FR REMI HOMILIES/REFLECTIONS AND SERMONS

Woe to those who plot evil and distort the truth Homily for Saturday of the 15th week in ordinary time Micah 2:1-5; Mt 12:14-21 Honestly speaking, one of the tremendous crises, which the church faces now and then is the misrepresentation of the scripture and doctrinal teachings of the church by false, erroneous and treacherous teachers, ministers, prophets, etc.  Who incessantly misguide, deceive, and misinform the hearts of the faithful by propagating incorrect and untrue doctrines and teachings to feeble hearts. The Pharisees during the time of Jesus were not different from this category. They had a misguided understanding of the essence of the Sabbath and work on the Sabbath. In the Gospel of Mathew, af ter Jesus healed the man with a withered hand on the Sabbath day, we are told that this infuriated the Pharisees so much that they began to plot against Jesus, on how to destroy and kill him (Mt 12: 13-14). For the Pharisees to heal on the Sabbath was a crime, whereas to plot or ...

THE EFFICACY OF PRAYER Isaiah 38:1-8; Mt 12:1-8 Homily for Friday of the 15th week in the ordinary time Child of God, Do you believe in the power of Prayer? Do you know that prayer provides answers? Do you know that prayer helps you develop a profound relationship with God? Do you know that prayer helps you find direction in life? Do you know that with prayer you can avoid the occasion of sin and temptation? Do you believe that prayer can work miracles? Do you understand that with prayer you invite the Holy Spirit into your life? Are you aware that prayer helps you align with the will of God? Brothers and sisters in Christ, the benefit of prayer and its efficacy is unquantifiable. The first reading of today from the prophecy of Isaiah 38: 1-8, speaks to us of Hezekiah the king of Judah, who believed in the efficacy of prayer. Hezekiah was king of Judah for 14 years and began to reign at the age of 25 (2kings 18:2). We are told that the prophet Isaiah told the king that he would die but...

ARE YOU RESTLESS AND DESIRE PEACE? HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 15TH WEEK IN THE ORDINARY TIME Isaiah 26:7-9-12:16-19; Matthew 11: 28-30 Good morning dearest brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,  St. Augustine, a renowned theologian and doctor of the Church, in his 'confessions' said: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you”. This is a famous phrase that deeply echoes the term 'restlessness' as the desire to be filled and fulfilled; the desire to seek peace and strength; the desire to seek serenity and grace etc. Sometimes in life, we are overwhelmed by weariness, anxiety, worry, troubles, difficulties, drawbacks, etc. We are burdened, we are heavy laden, we are pressed down to the earth by sorrow and Sin. We are plunged into a state of despair and frustration. It feels as if the whole world is against us as if we have lost it all. Friends in Christ, the words of Jesus in this Gospel of Matthew addresses us: “Come to me,...

Good morning beloved in Christ,   Gospel reading of today:  Matthew 11:25-27 A At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent you have revealed them to the little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” Let's be catechetical in today's homily.   QUESTIONS : The glorious exclamation of praise and thanksgiving to God by Jesus raises several questions that yearn for answers. Can we kindly attempt these questions? Provide your answers in the comment section. 1. What were these “things” that were hidden by the Father from the wise and the intelligent? 2. Who are being referred to as “the little ones” in the gospel readings? 3. who are also designated as “the wise...

HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 15TH WEEK IN THE ORIDINARY TIME Isaiah 7: 1-9; Matthew 11: 20-24 Theme: IF YOU DO NOT STAND FIRM IN FAITH, YOU SHALL NOT STAND AT ALL Good morning dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, the first reading of today presents to us the faithlessness of Ahaz, the king of Judah. Ahaz was reckoned in the scripture for his disobedience to the injunctions of God and for the abominable practices, he made in the nation (2kings 16:2-3). We are told this morning that during his reign, Pekah, the king of Israel and Rezin, the king of Syria, ganged up to fiercely attack the kingdom of Judah. Fear gripped the king of Judah (Ahaz) and his entire kingdom, so much so that “the heart of the king and his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind” (Isaiah 7:2).  Isaiah in the name of the Lord God, admonished king Ahaz, “Take heed, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smouldering stumps (Pekah and Rezin)” (Isa 7:4). ...

WHAT DELIGHTS THE LORD GOD? Isaiah 1:11-17; Mt 10:34-42; 11:1 Beloved in Christ, in our church of today, many Christians have misconstrued the essentiality of our worship and relationship to God. Many Christians have become hypocritical in their religious worship of God, so much so that they honour God on their lips but their hearts and actions are a disservice to humanity. They are proud to make huge financial contributions or donations to the church but are indifferent to the plights of the poor, the needy, the orphans, widows and widowers etc around them. They offer huge sums of tithe to the church but are inconsiderate and deaf to the predicament of the destitute and the oppressed. Their worship of God does not translate into the love of their neighbour. They tend to create a dichotomy between the worship of God and the love of neighbour; Prioritizing the worship given to God at the disfavour of the charity they owe to humanity. Dearest brother and sisters in Christ, the first read...

THE CHRISTIAN UNDERSTANDING OF A NEIGHBOUR HOMILY FOR THE 15TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C  Deuteronomy 30:10-14, Colossians 1:15-20, Luke 10:25-73 Brothers and sisters in Christ, central to today's liturgy of the word is the parable of the good Samaritan. A parable that evokes substantive questions such as: who exactly is my neighbour? Why on earth would the religious leaders, custodians and teachers of the scriptural values e.g Priest and Levite, pass by the afflicted without being moved with compassion? How come the samaritan, ignorant of the scripture, yet understood better the core values of the scripture? Etc We are told that there was a lawyer whose sole purpose was to disconcert Jesus; hence, posed a question to him: “Master what must I do to inherit eternal life? In response, Jesus demanded from him the content of the Law. The man answered, subscribing to the scripture: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength...