Wednesday of Week 4 in Ordinary Time
Heb 12:4-7,11-15
Mk 6:1-6
“My soul, give thanks to the Lord all my being, bless his holy name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord and never forget all his blessings.”
Almost everyone that has attended the Conversion Experience Retreat (CER) would know and love this song:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul,
O my soul, worship His holy Name.
Sing like never before, O my soul.
I’ll worship Your holy name.” – 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman
It was shortly after my retreat that I found out that the inspiration for that song was Psalm 103, the psalm in today’s readings. Just imagine this, songwriter was able to pen an entire song just from the inspiration from the first 2 lines of Psalm 103. Wow! It still blows my mind away just thinking about it.
The song, 10,000 Reasons, somehow strikes a chord in almost everyone that has gone through the CER. In fact, one my fellow parishioners, has also indicated that she would like that song to be played at her funeral.
For myself, whenever I hear this song at the Catholic Spirituality Centre, tears would stream uncontrollably down my face. I never knew that I could cry so much until I attended the CER in 2015. Since that retreat, tears would start streaming whenever a hymn touches me or even after receiving the Eucharist. It’s like the Lord reminding me of His continued presence in my life or how He has always been there for me.
I know the Lord has always been there for me. I have much to give thanks to Him for He has richly blessed me and my family.
I have a loving wife that helps to keep me on the straight and narrow, who always ensures that our faith is at the centre of all we do. I have my health that allows me to do all the activities that I want to. I have been blessed that we are able to travel and see His creations in the different countries around the world. I have been blessed with the opportunity to serve Him in my parish ministries. I have also been blessed with the gifts, talents, and experiences thus far in my career.
But most of all, I give thanks to God for my faith and for Jesus, my Lord and Saviour. We are not perfect, but God accepts all of us, despite our imperfections and failures. We only have to be open to receive His grace and mercy and let God be the God in our lives.
It seems that the Lord is leading me along another path as I embark on the next phase in my career, this time in a Catholic social service organization. It’s something that I have never been exposed to, and I give thanks to God for this opportunity to be able to serve Him in a more meaningful way. To be able to spread His message of love to all that I come in contact with each day.
And despite my anxieties and the uncertainties of what may be in the future, I know that He will always be with me as I keep singing:
“The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning;
It’s time to sing Your song again.
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me,
Let me be singing when the evening comes.”
(Today’s OXYGEN by Calvin Wee)
Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are to be blessed in all ways and in all of my days. May we never forget your goodness and mercy. And may we never take your blessings for granted. Amen
Thanksgiving: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the many blessings in our lives. We know that it is sometimes difficult to see Your plan for us but we humbly ask for the gift of your Holy Spirit to inspire us and to guide us along the right path. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for everything. Amen.
OXYGEN 
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