Commentary on the Gospel of

Fr. Roland Onuekwusi Chidiebere, CMF

“Our common inheritance bond us in God”

-          We are one in God the Father 
-          Others’ transformation is inspired by our creative thinking
-          The Holy Spirit gives the fruits

St. John Paul II, our ‘widely-travelled’ pope, had a pastoral approach that accorded him a hearty welcome by the indigenes of wherever he visited.  On arrival, while sharing his reflections with the people, he would always begin by acknowledging with respect the different cultural values with which the given nation is blessed. Most of the times, these acknowledgements were accompanied by overwhelming applause! Thereafter, he would hit the hammer on the nail, stating his pastoral message with clarity.

The above practice reflects what St. Paul adopts in our today’s reading. He acknowledges the religiosity of the people of Athens, and even appreciates the ingenuity of their poets who recognize the common ‘Fatherhood of God:’ “for we too are his offspring.” Bearing in mind that Paul was in the midst of an enlightened society, highly educated, one asks: how much did this approach help? Was Paul successful? Certainly yes! He was superbly successful in my assessment!

Even though, some left saying ‘we shall hear you on another day’; some others got converted! Dionysius (a member of the court of Areopagus), one of the converts became the first bishop of Athens and had enormous influence on the theology and spirituality of the early church.

Beloved in the Lord, we are exhorted, indeed with emphasis, to seek more of those elements and values that unite us as a people of one Father. Our faith in God is a common inheritance; journeying together empowers us as individuals and as a people. Let us bond a lot more with the Holy Spirit, invoke Him in and out of season, so that our spontaneity may always be inspired by Him. May the enlightenment from Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth bond us in unity of purpose, namely, in union with the Father, amen.

Comments

write comment
Please enter the letters as they are shown in the image above.