FR REMI HOMILIES/REFLECTIONS AND SERMONS

HOMILY ON THE FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (MAY 31 2024) Zephaniah 3:14-18a; Isa.12; Luke 1:39-56 Before His Ascension, when Jesus spoke to His disciples about his impending departure, He assured them that His departure does not mean His absence because the Holy Spirit will come to guide them to the truth. Since Jesus is the truth, the Holy Spirit guides us to discover Jesus. It is this guidance of the Holy Spirit to discover Jesus that we celebrate in the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast does not just mean to say that Mary visited Elizabeth; they were cousins and so, she would have done that a number of times. This feast rather outlines the first visit of the Mother of God. Mary had just been told by the Angel Gabriel that she will be the Mother of God. Immediately she goes to visit Elizabeth. Through her greeting, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit who also guided her to discover/notice the Jesus in Mary’s womb. Elizabeth exc...

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II (MAY 30, 2024 1Pt.2:2-5, 9-12; Ps.100; Mark 10:46:52 At the beginning of the gospel reading of today, it was mentioned that a great multitude followed Jesus as he was leaving Jericho. We are not told who they were neither was it recorded why they followed Jesus or what exactly they benefited from following Jesus. But immediately the case of the beggar came up, issues were clearly spelt out: his name was given as Bartimaeus, his problem was mentioned to be blindness, his reason for wanting to meet with Jesus was so that his sight could be restored; and in the final analysis, his request was granted. The difference between the multitude and Bartimaeus that brought about a more profound encounter between him and Jesus was the fact that Bartimaeus acknowledged his weakness. Prior to his meeting with Jesus, he humbled himself and begged to earn a living. When he learnt that Jesus was passing by, he was not ashamed to cry out f...

HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II (MAY 29, 2024) 1Peter 1:18-25; Ps.147; Mark 10:32:45 That feeling of supremacy! One feeling that seem to give people happiness in life is that they have some edge over their contemporaries. There is this consciousness of measuring ones achievement in comparison with what others have. With this mentality, people do not simply seek to grow so as to become better persons and make better impacts in their immediate environment, but so that they can feel greater/better than their mates. This was how the ten disciples understood the request made by James and John to Jesus in the gospel reading. For them, James and John want to use their biological relation with Jesus as a ladder to climb over the other ten of them. This would have brought in mutual suspicion amongst the disciples. This mutual suspicion has destroyed some human relations in our world today. The moment people perceive that their colleagues have gotten some favour...

REFLECTION /SERMON FOR TUESDAY OF THE EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR II MAY 28, 2024 1Peter 1:10-16; Ps.98; Mark 10:28-31 Be not a utilitarian No human being wants to be used by another. Man is at his best when he is valued and respected. This human desire was expressed by Peter in the gospel reading of today. To follow Jesus, they made sacrifices of leaving their family and career. In following Jesus, they had their expectations that was worth the sacrifice of abandoning their formal lives. If their expectation is not meant, then they would have made the wrong move. So, Peter, speaking on behalf of the others, wanted to be sure that Jesus is not merely using them as instruments to achieve his personal goal. If it is a goal that the disciples cannot share in, then working with Jesus is tantamount to being used. In response, Jesus assured the disciples that those who make sacrifices to build God’s kingdom can never be left out of the kingdom. This means that the Lord does not merely ...

SERMON/REFLECTION FOR MONDAY OF THE EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II MAY 27, 2024 1Peter 1:3-9; Ps.111; Mark 10:17-27 Continuous growth towards perfection There is no part of the Ten Commandments that directly ask that we give to the poor. So, it is easy to understand how the man who met Jesus in today’s gospel reading omitted that in his effort to live a good live. The fact that the man had lived by the commandments since his youth says something good about him. It means that he never depended on his possessions to guarantee him a happy and fulfilled life. Though he was rich, he gave God his due by keeping the commandments. So, when he asked Jesus: what must I do to inherit eternal life, he was not asking how much he needed to contribute so that Jesus will give him a sure ticket to heaven. Since this man lived so well, why then did he feel the need to ask Jesus such a question? Why was he not able to feel satisfied with the much he had been doing? This goes to show to us that Chr...

SERMON/REFLECTION FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY, YEAR B MAY 26, 2024 Deut.4:32-34. 39-40; Ps.33; Rom.8:14-17; Matthew 28:16-20  _Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: to God who is, who was and who is to come._ (Rev.1:8) Authentic Christianity is essentially Trinitarian It is always required for a typical academic/research work, that proper classification of terms be made. This entails that the context in which the basic concepts to be employed by the researcher in the work should be properly outlined and clarified. This is necessary because a word/concept can have different meaning/understanding in different context. It is only after a due and diligent conceptual analysis that anyone can engage a research work in accordance with the mind of the researcher. Again, it is only within the circumference of conceptual analysis that criticisms can make sense. Today, we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. The Trinity is at the heart/fou...

SERMON/REFLECTION FOR SATURDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II (MAY 25, 2024) James 5:13-20; Ps.141; Mark 10:13-16 Theme: Admit your failings and pray for one another There is no situation in life we find ourselves in that we do not have to involve God. This is the lesson St. James teaches us in the opening paragraph of today’s first reading. God has something to do with and for us in whatever circumstances of life we may be in. We should not remember God when life is sweet but forget him when the chips are down; neither should we run to him in difficult times but have no time for him when things improve for the better. By extension, St. James is teaching us to pray for virtually everything about our lives. Nothing can be said not to concern God. Prayer is our relationship with God. St. James went on to teach us how to relate with one another. He said: confess your sins to one another and pray for one another… Confessing our sins to one another means we should acknowledge...