Posts by Fr. Luke Ijezie
Conditions for Entering God’s Presence
The Christian religion presents the greatest aspiration of the human person as that of seeing the face of God. This is called the beatific vision. It is the summum bonum (the highest good). The Psalmist of Psalm 42:2 cries out: “My soul thirsts for God, the living God, when can I enter and see the…
Read MoreRecognizing the Signs of God’s Presence
Wisdom is the power to make proper discernment in every situation. The wise person is able to make good judgements and adequate choices in the face of conflicting options. Some situations are very complex, and one easily makes errors of judgement. We meet such situations every day, and we need discernment to discover the great…
Read MoreLiving with Self-Contentment
Self-contentment is a special virtue that inclines one to be satisfied with whatever one has. The contrary is that of never being satisfied but always complaining and endlessly asking for more. Greed and avarice are born of insatiability. It leads to grasping and extortion and self-centeredness. The readings of today invite us to adopt a…
Read MoreFollowing Jesus with Commitment
Jesus started his earthly mission by gathering disciples around him. He always asked them tofollow him. His aim was to groom them properly so that they would be able to follow hisways even when he was not there with them. Christianity is a followership of Jesus. It is areligion of commitment to live totally in…
Read MoreWhat Makes Us Strong
A conversation on what we can learn through the life and works of St. James Sometimes we wonder how we succeed in overcoming obstacles and persecutions that ordinarily seem insurmountable. As Christians, we often find ourselves championing noble causes and waging battles that are far beyond our human strength. Knowing our human weakness, we are…
Read MoreTrusting in the Power of God’s Presence
Life is full of distressing situations. The distress becomes very acute when we feel radically incapable of confronting the challenges that face us. Forces that are determined to destroy us often threaten us, but we feel unprepared to overcome them. At such moments, we feel how radically weak we are as mortals and are easily…
Read MoreChildlike Approach to God
Growing up as a little child, I never knew we were poor. I always trusted that my father was capable of providing all my needs and those of my siblings, which were not many though. I was confident about regular meals, the basic needs of clothing and the little things needed for playing. For children…
Read MorePreaching the Good News to All Creation Today
The missionary mandate in the Gospel of Mark is to go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to all creation. This means that every creature is meant to hear the Good News. Jesus knows that the message is a joyful one for all cadres of creation. So, he mandates that the word be…
Read MoreBringing Justice – Mission of God’s Servant
The consciousness of having a mission changes one’s attitude to life and work. It gives special coherence and purpose in every endeavor. In our relations with God, we are constantly reminded that we have a mission. To have a mission means to be called. We are called by God for special tasks, and every person…
Read MoreLiving in the Presence of God
Living with a contemplation of beauty gives great satisfaction. But living everyday in the presence of such beauty gives the greatest joy. We have been told that the greatest beauty one can ever contemplate is God. I have often wondered how this God is. But we are also taught that He is far greater than…
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