The Eternal Word Reflections

27/04/2024

Good morning dear friends.We are now broadcasting on a new page:"Eternal Word Reflections".
Accept our apologies for not informing you on time.Thanks.Msgr Paul Bessong Enow

23/04/2024

MASS OF TUESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF EASTER (23 APRIL 2024)

20/04/2024

21 APRIL 2024
FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
Acts 4:8-12
Psalm 118
1 John 3:1-2
John 10:11-18

LAY DOWN YOUR LIFE FOR OTHERS
Today is traditionally known as Good Shepherd Sunday. In all three cycles (A,B and C), the Gospel is always about the Good Shepherd. For us as Christians, we know too well that Christ Jesus is the model Good Shepherd. He laid down His life on the altar of the Cross so that we could be reconciled to God. In today’s Gospel reading, the Lord says: ‘’For this reason the Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one takes it from me because I lay it down and I have power to take it again…’’

We are beneficiaries of the laying down of Jesus’ life for us. That is how the Father showed His love for us: ‘’God loved the world so much that He gave His Only Begotten Son… (John 3:16). The first reading tells us about Peter and John before the Council after the cure of the lame man. Like Jesus, they were laying down their lives for the people. All of us have one responsibility or the other to take of, a shepherd’s role. Of necessity we have to lay down our lives so that others can have life. To do this effectively, we have to lean on the Good Shepherd par excellence, the Lord Jesus Christ.

CHRIST, GOOD SHEPHERD, HAVE MERCY ON US. AMEN.

‘’She listened to us and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying’’ (Acts 16:14). Lord, open our hearts to accept Your word. Amen.
MSGR. PAUL BESSONG ENOW.

20/04/2024

MASS OF SATURDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF EASTER (20 APRIL 2024).

19/04/2024

"Welcome to ETERNAL Word Reflections - your daily sanctuary for spiritual nourishment and guidance. Dive into the timeless wisdom of the Catholic faith as we bring you the Word of God each day, accompanied by heartfelt prayers tailored for your family and life's challenges.

Led by the compassionate guidance of Msgr. Paul Bessong Enow, our mission is to illuminate your path with the light of faith, offering solace, strength, and hope through our broadcast. Join us on this transformative journey as we delve into scripture, share inspiring reflections, and unite in prayer to uplift your spirit and deepen your connection with God.

Whether you're seeking comfort in times of uncertainty, inspiration for daily living, or simply a moment of peace amidst life's chaos, ETERNAL Word Reflections is here to accompany you on your spiritual quest. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook to embark on a journey of enlightenment, empowerment, and everlasting grace."

19/04/2024

20 APRIL 2024
SATURDAY, THIRD WEEK OF EASTER
Acts 9:31-42
Psalm 116
John 6:60-69

CALL TO FAITH IN THE EUCHARIST
‘’After this many of his disciples drew back and longer walked with him… Will you also go away? … Lord, to whom shall I go? You have the words of eternal life and we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God’’ (Gospel).

Today, we have come to the end of John 6, in which Jesus taught extensively about the Eucharist. He did not teach in parables but spoke plainly. The result was that many of his disciples no longer went about with Him. The reason was that it was a hard teaching and they could not listen to it. Jesus then turned to the Twelve and asked if they too would go away. To this, Peter affirmed faith in Jesus. They had nowhere to go. They had come to believe in Jesus who had the words of eternal life.

Even in our time, we have Christians who participate sparingly in Holy Communion or do not go to Communion at all. Statistics show in many places that only about thirty percent of Catholics go for communion on Sundays and Solemnities. A lot of Catechesis and intense prayer has to be made.

Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I trust in You.

‘’She listened to us and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying’’ (Acts 16:14). Lord, open our hearts to accept Your word. Amen.
MSGR. PAUL BESSONG ENOW.

19/04/2024

18/04/2024

19 APRIL 2024
FRIDAY, THIRD WEEK OF EASTER
Acts 9:1-20
Psalm 117
John 6:52-59

NO ONE IS TOO BAD TO EXPERIENCE GOD’S MERCY
‘’Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name’’ (1st reading).

Today’s first reading tells us about the conversion of the foremost persecutor of Christians. Saul was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians and bring them bound to Jerusalem. He had obtained authority from the high priest to do so. While on his way, he encountered the Risen Jesus whom he lost no time in acknowledging as Lord. The Lord asked Ananias to go and meet Saul. Initially, Ananias protested about him being a persecutor of Christians. But the Risen Lord told him that He had chosen him as a proclaimer of the Good News. The response to the psalm says: ‘’Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel’’.
Ananias eventually went and baptised Saul. This shows that no one is too bad to experience the mercy of God.

Writing to his spiritual son, Timothy, Paul said: ‘’…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I myself am the greatest of them…’’ (1 Timothy 1:15).
We should never give up on anyone as being incapable of receiving God’s mercy. For the strength to be able to have this attitude, we must be in constant communion with Jesus whose Body and Blood is life-giving.

Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, have mercy on us. Amen.

‘’She listened to us and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying’’ (Acts 16:14). Lord, open our hearts to accept Your word. Amen.
MSGR. PAUL BESSONG ENOW.

17/04/2024

18 APRIL 2024
THURSDAY, THIRD WEEK OF EASTER
Acts 8:26-40
Psalm 66
John 6:44-51

ALWAYS LISTEN TO THE SPIRIT
‘’And the Spirit said to Philip ‘’Go up and join this chariot’’ (1st reading).

We need to always listen to the Spirit, we need to dispose ourselves to Him. He is our Companion on our journey of faith. We have to listen less to the world.

The first reading tells us how Philip the deacon baptised an Ethiopian eu**ch. He listened to voice of the Spirit directing him to join the eu**ch who had been on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was returning home. He joined the eu**ch and found him reading the prophecy of Isaiah about the suffering Servant. He explained the Scriptures to him. The eu**ch himself asked to be baptised and this was done for him by Philip. What if Philip did not listen to the voice of the Spirit, if he had discarded Him? Thanks be to God that Philip listened and a conversion was made. The eu**ch definitely carried the Christian message down to Ethiopia.

It pays more to listen to God than to the world. We continue the discourse of Jesus about Himself being the Bread of Life. He says in today’s Gospel: ‘’I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh’’

‘’She listened to us and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying’’ (Acts 16:14). Lord, open our hearts to accept Your word. Amen.
MSGR. PAUL BESSONG ENOW.

16/04/2024

17 APRIL 2024
WEDNESDAY, THIRD WEEK OF EASTER
Acts 8:1-8
Psalm 66
John 6:35-40

THE FAITH GROWS THROUGH PERSECUTION
‘’Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word’’ (1st reading).

Our first reading tells us about the situation after the burial of Stephen, the first martyr. Saul went on with the persecution. But those who were dispersed went about preaching the Good News. Philip the deacon went down to a city of Samaria and preached there. Accompanying his preaching were the miracles he worked. The result was that the city knew much joy. The Gospel cannot be caged by any human means. The Jewish leaders thought that by killing Jesus they were putting a stop to His ministry. But this was not the case. The faith spreads much when there is persecution. This has been the case since the times of the early Church. Since this is the case, should we pray for persecution? No, I dare say. Rather, we should be steadfast in bearing authentic Christian witness which may bring about the persecution.

We can do this if we keep ourselves close to Jesus who is the Bread of life. He is with us always and will raise us up on the last day to eternal life.

Jesus, Bread of life, strengthen us.

‘’She listened to us and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying’’ (Acts 16:14). Lord, open our hearts to accept Your word. Amen.
MSGR. PAUL BESSONG ENOW.

15/04/2024

16 APRIL 2024
TUESDAY, THIRD WEEK OF EASTER
Acts 7:51-8:1
Psalm 31
John 6:30-35

SURRENDER TO GOD
‘’Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit’’ (Psalm).
The witness of Stephen continues. He is before the Sanhedrin and told them about their being responsible for the death of the prophets and the Christ. In their anger, they stoned him to death. Those who stoned him lay their garments at the feet of a young man Saul. As the stoning went on, Stephen prayed: ‘’Lord Jesus receive my spirit.’’ He surrendered himself to God. The psalmist prayed: ‘’Into your hands I commend my spirit. You will redeem, O Lord, O faithful God. As for me, I trust in the Lord…’’ Yes, we have to surrender to God in every way. Surrender is a sign of trust in God. This is very important.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus tells us: ‘’I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.’’ For us to have the strength to surrender, we have to take part frequently and worthily in the Eucharist. Jesus is the Bread of life and puts Himself completely in our hands. We should do likewise to Him.

Jesus, Bread of life, nourish us. Amen.

‘’She listened to us and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying’’ (Acts 16:14). Lord, open our hearts to accept Your word. Amen.
MSGR. PAUL BESSONG ENOW.

14/04/2024

15 APRIL 2024
MONDAY, THIRD WEEK OF EASTER
Acts 6:8-15
Psalm 119
John 6:22-29

ETERNAL LIFE: OUR FOCUS
‘’Do not labour for the food which perishes but for the food which endures to eternal life which the Son of man will give to you; for on him God the Father has set his seal’’ (Gospel).

God created us to be with Him for eternity. Jesus reminds us of this fact in today’s Gospel reading. We should focus on what will lead us to eternal life. Jesus Himself is the source of eternal life. Our focus, therefore, has to be on Jesus. Daily we should strive to get in close union with Him through His Word and Sacraments. The response to the psalm says: ‘’Blessed are those who walk in the law of the Lord.’’ We should put the word of God into practice. Doing this, will make our bond with Christ much stronger.

This was true of Stephen, one of the seven deacons. The first reading tells us about his being in dispute with some persons. They could not get the better of him. So they brought up false charges against him. Stephen was very much in union with Jesus who strengthened him to face his adversaries. Stephen’s focus was eternal life. We should imitate him.

Risen Lord, be with us. Amen.

‘’She listened to us and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying’’ (Acts 16:14). Lord, open our hearts to accept Your word. Amen.
MSGR. PAUL BESSONG ENOW.

13/04/2024

14 APRIL 2024
THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
Acts 3:13-15:17-19
Psalm 4
1 John 2:1-5
Luke 24:35-48

REPENTANCE AND FORGIVENESS
‘’Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations…’’

Repentance and forgiveness of sins is an all-time message. It is not tied to any particular season of the Church year. One would have thought that they should be consigned to the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent. But no so! We find them very much in the readings of Easter. The word of God deals with the human persons relationship with God. No human person is righteous before God. We all stand in need of repentance and forgiveness of our sins. We all need to have a rethink and return to God in contriteness of heart.

Scripture tells us that those who were at the scene of Jesus’ Crucifixion went home striking their breasts. The spectacle of the Passion of Jesus is more than enough to move people to repentance. This story of our redemption has to be told down through the ages. The Resurrection of Jesus crowned the Paschal Mystery. Jesus dealt a severe blow to sin and death and gave us new hope. The Resurrection is the bedrock of our Christian faith. St. Paul tells us that without the Resurrection, our faith is in vain and also our preaching. Let us strive after sinlessness of life and stay in continual intimacy with God.

Risen Lord, be merciful to us sinners. Amen.

‘’She listened to us and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying’’ (Acts 16:14). Lord, open our hearts to accept Your word. Amen.
MSGR. PAUL BESSONG ENOW.

12/04/2024

13 APRIL 2024
SATURDAY, SECOND WEEK OF EASTER
Acts 6:1-7
Psalm 33
John 6:16-21

LET US TAKE UP OUR PROPER ROLES
‘’It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God in order to serve tables… pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom whom we may appoint to this duty… we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word’’ (1st reading).

In this statement by the Twelve, we see the roles, we ought to take up in the Christian community. This was in a bid to solve the problem that had arisen in the early Christian community about the distribution of food. The Apostles had to be focused on prayer and the ministry of the word and the lay faithful to take care of the material needs of the community.

These roles are still there but there is need to create much awareness. In some places, if not most, priests are neck-deep in sourcing for funds to the neglect of prayer and the ministry of the word; while some lay faithful remain lukewarm. To make for the vibrancy of the Christian community, everyone has to take on his proper role.

While focusing on his proper role of prayer and the ministry of the word, the priest’s role as regards temporal goods should at best be advisory and supervisory. The lay faithful should be more involved in sourcing for funds for the various needs to the Church in her mission of evangelization. We should not be afraid to take up our proper roles for the Risen Lord is with us.

‘’She listened to us and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying’’ (Acts 16:14). Lord, open our hearts to accept Your word. Amen.
MSGR. PAUL BESSONG ENOW.

11/04/2024

12 APRIL 2024
FRIDAY, SECOND WEEK OF EASTER
Acts 5:34-42
Psalm 27
John 6:1-15

WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO PERSECUTION?
‘’Then they left the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name’’ (1st reading).

The first reading tells us that the Apostles were beaten and charged not to speak in the name of Jesus. We are told the Apostles left the presence of the Council rejoicing to have suffered dishonour for the sake of the Name of Jesus.
What is our reaction to persecution in the Name of the Lord Jesus? What is our reaction to difficult assignments within the Church? What is our attitude to meetings within the Parish Community or the Diocese?

A few Christians would gladly bear persecution, accept difficult assignments and frequently attend meetings. A good number would shy away from witnessing to Jesus, complain ceaselessly about difficult assignments, be lukewarm in attending meetings. When things work generally in human affairs, it is because a few persons wear themselves out in service. It is remarked that’’ the world is run by tired men and women’’

We need spiritual energy to be able to respond positively to stressful situations. As Christians, we can get this from the Eucharist which is at the centre of Catholic belief and practice. The Gospel reading tells us about the miracle of the loaves. It is a prelude to Jesus’ teaching about the Eucharist.

Holy Spirit be our Companion.

‘’She listened to us and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying’’ (Acts 16:14). Lord, open our hearts to accept Your word. Amen.
MSGR. PAUL BESSONG ENOW.