Saturday 18th week Year A By Tobe Eze

Saturday 18th week Year A

First Reading

Deuteronomy 6:4-13

Second Reading

Matthew 17:14-20

THEME: DO NOT FORGET YOUR GOD.

Moses trying to show us how important God is in our lives, he is telling us to write the commandments of God around us, in everything we do or say. St. Ignatius of Loyola summarized the passage of the first reading in his notion of seeing God in everything (Not everything being God as pantheists will say). If we see God in everything, certainly we will not forget him and that is the summary of the first reading.

If we have faith in God, we certainly cannot forget the person we believe will do all things for us. The problem that the apostles encountered in the gospel was very little and unrecognizable compare to what we have these days. The joy in their own is that, they recognized they could not do it and asked necessary questions and they were directed properly. These days, people are no longer interested in asking necessary question, rather, they do it in their ways. People receive powers from anywhere now to do magic in the name of miracle and deceive people and this the apostles avoided. Those who are busying deceiving people in the name of God, do they still remember God? Some of us have forgotten our true God and are now doing as they like. A man told a seminarian that, he has lost faith in God and nothing will make him to get interested in that thing called God again. I told the seminarian that that person had no faith before. If he had a little faith, he would not have lost it. The apostles had faith but not as big as mustard seed and they did not leave rather they made effort to grow the faith. They never left God entirely rather, they were falling and rising like every other human being. Let us today like the apostles go closer to ask questions about our faith so that we will not lose it and will at the end forget God. Thanks.

Friday 18th week Year A By Tobe Eze

Friday 18th week Year A

First Reading

Deuteronomy 4:32-40

Second Reading

Matthew 16:24-28

THEME: IT IS ONLY OUR GOD THAT CAN DO IT.

Traditionally as some of us know, there is no god or gods that has ever or is ever ready to sacrifice its existence or any part of it to save its worshippers, rather, they demand for more sacrifices, external sacrifices. Some of them go to the extent of demanding for human sacrifice in order to make them stronger to fight for them or to grant them the favour they need. Traditional gods from time to time demand specific sacrifice (s) from their worshippers. In my place, we call it maa ida mmadu ihe. Our own Lord and God do not demand from us a specific sacrifice for a specific request. He gave us free will to do as we like. If we can recall what happened in the Bible when Jesus cured ten leapers and one came back to appreciate him, he did not even ask about the gift he came with but why are others not here to appreciate him?

In the first reading, Moses is asking us the new Israelites if we have seen any other god that does what our God is doing for us. If we have not seen, why are we still hurting him with our sins? We have left him and his eternal life and are now ready to lose our lives and that is what Jesus also is asking us in the gospel, what it will profit us.

The reason why the Israelites were not following God as they supposed was because they did not want to suffer and that same thing is happening to us these days. We want a crossless Christianity and Christ but Jesus said no to that in the Gospel. We are not even happy that our saviour is leading the way of suffering and we are following him rather, we want him to suffer alone. Christianity of suffering free is not from Christ for he himself said we must carry our crosses and follow him every day. Since he is the only one who has offered to lead us in the way of suffering, let us appreciate him by following and obeying what he commands us to obey in the conclusion of the first reading. Thanks.

Wednesday of 18th week Year A By Tobe Eze

Wednesday of 18^th week Year A

First Reading

Numbers 13:1-2.25-14:1.26-29.34-35

Second Reading

Matthew 15:21-28

THEME: WITH COURAGE AND PERSISTENCE, WE WILL OBTAIN FAVOUR FROM GOD.

The problem many of us have including my own self is that we lack the courage to confront our problems in life sometimes and also we lose faith very quickly. I was going somewhere to visit my classmate where he was doing his pastoral experience one day. I was calling him and his number was not connecting. I was almost reaching his parish and I concluded, since his number is not connecting, that shows he is busy and I turned back. In the evening, he called me to know how things were moving and I told him my experience and he told me he was home throughout the day. I regretted turning back but it was already late. That taught me that Hope is a very good breakfast but a very bad supper.

In the first reading, majority of those that went to spy the land promised them by God came back and removed the little hope and courage in the people. They had no courage to go into war with the people living in the land promised them because probably they did not trust in what God can do. But two outstanding men, Joshua and Caleb made them to know that they can do it and persisted in it and days to come we shall hear the result.

In the gospel, we can see both courage and persistence in full action. The Canaanite woman had the courage to meet Jesus and also the virtue of persistence. If you do not want what happened to me to happen to you, learn from this woman to come to the Lord with courage and persistence even when we think God has insulted us. God is always with us if we have courage to meet him and persist in following him. Thanks.

Thursday 18th week Year A By Tobe Eze

Thursday 18^th week Year A

First Reading

Numbers 20:1-13

Second Reading

Matthew 16:13-23

THEME: WHO IS GOD FOR US?

For many persons, God means different things or persons for them. For some, he is a provider, for some he is a fighter, for some he is a protector, for some he is a merciful God and so many notions of God by different people, nations, tribes, race and even religions.

For the Israelites in the first reading, he is a disappointing God. They were not happy with him for they thought they wanted him to take them home without any atom of suffering. They wanted to close their eyes and open them and see themselves in the Promised Land. If that had happened, they would not have appreciated the work of God in their lives, they would not have valued the whole show for it would have contradicted my dialectical adage Ihe ga atugu nee onu anugu aga (a good thing is always stressful or what did not stress you will not work). God has never disappointed anyone but the Israelites could not understand.

The gospel also is showing us different views of different persons about God (in Jesus). For some, one of the prophets, some Elijah, some Moses and so on. Peter gave a perfect answer which should not leave our lips everyday. We should always acclaim Jesus as the son of the living God. He is the Christ who has come to save us. If we take God as any other person or thing apart from the son of the living God, we maybe making serious mistake in our lives. The answer of Peter merited him the head of the apostles and the first Pope of the only church founded by Christ. If we allow the Holy Spirit to direct us as Peter did and answer like him, many favours will also follow as we saw in the gospel. Thanks.

Tuesday of the 18th Week Year A By Tobe Eze

Tuesday of the 18^th Week Year A

First Reading

Numbers 12:1-13

Gospel

Matthew 14:22-36

THEME: FEAR NOT AND DO NOT LOSE TRUST IN GOD.

The cause of jealousy sometimes (not all the time) is always fear of others. Sometimes, one will grow very jealous because one may be afraid that the other person is becoming greater than myself every day. I can relate that to what happened in the first reading. Aeron and Miriam grew jealous of Moses and they were saying evils against God’s own servant. The fear of being controlled by Moses all the time despite the position Aeron was occupying as the high priest brought about his our jealousy. God gave him his own function and he was not comfortable with it rather he was busy being jealous of Moses and we saw the result on Miriam. Fear is natural but the object of fear should be watched.

In the gospel, we can see another side of fear which can happen to any person. Peter is the central point of the gospel for he was the only one who removed fear in him and made effort to walk on the sea though he lost the faith along the line.

Since we have developed the faith, let us eliminate fear and trust in God. Let us not be unnecessarily jealous about others so that we will not bring wrath on ourselves like Miriam especially with God’s anointed. The faith we have built, let the fear of the wave not take it away. Thanks.

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.