Akahi News learnt that Rev. Fr. Patrick Kunle Ajayi of St. Mary Catholic Pro-Cathedral, Ilesa, has delivered an uplifting Easter Friday message focused on the third appearance of the Risen Lord to His apostles and the unmatched power of the Name of Jesus Christ.

Drawing from Acts 4:1-12 and John 21:1-14, the clergyman reminded the faithful that the resurrection is not a one-time historical event. Jesus kept showing up. The third appearance recorded in John’s Gospel is proof that He wanted His disciples to be absolutely certain: death could not hold Him.

And in every appearance, what did He do? He fed them. Fish on a charcoal fire. Bread broken and shared. A simple meal, but a profound message.

The Risen Lord Still Feeds His People

Akahi News gathered that Fr. Ajayi drew a powerful connection between those post-resurrection meals and the life of the Church today. If Jesus fed His disciples then, He still feeds His people now.

“This means even today the Risen Lord remains with us in the Church caring for our physical and spiritual needs,” the priest explained.

Think about that for a moment. The same Jesus who stood on the shore calling out to tired fishermen is the same Lord who watches over Nigerian Catholics struggling to put food on the table. He sees the widow. He sees the unemployed graduate. He sees the mother praying over an empty pot.

It is not a child’s play to believe that when your stomach is growling. But Fr. Ajayi is not offering cheap prosperity gospel. He is offering something deeper: the assurance that the Risen Lord cares. And His care is not limited to the spiritual. He fed hungry fishermen. He can feed hungry Nigerians.

One Name, One Salvation

It was alleged that St. Peter, in the first reading, stood before the Chief Priests and elders with a boldness that could only come from the Holy Spirit. He did not mince words. The crippled man was healed. And he was healed by one Name only.

Peter declared the uniqueness and the power in the Name of Jesus – the one and only Name by which humanity is redeemed and saved from eternal damnation. Not many names. Not competing powers. Not ancestors or charms or incantations. One Name.

That exclusivity offends the modern world. But Fr. Ajayi is not concerned with being politically correct. He is concerned with souls. And souls need to know that there is only one door out of the prison of sin.

The Name of Jesus works. But here is the catch: it works in and through those who believe and have received the Spirit of Jesus through Baptism.

Faith in the Name: An Easter Meditation

The Easter season, Fr. Ajayi explained, reminds us of the importance of our baptism. And one of the key topics for meditation during this time is Faith in the Name of Jesus Christ.

How many Catholics bless themselves with the Name without really believing anything will happen? How many say “in Jesus’ name” as a religious formula rather than a declaration of war against darkness?

Fr. Ajayi is calling for a deeper conviction. “We must all become more convinced in expecting positive results after blessing ourselves and others in the Name of Jesus, because His Spirit is in us.”

Did you catch that? His Spirit is in us. Not in a distant heaven. Not locked inside a tabernacle. Inside you. Inside every baptised believer. That is the scandal of the Christian faith: the God who spoke the universe into existence now dwells in fragile, failing, flesh-and-blood human beings.

Akahi News had earlier reported that many Nigerian Catholics struggle with a kind of practical atheism – believing in God but not really expecting Him to act. Fr. Ajayi’s message is a direct challenge to that lukewarm faith.

Expect positive results when you bless yourself. Expect healing when you pray for the sick. Expect protection when you invoke the Name over your home. Not because you are special. But because His Spirit is in you.

The apostles went from hiding behind locked doors to preaching boldly in the temple precincts. What changed? They encountered the Risen Lord. They received His Spirit. And they learned to trust the power of His Name.

That same transformation is available to every Catholic in Nigeria today. The economy may be unstable. The news may be depressing. The future may seem uncertain. But the Name of Jesus has not lost its power.

Be blessed in Jesus Name, Fr. Ajayi declared.

Not a wish. Not a hope. A declaration. Because the one who blesses is the Risen Lord. And He is still standing on the shore, waiting to feed His hungry children and heal His broken world.

RECEIVE THE HOLY JOY OF EASTER.

Key Summary Box

Readings of the day: Acts 4:1-12 (Peter and John before the Chief Priests, declaring the power of Jesus’ Name) and John 21:1-14 (Jesus’ third appearance to the apostles, where He feeds them fish and bread).
Core message: The Risen Lord remains with the Church, caring for both physical and spiritual needs. The Name of Jesus is unique and powerful – the only Name by which humanity is saved.
Key lessons: (1) Jesus fed His disciples then; He still feeds His people today. (2) The Name of Jesus works through believers who have received the Spirit in Baptism. (3) Easter is a time to meditate on and deepen faith in the Name of Jesus.
Practical application: Catholics are called to expect positive results when blessing themselves and others in Jesus’ Name, because His Spirit dwells in them.
Why it matters to Nigerian Catholics: Many struggle with doubt and fear in the face of economic hardship and insecurity. Fr. Ajayi reminds them that the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives inside every baptised believer.
Bottom line: The Name of Jesus is not magic. It is the presence of the Risen Lord Himself. And that presence is still feeding, still healing, still saving. Be blessed in Jesus Name.