2nd Sunday of Lent Year A By Tobe Eze

2nd Sunday of Lent Year A

FIRST READING
Genesis 12:1—4a

SECOND READING
2 Timothy 1:8b—10

GOSPEL
Matthew 17:1—9

THEME: GOD’S WILL IS THE BEST.

Our most frequently said prayer may be “Our Father…….” We often say in it, “Thy will be done and again give us this day”. Are we practicing that which we say always or are we now doing another thing? In Igbo land we have names like Uchenna and Uchechukwu, which mean Thy will be done Father and thy will be done God. From the look of how things and people are behaving in this our time, may tell us that we are now acting otherwise. We are no more waiting for God. In the readings of today, we can see clearly the benefit of acting according to the will of God and those acted according to the will of God. In the first reading, we are made to understand that Abram went as the LORD directed him. He did not question God. God where are you taking me to? Why should I leave my father’s land? How do I know you are saying the truth? He obeyed the words of God. We most times ask God many questions whenever any little thing happens to us. God why me? If not you, to whom shall it go? Death is not my portion. Whose portion is it now? It is our portion weather we accept it or not. God are you there watching me and all these things are happening to me? Who do you want it to happen to? God you must show me that you are my God today. Because you created God. We should ask ourselves this question. Do I obey God’s words? Have you asked God to reveal to you his will in that particular situation? Mary told Angel Gabriel, “let be done to me according to your words” (Luke 1:38). We all know the outcome of “ka orere mu ka isiri kwo” of our blessed mother Mary. Continue Reading

Why are you tempting me this girl? By Tobe Eze

Why are you tempting me this girl?

It was a surprise to me when my little sister came to tell me that she was waiting for me outside. And who was she? A girl I met in Facebook. Is this how this world looks like? She sent me a friend request which I accepted. From there we started to chat. From charting, she decided to know me more which I gave her my details. She also had given me her details before then. We were telling ourselves all sort of romantic words. I was thinking that all will end in Facebook but I did not know that she was up to something. I sometimes tell her “how I wish I am riding you now or even worst still I can feel my manhood deep in you. From here I can hear your voice shouting that I should take it easy. And many other erotic things that I was sending to her via Facebook messenger, thinking that all will end there. One day she said she will like to see me but I gave her thousand and one reason why she should not see me that time but she continued to disturb that she wants to see me. That appearance is not reality, my appearance in the picture is not real me that she wants to see me in person. I later agreed. We fixed a date. On that day that I was to go and meet her somewhere because I did not want her to know my house but something unavoidable came up for me that day and we did not meet. I explained to her but due to the other times I had cancelled our meeting, she could not believe what I said. Then next thing I heard was that she was waiting for me outside. Continue Reading

1st Sunday of Lent Year A By Tobe Eze

1st Sunday of Lent Year A

FIRST READING
Genesis 2:7—9; 3:1—7

SECOND READING
Romans 5:12—19

GOSPEL
Matthew 4:1—11

THEME: ONLY THROUGH THE WEAK POINT.

The Lord is good, all the time. God created us with many good things. He created us and also created what we use to sustain our lives. As finite beings, we have weaknesses. These weaknesses, we know them, but sometimes as St. Thomas Aquinas said that conscience can be clouded with ignorance. We sometimes will be clouded also with ignorance or even pride will not allow us accept them as weaknesses. But rather, blame others or take others as evil or worst still use them to punish those around us. Everyone has his/her own weak point. Naturally women are seduced by what they hear and men are seduced by what they see. Generally women’s number one weakness is about hearing or listening. Continue Reading

FROM HE KISSED ME TO MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. By Tobe Eze

                               FROM HE KISSED ME TO MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

It all started when we were in the secondary school. I was in JSS3 and he was in SSSI. One faithful afternoon, he came to me under the mango tree and said “Baby how far?” I hated to be addressed as “baby” but I managed to say “I’m fine. And you?” As the conversation went on, he invited me to the canteen so that I can make a choice of whatever I like. Of course I immediately rejected the offer, majorly because of my bad notion about boys (they are devils to me). However, after much persuasion from him, I decided to at least for the first time accept something from an opposite sex. After that day he continued to care for me, sometimes he brought fruits for me and other edibles. To be honest, his attitude towards me changed my mindset about male folk. But I knew he had plan, so I was waiting for him to woo me so that I will decline and start avoiding him, surprisingly he did not make such move. I waited and waited but it was not forthcoming, so I relaxed a bit.

He bought me a wrist watch as a success gift during my Junior WAEC which I accepted with a great joy. In the next Academic Session I began SSS1 and he was in SSS2. We continued our lives as usual, he cared, provided and protected me always. I was beginning to like him so much to the extent that I knew it would be difficult to say no to him if he eventually woos me. So, I made a plan.

During one of our break periods, he called me from the school hall requesting that I meet him there. When I got there, he was seated and before him were different kinds of edibles ready to be devoured. I sat beside him and we together enjoyed what he had provided. After eating, he broke the “aku oba Nsugbe” (he started wooing me). Continue Reading

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A By Tobe Eze

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

FIRST READING Isaiah 49:14—15

SECOND READING
1 Corinthians 4:1—5

GOSPEL
Matthew 6:24—34

THEME: HE REMEMBERS US IN ALL OUR SITUATIONS

Will mother forget her child? Even if she forgets, I will not forget you. This is promise of God to us. He is our Lord and God. He cares for us and provides for us. We should fear not. It is out of fear that we sometimes judge our neighbours, but St. Paul in the second reading tells us not to judge. Be still and know that I am the Lord. One with God is majority. If you are with God nothing will harm you, there is nothing to fear about. Fear not for he is with us. First reading tells us that he will provide all our good needs. St. Paul said that, it is now the time for us to show our stewardship in Christ.

How do we show that stewardship? By obeying the law. What are the laws? The greatest commandment is love. If we love, there is nothing more that is expected of us. It is in love that we find hope, it is in love that we find joy, it is in love that we find prosperity, it is in love that forgiveness lives. Every good things are born out of love. If there is love among us there will be no fear. Where there is no love, every other vices live there.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells us that he cares for us more than every other creature. He is our father. Our good father. He has every good things in him, let us imitate, emulate and photocopy him. Let us answer oyiri Nna for our father is good. Oyiri Nna (Carbon copy of the father) is only good when the father is a good person. Because our father is good we should answer it, and if you cannot be like the father please do not answer it and remember those that he cares and provides for are those who are like him. Ndị nke ya n' eziokwu. In fear sometimes we lose our names.

Most times we fear too much that we don’t even remember God again and what we may be fearing for may be something too small. Continue Reading

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A By Tobe Eze

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

FIRST READING
Leviticus 19:1—2, 17—18

SECOND READING
1 Corinthians 3:16—23

GOSPEL
Matthew 5:38—48

THEME: WE ALL ARE FOR CHRIST.

Christ is God and God is Holy. If we are for Christ, that means, we should be Holy. Holiness is not doing extraordinary things but doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way.

How do we do ordinary things in an extraordinary way? Do everything in love and with love. Once we put love first in everything we do, we are doing them in an extraordinary way. Love should be in the centre of our lives. Christ is God and God is love, so we should also be love. Where love abides holiness lives in full there. Holiness of spirit and body. We are to be Holy for our heavenly father is Holy. When we say that he is Holy, we are just limiting him to a point. He is Holiness itself. And we should be holy as his children.

St. Augustine propounded the theory of Rationale seminale that is. God left a genre in creatures that make them procreate their different species. A goat cannot beget a fish. If we are really children of God, and God is holy, he that is holy can only give birth to another who is holy, which means, we to be holy. Continue Reading

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