SATURDAY JANUARY 20, 2024
SATURDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME B
FEAST OF BLESSED CYPRIAN MICHAEL IWENE TANSI
Philippians 2:1-11
Matthew 13:44-46
HUMILITY AND FAITH: MARKS OF PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN LIFE.
The church presents to us a model in our cultural milieu of a person who lived out the Christian faith, humbled himself and attained the Blessedness as observed and officially proclaimed by the Church . Blessed Cyprian Michael IWENE TANSI, stands as a model for us in Nigeria, recognized, acclaimed and presented to the whole world as one who lived the virtues and worked with grace to attain the blessedness of the saints in heaven.
We are therefore to be inspired by his heroic life and generosity of himself to practical Christian living that earned him this blessed life. We are urged to seek that which endeared him to this blessed life.
Our first reading talks about the mind of Christ. Taking the mind of Christ, by being humble, faithful to our calling and striving to live that life. Reading therefore from the letter of Saint Paul to the Phillipians our first reading for this feast, we are urged to follow the same mind of Christ who humbled himself, taking the nature of man, submitting to the shameful death of the cross in obedience to the will of God and making himself the sacrificial lamb for the sake of the salvation of man. That earned him the great honour of being raised and his name became one which all will bow to.
Discovering the faith is like discovering a pearl of great worth. Our Christian faith is priceless and as such we must place the greatest value to it. It is that which will earn us life in eternity. As such we must value our faith, bring it to the front burner, and live it to the full, never allowing anything to get between us and our faith commitment.
It is a faith of inestimable value, worth more than anything in life. And we must price it above everything. Committing ourselves to this faith will be the greatest we can achieve in life because it is the greatest gift God has given us. We must then go ahead to invest in the faith, live it practically, follow our God’s desires according to the model of Christ and win life eternal with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father, we are grateful for raising one of us, Blessed Cyprian TANSI as a blessed one. Grant us the humility of accepting and striving every day to live out our faith. May we be enveloped in the joy of going through this life notwithstanding the tensions and difficulties. And may our desire to live in humility and devotion to you, earn us at last the rewards of peace, happiness and eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
