3rd Week of Advent, Monday, 15-12-2025

Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17 / Matthew 21:23-27   

Respect cannot be demanded. Respect is always earned.

Similarly, when it comes to authority, the one who does not have it cannot demand for it.

And the one who has authority would not flaunt it.

In the 1st reading, the pagan prophet Balaam was bribed by the enemies of Israel to put a curse on them.

But he couldn’t do it as his authority is only valid for what God wants him to do.

So instead of cursing Israel, Balaam ended up blessing Israel.

In the gospel, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Jesus and they questioned His authority.

But their question revealed their silent acknowledgement of the authority of Jesus.

Furthermore, they also cannot answer the question from Jesus about the authority of John the Baptist.

The God that we believe in has absolute authority over all creation and over us as His people.

May we always do what is right, just and loving, and others will see the power of the love of God in us.

3rd Sunday of Advent, Year A, 14.12.2025

Isaiah 35:1-6, 10 / James 5:7-10 / Matthew 11:2-11

In life, we have our expectations, but we also have to expect surprises. 

In other words, it comes back to that saying, “expect the unexpected”. 

And the unexpected will certainly be a surprise. 

The following conversation between a man and God may give us an idea of what an unexpected surprise is. 

Once, a man asked God, “What is a million years to You?” God replied, “Well, it is just a minute.” 

The man asked God again, “What is $1,000,000 to You?” God replied, “Oh, it is just one cent.”

So the man said to God, “Then, can You give me one cent?” God replied, “Sure, just wait a minute.” 

To believe in God is to expect the unexpected, and also to be surprised. 

Simply because God’s ways are not man’s ways, and God’s thoughts are not man’s thoughts. 

And if we think that those who have a strong faith in God will be prepared for the unexpected, then we might just be surprised. 

In the gospel, John the Baptist was in prison, and he had heard what Jesus was doing, and he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question: 

Are you the one who is to come, or have we to wait for someone else? 

John the Baptist had foretold that there is someone more powerful who is coming after him. 

That someone will baptise with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 

John the Baptist had expected that someone to bring about judgement and to reward the just and punish the wicked. 

John the Baptist had expected Jesus to be the one, but now he wasn't sure, he has his doubts. 

Jesus preached about love and forgiveness, He healed the sick, the blind, the lame, the deaf and the lepers. 

That was not what John Baptist expected, so he had his doubts about Jesus, and he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the one. 

What Jesus did was not what John the Baptist expected, and he was surprised, and that surprise became a doubt. 

John the Baptist had to ask the question, and Jesus gave him a reply to think about. 

In life, we too have our questions when the unexpected surprises us. 

We have our questions when people do not respond as expected to our need for help, and we get disappointed. 

The following story has a lesson for all of us.

A mouse, looking through a hole in the wall, sees the farmer and his wife open a package. He was terrified to see that it was a mousetrap. 

He ran to the barn to warn everyone, “There is a mousetrap at home!”

The chicken says: "Excuse me, Mr. Mouse, I understand that it is a big problem for you, but it does not hurt me at all."

So, the mouse went to the sheep and he says the same thing. But the sheep replied, "Excuse me, Mr. Mouse, but I don't think I can help you."

The mouse went to the cow and she said: "But am I in danger? I don’t think so!"

The mouse returned to the house, worried and dejected to face the farmer's mousetrap.

That night a loud noise was heard like that of the mousetrap catching its victim, and the farmer’s wife ran to see what was caught.

In the dark she did not see that the mousetrap caught the tail of a venomous snake.

The speedy snake bit the woman, and the farmer immediately took her to the hospital, but she came back with a high fever.

The farmer wanted to comfort her with a nutritious soup, and so he grabbed the knife and went to find the main ingredient: the chicken. 

But the woman did not get better, so friends and neighbours went to visit her, and the farmer slaughtered the sheep to feed them. 

The woman did not get better and she died. And in the end, the husband sold the cow to the slaughterhouse to cover the funeral expenses.

So, when we say it is not our problem, we might just end up with a bigger problem for ourselves. 

Let us look at Jesus who took the problem of our sins on Himself. 

On the Cross, Jesus bore the punishment of our sins and saved us. 

So, when someone comes to us with their problems, let us bear the burden with them, and be a part of their solution. 

May we follow Jesus by showing compassion to others, and may we too receive compassion in our time of need. 

2nd Week of Advent, Saturday, 13-12-2025

Ecclesiasticus 48:1-4, 9-11 / Matthew 17:10-13   

Among the prophets of the Old Testament, one that was truly impressive and worked mighty deeds was the prophet Elijah, and the 1st reading makes a special mention of him.

Indeed he "arose like a fire, his word flaring like a torch" and he worked many miracles, the most famous of which was when he called down fire from heaven at Mt. Carmel to consume the sacrifice to show the mighty power of God (1 Kings 18:20-39)

But all that was to turn the people back to God and to restore Israel as the people of God.

Yet people can just be interested in the dramatic and the spectacular and fail to see the meaning of the message behind it.

We too are easily attracted by the dramatic and the spectacular and the extraordinary and look for signs and wonders.

We may even expect that God would reveal Himself in some kind of dramatic and spectacular and awesome signs.

But as Jesus said in the gospel, Elijah came in the person of John the Baptist, and God came to visit His people in the Word made flesh.

But John the Baptist and Jesus were just too ordinary, and hence they did not fit into people's expectations of how God would reveal Himself.

The season of Advent is to prepare us to encounter and experience God in the ordinary.

We need to quieten our hearts in prayer and to experience God in the ordinary.

When Jesus came into this world at the first Christmas, it was just another ordinary day.

When He comes to us today and even at Christmas, it will also be in an ordinary way. Let us be prepared.

2nd Week of Advent, Friday, 12-12-2025

Isaiah 48:17-19 / Matthew 11:16-19   

Those who are brave and adventurous will go to a foreign place alone for the first time.

When they reached their destination, they would wander off on their own and explore that new place.

But for most of us, we would rather be safe than to be brave.

If we are going to a foreign place for the first time, we certainly won’t want to go alone.

And we would also try to find out as many facts as possible about that place.

In our journey of life, we won’t go through it alone.

In the 1st reading, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel says this to His people:

I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is good for you. I lead you in the way you must go.

God is also assuring us of His help, His protection and His guidance as we face the struggles and troubles of life.

But we must be alert to God’s commandments and our happiness would flow like the waters of a river.

During this season of Advent, let us go back to the basics and fundamentals of our faith.

Let us go back to prayer and reflecting on the Word of God.

When we do what God wants of us, He will be with us always, to bless and guide us, to protect us from danger and evil.

2nd Week of Advent, Thursday, 11-12-2025

Isaiah 41:13-20 / Matthew 11:11-15   

Every now and then, we hear this question “May I help you?” or “How can I help you?”

Usually, it is from a service personnel or a sales representative, and probably that is what they were trained to do when interacting with a customer.

But when it comes to a critical matter, and when we do really need help, then those questions can be consoling.

Especially so when the one asking the question is sincere and has the ability to offer us some solution.

In the 1st reading, God was addressing His people who had gone through a devastating and humiliating time.

God says this: I, the Lord, your God, I am holding you by the hand. I tell you, “Do not be afraid, I will help you.”

That was indeed a great consolation for the People of God, especially in that time of distress.

As we reflect on those words of God, we will also realise that we all need help from God.

We need help to repent of our sins and to turn away from sin.

We need help to live the life of holiness and grow in the virtues of kindness, gentleness, compassion and humility.

God will help us when we stretch out our hands and our hearts to Him.

And may we also stretch out our hands to those who come to us for help.

2nd Week of Advent, Wednesday, 10-12-2025

Isaiah 40:25-31 / Matthew 11:28-30   

One of the most inconvenient things that can happen is a power blackout.

If it happens during the daytime, at least we could see what is around.

We only have to bear with appliances and devices that cannot work without power.

But when the blackout happens at night, then the lights and everything else won’t work without electricity.

It literally means that we are powerless, and we are down to a standstill.

In such a situation, we will understand that we are quite helpless and we can feel that our abilities are so limited.

It is like our strength is all gone and it is so difficult to get back to normalcy.

It is like what the 1st reading says, even “young men grow tired and weary, and youths stumble.

But the 1st reading also says that the Lord is an everlasting God, He does not grow tired or weary.

And those who hope in the Lord renew their strength, they put out wings like eagles, they run and do not weary, walk and never tire.

In the gospel, Jesus tells us to come to Him and He will give us rest, and He will renew our hope.

It is in prayer that we will find strength and keep our hope alive.

And we will also remember to charge our emergency batteries and keep going in a power blackout.

2nd Week of Advent, Tuesday, 09-12-2025

Isaiah 40:1-11 / Matthew 18:12-14   

The season of Advent is a time of prayer and a time of waiting in hope.

It is a time of prayer for us to reflect about our human condition and who we are before God.

As we reflect on our weak and sinful human condition, the 1st reading gives us this stark reminder:

All flesh is grass and its beauty like the wild flower’s. 

The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on them.

But the Word of God remains forever.

We are reminded that we are really nothing before God.

Yet, God does not see us as nothing. We are the beauty of His creation.

The 1st reading also tells us that God is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breasts and leading to their rest the mother ewes.

Such is God’s great love for us and His love is shown when He sent His only Son to save us.

And Jesus tells us in the gospel that God does not want any one of His creation to be lost.

So our prayer is a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s great love for us.

And we pray with hope that those who have gone astray will be brought back by the love of God.

And it is only when we truly repent of our sins that we will be able to help others to repent and return back to God.