Category: EVERGREEN REFLECTIONS
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WAKE UP!
Reflection for the First Sunday of Advent (Year A) Rev. Fr. Bonnie Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. In a certain second-grade class, the teacher wanted to gauge the ability of the kids to use common sense, so she asked, “who can tell me the first thing you must do in the morning after the night?” Just as […]
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HOW JESUS REDEFINED KINGSHIP
Reflection on the Feast of Christ the King Rev. Fr. Boniface Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. Kingship is probably as old as human society. According to biblical history, the first king was Nimrod, the son of Cush and the grandson of Ham, whose father was Noah. The scriptures identified him as a mighty hunter whose kingdom […]
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HOW NEAR IS THE END?
Reflection for the 33RD Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Rev. Fr. Bonnie Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. During the heights of the speculations about three days of darkness coming upon the world, I was chatting with one of my aunties about the stories going around. She confirmed the anxiety among her friends in […]
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HOW TO LIVE AGAIN
Reflection for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Rev. Fr. Bonnie Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. Once upon a time, a farmer started to feel frail, and after some time, he stopped working and could only stay at home while his only son worked all day with his family. Day after day, the son […]
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THE RETURN OF ZACCHAEUS
Reflection for 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Rev. Fr. Bonnie Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. One of the questions you will probably get from people when you have been away from a place for a long time is, “when will you return?” In most cases, returning (or coming back) comes with potentially positive implications. […]
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HOW TO GET GOD’S ATTENTION IN PRAYER
Reflection for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Rev. Fr. Bonnie Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. “The common mistakes couples make in marriage” is part of the course content of my class for people intending to marry in the Church. One of the questions I usually ask the male partners is, “what would you do […]
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HOW TO RAISE THE HANDS OF PERSISTENT PRAYER
Reflection for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Rev. Fr. Bonnie Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. You will love the story of “the boy who saved Holland.” Hans Brinker was a little boy living in Haarlem near Amsterdam in the Netherlands. His family was poor, and he had a dad who fell while working […]
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THE SECRETS OF GIVING THANKS
Reflection for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Rev. Fr. Bonnie Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. Two important phrases can change our world if we constantly use them and mean them: “I am sorry” and “thank you.” However, it seems they are missing components in our human nature as we often struggle to […]
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THE DIVINE FACILITY CALLED FAITH!
Reflection for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Rev. Fr. Boniface Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. Have you ever boarded an airplane to any destination? Did you know the pilot’s qualifications and the engine’s working conditions before boarding? If your answer is no, as I could guess, something gave you the boldness […]
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LOST TO SIN BUT FOUND BY FORGIVENESS
Reflection for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Rev. Fr. Bonnie Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. Did you ever lose something so precious to you only to find it eventually after losing hope of getting it back? There are lots of amazing stories about lost but found items that could potentially fill several volumes of […]
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THE CROSS -PLUS- DISCIPLESHIP
Reflection for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Fr. Rev. Bonnie Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. Once upon a time, an atheist went to church for the first time out of curiosity. Incidentally, the preacher gave an excellent sermon on the rewards of carrying one’s cross. The preacher encouraged everyone to carry their cross […]
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BE HUMBLE, AND YOU WILL NOT STUMBLE
Reflection for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Rev. Fr. Bonnie Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. Did you ever come across a humble person? I bet someone may be flashing through your mind right now. But before you conclude about the individual’s humility, let us look at what humility is not. Humility is not a […]
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GOD DISCIPLINES THOSE HE LOVES
REFLECTION FOR THE 21ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C) REV. FR. BONIFACE NKEM ANUSIEM PH.D. Many children today are so entitled that they may not understand what it means to receive discipline from parents and teachers for good. Many may not know about the home or school disciplinary measures like “naughty corner” or […]
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DIVINE HELP IN THE PIT OF DESTRUCTION
Reflection for the 20th Sunday Ordinary Time (Year C) Rev. Fr. Boniface Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. One bible story that fascinated me as a child was the story of Daniel in the lion’s den. Due to the conspiracy of some envious officials in the Kingdom of Babylon, Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den overnight to […]
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HOW TO BUILD AN ABRAHAMIC FAITH
Reflection for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Rev. Fr. Boniface Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. “At what point did Abraham become a man of faith; before He heard from God or after His encounter with God?” To answer this question adequately, it might be useful to take a brief look at Abraham’s family background. […]
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THE POVERTY OF THE RICH FOOL
Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Rev. Fr. Bonnie Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. The Jamaican musician, Bob Marley, was not just a reggae legend, he was also a man of great wisdom and insight, and some of his words are timeless. Most people believe he was the first to make […]
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THE STEPS TO EFFECTIVE PRAYER
Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Rev. Fr. Boniface Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. Two siblings, Bill and Ben, came to visit their grandparents for the weekend. Their grandpa had promised to buy them bicycles, but it seemed he was not in a hurry as he kept promising each time they reminded […]
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WHEN GOD VISITS!
Reflection for 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Rev. Fr. Bonnie Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. Imagine that you are in your house and suddenly you hear your doorbell ringing and coming to the door you discover that God came visiting; what would you do? Don’t tell me you will die because God will not permit […]
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THE GOOD NEIGHBOR IN THE SAMARITAN
Reflection for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Rev. Fr. Bonnie Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. A Czech proverb says, “a good neighbor increases the value of your property.” It may not be wrong to read reverse: “a bad neighbor devalues your property.” So, we could be as good or as bad as our […]
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TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE:ADOPTING THE DIVINE DESIGN FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY
Reflection for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Rev. Fr. Boniface Nkem Anusiem Ph.D. The account of the creation of man in the Book of Genesis (2:18) tells us that God had an “afterthought” and said: “it is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper suitable […]