THE POTTER'S CLAY

Reflection for Thursday of the 17^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

(Jer 18: 1-6; Mt 13:47-53)

The Lord sent Jeremiah to the potter’s house for an important lesson. He saw the potter working at his wheel. “And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.” The potter had in mind the design he wanted, if the clay did not come out as he wanted, he reworked it. Then the Lord spoke to Jeremiah concerning Israel, saying, “Can I not do with you as this potter has done? Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”

So, we are like clay in the hands of God. He created us in His own image and likeness, but the ‘clay’ spoiled due to sin and selfishness. Now, He decided to rework us into another vessel, which is Jesus Christ. Yes, He will continue to remould us into the image of His Son until we fit perfectly into the Original design He had in mind (Rm 8:29). Imagine the patience, the dexterity and love with which the skilled Potter is handling our fragile earthen life, carefully transforming us each day into ‘another Christ.’ So, we carry in ourselves the imprint of the life of Jesus (2Cor 4:10-11). As long as we are alive, God continues to remould us; we must dispose ourselves in His arms, and cooperate with His grace at all times.

But time will not be with us forever. The parable of the net that was cast into the sea, which gathered all sorts of things both good and bad, tells us that there will be time to sort out the good from the bad. At that time, there will not be opportunity to remould our lives. Evil shall be destroyed as wastes are burned in a fire.

The message of Jeremiah is encouraging. May be we have failed several times to imitate Jesus. Sometimes it appears we are stagnant in our spiritual journey. Changing times and situations, such as health failure, financial crisis, death, etc can becloud our minds and distract us from our commitment to live like Jesus. God says through the prophet that He is still working on this fragile Clay. If God is still working, we should continue to cooperate with Him. Do not give up on yourself; trust in His grace. At the end of the day, Christ Jesus will be all in all (cf. 1 Cor 15:28).

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Thursday July 30^th, 2020.

www.nwachinw.blogspot.com

THE ONE THING NEEDFUL

St Martha, Disciple of the Lord

Matter of Martha

The name ‘Martha’ means ‘Lady’ or ‘Mistress of the house.’ St Martha was a sister to Mary and Lazarus. They were referred to as ‘friends of Jesus’ (Jn 11:5). It is not clear who is the eldest among the three, but from her ‘disposition’ Martha seems to be the eldest. She  appears to be the ‘spokesperson’ of the family. She was the chief host, the one who welcomed Jesus into their house (Lk 10:38; Jn 11:20). There is every indication that Martha was outspoken and a lively lady, for she ran out to meet Jesus, and did not hesitate to express her displeasure that Jesus did not respond to the ‘sick call’ promptly. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (Jn 11:21). She seems to be very generous and caring as she served Jesus and the guests (Jn 12:2).

Martha loved her family; she did all she could to save her brother’s life. After she received Jesus, she went and called her sister to come and meet Jesus, saying to her in a low voice, “The Master is here and wants to see you” (Jn 11:28). At the tomb of Lazarus, when Jesus asked for the stone to be rolled away, Martha thought He wanted to go in to see the dead body, so she tried to discourage Him, saying, “Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day since he died” (Jn 11:39).

Friend of Jesus

Martha was a woman of faith. She believed in Jesus. That was why she sent for Him to come and cure her brother. Even when all seemed to be lost, she said to Jesus, “But even now I know that God will grant whatever you ask of Him” (Jn 11:22). And she professed her faith in the resurrection (Jn 11:27). Now we can understand why she welcomed Jesus with such warmth and generosity.

It was for her care for Jesus that she got herself “distracted with much serving” (Lk 10:40). She worked herself out trying to entertain Jesus and those with Him. She was not happy with her sister who sat down listening to Jesus instead of helping her serve. But being a friend of Jesus, and expecting Him to have noticed her ‘frustration’, Martha offloaded her worries unto the Lord. “Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me” (Lk 10:40). Think about this: ordinarily, she would have picked offense directly with her sister, but she wanted the Lord to ‘settle her case.’

The One Thing Needful

“Martha, Martha, He said, you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one...” Imagine the love and respect with which Jesus addressed her. It shows that even before she complained, the Lord had seen and received her ‘servings’ but she had to be directed to the ‘one thing necessary.’ Being friends with Jesus—to contemplate Jesus—is the one thing necessary. Finding fulfilment, the fulfilment that only Jesus can give, is the reason we work. So, work expresses contemplative beauty. And contemplation itself is the most important task as Jesus showed that Mary was not idling away, but engaged in the most sublime labour.

As Jesus comes into our hearts today, how do we welcome Him? Do we push him aside and got engrossed in our tasks? We should engage Him in the silence of our hearts, ‘sitting at His feet in meditative attention’, which is the one thing needful. Then every other work we engage in will not weigh us out. Martha is the patron saint of cooks, housewives, waiters and servants. St Martha, pray for us. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Wednesday July 29th, 2020.

Memorial of St Martha, Disciple of the Lord

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

THE ATTENTIVE EAR

Reflection for Tuesday of the 17^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

(Jer 14:17-22; Mt 13:36-43)

At the end of the parable of the weed planted among the good seed, Jesus said, “He who has ears, let him hear.” This phrase indicates the seriousness of the message, and the need to be attentive and for prompt response to it. Prophet Ezekiel used the phrase to show that the word of God was being announced to a rebellious and stubborn people (Ezk 3:27). Hearing that statement, we come to understand how the word of God respects our freedom of choice, and sets us free. At the same time, it appeals to us to choose the message and act on it. “He who has ears, let him hear” presumes that we have ears, and should be wise to listen to do what the word says. And we are responsible for the consequences that would come upon us if we turn deaf ears to the word of God.

At the end of the parable, the unproductive and useless weeds, which represent all causes of sin and evildoers, are gathered by Angels and thrown into the furnace of fire, where there will be great suffering. “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.” So, he who has ears will surely choose to live a righteous life. But knowing the right thing to do does not mean we will do it automatically. We do not easily listen to what God says, but we want God to listen to what we say.

The Prophet Jeremiah in the first reading addresses God as the only true God who hears His Children. So, he pleads to God on behalf of the people, telling Him all the sufferings and terrors they have been through. “If I go out into the field, behold, those slain by the sword! And if I enter the city, behold, the diseases of famine...” He asked God not to abandon Zion as they acknowledge their wickedness, the iniquities of their fathers, and their sins against God. Since God hears and answers prayers, Jeremiah affirms that their only hope is in God.

Therefore, to have an attentive ear to God who listens to us, we must incline our hearts to righteousness. Sin blocks our spiritual ears, such that we live like those who have ears but do not hear. And none of us can bear the consequences thereof. To develop an attentive ear to God, we must begin to listen to the silent voices within our hearts that speaks of peace, love, and self-denial. Every prompting of the heart that inclines us to selfishness and pride must be rejected. If we are attentive to God, surely, we will be attentive to those around us. We have ears; let us not harden our hearts, but listen to the word of God today (Heb 3:15).

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Tuesday July 28^th, 2020.

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

'THE WAISTCLOTH'

Reflection for Monday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time

(Jer 13:1-11; Mt 13:31-35)

The Prophet Jeremiah used a lot of parables and imageries to convey his message. In today’s readings, the Lord asked Jeremiah to buy a beautiful linen waistcloth and wear it. People saw him wearing it as he moved around. Then, the Lord asked him to hide the waistclothe under the rocks at Euphrates. After a while, he dug out the clothes, but termites have spoilt it. When people saw him wearing the tattered clothe, he said to them, “Thus says the Lord: Even so will I spoil the pride Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.” The prophet explained that as a waistcloth clings to the loins of a man, that was how the Lord attached Judah to himself, but they stubbornly follow their own hearts and worshipped idols. Therefore, they shall be rendered useless like the waistcloth eaten by termites. 

Imagine losing one's beauty and usefulness because of stubbornness of heart towards the word of God. The word of God grows in our hearts like the little mustard seed that matures gradually into a giant tree, or the leaven that increases the flour. This is how the Kingdom of Heaven spreads amongst us. Therefore, all who listen to the word of God, and have this heavenly seed alive in their hearts, pay attention to little things and to the little ones! Such a person is useful and can be trusted both in small things and big ones. 

So, the word of God makes us beautiful and useful like Jeremiah’s new linen waistcloth. We become attentive to little whisperings of the Holy Spirit within, responding promptly to small acts of charity, and we become sensitive and available to moments of acquiring grace. Our beauty and pride come from our close attachment to God like a waistcloth. Imagine how insensitive people are these days, to their real needs, and to the needs of those around them. When we can no more value and respond to little things, it is a sign that the little seed of the Kingdom is not growing in  our hearts. Let the story of Jeremiah and the teachings of Jesus in the Gospel reawaken in our hearts to the growth of the Kingdom Heaven. 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Monday July 27th, 2020.

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com 

OUR TREASUR

The Gospel of today gives three short parables about the Kingdom. The first talks about the Kingdom as a treasure a man found in a field. He sold all he had and bought the field. The second says, it is like a fine pearl a merchant found, again he sold all he had and bought it. The third describes the Kingdom of Heaven from the ‘end of time view', as the separation of the good and the bad. We are not surprised that Jesus described the Kingdom of Heaven as “Treasure.” Of course, it should be of the highest value to us. But what draws our attention is that He explains it as “hidden”, “expensive” and “destruction of evil.”

Hidden Treasure

Jesus says the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. Yes, it is hidden but available; available to those who value it. In other words, though it is available, it is not common! And because it is “hidden”, its value is higher. It is only those who seek that might find it. And those who find it are those to whom it is revealed. So, St Paul says in the second reading, “And those whom He predestined, He called;  and those whom He called He also justified; and those whom He justified He also glorified.” What is it you seek most in your life today? What is it that has become of great value to you? Seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, within it is hidden great and real treasure (Mt 6:33). “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Mt 6:21). Therefore, if your heart values the Kingdom of Heaven, its blessings and righteousness, your heart will be 'hidden' from the worries of this life. 

Expensive Treasure

Interestingly, the first man had to buy the whole field, such that he owns both the treasure and the land in which it is hidden. By purchasing it, either as a ‘landlord' or 'businessman', the treasure becomes his rightful property that 'dwells with him.’ “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you” (Lk 17:21). But it is acquired at the highest cost! We see the example of Solomon in the first reading, who gave up the desire for wealth, power, and revenge over his enemies but asked for wisdom! The Kingdom becomes ours if we can sacrifice other little treasures to reacquire it.

How much can we offer in exchange for eternal life and the heavenly graces we need today? How much spiritual resources do we have, and how much personal holiness can we bring? So, Jesus pays the price! The price tag on the heavenly treasure is 'Jesus.’ He offers Himself on the Cross and pays the most expensive price. Thus, we who are baptized in Jesus have become “co-heirs” with Christ Jesus of the Kingdom of Heaven (RM 8:17). In Him we now have a claim to Heaven and its blessings as our own! Therefore, we give up whatever that is contrary to Christ Jesus. Hence, everything we sacrifice for sake of Jesus Christ will turn out to our advantage, for God has called us to be conformed to the image of his Son (RM 8:29).

Destruction of Evil

The net that gathers for the Kingdom contains within it good and evil. The moment of the Kingdom of Heaven shines out as the triumph of the righteous; the victory over evil. The furnace of fire, weeping and gnashing of teeth awaits all who do evil. So, the separation of good from bad is an important mark of the Kingdom. Therefore, anytime we begin to remove all sorts of evil and negativity from our lives, the Kingdom of Heaven will start shining out in us. 

The treasure field has been paid for: the heavenly blessings we need today, the righteous life we want to live, and the eternal life we head to. So we give our life to Jesus; we live for Jesus, and say no any evil or immoral life. The treasure of the Kingdom of Heaven is ours. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church, 

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos. 

Sunday July 26th, 2020.

THE HIDDEN WISDOM

Reflection for Friday of the 16^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

(Jer 3:14-17; Mt 13:18-23)

“Return, O faithless children, says the Lord; for I am your master...and I will bring you to Sion.” As Jeremiah called the people back to God, he explained to them the blessings they would enjoy if they turned back and followed the Lord. They Lord will give them a shepherd after His own heart, who will feed them with knowledge and understanding. In other words, a Shepherd who will open their eyes to insight and mystery! They shall increase and multiply. When that day comes, the Ark of the Covenant will not be needed anymore. Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord.

Imagine such a gathering of God’s faithful! This prophecy of Jeremiah looks into the future of Christ Jesus. He is the Good Shepherd, who opens the mind of those who come to Him in faith, and fill them with wisdom and understanding. He becomes our new Covenant through which a new Jerusalem dawns, where all peoples shall gather in the presence of God. Meditating on the Gospel of today, we see the disciples gathered around Jesus in a room as He opens their minds and hearts to the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, hidden in the parable of the sower.

As a Good Shepherd, Jesus leads them to understand how an ordinary human activity like sowing seeds in a farm can communicate a divine reality. This is hidden wisdom! It might appear simple and easy, but it is only when we ‘gather around Jesus’ that we can gain such knowledge. That is, we need Jesus to understand how the realities of our lives carry ‘Divine data.’ In other words, when we ‘return to the Lord’ as Jeremiah said, and ‘gather our lives around Him’, we will begin to see how almost every aspect of our lives, such as relationship, family, sickness and health, wealth and career, etc, have meaning for the Kingdom of Heaven. Sometimes our lives unfold like a ‘parable’ but in Jesus we find the meaning of it all.

If we execute our activities this day with the wisdom and understanding that Jesus gives, then we shall be like the seeds that were sown on the good soil, “This is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” May it be so for you today through Christ our Lord, Amen!

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Friday July 24^th, 2020.

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

For other reflections on the parable of the sower in recent past, click below:

https://nwachinwe.blogspot.com/2020/07/working-for-righteousness.html

https://nwachinwe.blogspot.com/2020/07/sowing-for-harvest.html

https://nwachinwe.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-builder-and-sower.html

THE CISTERN OF HIDDEN TREASURE

   Reflection for Thursday of the 16^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

(Jer 2:1-3, 7-8,12-13; Mt 13:10-17)

Another prophet has taken over the stage! From today till the end of this month, we shall be hearing from Jeremiah. I describe him as ‘a prophet par excellence.’ His message is intermingled with his life. If you pay attention to him, you cannot but fall in love with Jeremiah. He grew up during the reign of King Josiah, when Judah was at peace. But he saw the bad times coming, and warned the people, but they rejected him. He lived through the Babylonian exile and Assyrian invasion. He was exiled in Egypt and died there. Announcing destruction at a time the people thought they were enjoying peace, brought fierce opposition and sorrow to Jeremiah. He is popularly described as the suffering servant of God.

In today’s readings, Jeremiah began to remind the people the devotion of their fathers, and how they loved God and followed Him in the desert. Then, “Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruits of His harvest.” All who hurt her was punished. God settled them in the Promised Land. But now they have defiled the land. The priests, the lawyers, the rulers, and prophets have all transgressed. They were pursuing vanity! Jeremiah announced the two evils the people committed against God: “They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

It was stubbornness of heart for Israel to knowingly turned her back on the sure source of life God gave them in the law and prophets, and instituted idols that cannot help them, and had never helped any nation. Jeremiah would continue to speak to them but their stubbornness of heart would not let them hear, instead they would persecute him. Thus, Jesus says to those who block their hearts from hearing of God’s word, God too will hide His mysteries from them! To the stubbornness of heart, the message of God will come to them in parables, such that they will have to raise their hearts and minds to understand it. Therefore, the 'parables' will help draw their heart from their self-inflicted stubbornness, and launch them into the realm of God’s mysteries. One gets humbled as he climbs through the parables to the hidden mysteries.

So the disciples, and those who have these mysteries revealed to them, are the humble and blessed. We hear and see what many prophets and righteous men longed to see and hear but did not see them nor hear them. The knowledge of God and the gracious moments we share in Him should be guided jealously, for it is a hidden treasure. Israel, carelessly threw away their good times with God, and ended up with empty cisterns that cannot hold water. As we open up our hearts to Jesus today, He assures us of an increase in His blessings, “For to him who has, will more be given.”

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Thursday July 23^rd, 2020.

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com