SOLEMNITY OF EPIPHANY OF THE LORD: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: A Call to be reflectors of Christ’s light to the world.

Readings: Is. 60:1–6; Eph. 3:2–3a,5–6; Mt. 2:1–12

Dear friends, the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord Jesus Christ is a great celebration for all of us.  The word ‘Epiphany’ has a Greek origin and means manifestation or revelation. Thus, in this solemnity, we celebrate the revelation of Christ to the whole world, to the gentiles, to all of us who were in the gentile world according to the understanding of the Jews of that time. We saw this in the manifestation of the star of Christ to the Magi - the three gentile kings who visited the newborn Jesus from the east.

The solemnity of epiphany is a celebration of divine inclusiveness. In this feast, God manifested Himself outside the kingdom of Israel. It is a celebration of divine involvement, a celebration that tells us that all humanity belongs to God and that every one of us, no matter the race, tribe, colour or tradition, is invited to share in the joy of the Incarnation of the Word of God, that is, the birth of Christ. It is a universal celebration, a feast that tells us that God has come to show His love to the whole world, for ‘He so loved the world that He gave His only Son for the redemption of the world.’ The Epiphany celebrates the outreaching nature of God’s salvation. It celebrates the fact that the reign of God reaches beyond earth’s bounds.

Today’s gospel episode has some important lessons for us this new year.

Dear friends, the Lord has been revealed to us this season of Christmas, and his light has shined upon us too, as this feast of epiphany tells us. Through us, Christ wants His light to reflect in the world. In the gospel of today, the Magi became the first point of contact of Christ with their respective countries; they took the light of Christ to their people. One of the problems of our world today is that many Christians are either shy or afraid of spreading the light of Christ to other people. There are anti-life policies everywhere in the government because many Christians in government do not want to reflect the light of Christ. While some Christians in government prefer to be silent out of the fear of being criticized, others outrightly decide to follow the power of darkness for love of money and fame. Dear brothers and sisters, Christ wants us to be the prism that will reflect the light of his teaching in the policies of the world.

Many of our friends do not come to church because many of us who come to church do not reflect the light of Christ to them. Let us put it this way: many of us who come to church do not reflect the teachings of Christ to our friends who don’t come to church, and the actions of many of us do not attract their friends to Christ and the church.

I don’t know if you have noticed that many Christians are afraid to talk to their friends about Christ; they would rather prefer to keep quiet in order not to lose their friends or offend them, even when those friends are doing or suggesting things that are against the Christian faith. Dear friends, Epiphany challenges us to be a point of contact of Christ with our friends who do not come to church. Let our vocation this year be to take the light of Christ to our friends so that we will illumine their hearts and lives with the Christian message. Let us be that Bible which our friends who don’t come to church can read.

The second lesson is that the gospel tells us the best way to encounter Jesus. To encounter Jesus in the gospel of today, the Magi took the best gifts from their culture. They went with Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh, symbolic gifts to adore the newborn king. Dear friends, God has blessed us with numerous talents and gifts, and so He wants us to come to Him every day – to worship Him every day – with the best of the gifts He has given us. For example, our beautiful voices to read and to sing in the church, our skills on musical instruments, our intelligence to teach others, and our ability to lead others in small and large groups are all beautiful gifts from God. He wants us to use these gifts to build up the Christian community, which is the body of Christ, our families, and the civil society. It is unfortunate that many people rather use their talents to create confusion and problems in the society. Dear friends, today, the Church challenges us to use our talents to work for peace, love, and unity in the church, in the family, and in the larger society.

Peace be with you. Happy Epiphany

Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 EPIPHANY OF THE LORD: REFLECTION BY FR. JULIAN EKEH

THEME: BE WISE, FOLLOW YOUR STAR

(Matthew 2:1-12)

Today is the solemnity of Epiphany of the Lord. We celebrate the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. The Gentiles are represented by the Wise Men; three of them from the East, standing for the generality of the people Christ has come to save. We celebrate the inclusive love of God against the exclusive mentality of the Jews who thought salvation was only for them and of Herod who thought the kingdom is his. We celebrate the covenant-keeping God, God who remembered His promise to Abraham that He will make his sons as numerous as the stars of heaven. At the appointed time, by the aid of a star, He led his people from far and wide and gathered them in faith.

We reflect on how best to follow the star that leads us to our quest and goal.

Steps to follow your star:

DISCOVERY: The star could represent anything that helps one to locate his destiny. The wise men saw it rising, followed it, and got their satisfaction.

AVOID THE PALACE: The Palace and Herod are the things along the way that look attractive but are actually distractive. The Wise Men may have been presented with nice delicacies and gifts in the palace. These are distractions.

 

BE SPIRIT-GUIDED:

The Angel spoke, and the Wise Men obeyed. Yes, they entered into conversation with the evil one, but they realized themselves and came back to their senses.

YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING TO OFFER: To get to your goal, to experience the manifestation of the Lord in your life, your academics, your marriage, your business, etc. You've got to sacrifice your laziness, sleep, give in your best, and use well your precious time.

 

TREASURE THE GIFTS YOU'VE GOT

In your gifts lie the manifestation of your mission. In the gifts presented to Jesus, we saw a manifestation of His mission. In the Gold, His Kingship came to light; in the frankincense, His Priesthood shone while in the myrrh his Suffering, DEATH and RESURRECTION was shown

We pray as we celebrate this great solemnity that God may arise in our lives and manifest His power. May Your opportunities and potentials to attain greatness be numerous like the stars.

May your star never go out of your sight. May the darkness and powers that have made your star not shine be destroyed.

May no Herod stop you from seeing the greatness, glory, and divinity of God in your life through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Happy Epiphany, Christmas & New Year.

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh

 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Jan. 1): Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: The best way to begin a New Year

Readings: Num 6:22-27; Gal 4:4-7; Lk 2:16-21

Dearest brothers and sisters, today is a very important and special day in the life of every one of us. It is the beginning of a new year, a day of a new beginning. More significantly, it is the beginning of a new month. It is indeed a day of new beginnings. It is a day that presents us with a great opportunity to look at the last year and thank God for the graces of entering another year.

 

Last year was started by many people, but not all those who began it crossed over to this New Year. Since the grace of God has helped us to enter a new year, let us thank God for all his love, blessings, protection, mercies, and favors for the last year and for being in another new year.

 

But what is the best way to begin a new year? The Church in her wisdom has shown us the best way to begin this New Year; it is with the blessings of God. Dearest friends, without the blessings of God, we cannot do anything. Having seen how important his blessings were for the Israelites to survive in the desert, God, in the first reading of today, directed Moses to tell Aaron to bless the house of Israel with His name. He said, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift his countenance upon you and give you peace.’ So, they will call my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” It is the blessings of God that will guide and lead us this New Year. Indeed, we need these blessings.

 

Therefore, friends, from the altar of the Eucharistic sacrifice, through the instrumentality of the priests, God sends his blessings of love, peace, healing, favour, prosperity, grace, safety in travels, protections, and many more blessings into your life and into your families today. These blessings are very important for all of us to survive the storms of the New Year. We need them in order to succeed in our plans for the year. Last year, many storms threatened our lives, especially the storms of economic hardship, but the blessings, graces, and protection of God kept us going.

 

The Church also calls us to rely on the graces and protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary this year. Today is the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. The Church dedicates the first day of the New Year to this woman whose intercession is necessary for our sustenance in difficult moments of life. In Mary, we have a mother who loves us and cares about our needs. She is a mother who stands before her son, interceding for us every day. This is the reason why the Church has dedicated every first of January – the beginning of the New Year – to her. Let us embrace her; let us also commit our plans and projects for the New Year under her protection and guidance. Let us call on her through the rosary every day of this year.

 

Dear friends, every New Year is a call for a new beginning, a new life, and a new vision. The Church invites us today to make new resolutions to abandon old ways of sin and embrace a new life. So, today gives us the opportunity to reflect on how we lived the last year, resolve to change whatever was not good about it, and march ahead into this new year with new life and new resolutions. This resolution to live a good life is very important because of the blessings God is giving us today. If we want to enjoy the beautiful blessings from God this New Year, we have to receive these blessings with new life. In the gospel of Mark 2:22, Christ told us that we cannot put new wine in old wineskins. If we do put our new wines in old wineskins, both the wine and the wineskins will be lost. In the same way, if we carry these new blessings of the New Year in an old life of sin, they will not be effective. So, let us say no to the old life of envy, anger, pride, arrogance, greed, wickedness, immorality, and other vices this year. Let us instead say yes to love, peace, holy life, harmony, tolerance, unity, forgiveness, and many other virtues. This way, the blessings of the New Year will not be lost; they will, rather, bear abundant fruits in us.

 

Happy New Year.

Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

SOLEMNITY OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD (NEW YEAR): HOMILY BY FR. JULIAN EKEH

THEME: NEW YEAR, NEW VISION: COME AND SEE

(Luke 2:16-21)

Today, we have come to see just like the shepherds what the Lord has in stall for us. We have come to give thanks for last year. We have come to receive a new year. We have come to glorify God for His mercies and loving kindness. We have come to rededicate ourselves to God, who made it possible that we see yet another brand-new year. We have come to behold Mary the Mother of Jesus. She is the one through whom we were lunched into the new year of blessing after the tears of sin we were plunged into by Eve. Let us consider what the shepherds saw in Mary.

They saw a woman who had just given birth. The woman's heart must be filled with thanksgiving. She has finally been delivered of the Baby after a long period of waiting, after so much labour pains, after a lot of uncertainties. She now smiles. This is a nice message of hope for us who persevered after the last year. We shall smile like the mother smiles after delivery.

The shepherds saw Joseph. Joseph is a good helper, Joseph is a godsent. On your journey through this brand-new year, may you never lack reliable friends who will accompany you and be there for you to help you achieve your dreams.

A new babe was seen lying in a manger. There is going to be joy, hope for growth, development, sucking from heavenly favours out of the labour of our hands, we shall receive loving care from God, we shall be carried on eagle's wings. The Lord will not allow us to get lost. We shall be spared and preserved from the grip of Herods.

Lastly, like the shepherds, we shall praise and glorify God for the things He will make us see this new year. And just like Jesus who at the end of the Gospel of today answered the name given to Him by God, may we answer the names given us by God without allowing any problem to define us nor allow any circumstance to change the plan of God for us.

Let us be men of vision. Let us dream big dreams now, and let's not stop at dreaming but work towards the actualization of our vision for this year. It will not be an empty dream this year. If you believe it will be that way for you. Come on, let us go into this year with optimism. It is going to be a year of blessings. People will gather to see the glorious manifestations of God in your life.

Let's journey along in hope, faith, and charity.

May God bless His word in our hearts.

BLESSINGS

May God bless and keep you this year, Amen,

May He make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you, Amen

May He lift His Holy countenance upon you and give you peace, Amen

May the Lord bless this new day, new month, and brand-new year for you and your family in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

God bless your New YEAR. (1st January)

Happy New Year to you, my beloved in the Lord

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh

 Feast of the Holy Family, Year C: Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: Imitating the virtues of the Holy Family

Readings: 1 Sam 1:20-22,24-28; 1 Jn 3:1-2,21-24; Lk 2:41-52

Dear brothers and sisters, today is a great feast that celebrates the beauty of an institution established by God from creation – the Family. The Church presents us the wonderful family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as a model of every Christian family; she invites us to learn some virtues from them so that we would be to build up our own families in accordance with the will of God. 

The first reading showed us how a mother, who appreciated the fact that children are gifts from God, helped her son to know God and to enter into God’s service for all the rest of his life. The psalm reminds us how lovely God’s house is and how blessed those who make this house theirs would be. If we make our families the dwelling for God, we will be happy and blessed. In the second reading, St. John showcases love as the uniting force for all those who are children of God and, consequently, for every family. There cannot be a family if love is absent. In the gospel, we saw the amount of love the father and mother of Jesus showered on Him by not relenting until they had found Him and ensured that He was safe. We equally saw the obedience of Jesus to his parents. There are some wonderful lessons we can learn from the three persons (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) of the Holy Family.

Now, let us turn our attention to the person of Joseph to learn some virtues of a husband in the family. Joseph was a man who showed perfect love, devotion, and care for his wife, Mary, even in the most extreme circumstances. Every husband should be a man of devotional love and care to his wife in all circumstances of life.

Joseph did not want to disgrace his wife when he found out that she was pregnant outside their marriage. What does this teach us? It tells us that every husband should seek what is best for his wife. Tolerance is the key.

Joseph was a protector of the Holy Family, especially in times of danger, guiding the Holy Family to Egypt and back to protect them from the Massacre of Herod. Dear friends, every husband should protect his family from all threats to peaceful existence.

With Mary, Joseph searched for Jesus when he was lost in the temple. Loving parents would always search for their children whenever they were not where they wanted them to be. They will not allow their children to be lost to bad friendships in the society.

Let us also look at the person of Mary. Her silence and faith in God are golden. She was a woman of faith, who believed in God and put herself at the service of God and her husband. Any woman who is close to God would love her husband and children unconditionally.

The peaceful home of the holy family was a demonstration that Mary was a woman of peace and few words. Peace should be the second name of every woman in the family. Every woman ought to be a messenger of peace, love, and care to her husband and children. Mary was a caring mother to her family, a housekeeper who was close to her son. Every woman ought to be a homemaker and a close friend to her children to know their needs and problems.

Together, parents have the responsibility to build a home where peace, love, care, and tolerance will be present; a family where children can grow in love and peace. Marriage is an institution of love.

Parents have the duty to train their children not only in school but also in the faith. Dear parents, teach your children faith in God, a good moral life, and good societal values, and they will be wonderful treasures to you. The family is the microcosm church, the first place where the children learn about God and morality. Therefore, parents should unite their families in prayer and the word of God every day. A family that prays together stays together. Do not forget to lead them to church to hear the word of God. The book of Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train your child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

How about the children? Obedience is the duty every child owes to parents. Christ was obedient to his parents: He obeyed and followed them back to Nazareth when they found him in the temple teaching the teachers of the law; He obeyed Mary at the marriage in Cana and, thus, performed his first miracle. Obedience to parents is the requirement of the fourth commandment. It says, “Honour your father and your mother that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.” (Exodus 20:12). This is the only commandment that has a promise attached to it. Children should not grieve their parents by the type of friends they make, and they should not abandon their parents in their old age. 

I end this homily with the advice of Saint Paul to families in Ephesians 6:1-4: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honour your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth. Fathers and mothers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

May your family be blessed.

Fr. Isaac C. Chima

 HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH, YEAR C: REFLECTION BY FR. JULIAN EKEH

THEME: HANDLING THE CHALLENGES FACING OUR FAMILIES TODAY

(Luke 2:41-52)

The family is made of the Father, the Mother, and the children. The Catholic Church today celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. She wants us to ponder on the importance of the family, the worries and challenges of the family, and the blessings God has lavished upon and wishes to bestow upon our families.

Whether good or bad, our families are important to us. Their goodness keeps our shoulders high, and their shortcomings challenge us to step up. Parents are worried by a lot of things about their children, they are worried by their upkeep, worried about their future, worried about the company they keep, worried about their unnecessary attachment to phone and the social media, worried about their 'prayerlessness', disturbed about their addictions, mad at the type of wears they put on etc.

These worries were there for the Holy Family. But in the midst of them all, they went to Jerusalem for a feast. Let it not be worries alone. Go up to Jerusalem with your family, with your family problems, with your Thanksgiving, with rejoicing. Yes, it is there that the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord. Try and make your family the household of God by going up to get empowerment from God's house.

As they went up, Jesus got lost. As you journey to make your family an ideal one, challenges will certainly come up. Mary and Joseph searched and searched but couldn't find Jesus. He was actually in his Father's House. There He was found on the third day. This is interesting. As a young boy or girl, member of the family, where are you found when you're looked for?

There are a lot of good things your parents look for in you. What do they find? When they look for care, what do you give? When they want love, what do they find? When they want to talk to you, what do they get? Their son chatting away?

It gives joy too to find out that One's parents look after him/her.

When they found Jesus, He went with them and lived under their authority. Never allow your children to wander like sheep without a shepherd.

May God bless all families of the world.

May God bring peace to every family facing any form of crisis.

May God make our families His own abode.

May God give us good health, a long life, and prosperity in our various families.

May our families be true homes.

May God put a final stop to all the unnecessary worries of our families and fill us with happiness, joy, and love.

May Jesus, Mary, and Joseph bring the reign of God in our homes in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Happy Holy Family Sunday, Merry Christmas.

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh

 CHRISTMAS – SOLEMNITY OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS: HOMILY BY FR. JUSTIN ADIELE

THEME: “WE NOW KNOW HIM, RECEIVE HIM, AND SING HIS SONG”

INTRODUCTION:

After several centuries of the prophecy of Isaiah about the virgin birth of the Emmanuel, the first Christmas was celebrated when many people no longer know how, when, and where the Saviour King would be born. Many have waited and waited until they gave up their waiting. Many had forgotten the prophecy. But today, we replay the prophecy, we waited, and we now know how, when and where the Emmanuel would be born. We now know him, receive him, and sing his song at Christmas.

 

THE FIRST READING (IS. 52: 7 – 10)

We are happy again today to bring the good tidings of comfort and joy occasioned by the birth and reign of our God. We break forth into singing for we have seen the salvation of our God; for our redeemer is here with us. We are part of the ends of the earth that are fortunate to see and experience God’s salvation. From January to December, God’s salvation has preserved us total physical and spiritual annihilation. And we have cause to sing for joy and celebrate.

 

THE SECOND READING (HEB. 1: 1 – 6)

We now know and recognize God in his Son who is the image of the invisible God; who revealed to us the nature and glory of God. We now know and receive Jesus Christ the Son of God as the power that made and upholds the universe, and worship him like the three wise men.

 

THE GOSPEL READING (JN. 1: 1 – 18)

From the gospel reading we now know and receive Jesus as God himself, as our true light, and as our maker and never again join the wagon of those who knew him not and received him not. Today, we lay claim to the grace upon grace allotted to those who knew, received and believed him. Kudos to those having their First Holy Communion today; they are receiving the newborn Christ in a special way in the Eucharist today. And we pray for the grace of spiritual growth and heavenly favours upon them today.

 

CONCLUSION

The Christ we know and receive whose birth we commemorate today, shall save today, enlighten our homes today, restore us today, and fill each and every one of us with a joyful song as we sing- Joy to the World…!

Happy Christmas!

Fr. Justin