OXYGEN

29 Feb
The Self-Righteous Rabbi
The story is told of a certain rabbi who was highly enamoured with his own importance and infallibility. He strongly believed that whatever he did was the right thing. He always pontificated on all matters. He proffered advice with a great degree of finality – convinced [...]

28 Feb
The Stamp Collector
A boy going home from school always stopped to look in the window of a large old-fashioned house; on a table near the window was a large red stamp-album, usually open at some page, with loose stamps lying on the table. One day an old gentleman, [...]

27 Feb
The Manufacturer
In his bestselling book The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale, describes an experience of his in a railroad dining car. He was seated across from a husband and wife, who were strangers to him. The lady was expensively dressed in furs, diamonds and costume.
But [...]

26 Feb
The Flower
In his book Peace of Heart, Archibald Rutledge discloses an experience of a certain old hunter, an obscure man by worldly standards, but a loyal friend of his, who occasionally would tell him something intimate about himself. Once, he told him a remarkable story.
The hunter said that [...]

25 Feb
The Bell
A new student approached the Zen master and asked how he should prepare himself for service to others.
“Think of the bell,” the master explained, “Give it a soft tap, and it will give a tiny ping. Strike hard, and it will produce a loud, resounding peal.”
- [...]

24 Feb
The Living Water
Christ quenches our spiritual thirst with the living water: the love of God which is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. We pray for those who are prepared for this baptism.
- The Sunday Missal
____________________
The Tramp
A man, his face almost hidden beneath the [...]

23 Feb – Memorial for St. Polycarp, bishop and martyr
St. Polycarp (69-155) was an associate of, converted by, and disciple of St. John the Apostle. He was a friend of St. Ignatius of Antioch, and he fought Gnosticism. He was the Bishop of Smyrna (modern Izmir, Turkey), and was a [...]

22 Feb – Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle
The Chair of St. Peter the Apostle is a portable chair that is preserved at the Vatican. It is believed to be a chair used by St. Peter, the extant testimony referring to it dating from the second century. [...]

21 Feb – Memorial for St. Peter Damian, bishop, doctor
Peter Damian (1007-1072) was the youngest child in a large family. When he was orphaned, he was sent to live with a brother where he was mistreated and forced to work as a swine-herd. He cared for another brother, a priest [...]

20 Feb
Jean Vanier
Jean Vanier is the founder of the internationally acclaimed L’Arche communities for the mentally handicapped and those “less obviously handicapped”.
In 1950, Vanier resigned his commission in the Canadian navy. For 10 years he studied theology and philosophy in France, earned a doctorate in philosophy from the [...]