CAUGHT UP IN HIS GLORY

Meditation for 2^nd Sunday of Lent, Year B

(Gen 22:1-2, 9, 10-13, 15-18)

In our meditation this Sunday, we hear about the beautiful and touching story of how Abraham tried to sacrifice his son Isaac to God. We know it was a tough test for him but we are amazed at the courage and efficiency with which he carried out the instruction, as if it was part of his daily routine! Isaac was his most value treasure; the most important thing he gained in this life, and is leaving behind for posterity. Isaac was Abraham’s answered prayer; the most important thing he ever asked of God, which almost appeared like the reason he was worshipping God. But on mount Moriah, Abraham surprised us, and stripped himself of every human attachment, desire or pleasure. At that moment he raised the knife over his son, Abraham had ‘slaughtered’ whatever is not of God in his life, no matter how good they might be!

The deeper meaning of Abraham’s sacrifice appears in Christ Jesus as we scroll down to the second reading.  Abraham’s sacrifice became a pre-figuration of God the Father who actually sacrificed His only begotten Son for us. So, Jesus SATISFIES the twofold position of Isaac the son and the ‘replacement’ lamb that was sacrificed.  If God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us, will He not give us all things through Him? Thus, our sentence is paid for; our shame is removed. What is ours now is life—fullness of life in Christ and the crown of His glory. Now that we have been saved by the Lamb, who will condemn us? What is it that can take our hearts away and disqualify us from sharing in His glory?

A foretaste of His glory draws us on! The transfiguration at Mount Tabor was a great force that kept the apostles committed to the mission of Christ. Imagine the glorious moment when they saw the glistering white garments, the appearance of Elijah and Moses, the overshadowing cloud and  heard the voice that pierced the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to Him.” They were so consumed by this brief experience that nothing else mattered to them; they stripped themselves of any earthly attachment at they were caught up in the encounter. It was deep contemplative moment in which the soul is lost in its creator. This is the strength and divine encouragement we have today to ‘slaughter’ whatever that is not of God in us, even more than Abraham.

Therefore, this Lenten season, we draw closer to the Cross of Christ, crucifying every desire and attachment to Him, no matter how important they might be to us. A foretaste of the glory of the Risen Christ awaits us on the mount of His word and Sacraments. Our participation in these mysteries must consume our hearts, such that we remain caught up in these mysteries. This is how we begin to find MEANING, RELEVANCE and SATISFACTION in the mysteries of Christ Jesus. Then, we can say, “It is no longer I who live, but is Christ who lives in me. This live I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave His life for me” (Gal 2:20). Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saint Stephen Catholic Church,
Agboju, Lagos.
Sunday February 28^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

 

THE LOVE THAT CONQUERS HATRED

 Meditation for Saturday of the First Week of Lent

(Deut 26:16-19; Mt 5:43-48)

Moses instructed the people to carefully observe the whole commandments and ordinances of the Lord. “You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul.” Think about what it means to keep the commandments in one’s heart and soul! That means one’s life cannot be separated from the commandments, despite the external conditions. In turn the Lord declares that those who take His commandments to heart shall be His own possession, He will set them high above all nations, in praise and in fame and in honour, “And that you shall be a people holy to the Lord your God, as He has spoken.”

Such a person, whose heart and soul are inclined to God’s Commandment, must reflect the true image of God. “Thus, we shall become the perfect Man, upon reaching maturity, and sharing the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:13). In Jesus, humanity has been fully owned and possessed by God; the Heart of Jesus never deviated from the will of God. As Jesus is the perfect image of the unseen God (Col 1:15), He gives us the grace to become children of God (Jn 1:12).

Therefore, Jesus tells us in the Gospel of today that the ‘resemblance’ of God we must bear as His Children is love; love that is patterned after God’s love for us, not the love that is conditioned by other people. “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good...” God did not adopt us as His sons and daughters in Christ Jesus (Eph 1:5) that we might settle for less or be minimal in righteousness! He has equipped us for every good action (2 Tim 3:17; Heb 13:21), even to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. Our heart and soul are fully absorbed in Him as we contemplate the mystery of Jesus Christ. So, any enemy below cannot pull us down from this mountain of grace. We possess the love that conquers hatred; we offer the charity that goes beyond boarders! Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Saturday February 27^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

THE CHOICE FOR LIFE

Meditation for Friday of the First Week of Lent
(Ezekiel 18:21-28; Mt 5:20-26)

The Lenten journey is a favourable opportunity for us to repent. The Lenten observances energize us to move away from sin and remain in righteousness. Prophet Ezekiel reminds us today about the consequences of sin, which is death. But he announces the good news of a gracious opportunity by which the death sentence is cancelled for those who repent of their sins. God created man to live; “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” But if a righteous man abandons his good ways and embraces evil, he shall die. Thus, we are responsible for our choices for the ‘present’ and ‘future’ of our lives.

Human life is not static; it is dynamic, evolving and in ‘motion’. We can either move forward into the ‘future of God’ through righteous living, or we move backwards to nothingness through sin. The direction we take at this crossroad of life depends on the kind of ‘energy’ we allowed to accumulate in our hearts and minds. Think about things that influence your daily choices! What are the values that determine your responses to life situations? There is always a hidden INTENT that motivates our actions...

In urging us to repent and choose life, we are being asked to purge our hearts of sinful intents, and energize it with sentiments of righteousness. Hence, Jesus told His disciples that the righteousness that leads to eternal life must not be on the surface like that of the scribes and Pharisees. The righteousness that gives eternal life flows from the depths of the hearts. That is why whoever bears anger in his heart shall be liable to judgement, under that law that says, “You shall not kill.” So, the heart must be purged of every unrighteous sentiment. This is mostly important because it is from the heart that our prayers and offerings find favour before God.

God’s plan for us is that we may live, and He has given us every grace in Christ Jesus to conquer death. In Jesus, the righteous Man who ought to live took upon Himself the death of the wicked man, who ought to die! Therefore, the sinful can cross over to righteousness and live; the dead can rise to life! And through the Sacraments of the Church, Jesus gives us effective means of purifying our hearts that our lives may flourish. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Friday February 26^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

UNFAILING PRAYER

Meditation for Thursday of the First Week of Lent

(Esther 14:1, 3-4, 11, 13-14; Mt 7:7-12)

Today’s Lenten meditation looks at how we get answers to our prayers. We are given the example of the prayer of Queen Esther. “Esther the queen, seized with deathly anxiety, fled to the Lord.” Prayer is the way we run to the Lord. She took a humble POSTURE by lying on the ground. She began by PRAISING God, calling Him, “God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, blessed are you.” Secondly, Queen Esther expressed her humility and nothingness before God: “Help me, who am alone and have no helper but you, for my danger is in my hand...Come to my aid, for I am an orphan.” She expressed her FAITH in God by acknowledging through the testimony of their patriarchs that He answers those who are pleasing to Him. Finally, Esther uttered her INTENTIONS: “Save us from the hand of our enemies; turn our morning into gladness and our affliction into well-being.”

In the Gospel, Jesus said to His disciples, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” This is a great assurance; how attractive it is to pray! Jesus explains why the answer to our prayers is assured: it is because we have a good Father, and we are His children. That means when we come to pray, the ‘energies of our prayer’ must first be directed to our Heavenly Father in His Goodness, while we carry within us the ‘status’ of His children. The glory of the Father, the exaltation of His holy Name, is the most important thing in prayer. We ‘ask’, ‘seek’, and ‘knock’, not necessarily because we are in need, but mostly because we have the God who ‘answers’, ‘reveals’ and ‘opens the door of grace.’

However, our duty is to keep alive the status of CHILDREN OF GOD. This means we love God and live according to His commandments. We cannot come to God in prayer like the unrepentant hypocrites, who came to Jesus seeking for a sign: they found none! God’s faithful children have confidence that their heavenly father must give something good to them when they pray. That is why the already live out their prayer intentions. Therefore, Jesus said, “So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.” Amen.   

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Thursday February 25^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

THE SIGN OF REPENTANCE

Meditation for Wednesday of the First Week of Lent
(Jonah 3:1-10; Lk 11:29-32)

Our Lenten meditation today focuses on repentance. We gaze at Jonah with the eyes of faith as he travels down the great city of Nineveh. We can see the seemingly reluctance on his face as he preaches with marginal effort, saying only what he was asked to say and nothing more! It is quite obvious that he is merely obeying the command of God, since the ‘fish of grace’ had brought him thus far. The great city would take three days to move across, but Jonah is still on the first day, rolling out the rhythm of his message: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” Surprisingly, the whole city, with their king and noblemen, from the greatest to the least, declared a fast, put on sackcloth and ashes and repented of their evil ways. They cried to God to have mercy and spare their lives.

 

How come Jonah’s mission was so successful? Jesus praised the work of Jonah and wished that people of ‘this generation’ would learn from the people of Nineveh. He described Jonah as a SIGN, which the people saw and repented. Imagine a Jew walking dejectedly along the streets of their enemy-city, warning them of the coming doom? The challenges and struggles Jonah stepped on to enter the city, not for his own benefit, but in sacrifice for the people, inspired them to listen to him. Why would this Jew risk his life among the Assyrians if God did not send him? Jonah in himself, even without words, became a SIGN OF REPENTANCE for the people of Nineveh! That is why his MESSAGE travelled faster and deeper than his words and footsteps.

 

“And behold, something greater than Jonah is here.” Jesus is the ultimate sign, who left heaven to dwell among us, dispelling the darkness of sin and bearing the burden of our sins upon Himself (2 Cor 5:21). He is the Word of God, through whom grace and truth is given to us (Jn 1:17), whose blood bleeds more insistently for our salvation (Heb 12:24). But, why are the men and women of ‘this generation’ not seeing the sign of the Messiah and follow Him to repentance? This is because they are an evil generation; they are only interested in miraculous signs for their benefits, but they do not care about signs of holiness that announce the presence of God among them. So, even when the greater sign than Jonah is here, they turned blind eyes to it.

 

Our forty days of Lent is counting...More than the people of Nineveh, we have seen and embrace the SIGN OF REPENTANCE, Jesus Christ. Let us humble ourselves in ashes and sackcloth through fasting, prayer and almsgiving. We have the testimony the Blessed Virgin Mary and other men and women in the Bible, the Saints and the sacrifices of people of goodwill among us today. The sign of their holiness inspires us to repentance. May God open our eyes that we may see the gracious sign through which He draws us to Himself. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Wednesday February 24^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

RESPONSIBLE PRAYER

Meditation for Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
(Is 55:10-10; Mt 6:7-15)

One of the important things we are encouraged to engage ourselves in this season of Lent is prayer. Jesus takes prayer very seriously. Today, He teaches us HOW NOT TO PRAY: “In praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” The ‘words of prayer’ are neither to ‘convince’ God nor to ‘inform’ Him about what we are asking for. “For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” This means that what is first required of us is the intention to pray, the setting out of time and composure in prayer. With one’s heart and mind rendered to God in prayer, even when words cannot come out like Hannah, God will still hear the prayer. “Hannah was praying silently; she moved her lips but uttered no sound and Eli thought Hannah was drunk” (1 Sam 1:13). But when numerous words are uttered, there is a high tendency that the heart and mind will be diverted to the construction of beautiful and pleasant words! This leads to self-absorption and the ‘exaltation’ of one’s problems...

Then, Jesus teaches us HOW TO PRAY. “Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be your name...” In prayer our hearts and sentiments are directed to God, His glory and righteousness. And prayer calls us to RESPONSIBILITY towards God and our neighbour. That is why our need for daily bread is neither the first nor the last item in the prayer Jesus taught us. Also, that is why He asked us prayer though He knows our needs. We make prayer our life; we begin to live out and treat others with that intention we desire from God. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you.” It can also be said that if you share your bread with the hungry, your heavenly father will give you your daily bread!

Jesus assures us that God does not fail to answer our prayers. His blessings come down like rain and snow from heaven. His promises are accomplished; His words definitely achieve their purposes, “Giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater.” Following the words of prophet Isaiah, the confidence and assurance that bring us to pray without ceasing is not in our might or mastery of prayer, but in the authority of the word of Jesus. We flourish more in prayer when we begin to allow the power of the love of Jesus to summon us and sustain us in prayer. That is why the highest point in prayer is when we are fully sustained by this divine love in contemplation. May your day be filled with this divine touch that feeds us. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Tuesday February 23^rd, 2021.
Memorial of St Polycarp
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

THE SAVING BOW

 Meditation for First Sunday of Lent, Year B
(Gen 9:8-15; 1 Pet 3:18-22; Mk 1: 12-15)

After the great flood, God made a covenant with Noah and his descendants. The TERMS of the covenant was that never again shall the earth be destroyed by flood. It was a unique kind of covenant. God set up a REMINDER, a visible symbol that shall silently but clearly speak about the terms the Covenant. “I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you...” Notice that the bow, the great reminder, was set up by God to ‘speak’ to Him not to destroy the man and the creatures. That means it is a SAVING BOW raised up to the sky, since it wins for man the benefits of the covenant.

The second reading shifts our attention to Jesus on the Cross. “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God...” St Peter explains how the saving power of Jesus brought liberation and achieved what could not be achieved with Noah’s ark. This ark saved very few persons. Today, Noah’s ark can be likened to our baptism. The waters of baptism saves us as APPEAL TO GOD for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Cross of Jesus towers up to the sky like the bow of God’s covenant with Noah. But while the bow was symbolic, the Cross of Jesus is itself the new covenant. In the Cross of Jesus is both the TERMS of the covenant and the REMINDER. It is also the perfect symbol since it communicates and effects from within itself what it stands for. So, while the bow of Noah spoke in silence, the silence of the Cross of Jesus speaks!

Unlike the bow of God’s covenant with Noah that was taken up to the sky, the waters of baptism is poured upon us! Baptism applies to us the saving grace of the eternal Covenant of Jesus on the Cross. So we carry within us the ‘indelible mark’ of baptism, which APPEALS to God for our salvation. When God Himself is the Covenant—the Pledge of our salvation—baptism appeals FOR OUR CLEAR CONSCIENCE that we remain faithful to the new covenant we have in Jesus, who died and rose for us.

Therefore, the greatest temptation we shall face is to turn away from the Cross of Jesus; the temptation to lose the ‘memory’ of the Cross and strip ourselves of its power. However, it is by the power of the Cross that we overcome every temptation. Our forty days of Lent imitates the forty days of Jesus in the desert. At this season, we deepen the imprint of the Cross in our hearts that the victory of Jesus over Satan might be ours. At the end, we shall step forward as Jesus did in the Gospel of today, despite the sorrows of the arrest of John the Baptist, to proclaim the glory of God, the Good News of salvation. “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.” Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwewa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Sunday February 21^st, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

AT THE TABLE OF THE FORGIVEN

 Meditation for Saturday after Ash Wednesday

(Is 58:9-14; Lk 5:27-32)

The prophet Isaiah gives us a beautiful description of the life of those are able to overcome evil behaviour in their lives. He recognizes the burden of unrighteous and uncharitable life; it is a yoke! If we put down this YOKE within us, and “Pour yourselves out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.” Sin is a burden; its absence is freedom! Those who have removed this yoke of unrighteousness from their lives shall have many good things to enjoy. The Lord will guide them continually, satisfy their desires with good things, make them strong, and they shall be like a watered garden...It is not enough to take off the yoke of sin, one must fill his life with love and devotion to the Lord, keep his laws, and guide his words. “Then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

All the beautiful blessings promised to those who have repented can be seen in action as Jesus sits at table in the house of Levi the tax collector. The feasting and celebration was an acknowledgment and appreciation of the new life he found in Jesus. Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away our sins, lifted off the burden on Levi and set him free from the yoke. The Pharisees understood the meaning of the great act of ‘eating together’ or ‘communion’ with somebody. It is an act of ‘exchange of life’ or ‘sharing of bond.’ They complained, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

“I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” It is Jesus who calls, “Follow me” and offers the remedy for sins. Imagine how Levi and his friends enjoy the company of Jesus with so much peace and freedom. This was what tax money denied them from seeing by offering them worldly and momentary pleasures. Heaven too joins in the celebration when one sinner repents. So this season of Lent, we are more attentive the voice of Jesus that calls; in our fasting we express our hunger to dine with Jesus.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C. Ss.R
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos
Saturday February 20^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com
 

 

THE REWARD FOR FASTING

Meditation for Friday after Ash Wednesday
(Is 58:1-9; Mt 9:14-15)

“Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?” Today we meditate on the issue of FASTING. The prophet Isaiah talked about fasting as a way to ‘cry aloud’ to the Lord that He might answer quickly. What is it that can make our fasting to be futile? The prophet says it is unrighteous living that forsakes the ordinances of God. “Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers.” Isaiah says that the fasting acceptable to the Lord is, “To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke.” The loud cry of fasting that God hears is works of charity and denying oneself for the good of others.

According to prophet Isaiah, the REASON for fasting is for God to quickly hear our cry. But the Lord in turn demands righteousness over and above every external act of fasting. It was such external display of self-denial for their selfish interests that the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees soaked themselves in. It was such a fasting that sought human approval. In response to them, Jesus taught us a new meaning and reason for fasting. “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when they bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

Thus, the disciples of Jesus are like attendants to a bridegroom; they celebrate with Him, they rejoice and are satisfied with Him. The ABSENCE of the Bridegroom is the PRESENCE of their hunger, dissatisfaction or lack. This is when they will begin to hunger and thirst for the One that quenches their thirst and satisfies their hunger. “And then they will fast.” We have been separated from Jesus by our sins. Fasting becomes a way the followers of Jesus express their mourning or deep yearning for Him, the Bread of life that satisfies. By fasting, they direct and stretch every form of hunger in them to Jesus. Fasting, especially at this season of Lent, becomes a way Catholics affirm that they would not settle for any lesser form of satisfaction except Jesus. He is the REASON and the REWARD for our fasting! In His thirst on the Cross is our thirst quenched. Let us brace up and offer in faith our genuine self-denial this Lent, through such acts, our numerous thirsts shall rise up to ‘embrace’ the thirst of Jesus for us. “But those, who drink of the water that I shall give, will never be thirsty” (Jn 4:14). Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Friday February 19^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

THE GREAT CHOICE

Meditation for Thursday after Ash Wednesday
(Deut 30:15-20; Lk 9:22-25)

At this early morning of our Lenten journey this year, Moses calls on the Israelites to make a choice for life or death. The commandments he placed before them define their frame of choices! You can either choose to keep the commandments or not. To choose the commandments means to choose to love God and walk in His ways. “Then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you...” It is this blessing of God on those who keep His commandments that sustains their lives. But to choose not to keep the commandments is to choose to live by oneself or to live for other gods. Such a life does not enjoy God’s blessings, and surely, it will wither away.

Lent gives us a favourable opportunity to make the great choice for life. The Lenten observances, together with the liturgical activities of this season, summon us to choose love of God over above love of the self by keeping His commandment, thereby making ourselves available for God’s blessings. At the time of Moses, this anticipated ‘blessings of life’ was basically to live and multiply in the Land, which the Lord God swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

But in Gospel of today, we discover that the frame of ‘choice for life’ has been upgraded: We are asked to ‘choose death’ in order to have life! LIFE is hidden in the death of Jesus Christ; if we choose the death of Christ, we shall have His life. Beyond the Promised Land, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob longed for the Messiah. That means the ‘anticipated blessings of life’ promised to our fathers is now fulfilled in Jesus. “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it.”

This Lent we try to re-live and renew the imprint of the passion of Christ in our hearts (2 Cor 4:10-11). By keeping the commandments, we learn how not to live by our human will but to selflessly abide by the will of God. This is how we begin to FOLLOW Christ and walk with Him in the paths of prayer, fasting and Almsgivings. So no one can claim to follow Jesus Christ without a Cross; He has gone ahead of us to Calvary. Behind every cross we bear in the name of Jesus is abundance of life.  Choose wisely!

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Thursday February 18^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

THE IMPRINT OF THE ASH

Reflection for Ash Wednesday

The holy season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. The bold mark of ash on the forehead is usual a proud ‘emblem’ many Catholics wear on this day. This mark of ash seems to have taken a life of its own, such that some people dare not miss it even if they missed the Mass! “Have you received ash?” usually dominates the ‘greeting ceremony’ when catholic neighbours or friends meet. Kids and youngsters often display and compare whose imprint of the ash was bigger. Truly, the ‘touch’ of the ash has its own unique flavour' that awakens us to a deeper religious consciousness.

The book of Genesis narrates how man was moulded from the dust of the earth (Gen 2:7). God warned man before the fall that sin would return him to the ground from which he came (Gen 2:17, 3:19). Man is nothing without God; "take your breath, they return to clay" (Ps 146:4, 104:29). ‘The dust of the earth’ symbolizes the ‘nothingness’ that awaits man if he sins against his creature. This great symbol can now serve two intentions: first, for preventive purposes to keep man humble, that is, ‘ash’ is a gesture that reminds man that he is mere ‘dust’ without the breath of God. Secondly, for contrition, to express repentance of our sins, signalling to God that by our sins we ought to return to dust, but we want to live, and implore His mercy and grace to live according to His will.

Abraham described himself as “dust and ashes” (Gen 18:27) to show how unworthy he was before God. Moses and Aaron spread ashes to bring boils on the Egyptians and humble Pharaoh (Ex 9:8-10). Ashes were used for the purification sacrifices (Num 19:6-10; Heb 9:13). Job when afflicted with suffering, sat on ashes (Job 2:8). Seeing the persecution of the Jews, Mordecai tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes (Esther 4:1). On receiving Jonah’s message, the King of Nineveh put on sackcloth and sat down on ashes (Jonah 3:6). Jesus confirms the use of ashes as symbol of repentance when he denounced the cities in which He performed most of His miracles (Mt 11:20-21).

Therefore, the ash we mark on our forehead leaves its imprint in our soul! We mark our foreheads with dust of the earth that we might stand humble before God, and be saved from emptiness and the nothingness it leads to. So, even when the physical mark of ash has long been washed off, our hearts carry the imprint throughout the season of Lent. Thus, let us avoid ‘rowdy’ living, but recollect our hearts in the ‘cloud of silence’ that this season brings, and carry out our actions in gentleness and kindness to avoid ‘shaking off the dust’ we marked in our hearts. There is a hidden joy that echoes from the silence of Lent as we secretly perform acts of charity, prayer and fasting. Yes, there is a rhythm of beauty that gently spreads out from the liturgical celebrations of this season. The love it leaves behind is overwhelming.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Wednesday February 17^th, 2021.
Ash Wednesday.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

THE EXCHANGE

Meditation for 6^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Lev 13:1-2, 44-46; 1 Cor 10:31-11:1; Mk 1:40-45)

The first reading of today gives a pitiable description of a leprous man; he has a swollen skin, and must wear torn clothes with unkempt hair and cover his upper lips. “He is unclean; the priest must pronounce him unclean.” We see a movement from the medical description of the condition of the man, up to his spiritual or religious status in relation to God and the community. Leprosy as a contagious disease would definitely make the community ‘unhealthy.’ And if a man is in a ‘state’ that would not build up the community of God’s people or makes free association and worship possible, then his ‘state’ has more than a medical implication! “Then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priest.” Once declared UNCLEAN by the priest, “He shall dwell alone in a habitation outside the camp.”

We see immediately why sin is likened to leprosy; it makes a man unclean and sets him outside the habitation of grace! Sin breeds selfishness, destroys love and hinders true worship of God. We can begin to understand why the people of old believed that sin was the cause of leprosy; “His disease is on his head.”

In the Gospel of today, Jesus continues to move down to the villages, to the outer part of the towns and cities. It is obvious He stepped forward to the region of the outcasts and downtrodden. Thus, it became possible for the leper to kneel before him, begging, “If you will, you can make clean.” The man surrendered his sickness and his UNCLEAN condition to Jesus. “Moved with pity, He stretched out His hand and touched him, and said, ‘I will; be clean.’” Imagine the clean and glorious hand of Jesus touching the unclean man! By this gesture, the man’s burden of leprosy is no more ‘on his head’ but on the shoulders of Jesus... Again, think about what it means for the will of man to coincide with the will of God! This is where our spiritual or religious status is upright, righteousness is restored and every defilement washed clean.

As the man was healed and cleansed, Jesus said to him, “Show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to the people.” With Jesus the duty of the priest is re-defined: to reconciled people to God and to one another, and present to God the THANKSGIVING (Eucharistic) offering. The witness of the man brought many people to Jesus, such that He could no longer openly enter the town, but EXCHANGED positions with the man as He stayed outside the city. We too are called to bring people to salvation by reaching out to them as Jesus did to the leprous man, and by witnessing as the cleansed man did to Jesus. We do this by not seeking our advantage in everything, but by working for the common good and the good of many. Thus, we become ambassadors of the divine touch that has saved us by Jesus’ SACRIFICIAL EXCHANGE; this is the Eucharistic touch we proclaim today. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Sunday February 14^th, 2021.
Valentine’s Day
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

HUNGER AND SATISFACTION

Meditation for Saturday of the 5^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Gen 3:9-24; Mk 8:1-10)

The fall of man came with severe consequences. Man lost friendship with God; the communication between God and man was no more mutual. Adam and Eve became defensive before God, and more divisive among each other. The Lord God cursed the serpent, and announced the defeat of the serpent by the seed of the Woman. Adam and Eve must face the implications of their choice, which includes, difficulty in childbearing, tough labour to raise food, etc. “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground...” Finally, in order to prevent man from eating of the tree of life in a state of sin, God drove them out of the garden, to till the ground from which he was taken...

Man ate from the wrong tree and his hunger increased, he lost friendship with God and was driven from the garden where he had free and excess food. Hunger would reign over the human city as he labours for food. Interestingly, Jesus steps in to arrest the terror of hunger among those gathered around Him. He felt their pain and weakness and set out to feed them. With seven loaves and few small fish, he fed the crowd. They all ate to their satisfaction and had seven baskets leftover. Now the bread that ought to be gotten with hard labour is given freely in Christ Jesus, and to each person’s satisfaction. Therefore, Jesus, who is the offspring of the Woman, Mary, cancels the plan of dissatisfaction Satan laid for the children of God.

Jesus gives us the living water; He is the Bread of life. He makes Himself available for our satisfaction. Then our love for Him should come in the form of a HUNGER to mingle our hearts with Him. Jesus gives us the satisfaction that goes ahead of our labours and search for food. Thus, in Jesus human labour is no more a PUNISHMENT to raise food, but an exercise of our joyful and creative contribution to the beauty, orderliness and growth of the human society, to the glory of God. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Saturday February 13^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

 

THE FALL AND SALVATION OF MAN

 Meditation for Friday of the 5^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Gen 3:1-8; Mk 7:31-37)

As the beautiful story of creation is unfolding, suddenly and disappointedly, we hear the sad story of the fall of man. It was unprecedented. A sense of chaos began to re-emerge as Adam and Eve were now more preoccupied with self-survival than walking hand in hand with the Lord God. They discovered at the late hour that the serpent tricked them; the sugar-coated and pleasurable promises he made to them did not exist. Worse still, having pulled them down from relying on God’s will and command, the serpent had no solution for their misery. Imagine where self-preservation became the highest preoccupation of human beings, each person would become a burden unto himself, and would distrust God and his neighbour! “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”

In the Gospel, Jesus steps in; God now dwells among His people. Jesus passed through the Gentile territory of Tyre and Sidon down to Galilee and through the Decapolis. The people that were originally separated from God by sin can now be reconciled. And those bearing upon themselves the burden and wounds of the fall of man, can now be healed. Jesus feels the wretchedness of man in his isolated life of sin, and takes upon himself the burden we ought to bear. “And taking him aside from the multitude privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened.’”

The man regained his freedom, and bore witness to the goodness of God. As the people zealously praised God, we see the new order of the redeemed man in Christ Jesus, that self-preservation is no more his preoccupation, but to worship God. Thanks be to God for we can now trust God and our neighbour, and live freely.

May Almighty God bless  you, The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Friday February 12^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

FAMILY SOLUTION

Meditation for Thursday of the 5^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Gen 2:18-25; Mk 7:24-30)

Today we hear about the story of how God created the human family, and marriage was born. It was God who identified the problem or lack, and set out in search of solution, and singularly brought about the marriage between man and woman as THE SOLUTION. The man and woman share one flesh and are meant FOR each other. “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” The man received the woman warmly, and gave out an exclamation of gratitude to God, who has found solution to his problem!

However, if marriage was established as solution to the problem of the man and the woman, what happens when the marriage itself has a problem? Now, the gospel of today narrates the story of a woman has a family problem. It appears the problem was more than she could solve by herself. She went in search of Jesus for SOLUTION! But to get this answer from Jesus requires faith; faith is the ever new frontier that launches us into the realm of the children of God. “And she went home, and found the child lying in bed, and the demon gone.”

In the same way, if we approach Jesus in faith, there we shall find solution to our every family problem. Jesus is the new Adam; from His open side on the Cross flowed the grace of the sacrament of matrimony. In faith we have become one body in Christ Jesus, that He might heal our family wounds. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Thursday February 11^th, 2021.
Our Lady of Lourdes
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

"THE TREE OF LIFE"

Meditation for Wednesday of the 5^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Gen 2:4-9, 15-17; Mk 7:14-23)

The second account of creation describes how man was formed. He is a product of the earth, formed from the dust from the ground but lives with the breath of life from God. “When you hide your face they vanish; you take away their breath, they die and return to dust” (Ps 104:29). God placed man in a garden where he could feed himself and exist freely. At the CENTRE of the garden was the TREE OF LIFE, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God gave man this one command, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat it, you shall die.”

The man of earth, who lives by the breath of life from God, is given freedom with responsibility for his own sake. If the life of man is the BREATH OF GOD, then physical fruit or food cannot defile him. This is the discussion we heard in the Gospel of today. Those who make laws about ‘how to eat’ or ‘what to eat’ in order to keep the spirit of God in man are mistaken. Jesus explains, “What comes out of a man is what defiles a man.”

It is clear, therefore, that our inner heart is the new GARDEN from where we live and exist freely. Two kinds of tress are identified: the good tree of life and the bad tree that brings death. The fruits we produce show the kind of tree we are feeding on. Jesus explains, “From within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and they defile a man.” Let us nurture the ‘tree of life’ in the garden of our hearts, and feed from there. Because we live by the Breath of God, it is only when we nourish our hearts with the ‘tree of life’ that we produce fruits of the Holy Spirit. What do you think is this ‘food of life’ that keeps us spiritually alive and undefiled?

May God give us the grace not to feed on bad fruits that defile us, through Christ our Lord, Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Wednesday February 10^th, 2021.
Memorial of St Scholastica.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

THE OFFERING OF OUR HEARTS IN WORSHIP

 Meditation for Tuesday of the 5^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Gen 1:20-2:4; Mk 7:1-13)

The creation story has two important high points: The creation of man and the creation of the seventh day! God created man in His own image, and blessed him with fruitfulness and authority over every other creature. But on the seventh day, God drew attention to Him, and kept the last day of creation to Himself. Thus, He who is the source of all creation shall be at its end! “And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” So man and other creatures will not be ends in themselves, but they must continue to look ahead to the seventh that is owned by no creature but God Himself. “All creatures look to you to be fed in due season” (Ps 145:15). 

But the Pharisees and Scribes gathered together to Jesus to look down on Him and to criticize Him. They asked Him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with hands defiled?” They stood before Jesus but their hearts were not with Him; their hearts were tied to the observance of the tradition of the elders and seeking human approval instead of seeking the face of God. “This people honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me...” since creation did not end on the sixth day, man cannot be law unto himself. However, since in Jesus God became man, Jesus Christ is ‘The First Born of all creation’ (Col 1:15), so that human observances cannot contradict the divine mandates. The blessing of man on the sixth day of creation is now completely fulfilled through Jesus Christ, who also carries within Him the fulfilment of the blessing of the seventh day of rest!

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts! (Ps 84:1). It is beautiful to gather around Jesus; how attractive is His presence! Sometimes we come to Him, but our hearts are tied to money, human problems, or miraculous powers. Let us lift up our whole heart to Him and we shall receive answers to our prayers, Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Tuesday February 9^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com 

A TINY TOUCH

Meditation for Monday of the 5^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Gen 1:1-19; Mk 6:53-56)

We begin this week’s meditations with the beautiful story of creation and the powerful story of Jesus’ healing of the sick. God spoke direct words and things came into existence. In the Gospel, we hear about a unique way Jesus healed the sick: “They laid the sick in the market places, and begged Him that they might touch even the fringe of His garment; and as many as touched it were made well.”

It appears Jesus healed them ‘indirectly’, i.e. without any direct words of healing or explicit exercise of His healing power. Now we can begin to understand the workings of faith as a supernatural gift of God. Faith is the assurance of what is hoped for (Heb 11:1). And God is present in our faith! That is why we cannot claim to believe and still remain ‘distant’ from Him; our faith must ‘empty’ us into the person of Jesus. Hence, even His silence speaks to the believer; any ‘touch’ of His presence heals. Jesus confirms the power of faith as He says to the woman that touched His cloak, “Daughter, your faith has saved you” (Mk 5:34).

Once more, imagine stretching out hand to touch the garment of Jesus and be healed without Him uttering a word! But, think about what it takes to believe that such a touch is enough to wipe off one’s problem! What a courage such a believer would have in order to step forward, piercing through the crowd to Jesus. Such a believer must be CONTEMPLATIVE in order to see holistically through the eyes of faith the divine presence available for him. A touch of the fringe of his garment becomes for us this day A COTEMPLATIVE TOUCH! When we courageously step aside to be alone with Jesus in the silence of our hearts, we shall have this ‘tiny touch’ within that heals and uplifts our souls. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Monday February 8^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

THE HEALING OF HUMAN SUFFERING

 Meditation for 5^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

(Job 7:1-4, 6-7; 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23; Mk 1:29-39)

Have you ever been in a situation where you feel helpless, alone or abandoned? Human suffering is inevitable. Like an uninvited guest, it sneaks in to awaken us from our vision of comfort. We are surprised at the sudden realization that the life we cherish so much is not totally under our control. The cry of suffering humanity echoes from the depths of our hearts. What is it we enjoy that lasts? Even the human life itself fades like a shadow! The lamentation of Job in the first reading of today echoes our voices in the face of emptiness, pain and sorrow. “Like a hireling who looks for his wages, so I am allotted months of emptiness, and nights of misery are apportioned to me.” Sickness and death rank highest in causing pain and meaninglessness to life.

Being aware that we are floating on this ocean of human suffering, which swiftly washes our joy and fulfilment of life away, we turn to Jesus to be saved. Hence, Peter invited Jesus to attend to his mother-in-law, who was sick with fever. Jesus took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her. It was such a complete and total healing that she served them. Imagine the hand of Jesus clasping the hand of human suffering! With the healing hand of Jesus in view, available and accessible, our every form of pain and abandonment has become reason to stretch out our hands of faith towards Jesus. Now our lamentation over our helplessness has become a prayer of hope through which we are lifted up to serve Jesus.

After healing many people and casting out demons, Jesus did not stay back to enjoy the popularity. He went to a lonely place and prayed there. To be alone with God in silence and prayer takes humility and submission to the will of God. Wrapped in this cloud of silence and prayer, we renew our strength and re-align our vision. It is within this lonely place with God that we are drawn out of the loneliness and abandonment that human suffering pushes us to. Alone with God, we feel that strong gentle divine touch that raises us up from the bed of self-agony and hopelessness of life.

Then Jesus said, “Let us go on to the next towns that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out.” With the divine touch we have received, we return back the glory to God by spreading the good news. That is why St Paul said about preaching the gospel that, “Necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel.” We must commit ourselves to the Gospel, and dispose ourselves to spreading the message with its power and salvation. “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share its blessings.” Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Sunday February 7^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

THE GREAT RETURN

Meditation for Saturday of the 4^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Heb 13:15-17, 20-21; Mk 6:30-34)

In conclusion, the letter to the Hebrews draws our attention back to Jesus, from whom we began this journey, and who was at the centre of the message of this letter. “Brethren, through Jesus let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.” To remain focused on Christ Jesus, we must be men and women of sacrifice here below. And we make this sacrifice by performing good works, sharing what we have with others, and by being obedient and submissive to our leaders.

Let us meditate on the return of the apostles from their missionary journey. Jesus sent them forth two by two, and they came back to Him to render account of all they did and taught. This is a sign of obedience and submissiveness. Sometimes we channel the energy of our obedience and submissiveness in the wrong direction, i.e. to persons and situations that will exhaust and misuse them. This can only happen if we do not first surrender them to Jesus. He alone will renew and refill us, such that in submitting to Him, we do not ‘diminish.’ That is why when the apostles came back to Him, He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while.”

Finally, we learn from the example of the Apostles and the Letter to the Hebrews to ensure that our inner energies, intentions and actions are channeled back to Jesus and that they remain submissive to Him. The letter concluded with a prayer: “Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever...Grace be with you all.” Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Saturday February 6^th, 2021.
Memorial of St Paul Miki & Companions.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

THE HIGHEST VALUE

 Meditation for Friday of the 4^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Heb 13:1-8; Mk 6:14-29)

After weeks of journeying with the Letter to the Hebrews, we are now at the concluding section. We are reminded of the values we must cherish and sustain. These include, brotherly love, hospitality to strangers, visit to prisoners and care for the less privileged. “Let marriage be held in honour among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and adulterous.” Further, we are advised to avoid greed for money, rather we should be content with what we have since God does not forsake those who put their trust in Him. And we should remember the men and women of faith, who preached the word of God to us.

Yes, these values will give meaning to our lives and keep us secure in Jesus Christ. Imagine such a shallow and negative life Herod and his household soaked themselves into as they pursued vanity! They tried to satisfy their empty lives and secure relevance at the expense of John the Baptist’s life! This is the kind of wasteful living the Letter to the Hebrews wants us to avoid. As the message and works of Jesus brought to life the ‘voice’ of John the Baptist, so also the life of Jesus keeps alive those who live for Him. Therefore, let us abide in Jesus, and hold on to Him as our highest value. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Friday February 5^th, 2021.
Memorial of St Agatha.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

THE CITY OF GOD

Meditation for Thursday of the 4^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B

(Heb 12:18-19, 21-24; Mk 6:7-13)

As we are gradually rounding up our meditations on the Letter to the Hebrews, it is important to reflect on the great mystery of Christ we are being called to. Looking that the trials and discipline we are expected to embrace in faith, one may begin to wonder if it is worth it at all! But whatever we endure here now cannot be compared with the glory to be revealed for us. “You have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire...But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem...” What a glorious presence! Imagine you being found worthy to be invited to enter such a beautiful and awesome presence? Your soul would rise to its highest contemplation and be suspended in the bright glorious presence of God.

What we are called to participate in faith is a festal gathering of innumerable angels; an assembly of those enrolled in heaven, where everyone is a first born. Yes, it is a coming together of the spirits of just men and women made perfect; a place where God Himself is the judge. We are being called to Jesus, “The mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more graciously than the blood of Abel.” What then can delay our response? What obstacle, trial or discipline can we not overcome to dwell in this glorious presence of God, where the Blood of Jesus bleeds for us!

In the Gospel, Jesus sent out His disciples two by two to spread this good news. Think about how He ‘stripped’ them of every distraction; such that the meditations of their hearts should not be on bread, bag, money, clothing, accommodation, relationships, or people's praises or rejection. The ultimate contemplation of their hearts must be on the Word of God and its authority. This, too, is how we move forward in faith, despite all challenges, to enter Mount Zion, the city of God, and abide in His glorious presence. Amen.    

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Thursday February 4th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

THE DISCIPLINE IN FAITH

     Meditation for Wednesday of the 4^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Heb 12:4-7, 11-15; Mk 6:1-6)

We have seen how our participation in the merits of the one sacrifice of Jesus requires faith. We saw the practical example of faith demonstrated by Abraham and the great men and women of old. Their trials, resilience, and achievements under the authority of their faith were presented to us to emulate. It appears that faith exposes us to trials and discipline. Why is it so?

The first reading of today explains that it is because we have been adopted as children of God. This comes with certain implications and responsibility, which includes fatherly discipline. “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him. For the Lord disciplines him whom He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.” As parents discipline their children so that they can imbibe the moral of the home, the way does God allow us to pass through ‘faith-trials’ so that we can be moulded into the image of Jesus Christ. “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Therefore, we should not be faint-hearted, but through prayer, remain firm in faith.

The discipline our faith brings nurtures peace of soul and peace with our neighbour. It helps us to strive for that holiness of life, without which no one will see God. As God trains us in faith, we learn to root out every bitterness and things that may defile us. Then we are ready to obtain every grace, especially the merits of the one sacrifice of Jesus, our High Priest. Ironically, the ones Jesus came to as ‘His people’ rejected Him. Because of their unbelief, Jesus could not offer them the healing mercies of the Children of God. The discipline and trials we undertake in faith make us responsible children of God, and unlocks for us the great merits of our High Priest, Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Wednesday February 2^nd, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

A NEW SPRING

Meditation for Monday of the 4^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Heb 11:32-40; Mk 5:1-20)

We have come to the last week of our spiritual journey with the letter to the Hebrews. So far, we have been travelling down the path of FAITH as the sure pathway to receiving the merits of the one sacrifice of Jesus, our High Priest in the highest heavens. We saw how the practical faith of Abraham was ‘institutionalized’ in his household, and how this faith became strength with which he overcame adversities. Today, we see how this faith of Abraham has grown to become the FAITH OF ISRAEL, handed on down the ages. As the faith travelled down, it passed on to them its great promise and strength. So Judges, priests, kings and prophets, through the generations of Israel shared in this faith and testified to its mighty power.

However, the great men and women of Old, despite their achievements, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better and perfect. Thus, Jesus offers the one perfect sacrifice, which fulfils the hope of the faith of Abraham and his descendants, and offers the merits of the resurrection. That means the faith that drives us forward should be more perfect than that of Israel of old; a new spring of faith is needed. Our faith in Jesus can break more barriers and conquer more fortresses than the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, David, Samuel, etc. That is why the untouchable and unrestrained demoniac of the Gerasenes was liberated of the legion of demons at the command of Jesus.

Imagine the great and total transformation of the demoniac! Our faith in Jesus can bring forth a new spring of life in us. “And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and all men marvelled.”

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Monday February 1^st, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com