Grassroots Empowerment

I focus my reflection this weekend on a pericope from St. Matthew’s gospel, in the Parable of the Two Sons (21:28-32), which highlights the profound contrast between superficial compliance to the law and genuine repentance (a metanoia from the heart). In that gospel, while the second son gave a polite, immediate agreement to work in […]

Among other things, the liturgical readings for this weekend tell us to seek the Lord while He may be found. They also urge us to call upon Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6-9). Reflecting on those lines, I discover a close reminder that there is a time for everything. Every person is given sufficient

We all err, and I can tell you it happens often and sometimes deeply. It is difficult to find anyone who has nothing to make right in someone else’s life. That is why this Sunday’s readings place anger, wrath, debt, mercy, and forgiveness before us. Sirach (27:30-28:7) reminds us that holding on to anger while

Life in America works differently. Independence is an individual thing, and it extends to personal spaces. I work in the hospital, and occasionally I find it embarrassing when I see some parents’ nonchalant attitudes toward their children’s welfare. Without considering the risk of infection, some parents bring their children to visit a family member or

I’ve sometimes had problems with outcomes after I resigned myself to someone doing something right, only to find they failed to do so. Today’s first reading echoes such a situation, but positively, after the Prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:7-9) felt deceived by God, even though he had submitted his will to being so “duped.” Nevertheless, despite

When we live with a sense of purpose, we see our lives and responsibilities differently. In this weekend’s Bible passages, even with eventual recognition, the contrasting experiences of Shebna and Eliakim in the first reading (Isaiah 22:19-23) remind us that positions, privileges, and opportunities are ultimately entrusted to us for a purpose. Shebna loses his

God seems to be proclaiming through the outstretched arms of Jesus Christ on the Cross a message that knows no bounds of race, nationality, culture, or social position (John 12:32). Long before the coming of Christ, Isaiah announced this universal invitation when it was declared that foreigners who join themselves to the Lord and remain

Although I was never particularly a fan of him, Dino Melaye’s (a Nigerian politician) well-known statement captures an important truth about prophetic witness: “If you speak, you are killed; if you don’t speak, you get killed too.” These words, which were not an invitation to seek suffering, serve as a reminder that silence in the

Deep within every human heart is an enduring desire for life, nourishment, and fulfillment. This longing hugely explains why not only humans but all living creatures instinctively seek what sustains their existence. We naturally gravitate toward whatever promises satisfaction and peace, holding fast to their sources for as long as possible.  In line with these

What Would You Do? is a classic American hidden-camera television program that I have enjoyed watching in the past, hosted by John Quiñones, that explores human ethics, moral choices, and bystander intervention in everyday situations. John is a motivational speaker and journalist working for ABC News in the United States.  In many ways, this weekend’s

As part of its ongoing commitment to expanding access to quality education for disadvantaged children, the Grassroots Access to Empowerment Foundation (GATE) conducted a project visit to St. Joseph Catholic Parish/Mark Unegbu Memorial School, Awarra, located in Ohaji Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. Engr. Dr. Chigozie Offurum, the foundation’s chairman of the board,

The readings for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (7/19/26) reveal a profound truth about the heart of God when it states that justice and kindness are not opposing forces but inseparable siblings. The Book of Wisdom reminds us that although God is all-powerful, He governs with mercy and judges with clemency (Wisdom 12:13, 16–19).