Monday of the 4th Week of Lent
Isa 65:17-21
Jn 4:43-54
No more will the sound of weeping…be heard…
“Happy Chinese New Year” I intoned cheerfully to my friend in the club gym. It was the morning of the 2nd day of the Lunar New Year, and I had gone there to exercise. He looked at me sternly and said “The countdown to the end of the world has started. The bible is clear. Huge war in the Middle East before June”. He then said goodbye and left. Not even a ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’ to me!
I was totally not expecting this unique ‘greeting’ and soon forgot about it. Fast forward to 1 March and I am glued to CNN, watching the chaos and destruction in the Middle East. Israel and America launched a pre-emptive attack on Iran to safeguard future ‘peace’. It turns out my friend is a modern-day prophet after all.
I started writing this reflection on the next day. Presently, no one knows when and how this Middle East crisis will end. On 3 March, the crisis was escalating. In such a perilous time, it is comforting to read today’s first reading from Isaiah 65. Here, the prophet presents a powerful vision of a new creation, where God promises a new heaven and a new earth. This renewal will bring about the restoration of peace, joy and a future filled with hope. The imagery of this hope is the picture of predators and prey living harmoniously together — conflict and violence are eliminated.
Sadly, this vision of God seems impossible now in the Middle East. Both Israel/America and Iran are mortal enemies. There will be no co-existing with one another in the current state. Nevertheless, this passage from Isaiah serves as a reminder of God’s commitment to peace and joy in his kingdom. This WILL take place. It gives us a message to hold onto hope, amidst all the current turmoil.
I wonder if by the time this reflection is published, there will be some form of peace or at least, a reduction in hostilities and fatalities. Meanwhile, I will constantly pray a simple prayer that another friend sent me:
Jesus, our Savior and Protector,
In your infinite mercy and in this hour of need,
Hear our plea for world peace,
Soften the hearts of those who wage war,
And guide them to be instruments of peace,
In this broken world
I do hope there will be peace in the Middle East and that this is not the start of Armageddon.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Andrew Sia)
Prayer: Jesus, may we be always free from sin and safe from all distress.
Thanksgiving: Thanks be to Jesus who brings eternal hope for all sinners.
OXYGEN 
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