Commentary on the Gospel of

Fr. Roland Onuekwusi Chidiebere, CMF

Communion of God’s children – come over to Macedonia and help us.

-          For the sake of the gospel: embrace challenges!

-          Communion of God’s children

-          Sharing your little with joy

In today’s Gospel reading our Lord restates: “I have chosen you out of the world.” In spite of the persecution that befall those he chooses as his own, they become one thing: the body of Christ! They constitute a communion of believers.

Now watch how they relate, distance notwithstanding: ‘they travelled from city to city: handed on to the people for observance the decisions reached by the apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem.’ We see brothers and sisters spurred on by undaunted spirit of God’s love for each other – readily embarking on long journeys. Only this fraternal sharing explains the wonderful growth in faith and increase in their number. Goodness is contagious too!

Attracted by this fraternity, the saints in Macedonia became partakers of the love-sharing! Paul and his companions wasted no time in crossing over to nurture and animate the young faith therein. Communion of God’s children remains the live-wire of the entire Body of Christ: the church’s triumphant, the saints; the sufferings and the militants! With Jesus, the head at the centre, we keep carrying each other. How much do you carry others along in your prayers?

Sometimes, it may seem that one’s prayer adds little or nothing to the large body of Christians; never mind, keeping contributing your little quota, it matters a lot in the sight of our Lord who inspires us to love one another as he loves us. True charity does not reside in the quantity, instead, what pleases the Lord is the generosity, the joy of sharing which is behind the act itself. Just as St. Teresa of Kolkata would say: if you can’t feed hundred, feed one! And so, the same is true of physical, emotional and intellectual acts of charity. Their value does not depend on the amount given, rather on the internal disposition that animates the giving and receiving; the cheers and joys that accompany the sharing. Let us therefore, share and share and share, not minding the amount. 

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