THE GRACE TO MOVE FORWARD

Reflection for Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter

(Acts 8:1-8; Jn 6:35-40)

Up until now, the Church was doing well in Jerusalem. With the death of Stephen, the virus of persecution that had been incubating began to spread. Lifeless body of Stephen seemed to them like the death of Christianity. Since death is their finality, the death of any member would be their victory. Saul who supervised the martyrdom of Stephen now took the central stage. He went house to house to fish out members. What a commitment to destroy Christianity! So the members fled Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria.

“Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to a city of Samaria, and proclaimed to them the Christ.” This is a sign that they did not bear grudge against their persecutors. They accepted it with joy as part of their sharing in the sufferings of Christ (Acts 5:41). Grudge, enmity, hatred and unforgiveness draw us backwards in every aspect of our lives. When parents teach their children to hate, they sow a seed that would draw them backwards unless uprooted. The Church spread more. Philip performed more miracles, and great multitudes believed through him.

The capacity of the Church to strive even in the midst of harsh persecutions is another evidence of the resurrection. “I am with you always, even to the end of time” (Mt 28:20). It is only with the grace of the resurrection that the Church can climb on that which ought to bring it down to rise to new heights. This is the grace we share individually as members of the Church. Every obstacle we face will become a stepping stone to climb to new heights if only we remove our eyes from revenge, grudge, etc.

That is why we must always contemplate the risen Jesus to be strengthened. “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.” He assures of eternal nourishment, which no persecution or life-problem can take away. It is by faith that we enter into Christ to share in the grace to move forward in every circumstances. “For this is the will of my Father that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” The assurance of life Jesus gives over whelms us more than the threat of death and opposition we face each day. Today we see through situations in our lives that tend to limit us or project death, to deepen our hope in eternal life. Then our capacity to be unlimited, nourished through the Eucharist, will shine out.

Fr Jude C. Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Wednesday April 29^th, 2020.

Memorial of St Catherine of Siena.

NOURISHED FOR FORGIVENESS

Reflection for Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

(Act 7:51-8:1; Jn 6:30-35)

 From silence, Stephen addressed the council. His words were like arrows that pierced their hearts. He confronted them for their stubbornness and resistance to the Holy Spirit. As their fathers killed the prophets, so also they betrayed and murdered Jesus. Stephen was courageous. He did not speak to save his life, but proclaimed the truth. The council and his accusers found themselves sentenced by his words. “They were infuriated when they heard this, and ground their teeth at him” (Acts 7:54). Now there own evil ways have caught up with their conscience! Their actions have become burden to their minds. They ground their teeth because they had lost their freedom and authenticity. Instead of repenting, they became bloodthirsty. This self-inflicted injury is always there when a dishonest person is confronted with the truth.

 While they were battling with themselves, “Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand.” Stephen was caught up in an attraction stronger than death! He had a foretaste of the glory of God, so their fury and malice could not affect him. They rushed at him, thrust him out of the city and stoned him. “As they were stoning him, Stephen said in invocation, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’” He entrusted his life to Jesus as we do at every Eucharistic celebration. Surprisingly, and with a twist of tone, he said aloud, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Forgiveness is here shown as a sign that we have been caught up in the glory of God, and so can let go, and wish good for the offenders.

That is why we need to be nourished by Jesus often. “For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Only God can give us such strength that can withstand the oppositions we face in the world as Christians. Imagine the extent of the force against Stephen, and his gentle victory over their malice and death itself! Our faith in the resurrection of Jesus guarantees us such victory today. Hearing the good news about the bread from heaven, they people said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

Like Stephen, we are often faced with accusers; situations that test our faith, and people that trespass against us. Our spiritual energy can easily run dry, and our gaze upon the glory of God might be shifted away! But Jesus stands at the right hand of God and before us that silence and glory may cover us, while the grinding of teeth belongs to our accusers. Therefore, there is no hurt we cannot let go. Forgiveness is the testimony we bear that we have been fed and nourished in Jesus; our lives are caught up in His glory. Alleluia!

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Tuesday April 28^th, 2020.

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus, I believe that you are really here in the Blessed Sacrament. I love you more than anything in the world, and I hunger to feed on your flesh. But since I cannot receive Communion at this moment, feed my soul at least spiritually. I unite myself to you now as I do when I actually receive you. Never let me drift away from you. Amen.

----St Alphonsus Liguori

Standing Apart with Jesus

Reflection for Monday of the Third Week of Easter

(Acts 6:8-15; Jn 6:22-29)  

  

Stephen was silent, but the voice of his accusers roared. They had many accusations to sell their jealousy. Stephen was full of grace, wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit. Obviously, he was operating at a level his accusers could not access. So their jealousy increased. The same kind of malicious intent with which they crucified Jesus was applied to Stephen. Thus, they influenced public opinion against Stephen, and accused him of blasphemy. Often times, those who are eloquent, who have power or access to public media can easily influence public opinion. And every now and then, our faith is place on the judgment seat of what is trending...If we are not inspired by faith but by popular opinion, we may end up fronting the grace, wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit.

Stephen remained silent before the council as accusations against him continued to fly. “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place...” But the silence of Stephen spoke to the council. They were drawn to a contemplative gaze at him. “All in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” Without words, his innocence shined out.

But the crowd will often want to have their way! Public opinion can set you up or blackmail you into succumbing their idea.  So after eating to their fill, the crowds made great efforts to find Jesus. They travelled from Tiberias to Capernaum looking for Him to befriend Him to their side. The popular opinion about the Messiah was the one that would perform such miracles as feeding them with bread and fish. But Jesus will not fall for popular opinion, which germinates from selfishness. He insists we must be motivated by whatever will lead to eternal life. “Do not labour for the food which perishes but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you.”  And the work we must do to earn this eternal nourishment is faith in Jesus Christ. “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

Taking responsibility in faith sets one apart from the crowd and positions him for a personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus. This is the testimony of Stephen. The grace, wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit, gifts and promises of the risen Saviour, awaits all who will step out of the crowd and embrace Him in faith. What is the prevailing opinion in the media today? What is the trending social life style you see around? What is the popular idea about religion and worship? Etc. Most of these are laced with hidden agenda which are not in line with our faith in Christ Jesus. If we stand like Stephen on the foundation of the Holy Spirit, even the sound of our silence will overcome the noise of every problem we face.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Monday April 27^th, 2020. 

WALKING WITH JESUS

 (The Emmaus Experience)

EASTER MEDITATION III

 “Now that very same day, two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem” (Lk 24:13).

Welcome to our third Easter meditation. Today we draw inspiration from the encounter of the two disciples with the Resurrected Jesus as they walked towards Emmaus. The appearance of Jesus was quite dramatic. The two disciples were walking down in near confusion, discussing among themselves the things that happened concerning Jesus and the report the women brought about His resurrection. The evidence of the empty tomb and the testimony of the women were wrapped in a cloud of doubt since they had no personal encounter with Jesus. The appearance of Jesus in their midst was to save them from doubt, to open their eyes, and give them the sight of faith in the Resurrection.

 This encounter has given us a deeper insight into the personality of the Risen Saviour. He is omnipresent. He is the unseen listener to our conversation. And He is ready to step into the confusion of our lives. He is our light in darkness, accompanying us along the way. Yes, Jesus will go the mile with you. But we have to give Him the chance to walk with us along the way. In this evening walk of Jesus and the two disciples, we see how we can walk with Him even in the busyness of our minds and the confusion of our lives. It begins with interest.

Imagine that the disciples were walking down and discussing among themselves other matters of interest apart from these things concerning Jesus of Nazareth! But that they were concerned, worried, reflecting and discussing all about Jesus, was enough invitation for Jesus to come in. This is the beginning of meditation and contemplation in the life of a Christian. Some usually ask me how they can meditate, which method to use or the environment they can adopt to enter into deep meditation. It all begins with interest! When our interest dwells on Christ Jesus, in any aspect of His life, we have opened up our inner self for Jesus to step in to enlighten and enliven our hearts (CCC 2705-2719). “Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, He explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about Himself” (Lk 24:27).

Think about the silence of the two disciples as Jesus opened their eyes to the Scriptures. Their hearts were on fire, but they were wrapped in the cloud of unknowing, such as Peter’s experience during the transfiguration. Cleopas and the other disciple were passive but active in attentiveness. This is always a contemplative disposition. Jesus steps in along the way and takes the lead. He led them to a new horizon of understanding. That is why Lectio Divina and other forms of meditation and contemplation approved by the Church give divine illumination to the heart. “Did not our hearts burn within us as He talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?” (Lk 24:32). This warmth of heart is the sweetness and energy of silent prayer. The saints call it ‘divine consolation.’ 

 

Walking with Jesus often leads us to a decision junction. This is where we decide to invite the Lord in, to shelter Him and apply the illumination we received in our daily lives, or we part ways with Him. “When they reached the village to which they were going, He made as if to go on; but they pressed Him to stay with them” (Lk 24:28-29). Actually, His desire to stay with them was more, but by their invitation, their desire is now aligned with His. Their words of invitation had been used by monks as contemplative mantra over the centuries: “Mane nobiscum Domine, quoniam advesperascit” (Stay with us Lord, for evening falls). “Behold, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share a meal at that person’s side” (Rev 3:20). Prayer of silence disposes our hearts to hear that knock, and inspires us with the courage to open the doors of our hearts to Jesus.

Contemplative prayer has a Eucharistic dimension (CCC 2711). “Now while He was with them at table, He took the bread and said the blessing; then He broke it and handed it to them” (Lk 24:30). Again He who was invited takes the position of a host at the meal. They watch in silence as He handed back to them what they served Him in appreciation. They offered Him bread—fruit of their labour—He gave back to them Himself. He continued to draw them to greater heights of encounter. Like the Eucharistic Liturgy, they moved from breaking the word to the breaking of bread. In each case, their hearts burned; their eyes were opened. And they recognized Him! But no more with physical sight for He vanished immediately. It is not by sight but by faith.

Jesus is risen; He is alive! He wants to go the mile with us. No more shall we be faint-hearted as we journey along the way at this moment in our lives. There are so many other interests and considerations that tend to blind us, but we open the door for Jesus to come in by considering these things about Jesus of Nazareth.

 Fr Jude Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Sunday April 25^th, 2020.

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus, I believe that you are really here in the Blessed Sacrament. I love you more than anything in the world, and I hunger to feed on your flesh. But since I cannot receive Communion at this moment, feed my soul at least spiritually. I unite myself to you now as I do when I actually receive you. Never let me drift away from you. Amen.

----St Alphonsus Liguori

THE WITNESS OF PEACE

EASTER MEDITATION II

“On the evening of that day, the day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’” (Jn 20:19).

Previously we meditated on the first and immediate witness to the resurrection, which was the open grave. What if they saw the rolled away stone but no one saw Jesus? The Easter event would have ended as a myth. It was His appearances to His disciples that finally convinced them, and gave them such courage as to witness to Jesus in every situation. “Now we are those witnesses—we have eaten and drunk with Him after His resurrection from the dead” (Acts 10:41). By showing Himself to them, Jesus thus witnessed to His resurrection before the disciples and imprinted in their hearts this assurance that He is alive! “We cannot stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). Nevertheless, through Jesus’ appearances to the disciples we come to gaze into the spirituality of life in the Resurrection.

In His foremost appearance to Mary of Magdala, Jesus sent her to announce the good news of the resurrection to the disciples (Jn 20: 17-18). “Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; there they will see me’” (Mt 28:10). This victory over fear is an underlying message that Jesus continued to pass across as He appeared to the disciples. By His victory over the grave, He emptied fear of its content! And His very presence is the only guarantee that they should not allow fear to rule their lives, despite the uncertainties and threatening situations around.

The most striking appearance was the one He appeared to the disciples in the room, where they lock themselves up for fear of the Jews. The mystery and power of the resurrected body is here shown to them as Jesus appeared to them though doors were locked. The life of the resurrection cannot be stopped by materiality. Human life is here taken up in divine life! And all who share in the life of the resurrection has their life taken up in hope through faith in Jesus Christ. They cannot locate the value of their lives, nor reduce the meaning of their lives, to anything material. Somehow, their lives pass through every obstacle. If we can begin to connect to this grace of the Resurrection then we are ready to accommodate the vital gifts that Jesus brought.

“Peace be with you” (Jn 20:19). Then He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:22). And He gave them power to forgive sins. While the apostles were amazed at His awesome presence, He showed them His hands and feet, and ate before them to prove to them that He has human body and not a ghost (Lk 24:39-42). Human life has found a new abode! He who took our nature at His incarnation, now has our nature taken up in His divinity. It is within this new abode of the resurrection in Christ Jesus can we have peace in the midst of fear, freedom in bondage, power in powerless, health in sickness, life in death...Yes, the peace Jesus bestows surpasses the material order; closed doors cannot stop it! If we do not have the Holy Spirit and forgiveness of sins, the doors and walls of the world will wedge off our peace. Once we have forgiveness as a virtue, and receive it as a sacrament, our peace cannot be stopped by any material gain or lack.

We feel life is meaningful when it locates certain values we associate with it. The resurrected Jesus stands before us as the only value that can give meaning to our lives. He has opened a new horizon of life, with its gift of peace. In Christ Jesus is our peace (Eph 2:14-19). Thus, Peace becomes our all time testimony that He is alive. We cannot claim to be Easter people if we do not have peace and promote it. Presently, more people are easily given to anger, family feud is rampant, impulsive behaviour is in the increase,  addiction, etc. The things we acquire in search of peace end up leaving us restless and unsatisfied. There is no alternative to the Easter peace Jesus offers. He Himself testifies to His own resurrection by the open grave and His appearances to the apostles, and the Holy Spirit given to us. The imprint of this testimony is the peace He left in our hearts. We may not all travel to Jerusalem to see the empty tomb, but we can feel this divine peace in the hearts of believers. This is the courage and serenity with which the disciples overcame the Jewish hostilities. Here too is our victory; no virus can mutilate the peace Christ Jesus has given. This is our Easter joy; Peace is our Easter song! Alleluia is our chorus. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Thursday April 23^th, 2020.

THE WITNESS OF THE EMPTY TOMB

(EASTER MEDITATION)

 “It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdalene came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved” (Jn 20:1-2).

We begin our Easter meditation series by looking at the empty tomb. The Easter event is surrounded with awe—love and wonder! It is quite obvious that the immediate followers of Jesus were not convincingly expecting the resurrection. It took them by surprise. Mary Magdalene thought the body was taken away; Peter and the other disciple did not believe until the entered the empty tomb and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground. The rest had to wait for His appearing before they could believe! And Jesus' appearances to the disciples gave them the assurance of faith with which they stood firm in their proclamation. Nevertheless, the Chief priests and Pharisees were expectant; they kept in mind the words of Jesus that He would rise from the dead. “So they went and made the sepulchre secure, putting seal on the stone and mounting a guard” (Mt 27:66). However, for those who believed in Jesus, the empty tomb rolled away their doubts, but for those who would not accept Him, it opened up their evil thoughts and emptiness.

But was it necessary for the stone to be rolled away for Jesus to come out? Definitely no! He could pass through the stone just as he appeared to the apostles in the room though the doors were locked (Jn 20:19). What if he came out without rolling away the stone? It was not the open grave that effected the resurrection. He opened the grave as evidence—a landmark and concrete witness to His resurrection, which could be accessed by both believers and unbelievers. Without the open grave, the disciples could have believed through His appearances, but the universality of the resurrection would be difficult to comprehend. The empty sepulchre was a witness to the resurrection, which Jesus Himself left for all to see and come to believe in Him.

Earlier, Jesus accused the Pharisees of being a white-washed sepulchre—cleaning the outside of the tomb while inside is dead bones, dirt and bad odour (Mt 23:27-28). But at this Easter, He goes into the tomb to clean it up! The darkness of the tomb is dispelled by His light; the scary, dirt and death in the grave is no more. The grave has become a cave; the tomb is now like a tub. The tomb was the journey-end where sin lures us to. The open grave has exposed the nothingness at the end of the journey of sin. Thus from this Easter mystery, we can begin to feel the vanity within every lure of sin. The witness of the empty tomb becomes our attraction to the new life of the resurrection in Christ Jesus.

Our participation in the new life in Christ Jesus, our overcoming of dead actions of sin, is the witness we bear to the resurrection. This ‘witness’, expressed in our Easter liturgy, is equally our celebration of the witness to Himself, which Jesus left behind. Therefore, our participation in His new life becomes our sharing in bearing witness; He Himself has given the first and ultimate witness to Himself. In other words, the witness to the resurrection is not left at the mercy of human agency. That is why, as we are going to see in readings of this Easter tide, that all efforts to silence the proclamation by the Sanhedrin and Saul proved abortive. And that is why we must remain steadfast in bearing witness to the new life we have received. No matter the situation we find ourselves, the changing times and present difficulties, cannot lure us away from witnessing to the resurrected Jesus by the life of holiness we bear.

Fr Jude Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.

Sunday April 19^th, 2020.

Feast of Divine Mercy.  

THE CLOUD OF SILENCE

Meditation on Good Friday

(Jn 18:1-40, 19-42)

“Re-entering the Praetorium, he said to Jesus, ‘Where do you come from?’ But Jesus made no answer” 

The Good Friday liturgy is unique and beautiful. The priest, vested in red, solemnly processes to the altar in silence, no song, no acclamation! The altar is laid bare, striped of decorations and light. The priest lowers himself and gently lay down in front of the altar. The whole church is wrapped in silence! Within this cloud of silence, the Church narrates the Passion of Jesus and offers her prayers.

We are drawn to this cloud of silence, which surrounded Jesus throughout His passion. Imagine the serenity in the garden as Jesus communed with the Father in prayer before the noise of Judas and the soldiers interrupted...Jesus was calm and spoke with confidence, and with authority! Looking at the length of the trials, and at different ends of the city with different rulers, we wonder why only few words of Jesus was recorded all through. The answer is simple: He was silent most of the time.

His silence was because, according to Fulton Sheen, Jesus accepted in freedom what was done to Him with malice. In other words, He freely gave Himself up into their treachery. So He remained free, while His executioners were restless and noisy. Thus the venom of their malice had no influence over Him; His mood and disposition remained intact...His love remained unshaken! But the Chief priest, Pilate and the Jews continued to judge each other and lose temper. Fear and tension continued to arise among them, while Jesus remained silent. Pilate was practically forcing words out of Jesus. His capacity as Governor was being questioned. This is one case history cannot forget.

Jesus offered no resistance. The full weight of the betrayal, denial, insults, beating and crucifixion landed on Him, and He did not return any. His silence was provocative as they struggled the more to satisfy their bitterness. In silence Jesus turned His attention to the Father—He looked up to Him who was able to save Him from death (Heb 5:7). His was not a snobbish silence; it was not a self-centred silence to prove His superiority. He entered into the cloud of silence, passive to His executioners, that He might actively offer up to the Father, in freedom, all the suffering He received for our salvation. Having offered all, “He said, ‘It is finished’; and bowing His head he gave up His spirit. Only the Sound of His Silence remained...

And that remains the echo of meditation and contemplation; the highest form of prayer is born. With this cloud of silence is the energy to imitate Jesus, especially at our moment of Cross. How can we carry our cross as Jesus did if we know no silence, and our hearts are noisy? When we have to confront family tussles, abuses, cheating, gossip, betrayals, setbacks, etc we too must enter the cloud of silence by actively connecting with the cross of Jesus, and locating our situation in Jesus’ passion. This is also how our disposition and love will remain intact, and inaccessible to our executioners!

As the altar is stripped bare, silence is the ornament that adorns this sacred space. Within this serenity we renew our love for the Cross, on which lay the Saviour of the world. After the Communion, the priest says the prayer and blessing over the people. Suddenly, without any formal dismissal, he processes out of the altar in silence, no hymns or acclamation...Like at Calvary, They all went sorrowfully away. But our silence will be broken by the crack sound of the opened tomb; the joy of the Resurrection.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Friday April 10^th,2020.

Good Friday.