FR REMI HOMILIES/REFLECTIONS AND SERMONS

Homily for the Feast of St. Andrew (Apostle) Romans 10:9-18; Matthew 4:18-22. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter was a native of Bethsaida and a fisherman like his brother, whom he introduced to the Lord (cf.John 1:42). He was a disciple of John the Baptist and one of the first to become a disciple of Jesus. With Philip he presented the Gentiles to Jesus (cf.John 12:20-22) and, before the miracle in the desert, it was Andrew who pointed out to Jesus the boy carrying the loaves and the fish (cf.John 6:8-9). In the First Reading, St. Paul encourages us to be ready preachers of God's word because through it will people come to hear and know about the wonderful works and love of God in Christ Jesus, believe in him and so be saved. In today's Gospel, Jesus was beginning his public ministry and does this by calling his first four disciples, Andrew, Peter, James and John and Jesus invited them to give their work a different configuration: "Follow me, and I will make you fishers o

Homily for Tuesday of the 1st week of Advent Isaiah 11:1-10Luke 10:21-24. In the First Reading, the Prophet Isaiah foretells the restoration of harmony, at the coming of the Messiah: "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots" (Isa.11:1). A stump is the last part of a tree in the ground which dies naturally when the tree is cut down. Yet Isaiah prophesies that from the stump of Jess shall come forth a shoot that shall blossom and flourish. In the same way, in every hopeless situation, God can do wonders in the life of those who remain faithful to Him particularly with those who are humble. Jesus in today's Gospel is giving thanks to the Father for revealing the mystery of His kingdom to infants rather than to the intelligent. Infants are those who have childlike spirit. They are the most open humans. They are quite impressionable at every level. This is the reason they forgive and never hold grudges. It is to people o

Homily for Monday of the 1st Week of Advent  Isaiah 4:2-6; Matthew 8:5-11. In the First Reading, Prophet Isaiah tells us that, "the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Sion and the assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy and a pavilion" (Isa.4:5-6). Once we truly surrender ourselves to God, every evil against us will be conquered because the Lord will create over us a protective cloud by day and a shining flaming fire by night. In today's Gospel, the centurion is presented to us as a model of faith worth emulating. Firstly, he is concerned about the health of a servant when he had a hundred servants under his authority. Secondly, despite his position of authority, he was humble enough to approach Jesus out of humility for his servant's healing. Lastly, he had so much faith in Jesus to the extent that all he required from Jesus is for Him to say the word and his servant wil

Homily for First Sunday of Advent Year A Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14a; Matthew 24:37-44. Theme: "Be Vigilant!" We begin a new Liturgical year 2023 today with the season of Advent. This liturgical year A begins the three-year cycle of the story of our salvation. In this liturgical year, our Sunday Gospel reading will be from St. Matthew's Gospel. "Advent", as the name suggests, has to do with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a time of vigilance as we await God's coming in our history. Through conversion, we prepare ourselves to welcome God who is born among us. During Advent, the Church asks us to prepare for the three dimensional coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, past, present and future. Historically, Jesus came into our world in time when he was born in Bethlehem. This we celebrate on Christmas day. He was crucified, died and was buried and after three days he rose again from the dead and ascended into heaven after forty days of His resurrection

Homily for Saturday. Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time. Revelation 22:1-7 Luke 21:34-36. Today brings to an end the liturgical year 2022. As we come to the end of this liturgical year, the Church in our readings today just as she has been doing in the last two weeks calls our consciousness to what will happen at the end of time and the need to always to be ready since we do not know when this will take place. Through the rich use of symbols God teaches us in the First Reading about the nature of eternal life which is the fulfilment of mankind's deepest yearnings. We are to see God face to face and glorify Him forever. From the description given concerning our eternal abode, it is a place we should all desire to be. "And night shall be no more; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they shall reign forever and ever". As God's children we must take these words seriously because the angel assured St. John saying, "These words

Homily for Friday. Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Revelation 20:1-4,11---21:2; Luke 21:29-33. In the First Reading, it is consoling to know that the Devil is bound, thrown into the pit and sealed up, so that he can no more deceive humanity to sin. On the other hand, our attention is drawn to the fact that after our earthly sojourn we shall be judged by our deeds and be rewarded accordingly. "And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done" (Rev.20:12) "and all were judged by what they had done" (Rev.20:13). This is a reminder for us to examine the way we live on daily basis, keeping in mind the four last things -- death, judgment, heaven or hell. In today's Gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ advises us to use the same knowledge pattern we use to determine the changes of weather and season to also determine God's presence and His Kingdom in our midst and to know the importance of Christ's words, He tells us that "Heav

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE THIRTY FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II  (ST. ANDREW DUNG-LAC & COMPANIONS) Rev.18:1-2,21-23; 19:1-3,9a; Luke 21:20-28 In the gospel reading of today, Jesus gave a description of events that will accompany the destruction of Jerusalem. Surprisingly, Jesus also told his disciples that these same events will be for them a sign that their redemption is drawing near. The end will concern all but the destruction that will affect Jerusalem will not be perceived by the disciples. What this teaches us is that the judgment of God is neither condemnation nor commendation in itself; it is simply justice. Yet, the judgment will bring about condemnation and commendation. Now, whether we will be condemned or commended will be dependent on our preparation. Little wonder the psalmist noted that those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb are blessed because they were found worthy. Beloved, one thing we can learn here is that death is not always detestab

Homily for Wednesday of the 34th week in the ordinary time, year II Revelation 15:1-4; Luke 21:12-19 In the first reading we have the song of Moses and the Lamb. The song of Moses commemorated the greatest deliverance in the history of God's people. Moses sang the song when the people of Israel had come triumphantly through the perils of the crossing of the Red Sea. Just as Moses had led the Israelites through the Red Sea into the promised land, so Jesus Christ, the lamb come out leads us through death to life. There is a new Passover, a new covenant. The victorious Christians  have followed the Lamb across the Red Sea of tribulation into the promised land, heaven.  In the song of Moses and the lamb, there is not a single word in it about the victory and achievement of those who followed the lamb. Everything is attributed to God. "Great and amazing are your deeds, Lord God, the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, king of the Nations (Rev. 15:3). The song is a hymn to the om

Homily for Tuesday 34th Week in Ordinary Time.  Memorial of St. Cecilia (Virgin and Martyr).  Revelation 14:14-19; Luke 21:5-11. In the First Reading, our Lord Jesus Christ is pictured as taking the righteous with him. He reaps the harvest: "So he who sat upon the cloud swung his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped" (Rev. 14:16). We also have the vision of the punishment of the wicked at the end of the First Reading: "So the angel swung his sickle on the earth, and threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God" (Rev.14:19). The treading of the grapes in the wine press represents the punishment of the wicked. This two imagery reminds us of the last day and the judgment that will come that day. It calls for spiritual vigilance and faithfulness. It is this call to be vigilant that Jesus in today's Gospel is calling our attention to. It is easy for us to be lost in the wild world of material pursuit, progress or success that we forget our eternal

Homily for Monday of the 34th week in ordinary time year II  Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary  Revelation 14:1-3,4b-5; Luke 21:1-4. The word of God says in the first reading from the book of revelation: "No one could learn that song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth" (Rev.14:3).  By implication, these are those who have washed in the precious blood of the Lamb. Those who have suffered persecution, tribulation, and trial on account of the kingdom of God, thus have subsequently acquired their salvation through the death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Those who through their exemplary virtues of faith hope, charity, humility, patience, kindness, goodness, purity of heart, generosity, etc obtained the victory of the Son of Man. They are those whom the scripture recognized with the capability to sing the heavenly song before the throne of God. One of these virtues strolled into the Gospel r

Homily for the 34th Sunday in the Ordinary Time, Year C.  Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.  2 Samuel 5:1-3; Psalm 122:1-2,4-5; Colossians 1:12-20; Luke 23:35-43. Today, being the 34th Sunday in the ordinary time of the liturgical calendar of the church is in the same vein, the last Sunday of the ordinary time of year C. Today, the Holy Mother Church celebrates the solemnity of Christ the king of the universe.  Today's liturgy in the first reading commenced by alluding to the earthly kingdom of Israel, where it recalled the anointing of David as King of Israel. God has chosen Israel as his own and sent not only prophets but even kings to govern it when the people insisted on having an earthly ruler or king. Accordingly, of all the kings who sat on the throne and ruled Israel, David was the greatest of them all.  It is in this light that the liturgy of today speaking of the kingdom of Israel guides us to recall that Jesus of Nazareth was of the Davidic lineag

Homily for Saturday of the 33rd week in the ordinary time year II Revelation 11:4-12; Luke 20:27-40 The first reading speaks of two olive trees and two lampstands. It reads: "When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the streets...for three and half days" (Rev 11:7-9). "But after the three and half days, the breath of life from God entered them, they stood on their feet,..then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, 'come up here's. And they went up to heaven in a cloud while their enemies watched them" ( Rev 11:11-12). The details above are expression of the fortitude of the church as she witnesses victoriously to the kingdom of God here on earth. God is so gracious to the church such that no power in the world or under the world can destroy the church and its members. It is a fulfilment of the prayer of Jesus: &

Homily for Friday of the 33rd week in the ordinary time, year II Revelation 10:8-11; Luke 19:45-48 The first reading tells us that St. John went to the angel and told him to give him the little scroll. But the angel told him, "Take it and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach but sweet as honey in your mouth" (Rev 10:9).  It is obvious that the scroll was requested by St. John and the angel directed him to take and eat. This means that the Revelation of God is not forced upon anyone. One can only freely and willingly take it upon oneself.  To eat the scroll means to assimilate, to digest, to make the scroll part and parcel of oneself. In the same manner, we too are to assimilate, digest and make the Revelation of God part and parcel of our Christian existence.  Beloved in Christ, the word of God is food for our spiritual hunger. It can be sweet as honey in the mouth but bitter in the stomach. It is sweet because it discloses God's infinite love and promises future blesse

Homily for Thursday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time, year II  Revelation 5:1-10; Lk.19:41-44 In the first reading, St. John writes; "Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals" (Rev 5:1). This scroll as used in the ancient times contains the history of the world, of creation, redemption, God's will and decrees. We are told: "No one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it" (Rev. 5:4). Except "The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals" (Rev 5:5). Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, the mysteries, secrets and deep purposes of God can only be unsealed by no one else except the Son of Man. In Mathew 11:27, Jesus says, " No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him". Jesus alone can open the seals. He alone has authority in

Homily for Wednesday of the 33rd week in ordinary time, year II Revelation 4:1-11; Lk 19:11-28 In the first reading we have a comprehensive analysis of John's vision of God's throne. It reads: "Around the throne, on each side of the throne are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face like a  human face, and the fourth living creature like flying eagle" (Rev 4:6-7).  For St. Irenaeus, the four creature are representations of the four evangelists. Mathew represented by lion where Jesus is shown as the Lion of Judah. Mark is represented by the creature with human face, because his Gospel is the nearest report to the human life of Jesus. Luke is represented by the Ox because it shows Jesus as the sacrifice for humanity. John is represented by Eagle because eagle is said to be the creature that flies highest, and the Gospel of John reaches t

Homily for Tuesday 33rd Week in Ordinary Time Revelation 3:1-6,14-22; Luke 19:1-10. In the First Reading, the Lord enjoins us to be awake and be prepared for his coming because he will come when we don't expect him. He warns us on the need to guide against being lukewarm. "I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth" (Rev. 3:15-16). We must not be indifferent in our relationship with God. We must not slip into mere routine. We must be enthusiastic in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our decision to be awake in preparation for the coming of the Lord must not be forced on us, rather it should be a free and firm decision just like Zacchaeus did in today's Gospel. Zacchaeus wanted an encounter with Jesus. His curiosity was high but the odds were against him to see Jesus as a result of his shortness and the hatred of the people towards him sinc

Homily for Monday 33rd Week in Ordinary Time Revelation 1:1-4; 2:1-5a; Luke 18:35-43. We begin our First Reading from the Book of Revelation. The Book reveals to us realities which are not accessible to man either by nature or experience or reflection but can only come to his knowledge by way of Revelation. St. John warns at the end of the First Reading: "Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first" (Rev.2:5). It is not enough to begin our journey of faith with enthusiasm. We must endure in love till the very end of our life.  Let it not be said of us that we have abandoned the love we have for God and neighbour at first. It is possible to slip gradually without realizing it. It is necessary to return back to the first days when we were fervent in our Christian faith. The blind man healed by Jesus in today's Gospel addressed Jesus as the "Son of David" (Luke 18:38). Anyone who understands the Old Testament tradition on the &

Homily for 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C   Malachi 4:1-2a; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12; Luke 21:5-19. Theme: "The Day of the Lord". As we draw closer to the end of this liturgical year, the Church invites us to reflect on  the last things which are death, judgement, heaven and hell. The Prophet Malachi in the First Reading speaks of the end time: "Behold, the day comes, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up,says the Lord of hosts" (Mal.4:1). A day will certainly come when the Lord will punish the wicked and reward his faithful ones. The Responsorial Psalm tells us: "The Lord comes to judge the peoples with fairness". "He will judge the world with justice, and the peoples with fairness" (Psalm 98:9). The Lord's judgment will be just and fair. Each one will get rewarded based on how they live their lives here on earth. In the Second Reading, concerning the day of Lo

Homily for Saturday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Josaphat (Bishop and Martyr).  3 John 5-8; Luke 18:1-8. St. John in the First Reading encourages us to be generous and show hospitality to those who preach the Gospel especially to strangers. Preaching the Gospel can be very challenging because it brings people face to face with rejection, acceptance, poverty, wealth, fame, persecutions and trials. To the extent that persecution can lead to death in some cases. Jesus assured his disciples who support someone for being a prophet will receive a prophet's reward and if we help another on account of the Gospel then we shall surely be rewarded for it too. Apart from material support, it is also very important we support with our prayers and Jesus in today's Gospel calls our attention on the need to persevere and be persistent in prayer. The parable of the widow and the unjust judge by Jesus in today's Gospel is to renew in his disciples and us faith and confid

Homily for Friday of the 32nd Week in the Ordinary Time Memorial of St. Martin of Tours (Bishop).  2 John 4-9; Luke 17:26-37. St. John in the First Reading gives us two important instructions to please God. Firstly, we must live in love, loving God above all things and loving one another. However, because truth is intimately linked with this commandment of love, walking in that commandment means ultimately walking in the truth. Hence, St. John warns us secondly of deceivers who do not confess that Jesus has come in the flesh. We must all be wary of deception in our times too. So as not to be deceived concerning the second coming of the Lord, Jesus in today's Gospel warns us not to allow our preoccupation with our daily life distract us from always being ready for the Day of the Lord which will come when we least expect it to come. We must therefore stand ready and endeavour to please God always by living a life worthy of our Christian faith. We celebrate the memorial of St. Martin

Homily for Thursday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time year II  (Memorial of St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church)  Philemon 7-20; Luke 17:20-25 In the First Reading, St. Paul while he was in prison wrote a letter to Philemon to forgive Onesimus, Philemon's runaway slave. Onesimus left Philemon for a while as a result of some disagreement. This disagreement led to the imprisonment of Onesimus who through Paul's preaching got converted to the Christian faith. Paul appealed to Philemon to accept Onesimus back, no longer as a slave but as a brother in Christ Jesus. Receiving Onesimus back by Philemon as a brother in Christ Jesus is the height of forgiveness since slaves then were treated as objects to be used and discarded once their masters no longer need them. Forgiving hurts and extending hands of friendship to those who offend us the way Paul asks Philemon to do with Onesimus is one of the things we do to make God's kingdom present in our world just as Jesus dec

HOMILY ON THE FEAST OF THE DEDICATION OF ST. JOHN LATERAN BASILICA, YEAR II Ezekiel 47:1-2,8-9,12; Ps.46; 1Cor.3:9C-11:16-17; John 2:13-22 Theme: The Dignity of God’s Temple Today, we celebrate the feast of the dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica. To dedicate something means to reserve it strictly for a particular purpose. Thus, dedicating a Church means that the Church has strictly become a house of prayer, a secluded place where men seek the face of God and find it. A dedicated Church ought not to be used for any other purpose. One question that readily comes to mind is: why is the dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica made a general concern? The answer is not far-fetched. This Basilica is “the Mother and Mistress of all the Churches in the city and in the world”. It is the Episcopal seat of the Pope and so it ranks even above St. Peter’s Basilica. Consequently, this celebration, in a unique way, puts forth the four marks of the Church. It is because the Church is One that is w