DON'T ALLOW VALENTINE TO ENJOY YOU.

 Tuesday, February 14, 2023

SS CYRIL, MONK & METHODIUS, B. (Memorial)

First Reading. Genesis 6: 5-8; 7: 1-5, 10

Psalm. 29: 1-4, 9-10 (R. 11b)

Gospel. Mark 8: 14-21

TOPIC FOR REFLECTION

ENJOYMENT: A SIGN THIS GENERATION SEEKS; YET, DESTROYS MANY.

Hello, my sweet babe, 😆

I guess calling you such a name makes you happy?

Hmmm

Today is Valentine, will you be my Val?

My dear, Valentine's is a period of enjoyment, but enjoy it with caution.

Define your enjoyment, but do not allow the enjoyment to define you.

Socialize with people, but do not allow the people to socialize you

Think before you act, but do not act before you think.

Similarly, do not conceive in your mind that you will not suffer in this life, remember that suffering is part of life.

It's either you suffer in the morning, afternoon, or at night.

You cannot avoid suffering. To avoid suffering is to prepare yourself to suffer a double portion of what you avoid at your very stage in life

Please 🙏 and please 🙏, do not ask for a sign of enjoyment in life, but ask for a sign of wisdom to persevere

I guess you know that suffering does not kill, but enjoyment kills fast.

We often say our society is corrupt, but who corrupts it?

If in churches, the pastor's homily is centered on prosperity, what should we expect during prayer requests, it will be God, give me a sign of wealth, suffering is not my portion.

Still, when pastors, Immam, and parents, the society at large only recognizes those who are wealthy, how will others who are poor not go into yahoo, yahoo; yahoo plus; money ritual, pornographic movies, etc?

In fact, the moral values of some home videos have gone into the land of oblivion, and most Nollywood, Bollywood, and everything that has to do with the music and movies industry promotes and celebrates immorality.

Surprisingly,  what is promoted now is majorly PORN (SEX MOVIES) & RITUAL.

Now tell me, are all these anti-social ills not sung and acted by human beings? Are they not still human beings that will still watch the movies and listen to the music?

 Nonetheless, let us not forget that what the eyes see, and the ear listens to, all is stored in the memory, and it takes the grace of God to erase them from the memory, especially if it gives pleasure to the body.

Hence, those activities which give pleasure to the body, if accumulated and seeing the standards of society that wealth is holiness, and poverty is a sin. Then, people would seek a sign of wealth and not poverty which demands perseverance, and this generation would be termed wicked because of all the evil atrocities that are ongoing. However, we who make up the society, who sings, and act in movies should promote moral values and not anti-social values.

This was what God saw in the world that made Him say He regretted creating humanity. 

Should we allow God to regret creating us? 

Among all of them,  it was only Noah that was righteous and God spared Him. 

Invariably, if YOU stand out in holiness, even if society laughs at you, do not worry, God will reward you as He did to Noah. 

God spared Noah, and He destroyed the world, you can also be saved if you sincerely stand out among your equals. 

So, if our mindset is not based on enjoyment galore, we will have the spirit of perseverance. If one should have the spirit of perseverance, one would like to ask for God's wisdom, but if the mindset is on wealth, always singing, "this life I can't kill myself, allow me to flex oooo" this has led many to an untimely grave.

Similarly, in today's Gospel, Jesus scolded the disciples for their lack of faith, even after seeing Him feeding the 4000 and 5000 people and having  7 and 12 baskets remaining respectively. 

Most of us may be like the disciples who after seeing all the wonders Jesus had done, still doubt because of the worldly pleasure we are attuned to. 

It is a call for us to seek wisdom to scale through life, in wisdom we shall have the full dose of perseverance. 

Finally, let us celebrate Valentine's with caution, and not Valentine celebrating us. 

Seek wisdom and not enjoyment.

Peace ✌️ be with you.

Rev. Fr. Segun Oladeji, CRS. 

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