Advent - A Reflection

Dear Diary,

I was driving home this evening from work... it seemed just like any evening until a Christmas carol was broadcasted on the radiowaves. At that moment, it suddenly just dawned upon me that Christmas is just round the corner and how I miss it so much! I miss those festivities, those carols, those candles, those... Most of all, I miss Jesus.

15 years ago on Christmas Day, I was baptised in the Church. As much as I would like to think that I am doing well spiritually, I know that I struggle alot in my walk; I am supposed to be reading 2 Cor 7 today (following the 1-yr bible reading plan) but I am still at Romans 2!

Yesterday, the priest at St Stephen's rightly pointed out in his short-and-sweet 15-min homily that so many of us lived our lives as if Earth is our final destination. We slogged like crazy, trying to achieve the material achievements of this world. I am so guilty of it. Yet, personally... I feel as if I have accomplished nothing. There are many things which I thought if I achieved I would be satisfied but lo and behold, the satisfaction is momentarily. After which, the accomplishment just goes into your mental archive and you seek a greater challenge. Challenges and achievements which never seem to satisfy the thirst for satisfaction. That's mankind for you.

It is amazing to see how some people choose to live their lives differently from the rest of the secular world. In my Christian background, it is common to hear the pastor or priest i/c giving thanks to God in front of the congregation for a new church worker or a newly ordained deacon etc. However it was quite different yesterday, when the priest started off by directly thanking a religious sister (a nun who recently took up solemn vows) in front of the congregation for answering the call of God to serve full-time. The former statement tends to lure many into thinking that we are passive and God does all of the job. The latter statement reminded me how much freewill we do actually have, and it all depends whether we are courageous to take them.

Not everyone is asked to serve God full-time but I guess it is important for us to know what our true priorities are on Earth. Are we oblivious to the people around us and neglecting them in the process? Have we seek to achieve our materialistic objectives at all cost and compromise on truly living a life that will show love and grace to others? I am not sure if this is a periodic thought but nonetheless Advent (the season before Christmas) is a timely reminder that 25th December is more than just a feel-good jolly season. It is a season that gives hope to the hopeless, love to the loveless... it is a story for the life beyond, a life which never ends...

Yes, in the midst of the busyness of life, how I miss the Infant Jesus who changed the World and our lives forever!

God Bless,

Andrew