Jeremiah 7:23-28

These were my orders: Listen to my voice, then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Follow right to the end the way that I mark out for you, and you will prosper. But they did not listen, they did not pay attention; they followed the dictates of their own evil hearts, refused to face me, and turned their backs on me. From the day your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until today, day after day I have persistently sent you all my servants the prophets.

But they have not listened to me, have not paid attention; they have grown stubborn and behaved worse than their ancestors. You may say all these words to them: they will not listen to you; you may call them: they will not answer. So tell them this, “Here is the nation that will not listen to the voice of the Lord its God nor take correction. Sincerity is no more, it has vanished from their mouths.”
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Luke 11:14-23

Jesus was casting out a devil and it was dumb; but when the devil had gone out the dumb man spoke, and the people were amazed. But some of them said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? – Since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.

‘He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.’
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Harden not your hearts

Have you ever experienced the feeling of exasperation with people whom refuse to listen to you despite your full awareness that their behaviour will certainly result in them being hurt? Sometimes I wonder whether these people have hearts of stone and ears of plastic or are simply as obstinate as a mule. Thinking of them, I cannot help but have a wry smile on my face as I read the readings of today.

The Jews in the time of Jeremiah and in the time of Jesus demonstrate a remarkable similarity in their obstinacy to be receptive to the Word of God when it is presented to them. Perhaps they were too set in their ways and could not accept any correction to their way of life. Instead they embark on either an outright persecution of the source of their irritation or the finding of flimsy reasons to diminish the person’s reputation.

There are occasions in our life where we just refuse to budge on certain issues even though we know that we are wrong due to pride or a selfish desire to gain our way. Such actions will certainly set us up for much trouble because it may lead to unintended consequences and cause the other person to become embittered and cynical of life in general.

Surrendering our will to God is similar to letting the strong man in today’s Gospel overcome our defenses and let Him take away our spoils of sins. In the Gospel it is a forceful entry but God never forces us to do anything. However, I invite you to consider opening up the door of the area in your heart that you refuse to let anyone know about. Only when our heart is cleared of all these clutter can we have space to let God fill up the empty spaces and make us a vessel of His love.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
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Prayer: Lord, we pray for the people who are grieving and are unable to let go.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for those who love us for who we are.

Upcoming Readings:
Fri, 12 Mar – Hosea 14:2-10; Mark 12:28-34
Sat, 13 Mar – Hosea 6:1-6; Luke 18:9-14
Sun, 14 Mar – Joshua 5:9-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; John 9:1-41; Fourth Sunday of Lent?

Deuteronomy 4:1.5-9

Moses said to the people:

‘Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you.

‘See, as the Lord my God has commanded me, I teach you the laws and customs that you are to observe in the land you are to enter and make your own. Keep them, observe them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding. When they come to know of all these laws they will exclaim, “No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation.” And indeed, what great nation is there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? And what great nation is there that has laws and customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today?

‘But take care what you do and be on your guard. Do not forget the things your eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your heart all the days of your life; rather, tell them to your children and to your children’s children.’
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Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.’
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But take care what you do and be on your guard

Until this day I still remember what my economics professor mentioned in one of our classes – that we begin to venture into dangerous territory when we lose sight of the main guiding principle that undergirds the policy. In certain ways, I am reminded of this statement as I read today’s readings.

We are in the middle of Lent and it is good to take stock of why we are engaging in the practices of sacrifice that we have embarked upon since Ash Wednesday. Did we do them out of a desire to be closer to God and to want to mortify our souls so as to be closer to Him and able to hear his voice? Jesus reminds us that the commandments of God are here to stay and His coming was to bring them to fullness and perfection. Our role as Christians who are on the way to perfection should then be to acquire the skills and dispositions needed to radiate God’s love to all around us.

There may be many commandments that we are asked to abide but I believe that all of them are underpinned by the two great commandments of “Love God” and “Love Neighbour”. If we can put this in the centre of our lives then all our acts of mortification, works of charity and attendance to devotions will come to fruition in witnessing to those around us. Let us take a moment of silence after reading this to ask God to be the central actor of our life and let our actions be in accordance with His.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
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Prayer: Lord, we pray for the gift of love to be shown to all around us.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all who bring God’s love to the unloved.

Upcoming Readings:
Thu, 11 Mar – Jeremiah 7:23-28; Luke 11;14-23
Fri, 12 Mar – Hosea 14:2-10; Mark 12:28-34
Sat, 13 Mar – Hosea 6:1-6; Luke 18:9-14
Sun, 14 Mar – Joshua 5:9-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; John 9:1-41; Fourth Sunday of Lent?

St. Frances (1384-1440) was an aristocrat by birth. She married at the age of 12, and her marriage lasted 40 years. She was a mother of three before becoming a widow. She joined the Benedictines, and was the foundress of the “Oblates of the Tor de’ Specchi” (Collatines). She is said to have been guided by an archangel only she could see. She spent her life and fortune, both as a laywoman and a religious, in the service of the sick and the poor, including the founding of the first home in Rome for abandoned children. She dictated 97 “Visions”, in which she saw many of the pains of Hell.

On her feast day, priests bless cars due to her patronage of cars and drivers. Frances certainly never drove, but legend says that when she went abroad at night, her guardian angel went before her lighting the road with a headlight-live lantern, keeping her safe in her travels.

Prayer to St. Frances
Dear Frances, you were an exemplary wife, ever faithful to your husband. After his death, you founded and governed the Congregation of Mount Olivet, revealing your great devotion to our Lord’s Passion. Your faith in Angels was rewarded by frequent visions of them. Please pray for Catholics in our day that they may be as dedicated to God as you were. Amen.

- Patron Saint Index
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Daniel 3:25.34-43

Azariah stood in the heart of the fire, and he began to pray:

Oh! Do not abandon us for ever,
for the sake of your name;
do not repudiate your covenant,
do not withdraw your favour from us,
for the sake of Abraham, your friend,
of Isaac your servant,
and of Israel your holy one,
to whom you promised descendants as countless as the stars of heaven
and as the grains of sand on the seashore.
Lord, now we are the least of all the nations,
now we are despised throughout the world, today, because of our sins.
We have at this time no leader, no prophet, no prince,
no holocaust, no sacrifice, no oblation, no incense,
no place where we can offer you the first-fruits
and win your favour.
But may the contrite soul, the humbled spirit be as acceptable to you
as holocausts of rams and bullocks,
as thousands of fattened lambs:
such let our sacrifice be to you today,
and may it be your will that we follow you wholeheartedly,
since those who put their trust in you will not be disappointed.
And now we put our whole heart into following you,
into fearing you and seeking your face once more.
Do not disappoint us;
treat us gently, as you yourself are gentle
and very merciful.
Grant us deliverance worthy of your wonderful deeds,
let your name win glory, Lord.
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Matthew 18:21-35

Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.

‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet. “Give me time” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. “Pay what you owe me” he said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’
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Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?

Driving on the roads is not a pleasant experience for most of the drivers I speak to. They tell me that they have to resort to ‘offensive’ driving in order to overtake the car in front of them and this entails much behaviour that would probably put a Formula One driver to shame. Yet I have seen many cases of courtesy demonstrated on the roads that affirm the notion that defensive driving is the way to go and that kindness begets kindness.

The readings of today speak to us as the actions to be taken after we have determined what our limitations in life are through prayer and reflection. The action to take is grounded in mercy. The prophet Daniel asked that God be merciful to the Jewish exiles in Babylon as they have lost all semblances of religious institutions that make it difficult for them to embark on the rituals of their faith. It is my belief that rituals are meaningless without a humbled and contrite heart.

The prophet Daniel also knows that the absence of sacrifice can be replaced with the genuine desire for the Jewish people to want to get closer to God. This is the main reason why they were exiled; they forgot that they had to totally rely on God for their daily needs. Instead, in the time before the exile, the offering of numerous animal sacrifices in elaborate and ornate rituals were sufficient to appease their duty of God.

A humbled and contrite heart can only be found in a person to whom mercy has been shown. The person needs to be humbled in one way or another either through the presence of a stronger person or the realisation that his actions pale in significance to those of another person. This was why the master of the two servants in the parable today was angry with the uncharitable servant. Just as we have been shown mercy by God, we are duty bound to shown mercy to the people whom we meet.

All our Lenten sacrifices will be in vain if we fail to curb the excesses of the flesh such as gossip or indulge in pleasures that would clearly make us deviate from the goal of total reliance on God. This includes the use of uncharitable words in our daily lives including driving. Perhaps by showing courtesy to the road user as either a vehicle driver or pedestrian we will make the day of another person. Our actions will reflect the disposition of our spirit.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
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Prayer: Lord, we pray for the humility to show Your love to all around us.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the gift of forgiveness.

Upcoming Readings:
Wed, 10 Mar – Deuteronomy 4:1.5-9; Matthew 5:17-19
Thu, 11 Mar – Jeremiah 7:23-28; Luke 11;14-23
Fri, 12 Mar – Hosea 14:2-10; Mark 12:28-34
Sat, 13 Mar – Hosea 6:1-6; Luke 18:9-14
Sun, 14 Mar – Joshua 5:9-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; John 9:1-41; Fourth Sunday of Lent

Juan (1495-1550) grew up working as a shepherd in the Castile region of Spain. He led a wild and misspent youth, travelling over much of Europe and north Africa as a soldier in the army of Charles V, and a mercenary. He fought through a brief period of insanity. He peddled religious books and pictures in Gibraltar, though without any religious conviction himself.

In his 40s, he received a vision of the Infant Jesus who called him “John of God”. To make up for the misery he had caused as a soldier, he left the military, rented a house in Granada, Spain, and began caring for the sick, poor, homeless and unwanted. He gave what he had, begged for those who couldn’t, carried those who could not move on their own, and converted both his patients and those who saw him work with them.

He was a friend of St. John of Avila, on whom he tried to model his life. John founded the Order of Charity and the Order of Hospitallers of St. John of God.

- Patron Saint Index
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2 Kings 5:1-15

Naaman, army commander to the king of Aram, was a man who enjoyed his master’s respect and favour, since through him the Lord had granted victory to the Aramaeans. But the man was a leper. Now on one of their raids, the Aramaeans had carried off from the land of Israel a little girl who had become a servant of Naaman’s wife. ‘She said to her mistress, ‘If only my master would approach the prophet of Samaria. He would cure him of his leprosy.’ Naaman went and told his master. ‘This and this’ he reported ‘is what the girl from the land of Israel said.’ ‘Go by all means,’ said the king of Aram ‘I will send a letter to the king of Israel.’ So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten festal robes. He presented the letter to the king of Israel. It read: ‘With this letter, I am sending my servant Naaman to you for you to cure him of his leprosy.’ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his garments. ‘Am I a god to give death and life,’ he said ‘that he sends a man to me and asks me to cure him of his leprosy? Listen to this, and take note of it and see how he intends to pick a quarrel with me.’

When Elisha heard that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent word to the king, ‘Why did you tear your garments? Let him come to me, and he will find there is a prophet in Israel.’ So Naaman came with his team and chariot and drew up at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent him a messenger to say, ‘Go and bathe seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will become clean once more.’ But Naaman was indignant and went off, saying, ‘Here was I thinking he would be sure to come out to me, and stand there, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the spot and cure the leprous part. Surely Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, are better than any water in Israel? Could I not bathe in them and become clean?’ And he turned round and went off in a rage. But his servants approached him and said, ‘My father, if the prophet had asked you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? All the more reason, then, when he says to you, “Bathe, and you will become clean.”’ So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, as Elisha had told him to do. And his flesh became clean once more like the flesh of a little child.

Returning to Elisha with his whole escort, he went in and stood before him. ‘Now I know’ he said ‘that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.’
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Luke 4:24-30

Jesus came to Nazara and spoke to the people in the synagogue: ‘I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country.

‘There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town. And in the prophet Elisha’s time there were many lepers in Israel, but none of these was cured, except the Syrian, Naaman.’

When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him down the cliff, but he slipped through the crowd and walked away.
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… if the prophet had asked you to do something difficult, would you not have done it?

One of my students once remarked to me that it was very difficult for him to accept correction by his peers or even superiors. He always felt that his way of doing things were correct and that any other person who sought to correct him must either want to pick a fight with him or is plain wrong. I affirmed him by telling him that recognising this flaw is a step in the right direction and that having identified it, he now needs to be conscious of this flaw when he gets into a similar situation in the future.

We see this in the first reading of today when Namaan the army commander refused to do what the prophet Elisha asked him to do. It was a simple task but the Syrian commander interpreted this as an affront to his position and dignity to wash in the river Jordan. It took his servants whom had the better sense to ask him to reconsider his action. Sometimes we progress to such a high level in society due to a confluence of various factors that we forget that we started from somewhere lower. We also forget that all forms of criticisms towards us are learning actions in themselves.

The Gospel of today reminds me that we need to separate the criticism from the person. It could be the person whom we hold the greatest disdain that makes a remark that hurts us and we harbour a grudge against this person for a long time. However, I implore you to separate the person from the remark. Take some time to reflect upon the statement and consider whether the statement is justified? Do not dismiss the remark in an outright manner and hold your rebuttal; instead think whether you are engaging in the behaviour like the Jews in Nazara today who refused to listen to Jesus’ words.

The unifying thread the links the two readings today is the lack of humility demonstrated by Namaan the Syrian and the Jews in Nazara which resulted in them engaging in behaviour that we know was wrong. The Responsorial Psalm provides us with the solution to this problem and that is to have a constant thirst for God, the God of our life. By realising that we have to rely totally on him in our life and through a daily reflection of our actions where we become more conscious of our limitations, we learn to surrender our will and make this Lenten season a joyful and meaningful period.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
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Prayer: Lord, we pray for the courage to surrender our willfulness to You.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to those who bear insults patiently.

Upcoming Readings:
Tue, 09 Mar – Daniel 3:25.34-43; Matthew 18:21-35; Memorial for St Frances of Rome, Religious
Wed, 10 Mar – Deuteronomy 4:1.5-9; Matthew 5:17-19
Thu, 11 Mar – Jeremiah 7:23-28; Luke 11;14-23
Fri, 12 Mar – Hosea 14:2-10; Mark 12:28-34
Sat, 13 Mar – Hosea 6:1-6; Luke 18:9-14
Sun, 14 Mar – Joshua 5:9-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; John 9:1-41; Fourth Sunday of Lent

The Lord Of Compassion And Love
We celebrate today the Lord who resolves to free us from our slavery to sin, if only we will listen to his serious warnings to us to repent.

- The Sunday Missal
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Exodus 3:1-8.13-15

Moses was looking after the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law priest of Midian. He led his flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in the shape of a flame of fire, coming from the middle of a bush. Moses looked; there was the bush blazing but it was not being burnt up. ‘I must go and look at this strange sight,’ Moses said, ‘and see why the bush is not burnt.’ Now the Lord saw him go forward to look, and God called to him from the middle of the bush. ‘Moses, Moses!’ he said. ‘Here I am,’ Moses answered. ‘Come no nearer,’ he said. ‘Take off your shoes, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. I am the God of your fathers,’ he said, ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ At this Moses covered his face, afraid to look at God.

And the Lord said, ‘I have seen the miserable state of my people in Egypt. I have heard their appeal to be free of their slave-drivers. Yes, I am well aware of their sufferings. I mean to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians and bring them up out of that land to a land rich and broad, a land where milk and honey flow, the home of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites.’

Then Moses said to God, ‘I am to go, then, to the sons of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you.” But if they ask me what his name is, what am I to tell them?’ And God said to Moses, ‘I Am who I Am. This’ he added ‘is what you must say to the sons of Israel: “I Am has sent me to you.”’ And God also said to Moses, ‘You are to say to the sons of Israel: “The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.” This is my name for all time; by this name I shall be invoked for all generations to come.’
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1 Corinthians 10:1-6.10-12

I want to remind you, brothers, how our fathers were all guided by a cloud above them and how they all passed through the sea. They were all baptised into Moses in this cloud and in this sea; all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink, since they all drank from the spiritual rock that followed them as they went, and that rock was Christ. In spite of this, most of them failed to please God and their corpses littered the desert.

These things all happened as warnings for us, not to have the wicked lusts for forbidden things that they had. You must never complain: some of them did, and they were killed by the Destroyer.

All this happened to them as a warning, and it was written down to be a lesson for us who are living at the end of the age. The man who thinks he is safe must be careful that he does not fall.
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Luke 13:1-9

Some people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.’
He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”’
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[I]t may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down

One of the things that I have observed in most movies and television serials is the importance of revenge. There are many instances where the motives of the main actor are driven by revenge for an injustice committed against him. Indeed while this makes good action movie plots, it certainly does not represent what we as Christians are called to do.

The readings of today remind us that we have access to God’s abundant compassion and love. However, we may have chosen to ignore God’s message and instead have chosen to continue in our own sinful ways. This ignorance of God’s call is certainly not to be encouraged because it will eventually result in us having to face God’s wrath for going against Him despite the many chances and messages that He has sent us.

We are already in the middle of the Lenten season and may be wondering whether we can continue with our abstinences and sacrifices that we have made for God. We must always remember that these sacrifices are made not out of a sense of obligation but out of a desire to want to journey closer to God.

Through these sacrifices, we pray that we discover that we are totally dependent on God and cannot survive without Him. God gives us plenty of chances to experience His forgiving love; the choice is up to us to decide whether we want to accept it.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
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Prayer: Lord, we pray for the humility to give up all our selfish desires and be close to you in faith and love.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the Church’s love for us by giving us this season of Lent to recollect ourselves.

Upcoming Readings:
Mon, 08 Mar – Exodus 17:1-7; John 4:5-42; Memorial for St John of God, Religious
Tue, 09 Mar – Daniel 3:25.34-43; Matthew 18:21-35; Memorial for St Frances of Rome, Religious
Wed, 10 Mar – Deuteronomy 4:1.5-9; Matthew 5:17-19
Thu, 11 Mar – Jeremiah 7:23-28; Luke 11;14-23
Fri, 12 Mar – Hosea 14:2-10; Mark 12:28-34
Sat, 13 Mar – Hosea 6:1-6; Luke 18:9-14
Sun, 14 Mar – Joshua 5:9-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; John 9:1-41; Fourth Sunday of Lent

Micah 7:14-15,18-20

With shepherd’s crook, O Lord, lead your people to pasture,
the flock that is your heritage,
living confined in a forest
with meadow land all around.
Let them pasture in Bashan and Gilead
as in the days of old.
As in the days when you came out of Egypt
grant us to see wonders.

What god can compare with you: taking fault away,
pardoning crime,
not cherishing anger for ever
but delighting in showing mercy?
Once more have pity on us,
tread down our faults,
to the bottom of the sea
throw all our sins.
Grant Jacob your faithfulness,
and Abraham your mercy,
as you swore to our fathers
from the days of long ago.
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Luke 15:1-3,11-32

The tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them:

He also said, ‘A man had two sons. The younger said to his father, “Father, let me have the share of the estate that would come to me.” So the father divided the property between them. A few days later, the younger son got together everything he had and left for a distant country where he squandered his money on a life of debauchery.

‘When he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine, and now he began to feel the pinch, so he hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who put him on his farm to feed the pigs. And he would willingly have filled his belly with the husks the pigs were eating but no one offered him anything. Then he came to his senses and said, “How many of my father’s paid servants have more food than they want, and here am I dying of hunger! I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your paid servants.” So he left the place and went back to his father.

‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him tenderly. Then his son said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we are going to have a feast, a celebration, because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found.” And they began to celebrate.

‘Now the elder son was out in the fields, and on his way back, as he drew near the house, he could hear music and dancing. Calling one of the servants he asked what it was all about. “Your brother has come” replied the servant “and your father has killed the calf we had fattened because he has got him back safe and sound.” He was angry then and refused to go in, and his father came out to plead with him; but he answered his father, “Look, all these years I have slaved for you and never once disobeyed your orders, yet you never offered me so much as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends. But, for this son of yours, when he comes back after swallowing up your property – he and his women – you kill the calf we had been fattening.”

‘The father said, “My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.”’
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… delighting in showing mercy

The parable of the Prodigal Son is a story in which every character can be analysed and related back to us in our individual lives. We have been the younger son, the elder son, the father and the servants. I may try to give a short account of how each character is a reflection of my own. Perhaps, this reflection will help you to see how the Word has spoken to you today.

The servants: They are not talked about much, but I see a kind of obedience and simplicity in them. They do their jobs, they get rewarded accordingly, and received more food than they can eat. They join in the celebrations and follow instructions of the father. There are moments when I am being taught by a very good mentor, and with my willingness to learn and help, I actually receive more information than needed. What is usually amazing is a teacher-mentor relationship gradually becomes friendship and yet full of respect for the other.

Elder son: Another character of obedience but not understanding the generosity of the father, thus having jealousy and anger. This could be the competitive side of me, I get my work done and put in effort to meet expectations, however, sometimes it gets to me when someone junior gets recognised for a simple job done, which instead I should be happy for the other.

Younger son: The one who enjoyed everything he had, lost all that he had and pleaded for forgiveness. I have made wrong decisions and even hurt people with both actions and words. Truly, there is nothing more sincere than to be able to face up to it and ask for forgiveness. To actually realise our mistakes and be willing to amend is half the battle won.

Father: The generous and merciful one. I think I am very little of this character. To forgive others, yes but to be really generous, I think I have to work on that. I see our Lord filled with these characteristics; the generous, merciful and loving God that He is.

We have come to the end of the second week of Lent, and the various parishes begin to organise their penitential services. In the coming weeks, let us recollect ourselves and recall how we had behaved like the sons and daughters that we are, then ask from our merciful Father the forgiveness that we have no doubt He will give for He delights in showing us mercy and compassion.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Austin Leong)
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Prayer: Who do I reflect the most these past days? Do I harbour jealousy, anger, disobedience, temptations or a hardened heart? I pray for a change in my attitude and be a loving person like Your Son, Jesus.

Thanksgiving: There is nothing more I would like to give thanks for other than the mercy and generosity You have given and shown unto me.

Upcoming Readings:
Sun, 07 Mar – Exodus 3:1-8,13-15; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6,10-12; Luke 13:1-9; Third Sunday Sunday of Lent

Genesis 37:3-4,12-13,17-28

Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, for he was the son of his old age, and he had a coat with long sleeves made for him. But his brothers, seeing how his father loved him more than all his other sons, came to hate him so much that they could not say a civil word to him.

His brothers went to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem. Then Israel said to Joseph, ‘Are not your brothers with the flock at Shechem? Come, I am going to send you to them.’ So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

They saw him in the distance, and before he reached them they made a plot among themselves to put him to death. ‘Here comes the man of dreams’ they said to one another. ‘Come on, let us kill him and throw him into some well; we can say that a wild beast devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams.’

But Reuben heard, and he saved him from their violence. ‘We must not take his life’ he said. ‘Shed no blood,’ said Reuben to them ‘throw him into this well in the wilderness, but do not lay violent hands on him’ – intending to save him from them and to restore him to his father. So, when Joseph reached his brothers, they pulled off his coat, the coat with long sleeves that he was wearing, and catching hold of him they threw him into the well, an empty well with no water in it. They then sat down to eat.

Looking up they saw a group of Ishmaelites who were coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, tragacanth, balsam and resin, which they were taking down into Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, ‘What do we gain by killing our brother and covering up his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let us not do any harm to him. After all, he is our brother, and our own flesh.’ His brothers agreed.

Now some Midianite merchants were passing, and they drew Joseph up out of the well. They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty silver pieces, and these men took Joseph to Egypt.
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Matthew 21:33-43,45-46

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, ‘Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third. Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them. “They will respect my son” he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance.” So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They answered, ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him when the season arrives.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:

It was the stone rejected by the builders
that became the keystone.
This was the Lord’s doing
and it is wonderful to see?

‘I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.’

When they heard his parables, the chief priests and the scribes realised he was speaking about them, but though they would have liked to arrest him they were afraid of the crowds, who looked on him as a prophet.
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… what will he do to those tenants?

While studying and working overseas, I stayed in a rented house with other housemate. It was not easy trying to get used to the behaviour of a new person moving in. I was glad that the irresponsible ones did not stay long, but I also had very wonderful housemates in the past years. We as tenants to the property had the responsibility to maintain what was rented to us. Moreover, it is always nice to come back to a clean and cosy house. If things are not maintained properly, and if we trashed the living quarters, the landlord had the right to evict us and we could have been left homeless.

Today’s readings mentioned jealousy, greed and violence. In the reading from Genesis, Joseph’s envious brothers came together to get rid of him who was their father’s favourite. The brothers hoped that with Joseph no longer alive, all would be given to them. In the Gospel passage, the tenants got greedy and decided to keep the produce for themselves instead of paying back to the owner what was rightfully his.

What sort of tenants are we? Sometimes we are so driven by the power of money that it is very easy for us to lose focus. When we are full of envy, we think of plans to get ourselves in a better position above others, so that we can be out in front and be noticed. Our values get shelved and the goal veers towards having ownership and credit even at the expense of others.

Let us be responsible tenants within our fenced-up vineyard, and return the favour to others which they deserve because God will reward us when the time comes. He will reward us with a bigger vineyard to tend to.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Austin Leong)
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Prayer: Lord, guide me to make just decisions that will not hurt others but be rewarded what I deserve, so that I remain as your tenant in producing good fruits.

Thanksgiving: Thank You Father for the opportunities that were given to me each day without fail, so that I live a new day praising and honouring You as my creator.

Upcoming Readings:
Sat, 06 Mar – Micah 7:14-15,18-20; Luke 15:1-3,11-32
Sun, 07 Mar – Exodus 3:1-8,13-15; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6,10-12; Luke 13:1-9; Third Sunday Sunday of Lent

Casimir (1458-1484) was a 15th century Polish prince who became Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1471. He was third in line for the throne.

Hungarian nobles had prevailed upon Casimir’s father to send his 15-year-old son to be their king. Casimir obeyed, taking the crown, but refusing to exercise power. His army was outnumbered, and his troops deserted because they were not paid. Casimir returned home, and was a conscientious objector from that time on.

He returned to prayer and study, maintained his decision to remain celibate even under pressure to marry the emperor’s daughter. He reigned briefly as king during his father’s absence.

He lived a highly disciplined, even severe life, sleeping on the ground, spending a great part of the night in prayer, and dedicating himself to lifelong celibacy. He had a great devotion to Mary, supported the poor, and lived a virtuous life amid the dissolute court.

- Patron Saint Index
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Jeremiah 17:5-10

The Lord says this:

‘A curse on the man who puts his trust in man,
who relies on things of flesh,
whose heart turns from the Lord.
He is like dry scrub in the wastelands:
if good comes, he has no eyes for it,
he settles in the parched places of the wilderness,
a salt land, uninhabited.

‘A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord,
with the Lord for his hope.
He is like a tree by the waterside
that thrusts its roots to the stream:
when the heat comes it feels no alarm,
its foliage stays green;
it has no worries in a year of drought,
and never ceases to bear fruit.

‘The heart is more devious than any other thing,
perverse too: who can pierce its secrets?
I, the Lord, search to the heart,
I probe the loins,
to give each man what his conduct
and his actions deserve.’
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Luke 16:19-31

Jesus said to the Pharisees, ‘There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day. And at his gate there lay a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even came and licked his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.

‘In his torment in Hades he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off with Lazarus in his bosom. So he cried out, “Father Abraham, pity me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.” “My son,” Abraham replied “remember that during your life good things came your way, just as bad things came the way of Lazarus. Now he is being comforted here while you are in agony. But that is not all: between us and you a great gulf has been fixed, to stop anyone, if he wanted to, crossing from our side to yours, and to stop any crossing from your side to ours.”

‘The rich man replied, “Father, I beg you then to send Lazarus to my father’s house, since I have five brothers, to give them warning so that they do not come to this place of torment too.” “They have Moses and the prophets,” said Abraham “let them listen to them..” “Ah no, father Abraham,” said the rich man “but if someone comes to them from the dead, they will repent.” Then Abraham said to him, “If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.”’
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… give each man what his conduct and actions deserve

I once attended a training course during which I learnt of the strict conditions required for a product to be certified ‘organic’. Vegetables, for example, need to be free of growth enhancement chemicals, and must have been allowed to take its natural time to reach harvest, that is, not enhanced to produce bigger or faster products to meet commercial needs. But this is not the only condition. The land in which it is grown must also have a history of good natural soil, and be free from artificial chemicals.

I also learnt that in a perfect world, if every individual on Earth does not overeat, and if food is evenly distributed, there would be enough to feed the whole world with just organic food products.

Are we ‘organic’ towards our Father? Do we have the natural instinct to love and focus on God who is Creator? Men and women today place their trust in other men and women, and money, instead of the Lord, thinking that will make them a better person in knowing to love or give. In the news, we read of people who turn to greed, lust, pride, which lead to unjust behaviour, in order to get the things (of flesh) that they desire. Their hearts are turned away from the Lord.

Today’s Gospel passage reminds us that our Lord is a just God. He gives to each man what his conduct and actions deserve. Of course this does not mean that all rich men will suffer in agony after death, and all poor men will be lifted up to heaven, but it is the conduct and actions that we behave that are what we are judged by.

Looking all around us every day, we are tempted so much that we are blinded to the ‘organic’ provisions from God. I definitely am one who happens to notice more secular temptations than positive invitations placed by God (through the Church and various ministries).

Perhaps, while we reflect on today’s readings and we find that we mirror more the rich man, then let us also notice the sign-posts around us which point to Christ. Let us be convinced that in this season of Lent, to look forward to Jesus’ resurrection and belief in eternal life. Let us plant ourselves by the continuous flow of God’s love, and stretch our roots to nourish ourselves with the directions provided to us in this world.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Austin Leong)
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Prayer: Dear Lord, guide us to be as ‘organic’ as can be, so that we truly turn to You in times of our needs and not on other secular alternatives.

Thanksgiving: Jesus, Moses, prophets, popes, bishops, priests, parents… thank You for all of them to comfort us and show us the richness of Your love and of what is to come in Your kingdom.

Upcoming Readings:
Fri, 05 Mar – Genesis 37:3-4,12-13,17-28; Matthew 21:33-43,45-46
Sat, 06 Mar – Micah 7:14-15,18-20; Luke 15:1-3,11-32
Sun, 07 Mar – Exodus 3:1-8,13-15; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6,10-12; Luke 13:1-9; Third Sunday Sunday of Lent

Jeremiah 18:18-20

‘Come on,’ they said, ‘let us concoct a plot against Jeremiah; the priest will not run short of instruction without him, nor the sage of advice, nor the prophet of the word.’ Come on, let us hit at him with his own tongue; let us listen carefully to every word he says.’

Listen to me, O Lord,
hear what my adversaries are saying.
Should evil be returned for good?
For they are digging a pit for me.
Remember how I stood in your presence
to plead on their behalf,
to turn your wrath away from them.
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Matthew 20:17-28

Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, and on the way he took the Twelve to one side and said to them, ‘Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the pagans to be mocked and scourged and crucified; and on the third day he will rise again.’

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came with her sons to make a request of him, and bowed low; and he said to her, ‘What is it you want?’ She said to him, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ ‘You do not know what you are asking’ Jesus answered. ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said ‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.’

When the other ten heard this they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that among the pagans the rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among you. No; anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’
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… just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve

I used to wonder what it is like to be in a well-to-do family where one gets a car for his or her 21st birthday, a sub-credit card for use at one’s convenience. There might be a thriving family business which will eventually be headed by the children. And when I think of the private property with a long front yard for parties, the envy continues.

As I matured in my teens, and to understand the meaning of our mission here on Earth, what truly matters is the happiness and peace in the family, the richness of Holy Spirit among the family and what a friend of mine said to me before: It is very subjective how one views what is considered to be successful.

In today’s Gospel reading, the mother of James and John wanted to ‘secure’ a place for them to be with Jesus in His kingdom but was not successful as who is to be seated next to the Son Jesus will be determined by God the Father. It is not important who gets to sit by Jesus’ side and be one to have one’s authority felt. It is more important to be one who lives among the people and serve those who are in need. Our Lord Jesus was not hungry for power and authority, but a servant of the Father to teach the humility and mission of our lives as humans.

Instead of being successful in making ourselves one with authority and ruling over many, we should be being successful in showing others what being a servant of God is all about through the works Christians perform that allow us to spread the Word through acts of kindness and sharing our skills.

Sometimes I hope that the people see service as a profession and noble job, rather than a person who is conveniently there for ‘use’. This could be referred to the hospitality industry or even our priests who administers to our spiritual needs. When one serves from the heart, it gives a sense of warmth and giving to the other who is in need, making the other more comfortable and important.  Which side are we on? The important person who gets to be served, or the one serving to make the other person important?

(Today’s OXYGEN by Austin Leong)
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Prayer: You, O Lord Jesus, are the greatest of all who understands what serving is when You died on the cross for many. Help us understand just a little of what serving in Your name is like and we will serve You through others forever.

Thanksgiving: I thank You Lord for the happiness and peace in our families, and continue to enhance our spirituality so that we may never see the other with envy, but for the other to see our richness in You.

Upcoming Readings:
Thu, 04 Mar – Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 16:19-31; Memorial for St Casimir
Fri, 05 Mar – Genesis 37:3-4,12-13,17-28; Matthew 21:33-43,45-46
Sat, 06 Mar – Micah 7:14-15,18-20; Luke 15:1-3,11-32
Sun, 07 Mar – Exodus 3:1-8,13-15; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6,10-12; Luke 13:1-9; Third Sunday Sunday of Lent

Isaiah 1:10,16-20

Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom;
listen to the command of our God,
you people of Gomorrah.

‘Wash, make yourselves clean.
Take your wrong-doing out of my sight.
Cease to do evil.
Learn to do good,
search for justice,
help the oppressed,
be just to the orphan,
plead for the widow.

‘Come now, let us talk this over,
says the Lord.
Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.

‘If you are willing to obey,
you shall eat the good things of the earth.
But if you persist in rebellion,
the sword shall eat you instead.’
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Matthew 23:1-12

Addressing the people and his disciples Jesus said, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do what they tell you and listen to what they say; but do not be guided by what they do: since they do not practise what they preach. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them? Not they! Everything they do is done to attract attention, like wearing broader phylacteries and longer tassels, like wanting to take the place of honour at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues, being greeted obsequiously in the market squares and having people call them Rabbi.

‘You, however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one master, and you are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will exalted.’
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… you shall eat the good things of the earth

Some years ago, I considered myself to be a ‘Sunday Catholic’ and on looking back, my early years in school were just not spiritually fulfilling. After Confirmation, I did not join any ministry. I dreaded waking up early to go to church with my family, and when I got to church I usually fell asleep, and nothing spoken in the homily relates to my school-life, or so I thought.

Then just last week, my colleague talked about his idea of what the church is about and mentioned the term ‘blind Catholic’. That brought back my relationship with my faith (more likely with God), which was probably close to none, following the rites blindly and making appearances at church only on Sundays. Today, what goes on around the church and its practices makes more sense to me, it is not about how much we know, but how well a relationship do we ourselves want to build with God.

Today’s reading from Isaiah proclaims the Lord’s message of turning over a new leaf and do good. For our Lord God knows we have been doing evil yet He can only change our hearts only if we allow Him to work in us.

The Gospel reading tells us not to follow the faith blindly and to be a hypocritical follower of Christ. The scribes practise their faith with an intention to gain attention from the peoples but not towards the motivation of building a stronger relationship with God. To not call anyone ‘Father’ or ‘Teacher’ does not mean that our teachers and priests are not to be trusted. It is an encouragement for us to know what is genuine and real, and not to follow blindly just because there is much attention drawn to it, or due to an authority figure that appears to know much but have no real relationship with God.

We do not want to be labelled as ‘Sunday’ or ‘Blind’ Catholics; we want to be proud of our faith, of our Church and most of all to have pride in having a friendship with Jesus. So that others may see us as genuine followers and examples of Christ.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Austin Leong)
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Prayer: I pray for a ministry or community which I can be part of to enhance my spiritual lifestyle and make it spiritually productive each week, especially in this season of Lent.

Thanksgiving: Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel, I thank You Lord for the reflections on Your Word that bring me closer to You.

Upcoming Readings:
Wed, 03 Mar – Jeremiah 18:18-20; Matthew 20:17-28
Thu, 04 Mar – Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 16:19-31; Memorial for St Casimir
Fri, 05 Mar – Genesis 37:3-4,12-13,17-28; Matthew 21:33-43,45-46
Sat, 06 Mar – Micah 7:14-15,18-20; Luke 15:1-3,11-32
Sun, 07 Mar – Exodus 3:1-8,13-15; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6,10-12; Luke 13:1-9; Third Sunday Sunday of Lent