30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Exo 22:20-26
1 Ths 1:5-10
Mt 22:34-40
“You must love your neighbour as yourself…”
Well, the Lord does have a rather peculiar sense of humour. For my birthday this year, he has gifted me with this phrase, “You must love your neighbour as yourself”. This is very possibly, for me, one of the hardest commandments to adhere to. Sounds so easy, yet so difficult.
The Lord has really challenged me this year. He has forced me to move out of my comfort zone. I started working full time at a charity organisation, where I am perceived to be “too corporate”. In January, we were involved in a four-car pile-up, which led to the wife experiencing whiplash and a recurrence of her slipped disc. I was also suddenly afflicted with an auto-immune condition that led to a full-body eczema breakout, plus getting hairline fractures on 2 ribs with a partially torn hamstring while playing soccer for the first time in years. We also contracted Covid three weeks before our New York Marathon…When it rains, it pours, some might say.
Reflecting upon these incidents, it may seem that I have had a terrible year since my last birthday. However, I have never been someone to let these perceived bad things affect me or to sway me from the fact that I know that God always has my back. And that He will be with me to the end of days (Matt 28:20). With this assurance, I know that no matter what comes my way, Jesus will be with me through all those trials and tribulations as in Luke 8, where Jesus was asleep in the boat with the disciples in the middle of a storm. Jesus did calm the storm, but we always forget that Jesus was in the boat with the disciples when the storm hit. And once we turn to Him, He will calm the wind and the waves.
To be able to walk with the Lord is a blessing, but I still struggle greatly with Jesus’ commandment to “Love your neighbour as yourself”. I acknowledge that it’s my pride that is the root cause of me not loving the people around me enough and admit that it’s a daily struggle in my workplace.
From my perspective, it seems that whenever a problem arises, the solution is to take the easy and convenient route. Sometimes, this lack of thinking through the issue irks me as I know that there will be other problems down the line. But when I voice out my concern, the general consensus is that I am “making trouble” again and rocking the boat. It makes “loving my neighbour” all the harder. Does this hurt? I would be lying if I said no. All I am trying to do is to give feedback and not to impose my will on the situation. Perhaps it is me that needs to change. As I have been told before, “Change what you can control. And let God do the rest”. So I try to follow what our Lord teaches, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matt 5:43.
I acknowledge that I am still a work in progress and far from being a saint. All I can do each day is to ask for the graces to be more like Jesus, who on the cross, prayed for those who crucified and mocked him. To be more loving every day to my family, my friends and especially my neighbours. Pray for me, brothers and sisters, that as I move into the next year of my life that I may love more, trust more and be more intentional in my journey with Christ. Amen.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Calvin Wee)
Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are so good. You grant us your graces and blessings so that we can love our neighbours more and in so doing, love you more. We are nothing without you and humbly ask for your divine assistance to be better and more loving disciples. Amen.
Thanksgiving: Heavenly Father, thank you for another trip around the sun. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity and the grace to walk with you for another year. Thank you, Lord, for being God and for letting me serve you in your kingdom. Thank you for loving me. Amen.
OXYGEN 
Leave a comment