The Godfather Speaks

I remember an advice I once got from a very wise man concerning riches. He said, “ when a man works hard he would be blessed [by God]  and the more money he makes, the more he ought to become humble ”. I want to mention here that we were speaking from a very non-religious point of view. Today, I can say that that testimony of the Word of God that was uttered from this man’s lips is the reason God has continued to help him grow in his businesses. There is a popular saying that only the strong rule the Earth. One thing people crave the most in our world today is power. The most impressive displays of wealth are seen in our television cultures where people elevate the superficial glory of athletes, movie stars and musicians and believe these superficial ones actually do dominate the earth. This illusion feeds the desires of many yet there are few who are wise enough to realise that the most successful people in the world are actually the most frugal. Humility and prudence is an a...

Often times we are sad and burdened with many situations in our life. People tend to live in sorrow because it is the only reality they can find in such situations. The problem of suffering is as a result of the presence of pain and evil. Our inability to suffer is representative of our inability to bear the pains of this world. We fall deeper into darkness and despair as though in our very existence life has seized to exist within. This is the case of those who have lost a loved one in their life to the hands of death. These ones who mourn in the pains of their sufferings do so because their souls seek a comfort that they are unable to grasp; a comfort they believe to be their right. In most instances, these people are consumed by grief, hatred or despair. The fear of living in pain drives them to live a life of pain. As I've always mentioned, I am a strong lover of Japanese anime and I would ask you to permit me to tell some of you about of one of my favourite character in N...

I had a really difficult time picking out what to eat this morning. Switching from being an impulsive eater to selecting a healthy meal in your diet is equivalent to dying on the cross of Calvary for my weight. I was quite convinced I made the wrong choice of food when I belched in mass while standing and listening to the Priest recite the prayers of the Eucharistic Liturgy as we celebrated the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. I could taste the burnt flavour of well-seasoned goat meat which I had eaten a bit over an hour ago, with a portion of well cooked beans and unripe plantain in stew. Just before I knelt down to chant the “ Sanctus ”, I started to question my level of piety for the Most Holy Sacrament. “ Why did I have to eat so close to the moment I would have to receive our Lord from the Altar ?   My friend do you want to contaminate the taste of this humble Bread with that of one goat that probably met the butcher’s knife because of how stubborn it was ?” I couldn’t h...

I started out my first day of the year trying to understand the various way to practice this core attitude of the beatitudes and I surprised myself. I never even thought that practicing the virtue would be as elevating as studying it’s meaning in scriptures. There is no better teacher on how to live the poverty of the spirit than our Lord Jesus Christ. If you back up a chapter before the event of the sermon, He took out some time to fast and be tempted by the devil. Let me point from experience that fasting mortifies one’s body and deprives it of all of its pleasures. This weakening of the flesh causes the soul to begin to look for strength. The soul inevitably gets detached from all pleasures and realises that it’s totally dependent on its spiritual source of life. In those moments, we experience a bit of this poverty of the spirit. We realise that we are in a state of blessedness and “ours is the kingdom of heaven” . We pray better. Now contemplate this with me, Jesus had fa...