Faithfulness and Love

Author Archives: Andrew Kooi

Wednesday of Week 29 Year 1

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Whose side are you on? Are you on the side of good? Or are you on the side of evil? Some of you may be saying: “Isn’t it obvious? Of course we are on the side of good!” But sometimes, we could be heading more and more towards the side of evil, especially when we sin, when we neglect to be loving and charitable towards others, when we think only about ourselves, when we allow pride and our ego to get the better of us, or when we are unable or refuse to forgive others.

In today’s reading, St. Paul reminds and cautions us: “You must not let sin reign in your mortal bodies or command your obedience to bodily passions, you must not let any part of your body turn into an unholy weapon fighting on the side of sin; you should, instead, offer yourselves to God, and consider yourselves dead men brought back to life; you should make every part of your body into a weapon fighting on the side of God; and then sin will no longer dominate your life, since you are living by grace and not by law.”

Some of you may be saying: “But being good is hard, it is difficult, how do we resist falling into sin?” Humanly speaking, it is difficult, because the ways of the world tempts us with so many attractions. But this is not an excuse for us to give up or despair, since we are helped by God’s grace, and when we go for confession regularly, we are actually making effort to keep our soul clean. May we not neglect the value and importance of regular confession, so that we may grow steadily in our relationship with God.

Tuesday of Week 29 Year 1

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For many Catholics, Sunday is the day where they go to church to attend Mass. Some do so because they want to grow closer to God and be nourished by His word and by the Eucharist. Some do so out of habit, or to fulfil the Sunday obligation. But whatever reasons we may have for attending Mass, one important fact remains: are we properly prepared for Mass? Some of you may be wondering: “this padre is crazy; what do you mean prepared? Surely we are prepared! We got up early, showered and cleaned ourselves well, got the kids ready, made sure everyone is dressed properly, and made effort to come to church early.” While all these are good, but what may be lacking or missing is this: are you prepared spiritually, that is, have you examined yourselves carefully and gone for confession to clear any sins, especially serious ones?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us of the need to be prepared: “See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.” While it is commendable for us to make effort to attend Mass, we should also not neglect in keeping our souls spick and span. May we be diligent and consistent in our preparations to meet the Lord, for the betterment of our souls.

Monday of Week 29 Year 1

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Some of us may have become quite comfortable with life on earth, that we may have neglected in preparing ourselves to meet the Lord. We think that we have plenty of time to grow spiritually, especially if we are still young, seem physically fit, do not seem to have any diseases or major illnesses and we have a whole life and many opportunities ahead of us. But as know, death can come at any time and in any form. We have seen recent tragedies and happenings which remind us how frail and impermanent we are, since we could be gone in a blink of an eye. Would we end up being caught off-guard and unprepared if something should suddenly happen?

In today’s Gospel, we come across a rich man who had a good harvest and thought that he had many years of enjoyment to come. But Jesus cautions us: “But God said to him, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?.” So it is when a man stores up treasure for himself in place of making himself rich in the sight of God.” Would we still insist in being complacent and not bothered, thinking that we need not be concerned for the time being? Or would it not be better for us to start doing something now, even if it is little by little, so that we would gradually grow closer to God? After all, we are reminded in a Malay proverb: “Sedikit sedikit lama lama jadi bukit” which roughly translates as “little by little, eventually it becomes a hill.” May we do what we can, even if it is little by little, so that we may be somewhat prepared for any eventuality, come what may.

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

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What is success? What is failure? Are any of us failures? The way the world sees success and failure is quite different from the ways of God. God created everyone for success. God did not create anyone for failure. But what do success and failure really mean? For most people, as for James and John in today’s Gospel, success means to be the best. To succeed means to excel. Success is measured by comparing one’s achievements against the achievements of one’s “competitors.” However, in today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us a new understanding of success.

For Jesus success means people realising and fulfilling God’s dream for them. Does this mean that God has already determined the outcome of our earthly existence? No. God has an intended destination for which He created you and me. But whether you and I attain this destination or not depends on how much we are willing to cooperate with God’s grace. God gives us free will to choose to cooperate or not.

James and John, on the other hand, represent an earthly understanding of success that encourages ambition, rivalry and unhealthy competition among people. We call such success the rat race, or as some may say, it is a dog eat dog world. On the other hand, Jesus teaches a different kind of success, which encourages mutual cooperation and contentment of realising that we can all be successful because God has created each and every one of us for something different. God has enough dreams to go round, a different dream for everyone, a different success for everyone. Our ambition in life should be to discover and live God’s dream for us.

At the end of the day, are we still seeking success here on earth? Or have we started to seek the kind of success that God has planned for each of us, different though it may be according to each person, but success all the same? May we be willing and humble enough to let go of temporary success, for the kind success which is permanent and eternal.

Housekeeping – Week 28 Year 1

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

11 Oct 2015 – 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
12 Oct 2015 – Monday of Week 28 Year 1
13 Oct 2015 – Tuesday of Week 28 Year 1
14 Oct 2015 – Wednesday of Week 28 Year 1
15 Oct 2015 – Thursday of Week 28 Year 1
16 Oct 2015 – Friday of Week 28 Year 1

Friday of Week 28 Year 1

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Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. Different people have got different sorts of fear. Some are fearful of the dark, some are fearful of the unknown, some are fearful of strangers, while others are fearful of change. As Christians, what should we be fearful of?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns us: “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. Yes, I tell you, fear him.” What Jesus is warning us is that we should not fear man and the things around us, because man can only destroy the body but not the soul. No matter what happens, God would be there to care for us. However, we should fear God, not in a paranoid or erratic way, but with reverence and trust, since God could destroy both body and soul. But is God going to destroy us completely as He pleases? No. Jesus in the Gospel assures us: “Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God’s sight. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.” God has no intention of destroying us totally, so there is no reason to fear, since He is giving us plenty of opportunities to grow closer to Him. It is a question of whether we want to remain in His care and love, or to be away from Him. Ultimately, the choice is up to us.

Thursday of Week 28 Year 1

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It is not easy for some of us to hear the truth. The truth hurts, and when our behaviour, conduct and attitude are exposed, some of us may try to find ways and means to prevent the truth from being widely circulated. We do not want to lose face or become embarrassed, so our defence mechanism kicks in, and we begin to work on some form of damage control. But the fact is, the truth will prevail, we cannot sweep it under the carpet forever. We could keep trying to live in denial, only to be further humiliated, or we could face up to it, seek forgiveness, reconcile and move on.

In today’s Gospel, we read: “When he left the house, the scribes and the Pharisees 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.” The scribes and the Pharisees knew that they were in the wrong, but they were stubborn, proud, egoistic and arrogant, refusing to admit their fault. Instead, they still insisted in keeping their facade, and tried to put Jesus down. But what the scribes and the Pharisees failed to realise is that Jesus was not just any ordinary itinerant preacher. The more they tried to go against Jesus, the more foolish they looked, even without realising it. Ultimately, we need to decide. Are we going to be like the scribes and the Pharisees, only to lose face even more? Or are we willing to be humble and docile, and let God help us change for the better?

Wednesday of Week 28 Year 1

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Some of us seem to easily find fault with others. We think that we are clever enough, wise enough or knowledgeable enough to tell others what to do or what not to do. But is that really the case? Are we really faultless, or are we merely being self-righteous and judgemental towards others? Jesus reminds us: “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you… (Matthew 7:1).” However, some of us still fail to realise that all of us are human, and we may not know the full facts or details. Thus, why do we still insist in looking at or judging others with coloured eyes?

In today’s reading, we are further cautioned not to judge. St. Paul warns us: “No matter who you are, if you pass judgement you have no excuse. In judging others you condemn yourself, since you behave no differently from those you judge. We know that God condemns that sort of behaviour impartially: and when you judge those who behave like this while you are doing exactly the same, do you think you will escape God’s judgement? Or are you abusing his abundant goodness, patience and toleration, not realising that this goodness of God is meant to lead you to repentance?” When we judge others, even when it is obvious that we have at some point of time done the same thing as what others have done, we are merely being hypocrites. May we be humble enough to admit our own failings, and learn to be compassionate and encouraging towards others, instead of trying to be self-righteous and judgmental.

Tuesday of Week 28 Year 1

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Some of us seem to be so preoccupied in maintaining cleanliness in our homes and even keeping our bodies clean. We would make so much effort to sweep and mop the house regularly, and most of us would take a bath at least once a day, and some even put on nice smelling perfume. But all these efforts to maintaining cleanliness are merely external cleanliness. What about our internal cleanliness, that is, the cleanliness of our soul?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus admonished the Pharisees when he said: “Oh, you Pharisees! You clean the outside of cup and plate, while inside yourselves you are filled with extortion and wickedness. Fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside too? Instead, give alms from what you have and then indeed everything will be clean for you.” The Pharisees focused so much on external practices, including so-called practices in cleanliness, that they neglected in keeping their souls clean. We too could be just as guilty as the Pharisees, by only putting on a facade of being clean on the outside, but what about the inside, our soul? May we come to realise that the cleanliness of our soul is more important, and may we do something to maintain the cleanliness of our soul, for our eternal future.

Monday of Week 28 Year 1

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Supposing someone were to come up to you and ask you: “What do you do as a Christian or as a Catholic?” What would your response be? Some of us may say we worship and pray to God and Jesus is our saviour and guide. Some may say that they attend Sunday Mass regularly and get involved in various church activities. But what are we supposed to do as Christians?

While all other activities and church events are good, our primary duty as Christians is to preach the Good News, as Paul says in the reading. Not only that, Paul also mentioned in the reading that Romans, to whom his letter is addressed, are also duty-bound to preach the Good News. This means that preaching the Good News is not only meant for religious leaders, each and every Christian is expected to do his or her part in preaching the Good News, in one form or another. Therefore, let us not slack or try to shirk our responsibilities, and go do what is expected of us.