Posts by Fr. John Bosco Obiako
Our Lady of Lourdes
Today is the optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes. Many pilgrims from all over the world travel to this French town to ask for Mary’s intercession for their own healing or that of others. And Jesus himself in the Gospel reveals himself as the source of all healing for man, even to…
Read MoreTHE LORD CALLS AND SENDS
In today’s Gospel, the Lord calls the Twelve to himself and begins sending them out two by two. Here is the sign of every vocation: it is the Lord who calls and sends. Many times, we can self-appoint or auto-call ourselves to things we like; we do many things because they make us feel useful,…
Read MoreWhen the Lord Calls
The first thing we find in today’s Gospel is that Jesus goes up the mountain, and after praying, he calls those he wants; he makes use of his freedom and calls. Those called also respond freely: “they went to him.” Vocation is the meeting of two freedoms. Today, Jesus also calls us to be disciples…
Read MoreHeroes of Faith
We often see reports of heroism in the news and elsewhere: individuals risking their safety, well-being, or future to help others. While countless acts of heroism occur daily, only the most extraordinary—those that shock and generate headlines—are typically reported. Consider a pilot safely landing a plane with engine failure to save passengers, or firefighters rushing…
Read MoreDIVINE TOUCH
“If you will, you can make me clean” (Mk 1:40). In the leper’s prayer in today’s Gospel, there is everything: his faith, his fragility, his surrender. He asks for no explanations, demands no guarantees, and he does not express any sense of entitlement. He only trusts. Jesus looks at him, is moved, reaches out his…
Read MoreDivine Solidarity with Humanity
Today, on the feast of the Baptism of Jesus, the evangelist Matthew tells us about Jesus at the River Jordan, where he does nothing else: he doesn’t preach, he doesn’t perform miracles, he doesn’t call disciples. He is simply in line with the others, with the sinners, immersed in the water like everyone else. And…
Read MoreActive Obedience to God’s Word
The scene from today’s Gospel (Mt 21, 28-32) is the Temple of Jerusalem. Jesus was there teaching the crowds; some chief priests and elders of the people approached, interrupting him rudely and asking him for explanations about who had given him the authority to do what he was doing (cf. Mt 21:23-27). These individuals thought…
Read MoreHoly Silence
There’s a saying that goes, “there is no one more deaf than the one who does not want to hear.” Today’s Gospel shows us the tricky question that the priests and elders of the people pose to Jesus. Their question is not one of wanting to understand but of wanting to have something to accuse…
Read MoreOur Littleness Before God
Having reached the midpoint of our Advent journey, the prophet Isaiah reminds us of a great and important reality not to be forgotten: in the eyes of God, the smallest is the greatest, because his eternal compassion measures us not from our presumed achievements, but from our radical need for salvation and life. It is…
Read MoreUnpretentious Servants
“We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do”. (Luke 17:10) · LI Unprofitable? In what sense? Does it mean that we are of no use at all? Jesus did not say these words in today’s Gospel to humiliate us or make us feel we are worthless! Instead, they are wise…
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