TWELVE SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

 

READINGS AT MASS TODAY

Jer. 20:10-13

Psalm 69

Rom. 5:12-15

Matt.10:26-33

Theme: FEAR NO ONE

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

We have all, one way or the other, done or continue to do things that we are either not proud of or do not subscribe to yet do or condone them out of fear of what human beings may think, say or do to us. We are surprisingly very quick to offend God in order to please men.

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus told His disciples and us, “Fear no one...do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gahanna." 

Yes, human beings can indeed be fearful; they can make your life very difficult. As Pashur did to Jeremiah, they can be ridiculed and threaten you on every side; they will attempt to destroy your integrity and will not stop until they have destroyed your very life. But that is all they really can do. Their 'power' does not extend beyond your body; they cannot destroy your soul.

Like Jeremiah, who never gave in to the taunting of men but chose to trust God rather, we must also learn to fear God alone. A good Christian fears no one but God. The taunting of men does nothing to him (Prov. 29:25). The fear of human beings only immobilizes us and prevents us from doing the good things that we ought to do. It gags us into silence when we should speak the truth.

Beloved, take Jesus' Word for it; it is useless to fear mortals because they are powerless and their fury lasts but a while (Heb.3:16).

PRAYER

Lord, you are mighty and you alone must I fear. Give me the courage never to be afraid of the taunting of men while in the course of doing the right. Amen.

May God bless you.

-Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre

Sunday, June 25, 2023

Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe.

ELEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

READINGS AT MASS

Exodus 19:2-6

Psalm 100

Romans 5:6-11

Matthew 9:36-10:8

Theme: ON EAGLE'S WINGS

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

This morning at Mass we hear how God wants the people of Israel to remember how He saved them and bore them on eagle's wings to safety.

One remarkable characteristic of the eagle is its tenderness towards its young. The eagle is powerful and calculative yet gentle. No member of the bird family is more gentle and attentive in watching over its young than the eagle. It builds it nest on high mountains or on very tall trees. There it hatches, nourishes, and later trains it's young to fly. 

As the little one takes off from that dizzy height and starts to free fall, the eagle swoops beneath it and bears the little helpless fellow on its wings. The eagle does this with great speed and precision. Its timing is always impeccable to ensure the safety of its young in such a dangerous adventure. A picture of God's timely intervention in the lives of His people. 

Beloved, God, like a father eagle, is always on standby, ready to swoop in and carry us on wings to safety. Trusting Him can be scary at times, especially when life seems to be a helpless fall from a dizzy height. Yet his movement is precise and His timing, impeccable.

On this Father's Day, as we celebrate all hardworking fathers, we also pray for fathers who will stand by their families, especially their children, to guide and support them through the dangerous flights of life. 

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, while we were still helpless, you came to our aid. May we never be without your continuous assistance in this life. Amen.

May God bless you.

Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre

Sunday, June 18, 2023.

Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe.

THE SOLEMNITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST (CORPUS CHRISTI)

READINGS AT MASS 

Deut. 8:2-3, 14-16

Psalm 147

1 Cor. 10:16-17

Jn. 6:51-58

Theme: THE BREAD 

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

Today is the solemnity of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, Today, we adore Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, in the visible form of bread and wine.

Unlike Western culture where meat or fish is the main article or element of food, bread (made either of barley or wheat) is the main article in every meal for Palestinians. The Israelites were dependent upon bread so much so that the word "bread" (Lechem) become synonymous with food. They could not eat a meal without bread and so it is fair to say they could not survive without bread. Practically bread became the staff of life for the society at the time of Jesus (Ezekiel 4:16, 5:16). There is always a basket of freshly baked bread on the reclining (dining) table in the average household. A traveller in ancient Palestine will not leave home without taking bread sufficient for two days (cf. Mt. 15:32). To a people who really appreciate the value of bread, Jesus said in today's Gospel, "I am the bread of life..." 

Beloved in Christ Jesus, Christ is the living bread; the mysterious manna that sustained us in the desert of life. He is the main source of nourishment for our souls. Like a people who depend entirely upon bread for their very survival, Jesus wishes to be the principal food and the main source of nourishment for us, His people.

As a consuming society and a society that is keen on eating well for nourishment and survival, we must reflect on the place of the Eucharist in our lives, for there is no better way to live a healthy and a meaningful life than to make Jesus Christ our source of nourishment. Like the Palestinians who will not eat any meal without bread, we must also learn how not to 'eat' anything without Jesus Christ. Jesus must become the staff of life for our society today.

May we become so much dependent on Jesus to the extent that we begin to realize that we cannot survive without Him in our lives.

PRAYER

Lord, you are the Bread of Life; be the Bread of my life. Amen.

May God bless you.

-Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre

Sunday, June 11, 2023.

Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe.

SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

READINGS AT MASS

Ex. 34:4-6, 8-9

Psalm Dn 3

2 Cor. 13:11-13

Jn. 3:16-18

Theme: GRACE, LOVE AND FELLOWSHIP

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

Today is the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. A day on which we ponder the nature of God. The one, true, and only God who revealed Himself in three Divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Three persons; one God - a mystery. It is God's desire that those who will come to believe in Him (His beloved children who are created in His image) will also come to share in His nature.

God (the Trinity) is a 'community' of self-giving love in a unity that is beyond human understanding. In a world that puts 'the self' at the centre, by gradually forcing us to focus on the factors that divide rather than unite, the message of the Holy Trinity holds an ever deeper lesson for us now more than ever.

In 2 Corinthians 13, one of the Second Readings for Trinity Sunday, Paul's final benediction to the Corinthians (the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ and the LOVE of God and the FELLOWSHIP of the Holy Spirit...) sums up the whole mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Remember Paul was writing to a community that has been ravaged by division. In his effort to heal their contention and wrath, he revealed the nature of God and at the same time made it clear to them that those who have experienced GRACE through the Son because of the tender compassion of a LOVING Father and are animated by His Holy Spirit cannot but live in FELLOWSHIP with Him and one another. Grace leads to love and true love leads to fellowship.

The Trinity is an example and a remedy for a divided world. We cannot be fully human (Christian) unless we build a community (friendships, families) based on Divine Love. We simply cannot successfully live and thrive in isolation from God and one another.

PRAYER

Lord, we beseech you to pour out your love into our hearts by means of your Holy Spirit so that we may be drawn closer to you and our fellows in loving fellowship just as you are in the Most Holy Trinity, Amen.

May God bless you.

-Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre

Sunday, June 4, 2023.

Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe.