September 26, 2021
Sọnde Nọmba 26 for Ordinary Time, Year B
Readings for Today
Listen for English
“Anybody wey cause one of these little ones wey believe in Me to sin, e go better for am if dem hang one big millstone for im neck and throw am inside sea. If your hand dey cause you to sin, cut am off. E better make you enter life with one hand than make you get two hands go enter Gehenna, inside di fire wey no fit quench.” Mark 9:42–43
Na so? Jesus really mean say make we do dis exactly as He talk am? We really suppose cut our hand off if e dey cause us to sin? He still talk say make we cut our leg off and pluck our eye out if e dey cause us to sin.
Some Church Fathers for di early days see dis Scripture as something wey concern our close friends. Di context of dis passage na say we no suppose make other people stumble and fall for sin. In fact, e go better make dem hang “one big millstone” for our neck and throw us inside sea than make we cause another person to sin.
Friends, especially close friends, na blessing most times. But dem fit still cause person to sin. If one good friend deliberately try to convince another friend to sin, dis na very serious matter, and na di main thing wey Jesus dey talk about. Wetin He dey talk na say, if we get close friends wey deliberately dey use bad mind tempt us to turn away from God, e better make we leave dat “friend” and cut di friendship. Di hand, leg or eye na symbol of those friends wey dey try hard to draw us enter sin. E better make these friendships end than make dem draw us follow dem enter Hell. And if na we be di “friend” wey dey draw others enter sin, e better make we end our friendship with those people wey we dey tempt.
One thing wey dis passage show na di strong natural bond wey friendship get. Friendship na good thing. And when you get close friend, e dey give you great comfort to know say your friend take you seriously well-well and go always dey there for you. But we must continue to use faith and truth take examine every friendship. Sometimes, friendships fit block our faith in God and strongly influence us for bad way. Of course, di opposite na true too.
Today, think deeply about your friendships. If you get friend wey close to you well-well for your life, think about how you dey influence dat person or how di person dey influence you. Make sure say Christ na di centre and say faith always dey lead for dis natural bond.
Lord, I thank You for all di friendships for my life. I thank You say You give me people wey care about me. Help me make I always be good friend and always use faith take examine my friendships. 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
Saint for Today – Saints Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs
We no dey celebrate dem as liturgical memorial dis year because di day fall for Sọnde
Di main picture above: Christ dey bless little children, by Henry Howe, through Wikimedia Commons
