Friday of Week 17 in Ordinary Time
Jer 26:1-9
Mt 13:54-58
“In your great love, answer me, O God.”
I have noticed an increasing number of my close friends facing tremendous amount of stress at work. This has resulted in them engaging in actions and habits to numb this pain. Be it alcohol, tobacco, drugs or even just mindless watching of Netflix, there is a certain sense of helplessness against the futility of fighting against this stress. Perhaps this could be due to the very bad situation in the employment market at present, where we are witnessing retrenchment and a sense of palpitation and fear which comes with this level of uncertainty.
The readings of today are especially relevant in such a setting because there is a common theme in the First Reading and the Gospel — the presence of the ego, which prevents the Jews from believing the message of God present before them. I guess Man forgets lessons from history, because I had the opportunity to witness this during the 1997-8 Asian Financial Crisis and the 2008-9 Global Financial Crisis. Many an individual, who believed in their own intelligence and ability to build their wealth, saw their efforts crumble overnight from forces far stronger than they could anticipate or control. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but I noticed that there was an increase in the size of the congregation during this period of time. There was a realisation that one had to depend on God for guidance to get on the next path. Of course, I also saw a large number of people blaming God for their woes.
I found it difficult to accept that Man could accept the comfort of life as their own achievement, but blamed God whenever the troubles of life came along. It felt totally unfair to God, and I had to take it to the Lord in prayer. It was then that I realised that we should always depend on God, regardless of the circumstances before us. The following passage from Job is instructive for all of us:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. If we take happiness from God’s hands, must we not take sorrow too.” ~ Job 1:22, 2:10
The challenges from the world are many and they indeed prove to be difficult for us. The people of Israel in the readings never could imagine that their society would be wiped out by an external aggressor in the future. The prosperity and comfort which we enjoy today is a gift from God and the sorrows that come our way, believe it a not, are also a gift from God. How could God will bad things to befall upon us if He loves us?
Much ink has been spilled on the above question, and my unqualified view is that God wants us to grow to rely on Him. The Psalmist expresses our frustration in the response to today’s psalm and has a message of hope for all of us in the last stanza: “with your help that never fails.” God can never fail us. We need to cooperate with His plan to discover the plan He has for us.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
Prayer: Jesus, help us to accept the plan you have for us.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for those who bear with the struggles of life patiently.
OXYGEN 
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