COLLECT:” O GOD, WHO THROUGH YOUR SON RAISED UP YOUR ETERNAL LIGHT FOR ALL NATIONS, GRANT THAT YOUR PEOPLE MAY COME TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FULL SPLENDOR OF THEIR REDEEMER, THAT, BATHED EVER MORE IN THE RADIANCE, THEY MAY REACH EVERLASTING GLORY, THROUGH OUR LORD JSEUS CHRIST YOUR SON, WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH YOU IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOD, FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN”.
1Jn 4:19-5:4; Ps 71:1-2,14-15,17 and Lk 4:14-22a.
God’s love for us, disobedient and sinful human beings, is so great and beyond all bounds and telling. We can never comprehend God’s love for us. God concretely demonstrated and expressed his great unfailing love for us through the Incarnation, ministry, suffering, death and resurrection of his only Begotten Son. If then, God has loved us so much and has always demonstrated how he loves us, we should also return this love to him. However, since we cannot see God physically to return to him the love he gives us, we are to properly do that through our fellow human beings, who are created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, our love of God is properly and fittingly expressed in our love of neighbour. This is the summary of the Old Testament Ten Commandments.
Still, as a concrete demonstration and expression of God’s great and unfailing love for us, before his Son could start his ministry, he gave his mission statement or his plan of action, manifesto and agenda. He announced this in the synagogue in Nazareth where, when he stood to read, he was given a scroll of the prophet Isaiah and the passage he read contains activities that express God’s love for humanity, *“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord”* (Cf. Lk 4:14-22, also Is 61:1 -2).
Only love and kindness for the other, especially those in need, together with the Spirit of God can move someone to do these things for others. God has done that for sinful and needy humanity through his Son.
By virtue of our baptism together with confirmation, we have received the Holy Spirit and have been anointed. We become adopted sons and daughters of God and our new name or title is ‘Christian’. We are followers of God’s only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. He called and chose us to learn from him, to be his friends and companions, and to continue with his ministry after him. Therefore, *his mission statement or plan of action is ours as well. We equally have that mandate and duty to bring liberation and glad tidings to people in need*. We should note that we now represent Jesus in the world and therefore, whatever we do in this world should please Jesus, and if what we do pleases Jesus, then we are executing his mission statement. We will fail as Christians and adopted sons and daughters of God who have received the Spirit of God, and who have been anointed if we do things that are not in line with Jesus’ mission statement. Let us try not to be failed Christians. Stay blessed.
WE MEDITATE TODAY, THURSDAY, ON THE MYSTERIES OF LIGHT: ‘THE BAPTISM OF JESUS, THE WEDDING AT CANA, THE PROCLAMATION OF THE KINGDOM, THE TRANSFIGURATION, AND THE INSTITUTION OF THE EUCHARIST’. (WE PRAY FOR OPENNESS TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, PRAY TO JESUS THROUGH MARY, FOR REPENTANCE AND TRUST IN GOD, THE DESIRE FOR HOLINESS, AND WE PRAY FOR THE SPIRIT OF ADORATION) “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
PRAYER: “GRANT, WE PRAY, ALMIGHTY GOD, THAT, BY THE POWER OF THESE HOLY MYSTERIES, OUR LIFE MAY BE CONSTANTLY SUSTAINED. THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN:.
Rev. Fr. Aloysius Kpiebaya, Catholic Diocese of Wa, UW/R, Ghana. (00233) 0207867239/0545462863. Email: aloybaya20@yahoo.com
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