. It is in the process of living out this life that gives us great joy and meaning. It is therefore our faith in Christ and our Hope in the resurrection that motivates us to live a life of holiness, purity and blamelessness. This is the reason the Church exhorts us to participate in the Sacrifice of the Mass, daily if possible, as it is a participation in the life that is to come. It is true that Christ has won salvation for us once and for all.

To call Christ the image of the invisible God, we are also reminded of our calling because in Genesis we are told that we are created in His image and likeness; which is Christ Himself. We are created to be the image of God and that is our calling. We are called to be children of God. Christ is the first-born in the sense that He holds the highest honour in creation. Jesus is therefore not just the perfect manifestation of God but also of man. In Him, we understand who we are and what we are called to be. The message of today is clear: Christ is all sufficient. There must be no compromise and adulteration of our faith in Christ. We must be true to our faith; true to what the Lord has revealed Himself to us.

To discover and do God's will, we need to pray for perfect wisdom and spiritual understanding. Only the Holy Spirit can enlighten our minds. When we are doing God's will, the fruits of the Spirit will be evident. We will carry out our duties and responsibilities joyfully even in the face of difficulties and opposition.

In the work of evangelization, we must reckon that people would come to faith in God in various ways, through preaching in faith, through the sharing of the gospel, through good works and works of mercy, or through the search for meaning and purpose beyond this life. Jesus did not just worship the Father, but after worship and prayer, He expressed His faith in His Father through works of mercy and healing. His capacity to love the people came from His intimacy with His Father. He drew strength and inspiration from the Father in His ministry.

We are called to accept and live out the laws in child-like faith, even though we might not fully understand or be utterly convinced by them. In time and on hindsight, we will personally discover the wisdom behind them. As we read in today's first reading: "Keep them, observe them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding."

Making full use of our talents and working for the Kingdom not only benefits our recipients but also ourselves because God will grow our knowledge, talents and experience, and we are empowered to do more so that we will always be living to our optimum level. However, those who are afraid to take up the challenge to grow the gifts that God has given to them, will eventually stifle themselves to death. The only way to preserve our faith and our life is to proclaim and share the Good News with others, and to expend our lives for the service of others. In proclamation and in sharing, we are doubly enriched.

Unless we have deep faith in Jesus, it is difficult to live out the doctrines and moral teachings of the Scriptures. Falling in love with Jesus, believing in Him and accepting His Word is key.

The principle of arriving at our goal or destination is always to put the “last things first.” The Church tells us that the Last Things consist of death, judgment, hell and heaven. These are the four last things. Death is not the end but the prelude to judgment and hell or heaven. In today’s gospel, Jesus spoke of the responsibility of God’s servants. The parable today is addressed to the disciples of the Lord. That is why we must be prepared at all times. The failure to keep vigilant is the cause of irresponsibility in living our life in truth, in goodness and in righteousness. As servants of God, there is no rest; we must be found working at all times. It means doing good or simply being loving in whatever situation we are in. We are stewards of God’s grace and His people. How we manage ourselves and our people require accountability to the Lord. Today, we are called to imitate St Paul in his exemplary leadership in the first reading. His heart was always with the people. He shared their joy, their pain and their struggles. St Paul was always anxious for the people; he was always thinking of them, and when away from them, he would write to the churches to encourage them.