Monday of the 18th Week Year A By Tobe Eze

Monday of the 18^th Week Year A

First Reading

Numbers 11:4b-15

Gospel

Matthew 14:13-14

THEME: FOOD FROM GOD.

The story of how people sell their identity, integrity, reputation and other values do come up from the Bible, till date almost every day because of things that go into the mouth. From the Bible Esau sold his own, today again, the people of Israel want to go back to Egypt because of ordinary, garlic, onions, cucumber and other things. I witnessed one day a young beautiful lady disgraced in an occasion, why? She was well dressed and was looking so sweet. When the time for refreshment came, people started struggling for food and she wanted to struggle also. As she was doing that, a boy carrying soup was pushed and he poured the whole soup on the beautiful lady. She could not endure the shame and she left with shame in her eyes.

The Lord will always provide us with what to eat. The people of Israel were complaining that they were not eating meat forgetting that some have not even seen food to eat. They had enough to eat but they were still complaining. Ihe Chukwu nyere anyi juo anyi afo.

No matter our situation, God will always provide us with something just as he did in the gospel today. Our God is a provider and he will continue to be and if we appreciate that and not grieve those in charge of us like the Israelites did to Moses. Both the first reading and the gospel have food from God and we should be satisfied with it. Thanks.

Saturday of Week 17 Year A By Tobe Eze

Saturday of Week 17 Year A

First Reading

Leviticus 25:1.8-17

Gospel

Matthew 14:1-12

THEME: DO NOT WRONG YOUR NEIGHBOURS ON THE HOLY DAYS OF THE LORD.

Onye gbuta isi nwa nkita owere agba ya mee gini? (If you kill a young innocent dog, what will you use its jaws to do?) What did Herod, Herodias and Salome gain from killing John? Onye gburu nwanne ya adighi aza odogwu.

Everyday is 50 years anniversary. There must have existed 50 years ago today, yesterday and will still exist tomorrow which means everyday is jubilee day and every year is jubilee year. Since that is the case, we must avoid doing wrong to our neighbours for the jubilee year and day are holy for the Lord. This is the instruction from the first reading.

My question now is, did Herod, Herodias and Salome notice what was expected of them to do on the jubilee year and day? Herod being stupid allowed his own birthday celebration to take the head of a prophet. We have no right to wrong anyone on the Holy Days of the Lord and we have established that everyday is holy for the Lord.

To avoid doing wrong to our neighbours, let us guard against our pleasures. Herod did not guard against his own pleasure and was carried away by the shaking of a young girl’s buttock. Herodias did not guard against her pleasure and was carried away by the earthly richness and firm. And Salome did not guard her own by being carried away by hatred gotten from her mother on John the Baptist. When we must have made a mistake, it is not good to close our eyes to it and continue in the line of that mistake. Herod made the mistake of promising heaven and earth to the young girl, instead of withdrawing when he noticed that he had made a mistake, he went ahead and continued in that line of mistake and this happens too, to many of us. Because of what people will say or how people will look at us, we forget how God will see us and what he will say about us. Everyday is holy for the Lord and we must keep it holy for him. Onye gbuta isi nwa nkita owere agba ya mee gini? (If you kill a young innocent dog, what will you use its jaws to do?) Onye gburu nwanne ya adighi aza odogwu. Thanks.

Friday of Week 17 Year A By Tobe Eze

Friday of Week 17 Year A

First Reading

Leviticus 23:1.4-11.15-16.27.34b-37

Gospel

Matthew 13:54-58

THEME: THE HOLY DAYS OF THE LORD.

The first reading has just given us what the Lord demanded of the people of Israel to do for him after their deliverance from the land of Egypt. Through Moses, he gave them these days to be kept Holy. In the gospel, again, Jesus came to his people in the synagogue which means on the Holy day. He taught them there, instead of taking his teaching, they took to analyzing his personality which they even did wrongly.

When the church has asked us to keep some days Holy for the Lord, we start to analyze it and be asking why the church should do that. I once told someone to stop opening his shop on Sunday, even if not for God, but for him to have a day of rest but more especially for God. He just told me that the highest he can do is to offer to the Lord that morning period of mass. The first reading is telling us not to do labourious work on days marked out for the Lord. Looking for reasons to accept it or not may make us not to receive miracles, blessings and other things from God as it appeared in the conclusion of the gospel. In the things of the Lord, reasons are suspended and faith is taken. Let us accept the teachings of the church about Holy days of obligation and do not ask like the people of Jesus’ own country. Okwanu ka afucha mere mgbo ji tuo enwe n’ isi. Thanks.

Thursday of Week 17 Year A By Tobe Eze

Thursday of Week 17 Year A

First Reading

Exodus 40:16-21.34-38

Gospel

Matthew 13:47-53

THEME: GOD OF BOTH THE RIGHTEOUS AND SINNERS

A woman met me one day and told me that she will leave the Catholic Church for there are many sinners in the Catholic Church. She even went to the extent of calling names of those in the Catholic Church that are evil and we are still accommodating them. After looking at her ignorance, I pitied her and tried explaining to her that God does not discriminate here rather at the last day when we will be divided. Even St. Augustine on this type of thing said, the church is the church of sinners and saints.

In the first reading, we can see how God was protecting his people with cloud during the day and pillar of fire during the night. He was doing that knowing full well that some of those he was protecting were still those who would say many things against him.

In the parable we heard from the gospel, the net brought many types of fish and selection was made after the catch. After our life here, selection will be made on us.

The only reason why God is the God of sinners is to give us opportunity to repent, if not, we must have died long ago rather, he gives us opportunity everyday to make changes in our lives as his children. Since he is our God, we should always do what pleases him. Thanks.

Wednesday Week 17 Year A By Tobe Eze

Wednesday Week 17 Year A

First Reading:

Exodus 34:29-35

Gospel:

Matthew 13:44-46

THEME: THE PRESENCE OF GOD IS GOOD.

There is a great difference between appearing in the church and being present in the presence of God. Going to the church for formality sake is very different from encountering the Lord. Just like we said on Monday of the 14^th week, encounter with the Lord changes one. Moses after his encounter with God, his whole body changed. His face was shining that no one looked on his face. Moses was keeping himself holy for God. He left all he had and dedicated himself to the service of God. In the gospel, Jesus told a parable that supported being in the presence of God. To be in the presence of God, we have to leave many things behind. We should leave all our worthless things that are not in the presence of God and buy that which pleases God most. Let us sell our pride, our envy and every other bad things we do and buy the best which is God’s presence through our behaviour. Isaiah 55:1, come and buy without money. Thanks.

Tuesday Week 17 Year A By Tobe Eze

Tuesday Week 17 Year A 

First Reading:

Exodus 33:7-11; 34:5-9.28

Gospel:

Matthew 13:36-43

THEME: THE LORD IS A JUST GOD

The Lord is full of love and compassion slow to anger abounding in love and charity (Psalm 154:8-9). Moses was going to his presence to intercede for the people and he was hearing him. Jesus in the gospel was explaining the parable of the weeds in the field. He was explaining it for him to justify every action he will latter take, the conclusion of the gospel said. He who has ears, let him hear. Onye nwere ntị ya nụrụ. He is always merciful on both those who make effort and sometimes on those who do not make effort and that was why the master asked workers to leave the two to grow but the end will determine. How much effort do we make? Let us like Moses go closer to God. Let us like the apostles go to him for him to explain to us what may be confusing us. He gives judgment with mercy. He has no partiality in him but he is merciful and compassionate. If we stay from afar to understand him, it may be very difficult for us but if we go closer like Moses and the apostles, we will see the richness of the kingdom. He is a just God. Thanks.

Monday Week 17 Year A By Tobe Eze

Monday Week 17 Year A

First Reading:

Exodus 32:15-24.30-34

Gospel:

Matthew 13:31-35

THEME: DO NOT BE TIRED OF WAITING.

After prophesying our faith during our baptism, after professing all we profess during credo in the church, any little problem will destabilize us. The Israelites after shouting all that the Lord said we shall do. They went ahead to force Aaron to construct for them a god that will lead them, just that Moses went up to the mountain. Nothing good comes easily. In the gospel, parables were told. In the first one, No big tree can grow into a big tree within a short time. It takes time and Jesus said that the kingdom of God is like that. The second parable also is saying the same thing. The woman was mixing it till all were leavened. She did not get tired along the line. Let us today not get tired along the line. Let us continue to move. God knows us and our problems. It takes time. The journey of life is filled with ups and downs and that we should know and recognize so that we will not lose faith like the Israelites. We must keep moving like a tree that is growing gradually into a big tree. Though waiting for the Lord may take time, it must surely come to pass. Thanks.

Saturday Week 16 Year A By Tobe Eze

Saturday Week 16 Year A

First Reading:

Exodus 24:3-8

Gospel:

Matthew 13:24-30

THEME: THE DEVIL AGAINST OUR EFFORTS.

Have you ever reflected on the fact that it is always when you want to make sincere effort that the devil will like to tempt you? Have you ever reflected on the fact that you will see a life changing situation and make a resolution to change and you will not even last anything and you will see yourself falling? These are facts of life.

I have had two experiences that made me to vow never to sin again but after that, I did not even last for anything and saw myself sinning again. The first one happened at UNTH Enugu. I went for blood donation there. They took our sample and we were outside waiting for them to test the sample. As we were there discussing and chatting. People were carried around on stretchers. Those who were seriously sick that were unconscious. The one that touched me most was that some groups of nurses were carrying a dead man on a stretcher chatting and laughing while the relations were crying behind them. I just asked myself, is this all we are in this world for. I sin because I am healthy, these people here who are dead, sick (unconscious for that matter) are asking God to give them this opportunity he has given me and I am here wasting it. I decided that I will not sin again from that very moment. It was few days to our break, immediately I came back home, the type of lie that I leveled to my people in order to get money from them was more than anything else. The second was one day I went to my cathedral to confess my sins in the evening. Normally, you do not search for priests in my cathedral but that day, I stayed till night before seeing a priest and it was Saturday, I needed it for the health of my soul and again because of Sunday. I made resolution that day not to sin again. Only to lie terribly on Sunday. My classmate called me that he wanted to visit me meanwhile I had already booked appointment with a friend to go somewhere and drink beer. I told him that my father said I would be taking him to somewhere and other stories to back it up.

This happened to Israelites after all these their promises in the first reading. All that the Lord said we will do. We can see the cause of this problem in the gospel, when we are asleep in our prayer lives, the enemy will plant weeds. We must wake up our prayer life in other to fight the devil that is against our efforts to be holy. Had it been that I handed those my resolutions to God through prayers, it would have lasted longer than when I violated it. Prayer is necessary in season and out of season else, the devil will plant weed in our farm and they will not be uprooted till the end of time. Thanks.

Friday Week 16 Year A By Tobe Eze

Friday Week 16 Year A

First Reading:

Exodus 20:1-17

Gospel:

Matthew 13:18-23

THEME: THEY ARE FOR US TO CHANGE OUR WAYS.

Laws are made to help people in life. Laws that God gave his people, were for them to change from their evil ways of life to a better one. These laws are divided into two, love of God and love of our fellow human being. If we claim that we love God and we hate our fellow human being, the love is incomplete. Because we divide these laws and take only the one for God and forget our fellow human being, Jesus decided to explain the parable more for us to know that, they are all for us. Both those that fell on the road, rocky, thorny and good soil. So these laws are for us all. We are to make sure that we keep them and they will make us fertile for the word to bear fruits that will last in us and people around us will see it in work in our lives. It will be a disaster that we hear the word of God daily but there is no positive change in our lives. May we change our bad ways so that we can bear fruits in 30s, 40s, 60s and even 100s. Thanks.

Thursday Week 16 Year A By Tobe Eze

Thursday Week 16 Year A

First Reading:

Exodus 19:1-2.9-11.16-20

Gospel:

Matthew 13:10-17

THEME: WE ARE PRIVILEGED.

First reading is a continuation of what Israelites did at Massah where they tested their God. After that, they said Moses was deceiving them, that they also wanted to hear from God directly not from Moses again. Hearing from God is only meant for those who are privileged to hear from God. We are privileged to hear from him through his ministers in different ways. In the gospel, Jesus talked about that same privilege. The problem here is that, some of us who are given the opportunity are now depriving ourselves the privilege and also trying to deny others the privilege. We reject this privilege through the kind of life we live. Let us watch the way we live as Christians and it shall be well with us. If you are given privilege (s), try and utilize it for it may not be forever and know that many may also be longing for that and they have not gotten it. In my local dialect, we normally say, onye era voyi gu alu, koma ne oge maka ne onwere ike inu ya onye ozo (when a mad man gives land to cultivate, do it fast for he may give it to another person). Do not abuse the privilege of being children of God. Thanks