Wednesday, March 23, 2022

UNITY AND GROWTH

 UNITY AND GROWTH
Meditation for Thursday of the Third Week of Lent
(Jer 7:23-28; Lk 11:14-23)

“Every kingdom divided against itself is laid to waste.” When people are asked to maintain peace and unity, some people raise shoulders high as if some others need it more. Look around, you will see so many family feuds. And sometimes parents foolishly culture their children to maintain certain line of disunity in the family. The readings of today draw our attention to the fact that unity brings stability and progress. There hardly can be wholesome growth and stability without unity. A nation or an organization laden with internal disunity has no bright future; sooner or later, it will be laid to ruin!

Unity manifests itself as an internal attitude each person nurtures within him. A person who is not at peace within him cannot swim in the waters of unity. According to the prophet Jeremiah, it is in keeping the commandments of God that we nurture internal unity. He outlined selfishness and stubbornness of heart as obstacles that prevent us from keeping God’s commandments. “But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their hearts, and went backwards and not forward.”

Once the heart is disunited from God, our view of life will be clouded with conflict and disunity, like those that accused Jesus of casting out demon by Beelzebul. For them, a divided house was the norm! If their hearts were united with God, they would have perceived the power of God at work around them. Jesus said to them, “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” Truly, the kingdom of God shines out upon every heart that is united with God by keeping the commandments. And the Kingdom of God and its righteousness never passes by every household, organization or nation that is united; it knows stability and growth, and will never be laid to waste. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.

Thursday March 24rd, 2022.

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

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