Monday of Week 22 in Ordinary Time
1 Ths 4:13-18
Lk 4:16-30
With such thoughts as these you should comfort one another.
The first reading of today holds a special place in my life, because it was the commonly used reading whenever I used to serve Mass as an altar server. It always struck me as a very abstract reading to the bereaved who have to cope with the loss of a loved one. Perhaps some may have had time to mentally prepare whilst for others, the death could have happened suddenly. Nonetheless, death always takes a lot out of the living as seen by the sobbing and tears.
I have always wondered what those tears meant. Do they mean an expression of feeling lost that the person is no longer with them? The reality is that death can come upon us at an instance. The struggle we face then is to adopt a perspective of life, which requires us to live in a way which we will consider a fulfilled life. This will allow us to leave the world without much regrets. However, this might be a re-consideration of the priorities in our life.
Most people spend their time at work because of the demands of the job. Yet I have seen in the short span of my working life, the ease in which employers replace an employee who has resigned at the immediate instant. The adage that “nobody is indispensable” suggests that we need to re-orientate our lives in another direction. This could be towards spending time with the people whom we love dearly and closely.
As morbid as it seems, I would like tears to be shed at my funeral. But I would like these tears be an expression of one’s joy which I have received my eternal reward, instead of an expression of one’s sorrow that there was not much time spent together. Let us not grieve about those who have died in Jesus.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
Prayer: Jesus, let me accept the frailty of life and use it as strength to spread your word.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks to all who work in palliative care.
OXYGEN 
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