Faithfulness and Love

Author Archives: Andrew Kooi

Thursday of Week 26 Year 1

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Sometimes we forget who we are as Christians. When we forget who we are, we may end up doing and saying things which offend God and hurt others. That is why we need to be reminded as often as possible, especially through the reading of the scriptures, who we are and how we are supposed to live. When we read the scriptures, or when we hear it being read, are we moved with what we hear? Or have we become unreceptive towards the scriptures?

In today’s reading, Ezra gathered the men, and women, and children, and read to them from the Torah. He stood, on a raised platform in the rebuilt Temple, and from morning until midday read the Torah, from beginning to end. The men, women, and children listened to their story, their family history, the laws which God had given them; and they discovered who they were. They raised their hands in the air, and proclaimed, “Amen, Amen” and they wept for joy. Why were they so moved?  Finally, they understood who they were, who God had called them to be, and they began to understand the commandments which were to guide their lives.

What about us? Do we finally get it? Do we realise who we are? We often think of ourselves as brothers and sisters in Christ, but have we read the scriptures and finally understood what it means to be brothers and sisters in Christ? May we come to a realisation of who we are, who we are called to be, and let the Lord be our help, providence and guide.

Wednesday of Week 26 Year 1

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In today’s reading, we come across Nehemiah who was a slave and the king’s wine-attendant. The duty of a wine-attendant was to ensure that the wine tasted good and was not laced with poison. If the wine tasted bad, Nehemiah could lose his head. Not only that, Nehemiah had to serve the wine with a happy face, otherwise he could be punished. So when the king asked why did he look so sad and what was in his heart, a great fear came upon him, because he risked punishment for looking sad, and he wanted to go back to his homeland to rebuild his ancestral city, but he was afraid that the king might get offended by his requests.

Nehemiah called on the God of heaven, and then made his request to the king. To his surprise, all that he asked for, even the timber for building of the Temple, was granted. Why was Nehemiah able to have all his requests granted? Because Nehemiah called on the Lord first, and the favour of the Lord was upon him. So the next time we are faced with any choices or decisions, and before we make a choice or decision, let us call on the Lord first, so that His favour would be upon us.

Tuesday of Week 26 Year 1

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In our efforts to preach the Good News, we may come across resistance and opposition. The reaction of a good Christian is not to get angry with those people who oppose and resist us, but to have more patience with them. The task of a disciple of Jesus is not to destroy but to build up. We must temper our tendency to return evil for evil. But being patient to such people is not so easy. This is because some of us are used to quick results, and we expect our ministry to flourish after a certain time. But the reality is, God’s ways are not our ways, and sometimes our efforts may not bear fruit as we expect. Then what happens?

In today’s Gospel, we see an example of expecting quick results in ministry, where the brothers James and John said to Jesus: “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” This is because the people of the Samaritan village did not receive them well. But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went off to another village. Jesus showed His disciples, and us too, that using force or threats is not the way to preach the Good News. At the end of the day, we are required to do our part, the rest we leave it in the hands of the Lord.

Thursday of Week 25 Year 1

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Whenever we attend a meeting, some items on the agenda may be important and need to be acted upon quickly. Other items may seem not so important, and we sometimes clssify such items as KIV or Keep in View. We may “sit” on such items for a while, or in other words, not take any action, as we deliberate about how to go about dealing with such items. But the fact is, sooner or later, we would need to do something. Sometimes, in our busyness or in our enthusiasm in getting other tasks done, we may even forget to address such items, only to later discover that the issue or situation has become even more critical, and we may end up having more difficulty or challenges in dealing with such items, since we may have KIV them for too long.

In today’s reading, the Israelite exiles returned to Jerusalem to build the Temple. Their task was to complete the building of the Temple, but many other issues and tasks cropped up along the way, and they forgot how urgent it was to build the Temple, causing it to be KIV as they dealt with other matters. The prophet Haggai was called to remind the people of the building of the Temple, and his message was for the people to reflect for themselves and see how things had gone for them. The prophet Haggai reminded the people that now was not the time to become distracted with other matters, or to KIV the building of the Temple, but instead the people should finish the task.

What about us? Do we KIV when it comes to urgent matters concerning our faith and relationship with God. Do we put God first, or have we allowed many other issues to overwhelm us, and distract us from maintaining a good relationship with God, and end up putting God in KIV? May we come to our senses and put God back in the center of our lives, while we have time and opportunities to do so.

Wednesday of Week 25 Year 1

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During our parents time, when they were young, life was not as easy and convenient as it is nowadays. Back then, people had to struggle to survive, some would have experienced the horrors of war, life was full of uncertainty, especially if one was living under colonial rule, and many challenges and difficulties lay ahead. But people did their best to remain sane and cheerful, and go through life as best they could. In contrast, how many of us appreciate what our parents went through so that we could live better, more peaceful and happier lives? How many of us give thanks for the sacrifices and perseverances of our parents, so that we could be where we are today?

In today’s reading, Ezra looked at his people and remembered how they were sent into exile. They had sinned against the Lord and were punished by being conquered by their enemies, and sent into captivity and slavery. But the Lord was merciful and now a remnant has come back to rebuild the Temple. Ezra remembered the past and he was taking nothing for granted in the present, and was grateful and thankful to God for His love, care and mercy.

What about us? Are we taking things for granted for the many good things and peaceful lives we have today? Do we show gratitude and thankfulness for the many sacrifices made by those who have gone before us? May we always remain grateful and humbled, and never forget to let God be in the central of our lives. Otherwise we may face the danger that when we have too much of everything, we become proud and arrogant, and our relationship with God could be reduced to almost nothing.

Tuesday of Week 25 Year 1

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Action speaks louder than words. We have heard many words and speeches throughout our lives, but all this talk is merely hot air, if nothing is done or carried out after that. Sometimes, we come across some politicians who would promise the sky during an election campaign. But after the elections are over and the politician has won, how many of them would actually keep their promises for the good of the people? The same thing goes for many other professions: it is pointless to talk a lot and sound good, without doing what you say.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” We can claim to be related to Jesus, since we are supposed to be brothers and sisters in Christ. But if we only know how to talk but don’t do anything, then what sort of brothers and sisters are we? Are we only Christians in name, without action, without making effort to love and care for others? Or are we putting into practice what Jesus has taught us, so that others would know that we ae Christians by our love?

Monday of Week 25 Year 1

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We sometimes wonder whether God would help us or answer our prayers, especially when we do not seem to be getting any answers or solutions. When this happens, what do we do? Some of us may give up and think that God is not going to answer anyhow. Some may try other forms of help, only to discover that these other forms are not really much of a help after all. Some may begin to despair, thinking that there is no hope left. But how many of us are willing to wait, with patience and perseverance, knowing that God would do what is best for us, in His time and for His glory?

In today’s reading, the Jews were in exile in the foreign land of Babylon and they had been in exile for 70 years. That sure is a long time, but God did not abandon His people. Instead, all of a sudden, He roused the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia to let the Jews go back to their homeland and even offered to help them rebuild the Temple. 70 years of darkness, uncertainty and hopelessness gave way to the long-awaited light.

What does this mean to us? It means that we should not doubt God. We should be patient, persevere and be persistent, knowing and trusting that God would do what is best for us, in His time and for His glory. We should not give up or even despair, since if God could do such things for the Jews, He could do great things for us too. We just need to let God be in control, and let Him be our providence, help and guide.

Friday of Week 24 Year 1

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It is interesting to note that some people seem to think that they can pay their way to heaven, sort of like “cheap grace” where the more they contribute, the better the chances for them to reach heaven. Also, some so called Christian pastors seem to be focused in ensuring that their faithful pay up every month, even to the point of checking on their pay slip or income status, and even publishing on the notice board, the names of so called “offenders” who have not been able to contribute, though there may be good and valid reasons why they may be unable to do so. Has our church and even some of us begun to have such thoughts and attitudes?

In today’s reading, St. Paul warns us: “This is what you are to teach the brothers to believe and persuade them to do. Anyone who teaches anything different, and does not keep to the sound teaching which is that of our Lord Jesus Christ, the doctrine which is in accordance with true religion, is simply ignorant and must be full of self-conceit – with a craze for questioning everything and arguing about words. All that can come of this is jealousy, contention, abuse and wicked mistrust of one another; and unending disputes by people who are neither rational nor informed and imagine that religion is a way of making a profit. Religion, of course, does bring large profits, but only to those who are content with what they have. We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it; but as long as we have food and clothing, let us be content with that.”

Are we a church only for the money? In some churches, we seem to get the impression that the leadership is focusing only for the money, where the rich, influential and wealthy are well treated, but the poor, the marginalised, those who are not so well-off or even those who are struggling to make ends meet are given little or minimal attention. If our focus is only for the money, then why are we church in the first place? Are we followers of our own ego, pride and gratification, or are we truly and sincerely following Jesus and His teachings?

Wednesday of Week 24 Year 1

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We sometimes come across people who say things that hurt, but what they say is the truth and makes sense. Some of such persons are called prophets, since what they are saying is to bring us back to our senses and help us realign ourselves with what is actual church teaching. However, those of us who say such things may not be appreciated or accepted by those who do not want to face the truth or accept the facts. Such persons would go to great lengths to try and discredit the prophet, in an attempt to safeguard the status quo or to maintain their interpretation of what they claim the church teaches, no matter how distorted or diverted the so called teaching may be.

In today’s Gospel, the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees and Jesus were in constant conflict, as the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees had their own interpretation of religion and its practices, which was constantly challenged by Jesus.The chief priests, scribes and Pharisees tried to make Jesus dance to their tune but He wouldn’t and He even said of them: “We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t cry.” Because Jesus and John the Baptist didn’t conform, the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees labelled them as “possessed” and “glutton and drunkard.” But as we know, it is the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees who had become “possessed” and “glutton and drunkard,” since they were the ones who had interpreted God’s laws according to their whims and fancies, instead of what is true.

What about us? Are we just as guilty like the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees, coming up with our own interpretations just because what the church teaches is not to our liking? May we come to realise what is true, and teach the truth accordingly, not what what we like or what suits us.

Tuesday of Week 24 Year 1

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What does it mean to do noble work? For some, it means doing some sort of charitable task, or to carry out some form of social work or to volunteer for a good cause. But sometimes, people perform noble work for a reason. Some do so because they want to gain a tax exemption or recognition from the government. Some do so because they want others to look up to them or to gain admiration or praise from their friends and peers. But what is a Christian understanding of noble work?

Noble work, from a Christian perspective, is not so much what a person does, but the kind of person he or she is, that is the person’s character. Today’s reading gives us some important clues about the kind of character a person should have, which in a nutshell should be respectable and impeccable. The work or ministry that a person would be doing could only be noble when the person in question is of noble character. That is why, when it comes to clergy and persons who would be entrusted to positions of authority in the church, it is necessary to examine and scrutinise the person’s character prior to ordination or appointment. May we be found to be of noble character, in our efforts to preach the good news to all.