Nov 17 – Memorial for St. Elizabeth of Hungary, married woman, religious
St. Elizabeth (1207-1231) was a princess, the daughter of King Andrew of Hungary, and the great-aunt of St. Elizabeth of Portugal. At the age of 13, she married Prince Louis of Thuringia. She built a hospital at the foot of the mountain on which her castle stood, and tended to the sick herself. Her family and courtiers opposed this, but she insisted she could only follow Christ’s teachings, not theirs.
Once, when she was taking food to the poor and sick, Prince Louis stopped her and looked under her mantle to see what she was carrying; the food had been miraculously changed to roses. Upon Louis’ death, Elizabeth sold all that she had, and worked to support her four children. Her gifts of bread to the poor, and of a large gift of grain to a famine-stricken Germany, led to her patronage of bakers and related fields.
- Patron Saint Index
1 Jn 3:14-18
Lk 6:27-38
“… because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.”
There was once an ex-colleague in the admin team who had the nickname the ‘Calculator’. This colleague was very particular in terms of who to help, how much to help and what to help with. The decision was guided by self-interest and it was said that favours and harmful actions which were done years ago still remained fresh in this colleague’s mind in deciding on whether to help the individual. Such actions were remembered by the team, and it was said that nobody batted an eyelid when the ex-colleague resigned. The Gospel of today reminds us that our actions must stem from a position of love rather than the ways of the world.
Christians are often held to a higher standard. This is a realistic expectation, as Jesus Christ instructed us to live a life of generosity to others. It is true that sometimes, the ways of Jesus will not allow us to survive in the world. Nonetheless, it is not always the best way for us to follow the ways of the world. Instead, we need to be generous with the talents and gifts which God has given us. As stewards of God’s creation in the form of material goods, we need to share with others what we have given. Sometimes, people think it is our effort which has brought us to our current position of wealth and prestige. We should consider that it is through the generosity of God acting through our friends and family who have helped us.
The First Reading reminds us that our actions should not be to score brownie points, or earn favour with the people around us, but should come from a position for love of others. St Thomas Aquinas reminds us that “to love means to choose and will the good of the other.” This means that all our actions must bring forth life to the other party, so that they can become closer to God in his life. This is not some hollow instruction but instead, a reminder for all of us to not be calculating but rather to be generous with others. Only then will our actions and effort show to non-believers that we are Christians.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
Prayer: Jesus, let us be generous with our time and effort, just as You did when you gave up your life for us.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all who show us how it means to be generous in our living.
OXYGEN 
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