"STAY WITH US, LORD" (Luke 24:29)

Every year presents us with the singular opportunity to doubly celebrate. We celebrate two important and historical moments. The first is basically about Jesus, who has been born into the world. This is what we do on December 25, Christmas day. The second ushers us into a new year and is the first day of each year.  The secular year is taken up by the Church and we celebrate the motherhood of Mary on this day. What most Catholics think about is the very fact that we have entered a new year and we ought to thank God through the Holy Mass. Some are oblivious about the importance of this day and even if we know, I believe, we have not taken time to reflect on this important 'shelving of days' on the ecclesial calender which has surprised us on the secular calender also.  The Church starts a new liturgical year after celebrating the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the universe (or Christ the King Sunday) and not on 1st January. Why not celebrate the...

A question of this sort is astute. Martyrdom in the Church is a very sensitive issue and while not debating this it is worth noting that not all are called to die a martyr's death in order to see the Lord 'face to face'. Meanwhile, we can die as martyrs if we die to our ways of sin.  A martyr (Greek: μάρτυς, mártys, "witness"; stem μάρτυρ-, mártyr-) is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, refusing to renounce, or refusing to advocate a religious belief or cause as demanded by an external party. Martyrs play significant roles in religions especially in the Catholic Church.  The Church celebrates Martyrs. Every 26th December is taken to be the veneration of St. Stephen who was stoned to death as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles (cf. Acts 6-7). The Church in the mood of martyrdom celebrates the Holy Innocents every 28th of December.  St. Stephen is acclaimed as First Martyr (Protomartyr). The problem lies in why St....

On this day the Church focuses especially on the newborn Child, God become human, who embodies for us all the hope and peace we seek. We need no other special saint today to lead us to Christ in the manger, although his mother Mary and Joseph, caring for his foster-Son, help round out the scene. But if we were to select a patron for today, perhaps it might be appropriate for us to imagine an anonymous shepherd, summoned to the birthplace by a wondrous and even disturbing vision in the night, a summons from an angelic choir, promising peace and goodwill. A shepherd willing to seek out something that might just be too unbelievable to chase after, and yet compelling enough to leave behind the flocks in the field and search for a mystery. On the day of the Lord’s birth, let’s let an unnamed, “un-celebrity” at the edge of the crowd model for us the way to discover Christ in our own hearts—somewhere between skepticism and wonder, between mystery and faith. And, like Mary and the she...

The Son of Man Came to Seek and Save the Lost Luke 19:1-10 Ackuaku Edmund Elorm  The text under consideration is a narrative about the encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus.  Prior to this, we hear of Jesus as near Jericho (not in Jericho yet) and He performed a miracle of restoring a beggar's sight (sense organ, external). In Jericho, He did another 'miracle', surprising one of course. He healed the inner self of a man who searched and longed for rest. He, like St. Augustine said, had a restless heart which finally rested in Christ. Like the Psalmist said,  his foes surrounded him on every side. He sought vindication and wanted to prove his innocence. We speak of Zacchaeus, the short man (v. 3), the tax collector (v. 2), the Sinner (v. 6) and a descendant of Abraham (v. 9). The result of this encounter brought him Peace, Joy, Charity as expressed in (v. 8) and an admission of possible guilt (thus,... 'if I have cheated anyone', v.8). He faithfully says Psal...

Multiplication of the loaves ( John 6:1-15) I welcome you to this week's reflection on the Bible with special reference to the signs in the Gospel of John. Last week we commenced work on the Multiplication of the Loaves. In this same narrative, I would like us to consider the bread that was multiplied and shared. In one's first contact with this text, one may perceive the loaves to be very rich probably because it was Jesus who received them and probably because one might be driven by the assumption that 'the more the quantity, the lesser the quality, and vice versa'. This assumption might be fallacious as it does not apply to all situations. Jesus' life has been one which gets in contact with very 'low-keys', with poverty of resources, as evident from his birth to his death. The resources used, bread and fish, were very poor. The bread was made of barley. Barley was used as a gift of atonement by an adulterer. Barley was considered food for animal...

Multiplication of the Loaves (John 6:1-15) Last week we entered into discussion on the miracle of changing water into wine in Cana in Galilee (cf. John 6:1-15) Today we shall look at the multiplication of loaves. What we ought to know is that this miracle is a nature miracle and a feeding miracle. It appears in all four Gospels but with little variations. This story speaks about immensity, about abundance and God's providence. This miracle occurred at the sea of Tiberias. John used two genitive cases ( i.e., of Galilee of Tiberias). In the New Testament only John gives the town of Tiberias for Herod Antipas completed building the town of Tiberias about 20 A.D. Therefore, the place was known as the Sea of Galilee of Tiberias probably only after Jesus' time. The characters of this miracle were Jesus, the crowd, a lad, Philip, Andrew and other disciples. It is a miracle where Jesus turned a crowd of 'selfish men and women' into a fellowship of sharers. Jesus ne...

Changing Water Into Wine (John 2:1-11)   Yesterday we looked at a command to discipleship in the light of Mary's instruction to the servants at the wedding feast in Cana, thus, Do whatever He tells you. We established yesterday that the proclaimed 1st miracle of Jesus, 'Changing of water into Wine'is classified under nature miracles and it is also a 'miracle of feeding'. Today, I would like us to look at the change from water into wine. A great transformation and this transformation is at the heart of the miracle. A great philosopher, Heraclitus, realized a constant figure in the world. This constant figure he called Change. To him, nothing is permanent. Everything is changing. In the face of this miracle of change, of transformation, there still remains some elements of permanence. The jars, the characters were not changed. Only the content of the jars was changed. This change of water into wine signifies that there is a transforming power associated w...