Faithfulness and Love

Author Archives: Andrew Kooi

Friday of Week 18 Year 1

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What does it mean to obey? In today’s reading we are presented with what seems to be a simplistic understanding of the meaning of obedience. In a nutshell, the reading is telling us that to obey means to keep the laws and the commandments of God, and by doing so we will prosper, live long and be happy. The reading also cautions us that if we disobey God, then we lose everything and be ruined.

But Jesus in the Gospel gives us a deeper and different meaning of obedience. In the Gospel, Jesus tells that if we want to be His disciples, then we would have to renounce everything and take up our cross. What Jesus is trying to tell us is that when we let go, we gain, or if we were to put it in a different way: We should let go, and let God. Obedience to God is not about gaining world riches. Rather, obedience to God is the realisation that eternal riches is far more precious, far more valuable. So the question is: Why do we obey? What do we ultimately seek?

Wednesday of Week 18 Year 1

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If a person makes a promise to you, would you believe him or her? If the person is someone you have trusted all this while, then it may be a no brainer to believe. But supposing the person is not someone close, would you still believe? Supposing the promise is made by a politician, would you believe? Or would you remain skeptical and think that such promises are just mere words, meant to be broken when necessary? How then would you trust and believe, when a promise is made?

In today’s reading, God told Moses to send a reconnaissance team to the land of Canaan which He was giving to the sons of Israel. This team was made up of the leaders of each tribe of Israel, and they were to give a report of the land that God had promised to give to Israel after 40 days of reconnaissance. When they came back, they showed the people the produce of the land and indeed it was a good and fertile land, a land flowing with milk and honey. But they also said that the people in that land were a powerful people, that they were no match against them, and they began to disparage the land. The people raised their voices, cried aloud and wailed in despair, forgetting that it was a land that the Lord had promised them. The people forgot that what the Lord had promised, He will deliver, and they didn’t want to believe in the promises God made to them. God did not break His promise; instead it was the people who broke faith in God.

What about us? If God were to make a promise to you, would you still remain skeptical? Sometimes we just need to have a little more faith and trust that God would fulfil His promise in His time and for His glory.

Tuesday of Week 18 Year 1

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Why do people become envious or jealous? Some become so because they covet what someone else owns. Some become so because they feel the other person seems more talented or capable than them. Some become so because they feel inferior or have low self-esteem. What happens when we are jealous and envious? We become critical and judgemental towards ourselves and towards others. We forget that each and every one of us is precious to God, and we are made in a unique way. We want to be someone else or we want something which we don’t have or lack. But what do we really gain from being jealous and envious? Are we living in truth, or are we living a lie?

In today’s reading, we hear of how Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses in connection with the Cushite woman. But the issue here is not so much the Cushite woman, but that they were envious and jealous of Moses, and they used a trivial matter to express it. So what they said merely expressed what was really eating away in their hearts. Because of such envy and jealousy, Miriam ended becoming a leper and Aaorn begged Moses to intercede for them and cure Miriam of her leprosy.

What about us? Have we become lepers because of our envy and jealousy? We may not necessarily be stricken with the disease of leprosy, but the poison of envy and jealousy causes us to become like lepers, where our envy and jealousy eats away our being bit by bit, until we become monsters, filled with resentment, anger, or even rage. May we come to our senses and remove the envy and jealousy in our hearts, and learn to be content and happy with the Lord.

Monday of Week 18 Year 1

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One of the many challenges parents face when feeding their children is when their children are fussy over food. Some children are so fussy and difficult to please, so much so that some parents just give in to their demands, and spoil the child. Some parents resort to walking away in frustration, and let the child be without giving the child the kind of food desired. Some parents even resort to punishment, including a smacking or a scolding, to try and get the child to eat up what is on the plate.

In today’s reading, we hear how the Israelites began to be fussy, not because they were hungry but because they were tired of eating manna, day in day out. God had already provided manna to sustain His people, but the Israelites were still fussing for the food they had in Egypt, even though the manna was actually more than enough to meet their needs. This caused the Lord’s anger to flare out, and greatly worried Moses. But instead of causing the Israelites to face the Lord’s wrath, Moses complained to the Lord and tried to intercede for them, begging the Lord to be merciful and generous to them.

What about us? Have we been fussy over many things, and yet neglecting in the essentials? How many of us have been fussy about going for Mass more often, or even fussy about going for confession to keep our souls clean? Are we fussing about things here on earth, or have we made effort to fuss about our eternal future?

Friday of Week 17 Year 1

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What would you do if one day, your parish has a new parish priest or a new religious sister, and the new person is actually a son or daughter of the parish, that is, someone whose origins are from the parish he or she is now being posted to. Would you accept the person and work with him or her to help the parish grow? Or would you reject the person, because you think that you know the person well enough?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: “‘A prophet is only despised in his own country and in his own house’, and he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” The people did not accept Jesus because the people thought they knew Him too well, and they already had preconceived opinions and ideas about Him. Their hearts were closed and they did not think Jesus had anything to offer them. As a result, they had rejected Jesus upfront, without even giving Him a chance to help and guide them.

Some of us too may have this attitude problem. Some of us allow our preconceived ideas and opinions to surface and rear their ugly heads, making it difficult for some to accept a familiar face. The question is: are we willing and docile enough to change our attitude and work with the son or daughter of the parish? Who knows, he or she may turn out to be an amazing and loving shepherd and guide. Are we willing to give him or her a chance?

Thursday of Week 17 Year 1

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Whenever we go fishing, most of us would use a fishing rod to try and catch fish. But if one is making a living as a fisherman, quite likely the person would use some sort of net to catch as many things as possible, so that there would be more choices to sell. Once the catch has been made, then the fisherman and his companions would go through things caught in the net, to determine which can be sold, and which is of no use. If the fisherman used a dragnet, then there is a possibility that even things found on the ocean floor would be caught in the net.

In today’s Gospel, we read: “Jesus said to the crowds, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use. This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.'” Just as a dragnet is used to catch all kinds of things, the church is also something like a dragnet, catching persons of many different attitudes, behaviour and background. But instead of separating what is good and what is of no use, the church is where we have many opportunities to grow closer to God, especially by attending Mass and by going for confession consistently and regularly. Let us seize every opportunity given to us to grow closer to God and keep our souls clean, while we prepare to meet the Lord.

Wednesday of Week 17 Year 1

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Do we ever see radiance emitting from certain persons? When a bride is walking the aisle during the wedding, we see the bride’s face radiant and exuberant, as she is experiencing one of the many happy moments in her life. When a penitent has made a good confession, we see his or her face radiant, because a heavy load of sin has been swept away. When a woman finds out she is pregnant, her face shows radiance, as she is excited and joyful of the possibility of becoming a mother. So, we see many situations in life where radiance can be seen on our face.

In today’s reading, Moses’ face was radiant after speaking with the Lord. When we come for Mass, our faces ought to be radiant after we have “spoken” with and listened to the Lord. But is this the case in church? Do we emit radiance after Mass, or do we remain as we are and some of us even put on a sour face or monkey face as we leave the church, due to some reason or another? May we come to realise the presence of the Lord, and like Moses, let our radiance shine for all to see and give Him the greater glory.

Tuesday of Week 17 Year 1

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Each day we are presented with many choices, some good, some not so good, some bad. Some of you may say that the choice is quite obvious, that is, to do good. But sometimes, what seems good may not necessarily be so, and the choices we make would lead to certain consequences. As the years go by, we gather more and more of the consequences of the choices we make. Eventually, we take a stand, on whether to do good or to do evil, and the stand we take is called a fundamental option (in other words, an ultimate, no return, no change, option).

In today’s Gospel, Jesus cautioned us: “Just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!”  Jesus is cautioning us that if our choice is to do evil, then we would need to be prepared to face the consequences. It may seem surprising, but we have seen many examples of evil being done by people over the years, since God does not force us to be good. May we be cautious and discern carefully about the choices we make, since our eternal future is at stake.

Monday of Week 17 Year 1

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Being impatient and feeling insecure could sometimes lead us to committing an offence or even causing us to sin. For example, we are waiting for the traffic light to turn green, and due to a heavy volume of traffic, the light has not changed for quite some time. Some of us begin to become quite impatient or even irritated, and some may even drive forward, thinking that the traffic light is not functioning properly. But the traffic light is actually working, and eventually changes to green. But because we had moved on without waiting for the light to change, we may end up with a traffic summons, or even cause an accident as a consequence of trying to beat the light. When we feel insecure, we may begin to find ways to preserve and satisfy our wants and needs. Could some of us be impatient and feeling insecure, and end up doing things irrationally?

In today’s reading, we come across the sons of Israel who were impatient and insecure. Just because Moses was not around for a moment, the sons of Israel thought that Moses and even God had abandoned them and they became increasingly worried and insecure. This made them make a gold calf to be their god to go at their head. Of course, their idolatry was inexcusable, and Moses had to plead with God on their behalf, and yet, God was still merciful and continued to guide them.

Sometimes we may have been impatient and felt insecure especially when we are experiencing difficulties, persecution or even the possibility of death. Some of us may begin to doubt, just like the sons of Israel did, on whether God still cares. But let us be reminded that God can and will help us. We just need to be patient and to have full trust in God, knowing that He would take care of us, according to His time and for His glory.

Friday of Week 16 Year 1

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Why do we come for Mass on Sunday? Some of us do so to fulfil the Sunday obligation. Some of us do so because we want to receive Holy Communion and be nourished by Jesus. How many of us come because we want to listen to God’s Word, listen to the homily, and also receive Holy Communion? Do we pay attention while the readings are being read, the Gospel is being proclaimed and the homily is being preached? Do we recall what was the homily preached last Sunday? Or have we been day-dreaming, reading some Catholic publication, looking at the church bulletin, looking at our handphone (cellphone), getting distracted by some other thing, or doing something else while the Liturgy of the Word is being proclaimed?

In today’s Gospel, we come across the parable of the sower, where the seed is the Word of God. What happens to the seed depends on how we have allowed it to be sown. Have we allowed the seed to be sown in rich soil, and let it grow in our hearts and in our soul? Or have we allowed other factors to distract us, and cause the seed to be lost, or taken away, or unable to grow? May we come to realise the importance of both the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and give our utmost attention to both, so that we may be like the one “who received the seed in rich soil and yields a harvest and produces now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty.”