Bernadine (1381-1444) was a Friar Minor, a priest, an itinerant preacher, and a theological writer. His preaching skills were so great, and the conversions so numerous, that he has become associated with all areas of speaking, advertising, public relations, etc.

Bernadine’s charismatic preaching filled the piazze of Italian cities. Thousands of listeners flocked to hear him and to participate in dramatic rituals, which included collective weeping, bonfires of vanities, and exorcisms. He was a renowned peacemaker, in the Franciscan tradition, who tried to calm feuding clans and factions in the turbulent political world of the Renaissance. His preaching visits would often culminate in mass reconciliations, as listeners were persuaded to exchange the bacio di pace, or kiss of peace.

Bernadine was sensitive to the demands of secular life, and tried to negotiate between Christian ethics and a conflicting code of honour that stressed retaining face in a public world. He argued that the catalyst of civil discord in the urban setting was malicious gossip, which led to insults, and, too often, vendetta by aggressive males. His surprising allies in his peacekeeping mission were the women who comprised the majority of his audience.

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Acts of the Apostles 20:17-27

From Miletus Paul sent for the elders of the church of Ephesus. When they arrived he addressed these words to them:

‘You know what my way of life has been ever since the first day I set foot among you in Asia, how I have served the Lord in all humility, with all the sorrows and trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. I have not hesitated to do anything that would be helpful to you; I have preached to you, and instructed you both in public and in your homes, urging both Jews and Greeks to turn to God and to believe in our Lord Jesus.

‘And now you see me a prisoner already in spirit; I am on my way to Jerusalem, but have no idea what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit, in town after town, has made it clear enough that imprisonment and persecution await me. But life to me is not a thing to waste words on, provided that when I finish my race I have carried out the mission the Lord Jesus gave me – and that was to bear witness to the Good News of God’s grace.

‘I now feel sure that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will ever see my face again. And so here and now I swear that my conscience is clear as far as all of you are concerned, for I have without faltering put before you the whole of God’s purpose.’
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John 17:1-11

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

‘Father, the hour has come:
glorify your Son
so that your Son may glorify you;
and, through the power over all mankind that you have given him,
let him give eternal life to all those you have entrusted to him.
And eternal life is this:
to know you,
the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
I have glorified you on earth
and finished the work that you gave me to do.
Now, Father, it is time for you to glorify me
with that glory I had with you
before ever the world was.
I have made your name known
to the men you took from the world to give me.
They were yours and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now at last they know
that all you have given me comes indeed from you;
for I have given them the teaching you gave to me,
and they have truly accepted this, that I came from you,
and have believed that it was you who sent me.
I pray for them;
I am not praying for the world
but for those you have given me,
because they belong to you:
all I have is yours
and all you have is mine,
and in them I am glorified.
I am not in the world any longer,
but they are in the world,
and I am coming to you.’
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Indeed I put no value on my life; if only I can finish my race and complete the service to which I have been assigned by the Lord Jesus

It is my sister’s birthday today. I think God gave me my sister to show me that it is ok to take some risks, even if it means taking a detour along our journey in life. Some years ago, my sister very courageously decided that she wanted to pursue her passion in the culinary arts. At the time, I thought it was a colossally bad idea and told her so. We were in the middle of a global financial crisis. Everyone knows that you hunker down and work hard during a crisis. You don’t quit your job to pursue your dreams. Still, she prayed hard about it and somehow felt it was her calling to go. So she pushed on despite my protests. As it turns out, she had a real flair for it, graduated and got a job at a top restaurant in London. Looking back, I could have been more supportive instead of flying off the handle the way I did. I look at things through the harsh filter of math. Pursuing one’s passion in the culinary arts did not make mathematical sense to me. The way I saw it, when you did the numbers, it simply did not add up.

I’m glad she took time out to do it. She showed me that there are other ‘ways’, besides ‘my way’. She showed me that our journey in life doesn’t just have to follow a single highway to its very end. It’s ok to take some risks, to get off the well-worn road, take a detour and follow your calling. And just because we get off that highway, it doesn’t mean we can’t get back on, or that things will end poorly. She showed me that we just have to have faith that things eventually work themselves out.

In today’s first reading, we see Paul getting ready to set off for Jerusalem again. Paul himself knew through a vision, that this was going to be a colossally bad idea. “But now I am going to Jerusalem, chained by the Spirit, without knowing what will happen to me there. Yet in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that imprisonment and troubles await me” (Acts 20:22). Most of us would’ve just backed out and not bothered. Not Paul. “Indeed I put no value on my life; if only I can finish my race and complete the service to which I have been assigned by the Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:24). Led by the Spirit, Paul made choices that defied logic. Like all the heroes of faith before him – Abraham, Noah, Moses, Gideon, Samson, David, Samuel – Paul was not afraid to follow the prompting of the Spirit, to see through to fulfillment, God’s promises.

In order to know God, it’s sometimes necessary to make choices that open the door to uncertainty, risk and even certain failure. Eternal life starts here on earth, being at one with Him, trusting Him, experiencing the peace, joy and love that come from faith that He will guide our way. It takes courage to walk His way. Often His way can look illogical – Noah building his ark, Abraham leaving his home at his old age, Moses giving up being an Egyptian prince to live a nomadic life – but it all serves a higher purpose, His purpose.

Is there a calling we have not heeded or responded to, that is tugging at our hearts? Do we ignore it because we’re afraid to try, afraid to fail, afraid to get off the comfortable path we have put ourselves on? Maybe we would be happier and more at peace, if we pursued it?

(Today’s OXYGEN by Sharon Soo)
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Prayer: I pray for the same courage my sister had, to take the detours along our journey of life. I pray for her faith and courage to follow my heart’s calling and to heed it.

Thanksgiving: I give thanks for the people who are my family. I give thanks for their love, support and tolerance when I am being difficult, bossy and think I know all the answers.

John (d. 526) was a priest in Rome, and became the 53rd pope in 523. Italy’s ruler then, Theodoric the Goth, was an Arian. For a while he left the Catholics alone, but in later life he became suspicious of everyone, imagining conspiracies and attempts to seize his throne. He tried to involve Pope John in his political machinations. John led a delegation to Constantinople to negotiate with Emperor Justin I; he was the first pope to travel to Constantinople, and while there crowned Justin. The mission was successful, but Theodoric though John and Justin I had plotted against him. While returning to Rome, John was kidnapped and imprisoned by Theodoric’s soldiers. He died of thirst and starvation while in custody in Ravenna, Italy.

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Acts of the Apostles 18:9-18

At Corinth one night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid to speak out, nor allow yourself to be silenced: I am with you. I have so many people on my side in this city that no one will even attempt to hurt you.’ So Paul stayed there preaching the word of God among them for eighteen months.

But, while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a concerted attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal. ‘We accuse this man’ they said ‘of persuading people to worship God in a way that breaks the Law.’ Before Paul could open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, ‘Listen, you Jews. If this were a misdemeanour or a crime, I would not hesitate to attend to you; but if it is only quibbles about words and names, and about your own Law, then you must deal with it yourselves-I have no intention of making legal decisions about things like that.’ Then he sent them out of the court, and at once they all turned on Sosthenes, the synagogue president, and beat him in front of the court house. Gallio refused to take any notice at all.

After staying on for some time, Paul took leave of the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut off, because of a vow he had made.
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John 16:20-23

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘I tell you most solemnly,
you will be weeping and wailing
while the world will rejoice;
you will be sorrowful,
but your sorrow will turn to joy.
A woman in childbirth suffers,
because her time has come;
but when she has given birth to the child she forgets the suffering
in her joy that a man has been born into the world.
So it is with you: you are sad now,
but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy,
and that joy no one shall take from you.
When that day comes,
you will not ask me any questions.’
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She forgets the suffering

Some weeks ago right after Easter Sunday, there was a current affairs talk show on Australian television called ‘Q and A’. It featured a rather mild and open debate between the Catholic Cardinal George Pell and an atheist Richard Dawkins, author of many books, of which the latest ‘The God Delusion’. Needless the explain, the exchange was centred around the existence of God or if He is a made up comfort for us humans. In this part of the world, it is always the non-believers versus the Catholics. We seldom come across debates over the higher being believed by other religions like Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism or Judaism. You can find the podcast ‘QnA’ on iTunes if you are interested in greater details.

Perhaps we Catholics really do take the Lord’s words to Paul literally by speaking out and not allow ourselves be silenced. Whenever a world or national issue is being discussed, somehow the Catholic Church has an opinion about it. Sometimes, it can be an encouraging consideration but most times, it may just be too intruding and unacceptable for a secular thinking. When people, like the Jews in today’s first reading, do not believe or could not accept the simple yet strict teachings in the way of Christ, they become defensive and always have their point of view in response to the Church. The Church’s views have not waivered much for hundreds of years, what makes us think that the moral and social compass of the Church would be any different today?

Therefore, the constant monitoring by the world of the Church’s actions and the behaviour of her people becomes a focus in many religious dialogues. We may weep and suffer through the criticisms, but because we rely in the hope and cares of our Lord Jesus, we forget the suffering, and in hope, we find joy. Experiencing the joy and immense happiness which God promise us, we will not question Him any further why He did what He did, with our lives, and our world, because He has given us His promise.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Austin Leong)
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Prayer: O Lord, fill me with your graces to be the salt of the earth, so that those around me thirst for You through my good deeds.

Thanksgiving: It can be a struggle to believe that You my Father truly exist, but I give thanks for some little moments which made me believe that somehow, You are there for me.

Nereus and Achilleus (d. 98) were soldiers in the imperial Roman army, and members of the Praetorian Guard. They were converts to Christianity and baptized by St. Peter the Apostle. They were exiled for their faith, suffered with St. Flavia Domitilla, and were martyred together by beheading.

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Pancras (c. 290) was a 14-year-old orphan brought to Rome by his uncle St. Dionysius. He was a convert to Christianity, and was martyred with St. Nereus, St. Achilleus, and St. Domitilla for publicly proclaiming his faith.

Pope St. Vitalian sent his relics from the cemetery of Calepodius in Rome to the British Isles as part of the evangelization of England, so they would have the relics of the Church at large, and to install in altars in new churches. St. Augustine of Canterbury dedicated the first church in England to St. Pancras, and subsequent churches throughout England are similarly named after him.

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Acts of the Apostles 16:1-10

From Cilicia Paul went to Derbe, and then on to Lystra. Here there was a disciple called Timothy, whose mother was a Jewess who had become a believer; but his father was a Greek. The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of Timothy, and Paul, who wanted to have him as a travelling companion, had him circumcised. This was on account of the Jews in the locality where everyone knew his father was a Greek.

As they visited one town after another, they passed on the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, with instructions to respect them.

So the churches grew strong in the faith, as well as growing daily in numbers.

They travelled through Phrygia and the Galatian country, having been told by the Holy Spirit not to preach the word in Asia. When they reached the frontier of Mysia they thought to cross it into Bithynia, but as the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them, they went through Mysia and came down to Troas.

One night Paul had a vision: a Macedonian appeared and appealed to him in these words, ‘Come across to Macedonia and help us.’ Once he had seen this vision we lost no time in arranging a passage to Macedonia, convinced that God had called us to bring them the Good News.
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John 15:18-21

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘If the world hates you,
remember that it hated me before you.
If you belonged to the world,
the world would love you as its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
because my choice withdrew you from the world,
therefore the world hates you.
Remember the words I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master.
If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too;
if they kept my word, they will keep yours as well.
But it will be on my account that they will do all this,
because they do not know the one who sent me.’
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You are not of the world since I have chosen you from the world

Instead of writing a Reflection today, I’d like to share one of my favorite poems, about making life decisions. I’ve often wondered at how my own life has unfolded. Every action I’ve taken, every word I’ve spoken, every thought, dream, hope and prayer has led me to this place. I feel blessed that even before I knew God, He knew me. He chose me from the world. He chose me and took me from my darkness. Like Paul in today’s reading, we are all travelers. We are all journeying towards the promise of a distant place we can finally call home. The paths we take to get there, only He knows. And since it is His holy hand that brings us safely to our final destination, we need only to trust that He will guide us faithfully and lovingly, down that road that will make all the difference.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost

(Today’s OXYGEN by Sharon Soo)
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Prayer: We pray for the wisdom to take the road that He has chosen for us, even if it is the road less traveled. “How narrow is the gate that leads to life and how rough the road; few there are who find it.” (Matt 7:14)

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the wisdom that is the fruit of our failures in life.

Athanasius (c. 295) studied the classics and theology in Alexandria, Egypt. He was a deacon, secretary, and student of Bishop Alexander of Alexandria. He attended the Council of Nicaea in 325 where he fought for the defeat of Arianism and the acceptance of the divinity of Jesus. He formulated the doctrine of homo-ousianism which says that Christ is the same substance as the Father; Arianism taught that Christ was different and a creation of the Father, a creature and not part of God.

He became Bishop of Alexandria c. 328; he served for 46 years. When the dispute over Arianism spilled over from theology to politics, Athanasius got exiled five times, spending more than a third of his episcopate in exile.

He was the biographer of St. Anthony the Abbot. Confessor of the faith and Doctor of the Church, he fought for the acceptance of the Nicene Creed.

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Acts of the Apostles 12:24-13:5

The word of God continued to spread and to gain followers. Barnabas and Saul completed their task and came back from Jerusalem, bringing John Mark with them.

In the church at Antioch the following were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. One day while they were offering worship to the Lord and keeping a fast, the Holy Spirit said, ‘I want Barnabas and Saul set apart for the work to which I have called them.’ So it was that after fasting and prayer they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

So these two, sent on their mission by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus. They landed at Salamis and proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; John acted as their assistant.
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John 12:44-50

Jesus declared publicly:

‘Whoever believes in me
believes not in me
but in the one who sent me,
and whoever sees me,
sees the one who sent me.
I, the light, have come into the world,
so that whoever believes in me
need not stay in the dark any more.
If anyone hears my words and does not keep them faithfully,
it is not I who shall condemn him,
since I have come not to condemn the world,
but to save the world.
He who rejects me and refuses my words has his judge already:
the word itself that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day.
For what I have spoken does not come from myself;
no, what I was to say,
what I had to speak,
was commanded by the Father who sent me,
and I know that his commands mean eternal life.
And therefore what the Father has told me
is what I speak.’
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I, the light, have come to the world

Has your world been clouded with fear, doubt, anger, confusion, frustration and perhaps desperation? Has there been occasion, the more you dwell on the situation by human strength, the worse it becomes? Have you felt darkness in your life?

Indeed whenever I make decisions in my life, these are some of the feelings I encounter. In the past, I used to rely on human strength, now I pray and surrender the situation to God. When the job lead is meant for me, everything will flow smoothly. If it is not, I will just have to let go of the situation.

Recently, I was invited to do a public relations project for the publicity of an upcoming ghost movie. After meeting the director with my contact, I was nonchalant about the project. Most of the advertisements have been purchased and money has already been invested. I asked my contact why does the client need us for the project. Personally I felt the client had the publicity all covered. The movie was to be scheduled in May. I did up the PR plan and we pitched for the project. However the client was only willing to pay the minimal amount for the project. I prayed about it, and decided to forgo the project, as the time put in, was not worth the amount paid. I felt the peace and went on with my other projects.

Now that I have finally decided to be self-employed, I have to admit it takes great courage to step out in faith and trust God.  There are times when I wonder when is my next business lead coming about and it appears just when I least expected. I have referrals from people who know that I am doing corporate writing, public relations and training. There are times I have to chase for payments which are usually 1-2 months later after the projects have been completed. Yet I am thankful He does provide for my daily bread. It is more fulfilling. I am able to spend time with my family, especially with my grandmother on her final stage of her journey. I am also able to do the Lord’s work, attending mass and writing for his ministry.

What does come into the Light of Jesus mean for you? I have been warmed by the love of Jesus. I need not have to prove how worthy I am to him. By his passion, death and resurrection, He has poured His grace into my heart. His light is pure, holy and true. He will show you his Hopes, plans and dreams that He has for us.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Patricia Ang)
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Prayer: Lord, teach us how to be still and discern your plans for us. Allow us to be open to receive your blessings and also to testify for your glory.

Thanksgiving: We thank you Lord for being the light of the world.  Let your light dispel any darkness in my heart and let us be an instrument for your glory.

Peter Chanel (1803-1841) was born to a peasant family and was a shepherd as a boy. He was an excellent student and was ordained at 24. He was assigned to Crozet, a parish in decline; he turned it around, in part because of his ministry to the sick, and brought a spiritual revival. He joined the Society of Mary (Marist Fathers) in 1831, and taught in the Belley seminary for five years.

In 1836, he led a band of missionaries to the New Hebrides, an area where cannibalism had only recently been outlawed. He converted many, often as a result of his work with the sick. He learned the local language and taught in the local school. He was killed by order of Niuliki, a native king who was jealous of Peter’s influence. He was the first martyr in Oceania.

“He loves us. He does what he teaches. He forgives his enemies. His teaching is good.”

- one of St. Peter’s catechumens, explaining why he believed Peter’s teachings.

Louis-Marie (1673-1716) was born poor. He studied in Paris, France, and was ordained in 1700. While a seminarian he delighted in researching the writings of Church Fathers, Doctors and Saints as they related to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom he was singularly devoted.

Under Mary’s inspiration, he founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Wisdom, a religious institute of women devoted to the care of the destitute. During this work, he began his apostolate of preaching the Rosary and authentic Marian devotion. He preached so forcefully and effectively against the errors of Jansenism that he was expelled from several dioceses in France.

In Rome, Pope Clement XI conferred on him the title and authority of ‘Missionary Apostolic’, which enabled him to continue his apostolate after returning to France. He preached Mary everywhere and to everyone.

He was a member of the Third Order of St. Dominic, and was one of the greatest apostles of the Rosary in his day and, by means of his miraculously inspiring book, The Secret of the Rosary, he is still so today. The most common manner of reciting the Rosary is the method that originated with St. Louis’ preaching. In 1715, he founded a missionary band known as the Company of Mary.

His greatest contribution to the Church and world is Total Consecration to the Blessed Virgin. He propagated this in his day by preaching and after his own death by his other famous book True Devotion to Mary. Consecration to Mary is for St. Louis the perfect manner of renewing one’s baptismal promises. His spirituality has been espoused by millions, especially Pope John Paul II, who has consecrated not only himself but every place he has visited as pope.

In True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis prophesied that the army of souls consecrated to Mary will be her instrument in defeating the Devil and his Antichrist. As Satan gains power in the world, so much more shall the new Eve triumph over him and crush his head.

The cause for his declaration as a Doctor of the Church is now being pursued.

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Acts of the Apostles 9:31-42

The churches throughout Judaea, Galilee and Samaria were now left in peace, building themselves up, living in the fear of the Lord, and filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Peter visited one place after another and eventually came to the saints living down in Lydda. There he found a man called Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years. Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus Christ cures you: get up and fold up your sleeping mat.’ Aeneas got up immediately; everybody who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they were all converted to the Lord.

At Jaffa there was a woman disciple called Tabitha, or Dorcas in Greek, who never tired of doing good or giving in charity. But the time came when she got ill and died, and they washed her and laid her out in a room upstairs. Lydda is not far from Jaffa, so when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two men with an urgent message for him, ‘Come and visit us as soon as possible.’

Peter went back with them straightaway, and on his arrival they took him to the upstairs room, where all the widows stood round him in tears, showing him tunics and other clothes Dorcas had made when she was with them. Peter sent them all out of the room and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the dead woman and said, ‘Tabitha, stand up.’ She opened her eyes, looked at Peter and sat up. Peter helped her to her feet, then he called in the saints and widows and showed them she was alive. The whole of Jaffa heard about it and many believed in the Lord.
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John 6:60-69

After hearing his doctrine many of the followers of Jesus said, ‘This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?’ Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, ‘Does this upset you? What if you should see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before?

‘It is the spirit that gives life,
the flesh has nothing to offer.
The words I have spoken to you are spirit
and they are life.

‘But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the outset those who did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. He went on, ‘This is why I told you that no one could come to me unless the Father allows him.’ After this, many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him.

Then Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.’
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Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.

Doing a jigsaw puzzle is indeed not for the impatient. If we have to do a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, it requires a lot of time and patience on our part. It is often useful for us to have an idea of how the picture looks like before we can go to the individual pieces and start piecing them around. We need to have the ability to zoom out to see the big picture and zoom in to the details.

Similarly, in our lives there are times where we begin to question fundamentally the existence of what we are doing and how possibly the futility of our actions. We often lose sight of the bigger picture as we zoom in on the individual pieces and issues that we encounter in the daily trudge. Peter’s proclamation of faith is something that we need to bear in mind and even display in a prominent location.

Rushing through our work and questioning the hectic pace of our lives is indeed inevitable but we have to find time to pause to think of why we are working so hard. Perhaps it is due to the pressures that we put on ourselves or even of us trying to assuage some guilt that we may have. Regardless of the situation, let us remember that all our actions, even our non-action to do anything, are choices and that the first choice we should make is to proclaim Peter’s message.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
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Prayer: Lord, we pray that we never forget you.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all who remind us of the faith.

Anselm (1033-1109) was born of Italian nobility. After a childhood devoted to piety and study, he wanted to enter religious life, but his father prevented it, and Anselm became rather worldly for several years. Upon his mother’s death, Anselm argued with his father, fled to France, and became a Benedictine monk at Bec, Normandy. He studied under and succeeded Lanfranc as abbot, before later becoming Archbishop of Canterbury.

Anselm was a theological writer and counsellor to Pope Gregory VII, Pope Urban II, and William the Conqueror. He opposed slavery and obtained English legislation prohibiting the sale of men. He fought King William Rufus’ encroachment on ecclesiastical rights and the independences of the Church, and was exiled. He resolved theological doubts of the Italo-Greek bishops at the Council of Bari in 1098. He strongly supported celibate clergy. King Henry I invited him to return to England, but they disputed over investitures, and Anselm was again exiled in 1106.

He was one of the great philosophers and theologians of the Middle Ages, and was proclaimed Doctor of the Church in 1720 by Pope Clement XI.

No one will have any other desire in heaven than what God wills; and the desire of one will be the desire of all; and the desire of all and of each one will also be the desire of God.”

- St. Anselm, Opera Omnis, Letter 112

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Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7

About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked. So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food; you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom; we will hand over this duty to them, and continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word.’ The whole assembly approved of this proposal and elected Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

The word of the Lord continued to spread: the number of disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increased, and a large group of priests made their submission to the faith.
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John 6:16-21

In the evening the disciples went down to the shore of the lake and got into a boat to make for Capernaum on the other side of the lake. It was getting dark by now and Jesus had still not rejoined them. The wind was strong, and the sea was getting rough. They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming towards the boat. This frightened them, but he said, ‘It is I. Do not be afraid.’ They were for taking him into the boat, but in no time it reached the shore at the place they were making for.
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For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.

At the turn of this year, I had the chance of attending Mass in Perth, Australia while on holiday. It was a lovely Saturday evening, a rare cool summer’s day. I was in good spirits as I’d always liked to attend Mass at different churches and in different countries to observe the little variations of our Eucharistic celebration. It was quite like visiting the homes of friends and joining them in their weekly family dinner – each household would have it’s signature dishes with nuances in the manner all its members dine together. That evening, the celebrant Priest made a joyful announcement of the golden jubilee anniversary of a Sister in their community. Though I cannot recall her name today, I remember my feelings of amazement and respect for this dignified lady of over-seventy as she made her thank-you speech to the community she served.

Her words were filled with a spirit of thanksgiving, but she also humbly recalled the struggles she underwent from being a young novice, to the time she made her profession and took the habit, and was sent out on various missions. She gave praise and glory to God for inspiring her, sustaining her, and loving her with great mercy and compassion – finally thanking God for His great faithfulness to her that enabled her to live out her faith in Him.

I had always been curious about the religious life, and hold great respect for the men and women who found the courage to heed God’s call to give up various earthly trappings, so that they could serve Him.

In today’s first reading, we see the first seven chosen deacons, blessed by the Apostles, and sent out to serve God and His people. God had inspired the Apostles who carefully selected these seven to serve in His Church. Like these seven, God has inspired and chosen special ones for His service especially in the religious life.

A life of service in the religious order is certainly not a life of ease – one would be subject to judgments, persecution, poverty, suffering, and possibly self-doubt and self-recriminations in the face of these various afflictions. This is a call to turn away from all the created goodness and pleasures that earth could offer, and to live a life which would emulate Jesus’ for the rest of one’s days on earth. This is a call to deny their participation of the enjoyment we take for granted everyday. This is a call to discipline, to love, to lead, to sacrifice, and to diminish oneself for the greater benefit of the Church and God’s people. This, in spite of one’s own humanness. Yet in these chosen ones, we also witness a deep surrender and joy to God, a wonderful communion with God brought about by the simplicity of their lives.

We, on the other hand, are glad to say ‘not everyone is called to the religious life’, and would probably heave a great sigh of relief we never have to hear our name spoken.

Close to home, I think of my parish priests and thank God for their devotion to God which enables them to dedicate their time and energy, love and compassion, to the parishoners when they witness a need. It is certainly a mammoth task to minister to a church of a few hundreds, to attend to every request for blessing, to be witness to marriages, to provide comfort and prayers in passings, and to celebrate the Eucharist for the very people who may lament a longwinded or boring homily.

With their deep fervour and faithfulness to the Word of God, our beloved Priests and Nuns and those in the religious orders, are the light to our path. Let us not forget that they share our earthliness and humanness, but have chosen a life of diminishing themselves to heed God’s call of duty. To devote their lives to serve the everyman – the rich, the poor, the abled, the destitute, the fortunate, the unloved and unwanted. We are blessed indeed for their great sacrifice.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Debbie Loo)
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Prayer: Almighty God, please fill us with love and gratitude for the priests and nuns, and religious who serve in our church and wider community. We pray that you lift up worthy priests for your Altar, and ardent but gentle servants of your Gospel, so that your Church may be renewed in every age.

Thanksgiving: We thank you Lord for the love and sacrifices of our priests who continue to give themselves to us. Through their service, we come to see Your loving kindness. We thank you for their love and courage to have answered Your call.

St. Turibius (1538-1606) was born a noble and became a lawyer, and then a professor of law at Salamanca. He was ordained in 1578, and was a judge of the Court of the Inquisition at Granada. He was later appointed Archbishop of Lima, Peru on May 15, 1579. He founded the first seminary in the Western hemisphere, and fought for the rights of the natives against the Spanish masters. He also organized councils and synods in the New World.

Prayer to St. Turibius
Lord, through the apostolic work of St. Turibius and his unwavering love of truth, you helped your Church to grow. May your chosen people continue to grow in faith and holiness. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

- Patron Saint Index
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Wisdom 2:1.12-22

The godless say to themselves, with their misguided reasoning:

‘Our life is short and dreary,
nor is there any relief when man’s end comes,
nor is anyone known who can give release from Hades.
Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us
and opposes our way of life,
reproaches us for our breaches of the law
and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing.
He claims to have knowledge of God,
and calls himself a son of the Lord.
Before us he stands, a reproof to our way of thinking,
the very sight of him weighs our spirits down;
his way of life is not like other men’s,
the paths he treads are unfamiliar.
In his opinion we are counterfeit;
he holds aloof from our doings as though from filth;
he proclaims the final end of the virtuous as happy
and boasts of having God for his father.
Let us see if what he says is true,
let us observe what kind of end he himself will have.
If the virtuous man is God’s son, God will take his part
and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies.
Let us test him with cruelty and with torture,
and thus explore this gentleness of his
and put his endurance to the proof.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death
since he will be looked after – we have his word for it.’

This is the way they reason, but they are misled,
their malice makes them blind.
They do not know the hidden things of God,
they have no hope that holiness will be rewarded,
they can see no reward for blameless souls.
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John 7:1-2.10.25-30

Jesus stayed in Galilee; he could not stay in Judaea, because the Jews were out to kill him.

As the Jewish feast of Tabernacles drew near, However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went up as well, but quite privately, without drawing attention to himself. Meanwhile some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ‘Isn’t this the man they want to kill? And here he is, speaking freely, and they have nothing to say to him! Can it be true the authorities have made up their minds that he is the Christ? Yet we all know where he comes from, but when the Christ appears no one will know where he comes from.

Then, as Jesus taught in the Temple, he cried out:

‘Yes, you know me
and you know where I came from.
Yet I have not come of myself:
no, there is one who sent me
and I really come from him,
and you do not know him,
but I know him because I have come from him
and it was he who sent me.’

They would have arrested him then, but because his time had not yet come no one laid a hand on him.
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The very sight of him weighs our spirits down; his way of life is not like other men’s

Today’s first reading speaks to the heaviness in my heart. Lately, I feel that a friend and I are walking further away from each other because while we used to share similar visions in life, we now seem to have chosen different paths. Disappointed by God, she has lost a hope and desire for Him. I, on the other hand, am convicted that God’s ways will lead to the fullness of life. Life, of course, can be found in many other places without the explicit label “God”. Nevertheless, from the experiences in my life, I am convicted that what God shares in the bible are not “impositions” on our lives, but they are loving truths (like a user guide on how to achieve a joy-filled life) to help us to attain all that our hearts truly desire.

Yet, it is hard for me to speak of these to my friend. When I do, I wonder whether she thinks of me as just a “Jesus-lover” who is irrelevant and out of touch of the realities of the world. She might not but I wonder these because of my own past experiences with others. Whenever I speak to people who are not of the faith about my relationship with God, I often feel self-conscious of how “out of the world” I might sound to them to believe so much in someone who cannot be seen, heard, touched, etc.

Putting myself in their shoes, without a desire for faith and the experiences with God I’ve had, I would probably be thinking that all those who believe so fervently in Jesus are going through a communal delusion. I would be the first to call them “irrelevant”, “crazy”, and dismiss all that they have to say. I would laugh and mock them, wondering about the absurdity of their “cult-like religion”.

Yet, as the first reading states, the world will wait and see if what we believers say is true. They may dismiss us, call us irrelevant, but they will also observe to see what kind of end we will have. The question for us then is will we be faithful until the very end?

Will we be faithful and hold onto what’s in our heart even when we face rejections from others? Will we be faithful when things do not go our way? Will we be faithful when life treats us cruelly to test our faith in God? Will we still hold onto our convictions or when it demands more of us (e.g., more patience, perseverance, courage)? Will we still hold onto God when He appears to have abandoned us?

The truth is I want to but knowing myself, when life really becomes that challenging, I will fail. In my pain and weariness, in long and dark moments of suffering, I will become discouraged. I will feel abandoned by God. I will doubt His existence. It has happened before. I will fail.

But unlike before, I do not have to rely on my own efforts. Faith is a relationship. This means that God will do HIS part to help me remain faithful. In those dark moments, it is God who will find a way to keep me going, to give me hope, to give me comfort, to give me perseverance, to give me all that I do not have so that I will remain faithful to Him. He has done it for me so many times and brought me back to Him whenever I drift from Him. I have faith today only because He has never given up on me but has always found a way back to my heart. Therefore, I have hope that I will testify to Him until the last breath of my life because my God is first and foremost faithful to me.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Jean Cheng)
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Prayer: Lord, in dark moments when I am tempted to give up on You, please reach out to me and help me to remember to turn to You, and not rely on my own efforts, in order to remain faithful to the very end.

Thanksgiving: Thank You Jesus for never giving up on me but for always knocking on my door. Thank You for being the one who calls me to come back to You each time. I have hope in You that I will be faithful until the end. I place hope in You to help my loved ones who are presently distant from You… woo them, Jesus, do not give up on them, heal and love them, and help them to taste and see Your love for themselves. Amen.

St. Patrick (387-390 – 461-464) was kidnapped from the British mainland when he was about 16, and shipped to Ireland as a slave. He was sent to the mountains as a shepherd, and spent his time in prayer. After six years of this life, he had a dream in which he was commanded to return to Britain. Seeing it as a sign, he escaped.

He studied in several monasteries in Europe. He was a priest, then a bishop. He was sent by Pope St. Celestine to evangelize England, then Ireland, during which his chariot driver was St. Odran, and St. Jarlath was one of his spiritual students.

In 33 years, he effectively converted Ireland. In the Middle Ages, Ireland become known as the “Land of Saints”, and during the Dark Ages, its monasteries were the great repositories of learning in Europe, all a consequence of Patrick’s ministry.

Christ shield me this day:
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every person who thinks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me

- Saint Patrick, from his breastplate

- Patron Saint Index
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Hosea 5:15-6:6

The Lord says this:
They will search for me in their misery.
‘Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us;
he has struck us down, but he will bandage our wounds;
after a day or two he will bring us back to life,
on the third day he will raise us
and we shall live in his presence.
Let us set ourselves to know the Lord;
that he will come is as certain as the dawn
his judgement will rise like the light,
he will come to us as showers come,
like spring rains watering the earth.’

What am I to do with you, Ephraim?
What am I to do with you, Judah?
This love of yours is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that quickly disappears.
This is why I have torn them to pieces by the prophets,
why I slaughtered them with the words from my mouth,
since what I want is love, not sacrifice;
knowledge of God, not holocausts.
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Luke 18:9-14

Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else: ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’
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What I want is love, not sacrifice

All of us have our dreams. As we discover more about ourselves, we realise that we are not perfect. The beliefs that we hold, the baggage that we carry, the experiences that we encounter form the person that we are today. I have to admit I tend to do things my way and I ask Lord to open the path to the way I hope things to materialize. When the doors are closed in the area that I seek, I feel the emptiness and loss. It’s that feeling of back to the starting point again, probably a different route. There are fears and doubts. There are questions like “Do I want to try again” or “What is your will for me Lord”

In the Gospel of today, the Pharisee was so full of himself. He boastfully tells Jesus that he fasts twice a week and he pay tithes on all he gets. He was focused on his good deeds that he had no room for God’s mercy. He had the assumption that all his good deeds cancelled out whatever misdeeds that he has done. On the other hand, the tax collector was humble to acknowledge that he was a sinner and was at the mercy of God.

All of us sin. These are also signs on how deeply we need the grace from the Lord. Indeed like the taxpayer I say to our Lord “Be merciful to me a sinner”. What a great joy and peace to receive God’s forgiveness. He is always there to renew us and to walk together with us on this journey.

Today, as we spend time in reflection and in prayers, we invite the Holy Spirit to help us. We ask the holy spirit to discard sin and to give us a new heart. A heart of love where we rely on God’s love and grace all the time.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Patricia Ang)
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Prayer: Continue to be the light to shine in our lives. Remove fear and doubt in our lives. Allow us to be still and continue to show us the way.

Thanksgiving: We thank you Lord for always being there for us. Shower us you’re your blessing and love in our journey with you.

Christ Forgives Our Sins

Today we say Yes to the Lord who comes to forgive us our sins, and we praise him who shows such mercy to the poor and the weak.

- The Sunday Missal
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Isaiah 43:18-19.21-22.24-25

Thus says the Lord:

No need to recall the past,
no need to think about what was done before.
See, I am doing a new deed,
even now it comes to light; can you not see it?
Yes, I am making a road in the wilderness,
paths in the wilds.
The people I have formed for myself
will sing my praises.

Jacob, you have not invoked me,
you have not troubled yourself, Israel, on my behalf.
Instead you have burdened me with your sins,
troubled me with your iniquities.
I it is, I it is, who must blot out everything
and not remember your sins.
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2 Corinthians 1:18-22

I swear by God’s truth, there is no Yes and No about what we say to you. The Son of God, the Christ Jesus that we proclaimed among you – I mean Silvanus and Timothy and I – was never Yes and No: with him it was always Yes, and however many the promises God made, the Yes to them all is in him. That is why it is ‘through him’ that we answer Amen to the praise of God. Remember it is God himself who assures us all, and you, of our standing in Christ, and has anointed us, marking us with his seal and giving us the pledge, the Spirit, that we carry in our hearts.
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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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Who can forgive sins but God?

Forgiveness does not come easy. For years, I have been holding on to an unforgiveness in my heart. Someone very close to me hurt me deeply without an explanation for what he did. I’ve tried everything to forgive this person to no avail. I’ve attended talks, seminars, workshops on forgiveness; I’ve consulted friends, counsellors, spiritual directors, but no one can tell me how to forgive. They all tell me to forgive, that I must forgive, but no one can tell me exactly how to. It’s not that I don’t want to, but I don’t know how to.

In fact, forgiveness is so difficult that Jesus, in today’s gospel reading, compares it to the healing of a paralysed man. Forgiveness is tougher than healing the sick, even for God. The more intense the love, the deeper the hurt. If we believe that God loves us, then we must necessarily believe that when we hurt Him, it hurts like nothing else. But whenever we ask God for forgiveness, His answer is ‘Yes’; it can’t be easy.

Perhaps what the scribes in the gospel reading say is true: “Who can forgive sins but God?” Indeed only God can forgive sins but we as His believers are called to emulate Him even though it may be difficult. Let us ask God to grant us the strength and courage to embrace this gift of forgiveness.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Daniel Tay)
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Prayer: We pray for all people who harbour deep hurts and the inability to forgive, may we learn to let go and let God do the forgiving for us.

Thanksgiving: Thank you God for showing me that forgiveness is a gift.

Cyril (827-869) was the brother of St. Methodius. Born of Greek nobility, his family was connected to the senate of Thessalonica, and his mother Maria may have been Slavic. He studied at the University of Constantinople and taught philosophy there. He was ordained a priest, and when he became a monk, he took the name Cyril. He was sent with Methodius by the emperor in 961 to convert the Jewish Khazars of Russia, a mission that was successful, and which allowed him to learn the Khazar’s language.

In 863, he was sent with Methodius to convert Moravians in their native tongue. Though some western clergy opposed their efforts and refused to ordain their candidates for the priesthood, they did good work. They developed an alphabet for the Slavonic language that eventually became what is known as the Cyrillic today. After initial criticism for their use of it, they achieved approval of the Liturgy in the Slavonic language. Cyril may have been bishop, but he may have died before the consecration ceremony.

Methodius (826-885) was the brother of St. Cyril. He studied at the University of Constantinople, and taught philosophy there. He was ordained a priest, and sent with Cyril by the emperor in 861 to convert the Jewish Khazars of Russia. Though some western clergy opposed their efforts and refused to ordain their candidates for the priesthood, they did good work. They helped develop an alphabet for the Slavonic language that eventually became what is known as the Cyrillic today.

After initial criticism for their use of it, they achieved approval of the Liturgy in the Slavonic language. Methodius was ordained a bishop. He evangelized in Moravia, Bohemia, Pannonia, and Poland. He baptized St. Ludmilla and Duke Boriwoi.

He was Archbishop of Velehred, Czechoslovakia, but deposed and imprisoned in 870 due to the opposition of German clergy with his work. He was often in trouble over his use of Slavonic in liturgy, with some claiming he preached heresy. However, Methodius was repeatedly cleared of charges. He translated the Bible into the Slavonic languages, and pioneered the use of local and vernacular languages in liturgical settings.

- Patron Saint Index
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James 1:12-18

Happy the man who stands firm when trials come. He has proved himself, and will win the prize of life, the crown that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Never, when you have been tempted, say, ‘God sent the temptation’; God cannot be tempted to do anything wrong, and he does not tempt anybody. Everyone who is tempted is attracted and seduced by his own wrong desire. Then the desire conceives and gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it too has a child, and the child is death.

Make no mistake about this, my dear brothers: it is all that is good, everything that is perfect, which is given us from above; it comes down from the Father of all light; with him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow of a change. By his own choice he made us his children by the message of the truth so that we should be a sort of first-fruits of all that he had created.
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Mark 8:14-21

The disciples had forgotten to take any food and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. Then he gave them this warning, ‘Keep your eyes open; be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.’ And they said to one another, ‘It is because we have no bread.’ And Jesus knew it, and he said to them, ‘Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you not yet understand? Have you no perception? Are your minds closed? Have you eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear? Or do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves among the five thousand, how many baskets full of scraps did you collect?’ They answered, ‘Twelve.’ And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of scraps did you collect?’ And they answered, ‘Seven.’ Then he said to them, ‘Are you still without perception?’
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Yeast of the Pharisees

I am inspired by colleagues who can not only see the big picture but who are also always consciously aware of how new initiatives fit into it. If there is no fit, the initiative should not be pushed as a priority. For instance, we recently discussed the creating study groups for students. If this is done just for the sake of novelty, it might not be sustainable. It must be evaluated in terms of whether and how well it helps teaching and learning. Only then can it be considered in the long-term.

In today’s gospel passage, Jesus warns against the disciples against short-sightedness in faith. This is the yeast of the Pharisees. Given the coming persecution, going to the Pharisees would be a quick-fix. However, that would lead back to square one. The disciples are reminded that Christ is the bread of life that endures and sustains. This is reiterated in the first reading. James reminds his readers to be weary of temptations that seem like God-sends.

We have seen many fads in recent years. In terms of food, crispy coffee buns and bubble tea rank highest. The ease of production and high demand meant quick money. There was a time when two to three shops of each could be seen along a single street. This meant that quality suffered. Not surprisingly, the market crashed and many owners lost their investments. The same applies to our faith journey. What we practice are not fads. We do not go to reconciliation and Mass or pray the rosary as quick-fixes to the trials in life. My brothers and sisters, if that is all they are to us, then we have lost sight of the God behind our prayers.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer: We pray for sobriety in our faith, that we will not be tempted to take the easy way out.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for our daily bread.

Scholastica (480-543) was the twin sister of St. Benedict of Nursia. Born to Italian nobility, her mother died in childbirth. She became a nun and led a community of women at Plombariloa near Montecassino.

- Patron Saint Index

From her earliest years, she had been consecrated to God. She was accustomed to visiting her brother once a year, and he would come down to meet her at a place on the monastery property, not far outside the gate. One day, she came as usual and her saintly brother went with some of his disciples; they spent the whole day praising God and talking of sacred things.

As night fell, they had supper together. Their spiritual conversation went on and the hour grew late. The holy nun said to her brother, “Please do not leave me tonight; let us go on until morning talking about the delights of the spiritual life.” “Sister,” he replied, “what are you saying? I simply cannot stay outside my cell.”

When she heard her brother refuse her request, the holy woman joined her hands on the table, laid her head on them and began to pray. As she raised her head from the table, there were such brilliant flashes of lightning, such great peals of thunder and such a heavy downpour of rain that neither Benedict nor his brethren could stir across the threshold of the place where they had been seated.

Sadly, he began to complain, “May God forgive you, sister. What have you done?” “Well,” she answered, “I asked you and you would not listen; so I asked my God and he did listen. So now go off, if you can, leave me and return to your monastery.” So it came about that they stayed awake the whole night, engrossed in their conversation about the spiritual life.

Three days later, Benedict was in his cell. Looking up to the sky, he saw his sister’s soul leave her body in the form of a dove, and fly up to the secret places of heaven. Rejoicing in her great glory, he thanked almighty God with hymns and words of praise. He then sent his brethren to bring her body to the monastery and lay it in the tomb he had prepared for himself.

- from Dialogues by Pope St. Gregory the Great
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1 Kings 11:29-32;12:19

One day when Jeroboam had gone out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh accosted him on the road. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak; the two of them were in the open country by themselves. Ahijah took the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve strips, saying to Jeroboam, ‘Take ten strips for yourself, for thus the Lord speaks, the God of Israel, “I am going to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and give ten tribes to you. He shall keep one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.’

And Israel has been separated from the House of David until the present day.
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Mark 7:31-37

Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis region. And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he sighed; and he said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it. Their admiration was unbounded. ‘He has done all things well,’ they said ‘he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’
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And Israel has been separated from the House of David until the present day.

Would anyone accept that God’s plan involves one that consists of division? It certainly seems sad to read in the first reading of how the Kingdom of Israel was divided into the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. Whenever there is a division, it often brings about much pain and unhappiness yet in division there can be found a deeper and more profound understanding.

I feel that the presence of sin in one’s spiritual journey is not going to help achieve the soul’s aim of being in closer union with God. Indeed sometimes, it may be required for us to actually cut off the causes of sin that prevent us from reaching out towards God. Indeed healing can only take place if we separate ourselves from the harmful effects of sin.

Jesus may have healed the deaf and dumb man of his infirmity but instead of the latter obeying Christ’s command to remain silent, he instead decided to publicise the news. We should reflect on this and ask if this is characteristic of our behaviour where we choose to go against the way of God and in the process cause division between God’s love and us to occur.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
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Prayer: Lord we pray for the will to accept what you have given us

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for those who are patient.

Paul Miki (1562-1597) was one of the Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan. He was born into a rich family and educated by Jesuits in Azuchi and Takatsuki. He joined the Society of Jesus and preached the gospel for his fellow citizens. The Japanese government feared Jesuit influences and persecuted them. He was jailed among others.

He and his Christian peers were forced to walk 600 miles from Kyoto while singing Te Deum as a punishment for the community. Finally they arrived at Nagasaki, the city which had the most conversions to Christianity, and he was crucified on 5 February 1597. He preached his last sermon from the cross, and it is maintained that he forgave his executioners stating that he himself was Japanese. Alongside him died Joan Soan (de Goto) and Santiago Kisai, of the Society of Jesus, in addition to 23 clergy and laity, all of whom were canonized by Pope Pius IX in 1862.

On 15 August 1549, St. Francis Xavier, Father Cosme de Torres, SJ, and Father John Fernandez arrived in Kagoshima, Japan, from Spain with hopes of bringing Catholicism to Japan. On Sep 29, St. Francis Xavier visit Shimazu Takahisa, the daimyo of Kagoshima, asking for permission to build the first Catholic mission in Japan. The daimyo agreed in hopes of creating a trade relationship with Europe.

A promising beginning to those missions – perhaps as many as 300,000 Christians by the end of the 16th century – met complications from competition between the missionary groups, political difficulty between Spain and Portugal, and factions within the government of Japan. Christianity was suppressed. By 1630, Christianity was driven underground.

The first Martyrs of Japan are commemorated on Feb 5 when, on that date in 1597, 26 missionaries and converts were killed by crucifixion. 250 years later, when Christian missionaries returned to Japan, they found a community of Japanese Christians that had survived underground.

- Wikipedia
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1 Kings 8:1-7.9-13

Solomon called the elders of Israel together in Jerusalem to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord up from the Citadel of David, which is Zion. All the men of Israel assembled round King Solomon in the month of Ethanim, at the time of the feast (that is, the seventh month), and the priests took up the ark and the Tent of Meeting with all the sacred vessels that were in it. In the presence of the ark, King Solomon and all Israel sacrificed sheep and oxen, countless, innumerable. The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the Debir of the Temple, that is, in the Holy of Holies, under the cherubs’ wings. For there where the ark was placed the cherubs spread out their wings and sheltered the ark and its shafts. There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets Moses had placed in it at Horeb, the tablets of the covenant which the Lord had made with the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt; they are still there today.

Now when the priests came out of the sanctuary, the cloud filled the Temple of the Lord, and because of the cloud the priests could no longer perform their duties: the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s Temple.

Then Solomon said:

‘The Lord has chosen to dwell in the thick cloud.
Yes, I have built you a dwelling,
a place for you to live in for ever.’
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Mark 6:53-56

Having made the crossing, Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret and tied up. No sooner had they stepped out of the boat than people recognised him, and started hurrying all through the countryside and brought the sick on stretchers to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, to village, or town, or farm, they laid down the sick in the open spaces, begging him to let them touch even the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched him were cured.
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The glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s Temple

I believe that the difference between a genuine person working in ministry and another who is doing it for his own selfish reasons can be seen in the disposition of the person in carrying out his tasks. The latter is often seen to be using the ways of the world to manage people and situations which sometimes may turn out to be uncharitable. The former’s attitude can be discerned from the person’s prayer life and also the way he works with others.

Many people, including myself, underestimate the power of prayer in transforming lives. I often pondered how people could recognise that somebody is a holy person. I guess deep within us lies the ability to see God in the person and this is viewed with the eyes of faith and not of sight. In today’s Gospel, it could be seen that the people rushed to bring to Jesus all that were ill. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Jesus’s reputation preceded Him but I like to believe that they saw in Him something that the existing Jewish religious leaders did not possess.

Each of us are called to spread the love of God to all whom we meet and indeed this is only possible if we continue to pray unceasingly. Before we begin each action in our lives, let us remember the importance of orienting ourselves towards God.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
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Prayer: Lord may we always remember to pray

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for those who pray for the world.

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.

- Patron Saint Index
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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.

- Patron Saint Index
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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.