21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. By Tobe Eze

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A.

FIRST READING
Isaiah 22:19—23

SECOND READING
Romans 11:33—36

GOSPEL
Matthew 16:13—20

THEME: POWER TO THE RIGHTEOUS ONE.

In one autonomous community that I know very well. One year when election was fast approaching, one of their sons who was contesting for governorship asked the king of the community what they were lacking then so that he will do it for them. The king after thinking told him that his palace chairs are old. The people of that community overthrew him overnight and made another person king immediately for he was not representing them well. Why this story? Continue Reading..................

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. By Tobe Eze

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A.

FIRST READING
Isaiah 56:1, 6—7

SECOND READING
Romans 11:13—15, 29—32

GOSPEL
Matthew 15:21—28

THEME: TRUST AND OBEY. DO NOT REACT TO EVERYTHING.

A man went home one day with a serious wound on his face because he was responding to what the vigilant group told him. He went to a ceremony and was coming home late. When he reached the vigilant group, they asked him, where he was coming from at that time of the night. He told them and they asked him to go. When he was about to go, one of them said, odika onwere nwanyi ya na ya mekoro n' abalia (it seems like he had something with a woman this night). Instead of going, he came back to ask the man to repeat what he said. The vigilant man repeated it three times and the man went fighting. During the fight he was wounded on the face with a log of wood. Something he would have avoided. Had it been he obeyed and went home, he would have not sustained any scratch.

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The Transfiguration of the Lord – Feast By Tobe Eze

The Transfiguration of the Lord – Feast

FIRST READING
Daniel 7:9—10, 13—14

SECOND READING
2 Peter 1:16—19

GOSPEL
Matthew 17:1—9

THEME: ALL POWER, GLORY, MAJESTY AND HONOUR BELONG TO HIM.

Lord, it is better we make three tents here, one for you, one for Elijah and one for Moses. If you are in the presence of God, you will lack nothing. Peter noticed that he was in the presence of his master and forgot himself for he knew that all things are in him and anyone with him has a share in them. He has everything we need in this passing world and the everlasting world.

Why do we go about looking for things that have nothing in them? In the first reading, Daniel saw a vision where everything good was given to the son of man. In the second reading St. Peter repeated what happened on the mountain of transfiguration. Gospel tells us about the transfiguration.

We can be transfigured in this life. Jesus’ transfiguration was a way created for us to follow. We have to go up to the mountain of transfiguration so that we will be transformed. Continue Reading....................

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. By Tobe Eze

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A.

FIRST READING
Malachi 1:14b—2:2b, 8—10

SECOND READING
1 Thessalonians 2:7b—9, 13

GOSPEL
Matthew 23:1—12

THEME: BECAUSE OF THE WORD.

In the beginning was the word, the word was with God (John 1:1-14). This word is what has been doing mighty things from the beginning of the world till now and will continue forever. Genesis recorded the account of creation as what was done through the power of the word. Let there be and there was. Everything good comes from this word. St. Augustine said that God created the world out of nothing. Nihi est nihilo Continue Reading............................

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. By Tobe Eze

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A.

FIRST READING
Exodus 22:20—26

SECOND READING
1 Thessalonians 1:5c—10

GOSPEL
Matthew 22:34—40

THEME: LOVE IS THE WAY.

Let me start with what happened or what I experienced in August 2017. I went to a particular parish to give the block rosary children talk. I was told to prepare Qualities of a good block rosary child. When I was explaining eight of them one by one for them, when I reached love. I told them I Love You All, they started laughing. I did not understand what was happening. When I asked them the reason for that, one of them told me that I am corrupting them.

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. By Tobe Eze

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A.

FIRST READING

Sirach 27:30—28:7

SECOND READING
Romans 14:7—9

GOSPEL
Matthew 18:21—35

THEME: SELF LIBRATION.

I remember when I was in the secondary school, I fought with one girl in my school she was a year below me. Whenever I see her in my school, I became uncomfortable. Till one of my classmates that opened up to called us and reconciled us, then I started getting myself back. Again when I was writing WAEC, one of my classmates that I was living with in the same compound, she was using my pots anytime she wanted to use them provided I was not using it (them). One weekend, she locked my pot inside her room and went home. I was forced to go home for weekend because my pot was not there for me to cook. On Sunday night, when we have returned from our various homes, I went to her room, I finished her up with mouth and when she wanted to react, I gave her a serious beating. After that incident, that compound was no longer comfortable for me. I hated getting her voice talk more of seeing her after that incident for it torments my conscience. Whenever she showed, mood changed. At a point I told myself that I could not continue. One night, I went inside her room, knelt down and begged her for forgiveness and we started enjoying ourselves again. Why all these stories?

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A. By Tobe Eze

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A.

FIRST READING
Ezekiel 33:7—9

SECOND READING
Romans 13:8—10

GOSPEL
Matthew 18:15—20

THEME: ONE STEP IS NOT ENOUGH, IT CONCERNS YOU.

A story was told by an old man to children gathered around him in the village square. The story goes like this; A tree squirrel was on a tree crying on the top of its voice. At a point, a snake nearby told the squirrel to keep quiet but it did not listen, the snake said, it does not concern it. The squirrel continued and cocoyam's leaf told it to keep quiet but it did not listen, then the cocoyam's leaf said the same thing. It does not concern it. Lastly, a pumpkin stem told the squirrel to keep quiet and it did the same as before, the stem of pumpkin also did as others have done. As the squirrel continued, a hunter heard the sound of the crying, he approached and shot the squirrel. The squirrel fell beside the snake, the snake was laughing and lamenting, “I warned this idiot”. As the snake was still laughing, it was also killed by the same hunter. The hunter looked around to see what he will use to carry the two animals, he saw the cocoyam’s leaf and cut it. Again looking for something to use to tie them, he cut the stem of pumpkin. It has concerned all of them. Continue Raeding......................

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A By Tobe Eze

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

FIRST READING
Jeremiah 20:7—9

SECOND READING
Romans 12:1—2

GOSPEL
Matthew 16:21—27

THEME: DOCILITY: A PERFECT WAY OF LIFE.

The proverb of onye n' enyo, isi ya ana-aputa is not only on bad things that it is being used, it is also ad rem to today’s readings. Onye gakwuru Jesu nso, onweta otutu ihe di mma. When you go closer to Jesus with a docile heart, he will shower you with his blessings. Sometimes the blessings may look like it is being delayed. We may suffer many things in the cause of going to God with a docile heart, but at last we will enjoy. Sorrow may endure for the night but morning comes with joy. Continue Reading..........................................

THE JOY OF DRINKING. By Tobe Eze

THE JOY OF DRINKING.

What type of drinking are we talking about? It is taking of alcohol. It was never a sin to taking alcohol, it is not a sin and it will never be a sin, but where trouble comes in is when taken excess. The English says that too much of everything is bad. Too much of food is bad.

Drinking is a good thing to do. When you drink, it removes anxiety, high blood pressure, it makes you not to feel angry unnecessarily. Many things it does to the body which medical practitioners can tell better. We should embrace drinking but with moderation. Illicit drinking is a very serious problem.

MODERATE DRINKING. VIRTUE LIES IN THE MIDDLE.

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IF THERE IS NO DEATH…………………………… By Tobe Eze

IF THERE IS NO DEATH……………………………

Introduction.

The action or fact of dying or being killed; the end of the life of a person or organism:  synonyms: demise · dying · end · passing · passing away · passing on · loss of life · expiry · expiration · departure from life · final exit · eternal rest · murder · killing · assassination · execution · dispatch · slaying · slaughter · massacre · snuffing · curtains · kicking the bucket · decease ·

Life can end in many ways as written in the definition. Let me start from murder. One Igbo adage said that onye gburu nwanne ya abụghị dike. Why should we kill each other? It pains me a lot when I hear that someone has been killed either by any means. Charm, strangling, deeds and words. We can kill each other anytime any day.

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