Easter Sunday

READINGS AT MASS

Acts 10:34, 37-43

Psalm 118

Col. 3:1-4

Jn. 20:1-9

Theme: THE GRAVESIDE STORY

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

The Easter story starts from a rather unusual place; the graveside. We were told women came very early in the morning to check the grave and that was the beginning of the whole story. At the grave where every story is expected to end, the Christian story begins. 

The resurrection of Jesus gives a whole new dimension to the Christian story. It is all about hope, resilience, and immortality. It is a story of life in the face of death and light amid darkness. 

It is difficult to end a Christian's story. Our faith in the resurrection makes us able to break every threshold and barrier. Even death cannot stop us.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, may your resurrection from death bring a new beginning and vitality to our own stories. Amen! 

May God bless you. 

Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre

Sunday, March 31, 2024. 

Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe.

PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD'S PASSION

READINGS AT MASS  

At the beginning of the Procession:

Mark. 11:1-10

At Mass:

Isaiah 50:4-7

Psalm 22

Phil. 2:6-11

Mark. 14:1-15:47

Theme: WINNING BEFORE THE BATTLE

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

Today, we recall and celebrate Jesus' entry to Jerusalem for the final moments of His earthly life. Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly, riding a on donkey, amidst a cheering crowd like a brave warrior who had been victorious in a battle. This action of Jesus is rather strange. Obviously, Jesus is now about to face the fight of his life. Betrayal, rejection, and death awaited Him, and Jerusalem was the stage for this battle, yet He entered truimpantly. 

Jesus enters Jerusalem as a victor because He did not only see His battle but also His victory. The Lord's manner of entering the eternal city is a deep message to us. It is a call to have a victorious mindset in all we do and face. A person who is in Christ is a winner. It does not matter what struggles we face or might face. 

The victory of a Christan is not in the battles we fight nor how we fight. Our victory is in Christ. And since the victory of Jesus Christ was not determined by nor based on the fierceness of the battle, we too must not fret before the battles of this life. We are victorious even before we face the challenges of life. This is what we have in Jesus Christ, and it is a matter of faith. 

PRAYER

Father, Your Son entered Jerusalem as a victor even before the battle began. May we who believe in Him be encouraged never to fret in the face of the battles of life. Amen.

May God bless you.

-Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre

Sunday, March 24, 2024.

Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

READINGS AT MASS

Exodus 20:1-17

Psalm 19

1 Cor. 1:22-25

John 2:13-25

Theme: A TIME TO CRACK THE WHIP

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

On this Third Sunday of Lent, we read the text about the cleansing of the Temple as presented by John the Evangelist. Unlike the other evangelists, John placed this episode at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. For Matthew, Mark, and Luke, this was the last straw that broke the Camel's back but for John, it was a necessary first step to pave the way.

Looking at the text carefully, there appeared to be a state of affairs that 'prevented' Jesus from entering the Temple; the activities of the traders. These deprived the Temple of its holy and serene atmosphere. This unacceptable condition in which the Temple environment was found was repulsive to Jesus Christ and He immediately set out to do something about it. Quite surprisingly, He took a rather violent and dramatic approach; the whip. He made a whip out of cords and drove the traders out with their merchandise. Thus, restoring the temple environment to its original purity.

Beloved, Lent is an opportune time to clean and restore our lives to their original purity. From the action of Jesus Christ in today's Gospel, we realize that the fight against sin and sinful conditions is sometimes not a smooth and comfortable one. This is a hard truth we must come to accept during this season. The process of restoration sometimes demands a radical approach. Sin and sinful conditions are not always something you just reject with word of mouth. Sometimes it is a dangerously comfortable state of life that needs to be whipped out with cords.

We are sometimes guilty of being too gentle with our sinful states of life. We try to gently sweet-talk them out of our lives. Unfortunately, the noisy, corrupt, and chaotic state of these situations, like that of the Temple environment in today's Gospel, continues to render our gentle approach ineffective. For an effective restorative season, a whip must be made against some conditions and lifestyles.

Like Jesus, we also have to make the effort to clean the Temple environment of our souls for Jesus Christ to have access to and feel comfortable within our hearts. We must identify and clean the conditions that are unpleasant and repulsive to our walk with Jesus and the grace of God within us.

PRAYER

Father, you have taught us to overcome our sins with prayer, fasting, and charity. Grant me the grace to fight the deep-rooted sins in me with these pillars. Amen.

May God bless you.

-Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre

Sunday, March 3, 2024.

Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe