DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

WEDNESDAY OF  THE 21ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR (A)

MYSTERY OF THE DAY: Glorious 

CELEBRATION OF THE DAY: Ferial 

TABLE OF THE WORD: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13; Matthew 23:27-32.

THEME: Dignity of Labour.

THE WORD: 

• "We worked night and day, while we preached to you the Gospel of God.” (1 Thessalonians 2:9)

St. Paul while in Thessalonica with his team physically laboured at trades to meet their daily needs. He was a renowned tent-maker (cf. Acts 18:3). Paul made tents in Corinth, Thessalonica, and Ephesus. He worked long hours into the night so that he could preach the gospel in the day.

Denotatively, the word “labour” carries the idea of painful effort, emphasizing toil in work — hardship, distress. St. Paul and his co-workers put in a lot of hard work in bringing the gospel to the Thessalonians.

This text serves as an invitation to embrace our daily toil with dignity as St. Paul and his co-workers did. 

INSPIRATION

Biblically, St. Paul still in his exhortation to the Thessalonians Church avers:  "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." ( 2 Thessalonians 3: 10-12) This ofcourse is a reminder of God's invitation to humanity following the creation account where He asked man to till and cultivate the earth for his living (cf. Genesis 2:15).

Beloved in Christ, how dutiful are we in our day-to-day living. Do we allow laziness to swallow us up with vain hope that God will provide manna as He did in the desert? 

Absolutely  no. We need to carry our implements, ask God for grace and strength and then set forth to till the earth. There and then that we will see the finger of God in every situation. It is in the field that the manna will fall through positive progress the Lord will bless us with; because we have till and cultivate the earth.  Let our labour be dignified for it is God's invitation to partner in protecting what He created. No matter where we are olabted let us blossom for God is the master of every vineyard.

Peace be with you! 

PRAYER

O God, we thank You for the many blessings we receive from You. Your Word is always a lamp for our feet. Grant that we pray the grace to persevere in our daily toil, and at the end bless us with a bountiful harvest of joy. 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.

+ May the Lord in His infinite mercy bless and keep us, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

(c) The ARCHIVE                        30082023