I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel

03-17-2024Weekly Reflection Fr. Manasseh Iorchir, VC

In last weekend’s reflection on the First Readings in the Holy Season of Lent “Year B,” we noted how God’s numerous initiatives to establish and sustain a covenant relationship with man led to the Noahic Covenant, the Abrahamic Covenant, and the Mosaic Covenant with the emerging nation Israel. The people, led by their princes and priests, deviated from the terms of this Covenant necessitating a response from God who is just and merciful. When it was obvious that the Old Covenant had failed as a result of Israel’s notorious unfaithfulness, God decided to establish a New Covenant, this time not only with the nation of Israel but the whole of humanity.

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Whoever Believes In Him Will Not Be Condemned

03-10-2024Weekly ReflectionFr. Manasseh Iorchir, VC

The First Readings of the Sundays of the Season of Lent for “Year B” are arranged in such a way that they follow a certain order in the history of salvation. The First Reading of the First Sunday of Lent introduces us to the covenant God made with Noah after the flood. On the Second Sunday of Lent, we are reminded of the Covenant between God and Abraham, our father in faith. This is followed by the Sinai experience on the Third Sunday of Lent where God made a Covenant with the people of Israel who were now in the process of becoming a nation. This weekend, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, the First Reading dwells on how Israel deviated from the terms of the Covenant thereby incurring the wrath of God. God responded by allowing them to be exiled, and the Lord showed them mercy by using a pagan King to restore them to their land and faith. We shall read about the promise of the New Covenant from the prophet Jeremiah next Sunday, and on Passion Sunday, we shall begin the celebration of the consummation of this New Covenant through the salvific work of the suffering servant.

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Zeal For Your House Will Consume Me

03-03-2024Weekly ReflectionFr. Manasseh Iorchir, VC

In every relationship that involves two or more persons, there are usually rules that define the basis of such a relationship, guide its progress and sometimes state what is prohibited for the continuous existence of such a relationship. The rules could be written, oral or simply left to the understanding of the parties involved. From the call of Abraham, God indicated that He intended to have a relationship with his descendants. When they crossed the Red Sea, Israel crossed not only from slavery to freedom, but also from a loose collection of tribes to a developing nation.

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This Is My Beloved Son, Listen to Him

02-25-2024Weekly ReflectionFr. Manasseh Iorchir, VC

The fall of man in the Garden of Eden was caused by the disobedience of Adam and Eve, when they could not sacrifice their inordinate desire to “be like God” and they ate the forbidden fruit in spite of the warning they had received from God. From that moment, man acquired the tendency to sin and so the “obedience test” became one of the necessary huddles every individual had to fulfill in order to establish and sustain a viable right relationship with God. Obedience requires sacrificing your own desires and opinions in order to be aligned with God’s supreme will. This explains why Abraham, who had answered God’s invitation to have a personal relationship with Him, was also required to pass the obedience test by sacrificing what was most precious to him in order to solidify his relationship with God.

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Repent and Believe in the Gospel

02-18-2024Weekly ReflectionFr. Manasseh Iorchir, VC

Welcome to the Season of Lent! The Season of Lent is a season of grace when through the tripartite holy practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we strive to climb and arrive at the glorious mountain of Easter, the season of renewal. The Lenten Season, which runs between Ash Wednesday until the Mass of the Lord’s Supper exclusive on Holy Thursday, has a double character, namely to prepare both Catechumens and the faithful to celebrate the Paschal Mystery. The Catechumens, both with the Rite of Election and Scrutinies, and by catechesists, are prepared for the celebration of the sacraments of Christian initiation; the faithful, ever more aentive to the Word of God and prayer, prepare themselves by Penance for the renewal of their Baptismal promises.

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Go, Show Yourself To The Priest

02-11-2024Weekly ReflectionFr. Manasseh Iorchir, VC

In ancient Israel, leprosy was a disease that was considered a punishment for committing sin and a person who was unfortunate to contract it was marginalized and their communion with both God and man was unfortunately disrupted. The First Reading provides a background to understanding the encounter between Jesus and the leper who, after receiving healing from Jesus, decided to disobey Jesus’ instruction to him to “see that you tell no one anything….” by spreading the news of his miraculous cure everywhere, thus impeding the Lord’s movement.

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Let Us Go To The Nearby Villages, That I May Preach There Too

02-04-2024Weekly ReflectionFr. Manasseh Iorchir, VC

After losing everything including his family and treasure, and feeling dejected with his entire body covered in sores inflicted on him by the Devil and allowed by God, Job reflected on the purpose of life, with particular attention to toil, wealth and suffering. His initial conclusion was that life is transient and labor is futile. Job was pessimistic in his evaluation of his current predicament. However, in the final lines of his reflection, Job prayed to God to remember that his life has been like the wind. This is indicative of a hidden hope of restoration which Job secretly looks forward to experiencing. Suffering comes to all of us one way or the other. For unbelievers, this is enough reason to resort to pessimism and fatalism, but for the Christian, when besieged by suffering of any form, the right attitude is to radiate joyful hope in a faithful God who will certainly alleviate our suffering.

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