Jul 4 – Memorial for St. Elizabeth of Portugal
Elizabeth (1271-1336) was a princess with a pious upbringing who became Queen of Portugal before she was a teenager. Elizabeth suffered through years of her husband’s abuse and adultery, praying all the while for his conversion, and working with the poor and sick. She rode onto the battlefield to reconcile her family members twice; once between her husband and son when they clashed in civil war, and between her son and his son-in-law years later, preventing bloodshed. This led to her patronage as a peacemaker, and as one invoked in time of war and conflict.
- Patron Saint Index
Gen 19:15-29
Mt 8:23-27
Save us, Lord, we are going down!
Have you ever had that sinking feeling where you know you have made a huge ‘boo boo’ and that within the next few minutes (or even seconds), that scathing email or phone call from a superior or, worse still, your father/mother/in-laws will reach you? At times, in my youthful exuberance, I have been guilty of offending others with my ‘c’est la vie’ attitude towards my own mistakes and wrongdoings. For me, it is a case of having already done the crime, there is no point crying over spilt milk.
I wonder if the disciples felt more than just a sinking feeling on that boat, which was being tossed here and there by the strong, galeforce winds. It seems as if they were saying, “Why have you brought us this far, only to make us to feel frightened under your watch?”
Brothers and sisters, it can be just like that in ministry, isn’t it? For years, we labour in His vineyard and then when we encounter difficulty or, even worse, a very public airing of dirty laundry, who do we start blaming for our predicaments? For the lack of a scapegoat, may I suggest that you take out your rosary or crucifix and gaze at the sorry figure who was nailed to the cross.
Because in front of our very eyes is our ‘scapegoat’ – the one who took it upon himself to be the ultimate sacrifice for all of humankind. He who ‘went down’ for us and then rose again, so that we could live free as His sons and daughters. It is all well and good to praise and worship the Lord in good times, but when we encounter our own storms, how many of us actually look to Him in faith and trust that He will help us sail through? For many of us, we always feel the need to be in control, to be the captains of our own destinies. But put us in charge of a rudderless boat and we waver, we start blaming those around us. Worse still, we start to point the finger at God.
At a recent Corpus Christi vigil, I was blessed and privileged to have worked with different ministry members as they took turns leading praise & worship overnight. It culminated in a mass early on Sunday morning and I truly felt God’s presence as he ministered to each and every one in the auditorium. By then, any initial doubts I had in bringing everyone together over the 9 hours had dissipated as I felt His spirit washing over all of us, as we each sang our hearts out and ministered to the 100-odd attendees. And yes, one of the songs we sang that night was indeed about how good God truly is.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Desmond Soon)
Prayer: Heavenly Father, keep us faithful and focussed on the road ahead through our daily prayers and help us to see your guiding hand in all that we do.
Thanksgiving: Thank you Lord, for all the healing miracles that we give us the graces to witness in and around us.
OXYGEN 
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