HENCEFORTH YOU WILL BE CATCHING MEN
(Luke 5:1-11)
Today we celebrate the feast of
St Patrick. We are celebrating St Patrick as the second Patron of Nigeria based
on the fact that he was the one who brought the faith to Ireland, a land that
in turn produced the missionaries that evangelized many people and brought the
Good News down to Nigeria.
This feast has been a great feast
in Nigeria. It is a public holiday for our Catholic Students. It is worth it.
We use this feast to appreciate God for all that the Irish missionaries came
here with including education, healthcare, development, civilization, freedom
etc.
They really became catchers and
fishers of men for Christ. Today's Gospel invites us to respond as the apostles
responded and as the Irish missionaries inspired by St Patrick did to the call
to catch men for God. It is a clarion call on each and everyone of us with
regard to whether we have accepted and made the Gospel of Christ our own. We
are challenged to grab the time. It is time for Africa to start going out to
re-evangelize our evangelizers. It is high time we began to live convinced
Christian lifestyles that will draw people to God and draw God to the people.
It is indeed time we started allowing our Christian religious tenets to
influence our decisions in government, business, education, health matters,
human relationship etc.
This feast gives us an
opportunity to keep an eye on the scripture, on the person of Christ, on the
apostles and on St Patrick to ask ourselves as a local Church if we are making
enough effort to bring people to God, if we are even well drawn to Christ, if
we are ready and willing to touch people positively with our words, with our
actions and with our gifts. Let's rely on the grace of God and follow His
directions to achieve these. We can, if on Him alone we depend.
LET US PRAY
Thank You Oh God for the gift of
St Patrick. Help us to emulate His holy zeal for the salvation of souls and
start winning souls for Your kingdom where with You we shall live and reign for ever and
ever. Amen
God bless your Day.
Happy Feast of St Patrick.
St Patrick, Pray for us.
Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh
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