Solemnity of Our Lady Queen & Patroness of Nigeria (Oct. 1: Independence Day): Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: “for He shall save the needy, the poor and those who are helpless when they cry.” (Ps. 72:12)

Readings: Is. 11:1-10; Eph. 2:13-22; Mt. 2:13-15,19-23

On this 64^th anniversary of the Nigeria’s independence, the mother Church calls on her faithful in Nigeria never to relent in lifting the nation up to God, especially through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, for real independence, liberation and restoration from the menace of corruption and other factors that have fractured a country so richly blessed by God.

In the first reading of today (Is. 11:1-10), the prophet Isaiah made a prophesy of how the world would be when it has been restored by the Son of Man from the harm done to it by sin and corruption. It would be a restoration of the world to its order at creation. At creation, animals lived as one big family with man; the earth in the Garden of Eden was a place of mutual love and relationship. But then, the entrance of sin into the world through the serpent turned the beautiful world into a place of chaos, animals became enemies of man and of themselves, men became enemy to themselves and to animals, and the entire world was gripped by sin.

To restore creation to its former beauty, God sent priests and prophets to his people. The works performed by prophets and priests were not sufficient to loosen the grip of sin and evil upon the world; evil and sin continued to ravage the world. It was in the midst of the many hardships that humanity faced during the time of prophet Isaiah, which were compounded by the wickedness and ineptitude of rulers and kings, that God revealed to the prophet a vision of a new world – a vision of the original order of the world, which will be ushered in by the shoot that will come forth from the stump of Jesse, Jesus Christ, who will be born of a Virgin Mother. It was indeed a vision and a sign of hope to suffering humanity. The reign of this great King from the family of Jesse will restore love, peace, just judgment, righteousness and faithfulness because the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him, and he shall possess wisdom, understanding, spirit of counsel, might, spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord (Is. 11:2-5). At the appointed time, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was born to the world from the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary whom God specially prepared for the great occasion. (Gal. 4:4-5).

Like the world at the time of the prophesy of Isaiah, Nigeria is in dare need of hope and restoration after many years of destruction of God’s plan for her by the people who have been elected to serve. Nigerians have witnessed a succession of bad governments, with each new regime worse than the former. The present government ascended unto power with the slogan of ‘renewed hope’, but what Nigerians have seen so far is a government of renewed hopelessness and reinforced poverty – the level of poverty and hardship we have never seen before in Nigeria. Our Land has been bedeviled by political gladiators that have proved to be more wicked than the kings of the time of Isaiah. They deny the people their rights, privileges and peace, and care less about the protection of the lives of the people from forces of death. In the second reading of today, St Paul informed us that Jesus has destroyed the walls of division separating Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:14). But in Nigeria, the political gladiators have built back and reinforced the walls of division and hatred across the nation. Then, outside the political sphere, the Nigerian society has become a bed of social unrest; it seems a greater number of the people have resigned to mutual destruction.   

Today, more than ever, Nigeria needs liberation and restoration. Physical might and strength alone cannot win the battle. The grace and help of God make difficult things easy and achievable. The Church in Nigeria is, therefore, calling on everyone to implore the aid of the Virgin Mother Mary – the Queen of grace, whom God used as an instrument to inaugurate the era of restoration of the world, on behalf of our nation that is in serious need of restoration. There is no doubt what God can do for humanity through her intercession, for the scriptures already testified to her greatness and the history of humanity bears the mark of what her intercession has done.

The book of Revelation 12 narrated, albeit in apocalyptic form, how this Virgin Mother conquered the ancient dragon and gave the world its Savior. The gospel reading of today (Mt. 2:13-15,19-23) recounted how this Virgin Mother, with her husband, protected the Saviour at his infancy from the forces that wanted to destroy him. The prophet Isaiah 7:14 already prophesied that she will give birth to the hope of the world. The Gospel of John 2 demonstrated how this woman was instrumental to the restoration of the hope and pride of the couple of the marriage feast of Cana in Galilea. The victory of the battle of Lepanto of 1571 bears the mark of what Mary’s intervention and intercession can do. The defeat of communism also showed what the prayer of the beads of the rosary can achieve. In Mary we have a mother who is full of grace and attracts the presence and help of God wherever she is.

The month of October is specially dedicated to the Rosary Prayer to call on the aid and intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Church in Nigeria wants her faithful to dedicate some minutes every day to say this prayer, calling down the intervention of God on the course of things in Nigeria through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, “for He shall save the needy, the poor and those who are helpless when they cry.” (Ps. 72:12) So, take up your Rosary, your weapon of spiritual warfare, and pray.

Peace be with you.

Happy Independence, Nigeria

Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 Monday of 26^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: Never allow the devil to have the last smile in your life: lesson from Job’s story

Reading: Job 1:6-22                                                                                                       

Many Christians often ask why God allows good people to suffer. Many people do wonder why a loving and almighty God would allow calamities to befall those who love and serve Him. Some people see this as a valid argument to insist that God doesn’t exist or that if He does exist, He doesn’t care about man.

The book of Job, which we started reading in today’s Mass, was written in response to similar questions and worries. For a long time, God’s people had wondered why those that love God often suffer terribly. The author of this literary masterpiece chose to respond with the story of Job, of a man who suffered despite his goodness, and to beautifully narrate what caused his suffering and how he responded.

In the portion we read today, my attention was drawn to the conversation between God and Satan about Job. Did you notice how proud God was about Job? Did you notice how He boasted before the devil about His servant Job and vouched that nothing on earth will make Job to fail Him? Do you think God has stopped boasting before the devil about many good people on earth? Do you also think that the devil has stopped using all his arsenal to test good people’s dedication to God by making their lives unbearable, as he did to Job’s? As in the case of Job, the devil always believes that good people are faithful to God because everything is moving well in their lives.

Now, come to think of it. If Job had not stood firm till the end, the narrative would have been that in the life of Job, the devil won a contest against God; God would have lost a battle against the devil on account of Job. However, Job did not allow the devil to triumph over God in his life.

Dear friends, God has not stopped boasting about our faithfulness to Him in front of the devil, the tempter and destroyer, and the devil has not stopped staging a contest with God on our head. Let us not allow the devil to triumph over God in our lives. No matter how difficult the devil makes your situation to be, as he did to Job’s, never allow him to have the last smile; never allow him to win the contest. If you compromise your faith, he has won the contest, and the narrative will be that in your life, the devil won a contest against God. Our perseverance in the faith in times of trials and tribulations will guarantee us victory and restoration from God, just as it happened in Job’s life.

May your new week be fruitful and prosperous, Amen

Fr Isaac Chima

26^th Sunday Year B: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: ‘Stop being stumbling block to yourself and others’

Readings: Num 11:25-29; James 5:1-6; Mk 9:38-43,45,47-48

Dear friends in Christ, the readings of today’s liturgy caution us to guard against jealousy, intolerance and giving of scandal. In a special way, Jesus invites us to excise from us anything that will lead us or others to eternal damnation.

At the centre of the reflection of today is Jesus’ invitation to his disciples to cut off from themselves anything that will lead them or others to scandal. A little exposition of the etymology of the word ‘scandal’ will help us to understand this passage. The word ‘scandal’ comes from the Greek word ‘scandalon’, which means ‘a trap or a snare laid for an enemy’. In the New Testament Greek, it was used metaphorically to mean ‘a stumbling block’. Thus, Jesus was calling his disciples to cut off from themselves anything that will be a stumbling block to their attainment of the promised kingdom of God and anything in them that will be a stumbling block to the same goal in the life of others.

As we all know, human beings place great importance on the integrity of their bodies and, as such, nobody would like to lose any part of his body or organs. Everybody would like to carry his body intact to the grave.

However, as we have seen, it does happen that a part of the body or an organ in the body may become so bad or diseased that it becomes a threat to the life of the person who possesses it. In such a case, the recommendation of a doctor would be amputation of that body part or the excision of that organ in order to save the life of the individual. It may be the hand, leg, eye, ear, kidney, liver or the heart.

Since staying alive and healthy is a beautiful thing, hardly has any patient preferred death to the loss of any precious part of the body or an organ. This means that no matter how much we value our body parts or organs, keeping them intact when they have become bad is not as important as staying alive. People are always disposed to lose their diseased body parts or organs in order to save them from death.

It is this same analogy that Jesus paints for us in today’s gospel in reference to anything in us that is capable of threatening our eternal life or the eternal life of others; He is referring to anything in us that is capable of threatening the growth and welfare of the people around us, both physically, economically and spiritually; anything in us that is capable of being a threat to the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth.

Physical life is important and sweet, but it cannot be compared to the eternal spiritual life. No matter the extent one goes to save his physical life, he will surely die one day. So, if human beings can go to the extent of cutting off their hands and legs or plucking off their organs in order to save their physical life, Christ expects us to do same or even more at the moral and spiritual levels to save our life after here on earth. He said: if your hand, foot or eye should cause you to sin (to fall, to scandalize), cut it off. It is better for you to enter heaven without hand, foot or eye than to have them intact and be thrown into hell fire.

Dear friends, our duty today is to look into our lives and discover those things that are leading us to fall into sin. It could be our friends, our desires, activities, occasions, it could be our attitudes (jealousy, envy, gossip, anger, intolerance) or whatever. The clarion call of Christ today is that anything whose presence in your life poses a threat to your possession of eternal life should be cut off.

The readings of today also asked us not to be stumbling blocks in the growth and welfare of others. The first reading and the gospel identified envy or jealousy and intolerance as attitudes that place us against the genuine growth of the gift of God in others. By being jealous or envious of the gifts and good deeds of others, we make ourselves worthy and ready tools in the hand of the devil to disrupt or impede the growth of the gifts of God in others and, at the same time, an opposition to the building up of the kingdom of God through others. By being intolerant to those who don’t belong to us, to the weak and those who need our encouragement and fraternal correction to develop, we become a stumbling block to their little beginning.

Dear friends, rather than being intolerant, we are called to help in building others up. We should learn to give others a chance to develop. However, we must understand that being tolerant doesn’t mean condoning evil. It rather means fraternally correcting and accepting those who don’t measure up and also being patient with their slow growth.

By oppressing our workers, by denying those who depend on us their rights and just wages, as we read in St. James today, we become a stumbling block to their economic growth and welfare, and to the general welfare of those who depend on them. Sometimes, unjust treatments lead workers to sin. For example, some of the workers end up in violent reactions towards their managers or plotting and executing evil ways to get what belongs to them. The difficult situation which unjustly treated workers are exposed to can lead those who depend on them to evil lives as a way to make ends meet. The ripple effects of unjust treatment of workers cannot be overestimated. So, St James warns us today against oppression, suppression, and unjust treatment of those who depend on us.

Lastly, Jesus tells us that we can also be a stumbling block to children when we teach them bad things, when we show them bad examples, and when we fail to teach them what they are supposed to know. Failure in the good upbringing of a child will definitely expose that child to a bitter future. In that case, that person has become a stumbling block to the good future of that child. It is our duty to take good care of children in all ramifications of life. Let us be careful with what we teach them either by our actions or our omissions

Let us ask the Spirit of God in today's Holy Mass to help us to cut off those things in us which are capable of being stumbling blocks to us and to others in our quest to build up the kingdom of God on earth and to inherit the eternal life in heaven.    

Happy Sunday

Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 26^TH SUNDAY, YEAR B: HOMILY BY FR. JUSTIN ADIELE

THEME: “ALLEVIATING THE BURDEN OF OTHERS”

INTRODUCTION

A soldier of Alexander the Great was driving a heavily laden mule to the royal tent. The soldier noticed that the burden was too great for the mule, and he took a bag from its back and carried it on his own shoulders. Alexander happened to see this act from his quarters, and was so pleased that he called the soldier over and said to him; “That bag which you have on your shoulders is filled with gold. Take it as a gift from me. It is yours; you deserved it.” If Alexander a mortal human being could appreciate the kindness shown to a beast/animal and rewarded the soldier so richly, what then will God the eternal king reward us for kindness shown to fellow men?

 

THE FIRST READING (NUM. 11: 25 – 29)

In the first reading, we saw that God was at the fore front in alleviating the burden and lamentations of his people in the wilderness, through the dispensation of his words, goods/food (manna and meat), and right judgments (justice) to his people. God also sensed and alleviated the burden of leadership and prophecy on his servant Moses by registering and empowering 70 Elders with the spirit of Moses to assist him. If God Himself also gets rewarded for each time he alleviates our burdens, sufferings and lamentations; if His glory increases whenever he hears our cry, no wonder He remains greater than the greatest, higher than the highest, and richer than the richest.

 

THE SECOND READING (JAM. 5: 1 – 6)

In the second reading, St. James warns us that there is no gain in accumulating so much silver and gold (wealth) when there are a lot of people burdened with loads of needs around us. You cannot be so rich through the wages, salaries, pensions, gratuities, royalties and the allocations of workers, others or the people. You cannot continue to live in luxuries and pleasures at the expense of the poor or the righteous. The burden of peoples’ suffering, hardship, cries, sorrows and poverty should not be traced to your door step on account of your greed, fraud, jealousy or selfishness.

 

THE GOSPEL READING (MK. 9: 38 – 43. 47 – 48)

In the gospel reading, Jesus left us another lesson on alleviating the burden and problem of others. He did not forbid nor stopped the man “with no name” casting out demons in the name of Jesus. He did not forbid the man from helping out in the work of salvation. He did not forbid/stop the man from helping out to stop the works of Satan in the lives of others. You can be that man without a name (without a portfolio, without a party) for your brothers, for your community, for your state. You can be that man/person, through whom your community/brother gets water, gets light, gets good roads, gets food/meat, gets medical support, and gets justice. You can actually and graciously assist the government to alleviate the sufferings and burdens of people around you like St. Vincent De Paul group does. And God assures us that we will never lose our reward for he is ever watching from his heavenly quarters.

 

CONCLUSION

God sees and rewards more than Alexander the Great in the introductory story of today. We are his soldiers, his elders and the man/woman inspired by his Spirit of love and kindness to ease the burden, suffering and lamentations of the people around us. Let us remove jealousy, unhealthy competition, greed and selfishness. We can actually make the difference in our world full of pain and misery. We can actually put a smile of relief in someone’s face. We can lift just one bag of burden from our brother’s or people’s shoulder; and this act worth’s a whole lot of reward before God.

 

Happy Sunday!

Fr. Justin

 26^TH SUNDAY, YEAR B: REFLECTION BY FR JULIAN EKEH

THEME: WHAT TO ALLOW AND WHAT TO CUT OFF

(Mar 9:38-43,45,47-48)

In the Gospel of today, we saw Jesus at one time encouraging accommodation, which shows itself in the principles of "Egbe bere, ugo bere,  "Onye biri ibe ya", "Onye anwula ma ibe ya efula" " Ndu mmiri, ndu azu", "Ukwuru miaram, miara nwunye di m" ( Live and let live). At the other end, Jesus tells us the conditions that cannot be accommodated. In His teaching, today, He opposed John the beloved who wanted Him to forbid those who were casting out demons in His name. Jesus says no to condemning or discouraging good people. It is our common goal to fight Satan and to condemn evil, to live holy lives, whether as priests, religious, married people, or single men and women. To avoid giving and receiving scandals. To do these, there are things we should cut off.

 

WE'VE GOT SOMETHING TO CUT OFF

 It is very possible for us to be doing well in certain areas and forget to look into some other parts of our lives. It is common to shine with our area of strength and overlook handling our weak points. What are the weak parts of our being? They are the areas that humble us to bend our heads in shame. The Gospel of today beautifully paints it to be parts of the body. The parts of the body, while functioning according to the divine order, are good in themselves. But when any becomes cancerous and infested, it is to be subjected to either surgery or amputation to avoid further damage. When they become avenues for introducing disease, then caution is called for. Sin is cancerous. Any part that is infected can make other parts ineffective.

 I want to reflect on what happens between the period of amputation/surgery and the period of wholeness/ good health. Suffice it to say that many people even prefer to die than to be subjected to the above treatment. Why? The pain. Cutting, amputation, or surgery in the sense we are talking about here is very painful momentarily.  Granted that the part of the body in question is bad, but it is still attached to the rest of the body as an undetachable member. Thus, any effort at removing it engenders severe and even excruciating pain. Little wonder anaesthesia is employed in some cases to reduce pain. Yet the patient must have some serious pain later. For this pain, some even refuse surgery, injection, or amputation. But the doctor insists on it.

Jesus, today, is not telling his audience to go to anyone for the cut. He calls on them to do the cutting themselves. This will require an extra form of courage. It is just a pointer to the fact that we are the ones who know the weak parts of our lives. We are the ones to cut it open. Yes! We should cut it. Let the blood of its wound flow. When it is open the Lord Jesus comes in as the heavenly physician to heal with his own blood shed on the Cross. Let the pain be joined with the pain of Christ to stop you from facing the crisis of losing your whole members. You may have gotten so used to that weak part of your life that you think you can no longer do without it. You resolve to:I can't help it; there's nothing I can do. There's something you must do:  cut it off, feel the pain for a while, and God will play his part.

Cutting off is a decision. It is a courageous decision; to do without what seem to give you joy, to do away with what has been giving you some pleasures. Jesus invites us to look forward to lasting joy. What are the things holding you bound. It could be addiction to sex, drinks, smoking, drugs etc. It could be unhealthy relationship, it could be jealousy, gossip, fraud, greed and so forth. Just mention it. Yea you know them. Finally, it could be scandal against which Jesus gave the above teaching.

May God bless His word in our hearts.

LET US PRAY

Oh God, we thank You for teaching us the virtues of accommodation, accepting other people's blessings, and encouraging one another not to fall. Help us by Your grace to cut off every thread the devil has used or is using to weaken us. May no power or weakness be able to stop us from achieving our heavenly inheritance through Christ our Lord. Amen.

HAPPY Sunday (26th, Ordinary Time B)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh

 Friday of 25^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: “But who do you say I am?” (Lk 9:20): The importance of knowing Jesus personally

Reading: Lk 9:18-22

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus asked His disciples who the people say He was. They answered. Then, He asked them who they themselves say He was. Peter gave an answer that was correct, but his answer was completely different from who the public opinion said Jesus was. So, if the apostles had not been so close to Jesus and had intimate experience of Him, their understanding of who He was would have been based on the wrong opinions of other people.

Dear friends, it is important to listen to what people tell us about who Jesus is and what He can do for us; their perception of who He is might be 100% right. However, as we have seen in several cases, some preachers’ ideas of who Jesus is and what He wants to do for us fall short of what Jesus revealed about Himself and His mission. Their wrong teachings about who Jesus is and what He will do for those who believe in Him have contributed in forming Christians with wrong and weak faith in Jesus, as well as Christians with false expectations of Jesus.

For instance, some of them tell their followers that once they believe in Jesus, He will make them kings/queens in their communities, bless them with mansions and exotic cars, grant them immediate promotions at work or business success, make them pass their exams, make them immune to sicknesses and physical attacks (give them odighi eshi), and grant them every material thing they can think of. Some others tell their followers that to connect with Jesus or obtain favours from Him, they must make financial donations to the church, bury crosses or other religious materials in their homes, jump up and shout alleluia 100 times, and other kinds of sensational gyration. People with this kind of knowledge about Jesus keep going from one ministry to the next, hoping to discover the Jesus who will accomplish all of these things for them.

Dear friends, a good knowledge of who Jesus is and of what He can do for us according to His mission would save us from being deceived or misled. Such knowledge helped Peter and the other disciples to maintain their faith throughout their missionary journeys, even during tough times and persecutions.

Personal knowledge of who Jesus is can come from improved life of prayer, daily meditative reading of the scriptures, silent moments with Jesus at home, in the chapel or during adorations, faithful participation at Mass, etc.

Therefore, I advise those who run from one ministry to another in search of Jesus to kneel down and ask Jesus this very important question that St Paul asked Him: “Who are you, Lord?” (Acts 9: 5). He will open your eyes to know Him better, especially to know that He became your Saviour by dying on the cross and resurrecting from the dead, and has charged you to carry your own cross and follow Him.

May blessing and graces of God be you this Friday, Amen.

Fr Isaac C. Chima

 

 Thursday of 25^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: Ephemeral things cannot give everlasting satisfaction

Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:2-11

Dear friends in Christ, through today’s first reading, the Church invites us to reexamine the things we are using to satisfy the yearnings of our hearts to know if they would give us the satisfaction that will last forever or not.

To satisfy the yearnings of his heart, the preacher in today’s first reading embarked on my ventures. He tried using wisdom and the pursuit of knowledge to satisfy his heart (Sirach 1:16-18), but it dawned on him that the more he acquired knowledge, the more he discovered that he needed to acquire more. At the end, acquisition of knowledge did not give him the satisfaction his hearts yearned for. Worse still, he discovered that the same death awaits both the wise and the foolish.  

Then, he gave himself to the pursuit of pleasure to see if it will give him the satisfaction his heart yearned for (Sirach 2: 1-3). He ate and drank himself to stupor, but the more he ate, the more he desired to test new things. Worse still, he noticed that the same death awaits both the well fed and the hungry.

Then, he turned to hard work as a means of satisfying the longing of his heart (Sirach 2:4-6). He built mansions and bridges, but the more he built them, the more new ideas of improving the ones he built continued to pour into his head and, thus, leaving him with little or time to enjoy his labour. This venture caused him great troubles and worries than satisfaction.

He subsequently devoted himself to amassing wealth in order to satisfy his soul. He married many wives, owned slaves, and had empires, yet, all his wealth caused him more stress and distraction than he desired.

Having tested many material things, he concluded that material things cannot give lasting satisfaction to the longing of man’s heart. He, therefore, declared all material things and their pursuit as vanity upon vanity, as we read in today’s verses.

Dear friends, the lesson is very simple: material things are ephemeral and can only give temporal satisfaction; they can only secure our safety here on earth but not beyond death. But the lasting satisfaction/fulfilment which our hearts yearn for can only be found in God who is everlasting and in doing His will.

We should know that ‘oriri na onunu nke uwa abughi ebe ndu di; ikpa aku na mma nke uwa abughi ebe ndu di. Ndi di n’aka Chukwu, ihe anya na-ahu na-eduhie uwa, uwa amaghi na Chukwu nke igwe bu ebe ndu di.

May God grant value to your good efforts this Thursday, Amen

Fr Isaac C. Chima.

 

 Tuesday of 25^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: Do what is right and fair; this pleases the Lord more than sacrifices (Prov. 21:3)

Reading: Prov. 21:1-6;10-13

Dear friends in Christ, today’s first reading is full of wise sayings that offer practical instructions for whoever wants to be good in the sight of God. I wish to share some of them with you.

1.       “You may think that everything you do is right, but remember that the Lord judges your motives” (21:2). This reminds us that what God sees when he looks at our actions is not what meets the eyes of the people, which might be deceptive, but the true motive behind our actions. So, the very action that attracted praises, titles, and other forms of appreciation from the people may condemn its performer before God. Indeed, we can only fool men with our actions, not God. This is a wake-up call for us to focus more on the motives behind our actions than on the praises that come with them.

2.       “Do what is right and fair; this pleases the Lord more than bringing Him sacrifices” (21:3). Most times, we think we can deceive God, conceal our sins before Him or purchase His favours by giving Him gifts. For this reason, after committing atrocities against our fellow humans, we rush to church on Sundays and make huge donations and thanksgiving offerings to God, thinking we can now relax and enjoy our share of the spoil, since we have given God and the Church their own share. Dear friends, doing good is the best sacrifice we can make to God. Sacrifices offered to Him with stained hands are abominations to Him.

3.       “The riches you make by dishonesty soon disappears, but not before they lead you into the jaws of death” (21: 6). What can we say to those who lie in their business dealings with others just to make excess profit, or those who lie to people just to attract sympathy and financial help? Of course, they rejoice after every successful trip, but this biblical passage says the wealth they made through dishonesty will not only vanish, but will also lead them to death.

4.       “If you refuse to listen to the cry of the poor, your own cry for help will not be heard” (21:13). Whoever has arrived at the top should not look down on those who are at the bottom, for the table might turn anytime.

 Dear friends, let he who has ears listen.

May your efforts this Tuesday bear good fruits, Amen.

Fr Isaac Chima

 Monday of 25^th Week. Year II: reflection

Theme: Let your light be seen in every situation

Readings: Lk 8:16-18; Prov. 3:27-34

In today’s gospel reading, our Lord Jesus challenges all of us who have been blessed with the light of His face not to allow the ugly situations in which we find ourselves in this world dim our light.

He said: “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light.”

Dear friends, as Christians, we are like a glass prism upon which the light of Christ shines. Our task is to redirect/refract this light to others, especially those who are in the dark, so that the light of Christ might set them free from the power of darkness.

However, the obstacles, challenges, and hardships in our world often make it difficult for us to carry out this divine task. Most times, many Christians choose to cover their lights and enjoy a little of what the world of darkness has to offer due to the difficulties and hardships they face. In some cases, some Christians hide their lights so that people will not mock their beliefs and their choices. Sometimes, some Christians turn off their light because of fear, intimidation or persecution.

But Christ, who understands how difficult it is for us to shine our light brightly in the society, continues to remind us today that the only way to remain true to our identity in the world and to inherit heaven is to allow our light to shine brightly wherever we enter, so that those who are bound by the power of darkness can be freed.

In the first reading, the author of the book of Proverbs gave some practical steps for fulfilling this task of shining the light of Christ in the world. He said we should not withhold doing good to whom it is due, whenever it is in our power to do it; we should not refuse to give to our neighbours if we have what they need; we should not plat evil against a neighbour; we should not contend with someone for no reason; and we should not envy the violent nor choose his ways. (Prov. 3:27-34).

May your new week be abundantly blessed, Amen.

Fr Isaac C. Chima

 

 25^th SUNDAY, YEAR B: HOMILY BY FR. JUSTIN ADIELE

THEME: “EMBRACING THE CHILDLIKE MENTALITY”

INTRODUCTION:

Today, Jesus continued to predict his Passion to his disciples and was never deterred nor perturbed like a child who is unaware of any lurking danger. He continued his journey and saving mission even through cities where he was once threatened. Like an innocent child, His mind was not warped with any worldly permutations and glories unlike his disciples. His mind was set on fulfilling his mission against all odds; His status, powers and authority would not stand in the way either. He must undergo the way of the Cross; he must be rejected, arrested, flogged, despised, humiliated, tortured, insulted and hanged on the Cross.

 

THE FIRST READING (WIS. 2: 12. 17 – 20)

In the first reading, we saw the kind of evil that goes on in the minds of those who have lost their childlike innocence/mentality; they set traps for the innocent/righteous; they deliberately sin against the law; they test the patience of the just with insults and torture; they plot the death of the innocent and the defeat of goodness. No one who has a childlike mentality can bear this amount of evil in their hearts and against another person.

 

THE SECOND READING (JAM. 3: 16 – 4: 3)

In the second reading, St. James pointed out the vices that make us loose our childlike mentality; and that is jealousy and selfishness which begets every other vile or evil practice against one another. But when we hold unto our childlike mentality which is pure, peaceable, gentle and sincere, we shall make a rich harvest of righteousness; free from deadly passions, fighting and killing for what we covet.

 

THE GOSPEL READING (MK. 9: 30 – 37)

In the gospel reading, while Jesus was teaching his disciples what he would suffer without putting up a single fight with all his powers, they were busy dragging who was the greatest among them. If they had continued in this direction, jealousy, envy, fighting and even killing for position will set in. Shocked at their lack of understanding, Jesus brought a little child to them and admonished them to embrace the childlike mentality. A child has no room for prideful competition. A child can leave the seat for others and sit on the floor. A child is not so self-conscious.  A child lacks the capacity/faculty to consider itself above another. A child could soil himself for Africa.

 

CONCLUSION

A Chinese master threw a banquet to which he had invited many people both low and high. Most of the important guests arrived in special carriages. It began to rain heavily and a large puddle of water collected right in front of the main entrance to the master’s house. An elegantly dressed old man also came in his carriage and stopped at the entrance in front of the pool of rain water. But while trying to get down, he slipped and fell into the mud water. His clothes were messed up and some other guests started making fun of him. He became ashamed, uncomfortable and decided to disappear from the banquet. A servant rushed to inform the master about what has happened, the master hurried to see the muddied guest and tried to persuade him to stay despite his soiled appearance; but the old man would not agree. The master intentionally fell into the mud water himself and was muddied from head to toe. Then he took his old guest by the hand and the two mud-men marched into the banquet hall and no one dared laughed nor said a word again. This was what Jesus did on the Cross. Like Jesus and this Chinese master, you can be a mud-man, a servant, and a child for others.

Happy Sunday!

Fr. Justin

 25^th Sunday Year B: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: True Path to Greatness

Readings: Wis. 2:12,17-20; James 3:16-4:3; Mk 9:30-37

 

To have ambition in life is a wonderful thing. It is always good to aim higher in our undertakings. In fact, God created us to aspire for greater things and to bloom wherever we are planted. However, there are two things that we must beware of: the kind of ambition we entertain and the way we pursue our ambitions. In the readings of today, the church presents to us the kind of ambition we should not entertain, and what we are not supposed to do as we pursue our ambitions.

In the first reading of today, the author of the beautiful book of Wisdom placed before us the kind of ambition that should not be entertained and what we should not do as we pursue our ambitions. The setting of the reading was the wrong conception of life by the wicked. They conceived life as short, full of sorrows and directionless. So, to bring consolation to their souls, they decided to aim at living a carefree life and to be stumbling blocks in the lives of others. They said they will oppress the poor and crush whoever stands on their way. To the just, whose life contradicts what the wicked people have set as their goal, the wicked outlined perfect plans on how to destroy their lives. They said: “righteous people are nothing but nuisance, so let’s look for chances to get rid of them. They are against what we do… so, let’s put them to the test. We will be cruel to them and torment them.”

Dear friends, do we still have people whose ambitions are to cause nuisance to the society, to the families or any group they belong? Do we have those who plan the downfall of those who correct them? The first reading is a wakeup call to people who are ready to blackmail, oppress and destroy others just to achieve their goals. It is a call for a change to those who trample on others as they pursue their desires. It is a call for a change to those who are still selfish in the pursuit of their goals to the extent that they don’t care if they have to subject others to untold hardship or even kill in order to get to their goals. It is a wakeup call to those who plan the downfall of those who correct them. The Church calls for a change of such attitudes.

The second reading of today paints a vivid picture of the consequence of blind and selfish pursuit of ambitions. Saint James said where there is jealousy, selfishness and bitterness, there will also be disorder and every kind of evil. He clearly identified selfish desires and evil ambitions as the origin of the fights and quarrels among us in our families and groups in the society. It is even funny, as noted by Saint James, that people who are selfish in their desires count themselves as the wise people of our world because they often get what they want either by force or by cunning. But the truth, as Saint James also said, is that such wisdom does not come from God; it is, therefore, unspiritual and demonic. Saint James also showed us that God cannot grant prayers made for selfish desires.

Saint James finally advised us to always choose the path of righteousness and humble service which leads to lasting peace whenever we are pursuing a goal.

The gospel of today comes with a live demonstration of the lessons we read in Saint James. The apostles of Jesus were all aiming at the top position of their group, not according to the mind and mission of Christ, but according to their selfish interests and distorted understanding of what top position means. Did you notice that the apostles were already having a bitter argument? Perhaps, if it were not for the swift intervention of Jesus, what would have followed would have been quarrels and disintegration of the group.

Dear friends, through His intervention in the argument among His apostles on who will be the greatest, Jesus teaches the apostles and all of us as well that what makes one great in life and in the eyes of God is not the possession of the highest position, rather it is having a child-like humility and offering selfless service in any position one finds himself. He also teaches us that the best way to reach the highest position cannot be by oppressing others, by tearing others apart, by marching on others, by plotting the downfall of others or by blackmailing others, rather it is by welcoming and serving the vulnerable in our midst: the defenceless children, the despairing poor, the mentally ill and the marginalized. This is the path of righteousness in the pursuit of goals; this is the true path to greatness in life.

Dear friends, in our quest to be great in life, we must be ready to accept these four challenges: One, to put ourselves last. Two, to be the servant of all. Three, to receive and treat everyone, especially the most insignificant human beings, with love. Four, to expect nothing in return for service rendered. In today’s Mass, let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us to become truly great through humble and selfless service.

Fr Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 25^th SUNDAY, YEAR B: REFLECTION BY FR JULIAN EKEH

THEME: WHAT IS THE MATTER?

(Mark 9:30-37)

It is very obvious that in our various associations, institutions, organizations, and unions, we have conflicts, we have cold wars, we have full-blown wars, we have misunderstandings, and we have quarrels

Why can't we live in peace, why can't we enjoy harmony, why are we not growing, why are we stunted, why are we spending much of our times, resources and ingenuity foiling, packaging and sponsoring chaos, disunity, banditry, terrorism, agitations, etc?

Why is the Church not where it should be? Why is the government wasting its tenures fighting over frivolities? Why are brothers and sisters at enmity with each other? What's happening to the things that held us together? Why can't the pastor and the people of God be at peace? Why are the Christian men fighting against one another? Where are Christian mothers scandalously competing against each other?  Why are there unhealthy criticisms right, left, and centre?

Jesus became interested in these discussions among humans. He inquires into it today.

WHAT ARE YOU DISCUSSING ON THE WAY?

Jesus had just finished discussing with the apostles on how to lay down one's life, He went as far as using His own life as an example. But as they journeyed along the apostles started another discussion, a discussion that was a contraction to Christ's wish, a discussion that was not in line with the Divine order, a discussion they wouldn't like Christ to hear. Jesus heard them anyway. He knew what they were discussing. Yet He asked: What were you discussing? The word of God today said: "They were silent; because on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest."

Jesus is asking us today the topic of our discussion. In the face of the problems, crises, and difficulties we are facing in our world, Africa, Nigeria, and states. What are our leaders discussing? Election, of course, defections here and there, jumping around the ruling party.

What are our religious leaders discussing? Is it not popularity, positions, connections, power tussles, etc?

What is the major issues in our villages and towns if not which town should come first and which should come last, we see  neighbouring villages fighting one another because of traditional kingship and autonomy, to get political recognition and accumulations. Things continue to fall apart, and the centre cannot hold.

What are the led discussing if not how to overthrow the leaders, and what are the leaders discussing if not how to hold tight their positions while lording it over the people. Should this be the case?  Do we really know what makes one great in the sight of God? Are we not making mistakes by pulling others down to exalt ourselves?

Let us stop our vainglorious discussions and hear what Christ has to say. He gives us the example of the little child.

THE CHILD: THE SOLUTION TO THE MATTER

When Jesus found out that the problem was about who was the greatest, He turned and focused on the child as the solution to that problem. Let us receive the lessons from the child in Christ's arms. The child represents humility. The child stands for simplicity. The child means sincerity and innocence. The child is openness to growth, innovation, and greatness. The child is godly.

For us to be great, my dear people of God, we have to learn to be like the child.

Someone said that for a particular country to be good again that the elders and mature people should all be murdered. I agree with that. Let us put to death the aged corruption in us. Let us take up the child-like love that makes us see no difference between the rich and the poor. Let us be humble like the child to say I am sorry, come to roundtable discussion, and move on. Let us reconcile our differences and stop killing one another.

Once we embrace the simple life of the child, the holy life of the children of God, total resignation to the will of God and dependence on God while taking each other as one, all the useless things that used to matter for us will stop to matter. May God bless His word in our hearts.

LET US PRAY

Eternal God, we thank You for Your concern over the secret problems of our life. Listen to the discussions of our people and blot out our evil preoccupations. Give us your grace to put a stop to the wars of pride and prejudices. Make us instruments of Your peace and bless us with servant-leaders that would lead us to greatness through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Happy Sunday (25th Sunday, Ordinary Time, Yr. B)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh

 Friday of 24^th Week Year II: reflection

Theme: All hands must be on deck to support God’s kingdom on earth

Reading: Lk 8:1-3

One of the great gifts that nature bestowed on women is a tender heart, a heart that makes them to see the world through emotional lens and feel compelled to love and care for humanity. Women who are true to their nature do not need to be invited to serve, show care and love; these qualities naturally flow from them.

In today’s gospel, Luke narrated how the mission of Jesus to take the good news of the kingdom of God to cities and villages was helped by His women followers, who assisted Him and His disciples by providing their needs for care and comfort.

Perhaps Luke chose to mention Mary Magdalene and Joanna among the numerous women he had in mind to show the variety of support provided by them. While Joanna, the wife of Herold’s steward, was materially rich and may have been able to give material support, Mary Magdalene, from whom Jesus cast out demons, wasn’t materially rich but may have provided companionship and emotional support. Nonetheless, all of them contributed in their unique ways towards the success of the mission of Jesus.

The mission of establishing the kingdom of God is still on going on earth, and still needs women and men who will leverage on what nature and the society have bestowed upon them to provide the Church and her missionaries the care and support they need in order to preach the good news to the ends of the earth.

Today’s gospel is therefore challenging everyone to contribute towards the establishment of the kingdom of God according to their capacities and natural abilities. It might be material wealth, service, voice, intelligence, other talents, emotional support or encouragement, etc. All these are needed in supporting and promoting the mission of the Church.

This reading is also a call to women not to lose the special qualities nature has given them. Remember that women were not given a place of pride in Jewish societies during Christ's time; they were a bit suppressed. Yet, the women in today’s gospel didn’t allow the difficulties, denials and emotional traumas they suffered in the society to turn them into fierce wolves. They rather preserved with care the qualities nature gave them and used them to make positive impacts.

Women are often tempted to lock up their tender hearts and turn into a fierce wolves to husbands, children and relatives as a reaction against some realities. However, today’s gospel urges women not to allow the difficulties they face in families, workplaces, and other places in the society to push them to lose the tender heart bestowed upon them by God and nature.

May God crown your efforts this Friday with success, Amen

Fr Isaac C. Chima

 

 Thursday of the 24^th Weak, Year II: reflection

Theme: Jesus’ approach to sinners: a call to reconsider our attitude towards the morally weak.

Reading: Lk 7:36-50

What should we do with our brothers, sisters, relatives, colleagues and friends who are morally weak? Should we cast them away? Do we block them from coming close to us? How do we help them?

In the gospel reading of today, Jesus teaches how to treat our brothers and sisters who are morally weak. Jesus was a table in the house of a Pharisee when a woman who was a sinner entered the dining hall and began to wipe His feet with her tears and anoint them with precious ointment.

For the Pharisee that invited Jesus and others Pharisees at that occasion, If Jesus had known who the lady was, He would not have permitted her to bring her morally dirty body close to Him, much more touch Him with her filthy hands. I am sure many people think along these lines whenever they see their priests and pastors talking with those who live below the moral standards of the Church and society. Some would openly condemn their priests and pastors for doing so, accusing them of having a dirty affair with such persons. Some will take a picture of them, publish them online with a sensational caption to get views on social media. Others would wish to be given the opportunity to prevent such persons from coming close to their priests and pastors.

But then, our Jesus, who came to call sinners to Himself, would not turn down any opportunity to draw a sinner out of his/her dirt and re-clothe him/her again with grace. Thus, Jesus told those Pharisees and all of us not to stop sinners from coming to Him, but to embrace them whenever they trace their paths back to His presence in need of attention, help and atonement. He wants us to treat them as He would want them to be treated, which is with love and mercy, rather than the way we would want them to be treated. Let us, therefore, imbibe this divine approach towards sinners in our dealings with our brothers, sisters and friends who are morally weak.

May God bless your efforts this Thursday, Amen

Fr Isaac C. Chima.

 Tuesday of 24^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: Do not weep; God has visited his people, and He will restore your joy

Reading: Lk: 7:11-17

In Jeremiah 31:13, God said: “I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.” In the three cases where Jesus raised the dead, he turned the morning of the bereaved into gladness and restored their joy, giving the assurance that He has the mission to restore our hope and joy. He told Martha and Mary to weep no more because their brother Lazarus will live, and He brought Lazarus back to life, restoring the joy of his sisters and family. He told Jairus and the mourners in his house to stop crying because their girl was not dead, and He demonstrated this by bringing the girl back to life and turned their somber atmosphere into one of joy. Then, to the woman of Nain, which we read in today’s gospel, Jesus told to weep no more because God has visited His people, and He wiped the tears of the woman by raising her son and restoring her joy. Jesus is still actively turning people’s mourning into joy.

A closer look at the situation that surrounded the woman of Nain will throw more light on Christ’s mission of restoration of hope and joy. She was a widow, which meant she had lost her husband, her first pillar of support in the family. Then, she after struggling to raise her only son, perhaps, her only child, to be her next pillar of support in life, death came and snatched him away. As they carried her son away, she wept uncontrollably, watching her only source of hope and support going to the grave. What a devastating situation she found herself in. At that point, Jesus stepped in, for He never abandons His people in their time of need and never ignores their cry. He wiped the widow’s tears by restoring her only source of joy and support.

Dear friends, I don’t know what you have lost; I don’t know how long you have wept; I don’t know how you have been surviving the many devastating situations that hit your life; and I don’t know when and where Jesus will meet you to pull you out of your tears, because I am not one of the prophets that speak when God has not spoken to them. But what I am very sure of is that Jesus has visited His people, that His name is Emmanuel – God is with us, that He has said we should weep no more, that He has wiped away the tears of many people and restored the sources of their joy, and that He will not pass you by. So, stand strong and hold on to your faith in Him.

May God restore your joy, Amen.

Fr Isaac C. Chima.