10th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gen 3:9-15
2 Cor 4:13–5:1
Mark 3:20-35
“The man replied, “It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it”. Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman replied, “The serpent tempted me and I ate.”
Singapore likes to be No. 1 in almost everything. From being No. 1 in Government Effectiveness, to being Asia’s Happiest Country. Singaporeans should also claim to be the ‘Complaint Kings and Queens of the World’. We can complain and blame our issues on just about everything under the sun, including the sun itself.
So, when reflecting on today’s readings, and on the scene where Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent, I smiled and chuckled. I am sure that this is a common scenario among married couples, especially those that have been married for some years.
With God’s grace, the wife and I recently celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary. And in these 23 years, there sure has been a lot of blaming. From the wife blaming me for spreading my ‘fat cells’ to her and blaming me for ‘stealing her sleep’, and me blaming her for the closure of a favourite restaurant… the list goes on.
But these are just light-hearted jesting between the two of us; I have to be very careful in not letting these ‘harmless blaming’ turn into something more hurtful. I ask the Lord to grant me the grace and for the Spirit to lead us and not to blame each other for things that do go amiss, and to focus on our love. It’s not easy and I know that I have failed countless times. But I know that I have to work out my frustration and not let it fester into something else. It’s a slippery slope that one may never return from.
Blaming someone or something when things don’t go our way is very easy. How often have we heard the excuses, “Sorry, I was late because all the traffic lights were red.” Or “I can’t finish this assignment on time because my dog kept pestering me…” I know that things will not always go as planned, but we always have to follow God’s will. He will lead us or the Holy Spirit that dwells in us will guide us to where God wants us to go.
Recently we came back from our anniversary trip in Jeju Island, where one of the highlights was to hike up Mt Hallasan, South Korea’s highest peak. The wife was planning this hike to the last detail, including where to park, what was the route to take and how much food and drink to carry. When the day of the trek came, and we arrived at the carpark, we found out that it was full and we did not know where else to park, where we could still meet the admission timing. So, we drove out of the carpark, and drove aimlessly for about 15mins trying to find an alternative carpark where we could still get to the park. We were at our wits’ end, when suddenly something struck me. I told the wife that we should still go up to the park’s entrance and see if we can arrange for a slightly later entry. We drove back to the park and managed to do that. While at the entrance, we were also told of where the alternate parking location was. Long story short, we managed to get into the park and trekked up Mt Hallasan that day. I knew that God would lead us there if that was His will and the good thing was that we didn’t blame each other or on something for this whole situation.
Let us pray, brothers and sisters, for the Holy Spirit to constantly guide us in all that we do so, so that in whatever we do, we may do the will of God. And in so doing, as the Gospel says, we are the brothers and sisters of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Calvin Wee)
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of life. Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. We ask you Lord, for an open heart, that we may discern the movement of the Holy Spirit and to let the Holy Spirit guide us in all we do. Amen.
Thanksgiving: Thank you Father, for the gift of love. And for the gift of our faith. You are always guiding our actions and our thoughts and you are ever present with us. Let us always be aware of your presence and cast all our fears, frustrations onto the foot of the cross of Jesus and that we will be able to love our neighbours as You had commanded us. Amen.
OXYGEN 
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