Aug 22 – Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Whoever, therefore, reverences the Queen of heaven and earth – and let no one consider himself exempt from this tribute of a grateful and loving soul – let him invoke the most effective of Queens, the Mediatrix of Peace; let him respect and preserve peace, which is not wickedness unpunished nor freedom without restraint; but a well-ordered harmony under the rule of the will of God; to its safeguarding and growth, the gentle urgings and commands of the Virgin Mary impel us.
– Pope Pius XII
Jgs 6:11-24
Mt 19:23-30
“Go in the strength now upholding you, and you will rescue Israel from the power of Midian. Do I not send you myself?”
I reflect on today’s readings, and I wonder, what it was like for Gideon or the disciples to say ‘Yes’ when the Lord called upon them with some ‘absurd’ suggestions.
Gideon was minding his own business, harvesting and washing grain at the winepress when the angel of the Lord appeared to him, and the Lord asked Gideon,“Go in the strength now upholding you, and you will rescue Israel from the power of Midian. Do I not send you myself?” (Judges 6:13).
When Jesus called his first disciples, He was strolling along the Sea of Galilee and spotting fishermen, Peter and Andrew, called out to them, “Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19).
Gideon did put up a bit of resistance when asked by the angel. He probably would have said something like, “Who? Me? Sorry wrong number….Doh wan, doh wan.” (if he were Singaporean) meaning “Who? Me? I don’t think so.”
On the other hand, Peter and Andrew, without hesitation, immediately gave up their professions as fishermen, left their nets and followed Jesus.
What sort of ludicrous calling is this? Would you have said ‘Yes!” to this complete stranger and followed him? I would probably say “Siow ah?” meaning “Are you crazy?
Yet, many of us pray and ask the Lord to lead us and guide us. But, do we really know what we are praying for? Are we ready and willing to say ‘Yes!” when He calls? Or are we those who respond with “Yes Lord, ok, but later….” Later, when I have completed my studies, gotten my degree, masters, and obtained my PhD (our dear Cardinal refers to this as ‘Permanent Head Damage’), built my career, established my family, etc…
And for those of us with deeper faith or have mustered up the courage to say ‘Yes’, have your lives been turned upside down, right side up and have you gone down paths and journeys you would never have imagined? Yup, when the Lord calls, the journey is not a walk in the park, never a straight road, but through some really winding and sometimes messy difficult terrains. Have you, like Gideon asked “If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?”
Years ago, fresh from the high of a retreat, I had the most stupendous encounter with the Lord. Over time, my life changed, my outlook to life changed and I no longer desired to live in the world I existed in for over 28 years – the world in which people measured their success through the 5Cs (cash, car, credit card, condominium and country club membership);, add another 3C – cut, carat and clarity. As I grew older, I felt some of these Cs were meaningless and downright silly.
I prayed the Suscipe – Prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all I have and call my own.
You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, that is enough for me.
Brothers and sisters, it is indeed a powerful prayer. Someone once told me that I must be prepared for what I ask for. Boy, was I not prepared. My life was indeed turned upside down. What the Lord asked of me was painful and hard. The days were dark, many instances and events culminated in me being thrown into depths of despair and depression. I remember speaking to my priest friend, and he told me “Your ‘Yes’, will lead to many more ‘Yes’-es.” And he was right. That first ‘Yes’ led me to more… and more… And yes, it was hard.
Today’s gospel reading challenges us to be detached. Christ is calling us to be detached from our earthly possessions, our relationships, families, and occupations; that if He calls us to anything else, we will go.
Christ calls us to be attached to Him and Him alone. What are you attached to? What are you unwilling to give up for the sake of Christ? What matters, great or small, do you bring before God? Are you ready to put down your nets and follow Christ?
(Today’s OXYGEN by Geraldine Nah)
Prayer: Lord, help me to look into my heart and recognize the things that I am more attached to than to You. Help me Lord, to place you first, in the place of that attachment today. Give me the strength and the courage to say ‘Yes’, over and over again.
Thanksgiving: Thank you Jesus, for loving me.
OXYGEN 
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