Honouring All the Saints.

_(Friday 1^st November 2019. Read Revelation 7:2-14, Psalm 24:1-6, 1st John 3:1-3 and Matthew 5:1-12)_

_“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” *(Matthew 5:12)*_

Today is a very special day for the Catholic Church. It is the day that is dedicated to all the Saints. Today, we celebrate in a special way the unnamed saints, the unsung heroes of our faith, the millions of holy men and women who we believe are now in heaven. As the Daniel prophesies: “many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake… And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” (Daniel 12:2-3). Today is like a combined birthday celebration because we are honouring a whole multitude; holy men and women who have “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14).

One of the greatest attacks against the Catholic Church hinges on the issue of our devotion to the saints. Why do we honour ‘dead’ people? Why do we ask them to pray for us when as Paul says, Jesus Christ “there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”? (1 Timothy 2:5). Our belief in the intercession of the Saints stems from our belief in the existence of heaven as a place where the souls of righteous live forever.

To refer to the saints as simply dead people is to claim that Jesus Christ was lying when he said: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26) Of course, in the book of Revelations, John did not call the people he saw dead. As one of the elders told John, “they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple, and He who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence.” (Revelation 7:15). This is the same reason we ask the saints to pray for us; because having prayed for us while alive, they wouldn’t refuse to help us now that they are before the throne of God.

The same St. Paul who told Timothy that Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and men wrote to the Ephesians saying: “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me. (Ephesians 6:18-19). When we argue that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and men, we tend to forget that Jesus is not a personal assistant to God. Jesus Christ himself is God. The saints are less than God, but being in God’s presence; they intercede to God on our behalf just as we intercede for our fellow human beings by praying for them.

Bear in mind that what makes the church refer to anyone as a saint is the evidence of miracles that have occurred by the power of God through the intercession of that saint. This is why despite the millions of holy persons who have lived saintly lives, there are only a few who have officially canonized as saints. If it was something evil to ask the saints to intercede for us, God will not honour such prayers by allowing miracles to happen through them.

Nevertheless, the main reason we honour the Saints is not that we cannot pray to God directly, it is because as human beings, we need role models. The saints are a constant reminder that it is possible to live out the beatitudes (we hear in today’s Gospel passage), that one doesn’t need to have two heads to be holy, that we can be fully human and fully Christ-like. The saints are the greatest encouragement we need to live out our Christian virtues knowing that if we imitate their lives, we too shall be honoured after our death. As the book of Hebrews says: “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7)

The Saints having obeyed Christ’s mandate to preach the Gospel to the whole world continue to preach the Gospel today with their biographies. Are you looking for a boost to your faith? Tired of scandals all around you? Do you seek to know what true Christianity is like? Pick up any Book of Saints and start reading, you will shed some tears, you will realize how far you have been from Christ, you would see that the saints were not extraordinary persons but just ordinary persons like you who followed Christ closely. The saints are the ancestors of our faith. The memory of their lives help us maintain our moral sanity and offer us guides to practical discipleship.

The saints are also a true reminder of the history of the Christian Faith, they are special gifts of the Catholic Church, the rock Christ founded which the gates of hell cannot prevail against. Dear friends, we cannot talk about the saints without us developing a strong feeling to become saints ourselves. The only aspiration worth pursuing as a Christian is Sainthood. Remember that dreams come true. If you desire something enough, it will soon be yours. You too can be a saint. I look forward to seeing you in heaven.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, bless my aspiration for Sainthood. Amen.

*Happy New Month. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Solemnity of All Saints. Bible Study: Revelation 7:2-14, Psalm 24:1-6, 1st John 3:1-3 and Matthew 5:1-12).

The Beauty of the Narrow Door.

Wednesday 30^th October 2019. Bible Study: Romans 8:26-30, Psalm 13 & Luke 13:22-30.

_“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.” *(Luke 13:24)*_

In today’s Gospel passage we hear Jesus talk about the narrow door. What is the narrow door and why does it have to be narrow? By narrow door, Jesus is referring to the path of the cross, the path of difficulty, the path of self-sacrifice for the sake of achieving heaven.

In an era of prosperity Gospel, many of us Christians falsely believe that by virtue of their faith, everything should become easy and rosy but Jesus never promised us that. In very clear terms, Jesus says “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:14)

We have reached an era of the Christian faith where our churches are filled to capacity but our hearts are empty of the truth and our lives are far from being Christlike. Jesus tells us that many would come on the last day saying: “We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.” But God will say to them “I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!” (Luke 13:26-27).

It is not your level of Church attendance that will count in the end but your way of life; your good deeds. Is it becoming too difficult and almost impossible for you to exercise your Christian faith without some personal sacrifices on your part? Do not give up. Are you weak and discouraged? Call on the Holy Spirit for help.

St. Paul teaches us in today’s first reading the function of the Holy Spirit is to help us in our weakness even when we cannot find the right words to pray. The Apostles were very weak before Pentecost day, they were scared for their lives. When the Holy Spirit came, they became different! When the going gets too tough, ask the Holy Spirit for help and He will never disappoint you!

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, make our lives pleasing to you as we struggle through the narrow door. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Wednesday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Romans 8:26-30, Psalm 13 & Luke 13:22-30).

Every Journey Begins with Just One Step.

Tuesday 29^th October 2019. Bible Study: Romans 8:18-25, Psalm 126 and Luke 13:18-21.

_“What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” *(Luke 13:18-19)*_

One does not suddenly become a saint or a sinner overnight. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a just one tiny and often insignificant step. It is not the size of the first step that matters but the direction to which that step is pointed to. Jesus tells us today that the Kingdom of God begins as a single grain of mustard seed that is planted.

The story of Christianity is the greatest miracle in human history and it is still an ongoing miracle. How Jesus Christ called to himself twelve men (who were not the best as far as human reckoning is concerned, one even betrayed him) and started what has now become a worldwide movement is a mystery. How Christianity continues to survive despite the internal and external attacks is something no one can explain.

Beginnings are always very difficult and people tend to laugh at us simply because they cannot see the big picture. It takes faith to begin a new habit, to start a new book, to begin a new act of holiness, etc. All that God demands of us is just to take that first step, to do what is right at this very moment while we leave the rest for Him. That good deed is the grain of mustard seed, it is the yeast which leavens whole quantities of flour.

The truth is that the most difficult part of a journey is the first step. Taking that first step could mean breaking an old habit, spending one hour daily with the Bible, ending a relationship (plucking out our eyes as Jesus would say). It might even mean cutting off a source of income like the case of Peter the fisherman who had to quit a thriving business to start fishing for men. That first step is always clouded with suffering.

In our first reading today, St. Paul says, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18). St. Paul goes further to compare our sufferings as Christians with the labour pains of a woman who is about to give birth to a child. Hope is no longer hope if we are seeing what we are hoping for. It may seem as though God no longer cares for us, it may seem as if there is no end to what we are passing through now but all we have to do is to look up to heaven our real home.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, help me to do what is right now even if it is the most painful option for the sake of your kingdom. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Tuesday of the 30th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Romans 8:18-25, Psalm 126 and Luke 13:18-21).

The Gravity of Sin.

Saturday 26^th October 2019. Romans 8:1-11, Psalm 24 and Luke 13:1-9.

_“Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” *(Luke 13:3)*_

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus uses the analogy of a calamity that occurred to teach us a lesson on the gravity (seriousness) of sin. A report came to Jesus about how Pilate murdered some Galileans and mixed their blood with the sacrifices. While many were expecting Jesus to pronounce a curse on Pilate for doing such an evil thing, Jesus shocked them all by saying:

“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered thus? I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:2-5)

From Jesus’ response, we can see that sin by itself is just as deadly and dangerous as having a whole tower fall on top of a person, or having one’s blood mixed with sacrifices. While many felt this calamity was due to the sins of the victims, Jesus said they were not even worse sinners than others. This means that God does not punish us according to our sins but then, every sin we commit is a serious matter.

When faced with temptation, always try to picture the consequences first. Do not be carried away by the beauty of the cake, think of the stomach ache and sickness which would certainly follow. Say to yourself: “If I do this, I am bringing pain, sorrow and regret to myself.”

In today’s first reading, St. Paul says that by sending Jesus Christ to die for us, God has freed us from the law of sin and death hence, we must no longer set our minds on the things of the flesh but on the things of the Spirit. When your mind is set on things of the flesh, you become hostile to the things of God and you cannot please God but if the Holy Spirit dwells in you, you begin to live a resurrected life even while in your flesh. That is, you are able to drop your former sinful deeds and behaviours behind.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, come and dwell within me always that my life may bring glory to you always. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Saturday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Romans 8:1-11, Psalm 24 and Luke 13:1-9).

Do not become a Slave to Sin.

Wednesday 23^rd October 2019. Read Romans 6:12-18, Psalm 124 and Luke 12:39-48.

_“Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” *(Romans 6:16)*_

According to Pope St. John Paul II, “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.” To be free is to be able to make the right choices always. The opposite of freedom is slavery. Slavery is not just the condition of being held against one’s will, it is also the condition of lacking the capacity to do what is right.

St. Paul tells us this morning that we could be slaves to sin if we find ourselves unable to say “No” to temptations. This kind of slavery is more deadly than physical slavery; it is knowing that something is very bad, yet going all the way to still do it. Many Christians find themselves held in this vicious cycle; they regret their sinful actions but no sooner had they repented, they find themselves doing the very things they had promised not to do ever again.

St. Paul perfectly understood this dilemma when he wrote: “I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do… Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:18-24).

The simple truth is that each of us is a slave to something; be it good or bad. Nevertheless, as we read in the Stations of the Cross: “My will is mine.” The key to freedom from the slavery of sin is slavery to God. until we subject ourselves entirely to be used by God, sin continues to dominate our lives. Hence, St. Paul says: “Do not yield your members to sin as an instrument, but yield yourselves to God.”

In other words, let God be your master; do all you can to please God and ensure God alone is your Master. As Jesus explains in today’s Gospel passage, become like a steward waiting for his master’s arrival. Let it be that at every point in time, you are found doing exactly what God desires.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, take my heart, my body and my mind; rule me. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Wednesday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Romans 6:12-18, Psalm 124 and Luke 12:39-48).

The Social Character of Sin.

Tuesday 22^nd October 2019. Read Romans 5:12-21, Psalm 40 and Luke 12:35-38.

_“Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned…” *(Romans 5:12)*_ 

There is a common adage that when oil touches one finger, it spreads to the others. Every sin has a way of affecting others. Hence, Jesus was so particular about avoiding scandals. For Jesus, it is better for a stone to be tied to your neck and you be thrown into the river than to lead one of these little ones astray. A single sin, a single bad example can affect thousands of people around you and even to the next generation.

The Good news is that whatever applies to sin also applies to goodness. According to St. Paul, “for just as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19). Just as sin destroys others, being good (being obedient to God’s commandments) brings blessings to many others.

This is what Jesus tell us in the Gospel passage today: “Be dressed for action and have your lamps burning.” (Luke 12:35-37). In other words, “let your light be shining at all times.” Live your life as if every day is your last. Live in such a way that whenever God decides to call you, you will be good enough for heaven.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, you gave your life for me, teach me to live not only for myself but for others. Amen.

_Today we remember Pope St. John Paul II. Karol Józef Wojtyła was born in 1920 in Wadowice, Poland. After his ordination to the priesthood and theological studies in Rome, he returned to his homeland and resumed various pastoral and academic tasks. He became, first, auxiliary bishop and, in 1964, Archbishop of Kraków and took part in the Second Vatican Council. On 16 October 1978, he was elected pope and took the name John Paul II. His exceptional apostolic zeal, particularly for families, young people and the sick, led him to numerous pastoral visits throughout the world. Among the many fruits which he has left as a heritage to the Church are above all his rich Magisterium and the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as the Code of Canon Law for the Latin Church and for the Eastern Churches. In Rome on 2 April 2005, the eve of the Second Sunday of Easter (or of Divine Mercy), he departed peacefully in the Lord. He was canonized by Pope Francis on 27 April, the Second Sunday of Easter 2014._

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Tuesday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Romans 5:12-21, Psalm 40 and Luke 12:35-38).

The Danger of Covetousness.

Monday 21^st October 2019. Read Romans 4:20-25, Luke 1 and Luke 12:13-21)_

_“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” *(Luke 12:20-21)*_

To be covetous is to live in a world of I, me and myself; a world where I care only for one person – me. To be covetous is to be like the rich man in the parable Jesus gave to us in today’s Gospel passage who thought only about himself in his plan to enjoy his riches.

The man said to himself: “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops? … I will do this, I will pull down my barns and build larger ones…” In pulling down his barns, he was willing to waste forgetting that there are so many people who cannot even afford what he was about to throw away.

What is the cure for covetousness? It is faith to remember that when we give to others, we are not losing anything but storing up treasures for ourselves. We need strong faith to know that no one ever became poor by giving to the needy. We need faith to recognise that there is a better home for us more precious than this earthly dwelling.

This was the type of faith Abraham had and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. By preparing for heaven that no one has ever seen, by being kind and generous to the poor even when we are not expecting to get anything back from them, we are acting like Abraham who kept waiting for the promise of a son even at his old age.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, you gave your life for me, teach me to live not only for myself but for others. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Monday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Romans 4:20-25, Luke 1 and Luke 12:13-21).

Persistent Faith for the Mission.

Sunday 20^th October 2019. Read Ex. 17:8-13, Ps. 121, 2Tim.3:14-4:2 & Lk 18:1-18 OR  Zechariah 8:20-23, Psalm 19, Romans 10:9-8 and Mark 16:15-20)_

_“Preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching.” *(2 Timothy 4:2)*_

Today is quite a unique Sunday because it is the 29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time year C but it also happens to be the 2019 World Mission Sunday. As such, even though we shall reflect on the readings in the bulletin, our reflection shall be within the context of our celebration of the World Mission Sunday. Coincidentally, in our second reading today, St. Paul writing to Timothy succinctly summarizes the whole message of the World Mission Sunday when he says we much preach the word of God in season and out of season.

1. To Believe is to Trust and Obey God.

Last Sunday, from the example of Naaman and the Ten Lepers who were cured by Jesus, we learnt that Faith demands total trust and obedience to God’s instructions. It is not enough to say “I believe” if like ten lepers I refuse to go and show myself to the priest. Naaman complained about Elisha’s instruction to bathe in the river but thanks to the little maid who spoke sense to him.

As we celebrate World Mission Sunday today, we are called to act like that little maid speaking sense to those who complain about the difficulty of keeping God’s commandments and those who have buried their heads in sin. When we speak about the missions, we tend to think of ordained priests and religious travelling to distant places to preach but in truth, all of us, so long as we interact with other human beings daily are called to preach. Mark tells us that open obedience to this universal call of Jesus, great miracles happened because “the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it.” (Mark 16:15-20). Naaman’s cure is an example of what we can do for people when we decide to spread the word of God.

2. To Believe is to Never Give Up on God.

Today, we are shown another dimension of Faith from the parable of the widow and the unjust judge: PERSISTENCE. Jesus ends this parable by saying: “And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you. He will vindicate them speedily.” (Luke 18:7-8). Faith demands obedience to God; it also demands persistence; the deliberate refusal to give up on God. As Luke says, Jesus taught this parable “to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1). There are times we pray so hard only to hear a very loud “No” from God. Instead of what we asked for, we see the very opposite. Jesus is teaching us today that even when we get a “No” we should still go back and ask for the same thing and continue asking until we hear a “Yes.” Do not lose heart on God.

We can apply this lesson to the mission. Just as faith demands persistent asking, converting souls for Christ demands persistent evangelization. Marketers understand this principle very well. They know that they are not likely to get a “No” after the first few encounters with a client but they never stop coming back. They keep asking until the client changes his/her mind and offers to give their product or company a test. Too often, the client becomes hooked for life. If we give up on preaching to people, we lose them forever. St. Paul asks: “How are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless they are sent? … How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news” (Romans 10:13-14).

3. To Believe is to Keep the Hand of Prayer Raised.

Our first reading today from the book of Exodus reminds us of the battle of Israel with the Amalekites at Rephidim. Unlike other nations that tried to hinder the Israelites on their way to possess the Promised Land, the Amalekites proved very tough and stubborn. No matter how experienced and strong the Israelite soldiers were, the Amalekites seemed unsurmountable. However, so long as the hand of Moses remained raised in prayer, victory was sure for Israel. This teaches us the importance of prayer in anything we do in life.

Always remember that your success is not by your power, not your intelligence, your money or connection but by the GRACE OF GOD. The fact that things are going smoothly for you does not mean you should relax your prayer life. It always surprises me that people are willing to do all-night-prayer asking for a visa, the fruit of the womb, job opportunity etc. but no one does all-night-prayer of thanksgiving to God. We tend to drop our hands when our prayers are heard, we stop coming to church, we sink into immorality, we throw caution to the wind and this is when the Amalekites in our lives begin to pick up strength again. When the Israelites discovered what was happening, they had to support Moses’ hand permanently for the rest of the day. Prayer demands persistence but it also requires consistency. Never stop praying.

As people sent on the mission, we are to apply the principle of persistence in preaching to souls but unlike marketers, we must add another element: consistent prayers for the conversion of hardened hearts (the Amalekite ones). The truth is that no matter how eloquent and convincing we are, without the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of men and women, our preaching will be fruitless. Secondly, we never know what we are going to face when we set out to preach. Satan recognizes prayer warriors. When the disciples could not cast out a demon, they shamefully asked Jesus why they got disgraced and in response, Jesus said: “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” (Mark 9:29). Preaching to others begins with an active prayer life lest the hunter becomes the hunted.

4. Go Forth, the Mass is Ended.

As we celebrate World Mission Sunday today, it is important to remind us again of the meaning of the words we hear at the end of each mass every day. Unlike any other church on earth, the Catholic Church always ends the mass with a command to “Go…” This does not simply mean “leave the church.” It means: “Go and preach, go and tell about Christ on the mountains, over the hills and everywhere, go and announce the Gospel by your life, go and proclaim the Good News, go and evangelize.” Every time we attend Mass, we are sent on a mission. Even though today is world mission Sunday, the truth is that for the Catholic Church, every single day is a mission day. As Monsignor J. K. Aniagwu noted: “The Church of Christ cannot be other than missionary, always responding to the mandate that she received from her Divine Founder.” (P.M.S. Pamphlet).

Dear friends, we must begin to ask ourselves how well we have been performing this assignment we are given at every Mass we attend. Between the last mass you attended and this one, how many souls did you minister to? How many people did you preach? If the most honest answer is none, it means we failed to grasp the full impact of that mass we attend. As you hear God’s word at mass, make sure you repeat what you have heard to someone. As soon as the mass ends, tell someone what you have learnt. Preach the Gospel. It is the essence of our Christian life. Preach, not just with words but with your exemplary life. Leave no one out, preach to all and to the whole creation.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, the Psalmist sings: our help comes from you. Teach me to revive my prayer life, deepen my faith and use me to as your instrument to carry your Word to all the world. Amen.

*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (World Mission Sunday, Year C. Bible Study: Zechariah 8:20-23, Psalm 19, Romans 10:9-8 and Mark 16:15-20).*

Fr. Abu

Acknowledge God in Your Everyday Life.

Saturday 19^th October 2019. Read Romans 4:13-18, Psalm 105 and Luke 12:8-12.

_“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.” *(Luke 12:8-9)*_

What does it mean to acknowledge God before others? It is living a way that one may easily mistake you for Jesus. It is loudly proclaiming your faith in God by your actions. Does my dressing acknowledge God? How godly is my everyday vocabulary? When offended, do my reactions acknowledge God? When put in charge of money, do I acknowledge God?

The examples may go on but the point is clear: Avoid practical atheism; stop living your life as if there is no God; as if you will never give an account of your life before your creator. Someone once said: Christians today, are more concerned about their discomfort than about their disobedience. How sad that we call on God when we need His blessings but we forget Him quickly when he needs our obedience.

When your life proclaims God, you have nothing to fear as Jesus promises us: “When they bring you before 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.” (Luke 12:11-12). God lives with and in those whose lives proclaim His existence.

St. Paul in today’s first reading continues his exhortation on Faith. Abraham received the promise not because of anything he did but because of His unflinching faith in God. We are justified not by our good deeds but by our faith in God. However, this does not mean we are to freely commit sin. As St. James would say, “show me your faith without any work and I by my works will show you my faith” (James 2:18). Of course, how do we acknowledge God before men if we do not obey His words?

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, help me to choose you above the world. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Saturday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Romans 4:13-18, Psalm 105 and Luke 12:8-12).

St. Luke, the Evangelist.

Friday 18^th October 2019. Read 2^nd Timothy 4:10-17, Psalm 145:10-18 and Luke 10:1-9.

_“Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me.” *2 Timothy 4:10-11.*_

Behind the success of St. Paul as a Preacher and a great evangelist was a man called Luke, the author of _The Gospel According To Luke_ as well as _The Acts of the Apostles_. This man, Luke was not only a great writer, but he was also a trained physician.

Luke was a Gentile converted to the faith by St. Paul himself. This conversion took place while Luke was treating Paul during an illness in the course of his second missionary journey. St. Jerome and St. John Chrysostom describes the Gospel of Luke as St. Paul’s Gospel. That is to say Luke documented the content of St. Paul’s messages to the churches he visited.

Of all the four Gospels, Luke is a winner when it comes to storytelling. Luke laid so much emphasis on Christian purity, poverty, joyfulness and the importance of women. Luke is said to have interviewed Mary in the course of his composition hence, Luke is able to provide a very detailed graphic description of the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Birth and Early Life of Jesus.

What does it take to be an evangelist? Is it just to write homilies or preach sermons? Luke’s life tells us it is more than that. To be an evangelist is to walk the talk. When the going became tough, Paul (in today’s first reading) writing to Timothy described how some left him, but then as he carefully mentioned: “Luke alone is with me!” Luke stood by Paul when it seemed most inconvenient. Will I be spoken well of like this?

In today’s Gospel passage, Luke tells us how Jesus recruited seventy others into the ministry with some specific instructions. The very fact that Jesus called such a large number on one occasion gives credence to the call of the Laity. One clear fact about this seventy (or seventy-two in some translations) is that they were not all Apostles. Amongst them must have included traders, tax collectors, doctors, carpenters, fishermen, cobblers, perhaps even some Pharisees or scribes who followed Jesus. This passage is particularly significant on the Feast of St. Luke given that Luke was trained as a Doctor yet he is celebrated today as the writer of two books in the Holy Bible.

The life of Luke teaches us a very important lesson: You don’t have to be ordained/professed as a priest or sister neither must you open a church before you can do the work of God. Right where you are, you can make even more significant contributions to the Christian Faith than many ordained ministers. All you need is to allow God to make use of your time and talents.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, you said the harvest is rich but the labourers are few,  use me as your labourer that I may contribute positively in promoting the Gospel. Amen. St. Luke, the Doctor Evangelist, pray for us.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Feast of St. Luke. Bible Study: 2^nd Timothy 4:10-17, Psalm 145:10-18 and Luke 10:1-9).

Not by Power but by Grace.

Thursday 17^th October 2019. Read Romans 3:21-30, Psalm 130 and Luke 11:47-54

_“Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.” *(Romans 3:27-28)*_

Today, St. Paul reminds us that “there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.” (Romans 3:22-25).

By saying that “all have sinned,” St. Paul is not saying we should glory in our sinfulness. His point of emphasis is that we must avoid boasting, avoid feeling superior to others, avoid looking down on people. “Are we any better off?” St. Paul asks, “No, not at all; for we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin.” (Romans 3:9).

If I am able to keep God’s commandments or overcome temptations, I must learn to Give Thanks to God because left to my own power, I can do nothing. As Jesus would say: “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit because apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). All these boils down to the fact that we must avoid passing judgement on others while boasting about our own goodness.

Nevertheless, it is a different thing altogether when we correct others in love. This is what we see in today’s Gospel passage where Jesus continues His litany of woes. Jesus is not simply reigning insults on the Pharisees and lawyers, He is pointing out their errors one after the other. Note that Jesus is telling them these things to their face. Correcting others requires courage. If you cannot tell someone her/his errors to their face, then avoid passing judgement behind their backs. This is very wrong!

Secondly, in mentioning the specific details of their errors, it shows that Jesus knew exactly what He is saying. Be sure you know the whole truth and have done proper investigation before you try to correct so that when you speak, your words would be irrefutable. Don’t go correcting anyone based on mere rumours you have heard about them, otherwise, you who wants to correct would end up being the one at the receiving end of harsher corrections.

Luke tells us that “the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak of many things, lying in wait for him, to catch at something he might say.” Needless to say, the Pharisees were disappointed because they found absolutely nothing to use against Jesus. The point here is that human nature has not changed. People do not like to be corrected. Rather than listening, they find ways to attack the person who corrects them. The best correction they say is “doing the right thing which you desire to see others do.”

 

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, fill me with your Grace every day. Amen. May the Bishop and Martyr, St. Ignatius of Antioch, whose memorial we celebrate today pray and intercede for us. Amen. May the example of his life inspire us to walk in righteousness and lay down our lives for the Gospel if God so deems fit. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Thursday of the 28th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Romans 3:21-30, Psalm 130 and Luke 11:47-54).