THE GLORY OF THE CROSS

Reflection for the Second Sunday of Lent Year A

(Gen 12:1-4; 2Tim 1:8-10; Mt 17:1-9)

1.0.  Abraham’s Blessings

God called Abraham to leave his father’s house to the land He would show him. Abraham was relatively comfortable and successful in his father’s house. God was calling Abraham to go to a new land to start a new generation of humanity that would be people of faith in God. However, to uproot him from ‘his domain’ to an unknown destination would not be an easy task. So God attached great promises to Abraham if he embarked on the journey. “And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing...and by you families of the earth shall bless themselves.” Believing in God and His promises, Abraham went as the Lord had told him. This ‘promised land’ would become for him ‘the land of promises’, since by going there, God’s promises would be fulfilled in Abraham.

2.0.         The Transfiguration

The Gospel today tells us the story of the Transfiguration. “And He was transfigured before them, and his face shone life the sun, and his garments became white as light.” The glory of Jesus was manifested on the Mountain (cf. 2 Pet 1:16-18). This shining glory was a manifestation—a foretaste—of what is kept for the Children of God through Christ. We are called to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Th 2:14). Thus the voice of the Father declares, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am will pleased; listen to him.” This implies that through Jesus Christ, the hidden glory of God will be revealed to all who share in the life of Christ Jesus (1 Cor 2:7).

Therefore, Jesus is the fulfillment and living manifestation of the ‘Land of promises’ where we enter in faith and unlock great divine blessings. Like Abraham, we are called to move from our ‘domain’ in human nature to the new land of divine revelation. This is the new life in Christ, where grace is stronger than family ties. The promises we have in Christ Jesus are now unveiled through the transfiguration, such that we are drawn to this new life, not by the imagination of our minds, but by the reality of His presence.  The life of Christ overwhelms, as the cloud of glory dazzles and summons the apostles of awe and adoration. “They fell on their faces, and were filled with awe.” The attraction is irresistible; the memory is unforgettable! 

3.0.         Coming Down from the Mountain

“As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, ‘Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.’” The vision was a revelation of the glory of the Cross. The hidden glory behind the gory face of the Cross of Christ is now unveiled in anticipation, such that we can behold the ‘beauty’ of the Cross from within the cloud of glory of the transfiguration. Thus, the Cross becomes beautiful and attractive since its hidden glory is already here with us. God’s glory—and every glory—will be given in vain if it is not a product of the Cross. The perceived glory becomes a transfiguration of the agony of the Cross into the sparkling brightness of the divine essence.

Now the difficult journey of Abraham has become our ‘stations of the cross’ by which we step into God’s unfailing promises in Christ Jesus. “Then we are heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, provided that we share his suffering, so as to share his glory” (Rm 8:17).  That is why St Paul tells us in the second reading to take up our share of suffering for the Gospel. We step forward to fulfill our daily responsibilities and embrace the sufferings of each day, but in virtue of the purpose and grace of Jesus Christ. This is already manifested and made available for us.

Hence, our Lenten observances draw inspiration from Abraham’s sacrificial journey to the Promised Land. This season of fasting, prayer and alms-giving trains us to move from our natural human domain to the realm of grace, where we encounter the overshadowing glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Fr Jude Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Sunday March 8^th, 2020.

THE TASTE AND THE VISION

Reflection for 5^th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A

(Is 58:7-10; 1 Cor 2:1-5; Mt 5:13-16)

Salt and Light
Salt performs two major roles in our home: it bring out the taste of food and for preservation. Light dispels darkness, and gives illumination to our sight. Saltiness—the taste it gives—is contained within the salt as its original property. With light we see our way and behold the beauty around. Salt with its own taste brings out the real taste of other ingredients, and blends them. These two agents are used analogically to describe the life of Christians.

The Light of the World

“Then shall your light break forth like the dawn...” The Prophet Isaiah compares righteous acts to the light unveils a new day and brings healing. As light illumines the room, so acts of charity to the hungry, the homeless, etc shines forth, and illumines both the giver and receiver. As light shines for the vision of others, so the righteous man pours himself out for the hungry, the needy, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted. “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, here I am.” The glory of God shall enlighten such a one, his darkness is dispelled, and his gloom shall melt away.

 Jesus is the true light of the World (Jn 8:12). Those who follow him will have the light of life. He is the source; he gives His light to all who accept Him in their lives. “The Word was the real light that gives light to everyone” (Jn 1:9). “In you is the source of life, by your light we see the light” (Ps 36:9).

The Taste and the Vision

“Jesus said to his disciples, ‘You are the salt of the earth.’” The earth thus takes this semblance of a pot of soup with many ingredients in it. The salt comes in silently, and humbly. It does not occupy space but it permeates the whole content and simply dissolves itself within. The salt sacrifices itself in order to bring out the delicious taste of the ingredients, and to form a sumptuous combination. Taste and see!

The salt has its saltiness within it. It does not depend on the ingredients in the pot to be salty. Its beauty and value is the taste it gives to the meal. This is how Jesus’ disciples are expected to be in the world. They must possess within them the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. “But if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything...” It is a shameful thing to answer a follower of Jesus without having the qualities thereof. It is like a salt that has lost its saltiness and is reduced to a thing of derision and shame.

As a salt gives taste to food, so a lamp put on the lamp stand gives light to all in the house. Yes, a city on a hill cannot be hidden. If we have the light of Christ, it cannot be hidden. It will be known through our righteous deeds. The light shines by burning away its wick and oil, just as the salt dissolves in order to give taste to the food. In the same way, a Christian shines from the Cross of Jesus Christ; he is built on the hill of Calvary. From there he humbly gives taste and vision to his family, friends and society.

To Glory of God

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.” The taste and the light must come from Christ Jesus, and the glory of our good works belongs to God. So to keep our saltiness and light shining, we must deepen our knowledge of Jesus Christ, and His Cross. “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him Crucified.” St Paul advises us to put away the false self, which is shrouded in lofty words and resting on human wisdom. This will only lead to the disgrace of a tasteless salt...

Therefore, we must imbibe good and righteous ways of life. Through prayer and study, we can easily renew our inner qualities. For if we have no light and taste within us, how can we illumine the world and give sweetness to the earth, to the glory of God.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Sunday February 9^th, 2020.

THE SEED TO OVERCOME SIN

Reflection for Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A

(2Sam 11:1-4, 5-10, 13-17; Mk 4:26-34)

THE FALL

Our beloved King David has fallen into a grievous sin. Like the little dialogue that grew into the great fall of Adam and Eve, David's evil act germinated almost unnoticed. The King who was chosen to lead his people at war made one easy wrong turn, and decided to stay at home! Idleness germinated loneliness. The emptiness of loneliness sought for fulfilment, but found nakedness! The eye is the gateway of lust. David fell in the trap of Eve: ‘it was beautiful to behold.’ Now the emptiness within is no more dormant; it has become an active desire. “And David sent and inquired of the woman…So David sent messages, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her.”

He thought it was ended. But he was summoned to take responsibility for his choices. Then the King realized he ignored his duty and indulged in irresponsibility. What he did to find rest kept him restless! He spent more energy to covered up, got more people involved, and the series of sin increased: lies, deceit, drunkenness and murder!

The BURDEN

Yes, Uriah the Hittite died! It is in him we behold the ugliness of David’s sin. The man who was fighting to defend the kingdom was killed by the one who suppose to protect him! He died because he was honest and committed. Like a little child he delivered his own death sentence; with zeal he carried his death like good news to Joab! Uriah died because he was obedient. Therefore, David killed all the virtues Uriah portrayed. Consumed by lust and guilt, he wished Uriah was the opposite. Sin is a parasite. It feeds on the good. And death is its ultimate consequence.  

FROM THE GROUND

From the very domain of death, Jesus raises us to life. So grace to overcome sin is enough; the life of heaven is scattered like seed among us that we might escape the trap of sin. So Jesus tells us the parable of  the scattered seed and the mustard seed. As sin rises gradually, so this grace of the Kingdom of heaven sprouts, rising from the ground, towering up above, producing full grain for an immediate harvest, and giving shelter in charity. 

Thus, if we are carried on the shelters of the Kingdom of heaven, we will rise above sin. It neutralizes the terror of idleness and loneliness, and engages us in dutiful and responsible living. 

Fr Jude Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church.

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Friday 31st January, 2020.

PRAYING FROM THE SOURCE

Reflection for Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A

(2Sam 7:18-19, 24-29; Mk 4:21-25)

After prophet Nathan spoke to David, the King went in and prayed to God. “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?” He humbled himself before the Lord and made a unique request: He asked God to give him what God promised!  “And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word which you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken.” This is when the man of prayer seeks but only God’s will. And this can only be so when the desire of the heart is prompted by God’s word. Thus, the desire of what God had promised is itself prayer—a prayer in which the answer goes ahead of the petition. The essence of such prayer is to prepare the man of prayer to readily embrace God’s response that is before him!

It becomes necessary, therefore, that the desires of our hearts should arise and rest in God’s word. When we begin to create prayer-points, multiply intentions, and accumulate divergent longings in our prayers, then our words begin to multiply, serenity and silence gradually evaporate. Now what ought to restore peace and security is stuffed with tension and fear.  How can such light of prayer shine? The humble prayer of David today is so powerful. It is like the Eucharistic sacrifice in which we return back to God what He had given us.

Thus, what God had given, we return in sacrifice; what God had promised, we ask in prayer. “For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” Our lives will shine like the light of our prayers. The light of Christ is already burning in us. But unruly desires are like the bushel that tries to cover the light. “When you do prayer and do not receive, it is because you prayed wrongly, wanting to indulge your passions” (James 4:3).

This is why we need silence and meditation in order to examine and purify the inclinations of our hearts, aligning our desires with God’s will. Then, God’s promises will inspire and prompt our petitions, and there too we surrender the intentions.  

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Thursday 30^th January, 2020.

THE BUILDER AND THE SOWER

Reflection for Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A

(2Sam 7:4-17; Mk 4:1-20)

1.0.   THE BUILDER

 “Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.” The Prophet Nathan discouraged David from embarking on the temple project. He explained to the King that God was much aware of the need for a befitting temple. “I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt to this day, and I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.” However, David was not assigned to this, but to keep Israel secure from their enemies. Then Nathan told the King that God would not take the kingship from him as He did to Saul, but his own son would succeed him. “He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” Though David’s son was to embark on the temple project, God talks of Himself as the real Builder, who would establish an everlasting dynasty for David.

2.0.  THE SOWER

The Builder of lasting kingdom now comes to us as the Sower of the seed of life in the Gospel we read this morning. The seed sown is the Word of God. As the Builder would become the Temple (cf. Jn 2:19); so the Sower would become the Seed. The Builder of everlasting Kingdom is equally generous in giving out the Seed of the Word of God. Would the sons of David cooperate with God’s plan to build a lasting kingdom for them? Or can the soil in which the seed is sown bear fruit? The Sower is extravagant in spreading the seed of the Word; he continues to spread the seed despite the failure of some recipients to bear fruit. Since He dropped each seed with hope of reaping the fruit, we can feel His silent agony as some seeds failed to germinate, others refused to grow, etc.

3.0.  THE HARVEST

“But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty-fold and sixty-fold and a hundredfold.” It is amazing that the enemy that devours, the rocky ground that dries up, and the thorns that choke up cannot stop the harvest! In the same way, the weakness of David and the sins of Children could not pull down the kingdom God built in the name of David.  So the hope of the Sower cannot be in vain; He got even hundredfold. Now the joy and beauty of the harvest is stronger than the agony of sowing… “He went off, went off weeping, carrying the seed. He comes back, comes back singing, bringing in his sheaves” (Ps 126:6).

Therefore, if today we cultivate a loving and contrite heart like David, we will bear fruit for the harvest, and God will establish us secure in His everlasting Kingdom. The joy of the Master builder, and the triumphant steps from a fruitful harvest is our inspiration today. Let us set our lives today as a rich soil, which receives the word of God, puts it work, and bears fruit. May your day be fruitful.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.

Wednesday January 29^th, 2020.

THE ROYAL DANCE

Reflection for Tuesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A

(2Sam 6:12-15, 17-19; Mk 3:31-35)

The Ark of God was being carried in procession from the House of Obed-Edom to Jerusalem, the City of David. The Ark represented God’s presence in their midst; a concrete mark and reminder of God’s covenant with Israel. David sacrificed ox and fatling along the way. And “David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was belted with a linen ephod.” The king put his royal pride aside and humbled himself before the Lord. The joy of being in God’s presence was so overwhelming that it flowed out freely within each dancing step of David. So the King expressed ‘total abandonment’ and appreciation to God who blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and established him as king in Jerusalem. “The humble shall eat and be satisfied. Those who seek God will praise Him; may your heart live forever” (Ps 22:26).

As they arrived at the tent, the joyous king offered burnt offerings, and he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. Then he distributed to the multitude that gathered bread, meat and cake of raisins. This was one of such moments David acted like a priest, and brought blessings to the people.

As we engage in contemplative beauty of David who brought the Ark to the Tent in Jerusalem, the Gospel of this Tuesday directs our gaze to Mary who went in search of Jesus to bring Him home to His family. Mary is rightfully called “The Ark of the Covenant” since Jesus who dwelt in her fulfilled the ‘contents’ of the Ark of old. “In this were kept the gold jar containing the manna, Aaron’s branch that grew the buds, and the tablets of the covenant” (Heb 9:4). The sacrifices of David and the bread he shared are fulfilled in the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Cross that has become the ‘Manna’ for the people of the new covenant. The beautiful and spirit filled dance of David before the Ark became a leap of joy in the womb of Elizabeth as Mary visited (Lk 1:44). And her flow of joy could not be restrained as she sang the magnificat...

 The universal Motherhood of Mary, the Ark of the Covenant, and the joy it brings is readily available to all gathered in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. How is this possible? And Jesus answered the man who brought the news to Him, “Here are my mother and my brethren! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Therefore, let us put aside our human inclinations and do that which pleases God in our every activity this day. Then we have been qualified like the Blessed Virgin Mary to bring Jesus ‘home.’ We have become one family with Him. Our dance of joy shall be royal, and our melodious voice shall echo His victory.

Fr Jude Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria.

Tuesday 28^th Janauary, 2020.

Memorial of St Thomas Aquinas (The Angelic Doctor of the Church).

He Reigns

                 Reflection for Monday  of the Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A

                                               (2Sam 5:1-5, 10; Mk 3:22-30)

The stage is set for David to be King. Saul fought a lost battle because what God has sanctioned must be fulfilled. So all the tribes of Israel approached David at Hebron and made him king. “David was 30 years of age when he began to reign, and he reigned for 40 years.” He ruled from Hebron for  seven years and six months, then he went up to Jerusalem where he ruled for thirty-three years. From there he conquered the enemies of Israel, the Jebusites, and made Jerusalem secure. The Lord made David greater and greater...

As David went up to Jerusalem to establish a dynasty,  so Jesus would go up to Jerusalem to save us. But in the Gospel of today, some Scribes came down from Jerusalem to castigate Jesus. “He is possesses by Beelzebul, and by the Prince of demons he casts out Satan.” Their plan was to disrupt the mission of Jesus Christ by trying to convince the people not to submit to Him. “Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut up the Kingdom of Heaven in people's faces, neither going in yourselves nor allowing others to go in who want to” (Mt 23:13). 

As the elders of Israel recognised the anointing of God on David and made him their king, these hypocritical Scribes, who recognised the power of God Jesus demonstrated, gave a false and conflicting testimony, deliberately orchestrated to deceive others. This sort of evil behaviour can lead to eternal damnation. It will turn out to be another lost battle, such as the one Saul fought against David in order to prevent his kingship. 

Jesus is the real ‘Strongman’ who subdues and plunders every opposing authority, and binds every evil force. So we gather around Him at this Eucharistic celebration that He may reign over us, and keep us secure. From His heavenly Jerusalem He sends forth this grace, that we too will reign with Him.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 

Tedi-Muwo,  Ojo, Lagos.

Monday 27th January, 2020.