In the heart of human nature lies a persistent yearning for prominence, a quest for power and recognition. Even among those following the path of Christ, the allure of greatness can sometimes overshadow the true essence of discipleship. In Matthew 18:1-5,10,12-14, Jesus confronts this human inclination head-on, offering us a…
In the dramatic and mysterious vision described in Ezekiel 1:4-28, the prophet Ezekiel isconfronted with a theophany—a Mystical experience of God’s presence that defies ourcomplete human understanding.The vision is filled with vivid imagery: a stormy north wind, a great cloud with a ragingamber fire, and four living winged creatures with…
From time to time, life presents us with different forms of “deserts”, which can represent difficultand empty times we find ourselves in. There are deserts we face because life forces us to, andothers we enter by ourselves. These metaphorical deserts symbolize moments when we feeloverwhelmed and wish to disappear, often…
Do you cling to life? I remember a night many years ago in college, when sitting at my desk and lost in thought, I saw my hands before me suddenly aged in appearance. The veins stood out like spiderwebs on my hands, and as I stared at them the reality…
As we go through life, we all have wins and losses, and we all have gains and setbacks. Some are big,some are small, but we all experience them. What can make a difference in the big picture is whichaspects of life we are winning, and which we are losing. Today’s…
In the Igbo, Nigerian culture, begetting a male child is of utmost importance to the father ofthe house. This is because male children inherit the family-name and are successors of thefamily tradition and legacy. Although this perception of a male child often has a negativeconsequence on the appreciation of a…
Since apostolic times, Christians have observed Friday as a day of penance in commemoration of thePassion of Our Lord. Also hailing from the Apostolic Age is the practice of fasting on Wednesday inreparation for the betrayal of Judas, as this was the day on which he agreed to turn Jesus…
One of the most misunderstood stories in Jesus’ teachings is the encounter with the Canaanite Woman, found in Matthew 15:21-28. Picture this: a mom’s heart is heavy with the anguish of her sick and dying daughter. She pleads with Jesus to heal her. The scene is tense. Jesus seems to…
John the apostle begins his gospel narrative with the mystic expression: “In the beginning wasthe Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in thebeginning” (1:1-2). This is the primordial personality of Christ. He is God in eternity. He is thegreat I…
From a very young age, I remember my mom often saying: God will provide! We were not poor,but there were moments in which things were tight at home. There were also moments in whichwe had to face situations of sickness, family problems and other events in which things lookeddifficult and…