11TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
1st Reading: Ezekiel 17:22-24
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 92: 1-2. 12-13.14-15
2nd Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:6-10
Gospel Reading: Mark 4.26-34
Victor OforReflection
How Do We Receive God's Word?
The Word of God is living and active, the image of the invisible God (cf. Hebrew 4:12, Colossians 1:15). Through the Word of God all things were made and all creation obeys the Word (cf. John 1:3, Sirach 42:15). But why do we not have a strong interest in God's word? How do we receive God's Word? Are we like good and rich soil that when God's Word is present, produces rich harvest? (cf. Matthew 13:8-9).
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). We should be spiritually disposed for the Word of God as Scriptures warn against otherwise (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:30). We should respect the Word of God.
5 Spiritual Dispositions to have when Dealing with God's Word.
To be in the state of sanctifying grace, that is free from the state of sin is the fundamental. If we want to produce rich fruits, grow, flourish and bear fruits even when old, we should also consider these five spiritual dispositions (cf. Psalm 92: 12-14).
1. Faith: Jesus said, " He who has ear, let him hear" (Matthew 13:9) and faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). When we want to meditate or listen to God's Word, it is a good practice to call on the Holy Spirit our Helper to quicken our understanding, for one cannot be full of faith without being full of the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 6:5, 11:24).
2. Humility: In 2 Chronicles 12:7, we see that only when they humbled themselves that the Word of the Lord came. Most times we feel we have heard or read a Bible passage many times and we know it all. If we want a special encounter with God's Word, we should humble ourselves and allow the greatest teacher, the Holy Spirit to teach us for we can't know more than the author of the scriptures and life.
3. Confidence: We should with confidence approach God's Word, though we are not worthy but with the Word of God our souls shall be healed (cf. Matthew 8:8).
4. Desire: We must make it our aim to please Him (2 Corinthians 5:9) not just by reading the Word frequently but by practicing it. St. James would tell us: "Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice. Whoever listens to the word but does not put it into practice is like a man who looks in a mirror and sees himself as he is" (James 1:22-25).
5. Reverence: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word is God (John 1:1). Jesus is the Word of God the Father. When we handle our Bible, Missal, Bulletin etc do so with reverence, same when we read, listen, and share God's Word.
May the Lord bless us with His Word, amen.
IMMACULATA MAURICE EMMANUEL KNOWING GOD
I'll tag my reflection today on "knowing God"
The readings are relatively connected.
The first reading addresses God as the creator, he fashions and molds everything he creates just the way he wants, that's to say he knows what he wants and how he wants it to be or look like.
This means God, our God, our Creator, created each and everyone of us, he fashioned and molded us all perfectly and uniquely in our own ways, he didn't make a mistake in any of his creation, his creatures have everything in them, they're perfectly made, nothing is lacking. Now the question is, do you, who are God's creatures really know this? Do you know you're perfect just the way you are? Do you love yourself?
A lot of times we see people wishing they had long noses, bigger breasts, they were taller, shorter, skinny, fatter etc. instead of embracing and loving yourselves simply because the one that created you made you perfect just the way you are. In every one of his creatures, he deposited everything you will need in life inside of you.
Alot of people do not love themselves, do you know the reason for that? That's because they do not know God.
Knowing God is and should be the number one priority of everyone of God's creatures, knowing God is different from going to church everyday, going from one crusade to another or one church to the other. Knowing God has to do with a personal relationship, acknowledgement, encounter with God.
On Wednesday I was at Mass in the evening and I listened to the readings, the first reading is a reading that almost every Christian is conversant with, Elijah and the prophet of Baal, while the reading was going on I was being taught in my spirit by the spirit, the first question I was asked is, why did you think Elijah challenged the prophet of Baal with that task? And the answer came, it is because he knew his God. I received a lot of teaching in my spirit that evening. The reason I'm sharing this is this, knowing God is deeper than we can ever imagine, you need to know an entity that you worship before loving, trusting and believing in that entity. If we know God, then a lot of things that we are going through won't be a challenge because when you know God, you'll believe and trust in him, you'll know that he has given you everything you need to tackle that challenge, everything you need is inside of you for he created and molded you perfectly and deposited everything you will need inside of you, you just have to look inwardly and use that which is in you wisely. There are some people that you'll see and you ask, did God create this person? Yes he did, just like in the parable of the sower, the devil is the one who deposits whatever it is that's faulty in a person, but the one who knows God knows how to prone themselves of whatever is not supposed to be in them.
When you know God, you'll join the psalmist in giving thanks to God for everything. You'll give thanks to God for how perfectly he created you and all his creatures. When you know God, you'll give thanks to him even in those circumstances like Paul and Silas and David because you believe in him and what he can do, you'll say like shedrach, meshach, and Abednego that even if God doesn't step into the situation you'll never bow to it, you'll give thanks to God in everything and for everything.
When we know God then our faith in him increases, the more you come to know God, the more expanded your knowledge of him and the deeper your love for him goes, then your faith, belief and trust increases, that is when you submit to his will. When we know God, we love him, we believe and trust in him and submit to him. When we submit to him that's when he takes over and you see him always in action, you see yourself flourishing, you see him working in your favours, fighting your battles, miracles begin to happen, a lot of things happen that you're in awe of. It takes just you knowing God, and everything else follows.
May God help us to know him more and more. Amen.
My Reflection
WHEN GOD WORKS!
In titration, we work out the end point. In business or project we draw out a plan, in passing our examinations, we study hard to come out successful. This is how men work, working by sight. But God's workings are not as men's.
In our first reading, we hear how God makes possibilities out of human unthinkable impossibilities. For example, making a dry tree flourish, omo this is beyond natural and science. A man shared his testimony during our charismatic bible workshop that before he got married, the wife is AS and him too is AS which medically it is not advised for couple to get married but surprisingly, after marriage, they went for another genotype test and the result showed that the wife is now AA. Can I hear somebody shout alleluia? My brothers and sisters, it is only God that can do this kind of thing. We are therefore encouraged today to trust in the Lord God for his providence in our life. You that think that you have a low life, trust in God and He will make it high.
The catalyst for trusting God is Faith. By faith, we hope for things not seen. And St. Paul says we should be of good courage when we wait on the Lord, for we do not walk by sight but by faith. With faith we all hope to be with the Lord but that is not possible if we continue to dwell in the flesh but then even as we are in the flesh with faith we aim at pleasing God so as to be worthy to receive good reward on judgment day.
Some people claim that salvation is in the heart since the body is perishable and not going to meet God but St. Paul makes it clear today that, it is the deeds of the flesh that will be judged. For our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. So let us be mindful of our doings with the flesh.
Jesus goes on in the gospel passage to open our minds to the workings of God. When a man works, he wants to work with a large number, make large profit from the start since he is working with what he is seeing but then that is not how God works. God takes the insignificant things and make them significant and at the amazement of human calculations. See now, a mustard seed, the smallest of seeds becoming the largest tree that accommodates birds with their nests, also providing shade for man's relaxation.
I tell people, If your result is not marvelous in men's eyes, then it is not the Lord's doing. And once it is marvelous in their eyes, we only had to join the psalmist to say "it is good to give thanks to you, O Lord" because it is not by power or by might but as a result of WHEN GOD WORKS!
May the good Lord help us to trust in him and remain courageous through Christ our Lord. Amen
Shalom!
Perpetua Mary Ejafu.
My brothers and sisters in the Lord,
The 1st reading from the book of Ezekiel is reminding us that our lives is in the hand of the God our maker and can do what pleases Him to do to us hence we should learn to be grateful to God at all times as the responsorial psalm says "It is good to give thanks to you, O Lord." Because if not for the mercy of God whatever condition we find ourselves will be worse that is why St Paul 2nd letter to the people of Corinth told them to live a life pleases to God at all time because we will be judge on the last day according to how we have use our body to the glory of God.
All we need is little faith like the mustard seed, that seed is the word of God which Christ is the sower hence in the gospel reading of St Mark , Jesus speak to the crowd in parable "but privately to His own disciples he explained everything", today we are the disciples of Jesus Christ and with the gift of the Holy spirit given to us ,we are expected to seek Holy spirit at all time inorder to understand the word of God we hear and follow His instructions so that at the end of our journey on earth we will be judge rightly in the way and manner we live our lives according to the will of God.
I will like to end my reflection with this song :
Heavenly race, l kn go tire heavenly race, l kn go tire heavenly race, l kn go tire,l kn goo! tire.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
In today's Reflections we are reminded of God's profound love and care for us. The readings selected for tomorrow liturgy offer us a beautiful tapestry of hope, trust, and growth in our relationship with the Lord.
In the first reading from Ezekiel (17:22-24), we encounter a powerful metaphor of God's creative power and loving providence. The prophet Ezekiel shares a vision of God taking a small twig from the top of a cedar tree and planting it on a high mountain. This tiny branch, seemingly insignificant, is nurtured by God and grows into a majestic cedar, providing shade and shelter for all.
This passage speaks to us about the dynamic interplay between God's initiative and our response. Like the small twig, we may feel insignificant or inadequate at times, but God sees our potential and desires to grow us into something magnificent. He takes our humble efforts and multiplies them, making us instruments of His grace and love.
Moving on to the second reading from 2 Corinthians (5:6-10), St. Paul reminds us that our true home is in heaven. As believers, we are always confident, knowing that our earthly life is a mere preparation for the eternal life that awaits us. This confidence is not based on our own accomplishments or merits but on the assurance of God's promises and the presence of the Holy Spirit within us.
Paul's words encourage us to be courageous in the face of challenges and to trust in God's plan, even when we cannot see the full picture. Like the apostle, we are called to walk by faith, not by sight, knowing that our labor is not in vain.
The Gospel reading from Mark (4:26-34) presents us with two parables that shed light on the kingdom of God. Jesus compares the kingdom to a seed that grows secretly, yet abundantly, and to a mustard seed that becomes a large tree, providing shelter for the birds.
These parables reveal the mysterious and dynamic nature of God's kingdom. Like the seed, our faith may start small, but it has the potential to grow and flourish in ways we cannot imagine. The kingdom of God is not a static entity but a living, breathing reality that transforms us and the world around us.
As we reflect on these readings, let us ask ourselves: Are we willing to trust in God's power to grow our faith, our hope, and our love? Are we confident in His plan, even when we cannot see the full picture? Are we allowing our faith to flourish like a mighty cedar, providing shade and shelter for others?
May we be inspired by today's readings to surrender our lives to God's loving care, trusting in His promise to take our small efforts and grow them into something magnificent. May our faith be nourished by the Word and the Eucharist, and may we become instruments of God's grace and love in the world. Amen
My reflection is on the second reading.
Being at home with the Lord and away from the body.
Our goal in life is to please the Lord.
Without faith no man can please the Lord.
We must learn to kill the body in order to live in the spirit.
To live in the spirit is to be at home with the Lord and away from our body.
Note that someday this our mortal body will leave us and return back to dust so we must be careful not to be led astray by it.
Which must we take very good care of?
Our body or our soul?
The body doesn't give a hoot it won't go to hell with us at best it returns to dust.
But our souls we must care for because the soul will eventually face judgement.
The body will not.
We need to be as wise as the serpent and gentle as a dove.
Otherwise our souls will rot in hell.
Whatever we use our body for we will account for it.
But the bad thing is that the body will not suffer us.
Let's treat the body like a passing thing.
It won't be there forever only for a short while.
So whatever we do with our body let's know there is a day of reckoning.
Let's remember that our body is the temple of God.
Don't destroy God's temple whatever we do.
Ave!
