Dec 7 – Memorial for St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church
St. Ambrose (c.340–397) was born to the Roman nobility. He was the brother of St. Marcellina and St. Satyrus. He was educated in the classics, Greek, and philosophy at Rome, Italy. He was a poet and a noted orator. He was a convert to Christianity, and governor of Milan, Italy.
When the Bishop of Milan died, a dispute over his replacement led to violence. Ambrose intervened to calm both sides; he impressed everyone involved so much that though he was still an unbaptized catechumen, he was chosen as the new bishop. He resisted, claiming that he was not worthy, but he assented to prevent further violence. On Dec 7, 374, he was baptized, ordained as a priest, and consecrated as bishop. He immediately gave away his wealth to the Church and the poor, both for the good it did, and as an example to his flock.
He was a noted preacher and teacher, a Bible student of renown, and writer of liturgical hymns. He stood firm against paganism and Arianism. His preaching helped convert St. Augustine of Hippo, whom Ambrose baptized and brought into the Church. Ambrose’s preaching brought Emperor Theodosius to do public penance for his sins.
During his time as bishop, he also called and chaired several theological councils, many devoted to fighting heresy. He welcomed St. Ursus and St. Alban of Mainz when they fled Naxos to escape Arian persecution, and then sent them on to evangelize in Gaul and Germany. He was proclaimed a great Doctor of the Latin Church by Pope Boniface VIII in 1298.
The title ‘Honey Tongued Doctor’ was initially bestowed on Ambrose because of his speaking and preaching ability; this led to the use of a beehive and bees in his iconography, symbols which also indicate wisdom. This led to his association with bees, beekeepers, chandlers, wax refiners, etc.
- Patron Saint Index
Isa 30:19-21,23-26
Mt 9:35-10:1,5,6-8
“Whether you turn to right or left, your ears shall hear these words behind you, saying, “This is the way, follow it.”
Time really flies! It seems like only yesterday that we were just celebrating Chinese New Year, and it is now December. I guess as the year comes to a close, all of us are thinking about what we did this year. Did we waste the year away, did we celebrate any milestones and how was our journey with the Lord this past year?
As I approach the end of 2024, I give thanks to God for giving me the opportunity to work in a non-profit organization. Come January 2025, it will have been 2 years since I embarked on this part of my life’s journey. Has the transition from a corporate job to a non-profit one been painless and an easy one? Well…as in every job, it has its ups and downs.
More often than not, I am frustrated with some of my co-workers. Half the time I tell my fellow co-workers, “Please!! Don’t spend money unnecessarily!! Money is getting harder and harder to raise.” And to be sure, the team of co-workers that I work with today cannot be compared to the teams that I used to lead or worked with before. But, it is most humbling to have the chance to work with some of them. They have hearts that are so generous, so full of love for the clients that we serve that I seem to be ‘heartless’ when comparing myself to them.
In fact, I have been accused of being “too corporate” in the way that I approach my work and the expectations that I have for the people I work with. So, even after 2 years, I still find it so difficult to turn off my work persona and be more empathetic. Lord give me strength!!
My journey to working in a non-profit organization started many years ago. It was after I was retrenched for the second time that I started to have thoughts about contributing back to church, or to a charity. I felt that there was a push to non-corporate life, but I did not have the connections nor the necessary experience to seek such roles. It was through the grace of God, that I met a fellow pilgrim on a pilgrimage to Assisi. He was, at that time, the Executive Director of a non-profit and he very generously gave his time to speak to me about the realities of working in such organisations. Of course, we must be prepared for the compensation that we will receive and the people that we will eventually work with. I know that this is what I want to do, but it will only happen if God wills it.
So, a couple of years after that pilgrimage, I met an ex-Army buddy just as he was just going to assume a leadership position in a charity. He very kindly introduced a role to me and I felt that God was whispering to me, “This is what I want you to do.”
Despite the many challenges that I have in this role, I know that the Lord is always with me and He whispers every now and then to push me in the direction to move. One example on how He guides me was during the planning and organisation of the Papal Mass in Singapore.
Our organisation was given a task at the Papal Mass and the stresses of that task gave me sleepless nights; something that has never happened to me before. But through the stresses, I really felt the Lord’s presence as He kept nudging me to explore solutions to the problems that I was facing. Even though I lost my voice and had a terrible throat infection during the week of the Papal Mass, I was given the strength, both mental and physical, to lead the working team to a successful completion of our task. Thanks be to God!
I don’t know what the plan will be for 2025. I only know that whatever comes, I need to be open to the soft voice that leads me and to be open to whatever His will is for me. To turn right or to turn left, that He will always give me the strength to walk in the path that He has chosen for me.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Calvin Wee)
Prayer: Good and gracious Lord, You are our guide in the darkness. You are the light at the end of the tunnel. You are what we long for. Grant that our hearts and our ears be always open to You as You lead us according to your will. Amen.
Thanksgiving: Loving Father, You will all good things for us. Things that we need and things that will enable us to walk more closely with You. Thank you Lord, for all You have given us and let us always have the confidence that You are always with us. Amen.
OXYGEN 
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