UNVEILING THE CURTAIN

 Meditation for Saturday of the 2^nd Week in Ordinary Time, Year B

(Heb 9:2-3, 11-14; Mk 3:20-21)

At the end of our second week of journeying with the Letter the Hebrews, we meditate on how excellent and effective is the priesthood of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament temple, there were two divisions, separated by a curtain: the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. ‘The Holy Place’ was the outer area where the lamp stand and the bread of offering were kept. ‘The Holy of Holies’ was the inner chamber where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. When Jesus died on the Cross, this temple curtain was torn in two (Mk 15:37). Thus, by Jesus’ priestly offering of Himself, there are no more barriers between ‘the place of sacrifice’ and ‘the dwelling place of God.’ Jesus, the High Priest, who offers our sacrifice, now dwells in the highest heavens.

What is more excellent is that Jesus performs His priestly ministry, not in man-made tents like the priests of Old, but He enters God’s dwelling place, “Taking not the blood of goats and calves but His own Blood, thus securing and eternal redemption.” Think about how great and effective is the offering of Christ. If the sprinkling of the blood of animals in the priest of old purified the flesh of defiled persons, “How much more shall the Blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

In our society today, people hardly pick interest in anything that does not benefit them directly. The prevailing attitude is for us to turn every opportunity for potential benefit, even if it requires ‘harnessing' the potentials of others. That is why miracle-seeking faith is echoing in our churches, even calling on Jesus, who gave Himself as an unblemished sacrifice for us. In the Gospel, He so dedicated His time to the crowds that He could not eat. Let us learn from His example, and through His grace, live for others since Jesus has removed the ‘curtain’ that separated us from God’s throne of grace. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Saturday January 23^rd, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

 

 

THE PERFECT COVENANT

 Meditation for Friday of the 2^nd Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Heb 8:6-13; Mk 3:13-19)

Today’s reading from the Letter to the Hebrews started off where we ended yesterday, reminding us again that the ministerial priesthood of Jesus Christ, which He obtained for the Church, stands secure on better promises than the priesthood of the old! That means it is more effective. The author explains that the covenant of old that God entered with the house of Israel was not perfect enough, and they were not faithful to it. “For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I paid no heed to them, says the Lord.”

Through the prophets, God promised a new covenant, which will be perfect and unbroken. In describing the new and perfect covenant, He says, “I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people...For all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” And the new covenant requires a new priesthood to ‘administer’ its graces. Jesus, in whom this new covenant is established, becomes also the perfect High Priest for it. The failure of this new covenant would imply that Jesus failed Himself, which is not possible.

Finally the author explains that the establishment of the new covenant, with its ministerial priesthood, automatically closes up the old priesthood founded on the old covenant. That is why we are called up to Jesus the Perfect High Priest, in whose one perfect sacrifice our sins are forgiven and our cries are heard. “And Jesus went up on the mountain, and called to Him those whom He desired; and they came to Him.” Let us go up to Him; lifting up our hearts and minds to Him in meditation and prayer that the graces of His one perfect sacrifice will fill our day. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Friday January 22^nd, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

THE MOST EXCELLENT PRIESTHOOD

 THE MOST EXCELLENT PRIESTHOOD

Meditation for Thursday of the 2^nd Week in Ordinary Time, Year B

(Heb 7:25-8:6; Mk 3:7-12)

 Welcome back to our meditations. We took a day off to celebrate Blessed Iwene Tansi. On today’s reading from the Letter the Hebrews, the author continues to explain the assurance of hope we have in Christ Jesus and gives more reason why we should draw close to Him. “Brethren: Jesus is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Jesus’ intercession as our High Priest does not fail because He is holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens! Thus, He does not need to repeat His sacrifice, but offered it once for all. He was made the perfect High Priest forever.

“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent which is set up not by man but by the Lord.” The priesthood of Jesus is different from the hereditary priesthood of the law. Hence, Jesus Christ has obtained for us a ‘ministry of priesthood’, which is more excellent than the priesthood of old, since the covenant which this new priesthood mediates on is established on better promises.

Therefore, we should more eagerly keep Jesus in our view as the crowds did in the Gospel. Hearing all the miracles He performed, just as we heard how excellent His priesthood is, the crowds would not let Jesus get off their sight; anywhere He went, they followed. The sick were healed and evil spirits were cast out. Such are the graces the one sacrifice of His priesthood bestows. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu,C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Thursday January 21, 2021.
Memorial of Saint Agnes.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

ASSURANCE OF HOPE

 Meditation for Tuesday of the 2^nd Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Heb 6:10-20; Mk 2:23-28)

 “Brethren: God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love which you showed for His sake in serving the saints, as you still do.” We reminded today that God has pledged to reward our good works. With this FULL ASSURANCE OF HOPE before us, we should be more eager to show love and perform good deeds. The author draws example from the promise God made to Abraham. To give him assurance, God backed it up with an oath. “Men indeed swear by a greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.” But since God has no greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” Thus, Abraham believed with full assurance.

Now, God’s pledge that gives us full assurance of hope is in Christ Jesus, who has gone to highest heavens, “behind the curtain”, as our mediator, “Having become a High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Therefore, He is the ‘sure and steadfast’ anchor of our soul; the living and assurance hope we have in doing good and showing love. Even if our good works and love are unrecognized or unappreciated, we shall never give up because in Jesus is the hope that drives us forward. In fact, Jesus becomes the reason we act, and in Him lies our justification, for “The Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

 

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

 

THE HIGH PRIEST

 Meditation for Monday of the 2^nd Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Heb 5:1-10; Mk 2:18-22)

Welcome to the second week of our journey with the Letter to the Hebrews. Today the author extols the priesthood of Jesus Christ by examining it in relation to the nature of priests in general. “Every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.” Being one of them, he is familiar with their weaknesses. A normal priest offers sacrifices for the sins of others as well as his own sins. And every priest is called by God, no one takes this honour upon himself.

“So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by Him who said to Him, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’...You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” As one among us, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears to God on our behalf. When the priest of old made their sacrifices, the loud cries of bulls, sheep, etc was heard. But Christ our High Priest offered Himself for us. And God heard His cries and received His perfect sacrifice. “He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, being designated by God a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.”

In the Gospel we see Jesus speaking up for the disciples against the Pharisees who accused them of not fasting. This is how He defends us and mediates for us as our High Priest. And being the source of every grace, He brings answers to our prayers and shows us the right way to live and to worship God. Therefore, let us not put new wine into old wine skins; let us not approach the priesthood of Christ with the old pharisaic mind of self-exaltation. But let our fasting and sacrifices be signs of our participation in the one sacrifice of Jesus, our High Priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. Amen.

 

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

 

A CALL FROM THE TEMPLE

 Meditation for 2^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
(1 Sam 3:3-10, 19; 1 Cor 6:13-15, 17-20; Jn 1:35-42)

The readings of today talk about God’s call and our response. In the first reading, “Samuel was lying down within the temple of the Lord, where the Ark of God was. Then the Lord called, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’” Through the directive of Eli, Samuel answered the Lord. Imagine beautiful place they boy Samuel was lying down: before the Ark of the Covenant, which was the closest point of contact with God at that time.

The second reading talks about the call to personal holiness, which can only be achieved when we shun immorality. Moral living is hinged on the personal responsibility and discipline we take for our bodies. According to St Paul, this is because our bodies are destined for the resurrection in Christ Jesus, since our bodies are also members of Christ. Sexual immorality of any kind is the greatest dishonour anyone can give to his/her body. Further, St Paul explains that since our bodies are redeemed by Christ, they are now TEMPLES of the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us.

As Samuel goes up to the Ark of God to lie down, so the Holy Spirit comes down to our bodies to dwell and calls us from within the silence and depths of the heart. If we abuse our bodies and dishonour it through sexual immorality, how can we hear and discern what the Spirit is prompting us to do. Sexual immorality is like shutting the Holy Spirit off His temple. Through the bodily resurrection of Jesus, we have been redeemed even in our bodies, therefore, we are no longer our own; we live no longer for ourselves. “You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Then, we can constantly respond to the Holy Spirit in the words of Samuel, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

In Gospel, we see John the Baptist directing his two disciples to Jesus just as Eli guided Samuel to hear the Lord, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” This title already introduces Jesus as the Messiah, who offers His Body as the Temple of sacrifice on the Cross. As Samuel took his abode before the Ark, so the two disciples stayed with Jesus. Afterwards, Andrew in turn called his brother to meet Jesus.

The Holy Spirit instils the life of Christ in us that we might hear and put into action the righteousness of Jesus. That is why we must keep our bodies pure so that the Holy Spirit will find His abode in us. Then we can go forward and bring others to Jesus, the Lamb of God, who redeems us, even in our weak mortal flesh. Hearing God's call is no more just avoiding immorality, it is now stepping forward like the disciples to encounter Jesus and to stay with Him. Amen.

 

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

 

 

WORD AND PRIESTHOOD

 Meditation for Saturday of the First Week of Ordinary Time, Year B
(Heb 4:12-16; Mk 2:13-17)

At the end of the first week of our meditations on the Letter to the Hebrews, the author talks about the strength of the word of God and the quality of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. He says, “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit...discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” This description points to the fact that we are called to have a strong RELATIONSHIP with the word of God. And when we do so, we shall feel its strength like a double-edged sword, piercing through and discerning the secrets of the heart.

As earlier stated, Jesus is the Word of God among us, the one through whom God now speaks to us. He addresses us in words and silence as people who are attentive and in relationship with the word of God. Also, he speaks FOR us as our ‘brother’ before God. That is why the author calls Him ‘our High Priest.’ “For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning.” Therefore, we should relate to Him with confidence, “That we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

The strength of His word and the quality of His priestly mediation are immediately evident in the Gospel as He calls the sinful Levi from the tax office, “Follow me.” The word pierced his heart, discerning his secret corrupt work, and pulled Levi to make a choice for Jesus over and above the wealth he was accumulating there. He invited Jesus to his house and called a feast to celebrate the new RELATIONSHIP he discovered. As our high priest, Jesus assures the Scribes and Pharisees, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Think about how the word of God, in its power, meets us at our weaknesses. Alive and active, sharp and piercing through, the word of God draws us to that strong relationship with God where Jesus sympathizes and mediates for us as our High Priest. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Saturday January 16^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com