INSPIRING REFLECTIONS FROM MEMBERS
TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
1st Reading: (Isaiah 55:6-9)
RESPONSORIAL PSALM (145:2-3. 8—9. 17-18 (R.18a)
2nd Reading: (Philippians 1:20c-24.27a)
Gospel: (Matthew 20: 1-16)
1st Reading: (Isaiah 55:6-9)
RESPONSORIAL PSALM (145:2-3. 8—9. 17-18 (R.18a)
2nd Reading: (Philippians 1:20c-24.27a)
Gospel: (Matthew 20: 1-16)
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| Nzeakor Eugenia Ikeanyi. |
So The Last Will Be The First And The First Last.
Greetings Brethren!
God has spoken to us yet again.
In the first reading, Prophet Isaiah advised us to seek the Lord while He is still near to us, we should try to find God's face while it is still possible. It is not only when you are in problems or in need that you seek God's face. You seek God's face by forsaking your evil ways, obeying the Heavenly principles and living Christ-like life.
In the second reading, St Paul is telling us how important it is to live for Christ, how important it is for us to honor the Lord with our body. 1st Cor. 3:16 tells us that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, meaning that even this our body is not even ours, it belongs to the Holy Spirit of God, so we are meant to keep it always worthy of indwelling of the Spirit of God.
In the Gospel, the householder used what he has for charity. He found the needy ones and helped them with what he has. He didn't bother checking whether they merited it or not, he simply rendered helping hands on them.
The question is, do you help those you are better than? Do you truly love and care for the people around you? All these and many more you are to ask yourself and then take a self examination.
Live every moment of your life as if it's your last moment on earth.
It is not easy but with God all things are possible.
Blessings always!
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| Augustine Udofa |
1st Reading: This reading is advising me to seek the Lord while He can be found, and call upon Him while He is near. In other words, the reading is asking me to stop procrastinating, renounce my sinful ways, embrace the mercy of God and not to continue to take God for granted, for God's ways and thoughts are certainly not mine. For when I can say "nothing can happen, something can actually happen".
The Book of Numbers 21:4-9 is a good example of the fact that God's ways and thoughts aren't mine. Now, God was steadily doing something positively in the life of the Israelites. But instead of appreciation, they lost their senses and assumed that God's ways and thoughts are theirs and started complaining against God and His servant. They paid the price.
2nd Reading: We should honour God with our bodies because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (God). That's why St. Paul says in Romans 14:8 - 'if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die we belong to the Lord. We must therefore glorify God with our bodies and let our manners be in accordance with the Gospel of Christ Jesus.'
Glory to Jesus, honour to Mary and Joseph.
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| Francisca Ekwegbalu |
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BEGRUDGE GOD'S GENEROSITY?
Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard teaches that God’s generosity is not measured by human ideas of fairness or merit.
To begrudge God’s generosity means to become resentful when God blesses others, especially when we feel they have received more than they deserve.
The parable reminds us that God’s grace is a gift, not a reward we earn.
Instead of comparing ourselves with others, we are called to rejoice in God’s goodness to everyone.
Sometimes, like the workers who laboured all day, we may look at another person’s blessing and think, “Why should they receive so much when I have worked so hard?” This attitude can make us forget the blessings we ourselves have received.
God invites us to move from comparison to gratitude. His generosity toward another person does not diminish His love for us.
When we learn to celebrate the blessings of others, we reflect the heart of a God whose grace is abundant and freely given.
Lord, free my heart from jealousy and comparison. Help me to be grateful for Your blessings and joyful when You bless others. Amen.
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| Angela Igbinazaka |
The first reading shows the big difference between how weak we are as humans and how merciful God is.
God calls anyone who has done wrong to make a real change and turn away completely. To forsake means to leave something totally, not just manage it a little.
This change must happen in two places: in our actions (what we do) and in our thoughts (how we think). God does not just want us to behave better on the outside; He wants to change the thinking inside us that makes us behave badly.
When we do this, God responds in two ways: He shows mercy by not giving us the punishment we deserve, and He gives full forgiveness by giving us the pardon we do not deserve.
For example, a businessman who cheated his partners cannot just start a new business and say he has repented. True repentance is going back to say sorry, paying back what he stole, and leaving behind the dishonest thinking that made him cheat in the first place. That is when he will receive God's forgiveness.
God says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts." The way humans think is different. We trade favour for favour, we want revenge, and we are limited by our past hurts. We often think God is like us.
We think that because our boss, spouse, or society has rejected us, God has also rejected us. We wrongly think God acts like a man. For example, a lady who has had several abortions may think, "God can never use me again." That is human thinking based on shame. God's thinking is different, He can forgive her and make her a counselor to help other young women, using her past pain to help others.
The picture of the heavens being higher than the earth shows that God's plans are far better and higher than our own plans. His ways are not just different, they are higher, better, and more powerful.
What we see as God saying "no" is often God redirecting us to something better. What we call delay is often God preparing us for the right time.
For example, you may have applied for a promotion or a visa and were refused. To you, it looks like failure. But from God's higher view, He saw danger ahead maybe that department would soon sack workers, or that country would bring you suffering. So He protected you. You were praying for God to open a door, but God was protecting you from a trap behind that door.
So stop trying to control God. Truly turn away from sin, leave behind your own small plans, and trust His higher and loving control over your life.
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| Egwuatu Simon-Derah |
When Grace Defies Human Calculation.
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8).
The readings today challenge us to surrender our human calculations to the surprising generosity of God.
In the vineyard, some worked all day while others arrived at the last hour, yet all received the same wage, and this I called "a picture of grace, not human competition".
In our generation, we often measure life by salary, titles, possessions, achievements, followers, and recognition. Even among Christians, we sometimes ask, “Why should that person be blessed when I have struggled for so long?”
But God does not distribute grace according to our human mathematics; His generosity is rooted in love and mercy.
Paul reminds us that whether in life or death, our deepest purpose must remain Christ, not personal achievement.
A contemporary Christian is therefore called to celebrate another person’s success without feeling diminished by it. When another rises, we need not fall; when another receives mercy, our own portion of God’s love is not reduced. The world needs Christians who can replace envy with gratitude,
comparison with contentment, and competition with compassion.
Let us therefore seek the Lord while He may be found, trust His wisdom, and faithfully serve in whatever vineyard He has placed us.
For in God’s kingdom, the greatest wealth is not what we receive, but the grace to love, serve, and remain faithful.
Shalom.
REFLECTION
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| Bibiana Uzoigwe |
The striking line for me today is "Seek Seek the Lord while He is still to be found."
The first reading is opening our minds to the urgency or "now"- syndrome of holding on to God in total surrender.
To seek the Lord while He may be found means that now, while we are still breathing, alive, and energised, there is a need for us to give our all in total surrender to the Almighty.
We must avoid every form of procrastination, because we do not know the time or the hour when life may suddenly put us on hold.
There may come a time when the opportunities we have today—to pray, to repent, to forgive, to reconcile, to serve, to love, and to draw closer to God—may no longer be available to us.
The invitation is therefore not for tomorrow; it is for now."
We must consciously avoid the "I will do it later" - syndrome. We often say, “I will do it tomorrow. I will pray more tomorrow. I will reconcile tomorrow. I will return to God tomorrow." Most times we even make excuses to justify our decision - "I am tired! "Work was hectic! God will understand and so on. Unfortunately, tomorrow is not promised to anyone. We are just being hopeful as Christians and Children of God.
Isaiah reminds us that God is near, and the time to seek Him is now. Our relationship with God should not be postponed until we are in trouble, until we are old, or until life leaves us with no other option.
While our hearts still beats, let us surrender. While He may be found, let us return to Him.
This verse should be our wake up call
“Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near.”
— Isaiah 55:6
Hmmmm.... the greatest tragedy is not that we did not find God, but that we kept postponing the search when He was already near.
Shalom
