Sjti Aids Action Youth for Life Program

05/03/2023

2nd SUNDAY OF LENT – YEAR A
(Genesis 12:1-4, 2 Timothy 1:8-10, Matthew 17:1-9)
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A WALK OF FAITH: JOURNEYING WITH JESUS

In our life, sometimes we meet things that disturb our faith. We do not understand many things that happen to us and why they happen. We ask God many questions. In those moments, our faith is tested. We begin to doubt God’s plan for our lives. We feel disoriented and whatever holds us in one piece seems to be disintegrating.

In the first reading, Abram is sent by God to go to a land he knows not; a place where probably no one speaks his language, a land of new customs and possible dangers. Clearly, this was to be a journey of faith. Isn’t that what life is? Everything that happens to us is a whole new reality. It takes us into new areas of self-discovery and knowledge of God. Our life is like an Abram-journey. It sometimes takes us to places we don’t know and with faith, we embrace it, trusting in the guidance of the Spirit of God. Through that experience, God conveys a message to us. He speaks to us even when we do not understand the situation we are in. Ours, however, is to pay attention. To listen. To grasp the message. In every situation, good or bad, known or unknown, God is saying something. If we are faithful to God’s guidance, the ‘Abram’ within us will rise and say, “I too must take this journey.” Once we set ourselves on this journey, we too will attain the blessings God promises to Abram.

The gospel gives us the transfiguration of Jesus. We are invited to be attentive to Christ, to listen to him, as the voice of God says from above: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” To listen to Jesus is to sit at his feet and allow ourselves to be guided. This ‘sitting at his feet’ has to be deliberate. We should want it and open up our hearts to him so that we may receive food for our souls. Sometimes, due to the noisy world in which we live, it is difficult for us to listen to Christ. There are a lot of voices calling out to us, and we always find ourselves having to choose which voice we should obey. Our journey to the unknown place will be tiresome unless we become open to being guided by the tender voice of Christ. In fact, what makes it a walk of faith is the fact that we are able to acknowledge the presence of Christ, walking with us, listening to our lamentations, sharing also in our joys, and us listening to his counsel.

The mountain of transfiguration is the symbol of the presence of God. As we walk with Jesus, we are climbing this mountain where we hope to meet God. It is a tedious walk. Tiresome. If we persevere and walk on with Jesus, we shall experience the transfiguration of our Lord in our presence. When this happens, it will be the turning point of our lives. The transfiguration of the Lord is the experience of the transformation of our own lives as well. One who listens to Jesus remains in God and is transformed into a dazzlingly pure person. We cannot be transformed unless we listen to Jesus, and this requires a particular disposition of faith, like that of Abram, our father in faith.

ENJOY YOUR LITURGY
Fr. Arthur Ntembula

25/02/2023

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT – YEAR A
(Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11)
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SUCCUMBING TO TEMPTATION

We live in a world of temptations and a world of sin. Due to our human weakness, we fail to respect our relationship with our God because we succumb to temptation. Jesus’ response to temptation teaches us something important. His presence in the desert tells us that it is possible to be in an environment of temptation and to be tempted but without succumbing. Today we are invited to experience the world as it is because it is only in this world that we can live and experience life. But we are further invited to transform it and take it back to the paradise it was before by demonstrating a life well lived, a life of quality, a life that honours God.

Temptations come from the devil. He brings them in different ways. And his intention is always to pull us to himself by abandoning God. This is what we see in the first reading when Adam and Eve give into the temptation of Satan, hence, distancing themselves from their Creator. Just as Satan does to these our first parents, so does he do to us by tempting us through the things that are most appealing to us. The devil knows that human eyes love to see glittery and attractive things. The forbidden fruit, therefore, can be anything that draws our attention but then also draws us away from God. The devil attracts us with such to win our hearts.

In the gospel, Satan’s triple temptation of Jesus reveals key ways in which he works. The devil tries to persuade us to use spiritual power or authority to benefit ourselves. For instance, people who serve in the church may be tempted to use their positions of trust to get their people to serve them instead of serving God or even enriching themselves. The devil also deceives us into worshipping idols instead of God; things like money, fame, possessions, status, political power, etc. When we embrace these elements as our ultimate source of happiness and satisfaction, we have dethroned God. We make ourselves strangers before God.

When the devil observes that Jesus is very hungry, he tempts him to turn stones into bread. Satan knows that we are most vulnerable when we are hungry. Because of hunger, a human being can start a church to benefit oneself. Hunger can make one lie or withhold the truth to keep their job. How many people have killed others due to hunger? Is it not because of hunger that some people begin to malign others at places of work to have a bigger share? Hunger can make one start worshipping a fellow human being as long as there is a benefit. Because of hunger, a human being can lose honour and integrity; it makes one develop an insatiable appetite for wealth, amassing it by all means possible. Hunger is a weak spot and Satan knows it. But Jesus does not succumb to this temptation even though at this point he is very hungry. There is something more important than food, namely, the Word that comes from God. We can look to him in times of temptation and receive from him an abundance of grace and strength to resist the devil.

From the second reading we are told that though sin came through one man (Adam), we have redemption through the sacrificial action of another man, Jesus Christ. His presence in our lives is a sure presence of the power to fight temptation. He saves us from our weaknesses and makes us stronger than the devil. Our Lenten observances can only make sense when we become aware of our ‘desert’ situation and realise that in this situation, we depend on God for everything. We shouldn’t trust ourselves too much. We are not enough to resist temptation. We need God.

ENJOY YOUR LITURGY
Fr. Arthur Ntembula

19/02/2023

7th SUNDAY - YEAR A
(Leviticus 19:1-2.17-18, 1 Corinthians 3:16-23, Matthew 5:38-48)
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AN EYE FOR AN EYE

We were created for holiness, and in holiness to glorify God and to denounce evil. After the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve, humanity fell from grace and started grappling with the reality of sin. We became weakened and the tendency towards sin became our everyday struggle. However, God did not want us to perish in sin. Through different ways and actions, he started calling us back to holiness so that we be restored and reconfigured to his grace. In today’s first reading, God says to Moses, “Say to all generations of the sons of Israel, you shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy.” Even though they had sinned in their stubbornness, God still wanted to purify his people so that they may be as holy as he is.

Christianity teaches us that the heart is the seat of holiness. And when God talks about “being holy as he is,” he is at the same time talking about ordering our lives towards holiness. This means that purifying our hearts is an everyday activity. We will continue falling, but we should also remember that we don’t belong to the ground. We should, therefore, continue getting up, dusting ourselves off and moving on towards a life that God invites us to. We may feel weighed down by sin, hatred, feelings of vengeance, and persecution, but when we allow God to direct our thoughts and actions, we will not stray from his presence and whatever feeling we may have will not dictate how we should conduct ourselves. We cannot be striving for holiness while at the same time harbour hatred for one another. We know that hatred destroys our relationships because it results in vengeance or violence. Jesus in the gospel is talking about “love for enemy.” When we are hurting and do not put ourselves on the road to recovery, hitting back becomes the obvious result. “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” creates more damage because evil cannot be fought with evil. Darkness cannot be dispelled with darkness. Jesus wants us to respond to persecution with love because love is the only virtue that builds, unites, and ultimately dispels evil.

In the second reading, St. Paul says: “Do you know that you are God’s temple and God’s Spirit dwells in you? …God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are.” Indeed, we are the temple of God and by the way we live our life, we should honour this status. When we harbour hatred, we cease to be the temple of the Holy Spirit, but the temple of hatred. We cannot fulfil St. Paul’s words unless we put ourselves on the way to holiness by denouncing anything foreign to the life we aspire for. As Christians, invited to holiness, we need to put ourselves on the path of healing, restoration, forgiveness, love, and reconciliation. Every moment we are alive is an opportunity for us to return to God, holding hands in unity and reconciliation. Indeed, we are privileged to be God’s dwelling, and that is why God constantly calls us to holiness.

Mahatma Gandhi was not a Christian but when he read our Bible, he too believed that “an eye for an eye would make the whole world blind.”

ENJOY YOUR LITURGY
Fr. Arthur Ntembula

23/04/2017

We regret to announce the death of Mrs Lorraine Kalicharran, who had been our bookkeeper and receptionist for many years. Lorraine had often been the first face people encounter when they were new to the Institute. She endeared herself to many and been a friend to many staff and students over the years. Her illness since mid-February had caused her much suffering, which she embraced with her deep faith. Those who know her, know she lived by the motto: 'Jesus, I trust in you.' May she rest in peace.

14/05/2014

ST LEO PARISH...

06/10/2013

What a lovely workshop we had at our lady of good health, to all the youth who attended the worksho you rock guys. Together we can make a difference, remember change begins with you, with me and with us.

06/10/2013