Sep 14 – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
The feast was celebrated in Rome before the end of the 7th century. Its purpose is to commemorate the recovering of that portion of the Holy Cross which was preserved at Jerusalem, and which had fallen into the hands of the Persians. Emperor Heraclius recovered this precious relic and brought it back to Jerusalem on 3 May 629.
- Patron Saint Index
Phi 2:6-11
Jn 3:13-17
…yet Christ Jesus did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave…
You will encounter Type A personalities everywhere. At work, while commuting, and even in your social circles. These people talk loudly, insist on having their own way, and believe they are right.
While such people bulldoze their way through life and attain leadership positions, the experience of interacting with them has made me reflect on how one can be Christ-like and still stand one’s ground in our competitive world. Especially when it is so tempting to fight fire with fire and lock horns with aggressors.
In spite of all his greatness, Christ never sought to dominate, nor craved adulation. He was humble yet persistent; speaking through his actions rather than his words. He was also adept at picking the battles he would fight, while ignoring matters that were insignificant. Why is it that we struggle so much to be like Him?
I believe that in part, we have a scarcity mindset. If power, money, time, and influence are finite — we should struggle to grab whatever we can. Life in a capitalist society becomes all about competition.
But if were to take a longer view of things, our time in the life is infinitesimal, relative to the eternity that we will spend with Christ after our earthly journey is over. There is only abundance in God’s heavenly presence. While enjoying all the things that we missed out in this life is not what the afterlife is about, it is comforting to know that we will not want for anything and will experience unimaginable joy.
Just like how we endure workouts to reap the health benefits after, and how we spend carefully to guarantee a comfortable retirement, perhaps we can also go through this life in a Christ-like way — by focussing on what is truly important, and by being kinder to others.
As we reflect on our successes and failures, may we always strive to always do better in a spirit of service and humility.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Gregory Mathew)
Prayer: We ask you dear Lord, to keep us humble in spite of all our achievements. May we always realise that we have so much more to learn from you and from others.
Thanksgiving: We are grateful for the chances to pick ourselves up after we fail. Thank you for your unceasing patience and grace.
OXYGEN 
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