WILL YOU REJECT GOD'S NVITATION

 *Sunday, October 15, 2023* 


 *28TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A* 


First Reading. Isaiah 25: 6-10

Psalm 23: 1-6 (R.6cd)

Second Reading. Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20

Gospel. Matthew 22: 1-14


TOPICS FOR REFLECTION


 *INVITE TO GOD'S BANQUET, WILL YOU DECLINE HIS INVITE?* 


 *WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU RECEIVED THE HOLY COMMUNION?* 


If you are celebrating your birthday party, and you have prepared both local and different intercontinental foods together with various types of drinks, but none of the people you invited honour your invitation; they all gave one flimsy excuse or another. 


In such a situation what will you do?

1. Will you throw all the food you have prepared away?

2. Will you be happy that nobody attended your birthday party?

3. Will you not conclude that nobody loves you?

4. Will you not feel rejected, dejected and abandoned?

5. Will you not see yourself as a nobody among your friends and family?


Anyway, since all you invited did not come, will you not think of sending a message to the street for anybody to come and eat free food?


Let's assume the people in the street also turned down your request, how will you feel? 


Would you not prefer to invite all smu how person to come and eat free food? At least the food will not be a waste.


Hmmm, I could sense how you are imagining such a bad scenario and saying "God forbid it happen to me".

Some of you might even be saying in your mind that if such should happen to me, I will kill myself.


Oh my God, so you can react like this? 😆 😆 😆, this is serious. So it is better to imagine than experience it.


Now you can sincerely understand how God feels when we reject His invite to His eternal banquet which is free without any cost.


Many of us had stopped receiving the Holy Communion for months, and years because we gave different excuses for not receiving it.


Some of us have the wrong notion of what humility is, we will claim that in humility I condemn myself not to be worthy of receiving Jesus (Holy Communion) at Mass, hence we stay away from communion.

My dear, can you stop eating because you do not see water to bathe? Will you not make an effort to search for water to bathe?

So, if you feel you are not worthy to receive Jesus in Holy Communion, why not go for confession?


My dear, as Jesus said, many are called but few are chosen. Try to be among the few chosen ones.


Always remember this symbol that eating and drinking depict joy and happiness; which means there is everlasting joy and peace in the kingdom of heaven.


Funerals depict pain and sorrow; which means there is unending pain and sorrow in hell fire.


Finally, register in your memory how you celebrated your birthday party and nobody came to eat the food you prepared, then apply it to you not receiving the Holy Communion at Mass.


I encourage you to say with St. Paul "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me."


 *Peace ✌️ be with you.* 


 *Rev. Fr. Segun Oladeji, CRS.* 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DO YOU KNOW WHY AND HOW JESUS OVERCAME HIS TEMPTATION?

Image
 Sunday, February 26, 2023. FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT (A) First Reading. Genesis 2: 7-9; 3: 1-7 Psalm. 51: 3-6, 12-14, and 17 (R. cf. 3a) Second Reading. Romans 5: 12- 19 Gospel. Matthew 4: 1-11 TOPIC FOR REFLECTION  YOUR DESIRE IS YOUR TEMPTATION.  Do you know why JESUS did not fall into temptation? It is because...  1. He is divine and not of the flesh; remember, only flesh is tempted and not the Spirit.  2. He came from Heaven, and not from the earth.  3. He is in the world, but not of the world.  4. All that exists on earth was created THROUGH HIM, AND WITH HIM, AND IN HIM. So, how can what he creates tempt Him the creator? 5. He came to save and to teach us how to be saved, by extension, how to overcome temptation.  I will like to quickly remind us that all temptations in life fall under 3 categories. They are...  1. PLEASURE  2. POWER  3. POSSESSION.  Jesus was tempted by these 3 categories.  They are as follows:  1. The temptation of pleasure: Turn these stones into bread. Jesus did
Read more

CALLING JESUS' NAME WITHOUT FAITH, AFFECTS OUR SPIRITUALITY

Image
 Wednesday, July 5, 2023 St Anthony Mary Zaccaria, P. (Opt Mem) First Reading.  Genesis 21: 5, 8-20 Psalm. 34: 7-8, 10-13 (R. see 7a) Gospel. Matthew 8: 28-34 TOPIC FOR REFLECTION THE WAY YOU CALL JESUS' NAME DETERMINES YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. The way we call the name of Jesus matters most. Some call Jesus' name in a comic manner Some call Jesus in a dramatic way Some call Jesus' name in a social way Some call Jesus' name for the sake of identity Some call Jesus' name to lie and cheat Some call Jesus' name to deceive others  Some call Jesus' name to commit a crime Some call Jesus' name to fight the battle alone  Some call Jesus' name when in a difficult situation, and so on to infinity.  My dear, the truth is that many call Jesus' name without reverence, and as such they will not feel the spirit of Jesus' presence, because once one can not have reverence for a name, how can such a person feels the spirit of that name? Imagine, if someone
Read more

GOD WAS THE FIRST TO HONOUR MARY

Image
 *Wednesday, December 20, 2023*   *THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT*  First Reading. Isaiah 7: 10-14 Psalm.  24: 1-6 (R. see 7c, 10c) Gospel. Luke 1: 26-38 TOPIC FOR REFLECTION   *GOD CHOSE MARY TO HONOUR HER*   *GOD WAS THE FIRST TO HONOUR MARY*  I kindly plead with us not to  1. DISHONOUR whom God HONOURS.  2. DISRESPECT whom God RESPECT 3. DOWNGRADE whom God UPGRADE 4. ATTACK whom God PROTECT 5. HATE whom God LOVES, etc. We should be careful not to allow satan with his evil trick to deceive us that the woman whom God chose to manifest His divine mystery is useless.  The first reading from the prophet Isaiah made it clear that God will give a sign and the sign reads: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [God is with us].” cf. Isaiah 7: 14  This prophecy was foretold about the 7th century before Christ's birth. (7 BC) Remember that no name was mentioned when the prophecy was made, and centuries after, the prophecy fell on a lady called Mary. 
Read more