Oct 16 – Memorial for St. Hedwig, Religious; Memorial for St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin
St. Hedwig (1174–1243) was the daughter of the Duke of Croatia, and aunt of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. She married Prince Henry I of Silesia and Poland in 1186 at the age of 12, and became the mother of seven. She cared for the sick both personally and by founding hospitals. Upon her husband’s death, she gave away her fortune and entered the monastery at Trebnitz.
- Patron Saint Index
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690) was healed from a crippling disorder by a vision of the Blessed Virgin, which prompted her to give her life to God. After receiving a vision of Christ fresh from the Scourging, she was moved to join the Order of the Visitation by Paray-le-Monial in 1671.
She received a revelation from our Lord in 1675, which included 12 promises to her and to those who practiced a true devotion to His Sacred Heart, whose crown of thorns represent his sacrifices. The devotion encountered violent opposition, especially in Jansenist areas, but has become widespread and popular.
The Twelve Promises of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary for those devoted to His Sacred Heart are:
- I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
- I will establish peace in their families.
- I will console them in all their troubles.
- They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of their death.
- I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
- Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy.
- Tepid souls shall become fervent.
- Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
- I will bless the homes where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honoured.
- I will give to priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts.
- Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be effaced.
- The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under any displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.
- Patron Saint Index
Gal 5:18-25
Lk 11:42-46
If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you.
Some time ago, a well-known composer of Catholic liturgical music got cancelled. Following numerous allegations of sexual misconduct by him towards young adults and minors, several schools, churches and organisations either terminated their relationships with him or discontinued the use of his music. When I first came across the news, I felt that it was a pity that a talented musician was the latest to fall from grace in a post-Me Too era. His songs were immensely popular in the English-speaking Catholic community. I recall the time he held a concert in one of the churches in Singapore. I was so moved and inspired by the entire experience that afterwards, I wrote an article for my parish website, raving about the beauty of the music and how the Holy Spirit was flowing through song. While I would not say that the composer’s proclivities have invalidated the spiritual aspects of his music, there is no doubt that they have ruined his legacy.
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus rebukes two groups of people, the Pharisees and lawyers, for not having true charity in their hearts. As Christians, we must not only look the part by being blameless in our words and deeds, we must truly live the faith with every fibre of our being. While relatively few of us are famous personalities who will get dramatically called out for indiscretions, it will definitely be known to those around us when we are not being genuinely loving towards them.
I recently listened to a radio interview where a lawyer was asked about his pro bono work. What really struck me about his response was his emphasis on how a lawyer should spend time and effort on honing their craft before taking on pro bono responsibilities. This might be a good analogy for how we should prepare ourselves to manifest God’s holiness within us. As described in the first reading, we should not only avoid various forms of sinful behavior, but also actively cultivate virtues through prayer, reflection, learning about the faith, and reception of the sacraments. It is only then that we can properly live the fruits of the Spirit.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Edith Koh)
Prayer: We pray for the strength and discipline to cultivate virtues within ourselves, and for the tenacity to keep trying when we fail.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the assurance that God is ever present to us, so long as we are willing to repent and align our selves to His holy will.
OXYGEN 
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