Prayer for God’s Protection and Christ’s Presence

As I arise today, may the strength of God pilot me,
the power of God uphold me, the wisdom of God guide me.

May the eye of God look before me,
the ear of God hear me, the word of God speak for me.

May the hand of God protect me, the way of God lie before me,
the shield of God defend me, the host of God save me.

May Christ shield me today…

Christ with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,

Christ when I sit,

Christ when I stand,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

 

—St. Patrick

May God bless you all as we continue to put our trust, hope and faith in the almighty God, whom St. Patrick served with his life! Amen

Podeh2016

I Am Still a Catholic

“I pray not only for them, but also for those who

believe in me because of their message.

 I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be one,

so that the world will be that you sent me.”

~ John 12: 20, 21bc

I was born into a Catholic Christian family and my parents exercising their faith presented my twin brother and me to be baptized into the Catholic faith! Through this baptism, I was put to death with Christ Jesus and hope to be raised by the same Lord and Master of my life. However this is not why I love being a Catholic.

Ever since my transition from Nigeria to the United States of America, many of my friends have continued to question why am I still a Catholic given the lifestyle in the western world, especially in context of the secularism and obsession with freedom or right of the individual person, which sometimes disregards the tenets of Christian values.

I will express my convictions by stating some parameters that did not inform my decision to remain a Catholic in the United States of America before enumerating why I am still one.

First and foremost I believe in the universality of the Catholic faith and see in me the partial fulfillment of the prayer of my Lord and my God and savior Jesus Christ as written by John the evangelist in the Gospel according to John! The Catholic Church in the United States of America is very well organized and recognized by all and the similarities she shared with my upbringing clearly make it easy for me to worship within her fold. Nevertheless, that did not influence my decision to continue to practice my Christian faith as a Catholic.

Daily Hardship and Doubts

What I considered to be hardship is actually God’s Spiritual treasure in clay pots that reside within us, enabling the believer to see the light of God shines through our heart and bring us to the eternal knowledge of the almighty God’s glory shinning in the face of Christ. It is this knowledge that has enabled me to persevere in my times of hardship, doubts and fear. As Saint Paul rightly put it in his letter to the Corinthians

“We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed. At all times we carry in our mortal bodies the death of Jesus, so that his life also may be seen in our bodies.

I have been subjected to untold hardship, as a result of many unjust circumstances, misrepresentation and mishandling in the hands of so many folks within the country and in some cases leading to underemployment and none at all, inability to fulfill my obligation as a father without resort to begging and have been subjected to series of humiliating experiences beyond my imagination. I am a medical scientist by trade and my wife a Medical Nurse, and yet due in part to man insatiability, quest to make profit and serve money instead of God, associates and services you subscribed to act on your case or circumstances without compassion, justice and mercy, and as long as they continue to make money out of you, they careless!

A friend of mine approached me and encourages me to reach out to Catholic Charity network for help; unfortunately that door of opportunity did not materialize.

With barely money to eat, let alone pay my professional dues, another friend suggested I approach the Catholic Church Immigration Attorney Network with the hope of getting a “Pro Bono” consultation and help with my case! I did and again unfortunately there was a limit to how committed the network could help me and that door too was effectively close.

I was faced with how to pay for my mortgage, put food on the table and provide my family with some basic necessities and a friend suggested I contact Catholic Relief, and when I did I was re-routed to the Catholic Charity, since I am resident within the country and back to the closed door sequence again.

However, I did get some relief from my local parish, St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Baltimore and many other community based assistance network run by other churches like the Save the Captive Free network. These helps were timely and with gratitude to God, it translates them all into enough to get by.

Whatever hardship I might have to endure is nothing compared to the suffering Lord, Jesus Christ who died on the Cross for my sins. And by the help of the Holy Spirit, it was revealed to me through the scripture that anyone who desires to serve God of live a life desiring to please God will suffer persecution. Therefore the adversity I faced might subject me to temporal physical pain; however the enduring gifts of waiting upon the Lord and overcoming the world by the Blood of Jesus Christ far outweigh this minute limitation.

In a nutshell, I am not a Catholic today because of some kind of material relief that I was provided with by the church in times of my distress and doubts about how much did God really love me and if he did, how come I have to go through all these circumstances that weigh me down so much?

My Faith in Progress

My faith in God is rooted in the manifestation of his love for me that are infinite, steadfast and enduring. I have come to the realization that without God I can do nothing and salvation is through none other than my Lord and personal savior Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is within anyone who confesses that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God!

The first reason why I love being a Catholic and remain one is primarily because I have been saved by my Lord Jesus Christ, and without an iota of doubt, testify before all, that he is the Son of the living God, born of a woman, the Blessed Virgin Mary and through his death and resurrection have won the path to eternal life for me and all those who will believe in his name!

I am a living testimony of the grace of God; meaning I do not deserve all that I have been blessed with on account of my unworthiness. On several occasions I continue to receive the Body and Blood of my Lord, Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, and any time I do, there is this inexpressible, indescribable and immeasurable joy that overshadowed me and I always hope it never depart. It filled my entire being and I sometimes seem to have the vision of myself in the Garden of Gethsemane being comforted by the angel through the stress of life.

My Catholic faith always challenges me to see life beyond the scope of my human nature! Through the various mysteries in my faith; be it the joyful, sorrowful and glorious and luminous, be it in the prayers asking the Saints of God to help intercede for me or the interventions on a daily basis by the almighty God in my life, I have come to develop a kind of personal relationship with Jesus Christ in which I believe that no matter the storms in my life he will carry me through and bring glory to his name!

I see my challenges in life like taking a trip with the Lord of my life, Jesus Christ inside a boat, that is experiencing the wild and reckless waves of the sea and the winds are against me and in panic I called unto my Lord and Savior and I am guaranteed his blessed assurance and presence by telling me “Be calm and do not be afraid! It is I” and then turn to the storms and say “Quiet, be still” and behold the ranging storms calm down and become still! The storms did not disappear from my life, but my Lord Jesus Christ calmed and made them stilled in a way that I can continue to witness to his glory as long as  live!

Blessed Sacrament Experience

There was a time I went to the Blessed Sacrament to spend a quiet moment with my Lord and from nowhere I started crying; I was tired, frustrated and almost giving up due to the burden and circumstances weighing on me. Through the quietness, I heard the calming voice, reassuring me that everything will be okay! I opened my eyes, saw nobody and ran out of the church in panic. As I was driving home, I began to think about what has just happened! Well I got home; behold the almighty God has made a way for some of my urgent responsibilities to be fulfilled and I do not have to worry about the mortgage and bills for that month. However the true miracle on that day was not just my ability to take care of those bills for that month at all, rather I had an inner peace that neither circumstances nor lack of it could take away from me because of my union with God.

USA and Nigeria Experiences

Here in the United States of America, I noticed that the way we worship as Catholics in Nigeria is different from the style of service and without doubt, I greatly missed the charismatic services in which we freely express ourselves before the presence of the Lord, dancing and singing, sometimes loudly as you are led by the Holy Spirit. Additionally the Legion of Mary ministry has slight variations too, nevertheless the desire to worship God and love to be in his presence are so powerful and alive that along the way, I began to become aware of the many different gifts of the Holy Spirit within the Catholic Church.

As a Catholic, I believe in the intercessions of the Saints and the guardian of the Angels and I also believe in inter-personal prayers of intervention too. There was a time I had asked for a favor from God through Saint Jude (this was the same Saint I asked for his intercession regarding my decision to get married to my wife, while I was in Nigeria and a parishioner of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Abuja), and it came to pass, not the way I wanted it, but retrospectively Jesus Christ answered that prayer in the best possible way my soul could ever have imagined. 

Then there was another time, I desperately sort the intercession of St. Anthony, St. Rita and the Blessed Virgin Mary, begging them to please ask Jesus Christ to help me secure this job! Yes, I could have gone to Jesus Christ directly as some will argue, but my unworthiness, makes me to rely on these saints given the desperation and the state of mind. Well, as it turns out, I did not get that job in spite of the organization doing all it can get offer me the position. I was flown to the west coast, accommodated in one of the best hotel, given the best car to drive to and from the interview and have a realtor shows me the town! I love it so much and I told God if he really loves me, he will help me get this job!

Today, as I reflect upon my faith as a Catholic, my heart is full of gratitude to God for his steadfastness, faithfulness and infinite love for me! I did not get the job, and that has nothing to do with my qualifications, because I was told the interview went well! In part the job was not given to me because of the mishandling of one part of my immigration papers by a previous attorney. However, the most spectacular way that God answered my prayer was to keep my family together! When I departed to assume the position initially, my family was like one without a father; the way my children reacted to my departure and the loneliness that I felt all add up to why I believe that even though I could have been paid about $80, 000.00 per year for a start in that position, the plan God has for me is the best! What shall it profit me if I gain the whole world and lose my soul? And Vanity upon vanity is vanity!

Jesus Christ have manifested his love for me uncountable times and continue to show himself as my Lord and savior, who will never fail nor allow me to be put to shame.

The greatest mystery in my life as a Catholic is the union of my desires with the will of God and how out of nowhere, my Lord Jesus Christ continued to anticipate my needs and surpass them all. I am a living testimony of the untiring effort of God, who is the Potter to make me into a better person on earth until I become the vessel of his perfection, and then he will call me back home to eternal glory.

I am Still a Catholic

I am a Catholic today because in spite of the variations in the style of worshiping in the church, whether I am in Nigeria or here in the USA, God is the same and the Jesus Christ I knew from Nigeria is still the same that is taking care of me! God's love is not about the location, but the believer.

I am still a Catholic today because of God’s divine providential care that is nothing short of miracles! For over three years and counting, as a result of unjust treatment from an attorney, my family and I have been without any form of income since I cannot take employment until my case is resolved. However through it all, and in spite of the fact that I rejected the overtures of those who want me to use the alternatives to engage in illegality, which could have provided temporary relief, my God continue to come through for my family.

I am still a Catholic today because, God has revealed to me that I MUST carry my cross and follow him! In other words, whether my circumstances are good or not so good, since my God is unchangeable, I too must continue to serve the Lord my God with the whole of my heart, strength and might.

I am still a Catholic today because whenever I received my Lord and my God in the Eucharist, my burden becomes light and the yoke easy. At St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church where I serve as Altar Server, many of the parishioners do ask me I do a great job whenever I assist the priest during Mass. In reality, I love to be up on the altar and serve because I feel a bond, closeness to Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. When the Mass is in progress, I communicate my gratitude to Jesus Christ and discuss some of the challenges I am facing and end with thanksgiving especially upon receiving the Body and Blood of my Lord under the appearances of bread and wine.

My faith continue to undergo evolution on a daily basis and when I retrospect I thank my parents, family and my catechism master, the priest and religious sisters and St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Otukpo, Nigeria. This community changed my life by sowing the mustard seed in me and over four decade later, I can still visualize their love, admonishment and support in guiding me to become the father, son, husband, friend, benefactor and above all the Catholic Christian that I am today!

My Expectations

My expectation in life is to bring glory to God through my life!

Jesus Christ told me to carry my cross and follow him, period. The disciples of the Lord did carry their cross and follow him and behold they are saints today because they fought the good fight and received the crown of life everlasting and are now with the Lord in his kingdom of glory.

Saint Pope John Paul II, who I was privilege to meet with during his pastoral trip to Nigeria, when I was a member of the National Catholic Corpers of Nigeria, fought the good fight of faith and he is with the Lord in his heavenly glory. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., fought the good fight and he is now with his Lord, having seen the mountain top! I am also fighting on a daily basis to preserve my faith and I too hope to receive my crown, and not only me, but all who put their trust, hope and faith in God through Jesus Christ.

My parents brought me up, sacrificing everything to offer me a better life, the greatest being the introduction of Jesus Christ into my life from an early age and nurturing me through until I became an adult in the faith receiving my first Holy Communion, the Sacrament of Confirmation and finally that of Matrimony. I expect the almighty God to use me as an instrument of peace, love and prosperity for them and humanity, so that through me, in me and with me, my Lord Jesus Christ will be manifested in glory.

Vision

I was born and baptized as a Catholic not by my choice, but through the intervention of God working through my parents. However it was my personal decision to remain a follower of my Lord and my God Jesus Christ the Son of the Almighty God and Creator of the universe and today with gratitude I thank the Lord of lords and King of Kings for helping me to abide with him.

The Catholic faith I profess is not unique to all my family members, friends and benefactors and community at all. As a matter of fact, some of my siblings are Christians of non-Catholic background, some are Muslims and others are African Traditional Worshiper and there are those who claim not to even believe in any God at all.

My Catholic faith, through her teachings challenges me to love them as I would love myself, because they too are children of God, created in the image and likeness of the almighty and by divine intervention given the chance to be saved through our Lord Jesus Christ openhandedness in dying for all mankind. Jesus Christ did not die only for Catholic, but for the entire mankind and whether you are Christian or not, the almighty God has mapped out the path to eternal salvation through Jesus Christ his only Begotten Son and savior of the world.

Jesus Christ loves me beyond measure and the same is applicable to any human being on the surface of the earth. As a result of the fallen from grace of our first parents Adam and Eve, God device a means to return all men back to his grace and a share in the eternal glory planned for man from the beginning of the world and this led to Jesus Christ dying for all, so that we who believe in him can have life and have it abundantly.

Whenever I think of this infinite love and sacrifices manifested in so many ways; healing of the sick, feeding of the hungry and even the bringing to life the dead, as we saw in the case of Lazarus, why on earth will I not want to remain united with the God that I knew from my childhood, the same that my parents introduced to me?

I am therefore still a Catholic because my God is unchangeable, his love is steadfast, and his mercy endures forever and as for my life on earth, only my God knows the end from the beginning and as long as I walk with him, even though I may go through challenges “Fire”, the almighty will not abandon nor forsake me, and he will provide all my needs according to his riches in glory and when the curtain falls, I hope to be in the bosom of my Lord Jesus Christ in his Kingdom of eternal glory!

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father,

I thank you so much for giving birth to me and counting me worthy to serve your only Begotten-Son and my Lord and savior Jesus Christ in line with the faith of my parents in your Catholic and mystical body of Christ.

Help me to be your instrument of peace, love and hope today.

Above all, bless those who have lost faith in you because of the challenges of life and heal their circumstances so that they can return to the faith again.

I am a work in progress and acknowledged my weakness, imperfections and doubts.

Pleas O Lord, my God help me to become a better person, for behold I am the clay and you are the potter in my life, and I offer all my freedom to you, do with me as thou will.

With gratitude I commend humanity into your loving care today and in Jesus Christ name, I present my petitions with thanksgiving in my heart. Amen.

Glory be to Jesus!

Honor to Mary!!

May the good Lord bless his words in our heart!

Ref: John 12, Colossians 2, 2 Corinthians 4, Matthew 14, Ecclesiastes 1, Mark 8 

Podeh2016

Faith Can Move Mountain

“You are a woman of great faith!

What you want will be done for you.”

And at that very moment her daughter was healed.

~ Matthew 15: 28

A Canaanite woman, a Gentile or outsider to the Jewish faith (in our contemporary society might be seen as someone alien to our faith, culture or even country), came to Jesus Christ crying out to him, “Son of David, have mercy on me sir! My daughter has a demon and is in a terrible condition.”

First it is necessary to appreciate the tremendous odds that are against her as exemplified in the responses she got from the disciples and apparently a skeptical Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, her humility and persistence led to the Master declaring her a woman of great faith- imagine this unbeliever given such high accolade?

Not even the leader of the apostles, Peter was acknowledge in this way, and the other time in the scripture that such monumental faith was on displace was during the counter with another foreigner and unbeliever in the Centurion who replied Jesus Christ saying “I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the words and my servant will be heal.” Jesus Christ made it clear to all that the Centurion was a man of great faith!

Faith or Fear

So this Canaanite woman has the audacity to approach Jesus Christ, a Jew and first acknowledged him as Son of David and Lord, and then slides her request through? This must be faith and not fear at all! However most importantly too is the need to explore what informed her faith in Jesus Christ leading her to turn to the Lord instead of other gods?

This woman of faith was in a very desperate situation, her beloved daughter was possessed by the demon, in a terrible condition and most probably she must have spent all her fortune seeking for help and nothing seems to be working until she heard that Jesus Christ was near her cities of resident, in this case Tyre and Sidon. Without hesitation and fear of rejection, she approached the Lord Jesus Christ!

First the disciples were not even ready to help her get to the Master, because in reality her situation is just like seeing a Buddhist, Pagan or Muslim approach for instance Pope Francis, seeking healing for his child, and confessing Jesus Christ as Son of God!

In our contemporary society where anything Muslim is smear, denigrated and condemned, this woman of faith is giving us an example of the necessity not to condemn others and rather to be open to the opportunity of becoming the instrument to bring others to Jesus Christ.

On the surface, we might be tempted to misinterpret Jesus Christ response of who deserve to be heal, to meaning unbelievers are not welcome at the table. However the scripture did emphasis that in spite of the reference, the Canaanite woman persisted in her request with a humble heart and complete disregards to the odds she faced. She got even more than she asked for, namely salvation in addition to the healing of her daughter.

What is the status of your faith?

Do you have complete trust in Jesus Christ’s ability to solve the problem you are going through today?

Do you have the complete trust in Jesus Christ so much that you are willing to face humiliation, rejection and denigration in order to receive salvation and also become an instrument of peace, faith and hope, love, kindness and humility for someone desperately in need of these virtues today?

Do you have faith in Jesus Christ that will make the world to see life from a different perspective, from the prism of God’s divine plans for humanity?

Moving Mountains

There are many mountains in our lives that on our own we can never get to the top of it, and even if by chance we claim credit to getting over it, the real lesson of faith, hope and love, and ultimately the gift of eternal life will be lost in the process and there is nothing that is most regrettable as gaining the whole world and losing your soul.

The only way our faith can move the mountains of our lives is by trusting in our Lord Jesus Christ so completely that the events that challenge us are no longer seen as an obstacle, but the instruments that our God has design to increase our faith in him and above all bring glory to his holy name.

The immediate Mountain the Canaanite woman faced was her daughter’s sickness, and rather than allowing it to destroy her, as a result of her encounter with Jesus Christ in her distress, not only was her daughter healed at that very moment, but she gain the faith that will lead her to life everlasting.

Our Mountains may be due to lack of faith in God and love for man as a result of certain experience in life that we may consider to be humiliating, unjust and hate-driven, leading us to conclude if God was in it, why must I have to suffer so much?

The Mountain we face may be chronic or even terminal illnesses, restless and tough relationship, broken marriages, betrayal from loved, colleague and friends. It may be inability to pass a professional examination, graduate from school with good grade and unemployment after graduation. The mountain may be having being unjustly terminated from your job and you are in a dilemma as to how you will survive.

There is also the mountain of rejecting people that are not of our kind; For instance I am a Catholic and a Christian, married with children and of African origin specifically Nigeria living in the United States of America. How do I deal with people of different race, culture and lifestyle? Do I reject those who are not Christians? Do I reject those whose lifestyle is different from mine? Or do I use my faith in God to draw them closer to Jesus Christ?

Today, God want to use us to move our own Mountains, but first and foremost, we must acknowledge him as the almighty God in whom nothing is impossible, love him with the whole of our heart, might and strength and soul and love our neighbors as ourselves irrespective of their religion, culture and lifestyle orientation and location.

The Mountains of our life are problems that our God uses as the recipe for our progress, if we allow him to work in us. Jesus Christ did not promise us that everything shall be smooth, peace and jolly and cheerful in this world. However he guaranteed that as long as we put our faith, hope and trust in him, we shall overcome whatever our needs may be!

Let us walk on the surface of our world like this Canaanite woman, considered as an outsider by many, but acknowledged by Jesus Christ as a woman of great faith, as a result of her love for God, faith in Jesus Christ and a very humble and persistence disposition in prayer. May the good Lord bless his words in our heart today! Amen!

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father,

Here am I again, asking for a faith that can move mountain

Please forgive me my faults, especially when I allow hatred to blind me from loving people that do not look like me, act like me and live like me.

Fill my heart with your compassion and love, hope and faith, so that I may see you in every circumstance that challenges me today.

O Lord, my God give me the gifts of humility, patience and persistence in prayer and actions, so that I too may bring glory to your holy name.

Bless all my loved ones and let your love, peace and comfort never depart from them.

And all these I present to you from the humility of my heart. Amen!

Ref: Matthew 15, Matthew 8

podeh2016

The Breaking Point: Coping with the Challenges of Life

Woe to me, my mother, that you gave me birth!

Why is my pain continuous, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?

To me you (God) are like a deceptive brook, waters that cannot be relied on!

~ Jeremiah 15: 10a, 18

By simple definition, the term breaking point could be the moment of greatest strain at which someone or something gives way! In economic term, one could say the elastic limit and in medicine the tolerability limit! The challenges of life we face are common to all humanity irrespective of race, religion and status and we must support one another.

The prophet Jeremiah in the above verses is at his breaking point, that moment where you begin to doubt what you previously believed in all your life and ready to give it up, because the circumstances you are experiencing is not compatible with either the promises or expectations. In this scenario, Jeremiah’s expectations of God’s reciprocation if he carries out the almighty’s commands of preaching the need for repentance, justice and kindness to the people, God will in turn grant him peace from his enemies and bless him with love, prosperity and protection. But alas! This was not the case; instead here is the prophet of God facing the death penalty for doing the will of God.

Have you ever sought or done what is right and unfortunately faces severe reprimand, rejection and in the extreme case a death threats? For instance considers Jesus Christ’s death- our Lord did nothing wrong and the disciples that followed his examples were martyred except for John the evangelist for basically being a Christian!

In our contemporary society names like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Saints of God that suffer martyrdom and millions of other people that are killed for their witnessing to Jesus Christ and the call for justice, equality and respect and freedom for man exemplify the circumstances that informed the prophet Jeremiah to cry out to God in such heartfelt breaking point fashion.

REALISM

Irrespective of the physical comfort you may be born into, the reality of life on earth is that it is tough, challenging and rough, with none capable of escaping the experiences associated with this reality. However the challenges of life become even more evident when those who said “Life is unfair” are given the opportunity to share their knowledge. The picture they often painted in our consciousness is one that represents the unpalatable truth of a harsh life filled with sorrows, disappointments and hurts, frustrations, betrayals and regrets, unfulfilled dreams, broken relationship and rejections from love ones, loneliness, depression and even suicidal thoughts or inclinations, self-denial, dependence on substance of abuse and at the extreme, rejection of the belief that there is a God, whose ultimate desires for us are peace, love and justice, prosperity, protection and life everlasting!

These state of affairs when factor into our conscious decisions to act sometimes leads to a very bleak, miserable and depression motivated outcomes manifested in, poor choices such as resorting to violence and abuse, drug and alcohol use or dependence, the tendency to become suspicious of people including loved one, anger and despair, lack of confidence and self- respect and self-control, among other inimical behaviors. The combinations of the “life is not fair” circumstances ultimately lead an individual who use to love, be happy and easy going in life, to become bitter, hateful, and unhappy, and difficult to deal with.

THE BREAKING POINT MINDSET

In many instances, an individual at the breaking point have the tendencies to justify why only himself can solve his problem, because according to his mindset, nobody really care and neither do God! His justifications are rooted in questions that only the human heart can imagine because it is unable to discern the heart of God through his words. Examples of such questions are as follows:

 Where was the so called God when I was hurting, in pain and near death?

Where was God when I lost my marriage?

Where was God when I lost my Job?

Where was God when I failed my examination?

Where was God when I lost my house?

Where was God when I lost child?

Where was God when the accident happened?

Where was God when I was unjustly accused?

Where was God when I lost the position or promotion or was demoted?

Where was God when they appointed someone less qualified than me?

Where was God when my friend was gunned down and killed?

Where was God when I could hardly eat, drink or clothe myself due to hardship?

Where was God in the face of the many injustices I see every day in my life?

Where was God in allowing the rich to treat the poor like dogs?

Where was God when I try to do right and get punished?

Where was God when evil people enjoy life and succeeds, whereas I suffer in your name?

Where was God when I filed for bankruptcy?

Where was God when my best friend dies of cancer?

They try to end their justification of “God does not care” with the argument that if God really care, these things should not happen to a good man, who is working hard, trying to live a good life and enjoy life, but instead is miserably and horrifically being bombarded with pain, wound and hurt that unbeliever never seems to experience.

THE MIND OF GOD

Nobody can comprehend the mind of God; just like the heavens are further from the earth, so is the ways of the Lord! However, Jesus Christ did manifest the ways of his heavenly Father to us while he was here on earth and therefore that becomes the yardstick to guide our perception of our God who is infinitely and steadfastly loving, kind and merciful, compassionate, forgiving and generous and above all design our path to eternal life in his kingdom of heavenly glory.

Jesus Christ admonished us that “a person’s true life is not made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be. True riches is in doing what God need us to do and that is to love him above everything else and love our neighbors as ourselves.

When two people are truly in love, they go out of their ways to please each other, showing affection, love and finding themselves irresistible. Under such situation it is difficult not to want to rely on someone you love, and this is essentially the kind of relationship our God is demanding of us too; unconditional love.

When we trust, love and obey God, it becomes very easy for us to begin to look at life no longer from the prism of our naked eyes or physical perception, but rather from divine interventions guided by the Holy Spirit. When this happens, words like “Vanity upon vanity is vanity “takes an entirely new meaning; it does not frustrate us but rather help us to ask God to teach us the shortness of life so that we can become wise.

Furthermore, we are made aware of why God created us; for his glory- we are to live and bring glory to the name of the God we believe and serve, so that unbelievers may see the same God in us and desire to also share in the eternal salvation design for all mankind.

JESUS CHRIST IN US

Jesus Christ is the Son of God made man in order to come and dwell with us (Emmanuel), give up his life as a sacrificial offering and reconcile us to his heavenly Father, therefore paving the way for eternal salvation.

In the Gospel we read about his many interventions in our lives, always willing to heal the sick, feed the hungry and bring good tidings to all who desire him, and even going as far as resurrecting Lazarus from the grave.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is therefore the manifestation of the mind of God among us!

Our breaking point can be likening to the many circumstances in the bible where Jesus Christ was the only alternative to solving the predicament.

JESUS WALK ON THE WATER

One notable example of our Lord intervening at a breaking point is when he walks on the water. Jesus made the disciples to go ahead of him in the boat while he went up a hill by himself to pray. This happened after he fed five thousand men, not counting women and children! The disciples found they were helpless and at the mercy of nature, as the wind was against their boat which was being tossed by the waves like a piece of toy. Then at the forth hour the disciples who were already fearing for their lives saw Jesus walking on the water!

They cried out Ghost! Ghost!! But Jesus Christ as usual reassured them by saying, “Courage!” “It is I. Do not be afraid!”

COPING WITH BREAKING POINT

Peter spoke up, “Lord, if it is really you, order me to come out on the water to you.”

It was granted and we all know what happened; Peter initially was walking on the water until he took his attention off of Jesus Christ and started paying minding the wind and immediately started sinking! Well, he cried for help and Jesus Christ rescued him while at the same time kindly rebuking him of being a man with little faith.

This is how Jesus Christ wants us to cope with our breaking point in life; turn to the master of life, the Lord of Lords and King of kings, the messiah and Son of the living God and you shall never be put to shame.

The practical application of our faith in God is evident by our conscious decision to follow him, and that means accepting the good and not so good seasons of our life.

The objective of Jesus Christ in our lives is not to remove the difficulties or the darkness of the situations (the breaking point) but rather to remind us that no matter what we are experiencing, God is present and more than ready to help us get by!

Therefore, if you want to cope with your breaking point or the challenges of life, it is contingent upon the recognition of the above fact and our willingness to accept our situations in life with the understanding that nothing shall happen to us that our God is unaware of.

Our God promised us that we shall never experience any kind of temptation that is beyond our capacity and because he is faithful to his words, we must believe that no matter the harsh reality of life, as long as we offer it to the almighty, he will turn it into something good in our lives and those we encountered. And above all, our God is the Potter and we are the Clay; he will continue to mold and remold us until we are changed into his perfections, which will occur in his heavenly glory. We must therefore embrace the challenges of life, accept it and welcome it with an open hand based on the blessed assurance of our faith in a God that is faithful and love us so infinitely that He gave his only Begotten Son, that whosoever believe in him, shall never perish but have life everlasting.

PRAYER

Dear heavenly Father,

The weight seems too much for me right now and is at my breaking point. I cannot go any further, and I am asking you to please come and intervene as quickly as possible.

If it is not yet your time to change my circumstances, then kindly give me your grace, strength and might to continue to wait upon you.

I cannot live without you and I cannot go on without you!

I am so afraid that I may sink into the water if you do not show up.

Come now, O Lord my God and rescue me, for the sake of your holy name.

Thank you for always listening to me.

In the might name of Jesus Christ, I prayed. Amen.

May the good Lord bless his words in our hearts today!

Ref: Jeremiah 15, Mathew 14, Luke 12, Ecclesiastes 1, Psalm 90, John 3

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The Miracle of Love in Generosity

“Those who ate were about five thousand men,

not counting women and children.”

~ Matthew 14: 21

“Gratitude changes what we have to enough!”

In the Matthew Gospel narrative of the miracle of Jesus Christ feeding five thousand men, without counting the women and children, there are many obvious signs of how God perceived our circumstances. And to me it is a miracle of love in generosity.

When Jesus Christ heard about the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew to a deserted place by himself. When the crowds heard of this, they followed him!

In spite of his mourning, Jesus Christ recognized the needs of those who sincerely seek him and therefore he not only took pity, but also began to heal their sickness.

As time was running late and evening fast approaching and  with the people most definitely hungry for physical food, having being fed with spiritual one by Jesus Christ, the disciples of the Lord quietly suggested that the Master send the people to the neighboring villages to get food having sensed the impending disaster!

Well, Jesus Christ is not having any of such, as he responded by challenging the disciples to provide the people with their physical needs! But they said to him,

“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.”

Taking the five loaves and two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over- twelve wicker baskets full.

In the 1990’s, the Parish Priest of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Otukpo, Rev. Fr. Fidelis Orgah (Late Bishop F. O. Orgah) gave a sermon on the miracle of Jesus Christ feeding five thousand men using the St. John version of the Gospel account which highlight the generosity of the young boy! That sermon never departed from my consciousness because of the way that the Holy Spirit ministered through him on that day.

THE MIRACLE

Jesus Christ feeding of the five thousand men not counting the women and children is considered to be a miracle because it is an extraordinary event, supernatural to say the least mediated by divine intervention!

When he took custody of the bread and fish, his first action was to look up to heaven (I lift up my eyes to the mountain (up toward heaven) where does my help comes from, my help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth), secondly said the blessing, then thirdly broke the bread and fish, forth, gave them to the disciples (agents of the good news) and finally the disciples gave them to the people. Everyone that witnessed what happened believed that this was an extraordinary event! They ate and were satisfied!

THE LOVE

True love is made manifest in the vicinity of sacrifice, the willingness to forget “self” and focus on others comfort. Jesus Christ is the epitome of love, because he scarified his life in order to bring salvation to humanity.

Today we must ask ourselves, how can I show love toward my neighbors? When we love as Jesus Christ commanded us, it does not deprive us of our talents, gifts or even wealth or riches, on the contrary, our Lord and God will multiply it as he did in the Gospel.

THE GENEROSITY

In the world where greed, egocentrism and selfishness are commonplace, it is gratifying to read in today’s Gospel about the exclamation line “But all we have are five loaves and two fish.”

By simple definition, a generous individual is that person who is ready to give more than is expected, whether it is his or her talents, money and compassion, it might be time and energy, ability to listen, show understanding and comfort a grieving person, gifts of food and drink to those who are in need, and it may be just paying a visit to a prisoner, a sick person or one who is neglected by the society.

The most remarkable part of generosity is that, it does not ask for anything in return and this is where the miracle of love in generosity converges, and under such circumstances, gratitude for what God has done for us changes what we have to enough! Yes, enough for everyone to have a share in the miracle.

REFLECTION

Have you ever wonder how God continue to perform in the most extraordinary fashion his miracles among us today?

We are the ingredients of God’s miracles if only we allow ourselves to become the instrument of love and generosity.

In the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand men, Jesus Christ is showing us what can happen to us if we allow our actions to be guide by love and a generous heart.

He will lead us to the promised land of true justice, peace and love, comfort and protection, prosperity and longevity, if only we are ready to allow him to work with us, in us and through us.

Whenever you share your talents with others, especially with those who may not have anything to offer you in return, Jesus Christ is telling you today that he will not only satisfy those you are helping to bring his “light and love”, but will also multiply your talents thousand fold!

Whenever you challenge yourself to help pay the bills, assist to feed the hungry and give drink to the poor, when you offer your time and energy to help a forgotten, troubled and one facing the harsh reality of hitting the bottom rock in his or her life, you are like the one who provided the five loaves and two fish in the Gospel today.

When you assist those going through rough times in their lives; marriage, career and dealing with their relationship, while expecting nothing in return, Jesus Christ will perform yet another miracle through your sacrifices and make the recipients of your love and generosity satisfied again.

The challenges we now face may suffice in the following questions:

Am I ready to allow Jesus Christ work miracle for my neighbor through me?

Am I ready to allow Jesus Christ to multiply other blessings through me?

Am I ready to allow Jesus Christ to come and dwell within me?

Am I an agent of love and generosity for the sake of Jesus Christ?

Our answers to these questions are necessary to help us become the “light” of the world and the “salt’ of the earth and thereby making our world a better place in anticipation of the “Kingdom of God” fulfillment in the Lord’s Prayer.

As we mediate on the miracle of Jesus Christ feeding the five thousand men, not counting the women and children, let us not forget that the real miracle in our contemporary society is to become the provider of the five loaves and two fish, in order words, we must love and be generous towards others because of our love for God.

We came to this world with nothing and so shall we depart, however the love we share and the generosity that exhibit will live on in the hearts of the recipients, in the same way that we are reading through the Gospel according to Matthew today.

PRAYER

O dear heavenly Father,

I thank you for the generous gift of your Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for our salvation because of you infinite love for humanity.

Today I want you to make me your instrument of love and generosity.

Help me to bring justice, love and peace to those I shall encounter today.

Help me to bring comfort physical and emotional to people in my live.

Help me to assist those in need today.

Help me to show gratitude at every point in my life.

And above all, help me to do all these because I love you and nothing else, so that my ultimate reward will be a share in bringing glory to your holy name through my life here on earth.

Amen!

Ref: Mathew 14, Psalm 121,

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