OXYGEN

06 Sep - Saturday in the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

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1 Cor 4:6b-15

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

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

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Luke 6:1-5

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

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Why are you doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?

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

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

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

(Today’s sharing by Jean Cheng)

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

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

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Upcoming readings:

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

05 Sep - Friday in the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

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1 Cor 4:1-5

People must think of us as Christ’s servants, stewards entrusted with the mysteries of God. What is expected of stewards is that each one should be found worthy of his trust. Not that it makes the slightest difference to me whether you, or indeed any human tribunal, find me worthy or not. I will not even pass judgement on myself. True, my conscience does not reproach me at all, but that does not prove that I am acquitted: the Lord alone is my judge. There must be no passing of premature judgement. Leave that until the Lord comes; he will light up all that is hidden in the dark and reveal the secret intentions of men’s hearts. Then will be the time for each one to have whatever praise he deserves, from God. 

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Luke 5:33-39

They then said to Jesus, ‘John’s disciples are always fasting and saying prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees too, but yours go on eating and drinking.’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely you cannot make the bridegroom’s attendants fast while the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come, the time for the bridegroom to be taken away from them; that will be the time when they will fast.’

He also told them this parable, ‘No one tears a piece from a new cloak to put it on an old cloak; if he does, not only will he have torn the new one, but the piece taken from the new will not match the old.

‘And nobody puts new wine into old skins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and then run out, and the skins will be lost. No; new wine must be put into fresh skins. And nobody who has been drinking old wine wants new. “The old is good” he says.’

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Do not make any judgment before the appointed time.

There are two main kinds of judgment that exist: judgment of the person and judgment of the person’s actions. It is very hard to separate the two; however, we must keep praying for the ability to separate the two because we must be able to judge actions (we must know what is right from wrong), but we must never judge the person (i.e., condemn someone). The judgment that St. Paul speaks of in the first reading refers to judgment of people, including ourselves.

Personally, I find it very easy to judge and condemn myself. When I have said something silly, the voice in my mind repeatedly taunts, “Why are you so stupid?!” When I have failed to do something, I immediately label myself as ‘selfish’, ‘proud’, etc. The irony is that we tend to believe that by putting ourselves down, we would become less complacent and strive for improvement. However, more often than not, we trap ourselves in a vicious cycle where the more we judge ourselves, the more we reject ourselves, and the more helpless we become - until we eventually give up on improving ourselves.

We must remember that we are not called to be judges of human character; this is a role that is reserved only for God at the end of time. Since we are not God, we are not competent enough to judge anyone. Let us surrender our habit of judging both ourselves and others to the one true judge and remember that until the end of our lives, we are free from any judgment and condemnation. God reserves all judgment until the appointed time. Till then, every day presents a brand new opportunity to grow, change, live, and love.

(Today’s sharing by Jean Cheng)

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Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, forgive me for the many times when I have passed judgment on others and myself. Help me to surrender this habit of judging to you and to trust in your grace and mercy for me.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to God for always trying His best to free us from our worldly ways.

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Upcoming readings:

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

04 Sep - Thursday in the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

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1 Cor 3:18-23

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

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Luke 5:1-11

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

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

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

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Do not be afraid.

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

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

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

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

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

(Today’s sharing by Jean Cheng)

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

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

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Upcoming readings:

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

03 Sep - Wednesday in the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time; St Gregory the Great, Pope, Doctor of the Church

St. Gregory (540-590) collected the melodies and plain chant so associated with him that they are now known as Gregorian Chants. He was elected by unanimous acclamation for pope. Incidentally, he was also the first monk to be pope. Before his papacy, he turned his home into a Benedictine monastery, and used his money to build six monasteries in Sicily and one in Rome. He became a missionary to England upon seeing English children being sold in the Roman Forum.

- Patron Saints Index

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1 Cor 3:1-9

Brothers, I myself was unable to speak to you as people of the Spirit: I treated you as sensual men, still infants in Christ. What I fed you with was milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it; and indeed, you are still not ready for it since you are still unspiritual. Isn’t that obvious from all the jealousy and wrangling that there is among you, from the way that you go on behaving like ordinary people? What could be more unspiritual than your slogans, ‘I am for Paul’ and ‘I am for Apollos’?

After all, what is Apollos and what is Paul? They are servants who brought the faith to you. Even the different ways in which they brought it were assigned to them by the Lord. I did the planting, Apollos did the watering, but God made things grow. Neither the planter nor the waterer matters: only God, who makes things grow. It is all one who does the planting and who does the watering, and each will duly be paid according to his share in the work. We are fellow workers with God; you are God’s farm, God’s building.

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Luke 4:38-44

Leaving the synagogue Jesus went to Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever and they asked him to do something for her. Leaning over her he rebuked the fever and it left her. And she immediately got up and began to wait on them.

At sunset all those who had friends suffering from diseases of one kind or another brought them to him, and laying his hands on each he cured them. Devils too came out of many people, howling, ‘You are the Son of God.’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ.

When daylight came he left the house and made his way to a lonely place. The crowds went to look for him, and when they had caught up with him they wanted to prevent him leaving them, but he answered, ‘I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do.’ And he continued his preaching in the synagogues of Judaea.

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The one who plants and the one who waters are equal…

I have a friend who I used to be very envious of for she was everything that I wanted to be - her grace, her intelligence, her compassion, her articulation, and so much more. I used to observe her and wish that I would become more like her. Yet, in wanting to become more like her, I found myself disliking myself more and growing more disheartened.

In today’s first reading, St Paul reminds us that we are all equal in the eyes of God. He reminds us that we must surrender all jealousy and rivalry and realize that God does not look at us the way the world does. Unlike our world which measures our worth with a checklist (where the more criteria we fulfill, the more successful and worthy we are), God tells us that a mother who feeds her children is equal to Mother Teresa who feeds masses of people. Since we are all called to different duties, we are not judged on the prestige of the duty we have been given. Rather, we are judged on how well we fulfil our duties, as small as they may be.

After surrendering my desire to be like this friend to God and accepting that I have a unique and special role to play (even though I may not do as much as she does), I began to find more joy and love for life and for myself. I began to look for ways where I could contribute uniquely rather than imitating everything my friend did. Of course, there are still times when I still compare myself to other people; this struggle is part of the cross I have to carry. Nonetheless, our God is a compassionate, understanding, loving and merciful God who does not ask for instant successes. All He seeks is a heart is a wiling heart.

(Today’s sharing by Jean Cheng)

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Prayer: Holy Spirit, change my heart so that I may grow in the freedom that comes with accepting that everyone in this world is equal in your eyes.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to God for the freedom that He gives us by telling us that we are equal.

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Upcoming readings:

Thu, 04 Sep - 1 Cor 3:18-23; Luke 5:1-11
Fri, 05 Sep - 1 Cor 4:1-5; Luke 5:33-39
Sat, 06 Sep - 1 Cor 4:6b-15; Luke 6:1-5
Sun, 07 Sep - Ezekiel 33:7-9; Romans 13:8-10, Matthew 15:15-20; Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

02 Sep - Tuesday in the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

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1 Cor 2:10b-16

These are the very things that God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit reaches the depths of everything, even the depths of God. After all, the depths of a man can only be known by his own spirit, not by any other man, and in the same way the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God. Now instead of the spirit of the world, we have received the Spirit that comes from God, to teach us to understand the gifts that he has given us. Therefore we teach, not in the way in which philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us: we teach spiritual things spiritually.

An unspiritual person is one who does not accept anything of the Spirit of God: he sees it all as nonsense; it is beyond his understanding because it can only be understood by means of the Spirit. A spiritual man, on the other hand, is able to judge the value of everything, and his own value is not to be judged by other men. As scripture says: Who can know the mind of the Lord, so who can teach him? But we are those who have the mind of Christ.

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Luke 4:31-37

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He cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually.

Today, there is greater recognition that psychology is able to help us understand and improve human welfare and behavior. Many trust in psychological research because it appears objective and has quantitative numbers to support its claims. On the other hand, anything to do with one’s spiritual well-being/health simply is dismissed by the secular world because spirituality is unobservable; hence, the world believes it is unscientific and unreal. Such a view is certainly challenging to us who are trying to hold on to our faith.

Nonetheless, we may take comfort in seeing how the field of psychology has changed over the years. Where people once believed that human behaviour was based solely on observable behavior (i.e., a theory of behaviourism), other researchers soon realized that human behavior is also linked to the mind and unobservable behavior (i.e., theory of cognition). Over and over again, psychology changes according to new findings and limitations in previous theories. Could it be that one day the field of psychology might realize that human beings have a strong spiritual component within them?

Such limitations in the world’s knowledge gives us, believers in Christ, more reason to hold on to our faith. After all, even the field of psychology (which is closest to understanding human beings) has no absolute answers and explanations for every question to do with human beings and human behaviour. Therefore, when we are mocked for a spiritual faith which contradicts the current knowledge of the world, let us remember that the world’s knowledge is limited but God’s wisdom and love is total and absolute. Let us hold steadfast to the moments in our lives where we have been touched by God and tell Him, “I choose to believe in you.”.

(Today’s sharing by Jean Cheng)

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Prayer: Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to God for those moments when our hearts have been open to receive Him, know Him, and love Him.

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Upcoming readings:
Wed, 03 Sep - 1 Cor 3:1-9; Luke 4:38-44; St Gregory the Great, Pope, Doctor of the Church
Thu, 04 Sep - 1 Cor 3:18-23; Luke 5:1-11
Fri, 05 Sep - 1 Cor 4:1-5; Luke 5:33-39
Sat, 06 Sep - 1 Cor 4:6b-15; Luke 6:1-5
Sun, 07 Sep - Ezekiel 33:7-9; Romans 13:8-10, Matthew 15:15-20; Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

01 Sep - Monday in the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

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1 Cor 2:1-5

As for me, brothers, when I came to you, it was not with any show of oratory or philosophy, but simply to tell you what God had guaranteed. During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ. Far from relying on any power of my own, I came among you in great ‘fear and trembling’ and in my speeches and the sermons that I gave, there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of the Spirit. And I did this so that your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God.

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Luke 4:16-30

Jesus came to Nazara, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written:

The spirit of the Lord has been given to me,
for he has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives
and to the blind new sight,
to set the downtrodden free,
to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.

He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’ And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips.

They said, ‘This is Joseph’s son, surely?’ But he replied, ‘No doubt you will quote me the saying, “Physician, heal yourself” and tell me, “We have heard all that happened in Capernaum, do the same here in your own countryside”.’ And he went on, ‘I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country.
‘There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town. And in the prophet Elisha’s time there were many lepers in Israel, but none of these was cured, except the Syrian, Naaman.’

When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him down the cliff, but he slipped through the crowd and walked away

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No prophet is accepted in his own native place.

I often find it very sad that our country, Singapore, has a culture which favours foreign talent more than our own local talents. Taking the music industry as an example, singers like Stephanie Sun and Kit Chan had to begin their singing careers in China and Taiwan before we, Singaporeans, accepted them as ‘legitimate’ good singers. In contrast, singers who start out their career in our local market are often mocked and ridicule. Sadly, while many of us know that our attitude towards local talents is flawed yet we persist in our attitudes and refuse to change our mindset. (I am not pointing my fingers at anyone because I, myself, am guilty of this.)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus experienced the same thing. He was welcomed by foreigners whose hearts were open to receive Him. As a result, He was able to perform miracles in their lives. Unfortunately, however, He was rejected by His own hometown and was, therefore, unable to touch their lives with his healing powers and teachings.

Knowing that even God needed acceptance before His talents and gifts could be revealed, let us pray for a change in our mentality to recognize that we have talents in our midst. For just as Jesus needed hearts which were opened in order to share His powers, teachings, healings and love, our brothers and sisters also need our hearts to be opened before they can share their talents and gifts with us.

(Today’s sharing by Jean Cheng)

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Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and eyes to recognize the heavenly gifts and talents you have given to us and to those who are close to us so that we might be able to both share our gifts and receive others gifts.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for the different talents and gifts He has given to every person.

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Upcoming readings:
Tue, 02 Sep - 1 Cor 2:10b-16; Luke 4:31-37
Wed, 03 Sep - 1 Cor 3:1-9; Luke 4:38-44; St Gregory the Great, Pope, Doctor of the Church
Thu, 04 Sep - 1 Cor 3:18-23; Luke 5:1-11
Fri, 05 Sep - 1 Cor 4:1-5; Luke 5:33-39
Sat, 06 Sep - 1 Cor 4:6b-15; Luke 6:1-5
Sun, 07 Sep - Ezekiel 33:7-9; Romans 13:8-10, Matthew 15:15-20; Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

August 31, Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Jeremiah 20:7-9

You have seduced me, the Lord, and I have let myself be seduced;
you have overpowered me: you were the stronger.
I am a daily laughing-stock,
everybody’s butt.
Each time I speak the word, I have to howl
and proclaim: ‘Violence and ruin!’
The word of the Lord has meant for me
insult, derision, all day long.
I used to say, ‘I will not think about him,
I will not speak in his name any more.’
Then there seemed to be a fire burning in my heart,
imprisoned in my bones.
The effort to restrain it wearied me,
I could not bear it.
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Romans 12:1-2

Think of God’s mercy, my brothers, and worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy of thinking beings, by offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to God. Do not model yourselves on the behaviour of the world around you, but let your behaviour change, modelled by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do.

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Matthew 16:21-27

From that time Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, to be put to death and to be raised up on the third day. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him. ‘Heaven preserve you, Lord;’ he said ‘this must not happen to you.’

But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’ Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?

‘For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour.’

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Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says that we, who wish to follow Him, must deny ourselves. What does denying ourselves mean? Denying ourselves can be done in many ways. For example, it could be to control yourself from over-eating. It could be to restrain yourself from cursing the bus-driver who did not wait for you. It could also be to refrain from engaging in sexual activities that do not glorify God. In a nutshell, denying yourself means saying “no” to the temptation to sin (by being selfish, indulgent, lustful, etc.) and saying “yes” to God.

This process of saying “no” to yourself and saying “yes” to God is not easy at all. Jesus acknowledges the difficulty when He said that we would have to take up our crosses to follow Him. Yes, just as the image of a cross is one that is heavy, burdensome, inconvenient and painful, so our journey as followers of Christ entails much suffering, inconveniences, pain, and difficulty. Nonetheless, if Jesus is right in telling us that carrying our crosses would not be easy, then He must be right when He says that those of us who carry our crosses would eventually find life. Rather than paying attention to only one part of Jesus’ words, we must, instead, focus on the full promise that Christ has made to us: we who lose our lives for God would eventually find life to the fullest.

Hence, if you are feeling the pain of suffering for the sake of God today, hold on firmly to His promise that after you have endured the pains of denying yourself, you will find life and joy to the fullest. The greatest guarantee that God never lies is that Christ, Himself, bore His cross and was ultimately raised from the dead in a glorified state. Let us, therefore, step forward in courage knowing that our God who has gone before us to show us the way, walks beside us to guide us in this very moment.

(Today’s sharing by Jean Cheng)

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Prayer: Lord, help me to find meaning and joy in my cross.

Thanksgiving: Thank you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for enduring your cross and sufferings for my sake.

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Upcoming readings:
Mon, 01 Sep - 1 Cor 2:1-5; Luke 4:16-30
Tue, 02 Sep - 1 Cor 2:10b-16; Luke 4:38-44
Wed, 03 Sep - 1 Cor 3:1-9; Luke 4:38-44; St Gregory the Great, Pope, Doctor of the Church
Thu, 04 Sep - 1 Cor 3:18-23; Luke 5:1-11
Fri, 05 Sep - 1 Cor 4:1-5; Luke 5:33-39
Sat, 06 Sep - 1 Cor 4:6b-15; Luke 6:1-5
Sun, 07 Sep - Ezekiel 33:7-9; Romans 13:8-10, Matthew 15:15-20; Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

August 30, Saturday in the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time

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1 Corinthians 1:26 - 31

Take yourselves for instance, brothers, at the time when you were called: how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came from noble families?

No, it was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything.

The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: if anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord.
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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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You should have deposited my money

One Sunday Mass as the congregation of my parish was reciting the Creed we were stopped by the celebrant and made to restart. We were all speaking at different rates. The Creed sounded like a cacophony. The priest promptly stopped us, gave us a ticking off and had us go through it again, this time with him leading. I must say I did not like an open admonishment from a priest. Probably none of us did. Such public telling off would normally spark resentment. I doubt though that any of us felt that way. It was a timely and necessary since we were clearly wrong. After that day, the Creed is recited more or less in time.

Throughout the week we have seen a contrast between the first readings and the Gospel passages. Whereas the first readings are mild in tone and are full of praise and kind words, the Gospel passages contain many less than heart-warming phrases. Yet they do not contradict each other but work together to spell out one message. It is a clear illustration that sometimes strong words are needed to drive home the point. Take today’s Gospel passage where the servant who seemed to do nothing wrong was punished severely. This was because he placed his own needs before his master’s.

Turning the other check and affirming others are part of being Christian. However, Christian communities tend to become caught up in this and overly nice such that no one likes to point out others’ mistakes or display doubts. Another important aspect of Christianity is the need to chastise so that others may grow better. Sisters and brothers, let us be strong in Christ and not be afraid to both give and receive meaningful criticism.

(Today’s reflection by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer: We pray for mouths that speak truth not hypocrisy.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for keeping us in line.

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Upcoming readings:
Sun, 31 Aug - Jeremiah 20:7-9; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27; Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

29 Aug - Friday in the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time; Martyrdom of St John the Baptist

To endure temporal agonies for the sake of the truth was not a heavy burden for such men as John; rather is was easily borne and even desirable, for he knew eternal joy would be his reward. Since death was ever at hand, such men considered it a blessing to embrace it and thus gain the reward of eternal life by acknowledging Christ’s name. Hence the apostle Paul rightly says: “You have been granted the privilege not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for his sake.” He tells us why it is Christ’s gift that his chosen ones should suffer for him: “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.”

- from a homily by Saint Bede the Venerable on the death of John the Baptist

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1 Corinthians 1:17-25

Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the Good News, and not to preach that in the terms of philosophy in which the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed. The language of the cross may be illogical to those who are not on the way to salvation, but those of us who are on the way see it as God’s power to save. As scripture says: I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing all the learning of the learned. Where are the philosophers now? Where are the scribes? Where are any of our thinkers today?

Do you see now how God has shown up the foolishness of human wisdom? If it was God’s wisdom that human wisdom should not know God, it was because God wanted to save those who have faith through the foolishness of the message that we preach. And so, while the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ; to the Jews an obstacle that they cannot get over, to the pagans madness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

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Mark 6:17-29

Jesus said, ‘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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God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom

Who likes to miss a bus? It is annoying to see one pulling out of the stop just as you are reaching it. Even more frustrating is being one of the stragglers left behind trying to get onto a bus almost reaching capacity. I have found myself in such a position many times, envying those who managed to get on. It may not be a comfortable ride standing and squeezing at awkward positions but when one if late, there isn’t much other choice. Then comes another bus less than a minute later, completely empty and it brings a smile. Missing that first bus was a blessing in disguise.

Today’s readings speak on how Christianity defies normal human wisdom and conventions. Take the bridesmaids in the Gospel passage. The groom would be arriving in no time. No need to bother with the unnecessary extra weight on an oil flask. Who would have thought the bridegroom would be late. Blessed were those bride maids who did bring extra oil even though it was not clear it would even be used at first. This is what Paul means when he confesses our preaching of a crucified Christ. Following a man who was sentenced to death like a criminal? Totally illogical. But what seemed like the darkest day was actually the most triumphant; this was also a man who rose from the dead and brought salvation from sins.

Not everything that happens in our lives is clearly to our liking. We can get annoyed with people, angry at circumstances and frustrated with God. In spite of all this, every event is a learning opportunity for us to garner blessings from God if we only open ourselves to ponder on Him in those moments. My sisters and brothers, how many blessings in disguise can you see around you?

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer: We pray for open eyes to see God all around us.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for His “foolish” sacrifice.

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Upcoming Readings:
Sat, 30 Aug - 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 25:14-30
Sun, 31 Aug - Jeremiah 20:7-9; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27; Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

28 Aug - Thursday in the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time; St Augustine, bishop, doctor

After investigating and experimenting with several philosophies, St Augustine (354-430) 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 Saint Ambrose of Milan, who baptized him. Upon the death of his mother he returned to Africa, sold his property, gave the proceeds to the poor, and founded a monastery. He founded religious communities and fought heresies. 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.

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1 Corinthians 1:1-9

I, Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle, together with brother Sosthenes, send greetings to the church of God in Corinth, to the holy people of Jesus Christ, who are called to take their place among all the saints everywhere who pray to our Lord Jesus Christ; for he is their Lord no less than ours. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace.

I never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ. I thank him that you have been enriched in so many ways, especially in your teachers and preachers; the witness to Christ has indeed been strong among you so that you will not be without any of the gifts of the Spirit while you are waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed; and he will keep you steady and without blame until the last day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, because God by calling you has joined you to his Son, Jesus Christ; and God is faithful.

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Matthew 24:42-51

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 him over 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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At the time of this writing I am about to return to complete my National Service after having disrupted my service six years before for university studies. It is something that filled me with feelings of uncertainty. For one, I was leaving the laboratory in which I had spent three years. Ironically, that actually made things easier. My laboratory mates organized a farewell dinner which made me feel very blessed. My usually stoic supervisor made a particularly startling remark. He said that he wished I would be able to stay and continue but understood that I had to go do my duty. Those words brought me a lot of peace.

The city of Corinth was a metropolis with thriving commerce and culture. It was also known for immorality and diverse religions. The church in Corinth clearly had a hard time surrounded by all these influences. If they ever felt uncertain about becoming Christian, well who could blame them? Paul’s letter to the community begins an assurance of the blessings that they have and will continue to receive if they only remain steadfast in the face of uncertainty. This was their mission as Christians. We see a parallel in the Gospel passage, in the preparedness of those servants who become uncertain, doubtful and then complacent, and those servants who kept to their tasks.

Life in the modern world is not always congruent or compatible with Christian teachings. Those of us who follow Jesus may find ourselves disheartened on many occasions. It is during moments like these when we must remember the blessings that God has already bestowed on us. Brothers and sisters, let us stay strong and look forward to even more blessings to come.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Aloysius Ting)
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Prayer: We pray that we will never forget the graces of God.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to the Lord for affirmations.

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Upcoming Readings:
Fri, 29 Aug - 1 Corinthians 1:17-25; Mark 6:17-29; Memorial for the Martyrdom of John the Baptist
Sat, 30 Aug - 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 25:14-30

Sun, 31 Aug - Jeremiah 20:7-9; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27; Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time