Monday of Week 15 Year A By Tobe Eze

Monday of Week 15 Year A

FIRST READING
Exodus 1:8–14, 22

GOSPEL
Matthew 10:34C11:1

THE TROUBLE WITH FAITHFULNESS.

The Israelites were faithful to their God and he was blessing them with fruitful marriages. Pharaoh and his people instead of seeking for their own way of increasing in number they were busy having evil thoughts for the Israelites. The Israelites were faithful to their God even when they were undergoing the hard labour given to them by Pharaoh and his men. Seeing that Onye Chukwu goziri na ogozigo ya they brought another way to subdue them.

Jesus in the gospel, is also disposing us for the troubles attached to following him or being faithful to him. The war Jesus is telling us that he brought to us is not ogu egbe na mma but ogu okwukwe. It is not that type we think or we see in films or the world. The war he is talking about is war of faith as St. Peter said that we should be ready to defend our faith always. The war of truth, we should say the truth always, we should stand on the truth always and fight for truth. When we tell people the truth about their wrong doings, certainly they will not be happy with us. They will look for any means to fight us, to engage us in a war. It is this type of war that Jesus is talking about. The trouble with faithfulness is that people will hate us because of our faithfulness but we should remember that it is only those who are steadfast till the end will be given the unfading crown of Glory.

Saturday of Week 14 Year A. By Tobe Eze

Saturday of Week 14 Year A.

FIRST READING
Genesis 49:29–32; 50:15–26a

GOSPEL
Matthew 10:24–33

THEME: GRACE TO FACE OUR FATES.

Jacob on dying asked his sons to bury him in his fathers' grave yard. His sons accepted the fate without question or rejection. Joseph’s brothers were afraid to face any punishment that will come from Joseph. They were committing without thinking about the consequence or consequences. When they have committed the sin they were not ready to accept the fate that followed it rather they went to Joseph to beg him with their father’s name. Joseph as a just man made them to know that they would not suffer as he was alive. But when Joseph was dying, he made them to know that their liberation can only come from God. He disposed them for the fate ahead. He did that by telling them. “When God remembers you, promise to take my bones with you.”

Jesus in the gospel also disposed his apostles on what will befall them on the course of preaching the gospel or good news. When Joseph was disposing his brothers, it was for them to have faith in God no matter what they will pass through. Jesus also is doing the same thing today. He urges us not to fear our brothers or sisters in the villages who will not be on our sides when we say the truth. When problems come up in the village, we sell off our faith because of fear of ordinary men and women. Somewhere like Nsukka, when cases of Akatakpa, Oriokpa, Omabe, Odo, Kakpo and so on come up, we Christians will twist them and say. “All these are just for recreation”. Or even culture. Recreation or culture that is harmful to human life. Recreation or culture that threatens life, what shall we call it? Let us tell ourselves the truth.

Let us ask for the grace to face our fate as Christians no matter what people will say or do. A pastor was before his wicked King to preach against wickedness. He knew that his king will not leave him after the preaching and he drafted a means. He, the pastor shouted, Pastor be careful on what you preach for the king is here. After sometimes, he shouted again, Pastor be careful on what you will not say for the King of Kings is here. The choice is your, either to fear God and face the fate or to fear men and still face the fate.

Friday of Week 14 Year A By Tobe Eze

Friday of Week 14 Year A

FIRST READING
Genesis 46:1–7, 28–30

GOSPEL
Matthew 10:16–23

THEME: THE REWARD OF STEADFASTNESS.

After passing through all the troubles and trails in Egypt by Joseph and the ones his father passed through in the land of Canaan, emotional trauma he passed through when he lost Joseph, they came together again in love. What a joyful moment? When Joseph was suffering in Egypt, he trusted in God and remained steadfast. He did not shake for he knew the God that he was serving.

Jesus towards the end of the gospel said that, only those who remained steadfast till the end will be crowned with the unfading crown of glory.

Steadfastness is a virtue we should embrace in life. Let us learn to continue in our trials and life challenges. Do not stop when you are tried but stop when you are done. Let us not quit without trying. Let us learn to endure till the end for there must be the best for us. The meeting of Joseph and his father was the happiest thing that happened in their lives and this was a result of steadfastness. The end that Jesus is promising us today will be the best thing for us and it will only come through steadfastness. Let us today learn to continue. Ejighi ututu ama njo ahia.

Thursday of Week 14 Year A By Tobe Eze

Thursday of Week 14 Year A

FIRST READING
Genesis 44:18–21, 23b–29; 45:1–5

GOSPEL
Matthew 10:7–15

THEME: GIVE WITHOUT CHARGE.

Joseph was sold with charge but he was giving his brothers and family food without charge. Joseph was maltreated by his own blood brothers. What was done to him was an offence that no reasonable man should have forgiven those that did it to him. Child trafficking. But he did not even go to that side at all.

It is not all evil that have been done to us that we should pay back with evil if any at all there is any. There is difference between justice and revenge. There are those we should give punishment for deterrent not for revenge. Joseph punished his brothers by sending them to go and fetch his younger brother so that they may not try that act they did in the first place again. We have to overlook certain things because we are one family in Christ as Joseph did to his brothers.

In the gospel, Jesus mandated his apostles to give without charge for they received without charge. The problem we face today is that some who call themselves men and women of God are no more giving without charge. What can we call them? They are now using so called gift of God as avenue for making money.

If we really received without charge, we will give without charge and God’s blessing will never leave us. A labourer deserves his wages not a labourer demands his wages.

Wednesday of Week 14 Year A By Tobe Eze

Wednesday of Week 14 Year A

FIRST READING
Genesis 41:55–57; 42:5–7a, 17–24a

GOSPEL
Matthew 10:1–7

THEME: GOD MANIFESTS THROUGH IMPERFECTIONS

Joseph’s brothers were regretting the bad thing they did to their brother Joseph without knowing that God was just using them to fulfill the plan of saving them from the famine that befell them. God worked through the imperfect thing done to Joseph.

In the gospel Jesus himself called again imperfect men to carry out perfect work. He called tax collector whom the Pharisees regard as the worst set of people. Jesus called trouble makers and peace makers. He called the imperfect to perfect them.

God wants us to make a change whenever he wants to use us. Joseph’s brothers had a change of heart when they realized what they have done. They regretted the act and abandoned it. The apostles Jesus called in the gospel also abandoned their different ways of lives and embraced the new life of Christ.

Let us today learn to abandon our old way of living that does not please God like Joseph’s brothers and the twelve apostles that Jesus called. Let us remember that akwuro otu ebe ekiri mmanwu. Let us like the eagle that was living among chicken since its lifetime left there when it realized that, that place does not fit its kind. Sin does not fit us. Let us leave the way of sin and embrace the way of life.

Tuesday Week 14 Year A By Tobe Eze

Tuesday Week 14 Year A

First Reading:

Corinthians 4:7-15

Gospel:

Matthew 20:20-28

THEME: A MISTAKE CAN BE CORRECTED.

In the first reading, St. Paul is telling us that the mistake of those who oppose us are being corrected by Christ. We are afflicted in every way but not crushed etc. The reason for not crushing us is to propagate the life of Christ in our lives so that we may correct our lives and mistakes we have made.

In the gospel, the mother of James and John made a serious mistake that brought about the correction of the bad notion of those in positions. Jesus corrected that mistake immediately. People who were already with Christ and their mother was busy asking for positions. Christ made it clear for us to know that a leader should lead by examples. That is the correction of the mistake. We are all leaders and we are also all followers, so let us learn to serve those who are under us and it shall be well with us. Let us correct that mistake of thinking that a leader is God. Also, let us not always seek for only our personal things like the mother of James and John. Let it not be Nkem nkem but Nke anyị nke anyị.

Monday of Week 14 Year A By Tobe Eze

Monday of Week 14 Year A

FIRST READING
Genesis 28:10–22a

GOSPEL
Matthew 9:18–26

THEME: ENCOUNTER WITH THE LORD.

Encounter with the Lord changes life and things. In the first reading, Jacob encountered the Lord and his life automatically changed, he made promises for he became a fulfilled man immediately. In the gospel, Jarius an officer in the synagogue encountered God in the life of his daughter that Christ gave back life and happiness came back to his life and the life of his family. The woman who had suffered hemorrhage for twelve years got healed just that she encountered Jesus. Some of us today come to God and go without encountering him. Some of us are like the story of a goat that was always going for morning prayers. The goat was always sitting front (at the kneeler at the altar). It would continue to stay till during communion it would go. Some of us just come and go like that goat. We come to morning masses and prayers but no impact in us. It is not enough to be a Christian and to be participating in every activity of the church but also to live it out like those who have experienced God as we have. Let us today follow those who encountered Christ today and encounter him so that our lives will change from bad to good and people will really say, these are CHRISTIANS. THANKS.

FAMILY CAN BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HIGH LEVEL OF MORAL DECADENCE IN OUR SOCIETY. By Tobe Eze

FAMILY CAN BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HIGH LEVEL OF MORAL DECADENCE IN OUR SOCIETY.

Family is the first school and the first church a child attends and that is why it is very necessary in the formation of human character. If a child is well formed in a family, it is always difficult to deform the person and any child deformed in character from the family is always difficult to form again.  Family can be held responsible for the high level of moral decadence in our society today with these few reasons.

It is not whole and entire that families should be held responsible but if they have done these few things, it will go a long way to help the society. Many parents are over busy these days in looking for what they will use to train their children and forget about training their children. There are some basic things in life especially with regards to morality that are not learnt in the school but at home but many parents prefer their children to spend their whole life in school.

They go out in the morning, come back tired at night. No time to spend with the children. Many parents these days send their one year old child to daycare, from there to nursery, primary and their secondary education they will live in school. Even those who live with their parents spend more of their time in school for extra lessons. This has brought distortion to the basic knowledge one should get from parents especially with regards to morals. Continue Reading...............................................

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..................