Oh Happy Day

Saturday, 5 October 2024. Readings: Job 42:1-3,5-6,12-17, Ps. 119:66,71,75,91,125,130, Luke 10:17-24

“The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’” (Luke 10:17)

Both our readings today are set on a tone of joy and happiness. Finally, God restores everything Job had lost. Within a twinkle of an eye, Job went from being the most pathetic man on earth to the richest man. In his later life, Job was blessed with seven sons and three daughters, the fairest of all the women on earth. From a near-death experience, Job was gifted an additional one hundred and forty years.

- In sending out the seventy, they must have wondered how they would survive without a bag, a wallet, an extra tunic, or even some loaves of bread. Today, they return with joy. The experience taught them about God’s providence. If God gives you an assignment, trust He will provide everything you need. You will have dark moments but, ultimately, realize that God knew exactly what He was doing. “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.” (Psalm 125:1)

- The seventy also learned that there is power in the name of Jesus. They were surprised that demons submitted to them. “At the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” (Philippians 2:10). Do you still believe there is power in the name of Jesus? When was the last time you called on Jesus with faith? Avoid using this name as a mere exclamation. Call on Jesus with reverence.

- Jesus cautioned the seventy not to rejoice in their ability to command evil spirits but in the fact that their names were written in the Book of Life. Do not glory in being a prayer warrior; glory instead in making heaven. “On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.” (Matthew 7:22-23). Many Christians take pride in doing mighty works today but will be disappointed on the last day.

- Upon the return of the seventy, Jesus offered a prayer of Thanksgiving to God to teach us the importance of showing appreciation to God. Do not develop an entitlement mentality. Refusal to give thanks leads to pride. You start feeling that having done a successful mission, you are now greater than others. Do you know what becomes of proud people? Mary said: “He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.” (Luke 1:51-52)

- Jesus’s thanksgiving prayer emphasizes receiving God with a childlike attitude (humility). Jesus once said to his disciples: “Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3). Now, we hear Jesus saying: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.” (Luke 10:21).

Let us pray: Almighty, ever-living God, teach us to trust in you completely, knowing that whatever we face now will soon turn into laughter and joy. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (Saturday of week 26 in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Job 42:1-3,5-6,12-17, Ps. 119:66,71,75,91,125,130, Luke 10:17-24).

@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu

Do Not Make God Sad

Friday, 4 October 2024. Readings: Job 38:1,12-21,40:3-5, Ps. 139:1-3,7-10,13-14, Luke 10:13-16

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.” (Luke 10:13)

There are people with whom God is not happy.

- God is not happy with those who trade in the temple. “Don’t you know my house shall be a house of prayer? But you have turned it into a den of robbers.” (Mt. 21:13, Mk 11:17). These traders were ripping off pilgrims who came to the temple to pray, taking advantage of their faith. Jesus told the seventy not to carry bags for money, but today, ministers compete among themselves in the display of riches.

- Secondly, God is not happy with those who doubt His power. Jesus was in his hometown, and the people were murmuring: “Is this not the Carpenter’s son?” (Mark 6:2). Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith and could not work miracles there. “And without faith, it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

- Thirdly, God is unhappy with those who refuse to repent their sins even after witnessing His miracles. Jesus said: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.” (Luke 10:13).

- While writing His Gospel, John described Jesus’ miracles as signs. This was very instructive. Miracles are not things we should glory in; they are signs pointing to deeper realities. Upon seeing the great fish catch, Peter immediately descended on his knees before Jesus, saying: “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8). Peter and his companions left the fish behind and followed Jesus. Today, we seem to be leaving Jesus to follow the fish.

- If you truly believe in God, you would not need Him to prove himself by miracles. To those who asked Jesus to work a miracle to clear His name after accusing him of healing by the spirit of Beelzebub, Jesus said: “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (Matthew 12:39). Job suffered a lot during his trials, but his faith never wavered. He did not need a miracle from God to prove His existence.

- God spoke in today’s first reading, and Job answered: “Behold, I am of small account… I lay my hand on my mouth.” Bad days will come. There may not always be miracles to cheer your heart. In the words of St. John of the Cross, you may experience “dark nights.” Tough times don’t last, but tough people do. Develop a tough faith in God. Let not life’s troubles shake your faith and trust in God.

- In conclusion, why not seek repentance rather than asking God for miracles? How do we hope for God’s intervention when we continue to do things that offend Him? No one likes to be used and dumped, but this is exactly what we do to God when we seek His blessings and refuse to obey His words.

- Today, we remember St Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). Francis was the son of a prosperous cloth merchant in Assisi. When his father objected to having his goods sold without his consent to pay for the restoration of a church, the bishop commanded Francis to repay the money. He did. He also renounced his father and returned everything he had ever been given, even his garments. He began a life of perfect evangelical poverty, living by begging and, even then, only accepting the worst food that people had to give.

- He preached to all the love of God and the love of the created world because, having renounced everything, he celebrated everything he received, saw, or heard as a gift. A rich man sold everything and joined him in living next to a leper colony; a canon from a neighbouring church also gave up his position and joined them. They looked into the Gospel and saw the story of the rich young man whom Jesus told to sell everything; they saw Jesus telling his disciples to take nothing with them on their journey; they saw Jesus saying that his followers must also carry his cross. And on that basis, they founded an order.

- Francis begged from a peasant wearing an old brown garment tied around the middle with string, and this dress became the Franciscan habit. Francis started the practice of setting up a crib in church to celebrate the Nativity. Francis died in 1226. The Franciscans endure to this day.

Let us pray: Almighty, ever-living God, give us the grace to live authentic Christian lives. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (Saint Francis of Assisi. Bible Study: Job 38:1,12-21,40:3-5, Ps. 139:1-3,7-10,13-14, Luke 10:13-16).

@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu

I Know My Redeemer Lives!

Thursday, 3 October 2024. Readings: Job 19:21-27, Ps. 27:7-9,13-14, Luke 10:1-12

“For I know that my Redeemer lives and that at last, he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God.” (Job 19:25-26)

A few weeks ago, someone asked me: “Father, with all the evils going on in the world, does God still exist?” There is every temptation to doubt God’s existence when we are at our lowest moments. This was not the case with Job in today’s First Reading:

- When Job lost everything, his friends told him to stop claiming he was righteous. If your hands are clean, none of these should happen to you. This was the belief of those who asked Jesus about the man born blind. “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.’” (John 9:2-3). In other words, suffering may not always be a punishment for sins.

- Job’s wife asked him, “Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die.” But he told her, “You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not the bad?” (Job 2:9-10). When bad things happen to us, we tend to ask: “God, where are you? Why do you allow my enemies to laugh at me?” We may even find ourselves insulting God, but Job’s story teaches us a powerful lesson: Evil does not negate God’s existence.

- When Job uttered this song (“I know my Redeemer lives”), he had no more reason to believe in God. He had been praying for days, and all he could see was the opposite of what he was praying for. This song reminds us of Paul and Silas, who, in prison, sang songs of praise to God. Nothing touches God as much as our ability to sing His praises despite our difficulties. By singing, Job utterly disappointed the devil, who felt that Job’s righteousness was tied to his material blessings.

- Are you a Christian because you want God to bless you? If God’s blessings cease, will you still worship God? Or, will you walk away from God like the multitude who left Jesus when He refused to repeat the miracle of the loaves? (Cf. John 6:66-67). St. Paul said: “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:19). Job did not serve God only for this life. He knew there was another life: “After my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God.” (Job 19:26).

- In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus (like Moses, who bestowed his spirit on the seventy elders in Numbers 11:25-29) appointed seventy disciples and sent them two by two into various towns and villages where he was about to come. Jesus warned them: “See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road.” (Luke 10:3-4). Jesus knew these material riches tend to act as thorns, preventing the seed from bearing much fruit. (Cf. Matthew 13:22).

- Like the seventy, Jesus expects us to spread the Gospel through actions and words. However, this is a dangerous mission – anyone who commits to letting their light shine amid the darkness in today’s world will surely become the devil’s target. Like he did with Job, the devil will do everything to frustrate you. Hence, Jesus said: “I am sending you like lambs amid wolves.” To be successful, you must reduce your love for earthly riches. Even if you lose everything you have, continue to let your light shine.

- Today, we remember Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873 - 1897). Marie-Françoise-Thérèse Martin was born in Alençon, in France, on 2 January 1873. Her mother, who already had breast cancer, died when Thérèse was four, and the family moved to Lisieux. Thérèse became a nun at the Carmelite convent there at 15, after a long battle against the superior, who insisted that 16, or even 21, would be a more sensible age. She died of tuberculosis at the age of 24.

- In 1895, Mother Agnès of Jesus, the prioress, commanded Thérèse to write her memoirs. Writing “not to produce a literary work, but under obedience,” Thérèse took a year to fill six exercise books. She presented them to the prioress, who put them in a drawer unread. A year after Thérèse’s death, the memoirs were published. This was the first spark that ignited a “storm of glory” that swept the world. Miracles started to happen: conversions, cures, even apparitions. She was canonised in 1925. Her parents, Louis and Zélie Martin, were canonised by Pope Francis on 18 October 2015.

Let us pray: Almighty, ever-living God, grant us the grace of perseverance when the going becomes rough. Help us to fulfil our missionary mandate to the world. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin, Doctor. Bible Study: Job 19:21-27, Ps. 27:7-9,13-14, Luke 10:1-12).

@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu

The Power of the Holy Guardian Angels

Readings: Job 9:1-13,14-16, Ps. 88:10-15, Matthew 18:1-5,10

“Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10)

Today, we celebrate the memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels.

- Who are guardian angels? Guardian Angels are special messengers assigned to each person to guide and protect them. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus speaks about guardian angels while warning his listeners against despising the little ones. Children may appear fragile, but they are not alone. No human being is alone.

- Why do we need guardian angels? We live in a deeply spiritual world. As we often say, there is more to reality than meets the eye. Nothing happens in the physical realm unless settled in the spiritual realm. Hence, St. Paul would say: “For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12).

- How do we tap into the protection offered by our guardian angels?

- One: Be conscious of their existence. A lot of Christians today do not know that they have guardian angels. Hence, they nurse unnecessary fears leading to anxiety, depression and faithlessness. Some Christians are more conscious of the powers of the demons than they are of their God-given powers. St. John writes: “Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4).

- Two: Develop the habit of listening to your guardian angels. Speaking about our guardian angels, God says: “I am going to send an angel in front of you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him. But if you listen attentively to his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.” (Exodus 23:20-22).

- Have you ever felt something was telling you not to go to a particular location, but you later went, and something bad happened? That was the voice of your guardian angel speaking to you, but you didn’t listen. Our guardian angels sometimes serve as our conscience, warning us to resist certain actions. They also guide us through the difficult road of life, inspiring us to make the right choices. Learn to become friendly with your guardian angel.

- Three: Talk to your guardian angel. Do you know the short and simple prayer to your guardian angel? It goes thus: “Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom His love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.” Say this prayer as often as possible. Let it remind you that you are not alone when you feel scared, worried or sad.

- Praying to your guardian angel is not idolatry. It is tapping into the power offered to us by God. If Jesus warned against despising the little ones because they have angels who always see the face of God, there is nothing wrong if we (the little ones) send our angels on errands to bring gifts to us from God.

- Since we cannot see our guardian angels, how can we be sure they exist? Guardian angels are spiritual beings and may sometimes come to us in human flesh. An example of this is recorded in the Book of Tobit (Tobit 3:25, 5:1-4). Angel Raphael, disguised as a human named Azariah, presents himself as a family relative and offers to accompany Tobias to Media. Along the way, Raphael helps Tobias catch a fish that cures his father’s blindness, and later, he helps Tobias marry Sarah and free her from a demon’s grasp.

- Perhaps you need more convincing about the existence of guardian angels. Remember that it takes a childlike faith to believe in spiritual realities. This is why, in today’s Gospel passage, Jesus tells us to receive God’s kingdom as children. “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3).

Let us pray: Almighty, ever-living God, draw me nearer to you through my Guardian Angel. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (The Holy Guardian Angels. Bible Study: Job 9:1-13,14-16, Ps. 88:10-15, Matthew 18:1-5,10).

@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu