HUMILITY:

No matter how important you portray yourself to be for the people around you or outside your environment, there is always someone/group who will try at times successively/in-futility to deflate that egocentric nature (“…who say here, there is no one else but us” Sirach36:9) whether you publicly accept it or not [‘you will come to know the truth and the truth will set you free’ Jn.8:32]; the lesson therein is that when deflated/insulted/humiliated one should see it as a message on the nothingness of man (dust you are and dust you shall return)being humble in spirit {“He must grow greater, I must grow less” Jn.3:30} as well as a call for a closer desire to improve on ones dependency on God who alone exalts (‘commend what you do to God and what plan will be achieved’ Prov.16:3) hence take the lesson and leave the offence {“remember this, my dear brothers everyone should be quick to listen but slow to human anger; God’s saving justice is never served by human anger” James 1:19-20}.

HUMILITY:

No matter how important you portray yourself to be for the people around you or outside your environment, there is always someone/group who will try at times successively/in-futility to deflate that egocentric nature (“…who say here, there is no one else but us” Sirach36:9) whether you publicly accept it or not [‘you will come to know the truth and the truth will set you free’ Jn.8:32]; the lesson therein is that when deflated/insulted/humiliated one should see it as a message on the nothingness of man (dust you are and dust you shall return)being humble in spirit {“He must grow greater, I must grow less” Jn.3:30} as well as a call for a closer desire to improve on ones dependency on God who alone exalts (‘commend what you do to God and what plan will be achieved’ Prov.16:3) hence take the lesson and leave the offence {“remember this, my dear brothers everyone should be quick to listen but slow to human anger; God’s saving justice is never served by human anger” James 1:19-20}.

THE COURT OF GOD:

Low and behold one member of God’s court. God’s court and council, the angels. These include satan, the accuser, who is responsible for testing human beings in their faithfulness to God. He is later identified with the spirit of evil thus “one day when the sons of God came to attend on the Lord, among them came satan. So the Lord said to satan, where have you been? Prowling about the earth, he answered, roaming around there” (Job1:6-7) hence as a human being in this earth are you prowling and roaming around fulfilling the detects of your flesh/concupiscence or the Holy Spirit/tender voice?

Whatever you do or intend doing remember, you will face the court of God and council as either a loyal servant to God having testified for him on earth with consistent righteousness {‘but anyone who stands firm to the end will be saved’ Mtt.24:13} thus “…come, you whom my Father has blessed, take as your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world” (Mtt.25:34)or a disobedient servant [‘Rebellion is a sin of sorcery, presumption a crime of idolatry’ 1Sam.15:23] who chose stubbornness in sin (“your stubborn refusal to repent is only storing up retribution for yourself on that Day of retribution when God’s just verdicts will be made known” Rom.2:5) thus ‘…go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’ {Mtt.25:41}.

Do you think there will be comfort for you and I in a place prepared for the devil and his angels while we are human beings made in the image and likeness of God?

WHY PRAY FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED IN PURGATORY:

“all then blessed the ways of the Lord, the upright judge who brings hidden things to light and gave themselves to prayer begging that the sin committed might be completely forgiven. Next, the valiant Judas urged the soldiers to keep themselves free from all sin, having seen with their own eyes the effects of the sin of those who had fallen; after this he took a collection from them individually amounting to nearly two thousand drachmas and sent it to Jerusalem to have a sacrifice for sin offered, an action altogether fine and noble, prompted by his belief in the resurrection. For had he not expected the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead, whereas if he had in view the splendid recompense reserved for those who make a pious end, the though was holy and devout. Hence, he had this expiatory sacrifice offered for the dead, so that they might be released from their sin” (2Macc.12:41-45)

‘…Though he himself will be saved; he will be saved as someone might expect to be saved from a fire’ (1Cor.3:15)

Eternal life grant unto them Oh, Lord

Let perpetual light shine upon them.

May they rest in peace. Amen.

Our Father…

Hail Mary…

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit…

May they rest in peace. Amen.

MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE GOOD AT READING AND CITING THE SCRIPTURES:

After sharing the word of God with anybody use these passages to cross your ‘T’ and doth your “I”. These passages can also be used to help a preacher ponder on his/her own life after sharing with you anywhere, any day and any time you encounter them.

“You pore over the scriptures, believing that in them you can find eternal life; it is these scriptures that testify to me” {Jn.5:39}

‘Besides, I know you too well: you have no love of God in you’ [Jn.5:42]

ERRONOUS SIDE OF PURGATORY

Yes there is purgatory, somewhere in this one Kingdom of God (‘…though he himself will be saved; he will be saved as someone might expect to be saved from a fire’ 1 Cor.3:15) because there is a sin unto death (mortal sin) with its reward as a place of eternal punishment/torture [Hell-fire] and there is a sin not unto death {venial sin} with its reward as a place of temporary punishment/torture [Purgatory] hence Christ retorted ‘the servant who knows what his master wants, but has got nothing ready and done nothing in accord with those wishes, will be given a great many strokes of the lash. The one who did not know but has acted in such a way that he deserves a beating will be given fewer strokes. When someone is given a great deal, a great deal will be demanded of that person; when someone is entrusted with a great deal of that person even more will be expected’ (Lk.12:47-48) and his beloved apostle St. John re-affirms this statement thus “if anyone sees his brother commit a sin that is not a deadly sin, he has only to pray and God will give life to this brother – provided that it is not a deadly sin. There is sin that leads to death and I am not saying you must pray about that. Every kind of wickedness is sin, but not all sin leads to death” {1Jn.5:16-17}

The words of St. John the apostle is a clear indication that one should not make purgatory a target as well as a directive to flee from any form of sin/unrighteousness [“Sirach 21:2] just as many people excuse grave and heinous sins they commit with these clauses ‘God is merciful’, “after committing this sin, we shall go to confession”, ‘after all there is purgatory for the weak’, “Grace is made manifest in weakness, later I shall repent”. If you are in this category of creature remember purgatory and hell-fire has the same punishment/torture just the time-frame (Lk.12:47-48) or the hope of seeing God some time for the purgatorians while those in hell-fire will live with life worms/maggots and anguish eternally {“and on their way out they will see the corpses of those who rebelled against me; for their worm will never die nor their fire be put out and they will be held in horror by all humanity” Isaiah 66:24} also ‘if it is hard for the upright to be saved, what will happen to the wicked and to sinners’ (1Pet.4:18), “…you were a God of forgiveness to them, but punished them for their sins” {Ps.99:8}, ‘if, after we have been given knowledge of the truth, we should deliberately commit any sins, then there is no longer any sacrifice for them. There is left only the dreadful prospect of judgment and of the fiery wrath that is to devour your enemies’ [Heb.10:26-27] and “there is no favoritism with God” (Rom.2:11)

As you commit sin with the hope of going to purgatory, remember you are presuming the mercy of God which is a grave sin against the Holy Spirit and is rarely forgiven as well as bearing in mind that currently some people are in the pit of hell-fire who gave the same reason we are giving today for wallowing in sin while presuming purgatory/extinguishing the fire of hell with their populace(number)/outsmarting God [‘don’t delude yourself: God is not to be fooled; whatever someone sows, that is what he will reap’ Gal.6:7] now wishing they had the second-chance you and I are wasting that they may reprimand us {“so he said, Father, I beg you then to send Lazarus to my father’s house since I have five brothers. To give them warning so that they do not come to this place of torment too” Lk.16:27-28} while looking for excuses to insult the spirit of grace inside us {‘this is how an adulteress behaves: she eats, then wipes her mouth and says, I have done nothing wrong’ Prov.30:20, “and you may be sure that anyone who tramples on the Son of God and who treats the blood of the covenant which sanctified him as if it were not holy and who insults the Spirit of grace, will be condemned to a far severer punishment” Heb.10:30} and the time [‘so stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming’ Mtt.24:42] as well as the place (“and there will be no one to say, look it is here! Look, it is there! For look, the kingdom of God is among you” Lk.17:21) rapture will take place.

If there is anything you can do to save your soul and that of others from hell like consistency in prayers, decency in dressing, evangelism, fasting and prayers, daily attendance of Holy Mass, Weekly attendance of confession/whenever your conscience is not at peace, mortification of the senses, worthy reception of holy communion, making honest and sincere effort to obey the ten commandments, being selective of relationships/videos/pictures/books/discussions e.t.c one reads or is involved in, midnight prayers, reading the Bible, listening to preachers with the aim of drawing closer to the call of consistent righteousness with God e.t.c do it now because next second might be too late {‘his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth’ Mtt.24:50-51} and leave the discernment for which is venial sin that deserves purgatory and mortal sin that deserves hell-fire for the Supreme judge [“…you have come to God himself, the supreme Judge…” Heb.12:23] bearing in mind that our ways and thoughts are different from His (‘for my thoughts are not your thoughts and your ways are not my ways declares the Lord’ Isaiah 55:8) as well as that all unrighteousness is wickedness [1Jn.5:17] and must be accompanied with a punishment whether committed knowingly or unknowingly {“be sure of it, the wicked will not go unpunished, but the race of the upright will come to no harm” Prov.11:21} then ‘we have been given possession of an unshakeable kingdom. Let us therefore be grateful and use our gratitude to worship God in the way that pleases him, in reverence and fear. For our God is a consuming fire’ (Heb.12:28-29) and some people who misused their time/talent/Grace/wealth/Opportunity/span on earth are currently blazing in hell-fire while wishing for a second chance which will never be given to them {“so he cried out, Father Abraham, pity me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his anger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames…but that is not all: between us and you a great gulf has been fixed,  to prevent those who want to cross from our side to yours or from your side to ours” LK.16:24-26}.

“…Look anxiously to the ordering of your lives while your stay on earth lasts” (1Pet.1:17), ‘think of our Lord’s patience as your opportunity to be saved…’ {2 Pet.3:15}

REFLECTIONS

“They are happy whose life is blameless, who follow God’s law! They are happy who do his will, seeking him with all their hearts, who never do anything evil but walk in his ways” (Ps.119:1-3)

‘will the evil-doers not understand? They eat up my people as though they were eating bread, they never pray to the Lord. See how they tremble with fear without cause for fear, for God is with the just. You may mock the poor man’s hope, but his refuge is the Lord’ {Ps.14:4-6}

“Blessed shall he be that puts his trust in the Lord, makes the Lord his refuge. Not more favored is a tree planted by the water’s edge, that pushes out its roots to catch the moisture and defies the summer heat; its green leaves careless of the drought, its fruit unfailing” [Jer.17:7-8]

‘Happy the man who discovers wisdom, the man who gains discernment: gaining her is more rewarding than silver, more profitable than gold. She is beyond the price of pearls nothing you could covet is her equal’ (Prov.3:13-15)

“Happy indeed the man whom God corrects! Then do not refuse this lesson from the Lord. For he who wounds is he who soothes the sore, and the hand that hurts is the hand that heals” {Job 5:17-18}

‘I have been made the servant of that gospel by a gift of grace from God who gave it to me by the workings of his power. I, who am less than the least of all God’s holy people, have been entrusted with this special grace of proclaiming to the gentiles the unfathomable treasure of Christ and of throwing light on the inner workings of the mystery kept hidden through all the ages in God, the Creator of everything. The purpose of this was, that now, through the Church, the principalities and ruling forces should learn how many-sided God’s wisdom is according to the plan which he had formed from all eternity in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him we are bold enough to approach God in complete confidence, through our faith in him’ [Eph.3:7-12]

EXCERPTS FROM PSALM 119

“I observe your precepts, your judgments, for all my ways are before you” {Ps.119:168}

Why do we have to observe all the precepts of God and the judgments he gives out to different people for varying actions?

Bearing in mind that one day, all our passions, thoughts, actions, intentions, silence, speech, endeavors e.t.c will bring about an eternal condemnation or justification on our immortal soul {Mtt.25:31-46}.

“Great peace for those who love your law; no stumbling-blocks for them” [Ps.119:165]

The peace that the Most High God gives is not the peace from worldly tribulations but the inner joy of the heart when a man steers clear from sinful inclinations, desires, passions, actions and thoughts as well as the strong conviction of the soul that if death comes at the instance, it will be welcomed as a transitory path to eternal glory thus “…Father, into your hands I commit my spirit…” (Lk.23:46) prepared for those who consistently followed the path of righteousness till the end {‘but anyone who stands firm to the end will be saved’ Mtt.24:13} hence keep your light burning though surrounded by deceitful environment (‘let your behavior be free of murmuring and complaining so that you remain faultless and pure, unspoilt children of God surrounded by a deceitful and underhand brood, shining out among them like bright stars in the world’ Phil.2:14-15), never give up on righteousness {“My brothers, never slacken in doing what is right” 2 Thess.3:13} since it would tantamount to giving up the crown of your victory (‘I am coming soon: hold firmly to what you already have and let no one take your victor’s crown’ Rev.3:11) worn over by the blood of the Lamb {“they have triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb…” Rev.12:11].

THE CALVARY OF OUR LIVES:

Is your present job/hobby/career/time-table/schedule/event/activity/vocation e.t.c for each day that with which you can draw/muster courage to say “consumatum est” {it is finished; Jn.19:30} to God should death meet you at that point or ‘as for me, my life is already being poured away as a libation and the time has come for me to depart. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come for me now is the crown of uprightness which the Lord, the upright judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his appearing’ [2 Tim.4:6-8] since our Lord’s sixth word on the cross at the Calvary confirmed the fear most men are unwilling to admit {‘since human beings die only once, after which comes judgment’ Heb.9:27} that we can die any second of the day whether rich/poor/married/single/barren/potent/righteous/unrighteous e.t.c [‘your pride has been flung down to Sheol with the music of your lyres; under you a mattress of maggots, over you a blanket of worms’ Isaiah 14:11]which will be followed by a detailed account of how we utilized or misused the Grace, Talent, Span, Intelligence, Honor, Immortality, Power e.t.c poured on us at creation (“the Lord God shaped man from the soil of the ground and blew the breath of life into his nostrils and man became a living being” Gen.2:7) and baptism {‘I shall no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know the master’s business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. You did not choose me, no I chose you; and commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name’ Jn.15:15-16} as Christ did [“I have glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do” Jn.17:4] which gave him the boldness to commend His Soul (‘…Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. With these words he breathed his last’ Lk.23:46) as his last word on the cross to the One who alone could save him and He was heard for His righteousness {“During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and entreaty, with loud cries and with tears, to the one who had the power to save him from death and winning a hearing by his reverence, he learnt obedience, Son though he was, through his sufferings; when he had been perfected, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation and was acclaimed by God with the title of high priest of the order of Melchizedek” Heb.5:7-10}

BEFORE EACH DAY RUNS OUT TRY TO CROSS ANY OR SOME OF THESE HURDLE:
Abstinence from Food and Drinks supplemented with mental prayers and selfless encounter with other human being; Esther did with Mordecai and few Jew which saved them from the devious plan of Haman thus “whereupon Esther sent this reply to Mordecai, Go and assemble all the Jews now in Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink day or night for three days. For my part, I and my waiting-women shall keep the same fast, after which I shall go to the king in spite of the law and if I perish, I perish. Mordecai went away and carried out Esther’s instructions…He looked up afire with majesty and blazing with anger, saw her. The queen sank to the floor…but God changed the king’s heart, inducing a milder spirit. He sprang from his throne in alarm and took her in his arms until she recovered comforting her with soothing words. What is the matter, Esther? He said. I am your brother. Take heart, you are not going to die; our order applies only to ordinary people. Come to me” {Esther 4:15-5:1}
Give alms to the poor and let your love for others exude from your inner-heart for it washes away multitude of sin (‘above all preserve an intense love for each other, since love covers many a sin’ 1 Pet.4:8) when performed with good intention [“almsgiving is a most effective offering for all those who do it in the presence of the Most High” Tobit 4:11]
Let your actions, dressing, speech, intentions, silence, diligence, commitment e.t.c relay the message of righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit {Rom.14:17-19} to your soul and others bearing in mind the imminence of death, judgment, hell and Heaven (Col.3:16-17)
Why you should start practicing these and many more other virtues consistently and continuously:

“You love uprightness and detest evil. This is why God, your God has anointed you with oil of gladness as none of your rivals” {Ps.45:7}
‘Be sure of it, the wicked will not go unpunished, but the race of the upright will come to no harm’ [Prov.11:21]
“Uprightness makes a nation great by sin whole race are disgraced” (Prov.14:34)
‘It is hard for the upright to be saved, what will happen to the wicked and to sinners? {1 Pet.4:18}
“Uprightness will be the belt around his waist and constancy the belt about his hips” (Isaiah 11:5)
‘He never commanded anyone to be godless, he has given no one permission to sin’ {Sirach 15:20}
“But anyone who stands firm to the end will be saved” [Mtt.24:13]
‘love virtue, you who are judges on earth, let honesty prompt your thinking about the Lord, seek him in simplicity of heart; since he is to be found by those who do not put him to the test he shows himself to those who do not distrust him’ (Wisd.1:1-2)

PRAYER:
Lord, in answer to our prayer give us patience in suffering hardships after the example of your Only-begotten Son, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

OUR LIFE OF SACRIFICE

“Yes, I will go further: because of the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, I count everything else as loss. For him I have accepted the loss of all other things and look on them all as filth if only I can gain Christ and be given a place in him, with the uprightness I have gained not from the Law, but through faith in Christ, an uprightness from God based on faith, that I may come to know him and the power of his resurrection and partake of his sufferings by being molded to the pattern of his death, striving towards the goal of resurrection from the dead” {Phil.3:8-11}.

This is one of the scriptural passage that seems quite difficult to many believers to accept including myself in our bid to overcome a particular predominant fault/sin in our lives but it is the word of God which remains forever (1 Pet.1:25) and keeping his word brings about genuine living, good-health and longevity [‘My child, pay attention to what I am telling you, listen carefully to my words; do not let them out of your sight, keep them deep in your heart. For they are life to those who find them and health to all humanity. More than all else, keep watch over your heart, since here are the wellsprings of life’ Prov.4:20-23] as image of God {Gen.1:27} who share in his complete blessings (“God saw all he had made and indeed it was very good…” Gen.1:31) and witnesses to His Word [Jn.18:37] therefore we do not need to run about for an escape route from one fellowship to another as many do in the search for truth (“…many will roam about, this way and that and wickedness will continue to increase” Dan.12:4)

 rather we should remain firm with the sound but hard doctrine (‘and he must have a firm grasp of the unchanging message of the tradition, so that he can be counted on both for giving encouragement in sound doctrine and for refuting those who argue against it’ Titus 1:9) of truth which is the only thing that will set us free at the judgment {Jn.8:32}, pray and open our whole being {soul, will-power and body} to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, who will reveal and bring its meaning to our own level of understanding/perception thus “so this is the way in which all of us who are mature should be thinking and if you are still thinking differently in any way, then God has yet to make this matter clear to you” (Phil.3:15).

Do not brood over your inability to be at the same terrain with your neighbor whether in our quest for closer contact with God or social status rather let your hearts burn with the desire to believe in your unique {‘I too was once a child with a farmer, in my mother’s eyes a tender child, unique’ Prov.4:3} nature since every human being is peculiar and has a particular divine plan to accomplish which no other can perform {‘children you are from God and have overcome them, because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world’ 1 Jn.4:4} and accept the responsibilities therein [“honor God with what goods you have and with the first-fruit of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with corn, your vats overflowing with new wine” Prov.3:9-10] with the sufficient Grace God has apportioned to you (‘…My Grace is enough for you: for power is at full stretch in weakness…’ 2 Cor.12:9)