19 December

Destroy that weak faith

Luke 1:5-25

After having been exposed to the lineage of Jesus and Joseph's strong faith, in our desire to celebrate the mystery of our salvation and God's love that it is also important to learn a thing or two about the consequences of a weak faith like Zechariah's so we may not imitate him, rather, do exactly the opposite.  What are the signs of a weak faith?

First, doubting

Doubting leads us nowhere.  It is the exact opposite of faith.  Doubting in things unseen can only lead us to believing in material and tried and tested things.  But life is faith.  The only thing that helps us survive is our faith in God.

Second, despair

For Zechariah, things are too late.  He is too old and Elizabeth is both old and barren.  Hope is what keeps us going - for an OFW to hope that he would go home and realize a better life for the family; for us to hope that this world will not end in violence but there would be a better future ahead of us.  We cannot place hope in ourselves.  We can only hope in God's power to save us.

Third, being mute

This is the saddest effect of the loss of faith, that we cannot witness to God's saving action.  Worse, our hopeless existence influences others to evil, mutes the truth with lies, and eventually kills the millions of young souls living lives of illusion.  What we need is the power to proclaim like John the Baptist without compromising our sense of values and the truth that God is the one who rules our lives.

Thus, to experience the joy of Christmas, let us open the doors of faith, not doubt; hope and not despair, and proclaim with joy the Good News of Jesus, not be mute and compromising.