Faithfulness and Love

Author Archives: Andrew Kooi

21 December – Season of Advent

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There are many reasons why we should remain joyful even though our country may be experiencing tough times, even though we may be facing difficulties or even persecution. If we look around us, we can see the joy of having the gift of life, the gift of good health, even the gift of friendship or companionship. We can see the joy in the faces of couples, who are expecting a child, as they go about making the necessary preparations. We can see the joy of a child, looking around with wonder and awe, since even the smallest thing or what seems to be trivial to many of us seems to arouse the curiosity and excitement of the child. Seeing that many joyful things, situations and events occur around us, no matter how big or small such joyful occasions may be, do we not feel joyful too?

In today’s reading, Israel is invited to shout for joy, since “The Lord has repealed your sentence;
he has driven your enemies away. The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst; you have no more evil to fear.” With the Lord by Israel’s side, there is no longer any reason to be sad or fearful. Likewise, the Gospel tells us of the joy experienced by Mary and Elizabeth when they met. For Elizabeth, the sadness of previously being barren is over as God revealed His blessings on her. For Mary, she experienced the joy of seeing her cousin exactly as what the angel Gabriel had said, as well as the joy of things to come.

Today as we are preparing to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus, may we remain joyful and hopeful. God is coming to help us and save us. Let us set aside our anxieties, fears and worries, and with joy and exuberance share the joy of the Lord with all.

18 December – Season of Advent

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Supposing one day, as you are having a date with your girlfriend, she tells you a shocking truth: she is pregnant. How would you react or respond? What if your girlfriend were to tell you that the child was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit? How would you react or respond? Would you believe your girlfriend and accept the child as your own? Or would you dump her, thinking that she had been unfaithful and is making up stories to try and cover up what you think is the real truth?

In today’s Gospel, we come across Joseph who had found out that his betrothed, Mary, was with child. Certainly Joseph would have been filled with doubts, possibly even with suspicion, especially when the child was said to have been conceived through the Holy Spirit. Joseph was certainly in a dilemma, for he knew the consequence and fate of a woman with child before marriage. Joseph could have had difficulty coming to terms with such a news, and after much thought, he thought that the best solution would be to divorce Mary informally, since he was a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity. Then came saving news: the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and assured Him that the child was indeed conceived through the Holy Spirit. Mary had not betrayed him or committed sin after all. Joseph took Mary to his home and raised the child as His own.

If we are in Joseph’s shoes and faced a similar situation, would we still keep our girlfriend and the child? Or would we still insist in dumping her, even though she had not done anything wrong? Sometimes the society we live in may make it difficult for us to take courage and keep our girlfriend and the child, but if such a thing were to ever happen, may we take courage in God’s providence and do what is right.

17 December – Season of Advent

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Throughout our lives, we would have experienced times of greatness, times of weakness and moments of grace. Perhaps when we were young, we would have experienced greatness in our achievements, in our relationships with others, and in our relationship with God. Then some of us may have gone through a period of weakness, where we may have fallen away from our relationship with God and with our relationships in church. Some of us during this stage may have been too preoccupied or busy in our career or in other pursuits. Then some of us may come to realise that all the wealth and achievements we savoured or sought are actually not that important or that big a deal after all. It is during this time that some of us experience God’s grace and we rekindle and strengthen our relationship with God and with church.

In today’s Gospel, we also see moments of greatness, times of weakness and moments of grace. From Abraham to David, we see moments of greatness, with Israel becoming the chosen people of God and developing into a great and mighty nation. From David to the Babylonian exile, we see moments of weakness where Israel’s fell from greatness. We see how Israel turned away from God and turned to sin. From the Babylonian exile to Jesus, we see moments of God’s grace, with God’s promises to Israel and its fulfillment in Jesus.

What stage are we presently in now? Are we facing moments or grace, or are we still stuck in moments of weakness? Are we still pursuing wealth, fame, power and all that the world has to offer, or have we come to realise that building a relationship with God is more worthwhile in the long run? May we not get caught off guard, and do our best to grow closer to God, who constantly beckons us to come to Him and remain in His love.

Easter Friday

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Why do some people get annoyed or even angry so easily? Some people become annoyed or even angry when things do not go their way, when they are misunderstood by another person, or when their viewpoints clash with another’s viewpoints. Some become annoyed or even angry when they are accused of being wrong, when they think they are right, and their perception causes them to believe that they are right. Some become so easily annoyed or even angry because they do not know how to or refuse to reason. Some become annoyed or even angry when they are insulted, when they incur a loss, or when they are trying to protect their pride or their greed. Our reactions vary in different situations, and sometimes, we may be making mountains out of molehills in our annoyance or anger.

In today’s reading, Peter and John were talking to the people, much to the extreme annoyance of the priests, who were accompanied by the captain of the Temple and the Sadducees.These priests and Sadducees were extremely annoyed because their pride and ego had been hurt by the truth being proclaimed by Peter and John. But Peter and John did not back down and did not water things down to appease these priests and Sadducees. Instead, Peter and John continued to preach the truth, the Good News, with enthusiasm and vigour. Would we be willing to face persecution and even death, just like Peter and John, so that the Good News would be known to all.

Easter Thursday

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When you see a wound, especially if the wound looks serious or grievous, how would you react? Some of us may feel faint, especially if the wound is oozing with blood. Some of us may feel quite squeamish and try to look the other way. Some of us may even run away, afraid to see more than just the wound. But could a wound be a source of tremendous joy or happiness? Some of you may be thinking: “Has this padre gone bonkers and needs his head examined? How could a wound ever be a source of tremendous joy or happiness?”

But surprising as it sounds, a wound could indeed be a source of tremendous joy and happiness. How so? In today’s Gospel, Jesus showed the wounds of his hands and his feet. Not only that, He even ate a piece of grilled fish right in front of the eyes of His disciples. The wounds of Jesus became a source of great and tremendous joy and happiness, because they show that Jesus is not a ghost, but is risen, and that the disciples not only had Jesus in their midst again, they were also healed of their possible feelings of guilt of having deserted and abandoned Jesus in His darkest moment.

In a way, Jesus is also beckoning us to show the wounds of our hearts, to tell Him what is troubling and disturbing us, to tell Him our hurts and pains, as well as our anger and resentment. Jesus is inviting us to let Him heal us, since by His wounds, we are healed and saved. May we with tremendous joy and happiness and without any hesitation, show our wounds to Jesus, so that He can heal us and make us whole again.

Easter Wednesday

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Giving up seems to be the easiest thing to do for some people. People give up due to a number of reasons. However, if we examine the motives of some people as to why they give up, we may begin to discover that some of the real reasons why they do so may be because they do not want to take responsibility for the situation or task, or perhaps they feel that their pride is at stake, or that their reputation is more important to them, and would rather salvage what they can instead of risking things further.

The two disciples on the way to Emmaus in today’s Gospel were walking away from Jerusalem, walking away from the situation at hand. They were giving up, thinking that there was nothing left for them to cling on to. But Jesus did not give up on them. Jesus walks along with them and helps them realise that there is hope. Eventually, the fire within them which at first seemed to have sizzled out started burning again. They became aware again of their mission and they responsibilities to bear witness to the Good News.

If some of us are feeling like giving up, like there is no hope, remember this: Jesus is there. We may not see Him, but He is there. He wants you to come closer to Him and let Him heal you and rekindle the fire in your hearts. Do not be afraid. The hearts of the two disciples at Emmaus were set aflame with new vigour, new zeal, new enthusiasm, because they opened their hearts to Jesus. Let us too open our hearts to Jesus.

Easter Tuesday

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Usually on a Sunday, we may get a sizeable crowd for Mass. In some parishes, several Masses may need to be celebrated to accommodate the crowd. Sometimes, Masses may be celebrated in different languages, so that persons of different language preference would be able to understand and participate at Mass. However, just imagine for a moment… 3000 people coming for Mass at the same time. Surely such a situation would be unusual or amazing, especially on a Sunday, not a Feast Day, Solemnity or some other significant celebration, but an ordinary Sunday. If 3000 people coming for Mass at the same time is already considered phenomenal, just imagine if we had 3000 baptisms happening on the same day and time. Wouldn’t it be a miracle? Could such a miracle happen ever again in our churches at this present time?

In today’s reading, 3000 people were cut to the heart when they heard Peter’s words, they were convinced by his arguments, and they accepted what he said and were baptised. What Peter said had moved the hearts of so many and changed their lives completely, bringing about their conversion. Likewise, may our hearts be moved like those 3000 people, and may we renew our zeal and commitment in bringing Jesus’ Good News to others.

Easter Monday

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What sort of persons are we? What sort of stuff are we made off? Do we have only outer strength, or do we have inner strength as well? Some people may have outer strength: for example, they have the military power, weapons, political and social influence, connections and standing, or some other form of external factor which gives the illusion that such people are strong and powerful. But the problem with outer strength is that such outer strength comes and goes. People with only outer strength could lose such strength at any time or at any moment. But how many of us have inner strength, which includes truth, integrity and other virtues which come from within us?

In today’s Gospel, we come across examples of outer strength and inner strength. The soldiers, the chief priests and the elders, had outer strength, but they lacked inner strength, since they chose to cook up a lie and live on in fear and worry. Instead of being people of courage and bravery, they succumbed to cowardice and deceit. They failed to adhere to good principles and good virtues expected of them. On the other hand, the women, who were thought to be powerless, discounted and devalued, were the ones who lived up to the truth with courage and integrity. These women showed their inner strength, as they saw the empty tomb, the truth in the Risen Christ, and went off to proclaim the truth with joy and fervour.

Let us ponder and ask ourselves sincerely: are we people of merely outer strength? Or have we grown especially in our inner strength? Do we depend only on outer strength to define who we are? Or have we shown our inner strength through our words and actions? May we come to realise the folly and illusion of outer strength, and learn to follow the ways of the Lord.

Wednesday of Holy Week

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When we are put in a difficult situation, or when we face persecution, or when our faith is challenged, what happens? Quite possibly our defence mechanism would kick in. We would begin to think of ways and means to rebutt the claims made towards us, or we begin to think of how we could answer or respond to the accusations. Some of us feel that we have the knowledge, know-how and convincing arguments to defend and protect ourselves. But sometimes, our defences may not necessarily be necessary or sufficient. So how should we as Christians respond to such situations?

In today’s reading, we see how a Christian should respond. The reading tells us: “The Lord has given me a disciple’s tongue. So that I may know how to reply to the wearied he provides me with speech. Each morning he wakes me to hear, to listen like a disciple. The Lord has opened my ear…  The Lord comes to my help, so that I am untouched by the insults. So, too, I set my face like flint; I know I shall not be shamed.” When we put our trust in God and let Him guide us, then we are responding to such situations not on our own effort or our own abilities or our own accord, but through His promptings. The way God guides us to respond accordingly can sometimes surprise us and even our accusers. May we learn to let go and let God be our hope and guide, knowing that He will help us.

Tuesday of Holy Week

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Each and every one of us are given many options to choose in life. Sometimes we make good choices, sometimes we make not so good choices. But whatever choice that we have made, God is constantly inviting us to choose life and to dwell in His love. It is ironic and tragic that there are people who choose to avoid God, but that is the reality of having the freedom to choose, and whatever choice a person has made, the person would need to be prepared to face the consequences of the choice made.

In today’s Gospel, we come across two individuals who made a choice. Judas chose to betray Jesus, even though he had been with Jesus for such a long time. Peter tried to be a bravado and claimed that he was willing to lay his life for Jesus, but later chose to disown or deny Jesus when he was confronted. But the difference between the betrayal and the denial is this: Judas was not repentant of his betrayal, since he later went and killed himself. Peter, on the other hand, sought to make amends with the risen Lord.

So which individual have we become or are becoming? Are we becoming more like Judas, refusing Jesus and preferring to go our own way? Or have we learnt to become more like Peter, acknowleding or admitting our mistakes, and seeking to return to the Lord’s ways and growing closer to Him? May we choose wisely, for our eternal future is at stake.