Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent, the 40 days before the victorious Easter.
Ash Wednesday reminds us of our mortality, that all of us will leave this world someday.
It is also a time for repentance. We grief over our sins (ashes are used in the Old Testament to symbolise grief and repentance) and recommit ourselves to follow Jesus Christ.
Love me … with the love that is long-suffering and kind; that is patient, –if I am ignorant or out of the way, bearing and not increasing my burden; and is tender, soft, and compassionate still; that envieth not, if at any time it please God to prosper me in his work even more than thee. Love me with the love that is not provoked, either at my follies or infirmities; or even at my acting (if it should sometimes so appear to thee) not according to the will of God. Love me so as to think no evil of me; to put away all jealousy and evil-surmising. Love me with the love that covereth all things; that never reveals either my faults or infirmities, –that believeth all things; is always willing to think the best, to put the fairest construction on all my words and actions, –that hopeth all things; either that the thing related was never done; or not done with such circumstances as are related; or, at least, that it was done with a good-intention, or in a sudden stress of temptation. And hope to the end, that whatever is amiss will, by the grace of God, be corrected; and whatever is wanting, supplied, through the riches of his mercy in Christ Jesus.
~ John Wesley (Catholic Spirit)
A prayer by St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for not abandoning me when I abandon you.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for offering your hand of love in my darkest, most lonely moment.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for putting up with such a stubborn soul as mine.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for loving me more than I love myself.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for continuing to pour out your blessings upon me, even though I respond so poorly.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for drawing out the goodness in all people, even including me.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for repaying our sin with your love.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for being constant and unchanging, amidst all the changes of the world.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for your countless blessings on me and on all your creatures.
Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
I was not someone who is good at setting boundaries; I would bend them at my friends’ plea or persuasion. Inwardly, I would feel resentful because I was afraid to say “no” to the things I wasn’t interested to do.
As I grew older, I began to appreciate the beauty and the necessity of having boundaries.
Dr Brene Brown defines boundaries as, “what is okay and what is not okay.”
She says we can make clear what our boundaries are while still being loving and generous.
If we are not sure what boundaries to set, she probes us the BIG question: “What boundaries need to be in place for me to maintain my integrity and make the most generous assumptions about you?”
Dr Brown also said, “Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others.”
Boundaries teaches others how to treat us. Rather than harbouring resentment when we are too shy to say “no”, boundaries tell others where we stand. We can have boundaries and yet still be loving.
The Gospel in a Nutshell
What is the “Good News” or the “Gospel”? The “Good News” or the “Gospel” refers to the same thing.
Apostle Paul wrote, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures “ (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
The Gospel is this: Sin has separated us from God. God loves us and wants to save us from sins. He sent His only Son Jesus Christ, who was without sins, to die on the Cross for us. The blood of Jesus washed away our sins. Nothing else can do that.
Jesus had paid the price of our sins —with His own life.
In our sinfulness, we are rebelling against God. We reject Him as our God. But Jesus died on the Cross to reconcile us with God.
Three days later, by the power of God, Jesus rose from the dead. He is in Heaven now, preparing a place for us so that when we leave this world, we will be with Him in Heaven.
This is the Good News: no one is so bad and so unlovable that God can not save.
When Jesus was born, there were no rooms available for Him. Are there room for Him in your heart this Christmas season?
“22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). (Matthew 1:22)
2000 years ago, the angel Gabriel appeared to the virgin Mary and said to her that she would be pregnant with a Child through the power of the Holy Spirit. It was something unheard of. It had never happened before. The Baby was to be called Emmanuel, which means, God with us. No matter how bleak the circumstances you are in, God is with you. He will not let go of you.
Christmas is a time for us to pause and remember that God chose to came to earth for us, mortal humans. He lived and dwelled among us. This is the greatest expression of love, that God did not spare His own Son but sent Him into this world for us (John 3:16).
Baby Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem. There were no rooms at the inn for baby Jesus to be born. The Son of God come into this world in a shabby, smelly, lowly manger, a place where animals lived in, ate and rested.
As we reflect on the meaning of Christmas, may you invite God into your life. May you experience the hope, joy, love and peace in your life that He alone gives.
Today is the 1st of December. We thank God for sustaining for the past 11 months. As we are in the season of Advent, may we experience the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love of God this Christmas season.
As with most good things, he came into my life unexpectedly. A photo of him was circulating in the group chats: he was abandoned by his owner(s). My mum and I talked about it. Perhaps it was love at first sight, we decided to bring him home.
And that was the beginning of an adventure together. He became my best friend. Whenever I am home from work, we would be spending all our time together. In the evenings, I would nap on the sofa and he would be napping at my feet. While having meetings on Zoom, he would lie next to my feet. Before his bed time, I would cuddle him. He loved that. In the mornings, we would go for short walks around the neighbourhood. I love him so.
Unfortunately, tick fever took him away too soon. I wish we could have longer time together. There were so many adventures I was planning to bring you along. May be we will save our adventures in heaven.
I miss you everyday, my boy. Thank you for coming into my life, though just for a brief moment.
Advent is a 4-week of anticipation leading up to Christmas as Jesus was born into this world for us. It is also a time of waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ.
On the First Advent, we light the first candle, which is the purple candle (purple symbolises repentance and prayer). Jesus Christ, the Light of the World has come. He came to give us Hope.
Let’s pray for our nation for it pleases God’s heart:
