OXYGEN

10 Mar
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Deuteronomy 4:1.5-9

Moses said to the people:

‘Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you.

‘See, as the Lord my God has commanded me, I teach you the laws and customs that you are to observe in the land you are to enter and make your own. Keep them, observe them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding. When they come to know of all these laws they will exclaim, “No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation.” And indeed, what great nation is there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? And what great nation is there that has laws and customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today?

‘But take care what you do and be on your guard. Do not forget the things your eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your heart all the days of your life; rather, tell them to your children and to your children’s children.’
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Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.’
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But take care what you do and be on your guard

Until this day I still remember what my economics professor mentioned in one of our classes – that we begin to venture into dangerous territory when we lose sight of the main guiding principle that undergirds the policy. In certain ways, I am reminded of this statement as I read today’s readings.

We are in the middle of Lent and it is good to take stock of why we are engaging in the practices of sacrifice that we have embarked upon since Ash Wednesday. Did we do them out of a desire to be closer to God and to want to mortify our souls so as to be closer to Him and able to hear his voice? Jesus reminds us that the commandments of God are here to stay and His coming was to bring them to fullness and perfection. Our role as Christians who are on the way to perfection should then be to acquire the skills and dispositions needed to radiate God’s love to all around us.

There may be many commandments that we are asked to abide but I believe that all of them are underpinned by the two great commandments of “Love God” and “Love Neighbour”. If we can put this in the centre of our lives then all our acts of mortification, works of charity and attendance to devotions will come to fruition in witnessing to those around us. Let us take a moment of silence after reading this to ask God to be the central actor of our life and let our actions be in accordance with His.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
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Prayer: Lord, we pray for the gift of love to be shown to all around us.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all who bring God’s love to the unloved.

Upcoming Readings:
Thu, 11 Mar – Jeremiah 7:23-28; Luke 11;14-23
Fri, 12 Mar – Hosea 14:2-10; Mark 12:28-34
Sat, 13 Mar – Hosea 6:1-6; Luke 18:9-14
Sun, 14 Mar – Joshua 5:9-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; John 9:1-41; Fourth Sunday of Lent?