By Olivia Obijiaku
A visiting priest from St Gregory Parish Iyiowa Odekpe, Rev Fr. Henry Osakwe celebrated one of the Masses at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish Fegge Onitsha, Sunday, 4th August, 2024. Drawing his messages from the readings of the day, the priest called on the faithful to live a life that points others to Christ. He explained that John termed the great works of Jesus ‘signs’ so as to draw attention to the Doer of the wonderful deeds and not to the works themselves.
He cited the Israelites as those who sought God for material things, reminding the faithful to seek relationship with God so that they may be with in in eternity.
His words, “Unlike other synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, that called the great works of Jesus ‘miracles’, John called them ‘signs’. This is because the Israelites were fed but they did not know why.
Today, they ran after Jesus so that He may feed them again, they were hungry. But Christ told them that He is the Bread of life. John used ‘sign’ because signboards point towards another thing. Christ was trying to teach the people that He is the Bread of Life and that He was not there to satisfy them temporally. He was to feed them and that they would hunger no more.”
Coming to us, ‘Why are we looking for God?” Many of us seek God to solve their problems, but when they receive their answers, they leave and forget about God. He made us to know and love so as to live with Him in joy eternal. Christ performs signs in our lives is for us to have one on one relationship with Him. Those signs are meant to draw us closer to Him, to make us one in communion with God Himself.”
“Do you leave God after receiving answers to your prayers? The essence is to draw us closer to Him. He told us that anyone who receives Him will have eternal life. How often do you receive the Holy Eucharist? We attend daily Masses, some of us participate actively in the Mass but when it is time for the Holy Communion, they stay behind. Some of our brothers and sisters do not know about Jesus Christ. Many people do have never heard about Christ, and many people are not interested in Christ.”
Fr. Osakwe tasked them to be a sign that lead people to God, so that they may benefit from their encounter with Jesus. He offered those who have been living otherwise to seize opportunity and review their lives and to seek the face of God.
