SUNDAY 10TH MAY 2020
FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
Acts 6:1-7, 1 Peter 2:4-9, John
14:1-12
Have you ever come across people
who have either stopped going to the Church or have left to join another one? I
have come across some of these people myself. If you engage such people in
discussion, you will be shocked to discover the flimsy reasons some of them
give for such decisions. Someone called me recently, lamenting that she is not
sure whether she will still continue as a member of CWO after this Covid-19
pandemic, because someone gave 2 bags of rice to be shared for the poor and
indigent during this Corona wahala, and he did not receive anything from the
group.
As Christians, we know that our
lives are not individualistic but communitarian. We all come together to form the body of Christ. Sometimes we
allow meaningless things to divide this body of Christ.
In the first reading of today, we
see how something as material as food was about to destroy all the effort the
Apostles had put into the spreading of the gospel. When we come together as
Christians, we can achieve so much more, but when we allow little things like
food, drinks, money, pride, and other perishable material and earthly things to
divide us, we can do nothing. As the Apostles made the people to understand
today, the work of the priests are spiritual, and not to be settling quarrels
about food and drink. To make a priest do this is to thwart the work of
evangelisation.
In the second reading, St Peter
tells us that as Christians, we are to hold dear what is important, even though
others do not. Christians recognize what is important and worthwhile and do not
waste their time and energy on what is not. As Peter tells us today, Christians are a chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God
who called us out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
Jesus therefore tells us in the
gospel reading, not to let our hearts be troubled with things of this world
that are not important, we should rather set our minds on how to make heaven
because he has gone there to prepare the place for us. We should not bother
about how to get there, we only need to look up to Jesus and follow his steps.
He will lead us there because he is the way to the father. God help us. Amen
Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie
MSP.
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