Faithfulness and Love

Author Archives: Andrew Kooi

Thursday of Week 16 Year 1

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When we are invited to a banquet by the king or sultan or some VIP (Very Important Person), we would surely make extensive preparations. We would make sure that we have decent and clean clothes to wear, we would bathe and use perfume to ensure our bodies do not release any odour, and we would rehearse any necessary protocol so that we would know how to speak and behave in front of such persons.

In today’s reading, God told Moses that He is coming to His people, and Moses was told what were the necessary preparations. The people were to wash their clothing and hold themselves in readiness for the third day, because God will descend on the mountain of Sinai in the sight of the people. On the third day, there were peals of thunder and lightning flashes, a dense cloud, and a loud trumpet blast, and inside the camp all the people trembled. There was smoke and fire and the mountain shook violently as God came to His people. The people experienced God, but it was an experience that required preparation on the part of the people.

What about us? What sort of preparation have we made should God decide to come to our midst? Would we be ready for Him should He come? Have we observed the necessary preparations, such as keeping our souls clean? Or have we been procrastinating, thinking that we have plenty of time to get ready? May we not be caught off-guard, and be ready to meet our loving God at all times.

Wednesday of Week 16 Year 1

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Every once in a while, we hear of people migrating from one place to another, because they have heard wonderful stories about the other place, and they think that they would benefit much from the other place. Some even migrate from one country to another, because they think that the other country would offer better opportunities for them. People migrate in this way because they think that “the grass is always greener on the other side.” But the reality is, the other side is not always as wonderful as it seems.

In today’s reading, the Israelites had their freedom from slavery in Egypt. But now out in the wilderness, they began to complain about hunger and the lack of food, and they were saying that slavery in Egypt was better than freedom in the wilderness.But is slavery really better? God brought the Israelites out from Egypt after they had endured much suffering and hardship, and now that the Israelites were free, they were still complaining about what they lacked. But despite how difficult, obstinate and stubborn the Israelites were, God did not give up on them. He gave them food even though they were ungrateful. Even though the Israelites still had much to learn about God’s love and generosity, God was patient with them.

What about us? Do we still think that “the grass is always greener on the other side.” May we not be so easily duped by what others say or what we read, because sometimes, the other side may not be so wonderful after all. Sometimes the other side may lead us to slavery, while we may have some or even much more freedom at where we are. May we come to discover how loving and patient God is to us, and let Him be our help and guide.

Monday of Week 16 Year 1

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A man was trapped on the roof of his house and all around there were flood waters. A helicopter came and beckoned the man to climb up the ladder into the helicopter to safety, but the man said: “I trust that God will give me a sign that He will rescue me. I shall wait for the sign.” The helicopter left, as it was dangerous to remain hovering in the area for too long. A speed boat came by and beckoned the man to hop onto the boat to safety, but the man said: “I trust that God will give me a sign that He will rescue me. I shall wait for the sign.” Eventually, the flood waters rose up to the roof and the man drowned. When the man appeared before God, he complained: “Lord! Why didn’t you give me a sign that you would rescue me?” God replied: “My dear son. I gave you 2 signs: the helicopter and the speed boat. Why didn’t you recognise the signs?”

In today’s Gospel, the scribes and Pharisees knew who Jesus was, but they were so stubborn and refused to admit who Jesus was, and still asked for a sign from Jesus. Jesus responded with harsh words: “It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign!” When we are stubborn, obstinate, proud, conceited and egoistic, no matter how many signs are given to us, we would still refuse to accept the signs. May we come to realise our attitude and behaviour, and change our ways while we have opportunities to do so.

Friday of Week 15 Year 1

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We sometimes come across people who just do not seem to have anything good to say about others. At the slightest opportunity, such persons would condemn the actions or words of others, sometimes without even bothering to verify the facts. To such persons, only they are right and eveyone else is wrong, no matter how much good others have done. Why do such people behave in this way? It is precisely because of their pride, ego and insecurities, that they cannot stand seeing other people doing what is right and what is just.

In today’s Gospel, we see an example of such persons in the Pharisees, who refused to acknowledge the good others do. These Pharisees had so easily forgotten, as Jesus reminded them, that what God wants is mercy, not sacrifice. Because of this, the Pharisees had become so proud, arrogant, full of themselves, and egoistic, so much so that they so easily condemned the blameless. Could some of us have become like the Pharisees, when we treat others with contempt, or we belittle others for whatever reasons, or we think that we are right and others are wrong? May we come to realise our attitude and behavior, and change our ways, and do what is right and just for the glory of God.

Thursday of Week 15 Year 1

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I remember in my younger days, I had friends living in a village and I would drop by their house for tea. I recall some of them whose parents were farmers and they owned different farm animals, each animal having a different purpose and function. Among the animals they owned, the ox or buffalo seemed quite fascinating, since the ox was often depended upon to prepare the fields for planting. What would normally be done is to place a yoke upon the shoulders of the ox so that it could pull the plough to dig up the earth to enable seeds to be planted easily. In some cases, the yoke was designed so that two oxen could be used to plough the fields. Why two oxen? Firstly, two oxen are better than one, and the field could be ploughed faster. Secondly, one oxen was usually a more experienced one and the other a new one, so that the experienced one could guide or initiate the new one into the task of pulling a plough. So a yoke which could fit two oxen was preferred, for obvious reasons.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is inviting us to shoulder His yoke and learn from Him. Not only that, His yoke is easy and His burden light. Jesus is beckoning us to let Him lead us and guide us as we plough through the fields of life, and when we are humble and willing to let Him do so, we have no need to worry or fear, for He is there for us. May we take this opportunity to shoulder Jesus’ yoke, and let Him show us the way to His Kingdom.

Wednesday of Week 15 Year 1

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What is a vocation? A vocation is a calling from God to serve Him in a certain way, and we can choose to respond to the calling or not to respond. God does not force us to respond to His call, but sometimes what God is offering us is far better. Sometimes God could be calling us in a spectacular way, sometimes the call may not seem that out of the ordinary, but when God calls us, are we able to identify His voice and respond? Are we willing to respond to God’s call or would we try to ignore it, or make all sorts of excuses to try and escape from doing His will?

In today’s reading, Moses was called by God to bring His people out of Egypt. Moses was already living quite a comfortable life looking after the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, priest of Midian. Moses was initially quite reluctant to leave his present life and even said to God, “Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”But God persisted and said: “‘I shall be with you,’ was the answer ‘and this is the sign by which you shall know that it is I who have sent you… After you have led the people out of Egypt, you are to offer worship to God on this mountain.'” With God being so persistent and constant, Moses found it difficult to say no and answered God’s call to do as God wanted.

What about us? If God is constantly calling us with such persistence, would we still insist in saying no? Would we try to run away and hide or try to ignore His voice? May we be humble and docile enough to respond to His call and do His will for His glory.

Tuesday of Week 15 Year 1

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I like to watch different types or genre of movies, and one type which I find interesting is the “Thriller” or “Drama” or “Suspense” type. Such a genre sometimes gives a twist to the plot or the characters. For example, a character who appears to be good may turn out to be a crook and vice versa. Sometimes, the movie plot could turn out quite differently from what we would expect at the end. This makes such a movie genre unpredictable, interesting, full of suspense, surprising and sort of mysterious, since one could never guess the final outcome.

In today’s reading, we see an example of such a movie genre. Moses, as a baby, had been put into a papyrus basket and laid among the reeds at the river’s edge. Many of us would have thought that Moses’ mother would have been the one to keep watch, but it was his sister who did it instead. Pharoah’s daughter found the child and decided to rescue him and keep him as his own. Then the irony is that in the end, it is Moses’ mother who suckled him till he grew up and was given to Pharoah’s daughter, who treated Moses as her son. Who would have thought that Moses was rescued in such a dramatic way, and even became a pince of Egypt, but that is exactly what happened.

What can we learn from this? God is a God of suspense and surprises. We sometimes go through life thinking that things would happen or take place in a certain way, and that certain choices would lead to certain outcomes. But God does not follow our rules. He does things according to His plan, and sometimes the outcome is far better or quite different from what we expected. May we be humble and ready for whatever outcome God has in store for us, for His greater glory.

Monday of Week 15 Year 1

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I believe most of us would want to remain in good relationship or good ties with our parents and siblings. I do not think we would want to cause unnecessary friction or division in the family. But sometimes, some of us may be faced with a situation where our parents or siblings demand that we perform something or carry out an act which would keep the family honour, but goes against God’s commandments. For example, your spouse is with child and the doctor examining your spouse discovers that the foetus has some form of handicap which could make raising such a child quite difficult and expensive. Your parents demand that the foetus be aborted, because they believe and fear that having such a child would bring dishonour to the family name. What would you do? Would you remain faithful to God’s commandments? Or would you do as your parents demand?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns us: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be those of his own household. Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.”

We know that as Christians, we are reminded to obey and keep God’s commandments. But if we obey and keep God’s commandments, we would be going against our parents’ demands. Likewise, if we submit to our parents’ demands, we would be going against God’s commandments. Should we be faced with such a difficult situation, may we choose wisely and prudently what is right and just.

Friday of Week 14 Year 1

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It is certainly not easy being a Christian. Our beliefs and principles quite often are in contrast with the ways of the world, and when we are faced with a choice, we would face a serious dilemma. It is easy to say that we would follow the ways of Christ, but when the choice involves our livelihood, or involves family relationship, then things become quite sticky and difficult. For example, not all of us come from families which are Christians, especially if some of us in the family converted to Christianity. When our siblings or parents challenge us to do something which is not right according to God’s laws, would we stand firm with our Christian way of life? Or if our boss at work asks us to do something wrong or illegal for the benefit of the company, would we still stand firm with our Christian way of life? Or would we succumb to family, work or peer pressure?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus cautioned us: “Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved.'” If we were persecuted for our faith today, would we be willing to suffer and even die for our faith? May we choose to do what is right and just in God’s eyes, and be courageous and steadfast in witnessing to the Gospel for the glory of God.

Thursday of Week 14 Year 1

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Every once in a while, we come across a situation where disaster seems imminent. We may have thought about how we could come out of such a situation, and it seems to us as if there is no way out. Some of us may begin to think that giving up or surrendering is all that there is left for us to do, and some of us may even despair. Yet, God works in mysterious ways and through His intervention. we have seen throughout history how bad situations have had a good ending.

In today’s reading, “Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father really still alive?’ His brothers could not answer him, they were so dismayed at the sight of him. Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ When they had come closer to him he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not grieve, do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here, since God sent me before you to preserve your lives.'” Joseph, who was sold to slavery in Egypt, ended up rescuing his family and Israel as a whole. God indeed had a plan from the beginning, and fortunately for Joseph’s brothers and the Israelites, God’s plan involved turning what was thought to be a bad situation into a good one.

So what does this mean to us? It means that we should not give up or think that all hope is lost. God can transform something which seemed bad into something good at the end. Are we willing to be humble and patient, and let God do what is best for us for His glory?