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Among the most loved saints of The Holy Roman Catholic Church, St. Pio of Pietrelcina is popular. His popularity did not begin when he was canonized but rather during his life time: the convent of San Giovanni Rotondo where he lived and died continues to be flooded with lots of visitors and devotees. Indeed, he is a reflection of the power of God's gratuitous graces.
25th Tuesday in ordinary time
“ My mother and brethren are those who hear the word of God and do it”
A preacher once said that “SIN” simply means “Simple Instruction(s) Neglected”.
Adam was instructed not to eat of a particular tree, He did eat of it and incurred the wrath of God. More so, all those who neglected God’s instructions ( according to Bible narratives) especially those instructions that He "particularly spelt out" incur His wrath. And those who kept His words despite the possible challenges that came with it (like the Blessed Virgin Mary) were blessed. To know the right thing is one thing, to do the right thing is another. Hence, knowledge is power when it is exercised. A dormant knowledge that is neither shared and not implemented is as useless as grain seeds abandoned in a store for moth and beetle to eat away at them. They are neither planted to regenerate nor processed to serve human needs.
THE FACADE IN RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP.
Man, as the popular saying goes, is an arena of infinite possibilities. Man, in order to find answers to the infinite number of questions that divides his attention, seeks to enter into various relationships with the world, springing from social, economic, political, environmental and of course the climax of this interrelatedness, the religious. John Mbiti, in his seminal work: African Religions and Philosophy, highlighted that deep within the human heart is the conception of a divine. No one needs to be taught that.
24th Friday in ordinary time. (Luke 8:1-3)
“These were the women who provided for them out of their means”
“Can a celibate have friends of the opposite sex?”
A certain priest became notorious for driving down to the brothel in the afternoon and spending some time there on a weekly basis. The parish Council couldn’t bear it anymore so they approached him, because he not only scandalised parishioners, but also gave their Christian brethren from other churches a reason to ridicule them. For crying out loud, what business does the priest have in a brothel? Well the truth was the priest encountered this lady (a prostitute) in the confessional and though she was sorry for her way of life, she was reluctant to let go, nor would she come anywhere around the church unless for confessions once in a while. Thus, the priest took it upon himself to help her turn a new leave, so he visited her on a weekly basis.
What comes to your mind when you see a celibate with a friend of the opposite sex, if the prostitute lady, eventually starts coming to church, and she’s sighted with the priest standing and discussing after mass, or worse, the priest decides to drive her home, what will the many who don’t know the whole story think?
HEGEL AND HUMAN RECONCILIATION
The struggle to live together as human from diverse walks of life and origins, has never ceased to occupy the keen interest of men and beasts alike. The pages of scripture redound with attempts to put a seeming glue into the various divides of human species, to see how people, only because they breathe in and breathe out same components of air can live together without being at each other’s throats always. But very interestingly, beyond scriptures, thinkers of all eras have taken to heart the salience of such endeavour. So that both theists and atheists alike, at least converge on this point. And the rational conclusion that both worlds (religion and philosophy), have arrived at is that, the battle for reconciliation must begin from the self; the individual human heart. The war must be fought within.
Benedict XVI, born Joseph Ratzinger, was a man of deep faith and unwavering conviction. He was a man who dedicated his life to the Catholic ...
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