SATURDAY 14TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B. Tobe Eze

SATURDAY 14TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.
1ST READING: ISAIAH 6:1-8
GOSPEL: MATTHEW 10:24-33
THEME: HE HAS PREPARED US FOR THE WORK.
In the first reading, Isaiah who was not ready for the work tried to give reason for that and he made him clean. His response changed immediately and he asked God to send him. This is the type of response he is expecting from us.
In the gospel, Jesus prepared his disciples on what they will see in the ministry of his words and sacraments. They maltreated him Jesus, God and man, what about ordinary men. He gave them charge to go and proclaim the word in an open place without fear and be ready to face what will come out of it.
He has prepared us also today in his church through his teachings and sacraments, it is now our duty to go out to open places and proclaim them. He who denies him before men will be denied by him before his father and he who proclaims him before men, he will proclaim before his father.
A man very charismatic in a certain parish was preaching about those who snatch people’s lands from them. As he was preaching, his uncle who is well known of doing that came, because he was afraid of him, he changed the topic so that the man will not think that he was talking to him or about him. Fear only the one who can kill both body and soul.
The word of God is expected to be preached to all no matter whom it may affect for it is a double edged sword that pierces many hearts. He has prepared us for the work, let us not waste his effort rather utilize it. The work and glory are his and salvation is ours. Thanks.

FRIDAY 14TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B. By Tobe Eze

FRIDAY 14TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.
1ST READING: HOSEA 14:1-9
GOSPEL: MATTHEW 10:16-23
THEME: JUST RETURN AND LEAVE THE REST FOR GOD.
God who is reach in mercy knows what is best for us and that, he likes giving us always. He loves us so much that his mission is just to save us and not to leave us to die in sin.
In the first reading, he is asking us to renounce all our evil ways especially those we have taken as our personal gods. We have to leave them and come back to him that he has all we need on earth and after.
In the gospel, he is telling us that we will suffer many things for following him but, he is always with us. We will be hated by father, mother, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, neighbours, friends and enemies for following him but he will always give us what we will answer in the face of trials.
I met a man who told me that he cannot become a Christian at his age for God has nothing to do with him again. I told him that God has many things to achieve with and through him but he insisted. After some years, he became a Christian. Change from your (Our) evil ways and leave how God will clean them, it is his field not ours. Just return to him and leave the rest. Just allow him to send you, as he promised in the gospel, he will do. He told them not to be afraid of what they will say for he will supply. He is ever ready to help us when we return to him. Thanks.

THURSDAY 14TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B. By Tobe Eze

THURSDAY 14TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.
1ST READING: HOSEA 11:1-4.8C-9
GOSPEL: MATTHEW 10:7-15
THEME: HE IS A GOD THAT HEALS.
After all we have done to him (our God), he still said he will not destroy us. He is still in serious love with us. He is still giving us opportunities to change our ways of life and that he did in the gospel. He sent out his disciples to go and preach, heal, raise the dead and do many other miracles in his name without charge. 
The only thing we have to offer him is for us to accept his messengers. He wants us to be healed in every form we are suffering. Spiritual, physical, emotional, psychological and so on. That was why he said to his disciples to heal all their infirmities not one form but all. Those he sent will do his works without charges but those who send themselves will do with charges, this is a way to know fake prophets. They have prices for every spiritual activity.
As we have heard that any town, people or nation that rejects his disciples will suffer it at the last day. The ball is now in our own court to play. We are now to choose between the two. Anyone we choose has its own responsibilities. If we choose to welcome and hear them, we should be ready to put their teachings  into practice and if we choose to reject them, eternal damnation awaits us. He is a God that heals and we should help him in this his healing plans by obeying his words that he speaks to us through his messengers. Thanks.

WEDNESDAY 14TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B. By Tobe Eze

WEDNESDAY 14TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.
1ST READING: HOSEA 10:1-3.7-8.12
GOSPEL: MATTHEW 10:1-7
THEME: NO MATTER OUR SINS, HE STILL CARES FOR HIS PEOPLE.
In the first reading, God was still complaining about the sins of Israelites that grew with them. It is the same with us today. As we grow in development, we grow also in sin. Technology came to help us but we are using them as avenue for sins. All sorts of atrocities are now done through the product of science and technology. As we are doing these, God is still planning on how to save us. How?
In the gospel, he called men who will learn from him all that he learnt from his father to help the gospel to reach to the ends of the world. He called men from all works of life especially those whom the society regarded as nothing or sinners.
He called the weak that they may understand those who are weak also. He cares for us even when we sin. Jesus died for us even when we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). He does not look on our sins before planning for our salvation. He calls men today to his vineyard to save his people. We should recognised that and follow him and it shall be well with us. Thanks.

TUESDAY 14TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B. By Tobe Eze

TUESDAY 14TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.
1ST READING: HOSEA 8:4-7.11-13
GOSPEL: MATTHEW 9:32-38
THEME: THE WORK STARTS FROM US.
The labourers are really few but the little we have are making serious effort but the problem is that we the farm are not ready and disposed for them. 
Following the first reading, where many of us have made for ourselves places of sin and have forgotten God. Some have already disposed themselves for hellfire. The Israelites made themselves gods that they were worshiping and God was not happy with them and said he will take them back to Egypt to go and suffer again. God is not happy with us, the way we live our Christian life and he is ready to take us back to damnation which he has redeemed us from if we do not change.
The labourers in the gospel are very few till this day. We should help the few working and help also ourselves by putting to practice what they are teaching us. Labourers are called by God and not men. Not that they are few, then we will call ourselves into the harvest as some are doing these days. He asked his apostles to pray for the Lord of harvest to send labourers and not for people to send themselves. As we pray for labourers, let us know that their works can only be fruitful if we start from ourselves and put their teachings into practice. Thanks.

MONDAY 14TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B. By Tobe Eze

MONDAY  14TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.
1ST READING: HOSEA 2:14BC. 15CD-16.19-20
GOSPEL: MATTHEW 9:18-26
THEME: WE ARE MARRIED TO GOD’S MERCY.
That we are alive today is only by God’s mercy. That we have whatever we have is by his mercy and so on. It is not in any of our makings. If he should count our sins, we are no longer worthy of living. God's saving mercy and justice are what we have inherited from him through Jesus Christ his son through our baptism.
In the first reading, God said through the prophet Hosea that he will marry us in justice, mercy, steadfast love and righteousness. All we have and are, are only on this ground. 
To prove that love, mercy, justice and so on, he heeded to the plea of the two persons in the gospel. The woman with hemorrhage got healed because of his love and mercy. The daughter of a ruler was raised to life because of his love and mercy. We can still be healed in our various illnesses and be raised to life again from our different deaths. If we are married to his mercy, let us work towards that through our actions. A faithful wife gets good things from the husband likewise we will get from God if we remain faithful to him. Thanks.

14th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B. By Tobe Eze

14th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B.

FIRST READING

Ezekiel 2:2-5

SECOND READING

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

GOSPEL

Mark 6:1-6

THEME: GOD IS BEYOND MAN’S THINKING.

A young man was admitted into the seminary school. His own kinsmen started writing petitions against him so that he will be expelled. As God made it he was not expelled. At his ordination, his own kinsmen refused to contribute money for his car and every other things necessary for ordination. What were their reasons? 1. How can the son of Okeke be Fada and our own sons are not. 2. Why should we buy him a car while our own sons have not even a wheel? 3. We know him, he is not qualified. 4. Even his father is too poor to sponsor him, he may have been stealing to survive there. And so many other rubbish reasons. Even after ordination, they failed to see him as a priest but whether they did or not, they know that a priest came out from his father’s house. He is a priest and no two ways about it. Continue Reading..............................

13th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B. By Tobe Eze

13th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B.

FIRST READING

Wisdom 1:13-15;2:23-24

SECOND READING

2 Corinthians 8:7.9.13-15

GOSPEL

Mark 5:21-43

THEME: HE DESTINED US NOT FOR RETRIBUTION.

God from the Old Testament, New Testament and till now does not allow those who trust in him to suffer damnation. He said through his prophet, As I live, I have no pleasure in the death of a wicked man rather let him turn from his evil ways and live (Ezekiel 18:23).

In the first reading, it is clearly stated that death is not from God. He destined us life from the beginning of creation. His plans for us is the plan of life and not death. How do we gain this life he has planned for us? Continue Reading............

12th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B. By Tobe Eze

12th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B.

FIRST READING

Job 38:1.8-11

SECOND READING

2 Corinthians 5:14-17

GOSPEL

Mark 4:35-41

THEME: IT DEMANDS FAITH TO KNOW CHRIST.

If your faith is as big as the mustard seed, you will command the mountain to move and it will obey you (Luke 17:6). This is just an example of what faith can do to us if we have it. Jesus is God and God is a mystery, mystery is something that is beyond the understanding of human reasoning. So, to understand Jesus to a greater extent demands faith from us.

Our faith in Christ should not be a fearful faith for that will make us not to achieve what we suppose to achieve as those who believe in Christ.

A story about millipede and a bird (Nduru). Millipede is an animal that does not fear any man while working on the road. Even when one matches it, one is the one who will shout and run not millipede. That bird (Nduru) after watching this drama for a very long period, decided to ask millipede what is giving it that courage. Millipede told the bird that a Diviner (Dibia) prepared him a charm for that. They fixed a day for them to go to that Dibia for the bird to get its own charm. The millipede met the Dibia before that day they fixed to plan on what to do. That very day came and they went to the Dibia’s house. After preparing the charm, he told the bird terms and conditions involved. The first and the greatest was that it should not run no matter the situation. They went home. The bird was feeding on the ground, a man was coming and it decided not to fly away, when the man was reaching, a great fear came upon it and it flew away. Out of anger it went back to the Dibia to complain but he told the bird that it failed the first and greatest rule which is do not run no matter the situation. The bird told him that fear covered it and he told the bird. YOU MUST CONQUER FEAR BEFORE YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT. We must conquer fear before we build faith in Christ. Continue Reading...........................

SATURDAY 20TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B. By Tobe Eze

SATURDAY 20^TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.

1^ST READING: EZEKIEL 43:1-7A

GOSPEL: MATTHEW 21:1-12

THEME: THE PLACE OF EXULTATION.

We often as human beings like the place or places of exultation(s). Where we shall be recognized. There are two ways to this. Is it worldly recognition or heavenly recognition? As we can see in many ways of our lives that we majorly do things because of others. We wear beautiful cloths and many other things because of others.

A lady bought new dresses to show off on Sunday. She appeared so beautiful on Sunday. During offertory, she waited for all to have gone so that all will notice her and her new dress. As she was moving from the back with her regalia, she missed a step and fell down at the middle of the church and that disgraced her and all she was putting on. Sometimes, this is what the devil does to us. He will make us to always think of worldly things and he will disgrace us at the middle of the whole show.

The Pharisees and Sadducees who were doing things for men to recognize them were missing God’s recognition for men’s recognition has taken upper hand. It is because of this human recognition that we do all sorts of evil like in the gospel. Because we want people to call us names we go into one evil thing or society to make name and firm. After that what next? People lord it over the people under them in other to make firm which God warned us about it (1Peter 5:3). We do the same this day. Girls sell their bodies, even women not only girls do the same in order to be updated or sexiest etc.

God’s recognition and place of exultation is the best and that is what he showed us today in the first reading through prophet Ezekiel. Let us work for that God’s place of honour and we will enjoy it forever. Thanks.