This Sunday’s Gospel Message from the Priest
All Souls Day Gospel Message
John 6:37-40
In the day’s Gospel, the Commemoration All Soul’s Day, Jesus invites those who are weary and are heavily burdened. He was addressing those who are in sin. There is nothing that will cause more labor and weariness than sin. It makes us weak and almost helpless. Jesus offers the best rest which is forgiveness. Jesus summons the sinner to conversion.
It becomes harder when one dies with the sin. But God can still save us. God’s mercy can still be availed of. We believe in the existence of Purgatory. It is a state where souls who are still unworthy of heaven undergoes cleansing through suffering. The Communion of Saints, which we profess in the Creed, tells us that we, the living here on earth, the saints who are in heaven, and the poor souls who are in purgatory are connected and can help each other in prayer. That is why we offer masses for those who are in purgatory. We are encourage to do it. We thank those who never forget to pray for those souls.
This is an expression of our faith in God who is merciful. As Jesus promised to His Father,”This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.” True to His promise and obedience to His Father, He saved everyone, sinner or saint, when He died on the cross. All Creation are God’s. He loves each and everyone of us. His offering of His only begotten Son to die for us is a testimony to it. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Any mother or father knew the feelings involved in this sacrifice. But for God, we were worth it. Thus, it is no surprise and fully to God’s credit to provide us an opportunity to be united with Him even after death. Purgatory is no walk in the park. It will certainly give us divine justice for everything we have done here on earth. But it gives us hope. God’s mercy and compassion, hopefully will be enough for us to endure and accept our suffering for the sake of being worthy to enter the Kingdom.
Fr. Wifridus Ngalla, cicm
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel Message
Luke 17:11-19
In today’s gospel, Jesus reminds us of the importance of gratitude to God for favors we have received from Him. In this reading, what caught the admiration of Jesus about the Samaritan was that he “Turned back, praising God at the top of his voice, and threw himself at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.” When was the last time we expressed this kind of gratitude to God? Gratitude to God is an expression of our faith in His saving power.
Many of us hardly have time to show gratitude to God for what he has done for us. Sometimes, even using the gifts we have received freely to serve him is hard for us. This is because we rationalize too much. Unfortunately, some of us offer to God as if we are investing in a lottery. In order words, “God has to do something for me because I have given something to Him. Or, “I give to God because He gives to me!”
Showing gratitude to God is very important in our Christian journey with him. However, we should not see it as a burden. The truth is that there is no amount of money or material thing that would be enough to pay God for his goodness to us. So, the decision to show gratitude to God must flow from our hearts and a pure conscience.
In light of this, we must approach the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist every day. It is a sacrament of gratitude or thanksgiving to God. It is one whole sacrifice through which we, the Church, give thanks to God when we gather as one big and united family in his presence.
Fr. Wifridus Ngalla, cicm
27 th Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel Message
Luke 17:5-10
On this 27th Sunday of ordinary time, the holy mother church invites us to reflect on one of the
most important Christian and theological virtues – Faith. It is the foundation of our Christian life. Faith
gives us a new vision and version of life. Without faith, we see only the ugly and dark side of life.
Without faith, we remain helpless and slaves to despair and hopelessness. Faith liberates us and helps us
to see the power and love of God at work in our lives.
In today’s gospel, the Apostles of Christ reminds us of what we should be praying for each day.
That is, praying to Christ: “Lord increase our faith.” Their humility and acceptance of their lack equally
remind us of the importance of faith in our Christian life and journey. Each time I read this passage, I
remember this short story. A rusty shield once said to the sun, “dazzle me,” and the sun responded:
“Polish yourself, and I will dazzle you.” Our Lord Jesus Christ is always ready to increase our faith.
However, we must humbly ask for it. Second, we must make the necessary efforts through our actions.
Finally, we need faith to persevere in good works. We need it to remain steadfast during difficult
moments in life. We need more faith to trust in God’s will and judgment. So, we must humble ourselves
each day to say: “Lord, increase our faith.”
Fr. Wifridus Ngalla, cicm
26 th Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel Message
Luke 16:19-31
The Gospel is Jesus’ story about a rich man and a poor man to show how easy it is to have poor
people living right on our doorstep and yet we pay no attention to them. Today’s gospel is unique in the
sense that it touches a very important aspect of our Christian life and believe. That is, eschatology or the
theology of the end of time. It concerns and reassures us of the comfort of those who mourn now on earth
as Christ promised: “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted (Mt 5: 4). Excessive
comfort, and display of affluence here on earth which does not impart positively on the life of others
especially the poor, will not profit us much at the end of time. They will not guarantee our ticket into the
“bosom of Abraham.”
This story of Jesus comes only in Luke, another of those dreadful warnings of the danger of
wealth. There are three particularly horrible features of today’s parable: firstly, the flea-ridden dogs
licking Lazarus’ sores: there are no pets in Palestine; dogs are either bristling guard-dogs or mangy curs.
Secondly, the Rich Man’s continuing self-absorption and vaunting: even after death he still does not
recognize Lazarus’ existence and thinks only of his own burning tongue; contrasts Abraham’s gentleness:
it almost looks as though he would cross the chasm if he could. Thirdly, the obdurate and obstinate
brothers; they are just not willing to listen, even to the most startling event; nothing will distract them
from their own selfish pre-occupations.
So, my brothers and sisters, Jesus is trying to tell us that: “Your heaven is here, not when you die
going someplace. Your heaven is here.” And how are you going to achieve that heaven? “I am the life. I
am the truth. I am the way. As I love, you love. As I care, you care. As I suffer and sacrifice for other
people, for brothers and sisters, you do that, and your heaven has arrived.” There is so much indifference
and inaction with regards to critical issues of our time. There is so much resistance and opposition to the
call to change the status quo, even when the status quo is failing the poor and the powerless. Only those
who are focused and not distracted by the excessive comfort of this world will easily notice and attend to
the Christ in the “Lazarus” around them.
Fr. Wifridus Ngalla, cicm
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel Message
Luke 16:1-13
In the gospel, Jesus reminds us of the fact that money and material things do not last forever. Hence, he advises us on how to make use of them without losing our salvation. There is a saying that “The best way to invest is to invest in the poor.” We should therefore learn to invest in the poor to improve their conditions. Amassing wealth for ourselves without using them to help those in need only amounts to greed and selfishness.
Money and wealth have value only when used wisely to help those around us. Only fools hold tenaciously to money and wealth above God and to the detriment of the poor. Also, only the ungodly use their wealth to oppress the poor and the weak. This is because they are like “the fool who says there is no God” (Ps 14:1).
On the contrary, the wise use his wealth to help those in need and store wealth for himself in heaven. Therefore, it is important to know that we are only it’s managers when God blesses us with wealth. God gives us wealth to help and improve the lives of those in need. It is not meant only for our families and us. So, we must be charitable with it.
Fr. Wifridus Ngalla, cicm
Sunday of Exaltation of the Holy Cross Gospel Message
John 3:13-17
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we celebrate the special occasion of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, remembering the very important moment in the history of the Church in which the Holy Cross, the actual Cross on which Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, had hung upon and had been nailed to during the time of His ultimate sacrifice of love at Calvary two millennia ago.
The evangelist John recounts the encounter between Nicodemus and the Lord Jesus Christ at night. Night is a dark atmosphere, an experience of darkness in human life. In that encounter, a conversation took place that opened the eyes of Nicodemus and all of us who read the Gospel or hear the Gospel today about the true identity of Jesus Christ. Jesus was present and gave light that illuminated the darkness of human life. He said, “No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man” (John 3:13). Jesus uses the words “ascended to heaven” and “came down from heaven” to describe the moments of His ‘Crucifixion’ and “Burial.” The moment of the Crucifixion is very important because it is the moment of salvation for mankind. So, everyone who looks at the cross on which Christ hung will receive eternal life.
Why is it so important to look at Jesus “ascending to heaven”? Because this is the moment when humans feel God’s complete love. Jesus said: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God’s love for humanity is boundless. He gave us his only Son, Jesus Christ, and united us with him. He Himself said: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). The noble task of Jesus crucified is to draw all people to Himself. This means that we also die and rise with Him.
Fr. Wifridus Ngalla, cicm
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel Message
Matthew 6:24-34
In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us that we cannot serve two masters. When bound by material needs or worries about wealth, we tend to forget our spiritual priorities and our responsibility toward creation.
Today’s Gospel emphasizes the importance of trusting God, the Creator who sustains all things. When Jesus invites us to look at the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, He shows us that His creatures are well cared for. If God cares for creatures that seem small and insignificant, how much more will He cherish and provide for us, His special creation?
Caring for creation also teaches us to respect and protect the environment and all that exists within it. We are called to live in harmony with creation, not only for our own benefit but also for future generations. By trusting in God and entrusting our cares to Him, we find peace and walk a more meaningful life that contributes to preserving the integrity of creation.
Thus, we are called to prioritize God’s kingdom and His truth above all else, entrusting every need to Him. In this way, we not only strengthen our faith but also play an active role in preserving and sustaining the beauty of God’s creation.
Fr. Wifridus Ngalla, cicm
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel Message
Luke 14:1,7-14
The gospel takes us to the climax of today’s good news. Christ exhorts us, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.” Jesus teaches the importance of humility and simplicity in our Christian journey. In this regard, we have a lot to learn from the Blessed Virgin Mary, who humbled herself. Her humility was so remarkable that God exalted her to be the mother of his son.
Mary attested to this through her Magnificat: “My soul glorifies the Lord…for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant…He has brought down rulers from their thrones and has lifted the humble” (Lk 1:47. 59). Therefore, there is no reason to wonder why Christ was humble. He had humble parents from whom he learned humility. Also, we must emulate the humility of Christ and Mary in order to be like them.
There is nothing to lose by being humble. The book of Proverbs tells us, “Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth, honor, and life” (Prov 22:4). On the contrary, pride results in defeat and shame. Any spiritual life not anchored on humility definitely will be an empty one. This is because such a Christian will only work for himself and without regard for others.
Finally, the church teaches us that: “Humility is the foundation of prayer”. Only a humble heart can come and prostrate before God in prayer. Humble persons are always ready to ask for guidance from God and others. Also, they listen and learn from others. It takes humility to say please, and also to ask for forgiveness.
Fr. Wifridus Ngalla, cicm
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel Message
Luke 13:22-30
This Sunday, the church reminds us of the reunion of all God’s people at the feast of His kingdom. It is not only Jews and Christians that the Lord will gather unto himself. He will also gather people from all nations, all those willing to submit to his loving care. The readings of this Sunday, especially the first and the gospel, are closely related. Both bear a powerful message of hope. That is the reunion and restoration of the people of God.
In today’s gospel, Jesus answers a challenging and tricky question: Sir, will there be only a few saved? His response was straightforward, clever, and of course, an intelligent one. He replies, “Try your best to enter by the narrow door!” So, rather than occupy oneself with arguments about the number of those to be saved, it is better to work hard for one’s salvation.
Through this, Christ reminds us that the invitation to His feast is open to all. However, each person must struggle to be there. We must do what we have to do by playing our roles well. This is the only way we can be guaranteed a place in the feast of the kingdom of God.
In order words, it behooves us as individuals to make an effort to be at the glorious gathering of the saints. Hence, Paul admonishes us to “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). Thus, we have to prepare ourselves by using the available opportunity present to us all the time. Therefore, God calls us to be focused and disciplined to be part of the great gathering of the saints.
Fr. Wifridus Ngalla, cicm
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel Message
Luke 12:49-53
Today’s gospel reminds us of some events in the old testament where the fire came into play. God used fire and brimstone to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:24). God used fire and hailstorm to punish the Egyptians for their stubbornness (Ex 9:3). The prophet Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume fifty soldiers (2 Kings 1:9-17) and his sacrifice (1Kg 18, 38).
Does Jesus want to destroy us with this same fire? No, the fire that Jesus brings is different. It is the fire of the Holy Spirit, which purifies our souls from evil and saves us. Hence, Saint Cyril of Alexandria writes, “The fire which Christ brings is for men’s salvation and profits…The fire here is, the saving message of the Gospel, and the power of its commandments”.
Hence, this Sunday, Jesus reassures us of his willingness to continue the work of salvation which he started in us. He plans to achieve this through continuous purification. The fire he wishes to bring is that which is very positive and objective. It is for our purification and the consumption of the debris and fabrics of inordinate attachments, immorality, injustice, and corruption in our lives.
Fr. Wifridus Ngalla, cicm