Thursday of Week 6 in Ordinary Time
Gen 9:1-13
Mk 8:27-33
God said, “Here is the sign of the Covenant I make between myself and you and every living creature with you for all generations: I set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be the sign of the Covenant between me and the earth.”
God promised that never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. The sign of that covenant was the rainbow.
Within the Gospel, a covenant means a sacred agreement or mutual promise between God and a person, or a group of people. In making a covenant, God promises a blessing for obedience to particular commandments.
Rainbows are frequently represented in Western art and culture as a sign of hope and promise of better times to come. They happen when tiny water droplets or small ice crystals individually scatter light. There is also a spiritual meaning of hope, divine presence, and promise.
The secular world sees rainbows as symbols of good luck and positive energy. They’re often associated with prosperity, blessings, and spiritual guidance. The appearance of a rainbow might feel like a sign that you’re on the right path or that the universe is supporting you. Without realising it, it does appear to me that the secular world, in their agnostic interpretation, is in a sense acknowledging the similar hope, divine presence and promises of God.
In 2025, I began a slightly different role in the office. I still perform my previous function, but collectively now with a team. This has meant more meetings and involvement in strategy and planning – all of which I do not really enjoy. I always say that I am a ‘do-er’ and not a ‘thinker’ or ‘planner’!
It has only been 2 months into this new role and I have never felt this overwhelmed in the office. I am out for long hours, only to return to the office at 7pm to catch up with emails and paperwork. I try to wrap this up in the office before returning home to try and be present with my spouse and children, before they head to bed. Sometimes, I am so caught up, that I leave the office past 9pm and miss the children’s bedtime. Other times, I get home too exhausted to really engage with them. Both situations leave me frustrated and spent. I did try to dedicate 1 or 2 evenings when I would return home early to have dinner with them, but those quickly became few and short-lived; and most dinners end up being my meal on a plate, covered and left on the table. Sometimes, being too exhausted, I merely move the plate from the dining table to the fridge.
This has left me asking myself why I am so overwhelmed. Is it because my meetings are too long? Or because I still involve myself in every trifling matter? Or am I running too many deals personally?
The change in role has also resulted in a change in my work cubicle. I now sit by the window, with a breathtaking view of the Marina Bay Sands. But most days, I keep the blinds down as the glass panel behind me heats up, and I find the area extremely warm.
There is this older lady who comes in daily to help keep the office clean and empties the waste paper baskets. We often engage in simple chit-chat and I always tell her to not bother wiping my desk because it usually cluttered and messy – a classic result of my ADHD!
One day, Aunty told me that I should have my blinds up. “Look out the window,” she advised; and I would not be ‘so angry’! Gosh, was that how I was appearing in the office these days — angry? It is probably the stress and feeling of being overwhelmed that is being demonstrated on my face.
Perhaps it is also the resentment of not being able to meet friends socially for lunch, or attend lunchtime masses as much as I used to be able to.
One afternoon during lunch, as I was trying to gobble down some crackers and cheese, which I always have in the office, I decided to pull up the blinds and look out. Yes, the view was breathtaking and I noticed a rainbow in the horizon. As a child, I remember always looking up into the sky as it had rained. Always hoping to see a rainbow, as faint as it might be. Naturally, I never knew then about God’s Covenant to Noah, or to the rest of mankind. It was a simple pleasure and joy.
That afternoon, I swung my chair around and gazed at that rainbow for a bit longer. The unread emails could wait a little bit. The office telephone (and later, my cellphone) rang, unanswered. I was lost in my thoughts as I looked at that rainbow and ate.
I felt the hope, divine presence and promise.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Gerard Francis)
Prayer: We pray for those who are engorged with matters of the world. May our Father touch them and help them feel His presence.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the gift of the messages our Father delivers to us via nature and the things around us.
OXYGEN 
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