Catholic Biblical Movement of Nigeria - cbmn Alakuko Lagos

Catholic Biblical Movement of Nigeria - cbmn Alakuko Lagos God in His mercy has granted us another golden chance tn be His channel to men. Lets tell world more about Christ.

16/07/2018

Reflection on the Readings of Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time 16th July 2018. Readings: Is 1:10-17; Psalm 50; Matthew 10:34-11:1

Theme: We are called to Love God above all things

Beloved, in the gospel of today's liturgy of the word, Jesus says "Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword” (v. 34). “The ‘mission statement’ here is meant to shock” Sword is a metaphor for conflict. Conflict was not Jesus’ purpose, but it arises naturally from evildoers who respond violently to Jesus and his teachings. By the time of the writing of this Gospel, Christians were frequently estranged from their families because of their decision for Christ. “For I came to set a man at odds against his father” (v. 35a). In verses 35-36, Jesus alludes to Micah 7:6, which speaks of conflict in the family. Friends, God created the family and gave it as a gift for our benefit. Typically, the family is our last refuge. No matter who is against us, our family is for us. Separation from one’s family is, next to separation from God, the most terrible isolation that we can imagine.

Thus, Jesus tells us that we can expect conflict even from our family when we live by faith in Christ. The grown child who chooses Jesus may no longer want to participate in religious practices held dear by his/her parents. The husband or wife who chooses Jesus will want to attend public worship on Sunday mornings when his/her family might prefer his/her presence elsewhere. The wage earner who chooses Jesus may find it necessary to choose work that involves less compromise but also offers less pay. Faith in Christ impacts every aspect of life, from the way that we conceive our children to the way that we bury our dead. It is no wonder that, when other members of the family do not share our faith, they resent our faith-choices and the impact that those choices have on them. “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me” (v. 37). The commandments (Exodus 20:3) call us to serve God to the exclusion of all other gods. Jesus will validate that priority when a lawyer asks, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” (Matthew 22:34-40). Jesus has carried the matter further by requiring loyalty to himself even above loyalty to bury a father (Matthew 8:22). Now he requires loyalty to himself above loyalty to family.

Hence, the commandments (Exodus 20:12) also call us to honour father and mother. Jesus’ words in verse 37 could be seen as anti-parent, but they are not. Jesus does not advocate disloyalty to family but instead calls us to place loyalty to God even above loyalty to family. Friends, We live in a “What’s in it for me!” kind of world where we are tempted to focus on what we can get rather than what we can give. Businesses use accounting gimmickry to persuade people to pay more for their stock than it is worth. Executives bail out on Golden Parachutes, leaving behind broken businesses, ruined investors, and abandoned employees. Politicians make decisions based on re-election considerations rather than the good of the nation. Young people go to college, not to become productive citizens, but to make more money and to have more fun. Beloved in Christ, Jesus tells us that such behaviour is ruinous in the long run—such people will lose their lives. We see it even in the short run. Truly happy people are those who are who live for something larger than themselves. The narcissist strives for happiness but achieves only broken relationships and unfulfilled dreams. Jesus promises that it will be quite different for those who “loses his life (psychen) for my sake” (v. 39). Peace be with you and do have a Blessed Monday!.... ....

25/07/2017

WHAT IS TIME?
The highest weapon of the Devil is using against God's people is time. The highest manipulation of the enemy on Christians is time. It is not the Bible that Christian don't understand, it is not prayer and fasting, it is not doctrine and theology, bit is not Satan and his agents, if there is anything we Christian don't understand at all it is TIME.
Most Christians say that God does not use time. I think they would rather say that God does not use clock or calendar, but it is wrong to say that God does not use time.
The truth is; Everything that God ever did was done according to His time.
God's time controls Him; He does nothing out of His time and would not do anything once it is not the time.
The question is; WHAT IS TIME? everyone with a wrist watch can tell you what time it is but not all can tell what is time. Time is not clock, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years. Time is not calendar, though these can be used to monitor and give time proper dating, but in the real meaning, time and dates are two different things.
Time exited before clock. Time is Heavenly while clock is earthly. God works according to His time, He is not constrained by our clock and date. He sets everything according to His time and expect His children to observe this time and work with it. Our mistake is, we look at our clock to interprete God's time.
Dear friends in Christ! What have you being waiting unto God for? Husband, wife, job, peace in the family, admission etc. Have you forgotten that a thousand years in our eyes is like a day before God.
That is to say 500years is like 12hours before God, 250years is like 6hours before God, 125years is like 3hours before God, 62.5years is like 2hrs 30mins before God continue dividing.
Now the question is how long have you waited unto the Lord?
May God give us the gift of patience in Jesus name..

23/03/2017

THE PURPOSE OF MAN'S EXISTENCE
Why Am I Here?
Is a man just a biological accident? Is a human race just another stage in the process of blind and purposeless evolution? Is this human life just a brief flash of light between the long darkness that preceded the womb, and an everlasting darkness that will follow the grave? Am I just a meaningless speck in the universe, tossed off by the creative power of an uncaring God much as a baseball fan might toss a peanut shell over his shoulder? Is there any design or plan to life, any significance? Where did I come from, anyway? And why am I her?
These are questions that any intelligent person is bound to ask him/herself, once he is old enough to do any serious thinking.
What Do You Have to Say.....?

13/08/2016

PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS FOR PEACE
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, where there is Hatred- let me sow Love. where there is Injury- Pardon. where there is Doubt- Faith, where there is Despair- Hope, where there is Darkness- Light and where there is Sadness- Joy. O Divine master, grant that I may not much seek: To be Consoled- as to Console. To be Understood as to Understand. To be Loved as to Love. It is in giving that we receive. It is pardoning- that we are pardoned. It is in Dying- that we are born to eternal life.
By the sign of the Holy Cross, deliver us from our enemies.....AMEN.
Type Amen if you need PEACE in your and .

31/07/2016

Wisdom Reflection (Ecc. 1:2; 2:21-23, Luke 12:13-21)
The things that are supposed to satisfy human beings do not satisfy them. That is why, Jesus stresses foolishness of depending on material things for one's security rather than on God. In his search for security and happiness in this life the rich man forgets God, eternal life and his obligations to the poor. He is truly a fool because he has not known how to use wisely the wealth which he had. One example of this vanity is all the toil people put into acquiring wealth, only to have to leave it all to their heirs, what he leaves behind may tear his family apart.
Fellow pilgrims let us not judge success in life by the standards of the world but know what is really important in life.
May Almighty God cleanse our hearts of greed, for material things and from envy of others and clothe us in gentleness and humanity through Christ Our Lord- Amen

27/07/2016

7. Pray God's guidance and to identify what God is saying to you in the text.
8. Consult a biblical commentary and a biblical dictiontary for an explaination of the background and meaning of the text, especially of difficuld words, ideas, phrases, places, actions, characters literary styles and other expressions.
9. You may also consult the Catechism of the Catholic Church CCC to establish how the church offically interpretes the ideas found in the text.
10. Relate all u have read to the central theme(s) which you found in the text, and draw out more meaning from the text.
11. Relate the result of your reading or study to your life and the life of others.
GOODLUCK.

27/07/2016

HOW ONE CAN READ OR STUDY THE BIBLE WITH UNDERSTANDING.
Doing this requires engaging patiently in a process of interpretation.
1. Decide on which passage to read or study at any given time.
2. You may study the Bible according to single biblical themes, (eg. prayer, covenant, forgiveness), a chapter of a biblical book or a selected passage.
3. Read the text aloud many times over.
4. Note the kinds of writings (poetry, narrative, etc).
5. Try to read the passage before and after the text you chose, and notice the link between them and your text.
6. Then try to identify the unite in the theme(s) or subject matter(s) in the text, and the key words used to express the theme(s) in the text.

25/07/2016

Apocrypha: A group of Old Testament books that are wholly or partially accepted as Scripture in Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches but not included in the Hebrew Scriptures and thus rejected by most protestants; als, early christian writings composed in forms similar to New Testament writings but not included in the christian Scriptures.
Apostolic Age: The period from the death of Jesus Christ until the reign of Trajan (A.D. 98-117), during which the Apostles lived and worked.

24/07/2016

Some Key Religious Terms and Their Meanings
Anathema: Someone or something banned or cut off from a religious body; also, an ecclesiastical condemnation or excommunication.
Agrapha: Sayings attributted to Jesus that do not appear in the four Gospel of the New Testament.
To be contiuned.

16/07/2016

INSPIRING BIBLICAL QUOTES
I read my bible to know what people ought to do, and my newspaper to know what they are doing---Newman
The devil can cite scripture for his purpose--Shakespeare
No one ever graduates from Bible study until he meets the Author face to face---Harris

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