OXYGEN

09 Jul
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Genesis 44:18-21. 23-29; 45:1-5

Judah went up to Joseph and said, ‘May it please my lord, let your servant have a word privately with my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. My lord questioned his servants, “have you father or brother?” And we said to my lord, “We have an old father, and a younger brother born of his old age. His brother is dead, so he is the only one left of his mother, and his father loves him.” Then you said to your servants, “Bring him down to me that my eyes may look on him. If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not be admitted to my presence again.” When we went back to your servant my father, we repeated to him what my lord had said. So when our father said, “Go back and buy us a little food,” we said, “We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, we will go down, for we cannot be admitted to the man’s presence unless our youngest brother is with us.” So your servant our father said to us, “You know that my wife bore me two children. When one left me, I said that he must have been torn to pieces. And I have not seen him to this day. If you take this one from me too and any harm comes to him, you will send me down to Sheol with my white head bowed in misery.’”

Then Joseph could not control his feelings in front of all his retainers, and he exclaimed, ‘Let everyone leave me.’ No one therefore was present with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers, but he wept so loudly that all the Egyptians heard, and the news reached Pharaoh’s palace.

Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father really still alive?’ His brothers could not answer him, they were so dismayed at the sight of him. Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ When they had come closer to him he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not grieve, do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here, since God sent me before you to preserve your lives.’
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Matthew 10:7-15

Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘As you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge. Provide yourselves with no gold or sliver, not even with a few coppers for your purse, with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic of footwear or a staff, for the workman deserves his keep.

‘Whatever town or village you go into, ask for someone trustworthy and stay with him until you leave. As you enter his house, salute it, and if the house deserves it, let your peace descend upon it; if it does not, let your peace come back to you. And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet. I tell you solemnly, on the day of Judgement it will not go as hard with the land of Sodom and Gomorrah as with that town.’
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Come closer to me.

There is something I must confess. I do not always look forward to retreats, particularly ones in which I am a facilitator. There have been some retreats in which I feel like pulling out of on even the very morning of the event. These feelings stem a sense of jadedness at attending something which is probably going to be a rehash of previous retreats. I am very glad that I never gave in to those impulses. Each retreat which began dogged with doubts ended with new and surprising insights into God and myself.

The sending out of the disciples was as much a lesson for them as it was for those they went to. This was their first time ministering on their own and they needed to learn to keep God close to them as they were doing so. Christ did this by sending them out empty-handed so they would see how God would provide all that they needed. It was a journey in which they would draw closer to God. Doing so would open them up to even more revelations. Such was the case in today’s first reading. Though first alarmed at Joseph’s revelation, his brothers learnt the wonders of God’s ways after they drew near him.

The lack of a clear physical presence exerting an influence on us makes it a challenge to believe in an unseen God. When we face difficulties in our lives it can be even more so. Regardless of this, God is always calling on us to draw closer to him. If we never do so because of doubts or pride or weariness then we will never grow in our spiritual journeys. My brothers and sisters, let us be like the disciples and face our upcoming days learning to count on God to see us through.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer: We pray for open hearts and minds, that we will experience God in new ways every day.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for street lamps which light up our way at night.

Upcoming Readings:
Fri, 10 Jul – Genesis 46:1-7.28-30; Matthew 10:16-23
Sat, 11 Jul – Genesis 49:29-33;50:15-26; Matthew 10:24-38; Memorial for St. Benedict, Abbot
Sun, 12 Jul – Amos 7:12-15; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 7-13; Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time; Bible Sunday