*RISE AND SHINE; JESUS IS ALIVE*

*RISE AND SHINE; JESUS IS ALIVE*

Sunday, 31 March 2024. 

Readings: Acts 10:34,37-43, Ps. 118:1-2,16-17,22-23, Colossians 3:1-4, John 20:1-9

*“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2)*

Death is a great teacher, yet his students (all of us) are too scared or too busy to pay attention in his class. One day, I was at the funeral of someone I knew very well. It was an emotional ceremony; almost everyone looked teary. I noticed how people gradually trickled away while the body was lowered into the grave. They couldn’t wait for the grave to be completely covered before moving on. After the grave was covered, I went to the reception arena, and it felt like I was seeing a different crowd; there was no sign of mourning. People were eating, drinking and laughing as though it was a wedding ceremony. Is this how quickly the world would move on when I die? Will they even wait till my grave is covered before fighting over food and drinks? This is the reality of life. 

That day, death taught me a lesson – no one cares about you the moment they realise they can no longer get anything from you. As one musician puts it: “When you dey hustle, you go dey all alone. When you succeed, they go call you their own, your name go dey touch ceiling, anything you do e go turn hailing” When you are successful, friends are uncountable, but the moment things change, you are on your own. See how quickly Peter denied knowing Jesus after His arrest. See how quickly everyone moved on after Jesus was nailed to the cross. In today’s Gospel passage, John tells us that even the disciples were not expecting Jesus to rise from the dead. They did not know the Scripture or believe what Jesus said about “raising the temple in three days” (Cf. John 2:19). 

Lent is finally over. Am I also in haste to move on with my life? No more Stations of the Cross, no more fasting and abstinence. Am I going to return to my old habits and vices? Mary Magdalene refused to move on. Her actions proved she was a true friend of Jesus. She was among the Women of Jerusalem who wept for Jesus while the crowd cheered and mocked, but when others moved on, she went to the tomb early in the morning (She probably hadn’t slept deeply the previous night). For this, she became the first to see the Risen Jesus. What motivated Mary Magdalene’s actions? How can we become the Mary Magdalenes in our day? 

*1. Step One – Believe That Jesus Is Risen from the Dead*

Faith in the resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of Christianity. Anyone who does not believe that the same Jesus who died also rose to life is wasting their time in church. Without this solid foundation of Faith in the Resurrection Power, we cannot please God. (Cf. Hebrews 11:6). Let us face it: many of us do not believe that Jesus has risen from the dead. Why do I say this? We are still worried and brooding over our problems. We still think there are things that God cannot do. We still assume our case is impossible. We do not even look happy. By rising from the dead, Christ has shown us that there is light at the end of the tunnel, regardless of whatever may come our way. No matter how many Good Fridays come, Easter Sunday must come.

*2. Step Two – Rejoice in the Resurrection of Jesus*

If you believe Jesus rose from the dead, you should be dancing and bubbling joyfully. Today's Psalmist sings: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad.” Why are we not rejoicing? Why are we not glad? Why are we still scared? Why are we not expecting answers to our prayers? We have come before a God who conquered death; why do the threats of our enemies still move us? The third stanza of today’s psalm says: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty deeds. I shall not die; I shall live and recount the deeds of the Lord.” Tell your neighbour: “I shall not die; I shall live.” Sing: “If you are happy and you know, say Jesus (x3). If you are happy and you know, and you really want to show, shout: ‘Jesus is Risen!’” Yes, today is a day of happiness. It is a day of dancing and gladness because death has lost its sting; death has lost its victory. Death no longer has the final say. (Cf. 1 Corinthians 15:54-55).

*3. Step Three – Rise With Jesus from the Grave of Sin*

What do we mean when we say Jesus has risen to take away our sins? Some erroneously take this statement to mean that no matter how many sins they commit, the death of Jesus has taken care of it. By so doing, they make a mockery of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. Jesus died for our sins, but it doesn’t mean that we would no longer stand before the Judgment Throne of God to give an account of our lives. Jesus did not die to give us the licence to do whatever we wish (lose consciousness of sin). In today’s first reading, we heard St. Peter addressing the group of believers: “God raised him on the third day and made him manifest… And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead.” (Acts 10:40-42) Why would Jesus judge us? He took our flesh; He understands what it means to face temptation or to resist the devil. If Jesus were never human, we would say: “God, you don’t understand how weak the flesh can be.” Now, we have no excuse. Brothers and Sisters. Rise and Shine. Rise from sin and shine the light of God. Rise from evil and shine as the salt of the earth.

*4. Step Four – Raise Your Thoughts from Earthly Things to Heavenly Realities*

Sin does not happen in a vacuum. It always begins from somewhere – from the nature of our thoughts. To rise from the grave of sin, we must pay attention to the thoughts we accommodate. Jesus said: “From within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” (Mark 7:20-23). Knowing how powerful thoughts are, St. Paul, in today’s Second Reading, tells us: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2). St. Paul begins with “If”, indicating that not all of us have risen with Christ. Those who refuse to change their thought patterns are still in the grave.

*5. Step Five – Become a Witness of Jesus’ Resurrection*

What happens when we raise our thoughts to the things that are above? We suddenly realise that we can no longer keep silent. Hence, Peter says in today’s First Reading: “We are witnesses to all that Jesus did both in the country of the Jews and Jerusalem.” Witnessing Jesus is the natural consequence of experiencing something so precious as the resurrection. If I am still afraid of letting the world know that I am a disciple of Jesus, I am still like the Old Peter who denied Jesus before a maid. And worse still, if my actions contradict the values Jesus stood for, I am still like Judas Iscariot, who sold Jesus. As you leave this church today, imagine that everyone you meet does not believe that Jesus Christ truly rose from the dead. Approach them and try to convince them of the resurrection. Do this not just with words but with actions.

How do we make our proclamation of Christ’s resurrection concrete? a. Choose Jesus instead of Barabbas. b. Prioritise Jesus over money. (Do not sell Jesus for 30 silver coins). c. Defend your faith in public. Don’t keep quiet when people ask what you believe. d. Don’t hate or envy anyone like the Jews who wanted Jesus dead by all means. e. Don’t follow the crowd by Pilate; stand by your beliefs. f. Don’t build your faith on signs and wonders like the people who wanted Jesus to jump down from the cross so that they would believe. g. Forgive wrongs patiently, as Jesus said: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

*Let us pray:* Almighty, ever-living God, help me fix my mind on the things above and no longer or below. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen

*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Easter Sunday Liturgical Colour: White. Bible Study: Acts 10:34,37-43, Ps. 118:1-2,16-17,22-23, Colossians 3:1-4, John 20:1-9).*

@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu

*O HOLY NIGHT: RETRACING OUR SALVATION HISTORY*

*O HOLY NIGHT: RETRACING OUR SALVATION HISTORY*

*“Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. So, you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:9-11)*

My dear brothers and sisters, are you tired? Please wake someone up. It isn’t easy to stay awake after the day’s activities to listen to all the readings and musical psalms we have just heard. Have you ever wondered why there are so many readings on Easter Vigil? This brings us to our lessons for today:

*1. Why Are There Many Readings?* There is an adage: “Only a person who knows where he is coming from will know where he is going?” We have been on a journey since the beginning of the liturgical year, but tonight, we pause to peruse the map. Tonight, we gather around this special campfire (the Pascal Candle) to reflect on the essence of our journey. Who are we? Where did we come from? Where are we going? What is our business with God? What has God done for us? What does He want from us? These are the questions answered in today’s readings. From the first reading taken from the book of Genesis, which took us back to the story of creation, down to today’s Gospel passage, our readings have provided a candid summary of our salvation story. The next question now is: “Why this night?”  

*2. What is Special about This Night?* The Easter Proclamation answers: “This is the night when God led our forebears, Israel’s children, from slavery in Egypt and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea. This is the night that God banished the darkness of sin with a pillar of fire. This is the night that, even now, throughout the world, sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices and the gloom of sin, leading them to grace and joining them with his holy ones. This is the night Christ broke the prison bars of death and rose victorious from the underworld… The sanctifying power of this night dispels wickedness, washes faults away, restores innocence to the fallen and joy to mourners, drives out hatred, fosters concord, brings down the mighty… O truly blessed night, when things of heaven are wed to those of earth and divine to the human.” Let someone give a clap offering to Jesus!!! Clap for Jesus! Clap for Jesus! This night is no ordinary; it is a night of victory, a night we walk from darkness to light, from captivity to freedom, from death to life. Does it mean we were dead before?

*3. How Did We Get Here?* In the beginning, when God created the world, everything was good. Humans were the greatest of all created things. God blessed us, making us masters of the universe. He was so pleased with us that He rested afterwards. (First Reading). However, as humans continued to multiply on earth, sin also multiplied. Desiring to save humanity, God chose Abraham and began a new race from him. This was only after Abraham had passed the test. What was this test? To sacrifice his only begotten son, Isaac, whom He loved so much. (Second Reading). Despite being in covenant with God, Abraham’s descendants (our forefathers in faith) found themselves in slavery in a foreign land. With Moses as their leader, God saved them by mighty works of valour. With their eyes, they saw their enemies defeated as the bodies of their pursuers littered on the seashore. (Third Reading).

*4. What Went Wrong?* Even though they were free from physical captivity, the Israelites, God’s chosen children, remained slaves to sin, but God never gave up. Prophet after prophet, God continued to send His messengers to them. We heard Isaiah, Baruch, and Ezekiel all pleading that they return to God. Nevertheless, they remained obstinate in sin. They behaved like an unfaithful wife while God remained the patient husband. (Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Reading).

*5. What Is The Good News?* At the fullness of time, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to reconcile not just the chosen people but the entire human race to God. In Jesus Christ, God has broken the chains of sin that have imprisoned us for ages. St. Paul explains in the eighth reading: “We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin, for he who has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe we shall live with him.” (Romans 6:6-8). This is where we are today. This is the Good News. This is what gives us joy. The chains have been broken; we are free of the curse of sin and evil. 

*6. What Must We Do Now?* As we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, this is the time for us to rise with Him from everything that represents death and darkness. It is time to shine like this Pascal Candle. The chains have been broken. Get up and walk out. Do not behave like prisoners who remain in their cells after the gates have been flung open. It is time to rise and shine. The women came hoping to meet a dead body, but they met Angels who told them: “Go and tell his brothers, Jesus is Risen. Death couldn’t hold Him down.” Brothers and Sisters, what are we waiting for? Go and announce the Good News.

*Let us pray:* Almighty, ever-living God, teach me to die to sin each moment by the power of Christ’s resurrection. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen

*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Holy Saturday. Bible Study: Genesis 1:1-2:2, Ps. 104:1-2,5-6,10,12-14,24,35, Genesis 22:1-18, Ps. 16:5,8-11, Exodus 14:15-15:1, Exodus 15, Isaiah 54:5-14, Ps. 30:2,4-6,11-13, Isaiah 55:1-11, Isaiah 12, Baruch 3:9-15,32-4:4, Ps. 19:8-11, Ezekiel 36:16-17,18-28, Ps. 42:2-3,5,42:3-4, Romans 6:3-11, Ps. 118:1-2,16-17,22-23, Mark 16:1-8).*

Fr. Abu

🎤"LORD, TO WHOM SHALL WE GO? YOU HAVE THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE" (John 6:68)

⏰Saturday of the Third Week of Easter (20 April 2024)

📖Acts 931-42; Ps 116:12-13, 14-15, 16-17 (R.v.12); John 6:60-69 

🎤"LORD, TO WHOM SHALL WE GO? YOU HAVE THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE" (John 6:68)

Believing in Christ and following him is not an easy venture. It calls for selflessness and absolute trust in God. The Christian truths are not based on what one wants to hear. Hence, anyone who wants to follow Christ must deny himself, carry his cross, and follow him (cf. Matt 16:24).

That demand for self emptying is not an easy one, but one can accept it as St. Paul did for the surpassing value of knowing Christ (cf. Phil 3:8). Unless you are convinced about your faith in Christ, it will be hard for you to hold on.

When some of the disciples of Jesus left because they could not stand the truth, the Twelve remained, not necessarily because they fully understood and accepted what Jesus just told them, but because they were convinced that he has the message of eternal life. That is what St. Paul calls the surpassing value.

Now, being convinced and following Christ demands more than lip service. Our actions must reflect that faith for us to reap its full fruit. Dorcas obviously lived it out in her life and was rewarded with more life (cf. Acts 9:36-41).

By the way, do you still doubt it when you are told that love conquers all things? See it for yourself in the life of Dorcas. Her love for the less privileged conquered even death for her. And that gives us a clue on what happens in eternity to those who loved others while they lived on earth.

Do you really believe in Christ? Are you resolved to follow him, not minding the challenges you face in life? Does your followership of him reflect in the kind of life you live?

May God grant you the grace to bear authentic witness to him in this life and gain eternal life in the end. Amen.

Have a grace-filled and restful weekend. Peace be with you.

http://www.fadajbcezeonwumelu.com/lord-to-whom-shall-we-go-you-have-the-words-of-eternal-life-john-668/

HOW I ALMOST LOST MY WIFE TO A STRANGE MAN.

HOW I ALMOST LOST MY WIFE TO A STRANGE MAN.

(Story by the Winlos)

When my daughter just started schooling. My wife needed me to take our daughter to school to start activities.

Because of my kind of schedule, being my pattern before I got married, I always pray at night, study at night...I then sleep from 5:00am in the morning till like 9:00am.

I told my wife I won't be able to take her and our daughter to school because of my activities. At that time, we had a car but she has refused to learn how to drive. I told her to find a way around it.

The first time she complained she went to school, she was angry, she complained angrily the second and third time.  I didn't care. 

At a time I realize she was doing it sweatlessly and she was beginning to enjoy it. She comes back many times and says"sweetheart, I just took our daughter to school. Mehn, I enjoyed it. Guess what? There's this guy... anytime we come out of the compound, he just picks me and our daughter. A car with good A.C, he drops us back".

She came again and said the guy picked her,the second day she said again, "Honey, this guy picked me". 🙄

The next morning, I woke up...took my car keys I said "sweetheart enter into the car, I will need to take you to school".

Ladies and gentlemen, I know some of you will say that is jealousy, but alot of men have lost their home because they are not responsible. There's a difference between jealousy and responsibility. Alot of us have lost our home because we are not responding to the ability that we have.

Everyone of us have a unique ability God has given to us to make our home work but we are not responsible to that ability, so we just act the "I don't care attitude" and we loose out to that which God has given us as a spouse.

We have different kinds of calling.

Dear men of God, pls allow doctors to do their work. They are also doing the work of God in their hospitals in their own way. Infact, anyone who is doing his/her job diligently and honestly and contributing to the good of the world and making society better is a man of God.

We have different kinds of calling.

Don't tell anyone to drink olive oil for what requires gestid. God who gave man knowledge of medicine is not your mate.

Some will prescribe oil and other things for people as if they are operating pharmacy shops. They insist you get those things from particular shops which they own or from where they get commissions.

The place of prayer is there. Prayer is very important. It is a back up and sure help in many ways. It is necessary for spiritual and temporal needs. But we must be discerning and be able to apply wisdom in our doings.

Many doctors pray before embarking on surgeries and other treatments. Many people pray before going about their duties. VERY GOOD.

The primary concern of the Priest/pastor is about eternal salvation. Our major focus is on the soul. Since the body houses the soul, that is what gets us involved. But we must be ready to yield to opinions of experts and don't use ignorance in bringing undue seperation of the body and soul.

#igalafada

A WISE MAN ONCE SAID

1. Don’t call someone more than twice continuously. If they don’t pick up your call, presume they have something important to attend to;

2. Return money that you have borrowed even before the person that borrowed you remember or ask for it. It shows your integrity and character. Same goes with umbrellas, pens and lunch boxes.

3. Never order the expensive dish on the menu when someone is giving you a lunch/dinner.

4. Don’t ask awkward questions like ‘Oh so you aren’t married yet?’ Or ‘Don’t you have kids’ or ‘Why didn’t you buy a house?’ Or why don't you buy a car? For God’s sake it isn’t your problem;

5. Always open the door for the person coming behind you. It doesn’t matter if it is a guy or a girl, senior or junior. You don’t grow small by treating someone well in public;

6. If you take a taxi with a friend and he/she pays now, try paying next time;

7. Respect different shades of opinions. Remember what's 6 to you will appear 9 to someone facing you. Besides, second opinion is good for an alternative;

8. Never interrupt people talking. Allow them to pour it out. As they say, hear them all and filter them all;

9. If you tease someone, and they don’t seem to enjoy it, stop it and never do it again. It encourages one to do more and it shows how appreciative you're;

10. Say “thank you” when someone is helping you.

11. Praise publicly. Criticize privately;

12. There’s almost never a reason to comment on someone’s weight. Just say, “You look fantastic.” If they want to talk about losing weight, they will;

13. When someone shows you a photo on their phone, don’t swipe left or right. You never know what’s next;

 14. If a colleague tells you they have a doctors' appointment, don’t ask what it’s for, just say "I hope you’re okay". Don’t put them in the uncomfortable position of having to tell you their personal illness. If they want you to know, they'll do so without your inquisitiveness;

15. Treat the cleaner with the same respect as the CEO. Nobody is impressed at how rude you can treat someone below you but people will notice if you treat them with respect;

16. If a person is speaking directly to you, staring at your phone is rude;

17. Never give advice until you’re asked;

18. When meeting someone after a long time, unless they want to talk about it, don’t ask them their age and salary;

19. Mind your business unless anything involves you directly - just stay out of it;

20. Remove your sunglasses if you are talking to anyone in the street. It is a sign of respect. Moreso, eye contact is as important as your speech. 

21. Never talk about your riches in the midst of the poor. Similarly, don't talk about your children in the midst of the barren.

22.After reading a good message try to say       "Thanks for the message".

APPRECIATION remains the easiest way of getting what you don't have....

❤️♥️