By Myra Colis | Photos by Jenny Luna

This month’s theme during the 4th Sunday mass of FCC-Gouda is all about love, a four-letter word that also means four different kinds of love. Ancient philosophy categorizes these kinds of love into four: the romantic or intimate love (eros), the brotherly/sisterly or friendly love (philia), the unconditional or Godly love (agape), and the affectionate or familial love (storge). Interestingly, these classic four were revered to and celebrated by members of the Filipino Catholic Community of Gouda & Surroundings who came for today’s service despite the bad weather.

Couple’s Blessings

It was just a week past when many lovers and couples celebrated Valentine’s Day. The sweetness and warmth of this February 14 lingered on as Fr. Marcel called for all couples to come forward for prayers of blessings and years of happy and harmonious marriages with the Lord God as center of the couple’s relationships. The leaders of the church prepared roses for the women and nicely crafted jars (made by Jenny Luna) for the men.

Specially mentioned of all the couples were Henk and Marietta Boswinkel whose years of togetherness as husband and wife have just turned 32 this month of February! Seeing a couple reaching this far with their pledged love still shining bright from within has certainly brought inspiration not only to the couples present but to all who were there to witness the couple’s blessing ceremony (and picture taking).

Children’s Bible Corner

The theme of love continued from the service in the main hall to the children’s corner in the other room. When asked what love is, the children responded with words like “being nice to others”, “being friendly at school”, “giving a hug”, and “caring”. And they are absolutely right. They have just described philia, that friendly, brotherly or sisterly kind of love. Interestingly, when asked whom do they love, their answers covered all the four kinds of love as each one answered with the words “mother”, “father”, “oma and opa”, “girlfriend”, “my best friend”, and “God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit”. But when asked whether or not to also love that bully at school or that someone who is not treating someone nicely, the children unanimously shouted “NO”. And this is where John 13:34 was taught to the kids as Jesus told his disciples His new commandment, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you may love one another.” The children understood that loving one another also means loving even those who are not nice to us by simply praying for them to become better persons.

Preaching of God’s Word

If the children got the simplified version of speaking about God’s love, then the adults at the main hall received a more in-depth preaching about what love is. In Fr. Marcel’s homily, he spoke of the nature of our Loving Father, who spoke of us as His children. What then does it mean to be children of the Most High? God’s love is unconditional, and if we are God’s children, could we also love unconditionally like our Loving Father does? Are we indeed able to love our enemies or the mean people around us? Did you also know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? These questions were answered during the preaching of God’s Word and you can also find the full transcript of the homily by clicking here.

“Our homily today may sound idealistic, impossible and fantastic. But it is not. Take the example of a normal human behavior. When a person is interested in doing something or in achieving a goal, he/she can spend a lot of time and energy on it, without any external coercion or obligation. Think of football fans. They could stay in the cold winter rain to cheer their club during a football match. At such time, they would be so focused on the game that one may wonder if it is really cold outside. When we want to become like God our Father, our minds would be only focused on how to achieve our objective. In like manner, we abandon sin and do not remember to commit sin because all our energy is dedicated to becoming like God. Here is where we experience and feel the power of love. When we love, there is no obligation, we find an inner motivation to crave for what we love.” ~an excerpt from Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe’s homily

Family Fellowship

As usual, the church service is always followed by a family fellowship where all attendees of the day’s service could stay for a cup of coffee or tea coupled with some snacks (typically home-made Filipino snacks or dish) that were lovingly prepared and brought by some generous members of the church to share with the community. This tradition of sharing meals or simply spending extra hour to sit down and catch up with everyone has all the more enhanced this time of fellowship as children of God and, therefore, as one big family. Part of this fellowship time is also the communal celebration of the birthday celebrants of the month. For those celebrating their birthdays in February, those who were present to receive blessings and prayers were Elpi, Irene and Dirk!