Posts by Sr. Olisaemeka Rosemary Okwara
The Power to Invoke Favors
The Gospel (Mark 7, 28-30) addresses obtaining a favor not on the assurance of one’s right or the law but instead on insistence. Today’s Gospel scene and the dialogue between Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman, whose daughter is possessed by an unclean spirit, have something spiritual and temporal to offer us. Let us journey together…
Read MoreThe Baptism of the Lord and the Public Ministry of Jesus
The feast of the baptism of Jesus (Baptism of the Lord) is notable because it marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus begins his ministry by receiving baptism in the river Jordan from John the Baptist. Today’s feast connects the Christmas season with the ordinary time of the year. During the Christmas season we have…
Read MoreMary’s Immaculate Conception
The celebration of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary refers to the dogma that Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin in preparation for becoming the Mother of God, the son Jesus Christ. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church and was not defined as a…
Read MoreThe Call to Discipleship and Love
Love and Discipleship According to St Paul and Jesus. In the first reading from St Paul’s Letter to the Romans (13,8-10) we are informed that love is the summary of all the commandments. The reading affirms that whoever loves the other fulfils the law. Indeed, the laws: do not commit adultery, do not kill, do…
Read MoreBearing Rich and Good Fruit
Most of us may have the experience of agriculture, and possibly, understand the art of cultivating of farmlands and animal husbandry. In my own Nigerian African context, subsistent agriculture holds place. Growing up in this region of the world comprises of school attendance combined with spending hours with the parents in the farmland on weekends…
Read MoreBirthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Catholic Church celebrates Mary’s birthday on September 8th, nine months after the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8. Most of what we know about Mary’s birth are based on a tradition that stems from the 2nd century, the Protoevangelium of James. There, it says that Joachim the father of Mary was a…
Read MoreGod’s Power made Manifest in Human Weakness
The Gospel today (Mt 14:22-36) as suggested for Years B and C of the liturgical calendar narrates an aspect of the experience of the apostle Peter with regard to his faith at the moment of fear. It was also read yesterday in many parts of the world as reflects the weekday missal or lectionary, since…
Read MoreBeing Ready for the New Things That God is Doing
In the first reading of today from Gen 27,1-5; 15-29, “the blessing episode”, Isaac makes known to Esau, his first-born son, his plans to give him his last blessing. But Isaac’s wife Rebekah who overheard the conversation puts a counterplan in motion whereby Jacob, the second-born, disguises himself as Esau and acquires the blessing instead.…
Read MoreLove the Lord Your God and Your Neighbour as Yourself
The love of God and neighbour is understood as a formal commandment in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. In Christianity and Judaism, the commandment to love God entails both action and affection. Deuteronomy 6 contains the first paragraph of the Shema (Deut 6:4–9): a text that underlines the reality of one God, deserving of loyalty and…
Read MoreLoving God Above All Things
Today’s gospel (Jn 14:21-26) contains some important advice from Jesus for his disciples. Throughout the passage, he emphasizes the importance of personal commitment and self-giving when it comes to matters of faith. Jesus uses the subject pronoun “whoever” four times, underscoring the significance of each individual’s role in living a life of faith. Central to…
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