Posts by Fr. Luke Ijezie
Responding to the Call for Repentance
We are confronted daily with the option to change from old ways to new ways in the face of new realities. The Christian life is a new life and entry into it requires a total turning from the old way of living. This is what repentance means. Jesus begins his ministry by calling people to…
Read MoreConversion from Prejudice to New Knowledge
One of the factors responsible for most acts of religious intolerance is the presumed knowledge of God. Most religious people are victims of this presumption. In moments of real encounter with God, one comes to realize how ignorant one was. As the Church celebrates the conversion of the Apostle Paul today, it is good to…
Read MoreLight in a World of Darkness
We appreciate the light more when we find ourselves in a dark place. The modern life is so used to light and current that when these go off, life becomes unbearable. One imagines what it means for a major world city today to be without light for twenty-four hours. The disaster can only be imagined.…
Read MoreHope of a New City of Joy and Peace
What sustains us in difficult moments is the hope that things will be better. As conditions become increasingly tough, people naturally desire a future filled with better promises. The Christian life is anchored on the assurance that the future is a glorious one, and this is far greater than what we can imagine. This hope…
Read MoreThe Secret Inner Force of Growth in Us
In the course of living this complex life, we sometimes fall into the danger of thinking that everything depends on our human power and human ingenuity. It is a danger because when one lives with such a frame of mind, one easily gets frustrated and sometimes falls into depression because things do not happen the…
Read MoreThe Rich Man and Lazarus
Wealth and poverty are two realities that confront us every day and everywhere. The biblical approach to both realities is a bit complex. The story of the rich man and Lazarus in today’s Gospel from Luke 16:19-31 presents a classic picture of wealth and poverty. In some passages of the Bible, wealth is seen as…
Read MoreBeing Awake and Watchful
The idea of God coming at an hour one does not know or expect surely sends very fearful signals. Sometimes, one cannot but wonder: Why does God want to take us unawares? Is it possible that we could labor all our life for God and only to be taken unawares at an instant we are…
Read MoreSuffering but Never Discouraged
The call to follow Jesus is a call to share in his glory, but it is also a call to suffering. Unless one understands this double dimension, one can hardly be a good Christian. Today, the Church celebrates the feast of a great saint. His life perfectly helps to understand this implication of being a…
Read MoreCelebrating the Heart of a Mother in a Troubled World
Today the Church celebrates the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which usually occurs on the Saturday of the second week after Pentecost. The celebration, which is marked as a memorial, centers on the maternal heart of Mary, Mother of Christ, and her compassionate love for the world which is portrayed in its suffering nature. Mary is…
Read MoreIdolatry Versus God’s Presence
The thirst for God’s presence in daily living inclines people to fashion idols which they can see, touch, and manipulate as they wish. The author of the Acts of the Apostles ridicules this attitude in the first reading of today. Acts 17:15,22-18:1 reaffirms God’s abiding presence in creation and His nearness to all creatures. This…
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