Solemnity of All Saints: Homily by Fr Isaac

Theme: Following the footsteps of our brothers and sisters in heaven.

Readings: Rev 7:2-4,9-14; 1Jn 3:1-3; Mt 5:1-12a

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the feast of all saints is a very important feast in the life and faith of the church. It is a feast that assures us that our hope of inheriting a better home in paradise after this earthly exile is not in vain; it assures us of the reality of heaven. The reason for this great assurance of faith is because this feast tells us that the heavenly home and its beatific vision, which we are looking forward to, have already been reached by some of our brothers and sisters. The feast of All Saints tells us that God has already rewarded some people with that gift for which we are making efforts to live good lives. It tells us that the heavenly race has been completed by some people and that they have been rewarded with a share in the glory of God. Thus, no one can tell us anymore that heaven is not real; no one can discourage us in this heavenly race.  

In the first reading of today, John had a vision of one hundred and forty-four thousand people from the twelve tribes of Israel sitting before the throne of God. Then, he also saw a great number of other people, who are impossible to count, from all over the world enjoying the beatific vision in heaven. He said: “And I heard the number of those who were signed with the seal: a hundred and forty-four thousand signed, from every tribe of the children of Israel. After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, tribes, peoples and tongues. All stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wrapped in white robes, and held palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, seated on the throne, and to the Lamb." This was the great vision of the glory of the heavenly home revealed to John.

So, the feast of today tells us that some of the people we knew and many others that we never knew have entered the glorious home of God, sharing in His glory. It tells us that the people in heaven are not aliens nor superhumans; rather, they are those who lived in the same house with us, ate the same food with us, travelled on the same road with us, watched the same television and cinema with us, faced the same good and bad weather conditions with us, wore the same clothes like us, and did many other things in common with us. So, if people who faced the same good and bad condition of the world with us have been able to make it to heaven, we can also make it. Among these our brothers and sisters in heaven are people of different categories of life. Some of them were very rich, while some were very poor; some were very beautiful, while some were very ugly; some died as virgins, while some lived immoral life for many years before they repented; some were very intelligent, while some were weak intellectually; some were hot tempered, while some were calm and gentle; some were old, while some were very young; some suffered persecutions, while some did not. In all, these people did not allow their earthly endowments and deficiencies, their strength, and weaknesses, their advantages and problems to deny them the heavenly home; rather they made honest efforts by making heaven their ultimate goal. They allowed the grace of God to triumph in their lives. This is the challenge the feast of today is giving all Christians. Let us make heaven our ultimate goal despite our challenges and advantages in life.

How, then, are we going to make heaven our ultimate goal? What steps are we to take? The gospel of today came to our assistance. With the beatitudes, it opens to us the steps that led our brothers and sisters we are celebrating today into heaven, the paths they took to heaven. The gospel of today contains the principles that guided the lives and footsteps of these our brothers and sisters we are celebrating today. So, what the saints did that led them to heaven is not rocket science; it is something within our reach. The gospel mentioned some of the principles that guided the lives of the saints while they were on earth and proclaimed them blessed, thereby inviting us to emulate them. They are these: being poor in spirit, being meek, having hunger for righteousness, being merciful, being pure in heart, being a peacemaker, accepting persecutions for the sake of Christ and for the sake of righteousness. Let us use these heavenly principles to re-examine the way we are living our lives today.

Peace be with you. Happy Feast Day

Rev. Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 Thursday of 30^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: Don’t allow threats from principalities and powers to suppress the voice of God in you.

Readings: Eph 6:10-20; Lk 13:31-35

Dear friends in Christ, in today’s gospel reading, some pharisees cautioned Christ to leave their town because Herod meant to harm Him. We do not know whether what those Pharisees did was motivated by true fraternal love to protect their brother from harm or a ploy to silence the evangelical voice that was condemning their evils. However, what is clear is that Jesus gave a firm response that he would not be intimidated by threats from anyone. He sent them back to tell Herod that nothing would stop him from doing the work God the Father sent Him to do.

Dear friends, God sent us into this world with a mission. Through our baptism and confirmation, He commissioned and strengthened us for the mission to preach the Good News with both words and actions, upholding the truth, denouncing evil wherever it is seen, and correcting errors. The devil, whose kingdom is threatened by our mission, has been fighting back. Sometimes he uses direct methods, such as confrontation, accusations, insults, threats, and persecutions. Some other times he uses subtle tactics, such as advice or discouragement from colleagues and friends. All are aimed towards ensuring that we stopped carrying out our mission of depopulating his kingdom.

In today’s gospel, Jesus demonstrated that we should never succumb to both threats and subtle voices that try to discourage us in our mission of saving the world from the hands of the evil one.

In today’s first reading, St. Paul reminded us that the mission given to us by God is not a simple one. It is rather a fight against the principalities, powers, and rulers of this world of darkness. If this battle is spiritual, we need spiritual weapons if we must win. Thus, St Paul urged us to equip ourselves with the whole armour of God, which includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace on our feet, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and prayer of supplication with perseverance. These are the spiritual weapons we need to combat the kingdom of the evil one.

May God grant us His protection as we depopulate the kingdom of the evil one. Amen.

Fr. Isaac Chima

 Wednesday of 30^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: Make effort to enter through the narrow door (Lk 13:24)

Reading: Lk 13:22-30

The question that someone asked Jesus in today’s gospel about whether those who will inherit heaven will be many or few has never stopped being a subject of concern to many people in our time. Due to the difficulty of following all of God's commandments and other religious laws, many people have continued to ponder what God's criteria for judgement on the last day will be. Will He tamper justice with mercy, or will He let His justice triumph over mercy?

It is clear from Jesus' response that casual acquaintance with Him will not be one of the criteria for entry into heaven on the last day. To those who will tell Him, "Lord, we ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets," He will respond, "I don't know you." To be saved, one must make an effort to enter through the narrow gate rather than the broad one.

The narrow gate indicates to live and die in a close relationship with God, living as Jesus wants, following all the hard choices to deny oneself of the pleasure of sin, and doing one’s duty towards God and humans, even if such duties cause immense discomfort. This gate is hardly taken by many people. The broad gate, on the other hand, is the easy road of compromising one’s faith and giving up on the demands of the Christian life due to the difficulties involved in living according to such demands and the pleasures the world of sin promises to offer. Many people love taking this gate.

One of the well-known teachings that many people who have happily chosen the broad path are spreading in our world nowadays is that one has to love Jesus the way He or She is without making effort to allow the teachings of Jesus about sanctity of life to influence him or her; that one has to love Jesus the way he or she is, even when his or her lifestyle is in stark contrast to the gospel of Jesus about sexuality. To such people, there should be no mention of sin, sanctity of life, God’s judgement, or the need to repent and get right with God. Let us run away from those who invite us to take the broad gate.

May your Wednesday be blessed, Amen

Fr Isaac Chima.

 Tuesday of 30^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: Don’t despise your little beginning

Reading: 8:26-30

Dear friends in Christ, in the two parables of the gospel reading of today, Jesus illustrated how great things start from little beginnings, thereby encouraging us never to despise our little good beginnings.

The parable of the mustard seed described how the smallest seed grows into one of the biggest shrubs wherever it is planted. Then, the parable of the leaven and the dough described how a tiny amount of leaven causes the dough to rise when it is added to it. The emphasis is on the smallness of the mustard seed/leaven and the greatness of the result: a big shrub and a dough.  

Jesus used these parables to demonstrate how the kingdom of God would eventually grow from the little efforts He was making in the small country of Israel, as well as the little efforts of his disciples and those who would believe in them.

Despite its little and shaky beginning, the immense expansion of God’s kingdom on earth serves to encourage us in our little beginnings in life. It teaches us never to despise our little beginnings and those of other people. Every beginning goes through ups and downs, but those who easily give up because of the shaky nature of every beginning never get to make it. Little beginnings need patience, perseverance, consistency, and trust in oneself and in God.

Those who seek great things in life but are reluctant to start from small beginnings are encouraged to think twice about what they actually want. Many people have found themselves in various degrees of trouble because of the fear to start with small things and the quest to become great without starting with the little things within their reach.

Today’s gospel also advises us to sustain that little good thing we are doing in life for ourselves and for others because the end result would put a smile on our faces. Then, on the other hand, it also cautions us to remember that the little evil we are doing and thinking that it is insignificant will definitely grow beyond our imagination if we persist in it.

May God give value to our little efforts in life, and may our little beginnings lead us to greatness. Amen

Fr Isaac C. Chima

 28^th October: Feast of Saints Simon and Jude (apostles) – reflection

Theme: Seek God’s face always before starting any project.

Luke: 6:12-19

St. Jude Thaddeus, the son of Cleopas and Mary Cleopas, was one of the twelve apostles. He was one of the four that were called the brethren of Jesus (Mt 13:55), because his mother was Virgin Mary’s cousin. He was the apostle who, at the last supper, asked Jesus why He was showing himself to His disciples and not to the world (Jn. 14:22). He wrote the Letter of St. Jude in the New Testament. St. Jude is known as the special patron saint of those in dire distress and helper in difficult situations; He is invoked as the help of the helpless. On the other hand, very little is known about St. Simon except that he was a Zealot and was from Cana.

The gospel of today recounted the choosing of the 12 apostles, stating that He chose them after an all-night prayer to God. If wise people had reviewed Jesus' choice of these men, to whom He would commit an all-important divine task of preaching salvation to the whole world, they would have given Him a very low grade. The 12 chosen by Jesus were a strange mix of ordinary people. Matthew was a hated tax collector for the foreign Roman government; Simon the Cananaean was a Zealot and fanatical nationalist; the rest were mostly professional fishermen with no social status, learning, or political influence.

However, one of the wonders of our time is how these men, who could be classified as a bad choice, were able to do what most qualified people cannot do. That is, taking the Good News to the entire known world of their time. One of the reasons for this tremendous success could be found in what Jesus did before choosing them. He prayed to God all night, who guided decision and choice, and He also handed the choice He made to God. It was a divine initiative and project.

Dear friends, if you seek the face of God before making any decision or choice, He will guide you with His own initiative. And if you follow God’s own initiative in your plans and their execution, your project will become His project, and you will see how He will transform even the most ordinary of your instruments into the best. Seek God’s face in your decisions, choices, and actions today, and testimonies will be yours.

 

Have a blessed week.

Fr Isaac Chima

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

THEME: “YOU NEED YOUR FATHER, YOUR PRIEST AND YOUR FAITH”

INTRODUCTION

Today we read about the blind faith of Bartimaeus which penetrated through his physical condition and limitations to attract the favour and healing from Jesus. This signals us that faith is not only the patrimony/fortune of the strong/whole, but also a potent weapon for the weak and those who are at their lowest level. We must pray that this faith may never elude us at any moment in our lives, and that this faith may continue to drive us above our physical conditions towards God our Father, our priest and the fulfiller/completion of our faith.

 

THE FIRST READING (JER. 31: 7 – 9)

Faith draws us to God our heavenly Father who is our only consolation and savior in our blind, lame, fallen or broken state. In this first reading, God assures Israel and us that when we are down, we are not yet finished; for we still have God who has pledged to continue to be our father; consoling, leading, straightening, watering and restoring our paths.

 

THE SECOND READING (HEB. 5: 1 – 6)

Faith draws and unites us with Christ our high priest who acts on our behalf in relation to God, to obtain sanctification, mercy and other beneficences from God. Without faith, we cannot always approach our appointed priests, who are anointed to cover the gap created by our ignorance, sin, waywardness and weaknesses. Without any prejudice to our personal efforts to reconcile with God, we must inevitably develop strong faith in our priests whose office it is to deal on our behalf before God. Aaron and Moses used their office as priests to save Israel a good number of times when they turned to them in the Old Testament.

 

THE GOSPEL READING (MK. 10: 46 – 52)

In the episode of the gospel, Jesus fulfilled his role as the Father of all; rich and poor, healthy and sick alike. Jesus fulfilled his role as the priest who can ask on our behalf before God for the favours/miracles we have not succeeded to get directly by ourselves. We must applaud the faith of the blind Bartimaeus as well; he did not allow his blind condition or the discouragement of the crowd to choke out his faith. His faith drew him to Jesus his consolation and fulfillment. His faith changed his story for good. No condition should make us lose our faith or forget our Father (God) and our priests who can speak for us before God!

 

CONCLUSION

Cardinal Faulhaber, an Archbishop of Munich, one day was visiting the home for blind soldiers. He walked through the home and cheered them up. He encouraged them and blessed them. As he came to one blind soldier, he heard him praying; “Lord, I beg you not to take away from me the light of my eyes, but if it is your will, at least leave me the light of my mind, but if it is your will that I be deprived of that, leave me at least the light of my faith.” The cardinal stopped to ask the blind soldier where he learnt this beautiful prayer. The man replied from childhood and had never forgotten it. Certainly the loss of one’s sight is a tragic affliction, but the loss of one’s faith is a greater affliction. In any condition you find yourself, always remember- you need your father, you need your priest, and you need your faith!

Happy Sunday!

Fr. Justin

 30^th Sunday, Year B: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: God doesn’t disappoint those who call upon Him with faith.

Readings: Jer. 31:7-9; Heb. 5:1-6; Mk 10:46-52

Dear friends in Christ, we have a merciful and loving God who continues to come to our aid to deliver us from the consequences of our sins and from the challenges and deficiencies we inherited from a nature fractured by original sin.

Today’s first reading from the prophet Jeremiah was one of the prophecies in which God announced His plan of liberation and restoration to His people Israel, who were enslaved and suffering in Babylon on account of their infidelity to Him. Even though they offended God by turning to other gods and, thus, lost His protection and were taken into slavery, God did not abandon them. Rather, He heard their cry and announced to them through the prophet Jeremiah, as we read today, that He would liberate them and restore them to their land. He said: “Behold, I will bring them from the north country, among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her who is in travail, together; a great company, they shall return here.”

This passage simply tells us that God does not abandon us, even if the cause of our suffering is our disobedience to Him; He does not abandon us even if we are responsible for our problems. He is a merciful Father and always hears us when we cry to Him, especially with faith and a repentant heart.

The story of the healing of the blind man in today’s gospel reading shows that God comes to our aid to deliver us not only from the troubles we brought upon ourselves but also from the ones we inherited from our imperfect nature, as well as from all other difficulties and challenges our world often subjects us to. Difficulties like sickness, natural disasters, economic obstacles, etc. The story of the healing of blind Bartimaeus is also a vivid illustration that our God comes to the aid of those who call upon Him in their time of need, as He promised in Psalm 50:15. There are some good lessons we must learn from this healing story.

First, do you know that Bartimaeus would have missed the opportunity of being healed if he had remained silent? So, we must not allow the voice of prayer to be silent in our lives, especially when we are in need. Let us always raise our voices in prayer to Christ in our problems. Prayer is essential in our lives, and Jesus said we should pray without ceasing, for He who asks will receive, he who seeks will find, and he who knocks will have the door opened for him.

Second, we must never be discouraged whenever we approach Christ in prayer. When Bartimaeus began to pray to Christ for healing, shouting with every strength in him, the people around him rebuked him to keep quiet. Most of the time, when we decide to take our problems to Christ in prayer, to devote more time to prayer and other spiritual exercises in the church or at home, we may hear many voices from friends, colleagues, and even family members telling us that we are wasting our time. Some may claim that God does not perform miracles again. However, if we stand firm and overcome this kind of challenge by moving on with our decision to approach God, as Bartimaeus did, we will discover that even those who told us to stop praying to God will be among those who will rejoice with us when God has heard our voice, exactly as it happened in the case of Bartimaeus. The crowd told Bartimaeus to keep quiet, but he persisted. Then, when Jesus commanded him to come, the same people that told him to keep quiet started telling him to be courageous.

Third, anytime we turn towards God for help in our difficulties, we must do it with absolute faith, believing that we will not return empty-handed. One of the ways to show that we have absolute faith in God is to leave our past life behind us; we have to let go of everything that gave us security in our past life and then adhere strictly to the voice of God. When Bartimaeus stood up to walk towards Jesus, He threw away his cloak, which gave him security and identity in his life as a blind beggar, and then focused on his journey towards Jesus, believing that his encounter with Jesus would transform him and he would have no need for his cloak again. This is absolute faith. Holding strong to our past life while marching towards Jesus is a sign that we have doubts about receiving what we are asking for. Such doubts are obstacles to the reception of blessings from God.

Lastly, when God answers our prayers, we should not turn away from Him; rather, like Bartimaeus, we should follow Him and worship Him all the days of our lives.

Peace be with you.

Fr. Isaac Chima.

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

THEME: THE CRY FOR SIGHT: DON'T STOP TILL YOU HAVE RECEIVED

(Mark 10:46-52)

The importance of sight: hindsight, insight, and foresight can never be overemphasized in our lives as individuals, a people, Church, Country, Organization, etc.

We are presented today with the story of the blind man, Bartimaeus. He was not only blind, he was equally poor, which turned him into a beggar. This is because his blind condition has rendered him incapacitated to do a lot of things for himself. He had begged for different forms of assistance. Today, he begs in a very special way for sight. He prioritized his request by going for what mattered most from the spiritual realm, namely spiritual sight. We may as well add political sight and others in our own cries for God's mercy.

 

SPIRITUAL SIGHT

Jesus came into the world as a light to enlighten all men. In the Sacrament of Baptism, He opens our eyes and makes us walk in light and no longer in the darkness.

As soon as Bartimaeus noticed the source of light around him, He cried out for mercy. Sin makes us walk in darkness. Corruption of all sorts keeps us in the dark. It is the will of God that we see light in his light and always be children of the light, living in the day and seeing the great deeds the Lord works and be gladdened in the spirit. God wants us not to stumble. That is why He comes for us to deliver us from dwelling in the darkness of sin and shame.

Let us, therefore, cease the opportunity of the presence of God around us and cry out aloud for mercy till we get His attention. We need to open our eyes to the things that are not normal in our lives. We must beg God to help us see our weaknesses and faults and, as such, pray for His grace.

We need to be uncomfortable with our inability to see the goodness of the Lord in our lives. We need to pray for the grace to be grateful to God. We need to see the good in others. We need to see where the Lord is leading us and where He wants us to be as well as what He wants from us at each point in time. We need to see reasons to pray, to live holy lives, to avoid evil companies, to see the spiritual realities, to see Jesus in the holy Eucharist, to see Jesus in that marital union, to see Jesus at work in the priests, to see the Holy Spirit at work in one's life and others, to see the hand of God blessing and forgiving us in the Sacrament of penance, to feel the Holy anointing of God when we are sick, to indeed see Jesus in the poor, the lonely and the unloved.

When we do not have eyes to see these spiritual realities, then we need to call on God to stop and attend to our matter in a very special way.

 

LET NOTHING STOP YOU

A lot of forces may want to stop you from rising to see the Lord. A lot of offers may be given to shut you up from reaching out for God's mercy. Friends, deceptive carers, etc, may give advice, suggestions, and ways out to hold you down, to stop you from seeing beyond the here and now.

Pay heed to the messengers of Jesus when they will say to you: "Take heart; rise, he is calling you." Throw off whatever the devil is using to blindfold you. Move to God and tell Him what you want.  As you pray for sight today, may you receive it.

 

POLITICAL SIGHT ETC

Our country is like Bartimaeus crying for sight; to see progress, to see development, to see employment, to see good roads, to see working systems, to see good governance, to see protection of life and property, to see religious tolerance and peace. The political, religious, and cultural leaders, blindfolded by greed and selfishness, have held us down in darkness, and we keep groping, begging, and cannot help ourselves any longer.

The above scenario has landed us into other forms of blindness such as cultural, academic, moral, marital, economic, social blindness etc. We need sight in all these areas.

Only God can help us in these situations. Let us call on Him. Let us challenge the blind leaders among us on the need for sight. Let us pray for spiritual insights. Let us learn from our hindsight and work with foresight to be where God wants us to be. May God bless His word in our hearts.

 

LET US PRAY

We thank You, Lord Jesus, today as we cry to You for mercy, that we may see. We want to see Your mercy, Your glory and Your goodness in our lives. Heal us of our spiritual blindness and deliver us from our political, religious, cultural, and moral blindness. May we receive in faith the light we need for good sight, the unction we need for proper functioning through Christ our Lord. Amen

Happy Sunday (30th Sunday, Ordinary Time, Yr B)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh

 Friday of 29^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: Seize every opportunity to save yourself from eternal damnation.

Reading: Lk 12:54-59

Dear friends in Christ, our Lord Jesus Christ invited the crowd in today’s gospel passage and all of us to use all our resources – our talents, knowledge, and time – to make choices and take actions that will save us from eternal damnation.

Jesus gave an example with someone being taken to a judge by his accuser. He stated that if the person fails to settle with the accuser while they are still on the way, he may end up behind bars. In the same way, Jesus expects us to see ourselves in this world as people who are marching towards the end, an end that might be joyful or sorrowful. Thus, He wants us to use everything that God has given us to make decisions or take actions that will guarantee that the end we will meet will be a joyful one instead of a sorrowful one.

The audience in today’s reading dedicated all their resources, time, and talent to perfecting their knowledge of the signs and things of this world, but they knew absolutely nothing about the signs of the kingdom of God. For this reason, Jesus called them hypocrites.

Like this crowd, there is always a propensity or temptation to focus entirely on things that will provide us with financial security and material comforts while paying little to no attention to those that will ensure our happiness at the end of our earthly life. For many people, this end is still far away; they believe that one day they will have enough time to focus on the things of God and then amend their life. But often, this one day never comes; so, they continue pursuing their material goals until their last day on earth, which could come when they least expected it.

In order to ensure that the last day never comes as a surprise, Jesus wants us to make the most of every day and every minute of our lives. We can do this by ensuring that we register something good every minute and every day with our resources, skills and time.

May your Friday be blessed and favoured, Amen

Fr. Isaac Chima

 Thursday of 29^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: The fire and division that will set us free.

Reading: Lk 1249-53

Today’s gospel reading could be described as one of the gospel passages that present some controversial or strange statements by Jesus Christ. One may wonder whether Jesus actually made those statements or if the gospel writers borrowed them from another source.

It is hard to believe that Jesus, the prince of peace, who preached peace and love, could be saying that He had come to cast fire upon the earth and that He had not come to bring peace to families, but rather divisions that will rock family ties, pitting all the subjects in the family against themselves.

But then, the Word of God is indeed fire that burns down the structures of sin in those who welcome it; it reduces to ashes the old sinful way of doing things so that new things will grow. It has a cleansing effect on those who open their hearts to it, filling them with the burning zeal to please God in whatever they do. The fire of the gospel will not destroy those who welcome it, but will consume all affiliations that will deny them eternal life.

As hard as it is to accept that Jesus came to bring divisions in families, the truth remains that whoever truly accepts the gospel of Christ has also accepted that loyalty to Christ must take precedence over the dearest loyalties of this world, which would include loyalty to family members and friends. Such a person will prioritize Christ and His will, and should the desires of his/her family or friends ever conflict with those of Christ for his/her life, he or she will choose to obey Christ's. This will obviously bring divisions among family ties. Nonetheless, these divisions will help to liberate the Christian from all ties that will deny him/her eternal bliss in heaven.

May the blessings of God shower upon you this Thursday, Amen

Fr. Isaac C. Chima

 

 

 Wednesday of 29^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: God will demand more from you if He has blessed you more.

Readings: Eph. 3:2-12; Lk 12:39-48

Dear friends in Christ, anyone who invests a significant amount of money and energy would naturally anticipate a substantial income; he will expect an output commensurate with the resources invested.

God created every one of us uniquely according to His design, equipping everyone with a unique set of abilities according to His design and purpose. A simple look at humans will undoubtedly reveal the existence of obvious differences. Some people are taller, more beautiful or handsome, more wealthy materially, more intelligent, have better opportunities in life, have complete bodily features, are multi-talented, stronger than others, and so on. All these are according to the design of God. He also expects everyone to bear fruit in proportion to the resources He deposited in them. Jesus reminded His disciples of this obvious fact in today’s gospel when He told them that “everyone to whom much is given, of him much will be required.”

In today’s first reading, St. Paul told the Ephesian Christians about the rare privilege God granted him and the apostles to know more about the hidden divine mysteries. He told them that it was because of such an uncommon privilege that they went the extra mile to teach nations about the truth of God and salvation in Him. The special privilege granted to them by God filled them with the zeal to serve Him more than others.

In a similar way, everyone who has been blessed by God in a way that others were not—whether it be in height, opportunity, material wealth, good health, strength, better physical attributes, talents, etc.—should feel a special zeal to make a greater contribution to the welfare of humanity than others in that special area. This is especially true because the one who blessed us more than others is coming at an hour we do not know, according to today’s gospel, to demand from us an account of what we did with the extra He gave us. Therefore, let all be ready.

May your Wednesday bear good fruits, Amen.

Fr. Isaac C. Chima

 Tuesday of 29^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: Christ has united us in Him; let us stop erecting walls of division in our Igboland

Reading: Ephesians 2:12-22

Dear friends in Christ, if we have firmly rejected the worship of the gods that our forefathers worshipped and accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, why do many of us still adhere to some of the commands given by these gods, even when they contradict the teachings of our faith in Jesus and pose a threat to our peaceful coexistence?

One of the reasons we rejected the gods is that they are inferior and malevolent beings and, as such, do not merit our obedience and worship. Our Christian faith teaches us that God Almighty is the Supreme Being, the creator of the universe, and that He alone is worthy of our obedience above all else and our worship. So, why should people who have the true God as their God and worship Him alone still obey directives from inferior beings?

In today's first reading, St. Paul reminded the Ephesian Christians that they were formerly among those separated from the Abrahamic covenant and promises, but the wall that kept them apart was shattered by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, through His sacrifice on the cross. His death unified all Christians, tearing down the barriers that had previously divided them. If Jesus has unified us into one body and instructed us to recognize ourselves as one in Him, why are we dividing ourselves through the Osu/Ume/Diala caste system just because the gods we have already rejected urged us to do so?

Many people have employed conspiracy theories to explain why they continue to adhere to these divisions, believing that marriages with people from the so-called caste systems will result in tragedies for the couples and their families. However, we know from verifiable instances that it has never been that way. Those who put aside their ungodly differences and allowed God-inspired love to unite them in marriage are still living and prospering in our communities. It is laughable that those who feel that persons from the so-called caste systems have inferior blood do not even inquire about the source of the blood they obtain from blood banks for medical purposes.

One of the ironies of maintaining these divides is that those who promote them still decry racism in the Western nations, xenophobia in African countries, and tribalism in Nigeria. Is it not clear that the Osu/Ume/Diala caste system in Igboland is a homegrown racism, xenophobia, and tribalism? May God help us.  

By His death, Christ has broken down all walls of hostility separating us; let us stop upholding cultural practices and commands from the gods that are erecting new walls of division in our society.

May God bless your Tuesday. Amen.

St John Paul II, pray for us.

Fr. Isaac Chima

 Monday of 29^th Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: A man’s life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions; beware of greed

Reading: Lk 12:13-21

Jesus began His conversation with the young man that approached Him in today’s gospel by urging everyone to avoid greed in all its forms, because greed takes our life’s focus away from God and away from serving and loving other people. It then directs all our energy and attention to fulfilling the self, making our wealth the basis of our security. Greed makes people to always think that their lives depend on their wealth, and as such, it pushes them to excessively desire to acquire more wealth than they need or deserve, using any means at their disposal, even the wrong ones.

Wealth is good and can help in life, but wealth alone cannot secure or save life because life belongs to God, and He alone gives and takes it when He wills. Therefore, we are urged to always remember God when we are acquiring our wealth, so that we will do it in the right way; when we have acquired our wealth, so that we can give thanks to Him for giving us life and opportunities; and when we use our wealth, so that we will realize that He wants us to use them to make positive impacts on others.

The man in today’s parable neither had a place for God nor for other people in the midst of His wealth. He is a typical image of a greedy and selfish man. Just take a look at what he said to himself that he would do after his plentiful harvest. It was all about him; there was no place for God and fellow humans. His consistent use of the first-person pronoun while planning what to do with his wealth gives a clue that he saw his life as dependent on his riches; he evicted God and fellow humans from his heart because of his wealth.

With the abundant harvest, the rich fool felt he had secured his life. Many people do feel this way whenever they see themselves surrounded by riches. Unfortunately, it was that same night that God took his life.

Dear friends, wealth is good. But no one should forget God while acquiring his wealth and while planning to enjoy it. Remembering God will make us realize that life belongs to Him, that we should be grateful to him, and that we should also use our wealth to serve others.

May you have a blessed new week, Amen.

Fr. Isaac C. Chima.  

Pope's Message for World Mission Sunday 2024

Theme: Go and invite everyone to the banquet (cf. Mt 22:9)

Dear brothers and sisters!

The theme I have chosen for this year’s World Mission Day is taken from the Gospel parable of the wedding banquet (cf. Mt 22:1-14). After the guests refused his invitation, the king, the main character in the story, tells his servants: “Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find” (v. 9). Reflecting on this key passage in the context of the parable and of Jesus’ own life, we can discern several important aspects of evangelization. These appear particularly timely for all of us, as missionary disciples of Christ, during this final stage of the synodal journey that, in the words of its motto, “Communion, Participation, Mission”, seeks to refocus the Church on her primary task, which is the preaching of the Gospel in today’s world.

 

1.     “Go and invite!” Mission as a tireless going out to invite others to the Lord’s banquet

In the king’s command to his servants we find two words that express the heart of the mission: the verbs “to go out” and “to invite”.

 

As for the first, we need to remember that the servants had previously been sent to deliver the king’s invitation to the guests (cf. vv. 3-4). Mission, we see, is a tireless going out to all men and women, in order to invite them to encounter God and enter into communion with him. Tireless! God, great in love and rich in mercy, constantly sets out to encounter all men and women, and to call them to the happiness of his kingdom, even in the face of their indifference or refusal. Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd and messenger of the Father, went out in search of the lost sheep of the people of Israel and desired to go even further, in order to reach even the most distant sheep (cf. Jn 10:16). Both before and after his resurrection, he told his disciples, “Go!”, thus involving them in his own mission (cf. Lk 10:3; Mk 16:15). The Church, for her part, in fidelity to the mission she has received from the Lord, will continue to go to the ends of the earth, to set out over and over again, without ever growing weary or losing heart in the face of difficulties and obstacles.

 

I take this opportunity to thank all those missionaries who, in response to Christ’s call, have left everything behind to go far from their homeland and bring the Good News to places where people have not yet received it, or received it only recently. Dear friends, your generous dedication is a tangible expression of your commitment to the mission ad gentes that Jesus entrusted to his disciples: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). We continue to pray and we thank God for the new and numerous missionary vocations for the task of evangelization to the ends of the earth.

Let us not forget that every Christian is called to take part in this universal mission by offering his or her own witness to the Gospel in every context, so that the whole Church can continually go forth with her Lord and Master to the “crossroads” of today’s world. “Today’s drama in the Church is that Jesus keeps knocking on the door, but from within, so that we will let him out! Often we end up being an ‘imprisoning’ Church which does not let the Lord out, which keeps him as ‘its own’, whereas the Lord came for mission and wants us to be missionaries” (Address to Participants in the Conference organized by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, 18 February 2023). May all of us, the baptized, be ready to set out anew, each according to our state in life, to inaugurate a new missionary movement, as at the dawn of Christianity!

 

To return to the king’s command in the parable, the servants are told not only to “go”, but also to “invite”: “Come to the wedding!” (Mt 22:4). Here we can see another, no less important, aspect of the mission entrusted by God. As we can imagine, the servants conveyed the king’s invitation with urgency but also with great respect and kindness. In the same way, the mission of bringing the Gospel to every creature must necessarily imitate the same “style” of the One who is being preached. In proclaiming to the world “the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ who died and rose from the dead” (Evangelii Gaudium, 36), missionary disciples should do so with joy, magnanimity and benevolence that are the fruits of the Holy Spirit within them (cf. Gal 5:22). Not by pressuring, coercing or proselytizing, but with closeness, compassion and tenderness, and in this way reflecting God’s own way of being and acting.

 

2. “To the marriage feast”. The eschatological and Eucharistic dimension of the mission of Christ and the Church.

In the parable, the king asks the servants to bring the invitation to his son’s wedding banquet. That banquet is a reflection of the eschatological banquet. It is an image of ultimate salvation in the Kingdom of God, fulfilled even now by the coming of Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God, who has given us life in abundance (cf. Jn 10:10), symbolized by the table set with succulent food and with fine wines, when God will destroy death forever (cf. Is 25:6-8).

 

Christ’s mission has to do with the fullness of time, as he declared at the beginning of his preaching: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mk 1:15). Christ’s disciples are called to continue this mission of their Lord and Master. Here we think of the teaching of the Second Vatican Council on the eschatological character of the Church’s missionary outreach: “The time for missionary activity extends between the first coming of the Lord and the second…, for the Gospel must be preached to all nations before the Lord shall come (cf. Mk 13:10)” (Ad Gentes, 9).

 

We know that among the first Christians missionary zeal had a powerful eschatological dimension. They sensed the urgency of the preaching of the Gospel. Today too it is important to maintain this perspective, since it helps us to evangelize with the joy of those who know that “the Lord is near” and with the hope of those who are pressing forward towards the goal, when all of us will be with Christ at his wedding feast in the kingdom of God. While the world sets before us the various “banquets” of consumerism, selfish comfort, the accumulation of wealth and individualism, the Gospel calls everyone to the divine banquet, marked by joy, sharing, justice and fraternity in communion with God and with others.

 

This fullness of life, which is Christ’s gift, is anticipated even now in the banquet of the Eucharist, which the Church celebrates at the Lord’s command in memory of him. The invitation to the eschatological banquet that we bring to everyone in our mission of evangelization is intrinsically linked to the invitation to the Eucharistic table, where the Lord feeds us with his word and with his Body and Blood. As Benedict XVI taught: “Every Eucharistic celebration sacramentally accomplishes the eschatological gathering of the People of God. For us, the Eucharistic banquet is a real foretaste of the final banquet foretold by the prophets (cf. Is 25:6-9) and described by the New Testament as ‘the marriage-feast of the Lamb’ (Rev 19:9), to be celebrated in the joy of the communion of the saints” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 31).

 

Consequently, all of us are called to experience more intensely every Eucharist, in all its dimensions, and particularly its eschatological and missionary dimensions. In this regard, I would reiterate that “we cannot approach the Eucharistic table without being drawn into the mission which, beginning in the very heart of God, is meant to reach all people” (ibid., 84). The Eucharistic renewal that many local Churches are laudably promoting in the post-Covid era will also be essential for reviving the missionary spirit in each member of the faithful. With how much greater faith and heartfelt enthusiasm should we recite at every Mass: “We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your resurrection, until you come again”!

 

In this year devoted to prayer in preparation for the Jubilee of 2025, I wish to encourage all to deepen their commitment above all to take part in the celebration of Mass and to pray for the Church’s mission of evangelization. In obedience to the Saviour’s command, she does not cease to pray, at every Eucharistic and liturgical celebration, the “Our Father”, with its petition, “Thy kingdom come”. In this way, daily prayer and the Eucharist in particular make us pilgrims and missionaries of hope, journeying towards everlasting life in God, towards the nuptial banquet that God has prepared for all his children.

 

3. “Everyone”. The universal mission of Christ’s disciples in the fully synodal and missionary Church

The third and last reflection concerns the recipients of the King’s invitation: “everyone”. As I emphasized, “This is the heart of mission: that ‘all’, excluding no one. Every mission of ours, then, is born from the heart of Christ in order that he may draw all to himself” (Address to the General Assembly of the Pontifical Missionary Societies, 3 June 2023). Today, in a world torn apart by divisions and conflicts, Christ’s Gospel remains the gentle yet firm voice that calls individuals to encounter one another, to recognize that they are brothers and sisters, and to rejoice in harmony amid diversity. “God our Saviour desires everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4). Let us never forget, then, that in our missionary activities we are asked to preach the Gospel to all: “Instead of seeming to impose new obligations, [we] should appear as people who wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty and who invite others to a delicious banquet” (Evangelii Gaudium, 14).

 

Christ’s missionary disciples have always had a heartfelt concern for all persons, whatever their social or even moral status. The parable of the banquet tells us that, at the king’s orders, the servants gathered “all whom they found, both good and bad” (Mt 22:10). What is more, “the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame” (Lk 14:21), in a word, the least of our brothers and sisters, those marginalized by society, are the special guests of the king. The wedding feast of his Son that God has prepared remains always open to all, since his love for each of us is immense and unconditional. “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have life eternal” (Jn 3:16). Everyone, every man and every woman, is invited by God to partake of his grace, which transforms and saves. One need simply say “yes” to this gratuitous divine gift, accepting it and allowing oneself be transformed by it, putting it on like a “wedding robe” (cf. Mt 22:12).

 

The mission for all requires the commitment of all. We need to continue our journey towards a fully synodal and missionary Church in the service of the Gospel. Synodality is essentially missionary and, vice versa, mission is always synodal. Consequently, close missionary cooperation is today all the more urgent and necessary, both in the universal Church and in the particular Churches. In the footsteps of the Second Vatican Council and my Predecessors, I recommend to all dioceses throughout the world the service of the Pontifical Mission Societies. They represent the primary means “by which Catholics are imbued from infancy with a truly universal and missionary outlook and [are] also a means for instituting an effective collecting of funds for all the missions, each according to its needs” (Ad Gentes, 38). For this reason, the collections of World Mission Day in all the local Churches are entirely destined to the universal fund of solidarity that the Pontifical Society of the Propagation of the Faith then distributes in the Pope’s name for the needs of all the Church’s missions. Let us pray that the Lord may guide us and help us to be a more synodal and a more missionary Church (cf. Homily for the Concluding Mass of the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, 29 October 2023).

 

Finally, let us lift our gaze to Mary, who asked Jesus to perform his first miracle precisely at a wedding feast, in Cana of Galilee (cf. Jn 2:1-12). The Lord offered to the newlyweds and all the guests an abundance of new wine, as a foreshadowing of the nuptial banquet that God is preparing for all at the end of time. Let us implore her maternal intercession for the evangelizing mission of Christ’s disciples in our own time. With the joy and loving concern of our Mother, with the strength born of tenderness and affection (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 288), let us go forth to bring to everyone the invitation of the King, our Saviour. Holy Mary, Star of Evangelization, pray for us!

 

Rome, Saint John Lateran, 25 January 2024, Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul

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

THEME: “TAKING UP THE POSITION OF SERVICE AMONG MEN”

INTRODUCTION:

Today is Mission Sunday, and the Church serves the world in different/various capacities; spiritually, socially, politically, morally, charitably and otherwise. There are therefore a million ways one can really be of service to the Church in her universal mission and service to humanity. And this service must come while we still live. A pig once lamented to the cow about his lack of popularity; how people speak of the gentleness and kindness of the cow and only speak about her (pig) with insult. She (pig) admitted that cows give milk and cream, but maintained that pigs give even more; bacon, ham and bristles. I don’t see why you cows are so highly esteemed. The cow thought for a while and gently replied the pig; “May be it’s because we cows are giving while we are living.” Serve and give while you are still alive!

 

THE FIRST READING (IS. 53: 10 – 11)

The first reading talked about the servant of God as one who took up bruises for others, who offered himself for others, who takes up the grief and travail of others, bearing their iniquities/sins upon himself. The missionary servant of God should be able to make some sacrifices for the people around him/her; should be able to take away some evil, pain, hardship, suffering and tears from others; should be able to bear the burden of others. Simply put, just share in the suffering of others to make it easier for them.

 

THE SECOND READING (HEB. 4: 14 – 16)

The second reading revealed Jesus as our high priest, who sympathizes with our weaknesses (not always judgmental); who has also invited us to draw near to his throne of mercy/grace where we find grace and help in time of need. Jesus knew that we need him and he made himself really and sacramentally available to us. We are also called today to make ourselves available and get involved in the Church’s universal mission of sympathizing and being of help to the weakness and needs of others. We can actually be the throne/source of help, strength and encouragement to others both in faith and physical wellbeing. People who draw near us should really get help, blessing and encouragement, and not rejection and disappointment.

 

THE GOSPEL READING (MK. 10: 35 – 45)

In the gospel reading, Jesus corrected an impression among James and John and the rest of his disciples. He re-educated them that the son of man came not to take a place of honor among men, but a place of service and to give his life as a ransom for many. In the God and in the Church, we do not vie for positions of honor but positions of service. Hence, whoever wants to be a follower of Jesus must of necessity become humble servants, missionaries and givers, for there lays our honour and greatness.

CONCLUSION

Brethren, it is service that will lead us to greatness. That is why Jesus advocated for a missionary and service/servant spirit for his disciples. Service to others is a virtue closest to charity/love which is the greatest and summary of all the divine laws. Jesus himself came to serve. He is the servant who offered to bear the sins, grief and bruise of the people in the first reading. He is the throne of help in the second reading. And He is the one who gave his life for us to live. You can also be same to the people and the world around you!

Happy Sunday

Fr. Justin