THE HEART OF FORGIVENESS

Meditation for Tuesday of the 3^rd Week of Lent

(Dan 3:25, 34-43; Mt 18:21-35)

Forgiveness is one thing we readily expect to receive from God and man, but it is often difficult to give it to others. The prayer of Azariah in the first reading gives an idea the condition of a heart that is in need of forgiveness. He prayed to God not to break His covenant with Israel. He acknowledged their iniquities, saying this has reduced them even in number and brought shame to them before other nations. They are now like sheep without a shepherd, and they can no more offer sacrifices to God, which suppose to bring them God’s mercy. Then, Azariah began to implore for mercy: “Yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be accepted, as though it were with burnt offerings of rams and bulls...Such may our sacrifice be in your sight this day, and may we wholly follow you...”

Since their sins brought them to such a state that they could not offer the required rams and bulls for their transgressions, Azariah pledged an offering of their hearts to God. “And now with all our hearts we follow you, we fear you and seek your face.” The person that seeks God’s mercy offers his heart to Him like the sacrifice of rams and bulls. By that act with which we ask for mercy we also pledge to be faithful to God. It will be hypocritical to implore God’s mercy without the resolve to worship and obey His commandments. That is why Jesus condemned the unforgiving servant in the parable of today.

His debt of 10,000 talents brought him low before his master, imploring him, “Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” “And out of pity for him the Lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.” He ought to have offered his heart to his Lord both in pleading for mercy and in appreciation for the forgiveness of his debt. The immediate sign that he offered his heart thus would be to emulate and reflect the kindness he received. By that act with which he was imploring for mercy, he was equally pledging to be more loyal, and committed to pleasing his Lord. How can he then refuse to treat his fellow servant with the same pattern of mercy his Lord showed him? That means his heart was far; he did not learn the lesson, he did not offer his heart to his Lord!

Unforgiveness is a form of hypocrisy! The servant showed that he did not believe in forgiveness. He needed to be treated according to his heart inclination. “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you? Since the Lord God is rich in mercy and forgiveness, let us continue to forgive every hurt from our hearts. Our wine of mercy shall never run dry since His supply of mercy is endless. Amen.

 

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

  

LISTENING TO THE PROPHETIC VOICE

Meditation for Monday of the 3^rd Week of Lent

(2 Kg 5:1-15; Lk 4:24-30)

Why is it that some people are more charitable to outsiders than to members of their household? Some couples complain that their partner perform more acts of charity to others than to them! Often times, people are taken for granted or less appreciated by their intimate family and friends. And it is easier for someone to render his or her goodwill to where he or she feels accepted and appreciated. It takes courage and humility for your intimate ones, who are acquainted with your strength and weaknesses, to accord you full respect and appreciation.

Think about the humility of the great army commander, Naaman, who listened to the advice of a little maidservant and acted accordingly. He had every reason not to follow the directive of the girl, including the high risk of returning to his enemy ground in search for healing. So he sought the backup of his king, who armed him with an authorization letter! Then, Naaman gathered wealth to pay for the healing. But his humility was tested more when Elisha sent his servant to instruct him to bathe seven times at the Jordan! But he felt humiliated and insulted after the great preparations and his high personality. He was expecting the prophet to invoke his God with several rituals. Again, his servant advised him to do the simple thing the prophet instructed.

“So he went and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan...And his flesh was restored...” Naaman confessed, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel.” Faith is simple, but sometimes we want to express it in several symbols, and complicate the act of worship before committing our energy to it. We easily overlook the simple things, but expect God to dwell in the great miraculous signs. How can we hear God if He speaks through familiar voices and events of our life? That is why a prophet is not accepted in his own household and country.

It takes great humility and courage for a man of faith to recognize the prophetic message in the familiar voices he hears every day. In this Lenten season, self-denial humbles us and makes us more attentive to divine whisperings within. In almsgiving we hear the cry of the poor, which speaks of divine consolation to our hearts. In prayer, we speak to God and hear words and feel the touch of His grace. In prayer of meditation, we humble our hearts and incline our hearts to hear what the Lord says, whether from within our hearts, our household, friends and familiar events, or from extraordinary experiences.

 

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

 

THE TEMPLE SACRIFICE

Meditation for 3^rd Sunday of Lent, Year B

(Ex 20:1-17; 1 Cor 1:22-25; Jn 2:13-25)

After leading the Israelites out of the land of slavery, God rolled out the commandments to them. The dictates of those instructions would define God’s relationship with His people; obeying God’s commands would mean the person believed in God, feared Him and hoped in Him. On the other hand, the law was for their own good, to maintain decorum, orderliness and righteousness among them, which was worthy of the children of God. The law was meant to put them aright with God and with one another, which was a step forward towards restoring man to the state of innocence He enjoyed before the fall. However, the law tried to achieve this positive goal by reminding us of the negative step. That is, the law tried to get us to live a holy life by commanding us against the unholy life we must avoid!

We can imagine the complications that this approach brought; the multiplication of laws, the misinterpretations and the mechanical external observances. At the end, it appeared as if the law created ‘awareness’ for sins (Rm 3:20). Still, it was a necessary preparation and beginning to achieve the will of God for us.

Jesus steps in, walks up to the heart of the religious life of Israel as He enters the temple in Jerusalem. The temple was filled with worshippers but preoccupied with every other thing except worshipping God! “In the temple He found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business.” These people came to the temple to offer sacrifices, and were engaged in buying and selling ‘in the name of God’ but their hearts were far from God. The temple lost its decorum and the orderliness that Israel as a people ought to have. What then would become of the people in general? So, Jesus flogged them all out and overturned their tables!

He was consumed with zeal for God’s house.  The Jews questioned Him about His authority to seek to purify their religion. Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” In this He refers His body as the Temple, where the perfect sacrifice would be offered. His Body, the Temple, fully dedicated to God, in which is brought about what the law aimed at but could not achieve i.e. putting man aright with God, and with His fellow men.

Therefore, “We preach Christ crucified” in whom is the power of God and the wisdom of God. In Him is crucified the old ways and our unholy actions so that we look forward into the future of God with a new positive action. In Christ crucified is paid the iniquity of our fathers and our iniquities, not just for the third or fourth generations, but for all generations. The ‘memory of sin’ which the law brings is washed off in the Blood of Jesus. The overly religious people, those distracted from worshipping God in spirit and truth, the ‘religious-business’ people, are looking for miraculous signs. While the secular and social people claim they are better equipped with knowledge like the Greek, Christ faithful have the Cross as the banner over them. In Christ crucified, we are purified as His living temple, put aright with God and man, then we offer Him worthy worship. Amen.

 

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

 

TRIUMPHING LOVE

Meditation for Saturday of the Second Week of Lent
(Micah 7:14-15, 18-20; Lk 15: 1-3, 11-32)

As we come to the end of the second Week of Lent, we exalt God’s mercy and forgiveness. Recalling the great mercy and faithfulness of God inspires us to repentance, especially at this solemn season. “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance?  He does not retain His anger forever because He delights in mercy.”

The great mercy of God is clearly demonstrated in the parable of the prodigal son. It is an ocean of mercy that human reasoning cannot exhaust “How many of father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father...” It is such a mercy that takes away the shame and wretchedness of a prodigal son, restores his dignity and beauty as a son, and satisfies his hunger. A little glimpse of this mercy inspires every sinner to trace his way back to God.

The prodigal son depicts the state of a soul in sin, who has fallen from the state of grace, but ruled by human will and desires. The mercy of God steps forward like the father of the prodigal son, gives him a warm embrace and kiss that boosts his confidence to confess. Even before confessing, the STEPS home already earned him a merciful embrace! Imagine the prodigal son, dirty as he was, in the grips of his father’s arms, who was dressed in royalty! Here, love for his son has triumphed over the wounds of the boy’s selfishness. So, the boy’s hunger is turned into a feasting, his dirt and nakedness covered best robe, ring and shoes; his death was turned to fullness of life!

How great is the mercy of God. “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Ps 145:8-9). If an imperfect and wayward son could be thus love, how much more when the Son is perfect? That is why Jesus, the Son of God, is the ‘fount of love’, the ‘Ocean of Mercy’ through whom God forgives us our sins (Rm 3:24-23). And Jesus established His forgiveness solidly in the Sacrament of Confession. Let us approach Him in this Sacrament to obtain mercy and forgiveness of our sins. We might not be worthy as God’s children, but the love the Father has for His Son will always triumph over our weaknesses and failings. His banner over us is love! (Song 2:4).

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo,
Saturday March 6^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

JEALOUSY AND GREED

 

Meditation for Friday of the 2^nd Week of Lent

(Gen 37:3-4, 12-12, 17-28; Mt 21:33-43, 45-46)

Jealousy and greed are twine evils that can reproduce any kind of evil. Anyone that nurtures one or two of these intertwine evils is a living hell, ready to consume anyone that crosses his path. Think about the pathetic story of Joseph and his brothers. What was Joseph’s offence? He came to his brothers in love, after a tedious journey down to Dothan. Jealousy blinded them that they could no more see the brother in him, nor feel the love he showed them. It so much affected them that they lost their self-worth, seeing Jacob’s love for Joseph as a subtraction of favour for them. Drowned in the ocean of jealousy, Joseph’s brothers blamed him for their self-inflicted pain. Still, Joseph continued to love them as his brothers. As he drew near, they even saw less of a human in him, and could no more call him by his name. “Here comes the DREAMER. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits...” It sounded like killing a bad dream! Jealousy is bloodthirsty; it justifies killing, and likens it to the right to freedom. But Reuben came to the rescue. Joseph was sold off to Egypt.

Greed possessed the servants whom the householder handed over his vineyard. They were not satisfied with their own proceeds; they wanted to own it all. Greed is always anticipating pleasure in what belongs another, thereby causing one pain in what belongs to him! After persecuting and killing the servants, they said of the Son, “This is the heir; come let us kill him and have his inheritance.” Their rejection of the son exposed their greed and wickedness, and brought them to ruin.

However, Joseph became a pre-figuration of the Messiah, who was rejected out of jealousy by His people, and was sold out by His very own apostle, and was handed over to Roman foreigners. He was cast out of the Vineyard of Israel, and was crucified. At the end, He brought salvation to all. “The very stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Yes, if Jesus is not the CORNERSTONE of our lives, jealousy and greedy shall spread their branches in our hearts. It is in Jesus that our secret thoughts are exposed and healed! Anything that will make us to sell off the Messiah from our lives, or to push Him out of the centre of our hearts, will definitely lead us to ruin.  Our Lenten observances will help us train our hearts to fight against greed and jealousy, and remain at peace and satisfied in Jesus. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Friday March 6^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

THE TREE BY THE WATERSIDE

Meditation for Thursday of the 2^nd Week of Lent
(Jer 17:5-10; Lk 16:19-31)

The prophet Jeremiah announced, “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, whose heart turns away from the Lord.” This message refers both to the one who trusts in others as well as the one who trusts in himself, his capabilities, talents, etc. Listen to the imagery the prophet used to describe the man who trusts in man: “He is like a shrub in the desert...He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.

Then Jeremiah talks about the man whose trust is in the Lord. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and it not anxious in the year of drought , for it does not cease to bear fruit.” It is interesting that we do not know where a man puts his trust until adversity comes. Some people have lost faith in God over the same trial that strengthened the faith of others! The heart of man is deceitful, and desperately corrupt. People can pretend to trust in God, but at the slightest twist, their words and actions would not speak of the glory of God.

“I the Lord search the mind and try the heart, to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” Often times, it is even the blessings of God, and rich rewards of life that expose the secret trust of a man’s heart. Who would have taught that a rich man, who dressed in purple and fine linen, feasted sumptuously every day, would neglect the poor Lazarus at his gate? In the eyes of men, the rich man could hide his crime, justify himself and be excused. But God found him out at last! His wealth exposed his wickedness, insensitivity to others and lack of trust in God. The rich man’s cries and regrets from hell could not remedy his condition. But Lazarus, who in his poverty trusted in God, was found justified before God. Lazarus was rewarded, not because he was poor, but because he trusted in the Lord, and endured ‘persecution’ from the rich man, who denied him what was destined to him as his neighbour.

Let us remain steadfast and trust in the Lord; God has the final say! We accept the good things of life from His hands; we endure the adversities with hope in God, who is the source of life and is able to save us. Let us trust and obey God’s commandments, we shall bear fruit in season and out of season like the tree by the waterside. Amen.

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

THE CHALICE OF SUFFERING

Meditation for Wednesday of the 2^nd Week of Lent
(Jer 18:18-20; Mt 20:17-28)

Is it possible to live a good life without persecution or obstacles? The pursuit of holiness is often punctuated with many trials; it is a road less travelled. These trials can be internal or external. The first reading flashes us with the persecutions and cries of prophet Jeremiah. He was surrounded by enemies, who tried their best to bring him down. “Come, let us plot against Jeremiah...Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not heed any of his words.” The prophet seemed helpless in face of these trials. He complained to God, “Give heed to me, O Lord, and listen to my plea. Is evil a recompense for good? Yet they dug a pit for my life.”

The cries of Jeremiah echo the agony of all who are suffering because of their righteous lives. In Jesus, God gave His ultimate response to the persecution of the just, which is the Cross. “The Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death...and He will be raised on the third day.” Jesus goes ahead of us with the burden of persecution up to the Cross to overcome it. But the mother of the Sons of Zebedee wanted her children to occupy a privileged position in the kingdom without a ‘privileged cross.’ She did not know what she was asking. We must work out our salvation in fear and trembling (Phil 2:12). “We must endure many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). That was why Jesus asked her, “Are you able to drink the chalice that I am to drink?”

However, the glory of the Cross—the victory over persecution—is far more than the persecution. That is, the eternal life Jesus won for us is richer and deeper than the death that threatens us! “What is sown is perishable; but what is raised is imperishable” (1 Cor 15:42). So, drinking the chalice of suffering does not qualify one for a privileged reward in Heaven, “But it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” While we battle with persecutions to live a holy life, the victory given in the Resurrection of Jesus comes as a free gift. That is why we must be humble, even in trials and in freedom; in leadership or followership. “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Wednesday March 3^rd, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com