Posts by Sr. Olisaemeka Rosemary Okwara
Encountering the Risen Christ – Word, Sacrament and Healing
The Lukan narrative of the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35) and the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3:1–10) are centered on faith, recognition, encounter and transformation. The Emmaus account exposes the dispiritedness of the disciples after the death and burial of Jesus. It culminates in their encounter…
Read MoreDrawing from God the Well of Living Water
The readings of today demonstrate the human longing for life and God who knows the deepest human longings. It is a story of thirst, physical, spiritual, and communal, and of a Savior who alone can satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart. The Gospel scenario portrays a humble and positive trust and openness in…
Read MoreSalt of the Earth and Light of the World – The One True Relevance of Christianity
The readings for today are clear and emphatic about one thing: the relevance and aim of the Christian faith and its message. The first reading, from Isaiah 58:7–10, speaks of true fasting as having the purpose of kindness and social transformation. The prophet is commanded to condemn the formalism of the people, specifically their hypocritical…
Read MoreWhen Little Becomes Enough – Feeding of the Multitude
The Gospel of the feeding of the multitude (Mark 6:34–44) speaks to our shared human condition: scarcity, lack, weariness, fear and limits. Beyond this human condition, we are also confronted with God’s compassion, abundance, trust, willingness to share, blessing, faith and love. In Jesus, who looks upon the crowd with compassion, we encounter a God…
Read MoreThe Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“Behold, I am the Handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” Dear Friends, the Church celebrates today the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on December 8, yearly. This celebration commemorates Mary’s preservation from original sin at the moment of her conception in…
Read More“Whoever is faithful in very little is faithful also in much…”
Dear friends, in today’s Gospel (Luke 16:9–15), Jesus reminds us of something deeply challenging, namely, the importance of being faithful and trustworthy in the small things of life. He tells us that those who can be trusted with little can also be trusted with much. At first glance, the passage seems to revolve around money…
Read MoreDivine Mercy and Human Resistance
“I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, rich in clemency, loath to punish” (Jonah 4:2). These words, spoken by the prophet Jonah in the first reading of today (Jonah 4:1-11), reveal a profound truth about God’s nature, a truth that both comforts and challenges us. They echo throughout Scripture but…
Read MoreThe Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a celebration of the birth of a historical figure, Mary, the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Mary’s birthday is itself a profound reminder of God’s faithful and mysterious providence. Mary’s birth, quiet and hidden from the eyes of the world, is a key…
Read MoreFrom Fear to Fulfillment
The excerpt from today’s Gospel “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” – Matthew 16:25, inspires me to reflect on the true freedom that comes from trusting God and living selflessly. These words of Jesus are among the most challenging statements…
Read MoreLabourers in God’s Vineyard
Today’s gospel (Matthew 9:32-38) presents us with Jesus’ perspectives on the human condition and his own approach to this situation. The Gospel periscope is as follows: “At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to…
Read More