Isaiah 56:1-3,6-8

Thus says the Lord:
Have a care for justice,
act with integrity,
for soon my salvation will come and my integrity be manifest.

Blessed is the man who does this and the son of man who clings to it:
observing the sabbath,
not profaning it,
and keeping his hand from every evil deed.

Let no foreigner who has attached himself to the Lord say,
‘The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.’
Let no eunuch say, ‘And I, I am a dried-up tree.’
Foreigners who have attached themselves to the Lord to serve him and to love his name and be his servants –
all who observe the sabbath,
not profaning it,
and cling to my covenant – these I will bring to my holy mountain.
I will make them joyful in my house of prayer.
Their holocausts and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar,
for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples. 

It is the Lord who speaks, who gathers the outcasts of Israel:
there are others will gather besides those already gathered.
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John 5:33-36

Jesus said to the Jews:
‘You sent messengers to John,
and he gave his testimony to the truth:
not that I depend on human testimony;
no, it is for your salvation that I speak of this.
John was a lamp alight and shining
and for a time you were content to enjoy the light that he gave.
But my testimony is greater than John’s:
the works my Father has given me to carry out,
these same works of mine testify
that the Father has sent me.’
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John was a lamp alight and shining

Recently, I was in America for a holiday. It happened that the period I was there coincided with their Thanksgiving celebrations. One of the perks of Thanksgiving was the Black Friday sales, which seemed to mark the beginning of the Christmas “Sale” season. Shops all over the country would hold major sales, leading from the Friday after Thanksgiving right until Christmas. In order to take advantage of the great deals, people would start queuing right outside the shops beginning at midnight just to get a great bargain for themselves and their loved ones.

I marvelled at the hubbub and watched wide-eyed on the television as I saw people swarming into the stores over the news. Some sales resulted in major stampedes while others in Tug-of-Wars. The news in particular featured one particular grandfather, who was trying to protect his grandson from the stampede. He had taken the toy from his grandson’s hands and hid it in his jacket, to prevent the toy from being snatched away, as he made his way to the cashier. Unfortunately, he was mistaken by fellow bargain hunters as a thief and had himself pinned to the ground by security. What began as a simple Christmas venture, ended with him nursing a battered face and walking home empty ended.

Thankfully, the situation in Singapore is much more mild. Still, I wonder if we’ve over commercialised Christmas and the meaning of gift giving.

It’s easy sometimes to see Christmas as just another public holiday and fall into the routine of celebration. It’s easy also to get caught up with all the glitz and glamour, and be dazzled by the Christmas lights. Yet only one light matters – that of the light of Christ.

Christmas is the season to remember that gifts are just an expression of what truly matters – our care and love for one another, and our relationship with one another. After all, isn’t Christmas all about celebrating God’s love? John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.” Christ came so that we could have life to the full. That was God’s gift to Man because God cared about our relationship with Him. Hence, Christ came to bring us back into relationship with the Father.

Like John, we are called to be “Christmas lights” too – lamps alight and pointing the way to Jesus. Sometimes however, our lights may be dim as we carry the burdens of a broken relationship – either with God or with people who really matter.

My brothers and sisters, Christmas marks the celebration of our relationship with God and with one another. It is a celebration of peace, of love and of reconciliation. Like John the Baptist, we need to keep our lamps alight and shining for Christ. Maybe there might be someone in our family whom we find difficult to forgive; or maybe we know of a loved one who might be hurting from our words and deeds. Have there also been relationships that we may have been neglecting? This Christmas, let’s make the effort to restore our relationships with one another and share Christ’s love. It may mean saying a kind word, or taking time off just to spend it with our family. It may also mean going the extra mile just to let the other person know how much they mean to us. You never know how much your gift may mean to someone else – and how much it means to God.

Let’s make this Christmas a really meaningful one.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Cassandra Cheong)
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Prayer: Dear Lord, grant us your grace to reconcile with those who have hurt us and to share your love with those around us this Christmas.

Thanksgiving: Thank you Lord for the people whom you have brought into our lives. Fan the flame within us that we may be shining Christmas lights for you too.

Upcoming Readings:
Sat 17 Dec – Genesis 49:2, 8-10; Matthew 1:1-17; Weekdays of Advent
Sun 18 Dec – 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-11; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38

Isaiah 45:6-8,18,21-25

Apart from me, all is nothing.
I am the Lord, unrivalled,
I form the light and create the dark.
I make good fortune and create calamity,
it is I, the Lord, who do all this.
Send victory like a dew, you heavens,
and let the clouds rain it down.
Let the earth open
for salvation to spring up.
Let deliverance, too, bud forth
which I, the Lord, shall create.
Yes, thus says the Lord,
creator of the heavens,
who is God,
who formed the earth and made it,
who set it firm,
created it no chaos,
but a place to be lived in:
  ‘I am the Lord, unrivalled:
  there is no other god besides me.
  A God of integrity and a saviour:
  there is none apart from me.
  Turn to me and be saved,
  all the ends of the earth,
  for I am God unrivalled.
  ‘By my own self I swear it;
  what comes from my mouth is truth,
  a word irrevocable:
  before me every knee shall bend,
  by me every tongue shall swear,
  saying, “From the Lord alone
  come victory and strength.”
  To him shall come, ashamed,
  all who raged against him.
  Victorious and glorious through the Lord shall be
  all the descendants of Israel.’
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Luke 7:19-23

John, summoning two of his disciples, sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or must we wait for someone else?’ When the men reached Jesus they said, ‘John the Baptist has sent us to you, to ask, “Are you the one who is to come or have we to wait for someone else?”’ It was just then that he cured many people of diseases and afflictions and of evil spirits, and gave the gift of sight to many who were blind. Then he gave the messengers their answer, ‘Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind see again, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, the Good News is proclaimed to the poor and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.
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Happy is the man who does not lose faith in me

Placing faith in someone is a tricky thing, especially in a relationship. From my experience, I have always found it to be a struggle. Saying that I should have faith is easy, but actually putting it into action is tough.  It’s easy to fall prey to doubts sometimes as a self-defense mechanism to prepare myself for the worse.

It’s no wonder then that Jesus had to remind us in the Gospel today not to lose our faith in him. He seems to understand how prone we are to worrying. He seems to understand that we are wired to prepare for problems. As a friend of mine says, we want to prepare for the worse case scenarios and we want to come up with a plan to handle it. Hence, we fall prey easily to questions and doubts. Unfortunately, these are also the keys to anxiety and an endless list of worries, if unchecked.

In today’s Gospel, I am reminded once again by Christ that I need to exercise my faith muscle in Him,  to trust in Him when he says that He knows the plans he has for me, plans to prosper and not to harm, to give a future and a hope.  Planting my faith in Jesus means learning to sift out and weed out the inner voice of doubt within me. Rather than passively listening to it, I need to actively rebuke it. That in itself, is an act of faith.

Recently, I went through a financially tight period. Looking at my bank account, I felt utterly defeated despite having prayed. I just could not see how God could provide for me or my loved ones and doubts began to fill my mind. Subsequently however, it dawned on my that focusing on my doubts was not going to provide with any solution to my problems. Rather than focusing on my doubts, I decided to reject those thoughts by actively reminding myself of God’s goodness. For instance, in the midst of my anxiety, certain verses in the bible reassured and provided comfort to me. I learnt instead to ponder upon them, particularly when my doubts arise, and to remind myself of them from time to time in the course of my day. I also learnt to thank God in faith, believing that he would provide for me even when I had problems seeing it.

Praise be to God, I unexpectedly received a bonus from my company and a pay increase.

Faith is the substance of that which is unseen. When we choose to place our faith in God, it captures God’s heart. Remember the woman who suffered from severe bleeding for twelve years? She secretly touched Jesus’ cloak, believing in faith that she would be healed just by that mere touch. That alone was enough to capture Jesus’ attention and draw his healing power out of him. (Luke 8: 42 – 48)

To have faith is to overcome doubt. Happy the man who does not lose his faith in Jesus for he knows that our saviour will surely act to save him. Are you currently going through a difficult patch and you feel blinded to God’s goodness? Maybe there are areas in your life where you feel crippled or paralysed by worries, fears or uncertainties?  Are you currently in a marriage or relationship that is dead and in need of reviving?  Rest assured that our Lord can and will act on our behalf when we choose to place our trust and exercise our faith in Him.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Cassandra Cheong)
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Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to exercise our faith muscle in you. Help us to identify the voice of doubt and to rebuke it actively as we set our eyes on the person of Jesus and proactively plant our faith in you.

Thanksgiving: Thank you for blessing us with a saviour – Jesus, your Son.

Upcoming Readings:
Thu 15 Dec – Isaiah 54:1-10; Luke 7:24-30
Fri 16 Dec – Isaiah 56:1-3. 6-8; John 5:33-36
Sat 17 Dec – Genesis 49:2, 8-10; Matthew 1:1-17; Weekdays of Advent
Sun 18 Dec – 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-11; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38

Isaiah 25:6-10

On this mountain,
the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples
a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines,
of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.
On this mountain he will remove
the mourning veil covering all peoples,
and the shroud enwrapping all nations,
he will destroy Death for ever.
The Lord God will wipe away
the tears from every cheek;
he will take away his people’s shame
everywhere on earth,
for the Lord has said so.
That day, it will be said: See, this is our God
in whom we hoped for salvation;
the Lord is the one in whom we hoped.
We exult and we rejoice
that he has saved us;
for the hand of the Lord
rests on this mountain.

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Matthew 15:29-37

Jesus reached the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and he went up into the hills. He sat there, and large crowds came to him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb and many others; these they put down at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the cripples whole again, the lame walking and the blind with their sight, and they praised the God of Israel.

But Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them off hungry, they might collapse on the way.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Where could we get enough bread in this deserted place to feed such a crowd?’ Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ ‘Seven’ they said ‘and a few small fish.’

Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and he gave thanks and broke them and handed them to the disciples who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected what was left of the scraps, seven baskets full.
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How many loaves have you?

Many times, I hesitate to do things (e.g., start my assignment, write an oxygen reflection, give a talk, respond to a friend’s email) because I want to do it well and because I fear that I wouldn’t, I end up procrastinating. I tell myself, “I won’t be able to do it well right now. Maybe tomorrow will be better”. Before I know it, my friends receive replies to their emails many months later, some even years later. Before I know it, I have missed out on many opportunities to engage in activities I always said I wanted to with family and friends. Before I know it, I am burning the midnight oil, rushing to meet my deadlines.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples how many loaves they had. Even though they clearly did not appear to have enough to feed the large crowd, Jesus took the little that they had and fed the crowd with it. Not only was everyone fed by it, but there was an abundance of left over scraps.

Imagine if the disciples refused to hand over their seven loaves. If they said, ‘Sorry Jesus. Not today. There is no way that what I have today will be enough for your people’. The crowd would have gone hungry that day. If that attitude continued, the crowd would have starved to death.

This is what happens whenever I allow opportunities to do something pass me by. Because I keep focusing on the fact that I don’t have enough, I have failed to engage in so many things that I wanted to in life. I haven’t written a book. I haven’t made a CD. I haven’t progressed in my thesis. I haven’t managed to journey with my loved ones when they most needed me. I haven’t comforted them in their time of need.

Conversely, in the times when I have simply followed through on what I needed to do, even though it was not done as well as I may have liked it to be, at least I did it. At least I experienced it. At least others received a message (even if it’s not 10 messages) from my talks/writings. At least others felt accompanied in their sorrows.

Time is quickly passing by. I want to stop missing opportunities to cherish and embrace my life. And I know that even though what I have is not enough, I can hope in God to make up for all that I lack. Together with God, the outcome will not only be ‘satisfactory’, it will be more than I could even hope it would be.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Jean Cheng)
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Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to stop focusing on the little that I have. Help me to live fully, say yes to opportunities, and trust that You will more than make up for whatever I lack.

Thanksgiving: Thank You Lord for reminding me to cherish my life and to claim every opportunity to live life fully.

Upcoming Readings:
Thu, 01 Dec – Isaiah 26:1-6; Matthew 7:21.24-27
Fri, 02 Dec – Isaiah 29:17-24; Matthew 9:27-31
Sat, 03 Dec – 1 Corinthians 9:16-19.22-23; Mark 16:15-20; Feast of St Francis Xavier, Presbyter Religious (Principal Patron of the Missions)
Sun, 04 Dec – Isaiah 40:1-5.9-11; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8; Second Sunday of Advent

The Bridegroom Is Here!
The whole of the Christian life, our response to the love of Christ, our waiting with jouful hope for his coming, is summed up in today’s celebration in a single word: Wisdom.
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Wisdom 6:12-16

Wisdom is bright, and does not grow dim.
By those who love her she is readily seen,
and found by those who look for her.
Quick to anticipate those who desire her, she makes herself known to them.
Watch for her early and you will have no trouble;
you will find her sitting at your gates.
Even to think about her is understanding fully grown;
be on the alert for her and anxiety will quickly leave you.
She herself walks about looking for those who are worthy of her
and graciously shows herself to them as they go,
in every thought of theirs coming to meet them.
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1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

We want you to be quite certain, brothers, about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus: God will bring them with him. We can tell you this from the Lord’s own teaching, that any of us who are left alive until the Lord’s coming will not have any advantage over those who have died. At the trumpet of God, the voice of the archangel will call out the command and the Lord himself will come down from heaven; those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise, and then those of us who are still alive will be taken up in the clouds, together with them; to meet the Lord in the air. So we shall stay with the Lord for ever. With such thoughts as these you should comfort one another.
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Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus told this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.” At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.” But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.” They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.” So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’
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Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall

I remember one of the priests in my parish describing a little anecdote about social responsibility. He would always pick up the rubbish he sees on the church grounds, but would always find himself being stopped by parishioners when he is in the midst of doing so. The concerned parishioners would tell him that he does not need to dirty his hands as the cleaner would pick up the trash. Their remarks did not make much sense to the priest.

In the gospel reading, the ten bridesmaids had all committed themselves to the wedding, and part of that commitment involves ensuring that they had sufficient oil in their lamps to last the night. The five foolish bridesmaids did nothing to honour that commitment, and even hoped to cut corners by getting the oil from the five wise ones. At the end, they found themselves completely shut out from the wedding, left out in the dark.

All our life, we have to deal with commitments. A lot of times we find ourselves making them, and sometimes, we break them. As illustrated by the gospel, making a commitment is not passive lip service – it requires continued, sustained action to keep fulfilling that promise. It means making that extra effort, going that additional mile, and occasionally getting our hands dirty (with reference to the litter example in my first paragraph).

We can identify the many roles that we play in our lives – a son or daughter, a parent, a friend, a neighbor. Ultimately, we are living out our commitment as Christians, followers of Christ. So we have to keep active in the faith, for “She herself walks about looking for those who are worthy of her and graciously shows herself to them as they go, in every thought of theirs coming to meet them” (Wisdom 6:16).

(Today’s OXYGEN by Edith Koh)
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Prayer: We pray for the grace to meet Christ everyday in our words, thoughts and actions.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the people who have shown their commitment to us in our lives.

Upcoming Readings:
Mon, 07 Nov – Wisdom 1:1-7; Luke 17:1-6
Tue, 08 Nov – Wisdom 2:23-3:9; Luke 17:7-10
Wed, 09 Nov – Ezekiel 47:1-2.8-9.12 or 1 Corinthians 3:9-11.16-17; John 2:13-22; Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
Thu, 10 Nov – Wisdom 7:22-8:1; Luke 17:20-25; Memorial for St Leo the Great, Pope & Doctor of the Church
Fri, 11 Nov – Wisdom 13:1-9; Luke 17:26-37; Memorial for St Martin of Tours, Bishop
Sat, 12 Nov – Wisdom 18:14-16;19:6-9; Luke 18:1-8; Memorial for St Josaphat, Bishop & Martyr
Sun, 13 Nov – Proverbs 31:10-13.19-20.30-31; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6; Matthew 25:14-30; Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Monica was distressed to learn that her son had accepted a heresy and was living an immoral life. For a while, she refused to let him eat or sleep in her house. Then one night she had a vision that assured her Augustine would return to the faith. From that time on she stayed close to her son, praying and fasting for him. In fact, she often stayed much closer than Augustine wanted.

When he was 29, Augustine decided to go to Rome to teach rhetoric. Monica was determined to go along. One night he told his mother that he was going to the dock to say goodbye to a friend. Instead, he set sail for Rome. Monica was heartbroken when she learned of Augustine’s trick, but she still followed him. She arrived in Rome only to find that he had left for Milan. Although travel was difficult, Monica pursued him to Milan, where she became a leader of the devout women there.

- Patron Saint Index
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1 Thessalonians 4:9-11

As for loving our brothers, there is no need for anyone to write to you about that, since you have learnt from God yourselves to love one another, and in fact this is what you are doing with all the brothers throughout the whole of Macedonia. However, we do urge you, brothers, to go on making even greater progress and to make a point of living quietly, attending to your own business and earning your living, just as we told you to.
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Matthew 25:14-30

Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of Heaven is like a man on his way abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one; each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out.

‘The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more. The man who had received two made two more in the same way. But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

‘Now a long time after, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made.”

‘His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.”

‘Next the man with the two talents came forward. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.”

‘Last came forward the man who had the one talent. “Sir,” said he “I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is; it was yours, you have it back.” But his master answered him, “You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered? Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have recovered my capital with interest. So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the five talents. For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away. As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”’
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You have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater

In all my life, I have read only one Catholic book on the topic of money. It’s called “7 Steps to Becoming Financially Free: A Catholic Guide to Managing Your Money”, written by Phil Lenehan. It’s one of the first books I read when I learnt that I knew next to nothing about managing my personal finances. Over time, I’ve realised that the Catholic Church does very little to prepare its flock for handling money. It’s as though Catholics draw a line between what is spiritual and what is material, and then focus only on developing the spiritual. But is this Christian?

Although Catholics don’t talk a lot about money, Jesus does. In many places in the gospels, Jesus talks about money. In today’s reading, for example, Jesus talks about investment. Make no mistake, the word ‘talent’ in the gospel reading today, does not refer to gifts or abilities. It refers to a unit (a large unit) of money. It is a mistake to pretend that this parable is not about money, because if you take the parable and talk about gifts and abilities, how are you going to explain the part where the master says the servant should have left the talent with the bankers to gain interest?

In the gospel passage, Jesus is talking about investment. He’s talking about the important principle of being stewards of money. Each time Jesus talks about money, He also mentions stewardship. Money itself is neither good nor bad. It is a tool and it is a fact of life. Anyone who lives in the world needs to have money and needs to use it. Why then does the Catholic Church not pay more attention to helping its flock to become better stewards? Could it be that the Church itself is not such a good steward of money in the first place?

So what do today’s readings tell us about money and investments? Jesus tells us to grow our money. In essence, the good servants in the parable doubled the money given to them, while the bad servant didn’t do anything with it. Is it possible then that what Jesus is telling us in this parable is that it is imperative for each of us to do our best to try to grow our money?

It sounds difficult to accept, doesn’t it? But that’s only because Catholics don’t usually like to talk about money in the first place. It’s a taboo subject in church, apparently, which is odd when 95% of Catholics are supposed to be living in the world. How do you live in the world without handling or managing money? And yet, how does the Church prepare its flock to manage money?

Anyone who lives in the world can clearly say that the more money you have, the more you can do with it. And this is where it gets tricky because the more good you can do with your money, the more potential bad you can do with it as well. And this is why the principle of stewardship comes in – what do you do with the money you have?
Principle number one in today’s gospel reading tells us to invest our money, to grow it, for our master’s sake. That is the first thing we have to do with our money. And, as we grow more deeply in our faith, as we read the gospels more thoroughly and reflect on them, as we grow closer to God, we will see how God intends us to use our money to serve Him in the world.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Daniel Tay)
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Prayer: We pray that more Catholics may take seriously the principles of stewardship in handling their money.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for all who are in the financial services industry, and help people to better manage their personal finances.

Upcoming Readings:
Sun, 28 Aug – Jeremiah 20:7-9; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27; Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

The Lord, Our Merciful Judge
We stand in continual need of the mercy and forgiveness of God; and we are assured of his forgiveness when we repent, because he has sent us the Spirit of his Son to help us and to plead for us in our weakness.

- The Sunday Missal
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Wisdom 12:13.16-19

There is no god, other than you, who cares for every thing,
to whom you might have to prove that you never judged unjustly;
Your justice has its source in strength,
your sovereignty over all makes you lenient to all.
You show your strength when your sovereign power is questioned
and you expose the insolence of those who know it;
but, disposing of such strength, you are mild in judgement,
you govern us with great lenience,
for you have only to will, and your power is there.
By acting thus you have taught a lesson to your people
how the virtuous man must be kindly to his fellow men,
and you have given your sons the good hope
that after sin you will grant repentance.
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Romans 8:26-27

The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God.
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Matthew 13:24-43

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.”’

He put another parable before them, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.’

He told them another parable, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.’

In all this Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; indeed, he would never speak to them except in parables. This was to fulfil the prophecy:

I will speak to you in parables
and expound things hidden since the foundation of the world.

Then, leaving the crowds, he went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.’ He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!’
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Let them both grow till the harvest

One of the bread-and-butter features of professional wrestling is the heel-face turn. Faces are the proverbial good guys who are opposed by the dastardly heels. The turn is when a heel becomes face or vice versa. When a heel becomes good, the response is generally quite positive. Non-wrestler fans too would have experienced this phenomenon. It occurs in all kinds of media, from movies and television drama serials to novels, comics and videogames. The archtype of the redeemed villain is one that resonates with many of us.

In today’s gospel passage, the landowner spares the darnel. This seems unwise by human standards. Even accounting for damaged wheat, removing the darnel would be much more profitable in terms of saving space, water and fertiliser. Years ago I heard a homily on today’s gospel passage. The priest remarked that unlike the wheat and darnel which could not change from one to another, we humans could. God’s decision to allow the darnel to continue growing was not only to protect the wheat from collateral damage but to give a chance to the darnel. This is God’s mild judgement as told in the first reading, a message of forgiveness for sin repented.

In like manner the priest told us that the wheat too could fail and be consigned to the flames. It was a reminder that we as the faithful had to stay faithful. The seeds the devil sows in our lives are our temptations and if we allow them to take root we will produce bad fruits. This oft-jeered face-to-heel turn is not something that happens only in fiction. I will be the first to admit that I do falter and succumb to temptation. How can we stay strong amidst such a relentless assault? The answer lies in the second reading. We rely not on our own strength but on the Spirit. This is something I too will have to remember well.

As we continue to find our way and struggle against trials and tribulations, may we receive the Spirit in the same way as all the plants in the field were well tended by the landowner. May the darnel in us be turned into full heads of wheat? My brothers and sisters, that depends on which way we choose to turn.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer: We pray for all who are seeking a way back to God.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for providing for all of us.

Upcoming Readings:
Mon, 18 Jul – Exodus 14:5-18; Matthew 12:38-42
Tue, 19 Jul – Exodus 14:21-15:1; Matthew 12:46-50
Wed, 20 Jul – Exodus 16:1-5.9-15; Matthew 13:1-9; Memorial for St Apollinaris, Bishop & Martyr
Thu, 21 Jul – Exodus 19:1-2.9-11.16-20; Matthew 13:10-17; Memorial for St Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest & Doctor of the Church
Fri, 22 Jul – Song of Songs 3:1-4 or 2 Corinthians 5:14-17; John 20:1-2.11-18; Memorial for St Mary Magdalene
Sat, 23 Jul – Exodus 24:3-8; Matthew 13:24-30; Memorial for St Bridget of Sweden, Religious
Sun, 24 Jul – 1 Kings 3:5.7-12; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-52; Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

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

- Patron Saint Index
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Acts of the Apostles 12:24-13:5

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

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

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

Jesus declared publicly:

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

There was a period of time during Primary school when I was home alone at nights. My father would still be at work while my mother would be head off for church gatherings. I was always told to behave myself, to study and most importantly to not play with fire. You can guess where this is going. Almost each time I was home alone I bought sparklers from the provision shop downstairs to play with at home. For the most part, I had my fun safely and disposed of the sparkler safely. Then one day I dropped the sparkler on the kitchen floor. It had already started to cool by the time I located it and so the colour was uniform throughout its length. I picked it up and was burned. I had picked the end which was still hot though not glowing. My parent’s warning was literally burned in. I only had myself to blame for not heeding it.

The Gospel passage serves as a reminder for us. The God who came for our salvation does not condemn. The condemnation that is faced by those who do not listen and even reject Him is actually self-inflicted. By their own choice they refuse the offer of eternal life. What torment they will experience when they realise this too late. Blessed though are the ones who acknowledge the call and follow where it leads. They emulate the leaders of the church and Antioch, willing to give up two of their founders for others when the Spirit required it.

For those of us who have journeyed in the faith for some time, there will undoubtedly be times when we question its tenets or when we question the authority of those who administer it. This questioning is actually something very positive as it can lead to growth and a deeper faith. However, if we harden our hearts just because we do not get the answers we want to hear, the only ones to lose out are us. My sisters and brothers, no matter the trials we face, may we always heed Wisdom even if it seems to run contrary to our own wants.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer: We pray for a deeper respect for the Word of God.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for marking us as His own.

Upcoming Readings:
Thu, 19 May – Acts of the Apostles 13:13-25; John 13:16-20
Fri, 20 May – Acts of the Apostles 13:26-33; John 14:1-6; Memorial for St Bernadine of Siena, Priest
Sat, 21 May – Acts of the Apostles 13:44-52; John 14:7-14; Memorial for Ss Christopher Magallanes, Priest and Companions, Martyrs
Sun, 22 May – Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7; 1 Peter 2:4-9; John 14:1-12; Fifth Sunday of Easter

We celebrate the great day of decision: Mary’s acceptance of the role that God has chosen for her in his plan of redemption.
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Isaiah 7:10-14;8:10

The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above.’ ‘No,’ Ahaz answered ‘I will not put the Lord to the test.’

Then he said:

Listen now, House of David:
are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men
without trying the patience of my God, too?
The Lord himself, therefore,
will give you a sign.
It is this: the maiden is with child
and will soon give birth to a son
whom she will call Immanuel,
a name which means ‘God is with us.’
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Hebrews 10:4-10

Bulls’ blood and goats’ blood are useless for taking away sins, and this is what Christ said, on coming into the world:

You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation,
prepared a body for me.
You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin;
then I said,
just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book,
‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’

Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.
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Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.
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Listen!

I find it a dangerous practice whenever I notice shopowners in a shopping mall disregard the fire alarm. The presumption is that the siren is probably due to an electrical fault and hence is a false alarm. There is not even any effort made to go and check on whether the alarm is genuine. Unfortunately this is the same in our Christian lives for we sometimes forget to strain to hear God calling us in the depths of our hearts.

It is often said that the promptings of God’s spirit is soft and that it is nigh impossible to hear it given the distractions in our lives. However it is precisely because there are so many distractions in our lives that we need to quieten our spirit down and sensitise our hearts to the call of God. We need to use the ears of faith and not the sensory functions of our ears to listen. Very often we hear people speak but rarely do we take time to listen. Listening is a demanding activity for we need to pick up the nuances and tones of the speaker to gain a better understanding of the message being conveyed.

These subtleties can be gathered due to repeated interactions with others and hence we can also do the same for our spiritual lives. We can sharpen our ears of faith to engage in this active listening of God’s voice and his instructions by keeping still. Let us take some time to keep ourselves still today and free ourselves from the distractions of the world in order to unite ourselves more closely with God.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
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Prayer: Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the gift of the sense of hearing.

Upcoming Readings:
Sat, 26 Mar – Micah 7:14-15.18-20; Luke 15:1-3.11-32
Sun, 27 Mar – Exodus 17:3-7; Romans 5:1-2.5-8; John 4:5-42; Third Sunday of Lent

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