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

 4^th Sunday of Advent, Year C: Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: God fulfils his promises even through unworthy instruments.

Readings: Mic 5:1-4a; Heb 10:5-10; Lk 1:39-45

Dear friends in Christ, as we draw closer to Christmas, the church, through the readings of today, invites us to focus on the channels through which God fulfilled His promise of the Emmanuel to us. These readings also inform us that God will always fulfil his promise to us if we look upon Him with the eye of faith.

The prophet Isaiah in chapter 55 verse 8 told us that God’s ways are not our ways. Often, the ways of God defy the socially accepted ways of men. We have noticed that the ways of men have always been to accord places of honor to the rich and also to count the rich before counting the poor. Sometimes, we also think that God will also follow that same logic of men in favouring the rich before the poor. But, as it is, the ways of God are different from the ways of men. Many times, God chooses the poor and the weak in the place of the rich and the strong to teach us some values. A vivid illustration of this is in the anointing of David as king of Israel.  

In today’s first reading, the divine choice of the weak and the poor was evident. There were twelve tribes in Israel, each of them had big clans, but God chose the smallest of all the clans to bring forth the eternal king of Israel; God decided to give the whole of Israel a king from the smallest of the clans of Israel, the clan of Bethlehem.

This divine choice of the weak and the poor is also seen in the gospel of today in the choice of Mary as the mother of the Saviour. Of all the queens, princesses, wealthy ladies, and wealthy families in Israel, God decided to choose Mary, a poor lady, a lady without a history and public recognition, a lady without a husband, to be the mother of His only Son.

These two vivid examples of God’s choice tell us that God’s blessings are not for the rich alone; they are not only for the strong; they are not also for the beautiful alone, nor are they only for the publicly recognized entities of our society. They tell us that our God also has a special option for the poor. In His Magnanimity, God also favours the poor, the weak, and the ugly; He is the God of us all. He often chooses the poor, the weak, and the ugly to teach us not to despise these people as we organize our society and family affairs and also to demonstrate to us that His blessings are gratuitous; they do not come because of human merits. Thus, God can choose anyone for the manifestation of His glory. He can choose you; He can also choose me.

Another lesson we can extract from the first reading and the gospel of today is that God’s promise will always be fulfilled, no matter how slim the chances of its fulfilment are. The prophet Micah prophesied in Israel between the years 740 and 787 BC; that was during the reign of king Jotham. Between the prophecy of Micah about the choice of Bethlehem for the birth of Christ and its fulfilment, there was a period of great difficulties, slavery, suffering, and destruction of Israel by her enemies on two occasions, in the year 721 BC and in the year 586 BC. Also, before the birth of John, there was a long time of barrenness in the life of Zechariah and Elizabeth, despite Zechariah’s active priestly service in God’s house. But at the end, the promise of God was fulfilled in these two cases.

Sometimes, difficulties force us to think that God’s promises can never be fulfilled in our lives. Often, the number of years of suffering and pain pushes us to believe that we have been abandoned by God or that God’s words are in vain, but the stories in the first reading and the gospel of today teach us not to lose hope in God and His promises. God’s promises may take days or years to be fulfilled, but the truth is that it must surely be fulfilled. So, no one should allow the difficulties of this life to lead him/her into sin.

The second reading of today from the letter to the Hebrews opened to us the humility of Jesus Christ before the plan of God the Father, Christ’s humble submission to do the will of His Father. It invites us to be ready and obedient to God, as Jesus was, so that God can manifest His love even through our weaknesses.

Another lesson for this Sunday comes from the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth as we read in the gospel of today. In that visit, the child in the womb of Mary encountered the child in the womb of Elizabeth when Mary greeted Elizabeth, and both Elizabeth and the child in her womb were filled with joy. As you all know, Christmas is a time of visits: it is a time that God visits us and also a time that we visit our friends and families. What Mary did in the gospel of today remains a challenge to us as we visit other people this Christmas. Jesus visited Mary, and she carried Him to her sister, Elizabeth. Let us also take Jesus to other people this Christmas through our visits. Let our visits have the capacity of throwing other people into joy. Let us allow the Christ in us to encounter the problems of those we visit this Christmas, so that they will have a reason to smile, a reason to be filled with joy. Let us open ourselves to them just as Mary opened her arms and embraced Elizabeth, so that the joy of Christmas will wipe away their sorrows. Let us share our joys with them as we visit them. 

Peace be with you.

Rev. Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 3^rd Sunday of Advent, Year C (Gaudete Sunday): Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: Be joyful; make others joyful too

Reading: Zeph. 3:14-18a; Phil. 4:4-7; Lk. 3:10-18

Dear friends in Christ, the liturgical name of this Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent, is Gaudete Sunday, which means ‘Joyful Sunday.’ The term Gaudete comes from the Latin word “Gaudere,” meaning to rejoice, to be glad. Gaudete is the second person plural present active imperative  of Gaudere. Gaudete Sunday falls between eight to thirteen days before Christmas. This term “Gaudete” is taken from today’s Entrance Antiphon: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near” (Phil 4:4).

As we draw closer to Christmas, the Church invites us to rejoice because God is about to fulfil his promise to us; God is about to manifest His presence in our midst through His Son, Emmanuel, God is with us. However, the joyful mood of this Sunday does not mean we have come to the end of our preparation for Christmas. Instead, it comes as a way of urging us to be more focused and courageous. It is also a way of assuring us that our preparations shall soon be rewarded with the manifestation of Christ. Indeed, dear friends, Advent is a time of joyful expectation and eager preparation for Christmas.

The readings of today succinctly captured this festive mood of joy. They exhort us to be happy and joyful as we wait for the Lord’s coming. The first reading began this way: “Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!” The psalm said: “Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.” The second reading started by saying: “Brothers and sisters, Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” And the Gospel said: ^“people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ.”

However, dear friends, taking a closer look at the present situation of our world, people may ask why we should rejoice. They may say, “what is there to rejoice for?” Some may say, “in the midst of the economic hardships and the wars that have ravaged many countries and made life difficult for many people, what is there to rejoice about?” Indeed, the world appears to be a theatre of new problems every day; each day comes with fresh troubles that no one knows when they will be solved.

The existential background of the first reading of today may have also raised questions and doubts in the mind of those who received the message of the prophet Zephaniah. The prophet Zephaniah prophesied between 640 and 609 BC. That time, Assyria was the dominant power and spread the worship of her gods throughout the Ancient Near East with military might; she was going from country to country, conquering nations and subjecting their people under her rule and religion. Already, Northern Israel had fallen under her power and the King of Assyria had sent a warning to Southern Israel, that is Judah, that her King and her God can’t save them.

It was in the midst of the fear of the Assyrian invasion - just as many of us are living in fear of the many forces of this world - that the prophet Zephaniah asked the people of Israel to rejoice and be glad. His reason was that their God was coming to participate in their history; He was coming to protect them from the forces of the Assyrians. This message is also directed to us today, dear friends, in our different worries and fears. The Church is telling us that our God is not far from us; He is near; He is already in our midst as the Emmanuel to participate in our history, to help us in our struggles.

The second reading of today also comes with another touching episode. When St. Paul wrote to the Philippians to rejoice, he was already in prison, covered with grief, facing maltreatment, and standing close to the date of his execution. In the midst of these sad stories that surrounded him, it was inner joy and the joyful expectation of meeting His Lord Jesus Christ that kept Paul strong. Joy in the Lord was the power that carried Paul through weaknesses, sorrows and difficulties. So, Paul could not but share this joy with his fellow Christians.

Dear friends, Paul teaches us that one of the ways to conquer the sorrows of this world is to focus on meeting Christ, an encounter that will erase the marks of the present suffering and hardship, for what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, is what God has prepared for those who love Him. Thus, if you are in difficulty, ask God to help you look beyond your immediate environment, so that you can discover the joyful presence of Christ. The joyful presence of Christ will help you to keep going where others are giving up.

To all of us who are joyfully waiting for the manifestation of Christ in our lives, John the Baptist has a challenge for us. In the gospel of today, John tells his audience and all of us not to allow our joyful mood to deprive other people of their own joy. In fact, he tells us to carry other people along as we rejoice. He challenges us to make those around us to feel our joyful mood. John called his audience in the gospel of today to be fair and just in their businesses and life affairs, so that other people around them will have a share of the joy of the Lord’s coming. He challenged them and us to put a stop to those actions which deprive others of their joy. To the tax collector, he said, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” To the soldiers, he said, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”

It is obvious that the businesses of those John spoke to were depriving other people of their joy. Now, our question is this: is there anything I do which deprives other people of their God-given joy and happiness? Is it not true that to have a joyful Christmas, many business people hike the price of commodities in order to make excess gains for Christmas? Is it not true that during the Christmas season, transport fare jumps high? Is it not true that during Christmas season, robbery cases increase in many parts of our country? These and many more cases deprive many people of their joy. The remaining days of advent give us opportunities to amend our wicked ways.

John also challenges us to be generous to others.  He said, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” So, let us make other people partakers in our joy by sharing our gifts and food with them this Christmas. Let us seek out those who cannot have a worthy Christmas because of poverty and/or sickness and help them to have a reason to rejoice. 

Peace be with you.

Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 1^st Sunday of Advent, Year C: Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: What we should do as we wait for Christ’s coming

Readings: Jer 33:14-16; 1 Thess 3:12-4:2; Lk 21:25-28,34-36

Dear friends in Christ, today marks the beginning of a New Year in the church (Year C) and a new season (the season of advent). Advent is a season of special preparation and expectation for the coming of Christ. It is a four-week preparation period leading up to Christmas.

In a special way, advent is a time that prepares us for the coming of Christ in three ways: first, it prepares us for the commemoration of the historical birth of Christ, that is, Jesus’ first coming in history as a baby in Bethlehem (Christmas); second, it is a time of preparation for Christ’s daily coming into our lives in mystery through the Sacraments, through the Bible, and through the worshipping community; and third, it is a preparation for Christ’s Second Coming (Parousia) at the end of the world to reward the just and to punish the wicked. It is a time that calls us to devote special time to penance, sacrifice, and prayer in preparation to receive Christ in our lives.

The term Advent comes from the Latin words ad-ventus and ad-venire, which simply mean “to arrive” or “to come,” respectively.” The three readings of today’s Mass speak of this coming. The first reading describes the coming of the upright branch from the family of David. The gospel speaks of the second coming of Jesus, the son of David. The second reading speaks of the kind of life people should live in expectation of the second coming of Christ.

After the reign of David, Israel was ruled by many kings who made life unbearable for the people. Under those kings, injustice, immorality, idolatry, lack of peace, and all manner of evil became the order of the day in the lives of Israelites. The awful situation created by those kings subjected the people to terrible hardships and suffering, and in most cases, enslavement. It was in the midst of Israel’s countless problems and misery that the prophet Jeremiah delivered the message of hope that we read in the first reading.

Jeremiah promised the people of Israel, who were thinking that they had been abandoned to suffer and die under evil kings, that their God would raise up for them a righteous king from the house of their great king David; a king whose reign will bring an end to injustice, immorality, slavery, and the many evils that threatened the lives of the people; a king whose reign will restore the people’s hope and bring back peace and prosperity; a king who will lead the people by example.

Dear friends, the Church is sending this same message of hope of the arrival of a righteous king, Jesus Christ, to all of us who are suffering from the terrible realities of the world, which include economic challenges, social unrest, family problems, health issues, and other personal problems. The Church reminds us that our God has not abandoned us; rather, He has already sent us His Son, Jesus Christ, who is coming to meet us again.

In today’s gospel, Luke reminds us that Christmas is not just a reminder of the coming of Christ in the flesh; rather, it is also a reminder that Christ will come in the Spirit at the end of time. He advises us to pay special attention to this second coming of Christ because it will be preceded by a catalogue of disasters, a terrific scenario that will instil fear in all humans. He warns that the apparent delay in the coming of this terrific end should not lead people to indulge in shameful lifestyles, thinking that it will never come, because that day will come as a surprise to every one. However, He urges everyone to look up in prayer and raise their heads high as they await the arrival of the last day. 

In today’s second reading, St. Paul gives us more details of what should keep us busy as we wait for the day of the coming of Jesus at Christmas and at the end of time. He says we should increase and abound in love for one another. St. Paul encourages those who are already involved in good acts of love and kindness in their communities to do more and more. Those who are lacking in acts of love and kindness are urged to wake up and do something good for God and humanity.

St. Paul did not fail to warn those who are waiting for the coming of Christ to desist from the current civilization and admiration of immoral and shameful lifestyles, a situation where people admire, praise, celebrate, and promote what they should be ashamed of. He says anyone who desires to meet Jesus when He returns must make holiness of life, a life that is unblemished, his priority.

Let us pray for the grace to live a life inspired by divine love rather than by immoral love as we prepare and wait for the coming of Christ.

Peace be with you.

Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 Solemnity of Christ the King, Year B: Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: Let's make Christ king over our lives and choices.

Reading: Dan 7:13-14; Rev 1:5-8; Jn 18:33b-37

Today, the Church celebrates the solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe. The solemnity of Christ the King marks the end of the Church’s ordinary time. So, we have reached the end of the liturgical calendar of Year B. Today, we acknowledge and adore Christ as the King of kings, the Lord of lords, and the beginning and the end. Let us pray in today’s Mass that our lives will be ruled by Christ in everything that we say and do. 

This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 in response to growing nationalism, modernism, and secularism. As we know, the nineteenth century and early twentieth century were marked with problems that shocked the world. In the background of the growing modernism, secularism, religious intolerance, anti-clericalism that dominated this era, there were all manners of thinking that sought a total re-examination of all religious and traditional values about man and human life, which championed a departure from religious and traditional values about life. All these led to the first world war, which caused the loss of many lives. When you throw away religious and traditional values of life, human life will hardly be respected.

So, this solemnity was instituted at a time when the world was seeing man as the measure of all things, a time when the world sought to make the Church irrelevant in the public space, a time when the world’s political, social, and cultural institutions suppressed the mention of the name of Jesus Christ in their gatherings and rejected the kingship of Christ over all nations and hearts. It was instituted at a time when the powers in Europe promoted a model of thinking that sought to banish God from the people’s lives and encouraged people to live and organize their lives as if God did not exist.  It was also instituted as an antidote to the problems of that era in order to promote the worship of Christ both in the privacy of our hearts and in the public domain. The title of the feast was “Jesu Christi Regis” (Jesus Christ the King).

In his motu proprio “Mysterii Paschalis” of 1969, Pope Paul VI gave the celebration a new title: “Iesu Christi universorum Regis” (which means Jesus Christ, King of the Universe). He also moved the celebration to the last Sunday in the liturgical calendar and transformed it from a feast to a Solemnity.

Dearest friends, both our first and second reading bear witness to the lordship of Christ. Daniel prophesied about Christ’s eternal and peaceful reign. He identified Christ as the “Son of Man.” Then, in the second reading, John called Him “the first born of all creation…the Alpha and the Omega.” Both readings also remind us that Christ’s reign shall be that of peace, justice, love, and truth.

In today’s gospel, Pilate and the Jews ignorantly castigated and crucified Christ their King. They did not accept the truth that Christ preached about his kingdom. Rather, they hardened their hearts, thinking that everything ends here on earth.

Like Pilate and his collaborators, many people in our world today are deceived by what we see in this world. That is, they believe that everything ends here on earth. However, the truth is that the kingdom of this world will pass away, but the kingdom of Christ, which is to come, will last forever.

One of the most important goals of today’s celebration is to acknowledge and worship Christ as the king of the universe. We must allow Christ to reign in our lives. If He reigns in every heart, our families, society, and our entire world would be a better place.

If we look around now, we would see that those teachings and ideologies that led to the institution of this solemnity are still present and growing stronger again. Global leaders, celebrities, secular groups, and activists are renewing their attempts to render God irrelevant in our lives and in the world. We see this in what these people promote as human rights, which clearly stand against God and nature. For example, homosexuality, abortion, treating human life as if it were a commodity to be chosen and discarded at will, and a lack of regard for human life and God. While governments around the world use the force of the law to do this, celebrities are subtly incorporating them in their songs and movies. Activists, on the other hand, are willing to demonize whoever chooses to uphold God’s commandment in the face of the aggression from this evil wave, which they refer to as human rights. Their major aim is to dethrone God and create their own deity who will accept and condone any lifestyle they want. They have also infiltrated the Church.

I would say that God’s kingdom has never been threatened more than it is in our own time. But what should true Christians do? Today’s feast is telling us that we must accept Christ as the king and model of our lives; we must allow His teachings to guide our choices and our lives. We should teach our children to choose Christ and His teachings in the face of the world’s governments’ efforts to teach them things that are against God and Christian morality in schools. We should always find time in our homes to teach our children the truth of the gospel and to accept a lifestyle inspired by Christ and not by immoral celebrities.

Peace be with you.

Fr. Isaac Chima

 Tuesday of 33^rd Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: Salvation will come to your house today.

Reading: Lk: 19:1-10

“Today, salvation has come to this house” was the response of Jesus to the gestures of Zacchaeus in the gospel of today. Indeed, such a response would gladden the heart of anyone that received it.

Special attention should be paid to the gestures of Zacchaeus that attracted such a Blessed declaration from Christ. One was his effort to see Jesus and how he defied all obstacles on his way to achieve that quest. His obstacles were many: his physical incapacity (dwarfism), the crowd, and his social status; he conquered them all. The other was his openness of self to Jesus with an honest resolve to repay his debts of sin if found wanting.

Today is a bright new day. Our challenge is to defy all obstacles that are preventing us from embracing Jesus, obstacles that are hindering us from embracing the grace offered by Jesus. Zacchaeus conquered his; you can conquer yours too.

Then, to receive a blessed assurance from Jesus, we should open ourselves to Him, show Him how we really are, and honestly resolve to rebuild our lives broken by sin, for we cannot come to Jesus and, at the same time, continue enjoying a life punctuated by sin.

So, dear friends, defy your obstacles to meeting Jesus, open yourself to Jesus, and make concrete efforts to remedy the sinful past. If you do this, salvation will come to your heart and house today. 

Peace be with you. Have a blessed Tuesday.

Fr. Isaac Chima

 Monday of 33^rd Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: Don’t allow your voice of prayer to go silent

Reading: Lk 18:35-43

"The voice of prayer is never silent, nor dies the strain of praise away" is a line from a beautiful old hymn for night prayers, meaning that our prayers and praises to God should never cease and can never be in vain.

The blind man in the gospel of today showed us how true the words of this old hymn are. He was blind and was only surviving by begging for help. Though the people helped him to recognize the presence of Jesus, they turned around to shut him up when he started praying to Jesus for help.

However, as we saw, the blind man never allowed the situation that surrounded him to silence his voice of prayer; instead, he persisted in his faith and was rewarded.

Dear friends, our world is full of things that exert negative force on us, things that challenge our faith in God, and things that often push people to look at prayers as wasted efforts. They come to us in many forms and shapes. Some of them are temptations, disappointments, depressions, sicknesses, death of loved ones, hardships, joblessness, ill-treatment, family problems, etc.

Many people have stopped praying on account of the severity of these problems. Some claimed they prayed to God in their moments of difficulty but received no response.

The gospel reading of today assures us that any voice of prayer that refuses to be silenced by difficulties will receive a positive answer from God.

So, dear friends, no matter how tough things are in your life, never allow your voice of prayer to go silent; never allow the difficult circumstances or negative forces hovering around you to silence your voice of prayer.

Fr. Isaac Chima.

 33^rd Sunday, Year B: Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: Is my name in the book of life?

Reading: Dan. 12:1-3; Heb. 10:11-14,18; Lk. 13:24-32

Dear friends, on this thirty-third Sunday, we are reminded of the final consummation at the end of time. We have just one Sunday for the liturgical year to end. So, the church brings to us the reality of the eschatological things, the end of time. The readings of this Sunday are set in a prophetic tone of the end time. In other words, they point to God’s people’s future deliverance through Christ’s redemptive work at the end of time. Through these readings, the Holy Mother Church reminds us that there will be an end to this worldly existence; she tells us how the last days will be, and, most importantly, she raises our hope of salvation by reminding us of our future and eternal perfection through Christ’s single sacrifice.

It was in this line of thought of the hope of salvation after the perils of life that the first reading was situated. It is actually from the last chapter of the book of Daniel. In the reading, the angel informed Daniel that the hardships his people were facing in exile were coming to an end. That the Archangel Michael would appear to defend and protect the people. On that day, all those whose names were written in the book of God, that is, those who have distinguished themselves in living good life (both the living and the dead), will enter eternal life, while those whose names did not enter the book of life will be meant to face eternal perdition.

The book of God is the book of life. It will be opened on the last day of our lives when we will stand before the judgement throne of God. Those who lived worthy lives will see their names in that book. It also implies that there is the book of the devil, the book of death, where the names of those who have lived unworthy lives on earth will be written. These books record everything we have done on earth, both the good and the bad.

Dear friends, the time given to us to live on earth is a golden opportunity to write our names in the book of life through our good actions. Through his Sacrifice on the cross, Christ the Lamb of God, as was revealed in the book of Revelation, has opened the seals of this book of life and has made it possible for us to write our names in it. Let us not miss our opportunities.

The second reading demonstrates to us the efficacy of the one and single sacrifice for sin which Christ the eternal High Priest offered for our sins, the sacrifice that has given us the ability to write our names in God’s book. That sacrifice on the cross has destroyed the yoke of Satan and sin upon us; it has given us the ability to accomplish virtuous acts and the capacity to call Abba Father. That sacrifice has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

The tone of the Gospel of today is similar to that of the first reading. St. Mark was writing to his people, who were suffering many persecutions under the Roman government (not the Roman government of our days). He was addressing, in a special way, those of them who were thinking that Christ was delaying His second coming – those who had started losing hope in the promises of Christ, assuring them of the reality of the second coming of Christ.

St. Mark made a catalogue of frightening things that will usher in that last day, things that got his audience frightened. It is also true that many people in our days are frightened when they are reminded of the reality of the last days of their lives and our world; they are frightened when they are reminded that one day they will die and face the judgement of God. At times, what gets people frightened is the fact that the life they are living isn’t worthy enough to guarantee them a place in the kingdom of God.

Dear friends, the Church invites us today to pulse and reflect over the last days of our lives. The truth is that that last day must surely come. One day we shall die and leave this earth and everything we possessed; let us not be deceived by anyone who says the contrary. The big question we must ask ourselves today is whether we have been able to write our names in God’s book of life with the way we have been living our lives, or whether we have been busy writing our names in the devil’s book of eternal perdition. My prayer is that God will save us from writing our names in the book of eternal damnation.

Dear friends, one thing we must be sure of is that each action we take on earth either helps our names to be written in the book of eternal life or in the book of eternal death. Let us, therefore, pray in today’s Mass to use our life’s opportunities to inscribe our names in God’s book of life.

Peace be with you.

Fr. Isaac Chima

 Friday of 32^nd Week, Year II: reflection

THEME: BE EVER READY FOR THE LAST DAY

Readings: Lk 17:26-37

In today’s gospel reading, Our Lord Jesus harped on the surprises and the suddenness of the Last Day, which must surely come to us.

While some people are still waiting to hear the sound of the trumpet indicating the arrival of the End, this End has continued to come to many people with the surprises and the suddenness that Jesus talked about.

Many people have met this End while on the road either driving or walking; some have met it while fighting; some have met it while sleeping; some met it after a brief or serious sickness at home or in the hospital; some met it in many other places or circumstances they never imagined. In all, everyone knows it comes unannounced.

Since this End is coming unannounced and has met many people according to its foretold surprises and suddenness, what, then, should we do?

Jesus urges us to be vigilant so that we would not be taken unawares; he wants us to be ever ready to embrace it any day and anywhere it comes to us.

To those who are waiting for the dying minute to start their preparations, it is good to be reminded that it has come to many people without any announcement; to those who are waiting to hear the sound of the trumpet to start amending their lives, it is good to be reminded that the trumpet has been sounding in the individual lives of many people at different occasions and locations of our world every day.

Dear friends, let us be ready; many people who were with us have been taken as foretold in today’s gospel.

Peace be with you. May God bless your good efforts today. 

Fr. Isaac Chima

 Thursday of 32^nd Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: Spread the Good News in any situation you find yourself in.

Reading: Philemon 7-20

In today’s first reading, St. Paul demonstrates to us that anyone who truly believes in Jesus will continue to carry out His mission regardless of the circumstances he finds himself in. Paul was in prison because of the mission handed to him by Jesus, and instead of becoming angry with Jesus and renouncing his faith, as many people in our world do when they are faced with difficulties, especially on account of the gospel, he was busy spreading the gospel of peace and reconciliation through Christ by reconciling Onesimus and Philemon.

Why didn’t Paul feel betrayed by Christ and stop doing His bidding? One of the reasons is that Paul clearly understood that physical suffering, hardships, trials, and tribulations in this world are not signs that God has deceived or abandoned us. He understood that the One in whom he believed also went down the same road of physical torment in the hands of men of this world, and thus warned his followers that they would be treated worse than He was, but that their perseverance will win them victory.

Why, then, are many Christians in our world gradually losing this kind of strong faith of St. Paul in Christ? One of the reasons is that many Christians enjoy listening to lies from the so-called men of God rather than reading through the pages of the Bible or listening to sound Christian messages that reveal the true experiences of the people who had a firsthand encounter with Christ. Many Christians like to be misled in matters about Jesus and the conditions of our world.

Dear friends, whoever truly believes in Jesus would understand that trials, hardships, and tribulations do not separate us from the love of Christ and should not stop us from carrying out the mission given to us by Him. Whoever renounces his faith in Christ because of hardships and trials never had faith in Him in the first place.

May God grant you the grace to stand firm and be victorious in all situations. Amen.

Fr. Isaac Chima

 Tuesday of 32^nd Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: What we should do to ensure that God's Word is not discredited.

Reading: Titus 2:1-8,11-14

The mission to spread the Good News of Christ to the ends of the earth cannot be accomplished by words alone; worthy actions are required as well. These actions would include how we live our lives in private and in the public sphere, as well as how we organize our activities. If we do not live our lives and organize our activities in accordance with the Good News we proclaim, we have discredited it.

In today’s first reading, St. Paul sent clear instructions to Christians through Titus on how they should conduct themselves so “that the word of God may not be discredited.” (vs 5). Let us pay closer attention to what he instructed Titus to tell the various groups in the Church.

“Instruct the men to be temperate, serious, sensible, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and endurance” (vs 2).

“Instruct the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands.” (vs 4-5).

“Encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything, set them an example by doing what is good.” (vs 6).

Finally, to the leaders of the church, he advised, “In your teaching, show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.” (vs 7-8).

Imagine how powerful and convincing the Christian message would be if we followed these pieces of advice from St. Paul.

May your Tuesday bear good fruits.

Fr. Isaac Chima

 Monday of 32^nd Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: We scandalize others when we fail to correct and forgive.

Reading: Lk 17:1-6

Dear friends in Christ, in today’s gospel reading, our Lord Jesus warns us against causing scandals, especially among our little ones. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines scandal as any saying, action, or omission that causes an occasion of sin for another person. When we hear the word scandal, we often think of sexual activities, bribery, corruption, theft, violence, and other kinds of the sin of commission.

But in actual fact, one can scandalize others by failing to do the things Jesus urged us to do in today’s gospel. Jesus urged His disciples and all of us to always rebuke sinners and forgive those who offended us.

Whenever we fail to rebuke what is wrong, we silently corroborate, endorse, or approve of it, and it is scandalous for Christians to condone or approve of evil in society. Our silence in the face of evil has a profound impact on people who look up to us as followers of Christ. By keeping silent when someone does something wrong, we not only approve of it but also indirectly promote that wrong thing.

The second is that whenever we fail to forgive those who offended us, especially those who have asked for pardon from us, we scandalize those who know and understand that forgiveness is one of the pillars of our religion. A true Christian will always forgive those who have wronged him and will never turn away from those who seek forgiveness.

May God help us to grant forgiveness to those who have offended us and to rebuke evil wherever we see it.

Have a blessed new week.

Fr. Isaac Chima

 32^nd Sunday, Year B: Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: Don’t be scared of giving your all to God and humanity

Readings: 1 Kings 17:10-16; Heb. 9:24-28; Mk 12:38-44

Dear friends in Christ, the readings of this Sunday highlight generosity, trust in God, and self-sacrifice or self-giving, and they encourage us to always prioritize these virtues in our relationships with God and man.

Today’s first reading has a beautiful illustration of generosity and trust in God. There was famine in the land, and the widow of Zarephath and her son had just one meal left in their house, after which they would wait for death. But when the prophet Elijah came to her and asked her to share that her last meal with him, giving her divine assurance that her nearly spent supply of bread and oil would never run out, she generously shared her meal with the prophet, trusting in God’s providence. The reading concluded by telling us that God fulfilled His words from the mouth of His prophet, and the widow and her son never ran out of food until the famine was over.

The widow clearly had no idea that God sent prophet Elijah to her to save her and her family from death. So, if she had not been generous to prophet Elijah, she would have lost the opportunity to save herself and her son from death. It was her generosity and absolute trust in God’s word from the mouth of the prophet that brought God’s blessing upon her and her son.

Dear friends, we have no idea how many blessings, favours, and opportunities we miss anytime we close our arms to those who come to us for help. If we really recognize the face of God in every person, we will never miss any opportunity to share our meal with anyone who asks for it. The Bible is filled with stories of people who received blessings they had waited for many years simply by serving complete strangers who turned out to be angels.

Thus, the first reading urges us never to turn our backs on those who knock on our doors for help, even if what they ask for is the last of what we have. Like the widow of Zarephath, we should put our trust in God, believing that the God whose face we see in the poor and the helpless, the God who said, “blessed is the hand that gives,” will never allow our hands of charity to run dry. We will never lack if we put our trust in God and share what we have with the needy.

Today’s gospel presented another story of true generosity. It tells us that true generosity is not about giving away what we don’t need but about giving our all to God and man; our presence must be felt in what we give as an offering to God and as alms to the needy. We saw the imprint of the widow in the two copper coins that she offered. She gave her all, everything that she had to live on, just like the widow of Zarephath did; she poured out her life to God. On the other hand, the other people gave from the abundance of their wealth; let us say they gave out what they didn’t need. This widow challenges us to allow our presence to be felt in what we offer to God and to humanity. This would entail giving out not only what we don’t need, but also what we seriously need.

The second reading showed us that Christ’s death on the Cross is the perfect example of self-giving to God and man. By pouring out His entire self on the cross, Christ liberated us once and for all from the devil and saved us from sin. He has left for us an example on how to give to God and man.

These days, pride is one of the enemies of generosity. Like the scribes that were criticized by Christ for their pride and hypocrisy in today’s gospel, many people simply give to others out of pride and desire to receive compliments. That is why it is difficult for such people to help the needy where there are no cameras to capture them and post them on social media and on the pages of the newspaper. Jesus invites us to shun pride and the craving for compliments when we give to the needy and when we perform other actions for God and humanity.

May God bless your hands as you lift them to help the needy today.

Have a blessed Sunday.

Fr. Isaac Chima

 Thursday of 31^st Week, Year II: reflection

Theme: For the sake of Christ, never give up on anyone.

Reading: Lk 15:1-10

Jesus told the Pharisees, who accused Him of hanging around with tax collectors and sinners, two parables in today's gospel reading: the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. There is an important message that begs our attention in these two parables.

While we, like the Pharisees, often see ‘known’ sinners as people who should be avoided, punished, banished from society, given a back seat in the Church, or even eliminated, Jesus sees them as people who need earnest help from all of us.

Although we might consider additional efforts to assist our morally weak brothers and sisters as needless and a waste of time and other resources because they failed to take advantage of all previous opportunities to rescue them from their world of sin, Jesus sees them as people we should never give up on; He sees them as a work in progress. Jesus wants us to keep searching for these our brothers and sisters with all of our resources until the end of time, just like the shepherd and the coin owner did in today’s gospel.

Jesus’ view of sinners encourages us to change or modify our own in order to help our brothers and sisters who are not at their best and those who have totally missed the road to come back to the sheepfold of Christ, where there is an abundance of grace and fullness of life. As long as they are still breathing, we should keep giving them a helping hand rather than dismissing them.

May you have a blessed Thursday. Amen

Fr. Isaac Chima

 31^st Sunday, Year B: Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: Obedience to God by loving Him and our neighbour.

Readings: Deut. 6:2-6; Heb. 7:23-28; Mk 12:28b-34

Dear friends in Christ, one of the challenges Christians face today is total obedience to God in the face of the strong forces that promise to make their lives better if they compromise their faith in God and their moral standard. The hardships in our world are making the proposals of these strong forces highly appealing and difficult to resist for many people. These powerful forces are increasing in number on a daily basis and are getting the support and promotion of many governments in our world. What should Christians do?

When the Israelites were making their way through the desert towards the promised land, they encountered numerous challenges such as hunger, sickness, poverty, and attacks from powerful nations. One of the temptations they faced was to renounce their faith in the living God and embrace the gods of the other nations for solutions to their immediate problems in the desert. Of course, they heard how powerful those gods were in for providing the needs of their own people and in protecting them from harm. On many occasions, many Israelites bowed to those gods and, consequently, received harsh punishments from God.

In today’s first reading, Moses gathered the Israelites and told them that for them to survive and prosper, the God of their fathers was the only option they had; that they must fear Him alone and obey only His statutes and commandments. Such obedience and reverential fear were to be made concrete by their love and worship of Him with all their heart, soul, and might. He reminded them that only obedience, love, and worship of this God would bring them and their children blessings and protections in the land they were about to enter, rather than turning to the gods of the nations around them.

Dear friends, the hardships we face in this world often push us to think that renouncing our faith in Christ and living our lives according to the standards of the world or bowing down to some deities will solve our numerous problems. Those who promote anti-Christian ideas, atheistic doctrines, and idolatrous practices often present them as a solution to the challenges we face in this world. Some even claim that the Christian God cannot help us.

Through this first reading, the Church reminds us today that we are to worship only God Almighty, obey Him alone, and love Him with all of our hearts, no matter the challenges we face. She also reminds us, just as Moses did for his people, that it is only faith and worship of the true God that will guarantee us true peace, protection, and prosperity in everything we do. The things that the other gods promise and give are ephemeral and will only lead people into more problems; other gods cannot give us anything good.

With His answer to the scribe who questioned Him about the greatest of all commandments, Jesus reiterated the position of Moses that obeying, loving, and worshipping God Almighty with everything in us and in everything we do is sacrosanct for us; it is the first and greatest of all commandments and must be observed strictly. However, Jesus went on to tell that scribe and all of us that our worship and love for God Almighty cannot be complete and real if we don’t extend it to our fellow humans. In fact, it is in loving our fellow humans that love and obedience to God are made concrete, for “If anyone says, ‘I love God,‘ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (I John 4: 20). God created every human being in His own image and likeness, and God manifests Himself in each of us. If we are blind to the manifestation of God in the faces of our fellow humans, especially in the poor, the sick, the persecuted, the abandoned, and the dying, then we do not know who God really is. By loving God and our neighbour also, we not only demonstrate that we know who God really is, we also obey all His commandments.

The amazing response of the scribe after hearing how beautifully Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments gives us some food for thought. He said, “to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” This simply tells us that all our duties to God and all our donations to the Church would be in vain in God’s eyes if we fail to do the same for our neighbour. May God open our eyes to see Him in our neighbour. Amen

Peace be with you.

Fr. Isaac C. 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