Today's Mass: December 2018

Like Mary, Blessed Shall You Be This New Year.

Homily for 1^st January 2019

_“The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you: The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.” *(Numbers 6:25-26.)*_

Good morning my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let me start by saying HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all. Last year had its own unique challenges but we thank God it has finally ended and we are happy and grateful to God for the grace to see another year.

This morning, we are celebrating the Solemnity of a woman who remained cheerful and grateful despite the many challenges she had to put up with, in taking on the responsibility, of being the Mother of Jesus. And in today’s Gospel passage, we are told: “She treasured all these things in her heart.” She wasn’t noisy, she wasn’t a gossiping woman, a nagging and complaining woman, she just accepted everything that came her way gracefully and quietly.

As we begin a New Year, we ought to emulate the outstanding disposition of Mary. She was told she had a great responsibility to carry and she did not complain, she was waiting for it. All she said was “I am the handmaid of God, let it be done according to God’s will.” That should be our number one statement as we enter this New Year. We all have great expectations for this New Year, but we do not know how it will turn out to be, so all we can say is “God, let it be done according to your will.”

Mary accepted the plan of God in her life, she took in the highs and the lows, she was ready for the joys as well as the pains involved. She never gave up but continued to look forward gallantly in hope to that day of her reward when all generations would actually start calling her blessed. This was Mary’s attitude to life and what kept her going.

Mary is so outstanding today because she knew her role in God’s plan and was willing to obey every detail, every command to the letter. When the Child was born, she gave the very name “Jesus” in obedience to the Angel’s instruction. She knew that through her, God was about to fulfil his promise. As St. Paul say: “At the fullness of time, God sent his son born of a woman born under the law, to redeem those under the law so that WE MIGHT BECOME SONS OF GOD.” Gal. 4, 4. And that is what we are. We are no longer slaves, we have received adoption as sons.

We are sons, we are not slaves, thanks to Jesus, the Son of God, born of a woman. You know the difference between a son and a slave? Both of them eat the same food every day but while one eats on a golden plate, the other eats scraps from the left-overs. While one is truly concerned about protecting the house, the other is concerned about his monthly pay. While one obeys the Father’s instruction always out of pure love and knowledge of right and wrong, the other obeys ONLY when people are looking. Do not be surprised that many Christians today live like slaves in God’s house when they should be sons.

I pray for you that this new year, you shall rise to your true position as a Son in God’s house. That you shall possess your possession. That you shall eat no longer remnants but real food from the golden plate of God’s word, the Bible. That you shall be well fed, that is, so blessed that you shall be a blessing to the people you will meet throughout this year. I pray that you will no longer live a pretentious life but uphold your Christian values, that you will be light in the midst of the darkness of sin and evil in our world.

Above all, I pray for you as Moses prayed for the people: “The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!”

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, I thank you with all my heart for this New Year. Make it be the best year of my life. Amen.

*Happy New Year. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Bible Study: Numbers 6:22-27, Psalm 67, Galatians 4:4-7 and Luke 2:16-21).*

Fr. Abu.

The Antichrist and the Last Hour.

Homily for Monday 31^st December 2018

_“Children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come; therefore we know that it is the last hour.” *(1 John 2:18)*_

Finally, the year 2018 is set to pack and go. It is the last hour. Whatever has a beginning must also have an end. As the year comes to an end, St. John in today’s first reading draws our mind to the very end of the world; the last hour. According to John, a sign of the last hour is the coming of the antichrist but considering the fact that we already have so many antichrists, we are actually living in the last hour already.

We may ask, who are these antichrists?

Our Gospel passage answers this question perfectly. It says: “The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not...” John 1:9-11.

Put simply, the antichrists are people who oppose Christ, people who do not receive Christ, people who prefer to remain in the darkness rather than accepting the light of Christ.

St. John adds one interesting line in our first reading which helps us to understand who these antichrists are: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out, that it might be plain that they all are not of us.” 1 John 2:19

That is to say, the antichrists are not strangers to the light. The antichrists are not people who have never heard about God. The antichrists are Christians like you and I, but by their actions and way of life have become anti-christ. The antichrists are those Jesus referred to as wolves in sheep clothing; pretenders, fake Christians.

As we enter the last hour of this year, let us examine our hearts: Am I for Christ (pro-Christ) or against Christ (anti-Christ)? Do my actions and inactions promote the kingdom of Christ or act as stumbling blocks to Christ’s kingdom? Since the start of this year, how many persons have I brought closer to Christ?

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, as this year draws to an end, may all that is false in me also drew to an end. May I be an instrument of your light and peace always. Amen

Merry Christmas to You. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas. Bible Study: 1^st John 2:18-21, Psalm 96, and John 1:1-18).

How to Make Your Family Holy.

Homily for Sunday 30^th December 2018

_“When they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‘Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.’” *(Luke 2:48)*_

The Christmas holiday has so far provided an opportunity for family members to gather together. As such, there is no better time other than this moment to talk about the family. Today, being the last Sunday of the year 2018 and the only Sunday within the octave of Christmas, we are celebrating the Solemnity of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Our readings today contain so many lessons we must apply to make our families great and holy.

*Lesson One: Never Leave Jesus Behind.*

Mary and Joseph went with Jesus to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. When the ceremony was over, they probably got caught up with so many normal distractions that they forgot their twelve-year-old baby behind. One of the sicknesses affecting our families today is that we have left Jesus behind. When prayer becomes scarce in the family, when Jesus is not allowed to speak; when the Bible is never read or shared, things begin to fall apart. Remember that song: “When Jesus is in the family, happy happy home, happy happy home…”

*Lesson Two: Children Must be Loved as GIFTS from God.*

In our first reading, we read the story of Hannah who was childless and suffered ridicule as a result. It was with tears that Hannah came to the temple to pray for a child. During this season of Christmas, we saw how God made the Virgin Mary conceive, we also saw how the old Zechariah and Elizabeth had a child. What does this teach us?

One, there is nothing God cannot do. Are you currently childless, trust me, the God you serve is more than capable of blessing you when He deems fit. Let nothing dampen your faith. Two, it is not what you possess in your body that produces children. Just as God can make a virgin conceive, God can also delay conception to a perfectly healthy couple for a reason.

This implies that as parents, we must learn to see our children as gifts, not properties, persons entrusted to our care by God to whom we shall give account on the day of judgement. Children deserve to be loved. It is very sad to see parents rain curses or insults on their children, treat them as burdens or make them feel their coming to life was by mere coincidence.

*Lesson Three: Let Love Reign in Your Family.*

Without love for one another, a family becomes a mere combination of strangers living together just because they have nowhere else to go. The uniqueness of the family is that you never get to choose the people you call family, God does that divine arrangement but too often, we act as if God made a mistake in choosing these persons for us. Your family members are your best friends, your confidants, your most trusted advisers NOT your competitors. God gave us family because he looked at the man he made and said: “It is not good for him to be alone.” Family members are companions, they support each other, sacrifice for each other, help one another to grow, they bring out the best in you. It is sad when family members try to outshine one another.

The family should never be the last resort to turn to when all else has failed, it should be the first place to turn when we desire love, warmth and a sense of direction. The mistake we often make is that we look down on our family members and begin to find love outside. Sadly, we don’t even trust our family members at times. As we saw in today’s Gospel passage, “he (Jesus) went down with them (Mary and Joseph) and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.” Jesus was willing to follow his parents back home because of the love that existed in that family.

There are some family members who never see eye to eye. There are some families that have lost the hope of ever gathering together under one roof simply because love for one another has vanished from their hearts. Could this be the case in your family? There is hope. The work begins with you, forgive, mediate, let the past die, make the first move for reconciliation, show love and you are more likely to get love back. Become your family’s bridge-builder, peacemaker, heart mender, love designer. This may look like hard work but with God, all things are possible.

*Lesson Four: Bring Family to Church and Church to Family.*

Hannah fulfilled her vow to God by bringing the boy Samuel to the temple where he was to remain for the rest of his life. Yesterday, we read how Mary and Joseph brought the child Jesus to the temple for the rite of purification. Today, they bring Jesus to Jerusalem for the annual feast of Passover. Nowadays, some parents leave their children at home and come to church, some do not care about the type of clothes their children wear to church, some do not even care that their children never enter the church but hang around outside. It is very sad that Parents do not make efforts to bring their children to church for catechism classes but would be quick to blame the devil when their children eventually leave the church claiming to have seen the light elsewhere.

In truth, if we do not let our children see the light here, if we act as if religion is not important, our children will grow up without a personal relationship with God and this may just be the beginning of a life of crisis. The family is the first church. What happens in the church building is only a larger picture of what should happen in each family. They say the best time to shape a piece of clay is when it is still wet. If by our bad examples, we fail to teach God to our children, we literally set them up for destruction.

*Lesson Five: Let God’s Commandments Guide Your Family.*

Every family has both written and unwritten codes. There are Do’s and Don’ts. Without discipline, the family falls apart. Our economy is bad, so bad that gone are the days when either parent stays home takes the job of grooming the children. Nowadays, both parents are forced to go all out and work for the money thereby leaving children to grow physically sound but morally deformed. The toughest, yet most rewarding job on earth is human formation.

Yes, the bills must be paid, the school fees must be paid but one thing that does not require money is the time you commit to building your children’s character. The bitter truth is that our schools today are nothing other than mere business centres out to make money without real concern for the integral education of the child. Hence, while the school imparts knowledge, the family must impart morality. The commandments of God must become the written codes in our family.

As our second reading, today explains, our failure to keep God’s commandments puts a question mark on our claim to be children of God. It says: “All who keep his commandments abide in him and he in them.”

*Conclusion: Our Families Can Be Holy Again.*

No matter what may be the situation in your family right now, bear this in mind: first, there is no such thing as a perfect family out there just as there is no perfect human being. So stop comparing your family to another. Secondly, no matter how bad things are right now, you can still change it. Revive the daily family prayer, reawaken love for one another, bring family to church and church to family, apply discipline by first showing a good example. Sing: “My life time… my family… I give God my family….”

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, make my family holier than it is right now. Amen.

*Merry Christmas to You. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Feast of the Holy Family. Bible Study: 1^st Samuel 1:20-28, Psalm 84, 1^st John 3:1-2,21-54 and Luke 2:41-52).

The Baby Jesus and the Holy Innocents.

Homily for Friday 27^th December 2018

_“Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem.” *(Matthew 2:16).*_

Today we remember the Holy Innocents; the children who were slaughtered by Herod in an attempt to kill the baby, Jesus. When the wise men were being led by the star to the newly born king, they mistakenly went to the Palace assuming kings are only born in palaces. That was how Herod got to know about Jesus. He couldn’t stomach the existence of another king alive when he was still king.

Herod instructed the wise men to find out about the child and return news to him so that he too could go and do the child homage. This was a trick. He wanted by all means to eliminate the child. As God would have it, Herod realized that his trick failed when after two whole years the wise men never returned. In a rage, Herod gave a command for the killing of all the male children two years old and younger. Herod did this as an act of war; an attempt to protect his kingship. What Herod never realized was that Jesus was not an earthly king interested in worldly power.

There is a Herod that lives in every human being; it is called “ego”, it wants to reign, to dominate, to be worshipped by all means even to the detriment of others. The Herod in you wants to hold on to power not minding how many lives would be lost as a result. The Herod in you cannot stand competition, it is ready to eliminate, to kill and destroy others so long as it makes you feel good. The Herod in you, for instance, supports abortion so long as the existence of the baby in your womb would be considered shameful to the public. The Herod in you does not care about others.

How often have I felt so threatened by the success of others to the extent of doing all in my power to pull them down, get them out of the way or outrightly eliminate them? What actions do I take to remain in power? If we were to be very sincere with ourselves, we are guilty of even worse crimes than Herod himself on a daily basis. As our first reading asserts, if we claim we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves but if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.

Repent. Let others shine. What belongs to you can never pass you by. Pulling others down, defaming people’s character or blackmailing just to look good will not get you far. In the end, no matter how hard you try, you can never stop anyone from achieving their God-given potentials just as Herod could not stop Jesus.

The death of the Holy innocents casts a dark shadow on our Christmas celebration. It gives us a glimpse of the darkness that so filled the earth before Christ's birth brought light to the world. It also gives us a glimpse of what life on earth would have been if Jesus had not brought salvation. If Jesus wasn’t born, I guess none of us would have been alive today.

As to why God allowed these children to die, we do not know. All we know is that we serve a God who will always protect us by warning us ahead of danger just as He did by sending an Angel to warn Joseph.

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, free me from the spirit of Herod. Amen.

Merry Christmas to You. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Feast of the Holy Innocents, 28^th December 2018. Bible Study: 1^st John 1:5-2:2, Psalm 124 and Matthew 2:13-18).

St. John: The One whom Jesus Loved.

Homily for Thursday 27^th December 2018

_“Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved.” *(John 20:1-2)*_

Yesterday, we celebrated the heavenly birthday of a man whose very life teaches us what it means to love as Jesus loved. Today, we are celebrating St. John the Apostle, the beloved of Jesus. John was the closest Apostle to Jesus, so close that it was to him that Jesus handed over his Mother while he was dying on the Cross.

Dear friends, the life of St. John the Apostle speaks a compelling truth: that Jesus Christ actually took our human flesh; that He was really born like one of us; that He had close friends; that He loved real people and had human feelings.

Was it necessary for Jesus to have had a best friend? Wasn’t he supposed to love everybody equally? Our human experience already shows us that no matter how we try to love people, there would always be a special one. John was that special one.

Everyone knew how close John was to Jesus. As our Gospel passage today tells us, it was John Peter asked about who was to betray Jesus. Jesus confided in John saying it was the one to whom He was to give the bread he was about to dip in wine. (John 13:23-26).

Based on how close Jesus was to John, some of Jesus’ disciples assumed that John will live forever. In John 21:21-23, we read: “When Peter saw him (John), he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about this man?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If it is my will that he remains until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!’ The saying spread abroad among the brethren that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?’”

John had a close and personal relationship with Jesus. When he wrote his letter as contained in today’s first reading, John aimed to prove that Jesus was not simply a figment of imagination but “that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands…”

John ran faster than Peter to the tomb not because he was younger, but out of a feeling of love and devotion to a dear friend. He got there first but waited for Peter (as a mark of respect) before going in. John gave an eye-witness account of the resurrection and concluded by declaring his faith: “he saw and believed.”

Now, where does all these lead to? As part of our Christmas celebrations, the story of John the beloved draws us to open our hearts to love Jesus as a friend and brother. It is not enough that we eat rice and chicken to celebrate Jesus’ birth, we must also enter into personal relationship with Jesus just as John did.

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, make me open my heart to you just like John did. Amen.

Merry Christmas to You. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Feast of St. John the Apostle 27^th December 2018. Bible Study: 1^st John 1:1-4, Psalm 97 and John 20:2-8).

What St. Stephen teaches us About Christmas.

Homily for Wednesday 26^th December 2018

_“Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.” *(Matthew 10:21-22)*_

Year after year, I never cease to wonder why the feast of St. Stephen is placed side by side with Christmas. What a sharp contrast! Just hours after celebrating the birth of Jesus, here we are talking about the stoning of a man to death.

Our morning prayer today says: “Grant Lord, we pray that we may imitate what we worship, and so learn to love even our enemies, for we celebrate the heavenly birthday of a man who knew how to pray for his persecutors.” That is to say, today’s feast is in the spirit of our birthday celebrations; yesterday was that of Jesus and today is St. Stephen.

What was Stephen’s offence that led to his stoning? False accusation by persons who tried but could not defeat him in mere theological arguments. Stephen’s death was fuelled by envy and jealousy, inspired by lies against him and orchestrated by ignorance from a mob who could not stand it when Stephen revealed his vision of heaven with Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

What is so unique about St. Stephen is even while he was being stoned to death, he refused to allow bitterness and hatred becloud his mind. By the example of his death, St. Stephen imitated Jesus Christ who while on the cross prayed for his persecutors: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34.

Our celebration of St. Stephen just a day after Christmas is a sharp reminder that Christmas is not all about eating and drinking. It is a celebration of the SACRIFICIAL LOVE of God for us. If God so loved us, we too must love one another. If God so loved us even when we were His enemies due to our sinfulness, we too must love our enemies; we must love those who persecute us, we must pray for them and ask God to forgive them even when we keep receiving their stones.

We may have spent time yesterday with the special persons in our lives. We have invited our close friends and family members, we have shared food, clothes, drinks and even money with our loved ones. Today, still in the spirit of Christmas, we are invited to become like St. Stephen; to pray for and show love to those who hate us.

In our Gospel passage today Jesus says: “Beware of men…” People can be very wicked, heartless and cruel. By saying we must beware of men, Jesus is not saying we should avoid all human company, He wants us to be wise in our dealings with others and to expect the worst especially when we stand for God. However, the last line of our Gospel passage contains a message of hope: “He who endures to the end will be saved.” No matter how bad people are to you, don’t give up on God, don’t give up on goodness even when things become tough, salvation awaits ahead.

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, teach me to imitate you just like Stephen did. Amen.

Merry Christmas to You. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Feast of St. Stephen the Martyr 26^th December 2018. Bible Study: Acts 6:54-59, Psalm 31 and Matthew 10:17-22).

What St. Stephen teaches us About Christmas.

Homily for Wednesday 26^th December 2018

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, teach me to imitate you just like Stephen did. Amen.

What St. Stephen teaches us About Christmas.

Homily for Wednesday 26^th December 2018

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, teach me to imitate you just like Stephen did. Amen.

The Blessing of Thanksgiving.

Homily for Monday 24^th December 2018, Morning Mass

_“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.” *(Luke 1:68-69)*_

In our Gospel passage today, we come across that beautiful song which Zechariah sang in thanksgiving to God for the release of his speech after he had named John the Baptist. Zechariah who did not believe it was possible for him to be a father at his age had to confess that indeed there is no one like God when he saw with his own eyes the son that was born to him.

Zechariah’s song of Thanksgiving is also known as the Benedictus. It is a song that incorporates the entire history of the chosen people of God, a song that points God out as a promise keeper, a miracle worker, a mighty warrior, a God who delivers us from the hands of our enemies, a God of righteousness and holiness.

This is the song we sing every day as part of our morning prayers in the breviary. No matter what you may be going through, sing this song of Zechariah and your confidence in God will surely be reawakened.

There is an aspect of the song of Zechariah which connects us with our first reading. Zechariah declares that God has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation in the house of his servant David. Who is this David? That same young man whom God took from being a shepherd boy to the position of King of Israel.

God loved David so much yet David was not without his personal weakness and limitations. Many times David erred but he always returned to ask for mercy. There is something that David did in today’s first reading that really made an impression in the mind of God. David expressed his desire to build a befitting house for God when he noticed that he was living in a house of cedar but the ark of God was dwelling in a tent.

David was willing to build the best of the best temple anyone could ever imagine not simply because he had the resources but out of his humility. He did not feel comfortable living in a palace of comfort while the house of God was not up to standard. David wanted to build for God in thanksgiving; that is, in acknowledgement of what God had done for him by raising him from nothing to glory.

Eventually, God told Nathan the prophet that David would not have the honour of building His house. However, for merely expressing his desire to build God’s house, (for the mere fact that David was humble enough to give God thanks), God showered so many blessings on David. The blessings God gave to David even extended beyond his own lifetime and part of this blessing was the promise of one because of whom David’s kingdom and throne would become established forever.

Dear friends, it is not what you give to God that matters but the ATTITUDE you put into the giving. Jesus Christ was impressed with the widow not because she gave so much but because she gave with faith. God was impressed with David not because he built God’s house but because he expressed his unhappiness about the state of God’s house. We cannot buy God’s blessing (everything in this world already belongs to God) but we can draw His attention towards us when we show concern towards the development of the Church which is a mark of His Presence among men.

As we celebrate Christmas, let us flavour our festivities with an inner sense of gratitude like David. Let the song of Zechariah become our chorus because God is truly great, God is a promise keeper, a deliverer, a merciful Father.

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, may I be a part of the blessings of David. Amen.

Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Monday 24^th December. Bible Study: 2 Samuel 7:1-16, Psalm 89:2-29 and Luke 1:67-79).