Category: Ordinary Time

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“OUR HELP IS IN THE NAME OF THE LORD” (Ps 124:8)

⏰Thursday of the Thirty-Third Week of Ordinary Time 2 (19 Nov 2020) 📖Rev 5:1-10; Ps 149:1b-3, 3-4, 5-6a and 9bc (R. Rev 5:10); Luke 19:41-44 🎤”OUR HELP IS IN THE NAME OF THE LORD” (Ps 124:8) Do you understand what the psalmist meant when he says, “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal man who cannot save” (Ps 146:3)? If you are yet to understand that, ask an average Nigerian to define the term, “Politician” to you. You will surely get an answer that would shock you. That is what happens when you build your hope around man....

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LOOK UP TO HEAVEN FOR YOUR OPEN DOOR (cf. Rev 4:1)

⏰Wednesday of the Thirty-Third Week of Ordinary Time 2 (18 Nov 2020) 📖Rev 4:1-11; Ps 150:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6 (R. Rev 4:8b); Luke 19:11-28 🎤LOOK UP TO HEAVEN FOR YOUR OPEN DOOR (cf. Rev 4:1) As you continue to wade through the material and spiritual challenges of this present life, may the heavens open to grant you all the help you need and also lead you to see God face to face in the end. Amen. Beloved in Christ, life may not be very easy to live in, but looking up to heaven can offer us some respite. Remember that the...

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“THE LORD IS YOUR LIGHT AND YOUR SALVATION” (Psalm 27:1)

⏰Tuesday of the Thirty-Third Week of Ordinary Time 2 (17 Nov 2020) 📕Rev 3:1-6, 14-22; Ps 15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5 (R. Rev 3:21); Luke 19:1-10 My dear, if you have begun the reading of the Book of Revelation as we requested yesterday, you would have already been struck with one basic reality about the Book; it is filled with the use of apocalyptic language and symbols. Behind these essential features is the message of encouragement and consolation to the people that God would save them from the hands of their oppressors. God made that promise to the people of Israel in...

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“BLESSED THE MAN WHO FEARS THE LORD” (Ps 112:1b)

⏰Saturday of the Thirty-Second Week of Ordinary Time 2 (14 Nov. 2020) 📖3 John 5-8; Ps 112:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6 (R.v.1b); Luke 18:1-8 🎤”BLESSED THE MAN WHO FEARS THE LORD” (Ps 112:1b) Remember that we already saw that love could be a veritable instrument of fostering unity. Now, the evangelist John goes ahead to encourage the early Christians on the importance of showing hospitality to strangers, especially the missionaries who have left everything for the sake of the Gospel (cf. 3 John 5-8). In doing that, we would once more be assisting Christ indirectly in line with the demands for the...

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“I CAN DO ALL THINGS IN HIM WHO STRENGTHENS ME” (Phil 4:13)

⏰Saturday of the Thirty-First Week of Ordinary Time 2 (07 Nov. 2020) 📖Phil 4:10-19; Ps 112:1b-2, 5-6, 8a and 9 (R.v.1a); Luke 16:9-15 🎤”I CAN DO ALL THINGS IN HIM WHO STRENGTHENS ME” (Phil 4:13) Beloved in Christ, I pray for you today, using the words of St Paul in Phil 4:19, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Amen. I can imagine that you said amen to that prayer to claim it. And I sincerely pray that its manifestation be felt in your life through Christ our Lord. Amen....

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“MY SOUL IS THIRSTING FOR YOU, THE LIVING GOD” (Ps 42:3)

⏰Saturday of the Thirtieth Week of Ordinary Time 2 (31 October 2020) 📕Phil 1:18b-26; Ps 42:2, 3, 5cdefg (R.v.3ab); Luke 14:1, 7-11 In order to appreciate the Letter of St Paul to the Philippians well, especially in  relation to the portion we are reflecting on today, it is important for us to understand the disposition of Paul. It is believed that he wrote this Letter while he was suffering in the prison. So there was that war between his desire for physical freedom from the prison and spiritual freedom which the suffering would earn him. In our world today, this...

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ONE WITH GOD IS MAJORITY

⏰Thursday of the Thirtieth Week of Ordinary Time 2 (29 Oct. 2020) 📖Eph 6:10-20; Ps 144:1, 2, 9-10 (R.v.1a); Luke 13:31-35 🎤ONE WITH GOD IS MAJORITY! Beloved in Christ, we are really in a war front in this world. St Paul understood that so well that he warned us ahead of time to prepare for our defence by putting on the armoury of God (Eph 6:10-20). In the Gospel of St John, that theme of warfare is also very prevalent and is often depicted with the opposition between light and darkness. Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12);...

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BY THEIR FRUITS YOU SHALL KNOW THEM (Matt 7:20)

⏰Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) 📖Ezek 18:25-28; Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 (R.6a); Phil 2:1-11; Matt 21:28-32 🎤BY THEIR FRUITS YOU SHALL KNOW THEM (Matt 7:20) It is said that actions speaks louder than voice. That is the major focus of our Liturgy today. The Gospel brings out this point clearer in that parable of the two sons of a man, both of whom he asked to go into his vineyard to work. While the Gospel seems to pay more attention on the action, the First and Second Readings help us to understand that the action that is meant...

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I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS!

⏰Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week of Ordinary Time 2 (18 Sept. 2020) 📖1Cor 15:12-20; Ps 16:1, 6-8, 15 (R.v.15); Luke 8:1-3 🎤I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS! It is important to note that one of the problems of the Church in Corinth is on the nature of the resurrection. They were expecting an imminent parousia but it was not forthcoming. So many of them began to question some of their articles of faith including the resurrection of the dead. Besides, there was a group, the Sadducees who taught that there is nothing like the resurrection of the dead (cf. Acts...

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TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN, MUCH IS EXPECTED

⏰Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week of Ordinary Time 2 (17 Sept. 2020) 📖1 Cor 15:1-11; Ps 118:1-2, 15c-17, 28 (R.v.1a); Luke 7:36-50 🎤TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN, MUCH IS EXPECTED There are striking similarities between St Paul and the woman in Luke 7:36-50 – they received tremendous mercy from God and they responded with great devotion and dedication. Jesus observed this fact in his dialogue with Simon, his host, while St Paul confirmed this himself (cf. 1Cor 15:8-10; Luke 7:40-47). The truth is that since God does show any partiality (cf. Acts 10:34; Rom 2:11), it means that everyone of...