Prayer Brings Us Joy.

Saturday 1^st June, 2019. Read Acts 18:23-28, Psalm 47 and John 16:23-28

_*“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.” (John 16:24)*_

Whenever you are sad, depressed, downcast or annoyed, go down on your knees and pray. Bring the matter to God, pour out your heart and soul before God with faith and trust. Don’t just talk to God about your problem, drop it at his feet. There is a huge difference between telling God your problem and handing over the matter to Him.

Most times, we pray and pray for hours only to carry our burdens with us again; we continue being sad and downcast. This attitude betrays our trust in God’s ability to actually do something about our problem and it shouldn’t be the attitude of believing Christians. When you pray, drop the matter and let God do the thinking, let God worry about the issue, let God work it out, you just go in peace.

In truth, to really pray is to actually drop the matter before God such that by the time you finish praying, you have forgotten all those things bothering your mind in the first place. This is praying like a child, this is praying with trust. It is shutting down the mind completely acknowledging that it is no longer your business to know how the matter would be solved. When you pray like this, you always come out of prayer happy, joyful and at peace.

Our first reading today talks about a Jew named Apollos. He was an eloquent man well versed in the scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus even though he was not properly catechised. Thanks to Priscilla and Aquila who took it upon themselves to teach him more. He was able to refute other Jews in public using the scripture.

Apollos displayed a willingness to learn from Priscilla and Aquila and it paid off. Sometimes, when we are gifted, we could easily fall into the trap of pride, refusing to learn and refusing to grow. There is nothing as bad as being ignorant and arrogant at the same time. Today, we celebrate one great man who like Apollos defended the faith vigorously even to the point of shedding his blood for Christ; St. Justin, the martyr. We pray that God will give us more saints like St. Justin who would defend the faith in a time like ours when it has almost become a thing of a joke to be a priest.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, transform my prayer life that I may remain forever joyful and peacefully. Amen.

Happy New Month. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Saturday after the Ascension of the Lord. Bible Study: Acts 18:23-28, Psalm 47 and John 16:23-28).

The Power of a Visit.

Friday 31^st May, 2019. Read Zephaniah 3:14-18, Isaiah 12:1-3 and Luke 1:39-56)_

_*“In those days, Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.” (Luke 1:39*_

In a world like ours where social media connects us so powerfully to millions of people yet leaves us empty inside, today’s feast may just be considered therapeutic. Indeed, there is no way we can overemphasize the importance of physical visits especially to those really in need.

Mary’s visit to Elizabeth was simply put, the best gift Elizabeth needed at that point in time. Mind you, Elizabeth was an object of mockery due to her childlessness. Her nickname was “the barren woman.”

How often do I visit those who are the object of scorn and mockery in my neighbourhood? When I hear something about a friend of mine, do I summon the courage to go and visit them or do I gladly partake in name-calling, gossip and character assassination?

Apart from her poor social reputation, Elizabeth had another downside; she was advanced in age. In truth, the human society has never been fair to the old. Those who have children are even lucky since their children come around from time to time. The wealthier ones employ house-helps to live with their aged parents. But what happens to those in the shoes of Elizabeth? Old and childless?

Has it ever occurred to you the magnitude of sufferings endured by old people who are childless? When last did you pay a visit to an Old People’s Home? We may not have money to give but our very presence and friendship mean the whole world to them. In my observation, old people just need someone to listen to their stories, even when they keep repeating the same dry stories over and over again. It gives them great joy to know that you are listening, nodding, smiling and praising.

The third issue with Elizabeth was that she was now pregnant. For someone who was always alone, Elizabeth needed someone around to help out. This is where Mary comes in, as soon as she heard about Elizabeth’s condition, she left everything else behind and ran all the way to help out. Mary did not consider the fact that she had just become the Mother of God. She ran to become a servant to Elizabeth and she remained with her three months until she gave birth to John the Baptist.

Dear friends, as we celebrate the Visitation of Mary today, we too are called to develop the habit of visiting others, not simply our friends but those in need of help. When you never reach out to help, you always assume your problems are the greatest in the world but in truth, everyone has a cross to carry. And the secret of life is this: when you help someone carry his cross, yours become lighter. If you think life is hard, look around you and you will see those dreaming to be given twice of your problems in exchange for theirs. Be like Mary, reach out, visit, help, don’t be self-centred.

Mary sang the Magnificat when she got to the house of Elizabeth. This Magnificat is a song similar to that of Hannah when she gave birth to Samuel after being childless for some time. The Magnificat is a song that teaches us to regard ourselves as nothing before God, a song that condemns pride and shows God’s preferential care for the hungry and despised.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, touch my heart to act like Mary who visited Elizabeth and brought joy to her home. May I be a carrier of joy wherever I go. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. (Feast of the visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Bible Study: Zephaniah 3:14-18, Psalm {Isaiah 12:1-3} and Luke 1:39-56).

He Ascended Into Heaven Where He Is Seated At The Right Hand Of The Father.

Thursday 30^th May, 2019. Read Acts 1:1-11, Psalm 47, Ephesians 1:17-23 and Luke 24:46-53

_*“Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.  ⁵¹ While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven.” (Luke 24:50-51)*_

Today makes it forty days since the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. In the course of this period, Jesus constantly appeared to the disciples to strengthen their faith, to assure them of the truth that he is the Messiah. He told them so many things and since there were much more they needed to know, He assured them of the Holy Spirit who would come to teach them everything.

Till this time, the disciples were still expecting that Jesus would take over power from the Roman authorities. They still didn’t understand that Jesus had not come to be a Political Messiah. The disciples asked him: “Will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6)

Jesus must have probably laughed at them for not having their priorities right. So he responded: “It is not for you to know the times or seasons... But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses.” (Acts 1:7-8) In other words, receiving the power of the Holy Spirit and becoming witnesses for Jesus is far more important and far more precious than having to overthrow the Romans or taking seats in government.

This is the point St. Paul harps upon in the second reading. He prays that we have the spirit of Wisdom so that our eyes would be open to realising the great hope we now have courtesy of Jesus’ Ascension into heaven. By his Ascension, Christ has united our human nature with God thereby making it possible for the human species to be united with God. St. Paul refers to this as a glorious inheritance, immeasurable greatness.

By leading them up to Bethany as the Gospel of Luke presents, Jesus wanted the disciples to remember his dear friend Lazarus; to know that he has truly conquered the power of death.

Jesus then lifted up his hands to bless the disciples and as he blessed them, he was carried into heaven before their very eyes. Does it mean that Jesus is no longer with us? Of course, no. By going up to heaven, Jesus did not create a distance between himself and humanity, rather his Ascension confirms the truth that we all have a final destination that is not here on earth. Jesus is still with us. Jesus is always with us.

In fact, We must never forget Jesus’ last words in the Gospel of Matthew: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Today should be a day of joy for us, a day to celebrate the final victory of life over death, a day to celebrate our firm assurance that heaven exists, that just as Christ ascended to heaven, we too shall one day depart this earth and be united with God in heaven. Luke concludes by saying: “The disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple blessing God.” The disciples entered a mood of prayer in preparation for the descent of the Holy Spirit. This is exactly what we must now do as we await the Comforter, the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost from heaven.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, may the celebration of your Ascension rekindle my prayer life that I may be properly prepared to receive the Holy Spirit. Amen

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. Year C. Bible Study: Acts 1:1-11, Psalm 47, Ephesians 1:17-23 and Luke 24:46-53).

The Holy Spirit: Source of All Truth.

Wednesday 29^th May 2019. Acts 17:15-18:1, Psalm 148 and John 16:12-15

_*“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” (John 16:13)*_

Today, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth. As the Spirit of Truth, He not only witnesses to us, he also leads us to find and discover every truth. The Holy Spirit teaches us things that are beyond the mere understanding and grasp of our human mind. The Holy Spirit inspires truth in us.

We live in a world where people are loved for telling lies and hated for speaking the truth. The spirit of lies is one demon that has possessed such a vast majority of our population, old and young, rich and poor alike. The simple reason why we fall too easily into the lie-trap is that we do not realize the seriousness of the existence of lies in our lives.

If the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, it follows that telling of lies is a sign of his absence in our lives. No wonder the popular saying goes thus: “Say the truth and shame the devil.” When we tell lies we actually glorify the devil. When we spread falsehood deliberately just to incite others or achieve mundane objectives, we are only making the devil’s work easier.

Jesus tells us: “He (the Holy Spirit) will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it you.” John 16:14. Truly, we give glory to God when we speak the truth and act accordingly being led by the power of the Holy Spirit. Dear friends, we cannot claim to have God in us and be liars at the same time. Anyone who lies lacks the Spirit of Truth – the Holy Spirit.

Another sign of the absence of the Holy Spirit is resistance to the truth. When we find ourselves fighting people simply because they tell us the truth, we should realize we have distanced ourselves from God. At times, we shut people down, we even go as far as planning assassinations, we destroy people’s character and so on all to prevent the truth from being exposed to light.

The Athenians did not grant audience to Paul because they couldn’t face the truth. They acknowledged their ignorance by making an Altar with the inscription: “To An unknown god,” but when Paul tried to clear their ignorance, they resisted him. Truly, there are some people who know they are ignorant yet they remain satisfied in their ignorance.

The Athenians did not believe in the resurrection and they closed their minds to the possibility of this truth. They cut Paul short the moment he mentioned the issue of rising from the dead. There are times we know fully well that someone is telling us the truth but instead of listening, we become so defensive and begin to find faults in the person. We literally look for a thousand reasons to shut the person down or discredit him/her all because we cannot stand the truth.

I have come to realize the truth is too powerful to be hidden. The world may believe lies for a while but one day, like a volcanic eruption, the truth will force itself out. It is better to suffer now for being truthful than for people to curse your dead body because of the lies you told.

Let us pray: Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts and enkindle in us your Sacred Fire. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Wednesday of the 6th week of Easter. Bible Study: Acts 17:15-18:1, Psalm 148 and John 16:12-15).

The Holy Spirit: Voice of our Conscience.

Tuesday 28^th May, 2019. Read Acts 16:22-34, Psalm 138 and John 16:5-11

_*“And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer.” (John 16:8-10)*_

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus continues his teaching about the Holy Spirit. Already, we have learnt that the Holy Spirit is the Counsellor, the Teacher, the one who reminds us of God’s words, the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, the Helper.

In addition to all of these, Jesus today mentions that the Holy Spirit is also the Voice of our Conscience in that the Holy Spirit is the one who proves how wrong we are about sin, righteousness and judgement. That is, the Holy Spirit touches our heart makes us aware of our sinfulness as well as our unrighteousness.

If you have ever sincerely felt bad about something you did or didn’t do when you ought, then you have heard from the Holy Spirit. Strive to obey that voice because the less you follow its promptings, the less you hear from Him. There are persons who have not only killed their conscience, they have made their hearts so hostile to the presence of the Holy Spirit that they just live as if there is no God.

If the Holy Spirit convinces us of our sins, it means he also inspires us to do what is right. Learn to listen to the Holy Spirit deep inside your heart. This is why spiritual masters recommend a daily practice of meditation, a moment of total silence so as to hear that still small voice.

Even in moments of persecution, call on the Holy Spirit and he will tell you exactly what you must do. In our first reading, Paul and Silas found themselves in Prison for doing the work of God, rather than fall into despair, they burst into singing. They prayed, they sang and the Holy Spirit came down.

God who did not prevent them from being beaten and thrown in prison became moved when he heard them pray and sing. He not only freed them from prison, but he also brought about the conversion of the chief jailer instantly.

Sing: “The Steadfast Love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning, new every morning, great is your faithfulness. O Lord.”

Let us pray: Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts and enkindle in us your Sacred Fire. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Tuesday of the 6th week of Easter. Bible Study: Acts 16:22-34, Psalm 138 and John 16:5-11).

Welcoming the Holy Spirit.

Monday 27^th May, 2019. Read Acts 16:11-15, Psalm 149 and John 15:26-16:4

_“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf.” (John 15:26)*_ 

In a few days from now, we shall be celebrating the feast of Pentecost, the anniversary of the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles gathered in the upper room. Already in yesterday’s Gospel passage (6^th Sunday of Easter, Year C), we heard Jesus describe the Holy Spirit as the counsellor who will teach us all things and help us to remember all that He has said.

Today, Jesus describes the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth whose role is that of witnessing.  The Holy Spirit helps to make clear things which may not be known by our natural senses, he brings to light what was rather shrouded in mystery, he enlightens, he inspires, he is there to provide a guide; he is our 6^th sense if you like. The Holy Spirit witnesses on behalf of Jesus and inspires us as we witness for Jesus.

In truth, the task of witnessing for Jesus in today’s world is one of the most difficult tasks anyone can embark upon. People will hate you simply for being a light in the midst of darkness. You get all kinds of attacks just for speaking the truth. Jesus says: “the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.” This is a prophetic statement of Jesus that has proven to be true over and over again.

This is why we need the Holy Spirit. If we must witness at all for Christ, then we must ask for the Holy Spirit to be with us, to teach us, to remind us of God’s word and above all, to speak on our behalf. Missionary work is easy when we have the Holy Spirit working with us and in us.

Converting souls for God is not a factor of our own intelligence or eloquence neither is it a factor of what we do or refuse to do. It is entirely a work of the Holy Spirit who is often described as the Principal Agent of Evangelization. As Paul and his companions travelled, they were successful not because of their eloquence or knowledge, but because the Holy Spirit touched the hearts of their listeners.

One woman who was so touched by the message of Paul and was Lydia. To quote from the scriptures directly we are told: “The Lord (the Holy Spirit) opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul…” And this woman insisted that Paul and his companions must stay at her house meaning her very home become a church for the Christian converts in that city.

As we can see, missionary work has two sides; the painful aspect of persecution and suffering and the sweet aspect of meeting people who are ready to support the work with all their resources. While the Holy Spirit helps us in the sad moments, the Holy Spirit also helps us to connect with persons like this generous woman of faith. The summary is that we just cannot do God’s work without the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray: Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts and enkindle in us your Sacred Fire. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Monday of the 6th week of Easter. Bible Study: Acts 16:11-15, Psalm 149 and John 15:26-16:4).

Finding Peace in a Troubled World.

Sunday 26^th May, 2019. Read Acts 15:1-2.22-29, Psalm 67, Revelation 21:10-14.22-23 and John 14:23-29

 

_*“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)*_

Last Sunday, Jesus gave us a new command; to love others not just as we love ourselves but as He loved us. Today, Jesus continues his sermon on love and prepares our minds for the Holy Spirit, the Counsellor, the Teacher and Reminder. Jesus also announces His Peace to us; a peace so different from what the world offers; a peace capable of settling our minds when we are faced with trouble.

An example of this trouble is what we find in our first reading. The early Christian community which had been founded on love was disrupted by certain men who preached circumcision as the yardstick of salvation. How did the disciples resolve this crisis? What lessons do we learn from this experience? What do our readings say with regards to our present situation today?

*Lesson One: It is Easier to Obey God when we Love Him.*

Once upon a time, a young man noticed a lady on jeans carrying a 50litre gallon of water and struggling with it. Without the lady asking for his help, he immediately ran to her, took the can from her, placed it on his head and asked where she was going. The young man did not complain for a minute but kept smiling despite the heavy weight. When they got to the lady’s house, she told him she can handle it from there but he insisted he must take it to her room which was on the third floor. She continued thanking him as they climbed the stairs.

Things quickly turned around when the young man stepped into her room and surprisingly saw her husband who continued the litany of thanks for being such a Good Samaritan. When this young man confirmed that the lady he helped was actually married, he became so angry that instead of dropping the water, he returned it to the very spot where he had picked it from her fuming profusely. Now the question is: How did he manage to carry that heavy load without complaining in the first place?

Jesus tells us today: “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me does not keep my words.” (John 14:23-24) Do you consider God’s words as a burden to you? Are you seriously struggling with sin? It simply means you do not love God for when we love someone, nothing is too difficult to do for him or her and no sacrifice is beyond our capacity for him or her.

*Lesson Two: Why We Need the Holy Spirit.*

In the letter addressed to the Gentile community concerning the heretical doctrine of circumcision, the Apostles noted: “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from unchastity. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.” (Acts 15:28-29). Simply, put the Apostles were only able to resolve this crisis because of the intervention of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the Counsellor meaning adviser, comforter, helper in times of trouble, one who speaks on one’s side; an advocate, one who pleads on one’s behalf. Secondly, the Holy Spirit is the teacher who makes us understand all that Christ has said and gives us deeper insight into the very Word of God and how we must apply that Word practically in our daily lives.

Thirdly, the Holy Spirit helps us remember God’s word especially in moments of trial when the truth is needed. For instance in Luke 12:11-12, we read: “And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious how or what you are to answer or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” Dear friends, let us begin our novenas to the Holy Spirit that we may be found worthy to receive a fresh outpouring once again.

*Lesson Three: The Peace of Christ is God Dwelling in Us.*

As Jesus tells us: “if a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” Dear friends, what could be better than having God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit dwelling right inside you? Indeed, when God is indwelling in us, the result we get is peace; a peace which the world cannot offer. Do you know that the word Peace comes from the Greek word _eirene_ which means “to bind together”? To be at peace is to be bound, woven and joined together with God.

This peace is one that makes us calm even when we face bad circumstances and situations. Without mincing words, things have really gone bad in our nation today. Many are now comparing us with Rwanda just before the genocide. We hear rumours of gun licence revocation. We hear that a radio station has been established just to serve one tribe (Fulani) in a nation of over 400 tribes. We also hear that an alleged 100billion naira was paid to the terrorists and armed bandits who now specialize in kidnapping people along our highways. In every single community today, we are surrounded by herdsmen who freely carry around sophisticated weapons enough to wipe out whole communities at the slighted provocation.

In the midst of all these frightening news and rumours, let us not forget the words of Jesus: “In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). To anyone who afraid, Jesus words in today’s Gospel passage are worth repeating again and again: “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Yes, our leaders have failed us woefully, they have surrendered our nation and its sovereignty to a group of terrorists but as our psalmist sings: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4) Let them gather, God will surely fight for His Children.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, come into my heart that I may find true peace of soul despite all the troubles the world contains. Amen

Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (6^th Sunday of Easter, Year C, Bible Study: Acts 15:1-2.22-29, Psalm 67, Revelation 21:10-14.22-23 and John 14:23-29).

Love and Hate; Two Sides of the Same Coin.

Saturday 25^th May, 2019. Read Acts 16:1-10, Psalm 100 and John 15:18-21

_*“If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world-- therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:19)*_

In our Gospel passage yesterday, Jesus calls us his friends on the condition that we do what he commands which is to love others as he loved us. Today, Jesus is telling us that the world would hate us just because we do not belong to it. Try to reconcile this: We are to love others as Jesus loved us, but instead of loving us, the world would hate and persecute us. This is the dilemma of being a Christian in our world today.

Dear friends, if the world hated Christ, the world cannot love those who truly stand for Christ. The problem with Christians today is that we try to make the world love us by all means only to jeopardize our relationship with Christ in the process. That is why you see ladies dressed half-naked going about sharing pamphlets in the name of doing evangelism. Even churches employ such to welcome people as a marketing strategy. The truth is that we cannot serve two masters. We are either Christian or worldly.

On the other hand, if Christ has already warned us ahead of the world’s hatred, I wonder why Christians today spend all their time and energy praying against their enemies (those who hate them). For instance, there is Church just behind the parish rectory and given the volume of their loudspeakers, I am forced to listen to their prayers, 90% of which are simply curses against their enemies. It is sad that instead of speaking blessings on ourselves, we spend all our energy issuing curses.

Jesus commanded us to love but today’s Christians are so filled with hatred for enemies both real and imagined. Jesus taught us to build our treasures in heaven where thieves and robbers cannot break in and steal but today’s Christians are made to believe that if they do not have their fill of the world’s goods, it means their enemies are at work and so they must battle hard to get that which rightfully belongs to them.

It takes a heart to love or to hate. Indeed, there is a thin line between love and hate. Our natural human tendency is to hate those who hate us; wish their death or find ways to fight back – this is normal. But then, Jesus is saying we should love even those who hate us and pray (that is, bless) those who hate us. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:43-45).

Take it from me that if you are one of those Christians praying for the death of your enemies or asking for Holy Ghost fire to burn them, your heart is filled with too much hatred when you should be loving; you are not yet a Christian; you still do not know Christ who loved those who killed him, who instead of praying for their death prayed for their forgiveness.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, teach me to love especially when I consider it natural of me to hate. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Saturday of the 5th Week of Easter. Bible Study: Acts 16:1-10, Psalm 100 and John 15:18-21).

You are my Friends IF you do What I Command You.

Friday 24^TH May, 2019. Read Acts 15:22-31, Psalm 96 and John 15:12-17

 _*“For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.” (Acts 15:28-29)*_

In our Gospel passage today, we hear Jesus saying to us: “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” You know it is one thing to know a person, another thing to respect that person but a different thing altogether to be a friend to that person.

You may know the man called President Buhari (at least, you see his picture when you enter a bank) but it is a different thing when he is your close friend, when, for instance, he calls you regularly to check on you and discuss with you. In the same way, we may know God as God, we may be Christians who worship God and carry our religious practices but it is always a different thing altogether when we are friends with God.

The truth is that it is not all those who go to church that are God’s friends. The question for us today is: “Is God my friend?” The answer to this question depends on whether or not we actually do what God commands.

In today’s first reading, a decision was reached regarding the Gentiles who were coming into the Christian Faith. They wouldn’t have to be circumcised but they were to abstain from items sacrificed to idols, from the blood of strangled animals and from fornication. These were cultural/religious practices already in place among the Gentiles which they were now to renounce by virtue of their Christian faith.

If the Apostles were given a chance to examine our African cultural practices, I am sure there are certain things they would adopt into the Christian Faith itself and there are certain things they would ask us to relinquish. This is called inculturation. When Christianity took a foothold in Rome, it took a lot from the Roman culture (for instance, it took some of its festivals and Christianized them) and made the Roman Christians renounce some of their practices that were completely against God’s commandments.

A similar thing has to happen in Africa such that Africans would own Christianity instead of constantly seeing it as a foreign religion (brought in by the colonial masters to suppress the people). At the same time, we Africans who have accepted the Faith must realize that certain aspects of our traditional practices must be given up. It is always scandalous to see Christians champion/partake in certain rites that are clearly acts of worship to idols in the name of “Tradition”, “Tradition”. We see this especially during burial, marriage and so on.

Would you rather do what your ancestors do or what Jesus wants you to do? Do you understand that having embraced Christ, you should be more loyal to Him than your people? What is the whole essence of our conversion if after receiving Holy Communion in the Church, we would still partake of a meal prepared with incantations and presided over by the chief priest of local deity of our community during a funeral? Why would Christians mete our cruel actions to a woman who has lost her husband to the extent of abusing her, degrading her dignity and making her do horrible things in the name of tradition?

Whose friendship do you seek to protect with all diligence? That of God or that of your tradition?

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, help me remain your friend forever and give me the grace to truly bear fruits for you. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Friday of the 5th Week of Easter. Bible Study: Acts 15:22-31, Psalm 96 and John 15:12-17).

How to live a Joyful Life.

Thursday 23^rd May, 2019. Read Acts 15:7-21, Psalm 96 and John 15:9-11

 _*“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:10-11)*_ 

Today’s first reading is the conclusion of the debate that sparked off among the Apostles of the early Church on the issue of circumcision. Led by the Spirit of God, Peter in the company of the council Fathers proffered a solution to the matter.

Peter’s argument was that if God could be so generous to them making them equal to the Jews by allowing them to receive the Holy Spirit, what was then the point discriminating against them? In fact, what has the removal of one’s foreskin got to do with his/her faith in God? For the Jews removing the foreskin was nothing more than a sign; a symbol demarcating God’s chosen people from others. It was not the essence of their faith.

This is one reason why we as Africans must study our culture deeply to know why we do what we do and how we can integrate our Faith. We do not have to lose our identity as Africans in other to qualify to be Christians neither do we have to carry on practices that would make us fall into the error of syncretism. (Worshiping God and other gods at the same time).

Even though the Jews considered circumcision as something important to them as a people following their history from the time of Abraham, they needed to come to a point when they would have to relinquish the importance of this act and realize Jesus’ death and resurrection surpasses whatever circumcision represents. No wonder, Moses himself said: “Circumcise, then, the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer.” (Deuteronomy 10:16).

How do we circumcise the foreskins of our hearts? Simply by keeping God’s commandments so as to abide in His love. Oh yes, keeping God’s commandments is not easy; it requires self-discipline and having to let go of many things, as Jesus would say, it is denying oneself, taking up the cross and following Him. This letting go is a form of circumcision and may appear very painful. Yet, this is the circumcision that God desires, not the cutting of one’s foreskin.

In truth, the joy and happiness we all desire as human beings can only be realized when we circumcise our hearts and keep God’s commandments. Jesus says to us today: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11)

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, give me the grace of experiencing the joy of keeping your commandments. Amen.

*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Thursday of the 5^th Week of Easter. Bible Study: Acts 15:7-21, Psalm 96 and John 15:9-11).