Saturday of the 26th week in the ordinary time
Theme: The blessings of God
Today the church celebrates the memorial of St. Theresa of the child Jesus, a Carmelite and the Patroness of the missions. She was a young girl who had the zeal to serve God as a religious, at the early age of 15 years. She served God and his people zealously until she died at the age of 24 years. Her call to the religious life and her way of life, simply points out the fact that age is not a barrier if we want to truly serve God and his people. She did not allow her health to stop her from serving the people of God. I also want to wish Nigerians a happy independence anniversary, and pray for Gods guidance and direction in the coming months as we prepare for the election of new leaders.
In the 1st reading of today from the Book of Job, we are presented with the end of the narrative on Job. In his ordeals and difficulties that befell him as a result of Gods trust in him, he did not disappoint God or allow his faith in God to fail, he rather remained steadfast to the end in humility and God blessed his faith and steadfastness. Amidst his travails, he humbled himself before God and he was richly blessed by God. He was blessed with more than what he ever had before he lost everything. The story of Job should be a source of great strength for you and I as children of God. This is because at one time or the other in our life, we may experience difficulties and setbacks in our life that will test our faith, at such moment we have to draw strength from the story of Job, knowing very well that at such a moment God can never desert us. He is by our side and will come to our assistance when the need arises; he will never allow our challenges in life to overwhelm us if we remain steadfast in faith at such a time, just like Job did.
In the gospel reading of today, the 72 disciples that were sent out by Jesus, returned rejoicing because of the success of their mission, and Jesus tells them that what matters most is the fact that their names are written in heaven. Dearly beloved in Christ, in the same way we have been commissioned by God to take his word to the ends of the earth, how well are we carrying out this mandate given to us by Jesus himself? As children of God we are all capable of preaching the word of God, both with our words and actions. May the Lord bless his words in our hearts in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.