Monday 11th May 2020
Fifth week of Easter
Acts 14:5-18, John 14:21-26
Have there been times in your life when you feel that you should be appreciated or lauded by people when you have done something? For some people, they want to be worshipped by others after doing what they knew was done only by the help of God. Whatever we achieve on earth is not solely by our power, but with divine intervention. As Christians, we have a lot of supernatural powers within us which Christ has given to us when we received the Holy Spirit in Baptism and Confirmation. In the gospel reading of yesterday, Jesus tells us that we who believe in him will do the same works he did and even more. Nevertheless, we should not be quick to forget that it is God who does them through us, we are mere instruments for the work of God.
It is very shocking today to see many men of God and religious personnel, advertise miracles with their names as if they are the ones who work the miracles. I came across a sign post of a Church recently, in it was contained the pictures of the pastor and his wife, with inscriptions as to the services the church offers. It was almost like an advert poster as people were told to come for their miracles, healing, deliverance, liberation, breakthrough, prosperity and the likes. These things are present in the church, but it is God who gives them and at his own time. The Church is not a business centre where miracles are sold.
In the first reading of today, we see the promises of Jesus come to pass in Paul and Barnabas. In the course of their missionary activities in Lystra and Derbe, God used them to heal a man who had been crippled from birth. The people were so overwhelmed that they wanted to offer sacrifices to them as if they were gods. Their expression shows that they never took the glory of the miracles because they knew that it was not by their power, but the power of God in them. This is why Jesus tells us in Luke 17:10, that when we have done everything, we should say to ourselves that we are merely unworthy servants who God chose to use to do his work.
There is therefore no reason to be too proud of our achievements or expect people to worship us as if we are gods because of what we have done. Let us look beyond ourselves and see the power of God working in our lives. God help us. Amen.
Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie MSP
Fifth week of Easter
Acts 14:5-18, John 14:21-26
Have there been times in your life when you feel that you should be appreciated or lauded by people when you have done something? For some people, they want to be worshipped by others after doing what they knew was done only by the help of God. Whatever we achieve on earth is not solely by our power, but with divine intervention. As Christians, we have a lot of supernatural powers within us which Christ has given to us when we received the Holy Spirit in Baptism and Confirmation. In the gospel reading of yesterday, Jesus tells us that we who believe in him will do the same works he did and even more. Nevertheless, we should not be quick to forget that it is God who does them through us, we are mere instruments for the work of God.
It is very shocking today to see many men of God and religious personnel, advertise miracles with their names as if they are the ones who work the miracles. I came across a sign post of a Church recently, in it was contained the pictures of the pastor and his wife, with inscriptions as to the services the church offers. It was almost like an advert poster as people were told to come for their miracles, healing, deliverance, liberation, breakthrough, prosperity and the likes. These things are present in the church, but it is God who gives them and at his own time. The Church is not a business centre where miracles are sold.
In the first reading of today, we see the promises of Jesus come to pass in Paul and Barnabas. In the course of their missionary activities in Lystra and Derbe, God used them to heal a man who had been crippled from birth. The people were so overwhelmed that they wanted to offer sacrifices to them as if they were gods. Their expression shows that they never took the glory of the miracles because they knew that it was not by their power, but the power of God in them. This is why Jesus tells us in Luke 17:10, that when we have done everything, we should say to ourselves that we are merely unworthy servants who God chose to use to do his work.
There is therefore no reason to be too proud of our achievements or expect people to worship us as if we are gods because of what we have done. Let us look beyond ourselves and see the power of God working in our lives. God help us. Amen.
Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie MSP
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