Blaise (d. 316) was a physician and Bishop of Sebaste, Armenia. He lived in a cave on Mount Argeus. He was a healer of men and animals. According to legend, sick animals would come to him on their own for help, but would never disturb him in prayer.

Agricola, governor of Cappadocia, came to Sebaste to persecute Christians. His huntsmen went into the forests of Argeus to find wild animals for the arena games, and found many waiting outside Blaise’s cave. Discovered in prayer, Blaise was arrested, and Agricola tried to get him to recant his faith. While in prison, Blaise ministered to and healed his fellow prisoners, including saving a child who was choking on a fish bone; this led to the blessing of throats of Blaise’s feast day.

Thrown into a lake to drown, Blaise stood on the surface and invited his persecutors to walk out and prove the power of their gods; they drowned. When he returned to land, he was martyred by being beaten, his flesh torn out with wool combs (which led to his association with and patronage of those involved in the wool trade), and then beheaded.

Blaise has been extremely popular for centuries in both the Eastern and Western Churches. In 1222, the Council of Oxford prohibited servile labour in England on his feast. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.

Ansgar (801-865) was born to the French nobility. He was a Benedictine monk at Old Corbie Abbey in Picardy, and New Corbie in Westphalia. He studied under St. Adelard and St. Paschasius Radbert. He accompanied the converted King Harold to Denmark when the exiled king returned home.

He was a missionary to Denmark and Sweden. He founded the first Christian church in Sweden in c.832. He was abbot of New Corbie c.834. He was ordained Archbishop of Hamburg by Pope Gregry IV. He was a papal legate to the Sacndanavian countries. He established the first Christian school in Denmark, but was run out by pagans, and the school was burned to the ground. He campaigned against slavery.

He was Archbishop of Bremen. He converted Erik, King of Jutland. He was a great preacher, a miracle worker, and greatly devoted to the poor and sick. Sadly, after his death most of his gains for the Church were lost to resurgent paganism.

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Ecclesiasticus 47:2-13

As the fat is set apart from the communion sacrifice,
so David was chosen out of all the sons of Israel.
He played with lions as though with kids,
and with bears as though with lambs of the flock.
While still a boy, did he not slay the giant,
and relieve the people of their shame,
by putting out a hand to sling a stone
which brought down the arrogance of Goliath?
For he called on the Lord Most High,
who gave strength to his right arm
to put a mighty warrior to death,
and lift up the horn of his people.
Hence they gave him credit for ten thousand,
and praised him while they blessed the Lord,
by offering him a crown of glory;
for he massacred enemies on every side,
he annihilated his foes the Philistines,
and crushed their horn to this very day.
In all his activities he gave thanks
to the Holy One, the Most High, in words of glory;
he put all his heart into his songs
out of love for his Maker.
He placed harps before the altar
to make the singing sweeter with their music;
he gave the feasts their splendour,
the festivals their solemn pomp,
causing the Lord’s holy name to be praised
and the sanctuary to resound from dawn.
The Lord took away his sins,
and exalted his horn for ever;
he gave him a royal covenant,
and a glorious throne in Israel.
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Mark 6:14-29

King Herod had heard about Jesus, since by now his name was well-known. Some were saying, ‘John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.’ Others said, ‘He is Elijah’; others again, ‘He is a prophet, like the prophets we used to have.’ But when Herod heard this he said, ‘It is John whose head I cut off; he has risen from the dead.’

Now it was this same Herod who had sent to have John arrested, and had him chained up in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife whom he had married. For John had told Herod, ‘It is against the law for you to have your brother’s wife.’ As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him; but she was not able to, because Herod was afraid of John, knowing him to be a good and holy man, and gave him his protection. When he had heard him speak he was greatly perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.

An opportunity came on Herod’s birthday when he gave a banquet for the nobles of his court, for his army officers and for the leading figures in Galilee. When the daughter of this same Herodias came in and danced, she delighted Herod and his guests; so the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me anything you like and I will give it you.’ And he swore her an oath, ‘I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.’ She went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the Baptist’ The girl hurried straight back to the king and made her request, ‘I want you to give me John the Baptist’s head, here and now, on a dish.’ The king was deeply distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he was reluctant to break his word to her. So the king at once sent one of the bodyguard with orders to bring John’s head. The man went off and beheaded him in prison; then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When John’s disciples heard about this, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
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It is John whose head I cut off; he has risen from the dead

Several years ago when I lived with my parents, I had a cat that caused some trouble to my neighbours. It would go into the neighbours’ home and defecate there. One day a particular neighbour set up a trap to catch my cat and took it to goodness knows where. I never saw my cat again. At Christmas that year, to make peace with the neighbours, I gave out vouchers to all my neighbours because I didn’t know exactly which neighbours’ homes my cat used to frequent. Only one neighbour returned my vouchers. Guess which one? The same neighbour continues to return all gifts in the subsequent years.

In today’s gospel reading, King Herod heard many rumours about Jesus, but the moment someone said it was John the Baptist who rose from the dead, Herod believed it. It was not because that particular rumour was more believable than the rest; it was because of Herod’s guilty conscience – the same reason why my neighbour returns gifts to us.

Herod’s no saint, and neither was David. Though a great king, David committed many sins nonetheless. But the difference between Herod and David is that David had a clear conscience. Whenever he committed a sin against God, the Lord often sent a prophet to teach him the error of his ways. David was humble and quick to learn from his mistakes. When David sinned and was shown the error of his ways, he was quick to repent and make amends. That is why David had a clear conscience.

Compare this with King Herod who, even when he realised he made a mistake, chose to protect his ego instead of breaking his word to the daughter of Herodias. But before we judge Herod, let us ask ourselves: Have I ever promised something to someone and realised that I couldn’t fulfil the promise, but insisted on trying to anyway?

We may think that it is noble to do that because we want to keep our promise. Herod thought so too. Am I saying that it is alright to break a promise? Actually, yes! If we already know early on that we cannot fulfil a promise, then it is better to break it now than to break it later. Three good things can come from it. First, the person is informed early on that you cannot fulfil your promise, and has time to find another way to get it done. Second, you don’t waste time and effort on a futile job and can devote what’s saved towards fulfilling other commitments made. Third, you have an opportunity to be humble and admit that you were wrong to have made that promise in the first place. Most importantly however, you will have a clear conscience.

If you’re anything like me, and you always want to help other people, you cannot help running into the problem of over-promising and under-delivering. It is better to under-promise and over-deliver. Try it today!

(Today’s OXYGEN by Daniel Tay)
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Prayer: We pray for helpful people who over-promise and under-deliver. May we learn humility.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for people who tell us early that they cannot finish a job they promised to do.

St. John Bosco (1815-1888) was the son of Venerable Margaret Bosco. His father died when he was just two years old, and as soon as he was old enough to do odd jobs, he did so for extra money for his family. Bosco would go to circuses, fairs, and carnivals, practise the tricks he saw the magicians perform, and then present one-boy shows. After his performance, while he still had an audience of boys, he would repeat the homily he had heard earlier in church.

He worked as a tailor, baker, shoemaker, and carpenter while attending college and the seminary. He was ordained in 1841. He was a teacher, and he worked with youth, finding places where they could meet, play and pray. He taught catechism to orphans and apprentices, and was chaplain in a hospice for girls.

He wrote short treatises aimed at explaining the faith to children, and then taught children how to print them. He was a friend of St. Joseph Cafasson, whose biography he wrote. He was confessor to Blessed Joseph Allamano. He founded the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) in 1859, a community of priests who work with and educate boys, under the protection of Our Lady, Help of Christians, and St. Francis de Sales. He founded the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, in 1872, and the Union of Cooperator Salesians in 1875.

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2 Samuel 18:9-10.14.24-25.30-19:3

Absalom happened to run into some of David’s followers. Absalom was riding a mule and the mule passed under the thick branches of a great oak. Absalom’s head caught fast in the oak and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule he was riding went on. Someone saw this and told Joab. ‘I have just seen Absalom’ he said ‘hanging from an oak.’ Joab took three lances in his hand and thrust them into Absalom’s heart while he was still alive there in the oak tree.

David was sitting between the two gates. The lookout had gone up to the roof of the gate, on the ramparts; he looked up and saw a man running all by himself. The watch called out to the king and told him. The king said, ‘If he is by himself, he has good news to tell.’ The king told the man, ‘Move aside and stand there.’ He moved aside and stood waiting.

Then the Cushite arrived. ‘Good news for my lord the king!’ cried the Cushite. ‘The Lord has vindicated your cause today by ridding you of all who rebelled against you.’ ‘Is all well with young Absalom?’ the king asked the Cushite. ‘May the enemies of my lord the king’ the Cushite answered ‘and all who rebelled against you to your hurt, share the lot of that young man.’

The king shuddered. He went up to the room over the gate and burst into tears, and weeping said, ‘My son Absalom! My son! My son Absalom! Would I had died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!’ Word was brought to Joab, The king is now weeping and mourning for Absalom.’ And the day’s victory was turned to mourning for all the troops, because they learned that the king was grieving for his son. And the troops returned stealthily that day to the town, as troops creep back ashamed when routed in battle.
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Mark 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered round him and he stayed by the lakeside. Then one of the synagogue officials came up, Jairus by name, and seeing him, fell at his feet and pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter is desperately sick. Do come and lay your hands on her to make her better and save her life.’ Jesus went with him and a large crowd followed him; they were pressing all round him.

Now there was a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years; after long and painful treatment under various doctors, she spent all she had without being any the better for it, in fact, she was getting worse. She had heard about Jesus, and she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his cloak. ‘If I can touch even his clothes,’ she had told herself ‘I shall be well again.’ And the source of the bleeding dried up instantly, and she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint. Immediately aware that power had gone out from him, Jesus turned round in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ His disciples said to him, ‘You see how the crowd is pressing round you and yet you say, “Who touched me?”’ But he continued to look all round to see who had done it. Then the woman came forward, frightened and trembling because she knew what had happened to her, and she fell at his feet and told him the whole truth. ‘My daughter,’ he said ‘your faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free from your complaint.’

While he was still speaking some people arrived from the house of the synagogue official to say, ‘Your daughter is dead: why put the Master to any further trouble?’ But Jesus had overheard this remark of theirs and he said to the official, ‘Do not be afraid; only have faith.’ And he allowed no one to go with him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. So they came to the official’s house and Jesus noticed all the commotion, with people weeping and wailing unrestrainedly. He went in and said to them, ‘Why all this commotion and crying? The child is not dead, but asleep.’ But they laughed at him. So he turned them all out and, taking with him the child’s father and mother and his own companions, he went into the place where the child lay. And taking the child by the hand he said to her, ‘Talitha, kum!’ which means, ‘Little girl, I tell you to get up.’ The little girl got up at once and began to walk about, for she was twelve years old. At this they were overcome with astonishment, and he ordered them strictly not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.
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Do not be afraid; only have faith

I once read in a book about being there for people. I don’t remember the exact words, but it went something along the line of: People remember you for being there for them at three occasions: births, weddings, and deaths. No wonder we remember our priests so well! It is a saying that I take to heart and make it a point to be present with my friends, even if I can only spare half an hour. I make it a point to be there for them when they have their child (especially their first child). I am there for them at their wedding. When a loved one dies (especially a spouse), I am there for them long after the funeral ends and everyone goes home.

Death is not a joyful occasion. Even though among ourselves, we might joke about wishing someone were dead so that we can rejoice, death is not a joyful occasion. If we rejoice at someone’s death it is because we never knew the person. Because when someone close to us dies, a part of us dies as well. We weep and we grieve, not for the person who has died, but for the part of us that has died. Grieving is for the living, not for the dead, and it is a very necessary part of being human. This is what David’s grief reminded his troops.

A friend of mine recently passed away after a long fought battle against cancer. I did not know his family before he died, but after his wife got in touch with me, I have made a point to stay in touch with her by texting her every week to see how she is doing. Recently we met up for the first time and we shared stories about the person we’ve both lost. Through that process, I have gotten to know him even better. If there is one thing that I always tell those who are left behind, it is to take time to grieve. The other thing I tell them is that one day the pain will go away and that they will be able to remember their loss without the pain.

Jesus’ words to the official ring true: Do not be afraid; only have faith. Have faith in God who will see us through, even though we fear life without the person beside us. We fear life with all the pain and hurt, but this is what grieving does for us. It allows us to process the pain. In yesterday’s reflection, I wrote about what happens when anger is not processed. Grief too is a powerful emotion that needs to be processed, otherwise bad things happen. Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent grief. We can only accept it and have faith that one day, the pain will be gone. It might take months, most likely years, but Jesus tells us: Do not be afraid; only have faith.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Daniel Tay)
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Prayer: We pray for those who have lost a loved one recently. May they take all the time they need to grieve and to heal.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for allowing us to grieve.

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was the son of the Count of Aquino. He was born in the family castle in Lombardy near Naples, Italy. He was educated by Benedictine monks at Monte Cassino, and at the University of Naples. He secretly joined the mendicant Dominican friars in 1244. His family kidnapped and imprisoned him for a year to keep him out of sight and deprogram him, but they failed to sway him, and he rejoined his order in 1245.

He studied in Paris, France, from 1245-1248 under St. Albert the Great, then accompanied Albertus to Cologne, Germany. He was ordained in 1250, then returned to Paris to teach. He taught theology at the University of Paris. He wrote defenses of the mendicant orders, commentaries on Aristotle and Lombard’s Sentences, and some bible-related works, usually by dictating to secretaries. He won his doctorate, and taught at several Italian cities. He was recalled by the king and the University of Paris in 1269, then recalled to Naples in 1272 where he was appointed regent of studies while working on the Summa Theologica.

On 6 December 1273, he experienced a divine revelation which so enraptured him that he abandoned the Summa, saying that it and his other writing were so much straw in the wind compared to the reality of the divine glory. He died four months later while en route to the Council of Lyons, overweight and with his health broken by overwork.

His works have been seminal to the thinking of the Church ever since. They systematized her great thoughts and teaching, and combined Greek wisdom and scholarship methods with the truth of Christianity. Pope Leo VIII commanded that his teachings be studied by all theology students. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1567.

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2 Samuel 12:1-7.10-17

The Lord sent Nathan the prophet to David. He came to him and said:

‘In the same town were two men,
one rich, the other poor.
The rich man had flocks and herds
in great abundance;
the poor man had nothing but a ewe lamb,
one only, a small one he had bought.
This he fed, and it grew up with him and his children,
eating his bread, drinking from his cup,
sleeping on his breast; it was like a daughter to him.
When there came a traveller to stay, the rich man
refused to take one of his own flock or herd
to provide for the wayfarer who had come to him.
Instead he took the poor man’s lamb
and prepared it for his guest.’

David’s anger flared up against the man. ‘As the Lord lives,’ he said to Nathan ‘the man who did this deserves to die! He must make fourfold restitution for the lamb, for doing such a thing and showing no compassion.’

Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man. So now the sword will never be far from your House, since you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.”

‘Thus the Lord speaks, “I will stir up evil for you out of your own House. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to your neighbour, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. You worked in secret, I will work this in the face of all Israel and in the face of the sun.”’

David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord, for his part, forgives your sin; you are not to die. Yet because you have outraged the Lord by doing this, the child that is born to you is to die.’ Then Nathan went home.

The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David and it fell gravely ill. David pleaded with the Lord for the child; he kept a strict fast and went home and spent the night on the bare ground, covered with sacking. The officials of his household came and stood round him to get him to rise from the ground, but he refused, nor would he take food with them.
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Mark 4:35-41

With the coming of evening, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. Then it began to blow a gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, ‘Master, do you not care? We are going down!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and all was calm again. Then he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’ They were filled with awe and said to one another, ‘Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.’
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The Lord for his part, forgives your sin. You are not to die

Today’s passage is a thought-provoking one. We see the Lord speaking to David through the prophet Nathan. David had taken a liking to Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and slept with her. He subsequently found out that she was with child. In order to cover up his misdeed, he plotted for the death of Uriah in the battlefield. He had committed both adultery and murder in the eyes of God. Both were grievous trespasses against the law – they were in fact capital crimes.

Yet God did not sentence David to death. He sentenced David’s son instead.

This puzzled me. Why did God forgive David his sin (hence sparing his life) but yet chose to inflict death on David’s child? It seems to me that this is an example where the mercy and justice of God collides. I’ve hardly heard of God forgiving a sin in the Old Testament without the offering of a sacrifice as prescribed in accordance to the law. In this case however, God chose to forgive David. He made an exception. This was an example of his mercy. Yet, a sacrifice had to be made. The justice of God demanded payment  for  David’s sin – like the punishment of our crimes. And it fell on David’s son.

But wait, doesn’t that seem a tad bit unfair? After all, isn’t David’s son innocent? Sure, he was conceived out of wedlock and as the result of adultery, but shouldn’t David’s sin be kept separate from his son? Unfortunately for David, in the Old Testament, the sins of a father were usually imputed to him and his children. Hence, although  David was spared, his son was not. This was the justice of God.

This is no longer the case today however, post-Christ. This is because, Christ has become the full payment for our sins. In order to ensure that we could receive the full measure of his mercy – God sent his very own son to become a son of man so that he may bare the full punishment of our sins. As 1 Peter 3:18 says, Christ died ONCE AND FOR ALL for sins.  He didn’t just die for our past sins. He died for all our sins, once and for all, regardless of when it was (or will be) committed. There is thus no more punishment for the sinner – only grace – since Christ has become the perfect atonement for all our sins.

Unfortunately, there are times when I find it hard to register this internally. There are times when I think I still live in the time of David, where I deserve to be punished for my sins. Hence, when bad things happen, I refrain from seeking God but accept it instead as my just lot in life. I don’t realise however, that when I adopt such thoughts, I make light Jesus’ sacrifice. In effect, I’m subconsciously saying that I don’t believe that his sacrifice on the cross has the power to pay the price for my life.

How many of us are subconsciously like that too? How many of us still hold on to the bondages of this mentality? For instance, when an illness or misfortune happen do we see it as a sign of God’s wrath? Or do we think that we’re just simply too unworthy for Christ to act in our lives? Are we forgetting our relationship with the one who has the power to redeem sins and command the storms in our lives?

(Today’s OXYGEN by Cassandra Cheong)
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Prayer: Remind us Lord daily of your grace. Help us to become aware of our thoughts, especially thoughts that undermine the power of your cross in our lives. Let us not be held captive to our failings, but to live with a conscience that is always conscious of your grace.

Thanksgiving: We thank you Lord for the power of your cross in our lives and for the gift of shepherds in your church who nurture us and draw us closer to you.

St. Angela Merici (1474-1540) became a Franciscan tertiary at the age of 15. She received a vision telling her that she would inspire devout women in their vocation.

In Crete, during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, she was struck blind. Her friends wanted to return home, but she insisted on going on, visiting the shrines with as much devotion and enthusiasm as if she had her sight. On the way home, while praying before a crucifix, her sight was restored at the same place where it had been lost.

In 1535, she gathered a group of girl students and began what would become the “Institute of St. Ursula” (the Ursuline Sisters), founded to teach children, beginning with religion and later expanding into secular topics; her first schools were in Desenazno and Brescia.

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2 Samuel 11:1-4.5-10.13-17

At the turn of the year, the time when kings go campaigning, David sent Joab and with him his own guards and the whole of Israel. They massacred the Ammonites and laid siege to Rabbah. David, however, remained in Jerusalem.

It happened towards evening when David had risen from his couch and was strolling on the palace roof, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. David made inquiries about this.woman and was told, ‘Why, that is Bathsheba, Eliam’s daughter, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.’ Then David sent messengers and had her brought. She came to him, and he slept with her. She then went home again. The woman conceived and sent word to David; ‘I am with child.’

Then David sent Joab a message, ‘Send me Uriah the Hittite’, whereupon Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came into his presence, David asked after Joab and the army and how the war was going. David then said to Uriah, ‘Go down to your house and enjoy yourself. Uriah left the palace, and was followed by a present from the king’s table. Uriah however slept by the palace door with his master’s bodyguard and did not go down to his house.

This was reported to David; ‘Uriah’ they said ‘did not go down to his house.’ The next day David invited him to eat and drink in his presence and made him drunk. In the evening Uriah went out and lay on his couch with his master’s bodyguard, but he did not go down to his house.

Next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah. In the letter he wrote, ‘Station Uriah in the thick of the fight and then fall back behind him so that he may be struck down and die.’ Joab, then besieging the town, posted Uriah in a place where he knew there were fierce fighters. The men of the town sallied out and engaged Joab; the army suffered casualties, including some of David’s bodyguard; and Uriah the Hittite was killed too.
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Mark 4:26-34

Jesus said to the crowds, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses no time: he starts to reap because the harvest has come.’

He also said, ‘What can we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we find for it? It is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the soil is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.’

Using many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it. He would not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were alone.
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Once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all

In yesterday’s reflection, I shared about my mum’s frustration over a stuck lock, and how it suddenly sprung open without any effort on her part after she uttered a prayer to God. What struck me about her prayer was how she confessed the power of God and his sovereignty over her life. She had heard it preached before in the Gospel that “nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1: 37) so she believed in the word and confessed it in faith over a situation in her life. And God responded.
In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus likening the kingdom of God to that of a mustard seed. According to Jesus, although the mustard seed is of an insignificant size at the time of its sowing, once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all – so big that even birds of the air can find shelter and nest in its branches.

Reflecting on the passage, it struck me that the word of God is like that mustard seed. Very often, I find it easy to neglect setting aside time to reflect and feed on God’s word. There are just so many other priorities which demand my attention and require me to invest my time in (e.g. my career, finances, family etc). Thus, very easily, reflecting on God’s word ends up becoming the least significant item on my to-do list. It is like the smallest seed compared to the other areas of my life.

Yet, it is the seed that reaps the most benefits when sown.

Let me share with your another example. A man once owed a debt of $16 million. The interest on his debt alone every month was in the range of a few hundred thousands. Imagine being in such bondage! He was in perpetual anxiety and the fear of becoming bankrupt weighed heavily on him. Thankfully, someone introduced him to Christ. In the course of his Christian journey, he learnt what it meant to surrender and trust in God. He also learnt what it meant to spend time on God’s word and reflect on it. Rather than focusing on his worries, he channeled whatever remaining energy he had on sowing God’s word in his life instead. One day, while sitting in his car, he finally confessed to God, “Lord, even when I am bankrupt, I will still continue to praise and worship you. You are my God and you are sovereign over my circumstances. I know that you will protect me because you care for me!” He was confessing (or uttering) the promise of God in 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”. After his prayer, he suddenly felt the presence of God with him in his car and his anxiety was gone. Eventually, his debt was supernaturally written off by his debtors and they decided not to pursue it anymore!

When we sow the word of God in our lives, it ends up becoming a strong tree – a strong tree with sturdy branches upon which we may build the other areas of our lives.  My mum and the man are testimonies of that. They read the word of God – they believed it – and they confessed with faith in the sovereignty of God over their lives. As a result, they witnessed the word of God bear fruit in their lives.

My brothers and sisters, what have we been investing our time and efforts on? What circumstances are we facing currently that are demanding our attention and focus? We can trust that if something matters to us, it also matters to God – because we matter to Him. There are no problems too big or too small for God to handle. And he wants to care for you. It’s there in His word. Let’s read it, plant it, confess it and watch as it ripens and bears fruit in our lives.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Cassandra Cheong)
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Prayer: Dear Lord, we know that you are sovereign and that there is power when we claim your word in our lives. Prompt us to read your word regularly and profess it regularly over the circumstances in our lives. Help us to believe with supernatural faith in the power of your word and its impact to change our lives.

Thanksgiving: We thank you for hearing us when we pray and acting in your time.

Timothy (d. 97) was the son of a Greek gentile, his mother Eunice was Jewish. He was converted to Christianity by St. Paul around the year 47. He was a partner, assistant and close friend of Paul. He was a missionary as well, and became head of the Church in Ephesus. He was the recipient of two canonical letters from St. Paul, and was stoned to death for opposing the worship of Dionysius.

Titus (d. 96) was also a disciple of St. Paul and was the recipient of a canonical letter from him. He was the first bishop of the Church in Crete.

- Patron Saint Index
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2 Samuel 7:18-19.24-29

After Nathan had spoken to him, King David went in and, seated before the Lord, said: ‘Who am I, O Lord, and what is my House, that you have led me as far as this? Yet in your sight, O Lord, this is still not far enough, and you make your promises extend to the House of your servant for a far-distant future. You have constituted your people Israel to be your own people for ever; and you, Lord, have become their God.

‘Now, O Lord, always keep the promise you have made your servant and his House, and do as you have said. Your name will be exalted for ever and men will say, “The Lord of Hosts is God over Israel.” The House of your servant David will be made secure in your presence, since you yourself, Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, “I will build you a House”; hence your servant has ventured to offer this prayer to you. Yes, Lord, you are God indeed, your words are true and you have made this fair promise to your servant. Be pleased, then, to bless the House of your servant, that it may continue for ever in your presence; for you, Lord, have spoken; and with your blessing the House of your servant will be for ever blessed.’
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Mark 4:21-25

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Would you bring in a lamp to put it under a tub or under the bed? Surely you will put it on the lamp-stand? For there is nothing hidden but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’

He also said to them, ‘Take notice of what you are hearing. The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given – and more besides; for the man who has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’
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God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control

My mother has a habit of using combinations locks on her luggages whenever she travels. And given her poor memory with numbers, she uses the same combination for all her locks. Recently, however, upon her return from her business trip, she discovered that one of her combinations locks refused to budge despite the entry of her magic numbers. Frustrated, she prayed, “Lord you can do it, and only you can do it. All things are possible with you!” Then she took a shower. Thereafter, when she attempted to press the lock open again (as it is, without touching any of the combination locks), to our surprise, the lock suddenly sprung open!

I was amazed and struck that God heard my mother’s prayer even when it concerned something so small and insignificant as a stuck lock. It reminded me about how often I fail to realise how powerful prayer can be – simply because of the gift of His Holy Spirit residing within me. I was also struck by the way my mum said her prayer. She prayed it in faith, believing that she would receive it. And she did.  Sometimes, I wonder how much faith must a person have before God would answer our prayer? Then it dawned on me – it requires only a small amount of faith – the faith enough for us to just open our mouths and speak to him. Over time, I believe once you have had a history of testimonies with God, faith just naturally and gradually builds.

To be honest, there are times when prayer doesn’t come instinctively to me. I would rather choose to manage certain problems on my own. I feel sometimes that I need to resolve them rather than bring them before God. It wasn’t because I didn’t trust Him. I just never thought of bringing it to Him! However, in today’s readings, St. Paul reminds us that we have been given a spirit, not of timidity, but of power, love and self-control.

It’s interesting to realise that there are many opportunities in a day where we can actually bring God in. It is true that there are times when we can handle certain things on our own. Why pray? However, seeing my mum’s experience, now I realise – there is power in our prayers. It allows God to enter into our lives and it allows us to have a more personal and intimate relationship with him. It’s like two people in a relationship having their lives intermingled and entwined with each other. So beginning today, let’s keep a lookout for opportunities in our lives where we can start engaging the Spirit and bringing God in!

(Today’s OXYGEN by Cassandra Cheong)
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Prayer: Dear Lord, we pray for a more intimate relationship with you. Help us to become consciously aware everyday of the numerous opportunities that we have to engage your Spirit. May our lives be a constant interaction with you. Build a storehouse of testimonies within us that we may become a source of encouragement and light to those in need of you.

Thanksgiving: We thank you Lord for blessing us with a Spirit of power, love and self-control.

St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) was born in a castle to a well-placed family. His parents intended him to become a lawyer, enter politics, and carry on the family line and power. He studied at La Roche, Annecy, Clermont College in Paris, and law at the University of Padua. He became a Doctor of Law, returned home, and found a position as Senate advocate.

It was at this point that he received a message telling him to “Leave all and follow Me”. He took this as a call to the priesthood, a move his family fiercely opposed. However, he pursued a devoted prayer life, and his gentle ways won over the family.

He became a priest, and a provost in the diocese of Geneva, Switzerland, a stronghold of Calvinists. He was a preacher, writer and spiritual director in the distrcit of Chablais. His simple, clear explanations of Catholic doctrine, and his gentle way with everyone, brought many back to the Roman Church.

He was ordained Bishop of Geneva at the age of 35. He travelled and evangelized throughout the Duchy of Savoy, working with children whenever he could. He was a friend of St. Vincent de Paul. He turned down a wealthy French bishopric. He helped found the Order of the Visitation with St. Jeanne de Chantal. He was a prolific correspondent. He was declared a Doctor of the Church.

- Patron Saint Index
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2 Samuel 6:12-15.17-19

David went and brought the ark of God up from Obed-edom’s house to the Citadel of David with great rejoicing. When the bearers of the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fat sheep. And David danced whirling round before the Lord with all his might, wearing a linen loincloth round him. Thus David and all the House of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with acclaim and the sound of the horn. They brought the ark of the Lord in and put it in position inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered holocausts before the Lord, and communion sacrifices. And when David had finished offering holocausts and communion sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Hosts. He then distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israelites, men and women, a roll of bread to each, a portion of dates, and a raisin cake. Then they all went away, each to his own house.
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Mark 3:31-35

The mother and brothers of Jesus arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, ‘Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.’ He replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.’
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David danced whirling round before the Lord with all his might, wearing a linen loincloth round him.

I have been having problems recently learning how to place my trust in someone in a new relationship. It all began when my partner decided to keep in touch with an ex-girlfriend. That, of course, sent alarm bells ringing. To make matters worse, given the nature of a long distance relationship, its hard sometimes when you don’t have the physical presence of that person to reassure you. Nevertheless, I found myself struggling to fight against my own jealous emotions and toggling between irrational outbursts and rational thinking.  I felt rather embarrassed, to be honest, that I’m not open-minded enough about their friendship.

Seeking a place of refuge for my thoughts and emotions, I decided last night to head to the Catholic Spirituality Centre for adoration. After pouring out my thoughts like sand from a bottle before the Lord, I found myself flipping through the book of Psalms. One verse leapt out at me – Psalm 3:5 “I lie down and sleep, and all night long the Lord protects me. I am not afraid of the thousands of enemies who surround me on every side.” The verse struck. Picturing a man surrounded on all sides by his enemies, I simply could not imagine how one could possibly fall asleep under such circumstances. After all, wouldn’t he be fearing for his life?

Then it dawned on me that I was like that man – with my thousands of worries and anxieties surrounding me (robbing me of my sleep) and fearing for my life.

In today’s reading, we see David dancing almost naked before the Lord in his sanctuary. I was struck by this carefree image of his intimacy with God. Imagine dancing naked before the Lord! He reminded me of Adam and his relationship with God right before the fall – he didn’t seem to be carrying any baggage. There was no knowledge of shame. Neither was there any feeling of unworthiness. There was just simply no room for all that when he was ‘fellowshiping’ with God. But David wasn’t always carefree. Like us, he had his worries and anxieties. And being the author of Psalm 3:5, I’m sure David knew what it meant to be surrounded on all sides! Yet, he learnt to trust in the Lord and fellowship with the Lord, even while he was at his wits end. And the Lord protected him in the face of all his enemies. He defended him from all their attacks.

Like David, we too have the privilege of fellowshiping with God, thanks to Jesus Christ, his son. We have been granted the right to enjoy the same relationship that Adam did prior to the fall, simply because of Christ’s sacrifice. What are the benefits of being in the presence of God? Peace from knowing that we have a Heavenly Father who is capable of protecting us from anything.

As I meditated on Psalm 3:5, I realised that God was reassuring me and comforting me that I would not be alone in my journey and that he would protect me from all my anxieties. And they would not have any power over me.  (Psalm 3:7) What about you? Are there any anxieties currently that are bugging you? Or robbing you of your sleep? Surrender them to the Lord, just like David did. Surround yourself with the presence of God and sleep in the sound knowledge that He will definitely defend you.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Cassandra Cheong)
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Prayer: Dear Lord, only you know the worries of our hearts and the anxieties that we bear. We surrender them to you. Cover us in the blood of Jesus, your Son and protect us from all anxiety. Grant us soundness of mind and a joyful heart, especially in the face of uncertainty. Help us to seek you when we are surrounded on all sides. We trust that you will act for us. Fill us with your presence and defend us, with your peace, from the attacks of the enemy.

Thanksgiving: Thank you Lord for sending us people who intercede for us.

At the age of 12 or 13, Agnes was ordered to sacrifice to pagan gods and lose her virginity by rape. She was taken to a Roman temple to Minerva (Athena), and when led to the altar, she made the Sign of the Cross. She was threatened, then tortured when she refused to turn against God. Several young men presented themselves, offering to marry her, whether from lust or pity is not known.

She said that to do so would be an insult to her heavenly Spouse, that she would keep her consecrated virginity intact, accept death, and see Christ. She was martyred for her faith.

St. Agnes is mentioned in the first Eucharistic prayer. On her feast day two lambs are blessed at her church in Rome, and then their wool is woven into the palliumns (bands of white wool) which the pope confers on archbishops as symbol of their jurisdiction.

- Patron Saint Index
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2 Samuel 1:1-4.11-12.17.19.23-27

David returned from his rout of the Amalekites and spent two days in Ziklag. On the third day a man came from the camp where Saul had been, his garments torn and earth on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground and did homage. ‘Where do you come from?’ David asked him. ‘I have escaped from the Israelite camp’ he said. David said to him, ‘What happened? Tell me.’ He replied, ‘The people have fled from the battlefield and many of them have fallen. Saul and his son Jonathan are dead too.’

Then David took hold of his garments and tore them, and all the men with him did the same. They mourned and wept and fasted until the evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, for the people of The Lord and for the House of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

Then David made this lament over Saul and his son Jonathan.

Alas, the glory of Israel has been slain on your heights!
How did the heroes fall?
Saul and Jonathan, loved and lovely,
neither in life, nor in death, were divided.
Swifter than eagles were they,
stronger were they than lions.
O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul
who clothed you in scarlet and fine linen,
who set brooches of gold
on your garments.
How did the heroes fall
in the thick of the battle?
O Jonathan, in your death I am stricken,
I am desolate for you, Jonathan my brother.
Very dear to me you were,
your love to me more wonderful
than the love of a woman.
How did the heroes fall
and the battle armour fail?
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Mark 3:20-21

Jesus went home, and once more such a crowd collected that they could not even have a meal. When his relatives heard of this, they set out to take charge of him, convinced he was out of his mind.
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I am desolate for you, Jonathan my brother

I have never had a best friend, the way that David and Jonathan were best friends. I think this is my failing. I am afraid to open up and be vulnerable. That fear keeps me aloof… but also alone.

As I’ve grown older, I have grown more calcified in my ways. Worse yet, lately I have started to hide behind my work. When someone tries to get too close to me, I am immediately suspicious and up go my defenses – are they looking for a favor? What do they want from me? Why are they so nice? As a result, I don’t have many meaningful friendships. I’m sure I am the poorer for it.

I think some of this irrational behavior has to do with a fear of disappointment and a lack of faith in the good of people. Many years ago, I had a best friend who ditched me for the cool crowd, when they came a-calling. That hurts when you’re a ten-year-old, but goodness, I am a grown woman now! It is staggering the baggage we are capable of carrying around!

Lately, I have been trying to make a more conscious effort to trust, to relax a little and break down some of those defenses. Old habits die hard though. There is still a part of me that holds on to the fear of getting too close to someone. There is a part of me that fears staking so much emotional capital in a person that I can’t walk away from them. I used to call it self-preservation. Maybe it’s just plain selfish?

Jonathan had no such fear. He gave David his whole self from the start. We sometimes forget that Jonathan was the son of the king, while David was just a soldier in the king’s court. Jonathan defied his father the king on several occasions, standing up for David. Jonathan must have led such a conflicted life, balancing his loyalty and filial duty to his father Saul, and his love for his best friend David.

This is true friendship, the kind of love that is unafraid of conflict and gives itself up for the other. Jonathan risked everything – his father’s wrath, his position, even his kingdom – to protect David.  In the end, he stayed with his father in battle, and perished. Jonathan shows us what it means, to give of ourselves completely. He lived a life dedicated to both David and Saul. He played peacemaker, protector, loving son and brother. Jonathan exemplifies the kind of love that Jesus was referring to when he implored of us “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). It’s not about self-preservation, not about getting what we deserve – it’s about giving what we can, while we can.

Do we shut ourselves up, for fear of being hurt? Do we do math with our friends and loved ones, tallying up favors granted versus favors given? True love doesn’t do math – it doesn’t know how to! Maybe this new year, instead of counting our favors and shielding ourselves, let’s risk a little? Let’s give the math and the insecurity a break and instead, give freely of ourselves? The results could surprise us.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Sharon Soo)
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Prayer: We pray for the ability to loosen our grip on our defenses and let the walls down, so we can learn to love and learn to be loved in return.

Thanksgiving: I give thanks for my loved one, for showing me the happiness that can come from giving of yourself fully and completely. I give thanks to God, for blessing me with him.

Pope St. Fabian (d. 250) was a layman and a farmer. He came into Rome on a day when a new pope was to be elected. A dove flew in and settled on his head. The gathered clergy and laity took this as a sign that Fabian had been anointed, and he was chosen Pope by acclamation.

He sent St. Dionysius and other missionaries to Gaul, and condemned the heresies of Privatus. He was martyred for his faith in the persecutions of Decius.

St. Sebastian (d. 288) was the son of a wealthy Roman family. He was educated in Milan and became an officer of the Imperial Roman army, and captain of the guard. He was a favourite of Diocletian. During Diocletian’s persecution of the Christians, Sebastian visited them in prison, bringing supplies and comfort. He was reported to have healed the wife of a brother soldier by making the Sign of the Cross over her. He converted soldiers and a governor.

He was charged as a Christian, tied to a tree, shot with arrows, and was left for dead. he survived, recovered, and returned to preach to Diocletian. The emperor then had him beaten to death.

During the 14th century, the random nature of infection with the Black Death caused people to liken the plague to their villages being shot by an army of nature’s archers. In desperation, they prayed for the intercession of a saint associated with archers, and St. Sebastian became associated with the plague.

- Patron Saint Index
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1 Samuel 24:3-21

Saul took three thousand men chosen from the whole of Israel and went in search of David and his men east of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. He came to the sheepfolds along the route where there was a cave, and went in to cover his feet. Now David and his men were sitting in the recesses of the cave; David’s men said to him, Today is the day of which the Lord said to you, “I will deliver your enemy into your power, do what you like with him.”’ David stood up and, unobserved, cut off the border of Saul’s cloak. Afterwards David reproached himself for having cut off the border of Saul’s cloak. He said to his men, ‘The Lord preserve me from doing such a thing to my lord and raising my hand against him, for he is the anointed of the Lord.’ David gave his men strict instructions, forbidding them to attack Saul.

Saul then left the cave and went on his way. After this, David too left the cave and called after Saul, ‘My lord king!’ Saul looked behind him and David bowed to the ground and did homage. Then David said to Saul, ‘Why do you listen to the men who say to you, “David means to harm you”? Why, your own eyes have seen today how the Lord put you in my power in the cave and how I refused to kill you, but spared you. “I will not raise my hand against my lord,” I said “for he is the anointed of the Lord.” O my father, see, look at the border of your cloak in my hand. Since I cut off the border of your cloak, yet did not kill you, you must acknowledge frankly that there is neither malice nor treason in my mind. I have not offended against you, yet you hunt me down to take my life. May the Lord be judge between me and you, and may the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be laid on you. (As the old proverb says: Wickedness goes out from the wicked, and my hand will not be laid on you.) On whose trail has the king of Israel set out? On whose trail are you in hot pursuit? On the trail of a dead dog! On the trail of a single flea! May the Lord be the judge and decide between me and you; may he take up my cause and defend it and give judgement for me, freeing me from your power.’

When David had finished saying these words to Saul, Saul said, ‘Is that your voice, my son David?’ And Saul wept aloud. ‘You are a more upright man than I,’ he said to David ‘for you have repaid me with good while I have repaid you with evil. Today you have crowned your goodness towards me since the Lord had put me in your power yet you did not kill me. When a man comes on his enemy, does he let him go unmolested? May the Lord reward you for the goodness you have shown me today. Now I know you will indeed reign and that the sovereignty in Israel will be secure in your hands.’
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Mark 3:13-19

Jesus went up into the hills and summoned those he wanted. So they came to him and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach, with power to cast out devils. And so he appointed the Twelve: Simon to whom he gave the name Peter, James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges or ‘Sons of Thunder’; then Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the man who was to betray him.
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You are a more upright man than I, for you have repaid me with good while I have repaid you with evil

What is it that makes an ‘upright man’? I used to ask this a lot – and now I work for one. He is relentless. He tries harder than the rest of us. He is resolute, determined and despite all our failures last year, he remains optimistic that this year will be better. I finished the year in despair, he ended it looking ahead, full of hope.

What truly sets him apart from the rest of us though, what makes him an ‘upright man’, is his tremendous capacity for forgiveness, generosity and friendship. Despite the challenges of managing market volatility and the big egos in our business, he has somehow been able to hold on to his faith, hope and humility. There were times when I felt that God had abandoned us; that God had abandoned him. Yet he remained faithful and continued to pray for His guidance. There were numerous occasions last year, where we screwed things up for him and he had plenty of cause to complain, yet he held on to his generous spirit and continued to mentor us patiently. He is the upright man amongst us. We are blessed to be working for someone like him… and blessed to call him a friend.

The reading from Samuel today, contrasts two kinds of men. Saul is insecure, fearful and jealous. He seems like a caricature almost but we know there is a little bit of Saul in all of us. Our inner Saul causes us to be suspicious, to be cynical, hard-hearted and selfish. Like Saul, when our position is threatened, we too can do things that are not entirely rational to try to preserve ourselves. Poor Saul! What suffering to labor under a cloud of fear.

There is a little David in all of us too. David is no saint. He’s depicted as being quite bloodthirsty even. What David is though, is principled. Being cast out by Saul must have been a blow for David. David put his life on the line for Saul, when he faced up to Goliath – and this is how Saul repays him? This is the thanks? Imagine David’s confusion – “Why do you listen to men who say to you, “David means to harm you”? (1 Samuel 24:10).

Our inner David comes through when, like David, we fight the impulse to complain and avenge. Our inner David shows himself when we forgive those who do wrong by us, when we surrender our angst to God instead of taking things in our own hands -  “… may the Lord be judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be laid on you… may the Lord be the judge and decide between me and you; may He take up my cause and defend it and give judgment for me” (1 Samuel 24:11-16). Our inner David recognizes that the fight is the Lord’s and if this is the way the chips fall, our inner David knows to surrender to His will. It was so with David, it was so with Christ – it is so with us.

“Given that Christ suffered in his human life, arm yourselves with this certainty : the one who suffers in his body, has broken with sin, so as to spend the rest of his life following the will of God and not human passions” (1 Peter 4:1).

(Today’s OXYGEN by Sharon Soo)
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Prayer: We pray for the ability to hear the voice of our inner David, and suppress the whisperings of our inner Saul.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all the upright men and women who make our lives richer for being a part of it.

Following the death of his parents when he was about 20, St. Anthony (251-356) insured that his sister completed her education, then sold his house, furniture, and the land he owned, gave the proceeds to the poor, joined the anchorites who lived nearby, and moved into an empty sepulchre. At 35, he moved alone to the desert, living 20 years in an abandoned fort.

Anthony barricaded the place for solitude, but admirers broke in. He miraculously healed people, and agreed to be the spiritual counsellor of others. His recommendation was to base life on the gospel. Word spread, and so many disciples arrived that Anthony founded two monasteries on the Bile, one at Pispir, one at Arsinoe. Many of those who lived near him supported themselves by making baskets and brushes, and from that came his patronage of those trades.

Anthony briefly left his seclusion in 311, going to Alexandria to fight Arianism, and to comfort the victims of Maximinus’ persecution. At some point in his life, he met with his sister again. She, too, had withdrawn from the world, and directed a community of nuns. Anthony retired to the desert, living in a cave on Mount Colzim.

Descriptions paint him as uniformly modest and courteous. His example led many to take up the monastic life, and to follow his way. Friend late in life of St. Paul the Hermit, and buried the aged anchorite, leading to his patronage of gravediggers. His biography was written by his friend St. Athanasius.

His relationship with pigs and patronage of swineheards is a little complicated. Skin diseases were sometimes treated with applications of pork fat, which reduced inflammation and itching. As Anthony’s intervention aided in the same conditions, he was shown in art accompanied by a pig. People who saw the art work, but did not have it explained, thought there was a direct connection between Anthony and pigs – and people who worked with swine took him as their patron.

- Patron Saint Index
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1 Samuel 16:1-13

The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you go on mourning over Saul when I have rejected him as king of Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen myself a king among his sons.’ Samuel replied, ‘How can I go? When Saul hears of it he will kill me.’ Then the Lord said, ‘Take a heifer with you and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.” Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and then I myself will tell you what you must do; you must anoint to me the one I point out to you.’

Samuel did what the Lord ordered and went to Bethlehem. The elders of the town came trembling to meet him and asked, ‘Seer, have you come with good intentions towards us?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.’ He purified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When they arrived, he caught sight of Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed one stands there before him’, but the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Take no notice of his appearance or his height for I have rejected him; God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.’ Jesse then called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel, who said, ‘The Lord has not chosen this one either.’ Jesse then presented Shammah, but Samuel said, ‘The Lord has not chosen this one either.’ Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen these.’ He then asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’ He answered, ‘There is still one left, the youngest; he is out looking after the sheep.’ Then Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he comes.’ Jesse had him sent for, a boy of fresh complexion, with fine eyes and pleasant bearing. The Lord said, ‘Come, anoint him, for this is the one.’ At this, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him where he stood with his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord seized on David and stayed with him from that day on. As for Samuel, he rose and went to Ramah.
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Mark 2:23-28

One sabbath day Jesus happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples began to pick ears of corn as they went along. And the Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing something on the sabbath day that is forbidden?’ And he replied, ‘Did you never read what David did in his time of need when he and his followers were hungry – how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the loaves of offering which only the priests are allowed to eat, and how he also gave some to the men with him?’

And he said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; the Son of Man is master even of the sabbath.’
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How long will you be grieving over Saul, whom I have rejected as king of Israel

I have a very high threshold for pain. I think it runs in the family. My grandmother was like that, my mother is like that. Because of that, we have the capacity to carry pain and anger around for a long time. We remember hurts from decades ago. It’s a terrible burden.

My Grandmother carried her hurt to her grave. Grandmother had many children but she pinned all her hopes on just one – my uncle. He was supposed to take her with him, when he emigrated. When eventually he failed to deliver on this, she was crushed. My Grandmother was a strong, proud woman. It would have been difficult for her to admit that she had been wrong. And so she suppressed inside her, all of her disappointment. Towards the end, I think the hurt she carried grew too much and it broke her. In her last days, Grandmother was not the woman I remember from my childhood, the loving Grandmother that I choose to remember. She grew frail, sullen and bitter. She would grow angry for no reason. I think Grandmother died not of old age, but of a broken heart. The weight of all those wasted emotions became too great for her. In the end, she passed on before she could see my uncle one last time. I want to believe that it was because she finally let go of all the baggage that was holding her back. I want to believe that she is at peace now. I want to believe she is free. I only wish she could have been free when she was still alive.

Samuel invested a great deal of time, effort and emotions in Saul. Yet Saul proved to be a disappointment. Samuel was initially resistant to the idea of a king for Israel – “he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards and your olive orchards and give them to his officials” (1 Samuel 8:14) – but the people cried out and demanded for one. God heard the people crying and let Samuel appoint someone to lead Israel. Samuel anointed Saul, and was Saul’s mentor, walking Saul through his role. Saul was a good man, but he vacillated between obedience to God and stubbornness, sometimes following what he deemed to be the more logical road when God was slow to answer his prayers. God does not want someone who vacillates though – “woe to faint hearts and weak hands, to the sinner who wavers between two paths” (Sirach 2:12). God wants someone who is faithful in doing and faithful in waiting. God eventually rejected Saul as king of Israel and “Samuel did not see Saul again until he died, but he was grieving over Saul because Yahweh regretted having made him king over Israel” (1 Samuel 15:35).

I think like Grandmother, Samuel was grieving over what could have been. He grieved over the man that Saul could have been, as my Grandmother grieved over a life that could have been. When we let our pain hold us back, we become welded to the past. This longing can cause us to miss events in the present, events that are signs from God to push us forward. God asks Samuel, “How long will you be grieving…” (1 Sam 16:1). Grandmother was surrounded by loving children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren but I think she missed out on the fullness of joy because she let her disappointment hold her back.

We all have people we love dearly, who let us down. Like Samuel, we have a choice. We can go on longing for what could have been. Or we can let it go, and start living. How long will you grieve?

(Today’s OXYGEN by Sharon Soo)
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Prayer: We pray for all of those who are being held back by longing and regret. We pray God gives them comfort and helps them to let it go. And I pray for my Grandmother, I pray she has found peace from the disappointments that held her back while she was alive.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the memories of those we love, who have now passed on.

St. Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) was known as Athanasius of the West. He was born to wealthy polytheistic, pagan nobility. His early life was uneventful as he married, had children (one of whom was St. Abra), and studied on his own. Through his studies he came to believe in salvation through good works, and then monotheism. As he studied the Bible for the first time, he literally read himself into the faith, and was converted by the end of the New Testament.

Hilary lived the faith so well that he was made Bishop of Poitiers from 353-368. He opposed the emperor’s attempt to run Church matters and was exiled; he used the time to write works explaining the faith. His teaching and writings converted many and, in an attempt to reduce his notoriety, he was returned to the small town of Poitiers where his enemies hoped he would fade into obscurity. His writings nonetheless continued to convert pagans.

Hilary introduced Eastern theology to the Western Church, fought Arianism with the help of St. Viventius, and was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1851.

- Patron Saint Index
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1 Samuel 8:4-7.10-22

All the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. ‘Look,’ they said to him ‘you are old, and your sons do not follow your ways. So give us a king to rule over us, like the other nations.’ It displeased Samuel that they should say, ‘Let us have a king to rule us’, so he prayed to the Lord. But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for it is not you they have rejected; they have rejected me from ruling over them.’

All that the Lord had said Samuel repeated to the people who were asking him for a king He said, ‘These will be the rights of the king who is to reign over you. He will take your sons and assign them to his chariotry and cavalry, and they will run in front of his chariot. He will use them as leaders of a thousand and leaders of fifty; he will make them plough his ploughland and harvest his harvest and make his weapons of war and the gear for his chariots. He will also take your daughters as perfumers, cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields, of your vineyards and olive groves and give them to his officials. He will tithe your crops and vineyards to provide for his eunuchs and his officials. He will take the best of your manservants and maidservants, of your cattle and your donkeys, and make them work for him. He will tithe your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out on account of the king you have chosen for yourselves, but on that day God will not answer you.’

The people refused to listen to the words of Samuel. They said, ‘No! We want a king, so that we in our turn can be like the other nations; our king shall rule us and be our leader and fight our battles.’ Samuel listened to all that the people had to say and repeated it in the ears of the Lord. The Lord then said to Samuel, ‘Obey their voice and give them a king.’
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Mark 2:1-12

When Jesus returned to Capernaum, word went round that he was back; and so many people collected that there was no room left, even in front of the door. He was preaching the word to them when some people came bringing him a paralytic carried by four men, but as the crowd made it impossible to get the man to him, they stripped the roof over the place where Jesus was; and when they had made an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic lay. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some scribes were sitting there, and they thought to themselves, ‘How can this man talk like that? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God?’ Jesus, inwardly aware that this was what they were thinking, said to them, ‘Why do you have these thoughts in your hearts? Which of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven” or to say, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he turned to the paralytic – ‘I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off home.’ And the man got up, picked up his stretcher at once and walked out in front of everyone, so that they were all astounded and praised God saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’
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We too must be like other nations, with a king to rule us and to lead us in warfare and fight our battles.

This year marks the eighth consecutive year that I have been studying at university. Yes, 8 years. I remember how in the early years of my university education, whenever I returned to Singapore for holidays, my friends would also be on their holidays and we could meet up in the day. Now, all of my friends are working. I am the last one… still studying.

The fact that all of my friends have “become adults” by earning money, having working lives, moving onto investments, and are looking for houses has generated a certain impatience and fear in me. Instead of having lives like theirs’, I am still a student who needs to write a thesis. Whenever I think of the thesis that I must finish in a year’s time, all I can think of is, “You are the block between me and my life!!!”

But hang on a minute. What am I saying?

The thesis is an interruption to me and my life? Didn’t I choose this path of completing this thesis? If I could abandon it now and start work, would I? No. I would still want to do this because I know that it is good for me for a number of reasons. One of which, is that I would continue to grow in character, developing perseverance and discipline. Another of which is that I would grow intellectually in my analytical skills and in my expertise in the field.

It is so easy for me to look at the people in today’s first reading with self-righteousness, telling them, “Stop looking to what other nations have. Cherish that you have even more! You have God, why do you need a king’?!”

Yet, I too am guilty of envying what my friends have, forgetting that our lives are different, and thinking that I need what they have in order to feel secure. But like the people in today’s first reading, I have God with me facing this thesis that I have chosen. If God is not enough for me to feel secure, I don’t think anything else would be.

Is there something that someone else has which you don’t? Does this make you feel that your life is lacking and incomplete without it? If so, God understands what you’re going through.

Like the Israelites in today’s first reading, He also gives you and I a choice. Would we insist, like the Israelites, that God gives us the things we feel would bring us security? Or would we instead choose a different response from them, turning to God, asking Him to help change our hearts so that we can see that we already are complete right now, with the biggest source of security – our God – with us?

(Today’s OXYGEN by Jean Cheng)
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Prayer: Jesus, how easy it is for me to “need” numerous things in my life in order to feel secure. Help me to realize that I do not “need” anything but You. Please change my heart so that I can see how I am already living in heaven by having You constantly with me. Amen.

Thanksgiving: Thank You Lord, for my life. It is unique, irreplaceable, lived only by me in the entire mosaic of human history, and I cherish it.

St. Raymond (1175-1275) was of Aragonian nobility. He was educated at the cathedral school in Barcelona, and became a philosophy teacher at the age of 20. He was a priest. He graduated from law school in Bologna, Italy, and joined the Dominicans in 1218. He was summoned to Rome in 1230 by Pope Gregory IX, and assigned to collect all official letters of the popes since 1150. Raymond gathered and published five volumes, and helped write Church law.

He was made Master General of the Dominicans in 1238. He reviewed the Order’s Rule, made sure everything was legally correct, then resigned his position in 1240 to dedicate himself to parish work. The pope wanted to make Raymond an archbishop, but he declined, instead returning to Spain and the parish work he loved. His compassion helped many people return to God through Reconciliation.

During his years in Rome, Raymond heard of the difficulties missionaries faced trying to reach non-Christians of Northern Africa and Spain. Raymond started a school to teach the language and culture of the people to be evangelized. With St. Thomas Aquinas, he wrote a booklet to explain the truths of faith in a way non-believers could understand. His great influence on Church law led to his patronage of lawyers.

- Patron Saint Index
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1 John 3:22-4:6

Whatever we ask God,
we shall receive,
because we keep his commandments
and live the kind of life that he wants.
His commandments are these:
that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ
and that we love one another
as he told us to.
Whoever keeps his commandments
lives in God and God lives in him.
We know that he lives in us
by the Spirit that he has given us.

It is not every spirit, my dear people, that you can trust;
test them, to see if they come from God,
there are many false prophets, now, in the world.
You can tell the spirits that come from God by this:
every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus the Christ has come in the flesh
is from God;
but any spirit which will not say this of Jesus
is not from God,
but is the spirit of Antichrist,
whose coming you were warned about.
Well, now he is here, in the world.
Children,
you have already overcome these false prophets,
because you are from God and you have in you
one who is greater than anyone in this world;
as for them, they are of the world,
and so they speak the language of the world
and the world listens to them.
But we are children of God,
and those who know God listen to us;
those who are not of God refuse to listen to us.
This is how we can tell
the spirit of truth from the spirit of falsehood.
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Matthew 4:12-17.23-25

Hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus went back to Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum, a lakeside town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. In this way the prophecy of Isaiah was to be fulfilled:

‘Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali!
Way of the sea on the far side of Jordan,
Galilee of the nations!
The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light;
on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death
a light has dawned.’

From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’

He went round the whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among the people. His fame spread throughout Syria, and those who were suffering from diseases and painful complaints of one kind or another, the possessed, epileptics, the paralysed, were all brought to him, and he cured them. Large crowds followed him, coming from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea and Transjordania.
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If we ask for anything, He will hear us

There are two dreams which I hold very closely in my heart that have not been fulfilled yet. The first dream was something I have dreamt about since young. Yet along the years I may have built a wall around me due to the hurts and rejections that have been suppressed within. Was I capable of loving someone and accepting him for who he is? Will he accept me for who I am? Are we able to embark the journey through good and bad times? The other dream was to work for myself. Yet the starting part is not easy. One has to find time to build one’s credibility, source for clients, network, follow up on payments etc. It takes time yet it does not help with the anxieties that the family places on me. These are some of the struggles that I face. I am learning to let go and let His will be done in my life.

At the wedding at Cana, Jesus performed the miracle of changing water into water. In the Gospel Mary tells the servants – ‘Do whatever he tells you’ and obey him. It was Mary who requested Jesus to help the couple at the wedding. She didn’t insist Jesus to obey her. She humbly stepped back and trusted her son to make the right decision for all who were involved.

Let’s us follow Mary’s approach. Are we able to be bold and confident when we talk to God in prayer? Are we able to listen to God and have a 2-way communication with him, instead of just asking him to fulfil our prayers all the time? Are we seeking to do his will? If we don’t see an answer or we do not like what we are facing, let us take a step back and reflect on what the Lord is doing and ask for the gift of understanding. We can be assured that if nothing else happens, Jesus will give us a broader and deeper understanding so that we can trust Him and believe in Him more fully.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Patricia Ang)
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Prayer: Lord I surrender to you. Let your will be done in our lives. Helps us to stay focus on you and how to place you the centre of our lives

Thanksgiving: We thank you Lord for sustaining us each day. Bless us abundantly so that we can be a blessing to others.

Upcoming Readings:
Sun 08 Jan – Isaiah 55:1-11 or 42:1-4.6-7; 1 John 5:1-9 or Acts of the Apostles 10:34-38; Mark 1:7-11; Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Basil the Great (329-379) was a noble by birth. His parents and four of his nine siblings were canonized, including St. Gregory of Nyssa. He was the grandson of St. Marcina the Elder. As a youth, he was noted for organizing famine relief, and for working in the kitchens himself, quite unusual for a young noble.

He studied in Constantinople and Athens with his friend St. Gregory Nazianzen. He ran a school of oratory and law in Caesarea. He was so successful and sought after as a speaker that he was tempted by pride. Fearful that it would overtake his piety, he sold all that he had, gave away the money, and became a priest and monk.

He founded monasteries and dew up rules for monks living in the desert. He is considered as key to the founding of eastern monasticism as Benedict was to the west. He was the bishop and archbishop of Caesarea. He conducted Mass and preached to the crowds twice daily. He fought Arianism, is a Greek Doctor of the Church, and a Father of the Church.

Gregory of Nazianzen (330-390) was the son of St. Gregory of Nazianzen the Elder and St. Nonna, brother of St. Caesar Nazianzen, and St. Gorgonius. He spent an itinerant youth in search of learning. He was a friend and fellow student with St. Basil the Great, and a monk at Basil’s desert monastery.

He was a reluctant priest, feeling himself unworthy, and fearing that the responsibility would test his faith. He assisted his bishop father to prevent an Arian schism in the diocese. He opposed Arianiam and brought its heretical followers back to the fold. He became Bishop of Caesarea in 370 which put him in conflict with the Arian emperor Valens. the disputes led his friend Basil the Great, then archbishop, to reassign him to a small, out of the way posting at the edge of the archbishopric.

Following the death of Valens, he was appointed Bishop of Constantinople from 381-390. He hated the city, despised the violence and slander involved in these disputes, and feared being drawn into politics and corruption. But he worked to bring the Arians back to the faith. For his trouble, he was slandered, insulted, beaten up, and a rival “bishop” tried to take over his diocese.

He was a noted preacher on the Trinity. When it seemed that the faith had been restored in the city, Gregory retired to live the rest of his days as a hermit. He wrote theological discourses and poetry, some of it religious, some of it autobiographical. He was a Father of the Church, and a Doctor of the Church.

- Patron Saint Index
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1 John 2:22-28

The man who denies that Jesus is the Christ –
he is the liar,
he is Antichrist;
and he is denying the Father as well as the Son,
because no one who has the Father can deny the Son,
and to acknowledge the Son is to have the Father as well.
Keep alive in yourselves what you were taught in the beginning:
as long as what you were taught in the beginning is alive in you,
you will live in the Son
and in the Father;
and what is promised to you by his own promise
is eternal life.
This is all that I am writing to you about the people who are trying to lead you astray.
But you have not lost the anointing that he gave you,
and you do not need anyone to teach you;
the anointing he gave teaches you everything;
you are anointed with truth, not with a lie,
and as it has taught you, so you must stay in him.
Live in Christ, then, my children,
so that if he appears, we may have full confidence,
and not turn from him in shame
at his coming.
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John 1:19-28

This is how John appeared as a witness. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ he not only declared, but he declared quite openly, ‘I am not the Christ.’ ‘Well then,’ they asked ‘are you Elijah?’ ‘I am not’ he said. ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ So they said to him, ‘Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?’ So John said, ‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied:
a voice that cries in the wilderness:
Make a straight way for the Lord.’
Now these men had been sent by the Pharisees, and they put this further question to him, ‘Why are you baptising if you are not the Christ, and not Elijah, and not the prophet?’ John replied, ‘I baptise with water; but there stands among you – unknown to you – the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal-strap.’ This happened at Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan, where John was baptising.
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Make a straight way for the Lord

In one of my DAFF (Diploma in Adult Faith Formation) class, we were asked, “Who are you?” I replied I was a child of God. Yet at the recent 5 day silent retreat which I attended, the phrase “a child of God” was just a phrase. I was not able to feel it. It was then I realised that there were many issues within me that were pulling me in different directions. I was seeking for answers yet I was still hoping to do it my way and not according to His will. Amazing at the end of the retreat, I witnessed God’s grace and love within me. The issues that I was battling with became insignificant. On the contrary, it was His presence and love that surfaced within me. After the penitential service that we had, I felt the peace and I saw His presence in a bigger heart within me. At that moment, the grace of thankfulness fills me.

John the Baptist was questioned by the Jews who he was. He was firm on his stand as a witness. He declares that He is the voice that cries and points to the Lord. He was humble and sincere. Jesus is our salvation. No one can take his place in the world and in our lives. We have to focus on Jesus who is with us all the time. Many times we let our fears and anxieties fill us that we forget God’s love for us. We fail to be witness of Christ when we actions turn us away from God.

How can we then experience the presence of God? Spend quiet moments in silence and in prayers. Stay focus on our Lord. Let go of all expectations and let God show you the way. Be filled with the peace and the beauty of his presence. He knows what each of us is going through. Seek His will. Speak to Him and let Him know that it is only by His grace that we are able to overcome whatever the situations that we are in. With God all things are possible.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Patricia Ang)
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Prayer: Lord I am sorry for the times I choose to do things my way. Create in us a pure heart and a steadfast spirit. Fill us with compassion and love.

Thanksgiving: We thank you Lord for loving us for who we are, despite our sins and our disobedience.

Upcoming Readings:
Tue 03 Jan – 1 John 2:29-3:6; John 1:29-34
Wed 04 Jan – 1 John 3:7-10; John 1:35-42
Thu 05 Jan – 1 John 3:11-21; John 1:43-51
Fri 06 Jan – Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3.5-6; Matthew 2:1-12; Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
Sat 07 Jan – 1 John 3:22-4:6; Matthew 4:12-17.23-25; Memorial for St. Raymond of Penyafort, priest
Sun 08 Jan – Isaiah 55:1-11 or 42:1-4.6-7; 1 John 5:1-9 or Acts of the Apostles 10:34-38; Mark 1:7-11; Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Sylvester (d. 335) was pope in the reign of Emperor Constantine I, who built the Lateran and other churches. He sent legates to the First Council of Nicaea, and was involved in the controversy over Arianism. The spurious Donation of Constantine was supposedly given to St. Sylvester.

- Patron Saint Index
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1 John 2:18-21

Children, these are the last days;
you were told that an Antichrist must come,
and now several antichrists have already appeared;
we know from this that these are the last days.
Those rivals of Christ came out of our own number, but they had never really belonged;
if they had belonged, they would have stayed with us;
but they left us, to prove that not one of them
ever belonged to us.
But you have been anointed by the Holy One,
and have all received the knowledge.
It is not because you do not know the truth that I am writing to you
but rather because you know it already
and know that no lie can come from the truth.
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John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word:
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things came to be,
not one thing had its being but through him.
All that came to be had life in him
and that life was the light of men,
a light that shines in the dark,
a light that darkness could not overpower.

A man came, sent by God.
His name was John.
He came as a witness,
as a witness to speak for the light,
so that everyone might believe through him.
He was not the light,
only a witness to speak for the light.

The Word was the true light
that enlightens all men;
and he was coming into the world.
He was in the world
that had its being through him,
and the world did not know him.
He came to his own domain
and his own people did not accept him.
But to all who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to all who believe in the name of him
who was born not out of human stock
or urge of the flesh
or will of man
but of God himself.

The Word was made flesh,
he lived among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father,
full of grace and truth.

John appears as his witness. He proclaims:
‘This is the one of whom I said:
He who comes after me ranks before me
because he existed before me.’

Indeed, from his fulness we have, all of us, received –
yes, grace in return for grace,
since, though the Law was given through Moses,
grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God;
it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart,
who has made him known.
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In the beginning was the Word

Less than a month ago, my first batch of students took their national exams. On the eve of my subject’s first paper I had a sleepless night. I was nervous. I tossed and turned on bed as I thought of everyone I had taught. I prayed for them, that they would be well-rested for the paper; that they would have calm hearts and steady wits as they faced the questions. I was also excited. I had seen so many of them grow, not only as biology students but as individuals. I was hopeful that this strength would see them through the paper and beyond.

In today’s readings, John writes on both beginnings and endings. The first reading discusses the end times and the challenges to faith that abound. The use of the term “Antichrist” emphasises the severity of the situation. The Gospel passage provides reassurance in facing this uncertainty. Christ, the Word of God, would be our light. The grace that Jesus brings would give us strength to see us through the darkness and beyond.

Every New Year ’s Eve brings with it a wide range of feelings. Looking back at one year and facing another, we may feel at once pensive, nervous and excited. 2012 is especially interesting as many claim it is the year the world will end. So many things are unknown but one thing is certain, which is that Christ is with us at the beginning of all things. My brothers and sisters, on this final day of 2011, let us look boldly to 2012 with Christ as the light in our hearts.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer: We pray for 2012, that we will continue to grow in faith, hope and love.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for 2011.

Upcoming Readings:
Sun 01 Jan – Numbers 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21; Octave Day of Christmas; Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

Thomas (1118-1170) was of Norman ancestry. He was educated at Merton Priory, Paris, Bologna, and Auxerre. He was a civil and canon lawyer, a soldier and officer. He was archdeacon of Canterbury, and was a Friend of King Henry II, as well as Chancellor of England. He was ordained in 1162 and was appointed archbishop of Canterbury the next day. He opposed the King’s interference in ecclesiastical matters. He was exiled several times, and was eventually murdered (and martyred) in 1170 in the Cathedral at Canterbury, England.

- Patron Saint Index
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1 John 2:3-11

We can be sure that we know God
only by keeping his commandments.
Anyone who says, ‘I know him’,
and does not keep his commandments,
is a liar,
refusing to admit the truth.
But when anyone does obey what he has said,
God’s love comes to perfection in him.
We can be sure that we are in God
only when the one who claims to be living in him
is living the same kind of life as Christ lived.
My dear people,
this is not a new commandment that I am writing to tell you,
but an old commandment
that you were given from the beginning,
the original commandment which was the message brought to you.
Yet in another way, what I am writing to you,
and what is being carried out in your lives as it was in his,
is a new commandment;
because the night is over
and the real light is already shining.
Anyone who claims to be in the light
but hates his brother
is still in the dark.
But anyone who loves his brother is living in the light
and need not be afraid of stumbling;
unlike the man who hates his brother and is in the darkness,
not knowing where he is going,
because it is too dark to see.
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Luke 2:22-35

When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord – observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord – and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:

‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace,
just as you promised;
because my eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared for all the nations to see,
a light to enlighten the pagans
and the glory of your people Israel.’

As the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’
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My eyes have seen the salvation… A sword will pierce your own soul too…

We are complex individuals, with numerous facets to our personalities and lives. Different groups of people see different sides of me. My immediate family, my extended family, my friends, my colleagues, my students each experience some but not all facets of my character.  Does this mean that any of these is less important than another? Each has to start somewhere and if they were not part of us, they would not exist or have the chance to develop. Each is important and should not be stifled. They bring out and reinforce those character traits which remain constant and are of real value to us.

Today’s Gospel passage speaks about the different things that will come of the boy Christ; a source of joy and salvation to the nations; a sword to piece the hearts of His mother and all who loved and followed Him. None of these things is less Christ than the other. Both are important to the person of Jesus. Today this rings true as well. John addresses this in his letter. It is not only necessary to accept the joy of living in the Lord but also to obey his commandments even when they may bring persecution. Both are indispensable and help us learn more about ourselves as Christians.

I once read that it is a poor thing to enslave another person. It would be even poorer to suppress parts of ourselves in favour of others. Each part forms the whole person that is a gift from God. Denying this truth would be to deny Him. My brothers and sisters, let us then more about these gifts helps us to learn more about the giver, who is God Himself.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer: We pray that we will learn more about ourselves, and through that more about Christ.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for challenges to our faith.

Upcoming Readings:
Fri 30 Dec – Sirach 3:3-7.14-17 or Colossians 3:12-21; Luke 2:22-40; Sixth Day of the Octave of Christmas; Feast of the Holy Fmaily
Sat 31 Dec – 1 John 2:18-21; John 1:1-18; Seventh Day of the Octave of Christmas; Memorial for St Sylvester I, Pope
Sun 01 Jan – Numbers 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21; Octave Day of Christmas; Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God