Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk  

 Sixth Sunday of the Year, A – Feb 12, 2017

Readings: Sir 15:15-20; Responsorial Psalm Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34; 1st Cor 2:6-10; Gospel Mat 5:17-37 or Mat 5:20-22A, 27-28, 33-34A, 37.

Theme:  Salvation: Our Choice, Our Chance!

Friends in Christ, our Sunday Liturgy puts before us a God who not only created us in His image and likeness but gave us freedom and respects our choices. Nothing could be loftier than creating free beings who have the capacity to decide what they want to do with their lives. If He wanted, God would have created human beings without freedom which means that we wouldn’t have being different from robots.

We probably would have been like a remote-control in the hands of an operator. But to demonstrate his benevolence to creators whom He cherishes and respects, God decided to put before us right and wrong, good and bad as well as clearly laying out the implication of our choices which could make or mar us.

This is precisely the message of our first reading (Sir 15:15-20) wherein Ben Sirach tells the people of Israel as he says to us today, “if you choose you can keep the commandments.” The Wisdom book further discloses that “…he has set before you fire and water to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him.”

In the daily events of our lives, we make choices – the choice to a better education; the choice of sustainable career, jobs and finances; the choice to healthy meals; the choice to good medical care; the choice to luxurious cars; the choice to state of the art mansions and the choice to finest clothing – the summary of our choices is that we often make good choices. However, most times, we fall short of making good choices for our faith.   

Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk                                   

 Fifth Sunday of the Year, A – Feb 5, 2017

Readings: Is 58:7-10; Responsorial Psalm Ps 122:4-5, 6-7, 8-9; 1st Cor 2:1-5; 

Gospel Mat 5:13-16.

Theme:  Salt and Light as Recipes of Faith

The metaphor of light is very strong in Christianity. Today, the Prophet Isaiah in our first reading (Is 58:7-10) invites us to let our “light break forth like the dawn.” He goes ahead to insist that only when we remove oppression, false accusation and malicious speech and make efforts at giving bread to the hungry as well as satisfying the afflicted shall our light rise in the darkness. What was meant for a people in travail is also meant for us today because our circumstances are not any different from that of ancient Israel.

The Prophet was speaking hope into an oppressed people. This message resounds today as he also invites us to be light bearers. We are talking of no other light than the Light of Christ. This resonates with the call of Christ in the gospel (Mat 5:13-16) that his disciples should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Jesus explains the metaphor of salt and light by insisting that if salt loses it taste, it can no longer be seasoned or useful in any way but only to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

Concerning light, he makes the point that no one lights a lamp and puts it under the bushel basket; instead, it is put on a lampstand where it gives light to everyone in the house. These strong analogies speak to the heart of our liturgy namely, “Salt and Light as Recipes of Faith” – Here, salt becomes the seasoning which spices our faith for timeless seasoning. Light then, becomes the touch or candle that endlessly lights our way of faith.

Through this teaching, Jesus draws us to great insights on usefulness for the kingdom. By insisting that our light should shine in order that others may be drawn and give glory to the father, the Master wants us to use our life, time and resources for his service. He draws our attention to letting the candle of our lives burn out for others. The message is clear – if a candle does not burn out, it cannot illumine the house – in the same manner, our life must be the Bible others have to read in order to know Christ.  

Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

Fourth Sunday of the Year, A – Jan 29, 2017

Readings: Zep 2:3; 3:12-13; Responsorial Psalm Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10; 1st Cor 1:26-31; Gospel Mat 5:1-12A.

Theme: The Beatitudes as Imperative for Citizenship into God's Kingdom!

Beloved in Christ, today our gospel (Mat 5:1-12A) presents us with nine catchphrases, namely the Beatitudes otherwise known as the “Sermon on the Mount” which can best be described as moral imperatives or prerequisites for citizenship into God's kingdom.         

Also described as the manifesto of the kingdom Jesus came to establish, the Beatitudes paint the picture of the character desired for entrance into God's kingdom. It is hoped that by imbibing the values enshrined in the Beatitudes, we become "more meek, more merciful, more hungry for righteousness, [and] more apt to make peace" realisable in the world.                                       

Through the Beatitudes, Jesus portrays righteousness as the standard of his kingdom. In them we find ethical principles necessary for day to day living as Christians. While the Sermon on the Mount is directed to all, we must realise that Jesus first of all meant it for his disciples (the true or spiritual Israel) which was already present and beginning life in the kingdom and second, to the crowds (the future Israel), the Israel that is hoped for, who must repent in order to follow the king. The implication is that Jesus' Beatitudes were meant for everyone desirous of making the world a better place to live in.

We shall highlight the Sermon on the Mount while drawing lessons from the Catholic Social Teaching (CST) of the Church as well as some Religious and Ethical Principles that apply to the faith. Before that, it is pertinent to note that the Beatitudes reveal many aspects of the CST because it is through them that "Christ's Gospel responds positively to man's thirst for justice."

The Beatitudes are founded on the revolution of love established by Christ through his cross and resurrection - through them Christ offers a new horizon of justice unveiled by the Paschal Mystery which creates a New World Order in the light of CST. Friends in Christ, it is important to note that CST runs from Pope Leo’s XII’ Rerum Novarum in 1891, through Pope Benedict XVI’s Caritas in Veritate. Through what is referred to as the development of doctrine and the signs of the time, the Church has sought to update and clarify the basic principles of SCT in the light of new socio-political, technological and economic realities.                                              

To be sure, on February 14, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI stated that: "Catholic social teachings are nothing less than the Beatitudes of the Gospel refined for action in the world. As such, the social doctrine is magisterial, and the laity have a serious obligation to put it into effect in their own lives, in society, their culture, and country..."                        

In like manner, Fr. John Bucki, S.J opines that "each of the Beatitudes may remind us of some aspect of Catholic Social Teaching; our preferential option for the poor; our special concern for anyone who is suffering; the profound dignity of every person irrespective of wealth or power; our hunger for justice in the world and in its institutions and structures; our concern for mercy and justice in our criminal justice system; our profound respect for life in all its forms; our care for the earth as a gift from God to be shared by all; our passion for non-violence and peace; our willingness to face opposition and to live by values different from those of our culture."                           

Writing on "The Magisterium and Catholic Social Teaching," C. J. Mccloskey III (2011) contends that "Catholic social teachings are nothing less than the Beatitudes of the gospel refined for action in the world. As such, the social doctrine is magisterial, and the laity have a serious obligation to put it into effect in their own lives, in society, their culture, and country, according to their conscience, which should be formed by the promulgated teaching of the Church and applied to the specific situations that they encounter" while stressing that "When in doubt, they should consult the bishop of their diocese, who is the best interpreter of the teaching of the Church."

Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

Third Sunday of the Year, Yer A – Jan 22, 2016

Readings: Is 8:23-9:3; Responsorial Psalm Ps 27:1,4,13-14; 1^st Cor. 1:10-13,17;
Gospel Matthew 4:12-23.

Theme: Pushing the Frontiers of Apostleship & Discipleship! 

Beloved in Christ, our Sunday liturgy presents us with the call of the apostles. The Matthean text (Matthew 4:12-23) which we read as our gospel highlights the calling of Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, as well as James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Thiers was a calling to apostleship. As pioneer apostles, one of them, Peter to be premise would later become the head of the college of apostles (Cf. Matthew 16:18 & 18:18).

These apostles had the mandate of pushing the frontiers of apostleship and discipleship. This implies that Christ entrusted to them the task of recruiting future apostles and disciples who would take over from them. This shall be the focus of our reflection on the Third Sunday of the Year.

For us to draw lessons from the gospel, it is important to understand the difference between an apostle and a disciple. Although the words disciple and apostle are sometimes used interchangeably, they mean different things. In a broad sense, a disciple is a follower or student of someone while an apostle is someone who is sent out with a message or mission.                

Writing about “Apostles vs. Disciples” Jonathan Potter (2016) opines that the word apostle defines a person in terms of their purpose or mission, while disciple emphasizes the person's relationship to the teacher. In the case of the 12 apostles, all of them are disciples. But it doesn’t follow that all disciples are apostles.         

In a stick sense, apostles were the 12 Jesus chose: Simon Peter, James the son Zebedee, John the brother James, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot (Mark 3:14-19) while disciples were the 70 or 72 (Cf. Luke 10:1) who were later sent as well as the other women who cared and provided for him from their means such as: Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome, wife of Zebedee and the sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha of Bethany (Luke 8:1-3).                                                   

Saint Peter lists the characteristics of being an apostle as, having witnessed to Jesus' death on the cross, having walked and talked with him, and having witnessed his baptism (Acts 10:40-45). By the virtue of the Sacrament of Orders (diaconate, priesthood and bishopric) bishops are the direct successors of the apostles.

Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

 Second Sunday of the Year, Year A – Jan 15, 2016

Readings: Is 49:3,5-6; Responsorial Psalm Ps 40:2,4,7-8, 8-9,10; 1^st Cor. 1:1-3; Gospel John  1:29-34.

Theme: Behold the Lamb of God!

Friends in Christ, with the Christmas season gone, we are back to the Ordinary Season of the Church.  Today, we are presented with Christ as the Paschal Lamb and his paschal mysteries as well as the unceasing atonement and redemption he achieves for us. In this regard, we shall also reflect on collective and personal conversion as well as Christ’s discipleship and leading in the light of our readings:   
1. Paschal Lamb & Paschal Mysteries: By shedding his blood, Christ saves sinners through faith in Christ Jesus and the effects wrought for us by the Paschal Lamb. The gospel reading (John  1:29-34) presents St. John the Baptist as a preacher of repentance and one who points at Jesus and his paschal mysteries as the only way for Christians to get pardon for their sins. No doubt, the Lamb of God takes away sins - that is, he purchases pardon for hardened criminals and sinners. Without mincing words, the Baptist calls us to repent and believe the Good News preached by Christ the true Lamb of God who does not only preach by word of mouth but lays down his life as a burnt offering for all believers. 
2. Unceasing Atonement & Redemption: Just as the throats of lambs were slaughtered every morning and evening in the Old Testament as a sin offering, Christ is slain as a sacrifice and sheds his precious blood to redeem humanity for God. Though this sacrifice was once and for all in Calvary, it is repeated in the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass in obedience to the words of Christ: “Do this in memory of me.” Every time Holy Mass is celebrated, the full effects of Calvary are played out as the atonement of sins is achieved. This means that St. John was pointing to God’s glory in Christ Jesus for the pardoning of all who would depend on the atoning sacrifice of Christ. This means that we must frequently approach the table of the Lord with confidence to partake of his Body and Blood for our redemption. 

Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

December 30, 2016. 
Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Readings: 1 Sir 3:2-6, 12-14; Responsorial Psalm PS 128:1-2, 3, 4-5; Col 3:12-21 & Gospel Matthew 2:13-15,19-23.

Theme: Standing Up for the Family.

The Family Institution is suffering a backlash in our age no thanks to the upsurge of gay rights, single parenthood, individualism and exaggerated freedom. The human race may be at the verge of extinction since some people are opting for pleasure for its own sake without the corresponding responsibility that goes with it.                                      

Amidst this sad development, our liturgy presents us with the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph as a prototype for all Christian families. Any family, either nuclear or extended is made up of father, mother and children with each member having his or her rights and responsibilities. Our reflection will centre around four things - the responsibility of parents to their children, the responsibility of children to their parents, the responsibility of one parent to another and the responsibilities of parents to both the Church and the State.   

Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk The Octave Day of Christmas: Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God – January 1, 2017.

Readings: Numbers 6:22-27; Responsorial Psalm PS 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8(R.v.2a); Galatians 4:4-7 & Gospel Luke 2:16-21.

Theme: To God, through Mary.

On the first day of January 2017, the Church presents us with the Mother of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) so that we can learn from her school of love and fidelity to God’s will. Today, of the four Marian Dogmas of the Catholic Church namely, theotokos – Mary as Mother of God, Perpetual Virginity, Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Mary, the Church wants us to reflect on theotokos - namely, Mary as Mother of God.

To achieve this, it is important to understand what a dogma is. Briefly put, a dogma is the official teaching of the Catholic Church pertaining to faith and morals proclaimed by the Magisterium (the teaching body of the Church) through the Roman Pontiff which is binding on all Catholics. Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate and make faith secure (John 8:31-32). Built upon divine foundations, dogmas are firmly rooted in scripture as evident in the Holy Scripture (Cf. Matthew 18:18 & 16:18-19, John 21:16 & Luke 10:16).      

Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

The Nativity of the Lord (Vigil Mass), Year A – Dec 24, 2016

Readings: Is 62:1-5; Responsorial Psalm Ps 89:4-5.16-17.29 (2a); Acts 13:16-17.22-25; Gospel - Matthew 1:1-25.

Theme: Christmas Eve: Joining the Shepherds in the First Vigil!

 

Beloved in Christ, today is Christmas-eve. Here in Nigeria, we are quite familiar with the razzmatazz that is often associated with the day or period of time immediately before an event or occasion like the bachelor’s eve or what is popularly called, before the wedding – Usually, the friends of the groom or groomsmen raise money and throw some kind of a send off party for their crony who is about to graduate from bachelorhood to both familyhood and fatherhood.

Those who have attended these parties claim that such parties are avenues for married guys to give good advice to the groom to be. Aside from the plenty food and drink available, such events are known to be wild and funky. What is clear in this kind of celebration is the spirit of expectation or joyous waiting by the bridegroom for his beloved bride.

Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk 

The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), Year A – Dec 25, 2016

  Readings: Is 52:7-10; Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:1-6 (R.v.3); Heb1:1-6; Gospel John 1:1-18 or John 1:1-5.9-14.

Theme: Christ Our Light: Lessons Of Christmas From Rural-Africa!

  In Rural-Africa, the excitement of children when light or power supply is restored after it has been interrupted for days or weeks is akin to that joy you feel when Santa Claus knocks at your door on Christmas morning to surprise you with a box of gifts. Perhaps an erstwhile gathering of African kids at the family compound or village square for tales by the moonlight tells the story of light (energy) deficit in Sub-Sahara Africa more.

Drawing from the latest Africa Progress Panel report 2015 titled “People, Power, Planet,” we are told that TWO in every three people in Africa, around 621 million in total, live in darkness – which means that they have no access to electricity. According to the report, the poor spend the most on energy with Africa’s poorest households spending $10/kWh on lighting, or around 20 times the amount spent by high-income households with a connection to the grid. It surmised that on current trends, it will take Africa until 2080 to achieve universal access to light (electricity).

            Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk   

                          Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year A – Dec 18, 2016

Readings: Is 7:10-14; Responsorial Psalm Ps 24:1-2,3-4,5-6; Rom 1:1-7; Gospel Mat 1:18-24.

Theme: Lessons from the Emmanuel & Joseph Effect!

Friends in Christ, the joy of last Sunday being Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday has led us to the last Sunday of Advent. The four Sundays of Advent have given us four weeks of intense preparation for the Lord’s nativity. Today, the Prophet Isaiah (Is 7:10-14) brings us glad tidings that a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son who shall be named Emmanuel. Isaiah’s prophecy is amplified in the gospel (Mat 1:18-24) which presents the circumstances leading to the saviour’s birth culminating in naming him, Emmanuel – much like Isaiah’s Emmanuel which means, God with us. What do we make of this? Well, our reflection will be based on the Emmanuel-Effect in the light of God’s omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience while drawing lessons from the Joseph-Effect. 

Bishop Kukah: Four Decades of Exceptional Service to God and Humanity

By Justine Dyikuk

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, His Excellency, Most Rev. Mathew Hassan Kukah will be forty years as a Catholic Priest on 19 December 2016. This man of God needs no introduction in Nigeria. The quintessential ecclesiastical and elder statesman is a remarkable Nigerian who has stood tall in both spiritual and secular affairs.

While the preparations for the celebration of these forty years of faithfulness in the service of God and humanity for this servant of God are in top gear, it is essential to give honour to whom honour is due. Indeed, we know the celebrant as someone who is not only an idealist in the sense of one who has the theoretical framework of where he wants Nigeria to be but also “a brutal realist” as Africa Confidential describes him, who constantly gives a proviso of how Nigeria should work based on his many years of contact with the faithful on the pastoral field, people of divergent creeds at ecumenical gatherings, academics at scholarly fora and governments at local, state, federal and international levels.

Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year A – Dec 18, 2016
Readings: Is 7:10-14; Responsorial Psalm Ps 24:1-2,3-4,5-6; Rom 1:1-7; Gospel Mat 1:18-24.
Theme: Lessons from the Emmanuel & Joseph Effect!
Friends in Christ, the joy of last Sunday being Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday has led us to the last Sunday of Advent. The four Sundays of Advent have given us four weeks of intense preparation for the Lord’s nativity. Today, the Prophet Isaiah (Is 7:10-14) brings us glad tidings that a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son who shall be named Emmanuel. Isaiah’s prophecy is amplified in the gospel (Mat 1:18-24) which presents the circumstances leading to the saviour’s birth culminating in naming him, Emmanuel – much like Isaiah’s Emmanuel which means, God with us. What do we make of this? Well, our reflection will be based on the Emmanuel-Effect in the light of God’s omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience while drawing lessons from the Joseph-Effect.
1. God’s Omnipresence: The last Sunday of Advent puts before us the Emmanuel-Effect. It reveals God’s abiding presence among us. There is no doubting the fact that God is ever present with us. Of course, he is not physically present as he was over two thousand years ago in Bethlehem where he was born but his spirit is at work in the Church and among believers. That is not all, we are reminded not to lose sight of God’s omnipresence in the sacraments – the visible presence of God in the Church which gives us new life, provides us with the bread of life, confirms our faith, grants us healing, forgives our sins, raises ministerial priests to shepherd the Church and unites man and woman to adorn the domestic Church with the jewels of offspring. We must allow his presence to be felt in our private and public lives. We must also be seen to live out the Emmanuel-Effect as we approach Christmas.  

Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

Third Sunday of Advent, Year A – Gaudete Sunday - Nov 11, 2016
Readings: Is 35:1-6a.10; Responsorial Psalm Ps 146:6c-7.8-9a.9bc-10(R.cf.Is 35:4); James 5:7-10; Gospel Mat 11:2-11.
Theme: The Signs of Time and Imperative of Christ’s Coming!
Friends in Christ, the words of John the Baptist in the gospel (Mat 11:2-11) to Jesus through his disciples while he was in prison namely “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” appears scandalous. How can John, who was a forerunner of Jesus, be asking that kind of question? How can the person who gave tax collectors, prostitutes, soldiers and other categories of sinners the baptism of repentance in preparation for the coming one, whom he claimed was mightier than he, whose sandals he was not worthy to untie turn around to ask if Jesus was indeed the Messiah?
Well, we may be scandalised at the Baptist’s reaction and question but in reality, we are guiltier than John in many respects. What is our attitude to persecution, disease, sickness, death and poverty? How do we respond to the inability to get a job, pay our children’s school fees, house rent, PHCN bill or have three square meals per day? What do we make of the economic meltdown Nigeria is currently undergoing in the light of our faith?

Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

Second Sunday of Advent, Year A – Nov 4, 2016
Readings: Is 11:1-10; Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2. 7-8.12-13.17.CR.cf.7; Rom 15:4-9; Gospel Mat 3:1-12.
Theme: The Imperative of Being Heralds of Christ’s Second Coming!
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the Second Sunday of Advent presents us with realities that are meant to perfectly prepare us for the celebration of Christ’s nativity. We shall reflect on four points in the light of our readings:
1. John as Jesus’ Forerunner – The events leading to the birth of St. John the Baptist clearly reveals the task God had for him. The child, John, had leapt in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth at the greeting of her cousin, the Blessed Virgin Mary. The eventful episode of Ein Kerem (Jerusalem) as found in Luke 1:39-56 reminds us about the remote stages of setting John aside for the great task of preparing the people for the coming of Christ. In no small way did he carry the sacred task of preparing the people for the eventual arrival of Jesus. This has great lessons for us as we shall soon discover.

Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

First Sunday of Advent, Year A – Nov 27, 2016
Readings: Is 2:1-5; Responsorial Psalm Ps 122:1-2,3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9; Rom 13:11-14; Gospel Mat 24:37-44.
Theme: Of Times & Seasons: Welcoming Jesus in Our Hearts!
Beloved in Christ, the Book of Ecclesiastes reminds us about the necessity of change in times and seasons when it says: “To everything there is a season, and a time under heaven” (Ecc 3:1). The Season of Advent is here again – a time when the liturgical colour changes to purple/violet; a time when a new liturgical new calendar begins; a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the nativity of the Lord at Christmas.
The word Advent comes from the Latin, adventus which means “coming” – the word is synonymous with the Greek parousia which also stands for (coming). As a season of looking forward and waiting for something really important, Advent is about both the preparation of the annual celebration of the birth of Christ and his second coming. Little wonder in the gospel (Mat 24:37-44) Jesus likens his parousia (coming) to the days of Noah, before and after the flood.