TWENTY-SIXTH  SUNDAY IN ORDINARY – 30th SEPTEMBER/ 1st OCTOBER 2023

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Last Friday we celebrated the feast of the Archangels, (Michael,  “Who is like God’’, Gabriel, “The Strength God” and Raphael, God’s Remedy) and tomorrow Monday 2^nd of October we shall be celebrating the feast of the Gurdian Angels. The words “Angel” denotes a function and not a nature.

Those Spiritual Spirits of heaven have always been Spirits and they only take the name “Angel” when they deliver some message. They are called Archangels those who deliver messages of supreme importance and Angels simply when their messages are of less importance. Some Angels are giving personal names to denote the type of message they carried.

The cults of Angels, just like that of the Saints are parts of the means the Church offers us to benefit from the Economy of Salvation or the Divine Economy. The economy of salvation is that part of divine revelation in the Holy Catholic Church tradition “that deals with God’s creation and management of the world, particularly his plan of salvation accomplished through the Church”.

The Church reminds us through today’s readings, that we have been called to follow Jesus Christ, when we say renounced the devil and all its works and say “Yes” to Christ Jesus when we were baptized. That we should not deviate from this “Yes”. We can only achieve this by been faithful to our callings as Christians and making use the economy of salvation offer to us by Jesus Christ through His Church.

We should be careful and watchful so as not to lose our focus along the line, “let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall”. ( 1Cor: 10: 12-13). We should not look down nor give up on ourselves or on anyone for God, “God’s not done with us, we are still

being drawn and invited into relationship with Him”. (Phil: 1: 6) for God’s hand is not too short to saves, nor His ear too heavy to hear. (Isa:59;).

We pray that through His Archangels and Angels God will deliver our world from all evils and protect our Children from the hands of the evil one. We pray that God will change the hearts of our young stars to Himself. May the soul of Elianne Andam and the souls of all the young stars murdered through knives violence rest in peace. Amen.

Fr Jerome Otitoyomi Dukiya C.S.Sp.