An Advent Reflection on Generosity, Conversion, and Why We Give

tonytangebirah
Dec 14, 2025
4 min read

Updated: Dec 19, 2025

Advent is never meant to be comfortable.

It is a season that gently — and sometimes uncomfortably — invites us to look inward, to examine our hearts, and to ask difficult questions about how we live, what we value, and whom we love.

In this sense, A Christmas Carol is far more than a festive tale. It is, as many have observed, a profoundly Catholic Advent story — one of conscience, conversion, and concrete acts of charity.

Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey mirrors what Advent asks of each of us: to remember our past honestly, to confront our present courageously, and to choose a different future while there is still time.

Scripture reminds us:

“Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Scrooge is given that time. So are we.

The Ghost of Christmas Past: Remembering What We Have Overlooked

When Scrooge is forced to revisit his past, he is not condemned for being wealthy or successful.

Rather, he is confronted with something far more unsettling: the good he failed to do when he could have done it.

This echoes Christ’s own warning:

“For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink…” (Matthew 25:42)

Today, many of us are not indifferent because we do not care — but because the suffering of others feels distant, abstract, or overwhelming.

Yet the data tells us something sobering: while global generosity remains strong in spirit, fewer individuals are personally stepping forward to give or serve, even as humanitarian needs rise.

In Catholic social teaching, omission matters.

Love is not only measured by what we avoid doing wrong, but by whether we choose to do good when we are able.

The Ghost of Christmas Present: Seeing the Present with New Eyes

The Ghost of Christmas Present opens Scrooge’s eyes to the reality of those around him — especially the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable.

It is here that Scrooge begins to change, not because he is frightened, but because he finally sees.

Scripture captures this awakening beautifully:

“If one of you has worldly goods and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” (1 John 3:17)

Children with HIV/Aids at Mai Tam House of Hope, HCMC, Vietnam

In Gebirah’s humanitarian missions, we encounter this same moment of seeing — not statistics, but people: children living with HIV, families displaced by floods, communities struggling quietly with poverty and neglect.

A lady carrying a personal item in her flooded home in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam

What makes Gebirah different is not that we do extraordinary things.

We do ordinary things but with fidelity, accompaniment, and prayer — walking with communities, returning again and again, and building long-term solutions rooted in dignity and human security.

Charity, for us, is not a transaction. It is a relationship.

We are not their benefactors. We are their friends.

This is why relationships matter. And this is why we like to believe that events like the CHARIS Gala Dinner are not simply fundraisers, but gatherings of conscience — where people who care come together in solidarity with our friends-in-need.

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come: Choosing a Different Future While There Is Still Time

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge a future shaped not by cruelty, but by indifference. A life where wealth was accumulated, but love was not shared.

Christ speaks just as plainly:

“To whom much is given, much will be required.” (Luke 12:48)

Scrooge realises that while he cannot rewrite his past, he can still sanctify his present — and in doing so, redeem his future. This is the heart of Advent conversion.

Buying a seat or a table at the CHARIS Gala Dinner through Gebirah may seem small in the grand scheme of the world’s problems. But in the logic of the Gospel, small acts offered with love matter immensely.

“Each must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Your participation helps sustain Gebirah’s humanitarian missions, supports vulnerable communities across the region, and strengthens partnerships that seek not only to relieve suffering, but to restore hope and dignity.

Why We Give — Not Out of Guilt, but Out of Love

Scrooge’s famous declaration — “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year” — is not sentimentality. It is a commitment to live differently.

As Catholics, Advent invites us to do the same.

To allow generosity to shape our habits. To let charity become part of our ordinary lives. To remember that faith without works is incomplete (James 2:17).

Supporting Gebirah through the CHARIS Gala Dinner is one way — among many — to live this call concretely, communally, and joyfully.

We warmly invite partners, collaborators, and volunteers to join us in supporting the logistics and other operational needs involved in our missions and outreach initiatives by purchasing a seat or a table at CHARIS Gala dinner through GEBIRAH. If for any reason you choose to purchase from CHARIS for GEBIRAH, or make a donation to GEBIRAH through CHARIS, please state clearly that the purchase or donation is intended for GEBIRAH.