Fr Ogundipe Sdv

WHAT IS A CHASUBLE?  A Chasuble is a sleeveless outer garment worn by a priest at Mass. It is worn over all other vestments and is made of silk, velvet, or other rich material usually decorated with symbols.  ORIGIN OF THE CHASUBLE  Since ancient times, whenever a priest celebrated the sacrifice of the Mass he would put on a large poncho-like garment called a casula (chasuble) that covered his ordinary clothing. This vestment developed from the ordinary Roman attire of a farmer, who wore the large poncho to protect him from the elements. It eventually became associated with Christians in the 3rd century. As the fashion trends shifted the chasuble ceased to be an ordinary garment but was still used by priests. By the 8th century the chasuble was reserved for clergy members and began to be ornamented in a way that reflected its sacred function. At first the chasuble was large and bulky, and required the help of other attendants at the liturgy to gather the many folds to bet...

  ( This is a major feast of the Catholic Church which replaces even the usual Sunday in Ordinary Time.   It has its own Vigil celebration, one of only six feasts in the Church which include a distinct Vigil liturgy.    ( There is no account of Mary’s death in the New Testament. The New Testament writers were convinced that all believers would share in the Resurrection of Christ.  Catholics, however, believe that the Bible is in part a record of traditions, (first among the Hebrews and then among the Christians) as well as the written word in Scripture.  They hold fast to God’s guiding revelation through ‘Tradition’ as well as through the written word in ‘Scripture’.  ( The Assumption of Mary into heaven is one of the oldest celebrations of Mary. The belief in the Assumption had its origin in the popular faith of the people.  Some legends had also grown up describing the miraculous events surrounding her death, including how the remaining apo...

INTRODUCTION Perhaps you have seen the film: “The gods must be crazy!” a movie shot in South Africa in 1980 the story line began with a family of natives that stumbled at an empty coke bottle. The villagers began to fight over the strange object. Hence a decision must be taken quickly, the once enjoyed peace is gone over a misplaced priority of accepting the bottle, the fascination about, and the quest to unravel the “mystery” behind this strange material plunged Nixau the hero and his children into a search to the end of the world. He crossed roads with Marius Weyers a bumbling scientist and a band of guerrillas who takes a school teacher Sandra Prinsioo and her class hostage.  Along the line the event turned out to be a scattered family that was searching for its member, the result was adventurous encounters and a happy end!  For some of us our misplaced priority may not end very well. Whatever you make your priority today can either make you or mare you. In this article the...

Talk on Human Dignity - Delivered on 18th of July, 2020.  Audience: St. Vincent De Paul Society Members (Divine Mercy Catholic Church, Lekki. Lagos) Dignity is the right of a person to be valued and respected for their own sake, and to be treated ethically. It is of significance in morality, ethics, law, politics and religion. What is "Human Dignity?" The English word dignity comes from the Latin word dignitas, which means "worthiness." Dignity implies that each person is worthy of honour and respect for who they are, not just for what they can do. In other words, human dignity cannot be earned and cannot be taken. No wonder Late Fela Anikulapo Kuti in his song "Beast of no Nation" says "Human right na my property, you can't dash me my property." Human dignity is a sense of self-worth. Therefore, dignity is a sense of pride in oneself that a human being has with them. This conscious sense makes human being feel that they deserve respect and h...

Young Catholic Students are called to resist evil and promote good in their motto "See, Judge and act" because when you nip evil in the bud, you truncate its capacity to full growth. For anyone to allow evil to stay is to have access to full subscription, remember too, whatever you feed will grow. Sin grows, evil grows, and evil people grow from mild sins to severe distortions just as King David started with pornography, developed in adultery, and ended in murder. However, the gospel today seems to have toed a countercultural line of thought that does not support evil to be uprooted as soon as it spotted which cast shadows on moral judgement. While It is striking in the gospel to think weed and wheat must grow together until the harvest; we need to look closely at the profound teachings of Jesus to determine why?  The gospel reading cast Jesus in the role of wisdom teacher using metaphorical techniques to make his points. He presents the farmer as one who demonstrates patienc...

My child  God will make a way where there seems to be no way God knows all about your inner pain Tell Him you do not know how to pray Your cry for help will not be in vain A heavy heart He can heal today. God will give you strength when weary And everything seems to go wrong Lift your hand and reach out to Him He will make a heavy heart strong. Let go and ask God to be your guide Release all doubts and foolish pride Trust Him to dry your eyes of tears And free a heavy heart from all fears. Look up to God, He holds the key And knows what is best for you and me Only He can make heartaches cease And fill a heavy heart with peace. Fr law cares

   Fr Victor Akinwale IBIYEMI  Pentecostalism is thriving in our times. The reasons are obvious; a faulty understanding of religion, the desire for false freedom, the hunger for contemporary innovations, profane novelties and dissentions from canonised authorities, the dictatorship of relativism, the enthronement of individualism, the craze for emotionalism, distaste for truth, an increasing demand for falsehood, an overwhelming gullibility of contemporary folks and many more.   Pentecostalism is the lure of the new age. By Pentecostalism, I refer to a new and defective movement in Christianity that places emphasis on peripheral-religiosity, spiritualism, emotionalism and syncretism. Pentecostalism is a mixture of many things. The movement is marked by an overwhelming emphasis on externalities such as speaking in tongues, healing, prophesying, deliverance, visions, dreams and revelatory interpretations. While these religious experiences might not be the problem,...

Some years ago, reading the award-winning epic novel "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe; I was petrified literally at the scene where Okonkwo insists on taking part in the execution of Ikemefuna despite the fact that the boy calls him "Father". That irony runs deep as no sane Father goes about killing or maiming his children. Naturally, when a child is in danger, he runs to the protective hands of his Father, but events and realities teach us the hard lessons that some children are developing adaptive mechanism from fathers who see child-support as a burden that nature has placed on them.  Though children may be heady and difficult, the fathers don’t save and them by pushing them on the side-lines, they redeem them with good counsel and affection. Realistically, there are some burdens that the earthly Fathers can't bear but they can share with great concerns. Thus,  children, who have been failed by their biological Fathers, spiritual fathers or poster fathers...

In any race, especially in the race of life, winners don't quit. Even if they pass through thick and thin or go through a heated furnace; they become better and more elegant like gold. The stories of Peter and Paul, who had not-so-good past in 'themselves' but got a great future with God summarise the story of grace at its peak. The red vestment for this solemnity is indicative of the kind of death the two icons passed through signifying the shape of witnessing to Christ; they denied before bouncing back to defend. In the 4th century sermon of  Augustine of Hippo, he expressed "both apostles share the same feast, for these two were one, even though they died separately, Peter went first, and Paul followed but this day is made holy for us by the apostles' blood". Thus, who are these men? St Peter was an impetuous man. Though called the rock, he was more like fickle sand with his quick temper and changing mood. So eager to be near the Lord that he would walk on ...

Reflection for  12th Sunday A in Ordinary Time.   Neuroscientists say its normal to be afraid and the capacity to fear is part of the brain function while a lack of fear may be a sign of serious brain damage. Sometimes, you don’t need to be in danger to be scared. The fear of writing exams, public speaking, a new job, a dark and confined place, the fear of the unknown and the fear of fear can be scary and troubling. However, your fear response is amplified if you are already in a state of fear because it limits the number of things you can do and disrupts the coordination response.  If you are afraid of flight and height, you might not travel very far, and if you are fearful of speaking the truth because people will feel uncomfortable, you will be neutral to the gospel values. Christianity has a history of fearless martyrs whose heads rolled because they didn't worship on conventional altar nor aligned to the diluted interpretation of doctrine while they deviated fro...