E Still Dey for eBook & Paperback Format!
August 1
For im 1999 Leta to Old People (#12), Saint John Paul II encourage young people make dem stay close to old people. E talk say, “Old people fit give una far more than wetin una fit imagine. Di Book of Sirach give dis advice: ‘No ignore wetin old people talk, because dem too don learn from their papa and mama’ (8:9).”
August 2
Francis Thompson write one wonderful poem, “Di Hunting Dog of Heaven.” Inside am, e compare God to bloodhound dog wey, no matter how hard we try, we no fit stop from following our trail. Thanks be to God! How you fit do even better to let dis Divine Bloodhound catch up with you?
August 3
Saint John of the Cross talk say, “Where love no dey, put love there, and then you go find love.” Na true. Somebody must start, must be di first person to show love—with kind word or generous action. Just as stone wey person drop for middle of pond dey make small waves wey spread reach di edge, na so di love wey we show other people dey multiply reach far beyond ourselves.
August 4
I like to think about my Mama and Papa, my aunties and uncles wey dey Heaven dey pray for me. Dis Komunyon of Saints no wonderful—everybody for Heaven, for Purgatory and for Earth, all join together for prayer?!
August 5
You dey think of old people as people wey dey spread di Good News? Saint John Paul II dey see dem so. E explain say old age, with “di great ability wey e get to spread di Good News through word and example, and through activities wey really suit di talents of old people, na strength for di Church of God wey people never fully understand or use well enough” (Speech wey John Paul II Give to People wey Attend di International Forum on How to Stay Active as Person Dey Grow Old, #5).
August 6
Di saints no perfect from di beginning. Dem need to work towards am. Saint Paul persecute Christians. Saint Peter deny Christ three times. Saint Jerome get serious problem with anger. Saint Teresa of Ávila start as nun wey no too serious, and e just dey follow routine without putting im heart inside. Plenty of di early Christians “fall away from di faith” when persecution come, then dem later return. Na di same for us. Continue to work towards holiness. We never be “finished product.” Depend on God grace and help—and maybe especially on di prayers of those saints wey struggle.
August 7
Nobody dey become saint alone. Na Komunyon of Saints. We dey help one another with our good example, our encouragement and our prayers. Di Komunyon of Saints na one great family. We no dey ever go Heaven alone.
August 8
One special spiritual responsibility dey follow family life. Husbands especially get di duty to help their wives reach Heaven, and wives get di same duty for their husbands. Parents get big responsibility to pray for their children and show dem good example. We no fit live di lives of people wey we love for dem, but di prayers wey we dey pray for dem na important part of our vocation.
August 9
Without doubt, we suppose talk more often about one common thing for spiritual life—that plenty times, we fit pass through seasons when prayer be like dry ground, when we dey pray but we no “feel” anything. Dis thing common well-well for di lives of di great saints and mystics of our faith, both before and now. Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta spend years without any feeling say Jesus dey present when e dey pray. E be like say God dey “withdraw” so that we go remain faithful to Am, no be just to di feeling say we dey close to Am. E dey carry us beyond di gifts, to di Giver Imself.
August 10
Saint Francis of Assisi get joyful mind even about death. For “Di Song of di Sun,” e talk say, “Make praise dey to my Lord for our sister, bodily death, wey no living person fit escape.” E dey praise God for death! E invite us to see death as beloved sister wey dey help us keep our attention on wetin really matter. If we look am like that, e make sense to praise God for “Sister Death.”
August 11
One beautiful hymn dey for di Liturgy of di Hours. Na so e go:
As You dey forgive sin and drive fear away,
Stay with us, dwell inside our hearts,
For dis evening time.
E dey comfort us well-well to know say our God dey dwell inside us always.
August 12
You don probably hear di small story about di visitor wey go hell and see tables wey food full, but everybody dey starve because di forks and spoons wey dem attach to their wrists too long, so dem no fit put di food for their mouths. Di visitor see di same long forks and spoons for di wrists of people for Heaven, but dem chop belleful and dem happy—dem put food for their forks and spoons and feed their neighbours wey sit across di table. You understand di point—we suppose learn now for Earth di virtues wey go prepare us for Heaven.
August 13
“Heaven na di final goal and fulfilment of di deepest things wey human heart dey long for, di state of di highest happiness wey go last forever” (CCC #1024). Plenty things dey inside those words for us to meditate on.
August 14
Maybe you don hear this saying: “Old age no dey ever come alone; e dey carry all kind friends follow body.” And we know those “friends,” abi? Our body dey old, our strength dey reduce, maybe our health no too good, maybe we need one kind help or another—the list long well well. Scripture dey remind us say foolish person dey look for wetin go satisfy am inside worldly enjoyment, but wise person dey look for peace inside God wey dey always there, even as all those changes dey happen; na so wise person dey get peace.
August 15
Wetin we believe about how God take our Blessed Mother enter Heaven body and soul? Na say she still be human being, only say now she be human being wey don receive glory. We get hope say we go follow am reach where she don go. If, as God will am, we enter Heaven, na with our whole being, everything wey we be, we go enter, only say by then we don receive glory.
August 16
Fr. Bob Bedard, wey we dey remember with blessing, dey often talk about “giving God permission” for our life. When we first hear am, e fit sound funny—we fit think say, “God na God, He fit do anything wey He want.” Even though that one na true, something wonderful dey happen when we give God permission to do as He wish for our life, when we surrender to wetin God want for us. “O Lord, no be wetin I want, but na wetin You want make e happen.”
August 17
As we dey old, Jesus dey bring us “life wey full well well” for plenty ways. But surely, He dey do am through His living Word inside Holy Scripture, through His Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and through the people wey He dey send enter our life, wey be living images of His goodness to us.
August 18
Old age na the highest point of life. Na the final crown of life. Na gift from God. Pope Francis talk say old age no be sickness, na special favour.
August 19
I love the example of Pope Benedict XVI, wey choose to spend the last days of im life for prayer and union with God. Wetin a good example for all of us!
August 20
Pope Francis dey remind everybody about Olivier Clément, one writer for the Orthodox faith, wey talk say, “Any society wey no get place for prayer na society where old age don lose all meaning. And this one dey cause serious fear. Because, above all, we need old people wey dey pray; prayer na the purpose of old age” (General Meeting with Pope, March 11, 2015, The family – 7. The grandpapas and grandmamas).
August 21
When we don old, some particular things dey wey we fit thank God for in special way. We fit thank God for the years wey He don give us, and for how our body don serve us for all those plenty years; we fit thank God say we still fit waka (even if we no quick like before); we fit thank God for new things for medical care wey dey help our eyes see, our ears hear, and plenty other things. Old age dey give us plenty chances to get heart wey full with thanks.
August 22
God dey use everything, even our weakness and the things wey we no fit do, if we surrender to His will, even if we face another loss. Everything belong to God.
August 23
Old age dey bring one kind peace of mind. E be like say the up and down of our earlier life dey reduce. Our experience dey bless us with steady mind—peace of mind no be virtue wey dey attract plenty attention, but e still dey bring joy.
August 24
We dey live longer. No doubt, that one go bring new challenges come meet us, but e go still give us new chances to join our struggles and crosses with those of Jesus Christ.
August 25
You don notice am—dem dey make the letters for newspaper smaller, dem dey make stairs harder to climb, and people dey talk with lower voice pass before? ?
August 26
True true, the way we dey take things as we dey old matter well well. We fit choose to put mind for the wrinkles for our skin, our grey hair, and all our body aches and pains, or we fit praise God for all the good things about growing old—like how our mind still dey work and the simple joys wey each new day dey bring.
August 27
When families dey choose Gospel passage for the funeral of person wey dem love, many times na John 14:1-6 dem dey choose. And e easy to understand why. Listen to wetin Jesus dey tell us for that passage: “For my Father house, plenty places dey to stay…And if I go prepare place for una, I go come back again come take una to myself, so that where I dey, una too go fit dey there.” Our wonderful faith dey give us great comfort!
August 28
Na for farm dem born me and bring me up. Once we don gather the harvest for autumn, we go ask, “Wetin we learn this year? Wetin we suppose do another way next year?” Na so our life be. Which other abilities wey God give us we suppose develop? God always get more for us.
August 29
E good make we sometimes think deeply about how Heaven go be. Saint Paul really dey make us want know more when e tell us say eye never see, ear never hear, and e never even enter our heart wetin God don prepare for us. Wetin God don prepare for us? Truly, one good desire to reach Heaven dey our heart, and I dey sure say na God Himself plant am there.
August 30
I dey often think about the story of Peter as e dey walk on top water, when e comot im eye from Jesus, look down at the waves, and then begin sink. For me, this one dey represent the two ways we fit see death. When we look at the things about death wey we no know, fear dey catch us. But when we see am as meeting with Jesus Christ, hope dey fill our heart.
August 31
Anybody don ever come meet you ask whether you don receive salvation? E dey surprise you small, no be so? But one wonderful answer wey follow Catholic faith dey for that question:
- Yes, I don receive salvation. Jesus Christ die for me for the Cross.
- Right now, I dey receive salvation. Jesus dey for the right hand of the Father, dey plead for me.
- And I get hope say I go receive salvation. The goal of my life and wetin dey move me na to dey with Jesus for Heaven forever.
Image: Rembrandt – Jeremiah Dey Lament
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