June 28, 2026. 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Readings: 2 Kings 4:8-12, 14-16; Romans 6:3-4, 8-11; Matthew 10:37-42

 

The Difficulty of Discipleship.

1.     Last Sunday, we listened to Jesus as he gave his apostles instructions before they were sent out to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He made it clear that their journey would be anything but easy. They were to expect the worst but hoped for the best. He told them not to fear those who could only kill the body but had no power to cast the soul into hell. God controlled their lives and knew even the number of hairs on their heads. Today, as Jesus concludes his address, he warned, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” These are hard words! Christ stressed, in no small way, the difficulty of discipleship. Our call to discipleship means a clean break from family ties, blood relationships, and encumbrances with worldly things. We must die to ourselves so that we may live for Christ. Therefore, our mission responsibility should be our number one priority. Our priority should be the cross of our Lord, while depending entirely on the generosity of the people we are sent to.

 

2.     As I read these instructions, I think of my work in the Banjul Diocese of the Gambia. It was tough. I had to learn a new language and struggled with a different culture. But that was nothing compared to what the St. Patrick Fathers (SPS) from Ireland, who brought Christianity to my region in Nigeria, endured. They survived hardships of a magnitude proportion in the late 1800s and early 1900s. There were no roads, pipe-borne water, electricity, hospitals, schools, churches, or rectories. They fought to stay alive against malaria, influenza, and cholera; many died a few weeks after arrival. They struggled with the language, the tribal people, the elements, and the harsh environments and weather conditions. Gradually, however, they built rectories, churches, schools, and hospitals. They taught the children not just religion but also provided them with the best education at that time. They died to themselves to give us a new life. Thanks to them, many are priests today, following in their footsteps to give others what they received. They proved that the best life is the life lived for others. In sacrificing for others, we give a meaningful life of peace and tranquility. 

 

3.     Today’s Gospel clearly states that missionary work cannot be undertaken by everyone in the same way. But all are called to be missionaries, regardless. Some people support the mission work financially, spiritually, and morally, while others give of themselves. Missionaries respond to the call to leave homes and families to bring the Gospel to people in foreign lands. Without the sending and the receiving Church, mission work would be impossible. A disciple is one sent; therefore, churches must be open to receive and support missionary disciples. In receiving them, they receive Jesus and the Father who sent him. Christ reiterates: “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” Those who show hospitality to missionaries will be rewarded. These are Jesus’ words: “Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of a righteous person.” 

 

4.     Every Christian must take an active part in responding to the mission of the church.  We must respond to the divine mandate of Christ to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” (Matt. 28:19). The story of Elisha’s meeting with the wealthy, though childless, woman of Shunem, in the first reading, illustrated how God has always rewarded generosity to those engaged in divine mission. She and her husband were promised a child because of their generosity to Elisha, the man of God. ‘One good turn deserves another,’ indeed! We can change the world through our generosity. We may not know what acts of kindness will change the lives of people we meet daily, but God knows. Our sporadic acts of kindness are all we need to bring transformation to the people we encounter.

 

5.      Our Lord promised a reward for our kindness to those who answered the call to be missionaries: his disciples, his eyes, and ears in the world. “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put in your lap.” (Lk. 6:38). Human generosity will always be rewarded with divine superabundance. Open your hearts to God’s children who need your help. Whatever you give, be it water, food, words of prayer, words of encouragement, a listening ear, a ride to the doctor, or assistance to missionaries anywhere in the world, is a good deed done to God. Your reward may not be today, but it will certainly come one day. Though you may undergo suffering and deprivation in the process, let it be your participation in the cross of Christ. 

 

6.     Let us pray with St. Francis: “O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; in dying that we are born to eternal life.” Amen 

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP.

June 21, 2026. 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Readings: Jeremiah 20:10-13; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 10:26-33

Do Not Be Afraid.

1.    In today’s Gospel from Matthew 10, Jesus addressed his apostles and told them not to be afraid. The chapter begins with: “Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and illness.” Jesus commissioned and sent them out as missionaries to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Missionary work can be intimidating indeed. It can instill fear in the hearts of missionaries. Jesus warned his apostles that they would be persecuted, rejected, and betrayed by family members. “A disciple is not above the teacher” (10:24). He told them not to be afraid but put their trust in God, who takes care of even the sparrows, and knows the number of the hair on their heads. He asked them, “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your father’s knowledge. Even the hairs of your head are counted. So, do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” They should only be afraid of God. Earthly elements and human beings may kill us, but have no power over our souls. Therefore, we should only be afraid of being separated from God and being unfaithful to God through sin. We should approach God with awe, respect, and reverence. Because “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18).

 

2.    Being a Christian does not prevent us from encountering difficulties. Christ made no such assumptions. He said rather: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so, be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans.” (Matt. 10:16-18). The first reading presents us with Jeremiah, who experienced hardships in his preaching ministry. He was rejected, persecuted, and made a laughingstock by those he loved and cared for. Jeremiah warned God’s people that they could avoid the destruction that was on its way if they lived according to God’s laws. Jeremiah’s listeners ignored his warning and plotted to kill him instead. Jeremiah was intimidated and persecuted to the point that he wanted to stop preaching altogether. In the verse before our reading today, he said, “I say to myself; I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more. But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.” (Jer. 20:9). Yet Jeremiah was vindicated and rejoiced: “Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.”

3.    Preachers encounter difficulties because people do not want to be told what to do. “And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” (John 3:19-21). This is why we gossip: because we are cowards. Bad things are done in the cover of darkness. Heinous crimes are committed in the dark. Those who abuse their wives or children, gamblers or drunkards, drug barons, addicts or prostitutes, embezzlers and cheats, do not want people to know their secrets. They prefer deeds of darkness to light. If preachers talk about their way of life, they become targets earmarked for destruction, like Jeremiah in today’s reading.

 

4.    Therefore, St. Paul tells us in the second reading, “If by the transgression of the one the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow for the many.” Jesus has redeemed us with his precious blood and has given us the power to conquer our fears, even the fear of death. He says, “Behold, I have given you the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy, and nothing will harm you.” (Lk. 10:19). Therefore, we should not be afraid!

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

June 07, 2026. Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, (Year A)

Readings: Deut. 8:2-3,14-16; 1 Cor. 10:16-17; John 6:51-58

Thank God for the Eucharist!

1.    Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – the Corpus Christi. At Mass Christ is offered and received, and in him the church continually lives and grows. The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life. In the Eucharist, the unity of God’s people is signified and brought about, and the building up of the body of Christ is perfected. We hold the blessed Eucharist in highest honor by taking an active part in the celebration of the most august sacrifice of the Mass.

2.    The Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ is so important and essential to Catholics that we must attend Mass and receive Holy Communion regularly and frequently. In the gospel Christ stressed, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” (Jn. 6:54). When we eat the Body of Christ and drink his Blood, we become the living Christ. We are enabled to discover our closeness and blessedness, and we acknowledge our brokenness and our strengths. Thus, we, like Christ, become food for the world. We are Christians because Christ rose from the dead, but Catholics because of the Eucharist. Just like food is to the body, the Eucharist is an absolute necessity for our spiritual life.

3.    Before Cardinal Newman became a Catholic, one of his friends said to him, “If you become a Catholic, you’ll lose a handsome income of 4,000 pounds a year.” Newman’s reply was: “And what are 4,000 pounds compared to a communion?” Pope Francis reminded us that “The Eucharist is the spiritual lifeblood of the Christian because in receiving it we consume the glorified body of the Risen Lord, whose life then transforms us, elevates us and empowers us to become like him. The Eucharist grants us a share in the Divine and Human Savior of the world, whose gift of himself imparts eternal life to those who love him. That is why Jesus says, “If anyone eats of this bread (my flesh), he will live forever.” (Jn. 6:15). 

4.    One of the core teachings of the Church on the Eucharist is that “Our Lord is truly, really, and substantially present in the Holy Eucharist. Hence, we believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, not just a symbol of his Body and Blood, but his real Body and Blood through the process of transubstantiation during consecration. Christ told his disciples, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven.” (Jn. 6:57-58). Many of his disciples stopped following him because of this teaching, but Christ did not beg them to stay. Instead, he asked his apostles: “Do you also want to leave?” (Jn. 6:67). According to Pope St. John Paul II, this teaching “Is at the heart of the Church, the secret of her vigor; she must keep watch with jealous care over this mystery and affirm it in its fullness.” Therefore, we must prepare ourselves for fruitful participation in Mass. We do this by going through the readings of the Mass beforehand, examining our consciences, and confessing any mortal sins we are aware of if we intend to receive our Lord in holy Communion. We do so in a timely, worthy, and devoted manner. After Communion, our Lord is present in us for about 8 to 10 minutes, as long as the species remain. The Sacred Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship states, “The faithful are to be recommended not to omit to make a proper thanksgiving after communion. They may do this during the celebration with a period of silence, with a hymn, Psalm, or other song of praise, or also after the celebration, if possible, by staying behind to pray for a suitable time.” If we believe that we receive Christ, His body, blood, and divinity, He will make us holy, forgiving, loving, merciful, compassionate, devoted, caring, and charitable.

5.    We must protect and safeguard the sanctity of this sacrament. If you see someone taking communion and not consuming it immediately, please report to the priest. Do not invite a non-Catholic friend to Holy Communion. If they are interested in Catholic teaching, direct them to the OCIA director so that they may be catechized.

 

6.    After Mass, we are dismissed to “Go forth, the Mass is ended, or Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord, or Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life”. We are sent forth to bring Christ to our communities and our neighborhoods. We must share Christ the Bread of Life with the poor, the homeless, the sick, the saints, and sinners alike. We are to make the Bread of Christ, broken and received by us, available and fresh for others. The Christ that we receive in the Eucharist is a sign of unity. It calls us to hold each other accountable and show that we are one in Christ, for “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28). Let us offer this Bread to those who need healing for their broken bodies, forgiveness and conversion to sinners, companionship to the lonely, food to the hungry and reconciliation, justice and freedom to prisoners. Amen.

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP