Faithfulness and Love

Author Archives: Andrew Kooi

Friday of Week 28 Year 2

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Are you a hypocrite? Do you do things for show, or do you practise what you preach? People are hypocrites when they are not being real, they put on a show but in actuality are not who or what they really are, and do not practise what they preach. Could you be guilty of hypocrisy in some form?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us to “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees – that is, their hypocrisy. Everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear.” We need to be truthful and honest about ourselves: are we really being who we are? Are we saying and doing things for our own benefit and glory, or just to sound good or look good, or just to please others? Are we being blind guides and causing others to stray? We may think we can run, but we cannot hide forever. One day we would need to give an account of our attitude, behaviour and conduct. When that happens, what would the consequences be? Jesus cautions us in the Gospel: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell.” Let us thus be true, be real, be genuine in what we say and do, and make every effort and without pretense to walk humbly in God’s presence, learning to love all, while trusting and depending on Him.

Thursday of Week 28 Year 2

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What do you do when you have done something wrong? Some people choose to keep the wrongdoing under wraps, or pretend that it never happened, or sweep it under the carpet, thinking and hoping that no one would notice or investigate or interrogate further. Some people would try to find a scapegoat to put the blame on, refusing to take any responsibility for what had happened. How many of us are truly, humbly or willingly able to admit the wrongdoing, seek forgiveness and make amends where possible, and move on?

In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus exposing the many wrongdoings and nonsenses that the scribes and Pharisees had been guilty of. Instead of admitting or acknowledging their guilt, they reacted towards Jesus’ accusation in this way: “…began a furious attack on him and tried to force answers from him on innumerable questions, setting traps to catch him out in something he might say.” When we are proud, conceited or self-righteous, we may be behaving just like the scribes and Pharisees by refusing to change our ways. Are we setting ourselves up for eternal ruin and condemnation, by refusing to change our ways even though we have been given many opportunities to do so?

Wednesday of Week 28 Year 2

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What sort of “spirit” are we living in? Are we living a spirit of self-indulgence? Or are we being “led by the Spirit?” Some of us may be living in a spirit of self-indulgence, especially when we are involved in “fornication, gross indecency and sexual irresponsibility; idolatry and sorcery; feuds and wrangling, jealousy, bad temper and quarrels; disagreements, factions, envy; drunkenness, orgies and similar things.” All these things would lead us away from God, as St. Paul in today’s reading has cautioned us: “I warn you now, as I warned you before: those who behave like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

However, if we are being “led by the Spirit” as mentioned by St. Paul in today’s reading, then “What the Spirit brings is very different: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control. There can be no law against things like that, of course. You cannot belong to Christ Jesus unless you crucify all self-indulgent passions and desires. Since the Spirit is our life, let us be directed by the Spirit.”

At the end of the day, we are invited to choose: whether to be led by a spirit of self-indulgence, or to be led by the Spirit of God. How we live our lives today, what sort of spirit are we being led, is up to us to decide, and we should be ready and prepared to face the consequences or rewards.

Tuesday of Week 28 Year 2

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When people became Christians, they should have abandoned practises that contradict the Christian life, and have more trust and dependence on God. However, some still go back to old habits, attitudes, ways of doing things or behaviours which contradict how a Christian should live, especially when their prayers are not answered or when they do not get what they wish. Are we Christians only in name, as if it is some form of prestige or status symbol; or are we really and truly living as Christians, by showing our faith through our love?

In today’s reading, St. Paul reminds us: “Christians are told by the Spirit to look to faith for those rewards that righteousness hopes for, since in Christ Jesus whether you are circumcised or not makes no difference – what matters is faith that makes its power felt through love.” May we not take for granted our lives as Christians and show our faith through our actions, so that others may know that we are Christians by our love.

Monday of Week 28 Year 2

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It is interesting to observe how some people could claim to be free, but they are actually not free in other ways. For example, a person could seem free, but is enslaved by being addicted or dependent on substances, such as certain drugs, tobacco, or alcohol; or a person could be enslaved in various forms of personal gratification, abusing our minds and bodies; or a person could be enslaved in certain habits or attitudes, making it difficult for us to be truly human. So, are such people really free? Are you truly free?

In today’s reading St. Paul reminds us: “When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.” We were freed and made sons and daughters of God, but perhaps some of us do not understand, appreciate or value the freedom won for us. We slowly lose our freedom when we sin and neglect to have the sin cleaned by promptly go for confession. We lose our freedom when we become indifferent towards God and towards others and become enslaved in our ego, pride and personal gratification. May we not allow ourselves to be enslaved by such yokes of slavery and end up jeopadising our eternal future.

Thursday of Week 27 Year 2

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When I was a child, I thought that if I wanted something all I had to do was to pray really hard. A new toy for Christnas, a wonderful cake for my birthday, a raise in my allowance? I thought that all I had to do was ask. Eventually, of course, I figured out that the world didn’t work that way; and God did not answer prayers the way I thought He would. I did not fully understand why God did not answer my prayer, but I reasoned that maybe He was still thinking about it, like how my parents would think about it when I asked them for something.

Later when I grew older, I began to understand why sometimes my prayers were not answered. In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us to be persistent in prayer. But being persistent in prayer does not mean that God will answer our prayer according to our whims and fancies. Persistent in prayer involves praying and asking God to answer our prayer, but at the same time having full trust and confidence that God knows what is best for us. God understands our hearts better than we do ourselves. If we open our hearts, we will receive what we really want and need, even if it’s not exactly what we might think we want and need. May we remain persistent and hopeful, knowing that God will do what is best for us, for His glory.

Wednesday of Week 27 Year 2

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What do we do when a person has said or done something wrong? Surely we would counsel the person, or even reprimand him or her for his or her words and actions. But sometimes, we come across people who practice double standards. When it comes to rich or influential persons, such people would be extra nice or kind to them; but when it comes to the poor or the meek or the marginalised, such people may treat them like dirt. What should we do, if we call ourselves Christians? Are we impartial, or do we practice double standards?

In today’s reading, we see St. Paul being bold and willing to tell St. Peter off in his face. Even though St. Peter was an apostle and could be considered an influential person, St. Paul was impartial in his counsel. St. Peter was wrong by suddenly changing his attitude towards eating with pagans, just because a certain group of friends of James arrived. St. Peter may have been unwilling to create tension or issues with those group of friends of James, but his conduct was unbecoming of an apostle, who is supposed to be impartial, loving and fair to all, without fear or favour. Because of this, St. Paul gave St. Peter a piece of his mind: he told him off!

What about us? As Christians, are we being fair and loving to all, regardless of status, rank, or importance? Let us be impartial towards others, so that others would know and understand what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

Tuesday of Week 27 Year 2

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We sometimes hear people saying: “You cannot teach an old dog new tricks” or “a leopard cannot change its spots.” Such sayings seem to imply that people, especially when they have reach a certain age or if they have certain attitudes, cannot change no matter how hard others try to help them. Some of us begin to tolerate such persons, or if they are so difficult to get along with, some of us even begin to avoid them or shun them. The funny thing is, what seems impossible to us humans is not a problem with God. God can change people, and a person who was once so mean, wicked, difficult, obnoxious or even dangerous, could change to become a better person.

In today’s reading, we come across one such person named Paul, who tells us: “You must have heard of my career as a practising Jew, how merciless I was in persecuting the Church of God, how much damage I did to it, how I stood out among other Jews of my generation, and how enthusiastic I was for the traditions of my ancestors. Then God, who had specially chosen me while I was still in my mother’s womb, called me through his grace and chose to reveal his Son in me, so that I might preach the Good News about him to the pagans.” God changed Paul by transforming him from a persecutor of the faith, to a great defender of the faith, and even eventually died for the faith.

So What does this mean to us? It means that God will take care of things, and we just need to be patient and trust in Him. If God can change a person like Paul, and use him for His glory, just imagine what God could do for us, if we are humble and willing to let God be in control.

Monday of Week 27 Year 2

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Over the years, we have come across people who claim to be followers of Christ and they seem to have the gift of the gab. These people begin to go around appearing to be preaching the Good News, but we could begin to notice something strange or odd about the message these people are preaching. Quite often, these people would either preach fear or doomsday and they would try to entice people to give up their wealth; or these people would preach about receiving greater rewards from God if we are more generous in our contributions or love offerings. Some people become so easily taken in by fear of the end times, or by such easy access to God’s grace and providence, that they are duped into parting with their cash and even property. More often than not, such so called preachers are only looking to enriching themselves, and then make a run for it..

In today’s reading, St. Paul warns us: “if anyone preaches a version of the Good News different from the one you have already heard, he is to be condemned. So now whom am I trying to please – man, or God? Would you say it is men’s approval I am looking for? If I still wanted that, I should not be what I am – a servant of Christ. The fact is, brothers, and I want you to realise this, the Good News I preached is not a human message that I was given by men, it is something I learnt only through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” St. Paul is cautioning us to be careful and vigilant, because there may be preachers claiming to proclaim the Good News, but they are actually giving us false teaching. Let us not be so easily taken for a ride, and adhere to true and proper preaching, for the good of our eternal future.

Friday of Week 26 Year 2

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Some of us, at some point of our lives, may have been guilty of saying too much. Sometimes, we think we know it all, and try to show how much we know or how clever we are by giving comments, advice, suggestions, or even criticism, even though these were not asked for in the first place.This causes us to get into trouble for saying or asking certain things which should not be said or asked, or is not for us to be concerned about.

In today’s reading, we are presented with God’s response to Job’s lamentation. Job had lamented why he was going through all sorts of sufferings and calamnities, and was trying to figure out where he had gone wrong. In response, God posed a number of rhetorical questions to Job, all of which are designed to show Job how small he is in relation to God’s plan. In posing such questions to Job, God was reminding Job that His wisdom isn’t like human wisdom; His ways are not human ways. Faced with such questioning, Job realised that he had said too much, perhaps he had overstep the line, and he said (possibly sheepishly): “My words have been frivolous: what can I reply? I had better lay my finger on my lips. I have spoken once… I will not speak again; more than once… I will add nothing.”

What about us? Have we realised that there are times we have overstep the line? Have we realised that we said too much? Let us learn to know what to say and when to say things, and place our trust in God, knowing that some things are best not asked or said, but trusting and having confidence in His care and providence is the better way to go.