Independent Orthodox Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, Arab Road, Kubwa, Abuja (2026)

10/07/2022

*Sunday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time:* The neighbour is the one to whom we show love

*Scripture*

1st Reading: Deut30:10-14
Resp. Psalm: Ps69:14,17,30-31,33-34,36-37
2nd Reading: Col1:15-20
Gosp. Accl.: Jn10:27
Gospel: Lk10:25-37

*"What must I do to inherit eternal life?"*

Anyone who has a little wisdom understands that we are here for a time. We shall all die one day. What becomes of us after death? Deep within the heart of any human person is that knowledge that there is something after this life. How does one get that something or get to that place? The lawyer in today's gospel passage asked the right question but from a wrong motive. Our Lord overlooked his malicious motive and gave him a simple, timeless and profound answer: love the Lord your God and your neighbour as yourself. _Are we working towards attaining eternal life?_

*Who is my neighbour?*

Love is meant to be shared, not kept. The mischievous lawyer in today's gospel passage wanted to know who his neighbour was. Our Lord, in answer, gave the profound parable of the good Samaritan. The man who fell into the hands of thieves was not helped by a priest and a levite, people who should have known that offering such help was meritorious. Instead of pitying him, they left him and went to the other side. They proved themselves unworthy to be the good neighbour of the striken and wounded man. The one who had pity on him was a samaritan traveller. He was the one who showed that he was a good neighbour. The neighbour is therefore any human person who has need of our help. Love is to be given on the basis of our shared and common humanity. We are not to justify ourselves or show ourselves off as holy or righteous. We are to live lives that are pleasing to God, without any show off. _Do we accept people for who they are, God's images and likeness, and not because of where they come from or what they can do for us?_

*The law and the word of God*

obedience to the law of God..We have the ...

08/07/2022

*Friday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time:* "I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves"

*Scripture*

1st Reading: Hosea14:1-9
Resp. Psalm: Ps51:3-4,8-9,12-14,17
Gosp. Accl.: Jn16:13;14:26
Gospel: Mt10:16-23

*I send you out*

The mission was great. The Lord needed collaborators. He sent out His disciples to go ahead of Him to preach the goodnews of salvation. They were to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. They were forewarned that the mission could be dangerous and could turn bloody. They could become targets of hatred. They could be delivered before councils and worldly powers to give an account of their hopes in Christ. They could even be betrayed by those closest to them. They would be hated for bearing the name of Christ. Our Lord told us today that our endurance is what will determine our fate and salvation. Persecutions would come. We might flee from one town to the other. We might even be killed. But our endurance and patient witness to the name of Christ is fundamental to our salvation. _Are we prepared to give testimony to our hope in the Lord?_

*Return to the Lord your God*

We cannot bear witness if we are far from the Lord, the source of our being. We cannot bear authentic witness if sin has separated us from Him. This is why the word of God today teaches us to repent and return to the Lord our God. Trust in anything human will be of no avail. Our God promised us today that if we return, He will heal our faithlessness and love us freely. We shall blossom and return and dwell beneath His shadow. We shall flourish and prosper. Our will look after us. The promise is too alluring to be wished away and not paid attention to. _What separates us from the love of our God? Are we not ready to distance ourselves from them?_

*Let us pray*

O God our Father, we give you thanks for your word. Lead us daily to follow you with sincere and generous hearts. Give us your grace to live our lives totally for you. Amen.

May the Living Word of God

07/07/2022

*Thursday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time:* The mission of the twelve disciples

*Scripture*

1st Reading: Hosea11,1-4,8-9
Resp. Psalm: Ps80:2-3,15-16
Gosp. Accl.: Mk1:15
Gospel: Mt10:7-15

*A mission given*

The mission to save souls belongs to the Lord. Any one who works on the mission is a cooperator or collaborator. The Owner of the mission gave His twelve disciples the terms of reference and rules of engagement, which contained specific things they should do and not do while on the mission. They were to preach; they were to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and cast out demons. They were to carry these out without asking people for any payment. They were to travel on mission without provisions of money, bag, extra clothing, sandals, and staff. _If we are active on the Lord's mission, what is our attitude to the role He has entrusted to us?_

*Depend on God, the provider*

The one who is sent on mission must never depend on his abilities and resources. Such a person is bound to fail. One sent on mission must depend on the Lord for everything. The Lord told the twelve today that their provisions would be met by Him. They should stay in the house where they are welcomed and not jump from house to house. They should shake off the dust from their feet as a sign against any town that refused to accept them. _Do we depend on God, who alone has the power to provide for us?_

*The love given from the earliest days*

God had known us before we were fashioned in the womb. He had loved us before we were born. In today's word, God told His chosen people that despite His love for them, they turned away from Him and turned to idols. They forgot the God who made them something out of nothing, the God who healed them and loved them and fed them. Despite all their infidelities, God still loved them and would not destroy them again. As God and not man, as the Holy One in their midst, He would not come to destroy but to heal and save. _Do we understand...

06/07/2022

*Wednesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time:* the call and commissioning

*Scripture*

1st Reading: Hosea10:1-3,7-8,12
Resp. Psalm: Ps105:2-7
Gosp. Accl.: Mk1:15
Gospel: Mt10:1-7

*The call and choice*

In today's gospel passage, our Lord chose twelve of His disciples and shared His authority over unclean spirits and His healing powers with them. He chose them for His service and immediately commissioned them to become His collaborators in His saving mission. He sent them out to preach the good news to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Their message was simple: "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." The imminence of the kingdom was motive enough to call the people to conversion and a change of life. _Are we good disciples and followers of the Lord? Do we collaborate with Him to spread His gospel of peace?_

*They became blinded by their prosperity*

All good gifts come from God, the giver of life. The recognition of this and the need to return all honour to God all the time, makes one always understand that one is always just a caretaker and beneficiary of God's goodness. Unfortunately, many times in life, in the height of success and prosperity, we tend to forget and lose our bearings. The chosen people were privileged by God. They became prosperous with good agricultural yields, rich harvests, livestocks, trade, commerce and so forth. Instead of coming closer to God, the people turned away from their God, built altars to foreign gods, deal falsely with their God. _Do we allow the fleeting things of this world to lead us astray and turn our hearts away from God?_

*They will pay for their infidelities*

Idolatry is a grave offence before God. This is because it is giving the worship, praise and adoration due to the living and true God, to a false and empty god, fashioned by man. The people had sinned by declaring that they had no king and had no fear of God. They would pay for their sins. The high places of their empty gods would be destroyed...

05/07/2022

*Tuesday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time:* "they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd"

*Scripture*

1st Reading: Hosea8:4-7,11-13
Resp. Psalm: Ps115:3-10
Gosp. Accl.: Jn10:14
Gospel: Mt9:32-38

*The power to heal*

The demonstration of great healing powers by our Lord was to show and underscore the real and actual presence of God in the midst of His people and reveal His love and closeness to all His creatures. The subjugation of demonic forces was to show that no power can ever contest against God. In today's gospel passage, our Lord healed a mute demoniac by casting out the negative spirit. The people who witnessed this never-seen demonstration of divine power marvelled at what they saw. Unfortunately, the Pharisees who were blinded by their own jealousy, saw nothing good in what was achieved but rather attributed the great deed of casting out demons and healing to the prince of demons. _Do we find it difficult to see good in others, especially those we label as rivals? Do we recognize God's gifts in the lives of others and celebrate them?_

*He went about doing good*

The opposition and false ascription notwithstanding, our Lord kept doing good. After the healing of the demoniac, our Lord continued to preach the gospel of the kingdom, healing every disease and infirmity. The word today recounts that seeing the crowds, our Lord had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He saw the great opportunities for a great harvest of souls and He did not waste time in making Himself available to achieve it, especially as labourers were few. _Do we allow people's criticisms and negativities to distract us from our mission? Are we part of the corp of harvesters in the rich harvest that is present in our world today?_

*They repudiated their God*

To think one can live without God is madness. How can anyone think of independence from the source of His being and the One who has power to ...

03/07/2022

*Sunday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time:* "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few"

*Scripture*

1st Reading: Is66:10-14
Resp. Psalm: Ps66:1-7,16,20
2nd Reading: Gal6:14-18
Gosp. Accl.: Col3:15,16
Gospel: Lk10:1-12,17-20

*The rich harvest of souls*

The work of the gospel started over two thousand years ago. Souls have been snatched from the jaws of the enemy of salvation. The gospel has valliantly marched on from generation to generation. There are always willing labourers who are inspired and called to work for the Lord to further His mission of saving souls. The workers were few during our Lord's time, compared to the greatness of the mission. The labourers are still few even in our own times. In today's gospel passage, our Lord appointed and sent out seventy persons to places where He was to visit. _Has God ever called us to work for Him? What was our response? Are we good harvesters?_

*The mission has guidelines and rules*

It is true that to respond to the call of the Lord to collaborate with Him is a great sacrifice. But that response and the work of mission are governed by rules. This is because no collaborator is an owner of the mission. The Lord gave the seventy rules of engagement while on mission: they were to preach; they were to pray for more labourers; they were to be conscious of the dangers involved; they were to depend on God and others for their provision; they were to greet no one on the road so as not to be distracted and lose focus; they were to impart peace upon any place they entered; they were to remain in the house where they were welcome; they were to proclaim the kingdom of God; they were to pronounce against any place that failed to receive them. _Do we listen to the Lord who called us to work for Him? Do we follow the guidelines of His mission?_

*They returned with happiness*

Serving God is fun. Serving God brings joy and satisfaction and fulfilment. The seventy carried out the mandate given them and ...

01/07/2022

We begin a new month today, the month of July. We thank the good Lord for allowing us to see this month. We ask Him to be with us in all our ways, to bless us and keep us in His love, to make our paths and purposes come to fruitful and successful ends. We pray that He intervenes in the affairs of our nation, bring the merchants of blood to subjection, end all acts of violence and bring us His peace. Happy New Month

29/06/2022

*Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul:* They built the Church and preached the word of life

*Scripture*

1st Reading: Acts12:1-11
Resp. Psalm: Ps34:2-9
2nd Reading: 2Tim4:6-8,17-18
Gosp. Accl.: Mt16:18
Gospel: Mt16:13-19

*The witness of St. Peter*

Today we celebrate two greatest Christians that ever lived and witnessed to the Lord Jesus: St. Peter and St. Paul. Two men with beautiful lives and souls, enraptured and enamoured with Christ the Lord, who gave Him not a part but everything they were. In our gospel today, we hear the confession of faith of St. Peter in the divinity, messiahship and overlordship of the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter confessed faith in the mission our Lord came to accomplish on earth. He pointed out: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." On this basis of this confession, our Lord gave Peter something never again given to any human person: He promised to build His Church on the rock of Peter and his confession; that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against the Church; that Peter was given the power to bind or lose on earth and that that would be recognized in heaven. _Are we eager to confess Jesus as Lord? Are we prompt to witness to our faith? In all its trials and tribulations here on earth, do we realize that no power can destroy the Church? Do we know that the powers that arose in history have been destroyed for all ages and the ones today will still face the same fate?_

*Evil will never prevail*

The life of the Church is in the hands of the One who founded her. His promise is that the power of the underworld will not prevail against it. The Church possesses the truth and makes this truth known. The peoples of every generation that are opposed to the truth will always be against the Church. It has been so from the beginning. It will be so till the end. Herod the king thought he could destroy the Church at its infancy. He laid hands upon the leaders of the Church and killed the Apostle James, the brother of John, ...

23/06/2022

*The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist:* "the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and she gave birth to a son"

*Scripture*

1st Reading: Is49:1-6
Resp. Psalm: Ps139:1-3,13-15
2nd Reading: Acts13:22-26
Gosp. Accl.: Lk1:76
Gospel: Lk1:57-66,80

*The birth of the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth*

The conception was grace and favour done to two faithful, devout and holy parents who had waited on the Lord for years since they both commited to themselves and to God in marriage. It was great mercy shown to both parents who would have been mocked and had probably lost hope that the joy of parenthood might be granted to them. Angel Gabriel brought the good tidings of the conception to Zechariah in the temple. At the time foretold by the angel, the child was born. Great joy was brought into the household and marriage. The precursor was born and he fulfilled the role earmarked for him. _As parents, do we lose hope over matters, a child, relationship issues, adequate means to take care of our families? Do we trust in God in those difficult circumstances? Do we accompany our children to fulfill what God had planned for them?_

*A destined child*

The mystery that would characterize the life of the child began to unfold at his circumcision and naming on the eighth day. The name John was given to him. The title "the baptist" was added later to indicate the sign he utilized to prepare the people for the Messiah. That sign was baptism. The word of God recounts today that the events of John's birth brought fear on the neighbours of his parents and was the topic of discussion through all the hill country of Judea. They knew this was a special child. The word today teaches us that the "hand of the Lord was with him. And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation to Israel." _Do we work everyday to realize our greatest potentials?_

*Called, chosen, commissioned and sent*

God works in mysterious ways...

18/06/2022

Interested candidates to join the clerical members of BYZANTINE CATHOLIC CHURCH NIGERIA (Missionaries of Saint Andrew De Apostle should kindly contact the Vocation Director Fr

+2348137210378,
07018866647 Very Rev Fr Antony BCCN

13/06/2022

*Monday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time: Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua:* "Give to anyone who asks"

*Scripture*

1st Reading: 1Kgs21:1-16
Resp. Psalm: Ps5:2-3,5-7
Gosp. Accl.: Ps119:105
Gospel: Mt5:38-42

*An extended and new law*

One of the great points in the Law of Moses is the law of retaliation. To pay back the offender was seen as justifiable and sweet. This was before the Lawgiver Himself came on earth. When He came, He extended the law, thereby giving it a completely new meaning. In the words of our Lord today, a true believer must bear all wrongs with heroic fortitude. Our Lord told His disciples to offer the wicked man no resistance. A believer then is one who goes against the current to maintain the pristine values entrusted by our Lord to His Church. _Are we vengeful? Have we learnt from Him, to be forgiving?_

*Greed against honour and good name*

Why is it that man's appetite is insatiable? Why does man allow his base instincts to rule over his reasoning faculties? Why is there that tendency in each of us to grab and grab, even to the point that the superfluity in the things we have grabbed nauseate us, and yet we still hold on to these primitive and ungodly acquisitions? Why are we never satisfied with the overabundance that we have and long for and desire the little that others have? Ahab was a grasping, greedy, wicked and insatiable king. Ahab forgot that he was just a representative of God on the throne and he had the responsibility to put on the best conduct.

*The perfidy of Ahab*

In life, we must always remember where we come from, especially in the giddy heights of wealth and fame. Ahab had everything and could even have more. He had choice property as king. He had the best of everything. But Ahab paid only lip service to the worship of Yahweh. Ahab failed to realize that God would ask of him an account of his stewardship. Ahab wanted the vineyard of Naboth to turn it into a vegetable garden. Anyone familiar with vegetables ...

10/06/2022

*Friday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time:* The Lord, the lawgiver and its perfecter

*Scripture*

1st Reading: 1Kgs19:9,11-16
Resp. Psalm: Ps27:7-9,13-14
Gosp. Accl.: Phil2,15,16
Gospel: Mt5,27-32

*A perfection of the law*

Only the lawgiver fully knows his intentions while giving a law. The deepest meaning, implications, breadth are known by the lawgiver. In the absence of a lawgiver, then a court fills in and provides an interpretation. Our Lord in today's gospel passage and especially in the passages from St. Matthew's gospel we read yesterday, today and some days to come, established Himself as the supreme legislator with the power to bring tp light the hidden meaning and implication of the law of God. Today, he perfected the law on adultery. Adultery, according to this divine interpretation, includes lustful looking at a woman. _Do we pick and choose what is convenient for us in the law of God?_

*Remove all obstacles to your salvation*

The things that have the capacity to obstruct our attainment of salvation are pleasurable. They are things that give ua some measure of comfort, satisfaction and pleasure. This is why the are often hard to do away with. Our Lord today teaches us to be courageous to take them off our lives. This is because they are realities that will never go with us into the hereafter. They are earthly and will be left behind here by all of us. _Do we have the courage and purpose to do away with them?_

*You cannot undo what God has done*

The third law whose understand our Lord perfected today is that of divorce. Divorce was seen as a very simple thing: an accusation was brought and the writ of dismissal was obtained and the marriage was ended. Our Lord, however, gave stricter conditions for divorce to ever be permitted: un-chastity was added. Consequently, to divorce one's wife except on ground of un-chastity is to make her an adultress and to marry such a divorced woman is to commit adultery. All that this points to is that ...

Independent Orthodox Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria

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