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

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B.

FIRST READING
Isaiah 35:4—7a

SECOND READING
James 2:1—5

GOSPEL
Mark 7:31—37

THEME: BE A SOURCE OF JOY NOT SORROW.

There was this lady around her 37-39 years old still unmarried. She was going to chapel and every other prayer gathering. She was in many spiritual organizations. All these she was going did not change her behaviour. Any place she enters, people will know that she has entered not for her good deeds but bad. She has been doing that from her early years till that time.

Another lady in the same range of years. Anywhere she enters, people will know that she is around because she must make everyone there to be happy. She offers selfless services everywhere. She was only in few spiritual organizations. The two got married latter and they extended their different behaviours to their homes. The first continued causing confusion and the latter continued spreading peace and happiness. You, what do you cause? Joy or sorrow? It is not about Christianity, but about what do you do as a Christian. Continue Reading....................

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B. By Tobe Eze

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B.

FIRST READING
Deuteronomy 4:1—2, 6—8

SECOND READING
James 1:17—18, 21b—22, 27

GOSPEL
Mark 7:1—8, 14—15, 21—23

THEME: THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW NOT THE LETTERS OF THE LAW.

In many communities of the world, people try to obey every letter of the law guiding the community without thinking about the spirit of the law. Many are more interested in what did the law say and forget what the law is trying to achieve. They also forget the mercy God is giving us example of it in our everyday lives. Some even like to multiply rules given them to guide the people to the extent that it will be very difficult for the people to obey them. Some villages make wicked rules that will favour some and not some. Continue Reading............................

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

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B.

FIRST READING
Joshua 24:1—2a, 15—17, 18b

SECOND READING

Ephesians 5:21—32

GOSPEL
John 6:60—69

THEME: THE CHURCH IS NOT A RESTING PLACE.

Some think that church is a refugee camp that you will run to when things get hard for you. It is not that the church cannot help in that aspect but it is not the primary duty of the church. Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese Most Rev. Prof. Godfrey Igwebuike Onah in his 2014 Lenten pastoral message Volumus Jesum Videre (we want to see Jesus), said,  There is difference between a child that ran to an elder’s house because he is pursued by a masquerade and a child that prepared and went to visit an elder in his house. The first, when the masquerade is gone, he/she will leave. Even when the child is still in the house, he/she will learn nothing from the elder because he/she seeks only protection that time. But when it comes to a child that prepared and went to an elder, there will be discussions and he/she will learn a lot from the elder. Tomorrow he/she will come back again for more but the other will not return unless the masquerade is back. That is the same way some of us practice our Christian life. Our church is not a bed of roses, it is a church filled with many sufferings that have hope. If we are choosing Christianity to escape suffering, we are making a serious mistake. Continue Reading...............

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

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B.

FIRST READING
Proverbs 9:1—6

SECOND READING
Ephesians 5:15—20

GOSPEL
John 6:51—58

THEME: JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY.

Sometimes I ask myself, what is wisdom? You will see this person behaving in this way and you will say this person is wise. Tomorrow you will see him/her doing another thing altogether and you will become confused. Even Solomon that asked for wisdom latter misbehaved that people especially my own self became confused whether he received the wisdom at all. Going through the scriptures, one will find out that the only man that lived his life without fault from him rather people imposed fault on him is Jesus Christ. From this we can go down to the readings. Continue Reading.............................

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B. By Tobe Eze

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B.

FIRST READING

1 Kings 19:4—8

SECOND READING
Ephesians 4:30—5:2

GOSPEL
John 6:41—51

THEME: FOOD FOR LIFE.

Sometimes I wonder all these churches everywhere that do not believe in the Holy Eucharist, is there salvation for them?  Jesus continued to talk about eating his body and drinking his blood and after all said and done,  he gave bread and wine as his flesh and blood and upon that asked his apostles to do it in the memory of him(Luke 19:22). St. Paul himself talked about it that, the cup of blessings we bless is the participation of the eating and drinking of body and blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16). Many Holy Men and Women have talked about this Holy Eucharist and we have seen it in action in many ways but some still talk evil against it and they still call themselves Christians.  For there salvation, it is left for God to say not myself or anyone. They may be in heaven even before someone of us. But it is better for me to be in a place that I can trace my origin back to the Bible.

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B. By Tobe Eze

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B.
FIRST READING
Exodus 16:2—4, 12—15

SECOND READING
Ephesians 4:17, 20—24

GOSPEL
John 6:24—35

THEME: SLAVERY VERSUS FREEBORN

We in this world are too conscious of worldly slavery and forget the worst part of slavery which is the spiritual slavery. The three reading of today are trying to bring to our consciousness the negative effect of the spiritual slavery which worldly things are putting us into.  These worldly things are now becoming too detrimental to our faith and we must watch them.  We do not have to complain, live our lives as the gentiles do and not look for worldly tittles for all of them are passing away. Continue Reading.................................

My Quotes By Tobe Eze

1.       QUOTES FOR THE WEEK

      If you want to take another person’s place, remember you will also take his/her problems. Think about it. Tobe Eze.

2.       If one is following you, always look back to know if he/she is still following, for you may not have the same paste with him/her. Tobe Eze.

3.       After faith, the next thing that moves mountain is love. Tobe Eze.

4.       If you like taking others’ position, expect others to take your own at any time. Tobe Eze.

5.       Have listening ears to things that concern you. For all are not for you. Tobe Eze.

6.       If you like giving excuses for your actions remember, others have their own excuses to give. Be wise in judgment. Tobe Eze.

7.       To water the efforts of a dead hero is to killing the hero for the second time. Tobe Eze.

8.       Keeping quiet when things are going wrong is as doing the wrong thing itself. Tobe Eze.

9.       Love demands sacrifice even when you know you will gain nothing in return but others will gain. Tobe Eze.

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B. By Tobe Eze

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B.

FIRST READING
2 Kings 4:42—44

SECOND READING
Ephesians 4:1—6

GOSPEL
John 6:1—15

THEME: THE LORD PROVIDES FOR HIS PEOPLE.

From of old, the Lord has continued to provide for his people till this day and he will also continue to do so till eternity.  Think of man in his creation God gave him every necessary to live.  He provided him with all that he needed.  Think of Abraham, God took care of him even when the world thought that there was no hope, he gave him a child (Genesis 21:1-22).  When Abraham himself thought there was no hope, that his son was gone, God provided the sacrificial victim. Israelites in their sojourn of life, God never left them to perish, he was every time protecting and providing for them.  When humanity was on the verge of doom, Jesus Christ came and redeemed us.  What a wonderful God! 

In the first reading, the servant of Elisha forgot the nature of the God of his master but Elisha knowing the God he was serving and being faithful to him waited for the Lord to do what he is known for and he did it and there was leftover. Whatever our God is doing, he does that with excess in order to favour us, though it may take time but when it comes, it covers all those time that it took before coming. Continue Reading .....................................

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B. By Tobe Eze

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

FIRST READING
Jeremiah 23:1—6

SECOND READING
Ephesians 2:13—18

GOSPEL
Mark 6:30—34

THEME: SHEPHERD’S WORKS.

There are things expected from a good shepherd, if any is lacking, that may make the shepherd a bad one.  A shepherd is known to be taking care of his sheep both physically, spiritually, psychologically, morally and so on. 

Some of these vital duties of a good shepherd were lacking in the people that God entrusted his people to and that made the Prophet Jeremiah to talk about those shepherds who have left their duties to doing another thing.  This same thing can be found in our own world and situation these days. It did not end with the people of old and God is talking about us today because of that. Continue Reading................................

A LOOK AT : GOD WILL MAKE A WAY WHERE THERE SEEMS TO BE NO WAY. By Tobe Eze

A LOOK AT : GOD WILL MAKE A WAY WHERE THERE SEEMS TO BE NO WAY.

Introduction
Our God is a God that always cares, guards, guides, protects, defends, and provides for his people. If we go through the scriptures,  we would discover that there are many instances of God showing love to his people.  He created human beings in his own image and likeness and through that means gave man multiples of potentialities. With the help of his grace and our earnest efforts,  those potentialities given to us would lead us to happiness here and here after.

God will make a way for us
Often times we face a lot of challenges in our lives which put us into crises.  We find ourselves in situations that make us even question the existence of God. But in all of these, when it seems that there is no hope,  hope will emerge from places we least expected.  Sometimes we see road where we may not have dreamt that there will be a road.  God comes to our rescue when the problem is above us,  when it tries to break us down. There are so many examples with which we can bring to practical life what we are saying here but I will only give one example. Continue Reading............