Msgr. Anselm Nwaorgu

READINGS: The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe This Sunday is the last Sunday in ordinary times and is also the Celebration of the Kingship of Christ as King of the kings and the Lord of lords. Throughout the Old Testament, God promised to send a deliverer; a savior of humankind. It was the fulfillment of this promise that made the Wise Men traveled all the way from the Far East to Bethlehem to worship the new born King. It was the fulfillment of this

READINGS: Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time The gospel of this 31st Sunday in Ordinary times, (Year C, Luke 19:1-10), tells the story of a man called Zacchaeus. He is said to be a chief tax collector and was rich, prosperous, and had all the treasures of life. But Scriptures then said, “He was short in stature”. Although, the name Zacchaeu means “pure,” “clean,” or “innocent.”, his was despised by his people, considered an outcast, a cheat, a crook, and a traitor (for he w

READINGS: Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time The Gospel reading of this 29th Sunday in Ordinary times, year C, (Luke 18:1-8), puts a key emphasis on the necessity of perseverance in prayer. In this reading, a widow was able to win justice from a king who neither feared God nor man by her share persistence. We know that success in life demands persistent effort because no matter what we are engaged with, challenges are bound to show up. The same is true with prayer. Heavenly

READINGS: Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time In the first reading of this 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (2 Kings 5:14-17), we read about Naaman, a five star general in the Syrian Army, who had the misfortune of being struck with leprosy. His healing began with the mercies of a slave girl who had been captured by the Syrian army and given into slavery to Naaman’s wife. The role she played in this story portrays a sad twist of fate, which I believe has a lot to teach us as we

READINGS: Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time The past few years have not been easy. We have been inundated with the pandemic, hate crimes, hate speeches, senseless shootings, unprovoked wars, unbridled acts of violence, injustices, and one group oppressing another group. I don’t know about you, but whenever I hear about all these things, I cringe and feel sick to my stomach. Yet, I feel helpless to do anything about it. Sometimes, I ask myself, “How can God allow these aw

READINGS: Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time In the gospel of this 26th Sunday in ordinary times, year C (Luke 16:19-31), we read about the parable of the rich man (Dives) and Lazarus. The parable begins with a gate separating these two, in this life, and ends with a chasm separating them in eternity. On one side of the gate was Lazarus, a symbol of suffering humanity in need of compassion, love, pity, and care. On the other side of the gate was Dives, a rich man who was a

READINGS: Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time In this Sunday’s 1st reading (Amos 8:4-7) we hear from Amos, a blue-collar lay preacher who the elites of his time saw as an unwelcome outsider because he was brutal in his criticism of the business practices and elite structures of his time. At the time of Amos, money and wealth were considered rewards from God for living a righteous life. So making money, at all cost, was at the forefront of the behavior of merchants and trader

READINGS: Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time In the 2nd reading of this 23rd Sunday, year C (Philemon 9-10, 12-17), we read a story that is of great significance in our lives as Christians. The story line is that Philemon, a slave owner, had become converted to Christianity by Paul. Onesimus, Philemon’s slave, had run away from his master and encountered Paul in Rome, while Paul was in prison, and became converted to Christianity. Now, Paul wants to return Onesimus back to

READINGS: Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time The gospel reading for this 21th Sunday in ordinary times, year C, (Luke 13:22-30) outlines some critical considerations that require our attention. First, no one gets to heaven by accident (verse 24). Getting to heaven requires that we strive for it. The word “striving” comes from a root that describes athletic contests, fights, or struggles, which require great exertion to compete. No wonder St. Paul looks at Christian faith as

READINGS: Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time In life, we are all, in one way or the other, involved in all kinds of specific races— family, people, work, spouse, etc. But, the 2nd reading for this 20th Sunday in ordinary times, year C, (Hebrew 12:1-4) looks at Christian life, our life in Christ Jesus as a primary race that we must run in such a ways as to win it. Scripture says, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a wa

READINGS: Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time In the gospel of this 19th Sunday in ordinary times, year C, Christ tells the crowd, “Be like those waiting for their Master to return.” Our life is full of waiting; waiting for someone to show up, for something to happen, for things to change, for just the right job, for that special someone who will make our life complete, for the test result, for the day that pain and grief will go away, for the answer to our prayers, for the da

READINGS: Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time In this Sunday’s gospel (18th Sunday, Cycle C, Luke 12:16-21), a man asks Jesus to intervene between him and his brother, who was trying to be unfair in the distribution of their estate. In his response, Christ instructs about our need to avoid “all forms of greed”. Our society is on overdrive in the pursuit of happiness and seeks this happiness from the outside rather than from the inside. Somehow we believe that the next material

READINGS: Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time In the first reading of this 17th Sunday in ordinary times, Year C (Genesis 18:16 -33), the very first paragraph reads, “In those days, the Lord said: ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave, that I must go down and see whether or not their actions fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out.’” This statement from God is so instructive about the way we should cond

READINGS: Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time I once had a family in therapy. The father was working 16 to 18 hours each day and therefore was rarely at home. After sometime, the children began to exhibit behavioral problems at school and their grades were dropping drastically. His wife found emotional support outside of the home and found consolation in her three kids. In one of our therapy sessions, the father was raving about how he was working so hard to put food on the tab

READINGS: Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time The gospel reading of this 14th Sunday in ordinary times, Year C, (Luke 10:1-12, 17- 20), tells about Christ sending out his disciples to proclaim the good news of salvation while warning them, “I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves” (Vs 3). What a caution! It is not a very comforting statement, is it? We know what usually happens when lambs find themselves in the midst of wolves; they become lunch. No wonder, Peter

READING: Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time In our Gospel passage for this 13th Sunday in ordinary times, year C (Luke 9:51-62), we read about the rejection of Jesus by the Samaritans who refused him passage through their town because of his destination— Jerusalem. Imagine being refused entry into a place because of your gender, orientation, race, color, ethnicity, etc. That was what happened here. For over 700 years Jews and Samaritans have been hostile to one another. Durin

In one of His visits to His disciples, before He ascended into heaven, Christ told them not to leave Jerusalem until they had received the Holy Spirit. In other words, they were not to begin their mission of proclaiming the good news of salvation unto the ends of the world until they have the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Many a time, we like to be lone rangers, when it comes to Christian life; to go it all alone and to do it by our own power. But the truth is that we cannot

As you may have heard, the American Bishops have moved the Solemnity of the Ascension, permanently, to the Sunday following Ascension Thursday. So, on this seventh Sunday of Easter, Year C, we celebrate the solemnity of Ascension, an important solemnity because it marks the return of Jesus to the Father; the permanent victory over death; the sole opportunity for us to have a defense counselor at the right hand of the Father interceding for us; and our certain hope that one da

READINGS: SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER The first reading of this Sixth Sunday of Easter, year C, (Acts 15:1-2, 22-29) brings to light the difficulty involved in bringing diverse peoples to worship together without letting ethnic uniqueness breed division and chaos. As could be seen in our passage, the Gentile converts to Christianity were being told, by some Jewish converts, that they had to become Jewish in tradition and rituals in order to be accepted into the household of the re

READINGS: 5TH SUNDAY OF EASTER In verse five of the second reading of this 5th Sunday of Easter, (Revelation 21:1-5), God says, "Behold, I make all things new" (vs. 5) and He backed these words with authority by uttering them while seated on His throne, and then directed that they be written down because “They are trustworthy and true”. Life, as we know it, is an interesting mixture of beginnings, endings, and new beginnings. Every moment of our lives, every transition we en