DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

Monday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time of the Year (C)

Mystery of the day: Joyful

Celebration: Memorial of St. Alphonso Liguori.

Texts: Jeremiah 28:1-17; Matthew 14:13-21   

Theme: The power in the Word.

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)

The world of God is alive and active, it pierce the stony hearts, it comforts, heals and consoles. That is why the scripture avers that, everything that God created will pass away but not His Word.

On this first day in the eight month, the Church presents us the efficacy of the Word in the Gospel acclamation.

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4).

A call to remind us that, man cannot live on bread alone, for we will eat, get satisfied and at the long run we will get hungry again. But the Word of God, leaves us with indelible mark, something to remember, and gives us hope beyond our expectations.

Why then do we hang on worries of life instead of the Word? Why craving for subtle things of life? Why do our lives depend on what we have instead of the Word? In response to these thought provoking questions, that the Psalmist have this to say:

Keep me from the way of falsehood; grant me mercy by your law. Teach me your statutes, O Lord. (Psalm 119:29; 68b).

To understand the efficacy of the Word of God, we need wisdom so as to enlighten the darkness of our hearts; for many times, our thoughts fail us because it is not grounded in the Word rather on ephemeral things of the world which doesn't stand the test of time. 

Finally, as we celebrate the memorial of St. Alphonus Liguori today, let us seek his intercession for us to allow the Word of God to penetrate our hearts, lead us and above all direct our path. Peace! Be with you.

Let us pray

O God, who constantly raise up in your Church new examples of virtue, grant that we may follow so closely in the footsteps of the Bishop Saint Alphonsus in his zeal for souls as to attain the same rewards that are his in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

© The ARCHIVE                01082022

DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

Friday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time of the Year (C)

Mystery of the day: Sorrowful

Celebration: Memorial of St. Martha

Texts: I John  4:7-16; John 11:19-27

Theme: God is love.

"Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love." (I John  4:7-16).

The major attribute of God is defined by "Love", the love in question goes beyond human or conditional love. It cannot neither be purchased nor quantified, rather it is freely and gratuitously bestowed on humanity. 

In the creation account, God out of love and kindness gave man the unction and mandate to control every other creatures in creation, after breathing upon him. The very act that no other creature has enjoyed. (cf. Genesis 1:1ff.)

In the light of this, that St. John in his first letter, which forms today's first reading, brings to limelight once again, this great attribute of God - Love.

"Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love." (I John  4:7-16).

This text comes with an invitation to reciprocate this Divine gesture to one another. To spread the fragrance of love we have experienced to wherever man is found; for we cannot actually claim to love God while we carry on ourselves the mark of envy and hatred around. To have say, we love God, we must love one another as we love ourselves. For Christ love urges us on. When life tastes blue, it is only love of God that can dispel the gloomy state of our feelings. 

As we celebrate the memorial of St. Martha today, the gospel pericope also displays with concrete actions the virtue of love; with Jesus at the centre. He was moved with the pain of loss of not only a friend but of Martha and Mary's brother - Lazarus, and then offer the consolation with love (cf. John 11:19-27).

Therefore, let us be moved with the love of one another, especially when the going is challenging. It is in doing this that we can really prove that we love God. Peace! Be with you.

Let us pray

Loving God, we are grateful to You for the wonders of Your creation. The air we breath, rain, sunshine, whispering of birds, wind, and basic necessities of life. Grant we beseech Thee, the grace to reciprocate this kind gesture by spreading the fragrance of Your love upon us wherever man is found. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

© The ARCHIVE                 29072022

DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

Thursday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time of the Year (C)

Mystery of the day: Luminous 

Texts: Jeremiah 18:1-6;  Matthew 13:47-53

Theme: We are nothing but clay...

"Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel." (Jeremiah 18:6)

Every human creature is nothing but clay in the hands of the Creator. God as the Potter par excellence takes time to mould each and every one of us according to His plan and form. As the potter remoulded when he could not get it right, so is our God endures with our insufficiency. From the table of the Word today, Prophet Jeremaiah reminded us of who we are, that without God, we can not get it right. 

"Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel." (Jeremiah 18:6)

In the same spirit, I recalled with interest the beautiful words of Michael Adenuga, the famous soap opera producer "Super Story"  at the closing montage which reads: "We are nothing but pencil in the hand of our Creator." The understanding of these words spell God's omnipotency over us as  a Creator. 

This implies that, our sufficiency comes only from God. That is why the Psalmist traced the source of our salvation to Jacob's God: "Blessed is he who is helped by Jacob’s God."  (Psalm 146:5a). 

Therefore, we cannot achieve anything without God's grace and love. 

Finally, let us hold on to Him no matter how stormy the wind of life may be; for He has the final say and there will be stillness. 

Peace! Be with you.

Let us pray

Gracious Lord, we give You glory and honour for all that we have and are. Grant us we pray the grace to be conscious of our insufficiency without You, so that our trust may be solely on you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

© The ARCHIVE                 28072022

DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

Wednesday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time of the Year (C)

Mystery of the day: Glorious

Texts: Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21; Matthew 13:44-46

Theme: The battle is not yours, says the Lord of Host.

"...they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the LORD. I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless." (Jeremiah 15:20-21) 

The text of Exodus 14:14 is the fulfilment of the prophecy of Jeremiah in today's first reading: "The Lord will fight for you and all you have to do is to keep still.". Indeed, the battle is not ours, but of the Lords; whose hands is upon us day and night. When we lie down, He watches over us, at dawn He wakes us up. On our journey, He goes ahead to prepare the way. The Psalmist today cried out: "God is my refuge in the day of my distress." (Psalm 59:17d). It is on this note, that Prophet Jeremaiah reminded us:

"...they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the LORD. I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless." (Jeremiah 15:20-21).

Beloved in Christ, what is it that you are going through? What discomfort engulfed you? Are you being persecuted or envied? "Fear not" says the Lord, for they will fight against you but they shall not prevail over you. Our day-to-day struggles and challenges cannot gulped us up, for God's promise to deliver us from the hand of our enemies shall surely prevail. Peace! Be with you.

Let us pray

Eternal God, we thank You for the wonders of our being and the necessities of life. We glorify You for all the creatures in creation. We beseech Thee O! Lord to enlighten our minds so that we may experience the effect of Your love for us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

© The ARCHIVE                 27072022

DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

Monday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time of the Year (C)

Mystery of the day: Joyful

Celebration: Feast of St. James

Texts: 2 Corinthians 4:7-15; Matthew 20:20-28

Theme: With God, we are more than conquerors

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies." (2 Corinthians 4:7ff.)

The challenges and tribulations of man cannot be quantified. The wind of life tosses him to and fro, sometimes his eyes refuse sleep, as the night becomes too long with no hope of dawn. When the dawn eventually sets in, tribulations return with greetings. Amidst these situations, St. Paul in his letter to the Cburch in Rome reminded us that, what we are passing through cannot be compared to the future glory awaiting us. (cf. Romans 8:18)

In the light of this, that the first reading from the liturgy of the word reassures us of God's continuous love and care for us in difficult moments.

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies." (2 Corinthians 4:7ff.)

As we are being pushed by the situation of life, let our trust hang solely on God, for He is ever ready and conscious of our problems.

To crown it all, the psalmist reechoeed the joy of a farmer on return from harvest, with the bountiful harvest, the pains of tilling, weeding and nurturing of the crops are forgotten. 

"Those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap." (Psalm 126). 

And he went further to describe God's love of His people through His salvific power over the Israelites from their captives.

"When the LORD brought back the exiles of Sion, we thought we were dreaming. Then was our mouth filled with laughter; on our tongues, songs of joy."

Therefore, beloved in Christ, as we celebrate the feast of St. James today, one of the leading figures in the college of the apostles who bore witness to Christ despite challenges and tribulations, even to the point of his death. Let us rejoice and be glad, for we are not alone in the crowd for the hand of God is upon us. Peace! Be with you.

Let us pray

Almighty and eternal God, great is Your faithfulness and love. We beseech Thee to give us the grace to hold on to You as the beginning and end of it all, so that when the wind of life blows we will deal not fall way, but lean on you. Through Cbrist our Lord. Amen.

© The ARCHIVE                 25072022

DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

Tuesday of the 16th Week of Ordinary Time of the year (C).

Mystery of the day: Sorrowful

Text: Micah 7:14-15.18-20; Matthew 12:46-50

Theme: The steadfastness love of God

"You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old." (Micah 7:20)

The steadfastness love of God can never ceased, as it is renewed every morning keeping in mind the promise He made to Abraham His friend and our father in faith, and His faithfulness to Jacob. Man despite how sincere he looks while making promise, will certainly fail one day, but God can never fail no matter what. His Words are true and His faithfulness cannot be doubted. 

In the light of this, that Prophet Micah in the first reading reminded God of His promise:

"You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old." (Micah 7:20).

In our nation today, these words of Prophet Micah is needed to re-rebuild this broken walls of our living, to restore us back to the original state, where lion and lamb commune together, where darkness has no power over light.

He reminded us also of the benevolence attribute of God as a shepherd, and thus pray:

"Shepherd your people, Lord, with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land;..." (Micah 7:14-15). 

This is a recap of the words of the Psalmist who affirmed the shepherding role of God, stressing that with Him we shall lack nothing (cf. Psalm 23:1ff.).

Therefore, beloved in Christ, let us put ourselves under the mantle love of God, no matter the situation we may find ourselves. For He knows our cares and worries and is ever ready to restore us back to wholeness. Peace! Be with you.

Let us pray 

Eternal God, we are grateful to You for the wonder of Your creation. We acknowledge Your love and care upon us. We beseech Thee O! Lord the grace to be more faithful to You and trusting that our tears will be wiped away. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

© The ARCHIVE               19072022

DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

Monday of the 16th Week of Ordinary Time of the year (C).

Mystery of the day: Joyful

Text: Micah 6:1-4.6-8; Matthew 12:38-42

Theme: The desire of God from us

"... and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8).

The traditional teaching of the Church on the essence of creation of man is to love and serve God, so that on the last day we will see God as He really is. And these requirements need total dedication and commitment. That is why Propohet Micah in the first reading of today reiterates the obligation of man thus: 

"... and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8).

Why the mention of justice and love here? These two virtues are the foundation which hold our relationship with the creator, for God Himself is a just judge as well as "love" itself.

The essence of justice is reechoed and emphasized again by the Psalmist when he said:

 "To one whose way is blameless, I will show the salvation of God." (Psalm 50:23bc)

Beloved in Christ Jesus, it is a fact beyond doubt that, God desires our salvation. He is longing to have us back without any defilement. Let us therefore, put in our best in our day-to-day effort to walk uprightly before Him, act justly and then love without counting the cost. 

Finally, when we do these there is certainty that we will behold Him as He really is on the last day. Peace! Be with you.

Let us pray 

Almighty and merciful God, we are grateful to You for the love and care. Grant we beseech Thee the grace to walk uprightly before You and to put on the cloak of justice and love wherever we find ourselves. Through Cbrist our Lord. Amen.

© The ARCHIVE               18072022

DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

Saturday of the 15th Week of Ordinary Time of the year (C).

Mystery of the day: Joyful

Celebration: Memorial of Blessed Virgin Mary 

Text:    Micah 2:1-5; Matthew 12:14-21

Theme: Do not forget the poor, O Lord!

"Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil upon their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand." (Micah 2:1-2)

Most often we tend to believe that, we have everything at our beck and call. We see ourselves as the beginning and the end based on self-evaluation, status we have or are being occupied; the connections we have, and suddenly forget that, all that we have, where we are and whom we think we are; are all precious gift of God to us for the service of others.

In the course of today's liturgy of the word, we hear Prophet Micah in the first reading foretelling the punishment on those who trust in their whims and caprices for the downfall of others saying:

"Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil upon their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand." (Micah 2:1-2)

Why do we take pleasure in being awake to plan either for the downfall of one another or revenge over hurt metted upon us? 

Let us be reminded that, the silence of God, no matter how long it may seems in human calculation cannot be taken for granted. For at the appointed time, God will certainly vindicate His children. Hear it out as God says:

"Behold, against this family I am devising evil, from which you cannot remove your necks; and you shall not walk haughtily, for it will be an evil time. In that day they shall take up a taunt song against you, and wail with bitter lamentation, ...." (Micah 2:1-5)

And the psalmist on the other hand says: "Do not forget the poor, O Lord!" (Psalm:12b). This is a great assurance for us, that no matter the plan of our enemies, to bring us down, to trample on our rights, God will never abandon us to their tricks and plans. 

But on our own part, we need to trust solely in God and not in our power; for God is and always there for us. He has already promised that He will avenge our cause and pay them in their due coin. (Romans12:19).

Peace! Be with you.

Let us pray 

Dearest Lord, we are grateful to You for the gift of life and every beautiful things that come our ways. Grant we beg Thee the courage to trust only in You alone and not in our strength. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

© The ARCHIVE               16072022

DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

Friday of the 15th Week of Ordinary Time of the year (C).

Mystery of the day: Sorrowful

Celebration: Memorial of St. Bonaventure 

Text: Isaiah 38:1-6.21-22.7-8; Matthew 12:1-8

Theme: Remember your servant.

“Remember now, O Lord, I beseech you, how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” (cf. Isaiah 38:3)

The attribute of every faithful servant lies in obedience to the detect and ordinances of his master. So was Hezekiah in today's first reading who having received the shocking news of his death by Prophet Isaiah the son of Amos cried out to God:

“Remember now, O Lord, I beseech you, how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” (cf. Isaiah 38:1-6.21-22.7-8)

These words of Hezekiah is an invitation to a life of piety, making sincere effort to work before the Lord without blame. It is a call to self-denial and examination. 

However, on account of his faithful stewardship, God gave him more fifteen years. 

Beloved in Christ, what can we hold on as stewardship to God for the day of days when our Creator will invite us to account for our stewardship? What can we say we did as Hezekiah? Now, is the time to reconsider our motives in thoughts, words and actions.

Peace! Be with you.

Let us pray 

Merciful Lord, be merciful to us as we strive to keep Your law. Grant we pray the grace to be closer to You always in our thoughts, words and actions. We make this prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

© The ARCHIVE               15072022

DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

Thursday of the 15th Week of Ordinary Time of the year (C).

Mystery of the day: Luminous

Text: Isaiah 26:7-9.12.16-19; Matthew 11:28-30

Theme: Come to me...

"Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, says the Lord." (Matthew 11:28).

The invitation "come to me" puts us on the reminder that, man by nature is solely dependent on God, whom we live, move and have our beings. Man right from moment of creation has been fragile, weak and insufficient in his dealing; on account of this shortcomings that Christ invites us to follow Him, so that we may be equipped and comforted in our distress.

Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, says the Lord." (Matthew 11:28).

The burden of life is so severe that, we on ourselves cannot bear it alone. We need the grace of God to urges us on.

On the other hand, the Psalmist in its response reeechoed God's love and mercy upon us saying:

"The Lord looked down from heaven to the earth." (Psalm 102:20b).

His paternal gesture upon us gives us hope amidst distress, peace of mind in our discomfort and joy in sadness. 

Beloved in Christ, as you are setting out this morning, present before Him who knows it all your cares and worries. Let us be reminded that, God who created us without us, cannot save us with us as rightly puts by St. Augustine.

Therefore, let us build up our faith and trust solely on Him, He will never fail us. Peace! Be with you.

Let us pray 

Almighty and eternal God, we are grateful to You for the wonders of creation. We beseech Thee, O! Lord to give us the grace to come in terms with our weaknesses, while relying on You as the source of our strength. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

© The ARCHIVE               14072022