Monday of the 3rd Week of Lent
2 Kgs 5:1-5
Lk 4:24-30
“…no prophet is ever accepted in his own country.”
When’s the last time you had a proposal or a recommendation fully accepted by your superiors or elders? Many of us are put in positions of leadership, trust and in most cases, immense responsibility (of course, such ‘immensity’ is subjective). But think back a bit. When you said ‘Yes’ or “Alright, I’ll take this ________ on.” When it came time to put up your recommendations or opinions, what happened?
More often than not, ‘groupthink’ or ‘comfort zone thinking’ occurs. And why is that so? Simply because ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it’. But in the first place, weren’t we appointed/approached because…(insert name, designation) wanted something different?
It is enough for even the most passionate of us to just give up and ‘toe the line’ or, worse still, do whatever the higher-ups want just to get things over and done with.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus was precisely that prophet who we did not want to accept, despite our frustrations or tiredness with the status quo – “I want to repent of my sins”, “I want to be a better Christian”, “I want to be a good role model for my family/ministry/children”. We tend to want to fall back on what we know works for us. Yes, US. Not what God wants for us.
And yet in today’s Responsorial Psalm, we still ask, “…when can I enter and see the face of God?” well, He is here…knocking on the door of our hearts. He is present at every mass (surely we know this!); He is present in our challenges, our everyday situations.
This Lent has been particularly challenging for me on a few fronts. However, I can truly testify that God has never abandoned me. Through an overnight vigil in the first weekend, to some praise & worship sessions, and particularly so for a retreat prep session — I have questioned my worthiness (or has it been others around me?) yet I have been able to ‘deliver’. And in my search for a sanctuary for myself, I have been rejected.
In spite of all this, I remain undeterred and unfazed. Because I know He has something up His sleeves for me, His son. So I continue to believe in Jesus…the prophet who gave His life for me. For US. I pray that in your daily struggles, you don’t ignore the loving, merciful voice of the one who always provides for you and me.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Desmond Soon)
Prayer: Abba Father, You are the eternal provider of all that is good for us. We pray that You never fail to speak words of love, kindness, mercy and joy into our hearts. Help us to accept everything that comes our way.
Thanksgiving: Thank you, Lord, for your bountiful gifts each and every day.
OXYGEN 
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