THE DAY OF THE LORD

 Meditation for Friday of the 27^th Week in Ordinary Time
(Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2; Lk 11:15-26)

The Hebrew name Joel (Yo’el) means YAWEH IS GOD. The prophet Joel saw through the evil that threatened his people at that time, the coming of the Lord. Like most end-time messages, the day of the Lord will come as darkness and unbearable to those who already live in the dark. “For the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.” His message was hope in the midst of the great evil they were experiencing at that time, since the Lord would come to restore His people. The image of Joel is that of a prophet with a trumpet in his hand to warn the people and prepare them for the coming of the Lord. They were to prepare by repenting of their evil ways in sackcloth and lamentation so that day of the Lord would not become darkness and gloom for them.

Evil will fade away with evil doers! Darkness may put up resistance but it must disappear when the light shines. As Jesus cast out a demon, some people tried to destroy his reputation by accusing Him of casting demons with demons! He proved them wrong and said, “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” So, in Jesus we look forward to the fulfilment of the day of the Lord. Those who do not accept Him, who do not follow Him as the way or who malign Him and His teachings, will experience the kind of gloom prophet Joel talked about. Jesus says, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.”

Through acts of penance and contrition, let our hearts be swept clean of every evil and darkness. Then, we must take positive steps to follow Jesus, and let our hearts be filled with the Holy Spirit. Thus, the day of the Lord becomes for us the day of blessing and joy, as we look forward to His final coming. Amen.

St Sergius, pray for us. Amen.

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

 

A FATHERLY HEART

 

Meditation for Wednesday of the 27^th Week in Ordinary Time

(Jonah 3:1-10; Lk 10:38-42)

Surprisingly, Jonah was angry that God withdrew his punishment for Nineveh. He wanted those people to die for their sins. The desire of the righteous should be the conversion of sinners, but never to entertain a secret joy at the downfall of anyone. And the measure of our holiness is not by contrasting it with the sinfulness of others.

Though Jonah knew God to be gracious and merciful, he secretly wished that God would not forgive the people of Nineveh. He had to learn another lesson that, not only is God omnipresent, he is equally rich in mercy to all who call Him. God caused the tree that was giving Jonah shed to wither such that the sun scotched him. Again, Jonah was very angry. But the Lord said to him, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in the night, and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right from their left, and also much cattle?”

So, the Lord considered Nineveh as the work of His hands, His ignorant children. He inclined a fatherly heart towards them, even to His wayward children. This fatherly disposition of God towards us is an effective starting point of prayer and petition. In contrition we realize we are mere ignorant children of our heavenly Father, and we look up to Him in prayer that His fatherly heart may favor us. That is why in teaching His disciples to pray Jesus taught them to pray thus: “Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation.” Amen.

St Bruno, pray for us. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Wednesday October 6^th, 2021.
www.soundofsilence.ng
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

TRUE REPENTANCE

Meditation for Tuesday of the 27^th Week in Ordinary Time
(Jonah 3:1-10; Lk 10:38-42)

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time.” Jonah received his vocation anew. He had gone through the waters of the deep, washed off of his ignorance, and stubbornness of heart. “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” He still had to freely choose to go on the mission, but this time, with a will that is totally surrendered to God. As he moved, he realized that the grace of God moved ahead of him, for he had moved only a day’s journey and the whole city repented.

God used Jonah’s ordeal to facilitate the message; he became a SIGN for the people of Nineveh, which made it easier for them to accept his message: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” By their sack cloths and ashes, the people of Nineveh look up for the mercy of God: “Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we perish not?” They realized at that moment the useless ways of life they had adopted. And by looking up to God, they realized what really mattered.  As Jonah got a second chance to fulfill his ministry, God accepted the repentance of the people and spared their lives. The mercy of God won the day.  

True repentance and spiritual growth always have these two sides: denouncing our sins, and looking up to the love and mercy of God. So, we express contrition for our sins, and through penance, step forward in the new path of love and mercy of God through prayer and acts of charity. “The love of God is the tree, mercy is the fruit”, says Sr Faustina Kowalska in her divine mercy apparitions. This love of God draws us forward to continue looking up to God and avoid falling into sin. It keeps us wrapped at the feet of Jesus, fulfilled and satisfied. Jesus becomes the ultimate sign that leads us to contrition and to remain united with God. Therefore, Jesus called out to Martha, “You are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.”

St Maria Faustina Kowalska, pray for us. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Tuesday October 5^th, 2021.
www.soundofsilence.ng
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com
 

The Presence of God

Meditation for Monday of the 27^th Week in Ordinary Time

(Jonah 1:1-17; 2:1, 10; Lk 10:25-37)

The prophet Jonah was unique character. It seems he thought that the presence of God was only among the Jews. Hence, “Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” Imagine that moment, when a man of faith tried to hide from God, and he entered the ship of unbelievers, taking solace therein! Seeing Jonah, the man with the word of God, sleeping away in the inner part of the ship, comes alive today when the baptized Christian, the man who made vows and commitment to the Lord, excuses himself and justifies his self-indulgent life-style, which renders him unfaithful and unfruitful in his vocation. He joins the ship of unbelievers in an earthly pursuit, abandoning his divine vocation to spread the Kingdom of God. Think about how Christians and church leaders of today are sailing away in their little ships to Tarshish, embarking on their own self-preservation journeys instead of facing the truth of faith and announcing the Good news of the Kingdom of God.

But there was mighty turbulence at sea, so that the ship was threatened to break up! Jonah learnt through had way that God is everywhere. Like the prodigal son, he came to his sense, and confronted himself with the truth. His honesty was narrow way to follow for it landed him in the belly of the fish. “Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish.” Oh! Not only is God present in Israel, He hears prayers from the most uncomfortable situations of life, even in the belly of a fish down the sea. The man who was hiding and resting away, suddenly opened his mouth to pray when he supposed to be fighting for his life. Imagine how the prayer of Jonah transformed the belly of the fish into the ‘house of God’, for if God can hear, then God is present therein. This is what prayer does to our every situation.

Our life of prayer opens us to God’s presence at all times. And prayer comes alive in our love for God and neighbor. The example of the good Samaritan shows us the practical way: As we pray to God, we live so as to become to others an answered prayer for them. This is how we live in the presence of God and bring others to witness to it too. Charity does the miracle; love conquers at the end. The fish that swallowed Jonah became his transporter to Nineveh; The Jew that was beaten on his way to Jericho got a reliable neighbor in the good Samaritan. God wins! 

St Francis of Assisi, pray for us. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Monday October 4^th, 2021.
www.soundofsilence.ng
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

 

UNMEASURED GRACES

Meditation for Saturday of the 25^th Week in Ordinary Time

The prophet Zacharia gave his message after the Babylonian exile during the rebuilding of the temple. This new temple would stand for the new blessings to come. His prophetic visions encouraged the Jews to gather around the temple. In our opening reading today, Zacharia saw a vision of a man going forward to measure Jerusalem, but another Angel said to the young man, “Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of men and cattle in it.” The Lord declared that He would encircle Jerusalem like a wall of fire and fill her with glory. “Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion; for behold, I come and I will dwell in the midst of you, says the Lord.” Then, many nations will gather up to be God’s peoples, and the Lord shall dwell in the midst of them.

This ‘Jerusalem’ that is filled by the glory of God and to which all nations gather to, can it be measured? To measure means to determine its limits and extent of its outreach. But the ‘vastness’ of God cannot be measured, and so also is the ‘City’ walled by God and filled with His glory. This is how we are built up in Christ Jesus through His Cross and Resurrection with unmeasured graces and blessings. Such ‘vastness of the glory of God’ in Christ Jesus is not ‘simplistic’, easy or by mere wish.

So, when people began to acclaim the greatness everything Jesus did, He said to them, “For the Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men.” From this opposing effort to ‘limit’ His power and kill Him that the unmeasured graces of the resurrection rise. Let us continue to gather up to Jesus, for in Him is the fullness of divinity, and we shall enjoy boundless glory and unmeasured favours. Amen.

St Ceolfrid, pray for us. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Saturday September 25^th, 2021.
www.soundofsilence.ng
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

“YET NOW TAKE COURAGE”

Meditation for Friday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time

(Haggai 2:1-9; Lk 9:18-22)

Prophet Haggai continues to address Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah concerning the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. He reminded them of the former glory of the Temple before it was destroyed during the exile. Now that they rebuilt their individual homes and settled down, they should be courageous to work on the temple. “Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord…take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts, according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt.” The prophet encouraged them strongly to work on the temple, saying that God’s presence would be with them. The Lord promised to bring to them the treasures of the nations, “And I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts.” The temple shall have a greater splendor than in the former days, “And in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.”

Often times we understand and describe God according to the manifestation of His power or the blessings we have received. Those enjoyed the teachings of Jesus would compare Him to John the Baptist; those who witnessed his miracles would call Him another Elijah or one of the great prophets. But the mystery of God that saves is given by revelation. Our experiences and knowledge of God must surrender to divine revelation. At the realm of divine revelation experience becomes worship, and knowledge becomes contemplation! 

After Peter answered through revelation that Jesus is “The Christ of God”, He began to reveal to them that, “The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” This is the real manifestation of God that should form their knowledge of God and of the Christ. The ‘erection of the Cross’ fulfilled the promises God made through Haggai about the temple. And the knowledge and experience of the Cross encompasses and fulfills the great works of the prophets, but goes further to draw us to contemplation and worship. “Yet now take courage” and embrace the Cross of Jesus, for on it God gives prosperity and heavenly treasures. Amen.

Our Lady of Ransom, pray for us. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Friday September 25th, 2021.
www.soundofsilence.ng
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

“CONSIDER HOW YOU HAVE FARED”

Meditation for Thursday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time

(Haggai 1:1-8; Lk 9:7-9)

Haggai prophesied after the Israelites returned from exile, when Zerubbabel was governor of Judah. As the people rebuilt their homes and settled down, they folded their arms against the holy temple. The Lord send prophet Haggai to ask them: “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” The prophet explained that they needed the temple for the glory of God to dwell among them and bless their labors with fruitfulness. “Consider how you have fared. You have sown much, and harvested little…Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may appear in my glory, says the Lord.”

But in Jesus Christ the glory of God took its permanent abode among us. The Body of Christ became the perfect Temple; the presence of Christ is the manifestation of God, bringing to us all the heavenly blessings. Jesus brought good news and joy to those believe in Him and abide in Him. So, we ask Herod the Tetrarch, just as Haggai asked the Israelites, “Consider how you have fared?” 

Herod was perplexed at hearing about all that Jesus did: casting out demons, healing the sick, preaching the good news of the Kingdom. Herod lived the opposite: he brought fear and imprisonment to the free, sickness to the healthy, and death to the living! Definitely, he cannot be free in the presence of Jesus. Think about that life style that makes it difficult for us to spend few minutes before the Blesses Sacrament, discourages us from going to Confession or even to concentrate in our prayers. There is that little taste of pleasure that makes our hearts shiver at the mere thought of prayer! There ‘Herodic’ dispositions want us to dwell comfortably in our selfish panel houses while neglecting our abode in the Body of Christ, where we are blessed and covered with the glory of God.

St Pio of Pietrelcina, pray for us! Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Thursday September 23rd, 2021.
www.soundofsilence.ng
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com