DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

THURSDAY OF THE 25th WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR (II)

Mystery of the day: Luminous 

Table of the Word: Ephesians 1:1-10; Luke 11:47-54.

"He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us." (Ephesians 1:6-8)

Theme: He destined us in love.

Reflection for the day:

St. Paul's testimony before the Church in Ephesus is a great profession of faith, which we are being called to embrace. He publicly professed the love of God through His Son Jesus Christ for the salvation of mankind, the love He freely bestowed notwithstanding, the disobedience of humanity and above all He still lavished grace upon grace on us. The account of this profession of faith says:

He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us." (Ephesians 1:6-8)

What a great love he has for us! What a grace lavishly poured on us, even though we have sin and come short of the glory. The blood of the Lamb speaks in the way we could not understand. It left us in the state of bewilderment as a result of our weaknesses. 

In testimony to this gratituous gift of God that the Psalmist today joyously proclaimed:

"The lord has made known his salvation."   (Psalm 98:2a)

This salvation can only be found in His Son -Jesus Christ who has paid our debt in full through His paschal mysteries of agony, death and resurrection.

Therefore, beloved in Christ let us make sincere effort to hold tenaciously the grace which God has lavished on us with tender care, let it not be wasted or take it for granted. 

Finally, as we behold the dawn of this day let us acknowledge the fact that, it is not the alarm that woke us up but that "gratuitous grace of God"  that has led us this far. Peace, be with you!

Let us pray

Immortal and Invisible God, we thank You for the love, care and grace showered upon us. Grant us we pray, that this grace may has effect in us so that we may be true witnesses to Your works. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

© The ARCHIVE               13102022

DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

FRIDAY OF THE 27th WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR (II)

Mystery of the day:  Sorrowful

Celebration: Our Lady of the Rosary

This Marian celebration originated from the victory of Lepanto (1571). The combined Christian fleet defeated the forces of the Turks, thus arresting their occupation of Europe. This favor was attributed by Pope St. Pius V to the recitation of the Holy Rosary. The Rosary is very pleasing to our Mother in heaven who recommends it herself. The Popes, too, greatly recommend the Rosary. The elements of the Holy Rosary are two: the meditation of the mysteries and vocal prayer. The Rosary is Mary's favourite prayer, a prayer that surely reaches her motherly heart and moves her to give abundant graces.

Table of the Word: Galatians 3:7-14; Luke 11:15-26.

Theme: Faithfulness in God pays

“Those who are men of faith are blessed with Abraham who had faith.” (see Galatians 3:7-14)

Reflection for the day:

Obviously, faithfulness in God pays beyond human calculation. There is no substitute to this spiritual ordinance. We are obliged to be faithful to God in every situation, whether the going is good or not. The ancient aphorism.which says: "at the end of tunnel lies a light" borne out of faith. For a man who journeyed through the darkest of night with faith will surely behold the dawn t the end of it all. 

That is the central message from today's table of the Word where St. Paul in his epistle to the Galatian Church reminded his hearers the efficacy of faithfulness in God, citing example with Abraham our patriarch in faith, whose steadfastness gives rise to his friendship with God. 

“Those who are men of faith are blessed with Abraham who had faith.” (see Galatians 3:7-14). 

This same faith that made itself manifested in the life of our Mother -  which her favourite and remarkable prayer we give credence to in today's liturgy. 

Hence, Holy Rosary - a prayer of faith, which many have testified that mountains are removed when faithfully prayed, once barrened now becomes a mother, with it comfort returned to the broken hearted and many other testimonies. 

Therefore beloved in Christ, what are you waiting for? What is the measurement of your faith in God? We need to live by faith so as to be blessed as Abraham was. 

Remember, the invitation to sacrifice his only begotten which was a test; he willingly knowing fully well who God is that He will provide from His abundance responded to the invitation. (cf. Genesis 22:1-19)

Even though, the son asked: "we have everything for the sacrifice, where is the lamb?" In faith he responded, the Lord will provide.  

I pray for you today dear friends in Christ may the good Lord from the abundance of His kingdom provides you with beautiful gift today. May the faith of Abraham whom we are his children in faith push us to greater height, may we never doubt God anymore. 

Finally, faith is trusting God when situation gets out hand, and when there are unanswered questions.

Peace, be with you!

Let us pray

Faithful God, we thank You for the many blessings we receive from You, increase our faith that we may believe You in every situation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

© The ARCHIVE               07102022

DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

THURSDAY OF THE 27th WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR (II)

Mystery of the day: Luminous 

Table of the Word: Galatians 3:1-5; Luke 11:5-13

Theme:  Peserverance in prayer

“And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (cf. Luke 11:5-13)

Reflection for the day: 

The invitation to perseverance in prayer has a repeatition also in one of the synoptic gospels ((cf. Matthew 7:7-8). It is a wake up call to our Christian duty to persevere in our prayer life, for God knows our cares and worries. 

In the light of this, that Evangelist Luke reminded us today in the gospel pericope the words of our Lord saying:

And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (cf. Luke 11:5-13)

This is a pointer to the fact that He knows our needs, but we must first of all ask in order to receive. The essence of this caveat is to enable us have value for the needed gift. For if we receive it on the platter of gold we may likely loose its value. 

However, this does not nullifies the attribute of God as "all-knowing" (Omniscience), but it permeates our consciousness with this aura of being sensitive that there is nothing that we own that is not given to us by God (directly or indirectly).

In our day-to-day endeavour, we need to be ever-concious of our beings as weak and short- lived. We need to acknowledge our inadequacies and weaknesses and recognize with confidence our total dependence on God, that without Him we are nothing. 

Finally, let our trust, desire and need be built on Him and only Him alone. For in doing this, we will know that our strength comes from Him and only Him alone. Peace, be with you!

Let us pray

Eternal Word, thank You for the wonders of our being. As we journey along this ephemeral path grant us the grace to be humble and ask whenever we are in need. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

© The ARCHIVE               06102022

DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

MONDAY OF THE 27th WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR (II)

Mystery of the day:  Joyful

Table of the Word: Galatians 1:6-12, Luke 10:25-37.

Theme: Love Conquers.

"A new commandment I give to you, says the Lord, that you love one another, even as I have loved you." (John 13:34)

Reflection for the day:

The language of love cuts across every culture, race and tribe. While some understood it on the level of what to get in return, others see it beyond mere words, but above all none can be compared to the love of God upon humanity. 

Right from time immemorial God has been faithful in His love upon us despite our inadequacies, He proved to Man that Love is His attribute.

Thus, inviting man to reciprocate this kind gesture to his fellow man. 

In today's liturgy of the Word, the gospel antiphon avers:

"A new commandment I give to you, says the Lord, that you love one another, even as I have loved you." (John 13:34)

This made itself manifested in the gospel narrative on the Good Samaritan, who went outside the comfort of himself to love. (cf. Luke 10:25-37). He did not do it for fame, or any personal gain as it is being done today by some attention seekers, who gave out charity worth N10:00, and paid media for publicity N50:00.There was no update on his status that he did service of charity as it is the case today. 

However, the fundamental question is: How much do we love? Can we love beyond ourselves? Can we translate the language of love into action? 

Until we do this, there and then that we will come to the full realization that love is beyond words.

Finally, let love leads so that chaos, anarchy, envy, and hatred will cease to exist. Peace, be with you!

Let us pray.

Merciful Lord, thank You for the wonders of creation which is founded upon Your love for man. Grant us the grace to love as You love, for it is in loving that we are being loved. We ask this though Christ our Lord.

 Amen.

© The ARCHIVE               03102022

DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

SATURDAY OF THE 26th WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR (II)

Mystery of the day:  Joyful

Celebration: St Theresa of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church or Our Lady, Queen of Nigeria

(1873-1897). Born in France. While very young, she entered the monastery of the Carmelites of Lisieux. She was outstanding for her humility, simplicity, and confidence in God. She offered her life for the salvation of souls and for the Church.

Table of the Word:   Job 42:1-3.5-6.12-17;  Luke 10:17-24

Theme: The possibilities of our God.

"I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:1)

Most often man finds himself at the cross road of life, with multiple choices. He is left with nothing to hold on, as many questions beg for answer in his mind. The famous question "Quo vadis?" - (where are you going?). 

Amidst this challenge engulfing us, let is take our minds back to Job's situation which the first reading throughout this week recounted. At the beginning, we saw Job causing the day he was born, opted for stillbirth (cf.  Job 3:1-3.11-17.20-23) 

I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you

Reflection for the day:Peace, be with you!

Let us pray.

 Amen.

© The ARCHIVE               01102022

DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

SATURDAY OF THE 25th WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR (II)

Mystery of the day: Joyful 

Table of the Word:  Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8;   Luke 9:43-45

Theme: Be conscious of the end of the beginning.

“Remember your creator in the days of your youth before the dust returns to the earth and the spirit returns to God.” (Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8)

Reflection for the day:

Every now and then, the Holy Mother Church keeps on reminding us of that "day of days," when neither know the hour not the second is known. To some who trust in their chariots and horses life is endless, for they see eternity in their wealth. Many pray for this day not to come soon, even at old age. 

Amidst this conviction what will be, will certainly be for God has the final say.

In the light of this, that the author of the book of Ecclesiastes - Qoheleth in his continuous definition of human existence avers:

“Remember your creator in the days of your youth before the dust returns to the earth and the spirit returns to God.” (Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8).

The first chapter of this same book gave us the synopsis of the emptiness of human existence that outside God every struggle is vanity of vanities.

"Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?" (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3).

For with God, we find fulfilment, solace and serenity. He is over every other creature in creation as He remains eternal Creator.

Therefore, now that we are vibrant and youthful, what seed are we planting? What is the expectation of our produce? Where do we bank our trust and hope? These and many are thought provoking questions without ready-made answers for we need self-introspection. It is only when we discern on this that we will be able to know where we are heading to. 

However, let us keep in mind that life is procession and never a recession but as a procession, "Where am I heading to?" should be the question. 

Finally,  I left us this morning with this fundamental question "Where am I going to from here?" Peace, be with you!

Let us pray

Merciful Lord, Yours is the earth and its fullness, accept we pray the homage of our lips. And grant us the grace to be ever conscious of our last days, where we will be judged according to our thoughts, words and actions. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

 Amen.

© The ARCHIVE               24092022

DIVINE WHISPER with FR. PIUSRALPH EFFIONG, SMMM

THURSDAY OF THE 25th WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR (II)

Mystery of the day: Luminous 

Celebration:  St Maurice & Companions, Martyrs (Optional Memorial)

Maurice was an officer of the Theban Legion of Emperor Maximian Herculius' army, which was composed of Christians from Upper Egypt. He and his fellow legionnaires refused to sacrifice to the gods as ordered by the Emperor to insure victory over rebelling Bagaudae. When they refused to obey repeated orders to do so and withdrew from the army encamped at Octodurum (Martigny) near Lake Geneva to Agaunum (St Maurice-en-Valais), Maximian had the entire Legion of over six thousand men put to death.

Table of the Word:  Ecclesiastes 1:2-11; John 14:6

"Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?" (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3)

Theme: The emptiness of life. 

Reflection for the day:

When the author of the book of Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) in the beginning part of the book of Ecclesiastes gives the résume of the reality of human existence outside God. For him, God is over everything, as every other creature in creation is dependent on God. Which outside God is vanity of vanities.

In the light of this, he avers:

"Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?" (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3).

It is therefore a truism that the toil of man day and night to make ends meet is void. Void in the sense that, outside salvation of soul our struggles are for nothing. 

In today's gospel acclaimation Christ reassured us in these words:

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father, but by me." (John 14:6).

Therefore, if we put our trust in Him then, our day-to-day toil will never be in vain but a seed sowing for eternal harvest which we all long for.

Finally, let us be ever conscious of our shortcomings and then be focused in our daily living. Peace, be with you!

Let us pray

Almighty and ever living God, we thank You for the wonders of our being. Grant we pray the grace to be faithful in our day-to-day toil with hope and trust in You. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

© The ARCHIVE               22092022