POWER, LOVE, HOLY SPIRIT
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THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: CATHOLIC SUNDAY SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS: PENTECOST SUNDAY, CYCLE A, 2023

ByOnuh

The power of the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son is not only the giver of life or the spirit of love.  It is an enormous power that propels the Christian life to completion. That is, in our Christ witness to the Risen Christ. It is a manifested power in the modus operandi of the Spirit.

He is the spirit of truth, love, unity, gifts, communication and organization. In the Spirit, all is perfectly harmonised for greater efficiency. The Holy Spirit is the motor, energy or power that brings to life the Christian life and testimony. Without the Holy Spirit, the Christian life is dead.

ascension, commission, promise
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THE GREAT COMMISSION AND PROMISE OF CHRIST: CATHOLIC SUNDAY SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS: THE SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD, CYCLE A, 2023

ByOnuh

The greatest commission and promise of Christ to all of us is: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The Feast of Ascension marks the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry and the beginning of the apostles witnessing the gospel.

ABIDING PRESENCE, HOLY SPIRIT, TRUTH
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THE INDWELLING PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: CATHOLIC SUNDAY SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: 6TH SUNDAY OF EASTER, CYCLE A, 2023

ByOnuh

The readings explain how the Holy Spirit is the precious gift of the Crucified and Resurrected Christ to us. He is the indwelling Spirit of God in us that leads, guides, illuminates, and sanctifies our being, existence, and Christian life and effort.

The principal purpose of these readings is to create awareness of the indispensable role of the Holy Spirit in our Christian life or the Church. Indeed, for us to love genuinely and to keep rules and regulations faithfully are the two most difficult things in the world.

abiding presence, conflicit, unity
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UNITY THROUGH THE PRESENCE OF THE ABIDING CHRIST WITH US: CATHOLIC SUNDAY SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: 5TH SUNDAY OF EASTER, CYCLE A, 2023

ByOnuh

In life, so many things troubled us and make life uncomfortable for us, yet the abiding presence of Christ strengthens us on our journey through life. It is our faith in God and Christ that makes us go through daily life situations with a sense of tranquillity and peace.

good shepherd, love, care
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CHRIST: THE GOOD SHEPHERD LOVES AND CARES FOR US: CATHOLIC SUNDAY SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS: 4TH SUNDAY OF EASTER: THE GOOD SHEPHERD, CYCLE A, 2023

ByOnuh

The celebration of Christ as the Good Shepherd assures of an empathic Lord and Saviour who loves and cares about us. There is no more beautiful and consoling theme or readings for our current condition and situation of life than the theme of Risen Christ as our Good Shepherd. He is not only the Lord and Saviour of our life, hearts, soul, and body.

He is the Good Shepherd who laid his life down for us, but he also leads and guides us to healthy, ever-greener pastures and living running water and protects us from all harm, evil, and danger.  Good Shepherd provides guides, leads, protects, cares and blesses our lives, our souls and our daily efforts.

faith, life, journey,
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OUR JOURNEY OF FAITH AMONG THE SADNESS AND DISAPPOINTMENT OF LIFE: CATHOLIC SUNDAY SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS: 3RD SUNDAY OF EASTER, CYCLE A, 2023

ByOnuh

The road to Emmaus is our journey of faith amidst the sadness and disappointment of life. A lot of a journey through with a heavy burden of emotional luggage. They weigh and deprive us of life’s joy, happiness and peace. Hence, many of us go through life in a very miserable way carrying the endless burden of pain, shame, guilt and cares.

The disciples’ journey to Emmaus amid apparent hopelessness is also our journey of faith in the mysteries of Christ, especially his resurrection. Often in life, we travel with a deep sense of grief, sadness, and disappointment over things that have happened to us.

divine mercy
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THE INEXHAUSTIBLE MERCY OF GOD: CATHOLIC SUNDAY SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: 2ND SUNDAY OF EASTER: DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY, CYCLE A, 2023

ByOnuh

Divine Mercy! It is the inexhaustible mercy of God manifest upon all for us through the Risen Christ. Actually, this is the Easter gift that the Church receives from the Risen Christ and offers to humanity. The devotion to Divine Mercy Sunday grew rapidly after its designation by Pope Saint John Paul II.

Every second Sunday of Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday. We contemplate God’s mercy that brings us to the season of Easter Joy. As well as, the invitation to live out the communitarian mission of God´s mercy in the corporals and spiritual works of mercy.

NEW LIFE, RESURRECTION, EASTER
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NEW LIFE WITH JESUS: CATHOLIC SUNDAY SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: EASTER SUNDAY: ALLELUIA! HE HAS RISEN! ALLELUIA! CYCLE A, 2023

ByOnuh

The Easter celebration of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is a call to a new life with Christ Jesus: our Lord and Saviour who has risen from the dead. It occurs always at the season of spring when new life blossom and flourish in all of nature around us. “Easter” literally means “the feast of fresh flowers.” Easter is the greatest and the most important feast in the Church for four reasons:

It is a new life that calls us from darkness to light, evil to good, hatred to love, guilt to innocence, sad to joy, despair to hope, fears to faith, worries to peace, pride to humility and victims to victors.

DIE, PASSION OF THE LORD, HOLY WEEK
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WHY DID CHRIST DIE? CATHOLIC SUNDAY SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: PASSION/PALM SUNDAY, CYCLE A, 2023

ByOnuh

The whole context of Lent provokes a deeply disturbing fundamental question why did Christ die a violent death to redeem humanity? Could God almighty not will it for the fallen nature of man to be restored without any shed of blood of his beloved Son like he orderly and creatively did in his work creation and everything will be new again? Why the passion, death and resurrection of Christ? Why must God die? Is it a sadistic act for Christ to die that way? All these fundamental questions lead to one single fact: why did Christ die?

die, rise, resurrecion,
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WE DIE IN LENT AND RISE TO LIFE AT EASTER WITH CHRIST JESUS: OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR: CATHOLIC SUNDAY SCRIPTURE REFLECTION: 5TH SUNDAY OF LENT, CYCLE A, 2023

ByOnuh

The whole exercise of the Lenten season is a spiritual calling for us to die in Lent and to rise to new life in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour who conquers and defeats Satan, evil, sin and death. Therefore, the pillar held of Lenten observances is articulated in this biblical phrase: ¨Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.¨ John 12:20-33.