Glory of God Prayer Group, St. Cecilia Parish, Wa Diocese, Ghana - Let Your Light Shine

I gave in

I gave in, and admitted that God was God. C. S. Lewis

Authority of woman

Once made equal to man, woman becomes his superior. Socrates

He will not save us without our consent

He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent. Saint Augustine

True wisdom

True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us. Socrates

Beauty is the bait

Beauty is the bait which with delight allures man to enlarge his kind. Socrates

Even the rich are hungry for love

Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted, for having someone to call their own. Mother Teresa

The real problem

The real problem is not why some pious, humble, believing people suffer, but why some do not. C. S. Lewis

He that is evil is a slave

He that is kind is free, though he is a slave; he that is evil is a slave, though he be a king. Saint Augustine

campaigning weather for the devil

The long, dull, monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity or middle-aged adversity are excellent campaigning weather for the devil. C. S. Lewis

Courage

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. C. S. Lewis

In season at all times

Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand. Mother Teresa

False words

False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil. Socrates

Pray and work

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. Saint Augustine

Two kinds of people

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right, then, have it your way.' C. S. Lewis

Men should wonder at themselves

Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering. Saint Augustine

He that is jealous is not in love

He that is jealous is not in love. Saint Augustine

What does love look like?

What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like. Saint Augustine

Humility

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. C. S. Lewis

We do it to God

There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in - that we do it to God, to Christ, and that's why we try to do it as beautifully as possible. Mother Teresa

The cause makes the martyr

It is not the punishment but the cause that makes the martyr. Saint Augustine

2nd Sunday of Lent Yr B, Feb 25, 2024

Readings
1st: Genesis 22:2,9a,10-13, 15-18
2nd: Rommans 8:31b-34
Gospel: Mark 9:2-10

Theme: Wake Up To The Glory Of The Lord

My dear people of God, today is 2nd Sunday of Lent. Our reflections would focus on the gospel. Life is a constant tension between our aspirations somewhere in the stars and our reality somewhere in the mud. Every year the first two Sundays of Lent usually present that whole range of human existence. A week today, Jesus was tempted in the desert, an experience that all of us have to go through, young or old, rich or poor. In other words, temptations have no respect for who, what and where you are. Temptations come anytime, anywhere, anyhow. Often you are still grappling with one and a worse one arrives. Today's gospel, on the other hand, holds out Jesus' starry transformation in glory. We have already looked at one great moment when he asks the disciples who they believe him to be (Lk 9:18-21) Suffice to say he had just moved from the valley of tears to the Mount of glory. He had labored tirelessly for three years then. It is only proper to know if anyone had come to any knowledge of his true identity. The unmediated response of Peter who, like many of us, always talk before thinking, opens a foreseen gate to another step in Jesus' life - a resolute turn towards Jerusalem and to the Cross. Typical of him, Jesus did nothing without first seeking the approval of the Father. This is precisely the scene today's gospel presents to us. Biblically titled "The Transfiguration", this prayerful encounter with the Father is related by all the three synoptic gospels - Matthew, Mark & Luke. What really happened on the Mount of Transfigiration we can never fully know but we do know that something tremendous did happen - that Jesus had gone there to confide and confirm with the Father the decisive step he was about to take (to Jerusalem). That He (Jesus) took with him Peter, John and James was not an act of favouritism (even if he has severally done so) but for a unique purpose - Peter because he was the appointed head of the future Church; John because he was the beloved disciple; James because he was to be the first apostle to shed his blood for the gospel. Yes, privileges go with responsibilities, and rightly so.

All the synoptic gospels agree that Moses (the embodiment of the Law) and Elijah (representative of all the prophets) suddenly appeared and engaged Jesus in an intimate conversation shortly after which a heavy cloud overshadowed them, followed by a voice from above, which not only disclose the divine sonship of Jesus but also gave an unambiguous instruction that the world should listen to him.There is a vivid sentence in the narrative about the three apostles who also represented the future Church. "....When they were fully awake, they saw his glory". It is from this sentence that our theme is formulated. In the entirety of life we often miss so much because our minds are sometimes asleep, in fact, in times we are supposed to be awake. There could be a number of factors that account to that attitude. The syndrome of prejudice: We may be so set in our own ideas that our minds are shut. A new idea knocks at the door but we are like sleepers who never awake. At our own time people come to Church already full with their own ideas to a sad extend that even God cannot add anything new to them. Others shut their minds (mentally fast asleep) as soon as they bump into a particular priest/pastor on the Altar as the main celebrant. There is also a mental lethargy. Many a Christian refuse the strenuous struggle of thought. They shy away from the mental burden of thinking things out and thinking them through. "An unexamined life does not worth living". (Plato). There is yet the love of ease. There is a kind of defence mechanism in us that makes us automatically shut the door against any disturbing thought. A man can drug himself mentally until his mind is sound asleep. The "talk before thinking Peter" was up again, as if he must necessarily say something. Inherent in his pseudo concern to erect three tents is the ungrateful and selfish desire to remain on the "Mount of glory" and forget about the remaining nine apostles still in the "valley of tears". This is typical of all of us. We easily forget our own immediate suffering past. We are often too quick to confuse grace with merits. The bare truth of life is that no one can truly be a candidate of any merit before God. Ingratitude is dangerous. We pray for grace to stay always awake so that we can clearly see the glory of God even in matters of minor importance. Remember to continue to Pray, Fast and Love/Share. Make time also to pray the Holy Rosary daily. May the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. God richly bless you and your family.

Rev. Fr. Thomas L. Debuo, Catholic Diocese of Damongo (0244511306/0243711926)

The art of quiet time: prayer

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Short memory

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The different world of blurred future of…

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I have decided

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The unchangeable changer

The Israelites left Egypt with jewelry and clothes they didn't buy. May our enemies look on as we advance in wealth and health miraculously because the unchangeable changer and the great I AM is our God and his name and power is our solace. Cosmas Nanyaa   Read more>>>

Marriage Software

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Make your every matter the Lord's

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My prayer for you

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The Father

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