DATE : 17/3/2021
EVENT : Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent/St. Patrick, Second Patron of Nigeria (Feast)
COLOUR:Violet
READINGS : 1 Peter 4:7b-11; Resp. Psalm 96:1-2a.2b-3.7-8a.9-10; Luke 5:1-11.
THEME: BE PASSIONATE IN SPIRITUAL MATTERS
Greetings beloved people of God. I welcome you to "My Catholic Homily Digest". On this Seventeenth day of March, in which the Church, especially in Nigeria, celebrates the memorial of St. Patrick, her second Patron saint, I wish to reflect with you on the theme: " Be Passionate In Spiritual Matters". Beloved in Christ, today the Nigerian Church, celebrates the feast of St. Patrick because he is her second Patron saint after the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Patrick, was born in A.D 385, and was sold into Ireland as a slave. When he eventually became free, he decided to become a priest, and he stayed back in Ireland to help spread the Gospel of Christ. He did his work so passionately that in no distant time, the Irish Church and her missionaries, became a major force, helping to spread the Gospel all over the world. And Nigerian is a product of the Irish missionaries. Dear friends, Passion is necessary in whatever you do in life. Passion is the internal force that keeps you focused on your goal, even when people are discouraging you. Passion is what keeps you from distraction. Passion gives meaning to your life and make you want to be alive the next day. Passion brings out the best in you and helps you to stretch your limits, and without passion life becomes meaningless, the motivation to keep pushing ceases and nothing can be achieved. So, I ask you, What is your passion in life?
Beloved, in the first reading of today, 1Pet. 4:7-11, St. Peter, who himself is a passionate person, encourages us to apply ourselves fully in whatever we do, especially out of love for God. Because according him, love covers a multitude of sin. So when we love, we should love passionately and sincerely. When we speak about God, we should talk passionately. When we pray, we should pray passionately. When we work or carry out our businesses, we should do so passionately. Peter was not just a good preacher, he also practiced his preaching. That was in today's Gospel reading, Luke 5:1-11, Jesus came to rescue him, after he has passionately toiled all night as an experienced fisherman, but he caught nothing. Thus, Jesus blessed him and rewarded him for being a passionate fisherman. In fact, I want to believe that it was because Jesus saw the passion in Peter that he choose him not just to be his apostle, but to be the head of the apostles who will become fishers of men. It is the same way that God blessed St. Patrick's mission in Ireland because he preached Christ passionately.
Child of God, do you know the meaning of the saying, "grace builds on nature"? It is this, God needs to first see the sincere efforts that you are making, before he will then compliments your efforts and bless it for you. God needs to see the passion, the fire burning in you before he will act on your behalf. Listen to me, there is nothing that interests God as a person who is passionate for spiritual things. That is why St. Paul will tells us to yearn for and desire spiritual gifts (1Cor. 14:1). See baa!! If you are passionate about God in spiritual matters, it will automatically translate into other aspects of your life, such that you will flourish in every good thing. But, if you are slothful in the spirit, I pity for you. Because the devil will so mess you up. Such that, Prayer will become boring, you will always have excuses to miss Church programs. You will always sleep off at Mass or when praying. Godly discussion will become dry to you. So, beloved, shun spiritual sloth and be passionate in the spirit and seek first the kingdom of God and....................guess you know the rest more than I do. God bless you.
Oh that today you would listen to his voice harden not your hearts (Ps.95:7-8).
LET US PRAY : Lord Jesus, help me to be passionate about the things of the spirit and dispel from me the demon of sloth.
The Lord be with you....... and with your Spirit.
May Almighty God bless you in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ....Amen
HAPPY MID-WEEK BELOVED FRIENDS
@ Fada Emmanuel Nnamdi Megwara, MSP. ⛪
No comments:
Post a Comment