THE GREAT INTERCESSOR

Meditation for Thursday of 4^th Week of Lent
(Ex 32:7-14; Jn 5:31-47)

While Moses was up on the mountain, the people of Israel down below lost patience, and lost faith in God and His servant Moses. They made for themselves a molten calf, and worshipped it and sacrificed to it. The Lord in His fierce anger wanted to destroy them and set up a new nation through Moses. All He needed was for Moses to leave His presence, for the sight of Moses as the representative of the people was evoking His mercy! This faithful and holy servant of God began pleading on behalf of his stiff-necked people. “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought for out of the land of Egypt with great power and with mighty hand...Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, your servants, to whom you did swear by your own self...And all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” Moses’ plea was heard, and the Lord spared the people of Israel.

Meditate on the beautiful role of Moses, and the burden of the righteous to save the ungodly! While the unfaithful people were down below satisfying their feelings and living according to their own standards, the faithful and righteous one has to stand up for them, denying himself and pleading for them to their utmost ignorance of what was being done to save them! Because the sinner is not aware of the saving work that spares his life, he may not acknowledge and appreciate it. Once one begins to realize this saving work caused by his sin and for his salvation, true repentance begins to germinate. That is why Jesus explained to the Jews that they did not know the role of John the Baptist so that they may gain knowledge and be saved. “He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.” But a brighter light than John; a greater intercessor is here!

“But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John for the works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me.” The Father has borne witness to Jesus through the very works He performed—works that only the Father can do. So the testimony of Jesus is greater than that of Moses and John the Baptist. Like the Jews, those who reject Jesus and refuse to repent are those who do not abide in the word of God, who have no love of God in them, and those who do not seek the glory of God but who seek human glory. Jesus said to the people, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

Let us at this Lenten season acknowledge and appreciate Jesus for pleading for us in the highest heavens. We continue to relate and absorb the testimony of Jesus through the Sacraments and the Scriptures. In this way, our lives too shall testify to Jesus, that His blood pleads insistently for us, and we have been saved, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

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

THE HEALING WATERS

Meditation for Tuesday of the 4^th Week of Lent

(Ezk 47:1-9, 12; Jn 5:1-16)

Prophet Ezekiel narrates his vision of the water issuing from the temple. “And the water was flowing down from below the right side of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar towards east.” The water rose to a deep river, impossible to be crossed over. This river flows down into the Arabah, and when it enters any stagnant waters of the sea, the water will become fresh. Wherever the river goes every living creature, which swims will live, and there will be many fish. On the banks of this river, all kinds of trees will grow, and their leaves will not wither for they will be fresh every season since the water from the sanctuary flows down to them. “Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

The pool of Bethzatha in Jerusalem resembles the river in the vision of Ezekiel. It was said to have healing powers, and may sick people gathered around it. A man was there for thirty-eight years but could not get chance to throw himself inside the pool when it is stirred. Jesus said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” For the man the answer was so obvious. And he poured out his frustration at Jesus, detailing all his efforts and commitment to receive healing but was not able to make it. I guess he probably hoped that He might help throw him inside the pool, for that was what he said he needed. But he got more than he bargained for...

Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your pallet, and walk.” And he was healed instantly! Imagine how Jesus did for the man what Ezekiel saw in the vision of the water flowing from the sanctuary, and what the man hoped from the pool of Bethzatha! Think about the fountain of life that flowed from Jesus and healed the man; He is the living water (Jn 4:13-14). The vision of Ezekiel is here fulfilled. If we are watered by the fountain of grace flowing from Jesus Christ, we shall have fullness of life, in season and out of season—in sickness and health, in poverty and richness, single or married, in life or death—and we shall always be fruitful.

The good news is that Jesus comes down to meet us with us, loaded with these blessings and asking, “Do you want to be healed?” Let us in meditation and prayer shift our attention to Him, and empty our aspirations with sentiments of affective love and devotion, powered by faith and trust that the divine wellspring is flowing down to us, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

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

THE PROPHETIC MOMENT

Meditation for Monday of the 4^th Week of Lent

(Is 65:17-21; Jn 4:43-54)

 “Thus says the Lord: Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.” The prophet announces a FUTURE, which shall be completely new and unlike the former days. Here, there shall be eternal gladness and rejoicing; God shall take pleasure in the new Jerusalem and her people. At that time, there shall be no weeping or the cry of distress, no premature death. “They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.” How do we journey into this era of bliss?

The Gospel narrates how Jesus was warmly welcomed by the Galileans after seeing the great works He performed. Going down to Capernaum, an official whose son was ill approached and begged Him to come down and heal the boy, who was at the point of death. The official was in distress, and anxiously imploring Jesus to act quickly before his son dies...The mood here was tensed! It was the exact opposite of what Isaiah prophesied. Jesus said to the man, “unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” He was referring to a faith that goes beyond one’s benefits through miracles or answered prayers. In other words, there is need for faith to arrest the situation at hand, and to unlock the future bliss the prophet announced.

Jesus said to the official, “Go; your son will live.” While the man wanted Jesus to come down to his house, he accepted the new twist, and believe in the words that Jesus spoke, went his way...Trusting someone’s words means TRUSTING IN the person. His steps home were the practical ‘steps’ he took to express his trust in Jesus Christ. And it worked for him. While still on the way, he got the good news that his son has been restored. The premature death was cancelled, tears were wiped off and distress resolved. Rejoicing and gladness resounded in the household...It was like the prophetic moment of Isaiah. The official’s faith was strengthened; “And he believed, and his entire household.”

No more shall he look for signs before believing! In Jesus is the fulfilment of the prophetic moment that assures eternal gladness and rejoicing. And faith in Jesus assures us now of this future bliss; a faith that trusts in the person of Jesus walks with the assurance that tears shall be wiped away, sickness shall be healed, fruitfulness shall increase, distress shall be overcome, death shall be overcome, and rejoicing and gladness shall ever be on our lips! This is the faith that unlocks for us now the grace of the prophetic moment in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Monday March 15^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

LIFTED UP

Meditation for 4^th Sunday of Lent, Year B

(2 Chron 36:14-16, 19-23; Eph 2:4-10; Jn 3:14-21)

The first reading narrates the fall of Israel. They were exceedingly unfaithful, and polluted the holy temple in Jerusalem. But God still loved them, and in His compassion, sent them several prophets to warn them and bring them to conversion. “But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising His words...till there was no remedy.” The Chaldeans invaded Israel, burnt down the temple and took the survivors to exile in Babylon until the establishment of the Kingdom of Persia. This is the kind of destruction sin brings to our lives!

In the first year of Cyrus King of Persia, the Lord stirred him up to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. He issued a proclamation to this effect throughout his kingdom. “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem...” God demonstrated His universal authority as He used the pagan King to rebuild the temple. The commitment and faithfulness of Cyrus, the gentile King, became a testimony and challenge to the chosen people of Israel, whose unfaithfulness caused the destruction of the temple.

Later, the Jews, still out of their stubbornness of heart, handed Jesus over to the pagan Romans to be lifted up on the Cross. It was as if Jesus was ‘exiled’ from His people up to the Cross of Calvary...Sin, not only tries to destroy us, but it attempts to ‘remove’ God from our midst, or to disconnect us from God. However, Jesus said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.” Faith in Jesus becomes our ‘escape’ from the bite of sin; our remedy and restoration. Jesus rebuilds what was destroyed by the ‘exile of sin’ through His death and resurrection. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

As God prompted the pagan King to rebuild the temple, more so does He prompt us to rebuild our lives through faith in Jesus Christ. “For God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” Believing in Jesus means ‘gazing upon Him’, allowing Him to prompt our words and actions, avoiding sin and living a righteous life. Those who harden their hearts in evil like the Israel of old, hide their actions from Jesus Christ by denying or withdrawing faith in Him, since Christ the Light will expose their evil deeds.

By our sins we ought to be ‘exiled’ from the Kingdom of God and from the life of grace. But God who is rich in mercy, out of the great love He has for us, restored us to the richness of His grace in Christ Jesus. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God.” So we are equipped and prepared to good works; no more shall sin and its influence rule our lives. We are lifted up above the attraction of sin as we gaze in faith to Jesus, who was lifted on the Cross.  Amen.

 

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

 

 

 

A HUMBLE CONTRITION

Meditation for Saturday of the 3^rd Week of Lent
(Hos 6:1-6; Lk 18:9-14)

Prophet Hosea continues his call for repentance. This time he attaches a message of hope for healing and restoration, which only the Lord will give. He highlights God’s mercy in the face of their wounds and wretchedness. “After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live before Him.” The Lord is faithful, He will not disappoint. Hosea urged the people to press on to know the Lord, and stop being unfaithful in their love for God. “Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away.” God does not want such unstable commitment. He urged them to return to the Lord, and produce fruits of righteousness. “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God, rather than burnt offerings.”

To make such a faithful and fruitful return to the Lord, one must examine his practical life, and weigh it against the holiness of God. Then, he will realize how unworthy he is before God, and surrender himself to His mercy, which does not disappoint! From the depths of our wretchedness, we call on God to revive us and raise us on the THIRD DAY...

Then, how can the Pharisee go to the temple and be comparing his ‘righteousness’ with that of the tax collector? In his heart, pride has made him a small god to become a qualifier of righteousness. This pharisaic attitude flows in us whenever we nurture certain hidden joy when we realize that our situation is not as bad as someone else’s or that we have certain moral values, which others cannot sustain! We need to hear the words of Hosea and repent. We should stop looking inwards to weigh our own deeds, with ourselves as standards. This can make one to excuse himself from aiming at God’s holiness and adding more effort to improve in virtue and righteousness...This is a common problem we face today when preachers turn the Gospel message into a motivational speech.

Like the tax collector, God’s holiness exposes us and upbraids us; our hearts are broken at how unfaithful we are despite God’s steadfast love and mercy. We continue to repent, and lend ourselves to His healing mercy, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” Surely, on the third day, with the grace of the Resurrection, He will forgive us and raise us. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

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

THE FRAGRANCE OF HIS LOVE

Meditation for Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent

(Hos 14:1-9; Mk 12:28-34)

We hear a special call for repentance, a total turnaround from evil ways to submission to the Lord God. The prophet Hosea announces, “Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.” To achieve this, the people must first take away all evil ways. Secondly, they must accept and practice what is good. Thirdly, “We will render the fruit of our lips”, which is authentic worship.  No more shall they trust in human powers i.e hoping that a strong nation like Assyria would rescue them. Worse still, Israel would not worship idols anymore. A mark of this turnaround is their show of mercy; “In you the orphan finds mercy.”

Hosea announced that if they make this turnaround, the Lord promised to heal their faithlessness; “I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. I will be as dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily, shall strike root as the poplar...” And the beauty of Israel shall blossom like the olive, with spread out fragrance and he shall flourish like a garden beneath my shadow. The Lord takes care of Israel, why then do they go after idols? The Lord God is like an evergreen cypress, from which comes fruit. “For the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.”

Imagine the great delight and providence the Lord offers to those who turnaround and walk under His shadow! Think about the pull or the great force that can make a man to totally change his ways... Only the Love of God, the fragrance of His love, can perform such wonder! And one who has successfully made this turnaround loves God with all his heart, all his soul, all his mind and all his strength. But it is not possible for anyone to claim to have loved God completely in heart, mind, soul, and body. So, we must continue to strive to make this TURNAROUND, which is now to love God without turning back!

As we continue to turnaround and render to God the love of our life, our lives shall be rooted secure like the poplar, we shall drink from the delight of His love, which is tastier than wine; the fragrance of His love shall flood our heart and soul, and we shall dwell beneath the shadow of His love. That means, our lives will speak of His love; our actions will testify of His love to our neighbour. “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”

Therefore, since we are in motion, making a constant turnaround to perfect our love in the God, whose love draws us to Himself, our words and actions must draw our neighbour to God and not to ourselves. Yes, since love of God is the first commandment, love of neighbour must point the neighbour to God. This how we too spread the fragrance of His love. Our acts of charity this Lent should help people turnaround to love God. At the end Jesus says, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God."

 May your love be upon us Oh Lord; as we place all our hope in you. Amen.

 

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

 

STANDING FOR THE KINGDOM

Meditation for Thursday of the 3^rd Week of Lent

(Jer 7:23-28; Lk 11:14-23)

The prophet Jeremiah complained against the hardness of heart of the people of Israel, who refused to obey their God. Despite numerous efforts to convince them, they would not obey. “This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips.”

 Even as Jesus was casting out demons, some of them refused to believe and called Him Beelzebul, the prince of demons. While others, to test Him, asked Him to perform more miracles! Think about how people behave when they do not acknowledge what they know to be self-evident truth! Often times, they put up a false defence to justify their self-pity, then, they try to cause distraction. But Jesus did not fall to their self-delusion and tricks. He showed how their stubbornness and doubt is self-contradictory. “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid to waste, and house falls upon house. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?”

As the people of Jeremiah’s time continued their stubbornness unto exile, those who refuse to accept Jesus but stand in opposition to Him, shall miss the Kingdom of God. “If it is by the Finger of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” We cannot be indifferent; it is either we are for Christ or against Him. If we stand for Jesus, He will melt our hearts with His love, and make us obey the word of God. Then, the Kingdom of God shall grow within us, and we shall bear its fruits. Amen.

 

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