18 July, Tuesday — Woe To You

Tuesday of Week 15 in Ordinary Time

Exo 2:1-15
Mt 11:20-24

…she named him Moses because, she said, “I drew him out of water”.

Woe to you Chorazin. Woe to you Bethsaida. Chorazin always reminds me of chorizo sausage from NTUC Finest and Bethsaida sounds like my late grandparent’s Chinese Baptist church.

Today’s first reading from Exodus 2 is the nice story of Moses. He lived because of his mother’s love and sacrifice. She gave him up for ‘adoption’ to Pharoah’s daughter to save his life. She was ‘pro-life’. Given how abortion is becoming more accepted in today’s secular society, I am sure that if Pharoah was ruler in 2023, he need not worry too much about the Hebrew people’s overwhelming birth rate.

Abortion is indeed the new WOE of our current times. Let’s focus on Singapore. In a recent Straits Times report, it was revealed that last year’s birth rate was a record low of 35,605 since 1960. Sadly, there are around 4,000 abortions per year (an unacceptably high 11.5% of the 2022 birth rate). For Catholics, our belief is unyielding that a foetus is a living being. The ease in terminating a life is an abdomination against God’s Will.

Today’s gospel is unparalled in the Bible. It is probably one of few times that Jesus utterly rebukes and denounces others in anger. In this case, it is the three cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. Despite Jesus proving his authority by performing most of his miracles in these cities, they refuse to repent their wicked ways. Jesus is clear that those who remained so obstinate in their unbelief “will not be exalted on the day of judgement to glory in heaven. Rather (they) will descend in Hades. This passage proves unequivocally that we will all face our day of judgement, and that eternity is forever! Sadly, such clear warnings to repent have little impact in society today on abortion, even among Catholics and Christians.

As an insurance agent, I meet many new friends in order to network. Over lunch recently, I met a Catholic lady who was marrying a Protestant. She remarked that her fiance does not understand the Catholic objection to abortion or the sanctity of life. This view is so prevalent in Western Christianity (and among ‘liberal Catholics’) especially America and Europe. Even some prominent politicians who are practicing Catholics do more to undermine Catholic family values than even agnostic leaders.  

Brothers and sisters, in researching various Catholic websites for today’s reflection, I really learnt a lot more about the message within the readings. And the next time I buy chorizo sausages from NTUC, I will remember what I shared well.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Andrew Sia)

Prayer: Lord, help me to repent of my sins.

Thanksgiving: Thanks be to you for our faith. Help me bring this message to as many people as possible.