Thursday of Week 10 in Ordinary Time
2 Cor 3:15-4:1,3-6
Mt 5:20-26
“But I say this to you”
I always chuckle when I come across this verse. I picture Jesus, in a very Singapore accent, saying in Hokkien (a local dialect), “Nim peh ka ler kong…” that loosely translates to “Your Father tells you this…” and to indicate that you know nothing, but let me in my wisdom, explain it to you.
And as the words resonate and sink in me, I realise that as I move through my fifth decade, the many things that I used to think that were important or those things that I yearned to own, have now taken a back seat. God has blessed me with some of the things that I dreamt about, and revealed that those other things that I wanted are not really that important at all. Right now, I have a loving wife, a roof over our heads, our health and most importantly, our faith.
Our faith in God keeps us rooted in all we do and our conscience keeps us in check as well. I always believe that our conscience is ‘God’s voice’ within us, and it guides us to do the right thing and to keep us in a peaceful and loving state of mind. Not easy of course, when someone cuts into your lane on the expressway. It’s so easy to scream some un-Christian words, chase the errant driver, and give them the same treatment! But what does it accomplish? How does it help us obey the second greatest commandment of loving our neighbour? Whenever we feel tempted to lash out like this, isn’t there always a small, soft voice that goes: “It’s ok. No need to get so worked up and let it be.” I know I hear this voice often when I am in such situations.
I have also had the opportunity to hear this voice this time in 2023 during our Camino, as we made our way to Santiago de Compostela. The many hours of walking in nature enabled me to hear God’s voice and his promptings as He led us on our way. I must say that it was one of the more peaceful times in my life and as I wrote this reflection in bustling Singapore; I really miss the bird song, the rustling of the leaves, the smell of the woodlands. One of my takeaways from the Camino is that there are always signs that point to God. Sometimes these signs are hard to find, but once you learn how to recognize them, these signs are all around us. The Way also showed me that once we remove ourselves from the daily distractions and intentionally spend time in God’s presence, we will realise that God is always with us. He has never abandoned us, not in the past when we were struggling, and definitely not now as we strive to be closer to Him.
I call upon the Lord each day that I might hear His voice and to discern His will for me. For I know that God has ALL the answers and that we will receive those answers only when we open our hearts to Him and humbly accept His will. For Jesus is the Way, The Truth and The Life.
And no matter what we do and where we go – God the Father always says, “Nim peh ka ler kong — Love one another as I have loved you.”
(Today’s OXYGEN by Calvin Wee)
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank you for always reminding us that You are there with us in all our difficulties and in all our joys. Lord, continue to let us see the signs that lead to you. Lord, keep us always with you as we travel along the Way of our life and in so doing, allow us to walk with you in all we do. Amen
Thanksgiving: Heavenly Father, thank you for letting us hear your voice. Thank you for guiding us in all we do. Thank you for always being with us and in our hearts. Thank you. Amen.
OXYGEN 
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