OXYGEN

17 Nov – Memorial for St. Elizabeth of Hungary, married woman, religious

Elizabeth (1207-1231) was a princess, the daughter of King Andrew of Hungary, and the great-aunt of St. Elizabeth of Portugal. At the age of 13, she married Prince Louis of Thuringia. She built a hospital at the foot of the mountain on which her castle stood, and tended to the sick herself. Her family and courtiers opposed this, but she insisted she could only follow Christ’s teachings, not theirs.

Once, when she was taking food to the poor and sick, Prince Louis stopped her and looked under her mantle to see what she was carrying; the food had been miraculously changed to roses. Upon Louis’ death, Elizabeth sold all that she had, and worked to support her four children. Her gifts of bread to the poor, and of a large gift of grain to a famine-stricken Germany, led to her patronage of bakers and related fields.

- Patron Saint Index
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Revelation 1:1-4; 2: 1-5

This is the revelation given by God to Jesus Christ so that he could tell his servants about the things which are now to take place very soon; he sent his angel to make it known to his servant John, and John has written down everything he saw and swears it is the word of God guaranteed by Jesus Christ. Happy the man who reads this prophecy, and happy those who listen to him, if they treasure all that it says, because the Time is close.

From John, to the seven churches of Asia: grace and peace to you from him who is, who was, and who is to come, from the seven spirits in his presence before his throne.

I heard the Lord saying to me: “Write to the angel of the church in Ephesus and say, ‘Here is the message of the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who lives surrounded by the seven golden lampstands: I know all about you: how hard you work and how much you put up with. I know you cannot stand wicked men, and how you tested the imposters who called themselves apostles and proved they were liars. I know, too, that you have patience; and have suffered for my name without growing tired. Nevertheless, I have this complaint to make; you have less love now than you used to. Think where you were before you fell; repent, and do as you used to at first.’”
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Luke 18:35-43

As Jesus drew near to Jericho, there was a blind man sitting at the side of the road begging. When he heard the crowd going past he asked what it was all about, and they told him that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by. So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.” The people in front scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he came up, asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Sir,” he replied, “let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.” And instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God, and all the people who saw it gave praise to God for what had happened.
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You have less love now than you used to.

Honeymoon period. That is what we term the period where two lovers first fall in love. During this time, emotions are high and these young lovers will do anything to please the other. There is great enthusiasm to do things for the other because the emotion of being in love fuels the relationship such that everything appears effortless and easy.

Of course, if we have had the chance to experience ‘honeymoon periods’, we would probably know that these strong emotions of love never last throughout the relationship. Instead, there will be many times of hardship and the little things that young lovers used to do would become more effortful. However, the end of the honeymoon period is not the end of love. Instead it is the beginning of real love for our initial feelings of love are now able to mature into true enduring love.

My brothers and sisters, do you remember the period where you first fell in love with Jesus? Have you allowed those feelings of love to develop into true enduring love for Christ? Or have you left Christ the moment those feelings of love disappeared? It does not matter what your answer is. What matters is that today we recognize where we have fallen, repent, and do our best to love God in the midst of our hardships.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Jean Cheng)
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Prayer: Lord, help my love for you to mature into an enduring love.

Thanksgiving: Thank you, Lord, for always willing to pick up our relationship where I last left it.

Upcoming Readings:
Tue 18 Nov – Acts 28:11-16. 30-31; Matthew 14:22-33; Dedication of the Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul
Wed 19 Nov – Revelation 4:1-11; Luke 19:11-28
Thu 20 Nov – Revelation 5:1-10; Luke 19:41-44
Fri 21 Nov – Zechariah 2:14-17; Matthew 12:46-50; Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sat 22 Nov – Revelation 11:4-14; Luke 20:27-40; Memorial for St. Cecilia, virgin, martyr
Sun 23 Nov – Ezekiel 14:11-12. 15-17; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26. 28; Matthew 25:31-46; Solemnity of Christ The King