*REFLECTION FOR THE MEMORIAL OF ST. LEO THE GREAT/ THURSDAY OF THE THIRTY-SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR II* 

Today, the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Leo the great, Doctor of the Church. According to St. Leo, "virtue is nothing without the trial of temptation, for there is no conflict without an enemy, no victory without strike." Therefore, we are to remain resolute in living out the Christian virtues.

   Any encounter with God is transformative. We cannot remain the same when we openly and sincerely receive Him in our lives. This is the experience of Onesimus who St. Paul is sending back to his master, Philemon in our first reading today (Philemon 7-10). As a slave he lived a careless life that pits him in disfavour from his master. Now having encountered God through Paul, he is living true to his name, Onesimus which means "Useful". Paul is pleading with his master to accept him back as a changed and transformed person in Christ. 

   Our Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel (Luke 17: 20-25) challenged his disciples and us today to live useful lives and not to be overly concern about the "end of the world" like the Pharisees do. The Kingdom of God, He said, is already in our midst; it is within us. For the Word "is very near, in our mouth and in our heart" (Deut. 30: 14; Rm 10: 8). 

   Dear friends, one of the greatest gifts that God has given to us as the crown of creation is "free will", the power and freedom to make a choice. If we choose God and live in accord with His will, then the Kingdom of God is already reigning in our lives. Nothing can then deprive us of the joy that it brings, not even death. On the contrary, there are enormous consequences that will come our way if we choose otherwise. So we must make the wise decision so as to reign with God.

   I pray that as we journey in life today, we would harken to the voice of the Word of Life and turn from any form of useless life to being useful to God, to others and to ourselves. May the Kingdom of peace, justice and righteousness reign in our lives as we remain one with Him. Have a useful day!

 *@Fr Francis Onwunali*