Category Archives: Advent

Can old people conceive and successfully give birth? Some of us may be sceptical and say that such a thing is not possible to happen, since we think that old people have less energy and less ability to withstand the rigours of labour and pain. But sometimes, we do come across examples where old people are able to conceive and successfully give birth. One example of old people conceiving and giving birth would be Sarah, Abraham’s wife, who was old and barren, and yet after so many years, she finally conceived and gave birth to Isaac.

Another example can be found in today’s Gospel. Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife and Mother Mary’s cousin, was also old. She too had been barren and it seemed as if there was no more hope or chance for her to conceive and successfully give birth. But God’s ways are not man’s ways, and God can make what seems impossible possible. Elizabeth did conceive and successfully give birth to a son, and the child was named John, who later became known as John the baptist.

If God could be so kind and merciful to Sarah and Elizabeth, and enabled them to have a child even in their old age, just imagine what He could do for us. May we have more trust and confidence in God, and let Him do what is best for us, in His time and for His glory.

Vocations to the priesthood and religious life are becoming fewer these days, especially in certain countries. As people progress and prosper, they are faced with more and more attractions and temptations of the world, and the voice of God calling some to work in His vineyard seems to be harder and harder to listen. One other reason why vocations are dwindling could also be because families are shrinking in size, and parents are becoming more and more reluctant to let their son or daughter go. But is what sort of attitude is expected of us as Christians? Should we be clinging on to our children and not let them do what they are called to do?

In today’s reading, we come across Hannah who chose to fulfil her vow and make over her son Samuel to the Lord. Hannah could have been selfish and choose to keep Samuel with her, since conceiving Samuel had been so difficult and had taken so long before it finally happened. But Hannah chose to be generous and let go of Samuel, so that he could do what he had been called to do.

What about us? Are we willing, like Hannah, to let our son or daughter go and do what he or she has been called by God to do? Our children are gifts from God, and it is a blessing to share such gifts. May we with joy, humility and generosity let our children go forth, so that we would have more workers in His vineyard, for His greater glory.

There are many reasons why we should remain joyful even though our country may be experiencing tough times, even though we may be facing difficulties or even persecution. If we look around us, we can see the joy of having the gift of life, the gift of good health, even the gift of friendship or companionship. We can see the joy in the faces of couples, who are expecting a child, as they go about making the necessary preparations. We can see the joy of a child, looking around with wonder and awe, since even the smallest thing or what seems to be trivial to many of us seems to arouse the curiosity and excitement of the child. Seeing that many joyful things, situations and events occur around us, no matter how big or small such joyful occasions may be, do we not feel joyful too?

In today’s reading, Israel is invited to shout for joy, since “The Lord has repealed your sentence;
he has driven your enemies away. The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst; you have no more evil to fear.” With the Lord by Israel’s side, there is no longer any reason to be sad or fearful. Likewise, the Gospel tells us of the joy experienced by Mary and Elizabeth when they met. For Elizabeth, the sadness of previously being barren is over as God revealed His blessings on her. For Mary, she experienced the joy of seeing her cousin exactly as what the angel Gabriel had said, as well as the joy of things to come.

Today as we are preparing to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus, may we remain joyful and hopeful. God is coming to help us and save us. Let us set aside our anxieties, fears and worries, and with joy and exuberance share the joy of the Lord with all.

Supposing one day, as you are having a date with your girlfriend, she tells you a shocking truth: she is pregnant. How would you react or respond? What if your girlfriend were to tell you that the child was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit? How would you react or respond? Would you believe your girlfriend and accept the child as your own? Or would you dump her, thinking that she had been unfaithful and is making up stories to try and cover up what you think is the real truth?

In today’s Gospel, we come across Joseph who had found out that his betrothed, Mary, was with child. Certainly Joseph would have been filled with doubts, possibly even with suspicion, especially when the child was said to have been conceived through the Holy Spirit. Joseph was certainly in a dilemma, for he knew the consequence and fate of a woman with child before marriage. Joseph could have had difficulty coming to terms with such a news, and after much thought, he thought that the best solution would be to divorce Mary informally, since he was a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity. Then came saving news: the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and assured Him that the child was indeed conceived through the Holy Spirit. Mary had not betrayed him or committed sin after all. Joseph took Mary to his home and raised the child as His own.

If we are in Joseph’s shoes and faced a similar situation, would we still keep our girlfriend and the child? Or would we still insist in dumping her, even though she had not done anything wrong? Sometimes the society we live in may make it difficult for us to take courage and keep our girlfriend and the child, but if such a thing were to ever happen, may we take courage in God’s providence and do what is right.

Throughout our lives, we would have experienced times of greatness, times of weakness and moments of grace. Perhaps when we were young, we would have experienced greatness in our achievements, in our relationships with others, and in our relationship with God. Then some of us may have gone through a period of weakness, where we may have fallen away from our relationship with God and with our relationships in church. Some of us during this stage may have been too preoccupied or busy in our career or in other pursuits. Then some of us may come to realise that all the wealth and achievements we savoured or sought are actually not that important or that big a deal after all. It is during this time that some of us experience God’s grace and we rekindle and strengthen our relationship with God and with church.

In today’s Gospel, we also see moments of greatness, times of weakness and moments of grace. From Abraham to David, we see moments of greatness, with Israel becoming the chosen people of God and developing into a great and mighty nation. From David to the Babylonian exile, we see moments of weakness where Israel’s fell from greatness. We see how Israel turned away from God and turned to sin. From the Babylonian exile to Jesus, we see moments of God’s grace, with God’s promises to Israel and its fulfillment in Jesus.

What stage are we presently in now? Are we facing moments or grace, or are we still stuck in moments of weakness? Are we still pursuing wealth, fame, power and all that the world has to offer, or have we come to realise that building a relationship with God is more worthwhile in the long run? May we not get caught off guard, and do our best to grow closer to God, who constantly beckons us to come to Him and remain in His love.