4th Sunday of Easter Year C. (Good Shepherd Sunday) By Tobe Eze

4^th Sunday of Easter Year C. (Good Shepherd Sunday)

First Reading

Acts 13:14.43-52

Second Reading

Revelation 7:9.14b-17

Gospel

John 10:27-30

THEME: UNDER THE CARE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Today being good shepherd Sunday, the three readings are pointing towards the real good shepherd who is Christ Jesus. Previous years, I normally centre on the works of shepherds pertaining to us on earth, but this year, I am moving to another side of the good shepherd which is how we can be under the care of the perfect good shepherd. Continue Reading...........................

Third Sunday of Easter Year C. By Tobe Eze

Third Sunday of Easter Year C.

First Reading

Acts 5:27b-32.40b-41

Second Reading

Revelation 5:11-14

Gospel

John 21:1-19

THEME: WHAT DO YOU TEACH?

Almost all we do or say on earth affect others who are around us both directly and indirectly. If that is true, then we have to be careful in all we do for if we mislead any of these people of God, it will be better for us that we were not born (Matthew 26:24). Some of us are teaching others good ways of salvation while others are taking people back.

In the first reading, the apostles were busy taking people to the way of life while the chief priests were busy trying to stop them and to take people back to darkness. Ask yourself where you belong. Do you belong to the chief priests or to the apostles? Answer yourself. Continue Reading..................

A PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY INTO ARUA (A STAFF OF ONYISHI) IN EHA-ALUMONA TOWN OF NSUKKA L.G.A, ENUGU STATE. By Tobe Eze

A PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY INTO ARUA (A STAFF OF ONYISHI) IN EHA-ALUMONA TOWN OF NSUKKA L.G.A, ENUGU STATE.

ABSTRACT

Symbolism is very common in every religion. Sometimes it is this symbolism that gives a religion identity. Like the Catholic Church, their Bishop is known with his crozier, mitre and other things a bishop wears, you do not need to make further inquiry to know the position or the status of the person when you see the person. It is on this ground that I wish to go into the research on Aura which is a staff given to Onyishi when it reaches the person as a symbol of authority in Eha-Alumona town of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State. The Arua is not a staff any one can get or when one takes any title in the community one will get it, no, it is only meant for one person in a village which is ordained by God as it is popularly called in Eha-Alumona (Egba Maa buru celebration fixed by God). The Arua stands for something and that is what I inquired for. I used majorly interview for there is no work written on it as of now. This involved elderly men in some villages in Eha-Alumona. I employed the help of three Respondents whose cooperation were instrumental in the successful study of Arua. There submissions were synthesized and hermeneutically analysed for better understanding. Continue Reading.................

PREMARITAL SEX: THE ORDER OF THE DAY. By Tobe Eze

PREMARITAL SEX: THE ORDER OF THE DAY.

INTRODUCTION.

Sex is keeping to the original plan of God, it is intrinsically not an evil act. It was willed by God that a man and his wife should procreate and share conjugal companionship through the act of sex. With the advent of sin in the history of humanity, and in this age more than any other, the abuses on the act of sex call for a redefinition of sex to secure the purpose for which it was originally created. There is plethora of ways in which sex has been abused. This includes, adultery, fornication, bestiality, pedophilia and lots of them. This article, however, shall focus on the issue of premarital sex and its moral, social and health implications. It is only the way, the time, the place and the persons involve that make it sin, not sex itself. Everything we do on this earth has its own time. Even the Bible recorded it. There is time for everything……, (Eclesiastes 3). And sex is not an exception. Continue Reading.........................................

2nd Sunday of Easter Year C. (Divine Mercy Sunday). By Tobe Eze

2^nd Sunday of Easter Year C. (Divine Mercy Sunday).

First Reading

Acts 5:12-16

Second Reading

Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19

Gospel

John 20:19-31

THEME: ALL IN MERCY

The Psalmist shouted this in Psalm 130:3, “If you O Lord should mark our guilt, Lord who would survive? But with you is found forgiveness.” All we have and are on this earth, we got from the mercy of God. Judging us with merit, we are doomed but judging us with mercy, we are redeemed. Jesus did not come to suffer, die and resurrect just to show us that he has the power to do that but because of his mercy, love and charity on us who are in bitter pain from the fall of the first Adam. Continue Reading.....................................

Easter Day – The Resurrection of the Lord. Year C. By Tobe Eze

Easter Day – The Resurrection of the Lord. Year C.

First Reading

Acts 10:34a, 37-43

Second Reading

Colossians 3:1-4

Gospel

John 20:1-9

THEME: A NEW DAWN

Alleluia! Obiligo, Jesu akpogburu n’ elu obe, onye mmeri.

Since after the fall of man in Genesis 3, humanity have suffered the sorrow of not seeing the salvation God planned for us before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20 and Ephesians 1:4). The world has been waiting for a time to be released from this sorrow but it seemed it was not coming. Many prophets came to give humanity hope of this salvation. During Christmas, the hope was fulfilled through the birth of Jesus Christ. He came but the people he met did not recognize him. He did many works which were not the primary purpose of his coming. He did that to clear the ground for the main work though many did not notice it. Before the coming of Christ, animals were the victims of sacrifice and that made it impossible to gain that salvation prepared from of old. It was necessary for another thing greater that animal to make way for the salvation of man. Going through the scriptures, we can notice that there was a trace of human sacrifice as it appeared in the gospel reading of 3^rd Sunday of Lent (Luke 13:1-9). This human sacrifice and animal sacrifice could not bring the salvation because all of them are imperfect. A perfect being was needed and Jesus willingly submitted to do it for us, not for his own salvation but for us. We took forty days to journey with Christ in the wilderness and today we are back to the shore of the river for it is a new dawn for humanity. The light that dispenses darkness has come and we are happy. Continue Reading..............

Holy Saturday. Easter Vigil Year C. By Tobe Eze

Holy Saturday. Easter Vigil Year C.

First Reading: Genesis 1:1-22

Second Reading: Genesis 22:1-18

Third Reading: Exodus 14:15-15:

Fourth Reading: Isaiah 54:5-14

Fifth Reading: 55:1-11

Sixth Reading: Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4

Seventh Reading: Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28

Eighth Reading (Epistle): Romans 6:3-11

Gospel: Luke 24:1-12

THEME: THE STONE HAS BEEN ROLLED OUT.

Some persons can be very religious in life. A certain woman during a burial (Christian burial), was sharing food. It happened that the food was not enough, she did not eat. After about 50 minutes or one hour when the food has finished, a woman came looking for food. When she was told that there was no food left, she finished the woman who shared the food up. There is nothing bad on earth that the woman did not rain on her fellow woman. Even when people tried to explain to her that the woman herself did not eat, she did not listen but was seriously barking. She told her that that is how they eat church money that poor people have contributed, that hell is now their birthright. After the whole thing, she left. What touched all of us who where there was, the woman that was insulted was just smiling and did not say anything. Continue Reading.....................................

GOOD FRIDAY. THE LORD’S PASSION. By Tobe Eze

GOOD FRIDAY. THE LORD’S PASSION.

First Reading

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Second Reading

Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9

Gospel (Passion)

John 18:1-19:42

THEME: WHO’S FAULT?

I may not necessarily analyze the readings of today, I want to take another route which still has connection with the readings but not explicit. A man caught a life bush rat and covered it with a local basket in the kitchen, locked the kitchen door and left for somewhere. His two little sons were at home. The first knew about the bush rat but the second was not aware of it. The second one was hearing a strange sound in the kitchen and went and called the first one to tell him what was happening. He told him what was there and warned him not to go near it. He accepted. After a long time, the first son asked the second son. Will it not be good if we play with that rat? Continue Reading.............................................

Holy Thursday. Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper By Tobe Eze

Holy Thursday. Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

First Reading

Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Gospel

John 13:1-15

THEME: DO YOU REALIZE WHAT I HAVE DONE FOR YOU?

There are three significant celebrations this night. Today Christ the Lord instituted two sacraments and the act of love or charity that gives them beauty. He instituted the sacrament of the Holy Orders and the sacrament of the Eucharist, then lastly, he commanded us to love. To show love to one another.

These three signs today are mysterious in nature and mystery is something beyond human understanding. We use faith to believe in mysteries. From the three reading, we can see the manifestations of these three gifts to us. Continue Reading...........................

WHO IS IN CHARGE? By Tobe Eze

WHO IS IN CHARGE?

Many persons have their different reasons for doing different things. In life, what pleases me may not please another but there are things that are generally accepted. One of those things that are generally accepted is “freedom”. Everyone wants to enjoy freedom. This freedom is understood differently and that is why many are making serious mistakes in life. One of the heart breaking ways by which people understand freedom these days especially by the youth is the idea of “cultism”. Many youth think that by joining cult, they will enjoy their freedom and control others, far from that.

It breaks the heart to hear every now and then that young men and women are being shot down (to death) almost on daily bases. Relations are shooting themselves because they belong to different groups. Some enter these groups because one or two stupid reasons like; so that people will fear them, so that they will force respect on themselves, so that they will be protected (if there is protection) and so on.

The problem here is that some of them do not check the other side of the whole thing. One will enter a group willingly but cannot leave the group willingly and people are still trooping in. one will enter a group to be feared and protected but you live in perpetual fear. When the person sees a Hilux or related cars, the person will start running. Once the person hears a siren, the person will be uncomfortable. Once the person hears a sound, the person will be distressed. Is this not a perpetual fear? If you are joining a group for you to be in charge of an area and you end up being afraid of any movement in that area, are you still in charge? Some do not go home again, perpetual running. They have gone to a journey of no return, what they would have avoided.

There is nothing that is good as living without fear. Some young men and women do not follow or work in an open places because of this trend of cultism. We can still help ourselves. It is not too late. Before we think of doing anything, let us check the ups and downs of that particular thing and it will pay us better than jumping into something that we will regret forever. Let us shun cultism for it makes us slaves and denies us our freedom. If you join it, you are no longer in charge of anyone or anything, things and people will be in charge of you, if so, tell me “who is in charge”! Thanks.

Tobe Eze (DAN~HILL)