CHRISTMAS: Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: It will be Christmas if…

Readings: Is 52:7–10; Heb 1:1–6; Jn 1:1–18

Dear friends in Christ, I would like today’s homily to centre on a theme different from those we heard in the readings of the Mass. During the Christmas music concert (Cantata) we held in Prantantico, Arezzo, Italy, on December 15, 2023, one of the fourteen songs we performed struck a special chord in my heart. I want today’s reflection to focus on that particular song. Its theme is “Sarà Natale se…” (“It will be Christmas if…”). I do not know whether everyone who sang or heard this song was touched by it in the same way I was, but it spoke deeply to me.

The song begins by telling us that “we have a special task this Christmas.” What is this task? It says, “it is to remind the world that it is Christmas.” This means we have a pastoral duty to remind those we encounter—our family members, colleagues, friends, and even our online communities—that today is Christmas and that we are in the Christmas season. We cannot be indifferent to those around us. We must tell them the reason for this season, remind them that our Saviour has visited us anew, wish them a happy Christmas, and speak to someone about the joy of Christ’s birth. We are called to become announcers of Christ’s presence.

The song continues, “if we put wings on our hearts, we will be angels that bring love.” Dear friends, this means our Christmas greetings must not be dry or empty. They must carry love. They must impart love to those who receive them. We are to be heralds of the good news of love, announcing with joy and tenderness that our Saviour is here—just as the angels announced His birth to the shepherds on that holy night.

The song goes on: “It will be Christmas if you love; it will be Christmas if you donate, and if you call someone to come and stay with you. It will be Christmas if you live, if you laugh, and if you extend your hand to someone who suffers more. It will be Christmas if you seek, if you believe, and if you sing every day with friends.”

What do these beautiful lines teach us? They remind us that Christmas becomes true Christmas only when we love others, when we give generously, when we laugh with others, when we extend a helping hand to those who suffer, when we bring cheer to those around us, and when we put smiles on people’s faces. Without these actions, we are not truly celebrating Christmas. This challenges us deeply. It is possible to enjoy all the merriment of the season and still fail to celebrate Christmas. If our celebration lacks these acts of love, then we have not truly celebrated the birth of our Lord Jesus.

Finally, the song says that “our Christmas will be real Christmas if it does not last only an hour or a day, but becomes Christmas for an entire year.” This invites us to make every day of our lives a Christmas. We are called to smile, to laugh with others, to give, to help, to believe, and to welcome others—not only on Christmas Day, but every day. The song invites us to do good always. Let us therefore make every day a Christmas.

Peace be with you as you make today a true Christmas. Happy Christmas.

Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 CHRISTMAS: Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: His name is Emmanuel – God is with us

Readings: 1st Is 52:7–10; 2nd Heb 1:1–6; Gosp. Jn 1:1–18

My dearest brothers and sisters, Happy Christmas. On that holy night when Christ was born, the heavens were filled with joy; the earth shone with the glory of God; the angels sang with gladness; the shepherds could not hide their amazement at the marvellous presence of God; the sheep kneeled in quiet welcome; and the stars danced and shone like never before. It was truly a night of grace.

We therefore have every reason to rejoice, for the Saviour has come to visit us again. His name is Emmanuel: God is with us. God has revealed to us what many prophets, kings, and wise men longed to see but did not.

From the moment Adam and Eve sinned and fell short of God’s glory and love, God began seeking a way to draw close to humanity again—to restore us to the dignity we had lost. In many ways He revealed Himself to the people of old and spoke to them, as the second reading reminds us today. Through various means, He prepared them for the coming of His Son.

Finally, in our own time—the appointed time—He has revealed Himself to us and spoken to us through His Son. The birth of Christ is the fullness of God’s revelation to humanity, the complete manifestation of His love and glory, and the shining of the light that dispels the darkness of sin and death.

With the birth of Christ, God has broken the reign of sin, dispelled the power of darkness, and restored us to His friendship. We have once again become His beloved children.

My dearest people, Christ now lives in our midst. In the birth of His Son, God took flesh and dwelt among us. This is the mystery of the Incarnation. He is no longer distant or unreachable. He has come down from heaven to be close to each one of us. He is living with you; He is living with me. His name is Emmanuel—God is with us.

If God is now close to us, it means He feels what we feel and knows our struggles as well. Therefore, let us not be afraid to call Him our brother and to invite Him into our lives.

However, in today’s Gospel, John tells us that He came to His own, and His own did not welcome Him. Let us reflect on this. Could it be that some among us still find it difficult to welcome Christ into their personal lives? Are there those who prefer to live according to their own designs rather than according to the teachings of Christ? Who are those in our midst who might be counted among “His own who did not receive Him”? We may not know for certain—it could be any one of us, but we do know the signs of rejecting Christ.

What is clear is this: we refuse to welcome Christ when we hate others, for Christ is the author of love. We reject Christ when we refuse to forgive, for Christ is the God of mercy. We reject Christ when we open ourselves to sin, for Christ is the master of holiness. We reject Christ when we fail to show kindness, for Christ is the prince of kindness. This Christmas offers all who have been rejecting Christ a beautiful opportunity to change their lives and welcome Him. He is the light and joy of the world.

The Gospel also tells us that to all who accepted Him, He gave power to become sons and daughters of God. Dearest brothers and sisters, Christ is knocking at the door of your hearts. His name is Emmanuel—God is with us. He desires to be with you. He desires to be with me. He desires to make us heirs of the Kingdom of God. Let us therefore open our hearts and our homes and welcome Him.

Happy Christmas to you and your family.  

Fr Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 CHRISTMAS: REFLECTION BY FR JULIAN EKEH

THEME: AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH

(John 1:1-18)

In today's solemnity, we celebrate the taking flesh of that word delivered to Mary. Today, Mary is delivered of a Son. The Son of God that has become the son of Man. The child of God mixes up with the children of men to make them the children of God.

The message of angel of God has come to manifestation. The plan of God for man has come to fulfillment.  Heaven and earth rejoice to welcome the one who reconciles them. The angels that were placed at the garden of Eden to ensure that man never gets access to it now rejoice that man has been restored to peace with God by Christ the prince of peace.  Man has given flesh to God and opens his arms to embrace the spirit from God. Man has handed over damnation to accept salvation.  Man receives life and God destroys death forever.  Out of darkness, Christ the light of the world appears to lead man into life everlasting.

Alléluia! Christ is born in Bethlehem.

 

THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS

 

ACCEPT CHRIST:

The gospel highlights that those who accepted Christ receives and believed in him received the power of being called children of God. Christ coming into the world reminds us of our origin, of whom we are called to be: children of God.  In Christ God wants us take back our true image.  Let us welcome Christ the newborn king with joy. Let us open our arms to look into the eyes of this God that visits us as a baby. Let us go back into the garden where we played with God with childlikeness. Let us admire the love of God that comes to dwell among us. Remove from your heart and from your home anything that will stand as a hindrance for the new born King to enter and reign with tenderness and compassion.

 

Express Love

As we welcome Christ with love, let us express love to one another. Let us share the little we have. Let us care and offer a helping hand. Let us be filled with joy and spread true happiness. Let us bring Christ to the masses. That is Christmas.

 

Christ's Mass

Let us celebrate Mass in honour of Christ. Let us stop deceiving ourselves with the worldly celebrations in the name of Christmas that is outside the intention of God and the Church for this season. Christ is the reason for this season. Let's offer the Holy Eucharist with pure hearts in Thanksgiving to God for what He has done for us in Christ. Let's make Christ shine.

 

Drive Darkness away

Christ comes in as light in a dark world to driver away the darkness of the devil and of sin. Let us this period, be agents of light to drive away darkness in our world, in politics, in religion, in our cultures, in business, in the family and all our endeavours.

 

Time to glorify God

The gospel maintained: we saw his glory. Let the glory of God be seen in all we during this festive season. God wants to see us glorify him. Travel to glorify God, give to glorify God, play to glorify God, pray to glorify God, sing to glorify God, meet family and friends glorifying God. Shun any actions and inactions that will not give glory to God this season.

 

Be filled with grace and truth

And the word became flesh and lived among us we saw his glory full of grace and truth.

My dearest friends in the Lord. We have prepared ourselves by sacramental confession for this holy season.  Let us remain in the state of grace. Let us stand up for Christ.  Let us be true to our calling as children of God. Let us speak the truth that will bring justice and reconciliation in our families, in the Church and in our world. May we all be filled with the grace of God and enjoy the blessings of the nativity of Christ.

Blessings

May Christ the newborn king, reign in our lives. May he the light of the world deliver us from the danger of this dark world. May this celebration bring us joy, happiness, healing and divine favours in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Merry Christmas to you.

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh

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

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

INTRODUCTION:

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

 

THE FIRST READING (IS. 52: 7 – 10)

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

 

THE SECOND READING (HEB. 1: 1 – 6)

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

 

THE GOSPEL READING (JN. 1: 1 – 18)

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

 

CONCLUSION

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

Happy Christmas!

Fr. Justin

 CHRISTMAS: The Nativity of the Lord: Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: "It will be Christmas if…"

Readings: 1st Is 52:7–10; 2nd Heb 1:1–6; Gosp. Jn 1:1–18

Dear friends in Christ, I would want today's homily to centre on a theme different from those we heard from the readings of today. During the Christmas music concert (Cantata) that we did at Prantantico, Arezzo, Italy, on December 15, 2023, one of the fourteen songs that we rendered struck a special key in my heart, and I want today’s homily to centre on that particular song. The theme of the song is ‘Sarà Natale se…’ (‘It will be Christmas if…’). I don’t know if all those who sang or heard this particular song were touched by it the way I was touched.

This song began by informing all of us that “we have a special task this Christmas.” What is this special task? It says, “it is to remind the world that it is Christmas.” So, we have the pastoral duty to remind those we encounter from today (our family members, our colleagues at work, and our friends everywhere, including online friends) that today is Christmas and that we are in a Christmas season. This means that we will not be indifferent to those around us; rather, we must tell them about the reason for this season we are celebrating; we must tell them that our savior has visited us anew; we must wish them a happy Christmas; we must talk to someone about Christmas. We have to become announcers of the presence of Christ.

This song then said that “if we put wings on our hearts, we will be angels that bring love.” So, dear friends, we are not just to give people a dry and empty Christmas greeting; rather, our Christmas greetings must carry love; they must impart love in the lives of those who received them. We are to be the harbingers of the good news of love, announcing to the whole world with cheerfulness and love that our Saviour is here, just as the angels that appeared to the shepherds on that very night announced that the savior has been born.

Then, the song went on to say, “it will be Christmas if you love; it will be Christmas if you donate, and if you call someone to come and stay with you. It will be Christmas if you live, if you laugh, and if you extend your hand to someone who suffers more. It will be Christmas if you seek, if you believe, and if you sing every day with friends.”

What are these beautiful lines of this song telling us? They are telling us that our Christmas will be true Christmas only and only when we love others, only when we donate to others, when we laugh with others, when we extend the hands of help to those who suffer among us, when we are cheerful with the people around us, and only when we put smiles on the faces of the people around us. If we don’t do any of these things, we are not celebrating a real Christmas. This is a challenge to us. So, it is possible that some people can do all the merriments associated with Christmas and, yet, they didn’t actually celebrate Christmas. If our Christmas celebration is empty of these beautiful actions mentioned in this song, we didn’t celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus.

Then, finally, the song went on to say that “our Christmas will be real Christmas if it doesn’t last for only an hour or for a day, but Christmas for an entire year.” This is an invitation for us to make each day of our lives a Christmas. It means we don’t have to smile, laugh with people, donate to people, extend our hands to help others, believe in God, and call others to stay with us only on the day of Christmas, but all the days of our lives. This song is inviting us to do good every day of our lives. Let’s, therefore, make every day of our lives a Christmas.

Peace be with you as you make today a true Christmas. Happy Christmas.

Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 CHRISTMAS: Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: His name is Emmanuel – God is with us

Readings: 1st Is 52:7–10; 2nd Heb 1:1–6; Gosp. Jn 1:1–18

My dearest brothers and sisters, Happy Christmas. On that very night of the birth of Christ, the heavens were filled with joy, the earth was filled with the glory of God, the angels sang with joy to the glory of God, the shepherd could not hide their admiration of the marvellous presence of God, the sheep knelt and welcomed Christ with good cheers, and the stars danced and shined like never before. It was indeed a night of grace.

So, we have every reason to rejoice, for the Savior has come to visit us again. His name is Emmanuel: God is with us. God has revealed to us what many prophets, kings, and wise men longed to see but could not.

From the time Adam and Eve sinned against God and fell short of His glory and love, God started searching for a way to come close to man again, let us say to restore man to his glory. Through many ways he revealed himself to the people of old and spoke with them according to the second reading of today. Through many means he prepared them for the coming of his son.

Finally, in our own time, the appointed time, he has revealed himself to us and spoken to us through his Son. The birth of Christ was the fullness of God’s revelation to humanity, the full manifestation of the love and glory of God to men, and the manifestation of the light that dispels the darkness of sin and death.

With the birth of Christ, God has broken the reign of sin; he has dispelled the power of darkness and restored us back to his friendship. We have become his loving children once more.

My dearest people, Christ now lives in our midst. God, in the birth of His Son, took flesh and lived among us. This is the mystery of Incarnation. He is no longer far from our reach. He has come down from heaven to be close to all of us. He is living with you; He is living with me. His name is Emmanuel – God is with us.

If God is close to us now, it means he will feel what we feel and know our problems too. Therefore, let us not be afraid to call him our brother and also invite him into our lives.

However, in the Gospel of today, John told us that He came to his people, and his own didn’t welcome him. Let us ask ourselves some questions. Could it be true that there are some people among us who still find it very difficult to welcome Christ into their private lives? Are there people who still prefer to live according to their own designs and not according to the teaching of Christ? Who are those in our midst that can be classified as ‘his own that refused to welcome him?’ We may not know for sure; it could be any person. But what is clear is that we refuse to welcome Christ when we hate other people, because Christ is the author of love. We reject Christ when we fail to forgive others, because Christ is the God of mercy. We reject Christ when we open ourselves to sin, because Christ is the master of holiness. We reject Christ when we fail to be kind to others, because Christ is the prince of kindness. This Christmas gives all those who have been rejecting Christ a great opportunity to change their lives and welcome Him; He is the light and joy of the world.

The Gospel of today equally told us that to those who accepted him, he gave the power to become the sons and daughters of God. Dearest brothers and sisters, Christ is knocking at the door of your hearts. His name is Emmanuel – God is with us. He wants to be with you. He wants to be with me too. He wants to make you heir to the kingdom of God. Let us, therefore, open our hearts and homes and welcome him.

Happy Christmas to you and your family.  

Fr Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 CHRISTMAS: REFLECTION BY FR. JULIAN EKEH

THEME: TO DWELL WITH US, THE WORD BECAME FLESH

(John 1:1-18)

What a wonder! What a mystery! What an awesome manifestation of love! This is indeed an incomprehensible act. The Divine comes to become human, the Creator coming to become a creature, the Holy coming to embrace the mundane. This is, for sure, a mystery. Are we to venture into this discussion? Is there any way of understanding such an act? Is this actually possible? If no human can condescend this low, why God?

Yes, because with God, nothing is impossible. God did that which is beyond our expectation. It is among the many reasons why Mary asked how these will come about, and the reply she received was that nothing is impossible with God. The message is that there is no extent God cannot go to save you. There is no risk He has not taken, and there is none that He will not take just to set you free.

All these are because He loves you. Yes, I mean you. He took the risk of coming in fragility, in weakness, in coldness, in poverty. He took the risk of being exposed to hostility of the world, the cruelty of mankind, and the temptations to sin. And from all these He set you free, He made us like God while becoming like man.

He is the ancient of days but became a babe for you. He loves you.

He was with God, but He became Immanuel to be with you. He values you

He is God. He is the Second Person of The Holy Trinity, but He dwelt among you. He loves to come where you are to take you to where He is.

Yes He is here with light to drive away every darkness in your life.

He is here with holiness to destroy your sins

He is here as the prince of peace to restore the shattered peace of your life.

May the word of God that has taken FLESH today dwell in our hearts.

 

CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS

May God abide with you and never depart from you.

May you recognize Him and be delivered from the danger of taking His presence for granted. His people didn't recognize Him.

May you recognize Him in the Eucharist, recognize Him in the lowly, recognize Him, and give Him a place wherever you are. May you be among those He will give the power of becoming children of God. May your adoption remain permanent.

May you be joyful indeed, for Great in your midst is the Holy One. May Christ the Immanuel make all things well for you. Rejoice for He loves you at Christmas and always. As you endeavour to take Christ to the masses, to make the masses recognize this great Saviour may the blessings of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit come down upon you and remain with you and your family both now and forever. Amen

Rejoice, be glad, exult.

Ñuriwanu n'omumu Kristi, Happy Christmas, Joyeaux Noël, Feliz Navidad.

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh