Saturday, September 1 – An Unaccepted Free Gift

01 Sep

We all have something to offer

One day a little mouse was caught by a lion. The lion was ready to swallow the tiny creature, when it cried out, “Spare me, great beast! Please don’t eat me. Someday I may be able to repay your kindness.”

The lion, taken aback, let out a roar, threw back his head, and roared with laughter. However, he was so amused at the thought that a tiny mouse could help him, the king of the jungle, that he freed the little animal.

Some time later, the lion was captured by hunters. He was caught in a huge net and secured to a tree, while the hunters went to fetch a truck to carry him. Along came the tiny mouse. When he saw the lion, and the predicament he was in, he began to chew at the rope. He gnawed an opening in the net, and the lion got free.

- God can use any of us.

- The least significant person in my life can help set me free from my selfishness, intolerance, judgement, etc. It all depends on how I relate to them, or treat them.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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1 Thessalonians 4:9-11

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

Jesus said, ‘The kingdom of Heaven is like a man on his way abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third is one; each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out. The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more. The man who had received two made two more in the same way. But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now a long time after, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness”. Next the man with the two talents came forward. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness”. Last came forward the man who had the one talent. “Sir,” said he “I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is; it was yours, you have it back.” But his master answered him, “You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered? Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have recovered my capital with interest. So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the five talents. For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away. As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”’
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Christ’s message in today’s Gospel wants us to make use of the various talents that we have. Talents, in this case, need not necessarily refer to money but to a skill or behaviour trait that is positive and brings good and meaning to the lives of people around us. These could be innate abilities or even something that is cultivated with time.

It seems to be very cruel for the king to take the lazy servant’s talent and give it to the person who has more. Yet if you think about it, it seems to be a reflection of what will happen in our judgment before God after we die. We will be asked to account for how we have made us of the talents and skills that God has endowed us with to spread the Good News.

If we hoard this gift for our selfish needs and desires, be prepared that it may be taken away from us at any point in time and we may be left without any talent. This is not something cruel but something that occurs because we chose to take this path.

God’s love is a choice that we have to freely accept and thus we must bear the consequences of not doing so. What will you choose today?

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nick Chia)
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Prayer:
Mother Mary, I pray for all at the crossroads of making a life-transforming decision; that you guide them in whatever they do and make it one that seeks to bring your Son’s name to the world.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the countless talents that we have.

Upcoming Readings:
Sun, 02 Aug – Sirach 3:19-21, 28-29; Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14:1, 7-14; Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
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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, August 31 – An Ongoing Process

31 Aug

Love

You are all familiar with the “Love is…” cartoons or drawings. We have many, many posters of nice “sugary” definitions of love.

St. Augustine answered the question: “What does love look like?” His answer is simple:

“Love has hands to help others.
It has feet to hasten to the poor and needy.
It has eyes to see misery and want.
It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of others.
That’s what love looks like.”

- The nearest I’ll ever come to seeing God in this life is if I ever come across a few people who really love one another!

- Love is always creative, always building up, always confirming.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

Brothers, we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: the life that God wants, as you learnt from us, and as you are already living it. You have not forgotten the instructions we gave you on the authority of the Lord Jesus.

What God wants is for you all to be holy. He wants you to keep away from fornication, and each one of you to know how to use the body that belongs to him in a way that is holy and honourable, not giving way to selfish lust like the pagans who do not know God. He wants nobody at all ever to sin by taking advantage of a brother in these matters; the Lord punishes sins of that sort, as we told you before and assured you. We have been called by God to be holy, not to be immoral; in other words, anyone who objects is not objecting to a human authority, but to God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
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Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.’ At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.’ But they replied, ‘There may not be enough for us and for you.; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.’ They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us.’ But he replied, ‘I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.’ So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.”
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We are all called to be holy, but holiness is not simply a goal to reach for, and that’s it. We don’t become holy overnight, and we certainly don’t stay holy without constantly being on our guard. Holiness is an ongoing process. Holiness involves being constantly alert. This means that we are constantly examining our consciences, at least once a day, twice if we can, and be on our guard for times when we have done things against our conscience.

Holiness also involves examining our histories and remembering the times when we’ve been good and the times we’ve been bad. It involves reminding ourselves daily that we can easily be a bad person today if we are not careful. It also involves interaction with other people, sharing our stories and listening to theirs. When we see someone who we think is holy, we remind ourselves that this is the kind of life that we are meant to live. When we see someone who we think is not so holy, we remind ourselves that we were once in their position, and we could very well be there today if we are not careful.

St. Paul, in the first reading, highlights an important thing that we need to be on guard against. He highlights lust. We often think of lust as a sexual sin, and that if we are not having sex, then there is no fear of lusting after another person. But this is not true, because lust is not something primarily to do with action, but it begins in the heart and in the mind.

Lust can be defined as ‘using another to gratify ourselves’. We know very well from our own experience that we need not even touch another person to lust after him or her. How often do we find ourselves lusting at a woman or a man on the street? How often do we find ourselves lusting at a male or female model in a magazine or on the Internet? How often do we dress ourselves up in the hope that the average man or woman on the street might look at us with lust in their eyes?

St. Paul warns to be on our guard against this kind of thing. Rather than focusing simply on thinking, “I must not lust… I must not lust… I must not lust…” since lusting is still primarily on the mind, it is better to think, and to pray, to be holy and loving instead. And here, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us to live the kind of life that God wants us to live.
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Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us to live holy lives that focus on others and their good, rather than ourselves and our good. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: The Holy Spirit, the spirit of love.

Upcoming Readings:
Sat, 01 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-11; Matthew 25:14-30
Sun, 02 Aug – Sirach 3:19-21, 28-29; Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14:1, 7-14; Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
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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.

Thursday, August 30 – Infinite Crises

30 Aug

Saved by prayer

Irmgard Wood was a young girl living in Germany during World War II, and she tells the following story. One morning her mother and sisters saw an American plane receive a hit, and fall in flames from the sky. Irmgard’s mother instinctively whispered a prayer for the pilot, even though he was one of the “enemy”.

Years later, the Wood family emigrated to America. The mother got a job in a hospital in California. One day a patient, knowing she was German, asked her what part of Germany she was from. When she said Stuttgart, he told her how he had a miraculous escape over Stuttgart during the war when his plane was hit and fell from the sky in flames.

“I got out on time, and I just don’t know how I did it, because I can never remember the details. To this day I am convinced that there was somebody praying for me.”

- More miracles are worked by prayer than this world ever dreams of. It is not possible to cry out to God and not be heard.

- Life is fragile – handle with prayer.

- Jean Vanier says that some of the greatest movements for good in the history of the world are brought about by the quiet prayers of totally unknown people.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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Thessalonians 3:7-13

Brothers, your faith has been a great comfort to us in the middle of our own troubles and sorrows; now we can breathe again, as you are still holding firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you, for all the joy we feel before our God on your account? We are earnestly praying night and day to be able to see you face to face again and make up any shortcomings in your faith.

May God our Father himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, make it easy for us to come to you. May the Lord be generous in increasing your love and make you love one another and the whole human race as much as we love you. And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with all his saints.
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Matthew 24:42-51

Jesus said to his disciples: “Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

‘What sort of servant, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you solemnly, he will place over him everything he owns. But as for the dishonest servant who says to himself, “My master is taking his time,” and sets about beating his fellow servants and eating and drinking with drunkards, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
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So the reports are out about Mother Teresa’s crisis of faith that seemed to have spanned the last 50 years of her life. For the world at large, Mother Teresa has always been a bastion of faith; standing firm where it matters most, even when the toil it takes doesn’t seem worth it. This really shows when major news agencies use headlines along the lines of “Letters from Mother Teresa reveal crisis of faith”. A shocking scandalous revelation for readers that’s sure to garner readership for the writers. Is this really surprising news? Now, this is a question for us to ponder over.

We just need to read the bible to know that being far from God is the norm rather than the exception for most of its characters. We just need to listen to sharings those whom we see as most fervent in the faith to learn of the crises they’ve faced. We just need to reflect on our own faith journeys to remember that everything is not a bed of roses.

Plainly put, our lives are going to have bright moments but they are also going to have moments darker than any abyss. It is easy to be happy in the sunny times and it is equally easy to despair in times of darkness. The interesting thing about the darkness is that it provides a good contrast to the light. What is the first thing do when we find ourselves in a dark room? We search for that light switch. Not an easy task but not one without its rewards either.

Searching for the light in her darkness was a challenge that Mother Teresa faced as is evident in excerpts her letters. Something I find very striking in some of them is how even as she bemoans expresses doubt in Christ, she still writes as she is talking to Him. She was even able to tell one of her confidants that Christ had a special love for him. Her yearning for Him is still there and so is her publicly visible manifestation of that yearning.

Mother Teresa personifies that good servant who did his duties even though it seemed that his master would not be coming anytime soon. Just as that same servant was given greater accolades so is Mother Teresa. Like the Vatican says, her letters will not affect her path to sainthood. In all likelihood they will etch her deeper into the hearts and minds of people as someone who executed her love for God faithfully regardless of the deep conflict she was experiencing.

We will always encounter periods of darkness in our lives, crises during which we feel that God isn’t with us. It is part and parcel of our Christian journeys. But this provides us with another means through which we can strengthen our faith by searching for God in all the mess.

For those of us who are not experiencing crises, well I’m sure we can empathize with those among us who are. We can take heed of the Thessalonians whose faith assured Paul and his peers greatly during their own troubles. It is a worth thing to help one who is in need.

God bless you, brothers and sisters as we search and/or point out the way.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer:
For those who are in the dark night of their faith. May they not lose hope and continue to seek the light. Saint John of the Cross and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, intercede for them to Jesus.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: Trials and tribulations

Upcoming Readings:
Fri, 31 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Matthew 25:1-13
Sat, 01 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-11; Matthew 25:14-30
Sun, 02 Aug – Sirach 3:19-21, 28-29; Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14:1, 7-14; Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
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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, August 29 – Do Not Break

29 Aug – The Martyrdom of John the Baptist

Faith in oneself

A Peanuts cartoon shows Charlie Brown standing all alone. Peppermint Patty passes by, and as she does, Charlie calls out to her, “Believe in me.” But she keeps on going.

Next Snoopy passes by, and Charlie calls out, “Believe in me.” But Snoopy just keeps on going.

Next comes Lucy – and the same thing happens.

The last picture shows Charlie sitting all alone (notice he was standing in the first picture). His head is in his hands and he is saying, “I just can’t get people to believe in me.”

- I think it’s reasonable that, at that moment, poor Charlie didn’t have too much faith in himself.

- Quite often when people have lost faith in themselves, they begin to have serious problem with their belief in God.

- taken from “150 More Stories for Preachers and Teachers” by Jack McArdle
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Jeremiah 1:17-19

But you, gird up your loins; stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not break down before them, or I will break you before them. And I for my part have made you today a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall, against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the LORD, to deliver you.
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Mark 6:17-29

For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.’ And he solemnly swore to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.’ She went out and said to her mother, ‘What should I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the baptizer.’ Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’ The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.
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Life has been very eventful for the year so far. Although there have been some good moments, many were unpleasant, happening one after another or a few at a time. It makes me wonder what God is trying to tell me.

But that is precisely what it’s like in the Bible. Things happen one after another. Things just happen, according to God’s plan. Often we ask, “Why, Lord, do you let this happen to me?” Week after week, day after day of prayer, reflection, during Mass, in the adoration room and anytime I remember to pray, it has been with a “Help! I think I’m going to break” attitude.

Today God reminds us that we can learn from the example of John the Baptist. “Do not break down before them, or I will break you before them,” He says. We are to stand for righteousness and not give in to fear or be daunted by difficulty. If we break down in front of our problems and choose to be sloppy with doing what is right, then we are surely choosing to let them break us. That isn’t what God wants for us. He is with us!

(Today’s OXYGEN by Regina Xie)
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Prayer: Father, we need You. Remind us always of Your presence and strengthen us.

Give thanks to the Lord for: the example of John the Baptist.

Upcoming Readings:
Thu, 30 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13; Matthew 24:42-51
Fri, 31 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Matthew 25:1-13
Sat, 01 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-11; Matthew 25:14-30
Sun, 02 Aug – Sirach 3:19-21, 28-29; Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14:1, 7-14; Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
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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, August 28 – Speaking The Truth

28 Aug – Memorial for St. Augustine, bishop, doctor of the Church

St. Augustine (354-430) had a pagan father who converted on his death bed; his mother was St. Monica, a devout Christian. Though he was trained in Christianity, he lost his faith in youth and led a wild life. He lived with a Carthaginian woman from the age of 15 through 30. He fathered a son whom he named Adeotadus, which means “the gift of God”. He taught rhetoric at Carthage and Milan.

After investigating and experimenting with several philosophies, he became a Manichaean for several years; it taught of a great struggle between good and evil, and featured a lax moral code. A summation of his thinking at the time comes from his Confessions: “God, give me chastity and continence – but not just now.”

Augustine finally broke with the Manichaeans and was converted by the prayers of his mother and the help of St. Ambrose of Milan, who baptized him. On the death of his mother, he returned to Africa, sold his property, gave the proceeds to the poor, and founded a monastery. He became a monk, then a priest, was a preacher, and was ordained Bishop of Hippo in 396.

He founded religious communities, fought Manichaeism, Donatism, Pelagianism and other heresies. He oversaw his church and his see during the fall of the Roman Empire to the Vandals. He was proclaimed Doctor of the Church. His later thinking can also be summed up in a line from his writings: Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you.

- Patron Saint Index
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1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

You know yourselves, my brothers, that our visit to you has not proved ineffectual.

We had, as you know, been given rough treatment and been grossly insulted at Philippi, and it was our God who gave us the courage to proclaim his Good news to you in the face of great opposition. We have not taken to preaching because we are deluded, or immoral, or trying to deceive anyone; it was God who decided that we were fit to be entrusted with the Good News, and when we are speaking, we are not trying to please men but God, who can read our inmost thoughts. You know very well, and we can swear it before God, than never at any time have our speeches been simply flattery, or a cover for trying to get money; nor have we ever looked for any special honour from men, either from you or anybody else, when we could have imposed ourselves on you with full weight, as apostles of Christ.

Instead, we were unassuming. Like a mother feeding and looking after her own children, we felt so devoted and protective towards you, and had come to love you so much, that we were eager to hand over to you not only the Good News but our whole lives as well.
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Matthew 23:23-26

Jesus said, “Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who pay your tithe of mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law – justice, mercy, good faith! These you should have practised, without neglecting the others. You blind guides! Straining out gnats and swallowing camels!

“Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who clean the outside of cup and dish and leave the inside full of extortion and intemperance. Blind Pharisee! Clean the inside of cup and dish first so that the outside may become clean as well!”
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When I read St. Paul’s letter in the first reading, I realise how often I, when speaking to others, say what others want to hear. That’s flattery, isn’t it? Even when I write OXYGEN on some days, I write what I think readers want to read, rather than how I think God is revealing himself.

It is always easier to say or write things that will please our listeners or readers. Speakers, preachers, writers, authors – we are all often swayed by what the other party wants. We want to win the hearts of men, and be liked and admired by others, rather than be despised because we are telling the truth.

Jesus has no qualms about telling the truth; He is the Truth! Often when faced with the truth, we tend to shy away from it and choose to believe a half-truth or an outright lie instead, because it is easier to believe. The truth often hurts, and even more so when we discover some truth about ourselves.

In the long run, however, we find that it is not the truth that hurts, but it is the lie that hurts. In our role as deceiver, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment when we lie to ourselves what another person is really like. We are setting other people up for disappointment when people come to expect something of us that we could not, or would not, give.

Only through truth, no matter how painful it is at first, can our expectations of ourselves and of others be realistic. Only through truth can we, as St. Paul does, give the Good News and our whole lives to those we love.
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Prayer:
Dear 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. Help us to accept the truth about ourselves, and about others we love. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: Those who tell us the truth.

Upcoming Readings:
Wed, 29 Aug – Jeremiah 1:17-19; Mark 6:17-29; Memorial for The Martyrdom of John the Baptist
Thu, 30 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13; Matthew 24:42-51
Fri, 31 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Matthew 25:1-13
Sat, 01 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-11; Matthew 25:14-30
Sun, 02 Aug – Sirach 3:19-21, 28-29; Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14:1, 7-14; Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
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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, August 27 – Living the Truth

27 Aug – Memorial for St. Monica

St. Monica (322-387) was the mother of St. Augustine of Hippo, whose writings about her are our primary source of information. A Christian from birth, she was given in marriage to a bad-tempered, adulterous pagan named Patricius. She prayed constantly for the conversion of her husband (who converted on his death bed), and of her son (who converted after a wild life). She was the spiritual student of St. Ambrose of Milan, and was a reformed alcoholic.

- Patron Saint Index
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1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 8-10

From Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, to the Church in Thessalonika which is in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; wishing you grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We always mention you in our prayers and thank God for you all, and constantly remember before God our Father how you have shown your faith in action, worked for love and persevered through hope, in our Lord Jesus Christ.

We know, brothers, that God loves you and that you have been chosen, because when we brought the Good News to you, it came to you not only as words, but as power and as the Holy Spirit and as utter conviction. And you observed the sort of life we lived when we were with you, which was for your instruction. We do not need to tell other people about it: other people tell us how we started the work among you, how you broke with idolatry when you were converted to God and became servants of the real, living God; and how you are now waiting for Jesus, his Son, whom he raised from the dead, to come from heaven to save us from the retribution which is coming.
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Matthew 23:13-22

Jesus said: “Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who shut up the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces, neither going in yourselves nor allowing others to go in who want to.

“Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when you have him you make him twice as fit for hell as you are.

“Alas for you, blind guides! You who say, ‘If a man swears by the Temple, it has no force; but if a man swears by the gold of the Temple, he is bound.’ Fools and blind! For which is of greater worth, the gold or the Temple which makes the gold sacred? Or else, ‘If a man swears by the altar it has no force; but if a man swears by the offering that is on the altar, he is bound.’ You blind me! For which is of greater worth, the offering or the altar which makes the offering sacred? Therefore, when a man swears by the altar he is swearing by that and by everything on it. And when a man swears by the Temple he is swearing by that and by the One who dwells in it. And when a man swears by heaven he is swearing by the throne of God and by the One who is seated there.”
_____________________

You have heard the saying, “Actions speak louder than words”. It is not just ‘louder’, but actions frequently also speak the meaning of words.

Few of us mean what we say all the time. That is why there is body language. 70% percent of communication is non-verbal. If someone is saying something to us, but his body language shows otherwise, we should be more ready to believe what his body is saying, rather than what his lips are saying.

Likewise, if a Christian says that he loves God, but the way he lives shows otherwise, we should be more ready to believe what he is saying with his life, rather than what he says. If a Catholic says that he loves the Church, but doesn’t practise what the Church teaches in his life, we should also be more ready to believe what he is saying with his behaviour.

With this in mind, spend some time observing your own behaviour. Do you practise what you say you believe? Most of us don’t realise that we are living a lie until it is pointed out to us. Of course most of us also don’t like having the fact that we are living a lie pointed out to us.
__________________

Prayer:
Dear Lord, we ask for your grace to be humble as you reveal to us the way we are living a lie. We also ask for the grace to change our ways, and to be more faithful to your Spirit of Truth. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: Those who risk relationships by helping us to be more truthful.

Upcoming Readings:
Tue, 28 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 23:23-26; Memorial for St. Augustine, bishop, doctor of the Church
Wed, 29 Aug – Jeremiah 1:17-19; Mark 6:17-29; Memorial for The Martyrdom of John the Baptist
Thu, 30 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13; Matthew 24:42-51
Fri, 31 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Matthew 25:1-13
Sat, 01 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-11; Matthew 25:14-30
Sun, 02 Aug – Sirach 3:19-21, 28-29; Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14:1, 7-14; Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
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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, August 26 – 12 Steps for Christians

26 Aug – Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Lord Gathers A People To Himself

Today, as sons and daughters of God, we submit ourselves to his loving discipline, remembering that it was not just the Jews, nor will it be just Christians, whom the Lord will gather to himself. Many more worthy than us will come from East and West to share the banquet of his kingdom.

- the Sunday Missal
____________________

Isaiah 66:18-21

The Lord says this: I am coming to gather the nations of every language. They shall come to witness my glory. I will give them a sign and send some of their survivors to the nations: to Tarshish, Put, Lud, Moshech, Rosh, Tubal, and Javan, to the distant islands that have never heard of me or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory to the nations. As an offering to the Lord they will bring all your brothers, in horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, on dromedaries, from all the nations to my holy mountain in Jerusalem, says the Lord, like the Israelites bringing oblations in clean vessels to the Temple of the Lord. And of some of them I will make priests and Levites, says the Lord.
____________________

Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13

Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons? My son, when the Lord corrects you, do not treat it lightly; but do not get discouraged when he reprimands you. For the Lord trains the ones that he loves and he punishes all those that he acknowledges as his sons. Suffering is part of your training; God is treating you as his sons. Has there ever been any son whose father did not train him? Of course, any punishment is most painful at the time, and far from pleasant; but later, in those on whom it has been used, it bears fruit in peace and goodness. So hold up your limp arms and steady your trembling knees and smooth out the path you tread; then the injured limb will not be wrenched, it will grow strong again.
_____________________

Luke 13:22-30

Through towns and villages Jesus went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, “Sir, will there be only a few saved?” He said to them, “Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.

“Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself knocking on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us’ but he will answer, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will find yourself saying, ‘We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets’ but he will reply, ‘I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked men!’

“Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves turned outside. And men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.

“Yes, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.”
_____________________

Have you ever heard of the Twelve Step programme? It is a set of guiding principles for recovery from addictive, compulsive and other behavioural problems. It was originally developed by Alcoholics Anonymous to guide recovery from alcoholism. I’ve been reading a book about them, and the more I read about the Twelve Steps, the more convinced I am that they were inspired by God. In fact, one can take those Twelve Steps and apply them to our own Christian life, replacing addiction for sin.

If there were indeed such a Twelve Step programme for Christians, it would teach us to:
- admit that we are powerless over sin;
- recognise that God can give us strength to overcome sin;
- examine our past sins with the help of a guide;
- make amends for these past sins;
- learn to live a new life with a new code of Christian behaviour;
- help others who still live in sin.

The 12th step of such a Christian programme would read: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to sinners, and to practise these principles in all our affairs.

An experienced person in a Twelve Step programme shared with me recently, that his group has experienced a revival of sorts, and greater community bonding ever since the group made an effort to reach out to other addicts and bring them in. And that when groups do not reach out to other addicts, these groups rarely last.

Does that not remind you of our own Christian faith? Is it not true that when we make an effort to bring others to the Christian faith, we too experience a revival in our own faith? Is it not true also that when we do not make such an effort, our faith stagnates or deteriorates?

A very important part of the Christian faith is to spread the Good News to those who have not yet heard it. It is not an option, it is an obligation, a command by Jesus in fact, to “go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation” (Mark 16:15).

It is a command that, when lived out, becomes beneficial not only to those who hear what is proclaimed, but is beneficial to those who proclaim it as well. Such a work sustains our own faith. It brings us to encounter and remember what we were like in the past, how we have grown through our faith, and it helps us to remember not to judge others, because we too were like them before we were transformed through the healing power of Christ in our lives.

The most beautiful part of the 12th Step – and here I can really see God’s hand in it – is that the way one carries this message is through the sharing of one’s own journey. Is that not how Christians are asked to spread the Good News – by sharing our own faith journey?
____________________

Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us to remember that the best way of remaining a Christian, not just in name, is to reach out to sinners like us and to share with them what You have done for us. Amen.

Give Thanks to the Lord for: The Twelve Step programme.

Upcoming Readings:
Mon, 27 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 8b-10; Matthew 23:13-22; Memorial for St. Monica
Tue, 28 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 23:23-26; Memorial for St. Augustine, bishop, doctor of the Church
Wed, 29 Aug – Jeremiah 1:17-19; Mark 6:17-29; Memorial for The Martyrdom of John the Baptist
Thu, 30 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13; Matthew 24:42-51
Fri, 31 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Matthew 25:1-13
Sat, 01 Aug – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-11; Matthew 25:14-30
Sun, 02 Aug – Sirach 3:19-21, 28-29; Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14:1, 7-14; Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
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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, August 25 – The Problem of Pride

25 Aug – Memorial for St. Louis of France; Memorial for St. Joseph Calazanz, priest

St. Louis of France (1214-1270) was the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castille. He became King of France at the age of 11; his mother ruled as regent until he reached 22, and he reigned for 44 years. He made numerous judicial and legislative reforms. He promoted Christianity in France; established religious foundations, aided mendicant orders, propagated synodal decrees of the Church, built leper hospitals, and collected relics. He married Marguerite of Provence at age 19, and fathered 11 children. He supported Pope Innocent IV in war against Emperor Frederick II of Germany. He was a Franciscan tertiary. He led two Crusades, and died on one.

St. Joseph Calasanz (1556-1648) was the youngest of five children. His mother and a brother died while he was still in school. He studied at the University of Lereda, at Valencia, and at Alcala de Henares, and obtained degrees in canon law and theology. His father wanted the boy to become a soldier, to marry, and to continue the family. However, a near fatal illness in 1582 caused him to seriously examine his life, and he realized a call to the religious life.

He was ordained in 1583, was parish priest at Albarracin, secretary and confessor to his bishop, synodal examiner, and procurator. He revived religious zeal among the laity, discipline among the clergy in a section of the Pyrenees. Both his father and his bishop died in 1587.

Following a vision, he gave away much of his inheritance, renounced most of the rest, and travelled to Rome in 1592. He worked in the household of Cardinal Ascanio Colonna as theological advisor for the cardinal, tutor to the cardinal’s nephew. He worked with plague victims in 1595.

He was a member of the Confraternity for Christian Doctrine. He tried to get poor children, many of them orphans and/or homeless, into school. The teachers, already poorly paid, refused to work with the new students without a raise; in November 1597, Joseph and two fellow priests opened a small, free school for poor children. Pope Clement VIII, and later Pope Paul V, contributed towards their work. He was soon supervising several teachers and hundreds of students.

In 1602, they moved to larger quarters, and reorganized the teaching priests into a community. In 1612 they moved to the Torres palace to have even more room. In 1621, the community was recognised as a religious order called Le Sciole Pie (Religious Schools), also known as the Piarists, or Order of Poor Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools; Joseph acted as superior of the Order.

The community encountered many obstacles – Joseph’s friendship with the astronomer Galileo Galilei caused a stir with some Church officials. Some of the ruling class objected that to educate the poor would cause social unrest. Other Orders that worked with the poor were afraid they would be absorbed by the Piarists. But the group continued to have papal support, and continued to do good work.

In his old age, Joseph suffered through seeing his Order torn apart. He was accused of incompetence by Father Mario Sozzi, who was chosen as new superior of the Order. Sozzi died in 1643, and was replaced by Father Cherubini; he pursued the same course as Sozzi, and nearly destroyed the Order. A papal commission charged with examining the Order acquitted Joseph of all accusations, and in 1645, returned him to superior of the Order, but internal dissent continued, and in 1646, Pope Innocent X dissolved the Order, placing the priests under control of their local bishops.

The Piarists were reorganized in 1656, eight years after Joseph’s death. They were restored as a religious order in 1669, and continue their good work today.

- Patron Saint Index
___________________

Ruth 2:1 – 4:17

Now Naomi had a kinsman on her husband’s side, well-to-do and of Elimelech’s clan. His name was Boaz.

Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, ‘Let me go into the fields and glean among the ears of corn in the footsteps of some man who will look on me with favour’. And she said to her, ‘Go, my daughter’. So she set out and went to glean in the fields after the reapers. And it chanced that she came to that part of the fields which belonged to Boaz of Elimelech’s clan.

Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Listen, my daughter, and understand this. You are not to glean in any other field, do not leave here but stay with my servants. Keep your eyes on whatever part of the field they are reaping and follow behind. I have ordered my servants not to molest you. And if you are thirsty, go to the pitchers and drink what the servants have drawn.’ Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground. And she said to him, ‘How have I so earned your favour that you take notice of me, even though I am a foreigner?’ And Boaz answered her, I have been told all you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband’s death, and how you left your own father and mother and the land where you were born to come among a people whom you knew nothing about before you came here.’

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. And when they came together, the Lord made her conceive and she bore a son. And the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the Lord who has not left the dead man without next of kin this day to perpetuate his name in Israel. The child will be a comfort to you and the prop of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you and is more to you than seven sons has given him birth.’ And Naomi took the child to her own bosom and she became his nurse.

And the women of the neighbourhood gave him a name. ‘A son has been born for Naomi’ they said; and they named him Obed. This was the father of David’s father, Jesse.
____________________

Matthew 23:1-12

Then 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.
____________________

We are called to be humble in all our actions for it is in humility do we realise our dependence on God. Ruth experienced this when she experienced the generosity of Boaz, whose field she went to glean the leftover ears of corn. However, this meant that Ruth had to go to a field where she was a complete stranger.

Ruth came from a foreign land and she knew nobody in the land of Israel. Yet she mustered the courage to go and look for food. For her to do that, she had to humble herself; to put down her pride and prejudice she had against the Israelites to go search for food.

There will be times in our lives where we have to undergo what Ruth went through; to put our pride down in order to survive. I feel that this is similar in our prayer life, we need to put down any trace of pride and submit ourselves to God; to have faith that he will keep us from harm’s way.

It is often difficult and we question why we have to undergo such suffering. We have to be patient and never lose hope that God will take care of you.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Nick Chia)
___________________

Prayer:
Lord, let our hearts be patient to listen to your voice. Grant us the humility to seek you in all our sinfulness.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the many caregivers who are often taken for granted.

Upcoming Readings:
Sun, 26 Aug – Isaiah 66:18-21; Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13; Luke 13:22-30; Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Friday, August 24 – Remember?

24 Aug – Feast of St. Bartholomew, apostle

Isn’t it strange, that today is the feast day of St. Bartholomew, but the readings do not mention him at all? Instead, they mention Nathanael. Well, that’s easily cleared up when we realise that the apostle’s name is Nathanael bar Tolomai, that is, Nathanael son of Tolomai.

He was probably a close friend of St. Philip, as his name is always mentioned in the Gospels in connection wit him, and it was Philip who brought Bartholomew to Jesus. He may have written a gospel, but it is now lost. It is mentioned in other writings of the time. He may also have preached in Asia Minor, Ethiopia, India, and Armenia. Someone did, leaving early writings behind, and local tradition says it was him.

He was martyred, flayed alive actually, at Albanpolis, Armenia.

- Patron Saint Index
____________________

Revelation 21:9-14

The angel came to speak to me, and said, “Come here and I will show you the bride that the Lamb has married.” In the spirit he took me to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond. The walls of it were of a great height, and had twelve gates; at each of the twelve gates there was an angel, and over the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; on the east there were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. The city walls stood on twelve foundation stones, each one of which bore the name of one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
____________________

John 1:45-51

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, the one about whom the prophets wrote: he is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” “From Nazareth?” said Nathanael. “Can anything good come from that place?” “Come and see,” replied Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said to him, “There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.” “How do you know me?” said Nathanael. “Before Philip came to call you,” said Jesus, “I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.” Jesus replied, “You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” And then he added, “I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.”
_____________________

There is two very important messages about the city of God hidden in today’s first reading from the Book of Revelation.

First, it tells us that the city of God, the bride of the Lamb, is founded on twelve foundations stones – the twelve apostles. The Church is founded on twelve apostles.

Second, it tells us that the city of God, the bride of the Lamb has twelve gates, which are the twelve tribes of Israel. This means that the Church can never disregard its past, which is its Jewish history. Anti-Semitism can never be part of the Church founded by Christ, on the twelve apostles.

The Gospel goes deeper into the same two important messages.

First, it tells us something about Nathanael, one of the twelve apostles, and it is true of all the apostles. The term “under the fig tree” means “studying the scriptures”. All the twelve apostles, not only Nathanael, read the scriptures and understood them, for Christ explained it to them, particularly about the passages that were about him. It is therefore useless to simply read the Bible unless we read it in light of how it was explained to the twelve apostles. This is what the Church teaches.

Second, it was Christ who explained the scriptures to them, and everything that is written in the scriptures that the apostles read i.e. the Old Testament, is written about Christ. To disregard the Old Testament is to disregard what the New Testament says about Christ; it is to forget our history, and if we forget our history, we lose the identity of our present, and we will never reach the future that has been prepared for us.

If we treasure our present Christian identity, we cannot help but treasure our Jewish past. For if we do not know even what our Jewish past tells us about sacrifice, we cannot hope to even begin to grasp the full meaning of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. If we do not know this, we cannot hope to understand why John calls Jesus the “Lamb of God”. If we do not know If we do not know the significance of the bread and wine of the Jews, we cannot hope to grasp the importance of the Eucharist.

There is so much about our Christian identity that can only be discovered by unravelling the mysteries of the past that are hidden.

Let us pray, therefore, that all Christians may reflect more on the passages in the Old Testament, so as to better understand the life of Jesus in the New Testament, and that we might all come to live as Christ lives, to love as Christ loves, in our own lives. Amen.
_____________________

Give Thanks to the Lord for: The Church that remembers.

Upcoming Readings:
Sat, 25 Aug – Ruth 2:1-3, 8-11, 4:13-17; Matthew 23:1-12; Memorial for St. Louis of France; Memorial for St. Joseph Calazanz, priest
Sun, 26 Aug – Isaiah 66:18-21; Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13; Luke 13:22-30; Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Thursday, August 23 – A Parent’s Love

23 Aug – Memorial for St. Rose of Lima, virgin

Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven. – St. Rose of Lima

St. Rose (1586-1617) was born Isabel to Spanish immigrants to the New World. She was a beautiful girl and a devoted daughter. She was so devoted to her vow of chastity that she used pepper and lye to ruin her complexion so that she would not be attractive to other men.

She lived and meditated in a garden, raising vegetables and making embroidered items to sell to support her family and help the other poor. She became a Dominican tertiary in 1606, and was a mystic and visionary. She received invisible stigmata, and suffered from assorted physical and mental ailments.

She was the first saint to be born in the Americas, and the founder of social work in Peru where she lived. She had a great devotion to St. Catherine of Siena.

She is patron against vanity; for florists and gardeners; and people ridiculed for their piety.

- Patron Saint Index
___________________

Judges 11:29-39

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and through Mizpah-Gilead as well, and from there he went on to the Ammonites. Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. “If you deliver the Ammonites into my power,” he said, “whoever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites shall belong to the Lord. I shall offer him up as a burnt offering.” Jephthah then went on to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the Lord delivered them into his power, so that he inflicted a severe defeat on them, from Aroer to the approach of Minnith (twenty cities in all) and as far as Abel-keramim. Thus were the Ammonites brought into subjection by the children of Israel.

When Jephthah returned to his house in Mizpah, it was his daughter who came forth, playing the tambourines and dancing. She was an only child: he had neither son nor daughter beside her. When he saw her, he rent his garments and said, “Alas, daughter, you have struck me down and brought calamity upon me. For I have made a vow to the Lord and I cannot retract.” She replied, “Father, you have made a vow to the Lord. Do with me as you have vowed, because the Lord has wrought vengeance for you on your enemies the Ammonites.” Then she said to her father, “Let me have this favor. Spare me for two months, that I may go off down the mountains to mourn my virginity with my companions.” “Go,” he replied, and sent her away for two months. So she departed with her companions and mourned her virginity on the mountains. At the end of the two months she returned to her father, who did to her as he had vowed.
___________________

Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables saying, “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’ Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
___________________

My thanks to Daniel for covering last Thursday’s sharing for me. My dad was admitted to the hospital for a major operation last Tuesday. It went well and the results so far are promising. My thanks to all who offered prayers and support.

Throughout this entire period, the thing that really stood out was seeing my father, the stoic support most sons see their fathers as, weakened and ill. What a reversal of roles it has been. For those my age, the bulk of our experiences of illness and parents often finds us being looked after by them when we were ill as children. They take care of us, cook for us, clothe us, etc.

The readings we have for today demonstrate what parental love is. The Gospel passage displays a grand wedding celebration. No expense is spared in the festivities and no effort is withheld in making sure there are fellows to join the merriment. At the end of the reading, the king comes across a guest who shows disrespect by not being properly outfitted for the celebration and has him bound and thrown out. The generosity shown to and defense of his son is something that comes very naturally to the king and it rubs off (or against) those around his son.

Just as raising a child is something that can bring joy to a parent, it can also bring heartbreak. Jephthah should be well aware of this. Human sacrifice is something that is anathema in Judaism and yet here we have his daughter being offered as a burnt offering. Still, he made the vow while the Spirit was upon him and so it was to be. The anguish he felt at having to offer his daughter could only have been born out of the great love he had for his only child. This also reflects the sacrifice of God the Father Himself of His Son, Jesus Christ for the rest of His children who needed to be saved.

I mentioned earlier how for many of us who are young adults, most of our memories of our parents are of them looking after us. It is also at this age though that we find that this is not always going to be the case. There will come a time when we find that our parents are going to need us to do the same things they used to do for us. One thing that is unique though is that even though what we need do for our parents may change, what they will do for us remains the same. If we fall ill now, they’ll still nurse us back to health; if we have financial difficulties, they offer assistance. All to the best of their abilities. Such is the extent of their love for us. Clearly it is simply right and good to offer them the best of our abilities.

Their offering to us of their best stems from their love for us. So for us to also offer our best to them, perhaps we can examine how much we love them.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
_____________________

Prayer:
Lord, teach us to love our parents as they love us.

Give thanks to the Lord for: Families

Upcoming Readings:
Fri, 24 Aug – Revelation 21:9b-14; John 1:45-51; Feast of St. Bartholomew, apostle
Sat, 25 Aug – Ruth 2:1-3, 8-11, 4:13-17; Matthew 23:1-12; Memorial for St. Louis of France; Memorial for St. Joseph Calazanz, priest
Sun, 26 Aug – Isaiah 66:18-21; Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13; Luke 13:22-30; Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

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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.