19 December
Jgs 13:2-7,24-25
Lk 1:5-25
“How can I be sure of this?”
My most recent encounter with today’s Gospel passage was during an Advent Recollection titled “Hope”, on 30 November at the Church of St Ignatius in Singapore. As we reflected on the story of Advent, I found myself listening to this Gospel not just with my mind, but with my own life very much in view.
In today’s Gospel, we meet Zechariah, a righteous and faithful priest who has spent his life serving God. Yet, despite his faithfulness, he and his wife, Elizabeth, remain childless. When the angel Gabriel tells him that Elizabeth will bear a son, Zechariah responds with doubt. In my heart, his question, “How shall I know this?” reflected the cynicism and tiredness of someone who has waited for a very long time and been humiliated by his community.
As I sat with this passage, I realised how deeply I resonate with Zechariah. Many of my friends and peers are now reaching what I think of as the ‘milestones of Singapore’s society’ — landing high-flying jobs, travelling overseas for work or further studies, settling down, getting married, and having children. These milestones are often celebrated and spoken about as though they are the natural markers of a life well-lived.
Meanwhile, my own life looks very different. I have not reached many of these milestones, and attending family gatherings or meeting friends and colleagues feels isolating and, even embarrassing. I find myself quietly comparing, wondering why my journey seems so out of step with everyone else’s. Over time, doubt creeps in. Will I ever marry or have children? Will I ever have a stable income? Will my hopes for further studies, locally or abroad, ever come to fruition?
I know that I am different. Or perhaps it is that people treat me differently. Yet despite knowing this, there is still a part of me that longs to fit in, to move at the same pace as my family and friends, and to feel that I finally belong. Like Zechariah, long seasons of waiting have made me cautious, even cynical at times, about hoping too much.
This Gospel passage, however, gently speaks into that place of doubt. Zechariah’s questioning does not stop God’s plan from unfolding. The promise was fulfilled, not according to human expectations, but according to God’s perfect timing.
Reading this, I am reminded not to doubt my own worth or capabilities too harshly, and not to doubt what God may be quietly preparing for me. For we are all given different milestones, and we reach them in different seasons of our lives.
When I look back over 2025, I can see that God has already been at work in ways I once might have overlooked. I attended an Ignatian retreat that deepened my relationship with God. I was invited by my boss at my new workplace to attend high-level networking sessions and events, experiences that affirmed my professional dignity and potential. I have also grown closer to my family through quality bonding time spent together, sharing laughter, smiles, and conversations that I will always cherish.
Zechariah’s story reassures me that God is faithful in the silence, even when hope feels fragile. As I look ahead to 2026, one question rests on my mind, with my heart full of trust and openness: What has God lovingly prepared for me in 2026?
This Advent, as we await Christ’s coming, let us ask ourselves: Is it a time of empty waiting and wasted time? Or is it a time of purposeful purification, a waiting filled with God’s presence, even when answers are not yet clear?
(Today’s OXYGEN by Brenda Khoo)
Prayer: Sweet Jesus, in our seasons of waiting and uncertainty, help us to trust in Your timing and Your plans for us. When doubt or comparison weighs heavily on our hearts, remind us that You are always at work, even in silence. Teach us to wait with hope, patience, and faith. Amen.
Thanksgiving: Sweet Jesus, thank You for the quiet ways You accompany us in our daily lives, in periods of unseen growth, in moments of small victories, and seasons of grace. Thank You for walking with us in both joy and waiting, and for never abandoning us. May our hearts remain grateful and open to all that You continue to do. Amen.
OXYGEN 
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