Jesus Reveals His Face

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus. “Transfiguration” literally means “changing the figure of”. The Transfiguration of Jesus, therefore, means that Jesus changed his figure.  We are told in the gospel passage that his face was shining and his clothes became white. These images show God’s presence.   In the first […]

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Who Are The Archangels?

INTRODUCTIONvisible creatures of God.  In other words, they are among the ‘things’ invisible which God has created.   In proving the existence of angels, St. Thomas Aquinas holds that the very existence of angels is revealed by God in Scripture.   Although human reason alone cannot prove the existence of angels, reason can explain the possibility of […]

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Solemnity Of The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary

The Fathers of the Church, the great Doctors, in the sermons they preached on the feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God, had as their theme a doctrine which all the Christian world already knew and accepted; it was for them to elaborate it, to bring out the essential meaning of it, beyond […]

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Meaning Of Christ’s Ascension And Its Implications For Christians

When Jesus rose from the dead, he was seen to be alive physically (Acts 1:3).  He presented himself to the women near the tomb (Mt. 28:9-10); to his disciples (Lk. 24:336-43); and to more than 500 people (1 cor. 15:6). Later he taught his disciples about the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). Forty days after […]

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Life History Of St. Francis Of Assisi

To be saintly is not the same as being sanctimonious. To be saintly means to be holy, and this can only be possible with God; being sanctimonious involves making a show of sanctity or pretending to be holy. The former is what God commands us to be (cf. Lev. 19:2; Matt 5:48), the latter is […]

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Jesus, The Divine Mercy Personified: Comfort Of The Sorrowful

To quote Pope St. John Paul II once again: “Making the Father present as love and mercy is in Christ’s consciousness the fundamental touchstone of his mission as the Messiah.” Jesus is God’s Only Begotten Son, whom he has sent to redeem the world.  That is why Jesus himself makes bold to say, “The thief […]

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Blessed Are Those who mourn; They Shall Be Comforted (MT.5:40)

During his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn; they shall be comforted” (Mt. 5:4). This is one of the statements of Jesus as contained in the “Beatitudes.” “… a beatitude is an exclamation of congratulations that recognizes an existing  state of happiness, beginning with the Hebr noun asre or the […]

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Causes of Sorrow in Nigeria

During his first Visit to Nigeria in 1982, Pope St. John Paul II delivered series of speeches to different groups. One could extract from these speeches what James Okoye refers to as “the 26 evils of Nigeria”.  These are categorized into four, namely, economic, social, political and moral evils. Economic evils include bribery, corruption, embezzlement […]

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Prayer Points For 2019

We welcome our readers to the New Year 2019.  Every year, people pray for prospects in the in-coming year and for God’s choicest blessings.  This is precisely the meaning of the phrase “Happy New Year.” Whenever a person utters the expression “Happy New Year,” such a person is wishing the beneficiaries good things or goodies […]

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Imitate God’s Generosity At Christmas And Beyond

Human beings are naturally selfish.  For instance, a child who refuses to give a share of his meal to his father is exhibiting the vice of selfishness.  That is how we are with God.  God has blessed us with whatever possession we have.  He now asks us to give a little share of our possessions […]

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Our Present Existence And The Hereafter—A Nexus

As we begin the penultimate month of this year, November, a month of stock-taking, it is expedient to reflect on how our relationships with God and neighbour have been as the year gradually winds up.  It is particularly necessary to examine these relationships taking into consideration the hereafter, since we are not going to live […]

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Peace Of Soul: An Antidote To War

It was St. Augustine of Hippo who remarked, “O God, you have made us for Yourself…and our souls are restless, until they rest in you.” This saying of St. Augustine obviously expresses the reality of our earthly existence. Ours is generally a world of restlessness. St. John Bosco, Apostle of Catholic Youth, corroborates this fact […]

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Faith And Practice: The Dovetailing Problem

In ordinary parlance, “faith” means “strong belief”. It means reliance, trust, pledge, loyalty, fidelity. For instance, the statement “I believe you” would imply that “I trust you,” “I am convinced that you are telling the truth”. Similarly, “I believe in what you are saying” means that “I am convinced that the content of your words […]

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Follow The Direction Of The Holy Spirit, And You Shall Be Saved!

Their esteemed readers, I welcome you to the June Edition of The Light Newsletter! This edition is a special one, because its editorial tells us what to do to go to heaven in our journey through life.  The earthly life of each one of us has a beginning, and that life is always moving towards […]

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Living The New Life Of The Resurrection In Our Time

The event of the resurrection is about a young man in his prime, birthed by a virgin in a dramatic mystery. By human reckoning he is of a humble background, the son of a carpenter. But there is more than meets the eye. He is both divine and human, the second person of the Holy […]

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