SATURDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD (SATWOG FEBRUARY 18TH, 2023) INSPIRING REFLECTIONS OF MEMBERS

 

LAITY REFLECTIONS FOR THE 7TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A

First Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2;17-18

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:1-2;3-4;8;10;12-13 (R. 8a)

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:16-23

Alleluia: 1 John 2:5

Gospel: Matthew 5:38-45

Angela Ocheme

MY REFLECTION

This first reading is similar to the Gospel message; they both speak of how the Lord asked us to have love for our neighbors and even our enemies. We have the spirit of God in us, we need to act like him, by loving all even the people we don't like (our enemies), by helping them out in times of need and we should not turn anyone away who asked for our help. If we can help we should, just as the Lord loves every living creature and does not turn anyone down or send anyone away. We should always strive to imitate the Lord by practicing all the good virtues He bestowed on us, by loving and not hating anyone.

We should always love even when it is difficult to do so, we can also ask the Lord to help us to love, if we cannot do that on our own. Amen.

Ugwu Innocent

MY REFLECTION

From the First Reading, God is admonishing us to be holy just as He is holy.

Holiness is paramount in the life of every Christian. Without Holiness, as the Bible says, no eye shall see God. What shall be our end when our time expires on earth? We should aim to see God face to face by doing everything possible to be in good terms with him.

More so, we should love our neighbour as Christ has loved us. God showed us the greatest and perfect love by dying for us on the cross. His death brought salvation to the world.

When a question is asked if we love God, we all usually respond in the affirmative yet some of us do not love our neighbours genuinely. Our love for God should be showcased in our behavior towards our brothers and sisters out there. Remember, "whatsoever we do to the least of my brothers, you do unto me." If we do not love our neighbours, then, it means we do not love God at all.

Finally, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we should imitate Christ in all we do. We should do to others what we would like them to do to us.

God bless us all as we let genuine love lead us. Amen.

Oki Nkechi Joy

MY REFLECTION

Only a perfect man allows love to flow through his veins, irrespective of what goes on around his environment.

Having chosen to follow the footsteps of Christ and bear the name "Christian" (which means Christ-like), the pathway to perfection, we must allow love to envelop us and hence, live and dine in love.

God has shown us his mercy and compassion for our sins, by sacrificing His only begotten Son on the cross, the most shameful kind of death, just to redeem us from slavery.

Having demonstrated this act of unwavering love to us as Christians, it is of utmost importance for us to do the same for our neighbours.

"Who is my neighbor?", we may ask.

Anyone in need is our neighbor.

Most times, we might not necessarily know the person we are rendering help to. It could be someone we do not know directly who is in need; it could be a person who is in prison, or even those in motherless babies' homes.

Any act of charity rendered is an act of Love.

May God grant us the grace to love genuinely. Amen.

Joseph Stephen O.

MY REFLECTION

"Lord, make me an instrument of peace; where there is hatred, may I put love.’’ (St. Francis of Assisi).

Saint John Paul II spoke often about the universal call to holiness. Holiness is not reserved for clergy and religious or to those few special people who are widely recognized as living saints. Instead, each of us is called to holiness in our state of life and our unique circumstances.

The pursuit of holiness will not be easy. It means conforming our will to God’s will, giving more than is requested, meeting hatred with love, evil with goodness, and violence with peace.

Of course, we cannot do this on our own. We can only become holy through the gift of God’s grace, given to us through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us and fills us with the gifts we need to become holy.

"Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect"

For Jesus, the rejection of violence can also entail the renunciation of a legitimate right; and he gives some examples: turning the other cheek for a slap, giving up one's clothes and money, and accepting other sacrifices. But this renunciation does not mean that the demands of justice are ignored or contradicted. On the contrary, Christian love, which especially manifests itself in mercy, represents a higher realization of justice. What Jesus wants to teach us is the distinction we have to make between justice and revenge. 

Revenge is never just!

What Jesus asks us today is to love our enemies, and to pray for those who hate, persecute and slander us (Matthew 5:43-44). Let us not be afraid! 

Jesus always forgave and even died forgiving. This is the way to follow Christ in our Christian journey. Forgiveness is born out of love and love is the only strength to transform an enemy into a friend. We never get rid of the enemy by responding to hatred with hatred, because by its very nature hatred destroys, but love, by its very nature creates and unites.

Praying for our enemies is one of the ways by which we fulfill this precept of love so that the miracle of forgiveness can take place. We should never forget that Christian love is very demanding because it has no boundaries.

However, it is impossible to return good for evil if prayer does not accompany us. It is the great strength we have, without excluding the word of God and the frequenting of the sacraments.

A prayer that reminds us of the attitude we should have towards our enemies is the "Prayer of Peace", attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, which begins with the words: "Lord, make me an instrument of peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love.’’

Mary Osagie

MY REFLECTION

Matthew 5:38-45

The summary of today's readings is that we do not conquer evil with evil, but with love. For example, if someone slaps you on your right cheek do you turn the other cheek to them to receive another slap? Of course not! The natural impulse is to retaliate, and by so doing, we prolong the course of evil. 

In our world today, we are accumulating anger, violence, hatred, e.t.c. Revenge is a very common reaction. Normally, when we are hurt physically, emotionally, or mentally, our first and fastest instinct is to inflict the same pain on the other person. This is how Satan sows evil things into our lives. Check out the current situation now in Nigeria, we emit pain and violence and we justify it. Amid all these commotions, God is telling us to give due consideration and excuses for our offenders, and to empathize with them. He is asking us to enlighten the ignorant.

In our little ways, let us show and speak Love. God is Love; He created us in His image and likeness and calls us to imitate Him by doing the same. Whenever we are confronted by confusing and demanding situations, we can always ask ourselves, "what will God do in this situation?"

I know it is not easy, but we have to choose to be deliberate lovers of God through our works and words. 

For us Christians, and especially Catholics, let us call on our Lady to help us choose to endure and move away from every form of violence and wait patiently for the will of God. Let us do this knowing that the hands of God are upon us and His will is upon our nation.

Glory to Jesus Christ, Honor to Mary and Joseph.

Ushie Paschal

MY REFLECTION

Our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees or the Gentiles.

The summary of Jesus' commandments is love. An eye for an eye will make the world go blind. It is the absence of light that causes darkness to exist.

We shall be entering the season of Lent in a few days. Forgiveness is the summary of Lent itself. According to today's readings, forgiveness is paramount, and letting go is key; vengeance is for the Lord, and hating your neighbor is a waste of time even when they bring it to your face. If you have a neighbor who does not want to see you or one who hates you, and you have tried everything to make it work, it is better to let them be, so that you will not sin with them.

I thank God for making me a Christian. With the Bible, I have come to understand everything about life and morals.

Christ is the perfect mentor!

That is why you've got to be perfect just like your Heavenly Father. At least, try your best to be that person that another person would want to emulate and tell others about. Like the saints we celebrate in the Church, they were humans like us and sinners too, but with determination and self-discipline, they have become shining examples for us.