OXYGEN

27 Aug – Memorial for St Monica, Married Woman

St. Monica was distressed to learn that her son had accepted a heresy and was living an immoral life. For a while, she refused to let him eat or sleep in her house. Then one night she had a vision that assured her Augustine would return to the faith. From that time on she stayed close to her son, praying and fasting for him. In fact, she often stayed much closer than Augustine wanted.
When he was 29, Augustine decided to go to Rome to teach rhetoric. Monica was determined to go along. One night he told his mother that he was going to the dock to say goodbye to a friend. Instead, he set sail for Rome. Monica was heartbroken when she learned of Augustine’s trick, but she still followed him. She arrived in Rome only to find that he had left for Milan. Although travel was difficult, Monica pursued him to Milan, where she became a leader of the devout women there.

- Patron Saint Index
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1 Thessalonians 3:7-13

Brothers, your faith has been a great comfort to us in the middle of our own troubles and sorrows; now we can breath again, as you are still holding firm in the Lord. how can we thank God enough for you, all the joy we fel before our God on your account? We are earnestly praying night and day to be able to see you face to face again and make up any shortcomings in your faith.

May God our Father himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, make it easy for us to come to you. May the Lord be generous in increasing your love and make you love one another and the whole human race as much as we love you. And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when Lord Jesus Christ comes with all his saints.
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Matthew 24:42-51

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burgler would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

‘What sort of servant, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you solmenly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the dishonest servant who says to himself, “My master is taking his time,” and sets about beating his fellow servants and eating and drinking with drunkards, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’
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Stay awake…

I thought about the very popular Taize verse that is so often sung during Lent and Holy Week. “Stay with me, Remain here with me….” Then I start to think that, I would be one of his disciples who will not be able to stay up through the night. During my army training, I had difficulty keeping awake at my guard watch duty in the fields and was surprised by the simulated ‘attacks’. I received harsh warnings from my superiors and had to perform extra duties.

Today’s Gospel reminds us to stand ready for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are to be alert and have our hearts prepared for the day of judgement. The arrival of Jesus some two thousand years ago was not what the Jews had expected and they failed to recognise the face of God. We have our very own perception of how God should be, how He behave, how He should look and we only look out for the ‘face’ we know.

A restaurant owner will never know when a food critic could step in to review the place. He could dress in a very smart suit or just be a casually-dressed person to walk into the restaurant anytime. Regardless of how he or she is in appearance, the quality service should be given to every customer every day. The staffs are ready to serve.

Are we ready to serve? How do we treat our neighbours? We are to see the face of God even in the unlikely of people we come across. I try not to be quick in judging others because one day I will be judged by my Father.

Let us prepare ourselves for the Lord’s arrival. Let us be obedient to the commandments, spread the Good News and be a living testimony for others to experience the Love of God to the world so when the Master comes, He will place us over everything He owns. It is an attitude that not only applies to our spiritual eternal life but the discipline to stay awake and be ready applies to our attitude towards work and family in this world.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Austin Leong)
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Prayer: Lord, I ‘fall asleep’ so often and so easily. Help me stay awake and stand ready for Your arrival and to recognise your face in the people I meet each day. I will never know when You will come but I want to be faithful and wise when You arrive.

Thanksgiving: Thank You God for the faith and the wisdom which You have empowered me to share Your Good News and using me as an instrument, filled with the Holy Spirit, to spread Your message and love.

Upcoming Readings:
Fri, 28 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Matthew 25:1-3; Memorial for St Augustine, Bishop, Doctor of the Church
Sat, 29 Aug – Jeremiah 1:17-19; Mark 6:17-29; Memorial of the Beheading of St John the Baptist
Sun, 30 Aug – Deuteronomy 4:1-2.6-8; James 1.17-18.21-22.27; Matthew 7:1-8.14-15.21-23; Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time