On December 26, 2021, the Filipino Catholic Community in Gouda (FCC-Gouda) and Surroundings held its Tombola fundraising event after the mass. Thanks to the sponsors who donated prizes and the community members and supporters who bought raffle tickets, the community has all together raised a total of €496 (net).
The FCC-Gouda Board would like to thank the following for your generosity, kindness and support. May God bless you all the more!
SPONSORS:
Ribex International Martin and Mary-Jane Streefland Amor Lagade Irene Hameete Marylynn van Dijk Jenny Luna Elpi Aziatische Kledingreparatie.
TOMBOLA COORDINATOR:
Irene Hameete
BEST TOMBOLA SELLER OF THIS YEAR:
Marivic Adema
And to EVERYONE who supported and bought raffle tickets, our HEARTFELT THANK YOU! With each donation we receive, we deeply appreciate your support.
THE LUCKY WINNERS
First Prize: Lucy & Kees van Ginkel 2nd Prize : Lucy & Kees van Ginkel 3rd Prize: Luz van Starre Consolation Prizes: Jojo van Oeveren Tony Farma Teun Blanken Michelle Streefland
Once again, thank you ALL for making a difference through your help and generosity!
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp. | Sir 3:2-6.12-14; Psalm Ps 128; Col 3:12-21; Lk 2:22-40
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today we celebrate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. It is important to keep an eye on our own families and recognize that the Holy Family is supposed to be a kind of mirror to help us reflect on our own families and to take some kind of resolution on how we want our family to be, and what we would like to do to keep it going. It is important to remember that no family is perfect. When you take a look at the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, you can see that when Jesus is in a family, something different happens to it because he helps us to be divine conscious, considerate of the other, as well as develop some virtues. Recall the events surrounding the conception of Jesus which made Joseph (a righteous man) plan to divorce Maria secretly so as to save her from public disgrace (cf. Matthew 1:19). If Joseph had come forward to disown Mary’s pregnancy, it would have had grave consequences for her. So, looking at the Holy Family, we can see that there are certain virtues that saved them in times of crisis. We will see those virtues as we move on in our reflection on the Holy Family.
In the Gospel, we read about Jesus who stayed back in the temple after his parents took him to Jerusalem for the annual feast of the Passover. First and foremost, this is a family that centers God in their life; a family that seeks to fulfill the demands of the Jewish religion. Therefore, they went to the Passover feast every year. When Jesus became 12 years old, they took him along. When leaving after the feast, the parents thought he was among their kinsfolk and acquaintances with whom they went to Jerusalem. But when they could not find him after a day’s journey, they returned to Jerusalem only to find Jesus sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. When the parents approached him, he questioned why they were looking for him. Don’t they know that he should be in his father’s house? This episode brings out the divine nature of Jesus. Even at such a tender age as 12 years, he was so wise as to question the learned men of Israel, already knew his mission, and was filled with zeal to embrace it. But more importantly, it brings out the beautiful lesson that God lived in a human family thereby completing the story of the Incarnation.
When God took our nature, he took it completely, except sin. He was tender, weak, vulnerable, and even threatened by Herod such that they had to run to Egypt. He needed the protection of a family, he needed the protection of a father and mother. Jesus, therefore, knows the experience we undergo as humans. He has felt our pains, dependence, hardships, worries, and all that troubles us. More importantly, although he was divine, he recognized the authority of his parents over him. The bible reads, “he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them” (Luke 2:51a). The dynamics that characterize the relationship between Jesus and his parents are shown to be such that allows children to develop their given vocation in the context of gentle and understanding guidance from their parents. Though Jesus’ parents were astonished by his action, they were patient and understanding for the mystery that they could not unravel about Jesus at that time. “But his mother treasured all these things in her heart”(Luke 2:51b).
Jesus’ obedience and Mary’s loving understanding run through their relationship as recorded in the Bible. Remember that when Jesus began his ministry at the age of thirty years old, the first miracle he performed at the marriage feast in Cana was at the request of his mother (John 2). He mentioned that his hour had not come, yet he went on to do it because his mother has asked for it. This obedience is what we see in the first reading. Ben Sirach describes what obedience to God implies in the context of the relationship between parents and children. He emphasized how important it is, from the divine perspective, that children learn to obey, care for, and respect their parents. He reiterates that God honors children in respect to their parents, and considers the obligation to honor one’s parents to be an integral part of the life of faith.
Without honor to parents, one cannot claim to honor God because biblical ethics is grounded in honoring father and mother. Irrespective of the present situation of one’s parents (sick, old, deaf, whatever), or the present position a person occupies in society, the demand to love, care, and honor one’s parents remains paramount to any claim of loving and honoring God. Exodus 20:12 records honor to parents as the only commandment that has a promise attached to it, and Moses reiterated this very important command in one of his last speeches to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 5:16. It reads, “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”
It is important to always remember our origin. We all come from families and, without our parents who cared for us when we were helpless and brought us up, we could not be who we are today. Jesus recognized this. Hanging there on the cross and seeing that he was about to die, he turned and saw his mother. John 19: 25-26 read, “When Jesus, therefore, saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” Love and care for parents bring inner joy and a sense of fulfillment because by doing so one is fulfilling a very important task and commandment.
Taking a look at our own families, Paul gives us the virtues that will enable us to improve our relationship with each other. He noted that cordial relationship is enhanced by heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another (cf. Colossians 3:12-13). There is no relationship that can survive without tolerance, humility, and forgiveness. We are humans. We err. Therefore we need to forgive each other. A relationship is like a rose. In it, there is the beautiful flower, but also the thorn. Both make the rose. To keep a loving relationship in the family, we need the above-mentioned elements because no matter how close we are to each other in a family, there is always a little part that remains a mystery. Just as Mary did not fully understand the words of Jesus when they met him at the temple, there could be something that is going on in our family or with a family member that we do not really understand the reasons behind it at the moment. Sometimes, it could be an effect of something that happened in the past that the person is processing in the present. Therefore, we need patience, tolerance, and compassion so that we can gradually understand what is going on in the other person.
As FCC Gouda or as a parish, we are a wider family of the children of God. In this wider family, there is a wide diversity of persons and characters. But what is fundamental is that we belong to the family of Jesus who is born to us. He is the head and we are the members. Since we are different in characters, temperaments, and sensitivity, we need patience, tolerance, humility, kindness, forgiveness, compassion, and love to keep this family of us going. In most families, there are those we regard as “black sheep” because we disapprove of some of the things they do. But it is important that to always remember such persons contribute something unique without which the family is not complete. Besides, we could be the ones mistaken in our judgment. So we need to love and appreciate every person, whether in our nuclear families or the wider FCC family.
While we pray for our families, let us also look inwards and ask ourselves what we could bring into our family that may be lacking in making it such as we truly desire of it.
A New Liturgical year begins today with the First Sunday of Advent. Advent means ‘Coming’. It is the Season of waiting in hope for the coming of the promised Messiah which found fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. This promise made long ago to the House of Israel and Judah in our first reading (Jer. 33:14), kept the Jews waiting for its fulfillment. They were indeed the first set of people to observe the Advent period when they waited for the coming of the promised Messiah. They remained steadfast in their preparation to welcome the Messiah knowing that God always fulfills his promises. However, given the image of the Messiah that developed in the course of their history, it was difficult for them to recognize in Jesus the Messiah they have been waiting for. As John attests, ‘Jesus came to his own but his own people did not accept him but to all those who did receive him and who believed in his name, he gave the power to become children of God” (Jn 1:11-12).
Christians borrowed this tradition as a means of reawakening the consciousness of the need for preparation to welcome Jesus who will come again in power to judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1). The Church places this special period of preparation at the beginning of the Liturgical year when we are getting ready to celebrate Christmas. It gives us the opportunity to reflect on the reason behind the birth of Jesus, his teaching and salvific death and resurrection as well as calls us to prepare for his second coming in glory.
Many ancient prophets had foretold that the Lord’s day would really be a terrible day. “Behold the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger to make the earth a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it” (Isaiah 13:9-13; Joel 2:1-2; Amos 5:18-20; Zephaniah 1:14-18). It will be a day of judgment for some and a day of jubilation for others depending on where a person stands in his or her relationship with God and humanity. The virtuous will raise their heads in glory while the vicious will tremble in fear. It will be a day of joy and sadness, a day of commendation and condemnation, a day of reward and punishment. Whatever one sows, one will reap.
Jesus noted that there will be great signs in the heavens that will cause the heavenly bodies as well as the earth to tremble. “People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power and great glory” (Luke 21:26-27). And he added, “But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand” (Luke 21:28). We can observe two sets of people from the above citations: namely, those to die of fear and those strengthened by faith. Just as men will be dying of fear, many will be joyful in faith. Fear and faith are opposites, predominant one determines one’s fate. More importantly, a predominance of fear in this regard is an indication of something unbecoming about the person because, as John puts it, “For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love (1 John 4:18).
Jesus warns his followers not to end up in fear and destruction because his coming should be a joyful liberation from all that oppresses them rather than being a source of worry and fear for the wrong they might have done. Consequently, he call on them to always stay awake. They must not get carried away by neither the pleasure of life nor by the anxieties of daily life. Whatever happens, they must remain focused on the most important business of human existence – to seek first the kingdom of God in all things (Matthew 6:33). Jesus is aware of the lure of pleasures to which humans are exposed, but also of the difficulties and troubles of daily life which can preoccupy a person to such an extend that the person loses focus on what really matters in life, even to lose focus on God. At the beginning of his ministry, after fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, Jesus underwent three major temptations (Luke 4:1-12). He was tempted with turning stone into bread when he was hungry. So he knows that hunger and hardship can influence a person’s attitude. He was equally tempted with riches that has driven many to worship the Devil. Finally, he was tempted with the lure of power, showmanship and fame. But being awake to the demands of his mission and having prepared himself with prayer and fasting, Jesus overcame the tempter with words of the scripture.
As we get closer to the celebration of Christmas, we prepare to celebrate the coming of Jesus. People do this preparation in different ways. Paul preached the second coming of Jesus to the Thessalonians, and some of them stopped working and waiting in idleness for Jesus to come and take them to heaven. Paul had to correct that impression in his second letter to them. Some prepare by decorating their homes, getting new cloths, fireworks and planning for house parties. Whichever way we want to prepare for Christmas, the most important thing is to remember that it is about Jesus’ coming, not just a birthday party. And Jesus has told us how to prepare for his coming – we must stay awake and not be carried away by pleasures of life or the anxieties of daily life. His coming must not catch us unaware or unprepared. It is very easy for one to get caught up in the affairs of this world and so remains spiritually indifferent and passive.
Taking a look at the event taking place in the world presently, there is so much to occupy everyone. The world has been fighting the outbreak of Corona for the past two years. When one thinks that we are getting over the situation, the arrival of a new variant is announced. This is certainly a source of worry as it affects virtually everything we do. Yet, Jesus is reminding us that such anxiety should not shut our eyes out of the bigger picture. God is still the ruler of the universe. He was there during all the pandemics in history, the wars, the earthquakes and other terrible things that have happened, and he brought them to an end. Rather than become afraid and worry, therefore, it is for us to trust in him and call upon him in faith while we do the best we can in the struggle to curtail the situation. Fear can sometimes be destructive, but faith leads to positive actions that yield the needed fruits.
It is mostly when we are awake and in the state of spiritual alertness, that we can easily overcome the devil’s intrigue, make good and positive choices and decisions in life and engage ourselves in some beneficial activities. Taking a cue from Jesus (cf. Luke 4:1-12) we could see that being spiritually awake is enhanced by intense and regular prayer life frees us from anxieties and fears over what is happening in the world, sharpens our ability to make right judgements and strengthens our will to do things right. It equally moves us to take steps to render helping hands to those in need, stand up for those unfairly treated, forgive and reconcile with friends, family and others around us. So, stay awake for the Lord is coming in glory to redeem his people. Amen.
By Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp. (Numbers 11:25-29, James. 5:1-6, Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48)
Dear brothers and sisters,
The readings of today point to the universality of the mission of Christ. We all are called in one way or another to take part in one way or the other. They also point to the fact that Christ’s mission is diverse, touching every sphere of life. It is not restricted to the Sanctuary of the Church but permeates the secular life – there where we find ourselves.
First Reading this Sunday from the Book of Numbers (Num.11:25-29) presents us with the institution of collective leadership of Seventy Elders to whom God gives a share in the spirit of Moses, that they may also share in the enormous leadership burden of Moses to lead the people of Israel with all their incessant complaints.
While these Seventy Elders were filled with the Spirit, they began to prophesy. However, two men who were not among the Seventy Elders by name; Eldad and Medad, were in the camp prophesying as well. And Joshua reported this to Moses and demands that Moses should stop them, in reply Moses said; “Are you jealous on my behalf? How I would wish that, all God’s people are prophets with the spirit of the Lord upon them” (Num.11:29).
Corroborating the lessons of the above first reading, the Gospel reading of today (Mk.9:38-48) presents us with a similar incident in which Jesus reprimands his disciples for their Jealousy and Suspicion. Here, the apostles (like Joshua) reported an incident to Jesus, of a man who was not one of them but was driving out demons in the name of Jesus and they tried to stop him. In response, Jesus ordered; “Don’t prevent him. No one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us”, Mk9:39-40.
The choice of seventy elders commissioned in the first reading points to the mission of the seventy disciples of Christ (see Luke 10:1ff). The numerical agreement in both texts shows Jesus as the new Moses and confirms the universal dimension of his mission. The number 70 also recapitulates the account of the origin of the 70 nations of the ancient world (see Genesis 10); which connotes universality. Thus, the commissioning of the seventy elders and subsequent mission of the seventy disciples, anticipate the universality of the missionary plan of God, seeing in the number “seventy,” a glimmer of catholicity. No one is left out in the work of God, and no nation is excluded.
This is also true about Eldad and Medad who were absent from the tent of meeting and still received the Spirit. This generous flow of the Spirit beyond the tent of meeting is exegetically eloquent about the secular apostolate to which many are called. Eldad and Medad represent those called to minister outside the sanctuary, located within the ordinary sphere of secular life; and called to sanctify the secular sector with the spirit of the gospel. In this sense, every sector of social life is a sanctuary and a pulpit of sorts. In daily interactions with one another, we communicate the love of God to others. We preach the gospel of the kingdom of love and justice more with our actions than words. By so doing, we return our love to God through the services we render to others. Our social interactions in the secular sphere become an apostolate and a means of serving God by sharing his love. This is the very apostolate that Saint James emphasizes in the second reading; namely, serving God in others through social justice.
Many of us are engaged in different professions, entrepreneurial activities, and positions, medical assistance, civil and commercial services. Such positions should be seen as different vocations and apostolates for the service of God through humanity. Saint James calls all within these secular apostolic fields to uphold the principles of justice and love. Employers should not treat employees as objects or instruments of labor, but as humans with dignity and right. The wealthy should see wealth as an instrument of service to humanity. Not to help someone in need when the means are available is to kill. To store up wealth that one does not need is to store God’s wrath against oneself. With material goods, we can feed Christ in the poor (see Matt. 25:34ff).
The readings also present us with the call to missionary cooperation. Leadership in God’s household is a collaborative task, and not just that of an individual. But the leadership team needs to be of one mind and one heart, filled with the same Spirit in order to execute their task in the Spirit of Christ. There is, in the case of the seventy elders, the unity of spirit. All received the same spirit that was in Moses. Here lies the great caution. We are called to participate in the mission of Christ, and to share in his Spirit. Having the Spirit of Christ is very important.
It is not enough to work with the name of Jesus. One also needs to have the spirit of the Master. Today, many profess the name of Jesus but with the spirit of Mammon, others prophesy in his name but with the spirit of divination (see Acts 16). Hence the apostle says: “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (Rom. 8:9). The fact that Jesus allows those that use his name does not imply approval. It is the same way he allows the wheat and the tare to grow together till the judgment day. On that day, many will say to him, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name, and many mighty works in your name” and he will say to them “I never knew you, depart from me you evildoers” (Matt. 7:22-23).
Not all who use the name of Jesus are genuine. Hence, he warns: “take heed that no one leads you astray, for many will come in my name …. And they will lead many astray” (Matt. 24:4-5). Working in the name of Jesus also requires participation in his Spirit.
The readings are also a warning against jealousy and unnecessary suspicion. We see Joshua asking his master Moses, to stop Eldad and Medad from prophesying because they were not in the tent with them. A similar incident happened with the disciples of Jesus who tried stopping the man casting out demons in the name of Jesus simply because he does not belong to their group. This is simply the same pattern of discrimination, racism, and party spirit. That someone is different, thinks differently, or does not belong to our group of friends, religion, or whatever does not take away the good things the person can do.
We cannot restrict the Spirit of God or decide for God who to use, inspire, bless and uplift. The Spirit of God is everywhere and can operate with anyone He chooses. Jealousy and suspicion act like a virus, spreads fast among group members, lead to gossip, and brings division. When we learn to appreciate everyone, we can see that the mission of God can bear more fruit through cooperation rather than division and party spirit.
Beloved brothers and sisters, the missionary mandate, prefigured in the election of the seventy elders, is a universal call. We all have a part in the mission through our respective walks of life. As some are called to preach the Word with their voices from the pulpit others are called to preach the Word with their lives through their different professions and states of life. About the latter group of preachers, the psalm says: “There is no speech, no words; their voice is not heard; yet their words go out through all the earth, their messages, to the ends of the world” (Psalm 19:4-5). We are all called to the prophetic ministry of the church. This prophecy is not about foretelling the future, but forthtelling the Word of God by word and by action.
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe | (Josh.24:1-2,15-18, Ps.33:2-3,16-23, Eph.5:21-32 & Jn.6:60-69)
Dear Friends in Christ,
The readings of today, especially the first reading and the Gospel, concentrate on the importance of making the right choices based on fundamental and enduring considerations rather than on passing and shortsighted interests. The challenge to declare our stand in relation to God in Christ Jesus is a daily experience in our effort to live our Christian calling in the present secular society. It is interesting to see how the people of old and the disciples handled this choice-related issue and what implications that followed.
In the first reading, we see Joshua summoning all the tribes of Israel to renew their allegiance to the Lord. This invitation is significant given all that the Lord has done for them right before their very eyes. He led them out of Egypt, having worked many wonders against Pharaoh and even drowned his chariots in the sea as he tried to stop their escape. God led them through the desert, fed them with Manna, fought their battles, and drove their enemies away from them. These experiences were sufficient to convince them to remain steadfast to the Lord their God. Yet they kept alternating from belief and unbelief.
As the days of Joshua drew to a close, he devoted his last days to reminding the Israelites of what the Lord did for them. It is time to decide on whether they want to remain faithful to God who has been on their side or turn to the gods of the neighboring nations. Therefore, Joshua convoked the entire assembly at Shechem and categorically put it before them to henceforth choose whom to serve. Whether to serve the Lord -Yahweh or to serve the foreign gods of the Amorites. As for Joshua he has chosen that he and his household will serve only the living, God.
A similar situation trails the multiplication of five loaves of bread and two fishes with which Jesus fed five thousand people. That action prompted them to seek to crown Jesus their king and have him give them bread always. But the moment Jesus began teaching them about the bread of life which is his true body, their mood changed and they left him in anger. Jesus turned to the twelve and asked if they too wanted to leave. Rather than leave, they affirmed their faith in Him. Jesus’ reaction to those walking away in anger, leaves no middle ground for his hearers. It was a simple declaration that we can only follow Jesus in his own terms and not in our own terms.
When faced with difficult choices, experience can be of great help; the Israelites had to remember what the Lord did for them, this helped them to choose to serve Him in place of the other gods. The twelve disciples of Jesus relied on the messages of Eternal life which Jesus had given them, this made them choose to remain with Him despite the challenging teaching. Peter’s expression showed this clear, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go, You have the message of eternal life, and we believe, we know You are the Holy One of God.’ So, it was not because they understood the teaching either, it was because they knew and believed that He is the Holy One of God.
At the center of human freedom is the question of choice. The ability to choose separates humans from other animals. But it is at the same time, the crucial trait on which all responsibilities and rewards are based. And God does not force us to follow him. John 3:16 has it that “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The choice to believe or not to believe in Jesus is the principle on which salvation is based. And that choice is exclusive, just in the same way the choice required in both readings of today are exclusive.
The implication of a choice being exclusive is that we cannot choose two alternatives at the same time. When we choose to go right, we are foregoing everything that is on the left. If the people choose to follow the Lord, they have to abandon all worship of foreign gods, enjoy the blessings and protection of God. But if they decide otherwise, they will have to deal with the consequences. Remember that when the Israelites rebelled against God in the desert, the result of that rebellion was that not one of them will ever see the land that God promised on oath to their ancestors (cf. Numbers 4: 1-23). Those who decided to leave Jesus because they found his teaching too difficult to accept ceased to be counted among his disciples.
As Christians, we all profess to love God solely and to follow him sincerely. However, many times when faith-challenging situations confront us, we see ourselves fluctuating and oscillating back and forth. We find it very difficult to remain on the side that gives credence to our faith and love of God. In such situations, we are faced with some faith decision makings: How best would I handle this issue, this way or the other way? Do I go the extra mile to make for peace or do I allow each person to go his own way to the detriment of all? Should I take my revenge this time or should I forgive and let go? Do I involve myself in these dubious business deals or do I leave it for God’s sake? All these faith-challenging situations always confront us with discernment and decision making. Like the people of old, Joshua and Jesus are challenging all of us today, that in all situations, we have to be more thoughtful and resolute to choose whom to follow and serve with sincerity of purpose. A very important question we should rather ask ourselves is ‘who do we serve when no one but God sees us, and how ready are we to speak of our faith in the midst of our unbelieving friends?’ These are the things that actually define the extent of our choice for Jesus.
It is said that true friends are known in times of adversity. Similarly, true believers shine out in moments of trial and persecution. It is in this context that we can understand the extent of the demand of choosing Jesus when every other person is going away; to remain faithful when others are doing whatever they want. Moments of trials are moments of merit. They are moments to stick to our fundamental choices to follow Jesus, irrespective of how difficult his teaching might appear. They are moments to stand up and be counted among His true and faithful disciples. Deserting Jesus is never a good option for a Christian because only God is enduring. Every other thing is only temporary, fading away in a short space of time.
May His grace guide and strengthen us, especially when his teaching seems difficult to put into practice. Amen.
