Digging Deep into the Gospels with Fr. James Owolagba
Fr. James has written brief commentaries on the Gospels for our weekly bulletin since he became our pastor in August, 2023. His latest Gospel commentaries are in our most recent bulletins (see home page). The commentaries below are in chronological order.
It will take time to copy, paste, reformat (etc.). We hope to add a month of Gospel commentaries per week, on average, until it’s done (workload permitting).
August 6, 2023 bulletin
Developing our eyes and ears like Peter, James, and John (Matthew 17:1-9)
The feast of the Transfiguration is not just a commemoration of a historic event that happened two thousand years ago. There is a spiritual lesson from that event for us today. It invites us to develop our eyes and ears to see and hear like Peter, James, and John. The Transfiguration event was an epiphany for those three disciples. This epiphany is the revelation of Jesus as God’s son. There are a few such epiphany texts in the Gospels, for instance, at the Baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:17, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”).
But the Transfiguration epiphany is special. There were three things that happened: They heard and saw in real-time:
1. The vision of Jesus in celestial company
(17:2-3) – Moses and Elijah.
2. “This is my Son, the Beloved; with Him, I am well pleased; listen to Him!” And
3. The sound of the Divine Voice
The same voice that was heard at his baptism (Matthew 3:17) was heard again, but this time, it was not at a river but on a high mountain. At every Mass, we too experience transfiguration with Jesus really present, body, soul, and divinity, during the Transubstantiation. The altar is our own Mountain of Transfiguration, and like those three disciples who fell on their faces, we too fall on our knees and bow.
While in that posture, Jesus came and touched them and encouraged them. At Mass, Jesus comes and touches our hands and souls when we receive Holy Communion. His touch is to help us go through whatever situation we might be experiencing. The Transfiguration, aside from revealing Jesus as the Son of God, invites us to be like Peter, James, and John – Fall on our knees and worship, and then promise Jesus to help build His Church, tent/sanctuary/tabernacle.
Aug. 20, 2023 bulletin
Breaking the Inter-generational Curses: Jesus is the Answer
Matthew 15:21-28
Some people suffer from the consequences of inter-generational curses, and the evil consequences continue to befall their lineage or family perpetually. They suffer misfortune of all kinds; financial problems, witchcraft attacks, can’t hold down a job, violent death, evil dreams, emotional instability fear, family breakdown and divorce, miscarriages, alcoholism, whoring, lying, and stealing; etc.
The woman in Matthew 15:21-28 was convinced that Jesus is the answer. Her daughter had been suffering from the intergenerational curse placed on the Canaan family since Noah’s day. Genesis 9:27 says: “Then Noah said: Cursed be Canaan a servant of servants he shall be to his brethren.” Our text, Matthew 15:21-28 says this Canaanite woman approaches Jesus for help. She believes that the suffering was from the effect of the intergenerational curse – Her family members were demon-possessed. The disciples of Jesus urged him to stop her from following them. They feared being contaminated. But the woman was determined to seek Jesus’ help to break the curse. She begins by calling Jesus “Lord,” and makes her request: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David” and then kneels before Jesus. Jesus did help her because of her persistent faith. Let us approach Jesus for healing.
Aug. 27, 2024 bulletin
“On This Rock, I Will Build My Church” (Matthew 16:18)
Many of us Catholics do not take seriously the above statement of Jesus. Jesus calls what we have “His Church.” Interestingly, this is the first time the term Church (ecclesia) occurs in Jesus’ speech in the Gospels. This statement of Jesus is the foundation of the ecclesiology of the Universal (Catholic) Church. Jesus did not use the Aramaic words Qahal (synagogue) or Beth (Temple), but ecclesia (church) to express the Christian body, so as to distinguish it from the Jewish place of gathering.
By calling it “My Church” Jesus intended it to mean it is His possession, and a gathering of a new body, called by Him. It is the Body of Christ. The Church is to be the new people of God centered around the Messiah who suffers, dies, and rises again. Jesus says the gates of Hades will not overcome it. By this, He means the anti-Christ agenda of movements and governments that persecute the Church. Hades (death) and its agenda shall never prevail against it.
The wisdom Christ gives to the Church will be more than sufficient to withstand the errors of the powers of Hades which are arrayed against it, for the Church stays grounded in Peter’s confession, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” The Church of Jesus Christ is made up of men and women who keep the same faith as Peter’s. That is who we are.
Stay committed.