Humility the Essence of Love
On the feast of Sts. Chastan and Imbert, the church was filled with the colour red – the colour of blood and the symbol of love accentuating on the theme Martyrs- the Seed of love. The feature wall of the church hung with the relics of the martyrs was painted red to remind the congregation of the suffering and persecution in living their faith. Inspired by the martyrdom of the saints, the con celebrants Rev. Fr. Robin, Rev. Fr. Paul Kee, Rev. Fr, Dom and Rev. Fr. Louis were donned in red vestments while the parishioners in red attires to mark the feast day with gratitude and hope.
Homily
Fr. Robin began his homily by asserting that “without love we cannot carry out the work of God”. He said that Sts. Chastan and Imbert have planted the seeds of love through their humility. He said, love does not seek itself (1 Cor 13: 5) but rather it has to transcend to make a difference in the lives of the people.
The essence of love is humility, he explained. Love becomes easy when you have the virtue of humility and realise that we are nothing without God. A person who is humble is grounded and is aware of himself and accepts that he or she is not center of the universe. He cited Isaac, the Syrian that a humble person exudes the scent of paradise that even animals can smell it – one does not need to boast about it. He highlighted the words of a Russian philosopher Fyodor Dostoyevsky that love is hard work and long apprenticeship.
Fr. Robin reiterated that the martyrs sacrifice reveal their true love based on humility. If we carry ourselves with pride, we forget to carry the scent. Love is not easy but brings joy. Love can transform – God can do wonders. To love is not easy, it requires the virtue of humility that is deep within us. He hoped that the seed of love like the martyrs will continue to grow in us.
