Wednesday of 17^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: Heaven: the greatest treasure

Reading: Mt 13:44-46

If we say that everyone in this world is on a treasure hunt, we wouldn’t be wrong. There is a nothingness that lies coiled in the heart of man which seeks to be satisfied, and it pushes or urges man to get up every day to search for or aspire for something that he is not, with the sole aim of satisfying this nothingness (emptiness). 

For instance, to satisfy the nothingness in man, people go into the pursuit of many treasures on earth: best academic qualifications, fame, best scientific and technological advancement and equipment, material richness, marriage with most lovely and beautiful people, etc.  But the irony of life is that the satisfaction of one need opens the door to another or, in fact, it sows the seed for another desire and a fresh cycle of search or hunt.

In the gospel reading of today, Jesus tells us that there is one treasure that is the greatest of all treasures. A treasure that satisfies the quest and nothingness of man without sowing the seed for the search of another higher treasure, because it is the highest of all treasures. This treasure is the kingdom of heaven. The two people who found this treasure in today’s gospel reading sold everything they possessed to acquire this treasure, because they knew its worth and that with it, they wouldn’t have to search for any other treasure. This shows us the value of this treasure and the right step we must take to obtain it.

The path that leads to this greatest treasure was opened to us on the day of our baptism. How far have we gone in our effort to reach it or acquire it? Are we allowing the hunt for inferior treasures to distract us from reaching this greatest treasure? In the words of Jesus, we should put the search for every other treasure behind us and devote all our attention to reaching this greatest treasure, no matter what it will cost us.

May your efforts be blessed. Amen

Fr Isaac C. Chima

Tuesday of 17^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: Whose work are you doing: God’s or the Devil’s?

Reading: 13:36-43

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus explained the parable of the wheat and weed. This parable narrated that God sowed wheats in His field, and at night the devil went to the same field and planted weeds among the wheats. Weeds, as we know, do a lot of harm to plants: they deprive them of vital nutrients, serve as hosts to some plant pathogens that infect and degrade the quality of the desired plants, reduce their yields, and so on.

Jesus explained that the wheats sown by God are good people on earth, while the weeds are evil people. But, at the end of time, God’s angels will gather the wheats (good people) and keep them in the house prepared for them. They will also gather the weeds (evil people) and send them to their deserved end, where they will be burnt by fire.

The explanation offered by Jesus invites us to sit down and examine our actions in our families, in the lives of our friends, in our various social and ecclesial groups, and in the larger society to determine whether we are playing the role of the wheats or the weeds. Perhaps, this assessment or reexamination will help us to change our line of actions so far.

Do you belong to the group of people who oppose good things when they don’t come from them?

Are you among those who mount obstacles to good projects for the society just because such projects guarantee them no personal gains?

Are you among the politicians who oppose good policies of the government in power just to promote their party? For instance, many years after the All Progressives Congress (APC) staged numerous protests against Jonathan's administration, one of the leaders of the protests told Nigerians that those protests were merely political games, meaning they were never organized for the benefits of the society but, rather, for their selfish interests of its organizers.

Are you among those who tarnish the images of good people and pull them down?

If you belong to any of these groups, it is obvious that you are a weed in the society, and that you are preventing the society and her people from being at their best. You already know where your action will lead to, but a stitch in time saves nine.

May God’s grace help us to be promoters of the good in the society. And may your Tuesday be blessed. Amen

Fr Isaac C. Chima

 Monday of 17^th Week, Year II: reflections

Theme: Great things start with little beginnings

Reading: 13:31-35

Dear friends in Christ, in the two parables of the gospel reading of today, Jesus illustrated how great things start from little beginnings.

The parable of the mustard seed described how the smallest seed grows into one of the biggest shrubs whenever it is planted. Then, the parable of the leaven and the dough described how a tiny amount of leaven causes the dough to rise when it is added to it.

Jesus used these parables to demonstrate how the kingdom of God would eventually grow from the little efforts He was making in the small country of Israel, as well as the little efforts of his disciples and those who will believe in them.

Despite its little and shaky beginning, the immense expansion of God’s kingdom on earth serves to encourage us in our little beginnings in life. It teaches us never to despise our little beginnings and those of other people. Every beginning goes through ups and downs, but those who easily give up because of the shaky nature of every beginning never get to make it. Little beginnings need patience, perseverance, consistency, and trust in oneself and in God.

Those who seek great things in life but are reluctant to start from small beginnings are encouraged to think twice about what they actually want. Many people have found themselves in various degrees of troubles because of the fear to start from small things and the quest to become great without starting from the little things within their reach.

May God give value to our little efforts in life and may our little beginnings lead us to greatness. Amen

Fr Isaac C. Chima

 17^th Sunday Year B: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: God alone can grant increase to our resources; set your doubts aside.

Readings: 2kgs 4:42-44; Eph. 4:1-6; Jn. 6:1-15

Dear friends in Christ, did you notice that the crowd in the gospel reading of today set aside their cares and businesses, and even the demands of their stomach just to be with Jesus and hear His word? Did you also notice that Jesus did not abandon them? He, rather, fed them spiritually and materially. Whenever we leave the cares of this world to be with Jesus, to work for Him and to do His will, Jesus will not abandon us. Rather, He will provide our needs and take care of all we left behind.

Most times, some people stay away from spiritual exercises and from services in the Church with the reason that these activities will clash with the time they should give to their businesses, studies or family engagements. But a closer observation will reveal to us that people who actively perform their duties for the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth despite their tight schedules still do well or even better in their businesses, studies, and family life. The reason is quite simple and it is this: if we leave the cares of this world behind and concentrate on Jesus and on doing His will in all things and at all times, He will take care of our needs in return.

Dear friends, the increase that our hearts yearn for does not come just from our efforts nor from dependence on false gods; it is God who grants increase and it is He alone who gives success to the work of our hands. One may wonder why a man from a city under Baal (Baal Shelishah), the god of fertility/increase, decided to bring the first fruit of his farm to the God of Elisha instead of Baal, as we read in today’s first reading. The simple reason was that Baal had failed them, because there was famine in the land; Baal could not grant them the increase and the surplus they needed. But before the eyes of that young man, the true God multiplied the resources he brought to the prophet and a hundred men were fed from it. The true increase and surplus that our hearts yearn for can only come from God and when we submit to Him, not from our efforts alone and not from some charms prepared for us by demonic agents.

Another important lesson for us today is that God wants to use us and whatever we have, no matter how little they may appear, to perform miracles in the lives of other people. In the first reading, it was the man from Shelishah and the few loaves he donated to Elisha that made the miracle of the multiplication of loaves, with which hundred men were fed, possible. And in the gospel, it was the lad and his five loaves of bread and two fish that made the miracle of the multiplication of bread that fed five thousand men possible.

God wants to feed the poor in our world, to heal the sick, to uplift the downtrodden, to give jobs to the jobless, to make peace in families, to establish justice in our world, etc. He wants to make our world more beautiful, but He wants us to lend Him the raw material with which to performs these wonders in people’s life and in our world. These raw materials could be the material goods in our houses, our intelligence, our voices, our talents, our time, etc. God wants them.

However, most times we do refuse to give our hands and our resources to God because we believe they will not be enough for us and our families when we share them with others. But today’s first reading and the gospel teach us that when we keep our goods for our use alone, we will not experience any increase and there will be no extra to keep. If the lad in today’s gospel and the donor in the first reading had been stingy and selfish with their goods, they would not have experienced an increase and they would not have had extra to keep. The increase and the extra they had were because they gave generously. Today, the church is telling you that your one bread should be food for all if you want to experience an increase in your life and in your income. When compassion and generosity embrace, great miracles happen for a community united by one faith, one spirit, and one baptism.

Another important message the Church leaves for us today is that we must set aside that doubt that always tells us that when we share our goods with others, it will not be enough. In the gospel reading, Philip and Andrew manifested this kind of doubt but Jesus showed them what God can do when doubts are set aside. In the first reading, Elisha’s servant had the same doubt but God surprised him. Dear friends, if set your doubts aside today and march towards God to do His will and to compassionately donate what you have for the welfare of others, God will surprise you with a miracle.

Peace be with you and have a blessed Sunday.

Fr Isaac C. Chima

 

 

 

 17^TH SUNDAY, YEAR B: HOMILY BY FR JUSTIN ADIELE

THEME: “OPERATION FEED THE NATION”

INTRODUCTION:

Today, we read about Jesus miraculous feeding of five thousand men because he could sense their hunger and their plight. Today we are also challenged to do same as there are visible signs of hunger and hardship in the land; unless we can’t sense/feel it like Jesus, or we just chose to look away. Every hand must be on deck; the government, the religious leaders, the disciples of Christ, and even the bread seller in the street and the farmer in the field. We all have a role to play in feeding the nation and cushioning the effects of hunger and hardship in the land. If you cannot feed the nation, you can feed a little group/section of the nation.

 

THE FIRST READING (2 KG. 4: 42 – 44)

In the first reading, an occasion presented itself, and Elisha the prophet used the occasion to do his own part in feeding a group of hundred men who gathered perhaps for spiritual consultation. He used what was offered to God (and by extension, to him); bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain to feed the men gathered around him. They all ate and had some left over according to the words of the prophet. We praise the man from Baal shalishah who remembered to bring a huge offering to God for his goodness to him. Unfortunately, many tend to forget to offer not even a simple bread and wine used for the Eucharistic offering and sharing, from year to year. We also praise Elisha who decided to share (unfortunately many will never think of that) and he was able to feed the people because he was neither greedy nor selfish, and he was not interested in pilling up more food for his third and fourth generation as some of us do today. How do you share the blessings, the gifts and opportunity you received from God and from others? Do you share with only family and friends or with anyone gathered around you like Elisha did? Or you don’t even like sharing at all?

 

THE SECOND READING (EPH. 4: 1 – 6)

To enable us develop the spirit of sharing our goods and blessings with people around us, St. Paul teaches and reminds us that we are one body and one spirit in one Lord Jesus Christ; in one faith, one baptism and one God and Father of us all. Any neglect of anyone suffering, hungry or in need will amount to break down of our own body, our spirit and our unity, just as our Nigerian leaders are neglecting the hardship and hunger in the land and are at the verge of breaking down the whole system. Igbos will say; “imi bewe, anya ebewe”. We cannot afford to let any part of our body or our system or our nation to continue to suffer.

 

THE GOSPEL READING (JN. 6: 1 – 15)

In the gospel reading, Jesus saw and felt the plight/hunger of the people, and decided that he must do something to help either temporarily or permanently. Jesus jettisoned any excuses of lack of enough food, lack of enough funds, or not my business syndrome seen in many of us today. We always claim that we do not have enough for us let alone sharing with other people. This was the mindset of Philip, Andrew and the other apostles and the mindset of many of us today; and this has made it impossible for us to share with others the little we have.

 

CONCLUSION:

In Nigeria today, there is great hunger and hardship in the land. Our Naira has no value and can barely buy enough food for a family. What then can we do to feed the nation and alleviate the hardship of the peoples? All hands must be on deck, both the leaders and the peoples must first remove every selfishness and greed that blinds us. We must remove every lack of sympathy and concern for others no matter their colour or region. To feed the nation and alleviate the hardships; we must stop the hoarding of palliatives, hoarding of bail-out funds, and the hoarding of peoples’ salaries, pensions and gratuities. We must stop misappropriation of NDDC funds, borrowed loans and state funds trying to accumulate wealth for our 20th generation. We must stop the Herdsmen rampage and vandalism of farm lands that produce food for the nation. We must go against every economic policy that hinders us from producing our own food, our own power/energy, and refining our own oil and mineral resources – Burkina Faso did. We must make policies that will bring down the price of rents, goods and services in the nation. If we are one nation (as St. Paul pointed out) and really want every region to thrive without any agitation or protest, then we must sheet the evil sword of tribalism and unequal/unjust distribution of national goods and opportunities.

 

Happy Sunday!

Fr. Justin

 17^TH SUNDAY, YEAR B: REFLECTION BY FR. JULIAN EKEH

THEME: DIVINE APPROACH TO HUMAN SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL 'HOW' QUESTIONS

(John 6:1-15)

"Ihe nile banyere anyi na emetu Chukwu n'obi..." (The Lord cares about everything concerning us).

In the Gospel of today, Jesus looked at those who had accompanied Him on the journey to the hills. This movement with Jesus can be seen from a spiritual perspective. It is a longing for the Lord. It is a spiritual hunger. It is a holy desire to bring in God to fill the vacuum no one else can fill in us. It is a seeking of God. It is a thirst for divine peace, manifestation, and intervention. It is a hunger in expectation of satisfaction, which only God can give.

On the other hand, God sees the human efforts, the human limitations, and then the helplessness of man without divine assistance. He comes towards the man who has made the effort to come to Him. He takes from the little he has and maximizes it. He multiplies and provides for his needs. He made them sit down (on green pastures as the psalmist would say). By so doing, God gives rest to the toiling man, He gives peace to the hopeless man. He became the last hope of these common men. He feeds them with dignity. He gave them food to eat. He did not throw the food for the people to struggle over it. He didn't make jest of their plight. He didn't humiliate them because He was feeding them. No. He fed them with love, care, respect, and honour. Indeed, they were satisfied.

 

TAKE HOME

CONCERN FOR THE SPIRITUAL NEEDS

Jesus invites each one of us to emulate Him in showing concern for our spiritual needs and those of the people around us. Do we really make it a point of duty to lift up our souls to God in prayers, in meditations, and in communion? By so doing, we shall be climbing the hills with the Lord. Do we care to go for confessions and remain in the state of grace always?  Are we devotees of Jesus and the saints or devotees of social stars and idols? Do we look up to Jesus for the great signs He has left us in the sacraments? Do we have strong faith in what God can do for us and therefore move away from whatever stops us from following Jesus and being where He is? 

As a husband, do you make out time to satisfy the spiritual longings of your soul? You should make out time for the word of God and your sacramental life. Do not stop at providing the physical and material needs of your family members. It is not just about paying their school fees and tuitions. It is not only about feeding them with these and that. The soul deserves to be fed with heavenly nourishment. They deserve moral nourishment, and they are entitled to disciplinary attention. They should be looked at with love. We should all make our world a better place by reducing or flushing out of it all those who reverence only the desires of the flesh and have no place for the spiritual.

 

CONCERN FOR TRUE MATERIAL NEEDS

Jesus took over the human limitations. Just as He took flesh to be like us, He takes the little we have to make out something from it. He collected the five loaves and two fish, gave thanks, and distributed it. We should make love go round. The little we have should be used to touch lives positively. It shouldn't be used to torment people. It shouldn't be used for intimidations and molestations. We can feed even one person. We can give pocket money if we can't pay the school fees, and we can share with people what God has blessed us with. 

We are encouraged not to be wasteful, not to be unnecessarily extravagant with resources; food, water, electricity, money, and all that God has blessed us with.

 

LET'S NOT BE WORRIED

The apostles questioned how they would be able to feed the people? Am I Father Christmas? This is a popular question we ask in this part of the world. Never regret acts of charity.

Let us entrust all things in God's hands when we have made our effort. Let's resign like Andrew to the Almighty, who will never fail to do great things in our lives for holy is His name. Let's invoke God to take over our concerns, bless them, and help us love one another. May God bless His word in our hearts.

 

LET US PRAY

O God, our heavenly Provider, thank You today for bringing us to the high mountain where we have gathered to be nourished from the table of your word, your body, and your blood. Bless us with Your Divine assistance, and may Your love be ever with us through Christ Our Lord. Amen

Happy Sunday (17th Sunday, Ordinary Time, Yr. B)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh

 Friday of 16^th Week, Year II: reflection (memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne)

Theme: How to make God’s word bear fruits in us

Reading: Mt 13:18-23

Dear friends in Christ, in the parable of the Sower, Jesus taught us that every word of God has the capacity to bear fruits, and it is our desire that God’s word we hear every day should bear abundant fruit in our lives. But most of times, we don't know what to do or how to prepare ourselves so that God's word might be fulfilled in us. Most times, we are surprised to see God’s word bloom and bear fruit in others while our lives remain dry.

Today, Jesus gives us four steps to follow if we want God’s word that is sown in us to bear abundant fruit.

The first step is to make effort to understand the word of God whenever we hear it. God's word is preached practically everywhere in the world. While some individuals make an effort to grasp what it says and what it expects of them, others listen to it as news and pay no attention to its particular details. God’s word that is not understood is like a seed that fell on the road, which will never bear fruit.  

The second step is not to allow life’s obstacles, hardships and afflictions to prevent us from obeying to the demands of God’s word. If God’s word is to bear fruit in us, it must be the basis of our faith, actions and reactions (our standard), especially in times of difficulties. We should allow God’s word to illumine our paths in times of crisis if we want it to bear fruits in us. Sometimes, some people jettison the demands of the word of God when they are faced with trials, and instead follow the negatives designs of their hearts. When we do this, we suffocate God’s word.

The third step is never to allow our pursuit for material goods and welfare to come between us and the demands of God’s word. Whenever the path to material wealth runs contrary to the demands of God’s world, we must choose obedience to God’s word. Obedience to God’s will must come first in our pursuit of material goods. Any moment we place the pursuit of material wealth and love of material goods above the demands of God’s word, we have choked God’s word to death.

The fourth and last step entails applying the prerequisites of the first three steps to our life. That is, we must listen to God’s word and understand it, allow it to direct our paths at all times, and give priority to it over materials things. When we do these, abundant fruit from God’s word will be ours in thirties, sixties, hundreds, and more.

May God’s word yield abundant fruit in your life today. Amen

Fr Isaac C. Chima

https://chimaisaac.medium.com/friday-of-16th-week-year-ii-reflection-memorial-of-sts-joachim-and-anne-f6aeb83a419a

 25 July: Feast of St James, Apostle: reflection

Theme: What does it mean to be great?

Reading: Mt 20:20-28

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of James the Greater, Apostle.  James was the son of Zebedee, the fisherman, and Salome, the sister/cousin of Jesus’ mother, and the brother of John, the Evangelist and Apostle.  He was one of the three inner circle members of Jesus’ disciples who had the privilege of witnessing the Transfiguration, the raising of the daughter of Jairus, and Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane. He was later known as James the Greater to distinguish him from James the Less (the son of Clopas), who was leader of the Church in Jerusalem and wrote the Epistle that bears his name.  James the Great was the first apostle that was killed by Herod in 44 AD, in Herold’s attempt to please the Jews (Acts 12:1-3).

What exactly does it mean to be great? What constitutes greatness? These two questions may have preoccupied young James and His brother, John. For them, greatness meant occupying exalted positions in the society, dishing out commands from there, getting served by others and all other paraphernalia that goes with it. This understanding of greatness propelled them to ask Jesus (or to tell their mother to ask Jesus) to allow them to occupy positions at His right and left in His glory. But Jesus would not accept such a request because His idea of greatness was not what James and John envisioned and desired.

For Jesus, greatness does not entail occupying higher positions in the society, dishing out commands to others, getting served by others and other things that go with such mentality of greatness. According to Jesus in today’s gospel, it is only humble services that will make his disciples great, not exalted positions. By humbly serving others, his disciples will write their names with a golden pen in people’s lives and hearts, thereby becoming great in people’s scales of grading people.  Also, greatness does not lie in the possession of material goods, rather, it lies in the good things that one imparts on others. The sacrifices one makes for other people is what makes one great.

The gospel of today and the feast of St James, therefore, challenge us to reconsider our definition of greatness as well as what we want when we ask God to make us great. If what we mean when we pray to God to make us great is a luxury life or a life that sets us at a position to command others and get served by them, then, we may have been channelling our prayers to the wrong direction.

Greatness, according to the standard of Jesus, can be achieved by both the poor and rich. So, dear friends, don’t wait until you are materially rich to become great. Start today by providing good and humble services to people around you, and greatness will be achieved by you.

St James, pray for us

Fr Isaac C. Chima

 Wednesday of 16^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: God’s will cannot place you where His grace will not keep you.

Reading: Jer 1:1,4-10

Dear friends in Christ, the response of Jeremiah to God’s call to service, in today’s first reading, vividly paints a picture of the apprehension and dilemma that often confront us whenever we are about to embark on a project for the glory of God and the welfare of humanity. There is always the fear or concern that strong forces out there will prevent us from succeeding. Most times, this fear stems from the feeling of incompetence to take on such a project.

While Jeremiah was preoccupied with his fear and uncertainty, God intervened and provided him with the grace to excel and the assurance of His continued support and presence. Jeremiah’s story or experience simply teaches us that the will of God cannot place us where His grace cannot keep or sustain us; God cannot appoint us to disappoint us; He cannot send us on a mission only to abandon us. Whoever He appoints, He anoints and commissions.

Dear friends, God knows us from our mothers’ wombs and has great missions for us. Therefore, let us not allow fear and the feeling of incompetence to impede our God-ordained missions and future objectives. With God on our side, all obstacles will be subdued, for His grace will always march with us to make way for us. The assurance of His presence and grace does not mean that attacks and distractions will not come; rather, it implies that we have been equipped with the necessary weapon to deal with attacks and distractions.

May God’s grace march before you as you embark on the activities of this Wednesday. Amen.

Fr Isaac C. Chima

 Tuesday of 16^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: How to become an intimate member of Christ's Family

Reading: Mt 12:46-50

Becoming a brother, sister, cousin or a close relative of Jesus is something no one would like to miss. We all know the privileges that family members and close relatives of rich and famous people enjoy on earth.

We know that to become the brother, sister, cousin and relative of someone, we have to share a bloodline with the person. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus lifts this requirement of bloodline as a condition of being a member of his own family. He, rather, throws it open to all men and women, and demands doing the will of God the Father as the only condition required. He said: “whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

Thus, to all of us who can’t wait to be a member of the family of Christ, the door has been flung open All we need to do is to make doing the will of God our hobby every moment of our life. We are fortunate to have received this open door from Christ, let us not throw away this precious opportunity.

May success be yours this Tuesday. Amen.

Fr Isaac C. Chima

 22 July: Feast of St Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene: the heart that consistently yearned for He who loved her.

Readings: Songs 3:1-4ab; Jn 20:1-2,11-18

Dear friends in Christ, today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, the female disciple of Jesus. After experiencing the saving touch of Jesus, the life of Mary Magdalene began to constantly yearn for the presence and closeness of Jesus, the Saviour who showed her love beyond human experience. In fact, her life was not complete again without the presence of Christ after the Divine touch of Christ upon her life. This was evidenced in the gospel reading of today. This was evidenced in the gospel reading of today. When Jesus was taken away from Mary Magdalene, her life was no longer complete, she couldn’t sleep again. For the three days that Jesus was in the tomb, she was always seen at the tomb crying, longing to see her Lord and Savior again, to feel His presence in her life again.

Do you feel comfortable whenever you are separated from Jesus? But then, what is it that can separate us from Jesus? Sin creates a barrier between us and God, and this barrier grows bigger as we fall deeper and deeper into sin. So, do you feel comfortable anytime sin takes away the Divine aura of Jesus from you? Do you feel okay after sin has separated you from Christ?  How many days does it take you to rise and go back to Christ after falling into a sin?

Dear friends, the life of Mary Magdalene teaches us, who have all experienced the Divine touch of Jesus, that our hearts should not rest whenever anything separates us from Jesus who loves us so much, because He is the fount of life, and no true life exists outside His presence. Whose presence does your heart beat for? Jesus or the devil? A true Christian’s heart yearns for or beats for Christ always.

The barrier sin creates between us and Jesus can be demolished when we confess our sins, thereby submitting ourselves again to the healing touch of Jesus and to a new experience of God’s presence in us. Never grow comfortable in that life that separates you from the loving presence of Jesus who loves you so much.

May your new week be filled with God’s grace. Amen

Fr Isaac Chima

 16^TH SUNDAY, YEAR B: HOMILY BY FR. JUSTIN ADIELE

THEME: “SENT TOGATHER AND NOT TO SCATTER”

INTRODUCTION:

Last Sunday we talked about the calling and sending of the Apostles to bring Christ, healing and the gospel message to the people; a mission we all share in various degrees as baptized Christians. And we cannot be available and yet God would still be searching for those who would take care of the physical and spiritual direction of his people. Today, we shall access our missionary success as shepherds and as Christians by the parameter of peaceful gathering of the faithful wherever we are or have worked.

THE FIRST READING (JER. 23: 1 – 6)

The first reading was a stern warning against shepherds or even Christians who scatter or who have been instrumental to the destruction and scattering of God’s sheep. This is accounted as evil in the sight of the Lord. Again, we must not on account of our carelessness, carefreeness, selfishness or idleness cost God his flock, and keep God always looking for faithful shepherds who will wisely, justly, righteously and generously care for his sheep.

THE SECOND READING (EPH. 2: 13 – 18)

In the second reading, St. Paul once more involved all the baptized, and all the brethren in Christ Jesus in the business of gathering and preserving the peace and unity of the flock won by the Cross of Christ. Christ has abolished every division and hostilities amongst people; every good shepherd or Christian must be an instrument of reconciliation, peace and oneness and not discord.

THE GOSPEL READING (MK. 6: 30 – 34)

In the gospel reading, the twelve Apostles returned from the mission Christ sent them, giving account/testimony of all that they have done. While they were still talking, evidence/result of their missionary success began to manifest. People from the various places where they have worked kept gathering in their numbers that they could not find time to eat or rest.

CONCLUSION:

As shepherds and as Christians, the people we gather for Christ are important parameter of our success. How many people have you gathered for God? How many gatherings have you kept together intact for God? How many come or stay because you are involved? How many deserted the flock of Christ because of you? It is our love, our care, our concern, our compassion and sacrifice for the sheep that keep them around the sheepfold of Christ. But our hatred, selfishness, hurtful words and lack of compassion drive them away. Today, being sent to gather for Christ, we must ensure that at least, no one of Christ’s already gathered flock, goes missing or scattered on account of our unkindness, unkind words, unkind treatments, negligence and lack of love and compassion for them.

Happy Sunday!

Fr. Justin

 16th Sunday, Year B: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: Message to all shepherds of God’s flock

Reading: Jer 23:1-6; Eph 2:13-18; Mk 6:30-34

Dear friends in Christ, on this sixteenth Sunday of the year, the Church has a message for all shepherds of the flock of God. But the question we should ask is: who are the shepherds of God’s flock or shepherds of God’s children?

The shepherds of the children of God in the Church are the priests and all those who preach or teach the word of God in the church. Then, the shepherds of God’s children in the families are the parents, grandparents, uncles and aunties, and all those under whose care children grow up in the family. Therefore, today’s message to shepherds touches both the shepherds in the church and those in the families.

In the first place, we thank shepherds who bring up God’s children according to the will of God, those who guide and feed God’s children with what God intended so that they will not be lost. However, the rate at which many children are growing up with little or no faith in God and lack of good moral behaviour in the society calls for proper examination on how well the shepherds of our time are doing their duties. In today’s gospel, our Lord Jesus looked at the people of Israel that followed Him and said they were like sheep without a shepherd.

Indeed, there is no better way to describe the condition of many youths of our time than to say that they are living as if they never had shepherds in their lives; many of them lack the capacity to distinguish between what is good and what is bad, and as a result, they swing from one erroneous ideology about life to another; many of them lack good moral values and care less about holy life, respect for people, and family or societal values; many of them have shallow faith in God, little or no respect for God and prayer life, and for that reason, they don't care about attending Masses on Sundays and see nothing wrong about it.

The religious and social life of many youths raise doubts about how serious their shepherds were with their training/upbringing. One thing that is certain is that shepherds who do not train their children in good moral and spiritual life will regret it as their children grow into adults, because youths who do not respect God and other people will not respect their parents too.

In the first reading of today, God warned all the shepherds who have failed in their duties of taking good care of the sheep entrusted to them, and the shepherds who are still failing in their responsibilities to give good upbringing to their children and wards. He said He will treat them according to their deeds. Then, He promised that He will send a shepherd that will give them the care they need. Dear friends, this is a warning to all of us to be very careful with the kind of formation we give to our children. If we do not form them well, we will attract the anger and punishment of God. In fact, God will judge us according to the kind of formation we gave to our children.

In the gospel of today, we saw this shepherd sent by God, Jesus Christ, tending to the sheep that have been scattered by those who were supposed to be their shepherds, and also showing us one of the qualities of a good shepherd. Jesus was heading to a place to rest his head, but when He saw the helpless people, he had compassion on them and sacrificed His comfort to make sure He lifted them from their misery. A good shepherd in the church and in the family must be compassionate in his relationship with those entrusted to his care and must sacrifice his comfort, must give his all, for the good of the sheep. He must be close to the sheep so that he can know them and provide their needs even at the expense of his own comfort. We must provide the material, spiritual and moral needs of our children, even when doing so will lead to insults and misunderstanding from the people.

Finally, the second reading of today showed us another quality of the Good Shepherd, which is that of restoring what has been damaged by wicked shepherds. Wicked shepherds created enmity between God’s people, but Jesus, our Good Shepherd, restored peace between them with His death. So, good shepherds of God’s children have the duty of restoring/correcting what has been damaged in the life of their children by the secular society; they have the duty to fish out the wrong teachings that society has imparted on their children and correct/fix them for the good of their families.  

Happy Sunday, dear friends

Fr Isaac Chima

 16^TH SUNDAY, YEAR B: REFLECTION BY FR. JULIAN EKEH

THEME: FULFILMENT: FINDING REST IN THE WORK

(Mark 6:30-34)

The Gospel of today presents to us the apostle's return after the mission they were sent to do. 

The sensitive saviour observed how exhausted they were even though they were filled with joy. He wished to call them away from the crowd. He wanted to give them a special treat. He thought of the best place for them to get the relaxation they needed at the moment. He would have loved to give them some timeout. They arranged for the place, but the omniscient Jesus must have known what awaits. It became an opportunity to teach them the 'post-apostolic' work lessons. He had given them the 'pre-apostolic' work lectures before their departure. Now, at this reunion He teaches them that it is not over. There is no holiday in being good. There is no rest in the work of God. When one ends, another begins. In these works, you will find your rest.

 

HOW IT HAPPENED

They went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. Many saw them going and knew them, and they ran on foot and got there before them.

In a world where only money, celebrations, shows, and powers are valued, Jesus is telling us that what we have to offer apart from these is also most valued. People will rush after you. Your services will be needed someday. You must be noticed. You won't even be able to hide when you want to. You will never stop shining. You can't stay out of reach of Divine network and the connection of Grace and favour. People will come to you. You will be sought for one day.

You may not be happy with your output initially. You may not know the light you carry. You may think that the anointing is finished.  God will send people to you to teach them lessons of life and to give you more reasons to keep trusting and working for Him.

The blessings of the Lord for you will not stop flowing child of God.

Have you returned after the day's labour, your business, your office work, not seeing any much results?  Talk to Jesus and follow Him to the place of rest, the place where you will find fulfilment for your work. You may think it will still be the same story, even with that last strength push on with God. Give in more time, touch more lives, and you will not regret it.

 

BEGIN ALL OVER: DO IT THIS TIME WITH COMPASSION

It is now obvious to the apostles that they can't find that type of rest they longed for. They can't rest away from God and the unfinished work of God in their hands. Then Jesus turned their attention to an action word called: 'compassion'. They just returned from the work they did as a mandate. He now wants them to realize that outside their normal office, apart from their stipulated time for duties, they are still expected to use their time for leisure for God.

 

Everyone prays for Friday and thanks God when it is Friday so that 'ngwori' (Enjoyment) will begin. At this time, Jesus turns our eyes to the many people out there who labour all through for nothing and wants us to think of how to incorporate them, to gather them like sheep.

It could be your siesta time as a medical doctor, a nurse, or a priest.  Jesus tells you to feel sympathy and empathize still for that person in the emergency ward, in a problem at your rest time. He is like sheep without a Shepherd. If you starve him of your care, he may die.

You may be wearied with the daily activity you do as a husband or wife, but our Lord Jesus is saying turn please to the complaints of your little children, if you abandon them like sheep without a Shepherd they will be starved of home training.

At the weakest moment of your life as a human being God gives you the grace to make some sacrifices for Him with the heart of compassion to the people around you who look up to you as sheep, be their shepherd then.

 

BE THE LESSON

The Gospel ended with these words: "He began to teach them many things."

The meaning here is a very deep one. Jesus taught them many lessons. Yes! They were very desperate when they looked for Jesus. Their desperation will not allow them to think straight as to understand that Jesus needed rest and a timeout with His disciples.

They would have really not blamed Jesus so much if He had turned them down. But when Jesus with His disciples gave them the attention they were seeking and even more they were amazed, they learnt an important lesson therefrom. The Apostles, too, were taught to be more loving and to become teachers and leaders of compassion.

That became the rest. This rest is satisfaction that the people one is working for are happy; that what one was asked to do was carried out well; that there is job satisfaction at the end of the day; that even without any pay one goes home fulfilled; that even without having all the earthly wealth, one is proud of raising God-fearing children despite the weariness and frustrating situations.

Jesus got His satisfaction more than He would have had after partying with His apostles and sleeping or swimming away somewhere.

Can we as shepherds in various sectors of life leave unnecessary jamborees and tend to the sheep in our care with love, care, and compassion? This is how to find the rest we need. May God help us.

 

LET US PRAY

Like the apostles, Oh Lord, we are tired of the various responsibilities under our watch. We are tempted to find excuses to rest away. But thank You for teaching us the lesson of finding joy even while doing our works. May we look for reasons to help others and not reasons to keep away from being of help. Bless us as we pray to find joy in all we do here on earth through Christ our Lord. Amen

Happy Sunday (16th Week, Ordinary Time Yr. B)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh

 Friday of 15^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: The power of Relationship Capital in our affair with God

Reading: Is 38:1-6.21-22:7-8

In human relationships, it is advocated that the parties involved do everything possible to build relationship capitals in one another. Relationship capital is the value created through building and maintaining or nurturing good relationship with people over time. This may be accomplished by consistently adhering to the rule of reciprocity, pursuing the wellbeing of partners, providing value to their lives, assisting them in achieving their objectives, meeting them at their various points of need, and so on.

These relationship capitals function like a bank. As we deposit money into our bank accounts and fall back on them when we are in need, we likewise deposit positive behaviors/impressions in our friends, thereby building a capital or trust base in them. We fall back on these capitals when we make appeals to our friends; our friends also fall back on these capitals to consider or reconsider their actions towards us, especially when there are issues in the relationship.  

The first reading of today tells us that there should also be a relationship capital in our relationship with God, and that such capital can help us to attract God’s intervention in our difficult moments. King Hezekiah was sick and has been told by the prophet that he will die. But then, he turned to God in prayers and reminded Him how faithful he had walked before Him, the good things he did for Him and for the people. God answered him, healed him and prolonged his life.

Dear friends, let not our relationship bank be empty in our affair with God. By being upright before God and sincerely making good impacts in peoples’ lives, we fill our relationship bank with goodies in our affair with God (the same should also happen in our affairs with human friends), goodies we can fall back on when we pray to God in times of troubles. So, start today to invest in your relationship with God.   

May God’s grace lead and guide you in today’s activities.

Fr Isaac Chima

 Thursday of 15^th Week, Year II: Reflection

Theme: Burdens become lighter when we share them with God

Reading: Mt 11:28-30

Dear friends in Christ, today's gospel reading is one of the shortest gospel readings for Masses in the Church's lectionary; nonetheless, it is a gospel reading that is rich with promises from Jesus' mouth, promises that speak to the situations in which God's people find themselves. In this gospel passage, Jesus speaks to all of us who have been burdened by the troubles and cares of this world, inviting us to come to Him for succor and rest.

Jesus does not promise to solve all of our problems, nor does He guarantee his followers a trouble-free life. But then He provides the grace needed to be victorious over problems as they come.

Those who stood and witnessed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being thrown into the burning furnace expected their God to demonstrate His power by extinguishing the flames of the furnace. But when God came down, He did not extinguish the fire; instead, He stood with them in the centre of the extra-heated furnace, keeping them alive in it by stopping the flames of fire from consuming them.

God's presence in and around us does not promise us a problem-free life, but it does provide us with the grace to deal with issues as they arise, because problems will not stop coming to us as long as we live in a world where people use political and financial problems as weapons to reach their ends.  

Therefore, don’t carry your heavy emotional, health, financial, marital, social or academic problems alone; instead, go to Christ today and share them with Him. In fact, hand them over to Christ, and you will see how light they will become; He will ensure that you emerge victorious over them all.

May Christ give you the grace to emerge victories over the challenges of this Thursday. Amen

Fr Isaac Chima

 

 Wednesday of 15^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: We are nothing without God; be grateful

Reading: Isaiah 10:5-7,13-16

Dear friends in Christ, during the 1990s and early 2000s, a Nigerian TV program concluded each episode with a lovely message that "we are like pencils in the hand of our creator." Indeed, we are like instruments in the hands of our Creator; without Him, we are nothing. In today's first reading, God posed several questions whose responses would remind us of who we truly are before Him. He asked: can an axe claim to be greater than the man who uses it? Is the saw more important than the man who saws with it? A club does not lift up a man; rather, a man lifts up a club.

These questions arose as a result of the arrogant behavior of the king of Assyria whom God aroused and used to destroy many pagan nations that refused to hearken to His voice. Full of himself, the Assyrian king began to boost of his might and started attributing combat successes to himself and to the strength of his arm, while also threatening Jerusalem, the city where God chose to dwell. Because of his arrogance and pride, God swore to withdraw his strength and to punish him accordingly. One might ask why God would use a pagan king to achieve his goals, but we know that God’s ways are not our ways.

Dear friends, our life is a gift from God; the breath that keeps us alive, our strength, our beauty, intelligence, and many more features that we rely on every day to make our millions are all from God. Most of the time, we are led to think that our wealth is the reflection of the strength of our hands and our connections, but we forget that without the breath of life from God, we will not be alive to achieve anything. Without the hands of God in our life, we are nothing and can’t achieve anything. This calls for humility and gratitude to God for all we are and all we have.

May God’s blessings be upon you are you embark on the activities of this Wednesday. Amen  

Fr Isaac Chima

 Tuesday of 15^th week, Year II: reflection

Theme: What we should do after receiving God’s blessings

Reading: Mt 11:20-24

Dear friends in Christ, our Lord Jesus speaks to our hearts through the gospel reading of today. He reminds us that there is a purpose for the miracles that we receive from God everyday of our lives. He also reminds us that every word that comes from his mouth should be reciprocated with appropriate positive action from us. He went further to tell us that there is a prize to pay for any failure to respond positively to his miracles and calls.

The catechism of the church teaches us that God created us to know Him, to love Him, to worship Him in this world, and then be with Him in heaven. In the same way, the miracles from God are meant to bring us closer to God, to appreciate God, and to change our old and sinful ways of lives. They are meant to show us how much our God loves us and desires to draw us closer to Him. They are not meant to satisfy our quest for fantasy.

The Gospel reading of today tells us that Christ looked at the cities of Chorazìn, Bethsaida, and Capernaum where He performed most of His miracles, and when He saw their inability to respond positively to his mighty works among them, he was filled with anger. Possibly, these cities failed to understand that those miracles were meant to draw them closer to God. Instead of responding positively to the miracles of Christ, they rather continued living in their old sinful lives.

My dearest people, our God has done many miracles in our lives. That we are alive today is a miracle from God because we are not holier than the dead. Every new day is a miracle from God. That we recover any time we fell sick is a miracle from God. That we can see, walk, talk, and have other good features of our body are indications of the love of God for us. Are we really grateful to God for all these? Today’s gospel challenges us to return praises to God for all these miracles by living a holy life and helping the needy.

Secondly, the gospel reminds us that Christ expects His words to bear the fruit of repentance in our lives. In the passage we read, Christ expected His words preached to the three cities of Chorazìn, Bethsaida, and Capernaum to lead them out of their sins, but they stayed comfortable in their sins even after hearing the words that called them to repentance. My dearest people, Jesus looks at us every day to check if we are responding positively to His words. He moves around us every day to check if His words are bearing fruits of love, forgiveness, repentance, charity, and peace in us. Let us not remain comfortable in our old sinful ways of life. Let us not get used to sin as the cities in the gospel reading of today did.

Finally, Jesus reminds us that there is a prize for every failure to put His words into practice. There is a price to pay when we refuse to respond to His miracles in our lives with living a holy life. In the gospel, he proclaimed woes on the cities of Chorazìn, Bethsaida, and Capernaum; He condemned them for their hardness of heart, and for their insensitivity.

May God give us the grace to respond positively to the miracles and words of Christ. Amen

Fr Isaac Chima