Jun 27 – Memorial for St. Cyril of Alexandria, bishop and Doctor of the Church
Cyril (376–444) was the nephew of Theophilus the Patriarch. He was a monk and a priest who became Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt in 412, and later the Patriarch of Alexandria. He suppressed the Novatians. He worked at the Council of Ephesus. He fought against Nestorius who taught the heresy that there were two persons in Christ.
He was a catechetical writer, and wrote a book opposing Julian the Apostate. He is a Greek Father of the Church, and is a Doctor of the Church.
- Patron Saint Index
Gn 13:2,5-18
Mt 7:6,12-14
“Enter by the narrow gate…”
The readings of today remind me of the adage, “not all that glitters is gold.” We read in the first reading that Lot chose the Jordan plain as it appeared to be a land of fertility for his flocks. Indeed, I dare say that if I was put in Lot’s shoes, I might have done the same too because I trust my senses too much. Most of us would think that Abram was a fool for letting Lot choose the better part; after all, Lot was Abram’s nephew and those who are senior would be presumed to have the better part.
However, God had other plans for Abram. Lot chose what his eyes could see, but God granted Abram all the land within sight! Abram trusted in the Lord to take care of his needs. I feel this message speaks to all of us today. We often pray to God for what we want, but God gives us what we need. Sometimes, God’s answer is not what we expect but I can share that it is certainly what we need. Some may ask why do we have to go through so much pain? There have been many articles written by top scholars about this matter. My view is that pain allows us to understand that we are not infallible, and are reliant on God. I find that it is during the times of my successes and moments of glory where I begin to lose my sense of reliance on God.
Jesus reminds us that we need to enter by the narrow gate. Entering by the narrow gate requires us to trim away the ‘fat’ of sin. Just as every health advisory asks that we increase our frequency and intensity of physical exercise, we also can increase our ‘spiritual’ exercises. One way is through the spiritual acts of mercy, which allow us to help others undergo the necessary correction and draw themselves closer to God. Perhaps we could also take time to choose one of the spiritual acts of mercy for ourselves to become closer to God.
I find the spiritual act of mercy of ‘bearing wrongs patiently’ to be a suitable way to remain reliant on God. It allows me to see that I am not a ‘Mr Know-it-all’ and that I need to develop patience. It is only through patience that will allow me to remain grounded in faith and allow the plan of God to unfold in our lives. May you discover your own spiritual act of mercy, which will enable you to trust in God.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
Prayer: Jesus, I trust in you.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all who counsel the doubtful.
OXYGEN 
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