September 15, 2024
Sunday Nọmba 24 for Ordinary Time (Yia B)
Reading dem for Today
Listen for English
E call the crowd together with His disciples and tell dem, “Anybody wey wan follow Me must deny imself, carry im cross, and follow Me. Because anybody wey wan save im life go lose am, but anybody wey lose im life because of Me and the gospel go save am.” Mark 8:34–35
For the way we dey live every day, how we go follow Jesus and save our soul dem? E don do make we just declare say we believe in Jesus? If we come conclude say Jesus na God and the Saviour of the World, that one go mean say we don receive salvation? No, e no be so at all. Even the demon dem believe this truth. Jesus make am clear well-well say we must take action for us to receive salvation. We must deny ourselves, carry our cross dem, and follow Am. Apart from that, the road to salvation require make we lose ourselves because of Christ and the Gospel. Wetin exactly this one mean for the way we dey live every day?
To answer this question, make we first look the way plenty people dey live. We dey tend to want wetin easy pass for life, wetin sweet pass, wetin great pass, and wetin dey comfort us pass. Plenty times, we dey look for things wey go make us feel good and the road wey get the least wahala. For example, if you fit choose to fast with only bread and water or enjoy plenty food wey sweet well-well, which one you go choose? If you fit choose between holiday for one special and luxurious place or one week of work wey hard well-well, which one you go choose? If you fit choose to drive one brand-new, expensive car or one old car wey don wear out, which one you go prefer? Most people go quickly choose the sweet food, the luxurious holiday and the fine new car.
For im well-known spiritual book, To Go Up Mount Carmel, Saint John of the Cross describe one road wey different well-well. E give some short spiritual teachings to use for prayer and meditation, to help clean your soul from every attachment wey no good, so that you go fit hold God and His holy will more fully. St. John talk say, “Always try to prefer, no be wetin easy pass, but wetin hard pass; No be wetin attract you pass, but wetin no pleasant at all; No be wetin give pleasure pass, but rather wetin give the least pleasure…” When we read all these short spiritual teachings, dem challenge us reach the deepest part of who we be. Dem quickly show people wey honest say plenty times, na wetin easy pass, wetin pleasant pass and wetin good pass for this world dem dey prefer. But wetin good pass for your soul wey go live forever?
Jesus teach say we must deny ourselves, carry our cross, and follow Am. This teaching na the map wey show the road to save your soul wey go live forever, and to find spiritual fulfilment wey pass anything wey this world or our flesh fit give us by far. But to understand this map and then follow am, plenty times we need to make wetin we fit call “U-turn for spiritual life.” This U-turn dey start when we choose the Cross for every part of who we be, and e dey complete when God remove all selfish desires from us and replace dem with desire for love wey dey make sacrifice.
If you carefully check wetin you dey think about throughout the day, you fit find out say you dey think about yourself plenty. “I like this one, I no wan do that one, this one dey vex me, and I dey try avoid that one…” Plenty times, our thoughts dey start with “I” and end with “me.” To deny yourself, carry your cross, and lose your life mean say you no dey think about yourself again. E mean say the eye dem of your soul don turn away from yourself and face only the will of God and love for other people. But this one no go ever possible until we dey free from the plenty selfish desires wey dey often direct most of wetin we dey do day after day.
Today, think deeply about wetin you dey desire throughout your day. Wetin dey occupy your mind pass? Wetin dey attract you pass? You dey spend most of your day dey think about how you fit serve God and His holy will better? Or you dey spend most of your day dey think about yourself? The eye dem of your soul dey mostly turn towards how to serve other people without selfishness? Or dem dey more often think about wetin you want for selfish way? Think deeply about these hard questions and try to root out everything wey selfish inside you. If you do so, you go fit make U-turn for spiritual life, so that you go fit carry the glorious Cross of Christ wey dey transform person.
My Lord wey give Yourself as sacrifice, You bin live life without selfishness, and the only things wey matter to You na the glory of the Father for Heaven and the salvation of the world. Abeg, free me from every kind of selfishness, so that I go fit deny myself more for every way, run towards every cross for life, and follow You enter the beautiful life of love wey no dey seek im own good and wey dey make sacrifice. Jesus, na You I trust.
Novena to Our Lady of Sorrows
As tradition be, dem dey pray am September 7–15
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Meditations on Scripture for Ordinary Time
Saint of Today – Our Lady of Sorrows
Dem no dey celebrate am as liturgical memorial this year because e fall on Sunday
Prayers for di Election and di Nation
Novena for nine weeks from September 3 – November 4
