Frank Edwin

Thursday 1 October 2026
Week 26 in Ordinary Time.
St Theresa of the Child Jesus
Luke 10.1-12
HARVEST IS RICH BUT LABOURERS ARE FEW
Jesus is calling us to develop labourers mindset. Labourers are hardworking, disciplined and focused on the job. The harvest is rich, but the labourers are few, said Jesus. To understand harvest mentality, think of the bankers, a cashier could could count and handle billions in a day, but if at the end of the day, one thousand is missing, he/she must provide it, if not, the account will not balance. No one will say, ‘ah don’t worry it’s just a thousand out of billions’. Some labourers see the harvest with greedy eyes, when they come into the vineyard, their minds are not on the work but on what to take home. This is why a country could be rich but the citizens are poor and wretched. Even in the Lord’s vineyard, sometimes we come with looters’ mentality instead of labourers’ mentality; we think of what we will take home, what we will gain, we forget that the harvest doesn’t belong to us as labourers. Because of this, the harvest suffers. A true labourer is a trained steward, or an obedient staff, just like a disciplined banker, he/she must be responsible and accountable. He/she must work in such a way as to deserve his/her wages. May God make us true labourers, responsible, productive, creative, progressive and remove looters’ mentality from us in Jesus name Amen.
HAPPY NEW MONTH
‘A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON

Wednesday 30 September 2026
Week 26 Ordinary Time
Luke 9.57-62
I WILL FOLLOW YOU WHEREVER YOU GO
There’s a big difference between a follower and a fan. Facebook and twitter now call fans followers. It doesn’t take much to be a fan and many celebrities want people to be their fans. Jesus is not looking for fans but real followers. Real followers are not people who just like and admire you, they really want to be like you and they are ready to pay the price. You don’t need any condition to be a fan-follower but to be a real-follower, certain conditions must be fulfilled. In the gospel today Jesus tells us what it takes to follow Him and invites us to be real followers. ‘The Son of man has no place to lay His head’ -discomfort and insecurities, ‘leave the dead to bury their dead’- detachment, ‘once the hands are laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God’ -focus and commitment. There are people who have no interest in following a master, they are only fans, no role model, no mentors, no commitment, no discipline and discipleship, they are just mere followers of people who add no values to their lives. Following Jesus brings transformation and development. No one who truly follows does that in vain. Are you a fan or real follower of Jesus? May the Lord give us the courage to be real followers ready to be like the Master and willing to pay the price in Jesus name Amen.
A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON

Tuesday 29 September 2026
Ss Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels – Feast.
John. 1.47-51
YOU WILL SEE THE ANGELS ASCENDING AND DESCENDING
We celebrate the three great archangels: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. The angels minister to us, they bring God’s messages, healing and protection. They represent the love of God for us. They tell us about a Loving Father Who keeps a watchful eyes over His children. In the gospel passage we see Jesus in discussion with Nathaniel. This passage is very revealing; it tells us something about Jesus. He is interested in people no matter where they are. Look at what he told Nathaniel, ‘even before Philip came to call you, I saw you under the fig tree’, and He has already known him as impeccable. Sometimes we are in situations so difficult that we don’t know whether God is interested, is He aware? Does He still care? Is He still even interested in me? I don’t know where you are, I don’t know whether you are under the fig tree, even people who seem to be very close to you may not even know where you are, they don’t know the battle you are fighting, they are seeing you well dressed but they don’t know what you passing through, they don’t know that these fig trees, these makeup, these clothes, these artificial laughter, are just cover up. Your integrity is known by God, your sincere struggles and inner battles are not hidden from Him, keep faith and never give up. Jesus knows where you are, He has seen you, He is interested and like He said, ‘you will see greater things’. May heavens open for us and the holy Archangels we celebrate today minister to our needs and challenges in Jesus name Amen.
‘A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON’

Monday 28 September 2026
Week 26 in Ordinary Time.
Luke 9.46-50
ARGUMENT STARTED ABOUT WHO IS THE GREATEST
The struggle for the greatest is an old age struggle that continues to tear the world apart. Sometimes, even people who have been blessed by God end up living miserably because they are seeking to be greater than someone. Most people are sad and bitter just because they feel someone is greater than them, they keep comparing themselves and measuring heights. This attitude is the root of unhappiness and greediness. While we struggle to be the best we can, it is good to note that being better than someone is not as important as being a better version of yourself. If your joy consist simply in being better, richer, stronger or taller than someone, you will most likely develop a negative mindset of pulling others down just to remain on top, wishing them failure, this is witchcraft mentality. I have seen two brothers who were very rich and blessed but they had no peace in the family simply because they were quarreling over who was richer than the other, they also transferred the quarrel and negative attitude to their children and wives. Greatness is inside each one of us, we are in the world to serve and at the end, it is not what we have that will matter, but what we have given to the world, how have you used your gifts, talents, time, abilities to serve the world. Jesus said, ‘the least among you, is the greatest. May the Lord teach us the wisdom and joy of service through Christ our Lord. Amen.
‘A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON’

Sunday 27 September 2026

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ezekiel 18.25-29, Philippians 2.1-11, Matthew 21.28-32.

THINKING BETTER OF IT

I remember when we were small, our parents would struggle to get us to take our bathe. Children feared water especially when the weather is cold. So, every morning, you would see parents pursuing children around and fighting to make them take their baths. However, once these children are forced to bathe, they would get used to the water and the second battle would start, the parents would now struggle to force the children out of the water. The children would refuse to stop splashing water all over themselves. That was the same water they refused to touch.

Change is difficult. We often find it easier to tell people to change or see where people need to change, but we often convince ourselves that we do not need to change. We are okay. The older we get, the more difficult it is for us to accept change. This is because we are creatures of habits. These habits involve the way we perceive the world, the way we think, feel, act, and react. One of the major challenges Jesus had with the people of his time was to make them accept change. He even said; ‘no one after drinking old w**e desires new, for he or she says, ‘the old is good’’ (Luke 5.39). Sometimes, we feel bad just because our ways of doing things are questioned, but, we feel very okay to question what other people do and how they do it. This is general or common to human nature. I remember having a discussion with some of my classmates some years ago, we were complaining about how the ‘seminarians’ of this time are behaving, at a stage, we had to remind ourselves that this was how our elderly ones complained about us years ago.

In the message of Jesus in today’s gospel, we hear this statement ‘’think better of it’’ twice. In the parable, the boy who rejected his father’s invitation to work in his vineyard later thought better of it and went to do the work. At the end of the story, Jesus’ statement against the Pharisees was their refusal to think better of it. Change begins with thought, resistant to change comes mostly from inside us. There are many things that can make us resist change. It could be ignorance, it could equally be pride or the fear of the uncertainty and discomfort that comes with change. This implies that we as human beings can always become better. We can change and God wants us to become better not worse.

We see this stand in the first reading where God says that a sinner who ‘thought it better’ and changed his or her way shall live. This means that sin comes from wrong thinking, the better our thoughts the less our sins. The same goes with goodness of live in general. We can see this in the present emphasis on positive thinking, there is more emphasis now on the power of positive thinking. But some important questions which might bother us are: why should the righteous person change his way and begin to sin, why would someone change from positive to negative thinking, why did the Pharisees refuse to think better even after seeing the prostitutes and tax collectors change their ways, why did the first son who accepted to work in his father’s vineyard fail to do so after making a promise? The answers we give to these questions will help us to utilize the lessons in these readings.

Firstly, it is good to understand that thinking is a kind of craft, this means that thinking is not the same as thinking well just as singing is not the same as singing well. Thus, everyone thinks but not everyone thinks well and some think better than others. It equally means that we can learn to think better just as we can learn to sing better.

Secondly, there is the tendency to believe that we are always correct in our way of thinking, we often fail to understand that our ways of thinking are influenced by so many things. It could be our temperaments, families, friends, religion, environment, etc. A man was asked to nominate someone he thinks is best qualified to be the bishop, he nominated himself because he thought and believed that no one is more qualified than himself. This is our normal way of thinking, we hardly believe that our ways of thinking might not be the best.

Thirdly, good thinking is progressive not fixed. We need to constantly examine and improve our ways of thinking. The wise saying that an unexamined life is not worth living comes to mind, conversion comes when we open ourselves constantly to the light and grace of God. Conversion is also ongoing, it is a journey and not a destination. A good Christian continues to examine his or her life in order to get better, he or she continues to improve his or her thought. Those who are fixed in their ways of thinking resist conversion, they find reasons to justify their fixed ways of thinking, and of course, pride and ego play a great role in this form of thinking.

Fourthly, thinking goes with action, good life is not just about good thinking but good thinking matched with action. Some of us can overthink, we build great castles in the air and we do not have ordinary huts in reality. We lack the commitment and consistency that give good thought the power of impact. We must be action oriented people, we should always examine our actions to be sure that they match our good thoughts. We should not be contented with good thoughts and great speeches, we must try to walk the way.

Finally, good thoughts, good talks and good intentions are easier than good actions. It is very easy to imagine and talk about great things, to make promises and theories, where the challenge lies is in practice. This should not frighten us, rather, it should challenge us to put more effort into practice, consistency, commitment, and constancy. The great Saint Theresa of Calcutta has a wonderful saying that ‘God has not called us to succeed but to be faithful’. It does not matter where we are or how we are right now, what matters is our decision to keep working on our thoughts and actions, to keep getting better by thinking better of things. God’s grace will always come to our help in our weaknesses for when we are weak, His grace makes us strong through Christ our Lord. Amen.

‘A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON’

Saturday 26 September 2026
Week 25 in Ordinary Time.
Luke 9.43-45
THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND HIM WHEN HE SAID THIS
The message and power of the Cross require some level of maturity to understand. The disciples of Jesus found it difficult to understand whenever Jesus begins to talk about the Cross. They found it hard to accept that the Son of God would suffer such a miserable and shameful death. The meaning of the message of the Cross was equally hidden from them, most likely to prepare them well for it. Yet, anytime people began to praise and admire Jesus, He would divert to the Cross. It is not different today, the message of the Cross is still difficult to understand. Some people don’t even want to hear it at all. Yet, the power of the Christian faith lies in the Cross. Jesus doesn’t bring the Cross to terrify us, rather, He brings it to empower us and enrich us. The Cross of Jesus is not a source of despair and anguish, It is rather a source of power, authority, responsibility, maturity and mastery. When Jesus died on the Cross, He destroyed the negative and dark powers of the cross. May the power and glory of the Cross bring victory, maturity, and greatness into our lives through Christ our Lord Amen.
‘A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON’

Friday 25 September 2026
Week 25 in Ordinary Time
Luke 9.18-22
BUT YOU, WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?
Jesus asks His disciples whom people say that He was. He did not end with that, He also asked them whom they say that He is. You can see that many of them answered when Jesus asked them what others said but when He asked for their own personal views, it was only Peter that spoke up. Often, we have no personal views, no personal conviction even about ourselves. We prefer to work and live with other people’s opinion and views about us and things. We must have our personal conviction and question people’s opinion. It is wrong to live on people’s opinions about you, you should have your own view of whom you are, whom you want to be, and what is important to you. Do not even count on your parents’ or friends’ views without subjecting them to proper scrutiny. There’s a difference between faith built on people’s opinions and views and a faith built on personal conviction and experience. Those who rely on what people say are hardly stable because people’s view vary from person to person, from time to time. Developing personal convictions can come in many ways, it comes most importantly from examination of our lives and believes, it calls for sober reflections, meditation and prayer. It requires moments of recollection and solitude when we look into ourselves and reflect on important questions of life like; whom we are, why we are here, and where we are heading to. Probably, Jesus asked His disciples this question to help them reflect. May the Lord help us to develop and build better concepts about ourselves and be at our possible best in Jesus name Amen.
‘A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON’

Thursday 24 September 2026
Week 25 in Ordinary Time.
Luke 9.7-9
AND HEROD WAS ANXIOUS TO SEE JESUS
Herod was anxious to see Jesus. Being ‘anxious’, means that he didn’t just want to see Jesus, he was disturbed about it. With all his position and possessions as a king, why was Herod looking for Jesus? After killing John the Baptist, he might have thought he has destroyed the truth, yet, the fame of Jesus was even more than that of John. Herod concluded that Jesus must be John raised to live. No matter what we have or position we occupy, there’s a kind of shadow and emptiness we feel in the presence of the real power and influence. Most of us are after titles and positions, and when we get these titles and positions, we use them for showing off and intimidating people. This is a sign of emptiness. We could become full of titles and names but empty of character and capacity. This is why many of us will get money and spend it on acquiring titles, big cars, big houses, just for showing off, but when faced with real life challenge, we have nothing to offer. There are a lot of instances that prove that we don’t really need a title to create an impact. We don’t necessarily need position and title to influence the world. Jesus had no title, he was not a king and had no throne on earth. He was even looked down upon because of His family and village, ‘can anything good come out of Nazareth, is he not the carpenter?’ Yet, He went ahead to become more influential and touched the world in an overwhelming way. With Jesus’ character, attitude and faith, we can rule our world. This Jesus that Herod was anxious to see is very close to us, He even wants to see us. If we really discover and follow Jesus, Kings will be anxious to see us, glorious things will be told of you sons and daughters of Zion in Jesus name Amen.
‘A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON’

"Wednesday 23 September 2026
Week 25 in Ordinary Time.
Luke 9.1-6
THEY SET OUT PROCLAIMING THE GOOD NEWS AND HEALING
*Jesus sent out His disciples and they proclaimed the Good news and healing everywhere. Our world is very sick; morally, spiritually, economically, politically, etc. These societal illness affect us both physically and emotionally. We need a very strong immune system to survive when the environment is sickening. In the gospel this morning, the Apostles were sent to proclaim the gospel, and there was healing everywhere. To receive the healing power of the gospel, we must trust and obey the gospel and strictly follow the directions of the gospel. Most of the sick and the dying are victims of sick environment and sick system. The sick school system produces sick doctors, engineers, etc and transfer their sickness to the healthy and sick alike. The sick hospital will buy fake drugs and keep in their pharmacy because they will make more profit from them. Disorder and lawlessness leads to sickness and imbalance in the system. When the system is sick, it affects all the parts. The list can go on and on. We are all called to be healers, not necessarily spiritual healers but even our attitude and character can heal more people that ‘spiritual healers’ will heal. Change of attitude, embracing of sound values in our lives, families, organisations, communities and institutions, can cure a lot of sickness and build stronger immunity. May the Gospel we proclaim bring healing to our families, economy, relationships, souls, bodies, emotions, societies, let there be healing everywhere in Jesus name Amen.*
‘A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON’

Tuesday 22 September 2026
Week 25 in Ordinary Time.
Luke 8.19-21
THOSE WHO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD AND KEEP IT
Our relationships play a lot roles in the outcome of our lives. There’s a saying that you are the average of the five people you spend most of your time with. This means a lot for those who have a purpose in life, if you don’t have a vision/mission/purpose in life, it doesn’t really matter, you can relate with whomever and however you like. Jesus was ‘arrested’ by his parents when he was 12, then he followed them home. Now, he refused to be ‘arrested’ and personalized again. As an adult, Jesus had to follow his passion, vision and mission, he would not allow family ties to define and distract him. If you are possessed/personalised in a relationship with people who have similar mission/vision with you, you are lucky. But if it is people with different mission and are not interested in your mission/vision, your vision and mission might be compromised. It doesn’t matter if it’s your wife, brother, mother, colleague, boy, girl etc. Jesus had to redefine His relationship; hearing the word and keeping the Will of His Father became more important than blood. Not that He dismissed His family, but He redefined and broadened it, ‘doing the will of the Father’ became the most important factor. He shifted the priority based on his mission and vision for the world. Our missions and vision should determine our relationships and not the other way round. Look into your relationships again, if you don’t handle them well, they might mishandle you. May God establish us in a solid, supportive and promotive relationships in Jesus name Amen.
A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON’