Posts by Fr. John Opara
The Command Not to Stop
The man who lost his wife is afraid of loneliness. The woman that just survived a heart attack does not want to look into the future with hope. The young boy that graduated from college is depressed because of momentary inability to secure a job. The 18-year-old girl is afraid of having to make decisions…
Read MoreCelebrating Love
Easter is a time to reflect upon the unfathomable love of God for us and for the world. The salvific mystery, comprising of the public ministry, death and resurrection of Christ, is a great evidence of the love of God for us all. God, who is love, created the world out of love in order…
Read MoreA Brother to Love
A 60-year-old man has died and arriving at heaven‘s gate. St. Peter interviewed him “Have you ever loved a woman?“ He said “No, not even a single one“. “Did you have special friends?“ “No“, the man replied. “How about your parents, brothers and sisters?“ “I lost my parents as a child, and I have no…
Read MoreTaking Care of Ourselves
The phenomenon of the separation of the public life from private life has been praised by some people as a way of surviving the emotional pressure associated with the public life. This idea is beneficial for some professional workers such as doctors, police men, missionaries, lawyers, soldiers etc. According to this view, doctors for instance,…
Read MoreHanding on the Faith
Instrumental Art I visited a family on the occasion of the 75th birthday of a church member. On entering the house, I noticed a big piano and asked the woman during the discussion whether she played instruments. She started telling me how she and all her five brothers learned and played different kinds of instrument…
Read MoreBe Vigilant and Alert at All Times
On New Year’s Eve, most people normally keep vigil to welcome the New Year. In most traditional cultures, people stay awake to usher in the New Year or to celebrate the gift of the New Year. Christians also stay awake on the eve of the New Year, to welcome it with hearts full of gratitude.…
Read MoreRemaining in His Love
Last week, we heard a lecture by Rev. Sr. Malmann, who survived cancer and authored a book about her survival. The title of the book is The Goldthreads Between Heaven and Earth: Living the Faith in Difficult Moments. (Goldfäden zwischen Himmel und Erde: Glauben in dunklen Stunden). The purpose of the lecture was to learn…
Read MoreCalled to Greatness
We hear about the discussion of the disciples on the way to Caesarea Philippi arguing who among them is the greatest. We might call this aspiration towards greatness, “ambition.” Ambition is not bad. It can motivate us and energize us to do great things for ourselves and others. Ambition can drive students in school to…
Read MoreThe Meeting on The Way
Most of the time in life, it is not all about speed or how fast we are, but about being properly guided. One would question the rationale behind the stopping of the Israelites to set up tents of meeting in the desert. Could it not have been a moment to acquire more miles in their…
Read MoreFaithful Despite Disappointments and Difficulties
As people of faith, how do we handle disappointments and difficulties regarding our career paths or pet projects? Do we feel devastated, and lose hope? Do we pick quarrels with God for the failures and for not intervening to save the situation? Many times, many of us are negatively affected when faced with serious disappointments.…
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