WOUNDED IN BATTLE, CAPTURED BY CHRIST. (Homily for FRIDAY of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time).

Bible Study: Leviticus 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34B-37. / Mathew 13:54-58.

Today, we celebrate the memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus also known as the Jesuits. His story is one of great inspiration. According to the Life of Saints by the americancatholic.org website, “Ignatius was on his way to military fame and fortune when a cannon ball shattered his leg. Because there were no books of romance on hand during his convalescence, he whiled away the time reading a life of Christ and lives of the saints. His conscience was deeply touched, and a long, painful turning to Christ began. Having seen the Mother of God in a vision, he made a pilgrimage to her shrine at Montserrat (near Barcelona). He remained for almost a year at nearby Manresa, sometimes with the Dominicans, sometimes in a pauper’s hospice, often in a cave in the hills praying. After a period of great peace of mind, he went through a harrowing trial of scruples. There was no comfort in anything—prayer, fasting, sacraments, penance. At length, his peace of mind returned.

It was during this year of conversion that Ignatius began to write down material that later became his greatest work, the Spiritual Exercises.

He finally achieved his purpose of going to the Holy Land, but could not remain, as he planned, because of the hostility of the Turks. He spent the next 11 years in various European universities, studying with great difficulty, beginning almost as a child. Like many others, his orthodoxy was questioned; Ignatius was twice jailed for brief periods.

In 1534, at the age of 43, he and six others (one of whom was St. Francis Xavier, December 2) vowed to live in poverty and chastity and to go to the Holy Land. If this became impossible, they vowed to offer themselves to the apostolic service of the pope. The latter became the only choice. Four years later Ignatius made the association permanent. The new Society of Jesus was approved by Paul III, and Ignatius was elected to serve as the first general.

When companions were sent on various missions by the pope, Ignatius remained in Rome, consolidating the new venture, but still finding time to found homes for orphans, catechumens and penitents. He founded the Roman College, intended to be the model of all other colleges of the Society.

Ignatius was a true mystic. He centered his spiritual life on the essential foundations of Christianity—the Trinity, Christ, the Eucharist. His spirituality is expressed in the Jesuit motto, ad majorem Dei gloriam—“for the greater glory of God.” In his concept, obedience was to be the prominent virtue, to assure the effectiveness and mobility of his men. All activity was to be guided by a true love of the Church and unconditional obedience to the Holy Father, for which reason all professed members took a fourth vow to go wherever the pope should send them for the salvation of souls.”

He is the patron Saint of Retreats.

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, draw me nearer to you always. Amen.

Good evening. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. 

NO PLACE LIKE HOME. (Homily for THURSDAY of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time).

Bible Study: Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38. / Mathew 13:47-53.

As I write these few lines, I am about to board a plane that would put me on the air for over 15 hours over a distance of about 6,000 miles back home. To some extent, I feel sad that I would be returning to my usually hectic routine; assignments, responsibilities and other duties but to another extent, I feel happy for the opportunities I have had, the new things I have learned and the friends I have made. As I return, I can’t help but reflect on that last day when I would have to pack up and return home to my Father in heaven!

Truly, there is no place like home. No matter how beautiful where we are may be, home is always better because that is where we come from and the only place where we are truly kings. When I speak of “home” I am not just referring to your place of biological origin but to your true home, the place not made with hands or things perishable but the place where the millions of Angels are waiting to give you a grand reception; a place where moth and rust cannot destroy and where thieves cannot break in and steal.

Just as every country has an embassy in foreign lands, such that if you are citizen, your being at the embassy is almost as good as being at home, so also God, the President of our real home has embassies all over which are called Churches. Even more powerful than ordinary embassies, the church is a place where God literally dwells. The Psalmist today sings: “HOW LOVELY IS YOUR DWELLING PLACE O LORD, MIGHTY GOD.”

Does it often occur to you when you walk into a church that you are actually coming home? Are you able to relax placing yourself, your thoughts, emotions, feelings fears, hopes, desires etc. in God’s presence? Or painfully, do you sometimes consider time spent in church as wasted?

In our first reading today, we are told: “Then the cloud covered the meeting tent, and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling. Moses could not enter the meeting tent, because the cloud settled down upon it and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.” This was the beginning of Church – once God decided to come into the midst of men physically, there was need to set aside a place of reverence, a place of worship, a place of meeting. And this was also the beginning of the priesthood as certain persons needed to be trained, consecrated and set aside to keep holy things holy.

My soul is yearning longing and yearning, waiting to be in God’s presence. A day in God’s house is better than a thousand elsewhere! I would rather dwell in the foot-mats of God’s house than have a three bedroom suite in the devil’s mansion. No place like home! No matter where I go, east or west, home is home! No matter how I move around in the world, the church remains the only place where I return to find inner strength, peace and rest for my soul. When I get busy, I long for home, I long to retire to a place of refuge, a place of protection and rescue from the dangers of the world around. Not even one second spent in church is ever a waste of time.

If you do not feel this way about the church, then perhaps you are one of the small fishes Jesus speaks about in the parable in today’s Gospel. You are not strong enough, your faith is still fragile, you are still being swayed by the world, you still prefer to remain a foreigner in a strange land, so you get thrown back into the water, back into the world. Pray that you do not be like the small fish that refuses to grow, that the fishermen keep returning to the water again and again! If you are not harvested eventually, you are useless. May this never be your portion in Jesus Name. Amen    

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, help me to always feel at home in your church and enjoy your presence. May I never try in vain to seek from outside that which I can only find at home. Amen.

Good evening. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. 

DON’T GET TOO BUSY FOR JESUS. (Homily for WEDNESDAY of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martha).

Bible Study: 1 John 4:7-16. / John 11:19-27.

A few days ago, we celebrated the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, a woman who loved Jesus and was not afraid to display it. Today we are celebrating another woman whose love for Jesus gave her the title “Most Busy Woman in Scripture.” Once upon a time, Jesus visited her home and she was so busy in the kitchen preparing food for Jesus and his apostles that she was so upset with a rather lazy sister called Mary who simply sat at Jesus’ feet enjoying his company. She tried to bear it for a while but when she could no longer keep silent, she shouted out her disappointment to Mary but to her greatest surprise (and to our surprise as well), Jesus did not see anything wrong in Mary’s action. He even scolded Martha for being a “busy-body” saying that Mary had chosen the better part.

In today’s Gospel, we see our dear Martha busy again as usual but this time on a rather different level. Her brother, Lazarus, a good friend of Jesus had just died. She had made frantic efforts to send for Jesus when he was critically sick but Jesus did not respond to the sick-calls. Now on hearing that Jesus was on his way to the house, Martha (a hyper-active Sanguine) could not for Jesus to enter the house. She ran to meet him on the road while the gentle soft-hearted Mary sat still inside the house mourning. Martha said to Jesus, IF YOU HAD BEEN HERE, MY BROTHER WOULD NOT HAVE DIED. This statement is not an ordinary one, it is a very powerful and thought provoking philosophical cum theological statement, it is one that continues to echo even in our own day and time.

If you had been here, my brother would not have died. Where is God when bad things happen? If God truly exists, why does he allow evil thrive in the world? Why do people die at all despite their closeness to God? How good is God if he allows suffering to exist in the world and in the life of his children?

Martha’s statement comes from the mind of busy woman, it is provoked by her pragmatic approach to life. Busy people like to get things done! They use the best machines and employ the right tools, they believe is something is not working, it is useless! That is to say, “If God doesn’t answer, then prayer is useless.” Or “If tragedy strikes at all, then it is because God isn’t present or isn’t aware.” Pragmatics do not believe if something did not work today, it can work tomorrow. They have their own theological mind-set and it can be difficult to convince such persons.

Jesus was trying to make her understand something but she kept insisting on something else. She said to Jesus, “I know he will rise again on the last day.” (as if she knew better than Jesus). When Jesus saw he would not succeed in lecturing her, he resorted to faith. He simply asked her “Do you believe this?” Faith is different from knowledge. You may never know something to be true or false but as long as you believe, it will always remain true for you. In other words, the only answer to questions such as those above is FAITH. Where is God when bad things happen? Faith. If God exists, why does he allow his children to suffer? Faith. Etc. etc. Just believe!

Don’t get too busy! It makes you think you have all the answers or that you are capable of doing everything. Sometimes allow God to get busy while you watch in faith! Only believe. 

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, may I only be busy for you every day of my life and in the midst of my busy-ness, may I never lose faith in you. Amen.

Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. 

LEADERSHIP IS ALL ABOUT INFLUENCE. (Homily for TUESDAY of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B).

Bible Study: Exodus 33:7-11; 34:5B-9, 28. / Matthew 13:36-43.

When we talk about leadership, our minds often go quickly to people in high positions of authority such as the President, Governors, Senators etc. But the fact is that there is a whole world of difference between holding a position and actually being a leader. Leadership is all about influence. It is the ability to make people act or think in a particular manner even without them realising they are being led. Leadership is all about influence. According to Robin Sharma, you do not need to have a title to be a leader. (Guess you may have read his book “The Leader Without a Title”).

The Parable of the weeds given by Jesus is basically Jesus’ own way of speaking about Leadership as influence. The good seed represents those of us who believe in God and are children of the kingdom while the weeds represent the children of the world who love to perpetuate evil. As much as we live side by side with evil doers, we are supposed to be leaders in our own little capacities, but quite often, we are too timid to stand up for what we believe, too timid to live out convincingly the tenets of our faith, too timid to keep the commandments of God. This is why evil is so rampart in the world today.

Moses was a great leader. He was able to positively influence an entire nation and call them off from following the path of idolatry. Upon returning with the stone tablets, Moses could have decided to keep his mouth shut and join the people if he was a timid leader or one easily influenced or pressured like Aaron. Moses could have wondered “who am I to face an entire crowd?” or he could have lived by the dictum: “if you can’t beat them, join them.” Single handily, Moses was able to make the people see the evil in their action and repent.

Great leaders are prayer warriors. They do not act alone or by themselves. We see this in the life of Moses who would constantly go into the tent of Meeting to consult with God. As a leader, (we all are leaders), you must have a place of meeting. Leadership involves power and power comes from God. If you are not in tune with God by daily prayer, adoration, visitation to the Blessed Sacrament, you are basically powerless.

Again we see another quality of leadership in Moses; the fact that he was able to train a successor in the person of Joshua. Joshua did not suddenly become a leader, he was with Moses for a long time as an assistant and intern. Even while Moses went into the tent of meeting, Joshua would be with him there and remain in the tent.

A great leader cares about his people. He prays for them. He intercedes for them. He is not so concerned about title or respect but about the welfare of his people. It is not about what he or she stands to gain but what the people benefit by his influence. “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.”

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, equip me each day to be a better leader that through me, many more may come to know and follow you. Amen.

Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. 

SIN, FORGIVENESS AND PUNISHMENT. (Homily for MONDAY of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B).

Bible Study: Exodus 32:15-24, 30-34. / Matthew 13:21-35.

The word “sin” is surprisingly gradually becoming an outdated terminology today. People tend to be put off by it and we only hear it in church. However, never before in the history of mankind has the word “bad” become so generally accepted. In fact, people actually take pride in addressing themselves as “bad”. Some even take to music to celebrate their badness, they call themselves “original bad guy or girl” as the case may be.

Why is the world so much in love with being bad while at the same time rejecting the concept of sin?

The answer is simple. Sin is defined as an offence against God. And since the world does not want to hear about God (Divine authority), it prefers to use the word ‘bad’ (indicative of freedom and choice). However the simple truth is that there is no difference at all between the both words. Every bad act is a sin and every sin is bad. We live in an age where sinful actions are advertised, openly displayed and people made to take pride in them without seeing anything wrong in them. If I call somebody a sinner, he or she could take it as an insult, but if I call that person a ‘bad guy’, he or she would smile and be happy.

When Aaron fashioned the golden calf, the people did not see anything wrong with it. They saw God in the statue, they bowed and worshipped it, they even danced around it and engaged in orgies as acts of worship. There was no shame in them just as the people of our age are fast losing a sense of shame and sacredness for things that used to spoken about in secret those days. Everywhere you turn, you see nudity, gay pride, open display of immorality, strip clubs etc.

If Moses were to come down to the world today, he would not only break the stone tablets, he would use the pieces to stone people.  But again, he would still go back to God to seek mercy. This is what Jesus Christ did on the Cross 2000 years ago. And we are still reaping the fruits of that mercy.

But then, see how our first reading concludes. Go back and read it again. “When it is time for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.” Does it mean that God is contradicting himself? Can he forgive and punish at the same time? This is not a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question. It is one that requires you and I to constantly be on alert every day.

Sin is sin and it always attracts punishment yet we know God is merciful. How foolish we would be if we deliberately sin just because we are aware of his mercy? How foolish we are when we sin just so as to have something to say at the confessional? If you always pardon your child each time he or she does something bad, how would you react if that child deliberately continues doing it and even laughs at you when you try to correct him? Would you just smile at him or her or you get a responsible “koboko”?

You be the judge.

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, help me to live a good life, that I may be a little light shining to the whole of the world around me like that little mustard see that becomes the biggest shrub. Amen.

Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. Happy new week my dear friends.

THE INFINITE LOVE OF GOD OUR SHEPHERD. (Homily for SUNDAY of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B).

Bible Study: 2 Kings 4:42-44. / Ephesians 4:1-6. / John 6:1-15.

Good morning my dear people of God. Today’s message re-echoes so many themes from that of Last Sunday such as:

1. GOD ALONE IS OUR TRUE SHEPHERD. Where human beings fail as leaders in various capacities, God steps in perfectly to provide the needs of the sheep. Philip represents a type of leader who complains a lot and sees impossibilities everywhere but Jesus knew he was only testing him.

2. GOD PROVIDES OUR NEEDS IN ABUNDANCE. According to the Responsorial Psalm of last Sunday, (the popular Psalm 23), God prepares a table before us, our cup overflows. Jesus Christ did not only feed the crowd with as much as they wanted, they even had 12 baskets full of leftover.

3. AS SHEPHERD, GOD KNOWS HIS SHEEP. One good quality of shepherds is that they know their sheep by name. They do not scatter the sheep but preserve their unity. There is no discrimination among the sheep. Jesus made everyone in the crowd to sit down together. He knew the power of unity. Everyone who was present had something to eat.

Apart from the above points, today’s readings actually go a step further to explain the depth of God’s love for us as our true shepherd. He cares so much for us that he would not leave us hungry or disappointed at any point in time. If we have such a trustworthy and reliable shepherd as God is to us, it follows that there are certain qualities we must possess as good sheep of his pasture. These are:

1. GENEROSITY. The willingness to give is even greater than the gift itself. It is what is in the heart that matters. In today’s first reading a man brought loaves for Elisha as his first fruit offering but even before this man brought this gift, God already told Elisha that a hundred people would feed from it. That which you bring to God may seem small to you but to others, it is a miracle. We see again the power of generosity in the Gospel passage when a young lad did not hold back his lunch of five barley loaves and two fish. Because he gave from a clean heart, his gift was found worthy in the hands of Jesus for a great miracle.

2. FAITH. One thing we must know is that when it comes to God, the word “impossible” carries no weight any longer.  Faith comes with optimism. We do not need to see the future, we do not need to figure everything out, like Andrew, we are simply to bring the little we can to Jesus and let him do the rest.

3. HUMILITY. St. Paul admonishes us to be humble in the second reading. He says “I… urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience…” We see how Jesus displayed great humility in the Gospel passage when after he had performed such a marvellous miracle, he did not allow the people to take him and make him a king. He withdrew from their presence.

By feeding the people on the mountain, Jesus has shown that he is the fulfilment of the law (represented by Moses by whose prayer, the people were fed with manner in the wilderness) and the prophets (represented by Elisha as we see in the first reading). Jesus has shown that He is the Messiah who has come to feed God’s children with perfect food from heaven. And this food would be his very flesh and blood in the Eucharist.

As you receive Holy Communion today, picture yourself among the crowd being fed by Jesus. Pay attention to the words of consecration and notice how the priest says words of thanksgiving just as Jesus gave thanks over the five loaves and two fish. Be attentive to the miracle that happens before your eyes at mass. A miracle not of multiplication but a miracle of change; the changing of bread to flesh and wine to blood. Pray as you receive communion that Jesus may bring about change inside of you.

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, may my share in your body and blood make me more and more like you. Amen.

Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. Happy Sunday. (Sorry about the lateness of today’s message.)

WOULD YOU DRINK OF THIS CHALICE? (Homily for SATURDAY of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time, Feast of St. James the Apostle)

Bible Study: 2 Corinthians 4:7-15. / Matthew 20:20-28.

Serving God really involves giving up a lot. Yesterday we read how God gave the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel. Each of these commandments counteract a particular propensity in us – this means that, if we are to obey any of the Ten Commandments, we would have to make a sacrifice of something. Unless we are willing to take the bitter path of having to let go, the commandments would be “mission impossible” for us.

This is why we should not be surprised when Jesus in today’s Gospel passage asked James and John whether or not they would be able to drink of the Chalice. Every time you feel strongly tempted to commit a sin and you refuse, you are drinking from this chalice. Every time, you do not get what you think you deserve because of your decision to do the right thing, you are drinking from this chalice.

Painfully, much of Christianity today has become a reward-centred phenomenon. It is like for everything we do, our eyes are fixed solely on what we expect to gain. And our shepherds (including me) are not helping matters, we hear all sorts of preaching demanding that we do this, to get that. Sow a seed and you get a brand new car, fast for forty days and you get a great job, read the bible and you get a life partner, keep the commandments and you get a nice seat in heaven etc. etc.  

The problem with being reward-conscious is that on the last day, we would be surprised to see prostitutes, tax collectors and “sinners” making their way into heaven because they repented at the last minute while we would have to share the same lot with them despite our years of struggle. (Cf. Matthew 21:31-32).

This is why in all the sufferings that we would have to bear for our faith, OUR FOCUS SHOULD NEVER BE ON THE PRIZE (such as answers to prayers, heaven or some material reward) but on the love we have for God. We should not be reward-conscious Christians otherwise our sacrifices would be empty. It is not for us to admire seats on the left hand side or right hand side of Jesus but our focus should be on maintaining a close friendship with Jesus.  

Jesus answered right when he said: “As for seats at my right and left, these are not mine to grant.” There is no need looking down on anybody or trying to lord it over others because your being a good person right now is not by your power but by the grace of God. Does this mean that we should run away from the chalice of suffering? No way! We drink it because it is God’s will for us not because it contains the passport to heaven.

Being a reward-centred Christian is a dangerous thing. We are Christians not just because we want to get to heaven or because we want to enjoy the riches of life, we are Christians because we have Christ living in us. Permit me to repeat myself, “WE ARE CHRISTIANS NOT JUST BECAUSE WE WANT TO GET TO HEAVEN OR BECAUSE WE WANT TO ENJOY THE RICHES OF LIFE, WE ARE CHRISTIANS BECAUSE WE HAVE CHRIST LIVING INSIDE OF US.”

No better way could St. Paul have expressed this fact than these words from our first reading: We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (2^nd Corinthians 4:7ff).

  

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, you showed us the need for suffering in the life of your servant, Saint James. May our remembrance of him today further deepen our resolve to be authentic Christians rather than reward-centred fellows. Amen.

Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.

Passages for further reading: Genesis 50:20, Romans 5:3-5, 1 Peter 1:6-7.

REFRESHMENT FOR YOUR SOUL, WISDOM FOR YOUR SIMPLE, JOY FOR YOUR HEART, LIGHT FOR YOUR EYES. (Homily for FRIDAY of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time, 2015).

Bible Study: Exodus 20:1-17. / Matthew 13:18-23.

Having miraculously crossed the Red Sea, having been fed by manna and quails in the wilderness, the people of Israel had now finally come to develop love and devotion for God. Given their 430 years in the Land of Egypt, they had imbibed a lot of Egyptian culture and morality. It was therefore very important for God to give them a new set of rules; rules that would not only guide them to achieve the best life had to offer, but rules that would essentially make them different from other nations in the world.

Have you been lost before? Imagine you are lost and you need to get to a particular location within a certain time frame otherwise you would drop down and die. You try asking people for directions but no one around you understands English. What do you do? Under this circumstance, how would you feel when you suddenly stumble upon a map? I bet you would jump up and down in joy and quickly apply yourself to the directions. I am sure you wouldn’t need a pastor or priest to preach to you about the importance of keeping to the map.

Like one lost in strange land, the Israelites were really lost when they found themselves in the middle of nowhere in the desert. When God gave these commandments, he actually provided them with a map.   

The Ten Commandments represent Divine Wisdom guiding the affairs of mankind. Obedience to these commandments translates to living life as God desires and not just as people think fit. As our Responsorial Psalm sings, there is great wisdom in keeping these commandments. “The law of the Lord is perfect, REFRESHING THE SOUL; the decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving WISDOM TO THE SIMPLE. The precepts of the Lord are right, REJOICING THE HEART; the command of the LORD is clear, ENLIGHTENING THE EYE… They are MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD, than a heap of purest gold. Do you notice how the Psalmist draws analogies from the most important parts of the body?

The world we live in today is very much lost as far as morality and religion is concerned. There has never been a better time than now for the keeping of God’s commandments. In fact, all the problems that people face today all over the world are deeply rooted in the fact that God’s instructions are ignored, disobeyed and legislated against.

The funny thing is that these commandments are not secrets. They are well known by Christians and none Christians alike. But people are not always the same. Some know these commandments as funny things God demands but impossible to keep. Some understand them and make efforts to keep them but quickly disobey whenever there is a slight sacrifice involved. Some even see the commandments as obstacles to progress and success in life. Some try to bribe their way through such that they try to get the benefits of the commandments without actually keeping them. We all are like seeds planted in different soils. Whether or not we would sprout and bear fruits depends on the kind of soil we have, that is, the way we receive God in our hearts.

  

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, give me wisdom to love, appreciate and keep everyone of your commandments that I may one day reach my true destination in heaven. Amen.

Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.

BLESSED ARE YOUR EYES; BLESSED ARE YOUR EARS. (Homily for THURSDAY of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time, 2015).

Bible Study: Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20. / Matthew 13:10-17.

Closeness to God is a privilege. In fact, to have been born in a family that knows God at all is something to be thankful for. We live in an age that no longer reveres God; an age that asks what it needs God for.

In the course of my interaction with people from different parts of the world, I have come to realise to my greatest shock that there are millions of people born in the world today whose parents never told them anything about God or brought them to Church. There are people who have no sense of morality and their definition of right and wrong is not based on what the Bible says but what society considers as wrong or right.

That we have come to know God is not by chance. It is not because God loves us more than others who grew up never getting to know whether or not He exists. We are like those Jesus speaks about in the Gospel passage. Blessed are our eyes for seeing what they see and our ears for hearing what they do. Our privileged status rather than make us proud should make us value ourselves more. We should be proud of what we have and strive to make our worship of God more authentic.

We are like the children of Israel before whom God displayed his glory. It is important to note that the people were able to see this because they prepared themselves very well for it. Unless we strive to be in the state of grace, we may never really see God’s mighty glory at work in our life. We should not take God for granted. He is holy and those who come to him must keep their hands clean.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, increase my love and devotion to you more and more everyday. Amen.

Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.

WHO AM I TO JESUS? FRIEND OR CLIENT. (Homily for WEDNESDAY of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Mary Magdalene).

Bible Study: Exodus 16:1-5,9-15. / John 20:1-2,11-18.

Today we celebrate the life of a Saint whose true identity and personality has been the subject of much debate among scholars, theologians and even non-Christians. She has become like the proverbial Elephant being described by four blind-folded men. From any angle you stand, Mary Magdalene seems to take on a new identity.

For those who do not believe that Jesus was a celibate, Mary Magdalene takes the position of a very intimate friend or wife at best. For those campaigning for female priesthood, Mary Magdalene takes the personality of a Great Apostle, who did even more than the twelve in publicising the fact of Jesus’ resurrection. For others, Mary Magdalene was no more than a repentant prostitute who poured expensive oil on the feet of Jesus and wiped them with her hair. Yet for others, Mary Magdalene was just one of the women who attended to the needs of Jesus during his public ministry and from whom Jesus cast out seven demons.

From whichever angle you choose to stand, one fact we cannot take away is that Mary Magdalene knew Jesus personally. She was his friend not a client. Her love for Jesus was real. When the twelve deserted Jesus at his arrest and crucifixion, she was there with him all the way. She came to the tomb to cry and when she recognised Jesus, she used a personal name for Jesus “Rabonni!” Only a friend would call you by a name other than the one given to you by your parents.

God has always desired that we should be his friends not his clients. But painfully, we tend to prefer to remain clients, we are always very official – concerned more about what we stand to gain from God than our relationship with Him. We are very much like the Israelites who quickly forgot how God freed them from Pharaoh and soon started grumbling for food.

The difference between clients and friends is this: Clients can never be satisfied, when they pray, they are always grumbling and complaining! But no so with friends, prayer is actually worship. God is always happy to hear the voice of his friends when they pray because he knows they are not there to complain. So now comes the question for today: Am I a friend like Mary Magdalene or just a client like the Israelites?

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, open my heart to love you more as a friend than anything else. Amen.

Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.

DON’T BE CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA. (Homily for TUESDAY of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time, 2015).

Bible Study: Exodus 14:21-15:1. / Matthew 12:46-50.

The best way to meditate on the Scriptures is by putting oneself into the picture. As such, it is not just a story about ‘them’ a story about ‘me’. This helps me to examine my conscience before attempting to judge any Biblical character. As such, rather than ask Pharaoh why he refused to let go of the Israelites, I need to ask myself why I often refuse to let go of past hurts and faults of others. And rather than feel sorry for Pharaoh and his cohorts for drowning in the sea, I better warn myself that continuous pursuit of my so-called enemies for vengeance could only lead to drowning as well.

For us looking at this story, it may look as though the Israelites did not offend the Egyptians at all. But from the Egyptian stand point, the Israelites actually deceived them into gaining their freedom from servitude. Moses asked Pharaoh to allow the people go and offer prayers to God. So when Pharaoh realised that they were not coming back anymore, he felt sad and cheated. This was why his legitimate reason for going after them.

Like Pharaoh, we all have been cheated, deceived, insulted by at least one person in our lifetime. (Let him who has never been offended raise his hands!!! I am sure only babies in the womb would raise theirs, but even babies are often offended as well). But unlike Pharaoh, we cannot afford to be caught up in the middle of the sea.

Unforgiveness is deadly! According to my favourite author, “refusal to forgive is like carrying hot coals on one’s palms intending to throw them at others. In the end, it is your palms that really get hurt.” Unforgiveness drives people into extreme and bizarre actions. Many have done unthinkable things as a result of a desire for revenge. Many have even ended up hurting themselves and their own children in the process. There is a story of a woman who poisoned her five children in a bid to revenge her neighbour for insulting her. It happened that her children mistakenly stumbled on the food she was planning to give to her neighbour.

Note that it is one thing to feel bad over what someone did to you and as a result resolve never to do so to anyone else but a different thing altogether when you are determined to make the person pay back at all costs. That strong determination to inflict as much pain as possible on the person is a spiritual force, when this force takes you over, you are no longer in complete control of your senses and just like Pharaoh, you find it difficult to retreat even when you see your drive is leading you nowhere.

It is not enough that we listen to (or read) homilies like this, it is more important that we put them into practice. Because it is by so doing that we become part and parcel of the family of Jesus. In the Gospel passage, Jesus was preaching when he was told his mother and relatives wanted to see him. He deliberately decides not to give them any preferential treatment. He would not stop what he was doing to attend to them instead he turns to the crowd and says: “whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

Are you determined to forgive the people who have hurt you in the past? Are you going to drop those hot coals you have been carrying in your palms? Are you going to quit making plans and devising new strategies for your revenge attack? Do God’s will, by forgiving today, forget your own will, so that God will recognise you as his child. In Pidgin English, the question is often asked: “Pickin wei no resemble him papa, wetin dey happen to am?” We resemble God only to the extent that we are people of mercy. We resemble God in forgiveness – that is his DNA in us. One who cannot forgive does not belong to him.

After twenty seven solid years behind bars, Nelson Mandela said: WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO WALK OF THE PRISON INTO A LIFE OF FREEDOM, I KNEW THAT IF I REFUSE TO FORGIVE THOSE WHO HURT ME, I WOULD STILL BE IN CHAINS.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, help me realise the beauty and importance of forgiveness. May I always emulate you who at the point of death prayed for your persecutors, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” Amen.

Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.

BE STILL AND KNOW THERE IS GOD OH. (Homily for MONDAY of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time, 2015).

Bible Study: Exodus 14:5-8. / Matthew 12:38-42.

As I was going through today’s readings, I immediately started singing Don Moen’s song: God will make a way! Indeed, there is no better way to express what happened between the Israelites and Pharaoh than these beautiful lyrics

God will make a way

Where there seems to be no way

He works in ways we cannot see

He will make a way for me

He will be my guide

Hold me closely to His side

With love and strength for each new day

He will make a way, He will make a way

By a roadway in the wilderness, He'll lead me

And rivers in the desert will I see

Heaven and Earth will fade but His Word will still remain

And He will do something new today

What is it in human nature that desires the servitude of others? Why do we love using people? Why do we have this ‘entitlement mentality’ that makes us see others as inferior and thereby deserving nothing other than to be used as our slaves? Why do we believe that ‘enjoyment’ is best defined as becoming lazy and useless to oneself? What is so luxurious about having others at our beck and call? How come the Egyptians had become so used to having the Israelites serve them as slaves that despite the plagues, they still had the effrontery to pursue them after they had left Egypt?

In very recent times, I have had course to see two award-winning films on subject, ‘12 Years a Slave’ and ‘Jango Unchained.’ In both of these films, I could only imagine the pain and agony that people had to put up with in the hands of their slave masters just to survive. Ordinarily when we think of slavery, we tend to believe it is something only white people do to black people but considering the fact that the Egyptians were black and the Israelites were white, one can see that it is not a racial but a human phenomenon.

Slavery begins with a basic lack of respect for the dignity of a fellow human being. You may not consider yourself as a slave rider but know that each time you think or say derogatory words against a fellow human being for service rendered, know that you are no better than Pharaoh and his entire household. Every time you look down on others as good for nothing because you happen to be wealthier than they are or because they ask for alms, then know that you are no better than Pharaoh and his household.

One thing we need to understand about slavery is that it is not only the slave that suffers, the slaver himself is equally affected and destroyed. This is the point Asa, the musician was trying to point out when she sang “Jailer”- ‘I’m in chains, you are in chains too. I wear uniforms, you wear uniforms too.’ Lack of respect for your fellow human being does not make you a higher specie. Laziness does not make you greater. It reduces you even to a level lower than the one you treat without respect. So in a sense, we all are slaves – slaves of different masters.

The real impact of slavery is not so much the physical wounds inflicted on people but the psychological death it brings about within a person. A slave begins with denial, he tries to assume what he or she is passing through is not real, he tries to assert himself and resist the slaver but it soon gets to a point he begins to believe he is not a human being. The slave begins to think of himself in such low terms that he craves for and worship his master. This is the stage of surrender! The slave surrenders completely, he sees himself as powerless and defenceless and in the presence of his master, he is overcome by fear – I mean fear of the highest degree!

This was the type of fear that gripped the Israelites in the presence of Pharaoh. They even said to Moses, “where there no better tombs in Egypt that you brought us out here to die?” That was when Moses sang Don Moen’s Song: GOD WILL MAKE A WAY. Be still. Be calm. Relax. Fear Not. Just watch and see. Let God fight for you. Do not be in a haste to act. These Egyptians you see now, you will see them no more.

Each time, we are consumed by fear, we should remember this encounter. What causes our fear? Nothing other than the fact that we are slaves. THAT WHICH YOU FEAR MOST IS THAT WHICH YOU HAVE BECOME A SLAVE TO. If for instance, you fear losing money, then you are a slave to money. So be calm, let God act. Don’t doubt, don’t ask for a sign. The summary of all our fears is death. The fear of death is the greatest fear any human being can have. Yet we have in Jesus, one who has conquered death. He is the only sign we need to believe! (not miracles here and there). Be still. Don’t begin to jump from pillar to post in search of signs and wonders. BE STILL AND KNOW THAT THERE IS GOD OH.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, help me to be your good sheep so that I may lead your flock in aright in whatever capacity I find myself. Amen.

Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. Happy new week.