Friday of Week 24 in Ordinary Time
1 Tim 6:2-12
Lk 8:1-3
“Compete well for the faith.”
I live in Singapore, where the people are well-known for their ‘kiasu’ attitude, or loosely defined as “scared to lose”. In a way, I suppose, it has served the country well — despite being a small ‘red dot’ on the map, we are consistently amongst the top in a lot of things, like the best airport in the world, or the best airline carrier, to name a few. Being a small country means that we have a lot more to prove on the world stage; we have to put in so much more just to get noticed and to stand out amongst the crowd. But at the end of the day, we let the quality of our service and offerings speak for themselves. We are tops not because we say so, but because others say so; others who have witnessed Singapore at its best.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful though if one could say the same for our faith? How much effort do we put in for our faith? We strive to be the best in competitions and at work and school; what if we did the same for God? There are no accolades or applause though, no banners that shout out “Best in Class”. That is not how God operates. Our accolade is in heaven, our reward is everlasting life which, as today’s reading reminds us, we were called to when we professed our faith in Christ Jesus.
We may be ‘small’ in our own way, a seemingly insignificant member of the sprawling billion inhabitants in the world. Yes, there is so much to prove just to stand out, but the competition for faith is a different one. In the spirit of ‘kiasu-ness’, be scared to lose out, not to one another, to but to lose out on our place in heaven. Be scared to be left out when the bridegroom arrives, and we are caught unprepared to receive him. The competition is not about the volume of our work, but by the spirit of it. Let our works speak for us. “Pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness”, says today’s reading. Let people see that in us, in the way we live our lives; not because we want them to say that we are the best in that, but so that they can experience what the Kingdom of Heaven is like, what it is to be amongst God’s people. Let them say, “This person’s life is filled with love, and if this is what living in God’s love is like, then I want to be a part of it too.” Compete for our faith so that others don’t lose out on their place in heaven too. Compete for our faith so that others can win. It is a different sort of competition, but it could be the best sort of competition yet.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Annette Soo)
Prayer: Lord God, help us shed our selfishness and learn to live for You and for others. Let us understand that we have within us, the resources You have given us to help others succeed and let us turn it into action.
Thanksgiving: Thank you God, for the gift of eternal life which You have set out for us. Our prize is not on and of this earth, but with You in Heaven.
OXYGEN 
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