May 5, 2024
Sunday Nomba Six for Easter, Year B
Listen for English
“I no dey call una slaves again, because slave no know wetin im master dey do. I don call una friends, because I don tell una everything wey I hear from My Father. No be una choose Me, na Me choose una and appoint una make una go bear fruit wey go remain, so that anything wey una ask di Father for My name, E fit give una. Na dis command I dey give una: make una love one another.” John 15:15–17
Just before di passage wey we quote above, Jesus talk say, “Una be My friends if una do wetin I command una.” Na so we dey measure true friendship? Say we go do wetin our friend command us to do? Di answer depend on which friend we dey talk about.
We dey use plenty images to describe God. We dey call Am Father, Saviour, Master, Lord, King, Redeemer, Spirit and Friend. As God be our divine Friend, e important make we understand well di kind friendship wey dis one be. Friendship with Jesus no be di kind wey just make us “padi.” Friendship with our Lord no be di same as friendship between two people wey dey equal. Na God E be. And because na God E be, our friendship with Am get special qualities wey other friendships no get. Even with all dis, no friend fit great pass di Lord Himself.
Among human beings, different things dey form di foundation of our friendships. E fit be say two people like di same things, and dem dey enjoy to do those things together. E fit be say two people don spend plenty happy time together since dem be children. Or e fit be say two people don face some difficulty together, and wetin dem pass through don join dem close to each other. But according to Saint Thomas Aquinas, friendship for im purest form get only one foundation: charity wey both people get for each other.
Charity na di kind love wey no get any selfish interest at all. Na way to relate with another person where di only thing wey person dey seek na wetin go good for di other person. E no dey based on wetin go benefit only yourself. No be matter of “wetin I go gain from am?” For 1 Corinthians 13:4–8, St. Paul describe di love of charity like dis: “Love dey patient, love dey kind. E no dey jealous, e no dey show off, e no dey puff up with pride, e no dey rude, e no dey seek only im own interest, e no dey vex quick, e no dey keep wetin person do am for mind, e no dey rejoice over wrongdoing, but e dey rejoice with di truth. E dey bear all things, believe all things, put hope for all things, endure all things. Love no dey ever fail.” Dis no just tell us wetin charity mean; na also di only foundation for true friendship.
When you think about all these qualities of charity, you go see say God dey relate with us for each of these ways. Na because of dis God dey offer us di purest friendship wey fit dey. Whether we too show these qualities to God or we no show dem go determine how deep di bond of friendship wey we build with Am go be. But e still get more. When we love God, we must love Am for way wey right and wey match Who God be. For example, if we show charity to God, na only wetin God want we go seek to fulfil, and we go rejoice for di Truth of Who E be. So, di charity wey we offer God dey take di form of worship. Na God E be, and E deserve worship, adoration, make we surrender ourselves to Am, trust Am and obey Am completely. When na God we dey love, Who di Person wey we love truly be require all these responses from us.
One beautiful thing wey dey bring comfort, wey we need to recognise about dis kind charity wey we dey give God, na say e dey also build true friendship with God. When we offer God our worship, we dey ready to receive di very life of God in return. And as we give ourselves and receive di life of God, dis dey build one bond of holy friendship wey go transform us, unite us with Am and bring us to complete perfection. Friendship with God dey make us one with Am and open us to receive everything wey E dey share with us—wey be His very Self.
Today, reflect on di invitation wey Jesus don give you to enter true friendship with Am. Dis mean say God go become di centre of your life. E mean say you go seek to give yourself to Am without selfish interest and without holding anything back, because E deserve all your love. E mean say you choose to worship and obey Am perfectly. Di reward for dis kind love na say you fit enter one bond wey holy well-well, pure well-well and dey fulfil you so much that e go make you complete, and help you become di person wey God mean make you be.
My God and my true Friend, You dey offer me everything for life. You dey offer me Your perfect love, wey You give fully without holding anything back. I pray make I love You back with love wey deep reach like that, and offer You everything wey You deserve. I offer You my love, worship and obedience, dear Lord. Make this love wey we get for each other join us together forever. Jesus, na You I trust.
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Pictures wey we feature above: Jesus dey teach Na Jaroslav, through Adobe Advertisement
