FR REMI HOMILIES/REFLECTIONS AND SERMONS

Homily for Friday of the 5th week of Lent  Jeremiah 20:10-13. Psalm 18:2-3a,3bc-4,5-6,7. John 10:31-42. What is our reaction when people who are close to us persecute us for having done no wrong? This is the case of Jesus in today's Gospel and prophet Jeremiah in the first reading. Jesus, in today's Gospel, went as far as telling his people, "If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know that the Father is in me and I am in the Father" (John 10:37). Works are always more powerful than words. Words may convince the mind, but works move the will to action - to decision. In our case, do our works match our words? Or are we "all words and no works?" Jesus walked away from his persecutors, leaving behind his good works as evidence of his person. Jeremiah, in the first reading, placed his trust in God to deliver him from the hands of his persecutors,  and ...

Homily for Thursday of the 5th Week of Lent.  Genesis 17:3-9. Psalm 105:4-5,6-7,8-9. John 8:51-59. In the first reading, God made a covenant with Abram. This is the third time God is making a covenant with someone in the Scripture. He made a covenant with Adam and Noah in the past. In this covenant with Abram, his name is changed from Abram to Abraham. Abraham means the father of many nations. God was faithful to this covenant with Abraham. Abraham, as we know, is the founding father of Israel as a nation. God said to Abraham, "As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you, and your descendants after you throughout your generations" (Gen.17:9). Our knowledge of God will be shallow if we do not, like Abraham, have a good relationship with God. When we do God's will, He will continue to reveal his plans for us. Jesus, in today's Gospel, made a categorical statement concerning his divinity once again. He said, "If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death" (J...

Homily for Wednesday of the 5th week of Lent  Daniel 3:14-20, 24-25, 28; Ps.3; John 8:31-42 The Fruit of continuity in God’s Word! Freedom is priceless! Sometimes it takes some moment of losing it for one to understand what a jewel freedom is. Students breathe some form of fresh air when they graduate from secondary school because it gives a sense of freedom. They are equally happy when they gain admission into tertiary institutions because they become quite free from home and the limitations that comes with home. Generally, everyone struggles to gain and maintain freedom. In the gospel reading of today, Jesus tells us that we also need spiritual freedom. For us to be spiritually free, we must be consistent in living by the Word of God. If we make God’s Word our rule every day, we will come to know the truth and the truth will set us free. Thus, it is the deceit of the devil that can thwart our spiritual freedom. With spiritual freedom, we are able to grow in intimacy with God; we ...

Homily for Tuesday of the 5th week of Lent Numbers 21:4-9. Psalm 102:2-3,16-18,19-21. John 8:21-30. The first reading tells us about the ungrateful attitude of the Israelites to God, which led God to punish them by sending fiery serpents, which bit the people leading to the death of many in Israel. On realizing their sins, they begged for forgiveness. In response, God asked Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it up as a sign, and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live (Num.21:9). This imagery of the bronze serpent is what Jesus made reference to in today's Gospel, saying, "When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am He" (John 8:28). Just as those who look at the bronze serpent in the first reading received healing and lived, likewise, those who look up to Christ Jesus crucified on the cross with faith will live forever with him in heaven. The emphasis here is not so much on the image as it is on the faith that br...

Homily for Monday of the 5th week of Lent  Daniel 13:1-9,15-17, 19-30, 33-62; Ps.23; John 8:1-11 MY IMAGE BEFORE GOD It is no longer news that at this time, the Pharisees and the Scribes were looking for an opportunity to kill Jesus. Their aim was not just to end Jesus’ life but also to assassinate his character. If they simply kill , his death may attract pity from those who believe in him such that he may become a hero thereafter. If this happens, the Scribes and the Pharisees will be more haunted at Jesus’ death than when he was physically alive. Consequently, they needed to put him “in black light” so that his death will attract the approval of even his followers. It is for this reason that they tested him with the issue of the woman caught in the act of adultery. That the woman was caught in the very act means that she cannot enjoy the process of trial; she cannot plead not guilty. Therefore, the question of “are you sure”, does not arise at all. Obviously, they didn’t bring t...

Homily for the 5th Sunday of Lent Ezekiel 37:12-14. Psalm 130:1-2,,3-4,5-7a,7b-8. Romans 8:8-11. John 11:1-45. Theme: Jesus: The Lord of Life. The practice of covering crosses and images throughout the Church from today may be observed, if the Conference of Bishops so decides. Crosses remain covered until the end of the celebration of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday, but images remain covered until the beginning of the Easter Vigil. The three readings today are centered on the life that God gives to all people. Once there is life, there is hope. Life is essential to the extent that people do everything to preserve life. The first reading introduces us to the theme through the prophecy of Ezekiel that gave Israel the hope of resurrection. God, through prophet Ezekiel, spoke to the  dry bones of the Israelites and raised them up, and gave them life once more. As a result of their sins, they were in slavery in a foreign land. God tells these despairing Israelites that all is not los...

Homily for the Solemnity of the Annunciation of Our Lord Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10. Psalm 40:77-8a,8b-9,10,11. Hebrews 10:4-10. Luke 1:26-38. Theme: The Virgin Will Give Birth to a Son. On today's feast, the Catholic Church celebrates the mystery of the Incarnation and, at the same time, the vocation of our Lady. It was her faithful response to the angel's message, her fiat, that began the work of Redemption. The setting of this feast day, March 25th, is exactly nine months before Christmas. In addition, there is an ancient tradition that the creation of the world and the commencement and conclusion of the Redemption all happened to coincide at the vernal equinox. On this day, the Catholic Church commemorates the coming of the Archangel Gabriel to announce to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she was to be the Mother of the promised Redeemer. On this same day, God the Son, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, by the power of the Holy Spirit, assumed a human body and a human soul and...

Homily for Friday of the 4th week of Lent  Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22; Ps.34; John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 Do not become ungodly! As Jesus’ passion drew nearer, those who would not belief in Him started to look for justifiable reason to reject Jesus as the Messiah, as well as get others reject Him. In doing this, they had to turn a blind eye to all the mighty works wrought by Jesus; in fact it was those mighty works that they aimed at contradicting by seeking out the slightest irregularity in Jesus. In today’s gospel, they juxtaposed his identity with the prophecy about him. The prophecy says that when the Christ comes, his origin will not be known. Now, because they knew about Jesus’ biological heritage, they thought that that was all about his origin. In their ignorance, they thought that Jesus did not fit into the prophecy. But do they really know where Jesus came from? Did they know that they never knew what they taught they knew? Was it not on the basis of their ignorance that Jesus begged t...

Homily for Thursday of the 4th week of Lent  Exodus 32:7-14. Psalm 106:19-20,21-22,23. John 5:31-47. "O Lord, remember us with the favour you show to your to your people" is our Responsorial Psalm today. Moses, in the first reading, pleaded with God for the people of Israel after they made a golden calf and began to worship. God intended to destroy the people of Israel for this sin, but Moses pleaded on their behalf based on all the wonderful things God had done for them. With Moses intercession, God did not punish the people of Israel as He had threatened to do. With Moses' intercession, we see the power of prayer and the mercy of God  that even after God had divorced Israel from himself by calling them "not my people," but "your people," all it takes is the prayer of Moses to restore and renew God's covenant with his people. In today's Gospel, Jesus told the Jews that John the Baptist bore witness to the truth (Christ). We are called as Chris...

Homily for Wednesday of the 4th week of Lent  Isaiah 49:8-15. Psalm 145:8-9,13cd-14,17-18. John 5:17-30. "The Lord is kind and full of compassion" is our Responsorial Psalm today, and because of this, prophet Isaiah tells us in the first reading that "the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted" (Isa.49:14). Why will the Lord act in this manner? Prophet Isaiah gives an answer to this question, saying, "Can a woman forget her suckling child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?. Even this may forget, yet I will not forget you" (Isa.49:15). These words of Isaiah encourage us in difficult and trying moments to renew our love and confidence in God. No matter the sufferings and tribulations we are going through, God will never abandon us. Let us learn to see God's hand in all that happens to us. This is the message of Jesus in today's Gospel as He calls on the Jews to see the hand of God at work in ...

Homily for Tuesday of the 4th week of Lent  Ezekiel 47:1-9,12. Psalm 46:2-3,5-6,8-9. John 5:1-16. How patient can we be with God in the midst of trials and tribulations? The Responsorial Psalm tells us that: "The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold." The miracle of Jesus in today's is a testimony to the fact that the Lord is with us and the God of Jacob is our stronghold. The man healed by Jesus in today's Gospel received his healing after thirty-eight good years of making efforts to be healed. When Jesus said to him: "Do you want to be healed?" He answered, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another step down before me" (Iohn 5:6-7). This has gone for thirty-eight good years, and yet, the man kept trying. His patience resulted in his encounter with Jesus in today's Gospel, and he was healed not only physically but also spiritually. Without recourse to the water ...

Homily for the Solemnity of St. Joseph (Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary).  2 Samuel 7:4-5a,12-14a,16. Psalm 89:2-3,4-5,27,29. Romans 4:13,16-18,22. Matthew 1:16,18-21,24a. Today's solemnity should have been celebrated yesterday (19th of March, 2023), but it had to be celebrated today because yesterday was Sunday. The liturgy of the fourth Sunday of Lent was celebrated yesterday. St. Joseph, the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ, was descended from the royal house of David. This is reflected in the promise of God to David through the Prophet Nathan in the first reading: "And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your house shall be established forever" (2 Sam.7:16). This feast originated in the fifteenth century and was then extended to the whole Church in 1621. In 1847, Pope Pius IX named St. Joseph the Patron of the Universal Church, and from then, the feast has been celebrated on March 19 as one of...

HOMILY FOR THE 4TH SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR A 1Sam.16:1b.6-7.10-13a; Ps.23; Eph.5:8-14; John 9:1-41 “ _Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness” (Eph.5:11)_  Theme: The pleasure of darkness is vain! Right from when the prophets talked about the coming of the Messiah, He was described in terms of light. Isaiah foresaw the Messiah as a great light for all human beings (Isa.60:1-3, 19). He further described him as one who would give sight to the blind (Isa.29:18; 35:5; 42:7). The readings of today cause us to reflect on Jesus as the light of the world. In the gospel reading, Jesus categorically said: I am the light of the world. How do we accept this truth? How do we live out this truth? How do we bring others to accepting this truth? If our lives is not illuminated by Christ, and if we are not radiating this light to others, then our Christianity is merely of lip service. To accept Christ as the light of the world means to see the world only with the lens of Christ Himself. This ...

Homily for Saturday of the 3rd week of Lent Hosea 6:1-6. Psalm 51:3-4,18-19,20-21ab. Luke 18:9-14. The prophet Isaiah tells us in the first reading, "Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn, that he may heal us; he has stricken, and he will bind us up" (Hos.6:1). Once we decide to leave God, we become torn and stricken, but if we come to our senses and return to him, He will heal us and raise us up. One of the signs that we have left the Lord is when we are proud and despise others like the Pharisee in parable of Jesus in today's Gospel. Jesus told this parable to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. All that the Pharisees said about himself is true, but he went home sad because he was full of himself. He was recounting his achievements, which were filthy rags before God's holiness. Instead of communing with God in humility, he was simply talking to himself. Since he was full of himself, there was nothing he needed fro...

Homily for Friday of the 3rd week of Lent 1Peter 4:7b-11; Ps.96; Luke 5:1-11 Theme: The Gain of Service! In the gospel reading of today, Simon offered Jesus his boat and also helped Jesus set it for the purpose of evangelization. The boat was Simon’s work instrument with which he earned money. But in this encounter with Jesus, Simon is not giving out his boat for economic gain but as charity. It was not the case that Jesus was a friend to Simon before now. Most probably Simon saw Jesus as a religious teacher; and so, he helped just for the sake of God. This is what made his help noble and evangelistic. The readings of today invite us to purify our intentions underlying our actions. No other intention is as noble as “for the sake of God”. So after Simon had experienced the fruits and benefits of acting only for the sake of God, he asked us in the first reading to use our gifts to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace. This means that we should have the consciousness t...

Homily for Thursday of the 3rd week of Lent  Jeremiah 7:23-28. Psalm 95:1-2,6-7abc,7d-9. Luke 11:14-23. "O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts" is our Responsorial Psalm today. The people of Israel did not listen and obey God's commandments in the first reading, and for this reason, they retrogressed instead of making progress in life. If we want to make progress in life, we must listen and obey God's word and not be like those who accused Jesus of casting out a demon by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, knowing fully well that Jesus' miracle was by God's power. Despite this negative accusation, Jesus never reacted negatively. Rather than being angry, Jesus seizes the opportunity to teach about God. Attributing God's work to the devil speaks a lot about where we stand in our relationship with God. Our God is a good God, and all He does is good. It takes the grace of God to see God's hand at work in our lives and the lives of...

Homily for Wednesday of the 3rd week of Lent  Deuteronomy 4:1,5-9. Psalm 147:12-13,15-16,19-20. Matthew 5:17-19. Our readings today concern the law. In the first reading, Moses said to the people of Israel that it is when the Israelites do what God has commanded them to do that will make them a great nation. Still, concerning the law, Jesus said in today's Gospel, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them" (Matt.5:17). All the law and prophets are summed up in the 'new' commandment: love of God and neighbour as oneself. This law reaches the four corners of the earth and the end of time. Living this commandment with the proper motivation and a considerate, dedicated attitude is what makes one great. Jesus, by his life, death and resurrection brings the law to perfection and teaches us that it is by loving God and our fellow creatures that God's law finds its fulfilment in us. This Lent...

Homily for Tuesday of the 3rd week of Lent Daniel 3:2, 11-20; Ps.25; Matthew 18:21-35 Theme: The scandal of Ingratitude! In the gospel reading of today, it scandalized the king and the other servants that this servant whom the king has written off his grievous debt, could not exercise patience with a fellow servant who owned him far lesser amount than he owned the king. When the king forgave this ungrateful servant his debt, the king did not instruct him to also forgive others. But when the ungrateful servant failed to likewise forgive his fellow servant, the forgiveness he hitherto enjoyed from his king, was withdrawn. The human mind is such that it is easier for a person to perpetuate an evil done to him than to extend a kind gesture he has received from another. In fact, it is easier to remember the wrong done to us than to remember the kindness we have received. It is on this note that the parable of today’s gospel becomes very instructive. We have to change the narrative. Rather t...

Homily for Monday of the 3rd Week of Lent.  2 Kings 5:1-15a. Psalm 42:2,3; 43:3,4. Luke 4:24-30. The story of the healing of Naaman, the commander of the army of the King of Syria in the first reading, was a result of a little maid from the land of Israel who spoke to Naaman's wife about the healing power of Elisha the prophet in Israel. Naaman, on the other hand, would not have received his healing if he had refused to listen to a simple instruction, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean" (2 Kings 5:10). He refused to obey this simple instruction, but his servant advised him otherwise, and he listened. This resulted in his healing. With this healing, Naaman returned back to testify to the power of God, saying, "Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel" (2 Kings 5:15). In today's Gospel, the people of Nazareth, as a result of their familiarity with Jesus, blinded them to the...

Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Year A  Exodus 17:3-7. Psalm 95:1-2,6-7abc,7d-9. Romans 5:1-2,5-8. John 4:5-42. Theme: The Living Water It has been said that 80% of the make-up of the human body is water. That probably explains why the greatest need of the human body, perhaps next to air, is water. People can go longer without food than they can without water. If we had to choose between having light and water, it is most certain that most people would choose water. Water is that important. People will go to any length to get it. Our readings today, especially the first reading and the gospel, are about water. We have all experience thirst; we know what happens to our fields when there is no rain. In the first reading, the people of Israel needed water during their sojourn in the desert. They were even ready to stone Moses because they needed water. Moses pleaded with God on their behalf, and God made water available for them. Like Moses, we must always turn to the Lord, especial...

Homily for Saturday of the 2nd week of Lent  Micah 7:14-15,18-20. Psalm 103:1-2,3-4,9-10,11-12. Luke 15:1-3,11-32. "The Lord is compassionate and gracious" is our Responsorial Psalm today, and this is reflected in the first reading and the gospel. In the first reading, prophet Micah says, "Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in mercy" (Mic.7:18-19). Jesus, in today's Gospel, tells us the parable of the prodigal son to correct the scribes and the Pharisees of how merciful God is towards sinners and tax collectors when they truly repent. In this parable of the prodigal son, it is the father who was prodigal with his mercy. Hence, I will title it the parable of the "Prodigal Father." All through this parable, it was the father who remains the hero with his mercy towards both the younger brother and his elder brother. The parabl...

Homily for Friday of the 2nd week of Lent  Genesis 37:3-4,12-13a,17b-28; Matthew 21:33-43,45-46. The first reading concerning how the brothers of Joseph hated him out of envy because of his dreams shows how envy continues to sap us. Envy happens whenever we are threatened by the good fortune of another person. How often have we looked at others as being favoured by God more than us? We should never lose sight of the fact that we are God's children and we are equally favoured by God. Being favoured by God demands greater responsibility because to whom much is given, much is expected. In today's Gospel, the farmer in the parable is God. God has a right to expect a fruitful harvest in return for the work He has given us. Unfortunately, that was not always the case. We are the vines of the Lord. We are planted to bear God fruits. When we refuse to bear fruit, we do not show respect for God and everything that concerns God. We can not claim to love God and turn back to disregard the...

Homily for Thursday of the 2nd week of Lent  Jer.17:5-10; Ps.1; Luke 16:19-31 Theme: God is most worthy of our trust We live in a world where the quality of life is measured by different standards. One of such standards is the caliber of people one associates with. The assumption is when you associate with people of high pedigree, you are invariably influential. This has contributed to the usual rolling-out of the profile of dignitaries at occasions, to indicate that the one who is celebrating, for whom the dignitaries are present, is of high social class. In the readings of today, the Lord wants us to be very careful when we evaluate the quality of life by such standard. In the first reading, we are discouraged from putting our trust in man. It is not possible and non-encouraging to live life without trusting. Even those who have been betrayed are often advised to try trusting again. So, trusting in man is not the issue here per say. What the Lord discourages is an absolute trust ...

Homily for Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Lent.  Jeremiah 18:18-20. Psalm 31:5-6,14,15-16. Matthew 20:17-28. In the first reading, prophet Jeremiah prayed to God to rescue him from those who plot evil against him with a simple but powerful prayer. Like Jeremiah, let us learn not to be selfish with our prayers, and we can be rest assured that God, in the words of our Responsorial Psalm, "Save me, O Lord, in your merciful love," will indeed rescue us from the hands of our enemies. Today's Gospel can be compared to a father gathering his children to inform them of his death, which is fast approaching. The children, instead of showing empathy, were asking if his wealth would come to them. The Apostles had a wrong notion of the Messiah. Their idea of God's kingdom was a material kingdom full of wealth and might. Hence, with Jesus' announcement of his death, James and John were interested in becoming his lieutenants. Instead of Jesus being disappointed in the request of t...

Homily for Tuesday of the 2nd week of Lent Isaiah 1:10,16-20; Matthew 23:1-12. "To one whose way is blameless, I will show the salvation of God," is our Responsorial Psalm today. For our ways to be blameless, prophet Isaiah tells us in the first reading what we must do. "Wash yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow" (Isa.1:16-17). All these can be summed up into two; cease to do evil, learn to do good. These are not something that is difficult to do, they are within our reach to carry out  and it is doing them that we won't be like the scribes and the Pharisees that Jesus warned the crowds and his disciples in today's Gospel not to emulate because though they seat on Moses' seat, they do not practise what they preach. In an age where we prefer to be called by our title, take the high table at occasion, and lots more, J...

Homily for Monday of the 2nd week of Lent  Daniel 9:4b-10;  Luke 6:36-38. In the first reading, we have the prayer of Daniel for the people of Israel. In this prayer, Daniel acknowledged that they have sinned and that he also is part of those who offended God.  In our prayers, we must learn to see ourselves as sinners before God, who are in need of his mercy. As we approach God's throne of mercy, we are bound to be merciful to others. Jesus, in today's Gospel, said to his disciples, "Be merciful even as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36). It is a call to emulate our heavenly Father.  If we forgive those who offend us, then we too will be forgiven of the offences we commit against God and our fellow creatures because the measure we give is the measure we get back. God's compassion is all embracing. His love reaches out to all without discrimination between saint and sinner. Like the rain and sun that fall equally on all, so God's compassion and mercy extends ...

Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Lent Genesis 12:1-4a. Psalm 33:4-5,18-19,20,22. 2 Timothy 1:8b-10. Matthew 17:1-9. Theme: "From Tabor to Calvary." The life of a Christian can be compared to a journey undertaken in the company of the Master. Abram was the first to set off on this journey to answer God's call. In the first reading, the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land I will show you" (Gen.12:1). Abram was a pagan when God called him. At that time, he was living in Haran in northern Mesopotamia. Evidently, God convinced him that he alone was the true God and that he alone should be served. The call of Abram to leave his country and people is not an easy commandment to obey today, but even in the days of Abram to leave one's tribe and one's relatives was to risk one's life. He was commanded to emigrate to some foreign land, the very name of which was kept secret from him. God promises Abram ...

Homily for Saturday of the 1st week of Lent Deut. 26:16-19; Ps.119; Matt.5:43-48 Theme: It is in loving our enemies that we are exalted In Matt.5:17, Jesus made it clear that He has come not to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to fulfil it. This means He has come to perfect what the Law and the Prophets aim at, namely, to reconcile man to God. Beginning from Deut.5:1, the Lord gave the law to the people through Moses. Today’s first reading is a conclusion to the giving of the law. This conclusion spells out a covenantal relationship wherein the parties involved have a duty towards each other. This relationship is conditional. If the people should keep the statutes and ordinances as the Lord commands, then the Lord shall set them high above all other nations and they shall be holy. The focus here is that the Lord promises to set them high above all other nations. Jesus the Son of God, is the New Covenant. He speaks directly to us (and not through the prophets), and He best explicate...

Homily for Friday of the 1st week of Lent Ezekiel 18:21-28; Ps.130; Matt.5:20-26 Theme: Persevere in righteousness I once went to administer Holy Communion to a sick woman at home. After attending to her, she asked me to talk to the husband who had stopped going to Church for some years now. When I started taking with the husband, he went into his room to bring his baptismal card, to proof to me that he is a baptized and confirmed Catholic. He further told me how he has worked with many priests that once served in the parish. For him, the much he has done in the past, suffices for the present. I asked him if he could afford to stop eating so that the food he has eaten in the past could sustain him henceforth. He got the message. The point is, sometimes, in our spiritual journey, we are tempted to take a break. We may have been struggling to keep faithful to a spiritual practice or a prayer life, or we may have been struggling to keep away from certain sins. While these struggles contin...

Homily for Thursday of the 1st week of Lent Esther 14:1,3-4,11,13-14; Matthew 7:7-12. "On the day I called, you answered me, O Lord," is our Responsorial Psalm, and Jesus teaches us the effect of prayers provided we ask for the right things, God will grant them. We sometimes look at prayer as what we do in hopeless situations. But Jesus is telling us in today's Gospel that prayer is not the easiest but the best things we should do in every situation. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matt.7:7). Why is it that it seems that when we ask, we don't get answers? God answers prayers in three ways. He says "Yes" to the ones that perfectly align with his will. He says "No" to the ones in contradiction to his will, and finally, He says, "Wait" to our prayers when He knows that though such a request is a good one. Above all, the best prayer is for God's will to be done co...

Homily for Wednesday of the 1st week of Lent  Jonah 3:1-10; Ps.51; Luke 11:29-32 Theme: Be not an evil generation No good teacher examines the students on matters he/she has not taught the students. Examination makes sense only after some period of teaching. In the same vein, God will not judge us without first making us understand that we have sinned and giving us amply opportunity to repent. Condemnation comes not just to those who sinned but those who remained obstinate in sin, while refusing God’s mercy. Thus, the existence is hell is reconcilable with God’s desire for the salvation of all men. In the first reading, God sent Jonah to make known to the people of Nineveh that they have sinned against their God. Jonah also spelt out the consequences of their sins. Interestingly, the people of Nineveh did not deny their iniquities; they did not try to justify their evil deeds; they did not call Jonah a fake prophet or a worse sinner; they did not say: “we will think about what you ...