19 November, Tuesday — Filtering

Tuesday of Week 33 in Ordinary Time

Apo 3:1-6,14-22
Lk 19:1-10

“‘If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit has to say to the churches.’”

If there’s one thing people like to do, it is to give advice. Everyone has an opinion about something, and a lot of people will gladly share their views. It takes plenty of common sense and reflection to discern which opinions matter.

It gets more complicated when dealing with our faith. Not only are there church teachings and the thoughts of our fellow Catholics to consider, but also our own inner voice and our personal relationship with God. Coupled with the pervasiveness of social media and our ever-connected lifestyles, things can get quite crowded in our heads.

As we get older, we may also get discouraged thinking about mistakes we’ve made earlier in life. Seemingly trusting our instincts did not turn out well, and now we are filled with self-doubt. How then are we supposed to make the right decisions for ourselves?

I still do not have the answer to this. I do not make decisions with absolute certainty in the outcome. Even if they are right for me, I still question if they are right in God’s eyes. And maybe we will never have that perfect reassurance. This is the perennial struggle of being human and having dependencies on the world around us.

What I have found helpful is to try to reduce the number of decisions I have to make, hence reducing decision fatigue. I also try not to act rashly, and make choices later — rather than sooner. I also pray, and seek the counsel of close friends whom I know to have active spiritual lives. Lastly, I try to upkeep my relationship with God by speaking to Him often. Just like friendships, we will drift away from God if the relationship is not nurtured.

As the year draws to a close, it is never too late to right some wrong decisions we may have made earlier. I pray that you will all choose wisely in the days to come.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Gregory Mathew) 

Prayer: We ask you Lord, to help us listen carefully to your messages to us. May we not be distracted and waylaid by all the noise and false prophets that abound.

Thanksgiving: We are grateful for how you speak to us in every circumstance. May we always recognise your voice, no matter how soft it may be.