🎤CLOTHE YOURSELF IN HUMILITY AS YOU FOLLOW JESUS

 Feast of St. Mark (25 April 2024)

📖1 Pet 5:5b-14; Ps 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17 (R.v.2a); Mark 16:15-20

🎤CLOTHE YOURSELF IN HUMILITY AS YOU FOLLOW JESUS

Today, in the Catholic Church, we celebrate the Feast Day of St. Mark, the evangelist. St Peter describes him as son (1 Peter 5:13). He was equally described as a companion to Paul and Barnabas.

The Gospel of St. Mark, which bears his name, tries to reveal the identity of Jesus to a community that was undergoing some difficulties in professing their faith. It invites them into a discipleship that embraces the reality of suffering and the cross (cf. Mark 8:34).

 

Of course, no one can truly embrace the discipleship with the cross, a sign of shame, without humility. Hence, through this celebration, we are encouraged to reflect on the virtue of humility.

Jesus said to his disciples, as he equally tells us, "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). But we must not go naked. No! We have to clothe ourselves with humility towards others (cf. 1 Pet 5:5). The fact that we have no power of our own but can only do all things in the name of Christ (cf. Mark 16:17-18; Phil 4:13) must compel us to that humility. 

By the way, humility attracts everything. Remember the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven... Blessed are the humble, they shall inherit the earth (Matt 5:3, 4).

Fellow pilgrim, it pays to be humble, PRIDE smells. And may God grant us the grace to follow with a humble heart at all times, not minding our position and achievements in life. Amen.

Have an exciting day ahead, conscious of being humble in the presence of God. Peace be with you.

http://www.fadajbcezeonwumelu.com/clothe-yourself-in-humility-as-you-follow-jesus/ 

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🎤MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE...AND THEY FOLLOW ME (John 10:27)

⏰Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter (23 April 2024)

📖Acts 11:19-26; Ps 87:1-3, 4-5, 6-7 (R. Ps 117:1a); John 10:22-30 

🎤MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE...AND THEY FOLLOW ME (John 10:27)

The conflict of opposites is a major characteristic of the Gospel of St. John. This conflict mostly depicts the conflict between believers and non-believers. 

One may be wondering why the Jews always failed to comprehend Jesus' teachings. He had just presented himself as the good shepherd, but they still came up with the question, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly" (John 10:24). It shows, firstly, that they were not listening. 

Yes! To them, Jesus was a common Galilean and so is disqualified from being the Messiah (cf. John 8:40-52). How can they then listen to him? Overfamiliarity can also lead us into that kind of attitude. 

Note that, in the Gospel, it was not the 'Israelites' that are always raising this opposition but the 'Jews'. The term 'Jews' is an identity of a tribe but the term 'Israel' is an identity of the chosen people of God. Remember that Jesus also said that it was the Father who had given the sheep that follow him to him (John 10:29), and we are privileged members of that flock. Are you faithfully following the Shepherd?

Finally, the Jews who asked that question were really ignorant of the scriptures. A lot of instances in the Scriptures should have explained to them that Jesus is the Christ (see Deut 18:15-20; Jer 3:15). But that is Johannine irony at play. Those who should know or who claim to know do not really know (cf. John 3:10).

Are you whom you should be or whom you claim to be? The Christians at Antioch were so called because they behaved like Christ (see Acts 11:23-26). 

May Christ the Good Shepherd guide us along the right path and enable us to understand his ways so that we may be his faithful witnesses here on earth. Amen. 

Have a beautiful day ahead under the watchful guide of Christ. Peace be with you.

http://www.fadajbcezeonwumelu.com/my-sheep-hear-my-voiceand-they-follow-me-john-1027/

Princesse Oma-Odoko

This is the princess oma-idoko who was buried alive during the war of igala-jukun, located in idah kogi state...

The grave of Princesse Oma-Odoko is situated near the Inachalo river.

In ancient times, king Idoko who ruled Igala Kingdom during the incessant inter-tribal wars between the Jukuns and Igala people, Kind Idoko made an order for the Inachalo River to be poisoned as a war tool to weaken the Jukuns because the Jukun wariors depend daily on the river for food and water whenever they came for attack on Igala Kingdom.

Many Jukun soldiers become weak and and eventually died of starvation and food poisoning during the Igala-Jukun war.

As part of rituals to end the war and bring peace to Igala land, Princess Oma-Odoko was buried alive along with nine other females.

The Igala people won the war and remained peaceful.

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THE AJAMBELE ORIGIN OF SOME OF OUR WEDDING PRACTICES.

THE AJAMBELE ORIGIN OF SOME OF OUR WEDDING PRACTICES.

These days, it is normal that the dresses of the bridesmaids differ from those of the bride during wedding. This used not to be so in ancient Europe. 

The history of bridesmaids and their matching dresses originated from ancient European rituals where the bridesmaid was used to "distract and confuse any evil spirits that may be after the bride during the ceremony." 

This was why the bridesmaids dressed like the bride—to stop jealous evil spirits "from singling out the bride and cursing her for her happiness."

In those ancient European times, the bride invoked the gods of fertility to bless her with many children. To do this, during the wedding, children, especially girls, were employed to drop herbs and seeds as they walked down the aisle as a way of paying homage to the gods of fertility on behalf of the bride. Today, they are called Flower Girls!

The ancient Romans decided to wear engagement and wedding rings on the fourth finger of the left hand "as a symbol of love, as it was a Roman belief that this finger contained a vein that leads directly to the heart."

The bestman, the veil, walking down the aisle, cutting the cake, the bridal bouquet (flowers), etc. all originated from ancient European Ajambele. 

But today you will see an African who sees traditional marriage as "pagan" but white marriage as heavenly. That is why the same person who dismisses African traditional beeds as fetish is wearing a European "pagan" ornament called wedding ring. 

The truth of the matter is that an average African "believer" is not against "paganism," but African "paganism." He or she is simply suffering from self-hate caused by lack self-esteem mixed up with ignorance orchestrated by dysfunctional educational system and faulty religious indoctrinations. 

But is it proper to designate any culture or religion as pagan today? Is there any culture or religion today that is completely free of "pagan" roots and influences? None! This is why it is derogatory today in the academic world to describe any religion or culture as pagan.

Whether you see your ancient culture or religion as Ajambele or "pagan", make sure you study it very well because that Ajambele contains the history of your successes, failures, anxieties, desires, and ignorance as a people. 

The more you understand them, the more you understand yourself and your people. For me "paganism" is not a derogatory term. It simply means that such actions designated as such are deeply rooted in ancient history.

Prune your culture. Do not uproot it.

Fada Angelo Chidi Unegbu

WORDS ARE POWERFUL

Two altar boys lived in two different cities, serving in two different churches, but both of them wanted to become priests. Both of them had the exact same experience.

One altar boy was late for Mass. Because he was in a hurry to do everything he needed to do, he accidentally hit the chalice that contained the wine.

After the Mass, the priest called the boy and shouted, "$#%&@! Get out of here! You'll never serve as an altar boy again!"

At another church, the other altar boy was also late for Mass. And he, too, hit the chalice that contained the wine, pouring it onto the red carpet. After the Mass, the priest, who happened to be a bishop, called the altar boy and said, "Hey, everybody makes mistakes. I'm clumsy, too. And you know what? Maybe you'll become a priest, too," and he chuckled.

Thirty years later, the second altar boy became Archbishop Fulton Sheen, one of the most loved religious leaders in America. And the other altar boy? He became Joseph Tito, an atheist and the ruthless dictator of Yugoslavia.

WORDS ARE POWERFUL. They can heal or bless. They can encourage or destroy. 𝐅𝐫 Keith B. Said “As a priest, I always remind myself to have the habit of blessing others with my words and I feel I am blessed too. For what you give, you receive. :)”

Wishing all the altar servers well in their prospects.!!

Pax Christi.!

-Augustine Mario

Onyema Gregory Martins 

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