Yes, there is still Hope for Nigeria.

Homily for Monday 1^st October 2018

­_“ Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” *Matthew 2:13*­_

In Nigeria, October First is our independence day; a day that marked our freedom from British Colonial Rule. However, many continue to wonder if we were ripe enough to be made an independent nation fifty-eight years ago and if that independence was real. Today, the greatest threat to our sovereignty as a nation is the issue of borrowing and heavy dependence on foreign aid which are systematically designed to keep their recipients in perpetual poverty. Nevertheless, as we mark our independence, hope is all we can hold on to.

It is in the light of this hope that our first reading today is taken from a portion of Isaiah that speaks of a time when things would be well. It says: “On that day, there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse…” Re-reading this passage in Nigerian terms, it would appear like this: “On that day, there shall come forth by Divine Appointment, a leader and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, a spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord… He shall not steal our money… he shall not take sides on issues… he shall decide with equity for the meek… he shall not tell us lies… righteousness shall be the belt of his waist…”

In fact, when this God-appointed leader comes, the Psalmist sings: “In his days, shall justice flourish and great peace forever.” He shall save the needy when they cry, the poor, and those who are helpless, he will not send Military men after innocent citizens, he will not go on months of medical tourism while our hospitals have become dignified mortuaries, he will not send his children to school abroad while our universities lie in shambles, he will allow free and fair elections, he will not go borrowing monies that will eventually be looted and never get to the grassroots.

This is our hope, this is why we call on our Mother Mary to beg God to give us such a leader. A leader who will bring peace like Jesus Christ who as our second reading says, destroyed the hostility among men through the Cross. We need a leader who will not encourage division through one-sided political appointments whereby key offices are given to persons not because of what they are capable of doing but simply because of where they come from.

We are so assured that things will be well for this country Nigeria as we ask Mary’s intercession. Apart from the fact that she quickly intervened at the wedding feast at Cana, Mary is a woman who understands the meaning of hardship. Our Gospel passage today tells us how Joseph had to wake Mary up in the middle of the night just a few days after she delivered the baby Jesus to run to Egypt. Mind you, Mary was already stressed up from the journey they embarked upon to take a census, they had nowhere to stay other than a manger where animals were kept and she gave birth without the help of midwives or professional medical care.

The fact that Nigeria is such a very religious country, many have had the course to make a mockery of all our prayers and spiritual activities. I have heard even Preachers use Nigeria as a point of reference to say: “If prayers alone can bring progress, Nigeria will be the most developed nation in the world.” From a positive perspective, our religiosity defines us a people of faith, a people who continue to pray like the widow seeking justice from the unjust Judge. Dear friends, the fact that things aren’t working yet does not mean our prayers and prayerfulness is in vain. Let us continue to pray for this country as we work for its progress.

Finally, let us Love our fellow Nigerians, let us think not only of what Nigeria can do for us but what we can do for Nigeria.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, your mother understands hardship, as we honour her today as Queen of Nigeria, may she intercede for Nigeria. Amen.

*Happy Independence Day. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Feast of Our Lady Queen of Nigeria. October 1st. Bible Study: Isaiah 11:1-10, Psalm 72:1-17, Ephesians 2:13-22 and Matthew 2:13-15.19-23).*

Fr. Abu.

The Smell of Sin.

Homily for Sunday 30^th September 2018

_“Whoever causes one of these little ones to sin, it would be better if a great milestone is hung around his neck and thrown into the sea… If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off…. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off…. If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out…” *Mark 9:42-47.*­_

Dear friends, let’s just face it. Sin is a very serious matter. By using these graphic images, Jesus wants us to really have a feel of the gravity of what sin does to us. By talking about how we are to cut out parts of our body or drowning in the sea, Jesus wants us to perceive the smell of sin. If we cannot perceive the smell of sin, then we cannot summon the courage to avoid sin. Unfortunately, we live in a dark world that has not only lost the smell of sin but attempts to normalize its odour.

Our readings today mention different types of sin which we must avoid.

*1. The Sin of Jealousy.*

Why did Joshua try to stop Eldad and Medad from prophesying in today’s first reading? Why did the disciples of Jesus try to stop a man from casting out demons in the name of Jesus? Could it be because they themselves could not cast out demons? Today’s Gospel passage comes from Mark 9, verses 38 to 48. If we go up a bit to verse 15 of this same Mark chapter 9, you will see how a demon practically embarrassed the disciples of Jesus. a man brought his boy to them but they could not cast out the demon and when Jesus came, he was ashamed of them saying “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you?” Mark 9:19.

Jealousy is a very smelling sin, it is the fuel of the pull-him-down-syndrome that we see everywhere. Jealousy blinds us to the Infinite Power of God that is unrestricted and unlimited to any person, camp or group. By criticising others who act in God’s name, we not only contribute to the scandal of division in the Christian faith, we act as though we are capable of fighting for God. God is powerful enough to stop those who use His Name wrongly or as a money-making enterprise. We are not the ones to stop them rather we who consider ourselves genuine should learn to be humble.

God can use anybody. Do you remember how the young Samuel who had not even been ordained was hearing from God while Eli the priest was no longer hearing from God? Imagine Eli attempting to crush the little boy Samuel! Is this not what is happening to us today?

The fact that Eldad and Medad despite their absence from the ordination ceremony, still received the power of prophecy only goes to show that God is so powerful that he cannot be held bound by distance. Jealousy limits God in our eyes, it also limits us from growing deeper in our faith.

*2. The sin of Exploitation of Workers.*

Today’s second reading opens our eyes to another smelling sin; the exploitation of workers. Has someone done some work for you and up till now, you haven’t paid the person? St. James says, begin to “weep and howl for the miseries that are coming to you…” Refusing to pay workers’ wages what is their due and at the right time is worse than stealing.

Since on Thursday, our country has been in a nationwide strike. Why? The refusal of Government to upgrade the minimum wage of workers. Meanwhile, this is a country where its lawmakers earn seven-times their counterparts in other highly developed nations in the world. I wept when I saw the statistics.

I don’t think inflation should scare us as much as rising inequality. When a few persons take the nation’s resources, they enslave the larger population. This is why God’s wrath will fall on the rich whose wealth comes from the blood of their fellow humans. This night, millions will go to bed with empty stomachs while some of us here will spend millions this night throwing a party. Why will God not punish us?

*3. The sin of Scandal.*

Another deadly, smelling and poisonous sin mentioned in today’s readings is Scandal. Jesus said: “Whoever causes one of these little ones to sin, it would be better if a great milestone is hung around his neck and thrown into the sea.” Mark 9:42. Scandal destroys the faith of those who are entrusted to us. Scandal makes a mockery of our moral values. It destroys the spiritual life of those who take us as mentors.

Are you father, a mother, a coach, a teacher, a minister? Are you a leader in any church organisation? Even if you are in charge of just one person, do you realize that what you do in secret can affect and destroy those who are under your leadership?

*Conclusion – SIN IS AVOIDABLE.*

Every sin is both a suicide and a murder. It kills us by weakening our desire to be saints and kills others through bad example. By saying we should cut off our hands and foot and pluck our eyes, Jesus wants us to realise that we have power over sin and that right within us are the causes of sin. If we really want to stop sin, then we need to avoid the environment for sin. They say a mistake is only a mistake the first time. By the second time, it becomes foolishness. Stop blaming the devil for your sins. Repent today!

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, open my eyes to see the gravity of every sin that I may never ever offend you again. Amen.

Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (26^TH Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. Bible Study:  Numbers 11:25-29, Psalm 19:7-13, James 5:1-6 and Mark 9:38-48.)

Celebrating the Archangels Gabriel, Raphael and Michael.

Homily for Saturday 29^th September 2018

_“Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.” *(John 1:50)*_

The existence of angels is a fact not easily comprehended by human reasoning. Angels form part of what St. Paul talks about when he said: “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1st Corinthians 2:9.

Though the Bible speaks about angels in many instances, there are only three whose names were specifically mentioned in the Bible and that is why we refer to them as the Archangels.

In the book of Jude 1, verse 9, we read: But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him, but said: “The Lord rebuke you.”

Michael is again mentioned in the book of Revelations as waging war against the devil. “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world -- he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” Revelation 12:7-9.

Even as far back as the Old Testament, Michael is mentioned as a warring prince who fights on behalf of God’s children. Daniel 10, 12 to 13 reads: “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your mind to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, so I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia.”

In the book of Tobit, we encounter the Archangel Raphael as a travel companion, a healer and a demon-destroyer.  Tobit 3, verse 17 reads: “And Raphael was sent to heal the two of them: to scale away the white films of Tobit's eyes; to give Sarah the daughter of Raguel in marriage to Tobias the son of Tobit, and to bind Asmodeus the evil demon, because Tobias was entitled to possess her.”

Archangel Gabriel plays the role of the messenger of good news by bringing the message of the Annunciation to Mary in Luke 1, 26 to 28 we read: “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favoured one, the Lord is with you!” He was also the angel that announced to Zechariah that at his old age, he would have a child. (Luke 1, verse 19 and following).

The power and working of the Angels is a testimony to the greatness of God and the fact with him, nothing is impossible. As we read in the Gospel passage, Jesus said to Nathanael, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” This statement shocked Nathanael, it revealed to him the power of God and he was converted instantly. Angels also reveal to us the power of God at work in the midst of men. They represent a dimension of reality that reason alone cannot grasp. Just as Nathanael couldn’t understand how Jesus was able to see him under the fig tree, we cannot fully understand how the angels work but we know that they are real.

Let us pray: Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God commits me here, ever this day be at my side to light and guard, to rule and guide me. Amen.

*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Feast of the Archangels. Bible Study: Daniel 7:9-14, Psalm 136:1-5, and John 1:47-51)*

Fr. Abu.

No Condition is Permanent: Nothing Lasts Forever.

Homily for Friday 28^th September 2018

_“For everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; *(Ecclesiastes 3:1-2)*_

There is great wisdom in knowing that Life happens in stages and seasons. There is a particular time for everything; birth time and death time, morning time and evening time; mourning time and rejoicing time; planting time and reaping time. Nothing lasts forever.

The book of Sirach says: “In the time of plenty think of the time of hunger; in the days of wealth think of poverty and need. From morning to evening conditions change, and all things move swiftly before the Lord.” Sirach 18:25-26.

Are things going so smoothly for you right now? Think of the sad times when you wished you were dead and learn to be grateful for this moment. Are you going through difficulties at this moment, is there something seriously eating you up deep within? Then just remember the good times and say to yourself: “This too shall pass.” If you haven’t seen the end of something, then it is just because the end is yet to come.

When we understand that life is rhythm, a song, a dance, then we understand why things must change. Imagine a song with just one tune or a dance with only one type of move? How sweet will it be if a musician plays only one key on the keyboard? Again, no matter how sweet a song is, if it never ends, it becomes boring. Change is the only permanent thing.

Are you having the best of what life has to offer right now? Think of those who are not so privileged and help them no matter how insignificant you assume your help is to them. This is because life is a rhythm. You may be dancing millionaire dance today but tomorrow, it might be your season to dance “koboniare” dance.  They say, when you are climbing a ladder, remember those you meet along the way because you might need them when coming down. This is not a curse, it is the way life is! Nothing is permanent.

Jesus was able to tell his disciples in today’s Gospel passage that he would be handed over to the elders and the chief priests, that he would suffer many things, be rejected and killed. You might wonder, how did Jesus summon the courage to talk freely about his death? The answer was that He knew his death was only going to be a season that would pass. Jesus knew that no matter the amount of beating, shame and insult, no matter the pain he was going to face, something beautiful and great was coming afterwards.

I can only imagine that with each blow Jesus received, he quickly thought about the bliss of paradise. Jesus was not scared of the cross because he had absolute trust in the in the resurrection. This should also be our mindset when we suffer. Tell yourself this: “Whatever it is I am suffering today, one day I go down on my knees and say, God, thank you for making me suffer.” Life is a song, it is a rhythm, it will soon be your turn to change your dance steps. Trust me, you will not cry forever and these tears will not be in vain. One day, you shall use your present situation to crack jokes.

Don’t Give up!

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, save me from despair. Teach me to be grateful no matter what life throws at me. Amen.

*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Friday of the 25^th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, Psalm 144:1-4, and Luke 9:18-22)

Contentment is Better Than Riches.

Homily for Wednesday 26^th September 2018

_“Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.” *(Luke 9:3)*_

God does not give anyone an assignment without also giving him or her the necessary instruments and equipment to accomplish the task. Indeed, he equips us long before he even spells out the mission for us. Once you are able to recognize your gifts, talents and abilities, you immediately realize the nature of the assignment God has given to you.

In today’s Gospel passage, we see Jesus sending out the Twelve on a mission. Before sending them out, Jesus gave them certain instruments which include: Power, Authority over all demons, Ability to cure diseases and Contentment. It is easy to read this passage and fail to recognise this last instrument; contentment.

When Jesus was telling them not to carry anything for the journey, no staff, no bag, no bread and so on, Jesus wasn’t simply giving them an instruction, he was also giving them a special instrument. The ability to be content is a special instrument for ministry. Show me a minister who is not satisfied with what he or she has and I will show you one who will soon turn the worship of God into the worship of mammon.

Being content is in the words of our first reading praying for neither poverty nor riches, asking that God provides only that which is necessary. By asking His disciples not to carry any staff, bad, bread, money or extra tunic, Jesus wanted to teach them the value of contentment. Jesus wanted to teach them how to depend on God to provide only our basic needs.

Do you feel drawn to spread God’s word, to win souls for Christ or to bring people closer to God in a world so filled with darkness and evil like this? Then bear in mind that contentment is better than riches. Once you have this principle, it is easy to overcome the temptations satan would throw your way as he did to Jesus whom he promised to give the riches of the world in exchange for a bow.

Today we celebrate the memorial of Saints Cosmas and Damian. Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers, born in Arabia, who had become eminent for their skill in the science of medicine. Being Christians, they were filled with the spirit of charity and never took money for their services. At Egaea in Cilicia, where they lived, they enjoyed the highest esteem of the people. When the persecution under Diocletian broke out, their very prominence rendered them marked objects of persecution. Being apprehended by order of Lysias, governor of Cilicia, they underwent various torments about the year 283. They are patron saints of pharmacists.

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, teach me to be content with all I have that I may be your instrument in spreading the faith to the world. Amen.

*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Wednesday of the 25^th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Proverbs 30:5-9, Psalm 119, and Luke 9:1-6)

Help, Do not Close Your Ear to the Cry of the Poor.

Homily for Tuesday 25^th September 2018

_“He who closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself cry out and not be heard.” *(Proverbs 21:13)*_

Although our first reading today contains a lot of striking proverbial sayings, one that seems to connect us strongly with that of yesterday is the line which says: “He who closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself cry out and not be heard.” This is a very strong saying.

This particular proverb seems to support the principle of karma or what we understand as the Golden Rule: “So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12. It is not just what you wish but what you do to others that becomes your very life experience.

The word “poor” and “rich” are relative terms. That which others crave a little bit tends to be what which we have in abundance, yet that which we lack is what some others waste. No one has it all, no one is absolutely rich. We are all poor in one way or another. Once we are able to come to terms with our own poverty, we are then able to understand with and sympathize with the poverty of others.

One musician sang: “Lean on me when you are not strong because I am going to need somebody to lean on tomorrow.” Sometimes, God allows calamity in our lives, sometimes God makes us experience pain or loss not just for the fun of it but so that when we come out of it, we are able to help and strengthen those who are down.

It is good to play ‘Angel’ at times: Go out of your way to help people in very critical situations and then disappear. Take some money, rush to the nearest hospital and pay the bills of someone who has no hope of paying, then, just leave quietly. Your act of kindness can trigger a positive chain reaction leading to even greater deeds of kindness.

It is good deeds like these that actually make us Christians. In our Gospel passage, we hear Jesus saying: “My Mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” This means it is by acting on God’s word that we become engrafted into the family of Jesus. By our deeds of righteousness, we become equal to the blood relations of Jesus.

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, help me live in a manner that truly represents me as a member of your family. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Tuesday of the 25^th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Proverbs 21:1-13, Psalm 119:1-44, and Luke 8:19-21)

Help, Do not Close Your Ear to the Cry of the Poor.

Homily for Tuesday 25^th September 2018

_“He who closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself cry out and not be heard.” *(Proverbs 21:13)*_

Although our first reading today contains a lot of striking proverbial sayings, one that seems to connect us strongly with that of yesterday is the line which says: “He who closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself cry out and not be heard.” This is a very strong saying.

This particular proverb seems to support the principle of karma or what we understand as the Golden Rule: “So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12. It is not just what you wish but what you do to others that becomes your very life experience.

The word “poor” and “rich” are relative terms. That which others crave a little bit tends to be what which we have in abundance, yet that which we lack is what some others waste. No one has it all, no one is absolutely rich. We are all poor in one way or another. Once we are able to come to terms with our own poverty, we are then able to understand with and sympathize with the poverty of others.

One musician sang: “Lean on me when you are not strong because I am going to need somebody to lean on tomorrow.” Sometimes, God allows calamity in our lives, sometimes God makes us experience pain or loss not just for the fun of it but so that when we come out of it, we are able to help and strengthen those who are down.

It is good to play ‘Angel’ at times: Go out of your way to help people in very critical situations and then disappear. Take some money, rush to the nearest hospital and pay the bills of someone who has no hope of paying, then, just leave quietly. Your act of kindness can trigger a positive chain reaction leading to even greater deeds of kindness.

It is good deeds like these that actually make us Christians. In our Gospel passage, we hear Jesus saying: “My Mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” This means it is by acting on God’s word that we become engrafted into the family of Jesus. By our deeds of righteousness, we become equal to the blood relations of Jesus.

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, help me live in a manner that truly represents me as a member of your family. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Tuesday of the 25^th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Proverbs 21:1-13, Psalm 119:1-44, and Luke 8:19-21)

Help, Do not Hinder.

Homily for Monday 24^th September 2018

_“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it’ - when you have it with you.” *(Proverbs 3:27-28)*_

Two years ago, I experienced the toughest moment of my life so far. I had just been transferred and I was in dire need of help. I reached out to anyone I could call or text pleading for assistance. That was when life taught me a bitter lesson I wasn’t prepared to learn: it is only when you are in need that you get to know who your true friends are.

There are many people whom you assume to be your friends right now but when things are tough, some of your “friends” would not even pick up your calls at all, not to mention respond to your messages. I am also guilty of this, we are all guilty of this. I think it is part of our nature as humans to help those we hope to gain from and ignore those who are “useless” to us.

Generosity is very rare, in fact, it is Divine but it is exactly what we are called to by virtue of our Christian identity. Our first reading today says: “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due… do not postpone to do good when it is in your power to help.” Let us learn the meaning of the saying: “No one ever became poor by giving.”

At no point is it ever justified to act against our Christian values. NOT EVEN IN SECRET. If you must do anything in secret, make sure it is something good, something noble, something worthy of praise, something admirable because as Jesus makes us understand in today’s Gospel passage, there “nothing is hidden that shall not be made manifest.”

Above all, don’t worry about announcing your kindness to others, let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Your Father in heaven who sees all that happens in secret will reward you.

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, make me a channel of your generosity to my fellow brothers and sisters. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Monday of the 25^th Week in Ordinary Time. Year B. Bible Study: Proverbs 3:27-34, Psalm 15:2-5, and Luke 8:16-18)

Jesus’ Guide to True Greatness.

Homily for Sunday 23^rd September 2018

_“And he sat down and called the twelve; and he said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.’” *(Mark 9:35)*_

Last Sunday, we read the account of how Jesus rebuked Peter calling him satan because Peter, holding a false theology tried to discourage Jesus from following the path of suffering. One would assume that the twelve apostles of Jesus were shocked that Jesus could say such a thing to Peter, that they would begin to see some positive value in suffering and that they would be touched by Jesus’ statement: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34. 

Today’s Gospel passage surprises us with the fact that the twelve apostles did not really learn anything from last Sunday’s episode. When Jesus was saying the “Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men and they will kill him…” it only fell on deaf ears. In fact, just as politicians begin to jostle for positions when elections are approaching, the twelve apostles were already beginning to jostle for strategic positions when Jesus takes over power as the New President of Israel. If Jesus had not intervened, this argument among the Apostles would have resulted in a big fight as St. James points out in our second reading.

What do we learn from the behaviour of the twelve apostles in today’s Gospel passage? Is there anything wrong with aiming for greatness and how are we to go about it? These questions bring us to our lessons for today

*Lesson One: The Desire for Greatness is in our Nature as Humans.*

The shocker in today’s liturgy is that the very men Jesus used in beginning the Christian Faith were not only slow in learning but despite their closeness to Jesus remained power-conscious. This shows that the desire for greatness is wired into the very core of our being. Psychologists agree that the deepest human need is RESPECT which is another word for greatness. Whether we like it or not, we all long to be number one; we are all politicians by nature. The difference between a Christian and the unbeliever is how each chooses to pursue greatness.

*Lesson Two: Service and Humility: Jesus’ Formula for Achieving Greatness.*

It is interesting to note that Jesus was not disappointed with the twelve apostles because they were arguing about who is the greatest. His disappointment with them was with the criteria for judging greatness. The twelve understood greatness from the perspective of ruling over others and being served by people just like the Roman officials who rode on horses and had countless servants running after them to do their wishes. Like these twelve Apostles, is this also my definition of greatness?

Jesus brought a child in the midst of the Apostles and said: “if anyone wishes to be first (great), he must be last of all and servant of all” meaning to say: It is okay to be great but true greatness lies in being the servant rather than the boss; true greatness is making oneself the least and the smallest of all. In Matthew’s version of this very passage, Jesus says: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3-4. Show me a man who is childlike; a man who makes people feel greater than himself and I will show you a really great man.

*Lesson Three: True Greatness is Wisdom from Above.*

By asking us to turn and become like children in other to fulfil our innate desire for greatness, Jesus was actually teaching us the very opposite of what the world teaches us about greatness. This is why St. James refers to it as wisdom from above; it is wisdom that does not align with the thinking of the world yet this wisdom is the solution to the quest for world peace! Imagine a world where everyone is struggling to serve others rather than be served. Imagine a world where everyone competes to make each other better. Would we still experience assassinations, fighting and killing?

According to St. James, the origin of fights, wars, bitterness, quarrels and unanswered prayers is the insatiable quest for the satisfaction of our bodily passions and the desire to lord it over others. In other words, God does not answer our prayer if such prayers are said out of a desire to outshine and outsmart others. Operating with wisdom from above entails that in our deeds and prayers, we place priority on purity, peace, gentleness, mercy and honesty. Show me a man who prays and works for others to be better than himself and I will show you a really great man.

*Lesson Four: True Greatness is Being Calm in the Face of Persecution.*

By operating with wisdom from above, by placing service of others over the desire to serve others, by being childlike, by working for peace rather than war, the world soon starts to see us as weak, useless and a hindrance. This explains why Jesus did not live long on earth and why we should expect persecution in our attempts to be like Jesus. True greatness is the courage to reproach people for their sinfulness not with words but simply by doing the right thing.

Our first reading today explains that the acts of violence and hatred we face from the worldly-minded are done to test the authenticity of our convictions. We only become victorious when we remain calm and steadfast despite the provocations. Show me a man who will turn the other cheek, a man who will continue doing right and refrain from returning an insult with insult and I will show you a really great man.

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus help me follow your guide to greatness. Amen.

Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (25^th Sunday of Ordinary Time. Year B. Bible Study: Wisdom 2:12-20, Psalm 54:3-8, James 3:16-4:3 and Mark 9:30-37)