April 16, 2020
Thursday for Easter Octave
Readings for Today
Listen for English
As joy still dey make dem find am hard to believe, and dem dey wonder, He ask dem, “Una get anything to chop here?” Dem give Am one piece of fish wey dem bake; He collect am and chop am for their front. Luke 24:41–43
“Dem dey find am hard to believe because of joy!” This one really describe how the disciples react to Jesus! To “find am hard to believe” mean say the disciples no sure wetin dem go believe. Dem dey hesitate to believe wetin dem dey see. Jesus, wey dem see as dem crucify Am, dey stand for their front with the wounds for His hands and feet. He dey talk to dem and ask for something to chop. Shock catch dem small, dem dey find am hard to believe, and dem no sure wetin dey happen.
But the description talk say dem dey find am hard to believe “because of joy!” E be like say dem dey wait for joy to burst out from their heart; dem want feel joy for wetin dem dey see, but something dey hold dem back. Everything seem too good. Na true? E fit be say Jesus really don conquer death and don come back to dey with dem again?
This way wey the disciples react show one experience wey all of us dey get sometimes when God invite us to enter His glory and grace. Plenty times, when God invite us to come closer to Am, when He invite us to experience the joy of how He rise from death, we dey hesitate. E fit hard us to really allow ourselves experience the reality of His Resurrection for our lives.
Plenty things fit cause this one. Discouragement na one reason why we dey hesitate to fully accept the Resurrection. The disciples really lose heart when Jesus die. And now wey He don rise, and dey stand there for their front, dem dey hesitate to let go of that discouragement wey dem don allow take hold of dem.
Na so too, we fit easily allow the wahala of this world, our sin, or other people sins weigh us down. We fit vex or feel troubled, and find ourselves dey turn the problems wey we dey face over and over for our mind. To find joy for the Resurrection mean say we turn our eyes away from those things and look well at the realities wey God want make we focus on. To lose heart because of the plenty problems wey come our way no dey help us. Instead, our Lord dey always call us to look beyond dem to something greater. He dey call us to look at His victory! To look at His victory dey set us free and bring strong faith wey pass wetin we fit imagine into our lives. And that faith for the Lord wey don rise from death go bring the wonderful joy wey God want make we get.
Today, think deeply about how you dey react to the truth say our Lord don rise from death. Take some time today to look steadily at the Lord wey don rise from death. Look at His victory. Look at His glory. Look at Am wey dey call you to deep faith. As you fix your eyes on Am, every other thing wey dey tempt you to lose heart go just begin fade away.
Lord, I really want look steadily at You. I want see Your splendour and glory. I want see You as You don rise from death, and find great joy and delight for this truth. Help me, dear Lord, to experience the joy wey pass wetin I fit imagine, wey dey come from knowing You, our Lord wey don rise from death. Jesus, na You I trust.
Day Seven: Novena to prepare for Divine Mercy Sunday
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