OXYGEN

09 Feb
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1 Kings 8:22-23.27-30

In the presence of the whole assembly of Israel, Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord and, stretching out his hand towards heaven, said, ‘Lord God of Israel, not in heaven above nor on earth beneath is there such a God as you, true to your covenant and your kindness towards your servants when they walk wholeheartedly in your way. Yet will God really live with men on the earth? Why, the heavens and their own heavens cannot contain you. How much less this house that i have built! Listen to the prayer and entreaty of your servant, Lord my God; listen to the cry and to the prayer your servant makes to you today. Day and night let your eyes watch over this house, over this place which you have said, “My name shall be there.” Listen to the prayer that your servant will offer in this place.

‘Hear the entreaty of your servant and of Israel your people as they pray in this place. From heaven where your dwelling is, hear; and as you hear, forgive.’
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Mark 7:1-13

The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is without washing them. For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’ He answered, ‘It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesised in this passage of scripture:

This people honours me only with lip-service,
while their hearts are far from me.
The worship they offer me is worthless,
the doctrines they teach are only human regulations.

You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’ And he said to them, ‘How ingeniously you get round the commandment of God in order to preserve your own tradition! For Moses said: Do your duty to your father and your mother, and, Anyone who curses father or mother must be put to death. But you say, “If a man says to his father or mother: Anything I have that I might have used to help you is Corban (that is, dedicated to God,) then is forbidden from that moment to do anything for his father or mother.” In this way you make God’s word null and void for the sake of your tradition which you have handed down. And you do many other things like this.’
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From heaven where your dwelling is, hear; and as you hear, forgive

There was one time where I watched two young boys shouting out their prayers at the top of a building and I wondered what they were doing. Upon further questioning, they told me that God must certainly hear better at a higher altitude since it is closer to heaven, the place where he lives! This incident brought a huge and broad smile on my face but it caused me to think about how adults do the same thing albeit in a different manner.

The frequent recourse to various intercessory novenas and promises of sacrifice are commonly seen amongst the faithful in church. I have also heard them say that the absence of a favourable response must be due to the non-fulfilment of one of the pre-requisites of the prayer. I do not think they have reached a stage of legalism as we read in the Gospel of today where the Pharisees are adamant about the adherence to certain dietary and purification regulations. Sometimes we get too caught up in the details and forget that God wants us to love Him. We do not ask that the rules be abandoned but that the rationale and spirit behind the laws be considered. The many prayers that we say are a means to an end and not an end in itself; these prayers and the accompanying pre-requisites make us develop a closer journey with God.

Ultimately, our actions will be interpreted in the context of our intent. The people around us are neither blind nor deaf; they may choose what they want to pay attention to but they are certainly paying attention to something. I pray that it is a spirit of love that they see behind our actions.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
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Prayer: Lord, we pray that all our actions radiate Your love.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the gift of sight and hearing.

Upcoming Readings:
Wed, 10 Feb – 1 Kings 10:1-10; Mark 7:14-23; Memorial of St Scholastica, Virgin
Thu, 11 Feb – 1 Kings 11:4-13; Mark 7:24-30; Memorial for Our Lady of Lourdes; World Day of Prayer for the Sick
Fri, 12 Feb – 1 Kings 11:29-32;12:19; Mark 7: 31-37
Sat, 13 Feb – 1 Kings 12:26-32;13:33-34; Mark 8:1-10
Sun, 14 Feb – 1 Jeremiah 17:5-8; 1 Corinthians 15:12.16-20; Luke 6:20-26; Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time; Chinese New Year