Thursday, May 31 – Do Better

31 May – Feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary

This day is called the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary because on it Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, whom, as the angel had told her, God had blessed with a son in her old age.

Explanation of the Canticle “Magnificat”

In this hymn Mary with joy praises God, the Lord, that He has regarded her humility, and made her to be the Mother of His only-begotten Son, wherefore she should be called blessed by all generations; and she declares the truths and mysteries which the Incarnation brought to light. The mercy of God, namely, reaches from generation to generation to them that fear Him. He scatters the thoughts of the proud, and puts down from their seats the mighty; but He exalts the humble.

He fills those who hunger for justice with good things, but those who think themselves rich He sends away empty. He receives all true Israelites, and performs in them the promises which He gave to the fathers. This hymn is repeated by the Church every day at Vespers, in praise of the work of redemption, begun by the incarnation of the Son of God in Mary. Would that every Christian, since he becomes one only by Christ being, as it were, born in him, might share those feelings which the Blessed Virgin and Mother has expressed in this hymn of praise, and, with the Church, daily praise God for the mystery of the incarnation!

- Patron Saint Index
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Romans 12:9-16

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality.
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Luke 1:39-56

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is he fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm, He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, He has put down the mighty from their thorns, and exalted those of low degree; He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent empty away. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His posterity for ever”.

And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home.
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To be perfectly honest, brothers and sisters, about a year ago, I had a period of faith crisis during which I got extremely annoyed by friends confiding their problems with me. Why tell me? Is it my problem? Don’t you think I’ve issues of my own? I would listen half-heartedly to what was being said and offer views that were likewise not thought through as well as they could have been. To make matters worse, I didn’t open fully open up to those who were concerned for me and asked if I was alright.

Have you had such occasions as well? It can be as simple as saying “Yes, I’ll pray for you” but then not doing so and totally forgetting about it. More often than not, the person will come up to you later and say “Thank you for your prayers. Things worked out great!”. It can be a extremely disconcerting and guilt-inducing experience. Why is that so? It’s simply because we could have done better.

Today we celebrate the visitation of Mary of her cousin Elizabeth. We remember the selflessness she showed by making this trip. This was a woman heavy with child herself making a long journey through (if most of the depictions we have are correct) rough country roads. Not only was this just a simple social visit either. She cared for her cousin through her pregnancy which as we know can be a difficult time especially given Elizabeth’s age. We remember also how Mary opened herself up during this time. She shared her own concerns and trials (this being a extremely controversial pregnancy) with Elizabeth and her family. We remember how she glorified God through this all. Her Magnificat remains one of the most beautiful prayers we have in the Church.

Mary in her visitation was the epitome of what Paul said in Romans. Genuine in love, unflagging in zeal and ever patient and hopeful. All this towards the betterment of the entire community.

There may be a lot of occasions during which circumstances in our lives can cause us to become nonchalant and even frustrated towards the genuine needs of others. However, these are also occasions which really give us the chance to practice what Mary taught by example; to do better.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer: Help us to not become withdrawn into ourselves.

Give thanks to the Lord for: Supports.

Upcoming Readings:
Fri, 01 Jun – Sirach 44:1, 9-13; Mark 11:11-26; Memorial for St. Justin, martyr
Sat, 02 Jun – Sirach 51:12-20; Mark 11:11-25, 27-33; Memorial for Sts. Marcellinus & Peter, martyr
Sun, 03 Jun – Proverbs 8:22-31; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15; Feast of the Most Holy Trinity
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Disclaimer: The reflections expressed in this e-mail are the writer’s own. They may not necessarily reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Nonetheless we should all be able to learn something from it.

Wednesday, May 30 – When God Speaks

30 May

Sobriety

An alcoholic fell on his knees and cried out to God for help. God heard his cry, and in quite an extraordinary way he touched the man’s heart, and led him out of the bondage of his addiction. This was a dramatic spiritual experience for the man, who felt as if he had been born again. In the workplace he spoke of this extraordinary intervention of God, and how he had now turned his will and his life over to the care of Jesus. One man scoffed, “Don’t tell me you have started to believe all that rubbish about miracles, about turning water into wine, for example.” “Well now,” said the man, “speaking of miracles, in my house God has actually turned wine into food.”

- Miracles begin when I stop playing God, and God is free to take over, and be God!

- It is not possible for a person to fall on his knees, cry out to God, and not be heard.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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Sirach 36: 14-18a

Vindicate those whom you created first, fulfil what has been prophesised in your name.
Give those who wait for you their reward, let your prophets be proved true.
Grant, Lord, the prayer of your servants, in the terms of Aaron’s blessing on your people,
so that all the earth’s inhabitants may acknowledge that you are the Lord, the everlasting God.
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Mark 10:32-45

They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem; Jesus was walking on ahead of them; they were in a daze, and those who followed were apprehensive. Once more taking the Twelve aside he began to tell them what was going to happen to him, ‘Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the gentiles, who will mock him and spit at him and scourge him and put him to death; and after three days he will rise again.’

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him. ‘Master,’ they said to him, ‘We want you to do us a favour.’ He said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ They said to him, ‘Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I shall drink, or be baptised with the baptism with which I shall be baptised?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I shall drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I shall be baptised you shall be baptised, but as for seats at my right hand or my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted.’

When the other ten heard this they began to feel indignant with James and John, so Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that among the gentiles those they call their rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their authority felt. Among you this is not to happen. No; anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be slave to all. For the Son of man himself came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’
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In the Gospel reading, one can realise that God uses our lives to bring ourselves to new stages of our faith journeys.

How many times have we wished that we were financially, academically, emotionally, socially well-to-do, or are jealous of those who are? Of these times, how often have you acknowledged these desires and feelings, and brought them to prayer? I say ‘acknowledged’ because many of us in our busyness often push these thoughts aside and try to focus on what we think is doing God’s will. Many of us wouldn’t go to God and admit ‘I think I want a lot of money’ because we have been taught that money isn’t everything. Or that one cannot serve two masters at the same time.

Those of us who have are in the position of the sons of Zebedee every time we make that sort of seemingly ungodly request.

But—surprise—God wants us to tell Him all the desires of our hearts. Even those that go ‘Let us sit at your left and right.’ Sometimes it’s baffling how such desires can block out our focus on the Father. No matter how much we try to focus by pushing them away, we can’t. In the words of a priest who directed a retreat I attended, it’s as if someone switched off all the lights. Where is God? you ask.

Next time, try to be like the sons of Zebedee. Ask the Lord, and deal with the problem at hand. For a while, you will look like you are doing the wrong thing. But as we continue reading the Gospel passage, we find that it is through such desires that God will speak to us. As a result of James and John’s request, Jesus could give the great lesson that He later demonstrated at the washing of the feet—one must serve in order to lead.

Listening to God requires attention, and if something is taking away that attention, dealing with it is sometimes the best way to go back, and the best way to allow Him to speak to you.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Regina Xie)
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Prayer: Lord, guide us who are in the dark.

Give thanks to the Lord for: His great plan for us.

Upcoming Readings:
Thu, 31 May – Zephaniah 3:14-14 or Romans 12:9-16b; Luke 1:39-56; Feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary
Fri, 01 Jun – Sirach 44:1, 9-13; Mark 11:11-26; Memorial for St. Justin, martyr
Sat, 02 Jun – Sirach 51:12-20; Mark 11:11-25, 27-33; Memorial for Sts. Marcellinus & Peter, martyr
Sun, 03 Jun – Proverbs 8:22-31; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15; Feast of the Most Holy Trinity
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Disclaimer: The reflections expressed in this e-mail are the writer’s own. They may not necessarily reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Nonetheless we should all be able to learn something from it.

Tuesday, May 29 – Why Are You Investing?

29 May

What is your treasure?

The New York Times carried a story, some years ago, about a 90-year-old widow, who was found, close to starvation, in a run-down, rat-infested apartment. She had been well known in the neighbourhood as someone who as always seen rummaging in garbage cans for scraps, or collecting cardboard and bits of sticks for the miserly fire she occasionally lit in the winter. She lived on hot dogs.

Three weeks later, the woman died in a New York hospital. When they cleaned her apartment, they found US$275,000 in paper money stashed away in cardboard boxes.

- This woman had a lot of money, but she was really very, very poor.

- It is the paradox of the gospel: What I give away in life takes on an eternal value, is invested in the values of heaven.

- What I keep for myself, and don’t share – when I die, it dies too.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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Ecclesiasticus 35:1-12

A man multiplies offerings by keeping the Law;
he offers communion sacrifices by following the commandments.
By showing gratitude he makes an offering of fine flour,
by giving alms he offers a sacrifice of praise.
Withdraw from wickedness and the Lord will be pleased,
withdraw from injustice and you make atonement.
Do not appear empty-handed in the Lord’s presence;
for all these things are due under the commandment.
A virtuous man’s offering graces the altar,
and its savour rises before the Most High.
A virtuous man’s sacrifice is acceptable,
its memorial will not be forgotten.
Honour the Lord with generosity,
do not stint the first fruits you bring.
Add a smiling face to all your gifts,
and be cheerful as you dedicate your tithes.
Give to the Most High as he has given to you,
generously as your means can afford;
for the Lord is a good rewarder,
he will reward you seven times over.
Offer him no bribe, he will not accept it,
do not put your faith in an unvirtuous sacrifice;
since the Lord is a judge
who is no respecter of personages.
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Mark 10:28-31

“What about us?” Peter asked Jesus. “We have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, father, children or land for my sake and the sake of the gospel who will not be repaid a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land – not without persecutions – now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life.

“Many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
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Many young adults who are starting their working life and planning for a family later on in life face a common problem – how to earn enough money to raise a family? Looking at the cost of housing, a couple would probably be paying for their housing until their children are all grown up. Is there a way around this? Is there a way to acquire enough money to meet the household expenses?

One way that financial planners advise is to invest your money. By putting in a certain amount, you will be rewarded, after a certain period, by more money than you have put in. But of course this is not without a certain amount of risk involved. Even so, the amount of money you expect to get from your investment is more than what you would have if you had saved that money.

In short, it is entrusting your money to a “higher power”, namely market forces in this case. The question that needs to be first asked here is what is the purpose of acquiring that money? What are collecting money for? As mentioned above, the purpose is to raise a family.

A parallel can be drawn for our spiritual life. We want to be in communion with God and to have eternal life in the world to come. This is the reason why we pay attention to our spiritual life and seek to improve it. But as in the above analogy with money, no matter how much we seek to improve our spiritual life, we will never be able to obtain what we want unless we invest whatever spiritual wealth we have.

We invest our spiritual wealth by entrusting what we have into the hands of a “higher power”. In the case of Christians, that’s God. This, of course, comes with risks often taking the form of persecutions. But at the end of that certain period of investment (I’m sure the investors have a term for this), comes our reward, our communion with God and eternal life.

It must be said that some of us don’t get there, just as some of us never get the money that we invested in certain savings plan or otherwise. Why not? Because we break the plan halfway through. We choose to take whatever we’ve earned till that point of time and perhaps think that it is no longer worth it to go through life with lesser money for the sake of something better. And often, we do it in full knowledge that when we take out the money we are investing, we are losing all the potential that it could have. We know that we are losing out on the greater reward.

When it comes to the spiritual life, it is the same. The reason some of us don’t get to eternal life is because we don’t follow through with the plan. We give up halfway, because the risk is too great and we are not willing to see it through to the end. We do it too with the full knowledge that we are taking out whatever we have and are losing all the potential that it could become. We know that we are losing out on the greater reward – eternal life with God.

Why do we do that? I can only think of one reason – we have lost our purpose. In the case of material wealth, our original purpose is to raise our family, and to do so, we need that additional money that comes from investing. When we no longer need to raise our family – like when the kids are all grown up, or the housing has been unexpectedly paid for without the need for the investment reward – the purpose of raising the family is no longer there, so we break the plan; we don’t need it anymore. Perhaps we want comfort in life now, so we take what we have gotten till then and use it.

In the spiritual life, we break our plan also because our purpose has changed. Our original purpose is eternal life with God. But when we break our plan, it is probably that we no longer want eternal life with God. Maybe our purpose in life has changed to something like obtaining as much pleasure in life as possible, and sticking to the plan we originally had runs contrary to that.

It is helpful for all of us to reflect from time to time – what is the purpose of my life? Why do I really do the things that I do? Write them down some place safe so that you can check throughout your life whether or not your purpose changes. By doing so, some of us might come to discover how far we have strayed from our original intended purpose and find our way back to what we wanted originally. Or at the very least, we can come to understand why our life is taking a turn that we had not foreseen or expected.
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Prayer:
Dear Lord, reveal to us the purpose of our lives, so that we might invest all that you have given us for that purpose. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: Giving us purpose in life.

Upcoming Readings:
Wed, 30 May – Sirach 36:14-18a; Mark 10:32-45
Thu, 31 May – Zephaniah 3:14-14 or Romans 12:9-16b; Luke 1:39-56; Feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary
Fri, 01 Jun – Sirach 44:1, 9-13; Mark 11:11-26; Memorial for St. Justin, martyr
Sat, 02 Jun – Sirach 51:12-20; Mark 11:11-25, 27-33; Memorial for Sts. Marcellinus & Peter, martyr
Sun, 03 Jun – Proverbs 8:22-31; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15; Feast of the Most Holy Trinity
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Disclaimer: The reflections expressed in this e-mail are the writer’s own. They may not necessarily reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Nonetheless we should all be able to learn something from it.

Monday, May 28 – Blessed are the poor in spirit

28 May

Saint

Many years ago, in less civilized times, the punishment for crime was very, very severe. One man caught stealing sheep had the letters ST (sheep stealer) branded on his forehead for all to see.

The man had a complete change of heart, and gave himself totally to God and to neighbour, and by the time he was old he was much revered and respected among his neighbours.

When the children asked their parents what the letters ST stood for, they simply said, “saint”.

In their eyes that was all it could possibly mean after all the years.

- A saint is a sinner who never stops trying.

- A saint is a sinner who surrendered to God, and then God took over and ran his life.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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Ecclesiasticus 17:24-29

To those who repent God permits return,
and he encourages those who were losing hope.
Return to the Lord and leave sin behind,
plead before his face and lessen your offence.
Come back to the Most High and turn away from iniquity,
and hold in abhorrence all that is foul.
Who will praise the Most High in Sheol,
if the living do not do so by giving glory to him?
To the dead, as to those who do not exist, praise is unknown,
only those with life and health can praise the Lord.
How great is the mercy of the Lord,
his pardon on all those who turn towards him!
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Mark 10:17-27

Jesus was setting out on a journey when a man ran up, knelt before him and put this question to him, “Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You must not kill; You must not commit adultery; You must not steal; You must not bring false witness; You must not defraud; Honour your father and mother.” And he said to him, “Master, I have kept all these from my earliest days.” Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him, and he said, “There is one thing you lack. Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” But his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.

Jesus looked round and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were astounded by these words, but Jesus insisted, “My children,” he said to them, “how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” They were more astonished than ever. “In that case,” they said to one another, “who can be saved?” Jesus gazed at them. “For men,” he said, “it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God.”
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No one can earn salvation for himself; it is a grace from God that is given freely to us. But before we can be saved, we must receive that grace from God. That much we know, but how is it applied to our daily life?

We recall from yesterday’s reflection that it is those who have the Spirit of God alive in them that feel guilt and shame over their wrongdoing, their sin. Those who are spiritually dead do not feel any guilt or shame over their wrongdoing anymore. Some even believe that they are doing good or that they are doing what is morally right, and they believe that they are good people.

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells us that no one but God alone is good. Basically he is saying, “If you think that you are good, you are not.” We don’t know what Jesus thought of the rich man’s level of goodness, but one thing for sure is that the rich man believed that he could gain eternal life on his own ability and goodness.

We know that Jesus loved the rich man, as he does all of us, and so he told the rich man that there was something he lacked. It was not poverty that the rich man lacked, for Jesus was not saying that rich people cannot enter the kingdom of God. He just said that it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. What the rich man lacked was the spirit of poverty.

What is the spirit of poverty? It is the spirit which allows us to live a life of complete dependence on God. Jesus illustrated the rich man’s inability to live a life of complete dependence on God by his inability to give up his riches. Yet, this spirit of poverty is exactly what we all need to enter the kingdom of heaven, because as written above in the first paragraph: No one can earn salvation for himself; it is a grace from God that is given freely to us.

Unless we can come to depend on God completely for our salvation by living a life of complete dependence of God, we cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven. How do we start?

By remembering that no one is good except God alone, and all have fallen short of God’s goodness. We start when we can truly believe that we are not good people, but in fact are sinners in need of salvation. So long as we continue to believe that we are good people because of the good work that we do, we will always count on ourselves to obtain salvation for ourselves. We need to first truly believe that we are sinners and that there is nothing we can do to free ourselves from sin. Then we need to call on God to give us the grace of salvation. Finally we need to receive that salvation.

This is not a one-time thing, but an ongoing process, because whenever we think we are saved from sin, we will uncover yet another sin that we have. At the heart of it is the fact that we are sinners in need of saving.

Blessed are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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Prayer:
Dear Lord, grant us the grace to be poor in spirit, to see with your eyes what sinners we are, and how much in need of salvation we are. Grant us the grace then Lord to ask you for your grace of salvation. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: Sinful people who know that they are sinful.

Upcoming Readings:
Tue, 29 May – Sirach 35:1-12; Mark 10:28-31
Wed, 30 May – Sirach 36:14-18a; Mark 10:32-45
Thu, 31 May – Zephaniah 3:14-14 or Romans 12:9-16b; Luke 1:39-56; Feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary
Fri, 01 Jun – Sirach 44:1, 9-13; Mark 11:11-26; Memorial for St. Justin, martyr
Sat, 02 Jun – Sirach 51:12-20; Mark 11:11-25, 27-33; Memorial for Sts. Marcellinus & Peter, martyr
Sun, 03 Jun – Proverbs 8:22-31; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15; Feast of the Most Holy Trinity
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Disclaimer: The reflections expressed in this e-mail are the writer’s own. They may not necessarily reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Nonetheless we should all be able to learn something from it.

Sunday, May 27 – Are you a dead duck?

27 May – Pentecost Sunday

The Day of Pentecost

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

- the Sunday Missal
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Why No Temptations

A boy was accompanying his plantation manager on a duck hunt. The lad was a Christian and the two of them got to talking about religious matters. The boss said, “I don’t understand why you Christians are always talking about sin and the devil and temptation. I don’t ever have any temptations. The devil leaves me in peace. he has never attacked me or disturbed me.”

“I think I can explain that,” answered the lad. “It’s like when you and I are on a duck hunt. You shoot with your double-barrel shotgun and several ducks fall dead. But some others are only wounded and they flap about and try to get away. I take out after them with my long pole and beat them to death.

“You are like a duck which the devil has shot dead. He leaves you lying there. He knows that he already has you. I am like one of the wounded ducks who is trying to get away from him. So he is always after me with his long pole and wants to kill me.”

- Willi Hoffsuemmer

- taken from “The Storyteller’s Minute” by Frank Mihalic, SVD
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Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11

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

Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven, and at this sound they all assembled, each one bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language. They were amazed and astonished. “Surely,” they said, “all these men speaking are Galileans? How does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya round Cyrene; as well as visitors from Rome – Jews and proselytes alike – Cretans and Arabs; we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God.”
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Romans 8:8-17

People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God. Your interests, however, are not in the unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him. Though your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then your spirit is life itself because you have been justified; and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.

So then, my brothers, there is no necessity for us to obey our unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds of the body you will live.

Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.
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John 14:15-16, 23-26

Jesus said to his disciples:

“If you love me you will keep my commandments.
I shall ask the Father
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you forever.

“If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him
and make our home with him.
Those who do not love me do not keep my words.
And my word is not my own;
it is the word of the one who sent me.
I have said these things to you
while still with you;
but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all I have said to you.”
____________________

What strikes me most about today’s first reading is that twelve men walked among a crowd of people and started speaking in strange languages, but it is devout people that heard them and stopped to listen in surprise. The first reading makes no mention of people who were not devout, but we can take a guess at what non-devout people probably thought of the Apostles. They probably thought that they were mad-men and carried on their business. Think about what they had missed!

Devout people are naturally more aware of God’s presence in their lives and how God works in them, through them, and for them. These are people who are interested in spiritual things, as St. Paul describes. The reason that they are interested in spiritual things rather than unspiritual things is because the Spirit of God is alive in them.

A friend of mine remarked to me earlier this week that people who come from some sort of religious background, in particular Christians, are more affected by sexual sins than other people are. The reason is because we know that what we are doing is wrong. And the reason we know that what we are doing is wrong is because the Spirit of God is alive in us.

People who do not believe in God and do not have the Spirit of God in them are not at all bothered by sexual immorality. They might even promote it, since to them it is not wrong. But we know that sexual immorality is wrong because God’s Spirit is in us, and because God’s Spirit in us, we are interested in spiritual things like morality. Indeed morality is not a physical or intellectual or even a legal thing; it is a spiritual thing.

Those who have God’s Spirit in them are sometimes aware of a great battle that takes place within their souls. Their body wants to do something while their spirit is telling them, “No! Don’t do it! It’s wrong.” A friend of mine once described this as two wolves battling for control of him. When asked which wolf wins, he answers, “The one that I feed.”

We all have to make the choice of which wolf we want to feed. We may not have the strength to live out our choice, but we still have to choose. Choosing to do, or not to do, something is the first step. The next step is realising that we don’t have the strength to do it ourselves, so we must ask God for the strength. This is where it becomes very apparent that non-religious people have a problem here – they don’t believe in God! They have to rely on their own strength, and as those of us who have fought such battles before, we know that we don’t have the strength to win the battle on our own.

Is it better not to believe in God, then? So that we will not have to deal with feelings of guilt and shame? Not quite. Regardless of whether we believe in God or not, he exists. That’s the first thing. The second thing is that regardless of whether we believe in morality or not, it exists. The third thing is that whether we believe it or not, choosing to live a moral or immoral life has consequences on our physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being.

Therefore, if you feel guilt and shame for your sins, thank God, because it means that the Spirit of God is alive in you and that the devil hasn’t gotten you yet. If, however, you no longer feel guilt or shame for thoughts, words and deeds like you once did, be worried, because it means that you are dead because of sin, as St. Paul says. Ask the Lord Jesus Christ, therefore, to raise you from the dead, for he alone has conquered death. And come to remember once more – you cannot raise yourself from the dead.
____________________

Prayer:
Dear Lord, we pray for all people who do not struggle to do good, but readily give in to their bodily desires and claim this as freedom. Help them (and us) to realise the slavery that they (and we) have allowed themselves (and ourselves) to fall into, and grant us the grace to desire to be raised from the dead, and to let the Spirit of God be alive in them (and us) again. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: Feelings of guilt and shame that tell us that the Spirit of God is alive in us.

Upcoming Readings:
Mon, 28 May – Sirach 17:24-29; Mark 10:17-27
Tue, 29 May – Sirach 35:1-12; Mark 10:28-31
Wed, 30 May – Sirach 36:14-18a; Mark 10:32-45
Thu, 31 May – Zephaniah 3:14-14 or Romans 12:9-16b; Luke 1:39-56; Feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary
Fri, 01 Jun – Sirach 44:1, 9-13; Mark 11:11-26; Memorial for St. Justin, martyr
Sat, 02 Jun – Sirach 51:12-20; Mark 11:11-25, 27-33; Memorial for Sts. Marcellinus & Peter, martyr
Sun, 03 Jun – Proverbs 8:22-31; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15; Feast of the Most Holy Trinity
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Disclaimer: The reflections expressed in this e-mail are the writer’s own. They may not necessarily reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Nonetheless we should all be able to learn something from it.

Saturday, May 26 – Of books and blogs

26 May – Memorial for St. Philip Neri

St. Philip Neri (1515-1595) came from a poor family, though he was related to Italian nobility. His father, Francisco Neri, worked as a notary, and his brother died in childhood, but his two sisters, Caterian and Elisabetta survived. He was a pious youth and was taught the humanities by the Dominicans.

He moved to San Germano in 1533 to help some family with their business and while there he would escape to a local Dominican chapel in the mountains. He received word in a vision that he had an apostolate in Rome, and he cut himself off from his family and went there.

He was befriended by Galeotto Caccia who took Philip in, and paid him to tutor his two sons. He wrote poetry in Latin and Italian, and studied philosophy and theology. When he tired of learning, he sold all his books and gave the money to the poor.

He began to visit and care for the sick, and impoverished pilgrims. He founded a society of like-minded folk to do the same. He was a friend of St. Ignatius. He was a layman and lived in the city as a hermit. During the Easter season of 1544, while he was praying in the catacomb of San Sebastiano, he received a vision of a globe of fire that entered his chest, and he experienced an ecstasy that physically enlarged his heart.

With Persiano Rose, he founded the Confraternity of the Most Holy Trinity. He began to preach, with many converts. In 1550, he considered retiring to the life of a solitary hermit, but received further visions that told him his mission was in Rome. Later he considered missionary work in India, but further visions convinced him to stay in Rome.

He entered the priesthood in 1551. He heard confessions by the hour, and could tell penitents their sins before they confessed. He had the gift of confering visions. He began working with youth, finding safe places for them to play, becoming involved in their lives.

Pope Gregory XIV tried to make him a cardinal, but Philip declined. His popularity was such that he was accused of forming his own sect, but was cleared of this baseless charge. In 1575 he founded the Congregation of the Oratory, that is, the Oratorians, a group of priests dedicated to preaching and teaching, but which suffered from accusations of heresy because of the involvement of laymen as preachers. In later years, he was best by several illnesses, each of which was cured in turn through prayer.

“Cheerfulness strengthens the heard and makes us persevere in a good life. Therefore the servant of God ought to always be in good spirits.” – St. Philip Neri

- Patron Saint Index
________________

Acts 28:16-31

On our arrival in Rome Paul was allowed to stay in lodgings of his own with the soldier who guarded him.

After three days he called together the leading Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, ‘Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. They examined me and would have set me free, since they found me guilty of nothing involving the death penalty; but the Jews lodged an objection, and I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation to make against my own nation. That is why I have asked to see you and talk to you, for it is on account of the hope of Israel that I wear this chain.’

Paul spent the whole of the two years in his own rented lodging. He welcomed all who came to visit him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ with complete freedom and without hindrance from anyone.
___________________

John 21:20-25

Peter turned and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them – the one who had leaned on his breast at the supper and had said to him, ‘Lord, who is it that will betray you?’ Seeing him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘What about him, Lord?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to stay behind till I come, what does it matter to you? You are to follow me.’ The rumour then went out among the brothers that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus had not said to Peter, ‘He will not die’, but, ‘If I want him to stay behind till I come’.

This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and has written them down, and we know that his testimony is true.

There were many other things that Jesus did; if all were written down, the world itself, I suppose, would not hold all the books that would have to be written.
___________________

It’s amazing that St. John in today’s Gospel says that Christ teachings are so voluminous that the world’s books cannot fit in. I’m sure that the number of books in St. John’s time must have been substantially lesser than the amount of books we have today. Would today’s number of books be enough to record the things that Jesus did? If not, how about the huge number of blogs that we have online?

Major bookstores like Kinokuniya and Borders carry books for all sorts of interests and indeed the vastness of knowledge today is too deep and wide for us to know and understand. Yet in all of these books, there are few that carry the same important message that one book has; the Holy Bible.

It’s a Catholic phenomena, well at least amongst my friends, that their Bibles are always in a pristine condition not due to it being well maintained but rather being unopened. Yet in the Bible contains a very simple message, so simple that sometimes those who are well-learned often missed and one that takes a childlike faith to understand. It is the message of love.

This message must be spread around to everyone in the world, in the same zealous way that St. Paul did in the First Reading. His appeal to Rome enabled him to travel throughout the Roman Empire to spread the Good News. Ever the optimist, this journey of his allowed him to bring the news right to the heart of the Roman empire. His continuous patience and willingness to live under house arrest for such a long time is a result of the eagerness to spread the message of love.

There are periods in our lives when we feel that it has become living hell. Yet we must continue to spread this message of love; not to others but to ourselves. We must be convinced of this message of love, in the way that St. Paul had.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nick Chia)
__________________

Prayer:
Dear Lord, we pray for the gift to remember that God’s message is love.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: The ability for us to spread the love of God.

Upcoming Readings:
Sun, 27 May – Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Romans 8:8-17; John 20:19-23 or John 14:15-16, 23b-26; Pentecost Sunday
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Disclaimer: The reflections expressed in this e-mail are the writer’s own. They may not necessarily reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Nonetheless we should all be able to learn something from it.

Friday, May 25 – Your Fragile Folded Wings

25 May – Memorial for St. Bede the Venerable, priest; Memorial for St. Gregory, pope; Memorial for St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, virgin

St. Bede the Venerable (672-735) was born around the time England was finally completely Christianized. Raised from the age of seven in the abbey of Sts. Peter and Paul at Wearmouth-Jarrow, and lived there his whole life. He became a Benedictine monk and was a spiritual student of the founder St. Benedict Biscop. He was ordained in 702 by St. John of Beverley. As a teacher and author, he wrote about history, rhetoric, mathematics, music, astronomy, poetry, grammar, philosophy, hagiography, homiletics, and Bible commentary.

He was known as the most learned man of his day, and his writings started the idea of dating this era from the incarnation of Christ. The central theme of Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica is of the Church using the power of its spiritual, doctrinal, and cultural unity to stamp out violence and barbarism. Our knowledge of England before the 8th century is mainly the result of Bede’s writing. He was declared a Doctor of the Church on Nov 13, 1899 by Pope Leo XIII.

St. Gregory VII (1020-1085) was educated in Rome. He was a Benedictine monk and chaplain to Pope Gregory VI. He was in charge of the Patrimony of St. Peter, was a reformer and an excellent administrator. He was chosen to be the 152nd pope, but he declined. He was chief counselor to Popes Victor II, Stephen IX, Benedict X, and Nicholas II, eventually becoming the 157th pope.

At the time of his ascension, simony and a corrupt clergy threatened to destroy faith in the Church. Gregory took the throne as a reformer, and Emperor Henry IV promised to support him. He suspended all clerics who had purchased their position, and ordered the return of all purchased church property. The corrupt clergy rebelled; Henry IV broke his promise, and promoted the rebels. Gregory responded by excommunicating anyone involved in lay investiture.

He summoned Henry to Rome, but the emperor’s supporters drove Gregory into exile. Henry installed the anti-pope Guibert of Ravenna, who was driven from Rome by Normans who supported Gregory; the Normans were, themselves, so out of control that the people of Rome drove out both them and Gregory. The pope retreated to Salerno where he spent the remainder of his papacy.

St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi (1566-1607) was of religious upbringing. Given the birth name of Catherine, she was initially sent to a convent at the age of 14, but was taken back home by her family who opposed her religious vocation and wanted her to marry well. They eventually gave in, and Catherine became a Carmelite of the Ancient Observance at 16, taking the name Sister Mary Magdalen. She was a mystic, and led a hidden life of prayer and self-denial, praying particularly for the renewal of the Church and encouraging the sisters in holiness. Her life was marked by many extraordinary graces.

- Patron Saint Index
___________________

Acts of the Apostles 25:13-21

King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus. Their visit lasted several days, and Festus put Paul’s case before the king. “There is a man here,” he said, “whom Felix left behind in custody, and while I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and elders of the Jews laid information against him, demanding his condemnation. But I told them that Romans are not in the habit of surrendering any man, until the accused confronts his accusers and is given an opportunity to defend himself against the charge. So they came here with me, and I wasted no time but took my seat on the tribunal the very next day and had the man brought in. When confronted with him, his accusers did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected; but they had some argument or other with him about their own religion and about a dead man called Jesus whom Paul alleged to be alive. Not feeling qualified to deal with questions of this sort, I asked him if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem, to be tried there on this issue. But Paul put in an appeal for his case to be reserved for the judgement of the august emperor, so I ordered him to be remanded until I could send him to Caesar.”
____________________

John 21:15-19

Jesus showed himself to his disciples, and after they had eaten he said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?” He answered, “Yes Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Look after my sheep.” Then he said to him a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” and said, “Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

“I tell you most solemnly,
when you were young
you put on your own belt
and walked where you liked;
but when you grow old
you will stretch out your hands,
and somebody else will put a belt round you
and take you where you would rather not go.”

In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, “Follow me.”
____________________

One of the most fascinating aspects of Christianity is that followers of Jesus glorify God in their deaths. For most of us, we are very concerned with how our lives glorify God, but rarely are we so concerned about how our deaths glorify God. Yet even in our world today, we see Christians who glorify God through their deaths. One prime example was the way Pope John Paul II approached death.

Instead of hiding away in his quarters all the time, he bravely approached death the way that he approached life – in the public sphere. He was not afraid of appearing weak before the glare of the media. Rather, he showed us that it is in weakness that we find Christ. Most of the time, we prefer to find God in those that are strong and wise. But it is true that we find Christ most in those that are weak. And that’s not easy, because it’s not easy for us to appear weak in front of others.

In the first reading, we see in Festus an act of weakness. This act of weakness was one where he acknowledged his inability to handle Paul’s case, since it was a matter concerning religion. He didn’t pretend to show off his knowledge on the matter when in fact he didn’t know anything. Some of us do that. Rather, he admitted that he lacked the ability to handle the case and referred Paul to someone else more capable.

In so doing, Festus allowed God to be glorified through his weakness. There is a song that I like that has this line that goes: You don’t have to force your smiles for anyone. That’s right. It’s okay to show others your weaknesses, because this is really who you are. There is no need to hide our true selves from other people, always pretending to be someone that we’re not, or showing only our best sides, because it is in our weaknesses that God is glorified.
___________________

Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us to be like you, unafraid to show the world that we are weak, so that in our weaknesses, you may be glorified. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: Those who are honest enough to acknowledge their weaknesses before others.

Upcoming Readings:
Sat, 26 May – Acts 28:16-20, 30-31; John 21:20-25; Memorial for St. Philip Neri, priest
Sun, 27 May – Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Romans 8:8-17; John 20:19-23 or John 14:15-16, 23b-26; Pentecost Sunday
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Thursday, May 24 – Talk It Through

24 May

Good friends

Dr. Joseph Matarazzo was head of the Medical Psychology Department of the University of Oregon. He would, of course, have been in great demand as a psychotherapist, and would have contributed a great deal to the furtherance of such science.

On one occasion however, he is quoted as saying, “That more psychotherapy is accomplished between good friends over cups of coffee at ten o’clock in the morning than all day long in doctors’ offices.” He goes on to stress the vital importance of a good talk with a real friend, and he says that this is who is most helpful when things go wrong.

- My friend is someone who really knows me and still loves me.

- A problem shared is a problem halved.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
__________________

Acts 22:30;23:6-11

Since the tribune wanted to know what precise charge the Jews were bringing against Paul, he freed him and gave orders for a meeting of the chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin; then he brought Paul down and stood him in front of them.

Now Paul was well aware that one section was made up of Sadducees and the other of Pharisees, so he called out in the Sanhedrin, ‘Brothers, I am a Pharisee and the son of Pharisees. It is for our hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.’ As soon as he said this a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was split between the two parties. For the Sadducees say there is neither resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, while the Pharisees accept all three. The shouting grew louder, and some of the scribes from the Pharisees’ party stood up and protested strongly, ‘We find nothing wrong with this man. Suppose a spirit has spoken to him, and an angel?’ Feeling was running high, and the tribune, afraid that they would tear Paul to pieces, ordered his troops to go down and haul him out and bring him into the fortress.

Next night, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Courage! You have borne witness for me in Jerusalem, now you must do the same in Rome.’
___________________

John 17:20-26

‘Holy Father,
I pray not only for these,
but for those also
who through their words will believe in me.
May they also be one.
Father, may they be one in us,
As you are in me and I am in you,
so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.
I have given them the glory you gave to me,
that they may be one as we are one.
With me in them and you in me,
may they be so completely one
that the world will realise that it was you who sent me
and that I have loved them as much as you loved me.

‘Father,
I want those you have given me
to be with me where I am,
so that they may always see the glory
you have given me
because you loved me
before the foundation of the world.
Father, Righteous One,
the world has not known you,
but I have known you,
and these have known
that you sent me.
I have made your name known to them
and will continue to make it known,
so that the love with which you loved me may be in them,
and so that I may be in them.
____________________

My brothers and sisters, I do not know about you but each time I read or hear the incident of the first reading, my mind re-enacts a hilarious scene. Here you have a whole group of people ready to lash out with their tongues (and possibly fists too) at one man. They would have had all their arguments ready and were just waiting for the instructions to start. Then that one man says something that not only derails all their carefully laid out plans but causes them to bicker uncontrollably with one another. What was supposed to be a crisp and proper courtroom like setting turns into a marketplace. In the re-enactment, standing in the middle of all the chaos is Paul. Possibly whistling and buffing his fingernails, he might have been able to walk out unnoticed if he wanted. He stayed though, safe in the knowledge that everything was cool. It’s the stuff of a great British comedy.

The reason things fell apart so quickly and so easily for the Jewish leaders was because of an intrinsic lack of unity between their two camps. It is very likely they did not discuss things beyond their mutual dislike for Christ and His disciples and the teachings that were being spread. To be united by a common goal is laudable but to achieve that goal depends on all the parties first, if not settling their differences, at least come to a compromise about them. Without that being done, all the Jewish leaders got was a frayed rope, one that Paul was quite able to coax apart.

Christ Himself prays earnestly in the Gospel passage for unity amongst those who follow Him. The reason He wishes for this is also given in the reading. However, as evidenced by the example of the Jewish leaders in Acts, there is a need for us to not only know but to understand the goal that this unity calls for. The Jewish leaders clearly definitely knew they were servants of God but did they understand what it meant? Debatable.

This Sunday is Pentecost. The descent of the Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles united men of every tongue under a single vision. Sisters and brothers, as we approach the anniversary of this day, may we take time also to discuss with one another our views on the faith. There will be differences of opinion on many issues but such sharing can breed understanding and with this, a tempered unity.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
__________________

Prayer:
That we will seek to understand ourselves better while we strive to let others know You better.

Give thanks to the Lord for: The power of dialogue

Upcoming Readings:
Fri, 25 May – Acts 25:13b-21; John 21:15-19; Memorial for St. Bede, the Venerable, priest; Memorial for St. Gregory, pope; Memorial for St. Mary Magdelene de Pazzi, virgin
Sat, 26 May – Acts 28:16-20, 30-31; John 21:20-25; Memorial for St. Philip Neri, priest
Sun, 27 May – Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Romans 8:8-17; John 20:19-23 or John 14:15-16, 23b-26; Pentecost Sunday
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Wednesday, May 23 – About An Often Overlooked Treasure

23 May

With a little help from friends

Mt. Ranier is a 14,000-foot mountain in Washington State. Some years ago, nine physically handicapped people succeeded in climbing to the summit.

One had an artificial leg, five were blind, two were deaf, and one was an epileptic. In spite of all this, they climbed the mountain, and came down together, without mishap. When asked how they achieved such an extraordinary feat, one of the blind men said, “We got a lot of help from each other.”

- That must surely rank as one of the understatements of the century!

- A good example of the Body of Christ in action, where the blind could see with someone else’s eyes, the deaf could hear with someone else’s ears, etc.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
__________________

Acts 20:28-38

‘Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you the guardians, to feed the Church of God which he bought with the blood of his own Son.

‘I know quite well that when I have gone fierce wolves will invade you and will have no mercy on the flock. Even from your own ranks there will be men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the disciples to follow them. So be on your guard, remembering how night and day for three years I never slackened in counselling each one of you with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace that has power to build you up and to give you your inheritance among all the sanctified.

‘I have never asked anyone for money or clothes; you know for yourselves that these hands of mine earned enough to meet needs and those of my companions. By every means I have shown you that we must exert ourselves in this way to support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, who himself said, “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.”’

When he had finished speaking he knelt down with them all and prayed. By now they were all in tears; they put their arms round Paul’s neck and kissed him; what saddened them most was his saying they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.
___________________

John 17:11b-19

Holy Father,
keep those you have given me true to your name,
so that they may be one like us.
While I was with them,
I kept those you had given me true to your name.
I have watched over them and not one is lost
except one who was destined to be lost
and this was to fulfil the scriptures.
But now I am coming to you
and I say these things in the world
to share my joy with them to the full.
I passed your word on to them,
and the world hated them,
because they belong to the world
no more than I belong to the world.
I am not asking you to remove them from the world,
but to protect them from the Evil One.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth;
your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
I have sent them into the world,
and for their sake I consecrate myself
so that they too will come to believe in me.
____________________

We all know that being in a community helps us to be accountable to one another. We can be corrected when we are in the wrong, we can pray for each other, counsel and encourage one another. We see this in the first reading as we read about how Paul and the early Christian community interacted with each other.

In the Gospel reading, accountability in community is given its full significance. Jesus wants each of us to be true to God so that the Church can be one. A Christian community is always radical, not of the world, because of our calling to love. Jesus wants us to be protected from the devil, and to be consecrated in the truth. Being able to account to each other and to God in a community is truly a gift that we are given in answer to Jesus’ prayer, because it helps achieve all of the above!

Paul talked about the dangers that the early community would face — the ways of the world and heretics. These are what we are still facing today. Do you know of anyone who is or are you struggling with problems or sin? Do you come across questions about the faith or people that could potentially bring Catholics or Christians away from Jesus? These are the times when we need accountability in community the most.

The importance of accountability in a Christian community means that we must always counsel, pray for and journey with our brothers and sisters towards a closer relationship with Christ. Let us understand accountability fully so that we can help ourselves and Christians around us to live more Christ-centred lives.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Regina Xie)
__________________

Prayer:
Lord, help us to not keep to ourselves when we have problems, but instead look to fellow Christians to work together to overcome them.

Give thanks to the Lord for: being there when two or three are gathered in His name.

Upcoming Readings:
Thu, 24 May – Acts 22:30, 23:6-11; John 17:20-26
Fri, 25 May – Acts 25:13b-21; John 21:15-19; Memorial for St. Bede, the Venerable, priest; Memorial for St. Gregory, pope; Memorial for St. Mary Magdelene de Pazzi, virgin
Sat, 26 May – Acts 28:16-20, 30-31; John 21:20-25; Memorial for St. Philip Neri, priest
Sun, 27 May – Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Romans 8:8-17; John 20:19-23 or John 14:15-16, 23b-26; Pentecost Sunday
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Tuesday, May 22 – How To Change The World

22 May – Memorial for St. Rita of Cascia, religious

St. Rita (1386-1457) was the daughter of Antonio and Amata Lotti; known as Peacemakers of Jesus, they had Rita late in life. From her early youth, Rita visited the Augustinian nuns at Cascia, and showed interest in a religious life. However, when she was 12, her parents betrothed her to Paolo Mancini, an ill-tempered, abusive individual who worked as town watchman, and was dragged into the political disputes of the Guelphs and Ghibellines.

Rita put up with Paolo’s abuses for 18 years before he was ambushed and stabbed to death. Her sons swore vengeance on their father’s killers, but through Rita’s prayers and interventions, they forgave their offenders.

Upon the deaths of her sons, Rita again felt the call to religious life. However, some of the sisters at the Augustinian monastery were relatives of her husband’s assassins, and she was denied entry for fear of causing dissention. Asking for the intervention of St. John the Baptist, St. Augustine of Hippo, and St. Nicholas of Tolentino, she managed to bring the warring factions together, not completely, but sufficiently that there was peace, and she was admitted to the monastery of St. Mary Magdalen at the age of 36.

Rita lived 40 years in the convent, spending her time in prayer and charity, and working for peace in the region. She was devoted to the Passion, and in response to a prayer to suffer as Christ, she received a chronic head wound that appeared to have been caused by a crown of thorns, and which bled for 15 years.

Rita was confined to her bed the last four years of her life, eating little more than the Eucharist, teaching and directing the younger sisters. Near the end, she had a visitor from her home town who asked if she’d like anything. Her only request was a rose from her family’s estate. The visitor went to the home, but it being January, knew there was no hope of finding a flower. There sprouted on an otherwise bare bush, was a single rose blossom.

Among the other areas, Rita is well-known as a patron of desperate, seemingly impossible causes and situations. This is because she has been involved in so many stages of life – wife, mother, widow, and nun, she buried her family, helping bring peace to her city, saw her dreams denied and fulfilled – and never lost her faith in God, or her desire to be with Him.

- Patron Saint Index
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Acts of the Apostles 20:17-27

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

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

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

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

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

“Father, the hour has come:
glorify your Son
so that your Son may glorify you;
and, through the power over all mankind that you have given him,
let him give eternal life to all those you have entrusted to him.
And eternal life is this:
to know you,
the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
I have glorified you on earth
and finished the work
that you gave me to do.

“Now, Father, it is time for you to glorify me
with the glory I had with you
before ever the world was.
I have made your name known
to the men you took from the world to give me.
They were yours and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now at last they know
that all you have given me comes indeed from you;
for I have given them
the teaching you gave to me,
and they have truly accepted this, that I came from you,
and have believed that it was you who sent me.
I pray for them;
I am not praying for the world
but for those you have given me,
because they belong to you:
all I have is yours
and all you have is mine
and in them I am glorified.
I am not in the world any longer,
but they are in the world,
and I am coming to you.”
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In both our readings today, we see Paul and Jesus concerned about one main thing – that they have carried out the work that God has assigned them to do. When we look at Christians in the world today, especially ourselves, we see that we are not really so concerned about the work that God has assigned each of us to do. We are more concerned about the work that God has assigned another person to do.

Let’s face it, most of us are busybodies. We prefer to look at other people and see how they are not being Christian in what they say, what they do, or how they behave. We think nothing of looking at another person and thinking how unchristian he or she is to behave, say, or do something, but we often forget that another person is probably looking at us and thinking the same thing about us.

We spend much of our lives trying to change another person’s behaviour. We want our parents to be less demanding of us. We want our children to be more obedient to us. We want our husbands to spend more time with us and less time golfing or watching TV. We want our wives to stop talking so much and spend less money on shopping. We want our priests to pray more before they deliver homilies. We want our parishioners to be more active in parishes. We want our bishop to do something about that errant priest. We want the pope to quickly publish his motu proprio. And so on.

At the end of the day, God wants us to be responsible for ourselves and for the work that he has assigned us to do. At the end of the day, we have to learn to accept that there are some things in the world that we cannot change. Most frequently, those things are other people. And we have to realise that there are some things that we can change. Most frequently, that is ourselves. Because when we change ourselves, we are changing the world.
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Prayer:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can’t change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: Granting us the grace to change ourselves.

Upcoming Readings:
Wed, 23 May – Acts 20:28-38; John 17:11b-19
Thu, 24 May – Acts 22:30, 23:6-11; John 17:20-26
Fri, 25 May – Acts 25:13b-21; John 21:15-19; Memorial for St. Bede, the Venerable, priest; Memorial for St. Gregory, pope; Memorial for St. Mary Magdelene de Pazzi, virgin
Sat, 26 May – Acts 28:16-20, 30-31; John 21:20-25; Memorial for St. Philip Neri, priest
Sun, 27 May – Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Romans 8:8-17; John 20:19-23 or John 14:15-16, 23b-26; Pentecost Sunday
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Disclaimer: The reflections expressed in this e-mail are the writer’s own. They may not necessarily reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Nonetheless we should all be able to learn something from it.