30 November – Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle
Andrew was the first Apostle of Jesus Christ. He was a fisherman by trade, and the brother of Simon Peter. He was a follower of John the Baptist. Andrew went through life leading people to Jesus, both before and after the Crucifixion. He was a missionary in Asia Minor and Greece, and possibly areas in modern Russia and Poland. He was martyred on a saltire (x-shaped) cross, and is said to have preached for two days from it.
– Patron Saint Index
Rm 10:9-18
Mt 4:18-22
Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.
I recently changed cars, having decided that I would purchase a livelier yet more affordable one than my outgoing ride. I settled on a ten-year old Japanese car with a manual transmission. God really blessed the entire process — the car was in good condition, accident-free, and had just undergone a full engine overhaul. It feels brand new!
Interestingly, it isn’t a pleasant car to drive in traffic or at very slow speeds. There is little sound insulation, and the suspension is very firm. The engine has very little torque in the lower RPM bands and really needs to be worked hard to get the car moving. However, on stretches of winding roads or on the highways, the car comes alive.
The suspension and handling tighten up, the increased aerodynamic forces plant the car firmly on the tarmac, and the engine sonorously and eagerly revs to right up to its limit. It truly is transformed once it is worked hard and pushed aggressively. The car reaches its full potential.
And this is the message that God has been trying to bring across to me. Opting for an easy life, or one where we merely cruise along, is not the most satisfying way to live. We short change ourselves, and the beneficiaries of our gifts, when we do not fully evolve into the creations that God wants us to be. The process can be arduous and long, with stress and pain along the way. But when we function at our limits, when our bodies, hearts, minds, and consciousness are joyfully aligned, we begin to discover just how unfathomably vast the possibilities of life are.
Brothers and sisters, I invite you to dig a little deeper, push a little harder, and grow a little faster in the days to come. Life is certainly more fun in sixth gear.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Anonymous)
Prayer: Dearest Lord, may we become fully alive in the days ahead. Grant us the courage to constantly push our limits.
Thanksgiving: Thank you, Jesus, for making us just the way we should be.
OXYGEN 
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