6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A By Tobe Eze

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

 FIRST READING

Sirach 15:15—20

SECOND READING
1 Corinthians 2:6—10

GOSPEL

 Matthew 5:17—37

THEME: WHO IS FREE TO SIN?

Let us start from the meaning of sin. What is sin? Sin is an immoral act considered to be transgression against the divine law. Sin is saying No where God said yes and saying Yes where God said no. Putting God after instead of putting him first. Ndị Igbo sị na Onye buru Chi ya ụzọ, ọgbagbuo onwe ya na ọsọ.

How can we sin? We have sin of commission and sin of omission. Sin of commission is when we act against the Ten Commandments if God which centered on thou shall not do, the six commandments of the Church which centered on thou shall do. Sin of omission is when we leave the good deeds we should do and do otherwise. James 4:17 says Therefore, if anyone knows how to do what is right and yet does not do it, it is a sin for him. But we usually forget this sin of omission. This is where we committee many times. Continue Reading

Question: "Why is faith without works dead?" By Tobe Eze

Question: "Why is faith without works dead?"

Answer: James says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26). Faith without works is a dead faith because the lack of works reveals an unchanged life or a spiritually dead heart. There are many verses that say that true saving faith will result in a transformed life, that faith is demonstrated by the works we do. How we live reveals what we believe and whether the faith we profess to have is a living faith. 

James 2:14–26 is sometimes taken out of context in an attempt to create a works-based system of righteousness, but that is contrary to many other passages of Scripture. James is not saying that our works make us righteous before God but that real saving faith is demonstrated by good works. Works are not the cause of salvation; works are the evidence of salvation. Faith in Christ always results in good works. The person who claims to be a Christian but lives in willful disobedience to Christ has a false or dead faith and is not saved. Paul basically says the same thing in 1 Corinthians 6:9–10. James contrasts two different types of faith true faith that saves and false faith that is dead. Continue Reading

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. By Tobe Eze

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A.

FIRST READING
Isaiah 58:7—10

SECOND READING
1 Corinthians 2:1—5

GOSPEL
Matthew 5:13—16

THEME: CHARITY BRINGS BLESSINGS.

Salt cannot claim that it is sweet without acting on the tongue or been used in cooking or anyplace it works. It is not sweet in the container that is containing it. Light cannot say that it is light when it is not shining. A led torch that the battery is off can see nothing at night, so it is not light unless it is charged. We cannot claim to be salts of the earth without showing how salty we are. We cannot claim that we are the light of the world without shining out the light. Jesus told us today in the Gospel that if salt looses it saltiness it will be trampled upon. If we loose our saltiness there is no other option than to throw us away and trample upon us. If we as a light (led torch) spoils. The next option is to throw us away. We all know salt as a substance that is sweet, but after looking at our lives and behaviours, one will just conclude that we are no more sweet but sour and bitter. Light as we all know dispels darkness but, we are now distributing the darkness which we should dispel. Ndụ anyị bụzị ndụ rụrụ ịnyị. Ọchịchịrị bụ ihe n' apụtazị ihe n' ndụ anyị, ọbụghịzị ihe. The worse is that it is most among Christians. If we cannot trust Christians again, who shall we trust? Ebe ọbụzị ndị ụka n' emebiri anyị ihe, onye ka anyị ga agakwuru? To whom shall we go? We claim that we are the holiest on earth, we claim that we are the best people God created but all sot of evil are found within us. Witches are many in the Church, wizards are many in the church, murderers of all kinds, thieves in its fullness, fornicators, adulterers and every evil in the church. How can we shine to others light while we have all these vices? How can we tell others to come and take opposite of salt in the name of salt. We have lost that salt nature in us. Continue Reading

REFLECTION | ‘Whatever you do to the least of your brothers, you do unto me. By Rev. Fr. Christian B. Buenafe, O. Carm.

REFLECTION | ‘Whatever you do to the least of your brothers, you do unto me’

By Rev. Fr. Christian B. Buenafe, O. Carm. | Lifestyle Section, InterAksyon.com · Sunday, November 2, 2014 · 7:14 am

In today’s gospel, we are inspired to see God not only in our natural surroundings but also in others, especially those who are in need. Reflection photo by Bernard Testa, InterAksyon.com.

Jesus said to his disciples, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separate the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the king will say to those on his right, ’Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, of naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’

“And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ … And these will go off… to eternal life.”
—Matthew 25:31-46 Continue Reading