Faithfulness and Love

Author Archives: Andrew Kooi

Easter Vigil

Posted on by Posted in Easter Triduum, Easter Vigil Leave a comment

Darkness… reminds us of the darkness of sin, the darkness of evil, the darkness of death, pain and suffering. Sometimes, the darkness seems so overbearing and overwhelming, death seems to be the end. Sometimes, our problems and suffering seem so unbearable that we feel like giving up. Darkness seems to rule us and seems to engulf us in a chasm of doom and despair.

However, this Easter Vigil night, no matter how dark the situation may seem be, no matter how bad things may seem to be, no matter how big the problem, no matter how powerful death and suffering may appear, none of these can defeat the power of the resurrection. Easter is our victory over darkness. Jesus is risen.

Let us therefore not behave like there is no hope, like this is the end, because tonight is a new beginning. Let us with renewed confidence and trust march on, for God is on our side. He has defeated death. He has won a great victory for us. Let us proclaim “alleluia” and share this good news to all the ends of the earth.

Good Friday

Posted on by Posted in Easter Triduum, Good Friday Leave a comment

Our God is with us at all times. Don’t care whether it is good times or bad times, sickness or health, joy or sorrow, life or death, God is there. Today, we are reminded of God who hangs on the cross. The cross was a tool of humiliation, of suffering, of slow and painful death. Extremely bad people were the ones normally crucified on the cross. But here, we have God who hangs on the cross.

Why did God hang on the cross? It is precisely because of His immense love for us. He wants to save us from our sins. He is crucified by our own sinfulness, our indifference, our ambitions, our greed, our selfishness, our inability to forgive, our pride, our anger, etc. The cross is transformed from an instrument of death, to a symbol of God’s unconditional love. The cross shows that God is even prepared to take the place of the worst kind of sinners by being executed like a criminal, so that we can be saved from our sins.

Are we willing to carry our crosses and die to our sins? Are we willing to wholeheartedly and enthusiastically love God and people, regardless of whether they have been good or bad to us? God died on the cross to save all of us. Are we humble enough to follow His example?

Maundy (Holy) Thursday

Posted on by Posted in Easter Triduum, Maundy Thursday Leave a comment

In today’s liturgy, we are reminded of Jesus’ commandment that we are to “love one another as I have loved you. We are also reminded to “Do this in memory of me.” “Do this in memory of me” means that we are to imitate the entire life of Jesus, not just pick and choose what we like. We must love, forgive, show compassion and serve one another as Jesus did to all. We must give up our lives as Jesus did on the cross. Jesus showed us an example of loving one another by washing the feet of His disciples. By doing so, He humbled himself by taking on the role of a slave to serve others, and challenged us to serve as He did.

If we look at our lives, are we following Jesus’ commandment to love and serve as He did? Are we humble enough to forgive others, just as God has forgiven us? We ask so much from God, but are we equally generous in giving to others what we have received from His bounty? Let us be genuine and generous in our love and service, as we strive to grow closer to God.

Wednesday of Holy Week

Posted on by Posted in Holy Week, Wednesday Leave a comment

We sometimes hear of people betraying other people for one reason or another. Sometimes the reason could be personal pride, greed, money, jealousy, rage, etc. What some of these betrayers do not realise is that they may not necessarily get the “reward” promised to them at the end. We hear of cases where a person betrays another for an agreed reward, only to be put to death by those who hired the betrayer, as they may decide to destroy any evidence of involvement and they may not trust the betrayer to keep silent. As some say, dead men tell no tales.

Today, we see Judas receiving 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus. We are already reminded in Monday’s Gospel that Judas “was a thief; he was in charge of the common fund and used to help himself to the contributions.” So 30 pieces of silver seemed a nice sum for him and something hard to resist. The problem is, is friendship so cheap that it can be sold for 30 pieces of silver, which is the price of a slave? Like Judas, some of us give little thought to the consequences of our sins. Some of us only look at self-gratification and temporary pleasure we get from committing such sins, and never stop to think about its long-term consequences. We are blinded by our personal interests, and we forget that we are selling our souls just for a measly sum. Why do we commit such acts only for temporary gratification but could lead us to an eternity away from God? Do we consider ourselves so cheap and worthless that even that temporary sinful act is enough for us, only to suffer eternal consequences?

Tuesday of Holy Week

Posted on by Posted in Holy Week, Tuesday Leave a comment

Each of us experiences our days and our nights. Life is never the same, since we have choices to make, and sometimes these choices will influence how our life turns out. We are given many opportunities to let God steer us closer to Him, but our behaviour, attitude, stubbornness, pride, etc. can cause us to drift further and further away, especially when our minds and hearts remain closed and we choose to avoid His loving embrace. Indeed, it may sound strange or tragic, but there are people who vehemently choose to remain away from God.

Today’s Gospel tells us of Judas. Jesus knew what he was up to, and he was given a choice to stay with the group or betray Him. One can imagine the turmoil which may have initially been going on in Judas’ heart, but when one is further engulfed in wrongdoing, in sin, in dissatisfaction, etc., one becomes more and more convinced to make an alternative choice. Judas took the bread and then left. Night had fallen. A soul had made its choice.

Which path are we choosing? Are we heading the same direction as Judas chose to go? Or are we choosing to remain in that narrow road whic leads to life? Let us not be distracted or diverted from making a wise choice.

Monday of Holy Week

Posted on by Posted in Holy Week, Monday Leave a comment

Some people can be deceptive and cunning. They could appear to be good, but they have hidden motives or hidden agendas. If a situation suits them, they act quickly for their own benefit. If a situation is not favourable, they may lie low and wait for a different time.

Judas Iscariot in today’s Gospel is one example of such a person. He was not interested in others. He was interested only in himself. He said: “Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but he cared only about himself. The Gospel further tells us that Judas Iscariot “was a thief; he was in charge of the common fund and used to help himself to the contributions.”

Another example of such a person are the chief priests, who only cared about themselves. They were more concerned about losing their “crowd” and even had the audacity to “decide to kill Lazarus as well, since it was on his account that many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.”

What about us? Are we doing things for our own benefit? Are we more interested in our wants and needs, even to the extent of lying, cheating, betraying and killing others? Let us not be fooled into thinking that we can get away with such despicable acts. God is watching, and one will be repaid according to one’s deeds (Matthew 16:27).

Palm Sunday

Posted on by Posted in Holy Week, Palm Sunday Leave a comment

Today’s celebration is full of ironies. At the beginning of the celebration, Jesus is cheerfully and warmly welcomed. People are waving palms and Jesus is treated like a VIP. However, when we come to the readings and Gospel in the middle of the celebration, the mood suddenly changes. Jesus is jeered, rejected and put to death.

The people had expected a messiah, but not the kind of messiah Jesus was. They wanted a messiah who would lead them and rescue them from their enemies, especially the Romans. When Jesus turned out to be not the type of messiah they expected, they got rid of Him. Instead of the King of kings, they chose a brigand called Barabbas. Jesus came to save them from their sins, but they were more interested in someone who could save them from their enemies. Jesus came to spread peace and love to all, but the people were not interested in such things. Indeed, so many ironies.

What about us in this present time? Are we also just as guilty in protecting and preserving our own interests by supporting those who could be of use to us? Or are we letting Jesus save us from our sins? Are we making effort to grow closer to God by sincerely and earnestly loving God and neighbour? Or are we no different than these people in the readings? Situations may have changed, but what is our real agenda? Jesus invites us to follow Him, take up our cross and let Him save us. Are we still rejecting and “crucifying” Jesus even today?

Housekeeping – 5th Week of Lent

Posted on by Posted in Housekeeping, Lent, Sunday, Weekday Leave a comment

For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:

6 April 2014 – 5th Sunday of Lent Year A
7 April 2014 – Monday of the 5th Week of Lent
8 April 2014 – Tuesday of the 5th Week of Lent
9 April 2014 – Wednesday of the 5th Week of Lent
10 April 2014 – Thursday of the 5th Week of Lent
11 April 2014 – Friday of the 5th Week of Lent

Friday of the 5th Week of Lent

Posted on by Posted in 5th, Friday, Lent, Lent 5, Weekday Leave a comment

When it comes to the truth, righteousness and fairness, we may sometimes face a situation where people whom we thought are friends may turn against us. Finding genuine friends who would stand by us is certainly not easy, since many a times, we come across people who are not really true friends, more likely acquaintances perhaps. When we are faced with such a situation, what do we do?

Jeremiah in today’s reading faced such a situation. His so called “friends” disparaged him and watched for his downfall. Some of these “friends” were perhaps opportunists, being friends only when it suits them. However, the reading tells us: “But the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero; my opponents will stumble, mastered, confounded by their failure; everlasting, unforgettable disgrace will be theirs.” Jeremiah had full trust and confidence that God would rescue him and keep him safe. What about us? If we are facing a similar situation like Jeremiah, would we be just as trusting and confident?

Thursday of the 5th Week of Lent

Posted on by Posted in 5th, Lent, Lent 5, Thursday, Weekday Leave a comment

Whenever we experience a life-changing event, a part of us becomes different. We are no longer the person we were before. For example, when we were baptised, we were given a baptism name as a new identity, a new beginning, a child of God, and a member of a Christian community. Our old self dies and our new self emerges.

This was also the case with Abram, who God renamed as Abraham. God made a covenant with Abraham to be observed by him and his descendants. Notice here that it is God who takes the initiative and invites us to come closer to Him. God made the covenant with Abraham but He did not force it down Abraham’s throat. Abraham had a choice; to follow or not to follow. Most of us would assume that it would be absurd for us to not follow, but it is indeed surprising that some of us choose not to follow. Sometimes, even our attitude, behaviour, way of life, etc. are indications of our choice of whether we want to be close to God or otherwise. Ultimately, we are given free will to choose. May we choose wisely as our choice would be for eternity.