Saturday of the 5th week of Eastertide
Acts 16:1-10
Psalm 99: 1-3. 5
John 15:18-21
A servant is no greater than his master
I grew up watching Chinese Kung Fu TV series as a young boy. In that time, I always am fascinated with how the skills are passed from one generation to another. Very often, this involves much learning, practice and solitude to remember the techniques. Yet the best Kung Fu masters tend to be those who have managed to acquire their own skills through introspection and deep contemplation. I believe that the readings of today follow the same theme. We see St Paul starting to grow in confidence of his own ability to proclaim the Gospel on his own to foreign lands with the help of assistant.
I believe that training and formation is important. We need to see the importance of learning the richness and depth of our faith. This must not be reduced to syllogisms and doctrines although these do have their place. However, it must be animated with the love of Christ in our hearts. Every thing we say and do should not be an academic exercise but one grounded in love. This means that we need to emulate Jesus in his way of behaviour and attitude.
This will bring in itself a tremendous amount of persecution because these actions are antithetical to what the world believes in. If we are not facing persecution, could it be because we are doing things which are amenable to the world? To love Christ entails some form of suffering as the Christian way of life will make us many enemies. Yet the joy of the Lord is our strength and we can turn to Him for guidance and direction.
As we enter into the end of the week, it may be good for us to reflect on what we have done in the week. Do identify some instances where we have fallen short of our duty as a Christian and let us ask God to show us how we can behave better the next time another similar opportunity arises.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
Prayer: We pray for perseverance for those who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all those who counsel the doubtful
OXYGEN 
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