Faithfulness and Love

Category Archives: Advent

Thursday of the 1st Week of Advent

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Words can sometimes be empty or useless, if such words are uttered without conviction and action. For example, we can say to our partner, spouse, loved ones or friends “I love you,” but if we do not do anything, then we may be guilty of not meaning what we say. Sometimes we come across people who say things just to curry favour others, or just to flatter them, or just to sound good, but these people do not “walk the talk” or in Bahasa Malaysia: “cakap tak serupa bikin” (which is roughly translated as “saying one thing, but doing another (if one is doing anything at all).” Basically, action speaks louder than words.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said to his disciples: “It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Here Jesus is emphasising that one not only needs to listens to these words of His, but also needs to act on them. When we look at our lives, are we merely wasting our words frivolously? Are we people of integrity, meaning what we say? Let us examine ourselves closely and say what we mean, for the betterment of our eternal future.

Tuesday of the 1st Week of Advent

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What does it mean to be childish? What does it mean to childlike? To be childish is “to be like a child” or “to be silly and immature.” To be childlike, on the other hand, is “to have the good qualities, such as innocence, associated with a child.” Some people may think themselves as adults or mature, but in some situations or circumstances, such persons may be quite childish in their attitude or behaviour. Likewise, there are people who have learnt to be humble and dependent on God’s providence, being childlike in their relationship with God. What sort of person have you become?

In today’s Gospel, we are reminded that there are things which are revealed to mere children and not to the learned or clever. This is not to imply that God is being unfair or discriminating towards the learned or clever. But what is happening here is that there are the learned or clever who have become quite full of themselves, thinking that they know it all. Such persons are unable to listen to the promptings of God, because they are unable to be childlike and depend on God’s care and providence. Pride, prejudice and a bloated ego are some obstacles which prevent some of these learned or clever from becoming closer to God.

What about us? Are we making effort to be more childlike in our relationship with God? God is prompting and inviting us to learn from Him. It is up to us to change our attitude and behaviour, nd open ourselves to His care.

Monday of the 1st Week of Advent

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Every once in a while, we come across people demonstrating great faith despite facing great odds or great difficulties. Some of these people may be in your neighbourhood or even within your family and relations. When we are facing similar difficulties, problems or dangers, would we have great faith that God would help us?

In today’s Gospel, we come across a centurion in Capernaum who came up and pleaded with Jesus to heal his paralysed servant. Romans citizens and Roman officers such as centurions do not normally have anything to do with Jews, especially when it comes to what some may consider an itinerant preacher or rabbi like Jesus. But this centurion not only went to see Jesus, he even pleaded with Him for help. What is even more astonishing is the humility and complete confidence of the centurion in Jesus, so much so that he had full trust that all Jesus needed to do was to issue the order, and his servant would be healed. Such trust, such confidence, such faith this centurion had on Jesus!

What about us? Some of us say we trust and have faith in Jesus, but do we mean what we say or are we going to start looking elsewhere when we are faced with problems, persecution, or difficulties which seem quite unbearable? Let us take after the example of this centurion, and with full faith and confidence let Jesus be our help and guide.

1st Sunday of Advent Year B

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Throughout our lives, we may have been concentrating on building a better life here on earth. As children, we studied hard, hoping to do well in school, in exams and striving to get into a good university. Then we spend much effort earning our Bachelor’s degree and perhaps going on to a Master’s degree or even a Doctorate. We may then look for work either in academic circles or in the corporate world, hoping to make a decent living and perhaps make a name for ourselves. All these things and efforts are certainly not wrong, since we do need to survive and prosper in this world. However, as we may have noticed, all these things and efforts only refer to life here on earth. As Christians, we believe that there is life after our time here on earth ceases. What would happen to us after we leave this life here on earth? Would we be with God? Would we be away from God?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said to his disciples, “Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come.” What does Jesus mean by “stay awake?” In this season of Advent, we are not only preparing ourselves to celebrate Christmas, we ought to also be preparing ourselves for the eventuality of death where we would meet the Lord, and also for His second coming, which is the end of the world. Death and the second coming of Jesus could be frightening to some, because of the unknown before us. Many passages in scripture have painted us fearful images of death and the second coming of Christ, but today’s readings give us a different image.

In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah speaks of the Lord’s Day as a day of happiness and expectation. The Lord is our redeemer and He “would tear the heavens open and come down.” For those of us who have prepared for death and His second coming, there would be no need to fear, since the Lord would be like a father to us. There would be no need for us to be anxious or frightened, if we have allowed ourselves to be formed by the Lord, as we are the clay and God is the potter. But if we are not prepared, if we have been neglecting our spiritual life and our relationship with God, if we have refused to change our ways, then we would have every reason to fear. We could be awake physically, but asleep spiritually, and we could be caught off guard or unaware or unprepared. In the Gospel, Jesus warns us to “stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow, dawn; if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake!’

Are we spiritually awake, or are we spiritually in slumber. Over the years, we may have slackened or neglected our spiritual life. The attractions of this world, the choices and priorities we make and our attitudes towards sin, confession, and repentance are some factors which could have contributed to our spiritual slumber. Instead of making excuses; instead of pointing the blame towards others; instead of stubbornly continuing as we are; instead of procrastinating until it is too late; let us ponder the consequences of our actions. Do we want to be joyful and at peace with the Lord? If we do, then let us stay awake, and be prepared and ready at all times.

23 December – Season of Advent

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Earlier we saw how Zechariah was struck dumb for not believing the angel Gabriel’s message. In today’s Gospel, we see Zechariah redeeming himself and getting his power of speech back when he gave his support to Elizabeth by insisting that the child be named John.

Sometimes in life, we may have committed sin and we suffer the consequences. However, we are given opportunities to make right what we had done wrong. Are we doing penance for our sins and building our relationship with God? Are we humble enough, like Zechariah, to do the right thing? Ultimately, we must take responsibility for our actions and conduct. God gives us opportunities to come back to Him, let us not squander away these opportunities and lose our life.

4th Sunday of Advent Year A

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What’s in a name? As parents-to-be, it is important to think carefully and consider the consequences of giving your child a particular name. Sometimes, we may not be aware of the meaning of the name and what it would mean according to different languages. For example, a person named Ho Chin Chai may appear to have an innocent name, but in Hokkien language, “Ho” means “very” and “Chin Chai” sounds like “cincai” in Bahasa Malaysia, which means “simply”; “casually”; “do as one pleases”; “without thought” or “randomly”. Another example is if a person has a surname “Chan” and has a given name like “Bella” or “Isabella.” The person would then be known as “Bella Chan” or “Isabella Chan.” Sounds like an ok name, but if you look at it in Bahasa Malaysia, the name would become “belacan” or “is a belacan”! “Belacan” is shrimp paste or shrimp sauce, a common ingredient used in Southeast Asian and Southern Chinese cuisine. It would be quite embarrassing if a teacher or some one would to call out, “Belacan, come see me now.” So, it is important to choose a name wisely, otherwise one may face a lifetime of ridicule, teasing and embarrassment.

As Catholics, we are also advised to choose a baptism and/or confirmation name wisely. We are encouraged to choose a name of a saint, one whose example we could follow and imitate. In today’s Gospel, the angel of the Lord commands Joseph to name the child Jesus, “because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.” The name ‘Jesus’ means ‘God saves.’ Throughout the Gospels, we would see that Jesus truly lives up to his name as our saviour and redeemer. Jesus is also known, in today’s First Reading and Gospel as “Emmanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.'” God has taken the initiative to come close to us and has become one of us, instead of we trying to come close to Him.

Seeing how important it is for us to choose a name wisely, let us reflect on the name given to us. Is it a name of a saint? Are we living up to our name by following and imitating the saint’s example? Our names are not a trivial or “cincai” matter. May God help us to be worthy of the name given to us.

20 December – Season of Advent

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If Zechariah is an example of doubt, even when a message is given by an angel, in today’s Gospel, we see an example of trust and total dependence on God. Mary did ask the angel Gabriel: “But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?” The difference here is that Mary accepted and believed in the angel’s message by responding: “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let what you have said be done to me.”

Supposing we received a message from an angel, would we unreservedly and willingly accept and act on the message? Or would we allow doubt to take over?

19 December – Season of Advent

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Many of us may have been influenced by cute or beautiful pictures of angels. However, angels are far from cute. When an angel appears, it can be a terrifying and majestic sight. We read in today’s Gospel that Zechariah was overcome with fear and the angel said to him, “Zechariah, do not be afraid…”

We know that it is highly unlikely for an elderly woman to become pregnant and bear a child. We also know that when an angel appears, it is usually for an important message from God. In this case, the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah to give him some great news: his wife would bear him a son. Such words from an angel should not be taken lightly. Yet, Zechariah still doubted the angel’s words. By doing so, Zechariah seems to have doubted God. As a result, Zechariah as the Gospel tells us, “was silenced and have no power of speech until this has happened.”

When we receive such amazing and mind-boggling news from an angel, what do we do? Do we doubt even the words of an angel? Do we begin to think that perhaps our mind is playing tricks on us and what we are seeing is merely an illusion, what we are hearing is merely an imagination? Or do we trust the angel’s words and trust God, just like Mary did when she said: “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let what you have said be done to me.”?

18 December – Season of Advent

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If you are engaged to a person and you found out that she is with child, how would you respond? Some might walk away from the relationship. Others might decide to remain faithful and committed to the person despite of the situation she is in. What about you?

In today’s Gospel, we see Joseph finding himself in a difficult and possibly dangerous situation. He was betrothed (something like being engaged in modern times) to Mary, but until they were properly married according to Jewish law, sex was not allowed and was considered adultery. A woman found pregnant during the betrothal could be stoned to death. Because of this, Joseph “being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally.” However, when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, “he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.”

Joseph knew that the child would not be biologically his, he knew there would be difficulties and challenges ahead, he knew Mary and he could be a source of gossip; and yet he was docile and humble enough to trust in the Lord. Would we be able to follow Joseph’s example and do the same if we were in a similar situation?

17 December – Season of Advent

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Family trees. Each and every one of us has a family tree. Some of us have managed to trace our family tree right to the earliest times. Some have only been partially successful. But one thing we may discover about our family tree is this: our ancestors were a mixed bag of good and not so good people. Each of our ancestors (nenek-moyang, as some like to say in Bahasa Malaysia) had their strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes, when we look at our family tree, we begin to realise and appreciate those who had paved the way to who and what we are today.

Today’s Gospel introduces us to Jesus’ family tree. This family tree is divided into 3 lists of 14: 14 patriarchs; 14 kings; and 14 generations from the Babylonian captivity to Jesus. Within each list, there were good and bad persons, showing us that God does not choose those who are the best from the human point of view, but from God’s point of view.

We can also see that 4 women are included, 3 of whom are named: Tamar, Rahab and Ruth. Bathsheba is not named but mentioned as “Uriah’s wife.” These 4 women were Gentiles either by birth or through marriage. Tamar, Rahab and Ruth were Gentiles by birth. Bathsheba, an Israelite, became Gentile through her marriage to Uriah, the Hittite. This shows that Jesus had Gentile as well as Jewish ancestors.

When we see Jesus’ family tree, we begin to realise and appreciate God’s plan of salvation for all of us. Regardless of whether we are Jew or Gentile, saint or sinner; God can write straight with crooked lines and some of those crooked lines are our lives. As long as we are open to His pruning and guidance, we can be a part of God’s plan. Let us then rise, and walk in His ways.