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TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME  "Take care into whose hands you entrust yourself,  As society advances and modernity takes over, we are baffled with the challenging situation of secularism, materialism, individualism and independency. Due to these consequences, the concept of discipleship has been either twisted or seen as an archaic endeavor. So, the idea of “Master-Servant” (discipleship) is unfortunately misconstrued as subservient or submissiveness: and wrongly tagged as human rights abuse. For this reason, Christians in our contemporary epoch have lost the connectivity between their identity as Christians and the call to discipleship. Most of them are not deeply rooted in their faith so at the slightest glitch in their life they abandon their faith entirely. Thus, our readings aim at reminding Christians to appreciate the value and the characteristics of true discipleship. Every Christian must understand that he or she is a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In Christian discipleship you develop self-control (deny yourself), perseverance (willingness to suffer), obedience/discernment (readiness to follow) and sacrifice (generosity in surrendering our lives to God). In our first reading the prophet Jeremiah (650 B.C.-580 B.C.) complained bitterly to God. He was regarded by his own people as a traitor because his prophecies were misconstrued as bringing woes to them. But his aim was to keep them faithful to Yahweh (God). He suffered for obedience to his conscience. As a Christian, sometimes you are like Jeremiah. Sometimes due to what you stand for friends and even family members may be mean towards you because you do not promote their interests. You also may feel disappointed in God for allowing certain things to happen to you in your fidelity to Him. Yes! as human as you are, it is a natural sentiment, but this should not deter/discourage you from focusing on your mission and vision. A true disciple never gives up! God has not given up on you yet. Draw strength from the Psalmist, “O God, you are my God whom I seek…you are my help… My soul clings fast to you: Your right hand upholds me.” - Psalm 63:3-4, 8-9 The Apostle Paul in our second reading admonishes us to offer ourselves as sacrifice to God. He encourages us to discern well and aim at doing the will of God. By this he means that our attitudes and way of life must differ from the contemporary culture of indifference toward religion, secularism, materialism and amoral behaviors. However, our non-conformity to the prevailing and trending culture will cost us suffering and hardships. It is part of true discipleship. Finally, Jesus Christ, in our gospel reading, rebuked Peter for trying to prevent Him from dying. So, He explained the Messianic Mission and the Responsive Discipleship to His apostles. As human as we are, there are many times we have failed to fathom the Divine plan and the concept of true discipleship. We have taken actions, choices and decisions that we realized later on were not the will of God. Therefore, as Christians we must accept that we are disciples. We must be ready to deny ourselves (sacrifice/discernment), take up our cross (obedience/fidelity) and follow our Master - Jesus Christ (conformity/commitment). We warmly welcome our Assumption Catholic School teachers, students and staff back to school in person. We love you! STAND FIRM… BE FOCUSED… FAITH OVER FEAR… Stay Healthy… PRAY... Keep the Faith…Enjoy the Sun/Heat…See you in Church… Just be a DISCIPLE… Fr. Emmanuel  Comments are closed.
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Fr. EmmanuelFr. Emmanuel hails from Ghana and is passionate about the Gospel and bringing the love of Christ to all people. He speaks several languages, enjoys soccer and cooking, and loves St. Francis of Assisi. Archives
April 2021
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