CHARACTERISTICS OF OUR NEW LIFE: (5. TOTAL DEPENDENCE ON JESUS). (Homily for April 1, 2016. Easter Friday.)

Bible Study: Acts 4, 1 to 12 and John 21, 1 to 14.

Is it possible to succeed at any venture without Jesus? If God has called you to be a fisher of men, can you succeed at something else other than the ministry to which God has called you? Can we disobey the will of God for our lives and still be successful? Or can we possibly ignore God’s words, disregard his commandments and still hope to achieve our dreams and aspirations in life?

Dear friends, any decision that we take without bringing in Jesus, without praying about it, without first checking if it is in line with the will of God for us or without checking if it contradicts any of God’s instructions to us is surely bound to fail. At times we fail even before we venture into such decisions all because we are trying to push God aside.

Peter was already a successful fisherman when Jesus called him. Even though Peter did not go to theology school, Jesus saw a quality in him that made him qualify for his team and that was his natural ability to lead by influencing people. Jesus knew he was a natural born leader and a future Pope but to get him away from fishing, Jesus made him understand that he has something greater than fishes to catch.

One night, Peter and his fellow fishermen worked all through and caught nothing. The following morning, Jesus used his both to preach afterwards, he asked him to put out a little from the shore and Peter protested: “Master, we worked all night and caught nothing…” Luke 5, 5. Eventually, they netted such a huge catch that they had to call other fishermen to help them. Peter said to Jesus: “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” Luke 5, 8.

Today, that same Peter haven been with Jesus for three years, haven witnessed the resurrection and even after Jesus had appeared twice already to them said to the fellow disciples: “I am going fishing.” And what happened, the others followed suit. Dear friends, if they had succeeded that night, if they had caught even a single fish; that would have been the end of their evangelization and probably the end of Jesus’ message.

But look, Jesus did not allow them to succeed. The same thing that happened in Luke chapter 5 happened again in John 21. They toiled all night and caught nothing. The following morning, Jesus was standing by the shore and he told them to cast their nets right there and behold a great catch; one hundred and fifty three big fishes all at once!

Dear friends, at times, it is good for us to experience failure so that we may have the opportunity of asking ourselves certain very serious questions. “Am I just trying to make money or am I doing what God brought me to this life to do?” “Am I obeying God’s voice for my life or am I trying to be independent?”

This experience had another profound effect on Peter. It made him realize that the God who called him was the creator and director of everything in this world. And it made him totally fearless knowing that with God on his side, no human being can threaten him. It is this fearlessness that we see in Peter in today’s first reading. Consider the boldness with which he spoke to the Chief priests and leaders of the Jews: “Let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.” Acts 4, 10 to 11. 

Let us Pray:

Lord Jesus, I place my trust in you. May I never take any decision in life without first consulting you. Amen.

God bless you. Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Happy new month and welcome to April.

ELEMENTS OF OUR NEW LIFE: (4. BOLD PREACHERS OF REPENTANCE). (Homily for March 31, 2016. Easter Thursday.)

Bible Study: Acts 3, 11 to 26 and Luke 24, 35 to 48.

When Jesus appeared to the company of his disciples, they were at first taken aback thinking it was a ghost. Jesus wanted them to be concretely sure that they were not seeing a ghost, that what they were seeing was not just a figment of their imagination nor a dream. So he asked them if they had anything to eat and they gave him a piece of broiled fish which he ate in their presence. He then went on to explain the Scriptures further to them.

It is very important that we take note of Jesus’ words here: “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that REPENTANCE AND FORGIVENESS of sins is to be PROCLAIMED in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” Luke 24, 46 to 48. It is sad to say that much of our preaching these days and especially in this part of the world can be summed up with one word: PROSPERITY. We now play down on the preaching of repentance so much that Christians today do not believe anymore that there is anything like sin.

Even when miracles happen in our churches today, it is an opportunity for the man of God to raise his or her personal ego and appear more like a god before the church members. We no longer see miracles as occasions to preach the message of repentance instead we give ourselves extra titles. Just take a look at our first reading this morning. After Peter and John cured the man at the Beautiful Gate who was crippled from birth, the people gathered and here what Peter said:

“You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. "And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer.  REPENT THEREFORE, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out…” Acts 3, 12 to 19.

Peter takes glory away from himself and directs the attention of the crowd to Jesus. He knew the miracle had captured their attention and he decided to convict them of their sin of crucifying Jesus and then, he asked them to repent and turn to God. It takes a lot of courage to tell people their sins because no one likes to hear that his or her mouth is smelling; no one likes to hear the truth. We have lost a consciousness of sin and Christianity has become an avenue of coping with harsh economic realities in our society today. All we want to hear is how God will bless me, prosper me and grant me riches, how I will not die or fall sick, how I will marry early, win a big contract or carry my baby and so on but the truth must be said: REPENT TODAY AND STOP INDULGING IN SIN. Seek First God’s kingdom and his righteousness and every other thing shall be added unto you.

Let us Pray:

Lord Jesus, give me courage to preach like Peter did and humility never to direct attention to myself when you work through me. Amen.

God bless you. Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Happy Last day in the month of March and please no “April Fools” tomorrow! 

CHARACTERISTICS OF OUR NEW LIFE: (3. ABILITY TO HEAL AND TO UNDERSTAND THE SCRIPTURES). (Homily for March 30, 2016. Easter Wednesday.)

Bible Study: Acts 10, 1 to 10 and Luke 24, 13 to 35.

Going through our readings this morning, we can see that a lot went into the training of the disciples of Jesus before they became Great Apostles. In Mark chapter 9, we read about an embarrassing episode wherein a man brought his son to the disciples of Jesus for healing because the boy was possessed with an evil spirit but they couldn’t. Surprisingly, as we see in our first reading this morning, Peter and John met a crippled man by the Beautiful Gate who was begging for alms and they decided to give him the best gift ever; the gift of his healing.

So what happened? In between that time the disciples could not even work a single miracle and were scared to death when they faced difficulties and this time when they could boldly heal a man crippled from birth, they had to be schooled further. And one occasion of this further studies took place in our Gospel passage. Two disciples of Jesus were going away from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus. They had heard about the resurrection of Jesus but instead of them to go to Galilee as the women instructed, they turned their backs away and were going to Emmaus disappointed.

The case of this two disciples represents so many Christians today. These disciples like most of us today were expecting that Jesus had come to take over earthly power from the Romans, they were expecting that they would someday be in charge of cities as Governors in Jesus’ Presidential cabinet. Don’t we also have such mundane expectations of God? Haven’t we turned the bible into some sort of magic wand for material prosperity whereby everything we read in there is interpreted in the context of God making us rich and giving us power to possess things in the world?

It took Jesus a whole day to explain the Scriptures to them and their hearts burned within them while he spoke. In the end, their eyes were opened to the understanding that it was NECESSARY for Jesus to suffer. And the fact that we suffer should not become an obstacle to our faith. The fact that we do not have all the money in the world or that we are not ruling as earthly kings does not mean that God is powerless. We must have faith that the God who raised Christ from the dead is with us despite whatever challenges we may be facing in life. And so long as we have faith while we pray for healing, we should be fully expectant of seeing results.  

Let us Pray:

Lord Jesus, make me an instrument of your healing to everyone I meet today and give me wisdom to understand when I read the Bible. Amen.

God bless you. Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Please say one “Our Father” and one “Hail Mary” for me that God continues to use me in this ministry of spreading the word as mark my birthday today. 

CHARACTERISTICS OF OUR NEW LIFE: (2. AGENTS OF GOOD NEWS). (Homily for March 29, 2016. Easter Tuesday.)

Bible Study: Acts 2, 36 to 41 and John 20, 11 to 18.

The saying is indeed true that evil abounds in our society because good people are quiet. Peter was not quiet about Jesus. He spoke boldly so much so that we read in today’s first reading, his listeners were cut to the heart. And then, they asked him: “What must we do?” In the end, over three thousand converts became Christians that very day.

How often do we miss opportunities of talking about Jesus to our close relatives, our best friends and family members, or even our business associates? There is a tendency in us to leave Jesus out of our intimate conversations and we would rather talk about money, food, clothing and even gossip about other people. One very popular question we ask our friends is: “Have you eaten?” but why is that we never ask: “Have you said your prayers today? Have you spent time with Jesus? Or Have you prayed your rosary for today?”

Having rising with Christ, having become new creatures with minds set on things that are above and no longer on those below, we should overcome that shyness of bringing Jesus into our conversations and allowing him to be the sole object of our discussion. We never can tell whose heart will also be touched by our message. And should it happen that those we talk to are put off by our desire to talk about Jesus, we should not be discouraged. Even when they call us names or say we are boring, we shouldn’t give up.

Like Mary Magdalene who went to the tomb of Jesus to look for him, let us look for opportunities to visit and spend time in the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus is everywhere but if we want to see him, then our hearts must be ready in deep faith and love. Because of her encounter with the Risen Jesus, she became an evangelist to the evangelizers. She took a message directly from Jesus to the apostles. We too can do likewise.

Let us Pray:

Lord Jesus, may my love for you be greater than anything else in this life and use me mightily to spread your message of repentance to the whole world. Amen.

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

CHARATERISTICS OF OUR NEW LIFE: (1. ABILITY TO SAY THE TRUTH). (Homily for March 28, 2016. Easter Monday.)

Bible Study: Acts 2, 14 to 33 and Matthew 28, 8 to 15.

Yesterday, we noted that the whole essence of our Easter celebration is not the freedom to eat and drink as before but the fact that we who were once dead by virtue of our sins have become totally new creatures by virtue of our rising with Christ. As new creatures, this week, we shall be looking at certain elements that should characterise our lives henceforth. And one of these elements as contained in our readings this morning is our ability to tell the truth at all times.

Lies are destructive. Every time we tell a lie, we are actually taking sides with the devil whose very nature is that of telling lies. At no point in time should a lie ever proceed from our lips. Even if we were to be given huge sums of money, no amount of money is worth selling our lips or selling our conscience. This is because there is no amount of lie that can bury the truth.

The fact that the soldiers having witnessed the resurrection of Jesus were paid huge sums of money to lie that Jesus’ body was stolen did not bury the truth that Jesus actually rose from the dead. It only made them agents of darkness since it is based on what proceeded from their lips that millions of Jews today still do not believe that Jesus is God.

If we continue to go about telling lies, it means we are refusing to rise from the grave with Jesus. It means we are still very dead and we are too much to be pitied. Nonetheless, some Christians try to justify telling lies with the theory of being diplomatic. They say, one can find a middle way between telling a lie and refusing to tell the truth. In the name of being diplomatic, many have sold their consciences.

Did Peter try to be diplomatic in our first reading this morning? Dear friends, no matter how bitter truth is, never be afraid of saying it. And you know, if you are refusing to say the truth because of money, remember that one day that money will fail you because money is not God. As they say, SAY THE TRUTH AND SHAME THE DEVIL.

Let us Pray:

Lord Jesus, may no lie ever proceed from my lips anymore. Amen.

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

REJOICE AND BE GLAD FOR YOU ARE RISEN FROM THE GRAVE. (Homily for March 27, 2016. Easter Sunday Mass During the Day.)

Bible Study: Acts 10, 34 to 43. Colossians 3, 1 to 4 and John 20, 1 to 9.

Today is a day for pure joy! Today is a day that even the Angels and the millions of Saints in heaven will not rest for joy for behold Christ has defeated the power of death. By dying, Christ has destroyed death for ever. So we rejoice and we dance for Christ by rising has shown us that in the end, darkness can never overpower light, that in the end, God has the final say. When the devil thought he had succeeded in making people laugh and mock Jesus, little did he know that that which was an object of laughter would in the end become and object of glory. The joy of this day is a joy that not only accounts for, but even doubles for the sorrow we felt in our hearts on Good Friday.

Rejoice and be glad. Dance and Sing for joy for Christ your Redeemer has risen from the dead. Why do we have to rejoice? Is it simply because lent is over? Of course, finally, lent is over! No more Stations of the Cross, no more shouting “Amen” instead of “Alleluia,” no more trying to select which chorus to sing that does not contain “Alleluia”, no more long faces as a result of prolonged hunger, no more of whatever we decided to put up with was our form of Lenten mortification. Christ is no longer veiled, the altar is no longer bare but fully exposed and beautifully decorated. Are these not enough to cause us to rejoice, to dance and just be happy? Yes! We should be happy because lent is over and we will not have to go through it again as far as this year is concerned.

But then, wait oh! If the only reason why we are rejoicing is because Lent is over, then we are not getting the full package of joy. The joy of Easter is more than the joy of having to eat, eat and eat like little children who have not seen food for many days now. Yes, the Joy of Easter is more than just having to return back to all those bad habits and dirty things for which we resolved to cast behind us during lent. The true joy of Easter is the joy of having to rise with Christ such that even though we are still inside our flesh, we can beat our chest and say, “When Christ died, I too died with him, now that He is risen, I am now a new creature! The bad bad things I used to do before, I do them no more! The bad bad places I used to go before, I go there no more! The lifestyle of sin I used to live before, I live it no more!”

This is the real joy of Easter. The joy of becoming completely new people. The joy of knowing that in the course of the last 40days, I have been able to drop my vices and I have picked up new virtues. My true joy is that Satan can no longer use me to boast anymore, that I can gladly say that I am now a child of God and when the agents of darkness come near me, my very shadow will send them flying away in all directions. My true joy is that I will no longer return to the life I used to live before lent began this year. This is why we dance and bubble today.

Of course, If I have not been taking my Lenten observances seriously, then poor me! If I have not been able to use the period of grace and the three keys of lent; prayer, fasting and abstinence as well as almsgiving to my greatest advantage. If I have not been faithful to the Stations of the Cross and mediating on every line in it. If in the last 40 days, I have only increased in my sinful habits and grown worse in my relationship with God, then pity me. It means that I have failed and that I have no real reason to rejoice today. if the only thing that will change in my life today is that I will eat plenty meat, drink alcohol and pounded yam, then I am much to be pitied because my Easter will just end in the toilet a few hours from now. If I am planning on how to pick up my old sins after now, then there was no point staying away from them in the first place.

St. Paul describes perfectly the whole essence of this Easter joy when he stated: “So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory,” Colossians 3, 1 to 4.

The joy of Easter is that we are no longer earthly minded:

that we are not struggling for space with Barabbas who became popular for evil;

that we are not trying to make money like Judas Iscariot who sold his master for 30 silver coins;

that we are not ashamed of defending our faith even before a small child like Peter who was so scared for his life but that same Peter preached today’s first reading boldly;

that we are going to tell lies anymore like the Chief Priests who knew very well that Jesus was innocent but wanted him dead out of jealousy;

that we are not going to be power-conscious like Pilate who for fear of losing favour with Caesar asked that Jesus be crucified;

that we are not going to base our faith on signs and wonders like the people who wanted Jesus to jump down from the cross so that they would believe;

that we are no longer going to go about with grudges in our hearts but instead forgive like Jesus did on the Cross when he said: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

This is why we should celebrate Easter. Yes, rejoice and be glad for you are risen from the grave!

Let us Pray:

Lord Jesus, may my Easter joy not be limited to just food and drink but based on my new life in you henceforth. Give me power to rise from the grave of sin and compulsion to bad habits. Help me to fix my mind on the things that are above and no longer or those below. Amen.

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

LENT DAY 40: THE GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER TOLD. (Homily for March 26, 2016. Holy Saturday Easter Vigil Mass.)

Bible Study: Gen.1:1-2:2, Gen.22:1-28, Ex.14:15-15:1, Isa.54:5-14, Isa.55:1-11, Bar.3:9-15, 32-4:4, Ez.36:16-28, Rom.6:3-11 and Luke24:1-12.

Story, story: Story! Once upon a time: Time Time! Tonight I want to tell you a story and this is a true life love story, it is a story far greater than any writer or poet could compose, not even Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet comes close. It is a story greater than life itself, a story that sums up and in fact captures the whole of world history from its very beginning till this day.

Surprisingly, this love story has been ongoing for thousands of years running and it is yet to come to an end. The day this story will be over is the day life would cease on this planet. And it so happens that every one of us here this night from the very day we were born have become principal characters of this love story. We are not just actors, we are also authors in this story; our everyday decisions, our day to day lives, and our basic choices are the scripts that this story follows.

It is a story of pure love; love as it should be, love that is ready to sacrifice anything, love that never gives up, yet at the same time, we find betrayal in this story, we find intrigue, suspense, pain and at times, irony in this story. In this story, you also find moments of true joy, you find commitment, dedication and faith but then, even though every chapter of this story is unique, the basic storyline never changes.

Dear friends, this is a story of God’s never failing love for us humans and how we have consistently rejected this love, a story of how we have given and continue to give our hearts to other loves, a story of how we have so much frustrated God by refusing to love him, by refusing to trust him, by refusing to believe in his love for us, it is a story of how God having forgiven us seventy seven times seven times over and over again never stops going out of his way to win back our love. This is the story contained in all of these Nine Readings you have just heard.

In the very beginning, God created the world out of love. He spoke and it came to be. He created a perfect universe and put in the engines of life to be self-sustaining. He created order and elements to demarcate one day from another. After each work of creation, he said: “It is good.” Then finally, at the apex of his creation, he decided to create an image of himself again purely motivated by love. He wanted man made in his own image to be the sole beneficiary of this beautiful universe he had just created so he blessed us: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” Genesis 1, 28 to 30. God was so delighted with what he had done that he happily went to rest. Humans were the apple of his eye. His love for us kept him vigilant for our sake.

God’s love for humans as time went on become a concrete reality in the person of one man who particularly delighted him. That man is Abraham and as far as the faith is concerned, he is our Father. As we gather this evening in this arena, we are the fulfilment of the promise God made to Abraham when he said his descendants will be as many as the sands in the seashore. Nonetheless, before Abraham would got so much of God’s attention, God himself tested him, God tested the extent of Abraham’s love for him by asking him to sacrifice his only son, the son that he had waited for years to have. God wanted to know if it is possible for humans to actually love him back as much he loves us. And guess what? Abraham passed the test!

In Abraham, humanity proved that it is capable of letting go of everything to love God. In Abraham, humanity as a whole proves that it is possible for us to love God perfectly even if it means sacrificing the source of our earthly joy. If Abraham could place his son Isaac on the table, tie him up and raise a knife to cut off his neck, then it means you can actually arrange all your earthly possessions, all your money, all your joys and everything on the table and slaughter them up for God. But the question is, why would you rather love your possessions more than God?

Since Abraham passed the test, God created a whole new race from him and that group of people became the Israelites. As time went on, this people found themselves in a foreign land, a land that gave them shelter in a time of famine under the leadership of a man who was sold as a slave only to become the prime minister. They came into Egypt as lords but as the years went by, they became slaves. God was not happy with this and one day he decided to rescue the love of his eyes from the land of slavery and oppression. Through mighty miracles, through great signs and wonders, God wanted to show to this people that he deserves their love, their respect and admiration. Before their very eyes, they saw their slave-riders; Pharaoh and the full force of his army perish in the sea and they sang with all their hearts.

They sang a song of love, a song of adoration and praise to God. No sooner had they finished dancing and jubilation, no sooner had they faced the desert to continue their journey, they started doubting this love. They began to nag like newly-weds who expect too much too suddenly from love. They wanted to have everything they were used to under the regime of slavery in Egypt, they complained bitterly about water, then for food, then they complained for variety in their food, and when they lost patience, they broke the heart of God by moulding for themselves a golden calf to which they bowed to as the god who saved them from Egypt. Right before the very eyes of God, these people whom he loved so much were worshipping a piece of iron made by human hands.

Of course, when they faced the wrath of God, they repented but this would just be the beginning of a repeated pattern of sin, punishment and repentance only to lead back to sin and punishment and repentance again and again. Generations upon generations passed but this love story remained the same. We never learn from the mistakes of the past. God for his part, did not give up on us, he kept sending love letters and the prophets were his messengers. And of all the prophets, Isaiah seems to capture this love message best: “For your Maker is your husband… For the LORD has called you like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, like the wife of a man's youth when she is cast off, says your God. For a brief moment I abandoned you… but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says the LORD, your Redeemer.” Isaiah 54, 5 to 8. 

But what happened? We threw these love letters to the wind. God did stop sending them however. All he wanted from us was simple: “Let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55, 7. Of course, we didn’t listen.

Now, at the very heart of our disobedience to God is the feeling that his commandments are a burden to us. We feel that God is somewhat limiting our freedom by saying: “Don’t do this or Don’t do that!” At times, we just want to push God aside, throw away everything he is saying to us and try to be wise in our own eyes. We feel that by so doing, we would find unlimited happiness and peace only to end up with the very opposite. There is no way sin can bring us happiness or the peace we so crave for. Baruch says: “If you had walked in the way of God, you would be living in peace forever. Learn where there is wisdom, where there is strength, where there is understanding, so that you may at the same time discern where there is length of days, and life, where there is light for the eyes, and peace.“ Baruch 3, 13 to 14.

At a time, it was almost like God started wondering if our human hearts were still functional and capable of loving him. So in one of his love letters, he said “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.” Ezekiel 36, 26 to 27. For us to get this new heart, we needed first to get rid of the old. So God because of his infinite love for us decided to send us his only son, Jesus to be born and live like one of us so that by his death, we too may die to our old nature. And that by his resurrection, we may receive this new heart of flesh which he promised us through the prophet Ezekiel.

This is what St. Paul explains when he said: “Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin.” Romans 6, 4 to 7. Tonight, we gather to celebrate our resurrection from the death of sin. We gather to rejoice at the fact that we have been liberated from the prison of sin, that we are no longer under the compulsion of sin, tonight we celebrate the fact that we now have a heart of conscience capable of choosing Good instead of evil. We are not rejoicing because Christ has wiped out our sins but those we plan to commit in the future. No. We are rejoicing because as St. Paul says, “we consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6, 11. Unlike in the days of old, sin is no longer a master to us humans. We have what it takes now to live as Saints.

Yes, the evidence of our capacity to become saints is the fact that Christ is no longer dead. The tomb is empty. There is nothing left there anymore. Christ is alive! Peter and the other disciples did not believe the women at first, but when they ran to the tomb, they saw for themselves and knew that Christ was for real. Dear friends, the only way we can continue to allow sin rule in our lives is if we choose not to let the Resurrected Christ into our hearts. And this love story continues. Love God back today that the risen Christ may awaken you from the slumber of sin.

Let us Pray:

Lord Jesus, I love you. Thank you for never giving up on me. Help me to love you with my whole heart and life. Amen.

God bless you. Good afternoon. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Happy Easter!!!.

LENT DAY 39: WHAT IS GOOD ABOUT PAIN, SUFFERING AND DEATH? (Homily for March 25, 2016. Good Friday Celebration of the Lord’s Passion.)

Bible Study: Isaiah 52, 13 to 53, 12. Hebrews 4, 14 to 16, and 5, 7 to 9. John 18, 1 to 9:42.

This morning, someone greeted me by saying: “Happy Good Friday.” And I really didn’t know how to respond. Immediately I started thinking: “what is good about today?” What is good about the fact that we recall the gruesome death of an innocent man on the cross? What is good about the fact that Jesus was betrayed, that he was arrested and brought on trial, that he didn’t try to defend himself before the authority, that the people choose Barabbas, a thief and a murderer in place of Jesus? What is good about the fact that Jesus was beaten and humiliated, mocked by passer-by, mocked by the chief priests, mocked even by a criminal at the cross?

What is good about the fact that Jesus was stripped naked and hung on the cross before the eyes of all who stood by, that his side was pierced with a lance, that he finally gave up to death without even trying to resist? What is good about the seemingly triumph of evil over good? Why is today a good Friday? Honestly all these thoughts flowed through my mind as I tried to respond to the greeting, so I simply said; “Happy bad Friday.” And the person said, “Haba, Father, what happened na? Why is today a bad day?” “Jesus died today now, is that not bad enough?” I responded. And the person laughed, “Is that why today is bad? I thought something happened.”

Then, it dawned on me that we have all become so used to the fact that today is just a day Christ died. His death is no longer news to us. We never really give any serious thought to the fact that Christ actually died. Dear friends, today’s celebration is not one that should be glossed over easily, it is a celebration that contains ALL THE ANSWERS to ALL OF LIFE’S MOST CHALLENGING QUESTIONS. The mere fact that we call this day a “GOOD” Friday and not a “BAD” Friday confirms what God himself said in the book of Genesis when after creating the world and man inclusive with all its obvious imperfections said: “It is good.” Gen. 1, 31.

That today is called a “Good” is a testimony to the fact that we have learned to see goodness right at the heart of the sacrifice, the pain, the sorrow, tears and blood of Jesus. We call this day a good day because we now know that the crucifixion and death of Jesus was not a bad thing but a good thing. And because we have learned to focus on the merits of Christ’s suffering and death, we should also be able to look beyond whatever pain, agony and suffering that are present in our own lives as a result of our choice to be Christians.

And so, it is a good thing that we suffer persecution. It is good that you have decided to embrace a life of poverty when you had opportunity to steal huge sums of money and enrich yourself. It is a good thing that you are going through that you were kicked out of your job because you refused to partake of a plot by your colleagues in the office to defraud the company. It is a good thing that life is somewhat miserable for you now with challenges here and there and it seems as if God is not answering your prayer and you are refusing to go after other gods just to make ends meet.

If really today is Good Friday, there is something good about suffering; there is something good about the Cross that we are carrying as we follow Jesus. If we say today is Good Friday, then we shouldn’t be asking: “God, where are you?” when we see Barabbas go away smiling we who are innocent are made to suffer. We should learn from Jesus to remain like a lamb and bear the weight of the cross. We must learn to call our sufferings good and not go about thinking of ways to eliminate our troubles or move from one prayer house to another in search of solutions.

It is quite sad that today there are many Christians who believe that since Christ died on the cross, he has taken away all our sins both the ones we committed in the past and the ones we are preparing to commit in the future. Some Christians even teach that because Christ died, we should never experience sickness or poverty again, that any form of pain at all in our lives is a work of the devil. Such teachings only make create a fear of the devil in us by ascribing to him powers that are not his. We must understand that in the first place, Christ did not die so that we can become millionaires and even billionaires. Christ did not die so that we can take over earthly kingdoms. He did not die so that we can live like animals and do whatever we like in the name of “he has taken our sins away.”

Christ died to prove to us that this world is not our home. Many expected Christ to take over earthly powers from the Romans but instead watched him subject himself to their power. This is to show us that it is not our ultimate goal to rule here on earth. Christ died bearing our sins so that we do might die to sin and no longer live under the subjection of evil all because of the fear of dying. He died so that we would rather choose to die than to sin in the name of sustaining our life. “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16, 25.

This afternoon, we shall all come out to kiss the cross. We shall all genuflect and bow before the cross. This means that we accept the pains, that we accept the sacrifices and the sorrows that we bear for being Christians, that we are not rejecting the cross but accepting whatever God permits to come our way, that our hearts are not set on possessing earthly kingdoms that we are ready to follow Christ and die just as he too died.

Let us Pray:

Lord Jesus, may I learn to hate my life here on earth so as to win it for eternity in heaven. Amen.

God bless you. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Happy Good Friday. Sorry that today’s reflection is coming so late, the ideas were not easily forthcoming at all and it is part of what makes this day unique I guess.

LENT DAY 38: COME, LET US SHARE IN THE SUPPER OF THE LAMB. (Homily for March 24, 2016. Holy Thursday Evening Mass.)

Bible Study: Exodus 12, 1 to 14. 1^st Corinthians 11, 23 to 26 and John 13, 1 to 15.

Today’s celebration is one that transports us through the entire Old and New Testament. It is a celebration that unites us with our fore-fathers in the faith who were freed from the land of Captivity under the leadership of Moses. In today’s celebration, we are privileged to share in that same supper of the unblemished lamb whose blood they had sprinkled on their doorposts to free them from the angel of destruction. The only difference now is that we now know that Jesus Christ is the lamb that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt and it was his very blood that saved them from destruction.

So today, we are gathered here not to slaughter any animal but to eat the flesh of Jesus who has become the lamb of our salvation. At the heart of our liturgy today is the celebration of Holy Communion which would then be followed by the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Today is our Passover. On this very day, Jesus is betrayed, this is the night of his arrest. As the children of Israel kept vigil on the night of Passover, Jesus and his disciples kept vigil at the garden of Gethsemane until Judas and his men arrived to pick up Jesus.

So while we keep vigil this same night, we adore the body of the lamb and reflect on the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus who is our Passover lamb. We reflect on how Jesus refused to resist arrest but allowed himself to be led to death just like a lamb would do. We reflect on the fact that this lamb, Jesus desires that we also become lambs for our fellow brothers and sisters by imitating his humility and sacrifice.

On this very night when Jesus knew he would soon be arrested, he was at table with his disciples, he suddenly rose from table, took off his garment and tied the towel around himself. Wearing a garment is a symbol of honour, respect and dignity. Taking off one’s clothes means reducing one’s dignity to the level of a servant or a worthless person so to say. This is why upon the return of the Prodigal Son, his father quickly ordered that he should once again be clothed with a robe, a ring be placed on his finger and sandals on his feet. Luke 15, 22. For Jesus to have taken off his robes, it is a symbol of Jesus assuming the position of a servant, a position less than that of a Son and a Master in the House.

Then Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. Jesus not only reduced his dignity before their eyes, he went all the way to serve them. He was actually doing the job that only servants would do and by so doing, Jesus hopes to teach us a lesson in humility. “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example; that you also should do as I have done to you.” John 13, 14 to 15.

What exactly does it mean to wash the feet of others? It means putting the needs of others before ourselves. It is being humble and unselfish. It is thinking first of one’s neighbour before the self like the Good Samaritan who abandoned his personal goals just to care for a man he saw on the street who had been a victim of attack. Washing the feet of others means that we are constantly looking for a way to solve the problems of others; that we are constantly looking for how to clean their dirty sides rather than amuse ourselves with it or simply gossip about what we know about them. Washing the feet of others is sacrificing our time, our money and our resources to see that things are well with people who may never even benefit us in the future.

Washing the feet of others means that we accept to be servants rather than lords whenever we have people under us. Whatever position we occupy in the society, we must never see ourselves as better or luckier than anyone else instead we must see our position of authority as an opportunity given to us by God to make life better for the people who are under our charge. Washing others feet is not having to go around town with sirens blasting mud water on the bodies of the common man in the street and trying to overtake every other person as if the road was constructed only for you. Yes, listen to me Governor, Senator or whatever you are, to wash others’ feet means that you respect the man on the street who cannot afford a single square meal a day.

Above all, washing other’s feet is the willingness to pay the ultimate sacrifice of our very lives for the sake of brothers and sisters. It is becoming Passover lambs to others, letting go our personal comforts, letting go of our dreams and plans in life, letting go of our resources, our hard-earned money and even our possessions for the sake of making life better for others. If Jesus gave us his very flesh to eat, and we gladly do so at every mass, then we ought not to selfish people anymore. We ought not to hold back anything from our neighbour, we ought not to even wait to be asked before we give. It is a contradiction that we eat the flesh of Jesus and we could still be stingy when see others in need. Jesus did not wait for us to ask for his flesh and blood, he saw we needed it and gave it to us. We too ought to give without waiting to be asked.

As the blood of the lamb saved the people of Israel from destruction, Holy Communion saves us from death and destruction. Let us always strive to be in the state of grace to receive the body and blood of the lamb at every mass we attend so that we may be spared from attacks of the evil one. Come let us share in the supper of the Lamb.

Let us Pray:

Lord Jesus, teach me how to wash my neighbours feet as you did. Amen.

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

LENT DAY 37: HOW MUCH DOES MY KNOWLEDGE COST? FACING THE JUDAS IN ME. (Homily for March 23, 2016. Wednesday of the Holy Week)

Bible Study: Isaiah 50, 4 to 9 and Matthew 26, 14 to 25.

For the past three days, our Gospel readings have been hovering around the character of one man who stabbed his master in the back, one man who valued money more than anything else, one man who allowed Satan enter into his heart by becoming an agent to the very people who were looking for a way to capture Jesus, one man who identified Jesus with a symbol of love – a kiss.

Well, we all know how Judas Iscariot ended. However, there is another Judas Iscariot that is still alive, that is the Judas Iscariot that lives in me. The Judas Iscariot who loves to take advantage of what I know about the people who are closest to me and use my knowledge for their destruction.

Sometime ago in Benin City, a man was kidnapped and held bound for many days while his family was been contacted to produce the sum of ten million naira. In the process, there was confusion among the kidnappers because the family did not seem to be forth coming with the money. In the midst of the confusion, an argument broke out as to whether or not the man would be killed. That was when the man who had been blindfolded overheard the voice of his only brother among the team of kidnappers. And he exclaimed: “Heeei, my brother! So you too are one of them?” Upon realising that his brother knew he was the mastermind of the kidnap, the man took to his heels but eventually, the police got hold of him and he now rests peacefully in prison.

Don’t I also betray my family members, my closest friends, or my trusted colleagues for the sake of making money? Don’t I reveal the secrets and weak points of people who have confided in me over time?

Matthew tells us that Judas was the one who went to meet the Chief Priests himself to ask: “What will you give me if I deliver him to you?” He knew Jesus better than them and he knew how best to capture him so armed with this knowledge, he bargained with them and even requested for his money upfront. They paid him thirty pieces of silver not minding if he would decide to run away with their money, I guess he must have convinced them beyond doubt of success.

Has my knowledge of Jesus become a means of obtaining money from people? Do I use my knowledge to promote the work of evangelization FREELY or do I sell Jesus to people in the name of church? Do I request for huge sums of money from people just to carry out special prayers or to consult Jesus on their behalf?

Let us Pray:

Lord Jesus, help me to face the spirit of Judas Iscariot in me and learn not to place money above my faith. Amen.

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