6TH Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C. By Tobe Eze

6^TH Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C.
 First reading

JEREMIAH 17:5-8

Second Reading

1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20

Gospel

Luke 6:17, 20-26

THEME: HAPPY THE MAN WHO PLACED HIS TRUST IN THE LORD.

Let me start with a story that I heard somewhere. Three young men who were business men but were not all that wonderful in their businesses. They had been prayerful as the story went but things were not working as they expected. They met a man whom they thought was doing very well to help them. The man recommended a devotion to our Lady for them. They went home not satisfied for that was not what they expected. They met another man who took them to a native doctor. The native doctor agreed to help them but he gave them a condition. The condition was that they will be turned into vultures for two weeks and after that, they will be turned back to human beings and money will be theirs. Out of curiosity, they accepted. The man turned them into vultures and asked the man who took them there to go and come back after two weeks to go with them. After one week, when the native doctor was on his way to attend to someone, he had accident and died. When the time to turn them back reached, they flew back to the shrine to be turned, on reaching there, they could not see the man. When the person that took them to the place came back, he could only find those vultures and no native doctor. When he went out to ask people about the man, they told him that he is dead. That was when he knew that those three are gone. Continue Reading..........................

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

5^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C.

First Reading

Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8

Second Reading

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Gospel

Luke 5:1-11

THEME: GOD REVEALS OUR TRUE SELF.

Sometimes our true self is hidden also to us not only to others. Isaiah, Paul and Peter who are characters in today’s readings did not know their true self till they encountered God. What are the things that are necessary for this encounter? Our state of life may not be necessary but our disposition is what is needed. Isaiah was in the temple praying and he experience the glory of God and his true self came out. Paul was on his way to fight for what he believed to be truth when he encountered the Lord. Peter was doing his job that he has mastered for years when he encountered the Lord. Likewise we can encounter the Lord in different ways in our live. Continue Reading.........................

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C. By Tobe Eze

4^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C.

First Reading

Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19

Second Reading

1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13

Gospel

Luke 4:21-30

THEME: THE PAIN OF LOVE.

Sometimes people are grieved to the heart because of what they receive from love that they show to people. Out of your goodwill, you will show someone love and the person will turn against you and deal with you mercilessly. Shall we stop loving?

A boy came to me one early morning even before morning mass. He came knocking at my door at that early hour. This was during Christmas season. I was asking who may be doing this knowing the type of cold we do experience during that time. When I asked, he called his name and told me that it was him. I asked him any problem and he said yes. I opened my door and he came in. he sat down and started narrating his story. He said, around October, I asked my girlfriend (wife to be), to start that time to look for things that she will use for Christmas that I will not wait till Christmas to start buying because I may not have money that time or things will become too costly. She accepted. Continue Reading.................................

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C. By Tobe Eze

3^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C.

First Reading

Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10

Second Reading

1 Corinthians 12:12-30

Gospel

Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21

THEME: THE POWER OF THE WORD OF GOD.

In the beginning was the word, the word was with God and the word was God (John 1:1). And the word took flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:14).

An old man one day went to the church for the first time. After the homily, he was unease on his seat. When one of the church wardens approached him to know the problem, he told the man that he wanted to appreciate the priest for the wonderful homily. The church warden told him that no one is permitted to reply the homily that it is meant for people to take in, digest and use it in their daily lives and the man accepted that. After the mass when they were going home, he overheard people saying that the priest did not make sense in his homily that day and he was confused. After sometimes, he barked at them. When he went home, he started having mercy on those persons and the entire church for they do not know what they are doing to themselves. Next Sunday he went again and the priest as if he knew about him and started the homily with. “No matter what the world is turning to be, you should not be discouraged for God is still with us”. These words of introduction by the priest gave the man consolation. Why the story? Continue Reading...................................

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C. By Tobe Eze

2^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C.

First Reading

Isaiah 62:1-5

Second Reading

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

Gospel

John 2:1-11

THEME: THE LORD HAS VISITED US.

There are many ways we may have suffered in this life that we have doubted the power of God. Some ask questions like; Does God exist at all? Some, is he still alive? Does he care about us? And so many other questions like this one. People who ask these questions are not all that wrong but they are still wrong for it shows how little their faith in God is. Even if we have lost faith in God, today’s reading are consolations to us. They are to encourage us, to still have faith in God. Continue Reading.............

ARTIFICIAL EQUAL FINGERS. By Tobe Eze

ARTIFICIAL EQUAL FINGERS.

We have been hearing from time immemorial that, “all fingers are not equal. Umu aka nile aharo“. Watching human being’s and animals' fingers, one will notice that the assertion is very correct. If it is true, why then the topic “Artificial Equal Fingers”?

This topic is the product of imitation people do these days that are very much alarming. People are no longer interested in discovering their potentialities and to work towards actualizing them rather, we are now interested in actualizing other persons' potentialities. Let me use stories to bring it down to earth.

The first one goes like this: A man in an inn refreshing himself after the fatigue of his work was listening to two persons discussing. A man and a woman were discussing each talking about his and her family. The man said that his wife uses kiss to wake him up and when he wakes up, the first thing that he will see is his breakfast before him. He said, he goes out anytime and comes in anytime without his wife complaining. He went to the extent of saying that his wife doesn’t talk, contribute anything in the family that he is the Lord of the house. He further said that he does not remember last he gave his wife money for food talk more of other things women usually need. The other woman was talking in the same vain with the man narrated almost the same thing that the man said that his wife does. After listening to them, the man was contemplating whether he is married or not? When he reached home, he gradually started practicing all that he heard in the inn he went. As he started practicing it gradually, his family followed it to collapsing gradually and at the end, his family collapsed.

The second is: A newly married woman went to her friend’s house who was married earlier for a visit. When they were discussing about marriage or married life. The newly married lady narrated how lovely her husband has been. After telling many long stories, the other one was left dumbfounded. She was a kind of “am I in marriage or something else”. When the husband came back, attitude changed. The husband being an understanding man noticed that there is something wrong somewhere managed himself to discover the problem and solution to it for they have been living in peace. One day, it happened that the second woman in turn visited the newly married woman. On her arrival, she saw the lady kneeling down in front of her husband begging him and the husband was with a belt as a cane for his wife. She immediately turned back and went to seek for forgiveness from her husband. That saved the family.

That this person is doing this and it is working for him does not mean that if you do it, it will work for you. God created us differently with different gifts which we must discover for us to be happy. Two or more persons can have the same talent or destiny or gift but there will still exist, a little difference. We are different no matter how we imitate others, we still have something in us that differentiates us and that we should discover. We cannot form fingers that are equal no matter how we try. Just know that we have different sizes in fingers and that is how it is in life. Artificial equal fingers will fail us if we continue to form it. All Fingers are not Equal. THANKS

TOBE EZE (DAN~HILL).

I WILL MARRY YOU. By Tobe Eze

I WILL MARRY YOU.

The "I will marry you" syndrome is becoming too high these days and almost all of such promises do not lead to the actual marriage. It is a mark of gentility to make a promise and fulfil it. The scripture testifies to this when it says through the psalmist Make a vow to the Lord and fulfil it (Psalm 76:11 and others Deuteronomy 23:21-23, Numbers 30:2,)”. Why this topic?

Many stories have been told about those who promised themselves marriage at their youthful age and after they will marry and make a very wonderful homes. There are also many stories of people who make the same promise but after they will not marry. They will part in peace. Some again with the same promise will part out of one problem or the other. If all these are possible, how do we know the one that will end in a peaceful way?

1.       It takes people who are mature to make this promise and fulfil it. If we look at those who made this promise and fulfilled it, they did not make that promise at the beginning of their friendship at or at their early age. Even Aristotle in his explanation of perfect friendship said that it takes time to grow. They meet themselves, study themselves and come to a conclusion that they can be together and they go for it. Mostly this type makes a wonderful home 

2.       The second is like the first one but the only difference is that they noticed that they cannot live together and so decided to part ways. Many things may cause this but the success lies in understanding. It maybe a biological problem, behavioural problem, in some places tribal problem, parental or relation’s problem and so on. All these can be solved through understanding.

3.       The Last is what is causing trouble every now and then in our society. There are people who have not known what the world is all about but they go ahead promising themselves marriage. I had a classmate in the secondary school who promised a girl that he will marry her in our JSS2. Before our SS3, the girl had already overgrown him. That destroyed the whole thing. Because this last one is where my interest lies, I will take time to explore it.

Girls, why do you allow yourself to be deceived so much with the statement I will marry you? Does life end in marriage? Boys why do we use this statement I will marry you knowing that it is too expensive for girls to deceive them? The consequence may be above us. Many girls have met or are experiencing hell now on earth because of this “I will marry you” syndrome. Girls please not all men are serious with that statement, they are just using it to get you to bed and probably, trouble. Boys, if you know you will not marry, please do not promise. We are using this to spoil our society. Because of limited space, I will not tell stories but there are many that would have brought this to earth. We may individually have many of them. Ka anyi were ire anyi guo eze anyi onu (let us watch this ugly trend) and we will enjoy the fruit of true love and true “I will marry you”. THANKS.

TOBE EZE (DAN~HILL).

The Baptism of the Lord – Feast Year C. By Tobe Eze

The Baptism of the Lord – Feast Year C.

FIRST READING
Isaiah 40:1—5, 9—11

SECOND READING
Titus 2:11—14; 3:4—7

GOSPEL
Luke 3:15—16, 21—22

THEME: THE WATER OF REBIRTH

Christ being God, a man without sin, why was he baptized? We are taught that baptism is a sacrament that washes away our original sin, makes us Christians, children of God and bringing us into one faith. Christ had no need of all these but he was baptized. Incantation was to divinize humanity and to humanize divinity. He took our nature to save us. His life on earth was just as a yardstick that all should follow and that contributed to his acceptance to be baptized in the river Jordan by John. As he has shown us examples of the way we should follow, he practiced many of them which baptism is one of them. To show us the importance of baptism, he said to Nicodemus, if you are not reborn by water (baptism) you will not enter the kingdom of God. When he was about leaving his apostles, he charged them to baptize people in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Continue Reading.............................

Solemnity of The Epiphany of the Lord Year C. By Tobe Eze

Solemnity of The Epiphany of the Lord Year C.

FIRST READING
Isaiah 60:1—6

SECOND READING
Ephesians 3:2—3a, 5—6

GOSPEL
Matthew 2:1—12

THEME: LET OUR STARS SHINE WITH THE LORD.

What type of thing attract people to us? Money, speech, behaviours, shape of the body, colour of the skin, height and so on? All these are not in themselves evils but there are ways they will manifest themselves and they turn to be evil.

The three readings are talking about the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ as we celebrate it today. This solemnity does not mean that it is only today that Christ has manifested himself to us rather, it is to bring to our notice what happens to us daily and how we should approach it.

Following Christ is a journey of faith for sometimes we may not know where we are going but with faith, we say that our Master knows the way. Talking from the old, Abraham the father of faith made a journey of faith when he left his father’s house, going to the place the Lord will show him which he didn’t know (Genesis 11:31-12:9), but by faith he made the journey. Still on Abraham, he made a statement he didn’t also know on the way to sacrifice his son Isaac “the Lord will provide (Genesis 22:8)”. And latter the Lord provided. All the apostles and disciples of our Lord followed him without knowing where they were going. He was just calling them and asking them to follow him and they were leaving everything behind and were following him. When he wanted to enter Jerusalem, he sent two out to go and get him a donkey  unclear message but with faith, they went without complaining or fear and everything went well for them (Matthew 12:21). Likewise the two that prepared the upper room for the last supper (Luke 22:12). Continue Reading....................

NEW YEAR DAY. WORLD DAY OF PEACE. Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Year C. By Tobe Eze

NEW YEAR DAY. WORLD DAY OF PEACE. Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

 Year C.

FIRST READING
Numbers 6:22—27

SECOND READING
Galatians 4:4—7

GOSPEL
Luke 2:16—21

THEME: LET US BE NEW BY LEAVING EVIL AND SEEKING PEACE WHICH MARY HAS GIVEN BIRTH TO PRINCE OF PEACE.

We have three great celebrations today and three of them are very significant in our lives. Today is the beginning of a New Year, today being a beginning of a New Year is the world day of peace and the Church is celebrating today Mary Mother of God. Three great feasts but related. Let us take them one after the other.

New Year: What is new in us about this New Year? At the beginning of every year, people make different resolutions. This and that is (are) my New Year resolution (s). To what end? How many weeks do we keep to those resolutions we make? Some do not exceed January, some February and mostly the highest will last till March and we will go back to our normal way of life. New Year does not change any person rather we are the ones to change ourselves. It is good to make resolutions and work towards achieving them for that is a way of planning life. These beautiful resolutions we make have to be renewed if we want to achieve them. Let us try and see if we can write them down and check them or read them each day before embarking on the day’s activities and again at night to check the effort made. How can we connect this to the second celebration? Continue Reading.............