James 4:1-10

Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Isn’t it precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves? You want something and you haven’t got it; so you are prepared to kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force. Why you don’t have what you want is because you don’t pray for it; when you do pray and don’t get it, it is because you have not prayed properly, you have prayed for something to indulge your own desires.

You are as unfaithful as adulterous wives; don’t you realise that making the world your friend is making God your enemy? Anyone who chooses the world for his friend turns himself into God’s enemy. Surely you don’t think scripture is wrong when it says: the spirit which he sent to live in us wants us for himself alone? But he has been even more generous to us, as scripture says: God opposes the proud but he gives generously to the humble. Give in to God, then; resist the devil, and he will run away from you. The nearer you go to God, the nearer he will come to you. Clean your hands, you sinners, and clear your minds, you waverers. Look at your wretched condition, and weep for it in misery; be miserable instead of laughing, gloomy instead of happy. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.
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Mark 9:30-37

After leaving the mountain Jesus and his disciples made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know, because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, ‘The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him.

They came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ They said nothing because they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’
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You have prayed for something to indulge your own desires

In Buddhism, it is said that desire is the cause of suffering. Hence to achieve Nirvana, the state of enlightenment, is to free yourself from all desires. It is not wrong to say that suffering is caused by desire, our own or other people’s, but certainly our faith does not teach us not to desire at all. Instead, it teaches us to desire God’s will in our lives and the lives of others.

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus taught His disciples about His impending Passion, Death and Resurrection. Jesus suffered because He desired God’s will to be done. But rather than eliminating desire, and hence suffering, from our lives, Christianity teaches us to turn our desires towards God. We pray for this every time we say the Lord’s prayer: Your will be done.

But what is God’s will? Therein lies the tricky part, because God’s will for you is not the same as God’s will for me. Fortunately, God has given each of us a kind of road map to discovering what His will for us is.
First, it is important to recognise that God has a master plan, which involves His individual plans for each of us. In order for this plan to be carried out, God requires our cooperation, and that cooperation from us is God’s will for us. God has given each of us specific gifts to achieve His plan for us. The trick way to finding out these gifts is to recognise that whatever is good for us is pleasurable. When we use our gifts, we find joy in it. Some people call these gifts our passion.

So to find out God’s will for us, it is imperative that we follow our passions. Find out what you are passionate about and what brings you life. In developing these areas you will find your gifts, and in finding and developing your gifts, you will find God’s will for you.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Daniel Tay)
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Prayer: We pray for all individuals discerning their direction in life and God’s will for them, may they look for what God has already gifted them with and develop these further.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for our God-given gifts.

James 3:13-18

If there are any wise or learned men among you, let them show it by their good lives, with humility and wisdom in their actions. But if at heart you have the bitterness of jealousy, or a self-seeking ambition, never make any claims for yourself or cover up the truth with lies – principles of this kind are not the wisdom that comes down from above: they are only earthly, animal and devilish. Wherever you find jealousy and ambition, you find disharmony, and wicked things of every kind being done; whereas the wisdom that comes down from above is essentially something pure; it also makes for peace, and is kindly and considerate; it is full of compassion and shows itself by doing good; nor is there any trace of partiality or hypocrisy in it. Peacemakers, when they work for peace, sow the seeds which will bear fruit in holiness.
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Mark 9:14-29

When Jesus, with Peter, James and John came down from the mountain and rejoined the disciples, they saw a large crowd round them and some scribes arguing with them. The moment they saw him the whole crowd were struck with amazement and ran to greet him. ‘What are you arguing about with them?’ he asked. A man answered him from the crowd, ‘Master, I have brought my son to you; there is a spirit of dumbness in him, and when it takes hold of him it throws him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and goes rigid. And I asked your disciples to cast it out and they were unable to.’ ‘You faithless generation’ he said to them in reply. ‘How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.’ They brought the boy to him, and as soon as the spirit saw Jesus it threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell to the ground and lay writhing there, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ ‘From childhood,’ he replied ‘and it has often thrown him into the fire and into the water, in order to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.’ ‘If you can?’ retorted Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for anyone who has faith.’ Immediately the father of the boy cried out, ‘I do have faith. Help the little faith I have!’ And when Jesus saw how many people were pressing round him, he rebuked the unclean spirit. ‘Deaf and dumb spirit,’ he said ‘I command you: come out of him and never enter him again.’ Then throwing the boy into violent convulsions it came out shouting, and the boy lay there so like a corpse that most of them said, ‘He is dead.’ But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him up, and he was able to stand. When he had gone indoors his disciples asked him privately, ‘Why were we unable to cast it out?’ ‘This is the kind’ he answered ‘that can only be driven out by prayer.’
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Peacemakers, when they work for peace, sow the seeds which will bear fruit in holiness

The intent of one’s actions usually is the deciding factor in allowing one to know if the person is acting in a genuine manner. This is why I believe that it is difficult for anybody embarking on a peace agreement to seek his own interest to the exclusion of others. Such an agreement will not be lasting and in fact may sow the seeds of discord that may come back to haunt others.

The Gospel of today is instructive in teaching us that it is through constant and sincere prayer that will allow us to carry out the task that God has asked us to do. The disciples were not able to cast out the devil because they did not have within them a spirit of prayer. Prayer is like the ammunition that allows us to be protected against the works of the evil one. How we can accumulate this ammunition is by setting aside time for God and allowing Him to speak to us. It is best that we find a quiet environment where we can pray for this allows us to become closer to Him. In fact, we may be able to hear his voice in a clearer manner.

With a spirit of prayer all works no matter how difficult they are will be possible, even the job of a peacemaker. It certainly is not an easy task but with the help and support of God which we have accumulated through prayer, it will become possible.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
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Prayer: Lord we pray for the strength to continue your good works by staying in touch with you

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all who choose to restrain their tongues.

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.

James 3:1-10

Only a few of you, my brothers, should be teachers, bearing in mind that those of us who teach can expect a stricter judgement.

After all, every one of us does something wrong, over and over again; the only man who could reach perfection would be someone who never said anything wrong – he would be able to control every part of himself. Once we put a bit into the horse’s mouth, to make it do what we want, we have the whole animal under our control. Or think of ships: no matter how big they are, even if a gale is driving them, the man at the helm can steer them anywhere he likes by controlling a tiny rudder. So is the tongue only a tiny part of the body, but it can proudly claim that it does great things. Think how small a flame can set fire to a huge forest; the tongue is a flame like that. Among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a whole wicked world in itself: it infects the whole body; catching fire itself from hell, it sets fire to the whole wheel of creation. Wild animals and birds, reptiles and fish can all be tamed by man, and often are; but nobody can tame the tongue – it is a pest that will not keep still, full of deadly poison. We use it to bless the Lord and Father, but we also use it to curse men who are made in God’s image: the blessing and the curse come out of the same mouth. My brothers, this must be wrong.
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Mark 9:2-13

Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus: ‘Rabbi,’ he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say; they were so frightened. And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and there came a voice from the cloud, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.

As they came down from the mountain he warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what ‘rising from the dead’ could mean. And they put this question to him, ‘Why do the scribes say that Elijah has to come first?’ ‘True,’ he said ‘Elijah is to come first and to see that everything is as it should be; yet how is it that the scriptures say about the Son of Man that he is to suffer grievously and be treated with contempt? However, I tell you that Elijah has come and they have treated him as they pleased, just as the scriptures say about him.’
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We use (the tongue) to bless the Lord and Father, but we also use it to curse men who are made in God’s image

One of my modules during teacher training involved a project to create an interdisciplinary lesson unit. While exciting in terms of possibilities, careful coordination of content knowledge was required. We handled information from not only our members’ two subjects (Biology and Chemistry) but also a third subject which was unfamiliar to us (History). One of the challenges we faced was to ensure that we always delivered the correct information. Doing otherwise would create misconceptions that would be difficult to correct. As teachers it is our duty to not teach falsely.

James writes about the power of the tongue in today’s first reading. It is something that can be used to both build up and tear down. The latter contradicts the image of God and can potentially destroy communities and lives. The gospel passage is shows what the voice of God means in Christian lives. It speaks and the faithful listen. In the fullness of time, they in turn pass on the word of God and build the kingdom of God.

I have the utmost respect for primary school teachers. I think they are specially blessed with the talents to nurture young children at an important formative stage in life. Though not all of us have this vocation or these talents, each of us is blessed with a unique and important place spreading the message of Christ. My brothers and sisters, will our voices be discordant or harmonic?

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer: We pray that we will always be able to discern the truth.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for believing in our worth.

James 2:14-24.26

Take the case, my brothers, of someone who has never done a single good act but claims that he has faith. Will that faith save him? If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, ‘I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty’, without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that? Faith is like that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead.

This is the way to talk to people of that kind: ‘You say you have faith and I have good deeds; I will prove to you that I have faith by showing you my good deeds – now you prove to me that you have faith without any good deeds to show. You believe in the one God – that is creditable enough, but the demons have the same belief, and they tremble with fear. Do realise, you senseless man, that faith without good deeds is useless. You surely know that Abraham our father was justified by his deed, because he offered his son Isaac on the altar? There you see it: faith and deeds were working together; his faith became perfect by what he did. This is what scripture really means when it says: Abraham put his faith in God, and this was counted as making him justified; and that is why he was called ‘the friend of God.’

You see now that it is by doing something good, and not only by believing, that a man is justified. A body dies when it is separated from the spirit, and in the same way faith is dead if it is separated from good deeds.
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Mark 8:34-9:1

Jesus called the people and his disciples to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. What gain, then, is it for a man to win the whole world and ruin his life? And indeed what can a man offer in exchange for his life? For if anyone in this adulterous and sinful generation is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’ And he said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.’
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His faith became perfect by what he did

Following completion of National Service (NS) in Singapore, all combat-fit males have to take an annual physical fitness test. For my first such test, I psyched myself up as I journeyed to the test centred. I told myself to push on as I was doing my run. I still failed. The reason was simple. I did not train much before the test. Belief only took me so far.

Today’s readings emphasise the need for faith to be demonstrated. Without actions, faith remains invisible and stagnates. This is an injustice. Real faith must respond to challenges, such as the one Christ gave his disciples. Acting upon these challenges tests faith and strengthens it.

It is said that actions speak louder than words. I remember a friend sharing once in cell group how his colleague asked him if he was Christian because of how he acted at the workplace. This made me wonder what I needed to do to be recognisable as a Christian. In truth, I find that there is much I am not doing yet. My sisters and brothers, let us examine our actions and reflect on whether they give voice to our faith.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer: We pray for opportunities to demonstrate our faith through our good works.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for saving us by His grace.

James 2:1-9

My brothers, do not try to combine faith in Jesus Christ, our glorified Lord, with the making of distinctions between classes of people. Now suppose a man comes into your synagogue, beautifully dressed and with a gold ring on, and at the same time a poor man comes in, in shabby clothes, and you take notice of the well-dressed man, and say, ‘Come this way to the best seats’; then you tell the poor man, ‘Stand over there’ or ‘You can sit on the floor by my foot-rest.’ Can’t you see that you have used two different standards in your mind, and turned yourselves into judges, and corrupt judges at that?

Listen, my dear brothers: it was those who are poor according to the world that God chose, to be rich in faith and to be the heirs to the kingdom which he promised to those who love him. In spite of this, you have no respect for anybody who is poor. Isn’t it always the rich who are against you? Isn’t it always their doing when you are dragged before the court? Aren’t they the ones who insult the honourable name to which you have been dedicated? Well, the right thing to do is to keep the supreme law of scripture: you must love your neighbour as yourself; but as soon as you make distinctions between classes of people, you are committing sin, and under condemnation for breaking the Law.
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Mark 8:27-33

Jesus and his disciples left for the villages round Caesarea Philippi. On the way he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say I am?’ And they told him. ‘John the Baptist,’ they said ‘others Elijah; others again, one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he asked ‘who do you say I am?’ Peter spoke up and said to him, ‘You are the Christ.’ And he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him.

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man was destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again; and he said all this quite openly. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him. But, turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’
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Can’t you see that you have used different standards in your mind?

The importance of differentiated teaching is something I learned in the past two years. Each student is unique and has his or her own learning styles. Teaching for effective learning should acknowledge the interests, strengths and weaknesses or each student. Differentiated teaching values the equal worth of each student.

The attitude James admonishes in the first reading is one of elitism and favouritism. This kind of differentiation erroneously links intrinsic worth to material wealth. It stymies growth in faith, creating misunderstanding that ultimately divides the community. We see in the gospel that Jesus does not play favourites. Even though Peter earned a cap by correctly naming Him as the Christ, He still rebuked him for his subsequent short-sightedness.

If we take stock of our social circles we will note that some are closer to us. I admit how I often put more weight to the words and actions of those important to me. Despite this, everyone who is in our lives is there by the grace of God. We can find that those we do not get along with have important insights to teach us as well. My brothers and sisters, in our relationships with one another, may we always remember the worth of others and not let our bias pre-judge.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer: We pray for empathy to relate to different characters.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for loving us as we are.

James 1:19-27

Remember this, my dear brothers: be quick to listen but slow to speak and slow to rouse your temper; God’s righteousness is never served by man’s anger; so do away with all the impurities and bad habits that are still left in you – accept and submit to the word which has been planted in you and can save your souls. But you must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves. To listen to the word and not obey is like looking at your own features in a mirror and then, after a quick look, going off and immediately forgetting what you looked like. But the man who looks steadily at the perfect law of freedom and makes that his habit – not listening and then forgetting, but actively putting it into practice – will be happy in all that he does.

Nobody must imagine that he is religious while he still goes on deceiving himself and not keeping control over his tongue; anyone who does this has the wrong idea of religion. Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world.
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Mark 8:22-26

Jesus and his disciples came to Bethsaida, and some people brought to him a blind man whom they begged him to touch. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Then putting spittle on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked, ‘Can you see anything?’ The man, who was beginning to see, replied, ‘I can see people; they look like trees to me, but they are walking about.’ Then he laid his hands on the man’s eyes again and he saw clearly; he was cured, and he could see everything plainly and distinctly. And Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘Do not even go into the village.’
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To listen to the word and not obey is like looking at your own features in a mirror and then… going off and immediately forgetting what you looked like

My head of department shared a quotation during a meeting. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. This was to emphasise the need to review practices constantly; to not carry on with those that have not borne fruit; to explore new ways of doings things that might better serve our needs.

In today’s first reading, James states the difference between acknowledging faith and putting it into practice. The one who just learns faith but does not practice it ends up in an insane cycle where there is no growth. After Christ cures the blind man in the gospel passage, he warns him against returning to the village from whence he came. The restored sight represented new life and the cured man should not return to do the same things he did in the village when he was blind.

Each of us has unique habits, some good ones and others bad. We innately know that bad habits need to be dropped. When it comes to our faith journeys, we have our own practices, for instance, the way we pray. If we find that our prayer life is not improving or even declining, then clearly there the way we pray is no longer working for us. My sisters and brothers, let us constantly review and reinvent ourselves, that our faith will always be relevant to our lives.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer: We pray for wisdom to navigate the challenges of life.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for opening our eyes to new possibilities.

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.

James 1:1-11

From James, servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Greetings to the twelve tribes of the Dispersion.

My brothers, you will always have your trials but, when they come, try to treat them as a happy privilege; you understand that your faith is only put to the test to make you patient, but patience too is to have its practical results so that you will become fully-developed, complete, with nothing missing.

If there is any one of you who needs wisdom, he must ask God, who gives to all freely and ungrudgingly; it will be given to him. But he must ask with faith, and no trace of doubt, because a person who has doubts is like the waves thrown up in the sea when the wind drives. That sort of person, in two minds, wavering between going different ways, must not expect that the Lord will give him anything.

It is right for the poor brother to be proud of his high rank, and the rich one to be thankful that he has been humbled, because riches last no longer than the flowers in the grass; the scorching sun comes up, and the grass withers, the flower falls; what looked so beautiful now disappears. It is the same with the rich man: his business goes on; he himself perishes.
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Mark 8:11-13

The Pharisees came up and started a discussion with Jesus; they demanded of him a sign from heaven, to test him. And with a sigh that came straight from the heart he said, ‘Why does this generation demand a sign? I tell you solemnly, no sign shall be given to this generation.’ And leaving them again and re-embarking, he went away to the opposite shore.
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When (trials) comes, try to treat them as a happy privilege

One thing that I learned early on in my teaching practice was that students should be encouraged to try. The correct answer was not as important as the effort to step out of their comfort zone and build confidence. It is a philosophy I put into place with all my classes and it was heartening to see that some of the shy students eventually contributed in discussions as well.

In today’s first reading, James addresses the Jewish Christians. In facing persecutions, he extols them to try to treat them as great opportunities to grow holistically as followers of Christ. As one of the apostles, James would be well aware that this is easier said than done. He therefore focuses not on the end goal of the model Christian but explains how the trials will slowly build his readers up. The gospel passage features a contrasting attitude from the Pharisees. They were unwilling to try to believe in Christ and thus experienced no growth.

There is a phrase “What Would Jesus Do?” that is supposed to be guide Christians in decision making. I can attest to how knowing the right choice is not enough. It must be selected and then carried out. Therein is the challenge. My sisters and brothers, living righteously is not always easy and our forefathers know this well. Instead of giving up, let us just try.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer: We pray for hearts and minds that will be open to new experiences.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for opportunities to test ourselves.

Jesus, Friend Of Outcasts

To bring help to outcasts, Jesus himself had to become an outcast and ‘stay outside in places where nobody lived’.

- The Sunday Missal
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Leviticus 13:1-2.44-46

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘If a swelling or scab or shiny spot appears on a man’s skin, a case of leprosy of the skin is to be suspected. The man must be taken to Aaron, the priest, or to one of the priests who are his sons.

‘The man is leprous: he is unclean. The priest must declare him unclean; he is suffering from leprosy of the head. A man infected with leprosy must wear his clothing torn and his hair disordered; he must shield his upper lip and cry, “Unclean, unclean.” As long as the disease lasts he must be unclean; and therefore he must live apart: he must live outside the camp.’
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1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1

Whatever you eat, whatever you drink, whatever you do at all, do it for the glory of God. Never do anything offensive to anyone – to Jews or Greeks or to the Church of God; just as I try to be helpful to everyone at all times, not anxious for my own advantage but for the advantage of everybody else, so that they may be saved. Take me for your model, as I take Christ.
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Mark 1:40-45

A leper came to Jesus and pleaded on his knees: ‘If you want to’ he said ‘you can cure me.’ Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. ‘Of course I want to!’ he said. ‘Be cured!’ And the leprosy left him at once and he was cured. Jesus immediately sent him away and sternly ordered him, ‘Mind you say nothing to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your healing prescribed by Moses as evidence of your recovery.’ The man went away, but then started talking about it freely and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but had to stay outside in places where nobody lived. Even so, people from all around would come to him.
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Be cured!

I once went to an animal welfare organisation as part of my teacher training programme. Though the focus of their work was on wildlife, there were a number of domestic animals in the compound, including dogs. Some of these dogs had been abandoned. Two in particular stood out. One had a missing leg. The other was once paralysed. Both were nursed back to health and were living happily with the others. The common response would have been to leave them be or to put them to sleep but it was not so here.

The first reading and the gospel passage present an interesting dichotomy regarding lepers. The former categorically states that lepers were to be cast out of the community. This was the status quo for generations. Lepers were unclean, unloved. Christ, in the gospel, bears no such sentiment. The curing of the leper was not just a physical healing but a restoration of status in the community. This is the worth of every person to be saved that Paul wrote of in the second reading.

Community is something all of us need. Unfortunately, there are some who do not fit in perfectly. The elderly, the infirm, those with special learning needs are the more visible examples. There are also those who are side-lined because of social skills or differing views. All are also deserving of love. My brothers and sisters, do you know of any of these “unloved”? Will our response be the common one or the Christian one?

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer: We pray that we will not be blinded by prejudices.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for giving us all a second chance.

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.

1 Kings 12:26-32;13:33-34

Jeroboam thought to himself, ‘As things are, the kingdom will revert to the House of David. If this people continues to go up to the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, the people’s heart will turn back again to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will put me to death.’ So the king thought this over and then made two golden calves; he said to the people, ‘You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough. Here are your gods, Israel; these brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ He set up one in Bethel and the people went in procession all the way to Dan in front of the other. He set up the temple of the high places and appointed priests from ordinary families, who were not of the sons of Levi. Jeroboam also instituted a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth of the month, like the feast that was kept in Judah, and he went up to the altar. That was how he behaved in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made; and at Bethel he put the priests of the high places he had established.

Jeroboam did not give up his wicked ways but went on appointing priests for the high places from the common people. He consecrated as priests of the high places any who wished to be. Such conduct made the House of Jeroboam a sinful House, and caused its ruin and extinction from the face of the earth.
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Mark 8:1-10

A great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat. So Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them, ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. If I send them off home hungry they will collapse on the way; some have come a great distance.’ His disciples replied, ‘Where could anyone get bread to feed these people in a deserted place like this?’ He asked them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ ‘Seven’ they said. Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them among the crowd. They had a few small fish as well, and over these he said a blessing and ordered them to be distributed also. They ate as much as they wanted, and they collected seven basketfuls of the scraps left over. Now there had been about four thousand people. He sent them away and immediately, getting into the boat with his disciples, went to the region of Dalmanutha.
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Such conduct made the House of Jeroboam a sinful House, and caused its ruin and extinction from the face of the earth

It would be horrifying to any ancestor or forefather if such a statement as mentioned above is to be prophesised. They will certainly be very upset that such an approach has been adopted by their descendants and prevent them from continuing the lineage that they have started. I believe that this course of action often stems from the lack of desire to remember the roots of one’s legacy.

In a similar way, detractors of the Catholic Church may say that the teachings and practices are not practical and lack the ability to handle the issues of modernity but it is my opinion that there must be some wisdom in an institution that has survived for such a long time. Indeed there is wisdom in the prescription of certain beliefs and practices.

The House of Jeroboam fell because he had refused to follow the way of truth. It was an action driven by pride and of fear. Our actions that prevent us from getting closer to God are also driven by fear and this is why we must continually seek the healing powers of the Sacrament of Reconciliation to ensure that we are in line with the teachings of God.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
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Prayer: Lord we pray for the grace to make a thorough Examination of conscience.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all Confessors.

1 Kings 11:4-13

When Solomon grew old his wives swayed his heart to other gods; and his heart was not wholly with the Lord his God as his father David’s had been. Solomon became a follower of Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, and of Milcom, the Ammonite abomination. He did what was displeasing to the Lord, and was not a wholehearted follower of the Lord, as his father David had been. Then it was that Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the god of Moab on the mountain to the east of Jerusalem, and to Milcom the god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who offered incense and sacrifice to their gods.

The Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart had turned from the Lord the God of Israel who had twice appeared to him and who had then forbidden him to follow other gods; but he did not carry out the Lord’s order. The Lord therefore said to Solomon, ‘Since you behave like this and do not keep my covenant or the laws I laid down for you, I will most surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. For your father David’s sake, however, I will not do this during your lifetime, but will tear it out of your son’s hands. Even so, I will not tear the whole kingdom from him. For the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen, I will leave your son one tribe.’
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Mark 7:24-30

Jesus left Gennesaret and set out for the territory of Tyre. There he went into a house and did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not pass unrecognised. A woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him straightaway and came and fell at his feet. Now the woman was a pagan, by birth a Syrophoenician, and she begged him to cast the devil out of her daughter. And he said to her, ‘The children should be fed first, because it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.’ But she spoke up: ‘Ah yes, sir,’ she replied ‘but the house-dogs under the table can eat the children’s scraps.’ And he said to her, ‘For saying this, you may go home happy: the devil has gone out of your daughter.’ So she went off to her home and found the child lying on the bed and the devil gone.
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The Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart had turned from the Lord the God of Israel

The journey of faith is not an easy one and it certainly is not for the faint-hearted. All of us are called to soldier on despite the many persecutions and torments that we face either in person or mentally. Perhaps it may be accurate to say that our faith journey is one like that of a marathon instead of a sprint where all of us are called to continue to bring the love of God to all those whom we meet. It certainly is not easy but it is persistence that will see us through.

I believe that King Solomon lacked the persistence to continue in the faith of his father, King David. Indeed persistence often stems from a firm grounding in a particular belief that allows a person to continue despite the many difficulties. Participants in a marathon will tell you that it is the belief that one can see the finishing line that drives him towards enduring the many aches and pains that make his life miserable in the course of the run.

A positive example of such persistence is found in the Gospel where the Syrophoenician woman persisted in asking Christ to cure her child. We need to be persistent in our praying and not give up after our own imposed deadline has expired. God does not work on our timeline but on His own time and basis.

However, we must also be prepared to take “No” as an answer. It is not easy but the persistence that we strive to have must not be based on the assumption that we will obtain the outcome that we desire.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
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Prayer: Lord grant us the faith and persistence of the Syrophoneician woman

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all who pray unceasingly.

1 Kings 10:1-10

The fame of Solomon having reached the queen of Sheba… she came to test him with difficult questions. She brought immense riches to Jerusalem with her, camels laden with spices, great quantities of gold, and precious stones. On coming to Solomon, she opened her mind freely to him; and Solomon had an answer for all her questions, not one of them was too obscure for the king to expound. When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built, the food at his table, the accommodation for his officials, the organisation of his staff and the way they were dressed, his cup-bearers, and the holocausts he offered in the Temple of the Lord, it left her breathless, and she said to the king, ‘What I heard in my own country about you and your wisdom was true, then! Until I came and saw it with my own eyes I could not believe what they told me, but clearly they told me less than half: for wisdom and prosperity you surpass the report I heard. How happy your wives are! How happy are these servants of yours who wait on you always and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God who has granted you his favour, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because of the Lord’s everlasting love for Israel, he has made you king to deal out law and justice.’ And she presented the king with a hundred and twenty talents of gold and great quantities of spices and precious stones; no such wealth of spices ever came again as those given to King Solomon by the queen of Sheba.
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Mark 7:14-23

Jesus called the people to him and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’

When he had gone back into the house, away from the crowd, his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, ‘Do you not understand either? Can you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot make him unclean, because it does not go into his heart but through his stomach and passes out into the sewer?’ (Thus he pronounced all foods clean.) And he went on, ‘It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’
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Until I came and saw it with my own eyes I could not believe what they told me

The way to discover whether a person is really credible is to speak to the person and gain a sensing of whether the person is genuine. Spending time to work with the person will eventually reveal the true colours of this person in the mannerisms and also the way he treats others. Perhaps the saying,” Seeing is believing” aptly sums up the above observation. Yet in the reading of today, I ask that we go beyond the five sense but dwell deeper into what makes Christians tick.

The Queen of Sheba had to discover for herself about the wisdom of Solomon and she was convinced by the splendour and grandeur of his kingdom. However as Christians, we are called to go beyond the external appearances and focus on the inside as we read in today’s Gospel. Jesus believes that it is perhaps evil that stem from the hearts of people and it is through one’s actions that one can truly tell whether the person is a believer of Christ.

The world has a higher expectation of us as Christians. They want us to behave just as Christ did and this is indeed what we must do if we are to be called Christians. I ask that we take some time today to pray and reflect on the day’s activities and see how we can use words and actions that are life-giving to bring the love of Christ to all around us.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
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Prayer: Lord let us be your instruments of love.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all who are care-givers in this society.