​Beloved in Christ,
 
"What is this? A new teaching with authority" (Mk 1: 27). The Gospel reading for this Sunday's mass from Mark 1: 21-28 tells us about the authority of Jesus Christ over sin and Satan. In his teaching and deed at the synagogue in Capernaum on the sabbath, Jesus restores creation and establishes the divine authority over the impurity of sin and the evil clutches of Satan, the prince of demons. He commands the evil spirit to come out of the man it possesses, and it obeys the authority of Jesus' words.
 
Significantly, this saving event took place on the Sabbath, a day that reminds Jews and Christians of God's promise and covenant love for his people and their deliverance from slavery to sin. It also draws our attention to the importance of worshipping God as a Christian community on Sunday, the Christian Sabbath. On this sabbath, Jesus, in words and deeds, delivered a man possessed by "an unclean spirit", that is, the evil spirit also called  Satan. Jesus exercises authority over the devil, rebuking and casting it out of the one under its dominion. We are to keep in mind the capacity of Satan to possess and overpower us if we allow mortal sin to dominate us and are not committed to an intentional life of prayer and living a virtuous life. The evil one has some power, though incomparable to the almighty and authoritative power of Jesus Christ, yet the evil one is powerful enough to enslave us if we become spiritually careless or lukewarm and enslaved to sin. 
 
There is no cause for alarm, even if we know the devil has a lot of dark influence in the world. We have Jesus's authoritative word and acts on our side to strengthen our faith and empower us to overcome the evil one. Jesus, whom Moses wrote about in Deuteronomy 18: 15-20, is now with us by way of incarnation and, sacramentally, in the Holy Eucharist.
 
 As we heard last Sunday about the importance of praying the Word of God- the Bible- and getting closer to Jesus, we hear this Sunday in the readings about God's actions and voice speaking to us of the authority of His words and deeds. If we only listen to and obey his voice as Psalm 95 says, he will protect us and deliver us from all evil, as we say in the Lord's prayer. Jesus continues to teach us authoritatively and exercise power over sin and Satan. How am I taking responsibility for listening to his teaching? How am I listening to his voice through his established authority in the church? Do I take ownership of the power of the Word in overcoming and overturning any hold of sin in my life?
 
In Christ,
 
Fr. Alayode Bernard, OP
 

​Beloved in Christ,
 
"Teach me your ways, O Lord" (Ps. 25: 1). In 2019, Pope Francis declared that "the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is to be devoted to the celebration, study, and dissemination of the word of God." The Pope's declaration is instructive because the love and knowledge of Scripture are the primary ways to build and strengthen our relationship with Jesus. I love studying the Bible; it has been the source of my enduring faith in God's love and plan for me. As followers of Jesus, called to the life of the Kingdom, the Lord who invites us to communion with him wants to teach us his ways to achieve such union. 
 
We remember, for instance, that the disciples on the way to Emmaus recognized Jesus at the breaking of the bread. But the breaking of bread only came after Jesus taught them from the Hebrew Scriptures about God's plan for his passion, death and resurrection. As Jesus taught them from the oracles of the prophets about his paschal mystery, their hearts were enlightened: "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures ?" (Lk 24:32).
 
The Divine Word or Revelation is the perennial truth about God and his revelation. As John wrote in his Gospel, quoting Isaiah 54:13, "They shall all be taught by God" (Jn 6: 45). God himself wants to teach us his will and plans for us. Using the words of the Psalmist, we should often ask the Lord himself to teach us the Scriptures: "Teach me your ways, O Lord. "The words of the Bible are inspired by God even if human writers cooperate with God in putting God's word and will into writing, using literary skills known to them. 
 
In my homily during last Wednesday's morning mass, I encouraged those in attendance to read 1 Samuel 17 about David and Goliath- a story encouraging us to trust in God in the face of any considerable obstacles in our path. Joan Bridgen approached me after mass and promised to read the entire chapter (I made it clear that there would be an exam on Friday morning to test her understanding of the chapter), and John, her husband, asked me questions at breakfast about some difficulties he encountered in his ongoing study of the book of Exodus. I was impressed by their interest in the Bible and intention to wrestle with difficulty understanding it. Some parts of the Bible can be hard to understand sometimes. That should not discourage us from studying and meditating on it. We now have a variety of excellent Catholic Bibles with commentaries available for purchase online. 
 
Will you take up the challenge to do personal and family bible study this year? You don't have to feel intimidated because all you need to do is pray to the Holy Spirit to help you understand and spend time with others, trying to figure out what the Scripture is saying and how you can apply its wisdom to your day-to-day following in the footsteps of Jesus. When we study God's word, He guides us in His ways: "Your word is a lamp for my feet" (Ps 119: 105). 
 
You can learn more about the Lord and his ways by joining other Catholics of the parish in the study of the Bible. Have you considered joining the Bible Study sessions Mike and Berni Rydock lead on Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings? You should. What is it that God taught you today in the Liturgy of the Word? His ways? His will? His love? His promises? Consider these questions as you return to the bible passages assigned for our Sunday reading (read Jonah 3: 1-5, 10, Psalm 25, 1 Cor. 7: 29-31, and Mark 1: 4-20).
 
In less than a month, Lent will begin. Have you started thinking about how to approach prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in the coming Lenten season? You should.
 
It will be the fifty-first anniversary of the Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, tomorrow, January 22. The church asked us to continue praying for respect for all human life's dignity. I'll celebrate mass for "Giving Thanks to God for the Gift of Human Life" tomorrow, Monday, January 22. All are encouraged to attend.
 
In Christ,
 
Fr. Alayode Bernard Oniwe, OP
 

Beloved in Christ,
 
What do you do when God appears and invites you? Please take this as a personal question addressed to you. What would be your response to a theophany- a manifestation of God? We know God reveals himself to us in various forms, such as in the Sacred Scripture. Samuel, for example, had a theophany experience. Samuel experienced God's revelation of himself in an interior voice, an uncommon yet authentic and believable mystery. Samuel took the advice of Eli, his spiritual father and director; he responded to God's appearance and invitation: "Speak, for your servant is listening" (1 Sam 3: 10). When God manifests his presence and invites us as he often does in the bible, sermons, sacraments, nature, people, etc., like Samuel, and by extension, the disciples in John's gospel for this Sunday (1: 35-42), we must joyfully assent and submit our will and body to his call, we should say with the Psalmist: "to do your will, O my God, is my delight" (Ps 40: 9).
 
To submit our will to God when he shows up and summons us to follow him is to seek to know him better. Seeking to know God better and personally occurs in the encounter between John the Baptist's two disciples and Jesus they follow after he reveals himself as the Lamb of God. He later made himself known to Andrew as the Messiah, the title by which he identifies and introduces him to Peter: "We have found the Messiah: Jesus Christ, who brings us truth and grace" (Jn 1: 41, 17). 
 
The dialogue between Jesus and the disciples of John illustrates what listening and responding to God can look like. In our following of Jesus, we would hear questions of clarification and discernment: "What are you looking for?" Sometimes, answering questions with questions is a fruitful approach to responding to God's invitation, as in this case: "Where are you staying?" the disciples asked Jesus. Are we curious about Jesus' identity and where we can find and spend time with him? Seeking where Jesus stays, abides, or remains is another way our hearts express hunger and thirst for the Lord. "Come, and you will see," Jesus invites. He guides, he shows, and he leads us to His heart. We must respond positively and affirmatively when Jesus calls us to come closer to him and see.
 
 What do you do when God appears and invites you? "Come, and you will see." Like Samuel, we must say, here I am, Lord, to do your will. Jesus calls us always to come and see, to know him better and more deeply. Please try to listen to God's Holy Spirit speak gently to you, inviting you to your God-given purpose and our vocation. In personal prayers, meditation, Sacred Liturgy, sacred songs, sacred scriptures, creation, Eucharistic Adoration, and other sacraments, Jesus invites us to come and see. Closely connected to Jesus' invitation is his call to us to participate in the invitation of others to come and see, to come and experience more profound friendship with Jesus.
 
All the individuals and families who came to the evening of Epiphany of Blessings last Sunday impressed me. You all rejected the "inclement winter weather" excuse to honor Jesus' invitation to come and receive his blessings at the special edition of our parish's monthly Eucharistic Adoration. I believe God heard our prayers of praise and adoration; He granted our petitions and intercessions for blessings upon our catholic and other families. May we welcome those blessings received in faith and let them bear fruits in our families and parish. I keep asking God's blessing upon you during my prayer and retreat.
  
In Christ,
 
Fr. Alayode Bernard Oniwe, OP
 

 "We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage" (Mt 2:2). This Sunday, the Church celebrates the Epiphany- the revelation of Jesus to the whole world. God has now extended The Light of Faith to the Gentiles. God has lifted restrictions on who is considered a chosen child of God; He has opened the boundaries and let others partake in the salvific blessings. After their audience with the king, the magi set out. "And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star (Mt 2: 9-10).
 
The star led them on their journey of faith. They needed help with their search. They lost the subject of their search and faced deception from King Herod. But the grace of God led them to baby Jesus when the star stopped at his location and saw him lying in a manger. They found the one they sought, and his grace moved them to worship. They offered the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The whole event indicates the hunger for the truth, redemption, and aspiration for life in the heart of the wise men who represent all non-Jewish people, the Gentiles. 
 
They found faith in a little child lying in a manger in the little town of Bethlehem. God reveals himself and humbly in a vulnerable little child. His grace of enlightenment must have filled the magi because they saw beyond the fragile, infant Jesus, the savior of the world. They offer gifts representing their total self-giving to the King, who will save the universe by his suffering and death.
 
We, too, are on a journey of faith. We will meet with obstacles and lose our focus from time to time. We will face falsehood and deception originating from the devil and its agents. We must, however, preserve our initial vision and drive. We will find direction through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We must approach the Sacraments frequently to see Jesus, to encounter and embrace him. Like the wise men, we have the light of faith to guide us on our journey. And God's grace will guide us to Jesus in the simple Sacred Host, His actual body. Like the wise men, we will find Jesus in the Eucharist and be overjoyed at seeing him.
 
This Sunday evening, we have an excellent opportunity to encounter Jesus joyfully and worship him as the Magi did. Beginning at 7 pm, we will have "an epiphany of blessings," the manifestation and outpouring of God's gracious blessings upon us and our families. With this parish Eucharistic Adoration on the evening of the Epiphany, we anticipate the end of the Christmas season, which kicks in tomorrow with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, and we will walk as blessed people into the Ordinary Time of the Liturgical Year! 
 
Come to Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration tonight and "do him homage." Jesus awaits to bless you.
 
In Christ,
 
Fr. Alayode Bernard Oniwe, OP