18/05/2026
Seventh Sunday of Easter!
Theme: To Glory in God and to Glorify Him!
God has graciously provided humanity with all the necessities for eternal life. He has given us His word and His flesh. He has afforded us the opportunities and unrestricted access to the truth, thereby eliminating any excuse for ignorance or darkness.
As believers in Christ Jesus, the Father has demonstrated His love for us through His Son, and the Son has reciprocated this love through His sacrifice on the cross. The Son has glorified the Father by His sacrifice, and the Father has, in turn, glorified the Son through the resurrection.
What must we do to glory in the Father, i.e., to allow God to take charge of our lives, direct our lives, and live for God?
1. Unity:
The apostles have set a perfect example for us, as we hear in our First reading today. Following the ascension, they returned to the upper room, where the Last Supper took place. It was there that Jesus imparted eternal truth to them and gave them a new commandment of love. He also instituted what He would accomplish on the cross through the offering of His body and blood.
We are told that they returned in one accord and remained united. As the saying goes, 'Divided we fall, united we stand.' The apostles, Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brethren served as a model of unity, and we are called to emulate this unity, especially as Christians. As Christ prayed, may we all be one.
We must not be distracted by the numerous earthly pleasures that may not bring us glory but cannot bring glory to God. We cannot claim to love God while being agents of division, discrimination, or hatred towards others.
2. Prayer:
We are told that the apostles devoted themselves to prayer. We cannot claim to believe in Christ Jesus and not value prayer, especially family prayers, community prayers, and prayers within the community of believers. We are called to prioritize prayer.
Dear brothers and sisters, we are a family. The discord, backbiting, finger-pointing, discrimination, gossip, anger, jealousy, envy, tarnishing of one another's image and reputation, condemnation, and judgment that we display among ourselves are a scandal to the family of God.
Anytime we engage in actions that dishonor this family, we do not glory in God, we do not glorify God, and God cannot glorify us.
When we glory in Christ Jesus, nothing can shake us!
Sermon: Rev Fr. Collins Godwin Dossa