OXYGEN

05 Mar

The Husband

An “avid reader in Oklahama” once wrote a rather strange letter to Ann Landers, the syndicated columnist in the U.S.. It said: My family and I are active in our church. We are Baptists and serious about our religion. The problem I am writing about is one I have never seen in your column. I trust you will not use my name.

A few weeks ago my wife (we have been married six years) placed a picture of Jesus on our bedroom dresser. Although I, too, am deeply religious, I was offended that my wife would put another man’s picture in our bedroom. I do not keep a picture of another woman in our home. I am sure my wife would not tolerate it.

Actually, no one knows what Jesus looked like. This picture is a hand drawing of a very handsome man with deep- set brown eyes, a classic profile, finely chiselled features, beautiful wavy hair and a grand beard. Yes, I admit I am jealous.

I trust your judgement and hope you will agree that I have a right to ask my wife to remove Jesus’ picture and replace it with mine, which was there originally.

- 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
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Isaiah 49:8-15

Thus says Yahweh:

“At the time of my favour I have answered you, on the day of salvation I have helped you. I have formed you and have appointed you to be the covenant for a people, to restore the land, to return ravaged properties, to say to prisoners, ‘Come out,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ Along the roadway they will graze, and any bare height will be their pasture. They will never hunger or thirst, scorching wind and sun will never plague them; for he who pities them will lead them, will guide them to springs of water. I shall turn all my mountains into a road any my highways will be raised aloft. Look! here they come from far away, look, these from the north and the west, those from the land of Sinim.

“Shout for joy, you heavens; earth, exult! Mountains, break into joyful cries! For Yahweh has consoled his people, is taking pity on his afflicted ones. Zion was saying, ‘Yahweh has abandoned me, the Lord has forgotten me.’ Can a woman forget her baby at the breast, feel no pity for the child she has borne? Even if these were to forget, I shall not forget you.”
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John 5:17-30

Jesus’ answer to the Jews was, ‘My Father still goes on working, and I am at work, too.’ But that only made them even more intent on killing him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he spoke of God as his own Father and so made himself God’s equal.

To this Jesus replied:
In all truth I tell you,
by himself the Son can do nothing;
he can do only what he sees the Father doing:
and whatever the Father does
the Son does too.
For the Father loves the Son
and shows him everything
he himself does,
and he will show him
even greater things than these,
works that will astonish you.
Thus, as the Father raises the dead
and gives them life,
so the Son gives life to anyone he chooses;
for the Father judges no one;
he has entrusted all judgement to the Son,
so that all may honour the Son
as they honour the Father.
Whoever refuses honour to the Son
refuses honour to the Father
who sent him.
In all truth I tell you,
whoever listens to my words,
and believes in the one who sent me,
has eternal life;
without being brought to judgement
such a person
has passed from death to life.
In all truth I tell you,
the hour is coming—
indeed it is already here—
when the dead
will hear the voice of the Son of God,
and all who hear it will live.
For as the Father has life in himself,
so he has granted the Son also
to have life in himself;
and, because he is the Son of man,
has granted him power
to give judgement.
Do not be surprised at this,
for the hour is coming
when the dead will leave their graves
at the sound of his voice:
those who did good
will come forth to life;
and those who did evil
will come forth to judgement.
By myself I can do nothing;
I can judge only as I am told to judge,
and my judging is just,
because I seek to do not my own will
but the will of him who sent me.
__________________

The Son can do only what he sees the Father doing: and whatever the Father does the Son does too.

Once I had a friend whose child would play one parent against the other to get his way. As an outsider, I did not comment on the child’s behaviour, but merely observed how as eldest, he would bully his other siblings, and I wondered, “What had happened to this child’s upbringing that caused him to turn out in this way?” It was only a little too late that I discovered that the child learnt his ways from his father. No one can blame the child for his behaviour because he learnt what he knew from observing his own father.

In the same way as this child learnt how to behave from observing his own father, so too did Jesus learn by watching His own Father. As a human, Jesus learnt to become an upright and honest man by watching His earthly father, Joseph. But Jesus also had a heavenly Father, the source of love and life, and He learnt how to give love and life to others from observing His own heavenly Father.

If we are truly children of God, if we truly call God our Father, then we must learn to observe our Father and see how He behaves, so that we too can imitate His behaviour. We can learn about our Father through reading the scriptures, and by observing His creations. Spend some time this week observing some of God’s creations and see how He gives life and love to them, so that we may learn and imitate.

(Today’s reflection by Daniel Tay)
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Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to become more like you. Amen.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for giving us ample examples to learn from and imitate.

Upcoming Readings:
Thu, 06 Mar – Exodus 32:7-14; John 5:31-47
Fri, 07 Mar – Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22; John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30; Memorial for Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, martyrs
Sat, 08 Mar – Jeremiah 1:18-20; John 7:40-53
Sun, 09 Mar – Ezekiel 37:12-14; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45; Fifth Sunday of Lent
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