THE MOMENT OFGRACE

Meditation for Monday of 11^th Week in Ordinary Time
(2 Cor 6:1-10; Mt 5:38-42)

What is it that can make someone to accept the grace of God in vain? St Paul makes a resounding appeal: “We entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain.” The grace of God comes at the right time; the divine help comes at that same time it is needed! And the moment of grace is the moment of salvation, for it is under the influence of grace that salvation is possible. Therefore, St Paul says, “Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” The grace of God for the moment is sufficient. We must allow the free flow of grace, and never put obstacles for its realization in us or in others.

St Paul enumerates how the hidden work of grace sets the servants of God in opposition to the world, such that the man of grace eludes the grasp and understanding of the world. Because of this opposition, the servants of God must pass through great endurance, affliction, hardship, labors, hunger, etc, but walking along with weapons of righteousness and the power of God. As the child of God is readily open to grace, the moment of the great enduring becomes a gracious moment since righteousness germinates from it. You do not know your capacity for grace until you face trials and temptations! “For the love of God urges us on” (2 Cor 5:14).

Also, Christ’s faithful who cooperate with grace even at the crossroads of their lives are often miss judged and misunderstood in the world. That is why St Paul says, “We are treated as imposters, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known, as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” Realizing such abundance of grace available for us at our odd moments, Jesus says, “Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” We must allow the grace of God to move us forward; it surfaces simultaneously with trials and temptations. Since we are on the side of grace, Jesus says, “Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.” Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Monday June 14, 2021.
www.soundofsilence.ng
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

 

THE SILENT HAND THAT GROWS US

Meditation for 11^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

(Ezekiel 17:22-24; 2 Cor 5:6-10; Mk 4:26-34)

Every genuine and fruitful growth occurs in SILENCE! We eat and take care of ourselves, but we not hear the bones stretching nor the flesh adding up; we look back and realize an enormous growth had occurred in silence but before our eyes. This silence does not necessary make growth ‘mysterious’ but makes it ‘beautiful’, ‘powerful’ and ‘necessary.’ Simply put: growth occurs, and we accept it!

In the first reading of today, Ezekiel announced that God was going to bring about a growth that is almost impossible for man to achieve. God would break off the topmost of the young twigs of the cedar and plant it upon a high and lofty mountain of Israel, “That it may bring forth boughs and bear fruit.” And under this cedar will dwell all kinds of beasts, birds of every sort will nest in its branches. “I the Lord bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish.” The silent hand of God brings about growth beyond human imagination.

 

This silent hand of God touches us through faith. St Paul in the second reading said that we walk by faith, not by sight. Faith brings growth and fruitfulness. The spiritual nourishment that faith supplies gives us courage even in our bodily life, so that we live to please the Lord and not to indulge the body. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body.” Since God is the source of nourishment and growth, the fruit thus produced must be worthy of Him and presented before Him.

 

The reward is good or evil; heaven or hell. And the parable of Jesus today describes how the kingdom of God grows in us silently and in little things. It is like a little grain a man dropped on the ground, “And should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how.” But once harvest is ready, he puts in the sickle…The kingdom of God is majorly the work of grace, which we are asked to cooperate with.

 

Again, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed, which grows from the smallest seed to become the greatest of all shrubs, with large branches so that birds of the air can make their nests on it. So the words of the prophet Ezekiel is fulfilled in the words of Jesus. For we see in Jesus the rejected stone that became the cornerstone; the little seed cut from the little tribe of Bethlehem that became the biggest shrub of salvation on which all sorts of people will gather to grow their little ‘nests’ of salvation. It is on Christ Jesus that our lives are built and grow silently. His unseen and powerful hand silently holds us and grows us to bear fruit for eternal life. The Silent hand of God sustains us.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Sunday June 13^th, 2021.
www.soundofsilence.ng
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

LIFTING THE VEIL OF IGNORANCE

Meditation for Thursday of the 10^th Week in Ordinary Time
(2 Cor 3:15-4:1, 3-6; Mt 5:20-26)

A wise man is one who is aware of his ignorance. But ignorance is so tricky that often times we are blindfolded, thinking that the knowledge we possess in any situation absolves us of ignorance. That is how a lot of intelligent and educated people are even brainwashed by the knowledge the possess, and they end up believing falsely and acting foolishly. There seems to be a veil of ignorance that covers our minds and prevents us from beholding the truth, especially when it challenges what we already know! However, St Paul says in the first reading of today, “But when a man turns to the Lord the veil is removed.”

This is because true freedom is in the spirit; “And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Jesus is the Incarnate Wisdom. Those who believe in Jesus Christ, and are filled with His Spirit, have the veil of ignorance removed from their minds. With unveiled faces, they behold the glory of the Lord, and are gradually transformed into His likeness, from glory to glory! In other words, we see with the ‘eyes of the Lord.’ Thus, Christ’s faithful cannot be blinded by what they do not know, nor enslaved and veiled by what they already know. They behold the glory of God in Christ Jesus, through which they see the world.

“For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the Knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” Thus, the true knowledge that removes the veil of ignorance is the knowledge of the glory of Christ, which can be seen in the gospel and in the world by those who believe. Let us not be like the Pharisee and scribes, who rejected Jesus Christ and they remained covered with the veil of ignorance despite their deep knowledge of the law and the prophets. Hence Jesus says, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.”

Lord Jesus, open the eyes of our understanding that we may see the glorious hope you have called us to (cf. Eph 1:18). Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Thursday June 10^th, 2021.
www.soundofsilence.ng
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

FINDING SELF-SUFFICIENCY

                                                 FINDING SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Meditation for Wednesday of the 10^th Week in Ordinary Time

(2 Cor 3:4-11; Mt 5:17-19)

How can one achieve self-sufficiency? Come to think of it, what is the measure of self-sufficiency? May be being able to pay for one’s bills and possess the basic necessities of life answers the question. Still, we need more to sustain what we already have and to support others.  Human beings by nature are insatiable, our desires are endless. St Paul says we cannot be sufficient of ourselves; man must fine sufficiency outside of himself. That is why we easily run to worldly things in attempt to find relevance and sufficiency. But St Paul says, “Our sufficiency is from God, who has qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant.”

This new covenant is far different from the old code that was carved on stones. St Paul explains that the new covenant is spiritual, gives life and comes with greater splendor. It is through this new and eternal covenant in Jesus Christ that God satisfies our heart in its desires and we receive self-relevance and identity in Jesus Christ.

That is why we must prioritize and emphasize on the new and eternal Covenant of the Cross, and participate in it actively through the Eucharist. Jesus says in the Gospel of today, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.” So as we try each moment to live out the grace of the new covenant of the Cross, we shall find satisfaction or sufficiency, which is a foretaste of heaven. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Wednesdayay June 9^th, 2021.
www.soundofsilence.ng
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

IN THE LIHGT OF TRUTH

Meditation for Tuesday of the 10^th Week in Ordinary Time

(2 Cor 1:18-22; Mt 5:13-16)

There seems to be an impression that if we continue to push forward a false idea or action, after a long while, we may get accustomed to it and forget it to be false in the first place. Most governments and worldly powers operate more or less on this erroneous principle. What is untrue cannot become truth! A falsehood grows and gives birth to numerous offspring, which people deal with and forget the originating mother. But sooner or later, the edifice of lies shall crumble. On the other hand, truth is immutable; truth has a life standard that pierces through times and seasons, and remains alive in those who embrace it. We can rightly say that while people MAKE UP LIES, they SURRENDER TO TRUTH!

St Paul quickly pointed out in the first reading of today that the message Christ he preached is always true. There is no room for ‘half-truth’ or falsehood, it is always YES! Jesus is the Truth; in Him it is always Yes. There no double standard. All God’s promises find their truth and fulfilment in Jesus. “That is why we utter the Amen through Him, to the glory of God.” To surrender to truth is to surrender to Christ, and through the Gospel, we establish our lives in Christ, standing secure in truth with the seal of the Holy Spirit.

It is on this EDIFICE OF TRUTH, which Christ Jesus, that our hearts receive guarantee and assurance for the future and fulfilment of God’s promises. Then, our lights will continue to shine, withstanding the blowing winds of lies and deceit that fight against the light of truth. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Amen.

 

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

 

THE HEALING COMFORT

 Meditation for Monday of the 10^th Week in Ordinary Time
(2 Cor 1:1-7; Mt 5:1-12)

It is popularly said that you cannot give what you do not have. We need to receive in order to give out to others. This is the message St Paul emphasized at the beginning of his letter to the Corinthians. Interestingly, he talks about COMFORT as what we need to receive and give out to others.

Who needs comfort? It is the suffering and afflicted. If we are to comfort others, we need to receive comfort first. And for us to receive it, we must be in need of it, which is suffering and affliction. Should we then create affliction in order to be comforted? He answers, no! “For as we share abundantly in Christ’ suffering, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” So the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, through our SHARING IN THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST, comforts us in all our afflictions, “That we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

By meditating on and embracing the sufferings of Christ, St Paul says we learn how to patiently endure in suffering. This transforms our human suffering into a means of our participation in the sufferings of Christ, which brings us divine comfort. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

In the spirit of the beatitudes, the comfort we receive is what we must give out to others, building up their hope in Christ Jesus. In others words, the only comfort we have is the one we received and have given away! There are so many lonely and wounded hearts around us today; fear and uncertainty have build nests in many people. Let us go forward, marked with the sufferings of Christ, to bring His divine comfort to those around us. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Monday June 7^th, 2021.
www.soundofsilence.ng
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

THE MERITS OF THE EUCHARIST

Meditation for Corpus Christi, Year B

(Ex 24:3-8; Heb 9:11-15; Mk 14:12-26,22-26)

After Moses explained the laws and ordinances of the Lord to the people, they professed their faith saying, “All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do.” He built an altar at the foot of the mountain, with a symbolic representation of all the twelve tribes of Israel. On this altar they offered peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. Moses did the blood of sacrifice into two, and poured one half on the altar. Once more the people professed their faith and agreed to the terms of the covenant. Then, Moses threw the other half of the blood on the people, saying, “Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

This covenant relationship prepared for the new and perfect covenant in Jesus Christ. The second reading identifies Jesus as the High Priest who administers the covenant sacrifice. He offers the eternal sacrifice in the highest heavens, ‘the Holy Place.’ He is the VICTIM, who offers Himself; whose blood brings the perfect sanctification for the purification of our inner self, purifying our conscience from dead works and evil inclinations, and repositioning us to serve the living God. Unlike the sprinkled blood by Moses, the new covenant blood of Jesus Christ touches us from within!

The Gospel of today narrates how Jesus celebrated the first Eucharist within the thanksgiving meal of the Passover feast. “He took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is my body.’ And He took a chalice, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” Here the covenant meal is CONSUMED and internalized. Jesus commanded us to offer the Eucharist in memory of Him (I Cor 11:24-25). The sacrifice of Moses was a mere memorial of the past Passover event of Egypt. But Jesus offered His body and blood in anticipation and in view of His Passover offering on the Cross. So, the efficacy of the Eucharist flows directly from the Cross; it is the merits of the sacrifice of the cross that we receive directly Eucharist. But what ‘merit’ is greater than Jesus Christ Himself?

The Eucharist is the EXTRAORDINARY PRESENCE of Jesus Christ. Pause and reflect: what does it mean to remember someone who is present, with his words, gestures and actions? Is it anything less than a pull towards him and an intermingling of our lives with Him, such that His life comes alive in our lives! In the Eucharist we draw life and strength. And our daily actions testifies…With the Eucharist, therefore, the MEMORIAM of Jesus is alive in our words and actions. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Sunday June 6^th, 2021
Solemnity of Corpus Christi
www.soundofsilence.ng
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com