WORKING FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS

 Reflection for 16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

(Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Rm 8: 26-27; Mt 13:24-43)

1.0. Kingdom of Work

“Through such works you have taught your people that the righteous man must be kind, and you have filled your sons with good hope, because you give repentance for sins.” The Book of Wisdom talks about the righteous deeds with which God cares for all men and judges unjustly. Though sovereign, God works among His people, governing all with forbearance and mildness, judging justly and giving them chance to repent. Our meditation today captures this image of God who ‘works’, planting His kingdom of righteousness among us.

In the Gospel, Jesus presents three parables to illustrate how the Kingdom of God grows among us. Each of the parables uses the imagery of serious labour to convey its message. In the first He says, “The Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field...” Here God is positioned as a ‘Farmer’, which involves serious work. The same goes with the sowing of the mustard seed and the kneading of the leaven with the flour. “My Father still goes on working, and I am at work, too” (Jn 5:17). In the same way, we must be dedicated people, committed to the task ahead, working out our salvation in fear and trembling (Phil 2:12). It takes persistence and time to build up a moral and righteous life. If you have placed your hand on the plough the Kingdom of Heaven and its righteousness, there is no looking back! This is how we can bear fruits for the Kingdom.

2.0. Fruit for the Kingdom

In the first parable, the seeds of the Kingdom were left to grow among the seeds of the evil one. The reason for this is that none of His righteous ones may be lost while still growing. But all will be allowed to grow to full maturity for the harvest. Then, the good ones shall be separated from the evil ones by their fruits! The Angels will gather those who produced fruits into the heavenly barn, and burn the rest.

What exactly is this fruit? The parable of the mustard seed gives us the idea. The righteousness of the Kingdom planted might be insignificant, almost unnoticed! But it grows to become a big tree that exists not just for itself, but is recognized for providing shelter to birds of the air! Imagine the great act of mercy and charity that the tree stands for, always available to all who come under its shade. The same applies to the little leaven mixed with the flour. It enriches the flour, and provides delicious meal to the hungry. The good works we do for the Kingdom of Heaven must shine before people to the glory of God (cf. Mt 5:16). There is no room for selfishness for the Children of the Kingdom.

God is still working in our lives; the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. The seeds of the evil one may want to dominate us, “But the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.” And Jesus continues to nourish us in the Holy Eucharist. The holy Catholic Church is rich with numerous channels of grace to sustain us to bear fruit for the Kingdom. We cannot grow to full maturity and bear fruits of holiness if we do not apply the graces given us through openness to the Holy Spirit, prayer and the Sacraments. Let us be committed to the work God has started in us to produce mercy, charity, patient-endurance, humility, etc. It is on the Cross that God's great work to sow His Kingdom in our lives shines out.  Finally, Jesus said, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.” Amen!

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Sunday July 19^th, 2020.

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com  

THE ULTIMATE SIGN

 Reflection for Friday of the 15^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

(Is 38:1-6,21,7-8; Mt 12:1-8)

 At the end of our week long journey with prophet Isaiah, today he intervenes in the sickness of king Hezekiah. At first, Isaiah the prophet informed the King that the sickness would lead to his death. On hearing this, Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed earnestly to God, and wept bitterly. God received his plea, and sent Isaiah to go and inform the King, saying, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and defend this city.” Hezekiah asked for a sign to show that God will fulfill what the prophet said. Isaiah told him that the sun would turn ten steps backwards.

If we too call out to God in our distresses, He will answer us, for He sees our tears. And He has given us the greatest sign that He will attend to our pleas in the cries and tears of Jesus on the Cross, whose Blood pleads for us incessantly (Heb 12:24). But the people did not accept Him; Jesus became a sign that was rejected (Lk 2:34). Thus, we see the Pharisees in the Gospel of today, opposing Jesus, accusing Him of allowing His disciples break the Sabbath. Jesus pointed to them the examples of David and the Temple Priests of old who were never accused of breaking the law or profaning the Sabbath though they did what was forbidden. “I tell you, something greater than the Temple is here.”

Because of their hardness of heart, the Pharisees failed to recognize who was in their midst. They did not know that Jesus is the Master of the Sabbath! He is the reason for the Sabbath; the answer to the Temple worship. He is the greatest Sign that fulfills itself. Hezekiah cried to God, and He answered him. Still, he asked for extra sign from Isaiah. Now, Jesus cried for us on the Cross and God heard Him. So, in our distresses we only need to call on Jesus and our ‘cry’ will be heard. That means the answer to our ‘cry’ in Jesus already awaits us, and is assured. Therefore, we need not ask for another sign to believe. Jesus is the answer! Those who run after miracles before believing that their cries have been heard are among those who rejected Jesus as the ultimate sign.

Therefore, Jesus said, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” This is what we are expected to pursue, not signs. By our acts of mercy, we wipe the ‘tears’ of others. And when we call, Jesus will surely answer and wipe our tears. Let us move forward this day in charity and confidence, the blessing of God goes ahead of us. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Friday July 17^th, 2020.

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com 

EASY BURDEN

Reflection for Thursday of the 15^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

(Is 26:7-9, 12, 16-19; Mt 11:28-30)

RESTORATION

“The way of the righteous is level; you make smooth the path of the righteous.” Isaiah offers a prayer of trust in God, who vindicates His people. According to Bible scholars, this prayer was probably made at a time when Babylon had lost its grip as a world power. The burden of exile was being lifted, and Israel had learnt her lessons. Now, they walk in the path of God’s judgments. “My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” He called on God to restore peace and unity to Israel.

Isaiah prays to God to remember how they cried to Him in their distress, when they were in bondage. Israel was in pangs of pain like a woman in labour pains! Since God had broken the Babylonian yoke upon them, Israel shall be restored. The dead shall rise; lowly dwellers shall awake and sing for joy.  

EASY BURDEN

Jesus declared, “come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Pause a while, imagine Jesus as the meeting point of all labour and heavy laden! He is the ‘most laden’, bearing upon Himself the burden of our sins and transgressions for all generations. He laboured, and carried them to the end, and triumphed over them. In Jesus, the pain of labour and the depression of heavy laden are emptied into the new life the resurrection. That means labour and heavy laden can become sources of re-generation and re-creation.

Human life is full of burden; family life, work and business, education, relationship, etc. Sometimes, nature imposes heavy burden on us such as sickness, disasters, etc. We are laden physically, mentally and emotionally. At times, we are even a burden unto ourselves, unable to do the very things we ought to do. In whatever form it may be, Jesus has invited us to come to Him with our burden and heavy laden. So, we begin this day by meditating on how Jesus bore the very burden we fear. This is how we begin to locate our yoke in His. Then, we must connect to Him in prayer and dispose ourselves to the Sacraments. This is how His strength nourishes us.

His invitation assures us that this burden is not ours alone; Jesus has offered His shoulder to make it easy for us. Do not be discouraged; do not give up, nor allow depression and frustration get hold of you. As God broke the Babylonian yoke and Israel was restored and rejoiced, so shall you rejoice and have new life if you answer Jesus’ call to come to Him that your burden be easy.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Thursday July 16^th, 2020.

Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com  

HUMILITY AS A SHIELD

Reflection for Wednesday of the 15^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

(Isaiah 10:5-7, 13-16; Mt 11:25-27)

 Assyria was a great nation, with stout warriors, which subdued many nations under her. The message of Isaiah today was addressed to Assyria. “Thus says the Lord, Ah! Assyria, the rod of my anger, the staff of my fury! Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him.” God used Assyria to punish disobedient nations, especially Israel. But they began to take pride in their victories over nations, thinking it was by her strength, wisdom and great army that nations fell under her. Because of this pride, Isaiah announced, “The Lord, the Lord of hosts will send wasting sickness among her stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled, like the burning of fire.”

Though, Assyria was a pagan nation, God used them as a chastening rod to humble Israel. Yes, Jesus addresses God as Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth. All creation, all times and seasons, belong to Him. And He disposes all according to His will. He uses both good and bad people and situations to humble us and teach us His ways. It is those who are humble like little Children before God that He reveals His mysteries and wisdom.

Therefore, we do not take pride in our strength or knowledge. In humility we hide ourselves in Christ Jesus, the most humble, and who is one with the Father. Being Lord of heaven and earth, He is equally the Lord of all we are and can be in the future! Like His little Children, we stand before Him without evil intentions, ready to be disposed according to His gracious will and we look up to Him for His providence.

That is why as we practice daily meditations, we become more conscious of the presence of God and we gaze upon Him in humility. This will fill us with the grace to coordinate ourselves as His ‘handmaids’, or as ‘missionaries sent’ even to our works, family life, relationships, and spiritual life. The pride of Assyria can no more bring down the humble Israel. Humility is a shield; you shall stand secure. Amen

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Wednesday July 15^th, 2020.

Memorial of St Bonaventure.

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

BEING SECURED IN FAITH

Reflection for Tuesday of the 15^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

(Isaiah 7:1-9; Mt 11:20-24)

Isaiah was on a tough mission today. The urgency of the mission was such that God asked him to go along with his son. Ahaz was in serious trouble. The king of Syria and the king of Northern Israel (Ephraim) laid siege against Judah, where Ahaz was king. Before now, Syria, Ephraim and Judah had been paying taxes to Assyria. Now, Syria and Ephraim formed alliance and refused to send their taxes, but Judah refused to join them and continued paying her tributes to Assyria. Then, Syria and Ephraim came against Judah to overthrow Ahaz and replace him with a king who will join their alliance against Assyria. When the king heard this, fear gripped him and the whole people. Then, Isaiah stepped in.

He said to Ahaz, “Take heed, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smouldering stumps of firebrands...Thus says the Lord God: it shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass.” But the king had every reason to be afraid in the face of fierce enemies. But Isaiah reassured him to have faith in God, for that is his only saviour. “If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.”

So, lack of faith can uproot a nation. That is why Jesus rebuked the cities where he performed mighty works, because they refused to repent and believe in Him. “And you Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.” Judah, in the face of danger was asked to believe in the message of Isaiah, but the Cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum refused to believe even in the face of God’s mighty works!

Imagine the stern look on the face of Jesus as He addresses those unrepentant cities! This is how He looks at us when we too refuse to repent and follow after Him. God has performed His greatest work by raising Jesus from the dead. And He continues to touch our hearts each day with the grace of the Resurrection. Like Ahaz, we may have many enemies surrounding us; a lot of reasons to be afraid and be discouraged. Sometimes we do not even have enough spiritual and moral strength to defend ourselves against the raging temptations. But in Christ Jesus we are firmly established; He is the solid Rock on which we stand secure.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Tuesday July 14^th, 2020.

 

 

 

 

A WORTHY OFFERING IN HIS LOVE

 Reflection for Monday of the 15^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

(Is 1:10-17; Mt 10:34-11:1)

Our prophet for this Week is Isaiah. We shall be meditating on his messages, and where possible, relate them to the Gospel of the day. Isaiah prophesied during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. His mission was marked by a series of crisis caused by the military encroachment of Assyria. It is a lengthy prophetic oracle, spanning through 66 chapters. Sit back, relax, as we journey with Isaiah this week.

In today’s reading, Isaiah condemns the sacrificial offerings presented before God. This is because the rulers of Judah behaved like “the rulers of Sodom”, and the people behaved like “the people of Gomorrah.” These were two cities known for their abominable acts. So, the religious observances and sacrifices from such abominable hands cannot be accepted. Instead, the prophet showed them the way to get their prayers answered: “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”

In the Gospel, Jesus upsets the minds of His audience by saying what no one expected to hear from Him: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” By using the first person pronoun, ‘I’, Jesus indicates the authority that is contained within Him. And He continued to point to this authority as we read along. What is this fire that Jesus is going to cast that will bring division? It is love!

Ordinarily, love has an inherent power to unite. But the lovers of Jesus must place Him above every other thing they might love, including father, mother, brother, sister, etc. Thus, there will be a friction between those who have not climbed the height of this love in Jesus and those who are already there. To the extent that we choose and love Jesus, there will be a sword of opposition.

We must take note that the love of Jesus is at the centre of it all. He is the authority on which we stand. What is worth giving up our lives for? Only Jesus qualifies for it! And He points to Himself as the reason for our giving and receiving charity. “And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

Pause a while, imagine the importance of Jesus in the life of the believer! In Him our sacrifice is acceptable; our worship is true. So, when Isaiah says, ‘wash yourselves; make yourselves clean’, it is in the precious Blood of Jesus that we are cleansed, and made worthy before God. Let the fire of His love burn in our hearts; let the love of Jesus consume our hearts, and lead us forward in all we do this week. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Monday July 13^th, 2020.

 www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com 

Sowing for the Harvest

Reflection for 15^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

(Isaiah 55:10-11; Rm 8:18-23; Mt 13:1-23)

1.0.  “A Sower went out to sow”

The parable of the sower was introduced by prophet Isaiah in the first reading. He said that the word of God comes forth like rain and snow, “It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” The sower goes forth, with the same intention for each seed: that it bears fruit! But as Jesus narrated the story, imagine watching the sower move along in his work! It appears he began on the side of failure. The first set of seeds were eaten by birds, the second set gave him hope, but withered away, and so on. Still, he continued to sow! We see here that success comes from commitment and perseverance. As we sow in the earthly field, let us be focused on our intentions and purposes—the will of God for us—and never to be discouraged by temporary failures or to be over excited by momentary successes.

2.0.  The Seeds Fell

The first set of seeds fell along the road side, and birds came and devoured them. Jesus explains that these are those who hear the word of God but do not make effort to understand it. Then the devil snatches it away. Yes, the devil is hovering around, looking for those without understanding of the word of God. That is why we should not live by the ‘road side’ of life, without having roots in the word of God. In order words, to deepen one’s understanding of the Bible is itself power over the devil.

The second group fell on rocky ground, “Where they had not much soil.” Truly, they sprang up, showed themselves, but could not withstand the heat of the sun! Jesus explains that these are those who received the word with joy, “Yet he has not root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.” These are those who seat at the convenient side of the word of God. He does not tie his life to the word. So, any wind of persecution will blow him away. This group are the ones who internally dislodged themselves since they were not receiving constant renewal of nourishment to sustain their growth in the word of God.

“Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.” Notice that while seeds were planted, thorns were the ones growing, and eventually suffocated the seeds! To this Jesus says, “This is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” So, these worldly cares and pleasures should not dominate our lives, rather we should approach them with discipline and self-control. If we surround ourselves with these thorns, they will suffocate the life of the word of God in us.

The Fourth group fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. “This is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit.” These ones shine out by overcoming what the others could not. Imagine the many self-denials they applied, the many persecutions they endured, and the efforts they made to understand and deepen their knowledge of the word of God and defeat the devil. We see here that the determination, commitment and focus with which the sower carried out his work, is reciprocated and returned in the fruits they yielded!

3.0.  The Sower, the Seed and the Soil

Therefore, the ‘personality’ of the sower is imprinted in the seeds that brought forth harvest! Isaiah announced that God is raining down His Word. Jesus, the Word of God is sown, even as he was planted for three days in the heart of the earth. But today he is planted in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. For there to  be harvest, the Sower, the Seed and the Soil must be united with a common sense of purpose. But are we by the roadside, without any commitment to the Word? Are we living a double life, acknowledging the Word, but finding meaning in other things by rooting ourselves in values other than the word, such that we cannot lay down our lives for what we believe? Have we allowed the thorns of lust, greed, quest for power, etc to dominate our hearts and minds?

It is obvious, then, that we who have received the seed must groan inwardly like a woman in labour pains. The hope we have is that “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” When you have a hope greater than the obstacles and challenges you face, then you remain committed and focused on your intentions and purposes like the sower. “They go out, they go out, full of tears. They come back, they come back full of joy, bearing their sheaves” (Ps 126:6).

Fr Jude Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lago.

Sunday July 12^th, 2020.