13th Sunday of the Year, June 28, 2020

 May God bestow on us, in this Sunday's Eucharistic celebration, the graces to be able to carry out the demands of His will and be generous to our needy brothers and sisters.

Happy Sunday!

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(2 Kings 4,8-11.14-16a; Rom 6,3-4.8-11; Matt 10,37-42;13th Sunday of the Year, June 28, 2020)

This Sunday's Gospel speaks to us of the Lord's demand and of his generosity. The Lord is very demanding, he asks everything for himself, but he is also very generous, he rewards abundantly. Jesus, meek and humble of heart, makes a very strong demand: Whoever loves father and mother more than me is not worthy of me; whoever loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. How come he shows himself as being so demanding? Jesus does it out of love, because he wants to give himself to us and, in order to do so, he must find us free/not occupied, disposed, and available for him. Jesus is not our friend like others: he is the Son of God, and has the right to be loved by us with all our hearts, all our strengths, and all our souls. We must love him in this way in order to truly welcome/accept him. Those who regard him just as a friend among other friends do not really welcome him. That is why he has to express the great need to be loved above all other people. Jesus wants to be loved as we love God, and together with God. Jesus also wants everyone to take up his/her cross and follow him: Whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Carrying one’s cross is the condition for finding true life. Loving Jesus is very demanding, but it is an authentic love, which satisfies the heart of man. Then the Lord expresses a paradoxical phrase: Whoever finds his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Jesus wants us to lose our life for his sake.

The second reading clarifies Jesus’ sentence, because he speaks of the baptised as dying together with him in his passion. Paul says: When we were baptised in Christ Jesus, we were baptised in his death; in other words, when we were baptised we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, so that like Christ, by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life. Thus, by my baptism into Christ’s death, his death becomes mine. Christ’s story becomes my story. Christ’s strength becomes my strength. Christ’s risen life becomes my risen life. Paul says: By means of baptism we were buried with him in death. But this death is the source of a new life: ... because, as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too can walk in a new life; If we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him; Consider yourselves dead to sin, but living for God, in Christ Jesus. All these are connected with Jesus’ phrase in the Gospel: Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

This baptismal mystery must be present in our ordinary/daily life. We must continually die to sin, to live with Christ and in Christ for God. We must also accept to lose our lives completely, in the case of martyrdom. But even if we do not arrive at this extreme situation, we must lose our life in the sense of entirely giving up our selfishness. We must not seek our happiness, rather we must try to please Jesus, to do his will, which is the will of love, completely opposite to selfishness. Whoever has lost his life by renouncing his selfishness will find true life in the love of Jesus and in love with Jesus. Then Jesus expresses divine generosity, speaking of welcoming/accepting others. He says to the apostles: Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. If we welcome the people sent by Jesus, we welcome not only Jesus, but God himself. The gospel narrative advances in a progression as Jesus goes on saying: Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet, will have the reward of the prophet, and whoever welcomes a just man as a just man, will have the reward of the just man. And whoever has given even one glass of fresh water to one of these little ones, because he is my disciple, in truth I say to you: he will not lose his reward.

The first reading illustrates the first of Jesus’ sentences: Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet, will have the prophet's reward. There is a rich woman from Shunem, who recognised Elisha as a man of God. Then she wants to welcome him: she prepares a small room for him, with a bed, small table, chair and lamp, so that he can retire to it and reflect, read the Sacred Scriptures and prepare his prophetic messages. It is a generous initiative on the part of this woman. But God never lets any one outdo him in generousity. Elisha feels inspired by God to reward this woman. He asks what can be done for her, and his servant Giezi suggests a particularly precious gift for her: Unfortunately she hasn’t children and her husband is an old man. It means that this woman has no more hope of having children, and that her life is empty. Elisha then sends for the woman and has the inspiration to say to her: Next year, in this same season, you will keep in arm a son. 'This promise fills this woman's heart with great joy; her deepest wish is fulfilled. Thus divine generosity manifests itself in a superabundant way.

In the Gospel, Jesus says that whoever gives only one glass of fresh water to one of his lowest ranking disciples will not lose his reward. Jesus’ generosity is divine, and takes into account, even the smallest service rendered to his disciples to foster their apostolate, to promote the kingdom of God. We can, therefore, admire Jesus’ generosity and have great trust in him. This generosity helps us to be generous in our turn. Jesus also teaches us gratitude, grateful love, because he manifests his gratitude superabundantly. The heavy demands and generosity of Jesus, should be the rhythm of our Christian life. Jesus demands from us, because he loves us and does not want our lives to remain empty and sterile, but to be fruitful. On the other hand, he manifests his gratitude, and thus invites us to trust and also show gratitude to others. When someone does us a service, we, if we truly want to be Jesus’ disciples, must generously reward him. In this way, we make the kingdom of love progress; charity spread widely and transforms the face of the earth. +John I. Okoye

(GRAPHICS BY CHUKWUBIKE)

12th Sunday of the Year, June 21, 2020

May we, in this Sunday's Eucharistic celebration, experience the ever presence of God in our lives who bestows on us the graces to remain steadfast in our faith, hope and charity during the daily challenges of our Christian lives.

Happy Sunday! 

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Jeremiah 20,10-13; Rom 5,12-15; Matt 10,26-33: 12th Sunday of the Year, June 21, 2020)

 This Sunday, the liturgy presents us with a Gospel that has helped the martyrs all through the centuries to face martyrdom with great courage, fearlessness and faithfulness. Jesus says to his disciples: Do not fear men [... J. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but have no power to kill the soul. Martyrdom kills the body, but makes the soul live. But, sin kills the soul. The Gospel of today is anticipated by a passage from Jeremiah, which expresses the Prophet’s fearlessness. The Prophet is the object of a conspiracy: Terror is at hand! But shows himself full of courage, because he is with the Lord, and the Lord is with him: The Lord is at my side as a brave valiant. Jeremiah knows that his persecutors cannot prevail, for men cannot prevail over God: My persecutors will fall and cannot prevail; they will be very confused, because they will not succeed; their shame will be eternal and indelible. The Prophet expects to be preserved from death, and will actually be so. The martyrs have the courage to even suffer death with a winning spirit: they knew that the death of the body is an opportunity for divine victory. 

The death of Jesus was the occasion of the greatest divine victory in all history, because, lovingly facing his death, he won and reversed its meaning: instead of being an event of rupture and defeat, death, thanks to the power of love, has become an opportunity to establish  the new covenant. In the Eucharist we celebrate the foundation of this new covenant in the death of Jesus. In fact, at the Last Supper he said: This is my blood of the covenant, paid for many, in remission of sins (Matt 26,28 ff .). The death of Jesus is, therefore, a victory over death, which then manifests itself, completely, in his resurrection. Christ risen from the dead no longer dies; death has no more power over him (Rom 6,9). The martyrs face death with the awareness of participating in Jesus’ passion, in order to also participate in his resurrection. Jesus says to the Christians: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but do not have power to kill the soul; rather, fear the one who has the power to destroy both the soul and body in Gehenna (hell). Jesus makes us overcome a fear by means of a greater fear: he makes us overcome the fear of men, of persecutors that can kill the body, with the fear of God, who has the power to make the soul and the body perish in the Gehenna (hell). The fear of God helped a lot of martyrs. St. Justin, when he was tried and the judge threatened him with torments, said that he did not fear torments, but only God. It is the fear of God, the profound awareness of his majesty and holiness that gives strength to martyrs. Perhaps today, we do not have enough of this fear of God, that is, the sense of his power and holiness. There is, therefore, the need to rediscover it, because it is a great force against all temptations. The fear of God is the awareness that he is the greatest and most holy, that does not accept any infidelity and cowardice on our part. When persecution threatens a man, the temptation of cowardice is, usually, too much; spontaneously, everyone is tempted to flee, to avoid persecution, and the simplest way out is apostasy. But this behaviour causes the soul to perish; it breaks our filial relationship with God and our fraternal relationship with Christ. Therefore, it cannot be accepted. Jesus says:Whoever denies me before men, I also will deny him before my Father who is in heaven. Also this statement gave the martyrs the strength to testify to their faith with courage, despite all the threats and sufferings they endured. The bond with Jesus is the most important thing, and must be defended with great courage. Jesus says: Whoever recognises me before men, I too will recognise him before my Father who is in heaven. The martyrs had the hope of being recognised by Jesus before the Heavenly Father; that is why they did not succumb to temptation, infidelity and cowardice. On the other hand, Jesus wants to instil confidence in the hearts of the martyrs by making them keep in mind that they are not alone. Just as Jeremiah was persuaded that he had the Lord at his side as a brave valiant, so martyrs know that the Heavenly Father cares for them. Jesus affirms: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father wanting it. As for you, even hairs in your head are all counted; therefore do not be afraid: you are worth more than many sparrows! We must not be afraid, because trusting the Father frees us from all human fears. Thus, if fear of God is very useful to us, trust in him is even more useful. Martyrs counted on God's help to be victorious in their struggle; victorious, because despite the torments, sufferings and death itself, they did not succumb. With the help of God, they knew how to make their death a victory of faithfulness. In fact, the Father does not abandon, without help, those who witness to faith in him and in his Son Jesus Christ. The awareness that we are important in the eyes of God and that he cares for us gives us strength and great joy.

               In the first reading, Jeremiah entrusts his cause to the Lord and speaks of revenge on the persecutors: Lord of armies, who test the just and scrutinise the heart and mind, may I see your revenge on them; because to you I have entrusted my cause! Christian martyrs, on the other hand, do not speak of revenge, because they follow the example of Jesus, who, instead of invoking revenge on those who crucified him, invoked forgiveness; he said: Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23,34). This is also the attitude of Christian martyrs. The first of them, Stephen, imitated Jesus and, instead of invoking revenge on those who stoned him, said: Lord, do not impute this sin on them! (Acts 7,60). The martyrs suffered death without giving vent to any feeling of hatred, rather, they exhibited/manifested feelings of charity, wishing the conversion of the persecutors. Jesus said: Pray for those who maltreat you (Luke 6,28), and the martyrs follow his invitation, praying for their persecutors. Martyrdom is a testimony of faith, hope and love. It is a testimony of faith, because the martyr refuses to apostatise and rather proclaims his faith in Christ the Saviour. It is a testimony of hope, because the martyr is confident of being rewarded by God with eternal happiness. And it is a testimony of love, because the martyr offers his life for the good of others, the Church, and also his persecutors. The message of today's liturgy is a message that deeply concerns us, frees us from the temptations to deny our faith and gives us the courage to witness to it, remaining faithful to the love of God. This is manifested in the death of Christ, which was precisely a victory of love. May the Eucharistic celebration of this Sunday, therefore, offer us the opportunity of encountering Christ from whom we hope to obtain the graces to be steadfast in our faith, hope and charity during the challenges of martyrdom we meet daily in our lives! +John I. Okoye

(GRAPHICS  BY CHUKWUBIKE)

Solemnity of Corpus Christi, June 14,2020

May the participation in this Sunday's Eucharistic celebration offer us not only the opportunity of a life of communion with the Blessed Trinity, but also the graces to be docile to the will of God in our lives.

Happy Sunday!

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Deut 8,2-3.14b-16a; 1 Cor 10, 16-17; John 6,51-58: Solemnity of Corpus Christi, June 14,2020)

On this Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. The readings of the Mass do not tell us about the institution of the Eucharist, but speaks about the Eucharist in other ways. The first reading speaks of manna, which is a prefiguration of the Eucharist. In the second reading, Paul speaks to us of communion with the Body and Blood of Christ. The Gospel presents the last part of Jesus' discourse on the bread of life.

In the second reading, Paul reminds the Corinthians that the Eucharist gives us communion with the Body and Blood of Christ: Is the cup of blessing that we bless, not, perhaps, communion with the blood of Christ? And the bread that we break, is it not a communion with the body of Christ? The answer to these questions is obviously in the affirmative: the consecrated chalice contains the Blood of Christ; the consecrated bread gives us communion with the Body of Christ. It is a profound mystery, a mystery of love, a real mystery of communion. Communion means intimate, profound union. Jesus wanted to offer us communion with himself, the Word of God incarnate; that is why he offered us communion with his Body and his Blood. This communion is not only the union of each of us with Jesus, but also the union with one another. The Eucharist is the source of love, not only for God, but also of fraternal charity. Paul says: Since there is only one bread, although we are many, we are one body: in fact we all participate in the one bread. In this participation in one bread, the profound union of all believers is realised. Let us welcome this extraordinary gift from the Lord. It was an unimaginable thing that everyone could communicate in the Body and Blood of Christ, but Jesus realised this miracle, a miracle of infinite love.

The first reading speaks to us of manna, that is, of the food given by God to his people while they were crossing the desert and not finding the nourishment necessary to survive there. [God] fed you with manna (says Moses to the people) that you did not know about before and which even your fathers had never known. Manna is an extraordinary element that arouses people's surprise. The very name manna means an unknown thing, because in Hebrew it is a question: What is this?=man hu. This is the food prepared by God for his people, who needed it so much to cross the desert. Deuteronomy shows us that manna had a symbolic meaning. It was not only a gift from God, but it was also a revelation: he wanted to make people understand that man does not live only on bread, he lives on what comes from the mouth of the Lord. The manna came from God; in a sense, it came from the mouth of the Lord. But what comes, most authentically, from the mouth of the Lord is his word, law and commands, all of which are an expression of his love and which put man on the path of love. Jesus took up this phrase from Deuteronomy to answer the tempter in the desert, who suggested that he turn the stones into bread: Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matt 4, 4). That is to say, the most important thing for living well is docility to the word of God, welcoming the Word, which illuminates us, shows us the way forward and also gives us the strength to follow it. So, in the time of the Exodus, God worried about giving his people food, and at the same time gave them a very important teaching. The Eucharist is the real manna. In the discourse after the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus says to the crowd: It was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it was my Father who gave you the true bread from heaven; for the bread of God is that which descends from heaven and gives the life of the world (John 6, 32-33). After giving material food to people who were unprovided for in a deserted place, Jesus explains the profound meaning of this miracle: he had to announce a greater miracle, a greater divine gift, that is, the gift of the Eucharist, which is more essential for life. Jesus declares: I am the living bread which came down from heaven. The Jews neither understand nor accept this revelation, and say: How can he give us his flesh to eat? They do not understand that Jesus announces here a mysterious gift: he does not speak of his concrete flesh to eat, but wants to announce a sacrament, which is truly his Body and his Blood and which communicates life to us. Jesus does not, immediately explain that he intends to speak of a sacrament, but insists on the need to eat his flesh and drink his blood: In truth, in truth I tell you: if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and do not drink His blood, you will not have life in you. It is about a vital necessity. Jesus underlines it, repeating it several times. You will not have life in you. Jesus does not speak of physical life (and it is possible to live even without receiving the Eucharist) but of the true life, of the life of the soul and spiritual life, which unites man to God forever. Jesus, immediately, specifies it: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. Here, it is not a question of physical life, which necessarily has an end, but of the eternal life, which begins on earth and continues, after death, in heaven. It is the life of union with God in love. The condition for having this life is eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus in the Eucharist; having this mysterious contact with the incarnate Word of God. Jesus knows that we are not pure spirits, but human persons, people who live and express themselves through the body, and, therefore, he wanted to give us intimate contact with himself through communion with his Body and his Blood. Then he reiterates: My flesh is real food, my blood is real drink. This is not on a physical level, but on a spiritual level, that is, on a very important and profound level. Jesus explains that this sacrament perfectly unites with him. This can be described as mutual interiority: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I in him. This is an amazing formula. We are led to think that whoever eats the Eucharist receives Jesus in himself; instead Jesus says first: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me. We dwell in Jesus and Jesus in us. These are the two dimensions of the Eucharist. Through this means we are introduced into the Body of Christ, we dwell in him, we become cells of his Body. And, on the other hand, he lives in us, as Paul says: It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me (Gal 2,20). This is the wonder of the Eucharist, which brings about a perfect union in love: we receive Jesus in ourselves and, at the same time, we are inserted in him. Somehow what happens in our relationship with the atmosphere happens: we are in the atmosphere and, at the same time, we breathe it, that is, we inspire the air inside us. As the Father, who has life, sent me and I live for the Father, so also the one who eats me will live for me. The relationship we have with Jesus is a participation in his relationship with the Father. Jesus lives for the Father, that is, he receives his life from the Father and directs his whole life to the glory of the Father. The expression: I live for the Father has a twofold meaning: through the Father and for the glory of the Father. Similarly, the Eucharist makes us live for Jesus in both directions: he comes to us to communicate his life of union with the Father and, on the other hand, teaches us to direct our life for the glory of the Father, that is, for the manifestation of his love. The Eucharist is a wonderful treasure. We must meditate and contemplate this extraordinary gift: a gift from the whole being of Jesus, who puts himself at our service not only by washing the feet of the apostles, but also by giving himself to us as food and drink. It was not possible for him to become our servant in a more complete way than this. The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life, because it is the greatest manifestation of Jesus' love for us. And this manifestation reaches each and every one of us. It is not a generic gesture, valid for all men, but an action in which Jesus manages to have a very personal contact with each of us. All these put us in joy, thanksgiving and give impetus to all our lives. Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, have mercy on us! Happy Solemnity of Corpus Christi! +John I. Okoye
(graphics  by charles )

Solemnity of the Most Blessed Trinity: 7th June 2020

 May our profession of faith in the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity obtain for us, through this Sunday's Eucharistic celebration, forgiveness of our sins, thereby making us worthy to share in God's love and to manifest same in our interaction with our neighbours.

Happy Sunday! 

DOCTRINE AND FAITH


(Exodus 34,4b-6.8-9; 2 Cor 13,11-13; John 3, 16-18: Solemnity of the Most Blessed Trinity: 7th June 2020)

Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When one thinks of the Trinity, for the most part, only the aspect of the mystery comes to mind: there are three and they are one, one God in three Persons. Instead, today's liturgy draws our attention to the aspect of love that is expressed by the mystery of the Trinity. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one, because God is love: The Father gives everything to the Son; the Son receives everything from the Father with gratitude; and the Holy Spirit is like the fruit of this mutual love of the Father and the Son. The texts of this Mass speak a lot on the theme of love. They do not speak so much of the three Persons - there is only one sentence in the second reading which mentions the three Persons: the Lord Jesus Christ, God and the Holy Spirit, and the mention is in reference to love.

Today we celebrate the feast of the God of love. This feast can give us great joy, because it offers us a very positive perspective. God is not conceived as a solitary single monolith, but as the union of three persons in love. These persons are also full of love for all creatures and, in particular, for us men.

The first reading, taken from the book of Exodus, expresses a surprise, because the revelation of the love of God comes after a very serious sin on the part of the people. The covenant has just ended, and the people already become unfaithful to God. Since Moses has gone away and did not return, the people asked Aaron to make for them a visible god who can be honoured with idolatrous ceremonies. Aaron consented to the people’s request. Descending from Sinai, Moses realised this very serious sin and broke the tables of the covenant (boards on which the conditions of the covenant with God are written) and which, therefore, represent the covenant. But despite this very serious sin of the people, God, through the intercession of Moses, decided to forgive them. He invited Moses back to Mount Sinai with two other stone tablets similar to the previous ones, to receive his law again, this fundamental gift that allows man to have a privileged relationship with him. Moses then asked God to reveal himself, to show him his face. And God revealed his being as full of mercy and love: The Lord stepped before Moses proclaiming: The Lord, the Lord, merciful and compassionate God, slow to anger and rich in grace and faithfulness. This definition of God manifests his merciful love: a love that conquers sin, covers and eliminates it. There can be no clearer revelation. We have a God who renounced destroying sinners but, instead, wants to manifest his love in an even more profound and surprising way on the occasion of sins.

The gospel completes this revelation, because it shows how God revealed his mercy. John affirms: God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die, but have eternal life. The world is bad, men are sinners, God could come to judge this world and, therefore, destroy evil and chastise sinners. Instead he loves the world, despite its sin, and sends into the world what he holds most precious: his only-begotten Son. Not only does he send him, but he gave him to the world: God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son. We know what this giving entails: God gave his only-begotten Son to erase the sins of men with his sacrifice, to save sinners by his death. God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world would be saved through him. The gift of God is his Son, born for us, lived for us; the Son who dedicated himself with such generosity to heal the sick, forgive sinners, welcome everyone and teach the divine truth to illuminate all our existence. Responding to the love that comes from the Father, the Son gave his life for us. He himself says: The Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life in ransom for many (Matt 20,28 ff). God-love was manifested in this way. 

Whoever believes in him is freed from sin, and so does not go to meet the second death, but obtains eternal life, the life of communion with him. Eternal life, in fact, is precisely being partakers of divine love in heaven. Man was created by God to be loved by him and so that man also in turn will love him. We must allow ourselves to be penetrated by this profound doctrine which is manifested, above all with the cross of Jesus. It is on the cross that God gives his Son in the most possible generous way. It is on the cross that Jesus loves us and delivers himself for us. It is on the cross that he obtains participation in the eternal life, which is communicated to us by the Holy Spirit given to us. Thus the three divine persons are present in the mystery of the cross: the Father, who gave his only begotten Son with such generosity; the Son, who perfectly fulfilled the Father's plan; the Holy Spirit, fruit of the cross of Jesus, who comes to transform our existence and make us partakers of divine life, that is, of divine love. The Evangelist continues: Whoever believes in him is not condemned; but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he did not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Sinners who believe in Jesus obtain the forgiveness of their sins and the strength not to commit serious sins anymore. But, those who do not believe refuse the salvation offered and thus condemn themselves. It is not God who lacks love, but is the sinner who insists on not accepting this love, and thus condemns himself. He neither believes in the only begotten Son of God nor in the love shown on the cross nor in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In the second reading Paul addressed these exhortations: Be glad, strive for perfection, take courage from each other, have the same feelings, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. In the expression, the God of love and peace, again we have a revelation of God as love, and merciful love, who proposes reconciliation and, through it, peace. Paul said: It was God who reconciled the world in Christ to himself (2 Cor5,19). And the first words of the risen Jesus were not words of condemnation for the sinners who made him die cruelly, but, Peace be with you! (John 20,19.21.26). Christ's love is revealed with the gift of peace. And Christians live in peace, in brotherly love, which manifests itself, as Paul said, with the holy kiss: Greet one another with the holy kiss. The Christian community must be a community full of love. In every Eucharist (outside the COVID-19 pandemic time) we are invited to exchange a sign of peace: a handshake, which expresses affection and union. Paul concluded his letter to the Corinthians with a threefold wish of thanks, in which he names the three persons of the Trinity: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. 

This final greeting of the letter is one of the usual formulas for the initial greeting of the Mass. The liturgy specifies: The love of God the Father, to indicate even more clearly that it is a Trinitarian formula. The three terms that are associated with the three divine people are terms that express love. The love of God the Father, for the Father this term is very clear. God the Father is the source of love, and he passes his love through the Son to communicate the Holy Spirit to us. In the term, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, Grace here means generous love. Offering something like grace means offering it for free. The expression, the communion of the Holy Spirit, indicates communion in love. The Holy Spirit unites us in divine love. And we are full of joy, because we receive from him this current of love, which enables us to overcome all difficulties and progress constantly in union with Jesus and in the love that comes from the Father. The solemnity of the Holy Trinity is the feast of God-love, which should fill our hearts with joy and, what is more, open them to a life that is truly docile to the love that comes from him. The Christian vocation is precisely welcoming divine love which is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Love comes from the Father, it is communicated to us by Jesus in his sacrifice which the Holy Mass renders present and has as its goal communion in the Holy Spirit. Let us then gratefully welcome this revelation, and try to realise it more and more each day: in the life of prayer, family life and work life. May Glory be to the God of Love! Glory be to the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, now and ever shall be, world without end. Happy Solemnity of the Most Blessed Trinity! +John I. Okoye

(GRAPHICS  BY Chukwubike)