₦airaland Forum

Reflections for Today 18th July, 2019
*Nothing is Difficult When God is Involved*

_(Thursday 18th July, 2019. Exodus 3:13-20, Psalm 105 and Matthew 11:28-30)_


_*“I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and smite Egypt with all the wonders which I will do in it; after that he will let you go” (Exodus 3:19-20).*_


Words are powerful, they not only control our thoughts but also control our feelings and actions. The whole world as it exists today is a product of words spoken by God. We can define the type of future we desire for ourselves simply by selecting and controlling our vocabulary.


One word that we must be careful about is: “Difficult.” The moment we label anything as difficult, it is like we are giving it a command; asking it not to be easy, and surprisingly it obeys. Indeed, by saying something is hard, we send a message down through our spirit that paralyzes us.


This was the experience of Moses in the burning bush. When God told him his mission, there was only one word in his mind - Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!!! This Moses who grew up in Pharaoh’s house was too conscious of the power of Pharaoh. That was why he ran away from Egypt in the first place when he realized people were aware that he killed an Egyptian. The question in the mind of Moses was: “Who could dare challenge Pharaoh? Who will dare to attempt such a difficult mission?”


At times, we become too conscious of the greatness and complexity of our problems that we completely lose sight of the greatness of the God that is before us when we pray. We talk all day about our difficulties and challenges and we never talk about the wonders of God in creation. We complain so much about our issues and we never take our time to really praise God who is up to the task.


Moses asked God for His name because he knew how much people respected names. God gave Moses a name - I AM THAT I AM. No matter how tough life may be, God is saying to us: just know that I AM; I am here for you. I am here with you.


In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus concretizes this name by saying: *“Come to me all you who are burdened by ‘difficulties’ and you will find rest for your souls.”* Come to me. I am here for you. I am that I AM. I will always be here. Your challenges will soon go away but I remain here. I can never leave your presence. I am here.

_Sing: “What a friend we have in Jesus…”_


Let us pray: Lord Jesus, may I never lose sight of your presence in the midst of my challenges, Amen.


*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Thursday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Exodus 3:13-20, Psalm 105 and Matthew 11:28-30).*

let us pray,

O God, who adorned the Priest Saint Camillus with a singular grace of charity towards the sick, pour out upon us, by his merits, a spirit of love for you, so that, serving you in our neighbor, we may, at the hour of our death, pass safely over to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. – Amen.
source: daily reading from devotionsite.com

SAINT OF THE DAY
31, July, 2018
SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA

The founder of the Jesuits was on his way to military fame and fortune when a cannon ball shattered his leg. Because there were no books of romance on hand during his convalescence, Ignatius whiled away the time reading a life of Christ and lives of the saints. His conscience was deeply touched, and a long, painful turning to Christ began. Having seen the Mother of God in a vision, he made a pilgrimage to her shrine at Montserrat near Barcelona. He remained for almost a year at nearby Manresa, sometimes with the Dominicans, sometimes in a pauper’s hospice, often in a cave in the hills praying. After a period of great peace of mind, he went through a harrowing trial of scruples. There was no comfort in anything—prayer, fasting, sacraments, penance. At length, his peace of mind returned.

It was during this year of conversion that Ignatius began to write down material that later became his greatest work, the Spiritual Exercises.

He finally achieved his purpose of going to the Holy Land, but could not remain, as he planned, because of the hostility of the Turks. Ignatius spent the next 11 years in various European universities, studying with great difficulty, beginning almost as a child. Like many others, his orthodoxy was questioned; Ignatius was twice jailed for brief periods.

In 1534, at the age of 43, he and six others—one of whom was Saint Francis Xavier—vowed to live in poverty and chastity and to go to the Holy Land. If this became impossible, they vowed to offer themselves to the apostolic service of the pope. The latter became the only choice. Four years later Ignatius made the association permanent. The new Society of Jesus was approved by Pope Paul III, and Ignatius was elected to serve as the first general.

When companions were sent on various missions by the pope, Ignatius remained in Rome, consolidating the new venture, but still finding time to found homes for orphans, catechumens, and penitents. He founded the Roman College, intended to be the model of all other colleges of the Society.

Ignatius was a true mystic. He centered his spiritual life on the essential foundations of Christianity—the Trinity, Christ, the Eucharist. His spirituality is expressed in the Jesuit motto, Ad majorem Dei gloriam—“for the greater glory of God.” In his concept, obedience was to be the prominent virtue, to assure the effectiveness and mobility of his men. All activity was to be guided by a true love of the Church and unconditional obedience to the Holy Father, for which reason all professed members took a fourth vow to go wherever the pope should send them for the salvation of souls

Source : www.devotionsite.com

Reflection for 29, July, 2018
LORD TEACH ME TO RESPOND POSITIVELY TO OTHERS
2 Kings 4:42-44
Psalms 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18
Ephesians 4:1-6
John 6:1-15
The episodes involving Elisha in the first reading, and Jesus in the Gospel both focus on a miraculous feeding of a multitude. They clearly set the stage for the Bread of Life passage that follows nearly sequentially in John’s Gospel. However, my reflection on these readings has taken me in a different direction. The Psalm response is: The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs. I am moved to consider the second part of that response.
The feeding of the thousands is an event that can be found in all four Gospels. In all four, Jesus is being followed by the crowd. It seems as if he was trying to get away and needed to have some quiet time. I picture Jesus as tired. (In some distant sense I can relate to what Jesus is feeling. I have two 8-months-old grandchildren. I love them dearly, but at the end of a day of babysitting, they can leave me in need of rest.)
Jesus does not become irritable as I might do when I am tired. (My view is that Jesus’ question to Phillip appears in the Gospel text more to make the point of the magnitude of the event, rather than as a glib enquiry.)
Both Mark’s and Matthew’s narratives of this same Gospel event are directly preceded by an account of the death of Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist. If I were in Jesus’ place, I would feel shock, depression, and worry about my own future. I would definitely need some downtime.
I feel is the truly impressive part of the Gospel account is that Jesus does not give up. He addresses the needs of those around him. (Again, I find myself thinking about my grandchildren. After a long day, when two babies are hungry, you take the time to feed them whether you are tired or not.) My takeaway from today’s passages is twofold. First, we can trust in the Lord even in hard times. Second, we have a model for our own actions in a Messiah who continues to serve those around him - no matter what. My prayer today is for the strength that I need to respond faithfully to those around me in times of my own pain and exhaustion.
Heavenly Father,
I know the weariness that long stretches of hard work can cause.
I am also well aware of the state of lethargy that times of despair can bring.
Thank you for the model of Your Son carrying on in hard times.
In the moments when I am tired help me to avoid criticizing and judging.
I ask for a second wind on the days when I am hurt and down.
I ask that fatigue does not displace the joy and meaning that flows from service to others.

Source : www.devotionsite.com

Saint James the Apostle

This James is the brother of John the Evangelist. The two were called by Jesus as they worked with their father in a fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had already called another pair of brothers from a similar occupation: Peter and Andrew. “He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him” (Mark 1:19-20).

James was one of the favored three who had the privilege of witnessing the Transfiguration, the raising to life of the daughter of Jairus, and the agony in Gethsemani.

Two incidents in the Gospels describe the temperament of this man and his brother. Saint Matthew tells that their mother came—Mark says it was the brothers themselves—to ask that they have the seats of honor in the kingdom. “Jesus said in reply, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They said to him, ‘We can’” (Matthew 20:22). Jesus then told them they would indeed drink the cup and share his baptism of pain and death, but that sitting at his right hand or left was not his to give—it “is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father” (Matthew 20:23b). It remained to be seen how long it would take to realize the implications of their confident “We can!”

The other disciples became indignant at the ambition of James and John. Then Jesus taught them all the lesson of humble service: The purpose of authority is to serve. They are not to impose their will on others, or lord it over them. This is the position of Jesus himself. He was the servant of all; the service imposed on him was the supreme sacrifice of his own life.

On another occasion, James and John gave evidence that the nickname Jesus gave them—“sons of thunder”—was an apt one. The Samaritans would not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to hated Jerusalem. “When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?’ Jesus turned and rebuked them…” (Luke 9:54-55).

James was apparently the first of the apostles to be martyred. “About that time King Herod laid hands upon some members of the church to harm them. He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword, and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews he proceeded to arrest Peter also” (Acts 12:1-3a).

This James, sometimes called James the Greater, is not to be confused with James the Lesser or with the author of the Letter of James and the leader of the Jerusalem community.

https://devotionsite.com

Reflection for 21, July, 2018

Micah 2:1-5

Psalms 10:1-2, 3-4, 7-8, 14
Matthew 12:14-21


Today’s readings and the psalms scream for justice. Both the Old Testament reading and the psalms portray the wicked as overbearing in their drive for possessions and power. This is not much different than today. Human nature is human nature.

So the question to myself is, what am I doing personally to fight injustice when I see it? This has changed over time for me. An occasional stop at a homeless shelter, joining a rally, serving on a parish committee or dropping a few dollars for a cause is no longer enough.

Not that these aren’t honorable endeavors. I had to change and put myself face to face with another human being who was suffering. I was confronted by this reality when I read about the Papal Alms giver; Father Konrad Krajewski. When Pope Francis met him he told Fr. Konrad “You can sell your desk. You don’t need it. You need to get out of the Vatican. Don’t wait for people to come ringing. You need to go out and look for the poor.”

So a recalibration in my thought process took place. Involvement was needed to answer the scream for justice. Jesus’s example in the Gospel was to not make himself known “until he brings justice to victory.” Amen Alleluia.

www.devotionsite.com

Employers always love to hire applicants with vast experiences. Job seekers require more than luck to be hired. Persons seeking job opportunities in several sectors need to develop techniques on how to get the attention of the interviewer, thereby influencing his decision to his favor. In order to get the attention, the following steps will be of help:


Develop your skills:
Most positions are rear to fill when left vacant such as jobs in ICT, arch welders jobs in oil and gas industry, oracle database administrator jobs in bank etc. These positions require specialized skills and if you as the applicant don’t have the skills, you may not be employed. Take time to develop your skill for a particular sector where you are aspiring to get a job.

Feel Important:
Jobs seekers feel that they are under the mercy of the employer. This in turn removes the confidence they have in their abilities. During the interview session, feel important. Talk as if you are the best in your profession and back it up with your skills. This feeling helps build your confidence.

Feel like you are already employed:
If you’re out of work, your resume is the best way to show that you can “kill it” for your next employer. Make sure that you don’t just list your responsibilities, but that you showcase your value and the big wins you achieved at your last job.

Employees hope to get pay rise months or years after being employed by an organization. When such rise in salary fails to come they become sad or even frustrated leading to resignation or hunt for jobs in Nigeria or abroad. There reasons an employee may never get the pay rise.

1. Investigate: Before salary negotiation, find out what others at your level at other sectors are earning. Carry out a thorough research on banking jobs, oil and gas jobs, manufacturing jobs and other related fields. This will aid you during salary negotiation.

2. Know your worth: what is your value to the company. Are you irreplaceable? If you resign now will projects stop? If your answers are yes, then you can starting initiating moves for pay rise.

3. You didn’t Ask: nowadays, employers love spending less on their employees to maximize profit. If you know that you deserve a pay rise, don’t hesitate to ask for it. If you keep quiet, your employer will also keep quiet.

Curriculum Vitae is your full representation. It tells the employer if you are diligent or careless. A graduate applying for jobs in Nigeria such as engineering jobs, banking jobs etc should go extra mile to impress the recruiter. Young graduate nowadays spend little time to organize their resume forgetting that it represents them. Below are list of point to be taken into consideration when preparing a resume.

1. Straight to point

2. Fill important

3. make use of bullet to show points

4. Showcase your strength

5. Place your major points above the lesser points

6. Seek more knowledge to enrich your resume