TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

 

READINGS AT MASS

Amos 6:1, 4-7 

Psalm 146

1 Tim 6:11-16

Luke 16:19-31

Theme: OPPORTUNITY AT THE DOORSTEP

Dear friends in Christ, N'wokafu YESU KRISTO... 

God answers our prayers by giving us the opportunity to be, and achieve what we desire. When we pray for courage He gives us the opportunity to be courageous, when we yearn for His mercy He puts us in the position to be merciful first, and when we pray for holiness He gives us the opportunity to live in holiness.

Thus, to every Christian, the opportunity to mature to the likeness of Christ is placed at our doorstep. You do not need to travel or look far to live your Christianity. The test of your righteousness, as demanded from Timothy in the second reading, lies at your door if only you would recognize it. 

The rich man in our Gospel text and the elite complacent in Zion failed to prove their righteousness with all the opportunities presented so close to them in their community and at their doorstep. Like them, we also, every now and then, fail to see or pretend not to see the countless opportunities to practise our faith, hope and love. In our pretense, hypocritical coldness and indifference, we sin against the Lord. 

Beloved, sometimes God's great opportunities are covered in wounds and tarted clothing. We Christians must learn to open the eyes of our hearts to look closely and act as Jesus would.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, please give us the grace to pursue righteousness by taking advantage of the opportunities you put at our doorsteps. Amen.

May God bless you.

-Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre

Sunday, September 25, 2022.

Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe.

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

READINGS AT MASS

Amos 8:4-7 

Psalm 113

1 Tim 2:1-8

Luke 16:1-13

Theme: MONEY TO FRIENDSHIP

Dear friends in Christ, N'wokafu YESU KRISTO... 

In the bid to survive, make money or gain material wealth, many have destroyed beautiful relationships and burnt down good bridges. We do not care how many good and vulnerable people we trampled upon as long as we make money. 

Like the business class in the first reading, poor good people are nothing but the price of sandals for those who have material possessions as their aim. At the end of it all, when his job and future were at stake, the dishonest steward in the Gospel set out to devise a way to ensure a peaceful future for himself. Strangely, he did not think about stealing more money as should have been expected. Instead he made friends for himself with his master's riches. A corrupt man found true wealth in friendship. This drastic realization and change in priority is a real-life case study. 

Beloved, at the end of it all, when life's ebb is done and dusted, we shall all wake up to this one fact that friendship is better than money and material wealth. Let's pray and hope that it will not be too late for us when that day comes. 

Some things are more important than making money. As Christians, we must learn, like the dishonest steward, how to transform riches into instruments of fraternity, friendship, and solidarity. 

A peaceful future is never in money and material goods, it is in the relationships we keep.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, teach us how to transform the riches of this world into a true and a lasting friendship in you. Amen.

May God bless you.

-Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre

Sunday, September 18, 2022

Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe

TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

READINGS AT MASS 

Ex. 32:7-11, 13-14 

Psalm 51 

1 Tim 1:12-17 

Lk. 15:1-32 

Theme: A DISTANT COUNTRY

Dear friends in Christ, N'wokafu YESU KRISTO... 

In today's First Reading, God described the Israelites as a depraved nation, people who are ever ready to turn and walk away from Him at the least opportunity. Turning our back against God, however, has serious consequences that only the mercy of this same God can save us from.

Unlike the lost sheep and coin which had their loss occurring accidentally, the lost son, in the Gospel, premeditated his actions, intentionally packed all his belongings, and took a journey into a 'distant country' - a place away from his father's presence.

It is a common human tendency to turn away from God under the illusion that we are better off without Him. We are frequently tempted to believe that a life without God; a life far away from our Father's house is a life of freedom. As such, in moments of darkness, distress, and difficulty, we compound our problem by wishing to pack all our belongings and exit our Father's house (the household of faith). 

Beloved in Christ, no matter how bad your situation may be now, even in your weakest moments in faith, never be tempted to believe that you will be better off in 'a distant country.' Whenever we move away from the Father's house to a 'distant country,' we quickly exhaust all the good things we took from the Father in careless living and so begin to starve. Worst of all, we begin to yearn for worthless things in this world. 

Beloved, the Father's house is always better than any 'distant country,' however reputable.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, may we resist the world's temptation to ward off from your flock, your house and your presence. Amen.

May God bless you.

-Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre

Sunday, September 11, 2022.

Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe.

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

READINGS AT MASS

Wis. 9:13-18 

Psalm 90 

Philemon 9-10, 12-17 

Lk. 14:25-33 

THEME: THE DEMAND OF FAITH

Dear friends in Christ, N'wokafu YESU KRISTO... 

Great faith comes with a price. Sadly, only a few are willing to count the cost and pay the price.

In our Gospel text for today, Jesus makes it clear to all those who will come to follow Him that discipleship demands that we give our all and refuse Him nothing. Our faith as Christians will make hard and difficult demands that would sometimes shake the foundations of the things we hold dearly. 

In the Second Reading, Philemon's faith in Jesus Christ made a demand he could not refuse. He had no choice but to accept his runaway-slave, Onesimus, back; no longer as a slave but as a brother in Christ Jesus.

Beloved in Christ, the demands of faith supersedes every other demand in life. Jesus Christ wants everything and every aspect of our lives. The Christian faith is for real Christians, those who have calculated the cost and have made the commitment to refuse God nothing. 

Today more than ever, our world yearns for real Christians who will be brave enough to respond positively to the different demands of faith in every aspect of their lives, Christians who have made a commitment not to refuse Jesus anything. We need religious and political leaders who will risk all in the name of Jesus. We need educational systems, families and parents who will say "Yes" to God in every circumstance. This would mean losing out on some gains and goodies of this world but it is the price to pay and cross to carry.

In the end, we have this assurance that "...all that we suffer in the present time is nothing in comparison with the glory which is destined to be disclosed for us." (Rom 8:18)

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, may we come to understand that our faith and the desire to follow you comes with a great cost and may we be willing to pay the prize. Amen.

May God bless you.

-Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre

Sunday, September 4, 2022.

Holy Rosary Parish,