September 25, 2021
Saturday of the Twenty-Fifth Week for Ordinary Time
Readings for Today
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“Pay attention to wetin I dey tell una. Dem go hand the Son of Man over to people.” But dem no understand this talk; dem hide the meaning from dem so that dem no go understand am, and dem dey fear to ask am about this talk. Luke 9:44–45
Na the second time be this wey Jesus tell His Apostles ahead of time about the suffering wey He go pass through. After He tell dem say dem go hand Am over, the Gospel talk say “dem no understand this talk.” E still talk say “dem dey fear to ask am about this talk.” Why dem no understand, and why dem dey fear to ask Jesus about the suffering wey He go pass through?
The Apostles hold our Lord close well-well, both for their spiritual life and for the love wey dem feel for their heart. And this one good. But sometimes, wetin our heart dey feel fit block our thinking and make am hard for us to understand the deeper spiritual realities for life. Even though wetin our heart dey feel na natural thing, na wetin God want suppose always direct am. For example, if we try understand wetin Jesus dey feel for His heart, we go conclude say, both for His spirit and for the love wey He feel for His heart, He desire to lay down His life to save souls, according to wetin the Father want. No be only with His will He choose this thing; He still desire am for His heart, because everything wey His heart dey feel dey perfect order.
But the Apostles no fit understand say Jesus must lay down His life, say people must reject Am, and say He must suffer and die. One reason be say dem hold Jesus close well-well for their feelings and for the love wey dem get for Am. So, for this matter, their human love and the way dem hold Jesus close stop dem from understanding the greater spiritual good wey go come as Jesus lay down His life.
Think about our Blessed Mother too. How she for react when Jesus talk say dem must hand Am over, reject Am, and say He must suffer and die? Even though this one for cause her holy sorrow, the perfection of her human nature for lead her no be only to understand and accept this deep spiritual truth, but she for still desire for her heart make e happen, because she desire perfectly make wetin the Father want come to pass. No conflict for dey inside her between wetin the Father want and wetin she desire.
For our own lives, we go often struggle the same way wey the Apostles struggle. When we face one difficult cross for life, cross wey the Father dey call us to accept freely, we go often find say our heart dey resist am. When this one happen, we dey confused and we even dey fear wetin go happen for future. So, the only way to overcome fear na to work to surrender every feeling, every love wey dey our heart, and everything wey we hold close as human beings to wetin the Father want, so that na only wetin He want we go desire with every power of our soul.
Today, reflect on the struggle wey dey inside these Apostles as dem face this matter for the second time wey Jesus begin prepare dem to accept, understand, choose and desire His suffering. Think about the struggle wey dem pass through inside themselves that time, and even as dem see these things dey happen. At last, dem understand. At last, all their fear disappear. And at last, their heart rejoice with love for Jesus’ sacrifice. But e take plenty time and plenty surrender. Reflect on the ways wey our Lord dey invite you to choose His Cross for your life. Where you see say your heart dey resist, try surrender, pray make you understand, and seek the courage wey you need to desire His Cross with all your soul.
My Lord wey dey reveal truth, You open Your divine heart to Your Apostles and invite dem to understand and choose Your suffering and death. And even though dem hesitate and struggle, You continue to invite dem to accept wetin the Father want. Give me the grace wey I need, dear Lord, to accept every spiritual truth before every other thing, and to allow that Truth free me from fear and fill me with the gift of understanding. Jesus, na You I trust.
Novena to St. Thérèse, di Small Flower
September 22-30
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Meditations on Scripture for Ordinary Time
