Author: Ikenna Paschal Okpaleke

Human, son, brother, friend, Igbo, Christian, Catholic, priest, theologian and citizen.
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#SV – Burning Hearts

Ikenna Paschal Okpaleke

“Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Lk. 24:32) There are few other lessons to pick from this particular Scripture: First, the heart often knows before the mind does. These two disciples could not yet see who Jesus was, but something in them was already responding to his presence, his voice, the way he interpreted the scriptures. Grace often works like this, beneath our awareness, preparing us for a recognition that suddenly breaks through. Second, Scripture, when rightly opened, ignites. It was not just that Jesus spoke, but the how, the manner by … Continue reading #SV – Burning Hearts

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#SV – Thomas Unfiltered

Ikenna Paschal Okpaleke

There is something quietly courageous about Thomas. While the others had already seen the risen Lord, Thomas refused to perform a faith he did not yet possess. He would not pretend. In a room full of rejoicing, that takes a certain kind of integrity. Jesus does not punish him for it. He shows up again, specifically for Thomas, and offers his wounds as evidence. Not a rebuke, but an invitation: “Put your finger here” (Jn. 20:27). Here, the risen Christ meets honest doubt with patient, tangible grace. This is the logic of the early Church too. In Acts, signs and … Continue reading #SV – Thomas Unfiltered

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#SV – On the First Day

Ikenna Paschal Okpaleke

The opening from John 20 echoes Genesis 1 and reframes everything that follows. Christ, through his death and resurrection, re-ordered a history that had veered off its original trajectory, and restored it once again to the path of salvation. Peter’s speech in Acts 10 grounds the resurrection in testimony (“witnesses”), while Colossians 3 makes it personal and present-tense (“you have been raised”). We have been raised, indeed, to be witnesses to this truth. Not witnesses in a courtroom, but witnesses in the street, in the home, in the quiet courage of a life lived differently because of this empty tomb. Alleluia, … Continue reading #SV – On the First Day

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#SV – The Lazarus Stone

Ikenna Paschal Okpaleke

Jesus asks them to roll the stone away, thus reminding us that human agency is also important in bringing forth the miracle of God. Faith requires our responsibility for our ability to act is itself a miracle of God. Reading I Ezekiel 37:12-14 Thus says the Lord GOD: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel.Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people!I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will … Continue reading #SV – The Lazarus Stone