To be little, not belittle yourself

 

It has been quite a week, busy catching up with family and friends. We managed to sneak in a novena session which turned out to be good spiritual input for the soul, as always.

 

Father spoke about humility, that we are all called to follow Christ's act of humility. "Thse who humbles themselves will be exalted and those who exalts themselves will be humbled." This phrase, if I remembered correctly, is from one of the letters of St Paul. I once had the perception that to be humble, one has to think lowly of one's self in relation to others. This is attuned to false modesty, which is the wrong way to look at humility. Rather, we have to bring ourselves to the level of others, so that we can be equal and understanding. 

 

Father said that we should be little and not belittle ourselves. This I thought helped to clarify the term humility. Christ became man, so that He was equal to us human beings. His very act was to be little, but at the same time, He was still God Almighty. Therefore, we should strive to be like Chirst, no matter how successful we become, to always remember to be little, rather than to belittle ourselves.

 

As I reflect upon the happenings in my life, I find that at times I have been displaying false modesty, such that negativity has become who I am. As I look ahead, I pray that God will help me be little, rather than to belittle myself. May He be the Light that continues to enlighten us in understanding His ways.

 

God bless and thank you all for being such a blessing in our lives.   

Be Generous in giving

Two weeks back in his homily, Father told us to be generous in our giving. We are to be like Christ who is never lacking in generosity, to the extent of giving His life for us.


I have been asking myself how I can be generous since. Only until recently after a dramatic encounter at home that I realised that I can be generous with not only the material things but also the intangible things. We had a slight problem at home the other day and our friends whom we turned to for help did not hesitate to come over to help us deal with it. We are really thankful and grateful for that.


At the end of that long day, Angie asked me a question I did not expect. She said: “If the tables were turned, would I have no qualms about going over to help a friend in need?”. My obvious reply was ‘Of course!’. Now that I had time to ponder about that question, I’m not sure what my response would be in that particular situation. Delving deeper into that question, I realise that it calls for me to be generous with my time. Although I would gladly help a friend in need but if my time was occupied, that would change the whole scenario completely. I can only wish that God grants me the grace to prioritise the urgent from the rest and a heart of generosity.


The other story of generosity is my Dad, who came for a holiday but offered a huge hand in clearing our backyard and planting of new plants. I can't imagine doing all that by myself... And I am truely grateful for Daddy.


I hope that you may experience the joy of giving, be it your wealth, your time or your talents wherever you may be... God’s love and blessings be upon you always.