SAINT LOUIS CATHOLIC CHURCH, AKURE (Catholic Diocese Of Ondo, Nigeria)

AUGUST 19, TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME- PROVERBS 9:1-6, PSALM 34, PHESIANS 5:15-20, JOHN 6:56, JOHN 6:51-58. In an age where stupidity has taken over rationality, where foolishness has taken over wisdom, where lies have taken over truth, where confused-complexity has taken over simplicity, where fake has taken over real, where mere-religiosity has taken over spirituality, where death has taken over life, where deception and dis honesty have become hallmarks of contemporary success stories. The First Reading invites us to Wisdom’s Gentle Appeal. Wisdom herself invites us to her feast to Eat and Live. Wisdom invites us to forsake foolishness so that we may have life.  The psalmist continues from last Sunday in the persistent appeal to Taste and See the goodness of the Lord. The appeal to become wise is continued in the Second Reading. St. Paul admonishes us to abandon the foolish lifestyle by which many have lost opportunities to become great. St. Paul exhorts us to...

MAY 27, TRINITY SUNDAY- DEUTERONOMY 4:32-34, 39-40, PSALM 33, ROMANS 8:14-17, REVELATION 1:8, MATTHEW 28:16-20.  Today the Church celebrates the central mystery of the Christian faith and life. The Mystery of God himself. The source of all other mysteries, the light that enlightens them. The most fundamental and essential teaching in the “hierarchy of the truths of faith” (CCC 234). The three readings this morning speak about the Trinity. The first speaks about the greatness and majesty of God the Father as the Israelites understood at that time. The Second reading speaks of the works of the Spirit of God in believers.  In the Gospel, Christ, the Son of God, commissioned the Apostles to evangelise the earth baptising them in the name of the Trinity. What more do we need to say about the Trinity? For the sake of those who do not still believe, what is the Trinity? The Doctrine of the Most Blessed Trinity summarily teaches that: 1) There is only ONE GOD. 2) There are T...

JUNE 10, TENTH SUNDAY- GENESIS 2:9-15, PSALM 130:1-8, 2 CORINTHIANS 4:13-5:1, JOHN 12:3, MARK 3:20-35.   It is very true in “modern day Christianity” that many Christians are only church-goers, pew-warmers and even bench-breakers. Many Christians have no inclination, connection or affinity with God! Yes, we are always in Church, always present at religious activities, always identifying with the flaunting of religiosity, however,  the truth remains that many Christians do not belong to the family of God, many Christians though present at religious gatherings are always outside the circle of God. That is why with such great presence of Christianity on our streets, our society has remained as godless as any sin-city. God’s word today speaks to us on the fundamental criterion of being a true member of Jesus’ family.  The first reading tells how the first family fell out of the plenitude of divine grace due to its disobedience to God. This short drama gives the nece...

JUNE 17, ELEVENTH SUNDAY- EZEKIEL 17:22-24, PSALM 91:2-3, 13-16, 2 CORINTHIANS 5:6-10, JOHN 15:15, MARK 4:26-34 There are two more evils we need to combat in our contemporary world. They are: NOISE and HASTE. Our society is too NOISY; everybody is shouting, nobody is heard! Everybody is talking, nobody is listening! Everybody wants to speak all the time! Nobody wants to listen at any time! With the slightest opportunity we h ave, we flaunt ourselves, make noise about ourselves and about everything else.  The social media has become a stage for the grievous insanity! You would not believe what you will see there! The internet makes the loudest and heart-aching noise! Our music are loud! Our talking is loud! Our dancing is loud! All these pockets of noise deafen and hinder us from true growth. The second vice which apparently appears like a virtue is the evil of HASTE. Everybody is in HASTE! We are all in a RUSH! We hastily hunt for money, fame, recognition and acceptance....

JUNE 24, THE BIRTHDAY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST-ISAIAH 49:1-6, PSALM 138, ACTS 13:22-26, LUKE 1:76, LUKE 1:57-66,80.    The ultimate question in life is: What is my purpose in life? This question, answered wrongly or even unanswered has driven many people to their early graves, succeeded and attempted suicides, frustration, depression and eventual madness. This question has made many sick, enraged, confused, cold and unresponsive. This same questi on is tearing many people apart, making them focus-less, insatiable, distracted, unorganised and unstable. Nevertheless, this question when answered properly and applied, it always evokes happiness, joy, peace, serenity, satisfaction and fulfilment in one’s life.  The Birth of John the Baptist gives us an opportunity to reflect on the unique purposefulness of our lives. In John the Baptist, we learn that to every human being, God has a unique purpose that must be discovered and lived. God’s purpose for everyone is as d...

JULY 1, THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME- WISDOM 1:13-15, 2:23-24, PSALM 29, 2 CORINTHIANS 8:7, 9, 13-15, JOHN 6:63, 68, MARK 5:21-24, 35-43 .  There is no better time to reflect on the darkness of death than these present perilous moments in Nigeria. Just in one week, we had the Plateau killings of about 200 people, the death of about 6 children, from different homes, burnt in the fire and one drowned in a swimming pool, the  Bodija abattoir of about five people killed, and the latest- the Fuel Tanker Explosion at Berger-Lagos and according to reports, 67 cars were burnt and many died- burnt beyond recognition. Added to this list of bad news, Nigeria bagged three international disgraceful awards; the Poverty capital of the World, the 9th most dangerous country for women and of course the Super Eagles lost out of the World Cup. All these deaths and many more have portrayed our country not just a shithole but also a deathhole.  Nigeria has become a threshol...

JULY 8- THE FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME- EZEKIEL 2:2-5, PSALM 123:1-4, 2 CORINTHIANS 12:7-10, LUKE 4:18, MARK 6:1-6 Last Sunday we reflected and saw the connection and power of FAITH in the lives of Jarius’ Daughter and the Woman with haemorrhage. In our readings today, we see the opposite of faith as expressed in the manifestation of an impertinent contempt.  Truly, familiarity had bred an unforgivable contempt. In the first reading, Ezekiel was s ent to the obstinate and rebellious Israelites- a people whom God had labelled as his own and they too had customised God as their heritage. He has fought their battles, gave them the land of others, blessed them with profuse goodness and did numerous things that cannot be counted. But what did they give in return to such a loving God? Uninterrupted transgressions, deafened disobedience, imprudent rebellion. But very soon! They will know that there has been a prophet among them.  The case is not different in the Gospel...

JULY 15, FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME- AMOS 7:12-15, PSALM 84:9-14, EPHESIANS 1:3-14, EPHESIANS 1:17,18, MARK 6:7-13.  In a society where there are so many vendors speaking the “word of God”, where there are so many persons selling different messages in the name of Christ, where there are so many prophets and evangelists exploiting people in the name of Jesus, we must be very careful to examine what we hear and accept so as not to fal l prey of deception and eventual condemnation.  In the first reading, Amos was condemned and expelled by Amaziah because Amos preached the authentic message of God and that became a threat to Amaziah who was a paid prophet of the King, preaching lies to the king and the nation. God’s word was rejected because it was the truth and Amaziah feared the truth! The Psalmist encourages us all to hear what the Lord God has to say, not what others want to say for God or what we like to hear.  A summarised truth of God’s message is ...

AUGUST 11, NINETEEN SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME- I KINGS 19:4-8, PSALM 34, EPHESIANS 4:30-5:2, JOHN 6:51, JOHN 6:41-51. On this Sunday, Christ takes us a step further in his teaching on the Bread of Life as he declares the necessity of the Eucharist as we journey on earth towards God. In the first reading, Elijah the prophet was at the point of death. He was tired, frustrated and even prayed for death. Howeve r, he was saved and sustained by the heavenly food provided by an Angel. The Angel had to make him eat this heavenly food twice to have enough strength for his long Journey. After which he walked for forty days and forty night to the Mountain of the Lord.  We cannot successfully walk our different journeys in this world to Heaven (the mountain of the Lord) without the necessary strength and sustenance, which the Eucharist provides. The psalmists gives us reasons why we must Taste/Eat the Eucharist. When we receive the Holy Eucharist, these things will happen to us: 1) His pr...