MEETING JESUS THROUGH THE SIGN

 MEETING JESUS THROUGH THE SIGN
Meditation for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Ex 16:2-4, 12-15; Eph 4:17, 20-24; Jn 6:24-35)

After Jesus fed the five thousand, the crowd gathered to make him their ‘bread king’, but he fled from them! In today’s Gospel, the people found in at Capernaum, but He said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of loaves.” Now, think about how much selfish desire pushes us to blind pursuits! The excitement of the free tasty bread that satisfied their hunger made them to take the pains to look for Jesus. Human desire is not only insatiable, but it often clings on irrelevant things and exaggerates their importance while pursuing them with utmost vigour. We can even claim to be working for God though we are motivated by our self-interest.

As the Mana in the desert became a sign through which the hunger of the Assembly of Israel became a hunger for God who saved them and fed them, so Jesus expected the people to perceive the sign of the multiplication of the loaves as pointing to Him. But they saw through the miracle an opportunity to pursue their self-satisfaction. The failed to understand because they were looking for the sign, not where the sign was pointing to; they were looking for the bread, not the giver of bread! Those who look for miracles are easily deceived, but those who look for the God of miracles find Him and receive miracles in their lives.

Therefore, St Paul urges us in the second reading not to follow the futility of our minds as unbelievers in Christ do.. The human mind can perceive several needs and hunger, but we are not to follow them as the sole end of our journey, allowing our immediate needs to define us and our way of life! St Paul says this is an old way of thinking, which we must put off, for human desires are full of corrupt and deceitful lusts. “Be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new man, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” If you follow your mind, the Eucharist will appear only as bread and wine. But Christ’s faithful see through the sign to receive Jesus. So Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.” Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Sunday August 1st, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

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The Triumph of Grace

Feast of St Mary Magdalene, The “APOSTLE OF THE APOSTLES”

When sin becomes public it is called a scandal. The ears of the public are magnetic to scandals, and those ‘caught in the act’ are not spared but ridiculed. Today we celebrate with high honor a woman in the bible who was known as a ‘public sinner.’ Mary Magdalene was introduced as follower of Jesus from whom seven demons was cast out (Lk 8:1-3; Mk 16:9). Among the group of women that followed and supported Jesus, Mary Magdalene was first mentioned. This shows that she occupied a prominent role among those women! Again, her name was mentioned among the women that witnessed the crucifixion from a distance (Mk 15:40; Mt 27:55-56; Lk 23:49; Jn 19:25). Mary Magdalene was there when Joseph of Arimathea buried the body of Jesus (Mk 15:47; Mt 27:61).

The evangelists testify that Mary Magdalene saw the empty tomb and encountered the risen lord (Mk 16:1-8; Mt 28:1-10; LK 24:1-12; Jn 20:1-10). Her courage and love for Jesus was at its peak at the resurrection experience. Jesus sent to go and inform the disciples that he had risen. By standing as a witness, and delivering to them the good news of the resurrection, Mary Magdalene is called, ‘Apostle to the apostles.’

Mary Magdalene is often associated with the unnamed sinful woman in Lk 7:36-50, who anointed the feet of Jesus at the Pharisee’s house. And it was presumed that the sinful woman was a former prostitute, who could be likened to the woman caught in adultery in Jn 8:1-11. She was also likened to Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. This notion and tradition gained wide spread acceptance through a narrative of Pope Gregory I (Gregory the Great) in 591. Hence, Mary Magdalene came to be associated more with the woman that was saved from prostitution than the woman that was delivered of seven demons. In 2016 Pope Francis raised the level of liturgical memory on July 22 from memorial to feast, and for her to be referred as the "Apostle of the apostles".

In her we see how the grace of God can transform us. The opportunity to new life we have in Christ Jesus is immeasurable. This gracious opportunity for growth, transformation and salvation, is available and accessible to us if we can consistently and courageously love Jesus like St Mary Magdalene. Yes, Mary Magdalene is patron of contemplative life, converts, glove makers, hairdressers, penitent sinners, people ridiculed for their piety, perfumeries, pharmacists, sexual temptation, tanners, women.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Thursday July 22, 2021.
Feast of St Mary Magdalene.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com
www.soundofsilence.ng

  

FOOD FOR THE JOURNEY

  FOOD FOR THE JOURNEY

Meditation for Wednesday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B

(Ex 16:1-5, 9-15; Mt 13:1-9)

We meditate today on the hunger that provoked the whole congregation of the people of Israel as matched through the desert. They quickly realized that freedom comes at a cost! And the responsibility their freedom match brought was overwhelming. The unfavorable desert
weather outside, and the hunger and thirst within, made them to complain bitterly such that they wished they remained in Egypt. God heard their cry and fed them with mana.

The mana became a prefiguration of the real spiritual food that God prepared for His children as they continue to journey to eternal salvation. From the Gospel of today, we meditate how the word of God is rained down on us like the Sower's seed, sown with utmost generosity and a living hope of harvest. The seed of the word had hard times producing its fruits, but the good soils produced each according their capacity.

‘The Word became flesh’, and came like a pilgrim among us! And Jesus gave us His flesh in the form of bread and wine. He became the ‘living Mana’, which journeys with us along the desert roads of this life, and ushers us into His eternal home. If the word of God is alive and active in us, we shall live out our full potential and bear fruit for eternal life. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

www.soundofsilence.ng

 

ONE FAMILY IN CHRIST

                                 Meditation for Tuesday of the 16^th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
                                                            (Ex 14:21-15:1; Mt 12:46-50)

Family ties are usually strongest in our minds. From there grows tribal or racial sentiments, which secretly but powerfully influences us. The waters of baptism do not wash away the imprint of these blood ties, but it is expected that faith should build on those ties, widening its horizon and taking the outreach to a deeper and more influential level than the believer’s natural blood ties.

As Jesus was preaching, the man in the crowd, recognizing the importance of family bond, interrupted him by informing him that his mother and his brethren were outside looking for him. It was expected that he would stop to attend to them, but Jesus answered, “Here is my mother and my brethren! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Doing the will of God, i.e. allowing the word of God we heard through Jesus Christ to germinate and bear fruit in us, makes us ‘one family’ with Jesus. The grace of God is able to bind us in ties that are more enduring and widespread than the blood ties. The life we share in the Blood of Jesus transforms us into the image of Jesus, such that while we exist in our family blood line, we truly live and operate with the life we share in Christ Jesus.

But many Christians are still locked up in the small circle of family and familiar tongue and culture! We often restrict our charities and allegiance to human blood line. This is worse when it comes to marriage. Like the Israelites that crossed the red sea, we need to be delivered from this land of slavery of living only for those in our bloodline. But it will take the grace of God, the mighty hand of God to break this yoke, just as he divided the sea and the people passed through. In the same way, the word of God abiding in us can pull us through, so that we can enjoy the beauty and freedom of sharing life-bonds with all who do the will of God.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Tuesday July 20^th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com
www.soundofsilence.ng 

The Grace to face Oppositions

To what extent can friends and enemies oppose our progress?

July 4, 2021

The Grace to face Oppositions

Meditation on the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

(Ezekiel 2:2-5; 2 Cor 12:7-10; Mk 6:1-6)

Friends and foe; lovers and haters, these seem to be the two faces of people we meet on our life journey. To what extent can these two impact on us? In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel was sent to a rebellious people, a people that would oppose him and persecute him. Despite that, God told him to go on and carry out his prophetic mission. “And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that there has been a prophet among them.”

The opposition took different turn in the second reading, where St Paul complained about a thorn in his flesh! He experienced the opposition from within him, i.e he became his own ‘enemy’ and felt the ‘stubbornness’ arising from within him, in his own flesh! Where could he hide from his own self? We can feel his misery as he called out to God to deliver him, but the Lord answered him, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So St Paul learnt humility; never to boast of his power or achievement, except the power of Christ. With this grace, no more shall one be afraid or surrender to weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; the grace of God is stronger than them all. One can still succeed in every aspect of his life despite the ‘thorns in his flesh’, only if he cooperates with the grace of God, which is always available and sufficient.

Surprisingly, the Gospel narrates another source of opposition that is equally dangerous. Jesus could not fulfil his mission among his loved ones. The people that claim to be his very own, who came to him as his loved ones and close relations. The familiarity became dishonour and an obstacle to faith! Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honour except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” He was shocked at the depth of their unbelief.

It is obvious, therefore, that the ENEMY that tries to stop our progress and success in life can come from the people or things we hate, our very selves, and the people or things we love! The opposition coming from loved ones is more difficult to detect and to endure (Ps 55:12-14). And the opposition coming from within us can only be overcome by the grace of God. Our openness to grace flies us above all obstacles and oppositions. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.

Sunday July 4th, 2021.

www.soundofsilence.ng

www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

ABRAHAM’S JOURNEY: The Assurance of Faith Through the Sacrifice

 Meditation for Wednesday of 12th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B

(Gen 15:1-12, 17-18; Mt 7:15-20)

Abraham complained to the Lord, “Behold, you have given me no offspring; and a slave born in my house will be my heir.” Every believer goes through this kind of trial at some point in his life. Still, the faithful man grows with it, and the trial makes him stronger. This is because the divine consolation that comes at such moment brings reassurance and confidence. Thus, the Lord reassured Abraham of the promise He made to him. He asked Abraham to count the number of stars, saying, “So shall your descendants be.”

Abraham believed the Lord; “And He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” Abraham believed without any evidence to spur him on. After the Lord reassured him in his complain, he renewed his faith in God. But he asked the Lord, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it? In response the Lord asked him to offer a sacrifice, which the Lord accepted at sundown! “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river of Euphrates”

Think about the great sacrifice of Jesus that has become the sign and fulfillment of God’s covenants. THE SIGN OF THE CROSS, the Sacrifice of Jesus, is God’s ultimate response to our desire for assurance and confidence in His promises. Once more we see how Abraham’s journey looked forward to the salvation of humanity. Thus, Jesus warns in the Gospel of today that we should beware of false prophets, who claim to reassure us in faith, but strip us of the saving sign of the Cross, the sacrifice of Jesus that leads us on to the fulfillment of God’s promises. “Thus you will know them by their fruits”, fruits of love, discipline, righteousness, etc. These are fruits of the Cross of Christ, which in turn gives us more assurance than that of Abraham

Our help is in the name of the Lord; who made heaven and earth! Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Wednesday June 23^rd, 2021.
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www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com

 

 

ABRAHAM’S JOURNEY: The Narrow Gate of Faith and Humility

Meditation for Tuesday of 12th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Gen 13:2, 5-18; Mt 7:6, 12-14)

Have you noticed that when people’s Eal 

possession increases, they become less accommodating and more selective in relating with others? The race to overtake each other is fiercer among the wealthy. Abraham and Lot had great possessions, “So great that they could not dwell together, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle.” However, Abraham took the humble narrow way and appealed for peace, requesting that they separate and head different directions. Lot chose the Jordan Valley side that was watered like the garden of the Lord. So Lot journeyed towards the East and established his empire among the cities of the Valley down to Sodom.

Abraham dwelt in the land of Canaan. The Lord promised to give the land to him and his descendants forever. The Lord said to him, “I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth…” Abraham dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron; “And there he built an altar to the Lord.” While Lot’s quest ended with the dwelling he established for himself, Abraham would not settle down until he had built an altar for the Lord. What does this mean for Abraham? We see in this gesture that the Lord meant more for him than the land of promise and all his possessions.

We see how the humility of Abraham opened blessings for him. In handling his misunderstanding with Lot, he did not act extraordinary. He did what normal human person can do: desire peace, and give way for peace. But at the end we discover that Abraham was able to act humanly because of his faith in God, whom he followed as his priceless possession. Sieving our daily lives through faith is like passing through the narrow gate that Jesus talked about in the Gospel of today. “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Let us learn from the example of Abraham and be among the few that will find such blessings.

Our help is in the name of the Lord; who made heaven and earth! Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Tuesday June 22^nd, 2021.
www.soundofsilence.ng
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com