St. Charbel was a Lebanese monk, born in a small mountain village and ordained in 1858. Devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, he spent the last twenty three years of his life as a hermit. Despite temptations to wealth and comfort, St. Charbel taught the value of poverty, self-sacrifice and prayer by the way he lived his life.

- http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/innews/082002.shtml
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Jeremiah 7:1-11

The word that was addressed to Jeremiah by the Lord, ‘Go and stand at the gate of the Temple of the Lord and there proclaim this message. Say, “Listen to the word of the Lord, all you men of Judah who come in by these gates to worship the Lord. The Lord Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: Amend your behaviour and your actions and I will stay with you here in this place. Put no trust in delusive words like these: This is the sanctuary of the Lord, the sanctuary of the Lord, the sanctuary of the Lord!  But if you do amend your behaviour and your actions, if you treat each other fairly, if you do not exploit the stranger, the orphan and the widow (if you do not shed innocent blood in this place), and if you do not follow alien gods, to your own ruin, then here in this place I will stay with you, in the land that long ago I gave to your fathers for ever. Yet here you are, trusting in delusive words, to no purpose! Steal, would you, murder, commit adultery, perjure yourselves, burn incense to Baal, follow alien gods that you do not know? – and then come presenting yourselves in this Temple that bears my name, saying: Now we are safe – safe to go on committing all these abominations! Do you take this Temple that bears my name for a robbers’ den? I, at any rate, am not blind – it is the Lord who speaks.”’
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Matthew 13:24-30

Jesus put a parable before the crowds, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’
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Let them both grow till the harvest

I was watching a reality programme on the television about a man who decided to face his fears of diving and sharks. He planned to overcome and conquer them, and he did. He dived into the ocean with fifty sharks around him. At the end of the programme, he said a line which gave me a new perspective. He said, “I don’t think I’ve conquered my fears, I’ve just become more comfortable with them.” I was enlightened after that that because like him, I’ve always wanted to conquer my fears. The thought of being comfortable with them has never crossed my mind. I see light in befriending my fears, allowing my strengths to live with my weaknesses.

As humans, we are weak and strong, good and bad. In the parable, Jesus shed some light on the paradox of life. That the “wheat” and “weed” will grow together. God is a merciful and compassionate sower, He gives us the grace to grow through our sins. He constantly sows seeds of love, hope and faith in our hearts.

Let us grow strong in love, hope and faith so that we have the force to live with the weeds in and of our lives.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Marianne Tan)
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Prayer: Lord, lead us to accept the paradox of our lives. Continue to sow good seeds of love, hope and faith in our hearts and minds.

Thanksgiving: Thank You Lord,  you are the constant lover of our soul.

Upcoming Readings:
Sun, 25 Jun – Genesis 18:20-32; Colossians 2:12-14; Luke 11:1-13; Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

See, my servant will prosper,
he shall be lifted up, exalted, rise to great heights.
As the crowds were appalled on seeing him
– so disfigured did he look
that he seemed no longer human –
so will the crowds be astonished at him,
and kings stand speechless before him;
for they shall see something never told
and witness something never heard before:
‘Who could believe what we have heard,
and to whom has the power of the Lord been revealed?’

Like a sapling he grew up in front of us,
like a root in arid ground.
Without beauty, without majesty we saw him,
no looks to attract our eyes;
a thing despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering,
a man to make people screen their faces;
he was despised and we took no account of him.

And yet ours were the sufferings he bore,
ours the sorrows he carried.
But we, we thought of him as someone punished,
struck by God, and brought low.
Yet he was pierced through for our faults,
crushed for our sins.
On him lies a punishment that brings us peace,
and through his wounds we are healed.

We had all gone astray like sheep,
each taking his own way,
and the Lord burdened him
with the sins of all of us.
Harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly,
he never opened his mouth,
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter-house,
like a sheep that is dumb before its shearers
never opening its mouth.

By force and by law he was taken;
would anyone plead his cause?
Yes, he was torn away from the land of the living;
for our faults struck down in death.
They gave him a grave with the wicked,
a tomb with the rich,
though he had done no wrong
and there had been no perjury in his mouth.

The Lord has been pleased to crush him with suffering.
If he offers his life in atonement,
he shall see his heirs, he shall have a long life
and through him what the Lord wishes will be done.

His soul’s anguish over
he shall see the light and be content.
By his sufferings shall my servant justify many,
taking their faults on himself.

Hence I will grant whole hordes for his tribute,
he shall divide the spoil with the mighty,
for surrendering himself to death
and letting himself be taken for a sinner,
while he was bearing the faults of many
and praying all the time for sinners.
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Hebrews 4:14-16;5:7-9

Since in Jesus, the Son of God, we have the supreme high priest who has gone through to the highest heaven, we must never let go of the faith that we have professed. For it is not as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin. Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.

During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard. Although he was Son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation.
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John 18:1-19:42

Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kedron valley. There was a garden there, and he went into it with his disciples. Judas the traitor knew the place well, since Jesus had often met his disciples there, and he brought the cohort to this place together with a detachment of guards sent by the chief priests and the Pharisees, all with lanterns and torches and weapons. Knowing everything that was going to happen to him, Jesus then came forward and said, ‘Who are you looking for?’ They answered, ‘Jesus the Nazarene.’ He said, ‘I am he.’ Now Judas the traitor was standing among them. When Jesus said, ‘I am he’, they moved back and fell to the ground. He asked them a second time, ‘Who are you looking for?’ They said, ‘Jesus the Nazarene.’ ‘I have told you that I am he,’ replied Jesus. ‘If I am the one you are looking for, let these others go.’ This was to fulfil the words he had spoken, ‘Not one of those you gave me have I lost.’

Simon Peter, who carried a sword, drew it and wounded the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword back in its scabbard; am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?’

The cohort and its captain and the Jewish guards seized Jesus and bound him. They took him first to Annas, because Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had suggested to the Jews, ‘It is better for one man to die for the people.’

Simon Peter, with another disciple, followed Jesus. This disciple, who was known to the high priest, went with Jesus into the high priest’s palace, but Peter stayed outside the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who was keeping the door and brought Peter in. The maid on duty at the door said to Peter, ‘Aren’t you another of that man’s disciples?’ He answered, ‘I am not.’ Now it was cold, and the servants and guards had lit a charcoal fire and were standing there warming themselves; so Peter stood there too, warming himself with the others.

The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered, ‘I have spoken openly for all the world to hear; I have always taught in the synagogue and in the Temple where all the Jews meet together: I have said nothing in secret. But why ask me? Ask my hearers what I taught: they know what I said.’ At these words, one of the guards standing by gave Jesus a slap in the face, saying, ‘Is that the way to answer the high priest?’ Jesus replied, ‘If there is something wrong in what I said, point it out; but if there is no offence in it, why do you strike me?’ Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.

As Simon Peter stood there warming himself, someone said to him, ‘Aren’t you another of his disciples?’ He denied it saying, ‘I am not.’ One of the high priest’s servants, a relation of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, ‘Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?’ Again Peter denied it; and at once a cock crew.

They then led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium. It was now morning. They did not go into the Praetorium themselves or they would be defiled and unable to eat the passover. So Pilate came outside to them and said, ‘What charge do you bring against this man?’ They replied, ‘If he were not a criminal, we should not be handing him over to you.’ Pilate said, ‘Take him yourselves, and try him by your own Law.’ The Jews answered, ‘We are not allowed to put a man to death.’ This was to fulfil the words Jesus had spoken indicating the way he was going to die.

So Pilate went back into the Praetorium and called Jesus to him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ he asked. Jesus replied, ‘Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?’ Jesus replied, ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.’ ‘So you are a king then?’ said Pilate. ‘It is you who say it’ answered Jesus. ‘Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’ ‘Truth?’ said Pilate ‘What is that?’; and with that he went out again to the Jews and said, ‘I find no case against him. But according to a custom of yours I should release one prisoner at the Passover; would you like me, then, to release the king of the Jews?’ At this they shouted: ‘Not this man,’ they said ‘but Barabbas.’ Barabbas was a brigand.

Pilate then had Jesus taken away and scourged; and after this, the soldiers twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on his head, and dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him and saying, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’; and they slapped him in the face.

Pilate came outside again and said to them, ‘Look, I am going to bring him out to you to let you see that I find no case.’ Jesus then came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said, ‘Here is the man.’ When they saw him the chief priests and the guards shouted, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’ Pilate said, ‘Take him yourselves and crucify him: I can find no case against him.’ ‘We have a Law,’ the Jews replied ‘and according to that Law he ought to die, because he has claimed to be the Son of God.’

When Pilate heard them say this his fears increased. Re-entering the Praetorium, he said to Jesus, ‘Where do you come from?’ But Jesus made no answer. Pilate then said to him, ‘Are you refusing to speak to me? Surely you know I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?’ ‘You would have no power over me’ replied Jesus ‘if it had not been given you from above; that is why the one who handed me over to you has the greater guilt.’

From that moment Pilate was anxious to set him free, but the Jews shouted, ‘If you set him free you are no friend of Caesar’s; anyone who makes himself king is defying Caesar.’ Hearing these words, Pilate had Jesus brought out, and seated himself on the chair of judgement at a place called the Pavement, in Hebrew Gabbatha. It was Passover Preparation Day, about the sixth hour. ‘Here is your king’ said Pilate to the Jews. ‘Take him away, take him away!’ they said. ‘Crucify him!’ ‘Do you want me to crucify your king?’ said Pilate. The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king except Caesar.’ So in the end Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

They then took charge of Jesus, and carrying his own cross he went out of the city to the place of the skull or, as it was called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified him with two others, one on either side with Jesus in the middle. Pilate wrote out a notice and had it fixed to the cross; it ran: ‘Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews.’ This notice was read by many of the Jews, because the place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city, and the writing was in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. So the Jewish chief priests said to Pilate, ‘You should not write “King of the Jews,” but “This man said: I am King of the Jews.”’ Pilate answered, ‘What I have written, I have written.’

When the soldiers had finished crucifying Jesus they took his clothing and divided it into four shares, one for each soldier. His undergarment was seamless, woven in one piece from neck to hem; so they said to one another, ‘Instead of tearing it, let’s throw dice to decide who is to have it.’ In this way the words of scripture were fulfilled:

They shared out my clothing among them.
They cast lots for my clothes.

This is exactly what the soldiers did.

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son. Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’ And from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home.

After this, Jesus knew that everything had now been completed, and to fulfil the scripture perfectly he said:

‘I am thirsty.’

A jar full of vinegar stood there, so putting a sponge soaked in the vinegar on a hyssop stick they held it up to his mouth. After Jesus had taken the vinegar he said, ‘It is accomplished’; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit. It was Preparation Day, and to prevent the bodies remaining on the cross during the sabbath – since that sabbath was a day of special solemnity – the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with him and then of the other. When they came to Jesus, they found he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water. This is the evidence of one who saw it – trustworthy evidence, and he knows he speaks the truth – and he gives it so that you may believe as well. Because all this happened to fulfil the words of scripture:

Not one bone of his will be broken;

and again, in another place scripture says:

They will look on the one whom they have pierced.

After this, Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a disciple of Jesus – though a secret one because he was afraid of the Jews – asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission, so they came and took it away. Nicodemus came as well – the same one who had first come to Jesus at night-time – and he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, following the Jewish burial custom. At the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in this garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been buried. Since it was the Jewish Day of Preparation and the tomb was near at hand, they laid Jesus there.
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Jesus then came forward and said, “Who are you looking for?”

Worrying is a habit that I find hard to kick. Whenever situations don’t go the way I envision them to, my immediate response is to agonize over it. It’s as if I think that worrying can help me gain some control over the situation.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus and His disciples were confronted by danger and Jesus’ instinctive response was to step forward to protect His followers. If we believe that Jesus is alive in our world today, just as He was 2000 years ago, then we should also realize that whenever we are confronted by threatening situations, Jesus too will stand before us and ensure our safety. In fact, today, Jesus died on the cross to show us that all things are possible through Him as well as how He will sacrifice Himself completely in order to fight and protect us from harm.

Yet, the minute circumstances do not comply with my wishes, I often choose to continue to worry rather than to trust in the power, mercy, and love of my God to help me. Whenever I do this, I hurt Jesus for I am essentially rejecting His love and desire to help me. It’s akin to telling Him, “Lord, I rather trust in the act of worrying than trust in You”.

If you, like me, struggle to let go of the habit of worrying, let us ask God for His grace to change. When confronted with situations that would trigger our pattern of worrying, let us pray for the faith to instead trust that Jesus can and will protect us from all dangers.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Jean Cheng)
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Prayer: We pray for all spiritual leaders to possess the same courage as our Lord Jesus and to lay their lives down in order to protect their communities.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks God for always protecting us from danger whenever we allow Him to.

Upcoming Readings:
Sat, 03 Apr – Genesis 1:1-2:2 (or 1:1.26-31); Genesis 22:1-18 (or 22:1-2.9-13.15-18); Exodus 14:15-15:1; Isaiah 54:5-14; Isaiah 55:1-11; Baruch 3:9-15.32-4:4; Ezekiel 36:16-28; Romans 6:3-11; Luke 24:1-12; Easter Vigil
Sun, 04 Apr – Acts of the Apostles 10:34.37-43; Colossians 1-4 (or 5-8) John 20:1-9 (or Luke 24:1-12); Easter Sunday of the Lord’s Resurrection

1 John 5:14-21

We are quite confident that if we ask the Son of God for anything,
and it is in accordance with his will,
he will hear us;
and, knowing that whatever we may ask, he hears us,
we know that we have already been granted what we asked of him.
If anybody sees his brother commit a sin
that is not a deadly sin,
he has only to pray, and God will give life to the sinner
- not those who commit a deadly sin;
for there is a sin that is death,
and I will not say that you must pray about that.
Every kind of wrong-doing is sin,
but not all sin is deadly.
We know that anyone who has been begotten by God does not sin,
because the begotten Son of God protects him,
and the Evil one does not touch him.
We know that we belong to God,
but the whole world lies in the power of the Evil One.
We know, too, that the Son of God has come,
and has given us the power
to know the true God.
We are in the true God,
as we are in his Son, Jesus Christ.
This is the true God,
this is eternal life.
Children, be on your guard against false gods.
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John 3:22-30

Jesus went with his disciples into the Judaean countryside and stayed with them there and baptised. At the same time John was baptising at Aenon near Salim, where there was plenty of water, and people were going there to be baptised. This was before John had been put in prison.

Now some of John’s disciples had opened a discussion with a Jew about purification, so they went to John and said, ‘Rabbi, the man who was with you on the far side of the Jordan, the man to whom you bore witness, is baptising now; and everyone is going to him.’ John replied:

‘A man can lay claim
only to what is given him from heaven.

‘You yourselves can bear me out: I said: I myself am not the Christ; I am the one who has been sent in front of him.

‘The bride is only for the bridegroom;
and yet the bridegroom’s friend,
who stands there and listens,
is glad when he hears the bridegroom’s voice.
This same joy I feel, and now it is complete.
He must grow greater,
I must grow smaller.’
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He must increase; I must decrease.

I sing for a church in Melbourne and am often blessed to have parishioners come up to me after Mass who graciously shower me with compliments and express their gratitude for my service at church. I must admit that this is both a blessing and a curse for me. It is a blessing to be appreciated and complimented, of course. But due to pride, the temptation to sound good for my own glory would also escalate.

There was a time when this struggle made me feel very lousy. While I desire a heart that seeks to purely glorify the Lord, I am aware that a part of me still desires to glorify myself.  As a result, I felt that if I was unable to glorify God with perfectly pure intentions, then I should not sing at all.

Thankfully during this time, I had the opportunity to speak to others who were also in more public ministries and discovered that they too struggled with pride and self-glorification. This provided me with support rather than self-condemnation. Also, through confession, I was reminded that sometimes we might do something good with wrong intentions. This does not mean that we should stop doing what is good. Rather, we should continue with what we are doing but pray for the grace to do it with the right intentions.

Perhaps if we expect ourselves to do things for the Lord only when our intentions are perfectly pure, few people would help out in ministries or do God’s work for Him. Thankfully we have a God who loves to use sinners. Let us therefore confess to Him about where we are at with our desires. Let us then ask Him for the grace to be patient with ourselves and to continue to hope in His Holy Spirit purifying our hearts. May we, like John, continue to work towards the goal where God increases in our lives, and we decrease.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Jean Cheng)
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Prayer: Lord, please help me to be patient with myself and grant me the desire to live completely for Your glory and not my own.

Thanksgiving: Thank You Lord, for the people in my life who have not judged me but instead lifted me up.

Upcoming Readings:
Sun, 10 Jan – Isaiah 42:1-4.6-7; Acts of the Apostles 10:34-38; Luke 3:15-16.21-22; Feast of the Baptism of the Lord; Catechetical Sunday

2 Corinthians 8:1-9

Here, brothers, is the new of the grace of God which was given in the churches of Macedonia; and of how, throughout great trials by suffering, their constant cheerfulness and their intense poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity. I can swear that they gave not only as much as they could afford, but far more and quite spontaneously, begging and begging us for the favour of sharing in this service to the saints and, what was quite unexpected, they offered their own selves first to God and, under God, to us.

Because of this, we have asked Titus, since he has already made a beginning, to bring this work of mercy to the same point of success among you. You always have the most of everything – of faith, of eloquence, of understanding, of keenness for any cause, and the biggest share of our affection – so we expect you to put the most into this work of mercy too. It is not an order that I am giving you; I am just testing the genuineness of your love against the keenness of others. Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty.
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Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said: You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way you will be sons of your Father in heave, for he causes his sun to rise on band men as well as good, and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike. For if you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? Any if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’
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… they offered their own selves first to God and, under God, to us.

Why do those of us who are serving in ministry (the lectors, the choir members, the writers, the wardens, the cleaners in church and many others who work behind the scene to serve the Lord) continue to volunteer our time to serve the Lord? Sometimes it could be due to the calling of the Lord and of course, we also must be willing and ready to serve him too. Yet it is only be serving the Lord, does one truly experience the joy and peace in His presence.

I recall the calling of coming forward to serve as a contributor for OXYGEN. I started reading OXYGEN last year. Every morning at work I start each day by reading OXYGEN and it has been inspiring and meaningful.  Then at the end of last year, there was an email asking for contributors.

Somehow, that email spoke to me. I was asking myself am I ready to be a contributor, I have never done reflections before. Yet I took the leap of faith, telling myself that if the Lord wants me to do it, He will guide me through. Indeed the Lord is amazing, as I pray and take the time to reflect on the word, indeed the Lord is great and we see how He guides our reflections.

As we serve him, we are growing in faith with Him. That joy, peace and humility that follows is something you personally have to experience. Serve Him with all your heart, and ask Him to use you as an instrument, and He will bless you.

I am awed by how the reflections written, the time spent with Him, as He uses the reflections to speak to you, when you are reading. Give Him the time, and He will give you back the time. Whenever we do his work, He will renew and refresh us. We also pray, fellowship and read the bible to walk a closer path with Him.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Patricia Ang)
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Prayer: Lord, help us to grow in faith, to love and to serve you. As we start the day we ask for your guidance and as we end the day, we remember You through thanksgiving. Allow us to discern the prompting of the will of God.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for moulding us to be in Your likeness. Allow us to love You and to serve You with humility.

Upcoming Readings:
Tue, 16 Jun – 2 Corinthians 8:1-9; Matthew 5:43-48
Wed, 17 Jun – 2 Corinthians 9:6-11; Matthew 6:1-6. 16-18
Thu, 18 Jun – 2 Corinthians 11:1-11; Matthew 6:7-15
Fri, 19 Jun – Hosea 11:1. 3-4. 8-9; Ephesians 3:8012. 14-19; John 19:31-37; Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus; Opening of Year of the Priest (Jun 19, 2009 – Jun 19, 2010)
Sat, 20 Jun – Isaiah 61:9-11; Luke 2:41-51; Memorial for the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Sun, 21 Jun – Exodus 24:3-8; Hebrews 9:11-15; Mark 14:12-16. 22-26; Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Order of the Servants of Mary (Servites) was named the fifth mendicant order by Pope Martin V. It was founded in 1233 by Sts. Alexis Falconieri, Bartholomew degli Amidei, Benedict dell’Antella, Buonfiglio Monaldi, Gherardino Sostegni, Hugh dei Lippi-Uguccioni, and John Buonagiunta Monetti.

They were beatified on 1 December 1717, and canonized on 1887 as The Seven Holy Founders. On the Feast of the Assumption in 1240, the Founders received a vision of Our Lady. She held in her hand a black habit, and a nearby angel bore a scroll reading “Servants of Mary”. Mary told them:

“You will found a new order, and you will be my witnesses throughout the world. This is your name: Servants of Mary. This is your rule: that of St. Augustine. And here is your distinctive sign: the black scapular, in memory of my sufferings.”

From their first establishment at La Camarzia, near Florence, they moved to the more secluded Monte Senario where the Blessed Virgin herself conferred on them their habit, instructing them to follow the Rule of St. Augustine and to admit associates. The official approval for the order was obtained in 1249, confirmed in 1256, suppressed in 1276, definitely approved in 1304, and again by Brief in 1928. The order was so rapidly diffused that by 1285, there were 10,000 members with houses in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, and early in the 14th century, it numbered 100 convents, besides missions in Crete and India.

The Reformation reduced the order in Germany, but it flourished elsewhere. Again meeting with political reverses in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it nevertheless prospered, being established in England in 1867, and in America in 1870.

The Servites take solemn vows and venerate in a special manner the “Seven Dolours of Our Lady”. They cultivate both the interior and the active life, giving missions and teaching. An affiliation, professing exclusively the contemplative life is that of the “Hermits of Monte Senario”. It was reinstated in France in 1922.

Cloistered nuns, forming a Second Order, have been affiliated with the Servites since 1619 when Blessed Benedicta di Rossi called the nuns of her community “Servite Hermitesses”. They have been established in England, Spain, Italy, the Tyrol, and Germany.

A Third Order, the Mantellate, founded by St. Juliana Falconieri under St. Philip Benizi (c. 1284) has houses in Italy, France, Spain, England, Canada, and the United States. Secular tertiaries and a confraternity of the Seven Dolours are other branches.

- Patron Saint Index
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Genesis 6:5-8; 7:1-5. 10

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that the thoughts in his heart fashioned nothing but wickedness all day long. The Lord regretted having made man on the earth, and his heart grieved. “I will rid the earth’s face of man, my own creations,” the Lord said, “and of animals also, reptiles too, and the birds of heaven; for I regret having made them.” But Noah had found favour with the Lord.

The Lord said to Noah, “Go aboard the ark, you and all your household, for you alone among this generation do I see as a good man in my judgement. Of all the clean animals you must take seven of each kind, both male and female; of the unclean animals you must take two, a male and its female (and of the birds of heaven also, seven of each kind, both male and female), to propagate their kind over the whole earth. For in seven days’ time I mean to make it rain on the earth for forty days and nights, and I will rid the earth of every living thing that I made.” Noah did all that the Lord ordered.

Seven days later the waters of the flood appeared on the earth.
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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 Jesus 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, earts 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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Are you still without perception?

God is many things to us. He is at various times in our faith journey, an old man on a heavenly throne seated way above the clouds, a policeman noting down our crimes, an accountant who balances our sins against our good deeds, a gentle shepherd who seeks out the lost lambs and carries them back to the flock, a friend and confidant, an invisible spirit, a distant God who judges and commands from afar and rains fire and brimstone, or sometimes lots of water, on an unrepentant people.

The common perspective of the God of the Old Testament tends to be the distant God who judges and commands from afar and washes away the sinners with a tsunami of rain. But in today’s first reading, we see a God who seems rather personal, rather human in fact. We see God appearing to have made a mistake and regretting it, almost human-like in His behaviour.

In the gospel reading, however, we see Jesus’ disciples relating to the very human Jesus, speaking about food. When Jesus turns the incident into an opportunity for a spiritual lesson, the disciples cannot see past Jesus’ humanity and thought that He was speaking about their mistake of forgetting to bring food. But Jesus is not talking about that; He is talking about more important things. He is talking about the spiritual realm.

The God that we have faith in cannot be limited by our own understanding. God is forever challenging us to look beyond ourselves and our experiences. He is, at any one time, a culmination of all our experiences and perspectives of Him and at the same time so much more. Let us spend a few moments in silence, asking God to reveal more of Himself to us today.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Daniel Tay)
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Prayer: We pray for the grace and wisdom to get to know God better by recognizing Him in all the unlikely places and in all the unexpected forms. Amen.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for an eye-opening experience in which we have encountered Him.

Upcoming Readings:
Wed, 18 Feb – Gen 8:6-13, 20-22 Mark 8:22-26, Wednesday in the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Thu, 19 Feb – Gen 9:1-13 Mark 8:27-33, Thursday in the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Fri, 20 Feb – Gen 11:1-9 Mark 8:34-9:1, Friday in the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Sat, 21 Feb – Heb 11:1-7 Mark 9:2-13, Saturday in the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

We recently had our first Christmas gathering of old and new contributors and at the meeting, it was suggested that there should be an OXYGEN Facebook group. I’ve started one, although at the moment it’s a little empty. Facebook members can visit it at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=52259289739. Non-Facebook members have to sign up for an account before you can view the contents.

In the past, some of you have written in to affirm us for our reflections. I would like to invite you to post your affirmations at this Facebook group. Also, some of you have raised certain things in past reflections for discussion with others on the mailing list. However, because this mailing list contains several hundred people, it hasn’t been wise to use the mailing list for discussion.

Now, with the Facebook group, we can bring these to the discussion board provided. Previously, some of you have also made suggestions for improvement, one of which has been to have a discussion board. Now that suggestion, once put on hold, has become a reality.

All affirmations, suggestions, discussions and feedback are welcome! The regular contributors, most of whom are younger than me and more savvy with the use of Facebook will double up as moderators for the discussion board. We also hope to provide you with a brief description of our regular contributors (another suggestion made before).

Of course the purpose of the Facebook group is not only for discussion, but at present, I can’t think of anything else to use it for other than giving OXYGEN a more public profile on the Internet. Once again, suggestions are welcome!

Peace,
Dan

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1 Cor 4:6b-15

Now in everything I have said here, brothers, I have taken Apollos and myself as an example (remember the maxim: ‘Keep to what is written’); it is not for you, so full of your own importance, to go taking sides for one man against another. In any case, brother, has anybody given you some special right? What do you have that was not given to you? And if it was given, how can you boast as though it were not? Is it that you have everything you want – that you are rich already, in possession of your kingdom, with us left outside? Indeed I wish you were really kings, and we could be kings with you! But instead, it seems to me, God has put us apostles at the end of his parade, with the men sentenced to death; it is true – we have been put on show in front of the whole universe, angels as well as men. Here we are, fools for the sake of Christ, while you are the learned men in Christ; we have no power, but you are influential; you are celebrities, we are nobodies. To this day, we go without food and drink and clothes; we are beaten and have no homes; we work for our living with our own hands. When we are cursed, we answer with a blessing; when we are hounded, we put up with it; we are insulted and we answer politely. We are treated as the offal of the world, still to this day, the scum of the earth.

I am saying all this not just to make you ashamed but to bring you, as my dearest children, to your senses. You might have thousands of guardians in Christ, but not more than one father and it was I who begot you in Christ Jesus by preaching the Good News.

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Luke 6:1-5

Now one sabbath Jesus happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples were picking ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands and eating them. Some of the Pharisees said, ‘Why are you doing something that is forbidden on the sabbath day?’ Jesus answered them, ‘So you have not read what David did when he and his followers were hungry how he went into the house of God, took the loaves of offering and ate them and gave them to his followers, loaves which only the priests are allowed to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘The Son of Man is master of the sabbath.’

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Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?

A few years ago, I wanted to do something I believed God called me to do. I was certain that He had called me to do this; yet, found myself facing opposition from other people of the faith. Indignant and upset, I thought to myself, ‘Why are they opposing me when I am doing God’s will. This is God’s will!’ However, when I finally surrendered my feelings and pride to God, I realized that regardless of whether I was doing God’s will, their negative reaction to me was also born out of their desire to do what they believed was God’s will. This realization that we were opposing each other out of a common love for God reassured me that the outcome no longer mattered for either way, God would have His way.

In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees questioned Jesus for breaking their religious traditions. There was nothing wrong in their questioning of Jesus’ actions because, as Jesus said, we should ask in order to receive answers. However, we know from reading the rest of the bible that the Pharisees were not genuinely interested in Jesus’ answers; rather, they were solely keen on seeking evidences to prove that Jesus was a false prophet. Instead of being driven by a desire to love and serve God, they were motivated by their own self-righteousness and pride. As a result of this, the Pharisees were unable to recognize God standing before them and continued to behave in ways which were ugly and prideful. 

The Pharisees’ behaviours serve as reminders to us while it is alright to question God and each other, when seeking answers, we must first pray for hearts which are fixed on Jesus rather than on ourselves. For through their example, we see the consequences of holding onto our negative desires and feelings: it makes us ugly and unable to love and grow. Let us pray for the ability to surrender ourselves to God so that not only will He be able to carry His will out through us, but we will also grow in our ability to love and accept those who oppose us.

(Today’s sharing by Jean Cheng)

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Prayer: Lord, give me strength to overcome the selfish desires I have within me. Help me to desire what you desire.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Holy Spirit which actively transforms our heart whenever we allow Him to.

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Upcoming readings:

Sun, 07 Sep – Ezekiel 33:7-9; Romans 13:8-10, Matthew 15:15-20; Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

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1 Cor 3:18-23

Make no mistake about it: if any one of you thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise. Why? Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As scripture says: The Lord knows wise men’s thoughts: he knows how useless they are; or again: God is not convinced by the arguments of the wise. So there is nothing to boast about in anything human: Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life and death, the present and the future, are all your servants; but you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God.

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Luke 5:1-11

Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.- He got into one of the boats-it was Simon’s-and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point.

When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’ Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.

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Do not be afraid.

Fear is a very powerful emotion. In psychology, we learn that fear is actually a good emotion if it is used in the right context because it helps your body to cope with the situation. For example, it is good to turn fearful when you encounter a snake because such fear would help your adrenaline kick in and enable you to run far away from the snake.

Unfortunately, however, we have also acquired misplaced fears: fears used in wrong contexts. We have learnt to become afraid of failing in exams, afraid of interviews, afraid of making a fool of ourselves, and so much more. Such fears are used in the wrong context because instead of helping us cope with the situation, it cripples us and reduces our performance level. It is this kind of fear that Jesus is referring to when He reminds His disciples not to be afraid.

Nonetheless, when Jesus asked His disciples not to be afraid, He probably did not expect them to feel at peace instantly. After all, this would be unrealistic. Rather, by telling His disciples (and us), “do not be afraid”, Jesus probably means that we all have to first learn not to be afraid.

The best way to learn to be unafraid is to move ahead in spite of your fear. Just as Simon Peter followed Jesus despite His fear, so we must step forward in spite of any fearful feelings we experience. For it is only by doing so that we can truly realize that there is nothing to fear about certain situations and gradually become more and more freed and unafraid in life.

Today, let us heed the advice of our Lord and learn to be fearless. Let us face situations that have often left us paralyzed with fear and remember that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

(Today’s sharing by Jean Cheng)

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Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, help me to overcome my fear in ___________ today.   

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Holy Spirit who is ever ready to help us overcome our fears when we allow Him to.  

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Upcoming readings:

Fri, 05 Sep – 1 Cor 4:1-5; Luke 5:33-39
Sat, 06 Sep – 1 Cor 4:6b-15; Luke 6:1-5
Sun, 07 Sep – Ezekiel 33:7-9; Romans 13:8-10, Matthew 15:15-20; Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

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(Today’s reflection by Daniel Tay)
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Upcoming readings:
24 August, Sunday – Isaiah 22:19-23, Romans 11:33-36, Matthew 16:13-20; Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

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St Dominic (1170-1221) became discouraged at the progress of his mission; no matter how much he worked, heresies remained. But he received a vision from Our Lady who showed him a wreath of roses, representing the rosary. She told him to say the rosary daily, teach it to all who would listen, and eventually the true faith would win out. Dominic is often credited with the invention of the rosary; it actually pre-dates him, but he certainly spread devotion to it, and used it to strengthen his own spiritual life.

Legend says that Dominic received a vision of a beggar who, like Dominic, would do great things for the Faith. Dominic met the beggar the next day. He embraced him and said, “You are my companion and must walk with me. If we hold together, no earthly power can withstand us.” The beggar was Saint Francis of Assisi.

Source: Patron Saint Index

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Nahum 2:1. 3:1-3. 6-7

See, over the mountains the messenger hurries!
‘Peace!’ he proclaims.
Judah, celebrate your feasts,
carry out your vows,
for Belial will never pass through you again;
he is utterly annihilated.
Yes, the Lord is restoring the vineyard of Jacob
and the vineyard of Israel.
For the plunderers had plundered them,
they had broken off their branches.

Woe to the city soaked in blood,
full of lies,
stuffed with booty,
whose plunderings know no end!
The crack of the whip!
The rumble of wheels!
Galloping horse,
jolting chariot,
charging cavalry,
flash of swords,
gleam of spears…
a mass of wounded,
hosts of dead,
countless corpses;
they stumble over the dead.

I am going to pelt you with filth,
shame you, make you a public show.
And all who look on you will turn their backs on you and say,
‘Nineveh is a ruin.’
Could anyone pity her?
Where can I find anyone to comfort her?

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Matthew 16:24-28

Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘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 will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?

‘For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour. I tell you solemnly, there are some of these standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom.’

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What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life?

Some movies portray the leading character having to come to terms with the moral questions that his nemesis puts to him. The contain a theme that seeks to show how the character reconciles the different choices that the characters make. Those that chose the path of wealth and riches were eventually corrupted by these and gradually lost their sense of humanity.

Prophet Nahum predicts that the people of Nineveh have met their end because of their pride and arrogance. Though living in material wealth and comfort, they have forgotten that life has to go beyond the material and delve to the spiritual. Jesus shows us the way by telling us that the way to get to closer to God is to abandon the attachments that we have in this present world. It seems crazy and almost impossible but we must realize that this world is only our temporary dwelling place. We should focus on the eternal home that our soul will be going towards after time in this life.

It may seem like our enemies are enjoying a good life and will be never suffer. Sometimes, this is true but we are often too short-sighted. Let us always remember that God is the ultimate judge that will determine our future reward.

(Today’s reflection by Nicholas Chia)
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Prayer: Lord, let us never forget that You only want the best for us.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all the friends that we have.

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Upcoming readings:
09 Aug, Sat – Habakkuk 1:12-2:4, Matthew 17:14-20; Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, marytr
10 Aug, Sun – 1 Kings 19:9-13, Romans 9:1-5, Matthew 14:22-33
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Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13

They have set up kings, but not with my consent,
and appointed princes, but without my knowledge.
Out of their own silver and gold they have made idols,
which are doomed to destruction.
I spurn your calf, Samaria,
my anger blazes against it.
(How long will it be before they purge themselves of this,
the sons of Israel?)
A workman made the thing,
this cannot be God!
Yes, the calf of Samaria shall go up in flames.
They sow the wind, they will reap the whirlwind;
their wheat will yield no ear,
the ear will yield no flour,
or, if it does, foreigners will swallow it.

Ephraim has built altar after altar,
they have only served him as occasion for sin.
Were I to write out the thousand precepts of my Law for him,
they would be paid no more attention than those of a stranger.
They love sacrificing; right, let them sacrifice!
They love meat; right, let them eat it!
the Lord takes no pleasure in these.
He is now going to remember their iniquity
and punish their sins;
they will have to go back to Egypt.

Matthew 9:32-38

They had only just left when a man was brought to him, a dumb demoniac. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb man spoke and the people were amazed. ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel’ they said. But the Pharisees said, ‘It is through the prince of devils that he casts out devils.’

Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness.

And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’

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He felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.

I have been feeling drained because of work and ministry. There was not much time for myself, but I felt fine with it. However, something tugged in my heart. I yearned for something more than just doing good work.

The song “Heart of Worship” played in my mind, especially these lyrics: I’m coming back to the heart of worship / and it’s all about You, Jesus. It then struck me that no matter how much I do to make the world around me a better place, it is most important to nurture my relationship with God.

The readings today tell of people who were lost and turned to things that looked like they were pointing to God, but only brought them further away from Him. Fortunately, Jesus Himself seeks us out, even sending people to help us quench that spiritual thirst in our hearts when we do not recognize it. Have you been feeling similarly lost? Stop and focus on Him today.

(Today’s reflection by Regina Xie)
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Prayer: We pray to the Lord for a heart that seeks Him.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for reminders to focus on Him.

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Upcoming readings:
09 Jul, Wed – Hosea 10:1-3. 7-8. 12, Matthew 10:1-7
10 Jul, Thu – Hosea 11:1-4. 8-9, Matthew 10:7-15
11 Jul, Fri – Hosea 14:2-10, Matthew 10:16-23
12 Jul, Sat – Isaiah 6:1-8, Matthew 10:24-33
13 Jul, Sun – Isaiah 55:10-11, Romans 8:18-23, Matthew 13:1-23 – Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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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 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 2:9-13

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 tens, 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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Nobody can tame the tongue.

An observation I have made in Sunday masses is that the highlight is not the Mass itself but the post-Mass meal or outing. The various members of the parish will all gather either in the church canteen or a nearby eatery and engage in one of their favourite past-times, gossip. Nothing is spared in this exercise and I observe that their conversations become increasingly animated as time progresses. Strangely, these are the same people who are very subdued during Mass itself.

Now clearly the above phenomenon was what St. James was taking issue with in today’s first reading. The tongue has an incredible ability to do good or evil depending on the user. As Christians, the burden is on us to make sure that we can tame this little ‘rudder’ of ours so as to prevent us from being a cause of scandal amongst non-believers. It is sad to see Catholics becoming lapsed in their faith due to gossip and rumours that have been spread by other believers.

Our words can be a source of glory for God if only we remember to incorporate the element of faith in our words for it is through our words and the accompanying deeds that we are judged by God and our fellow-men.

(Today’s reflection by Nick Chia)
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Prayer: Lord, let us always remember to use our tongue to glorify your name.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for those who bear calumny for Christ without retaliating.
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Upcoming readings:
18 May, Sun – Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18; Solemnity of the Holy Trinity
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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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Your faith is only put to the test to make you patient

As a teenager, I once asked my late grandmother why she could tolerate my misbehaviour as a young boy. Her answer was simply, “Because patience in the face of difficulty is a virtue.” Indeed today’s readings encourage all of us strengthened by the Holy Spirit to bear the trials of life patiently.

There are periods of your life where you may be subject to trials and tribulations that affect your life at work, home, school, church and friends. Sometimes all these occur simultaneously and might seem too difficult to bear and may cause you to break down. St. James tells us in today’s first reading that possessing patience to handle these issues will eventually enable us to be fully developed and be complete. This is very important; strangely, people do not realize the importance of prayer and offering to God the issues that are troubling us.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus poses the question to the Pharisees on why the need for the sign? In today’s modern world, we can answer that question to non-believers through our lives. By our example of patient suffering in the midst of tribulations, we show to others what it means to live a just and charitable life.

(Today’s reflection by Nick Chia)
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Prayer: Lord, grant us the patience to bear with our trials which seem so heavy for us.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for those who are caregivers to the elderly.
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Upcoming readings:
12 May, Mon – James 1:1-11; Mark 8:11-13; Memorial for Ss Nereus and Achilleus, martyrs; Memorial for St Pancras, martyr
13 May, Tue – James 1:12-18; Mark 8:14-21
14 May, Wed – James 1:19-27; Mark 8:22-26; Feast of St Matthais, apostle
15 May, Thu – James 2:1-9; Mark 8:27-33;
16 May, Fri – James 2:14-24,26; Mark 8:34-9:1
17 May, Sat -James 3:1-10; Mark 9:2-13
18 May, Sun – Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18; Solemnity of the Holy Trinity
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Cheers and God bless!
Aloysius
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Common Ground

Alexander the Great once came upon Diogenes, the philosopher, looking intently at a heap of human bones. Alexander asked him, “What are you looking for?” Diogenes answered: “Something I cannot find.” “And what is that? asked Alexander. The philosopher replied, “The difference between your father’s bones and those of his slaves.”

How might we describe the impact the Spirit has had on our life?

(from “Stories for all Seasons” by Gerard Fuller, O.M.I.)
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11 May – Pentecost Sunday; Mothers’ Day

The Day Of Pentecost

Today we celebrate the great day of Pentecost when Christ filled the Church with the power of his Spirit and sent it out into the world to bring his peace, joy and forgiveness to all mankind.

(taken from the Sunday Missal)
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Acts 2:1-11

When Pentecost day came round, the apostles had all met in one room, when suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.

Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven, and at this sound they all assembled, each one bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language. They were amazed and astonished. “Surely,” they said, “all of these men speaking are Galileans? How does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya round Cyrene; as well as visitors from Rome – Jesus and proselytes alike – Cretans and Arabs; we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God.”
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1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13

No one can say, “Jesus is Lord” unless he is under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them. The particular way in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose.

Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make up one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptized, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.
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John 20:19-23

In the evening of the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, “Peace be with you,” and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, “Peace be with you.

“As the Father sent me,
so I am sending you.”

After saying this he breathed on them and said:

“Receive the Holy Spirit.
For those whose sins you forgive,
they are forgiven;
for those who sins you retain,
they are retained.”
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Melt the frozen, warm the chill

Pentecost marks the end of the Easter season but it is not a sad occasion. Instead, God the Holy Spirit comes down to the early Church to strengthen them in their faith and provide them with the courage to go forth and spread the Good News. This is very important because the apostles had already the knowledge imparted to them by Christ during His lifetime on earth. However, they did not possess the courage and fervour to spread this word of Christ to the rest because of fear.

Fear has an incredible ability to paralyze our actions and make us reluctant to move in a manner that God calls us to do. Such fear, which stems from either known or unknown reasons, is totally unfounded if we are answering God’s call and living his way of life. The peace of God will be infused in us through the Holy Spirit who will guide us along the right path if only we allow Him to. We need to let go off the walls of division and hatred that we build in our hearts; sometimes it is difficult and hence we need to ask the Holy Spirit to melt the coldness in our heart.

Only by allowing the Holy Spirit to sanctify our souls and be the moral compass for us in our daily lives will we be able to edify others and be a zealous witness to them.

(Today’s reflection by Nick Chia)
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Prayer: Come Holy Spirit, heal all the coldness and dryness in our hearts

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the peace that the Holy Spirit gives us in our heart.
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Upcoming readings:
12 May, Mon – James 1:1-11; Mark 8:11-13; Memorial for Ss Nereus and Achilleus, martyrs; Memorial for St Pancras, martyr
13 May, Tue – James 1:12-18; Mark 8:14-21
14 May, Wed – James 1:19-27; Mark 8:22-26; Feast of St Matthais, apostle
15 May, Thu – James 2:1-9; Mark 8:27-33;
16 May, Fri – James 2:14-24,26; Mark 8:34-9:1
17 May, Sat -James 3:1-10; Mark 9:2-13
18 May, Sun – Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18; Solemnity of the Holy Trinity
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