“MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE”

Meditation for Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

(Acts 11:19-26; Jn 10:22-30)

The first reading narrates how the persecution that arose after the death of Stephen scattered the believers and brought them to many cities including Antioch. The Holy Spirit continued to manifest the divine presence wherever they went. The Church leaders in Jerusalem heard about the great works those who escaped persecution were performing in the name of Jesus, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. He was full of the Holy Spirit and faith. Barnabas was glad, and he encouraged them to remain steadfast to the Lord. He went to Tarsus and brought Saul. “For a whole year they met with the Church, and taught a large company of people; and in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians.”

 

We see how the spread of the Christian faith was made possible first by the action of the Holy Spirit working through human efforts. The believers were surprised how their little efforts brough so much impact and won many souls for the Lord. But those whose hearts were hardened denied what they experienced through the believers and refused to believe. That was why when the Jews kept asking Jesus if He were the Christ, He answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep.” Those who are on the side of truth are the sheep that belong to Jesus; “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.”

 

The freedom, peace and love with which Christianity spreads, and steps on persecution to grow, testifies to the presence of the Holy Spirit, who is the unseen hand that moves us forward. It takes a humble man, who is honest and open to truth to perceive this silent divine presence and accept the faith. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.

Tuesday May 2, 2023

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

STANDING RIGHT WITH GOD IN OUR LABOURS

Meditation for Memorial of St Joseph the Worker
(Gen 1:26—2:3; Mt 13:54-58)

Happy Workers Day! The Church entrusts all workers to the patronage of St. Joseph the Carpenter. We thank God for the gift of creativity and inventive skill. God created man with the inherent capacity to work, and gave him the mandate, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” That is why for a person not to have work or to lose the capacity to work through sickness, old age, etc, is never a good experience. Hence, it is popularly said that THERE IS DIGNITY IN LABOUR. The human person is dignified in the outcome of his labors; there he finds joy and fulfilment, and derives meaning in life. That is why we pray for workers, for those looking for work, and for those facing all sorts of challenges in their work.

 

Therefore, let us meditate on St. Joseph the Worker, the patron of workers. This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955. St Joseph was so dedicated in this work as a carpenter that it became his identity. To be so recognized and identified in that singular work is a sign of lifelong persistence and perseverance in the business. This enduring capacity of St Joseph is an example for us to emulate today. St Joseph was known to be an UPRIGHT man (Mt 1:19). An ‘upright’ man can be described as ‘one who is standing right before God.’ WITHOUT HONESTY THERE IS NO DIGNITY IN LABOUR! We cannot derive meaning and joy if we are dishonest in our work.

 

Meditate on how Jesus was identified through the work of Joseph as the Carpenter. They said, “This is the Carpenter’s Son, surely?” (Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3). As the chosen one of God for the Holy Family, Joseph was chosen even in his work as a carpenter. Thus, his humble labors became means of serving God, and contributing to the work of our salvation. In the same way, if we ‘stand right before God’ in our labors, they will become means of serving God. That means we can win grace for ourselves and for others through our work. In this way, Jesus can be ‘recognized’ in our labors. That is why our great patron St Joseph was a silent man, but spoke eloquently through his work. Let us reduce the noise that fuels laziness and embrace the committed silence that fuels creativity and productivity. Our labors shall never be in vain, for through St Joseph, God has given a deeper meaning to the work of our hands as means of working out our salvation in Christ Jesus (cf. Phil 2:12-13).

 

May St Joseph the Worker intercede for us as we work. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.

Monday May 1st, 2023.

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com