FR REMI HOMILIES/REFLECTIONS AND SERMONS

Sermon/Homily for Easter Sunday Year B celebration of the Risen Christ 31st march 2024  Acts 10:34a,37-43. Psalm 118:1-2,15c-17,22-23. Colossians 3:1-4. John 20:1-9. Today, we celebrate the central fact of history, namely the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Easter is the greatest feast of the Christian year. There is none like it. The birth of Jesus at Christmas is incredibly magnificent. But Christmas is only "mission begun," while Easter is "mission accomplished." "Therefore Easter  is not only one feast among others, but the "Feast of feasts," the "Solemnity of solemnities," just as the Eucharist is the "Sacrament of sacraments" (The Great Sacrament)). St. Athanasius calls Easter "the Great Sunday," and the Eastern Churches call Holy Week the "Great Week." The mystery of the Resurrection, in which Christ crush death, permeates with its powerful energy our old time foe, until all is subjected to him...

MEDITATION/HOMILY FOR EASTER VIGIL MASS 30th March 2024  Romans 6:3-11; Ps.118; Mark 16:1-7 The Dawn of Victory! Today we come to the point of victory, unprecedented and irrevocable victory. Today, the shame that was associated with following Jesus is taken away, never to return. Today, after death has struck its worst, it was overcome with everlasting life. Today, Jesus answers the question Pilate asked during his passion: “what is truth”, not with words but with the glory of the resurrection. The truth is that which has the capacity to bear all the humiliation and still proceed to glorification. Today, the humiliation of Christ that started since the incarnation is finally brought to an end with the glory of the resurrection. Today, hope is instituted, not as a wishful thinking but the endurance of a night that must come to an end. Today, it has become crystal clear who is truly powerful and who is the weakling. The one who was called weak for not being able to save himself and p...

SERMON/HOMILY ON THE PASSION OF THE LORD - GOOD FRIDAY 29TH MARCH 2024 Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Ps.31; Heb.4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42 Lessons from Good Friday At last He has been caught! The Jesus who had been confronting and reprimanding the Scribes and the Pharisees; the Jesus who worked miracles even on Sabbath day (not minding that it infuriated the authorities), the Jesus who had the capacity to know the thought of men and always knew when questions were put forward to Him just to test him; the Jesus whom the authorities have often time wanted to arrest and persecute but for fear of the crowds who held Him to be a prophet; the Jesus who had often slipped through the crowds when He was about to be arrested; the Jesus who had made possible all that was thought impossible, including raising the dead; this Jesus has finally been caught. He’s been publicly scourged and humiliated. He’s labeled a criminal and He carried this label to the grave. It is disheartening that the last identity...

HOMILY FOR MASS OF THE LORD’S SUPPER (HOLY THURSDAY 28TH MARCH 2024 Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14; Ps.116; 1Cor.11:23-26; John 13:1-15 “ _The cup of blessing is a participation in the blood of Christ!”_ (1Cor.10:16) Participation is key; it is Life! Today we commence the time of Easter Triduum. In this Mass of the Lord’s Supper, our attention is turned to three things: the institution of the Holy Eucharist, the institution of the Sacred Ministerial Priesthood and the call to Service. These threefold events are so intertwined that it was on the same day, during a meal, that Jesus instituted them all. As he instituted the Holy Eucharist as a memorial of his death, he also instituted the Priesthood that will be saddled with the prime responsibility of presiding over the Eucharistic celebration. Since, Jesus wants us to also partake in the Eucharistic banquet in memory of him, he has also given us the priesthood. The power and responsibility to preside over the Eucharistic celebration can be mistak...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK 27TH MARCH 2024 Isaiah 50:4-9a; Ps.69; Matthew 26:14-25 To Dine in Pretense is to betray like Judas Today, we read of Matthew’s account of the betrayer of Judas Iscariot. Yesterday, we read that of John. Reading about Judas’ action a second time gives us another opportunity to reflect more deeply into what he did and how we may be treading his path consciously or unconsciously. Matthew’s account says that Judas visited the Chief priests and collected thirty pieces of silver from them with the promise to deliver Jesus to them. This, Judas did, even before the Passover meal. Funny enough, he still partook of the meal not as a sign of sharing common life with Jesus, but in search of an opportunity to betray Jesus. This is something that is quite common. How often do we bear grudges or reservations about people but will never dare to talk to them about it? Sometimes we smile and praise people but deep within us we are not happy with them. Sometimes ...

REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK 26TH MARCH 2024 Isaiah 49:1-6; Ps.71; John 13:21-33, 36-38 You too will be betrayed The pain of betrayer can be so intense, devastating and everlasting. People who have passed through great ordeals in life, continue to suffer, not necessarily due to the effect of the ordeal but based on the thought of the one who was responsible for the ordeal – a dear one, from whom they never expected such negativity. Today, many persons have adjusted in their acts of kindness, charity and godliness because the past of experience of being repaid evil for their good, continues to serve as a deterrent. Jesus too was betrayed, but he was able to evade the whole culture of stop being good as a result of the shock of betrayer. In today’s gospel, Jesus calmly predicted the betrayer of Judas and the denial of Peter. It is interesting that Jesus was able to maintain so much calm with knowledge of such magnitude. He did not begin to give Judas or Peter some altitude ...

REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK 25TH MARCH 2024 Isaiah 42:1-7; Ps.27; John 12:1-11 Use your best to gain the Best It pained Judas that Mary used such an expensive ointment of pure nard to anoint the feet of Jesus. For Judas, a cheaper ointment would have served the same purpose. Obviously, the justification Judas gave for his complaint was that the costly ointment would have been sold and the money given to the poor. Scripture helped us to understand that Judas made this statement because he would steal from what was given him to keep for the poor. Invariably, Judas was not happy with the gesture of Mary because the value of that ointment would have come to him rather than Jesus. So we see that the betrayer of Judas did not start the day he approached the Jews for a bounty if he delivers Jesus to them. The betrayer started with a mindset that the best is not good enough for the Lord. Like Judas, some of us are not against giving ourselves and our resources to God but not the ...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR PALM SUNDAY YEAR B 24TH MARCH 2024 Mark 11:1-10; Isa.50:4-7; Ps.22; Phil.2:6-11; Mark 14:1-15:47 “ _Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord_ !” (Mark 11:10b) The Power of Self-encouragement! On this Palm Sunday we recount and learn from the events of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. This entering into Jerusalem was strictly for the purpose of Jesus’ Passion; he will not make it out of Jerusalem alive. He knew of all these even as he enjoyed everything triumphant about his entering into Jerusalem. It is often said that in prosperity, our friends know us, but in adversity, we know our friends. The truth of this statement unfolded in the twist of events from Palm Sunday down through the Holy Week. Jesus is popular today; the disciples are at his service, the crowds are associated with him, the whole Jerusalem felt it that a high profile personality has arrived. Even the colt on which he rode added clamour to the whole scenario. The palm branches q...

HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK OF LENT 23RD MARCH 2024 Ezekiel 37:21-28; Jer.31; John 11:45-57 Conspiracy against the Innocent The gospel reading of today is a direct continuation of the raising of Lazarus back to life. This miracle was unlike other miraculous works associated with Jesus because it was about bringing the dead and buried back to physical life. The impact of this miracle must have been so deep in the hearts of those who heard it, how much more those who witnessed it directly. It was something so public that it could neither be denied nor explained away. So, we are told that many of those who came to pay condolence to Mary and Martha, ended up believing in Jesus. But some others were ready to make a fortune out of the situation. Knowing fully well that the Pharisees were looking for reasons to justify their plot to kill Jesus, some of those who witnessed the miracle went to report the matter to the Pharisees. They did not tell the story with the intention of glorifyi...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK OF LENT 22ND MARCH 2024 Jer. 20:10-13; Ps.18; John 10:31-42 Consistency itself is Evangelization The Jews wanted to stone Jesus for the acclaimed reason that Jesus equaled himself with God. When Jesus justified this claim from their own scriptures, many more persons came to believe in Jesus there. This must have heightened the anger of the Jews; the more they try to blacklist Jesus, the more popular and accepted he became amongst the people. In the events of the holy week down through the post-resurrection accounts, the Jews continued to try harder, but to no avail: even the eventual death of Jesus did not achieve the aim of putting a stop to Jesus’ mission. Beloved, in the final analysis, good will always triumph over evil. Thus, those on the side of the good are never defeated. Ordinarily, one would expect that whatever is good will be generally accepted; but experience has shown that it is not always so. At some point in life, your offence wi...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK OF LENT 21ST MARCH 2024 Genesis 17:3-9; Ps.105; John 8:51-59 Our covenantal relationship with God In the first reading, the Lord entered into a covenantal relationship with Abram. He promised to make great, not only Abraham, but also his descendants. This fruit of the covenantal relationship will flow down to Abraham’s descendants because they too will be taught how to keep the tenets of the covenant. The psalmist tell us that the Lord remembers His covenant forever. This speaks of the ever faithfulness of God. The only thing that can break a covenantal relationship involving God is man’s unfaithfulness. Abraham, our father in faith, remained true to the covenantal relationship all through his life. But this was not the case with his descendants. The Jews misrepresented their connectivity with Abraham, their forefather. On the basis of the covenant the Lord made the Abraham, the Jews saw themselves as the most privilege of all men. They preser...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK OF LENT 20TH MARCH 2024 Daniel 3:14-20, 24-25, 28; Dan.3; John 8:31-42 Who is your Father? The argument in today’s gospel is more interesting when we pay attention to the parties involved: Jesus and the Jews. This time around, it was not the Jews who have been seeking for opportunity to condemn Jesus, but some Jews who had actually come to believe in Jesus. So, these Jews per se, were on Jesus’ side. But how come the heated argument? It was simply because Jesus was reading a manifesto they never thought was relevant to them. Jesus promised them freedom if they continue in his word. But, for them, they do not need freedom because being descendants of Abraham, they have never (and maybe can never) be slaves to anyone. Clearly, these believing Jews did not understand the kind of freedom Jesus promised them. More importantly, they were oblivious of the slavery consequence of sin. This second ignorance remains prevalent till this day. Many Christi...

SERMON/HOMILY ON THE SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF MARY 19TH MARCH 2024 2Sam.7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Ps.89; Rom.4:13, 16-18, 22; Matt.1:16, 18-21, 24a Deciphering the Divine Language: The Path to Intimacy with God The Lenten season beckons us to draw nearer to God, fostering a profound understanding that comes with close relationships. This understanding extends beyond words to the silent language of gestures and presence. Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary, exemplifies this intimate connection, serving as a beacon for our spiritual journey during Lent. In the Gospel narrative, Joseph is portrayed as a man of justice, mirroring the righteousness of God. It is through this virtue that Joseph cultivates a deep bond with the Almighty, a bond that sustains him in his role as the earthly guardian of Jesus Christ. Confronted with a divine message in a dream, Joseph is instructed not to dismiss Mary but to embrace her and the child conceived by the Holy Spirit. This directive defie...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR MONDAY 5TH WEEK OF LENT 18TH MARCH 2023 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 put an end to his life, 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 record” 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. O...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR B 17TH MARCH 2024 Jer.31:31-34; Ps.51; Heb.5:7-9; John 12:20-33 “ _If anyone serves me, he must follow me_ ” (John 12:26) Having a Sacrificial Disposition! We are drawing very close to the peak of the events leading to Jesus’ crucifixion. These events are not meant to entertain us but enliven us. The story of the crucifixion is a story that is relived everyday with each one of us playing different roles. We may not know if we are the Judas or Pilate, Peter, Nichodemus, Simon of Cyrene of today or any other actor until we fully plunge ourselves into what happens in the liturgy henceforth up until Easter Sunday. For today, the liturgy invites us to a life of sacrifice. Of course, the starting point to embracing the life of Christ and not being part of Jesus’ executors is having a proper and full disposition towards life of sacrifice. If we lack this disposition, we will never sacrifice anything; and the extent to which we are so disposed, i...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE 4TH WEEK OF LENT 16TH MARCH 2024 Jer. 11:18-20; Ps.7; John 7:40-53 The moral standing for seeking God’s justice! In the first reading of today, Jeremiah became aware of the plot against his life by his adversaries. It is not an empty threat. Jeremiah also acknowledges his inability to defend himself, for the plot against him is massive. Yesterday, we saw that it is no news that the enemy is always against the children of God. While this is to be expected, we must be discreet about our reaction. On this, Jeremiah becomes a model. First Jeremiah declares his innocence before God. He refers to himself as a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. The justice of God is unlike the corrupt judiciary system of our nation where the highest bidder, not the innocent, gets the favourable judgment. God’s judgment will be in our favour only because we are innocent. If we are not innocent, then we first have to make amends for our wrongs; for he who come to the table of eq...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 4TH WEEK OF LENT 15TH MARCH 2024 Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22; Ps.34; John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 Temptations are sure to come! I have often times hear people complain bitterly about how enemies are haunting them in their businesses, offices, health, family and other avenues. For them, this is a clear sign that the enemies (who may even be close associates) have particular interest in bringing them down. Unscrupulous men and women who position themselves as men/women of God have come to utilize this syndrome. They have become experts in interpreting every complaint as the activities of the enemies either on account of what the victim has achieved or a perceived greatness in the future. The deception in all of these is contained in the first reading of today. Ungodly men are always after the righteous, seeking for ways to bring the righteous man down because his righteousness reminds them of how unrighteous they have become. They set to either destroy or convert the righ...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 4TH WEEK OF LENT 14TH MARCH 2024 Exodus 32:7-14; Ps.106; John 5:31-47 The Word of God is a Testimony The Jews have been angry with Jesus and have resolved to kill him because he broke the Sabbath law and claimed to be equal with God. In today’s gospel, Jesus reveals that the rejection of the Jews is not based on anything wrong He may have done but on the Jews’ refusal to perceive the various testimonies about Jesus. There have been many testimonies about Jesus; His works, John the Baptist, the testimony of the Father Himself, the Hebrew Scriptures which rested on the Mosaic Law. By their rejection, the Jews contradicted themselves because the Mosaic Law on which they based their case against Jesus, clearly testifies to the person and mission of Jesus Christ. This explains why Jesus told them that it was Moses who accuses them to the Father. What becomes obvious here is that we will give account of the Word of God we have heard at different times and in...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 4TH WEEK OF LENT 13TH MARCH 2024 Isaiah 49:8-15; Ps.145; John 5:17-30 Does my life testify to God’s unity? Just yesterday, the Jews sought to kill Jesus for healing a man on the Sabbath and asking him to carry his pallet. In response, Jesus creates more tension by claiming He is the Son of God. This claim was dangerous to Jewish conception of God. For the Jews, God is one not plural; also, God is so holy that He cannot condescend so low and be contaminated by the world that is thought to be evil in itself. Thus, God can neither be equal to any other being nor live in human form. This makes Jesus’ claim blasphemous to their hearing. The question is, did they really understand what they were trying to defend? Jesus is the Son of God not because he was born by God but because he was begotten by God. Jesus explains that He and the Father are one because they never contradict themselves; they have the same will and carryout same action. No two persons can ...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT 12TH MARCH 2024 Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12; Ps.46; John 5:1-16 Where true happiness and peace resides! The sickness and consequent healing of the man in today’s gospel, leaves us so much lesson as we journey on as pilgrims in this world. We are told that for many years this man was unsuccessful in utilizing the available but limited means of healing at that time. Still he remained at that location hoping to be lucky someday. If he had other options of getting healed, he would not keep waiting; again, if he was not hopeful, he would not remain there. However, there was something this man did not understand until he encountered Jesus. The many years of unsuccessful attempt to be healed was rather symbolic. It symbolizes something that only Jesus is capable of doing; something called salvation. The sickness of the man was unlike the sicknesses of others. From Jesus, he learnt that his sickness was occasioned by the sin he committed. Only a grie...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 4TH WEEK OF LENT 11TH MARCH 2024 Isaiah 65:17-21; Ps.30; John 4:43-54 Trust in God’s Word A child relies so much on the words of the father to guide him as he grows up. A responsible child is that child who takes seriously the words of the father and abide by them. As Christians, we are children of God and God is our Father. We may find it very easy to accept or claim this with our lips but where the challenge often comes is in living as actual children of God. In the gospel reading of today, an official met Jesus for the sake of the son who was at the point of death. He was convinced that Jesus could heal the son and so he begged that Jesus should follow him home. His faith in Jesus was so firm that even when Jesus refused to follow him home, he still believed in the words of Jesus that the son was healed. It is only a child that will act as the official acted. Children absolutely trust the words of the elders that they are familiar with. If a child eve...

Sermon/Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Lent Year B 10TH MARCH 2024 2 Chronicles 36:14-16,19-23. Psalm 137:1-2,3,4-5,6. Ephesians 2:4-10. John 3:14-21. Theme: The Love of God for Humanity. What would have become of our world if not for the love of God? St. Paul tells us in the second reading, "God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses" (Eph.2:4-5). God loved us when we were most unlovable. We are the ones God loved "when we were dead through our trespasses." St. Paul also said that the proof of God's love for us is that "Christ died for us while we still sinners" (Rom.5:8). The supreme expression of God's love us, is that He sent his only Son into the world. Today's Gospel puts God's love for us in this popular verse of the Bible when our Lord said to Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world that He gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should ...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT 9TH MARCH 2024 Hosea 5:15-6:6; Ps.51; Luke 18:9-14 How merciful have I become? In the gospel reading of today, Jesus told a parable to discourage the attitude of despising others on account of one’s righteousness. While it is true that we are all struggling to attain perfection, we can pinpoint one or more areas of our lives where we are doing appreciably well. The point Jesus is making is that, when we recognize where we are doing well, we should not rub it on others who may not be doing as well as we do. That is, your strength should not make you mock the weakness of others. This is because you are not entirely strong. In this parable Jesus told, notice that there is no argument as to whether the Pharisee or the tax collector were lying. Both of them told God the truth about themselves but in different lights. The tax collector who talked to God about his weakness, also had his areas of strength but he was much more concerned about...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT 8TH MARCH 2024 Hosea 14:1-9; Ps.81; Mark 12:28b-34 Love is the best form of Repentance The knowledgeable Scribe, having being impressed by Jesus’ teaching sought to test him with the question of which commandment is the greatest. This was a common way of distinguishing Jewish teachers of that time. Although the question is about one precept, Jesus adds to it a second: Deut.6:4-5 and Lev.19:18. In effect he makes of the two precepts one dual commandment. For Him, love of God is to be expressed in the love of human beings. With this answer Jesus shows that we cannot subject the Christian principles to arithmetical calculations or Economics. To do so is to treat some of God’s word to be more important than some others. God is not hierarchical within Himself. He is truly one; “the Lord, our God is One Lord”. With this, lent again calls us to critically evaluate every details our lives. We must overcome the temptation to feel comfortable wi...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT 7TH MARCH 2024 Jeremiah 7:23-28; Ps.95; Luke.11:14-23 Salvation requires Acceptance Since Ash Wednesday, the Word of God has constantly called us to repentance and conversion. In our reflections, we have considered the demands of repentance from different perspectives. Repentance does not only mean to desist from evil but also to advance in virtues. Hence, there will always be need for us to repent. How far are we faring since the commencement of this season of Grace? In the first reading, God expresses His disappointment with the people base on their constant rejection of His Providence towards them. He has employed different methods to call them to Himself but it seems as if the closer He tries to get to them, the farther they go away. His people rejected His salvation. In the gospel reading, we still find this altitude of rejecting salvation. Jesus had manifested His power over evil by casting out a demon from a man. This miracle ...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY THIRD WEEK OF LENT 6TH MARCH 2024 Deut.4:1, 5-9; Ps.147; Matthew 5:17-19 The Law has not been abrogated Jesus has often times referred to himself and his ministry as “New”. He says that he has come to give us a new commandment; he is also the new covenant. Whenever something new arrivals, the spontaneous action of people is to abandon the old for the new. In today’s gospel, Jesus tells us that if we apply this principle to the scriptures, we will be making a big mistake. The New Commandment that Jesus gives does not ridicule but perfects the old. In fact, the newness of the commandments is in the application of the old. Jesus has come to teach us how best we can obey the commandments. For example, in the Old Testament, it was said that one should not commit adultery, but Jesus went further and said that one should not look at a woman lustfully. The Old Testament forbade only an action but Jesus forbids the desire itself; for it is the desire that leads to th...

HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT 5TH MARCH 2024 Daniel 3:2, 11-20; Ps.25; Matt. 18:21-35 Let Go and Let God With the Jewish law of revenge that was invoke (an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth), Peter probably expected to be commended by Jesus when he suggested that a neighbour could be forgiven seven times. In such case, one is to keep count of the number of times he forgives people (maybe even create a register and mark accordingly). Jesus’ answer of seventy times seven does not mean an increase in number count but that forgiveness should not be limited.  Again, Jesus teaches us how we can be perfect as His Father is perfect. Since God forgives us, we should forgive others. This means that it is the mercy that we have experienced from God that we should show to others. God forgives us graciously and unconditionally with no strings attached. One who has really experienced the mercy of God cannot but be moved to do likewise to others. God wants each and every one o...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY THIRD WEEK OF LENT 6TH MARCH 2024 2Kings 5:1-15b, 18-20; Ps.42; Luke 4:24-30 You too will be Rejected As the passion of Christ draws near, his rejection is becoming obvious. It is possible to reject Jesus because he does not force himself on us; he does not take away our freedom but honours it. If we refuse to welcome him, he will not come in. The rejection of Jesus comes from his own people. This means that they were not ignorant of who he is neither were they ignorant of his manifold works. In fact, they rejected him based on the knowledge they had of him – a knowledge that led to over familiarity. We too can be as guilty as Jesus’ people if we continue to see ourselves as too perfect to require any form of repentance in this season of lent. Often times, when people hear the Word of God, they easily remember some other persons that the message is meant for. They do not appropriate it to themselves because they think themselves as perfect. This is the begin...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR B 3RD MARCH 2024 Exodus 20:1-17; Ps.19; 1Cor.1:22-25; John 2:13-25 “… _you shall not make my Father’s house a house of trade_ ” (Jn.2:16b)  Respect for what is dedicated to God! At the end of the Lenten season, our adherence to God’s commandments is what should have improved. Our adherence will improve by a deeper understanding of God’s commandments (how they apply to us collectively and individually) and by our ability to wipe off every elements and traces of disobedience in us, not only by going for confession but especially by adopting a new life style that enables us to live better lives henceforth. Do I know/understand the commandments? Am I keeping them? The readings of today help us to answer these fundamental questions. In the first reading, the Lord gave the people the commandments through Moses. The commandments are basically divided into two: our obligations towards God and our obligation towards one another. The former see...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR SATURDAY SECOND WEEK OF LENT 2ND MARCH 2024 Micah 7:14-15, 18-20; Ps.103; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 The Father is the True Wealth Like each and every one of us, the prodigal son had plans for his future. He was lucky to have been born of a wealthy father, but then, he wanted an independent life. The problem was not that he sought to leave home. This is something every man gets to do at a point in his life in preparation for the future. The problem was the attitude with which he left home. The prodigal son thought to himself that his connection with the father was a problem; an obstruction to a brighter future for himself. He thought that he needed his father’s wealth but not the father himself. He may have also thought that the rules and regulation at home were making life uninteresting for him. He saw no connection between the rules and the wealth. He did not know that the father was wealth because he was disciplined. So, in living home, he was rejecting his father and all ...

SERMON/HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF LENT 1ST MARCH 2024 Gen.37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28; Ps.105; Matt.21:33-43, 45-46 Work for God too; to avoid Jealousy! The first of today contains the wickedness of Joseph’s brothers towards him. They hated Joseph for a number of reasons: Joseph would always report their bad deeds to their father, their father loved Joseph more than the other brothers, and Joseph’s dreams indicated that the entire family will serve him. But then, these reasons were also an indication of Joseph’s gifts, namely: truthfulness, love and leadership. So, Joseph’s brothers hated him on account of his gifts. Now, was it the case that Joseph’s brothers did not have their own gifts? NO! They too were gifted. At that time, Joseph was only 17, so he did not have the strength to go with them to the field to pasture the flock. But they could have used the opportunity of pasturing their father’s flock to so much please their father. They could also have repented of the bad de...