THE SOUL OF LOVE

REFLECTION FOR THURSDAY OF THE 9^TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

(2 Tim 2:8-15; Mk 12:28-34)

1.0. The Order of Love

Love is as real as it is elusive. We have strong passion to love as well as to hate! It is generally acclaimed that the language of love is universal, yet we never can fully understand what it says. However, if we listen in meditation to the discussion between Jesus and the Scribe, we shall see how love is concrete or instituted. It is the human will or desire, which is in motion that makes love appear elusive.

Before now, the Pharisees and the Herodians came to test Jesus with Ceasar’s coin. Afterwards the Sadducees arrived to ridicule the resurrection. Today the Scribes, who seemed to be the more educated, questioned Him about the greatest commandment. Jesus was pleased with this question, and He answered immediately that the first and greatest commandment is to love the one Lord and God with all of one’s heart, soul, mind and strength. “The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself.”  The numbering is important if we are to grasp the language of love. God comes first; He is the source and destination of love. But where does human love reside?

2.0.  The Soul of Love

Love is in human heart, soul, mind and strength (flesh). Notice that love is not in words! But words can express what is in the silence of the heart, soul, mind and strength. When all our heart, soul, mind and strength are in touch with the love of God, then the whole person is taken up in love with God. Thus every other commandment will fall in place since all aspects of the person cannot go contrary to the love in which it dwells. The love of God is a consuming fire! (Cf. Heb 12:29). Therefore, to love my neighbour as myself makes me a means to pass on God’s love to my neighbour. We see here how love is structured and instituted in the human person in so far as he is suspended the love of God.

Meditating further on the discussion between Jesus and the Scribe, we come to understand that love is devotion. It is the rendering of all principles of our existence first to God, and secondly, the communication of the whole self to our neighbour. Hence, we cannot claim to love if our heart and soul are not involved. True love must be related to peace of soul. And lovers continue to speak to each other even in silence! That is why the greatest means of speaking to God is through contemplative prayer. Love in the soul is the soul of love.

3.0.  The Glory of Love

“When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, ‘You are not far from the Kingdom of God.’” Love is like the cloud of heavenly glory that envelops us and our neighbour in God. It is a taste of God’s kingdom. That is why we must never use love to deceive or hurt anyone since God is love. Such hurt cries to God for vengeance! Abuse of love begins when one cuts himself off from the love of God through sin and worldly life. But he who dwells in love dwells in God (1 Jn 4:16). If we are true to God, our love will be true. Then we see that love is not elusive but has a solid root in God, with authentic expression in our neighbour.

Lift up your heart to God today; let your soul savour the sweetness of God’s presence. Love God with a human heart; feel this energy of divine glory within you. Pause in meditation; be silent and imagine the beauty of God’s love for you. Put aside the worries of life for a moment, and let your heart, mind and soul fly to God’s love for you. Then step forward and show some acts of love to those around you. For “If we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him; if we endure with, we shall also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself.”

Fr. Jude Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Thursday June 4^th, 2020.

HOPE IN THE RESURRECTION

Reflection for Wednesday of the 9^th Week in Ordinary Time

(2 Tim 1:1-3, 6-12; Mk 12:18-27)

Let us meditate on the encounter between Jesus and the Sadducees, who deny the resurrection. Imagine these men standing face to face with Jesus, who Himself is the resurrection and the life! They came with a smart question to disproof the resurrection. Their debate was like the struggle between life and death. For them, the resurrection meant an elongation or continuation of earthly life. If there is no resurrection as they claimed, evil will go unpunished and the good will end in the grave. And there would not be any hope to inspire righteousness. Then the earthly life would be a burden unto itself. Death will be a god to religion and worship!

We have modern day Sadducees even in our Churches who acknowledge the resurrection but practice a death-laden worship of God. Their faith and prayers are all centered on getting married, boosting their income, health and well-being, etc. If they do not meet their material targets, their faith may fail. And anywhere they hear of prosperity in the name of God, you see them at the front seat. Where does this error come from?

Jesus answers that their misunderstanding about the resurrection came from their lack of knowledge of the Bible and the power of God. When people do not read the Bible or misinterpret its content, they will be thinking smart like the Sadducees, following wrong doctrines, and misrepresenting the resurrection. Jesus said to them, “He is not God of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong.”

Jesus came that we may share in His resurrection, and live today with an eternal hope. “So, alive or dead, we belong to the Lord” (Rm 14:8). That is why the Holy Spirit is given to us to inspire us with the power of the resurrection so that we can carry out our daily works in holiness and with a shining hope. St Paul in the first reading said that we should not be timid like people who have no hope. With courage and the power of God each day, we carry out our responsibilities, sharing in the suffering of Christ. “For God did not give us a Spirit of timidity but a Spirit of power and love and self-control.”

Yes, we may meet obstacles that smell death. People with wrong ideas and beliefs may challenge our hope in the resurrection. Disappointment and struggles of life may summon us to account for the resurrection as the Sadducees did to Jesus. Yet, we must remember that Christ Jesus “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” We are serving a living God. May this be our testimony today. AMEN!

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Wednesday June 3^rd, 2020.

Memorial of St Charles Lwanga & Companions.

THE CORNERSTONE

THE CORNERSTONE

Reflection for Monday of the 9^th Week in Ordinary Time

(2Pet 1:2-7; Mk 12:1-12)

Have you ever tried to help someone but he sees it as an opportunity to take advantage of you? Human greed and injustice is at its worst in the parable of the vineyard that Jesus narrated in today’s Gospel. It is interesting that we walk into the month of June with such a beautiful story, which assures us of God benevolence and patience in leasing out His treasured vineyard to His trusted servants. All He required of them was to give Him what was His due. And what belonged to Him in justice was clearly spelt out.

But, how can God’s servants offer back to Him what they know ought to be given to Him if they did not appreciate the treasure entrusted to them as an act of love? Without love there cannot be justice! In their greed they thought that giving God what was His due would reduce their enjoyment of the fruits of the vineyard. Thus, they acted like modern day secularists who think that denying God a space in human affairs will guarantee their control and self-emancipation. Think about those moments that prayers seemed like infringing on our happy hour! So they killed the prophets; they criticized religion and blamed the Church for failures of society.

Surprisingly, the Master remained patient and consistent in His plan for His beloved servants. He put in the greatest sacrifice in order to get the tenants to obey. Finally He sent His Son to them, saying, “They will respect my Son.” Imagine the great hope He bestowed on His Son that where the prophets failed, His Son would succeed. Reflect on the great assurance His placed on His Son on this journey that through His Son His plan for the vineyard would be fulfilled. This hope cannot be in vain!

However, the greedy servants said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” So they thought, but the Blood of the Son saved the vineyard from the hands of the evil ones. In the death of the Son, the plan of the Master was fulfilled; the hope placed in the Son shines out. “The very stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone...” Yes, the vineyard of the Lord is the House of Israel (Is 5:7)—God’s chosen people.

Therefore, let us build our lives and homes on Jesus the Cornerstone. Greed and secularist lifestyle want us to believe that putting God aside will give us a sense of self-emancipation. In Jesus we return back to God what is His due. Unless we build on Christ the rock, we stand on a shaky ground. St Peter gives us a practical way to stand on the Cornerstone in the first reading: “For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.”

St Justin the Martyr, Pray for us. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Monday June 1^st, 2020.

Memorial of St Justin de Martyr.

THE SOUND OF TRUTH

Reflection for Pentecost Year A

(Acts 2:1-11; 1 Cor 12:3-7, 12-13; Jn 20:19-23)

“When Pentecost day had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind...And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them.”

Today we meditate on the beauty of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. The immediate symbol of His coming was a loud sound that filled the house like a rush of wind. It was a sound that shattered the silent cold hand of fear that gripped them. They regained their courage and freedom. Before now they lost their voices through fear of the Jews, now they spoke in different tongues.

The first and immediate manifestation of the gift of the Holy Spirit was the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ. They proclaimed the one message but to different tongues. Now the different people can find their unity in the one Gospel message. The sound of the truth of the gospel is the voice of the Holy Spirit. It is loud and clear, moving us from within to order and unity. Uniformity is false; unity is true. The truth of Christ is instilled in our lives as power and wisdom by the Holy Spirit (cf Jn 14:16-17).

Because what the Holy Spirit teaches is true, it leads to deeper freedom and greater self-discovery. Whatever is not true, in words or action, cannot be of the Holy Spirit, and they diminish us. That is why the Holy Spirit leads us to discover our talents, and empowers us to exercise them to achieve personal authenticity and to enrich the variety of our common humanity. Hence St Paul says in the second reading that the one Spirit inspires variety of service to the one God. The Holy Spirit grows variety to unity, destroying the cold hand of competition among individuals, cultures, etc.

Jesus appeared to His disciples, showed His hands and feet, bestowed His gift of peace, and He sent them forth to proclaim the gospel. Then He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit...” So the Spirit issues from the Father and the Son. Therefore, anytime we listen to Jesus, meditate on His words, etc, we open our heart to filled by the Holy Spirit.

Veni Sante Spiritus! Come Holy Spirit, we need to hear the great sound of your truth. We need to feel the warmth of your outpouring. Ignite your tongues of fire upon us anew! The cold hand of division is trying to silence our voice to witness to Jesus. See how many families are shattered. The beauty of our individual differences is being covered by competition. Adulterated belief is trying to sweep through the Church. Come Holy Spirit, Come! Your fire cannot be quenched; your sound cannot be silenced! Let this sound of your truth fill every heart and every home that invoke you today. Your warmth is life to our souls.

 Veni Creator Spiritus, mentes tuorum visita (Come creator Spirit, and in our souls take up your rest). Amen.

Fr Jude Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Sunday May 31^st, 2020.

Pentecost Day.

THE HOUR OF GLORY

Reflection for 7^th Sunday of Easter Year A

(Acts 1:12-14; 1 Pet 4:13-16; Jn 17:1-11)

1.0. The Cenacle

It was almost a tensed moment as the apostles watched Jesus Ascend. After Jesus’ Ascension, they returned to the upper room (The Cenacle) where they were staying. It was a solemn gathering as they devoted themselves to pray together with Mary the Mother of Jesus. Thus prayer became a way they expressed their hope in Jesus and His promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit. By uniting in prayer, they expressed their unity in faith in Jesus Christ. This also deepened their hope and love.

Furthermore, the beauty of this Cenacle of prayer shines out as the apostles gathered around Mary the Mother of Jesus. She became for them the most living memory of Jesus. How can you behold the face of Mary and not remember Jesus? The glory of Jesus is alive in her!

2.0.  The Hour of Jesus

“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.” Jesus prayed to the Father that the hour to send down His glory has come. Let us meditate on the timing of the glory! Think about how God who dwells in eternity has subjected His glory to time in Christ Jesus. The glory of God is greater than time, but in Jesus time can now contain God’s glory! Thus, at the appointed time, at the hour of salvation, Jesus invokes the glory of God. All flesh will share in this glory and eternal life, and return to God the glory that is His through Jesus Christ.

Therefore, Jesus is that locus in time through which we receive the glory of God. It is the hour of Jesus and the glory of Jesus that we are called to share. “Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory which I had with you before the world was made.” 

3.0.  The Hour of Glory

The hour of glory for us, therefore, is not in clock-time. It is the time of our encounter with Jesus; the time we hear His words and obey his commandment of love, the time we confess our sins and begin a new life, the time we receive Him warmly in the Eucharist, the time we endure wrongs and forgive others, etc. This hour of Jesus in our lives is equally the time we return glory to God. It is the moment we witness to Christ. In fact, it is the moment we proclaim through our endurance Jesus’ witness to the Father on the Cross. “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do.”

That is why the second reading says, “Rejoice in so far as you share in Christ’s suffering, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.” Hence, we must dispose ourselves as in the Cenacle of prayer. Like the apostles gathered with Mary, we should constantly invoke the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary in our daily prayers. When the appointed time came, God sent His Son through a woman (Mary) (Gal 4:4). With the present challenges in our family and social lives, we are hungry for a taste of God’s glory. If we continue to devote our time and energy to prayer, our hour of glory will come. In fact, it is already here as we move to encounter Jesus today. AMEN.

Fr Jude Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Sunday May 24^th, 2020.

THE VISION OF THE ASCENSION

 

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Year A

(Acts 1:1-11; Eph 1:17-23; Mt 28:16-20)

 “And after He had said this, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.”

Today we celebrate with great solemnity the ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Heaven. He had prepared the minds of His disciples for this moment, though they wished He stayed with them. Jesus told them that it was necessary and for their own good that He Ascended. “If I do not go away, the Counsellor will not come to you” (Jn 16: ). He insisted that His Ascension is not to abandon them, “Behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” When the hour came, He gave them missionary mandate and authority, and instructed them to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Before their eyes, He was lifted up and ascended into the Heaven! It was a touchy moment as they continued to gaze into the clouds for their Master.

As their eyes hit the wall of the clouds, their hearts could not let go! Their legs remain fastened on the ground as their hearts beat faster, racing after the Lord. The silence around them was so loud that we could hear the vibrations of their inner fear. Then the Angels appeared! “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.”

Within this longing for the Master who warmed their hearts with unimaginable love, His presence remained with them. Thus, their hearts were ready for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. As their hearts raced for Jesus, the covering of the cloud unlocked faith and love as the new location points where they could encounter His abiding presence. Thus their hope in Jesus can now go beyond space and time. That is why the waiting for His coming again is as fresh as on the day of Ascension. Faith is the new eyes with which believers behold Him; love is the new hand with which we touch Him.

Therefore, the Ascension of Jesus opens a new horizon of vision for His faithful. We remember Jesus’ statements, “Wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Mt 6:21). “In my Father’s house there are many rooms...I am going to prepare you a place”.(Jn 14:2-3). So the followers of Jesus live with a vision that locate heaven! That is why those who contemplate Jesus Christ, who feel the warmth of His love, do not lack vision and hope in every aspect of their lives and in every situation. No earthly cloud can cover the vision of faith we have in Christ Jesus. There is no more room for despair or frustration. Let us stretch forth our arms of love and eyes of faith in Jesus to see through the challenges we face today, “the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and...the immeasurable greatness of His power...” Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu,C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Thursday May 21^st, 2020.

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord.

Throw back: You can also read our previous meditations on Ascension by following the links below:

The Beauty of Ascension (2019): https://nwachinwe.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-beauty-of-ascension.html 

The First Fruit of the Ascension (2015):     https://nwachinwe.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-first-fruit-of-ascension.html

DIVINE MANIFESTATION

Reflection for Tuesday of the 6^th Week of Easter Year A

(Acts 16:22-34; Jn 16:5-11)

1.0. The Divine Absence

Have you ever felt the absence of God? It comes like the silence of a dark night. At such moments, fear, doubt, despair, etc and all the negative sentiments that oppose faith would begin to surface! Now think about the experience of Paul and Silas. The Philippians joined forces with the Jews to attack them, and they were beaten with rods. “And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into the prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely.” The man decided to put them at the inner most, the darkest end of the prison and chained their feet. Paul and Silas suffered physically, psychologically and emotionally. It seemed like a total moment of abandonment as the darkness of the prison swallowed them up! This feeling of divine absence hits harder at that moment we cry to God for help as our only hope but nothing happens... A painful silence, when hardships and struggles from different angles gang up against us and divine intervention seems uncertain.

Jesus prepared the minds of His disciples about persecution and His departure. He told them that His ascension is not abandonment. “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” Then they would begin to learn how to relate to Him by faith and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Yesterday Jesus said the Holy Spirit will come to bear witness to the truth as the Counsellor. Today He says the Holy Spirit is coming to convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgement. So from that inner darkness where the world and its strokes lock us up, the Holy Spirit comes as our light and freedom.

2.0.  The Divine Manifestation

Therefore, Paul and Silas still believed that God was not silent; He never abandoned them. Instead of crying for their pain, they raised their voices in songs of praise to God! “And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and every one’s chains were unfastened.” They were set free though they were still in prison; in the darkness around them they had the light of the Holy Spirit. The jailer who guarded the gates got the message clearly: He realized he was the real prisoner and begged Paul and Silas for the freedom of the Children of God. Though they were wounded by the beatings, he asked them for healing of his soul! He accepted Jesus Christ and was baptized, with all his family. The man was filled with a joy he never experienced before.

The moment we thought God was absent, He was silently manifesting His power in Paul and Silas. Such moment, dry and painful it might be, is always a moment of our sharing in the Cross of Jesus through which the exonerating power of the Holy Spirit shines out in us. Let us hold firm to the string of faith no matter how tough the situation might be. Instead of complaining how bad things are, let us learn from Paul and Silas and offer fitting praise to God upon that very situation.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Tuesday May 19^th, 2020.