Blog & Pastor Letters

Vocation, Jesus the Good Shepherd and My Work

04-25-2021Weekly ReflectionRev. Victor C. Yakubu

Every career in life is important. From astronomy to zoology, there is something positive to be developed into a venture that yields a living wage. If what we do gives us contentment and happiness, it is necessary to commit ourselves to making that profession an enviable one. Is the priesthood or religious life considered professions? It is not exactly. The call to priestly and religious life is not exactly a profession; it is a vocation tailored for service in the Church. For this reason, every fourth Sunday of Easter is set aside to pray for vocations. Good Shepherd Sunday is also known as Vocations Sunday to remember those already serving in the priestly or religious life. It is also for all Christians to reflect about their contributions to the human family through their professions and careers.

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Repent and be Converted

04-18-2021Weekly ReflectionRev. Victor C. Yakubu

The message of Pope Francis on Easter Sunday stated in part, “The world proposes that we put ourselves forward at all costs, that we compete, that we prevail. But Christians, by the grace of Christ, dead and risen, are the seeds of another humanity, in which we seek to live in service to one another, not to be arrogant, but rather respectful and ready to help.” In his message, the Pope encouraged peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians and prayed for the restoration of normalcy in conflicted areas. He also urged an end to bloodshed in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Ukraine, Nigeria, South Sudan and various parts of Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo. He prayed for the victims of the Kenyan college attack where 145 students were killed.

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Faith Removes Doubt

04-11-2021Weekly ReflectionRev. Victor C. Yakubu

The Code of Canon Law (Can. #747 par. 1) states, “The Church, to which Christ the Lord has entrusted the deposit of faith so that with the assistance of the Holy Spirit it might protect the revealed truth reverently, examine it more closely, and proclaim and expound it faithfully, has the duty and innate right, independent of any human power whatsoever, to preach the gospel to all peoples, also using the means of social communication proper to it.” What this means for the Church is that preaching, teaching, and admonishing the flock are important ways of nurturing the Christian faith.

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Jesus, the Empty Tomb, and the Apostles

04-04-2021Weekly ReflectionRev. Victor C. Yakubu

The long journey of Ash Wednesday has ended today with the celebration of Easter. Jesus is risen from the dead, he is no longer in the tomb, he is alive, and he lives forever! We can now sing alleluia for Jesus has overcome death against all the expectations of his executioners. They thought that he would be dead and forgotten, but he proved them wrong by rising from the dead to live forever. Imagine the heavy stone put at the entrance of his tomb to disallow anybody rolling it to steal the body. Yet the stone was rolled back, and nobody could explain how this happened, not even the soldiers guarding the tomb.

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Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

03-28-2021Weekly Reflectionwww.hprweb.com

Today’s celebration joins two observances: the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and the suffering and death that followed that. Ordinarily on Sunday, we celebrate and remember the Resurrection of Jesus. But with next Sunday being Easter, the great annual celebration of the Resurrection, this Sunday we prepare to celebrate that resurrection by remembering intensely his Passion and death. Each year, therefore, faithful Catholics will hear the entire account of Jesus’s suffering and death this week and his Resurrection next week. These two celebrations, of the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord, bracket Holy Week. But even if one cannot attend the observances of Holy Week, the Sunday liturgy alone allows us to hear and ponder the entire paschal mystery, which encompasses Jesus’s death and resurrection.

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A Grain of Wheat Must Fall

03-21-2021Weekly ReflectionRev. Victor C. Yakubu

The horrendous acts unveiled daily by the media from around the world leave me wondering which century I am living in. To realize that I am living in the 21st century and witnessing what I see and hear makes my bones cringe with fear about man’s grievous inhumanity to man. For long, people have agitated for world peace free of any violence to no avail. It seems that each time one problem is solved, another thousand pop up. Why is man wicked to man, or is it a return to the mentality of the Dark Ages? My answer comes from the realization that a great act of sacrifice was made over two thousand years ago, but the world paid no attention. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was meant to turn the hearts of men and women to God forever. Unfortunately, it is yet to be seen.

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4th Sunday of Lent

03-14-2021Weekly Reflectionhttps://mycatholic.life/upcoming-reflections

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” – John 3:16

This Scripture passage from John’s Gospel is a familiar one. Oftentimes, at large public events such as sports games, we can find someone holding up a sign that says, “John: 3:16.” The reason for this is that this passage offers a simple but clear summary of the entire Gospel.

There are four basic truths that we can take from this Scripture. Let’s look at each of them in a brief way.

First, it’s made clear that the Father in Heaven loves us. We know this, but we will never fully comprehend the depth of this truth. God the Father loves us with a profound and perfect love. It’s a love that is deeper than anything else we could ever experience in life. His love is perfect.

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Jesus and the Anointing from Above

03-07-2021Weekly ReflectionRev. Victor C. Yakubu

During one of his papal sermons at the Vatican, Pope Francis urged Christians to make Christ the number one person in their lives. According to the pontiff, “People need to perceive that for that disciple, Jesus is truly ‘Lord,’ he is truly the center of his life, the whole of his life. It does not matter if, like every human person, he has his limits and even his mistakes – provided he has the humility to recognize them.” These words are inspirational at this period of great expectation before the coming of the messiah. We need such swords to encourage us despite the darkness pervading the world. The Christmas season brings us to the reality of God’s inestimable love for his children, the blood of Abraham, our father in faith. Pope Francis, therefore, is right in preaching Christ as the center point of every believer.

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Abraham, Jesus and Obedience to God’s Will

02-28-2021Weekly ReflectionRev. Victor C. Yakubu

A lawless society is a cancer to human civilization. During the Stone Age man lived in caves and hunted with spears and arrows with fear ruling the scene. Today, in many spheres of human life, man has progressed tremendously so fear can be replaced with freedom. The reason is that obedience to civil laws is as important as obedience to religious laws to set our lives in an orderly way without hurting us or those in our trust.

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Lent, Repentance and Your Soul

02-21-2021Weekly ReflectionRev. Victor C. Yakubu

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Lenten journey, a period of forty days and forty nights. On that day we received ashes on our foreheads, a reminder that we are dust and unto dust we shall return. If only we could realize how grim life is, we would always be careful to make the right choices in matters of morality, faith, and life generally. For all those wrong choices, we turn to God at this Lenten period to ask for his forgiveness and help as we indulge in prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

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Healing Comes from God

02-14-2021Weekly ReflectionRev. Victor C. Yakubu

Our world has witnessed how Ebola and COVID-19 overwhelmed the world’s healthcare system by putting scientists on edge. We have also witnessed how viruses caused the deaths of many in the United State and around the world. Ebola particularly affected countries of Africa such as the Congo, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. COVID-19 is tagged a global pandemic as no nation is spared in terms of infections and deaths. As more research is conducted with 21stcentury technology, we hope that Ebola and COVID-19 will be totally contained like other deadly viruses in the past.

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The Gospel is Free of Charge

02-07-2021Weekly ReflectionRev. Victor C. Yakubu

While some researchers are concerned about declining church membership all over the United States, I am happy that somebody is being positive for once. The Barna Group (barna.org) conducted their research and determined that Bible reading has increased from 40% in 2000 to 47% in 2006. I am sure the figures for 2014 would have moved up to 51% because as more Christians yearn for the Word of God. Does this not encourage you? However, according to their finding, the number of “churchless” people in the United States in 2014 is enough to make the 8th biggest country in the world with 129 million. Are you not excited yet?

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