FR REMI HOMILIES/REFLECTIONS AND SERMONS

HOMILY FOR THE 18TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23; Colossians 3:1-5; 9-11; Luke 12:13-21 Central to the liturgy of the word today is the question of vanity and value. When is our action considered vanity and when is our action considered of great value? In the context of man's efforts and activities in life, his earthly struggles and toils, the first reading from the book of Ecclesiastes considers vanity. It reads: “Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (Eccles 1:2). It questioned the laborious efforts of man for success, prosperity and achievements, and reduced them all to nothingness. For when the breadth of life is taken away from man, he does not go down below with these properties. They all end up becoming properties of another who may not have toiled for it at all.  The first reading and the second reading from St. Paul's letter to the Colossians 3:1-5; 9-11 bring to the limelight the paradox between vani...

WHY DOES THE TRUTH GENERATE HATRED? Jeremiah 26:11-16.24; Matthew 14:1-12 It is popularly said that 'no one is so much hated than the one who speaks the truth. The truth, the sages will say is always bitter and whoever stands up for the truth should be ready to stand alone. Consequently, the question is why does the truth generate so much hatred? In the first reading from the book of prophet Jeremiah, we hear of the attempted mobilization by the officials of the temple to condemn and arrest the Prophet Jeremiah simply because he spoke in defence of the truth against the misdeeds within the Temple of Jerusalem, while he reached the word of God. He declared, “In truth, the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears” (Jer 26:15). Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, the destiny of every witness to the truth is that he/she is always mocked, hated, despised,  ridiculed, disparaged, derided, laughed at, accused of lack of understanding, narrow-minded, old-fashion, unpop...

HOMILY FOR THE MEMORIAL OF ST. MARTHA John 11:19-27 MARTHA: MODEL OF HOSPITALITY AND SERVICE We celebrate today the memorial of St. Martha, a woman of faith and hope in Jesus. Martha, who hailed from a family of three was the sister of Mary and Lazarus of Bethany. A family specially dedicated to the interest of Jesus. The Gospel of John expressed the friendship that existed between them and Jesus when it said “Jesus loved Marth and her sister and Lazarus“ (In 11:15). In the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, Jesus found peace, friendship, hospitality and love. This is contrary to the rejection he suffered even in the hands of his own people (Jn 1:11). Martha, a woman of faith and hope in Jesus was the one who requested the presence of Jesus at the death of his brother Lazarus. Her faith was made manifest in the dialogue with Jesus in the following words: “If you had been here, my brother would not have died but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God he will grant you” (Jn 11:21)...

HOMILY FOR THE 17TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR II Jeremiah 18:1-6; Matthew 13:47-53 In the first reading from the book of prophet Jeremiah, we hear the parable of the Potter and the clay. Manifestation of the relationship between God and Israel. For as the clay is dependent on the potter, so also is Israel dependent on God. The Potter has the prerogative to rework the clay into another vessel fitting for his purpose (Jer 18:5-6). The meaningfulness of the clay lies in the heart and plans of the Potter. We can rightly say that as the clay is in the potter's hands, likewise is humanity in the hands of God. As "clay" we must in humility and obedience submit unwaveringly to the disposition of God, to rework and remodel us according to his plans and purposes. The meaningfulness of our lives depends on the workings of God. The hope of humanity rests on the determination of God.  Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, despite our mistakes, errors, iniquities, enormities, vices,...

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, as a Christian, what is your outstanding goal and motivation in life? what do you consider the greatest value in your life? What do you seek as the highest or absolute significance in your life? What sacrifice are you willing to make to hold tenaciously to that which you value above all other things in life?   In the Gospel reading of today, Jesus compares the kingdom of God  to a man who discovers a hidden treasure in the field, he goes off, sells everything he owns and buys the field. And also to a merchant in search of fine pearls; when he finds one of great value, he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.  The man who discovered the hidden treasure and the merchant who found the fine pearls, both held unto their discoveries as that of absolute value for which they made the highest sacrifice to obtain. At the discovery, nothing else mattered to them other than the treasure and the fine pearl. Fulfilment of the heart ...

HOMILY FOR THE MEMORIAL OF SAINTS JOACHIM AND ANNE Jeremiah 14:17-22; Matthew 13:36-43 Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the maternal grandparents of our Lord Jesus Christ and the parents-in-law of St. Joseph.  The celebration of today takes us through the memory lane of those who introduced Jesus and Mary to us. Hence, the subtle misconception of the origin of the Blessed Virgin Mary is perfectly clarified. She had parents in the persons of Joachim and Anne.  Although the sacred scripture makes no mention of the names of the parents of our lady, credence is given to an old tradition that goes back to the 2nd century which holds that Joachim was Mary's father and Anne was her mother. Tradition has it that Joachim and Anne lived in Nazareth. They belong to the tribe of Judah and the royal family of David. Right from the early times of the church, Joachim and Anne had been celebrated a...

Homily for the feast of St. James (Apostles) 2 Corinthians 4:7-15; Mt 20:20-28 Service is the key to true greatness Today we celebrate the feast of St James (Apostle). James is the son of Zebedee and the brother of John the Apostle and evangelist. Theologians have likened the mother to Salome, who is perhaps the cousin of our Lady (Jn 19:25). This perhaps gave her the temerity to make requests from Jesus on behalf of her sons (Mt 20:20-21). The apostle James is one of the first four apostles called by Jesus and by profession he was a fisherman from Galilee (Mt 4:22; Mk 1:16-20). James was among the three privileged apostles (Peter, James and John) that enjoyed special preferences from Jesus. For instance: At the raising of the daughter of Jairus to life (Mk 5:37) only these three were present, at the Transfiguration of Jesus (Mt 17:1-8) these three were the only witnesses, and also at the Lord's agony in the garden of Gethsemane (Mt 26:36-40) only these three were present as well. ...

HOMILY FOR THE 17TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME OF YEAR C Genesis 18:20-32; Colossians 2:12-14; Luke 11:1-13 PERSEVERANCE IN PRAYER In today's liturgy of the word, the Holy Mother Church guides us to reflect on the essentiality, necessity and efficacy of prayer. Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, are you a man or woman of prayer? Do you believe and understand the power of Prayer? Do you know that prayer provides answers? Do you know that prayer brings us into the mystery of communion with God? Do you know that through prayer you can intercede for others? Do you know that prayer can appease the heart of God? Do you know that prayer works miracles? Do you understand that with prayer you invite the Trinity into your life? Do you know that prayer helps you find direction in life? One who prays never gets lost. Do you know that prayer helps you surmount temptations in life? Are you aware that prayer helps you align your dispositions to the will of God?  Friends in Christ, undeniabl...

CAN YOU BE PATIENT EVEN TOWARDS YOUR ENEMY? PARABLE OF THE WHEAT AND THE WEEDS Jeremiah 7:1-11; Mathew 13:24-30 Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, in the Gospel narrative, we hear the parable of the weeds. A parable in which the kingdom of God is compared to someone who sowed good seeds in the field but while asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away (Mt 13:24-25). In the parallel, the sower is the Son of Man, the field is the world and the good seed are the children of God, the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil (Mt 13:37-39).  Firstly, the parable speaks to us about the need for us to be vigilant and watchful in all we do, lest the evil one invades the world, the church, our hearts and consciences and sows evil seeds of deceit, dishonesty and falsehood. These like the weeds commence to choke our faith and our consciousness and begin to barricade our sound mind and intellect on morality.  To b...

St. Mary Magdalene (July 22) Songs of songs 3:1-4; John 20:1-2, 11-18 Today we celebrate the feast of St. Mary Madalene. The Holy Mother church guides us to reflect on her personality in relation to Jesus, leaving her as an exemplary figure that we may follow.  Mary Magdalene was a native of Magdala, a village at the western shore of Galilee, known for commonly fishing.  Not so much is said of her but the little spoken of her in the Gospels: she is recognized as a woman  The Gospel of Luke refers to her as “Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna and many others, who provided for them (Jesus and his apostles) out of their resources” (Luke 8:2-3) The Gospels recognized her as one of those who stood by the foot of the cross at Golgotha. “But standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene” (Jn 19:25; Mt 27:55-56; Mk 15:40; Lk...

HOMILY DELIVERED ON 21ST JULY, 2022. ON THE BURIAL OF VERY REV. FR. JOHN MARK CHEITNUM                       BY VERY REV. FR. JEGA DANIEL ROMANUS Your Excellency, Most Rev Dr JULIUS YAKUBU KUNDI  MONSIGNORI, VERY REV & REV FRS, DINSTINGUISHED LAITY,   GOOD MORNING.  It was saint Augustine of Hippo who at the close of his life said, “ in this  life we are all mortals, and the last of life shall be for every man on earth uncertain. But at infancy, there is the hope of reaching boyhood. At boyhood, there is the hope of reaching adulthood, at adulthood, there is the hope of reaching old age. But at old age, the individual must begin to think of returning to his maker.” However, there is no guarantee that the individual would reach the next stage of life. This is because every fulfillment of human history is a project reserved for God alone. {AUGUSTINIANUM HIPPOSENSEM 4} No wonder, this famous saying is credi...

RESPONSIBILITY BREEDS ACCOUNTABILITY HOMILY FOR THURSADY OF THE 16TH WEEK IN THE ORDINARY TIME Jer 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13; Mt 13:10-17 It is popularly said that responsibility breeds accountability. In the first reading from the book of prophet Jeremiah, God expressed his displeasure upon Israel who had departed from the ways of the Lord (Holiness) to imbibe idolatry (worship of other gods:Baal) and all sorts of evil atrocities. God recounted how Israel during her youth was devoted as a bride to the Lord God in holiness. It read: “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruits of his harvest” (Jer 2:1-3).  However, reviewing the decadence in the morality of Israel, God through the prophet singled out the priests, the shepherds, the prophets etc. Those saddled with the responsibility of instructing the people in the ways of the Lord. How they had failed in their duties a...

Jer 1:1, 4-10; Matthew 13: 1-9 The first reading speaks to us of the call of the prophet Jeremiah. However, evident in this reading is the truth that God is not only the giver of our vocations and has absolute knowledge of our being but that God abhors the termination of the life of the unborn. Abortion is an abominable crime before God the most High. The word of God is addressed to Jeremiah saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jer 1:4-5). Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, the foundational argument of the pro-abortionists is that the unborn can not be said to be recognized as persons and thus do not possess human rights. This is a porous and dismissable argument because it does not fathom the moment of the inception of the life of the human person.  The catechism of the catholic church instructs us that Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of...

Homily for Tuesday of the 16th week in the ordinary time. God never abandons his flock: Micha 7: 14-15, 18-20; Matthew 12: 46-50 The first reading speaks of the gracious and intercessory prayer of prophet Micah, seeking the intervention of God (the Shepherd) to attend to the plight of the people, for they are in severe distress. It read, “Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock that belongs to you, which lives alone in a forest amid a garden land; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old” (Mic 7:14).  Judah was indeed surrounded by arch enemies, who were already in possession of the fertile land around the territory. Consequently, famine was ruining the land and the Prophet sort the intervention of God upon his people. Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, God is indeed the shepherd of the flock. In the book of Ezekiel, he said, “I will search for my sheep, and will seek them out” (Ezek 34:11). In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “I am the gold Shepherd, an...

Mic 6:1-4,6-8 Mt 12:38-42 The Tribunal is popularly perceived as the Temple of Justice and the last hope of the common man. Ordinarily, when people feel unjustly treated they seek justice at the tribunal. In the first reading of today from the book of Prophet Micah, a case is taken to the tribunal by God himself. He although the judge, is also the accuser or petitioner. The respondent or defendant is Israel and the witnesses are the mountains, the hills and the foundation of the earth (Mic 6;1-2).  We may ask, what exactly is the accusation? It is Israel's infidelity, for the word of the Lord says: “What have I done to you? Oh my people. In what have I wearied you? I brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent you Moses, Aaron and Miriam” (Mic 6:3-4). The response of Israel as the defendant is that they have come before the Lord with burnt offerings of calves and thousands of rams (Micah 6:7). However the Lord God, as the judge passe...

HOSPITALITY, CONTEMPLATION AND SUFFERING: PATHWAYS TO COMMUNION WITH GOD  16th Sunday in the ordinary time, Year c Genesis 18:1-10, Colossians 1:24-28; Luke 10:38-42 A life without reflection is a life without direction, and a life without direction is a wasted life. Today's liturgy of the word provides us with the tripartite routes/paths we must follow in other to be successful and in communion with God. These paths are not mutually exclusive but complementary. The first path speaks of Service and hospitality. This was the pathway heeded by Martha in today's Gospel and Abraham in the first reading respectively. We are told that “Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home...now Martha, who was distracted with all the servings, said Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do all the serving all by myself? Please, tell her to help me. Jesus responded, Martha, Martha, you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are...