FR REMI HOMILIES/REFLECTIONS AND SERMONS

REFLECTION/HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH YEAR B 31ST DECEMBER 2023 Gen.15:1-6; 21:1-3; Ps.105; Heb.11:8.11-12.17-19; Lk.2:22-40 AN IMPROVED FAMILY CATECHESIS Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We celebrate them as the ideal model for every family on earth. Experience reveals that with the increasing number of Churches in our societies, evil thrives daily such as: increase rate of divorce, growing acceptance in the use of contraceptives and reproductive technologies that are contrary to the teaching of the Church, growing demand for same sex unions, single parenting, and so on. With all of these, we are experiencing a gradual de-Christianization of our society. To re-Christianize our society, we must begin from the family because the family is the first and vital cell of the society, the pillar and manufacturer of acceptable behaviours in the society. The documents of the Church are full of teachings on the fund

REFECTION/HOMILY FOR SATURDAY SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS 30TH DECEMBER 2023 1John 2:12-17; Ps.96; Luke 2:36-40 Preserving the Joy of Christmas In the gospel reading of today, Anna the prophetess represents all who wait upon the Lord. Like Anna, we are never disappointed. No matter how long it takes, the Lord is always true to his promises. Today, Anna is seen giving thanks and showing the new born king to all as a sign that her long years of prayer were not in vain. Similarly, we rejoice at Christmas because the Lord has come to redeem us. It is to us who have been redeemed by the coming of the Messiah that the first reading is addressed. John, in his first letter, gives us the secret to preserving the joy of the Lord’s presence in and with us: Do not love the world or the things in the world. This is because the demand of the world is contrary to the demands of our Christian faith. So, to love the world will mean to turn against God. When we turn against the Lord, we loo

REFECTION/HOMILY FOR FRIDAY, FIFTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS 29TH DECEMBER 2023 1John 2:3-12; Ps.96; Luke 2:22-35 Love God by keeping His Commandments Usually when people gather joyfully at the celebration of someone they have known, it is taken for granted that they love the person and so have come to celebrate with him or her. We are still in the season of Christmas wherein we rejoice at the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. It could be taken for granted that it is because we love Christ and desire the salvation he has come to win for us, that is why we are joyful. However, in the first reading of today, St. John tells us that it is not the mere act of celebrating that proves that we know and love the Lord. St. John is not oblivious of the fact that it is very possible for one to join in the celebration of Christmas without a heart of welcome to the baby Jesus. So, if we must celebrate Christmas meaningfully – a celebration that truly speaks of our unity with the Lord, we must

HOMILY ON THE FEAST OF THE HOLY INNOCENTS 1John 1:5-2:2; Ps.124; Matthew 2:13-18 The Consequence of Divine Connection Today, the Church honours the memory of the little children who were massacred by the order of King Herod. The existence of the new-born king threatened King Herod when he learnt of it from the Magi. He did not understand that Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world; so he thought that the earlier he eliminated this new-born king, the better. Unable to locate the particular child, he ordered that all male children under the angel of age in the town of Bethlehem and its environs be slaughtered. He was not able to kill the new-born king, but he was able to kill many babies. These babies are innocent on account of their age and on the fact that they did nothing to warrant their death. Their death was as a result of the relationship they had with Jesus. First, only male children were killed because Jesus was male; second, only those under the age of two were killed because that

REFLECTION/HOMILY ON THE FEAST OF ST. JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST 27TH DECEMBER 2023 1John 1:1-4; Ps.97; John 20:2-8 The Power of Friendship Today we celebrate the feast of St. John the Apostle who is often identified as the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ. It is not certain why he is so called but one thing is clear that this beloved disciple was always with the Lord. He was a faithful friend who not only formed part of the inner circle of Jesus but remained committed to the Lord during His passion and after His death. John was devoted to the Lord not only because he believed him to be the Messiah but also because he saw the Lord as a friend. His gospel is the most theological of all the gospels as it is most centered on understanding Jesus as God. The gospel explores varieties of images as a means of expressing the relationship between Jesus and God. For example, one of the unique features of John’s gospel is the frequent use of the emphatic “I am” (ego eimi) on the lips of Jesus.

REFLECTION/HOMILY ON THE FEAST OF ST. STEPHEN FIRST MARTYR 26TH DECEMBER 2023 Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Ps.31; Matthew 10:17:22 Be Consistent with the Truth Today, just immediately after celebrating the Nativity of the Lord, the life and martyrdom of St. Stephen is presented before us as the first example of one who practiced authentic Christianity at the greatest cost. Prior to the today’s first reading, Stephen was chosen as one of the upright men in the community to supervise the equitable distribution of food to the Hellenist’s widows. To have been chosen means that he enjoyed the admiration of men. He was a man of integrity. However, soon there was a problem when Stephen decided to grow higher in the use of his gifts. Apart from the just distribution of food to widows, Stephen was now able to perform great signs and wonders among the people. Not until then did he begin to attract the persecution of men. Still, Stephen could not be intimidated by the jealousy of men. In the midst of th

Sermon/Homily for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day) 25th December 2023 Isaiah 52:7-10. Psalm 98:1,2-3ab,3cd-4,5-6. Hebrews 1:1-6. John 1:1-18. Theme: And the Word Became Flesh. The announcer of the Word could begin the presentation of the theme from the second reading that God manifested himself in stages to the people of Israel. "God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days, he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the ages" (Heb.1:1-2). We are a highly privileged generation for God to be speaking through his Son to us, whose coming into the world as man from the womb of the Blesed Virgin Mary, we are celebrating today. In today's Gospel, St. John stresses how the Incarnation of the Word has been the highest of all God's revelations. Today's Gospel tells us: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in t