October 29, 2023; 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Readings: Exodus 22:20-26; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10; Matthew 22:34-40

In Loving God, we love our brothers and Sisters too.

1.     A man of God sat down to pray; he put all his effort and concentration into his prayers. While praying, a house rat came and started nibbling at his toe. The man of God shoos it away, saying can’t you see that I am praying? I am trying to be at one with God. The house rat asked the man of God, how can you be one with God when you do not want to have a relationship with me? Today’s readings demand that we should love God first and then our neighbors next. In the first letter of St. John 4:20, we are told, “If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

2.     In today’s gospel reading, we see the third confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish leaders. The first one was the question on taxation as recorded in Matthew’s gospel 22:15-22. The second confrontation was the question about the resurrection. (cf. Matt. 22:23-33). The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection from the dead. To them, Jesus said, “Have you not read what was said to you by God? I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” Today, the Pharisees took their turn to confront Jesus on the question of which was the greatest commandment in the law. (cf. Matt. 22:34-40). They thought that they would again discredit Jesus using his own words in condemnation of the Law of Mosses. Why was this question tricky and, at the same time, trying to put Jesus in a bind?

3.     The Pharisees were organized Jewish leaders devoted to the literal practice of the Jewish law, the ‘Torah’ in everyday life. They had cataloged and categorized a list of 613 commandments, from the Ten Commandments popularly known as the law of Mosses. All faithful Jews were bound to observe and keep these laws. The Pharisees had also divided the laws into those that were ‘Weighty’ and those that were ‘light.’ For example, “Thou shalt not commit murder” was one of the ‘big ten,’ written by the hand of God and given to Mosses on Mount Sinai. The Pharisees, therefore, asked Jesus to name which of the commandments was the real weighty one.

4.     The reaction of Jesus was that the law was made for man and not man for the law. (Mark 2:27). Like the law of keeping, the Sabbath day was meant to be a blessing rather than a burden to man. He came to set at liberty those held in captivity (cf. Lk 4:18). And he invites all to “Come to me, all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matt. 11:28-30). Christ was referring to the children of Israel who were held in captivity by the burden of keeping the law. They were more afraid of breaking the law than offending God.

5.     Jesus’s answer to the Pharisees confounded and convicted them and won his admiration simultaneously. “You shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Matt. 22:37-40). All the Scribe could say was, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One, and there is no other than he.’ And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (Mark 12:32-34). 

6.     Christ was able to answer in this way because he knew the Scriptures. He quoted from Deuteronomy 6:5, the Shema, which was the basic and essential creed of Judaism. Every service began with Shema, and every Jewish child was to memorize it. We must give total love and adoration to God. Our lives, our thoughts, our emotions, and our actions should be subjected to God’s absolute dominance over us. If our love for God does not direct our service, then our service is of no consequence to God. The second commandment that Jesus quoted came from Leviticus 19:18. Our love for God must be seen in our love for our brothers and sisters. We must love God first and others second, in that order. Our love for God can only be meaningful if we can show that love to one another. It is only when we love God first that man is loveable.

7.     The first reading pointed out to the children that they should treat everyone with love and dignity because they were slaves in the land of Egypt. It was through the extraordinary grace and love of God that they were delivered from Egypt. In the same way that God heard their cry when they were in pain, God will listen to the cry of the poor and the powerless and come to their rescue. The more we love God, the better we should treat people around us. We cannot pretend to be in love with God when we cannot stand one another. Do we have the rosary in our hands, praying while we ignore the beggar by the roadside? Do we go to Mass every day and receive Holy Communion while we hate our brothers and sisters? Do we hold God tightly in our hearts and refuse to open our hands to the poor ones around us? Do we find it easy to explain why we should not help someone in need instead of just giving whatever we can to assist those not as blessed as we are? Why do we think we can be at one with God while we find it hard to be at one with those around us? Today’s readings remind us to remember our humble beginnings. The children of Israel were reminded, no less, to think of their humble beginning in Egypt in dealing with others. If we love God the more, we will love others the best. C.S. Lewis reminds us, “When I have learned to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.” Let us pray that our love for God will be made manifest in our love for others, for in loving God that I cannot see, I will come to love those I see more than I love myself. And in loving God above all else and in loving others more than I love myself, I may find myself in all those I love, and God’s love will be made manifest in my life. Amen.

Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

October 22, 2023; World Mission Sunday/ 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

 

World Mission Sunday: October 22, 2023

1.     Today is World Mission Sunday. Mission Sunday was instituted by Pope Pius X1 in 1926. The Pope invited the Church to participate in the work of the mission to bring Christ to the ends of the earth. According to Pope Francis, “Celebrating this month will help us first to rediscover the missionary dimension of our faith in Jesus Christ, a faith graciously bestowed on us in Baptism. Our filial relationship with God is not something simply private, but always in relation to the Church.” The theme for this year’s celebration, as set by Pope Francis, is “Hearts on fire, feet on the move,” based on the story of the disciples who encounter Jesus on their way to Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13-35). He invites all of us to “set out once more, illumined by our encounter with the risen Lord and prompted by his Spirit. Let us set out again with burning hearts, with our eyes open and our feet in motion. Let us set out to make other hearts burn with the word of God, to open the eyes of others to Jesus in the Eucharist, and to invite everyone to walk together on the path of peace and salvation that God, in Christ, has bestowed upon all humanity.” In a world where so much divides us, World Mission Sunday rejoices in our unity as missionaries through our Baptism, as it offers each one of us an opportunity to support the life-giving presence of the Church among the poor and marginalized in more than 1,111 mission dioceses.

2.     The first worldwide Mission Sunday collection was taken in October 1927. Since then, the Mission Sunday collection is always taken on the next to the last Sunday in October. That day is celebrated in all the local Churches as the feast of Catholicity and universal Solidarity, so Christians the world over will recognize their common responsibility concerning the evangelization of the world.

3.     I am a member of the Missionary Society of St. Paul of Nigeria. My Society was founded by the late Dominic Cardinal Ekandem in consultation with the Episcopal Conference of Nigeria in 1977 for missions (46 years ago). This was in answer to the call of the Second Vatican Council and Pope Paul V1 in Uganda in 1969 to Africans to participate in the mission mandate of the Universal Church. Jesus Christ calls on us to “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to all creatures.” (Mk. 16:15). Since the Nigerian Church was a beneficiary of the faith brought by European missionaries, it is only fitting that we, too, should share in this mandate, to bring the Gospel of Christ to the Americas, Europe and indeed to the ends of the world. Today, Missionaries of St. Paul have answered the call to bring the Gospel of Christ to God’s people in America, Canada, Sweden, Ireland, Italy, Germany, England, Grenada, Bahamas, South Africa, South Sudan, Botswana, Central African Republic, Chad, Malawi, Cameroon, the Gambia, Kenya, Liberia and Nigeria.

4.     On November 30, 1919, Pope Benedict XV, in his Apostolic Letter Maximum Illud, stressed the need for all Catholics to be interested in missionary work. Pope Francis said this of the Apostolic letter of his predecessor 104 years ago, “Its farsighted and prophetic vision of the apostolate has made me realize once again the importance of renewing the Church’s missionary commitment and giving fresh evangelical impulse to her work of preaching and bringing to the world the salvation of Jesus Christ, who died and rose again.”

5.     We must all see ourselves as missionaries. We only exist as a Church because we are a missionary Church, sent on a mission by God in Jesus, who commands us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19-20). Some of us must necessarily go on mission as missionaries, but others must also go on mission by giving to support the mission. In his apostolic letter, Maximum Illud, Pope Benedict XV said, “There are three general ways in which a Catholic can assist the missionary effort, and missionaries themselves constantly remind us of them. This is within everyone’s capacity.”

·        Pray that God may grant the missions His merciful aid. “This kind of prayer cannot fail, especially in this cause, for no cause is dearer or more pleasing to God than this one. While the Israelites fought their battle with Amalek, Moses took his stand on a great hill and, lifting his hands, implored God’s aid for his people. The teachers of the Gospel are manfully at work in the Lord’s vineyard, and it is the duty of all the faithful to follow the example of Moses and grant them the support of their prayers.”

·        Fostering vocations. Everyone must pray for an increase of vocation in the Church. Jesus reminds us: “The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in. Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest” (Matt. 9:37-38).

·        Economic Help. Every Catholic must give to support the mission.

I want to express my gratitude to all who have supported the work of the mission. May God bless and reward you abundantly.

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time; Year (A) October 22, 2023

Readings: Isaiah 45:1, 4-6; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5; Matthew 22:15-21 

Everything belongs to God.

1.     Today is World Mission Sunday. The Holy Father, Pope Francis, calls on us all to participate in the Church’s mission. Please read my reflection on the mission in the bulletin under ‘From the Pastor’s desk.’ In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the Pharisees to give to God what belongs to God and to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. Christ was reacting to the trap set for him concerning the payment of taxes. Jesus had been confronting the religious leaders of his day, indicting them with his parables. In the parable of the two sons (Matthew 21:28-32), he portrayed the Jewish leaders as unsatisfactory sons who did not do his father’s will. In the parable of the wicked servants (Matthew 21:33-46), Jesus demonstrated that they were the corrupt servants who ill-treated those sent to receive the produce of the vineyard and even killed the son of the vineyard owner, intending to take over the vineyard for themselves. In the parable of the wedding feast of the king’s son (Matthew 22:1-14), Christ showed them as the condemned guests, one of whom did not even wear a wedding garment. In today’s gospel, the Jewish leaders are on the offensive with their counterattack on Jesus. They are going for a kill, aiming at Jesus’ jocular. They confronted Jesus publicly with a question regarding the payment of taxes. Their aim was to discredit Jesus with his own words. Palestine was an occupied country, and the Jews were subject to the Roman Empire; the question was: “Is it lawful to pay tribute to Rome or not.” There were three regular taxes the Roman government exacted on the Jews. The ground tax – a tenth of the grain and one-fifth of the oil and wine; income tax – one percent of a man’s income; then a poll tax – paid by every male from the age of 14-65, and female from the age of 12-65. It was equivalent to one denarius. It was the poll tax that prompted the confrontation.

2.     If Christ had answered that it was unlawful to pay tax, they would have reported him to the Roman authority for sedition, and Christ would have been arrested immediately. If his answer, on the other hand, was that it was lawful to pay tax, he would have been discredited in the eyes of the people. The Jews resented paying taxes for religious reasons. To them, God was the only king; therefore, to pay tax to an earthly king was to admit the validity of his kingship and thereby insult God as their ultimate king. Therefore, any tax paid to a foreign king was necessarily wrong. Whichever way Christ would have answered the question would put him in the wrong. Christ outsmarts them by asking for the coin used to pay tax. And then told them to give the coin to the owner – Caesar, since his head was on it.

3.     Jesus lays down an important principle for every Christian with this simple but intelligent answer. We belong both to the country in which we live and to God. We are citizens of the world and citizens of heaven; we owe our allegiance to both. Our government must protect and provide us with social amenities like good roads, a healthcare system, social infrastructures, sewage, and water systems, means of public transportation, public schools, and all other services. Hence, we have an obligation to our governments. St. Peter tells us, “Give honor to all, love the community, fear God, honor the king.” (1 Peter 2:17), and Paul tells Christians, “Let every person be subordinate to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except God, and those that exist have been established by God. Pay to all their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, toll to whom toll is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.” (Rom. 13:1, 7). By paying taxes and being law-abiding, we assist the government in caring for our needs. William Barclay reflects, “Because the Christian is a man of honor, he must be a responsible citizen; failure in good citizenship is also a failure in Christian duty. Untold trouble can descend upon a country or an industry when Christians refuse to take their part in the administration and leave it to selfish, self-seeking, partisan, and unchristian men. The Christian has a duty to Caesar in return for the privileges which the rule of Caesar brings to him.” 

4.     We also belong to God, not just us but all creation. “The earth is the Lord’s and all it holds, the world and those who live there.” (Ps. 24:1). Even Caesar belongs to God. In the first reading, God directed a pagan king to be an instrument of deliverance to his chosen people. He called Cyrus ‘his anointed’, a title given only to someone in Israel. God was the one who directed the operations of Cyrus. He arms him, “though you know me not.” Because “I am the Lord, and there is no other, there is no God besides me.” Whatever happens, at any time, at any place, happens under God’s control. The answer that Christ gave reaffirmed the supremacy of God over humanity. We must give God our loyalty, adoration, obedience, and all. When we are convinced that it is God’s will that something should be done, we must do it, or if we are convinced that something is against the will of God, we must resist it and take no part in it. Where the boundaries between the two duties lie, Jesus does not say. That is for our own conscience to test. But a real Christian – and this is the permanent truth which Jesus here lays down – is at one and the same time a good citizen of his country and a good citizen of the kingdom of heaven. He will fail in his duty neither to God nor to man. May God help us to be true to our dual citizenship. Amen.

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

 

 

 

 

 

October 15, 2023; 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Readings: Isaiah 25:6-10; Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20; Matthew 22:1-14

We all Must Partake in the Lord’s Banquet

1.    The Eucharist is the greatest thanksgiving we can ever render to God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos.1359 and 1360, reminds us that: “The Eucharist, the sacrament of our salvation accomplished by Christ on the cross, is also a sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for the work of creation. In the Eucharistic sacrifice, the whole of creation loved by God is presented to the Father through Christ’s death and Resurrection. Through Christ, the Church can offer the sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for all that God had made good, beautiful, and just in creation and in humanity.” It explains further, “The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all his benefits, for all that he has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist means “thanksgiving.” At Mass, we gather around the Eucharistic table as a family to thank God for the gift of life, for good health, our families, our friends, our nation, and everything God has done for us. This is the banquet Isaiah invites us to partake in today’s first reading. “On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.”  Christ commands, “Do this in memory of me.”  Ours is a celebration of joy and happiness; it is thanksgiving in praise of God for answered prayers, healing, strength, blessings, and life.

2.    The gospel recounts the parable of the wedding banquet of the king’s son. A wedding is a time of joy and celebration in anticipation of a new family. In ancient times, kings announced the approximate time for a wedding banquet weeks in advance. The exact day of the feast was given later. To say ‘yes’ to the advance invitation and ‘no’ at a later date was an insult to the king. 

3.    Jesus directed the parable to the Jews of his time. Ages before, they had accepted God’s invitation to be his chosen people, his special guests at the banquet of the kingdom of God. But when Jesus came to announce the banquet – “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 4:17) – they rejected his invitation and put Christ to death. But this attitude did not stop the joy of the celebration. John tells us: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him, he gave power to become children of God.” (Jn. 1:5,11-12).

4.    Like those who did not accept the invitation to the wedding feast, we have often responded in like manner to God’s invitation. Those invited had better things to do than attend the wedding feast; we often have good reasons, too. Remember, those who did not participate in the feast did not go out to drink. No, some went to the farm, and others had other businesses to attend to. Many times, we, too, have other things to do. We sometimes go to football games rather than attend Mass. We may be too tired to respond to church activities. We don’t always take the practice of our faith seriously. We do not always pray with our families. Do we pray the rosary as a family? When did we go to confession last? Do we read the bible, or do we even own one? Would we say that our spiritual life is better today than last year? Do we prepare for Mass as we should, going through the readings beforehand and being ready to receive the Eucharist joyfully? Do we always speak the truth? Do we take part in gossiping about our neighbors and everything going on around us? 

5.    Dear friends, saying ‘Yes’ to God’s invitation is not a one-time commitment. It is an ongoing process. It requires constant recommitment and updating. It is easy to get distracted by daily life and to forget about eternal life. It is easy to fill ourselves with the junk food of this life and forget the banquet of eternal life. When we say ‘yes’ to God, like commitment in marriage, we find joy, happiness, and peace. It is like having a family get-together where a lot of food, beer, and wine are served. God himself prepares this meal for us every day but many of us choose to be on a diet. Today’s readings attest that a meal expresses many human attitudes and emotions. It can be a powerful testimonial to a friendship that many would doubt does not exist, as when Jesus accepted the invitation to dine with a despised tax collector. (MK. 2:13-17). When the Father forgave his son in Lk 15:11-32, he gave a banquet and killed a fatted calf for the celebration. Abraham prepared a meal for the strangers who stopped by his house on their way to Sodom and Gomorrah. (Gen. 18:1-8). We travel miles and miles to join our families for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. At these meals, there is always a lot to eat and drink. These gatherings speak the mind of God for his children. He wants his children to be happy and be glad. The meals talk to us about the banquet we will share eternally with God in heaven with his son, angels, and saints. But there is a caveat to the joyful participation in this banquet.

6.    Those invited must wear their garment; it doesn’t matter when the invitation comes to you. By coming to the wedding feast without a wedding garment, one refuses to prepare and openly insults the host. The kingdom of God is a gift to which the Spirit awakens us. It grows within our hearts as we live by gospel values. The wedding garment is woven with strands of humility, gratitude, willingness to change, readiness to forgive and be forgiven, to love and be loved. Openness to the generosity of God is the ticket to entering the kingdom. 

7.    According to William Barclay, this parable has nothing to do with the clothes we wear to Church; it has everything to do with the Spirit in which we go to God’s house. It is profoundly true that churchgoing must never be a fashion parade. But there are garments of the mind, heart, and soul – the garment of expectation, the garment of humble repentance, the garment of faith, the garment of reverence - and these are the garments without which we ought not approach God. Too often, we go to God’s house with no preparation at all; if every man and woman in our congregations came to Church prepared to worship, after a bit of prayer, a little thought, and a little self-examination, talking less to others in the Church and talking more to God, then worship would be worship indeed – the worship in which and through which things happen in men’s souls and the life of the Church and the affairs of the world. Is there anything in our lives that distracts us from fully accepting the Lord’s awesome invitation to share in the life of our generous God? Let us celebrate our faith, the Eucharist, and life in this community. May we always approach our Lord in the Eucharist with joy and thanksgiving in our hearts! Amen.

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

October 08, 2023; 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Readings: Isaiah 5:1-7; Philippians 4:6-9; Matthew 21:33-43

“What More Was There to Do for My Vineyard?” 

1.    In today’s first reading, we read, “My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; he spaded it, cleared it of stone, and planted the choicest vines; he built a watchtower within it. And hewed out a wine press. Then he looked for the crop of grapes, but what it yielded was wild grapes.” Isaiah’s question is the same one some parents have asked often. They have spent so much money on their children’s education with the expectation that they will do well in school and become successful, but they turned out to be the opposite. What more was there to do for those children? We have often invested in businesses expecting a better outcome, only to be disappointed with the result. And so we ask, what else was there to do that we did not do? Two Friends embarked on a project that they hoped would benefit them in the future, only to be outwitted and cheated out of it by one of them. The other partner is left with the question: What more was there to do that I did not do? A young woman started dating a young man; they had been together for months. They are now planning for their wedding. The young woman has invested so much in the relationship; she is now ready to settle down to begin a family and to live forever after with the love of her life. One day, she returned from work to see a note from her finance informing her that he was in love with someone else. In her anguish, she cried out, what more was there to do that I did not do? Many times, we have felt this way with members of our families. To some of them, we have given everything, short of our blood, but they go a different way when we expect them to turn one way. We cried out with Isaiah; what more was there to do that we did not do?

2.    Today’s Gospel asks the same question as Isaiah. The parable is about the landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then, he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. He expected a bountiful harvest on his return. But those he sent to receive the produce when the vintage time drew near were ill-treated. Some were beaten, others killed. Even his son was thrown out of the vineyard and killed. Who were these heartless, ruthless, and corrupt tenants? Today’s Psalm tells us: “The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.” 

3.    The parable of Jesus is described as “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” His stories or parables are always directed to people of his time to point the light on the need to change their ways and give their lives to God. There are two types of parables: window parables and mirror parables. Mark Link, SJ describes a window parable as a simple story that teaches about God or His kingdom. It is a ‘verbal window’ to get insight into God or His kingdom. It often begins with “The kingdom of God is like.” Mirror parables are stories that act as “verbal mirrors.” They give us an insight into ourselves. In telling the mirror parables, Jesus made it easy for his listeners to see themselves in one of the characters in the parable. The parable in today’s Gospel is a typical mirror parable in that Jesus directed it primarily to the chief priests and the Pharisees, that is, the religious leaders of Israel.

4.    The vineyard owner, in the parable, is God. According to the first reading and the Psalm, “The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel, and the tenants are the leaders of Israel. The first group of slaves are the early prophets; the second group are the later prophets; the owner’s son, who was killed, is Jesus. The new tenant, to whom the owner leases the vineyard, are the apostles of Jesus. They are the new leaders of God’s people. Those who listened to Jesus knew that he was talking about them. They saw themselves in the parable and did not like it, but did they change their ways? No, they did not. This parable was not only directed to the scribes and the Pharisees, but to us as well. God has given us everything to change and be converted, but we are stuck in our ways. At Baptism, we promised to follow God’s ways, but no sooner than we made the promises, we forgot about them and continued in our ways. 

5.    According to Mark Link, this parable summarizes the complete biblical story of salvation, even to the point of making clear-cut references to the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The first leasing of the vineyard refers to the Old Covenant. The second leasing of the vineyard refers to the New Covenant. This parable affirms that Jesus is the Son of God. The last person sent to the tenants is not another slave. He is the vineyard owner’s son. Third, the parable affirms that Jesus’ apostles are the new leaders of God’s people. And finally, the parable teaches us about God’s patience with us and our accountability to God. It teaches us about trust and free will. God does not look over our shoulders. He allows us to be free to respond to his love. God seems to believe we will always do what is right and just. He gives us a long rope of repentance to change our minds. The vineyard owner made three efforts to get the tenant farmers to change their ways. When he saw more patience was futile, he passed judgment on the tenants. He held them accountable for their actions. It is the same way with God and us. God is infinitely patient. But the time will come when God’s patience runs out. He will pass judgment on to us and our ways. We will be held accountable for our actions.

6.    So, dear friends, let us not take God’s patience for granted. The day will come for us to give an account of our lives and God’s gift to us. They say there are six days for the thief and only one for the house owner. Whatever we do, be it in government, office, church, or home with our children, may we take no one for granted. Like the vineyard was well equipped, what we receive from God is a privilege, not a right. God does not only give us a task to do; he also gives us the means to do it. We are custodians of God’s gift. We must be responsible for God’s many blessings. If our children refuse to grow up, we must show them tough love and teach them responsibility lessons.  

7.    Let us pray that we may shun sin in all its ramifications since sin is a rebellion against God. May we not be engaged in a deliberate policy of rebellion and disobedience towards God. May we treat everyone with love and respect so that God may not ask: What else could I have done for them that I did not do?

Rev. Augustine Inwang, MSP