PENTECOST SUNDAY

READINGS AT MASS TODAY

Acts 2:1-11

Psalm 104

1 Cor. 12:3-7, 12-13

John 20:19-23

Theme: THE HOLY SPIRIT: THE RESTORER

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

The first two verses of the first chapter of Genesis tells us, "In the beginning,...the earth was formless and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, 'let there be light ;and there was light.'" The breath (the creative wind; the Spirit) of God created light, life and order out of a dark and formless void. That was the beginning of all that is.

The Psalmist, in today's Responsorial Psalm celebrates God as a creator par excellence and identifies His Spirit (the Holy Spirit) as the principal agent of creation and the Person behind all the beauty and the order that we see. For the Psalmist, the Holy Spirit is not just a creator but also a regenerator and restorer among us. "...when you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth (Psalm 104:30).

Beloved in Christ, the Holy Spirit embodies the regenerative and restorative power of God. He is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity and has the power to recreate and restore us to our original dignity. Wherever the wind of the Spirit blows, there is life and order (Ezekiel 37:1-14). He recreates what the evil one has destroyed and renews what our sins have corrupted.

The devil has stolen and destroyed a lot of beautiful and good things from us. We have also, through our actions and inactions, contributed to the corruption, emptiness and chaos in our lives. We have lost our original dignity and have become like dry bones. We need a renewal! We need the Holy Spirit!

As we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit today, let us pray to God to send down His Spirit once again to renew the face of the earth; to recreate and restore our lost dignity.

PRAYER

Lord, send your Holy Spirit into my life. Let Him blow over my special situation and make me whole again. Amen.

May God bless you.

-Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre 

Sunday, May 28, 2023.

Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe.

SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

READINGS AT MASS TODAY

Acts 1:12-14

Psalm 27

1 Pt. 4:13-16

John 17:1-11

Theme: PREPARING FOR PENTECOST

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

Undoubtedly, we all require many spiritual gifts and blessings from God but how do we pray and prepare for these graces? We find it very difficult to commit to a productive prayer life. The big question that we must all try to answer today is, Have you prayed for that special favor?

In today's First Reading, the disciples, after the Ascension of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem and went up into the upper room and locked themselves in. For Ten (10) days they cut the outside world off and united themselves in prayer until the heavens were opened. (Acts 2:4) We learn a lesson from them: those who bring themselves to the place of prayer must be prepared to 'lock themselves in' and continue in prayer until they get what they are expecting.

The upper room is a spacious living area in palaces or in the temple preserved for prayer or private meetings. It provides adequate space and the privacy needed for prayer (Jer. 22:13-14).

Beloved in Christ, we must learn to go up into our upper rooms and prepare in prayer for great gifts from God. Until we resolve to continue in prayer (spend much time in it, more than the average we do), we are not yet in the best frame to receive any spiritual blessing. 

Like the disciples, we all need our upper spiritual war rooms; a place and a period to prepare for our own Pentecost. A place and a period where we actually pray for that special favor. Every Christian needs a private high place where he goes to meet or wait on God in prayer and fight the spiritual battles of life. We need a place where we can lock ourselves up and storm the heavens until God opens the floodgates of His blessing. 

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, grant us the grace of steadfastness in prayer, we pray. Please deliver us, Lord, from the temptations and distractions that hinder us from communing with you effectually in prayer. Amen.

May God bless you.

Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre

Sunday, May 21, 2023.

Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe.

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

READINGS AT MASS TODAY

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17

Psalm 66

1 Peter 3:15-18

John 14:15-21

Theme: LOVE SOFTENS ALL

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

Motherhood can be very challenging. Mothers perform some of the most difficult tasks in the world. But they make these strenuous tasks look so easy because they have so much love in their hearts. The lives of great mothers manifest how love eases and simplifies all things, including complex life issues. When love is the foundation, nothing will be too difficult. 

Jesus tells His disciples and us in the Gospel this morning that, “if you love me, you will keep my commandments.” In other words, obedience to the commandments of God will not pose a challenge to us if we love Jesus. Love makes the commands of God sweet and soothing road maps and not a burden to keep. Until we come to love Jesus, we cannot be good Christians. The Christian journey is never a challenge for those who love God. 

Like mothers, we too can summont the difficult and daunting tasks of life with a heart full of love because love softens all.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, even as life becomes ever more stressful for me, give me more love. Amen.

Happy Mother's Day to all noble mothers. May God bless you.

Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre

Sunday, May 14, 2023.

Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe .

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

 

READINGS AT MASS TODAY

Acts 6:1-7

Psalm 33

1 Pt. 2:4-9

John 14:1-12

Theme: IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE

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

On this Fifth Sunday of Easter, we reflect on Jesus' statement concerning the Father's house. Jesus refers to the place He was preparing for His disciples as a home (the Father's house). He said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my father's house, there are many dwelling places.

It is of no doubt that the Christian environment as well as our eternal abode with Jesus will be a household. It will have the setting of a home where everyone is accepted and cared for. There will be room for every child of God no matter the culture or race.

It is, therefore, imperative that even now Christians and the household of faith should exhibit and experience that warm and home-like environment where every believer is loved and at home. We must learn to listen, learn to understand, and accept all. We must look beyond tribal and racial differences.

The first Christian community left a beautiful example in our first reading. The Twelve, though belonging to the Jewish majority, took the complaint of the Greek minority seriously and handled it with the utmost care required. They did not belittle the minority's complaint, nor did they see them as a nuisance of pagan origin.

Let us be mindful of the kind of Christian communities that we build. It is an important sign of whether or not the Spirit of God is at work in us. We must build “our Father's house”.

PRAYER

Lord, may we live as those aspiring to be numbered among the inhabitants of your household, Amen.

May God bless you.

-Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre

Sunday, May 7, 2023.

Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe

The Ordinary Path to the Extraordinary

Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son?” Matthew 13:54–55

On December 8, 2020, Pope Francis announced the beginning of the universal celebration of the “Year of Saint Joseph.” He introduced this year with an Apostolic Letter entitled “With a Father’s Heart.” In the introduction to that letter, the Holy Father said, “Each of us can discover in Joseph - the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence - an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble.”

The Gospel above, taken from the readings for this memorial, point to the fact that Jesus was “the carpenter’s son.” Joseph was a worker. He worked with his hands as a carpenter so as to provide for the daily needs of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Son of God. He provided them with a home, with food and with the other daily necessities of life. Joseph also protected them both by following the various messages of the angel of God who spoke to him in his dreams. Joseph fulfilled his duties in life in a quiet and hidden way, serving in his role as father, spouse and worker.

Though Joseph is universally recognized and honored today within our Church and even as a prominent historical world figure, during his lifetime he would have been a man who was largely unnoticed. He would have been seen as an ordinary man doing his ordinary duty. But in many ways, that is what makes Saint Joseph an ideal man to imitate and a source of inspiration. Very few people are called to serve others in the spotlight. Very few people are publicly praised for their day-to-day duties. Parents, especially, are often greatly unappreciated. For that reason, the life of Saint Joseph, this humble and hidden life lived out in Nazareth, provides most people with inspiration for their own daily lives.

If your life is somewhat monotonous, hidden, unappreciated by the masses, tedious and even boring at times, then look to Saint Joseph for inspiration. Today’s memorial especially honors Joseph as a man who worked. And his work was quite ordinary. But holiness is especially found in the ordinary parts of our daily lives. Choosing to serve, day in and day out, with little or no earthly accolades, is a service of love, an imitation of the life of Saint Joseph and a source of your own holiness in life. Do not underestimate the importance of serving in these and other ordinary and hidden ways.

Reflect, today, upon the ordinary and “unremarkable” daily life of Saint Joseph. If you find that your life is similar to what he would have experienced as a worker, a spouse and a father, then rejoice in that fact. Rejoice in the fact that you are also called to a life of extraordinary holiness through the ordinary duties of daily life. Do them well. Do them with love. And do them by the inspiration of Saint Joseph and his spouse, the Blessed Virgin Mary who would have shared in this ordinary day-to-day life. Know that what you do each and every day, when it is done out of love and service of others, is the surest path to holiness of life for you.

My Jesus, Son of the carpenter, I thank You for the gift and inspiration of Your earthly father, Saint Joseph. I thank You for his ordinary life lived with great love and responsibility. Help me to imitate his life by fulfilling my daily duties of work and service well. May I recognize in the life of Saint Joseph, an ideal model for my own holiness of life. Saint Joseph the Worker, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You.

Source: Catholic Daily