OXYGEN

12 Mar

The Lofty Baker

A beggar came and sat before me. “I want bread,” he said.

“How wise you are,” I assured him. “Bread is what you need. And you have come to the right bakery.” So I pulled my cookbook down from my shelf and began to tell him all I knew about bread. I spoke of flour and wheat, of grain and barley. My knowledge impressed even me as I cited measurements and recipes. When I looked up, I was surprised he wasn’t smiling.

“I just want bread,” he said.

“How wise you are,” I applauded his choice. “Follow me, and I’ll show you our bakery.” Down the hallowed halls I guided him, pausing to point out the rooms where the dough is prepared and the ovens where the bread is baked. “No one has such facilities. We have bread for every need. But here is the best part.” I proclaimed as I pushed open two swinging doors. “This is our room of inspiration.” I knew he was moved as we stepped into the auditorium full of stained-glass windows.

The beggar didn’t speak. I understood his silence. With my arm around his shoulder, I whispered, “It overwhelms me as well.” I then leaped to the podium and struck my favourite pose behind the lectern. “People come from miles to hear me speak. Once a week, my workers gather, and I read to them the recipe from the cookbook of life.”

By now the beggar had taken a seat on the front row. I knew what he wanted. “Would you like to hear me?”

“No,” he said, “but I would like some bread.”

“How wise you are,” I replied. And I led him to the front door of the bakery. “What I have to say next is very important,” I told him as we stood outside.

“Up and down this street you will find many bakeries. But take heed; they don’t serve the true bread. I know of one who adds two spoons of salt rather than one. I know of another whose oven is three degrees too hot. They may call it bread,” I warned, “but it’s not according to the book.”

The beggar turned and began walking away. “Don’t you want bread?” I asked him.

He stopped, looked back at me, and shrugged, “I guess I lost my appetite.”

I shook my head and returned to my office. “What a shame,” I said to myself. “The world just isn’t hungry for true bread anymore.”

- What thoughts, feelings, occurred to you while you went through the story?
- What do you think is the ‘moral’ of the story?

- taken from “Persons Are Gifts”, by Hedwig Lewis, SJ
____________________

Daniel 3:14-20, 24-25, 28

Nebuchadnezzar addressed them, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, is it true that you do not serve my gods, and that you refuse to worship the golden statue I have set up? When you hear the sound of horn, pipe, lyre, zither, harp, bagpipe and every other kind of instrument, are you prepared to prostrate yourselves and worship the statue I have made? If you refuse to worship it, you will be thrown forthwith into the burning fiery furnace; then which of the gods could save you from my power?’ Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘Your question needs no answer from us: if our God, the one we serve, is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace and from your power, Your Majesty, he will save us; and even if he does not, then you must know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your god or worship the statue you have set up.’ This infuriated King Nebuchadnezzar; his expression was changed now as he looked at Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. He gave orders for the furnace to be made seven times hotter than usual and commanded certain stalwarts from his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego and throw them into the burning fiery furnace.

King Nebuchadnezzar sprang to his feet in amazement. He said to his advisers, ‘Did we not have these three men thrown bound into the fire?’ They answered the king, ‘Certainly, You Majesty.’ ‘But,’ he went on, ‘I can see four men walking free in the heart of the fire and quite unharmed! And the fourth looks like a child of the gods!’

‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego: he has sent his angel to rescue his servants who, putting their trust in him, defied the order of the king, and preferred to forfeit their bodies rather than serve or worship any god but their God.’
____________________

John 8:31-42

To the Jews who believed in him Jesus said:

If you make my word your home
you will indeed be my disciples;
you will come to know the truth,
and the truth will set you free.

They answered, ‘We are descended from Abraham and we have never been the slaves of anyone; what do you mean, “You will be set free”? Jesus replied:

In all truth I tell you,
Everyone who commits sin is a slave.
Now a slave has no permanent standing in the household,
But a son belongs to it for ever.
So if the Son sets you free,
You will indeed be free.
I know that you are descended from Abraham;
But you want to kill me
Because my word finds no place in you.
What I speak of
Is what I have seen at my Father’s side,
And you too put into action
The lessons you have learnt from your father.

They repeated, ‘Our father is Abraham.’ Jesus said to them:

If you are Abraham’s children,
Do as Abraham did.
As it is, you want to kill me,
a man who has told you the truth
as I have learnt it from God;
that is not what Abraham did.
You are doing your father’s work.

They replied, ‘We were not born illegitimate, the only father we have is God.’ Jesus answered:

If God were your father, you would love me,
Since I have my origin in God and have come from him;
I did not come of my own accord,
but he sent me.
___________________

… because nothing I say has penetrated into you.

Our ability to spread the word of God to those around us is dependent on how adequately we have been formed in our lives to handle the struggles and broken hearts that we meet in the world. Whilst possessing intellectual capability and knowledge does pre-dispose the individual to be receptive to the Word of God, it is insufficient for us to do a good job. Our hearts have to be receptive and fertile to allow the Word to flourish in our lives.

Today’s Gospel’s passage may seem long at first glance, but it summarises the obstinacy of the Jews in their refusal to acknowledge the presence of Christ in their midst. Christ was trying to remind them of the importance of acknowledging their sins and living out the Law of Moses rather than observing the rules and regulations dogmatically. This is borne out in the first reading where we see Daniel and his companions who choose death rather than deny the faith that they have been brought up in. Their example epitomised the character of a true believer that Jesus was looking out for from the Jews in His time.

The Word of God does possess the ability to penetrate the heart of the believer; however we need to realise that we need to demolish the artificial barriers that we have erected to prevent God from entering in our lives. The free will that we possess is a gift that we should use for great good if we enable God to work through our lives.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nick Chia)
____________________

Prayer: Holy Spirit, we invite you to melt the coldness in our hearts so as to be receptive to your Word.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for our ability to choose between good and bad.

Upcoming Readings:
Thu, 13 Mar – Genesis 17:3-9; John 8:51-59
Fri, 14 Mar – Jeremiah 20:10-13; John 10:31-42
Sat, 15 Mar – 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Romans 4:13, 16-18; Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a; or Luke 2:41-51a; Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of Mary
Sun, 16 Mar – Isaiah 50:4-7; Philemon 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14-27; 66; Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
————————
To subscribe to this mailing list, send a blank e-mail to this address:
Godismyoxygen-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To unsubscribe to this mailing list, send a blank e-mail to this address:
Godismyoxygen-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com