Sunday Homily by Fr. Kris Ikegwuonu, MDM. (Fr. Galala).

 Homily for 8th Sunday, Year C. 

By Fr. Kris Ikegwuonu, MDM (Fr. Galala).

Our words are powerful, let’s watch how we talk. Our words can bless or hurt others, let’s be careful. Our words have consequences, let’s avoid using words that we will regret later. 

Today’s first reading and gospel reading present to us the reality of what our words represent. In the first reading, we are told: Do not praise a man before you hear him speak, for this is the test of men. In the gospel reading, Jesus said: For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

Brothers and sisters, our words reveal 5 things about us: our true natures, our hearts, our true characters, our thoughts, and our spirits. Let us be careful how we use words. Our words summarize our personalities.

Please always remember this: Small minds discuss people. Average minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas. Some people talk without control. Some people talk without thinking. Some people talk without choosing their words carefully. Some people gossip about others.

From today’s first reading and gospel reading, we have two solutions on how to control our words. The first solution is: SILENCE. Brothers and sisters, silence is golden. Silence is valuable. In Silence, we grow. I am talking of real, fruitful, peaceful silence and not insulting, unnecessary, mockery silence. Silence is powerful. Some people plan evil in the silence of their hearts or wish others evil things. In silence, we must forgive and let go. Our silence must bear good fruits to make it Godly, genuine and authentic. 

The second solution is: THINK. It is very important for us to think before we talk. Be careful what you say, or what you say will be used against you as evidence. Now, what does it mean for us to think before we talk? Let’s use the word THINK.

1) T stands for Truth: Truth is very important. What we have to say to others has to be the truth. Before you say something, if what you are going to say to others is a lie, false, flattery, fake, or misinformation, please don’t say it. Always tell the truth.

2) H stands for Helpful: Our words should be of help to others. Our words should help others to make good decisions and guide them properly in life.

3) I stands for Inspirational: Our words should inspire, influence, and motivate people positively. Let us not use our words to demoralize or discourage others. Our words should be light for others.

4) N stands for Necessity: The necessity of our words is also important. Some of us talk when it is not necessary. Also, some of us say unnecessary things. Brothers and sisters, before we talk, let us ask ourselves, is what I want to say necessary? Some of us talk too much and we can’t control our mouths. Some times, we are not even sure of what we said. It is not everything we see or we hear that we must talk. Gossip is not good.

5) K stands for Kind: We need to always consider the effects of our words on others. Let us use kind words in talking with others. Let us choose good words in talking with others. Let us not hurt others with our words.

Brothers and sisters, let us pray: Oh God, help us to use good words in talking with others. Oh Jesus Christ, forgive us for the bad words we have used. Oh Holy Spirit, teach us the right words to use, through Christ Our Lord amen.

Sunday Homily by Fr. Kris Ikegwuonu, MDM. (Fr. Galala).

 Homily for Epiphany.

Today, we celebrate the epiphany of Jesus Christ. It is the manifestation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to the world. It is a celebration that tells us that Jesus is the light of the world. Let that light shine in your heart and your life. 

Today, I have two points to give everyone.

First point. Don’t make other people sad: According to the gospel reading, when Herod heard that Jesus was born, he was disturbed and the whole of Jerusalem was affected. Herod allowed his problem to affect the happiness of other people. One man made other people sad. Too bad. That is sadism. Some people are sadist. A sadist is a person who makes others unhappy or hurt others. A sadist is someone who derives joy in the pains, suffering or cruelty of others. A sadist doesn't forgive.

Brothers and sisters, this year, don’t be the reason for another person’s sadness. Be the reason for other people’s happiness. Please, work for the happiness of others. Don’t be a sadist. Please, don’t be the reason why another person will cry, suffer or feel pain. Even if you are not happy or something bothers you, don’t transfer the aggression or your problems to others. Don’t use your mood swing to destroy the mood of another person. Radiate joy, peace, love, happiness, and forgiveness wherever you are.

Second point. Change your ways: The last line of today’s gospel reading is very significant. The last sentence of today’s gospel reading should be our guiding principle this year. 

The last sentence of today’s gospel reading is: the magi were warned in a dream not to take go back to Herod and they took a different way to their country.

The magi took a different way because God spoke to them and they were convinced that they needed to take a different way to their country.

Today in this holy mass, God is talking to you. God speaks to your heart. Be convinced enough to take a different direction this year in your life. Don’t take the fruitless and meaningless way you took last year.

This is a new year. It calls for new attitude, new character, new actions. How?

1) If last year there were sins you committed and there is anything you did that wasn’t good, necessary, valuable, fruitful in your life, this year, take a different way. Do better.

2) If last year you didn’t pray to God very well or worship God good enough, this year, pray more and serve God better.

3) If last year there were some attitudes of yours that you were not happy about, this year, behave better.

4) If last year there were some people in your life or friends that were toxic, bad influence, negative, this year, leave them and make better friends.

Brothers and sisters, this year, don’t be a sadist, make others happy and live a better life.

God bless you abundantly amen.

By Fr. Kris Ikegwuonu, MDM (Fr. Galala

Sunday Homily by Fr. Kris Ikegwuonu, MDM. (Fr. Galala).

 Homily for Thirty First Sunday, Year B.

{Deuteronomy 6:2-6, Hebrews 7:23-28, Mark 12:28-34}

What is the greatest currency in the world? What is the best currency in the world? Which currency in the world can transform the world? It is not the Dollar of America. It is not the Euro of European countries. It is not the pound of London. It is not the Yen of China. 

The greatest currency in the world is LOVE. Only love can change the world. If there is love in the world, in families, in our hearts, in the way we relate with one another, there will be peace. I am not talking about erotic love. No, I am talking about agape love, true love for humanity.

Love is beautiful.

Love is wonderful.

Love is the essence of our faith.

Love is healing.

Love is the roadmap to heaven.

Love is a commandment.

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells us the greatest commandments: love of God and love of neighbors.

These two commandments are our guide to holiness, the summary of the bible, the fact of Christianity and the necessity for a better world, better family and better persons.

These two commandments are two sides of a coin.

You can’t see a bird flying with one wing. Every bird flies with two wings. In the same way, to go to heaven, each of us must fly with two wings: love of God on the right hand and love of neighbor on the left hand.

Jesus said: love God with all your heart, your soul and your mind. 

How do you love God with all your heart, soul and mind?

1) The heart: it means you love God deeply and you trust him.

2) The soul: it means you love God truthfully, you surrender to his will and you don’t sin.

3) The mind: it means you love God convincingly and you pray to him.

Then Jesus said: love your neighbor as yourself. Now, how do you love your neighbor? 

1) Sacrificial: sacrifice for the good of the other person. Love is sacrifice.

2) Sincerity: don’t pretend to love people. Love is truthful. 

3) Selfless: always think about the good of others. Remember, don’t use people. Love people.

4) Patience: Be patient with other people’s attitude. Nobody is perfect.

5) Forgiveness: there is no love without forgiveness. Always forgive those who offend you. Always forgive. Always forgive. 

Tell the persons around you now: I love you!

I love you!

Fr. Kris Ikegwuonu, MDM. (Fr. Galala)

+234 803 435 7990

DAILY SPIRITUAL REFLECTION BY REV FR AWOYEMI EMMANUEL, ILORIN DIOCESE, NIGERIA

 HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY 28TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B

{Ephesians 2:12-22;Luke 12:36-38}

In the parable, the chief characters are a master (representing the risen Jesus), and his servants (Jesus’ followers). According to the Fathers of the Church, Jesus’ words in this passage have two senses. In the narrower sense, the words refer to the Second Coming of Jesus, but in the broader sense they refer to the time of our own death, when God will call us to meet Him and to give Him an account of our life on earth. Since the precise time of either is unknown to us, the proper attitude for us is constant watchfulness. Since we cannot be sure about the day of our death, we should do our present work perfectly every day, and not leave it undone, half-done or postponed.

Dear brothers and sisters, We need to stay vigilant and ready to face the Lord through prayer. One of the traditional means for remaining alert is prayer. The most important elements in prayer are listening to God (1 Kgs 19:11-12) and talking to Him. This means we have to set aside a quiet time every day during which we can tune our ears to God’s message of love, harmony, peace, and respond to Him. 2) We need to wait for the Lord who appears to us in different disguises everyday. We must wait for the Lord in our daily lives by learning to see Jesus in the least of our brothers and sisters. In other words, we must be prepared to serve Jesus whenever, and in whatever form, Jesus appears. What we discover in serving, loving, and helping other people is that God invariably comes to us through them. 

Pax Vobis

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com

Daily Spiritual Reflection by Rev Fr Awoyemi Emmanuel, Ilorin Diocese, Nigeria

 

HOMILY FOR MONDAY 29TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B

{Ephesians 2:1-10;Luke 12:13-21}

One thing about our Christian calling is that we do not live for ourselves. When we do that, we are paying attention to our own desires and when we do that, we tend to forget God and worst still, people around us. This is said to be selfishness. In the gospel reading, Jesus teaches the audience the folly of greed and selfishness. He declares that the criterion for Heavenly bliss is not earthly wealth but how we share what we have with others. In the parable, God calls the rich man “fool” because:

 1) he has evicted God from his heart, enthroned money instead, and worshipped his wealth; 

2) he has also evicted his brothers and sisters in need from his heart because there is place in it only for his wealth; 

3) he has filled his heart with himself and has become greedy; 

4) he has forgotten that he will die one day and lose all his possessions.

Dear brothers and sisters, we need to share our blessings with others because all these things have been loaned to us by God, and so we are accountable for their use. 

1) We must be generous in sharing our time, our treasure, and our talents, the three elements of Christian stewardship. 

2) We need to control our greed because it diverts our life and energies from loving God and from serving and loving Him in other people to loving ourselves alone. 

Greed takes different shapes and forms in different people. For some it may be the desire for the approval and praise of others. For others it is the uncontrolled desire for power, control, or fame. For still others it takes the form of desire for excessive and sinful indulgence in eating, drinking, gambling, drugs or sexual activities. Hence, let us rely on the strength of God to free us from all forms of greed.

Pax Vobis

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com

Daily Spiritual Reflection by Rev Fr Awoyemi Emmanuel, Ilorin Diocese, Nigeria

 

 HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY 28TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B

(Galatians 5:18-25;Luke 11:42-46)

For the past few days, the readings most especially the gospel wants us to be wise in religion and religious matters. In our text today, Jesus focuses his attention on religious leaders. In doing so, he accuses them of the following: 

1) They have misinterpreted the spirit of the Law, making the Law a heavy burden for  God-fearing common people. Jesus gives the Law of tithing as an example. God intended tithing for His people as an expression of their gratitude to a providing for God (Dt 14:22; Lv 27:30). The scribes instructed the people to pay tithes on insignificant things, such as kitchen-garden plants, with great mathematical accuracy, but they themselves neglected justice and love of God in their private lives. 

2) The second accusation is that the scribes and the Pharisees are notorious for their status-seeking. They demand that the common people give them special honours because of their expertise in Mosaic Law and faithful religious observance. As a mark of respect, they are to be given front seats in the synagogue and public greetings in the streets. 

3) Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees to the white-washed tombs on the sides of the road leading to Jerusalem.

 In preparation for the three major Jewish feasts, Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, the scribes and Pharisees used to have the tombs whitewashed, so that the pilgrims would not be ritually defiled by unknowingly walking over one. Jesus accuses the Pharisees of moral filth, of hiding injustice and immorality inside themselves and of covering the corruption with pretensions of piety and religious fervor. Thus, they contaminate others with their rotten and dangerous ideas of God’s demands.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the sole essence of religion is to love God, discover Him in everyone. The basic principles of the Ten Commandments are respect and reverence based on the love of God and neighbor. When we learn to reverence God, His holy Name and His holy Day and to respect our parents, elders, and everyone else, their lives, their goods and their good names, we practice true religion without hypocrisy or selfish interests. 2) True love is selfless, sacrificial, and serving, encouraging us to help lift the burdens of others.

Pax Vobis

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com

Daily spiritual reflection by Rev Fr Awoyemi Emmanuel, Ilorin Diocese

 HOMILY FOR TUESDAY 28TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B

(Galatians 4:22-24,26-27,31-5:1;Luke 11:29-32)

Today, Jesus wishes to tell us his stand on the essence of religion. Religion is summarized in offering to God a clean heart filled with love, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. However, mere external observance of rituals without a cleansing of the heart is hypocrisy, which God hates. Jesus uses the occasion to accuse the Pharisees of harboring evil thoughts like greed, pride, bitterness, envy, and arrogance in their hearts. Jesus concludes by suggesting that one method of expressing real love of God and neighbor originating from a compassionate heart and making one pure and clean is giving alms to the poor. Charity or Almsgiving in the proper sense means realizing the needs of others and letting them share in one’s own goods, especially by way of spiritual help, financial and emotional support, consolation, fraternity, and love. St. John of the Cross explains this passage, remarking that in the evening of our lives we will be judged on our love expressed by works of charity.

Dear brothers and sisters In order to have interior cleanliness, let us do some charitable acts which externally express our loving relationship with God and our eagerness to do His will. Since we are offering our hearts and lives on the altar, let us expel everything evil from our hearts by true repentance. Agape love is what we have to give others: selfless love with understanding, mercy, respect for their freedom, and deep concern for their spiritual and material welfare. Giving this gift requires that we have love in our thoughts, words and actions always.

Pax Vobis

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com

DAILY SPIRITUAL REFLECTION BY REV FR AWOYEMI EMMANUEL, ILORIN DIOCESE, NIGERIA

 HOMILY FOR MONDAY 28TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B

{Galatians 4:22-24,26-27,31-5:1; 

Luke 11:29-32}

The theme of seeking wisdom continues in our readings throughout this week. We are told that in the gospel the queen of the south will judge us because we have failed to recognise the precious gift of wisdom. So it is with the men of Nineveh. 

Dear friends in Christ, wisdom is calling on us all. As Christians, we must seek wisdom. When we have it, we will be free. There are many gifts God has given to us just as I have rightly said yesterday. These gifts come with wisdom on how we make use of them. There are gifts many of us Catholics fail to see and do not see the importance in our lives. These are gifts that we are supposed to appreciate as God's given grace : 

1) Each Sacrament in the Church is an external sign representing God’s grace. 

2) On the altar we re-present Christ’s sacrifice on the cross using liturgical signs and prayers – The Sacrifice and Sacrament of the Eucharist. 

3) Everyone living with us or working with us is a sign of God’s living presence in our midst, inviting us to love and honor him or her as God’s child and the living Temple of the Holy Spirit. 

4) All world events and all the events in our lives are signs of God’s care and protection for us, His children.

 5) The Holy Bible is a sign of God communicating His message to us every day. 

So, let us learn from these God-given signs instead of looking for signs in weeping Madonnas, bleeding crucifixes and daily messages of visionaries.

Lastly, let us not forget that in all these gifts, we will be accountable for every thing.

Pax Vobis

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com

Daily spiritual reflection by Rev Fr Awoyemi Emmanuel, Ilorin Diocese, Nigeria

 HOMILY FOR THURSDAY 27TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B

{Galatians 3:1-5;Luke 11:5-13}

Today, we are faced with a parables that tells us the extent in which God can do in other to come to our aid. In other words, it gives us a sense of what true friendship is all about.

Examining on the parable of the “friend in need,” Jesus emphasizes our need for that persistent and persevering prayer which acknowledges our total dependence on God. This parable of Friend at Midnight is both an assurance that prayer is always answered and hence, an encouragement to pray. 

This parable stresses the necessity for our persisting in prayer as the expression of our total dependence on God. St. Paul says, “Be constant in prayer” (Rom 12:12), “pray at all times” (Eph 6:18), “be steadfast in prayer” (Col 4:2), and “pray constantly” (2 Thes 5:17).Jesus assures us, “Knock and the door will be opened”(Lk 11: 10).

Dear brothers and sisters, we need to stop giving lame excuses for not praying. Modern Christians give four lame excuses for not praying: 

1) We are “too busy.” This excuse should send us to our priorities list, where God needs to be first of all, if we are to be able to live in His peace. That settled, we will find that prayer in every form is our living connection with Him through which He gives us Grace, fills us with His love for us, and helps us to become our true selves. Then, with His help, we will be able to discern the truly important things in our lives and eliminate the unimportant and/or distracting, debilitating, and useless items.

 2) We “don’t believe that prayer does that much good, other than giving us the psychological motivation to be better persons.” Such people forget the fact that prayer establishes and augments our responsive relationship with God, the Source of our power.

 3) “A loving God should provide for us and protect us from the disasters of life, such as diseases or accidents, without our asking Him.” True – and He does! Prayer is not meant to inform God; it expresses our awareness of our need for God Who loves us unconditionally, and of our trusting dependence upon Him. Further, if we haven’t asked Him for what we need, we may well not recognize it when He gives it to us! 

4) “Prayer is boring.” People who use this excuse forget the fact that prayer is a conversation with God: listening to God speaking to us through the Bible and talking to God through personal and family prayers. We can’t have a close relationship with anyone, including God, without persistent and intimate conversation. 

Pax Vobis

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com

Daily spiritual reflection by Rev Fr Awoyemi Emmanuel, Ilorin Diocese, Nigeria

 HOMILY FOR TUESDAY 27TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B

Todays readings most especially the gospel tells us about hospitality and listening to Jesus. Both actions are good however, when we must pay attention to that which is important - we must listen to Jesus. The fact remains that when we listen to Jesus, we become better persons by being hospitable and taking care of those around us just as Jesus did.

The episode is also intended to teach us where we should place our priorities. Presenting Martha as a dynamo of action and Mary as a true listener to the word of God, today’s Gospel invites us to serve others with Martha’s diligence, after recharging our spiritual batteries everyday by prayer, listening to God and talking to God as Mary did. We are able to minister truly to the needs of others only after welcoming God’s words into our hearts, minds, and living.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to pay attention to what God is telling us everyday of our lives. If we do not listen to God, our service can become a crushing responsibility, a burden rather than a vocation, an annoyed grumbling rather than a response to the invitation of God.

Just like Martha has become a symbol of action-oriented, responsible people who get the job done. Our world needs such men, women, boys and girls who get the job done. This is certainly true in the Church where we need the active cooperation of many parishioners in its various ministries.

Pax Vobis

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com

Daily Spiritual Reflection by Rev Fr Awoyemi Emmanuel, Ilorin Diocese, Nigeria

HOMILY FOR MONDAY 27TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

MEMORIAL OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY

Today's feast was established by Pope St. Pius V in thanksgiving for the victory at Lepanto, 7 Oct 1571, which stopped the Turkish invasion of Europe. Importance: The word Rosary means “Crown of Roses” and each prayer in the Rosary is considered a flower presented to Mary. It is called the “Breviary of the Common People” (The Breviary has 150 Psalms; The Rosary has 150 Hail Marys), and the “Psalms of the Illiterate.” The prayers we repeat are Biblical and hence “inspired,” and the mysteries we meditate upon are taken from the lives of Jesus and Mary. The “Our Father” is a prayer taught by Jesus himself. The “Hail Mary” is also rooted in the Scriptures. Its first half echoes the words of the Archangel Gabriel and those of Elizabeth, both addressed to Mary. The third prayer — the “Glory be to the Father” (ancient in its wording), surely reflects the unceasing prayer of adoration and praise found in the Book of Revelation. The various events in the lives of Jesus and Mary on which we meditate during the Rosary are expressions of the Paschal Mystery, that is, the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, in which Mary shared.

Perhaps, let us look down history lane on what praying with beads began. Prayer using beads is as old as mankind. The Hindus in India used to recite the thousand names of their gods and goddesses and their “mantra” prayers using a multi-beaded string and their sages wear such strings around the neck, constantly rolling the beads in prayer. The Jews used beads to repeat the psalms, the Laws of Moses and the memorized sayings of the prophets. The Muslims use strings with a hundred beads for their prayer. In the ninth century, the Christian monks who recited the 150 psalms instructed the illiterate common people to recite the Our Father 150 times. It was in the eleventh century that the Europeans added the Hail Mary to the Our Father. According to a legend, in 1214, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Dominic Guzman and instructed him to pray the Rosary in a new form as an effective antidote against the Albigensian heresy. The Rosary devotion attained its present form by 1500 A.D. An additional boost to the Rosary devotion was given in 1917, when our Blessed Mother, in her sixth apparition to the three shepherd children, on the thirteenth of September, asked them to, “Say the Rosary every day… Pray, pray a lot and offer sacrifices for sinners… I am Our Lady of the Rosary.” The “Fatima prayer” “O, my Jesus…” was added in the twentieth century. Pope St. John Paul II enriched the Rosary by adding the “Luminous Mysteries” (Rosarium Virginis Mariae).

How to pray the Rosary: The ideal is to recite at least five decades of the Rosary (and if possible, the entire twenty), with one’s whole family daily. We need to say the Rosary slowly enough to make its recitation devout and reverent. We are to reflect for a minute or two on the mystery, and then concentrate on the meaning of the prayers as we say them, to avoid distractions. Besides saying the Rosary with others in the family before bedtime, let us make it a habit of reciting the Rosary during our journey to the workplace and during our exercises.

Pax Vobis

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com

Daily Spiritual Reflection by Rev Fr Awoyemi Emmanuel Ilorin Diocese Nigeria

 

HOMILY FOR MONDAY 26TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

MEMORIAL OF ST. JEROME

Today’s Gospel Jesus exhorts the spiritual leaders as well as all believers in responsible positions in the Church to be like children, humble, trusting, and innocent. Children are basically innocent and honest. They are naturally humble, because they depend on their parents for everything. They trust and obey their parents because they know their parents love them. Hence, Jesus advises his disciples to forget their selfish ambitions and to spend their lives serving others in all humility, with trusting Faith in a loving and providing God. Then they will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Again, Jesus tells his disciples that there should not be any rivalry, jealousy, or suspicion among them, as long as all hold the same belief. In today’s passage, the apostles, upset by seeing someone who did not belong to their group using Jesus’ name to cast out demons, complain to Jesus. Since the present-day divisions in Christianity are substantive, rising from differences over the basic tenets of Faith, today’s Gospel passage does not apply to them. But there is no reason for any Christian denomination to be jealous of another denomination because of the greater good they do for people for the glory of God. True love seeks the highest good of our neighbor, while envy results from selfishness and pride, and it is contrary to true Christian love.

Dear brothers and sisters, just like St. Jerome whose memorial we celebrate was a man of knowledge and humility. He worked tirelessly for the church. Many interpretations of the scriptures was done by him. He translated the Bible to what we know as Vulgate. He was indeed a scholar and a man who lies the church. We need to practice humility in thoughts, words and actions. “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart.”

 2) We should not seek recognition and recompense for the service we do for Christ and the Church as parents, teachers, pastors, etc.

 3) Trusting Faith, both causing and resulting from true humility, is essential for all corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

 4) Let us not try to prevent anyone from doing good to others because of envy or jealousy. Envy and jealousy are sinful because they lead us to sadness over what should make us rejoice. True love always seeks the highest good of the neighbor. 

May St. Jerome continue to intercede for us. Amen

PAX VOBIS

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com

DAILY SPIRITUAL REFLECTION BY REV FR AWOYEMI EMMANUEL, ILORIN DIOCESE, NIGERIA

 HOMILY FOR FRIDAY 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

MEMORIAL OF ST ANDREW KIM TAEGON (Priest) and COMPANIONS

{1 Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 8:1-3}

For those of us who know the story of the origin of Christianity in Korea; it wasn’t pleasant to tell. There were lots of persecution and hatred for Christianity. Today, We marvel at the fact that the Korean Church was strictly a lay Church for a dozen years after its birth. How did the people survive without the Eucharist? It is no belittling of this and other sacraments to realize that there must be a living faith before there can be a truly beneficial celebration of the Eucharist. The sacraments are signs of God’s initiative and response to faith already present. The sacraments increase grace and faith, but only if there is something ready to be increased.

This is indeed the story of St. Andrew and his companion just like we have in the gospel which tells us about Jesus and his close associates including the women. 

Dear brothers and sisters, the lesson before us is that The evangelizing work of the Church must continue and the need of missionaries to preach and train people to be good evangelizers and preachers of the Word, feeding and leading the believers in parishes. This work also needs the active support of all Christians by their transparent Christian lives, fervent prayers and financial assistance just like the women did. We are thus called to contribute our own quota. By doing this, we spread the faith. 

Lord, make me an instrument of your Word. Amen

PAX VOBIS

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com

Daily Spiritual Reflection by Rev Fr Awoyemi Emmanuel, Ilorin Diocese, Nigeria

 HOMILY FOR THURSDAY 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B

{1 Corinthians 15:1-11;Luke 7:36-50}

Today's Gospel celebrates the gift of God’s forgiveness. Our God is a God Who always tries, not to punish, but to rehabilitate, so that we may be made whole and experience inner peace and harmony. The sinner at the feet of Jesus: The Gospel story tells of a woman of the streets who washes Jesus’ feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, and perfumes them with costly oil. In sharp contrast, the host, Simon the Pharisee, has purposely omitted these Jewish customs of welcoming a guest. When one invited a Rabbi to one’s house, it was normal to place one’s hand on his shoulder and give him the kiss of peace, to bathe his feet (Palestine is a very dusty country), and to burn a grain of incense or put a drop of attar of roses on his head. Jesus contrasts Simon’s rudeness with the prostitute’s public expression of repentance, and says that the repentant woman’s sins are forgiven because “she has loved much.” By telling the short parable of the two debtors, Christ teaches us two things–His own Divinity and His power to forgive sins. The parable also shows the merit the woman’s love deserves and underlines the discourtesy implied in Simeon’s neglecting to receive Jesus in the conventional way.

Dear brothers and sisters, the question is how often do we we accept or reject the mercy of God? We are challenged to accept the mercy of God. Remember what Jesus says, anyone who receives more of Gods forgiveness should love more. We often share Simon’s mentality by displaying an attitude of lovelessness and harshness toward those around us. We need to love Jesus because Jesus is the one and only Savior who has died for our sins.

 2) We need to be grateful to our forgiving God: Our serious attempts to avoid the near occasions of sin will be both the proof of our sincere repentance and the expression of our gratitude to the merciful God who has forgiven our sins.

 3) We need to cultivate a forgiving attitude towards our neighbor: Although it is not easy, we must learn to forgive those who hurt us if we want to be able to receive the daily forgiveness we need from a merciful God

PAX VOBIS

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com

Daily Spiritual Reflection by Rev Fr Awoyemi Emmanuel, Ilorin Diocese, Nigeria

 HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B

{1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13,Luke 7:31-35}

The idea of having faith and doing what is pleasing to God tells much about ourselves. We hear St Paul in the first reading admonishing his brothers on the need to use their faith to gain or desire something high. High here means something that will be of beneficial to everyone. That one thing that can be beneficial to everyone is love. The gospel presents the message of John the Baptist and the message of Jesus which fell on deaf ears and met with stiff resistance from the scribes and the Pharisees who listened with pride, jealousy, prejudice, suffering from spiritual deafness. Hence, they attributed the austerities of John the Baptist to the devil and saw Jesus’ table fellowship with sinners as “evidence” that he was a glutton and a drunkard – both “testifying” that Jesus’ reputation and silent Messianic claims were patently false.

Jesus compares the attitude of the Scribes and the Pharisees with that of street-children who want to entertain themselves by acting out wedding and funeral songs. They divide themselves into two groups. But when one group proposes to sing wedding songs and asks the other group to dance, the second group will refuse, proposing funeral songs instead, and asking the first group to act as a funeral procession, carrying one of them on their shoulders. In the end both groups will be frustrated. Jesus states that the scribes and Pharisees, because of their pride and prejudice, act exactly like these immature, irresponsible children. Jesus criticizes the unbelieving Jews for not listening either to John the Baptist, who preached a message of austerity, repentance, and God’s judgement on unrepentant sinners, or to Jesus, who preached the Good News of God’s love, mercy, forgiveness and salvation.

Dear brothers and sisters, some people will criticize us as they criticized Jesus and John the Baptist, even when we do good, correct things with the best of intentions. The best response is to ignore the critics, while examining our actions and correcting anything wrong we may find in them. But hearing the Gospel implies the total acceptance and assimilation of what we hear and the incorporation of it into our daily lives. We should not be “selective listeners,” hearing only what we want to hear, and doing only what we like. Like the generation of Jesus’ time, our age is marked by indifference and contempt, especially in regard to the things of Heaven. Indifference dulls our ears to God’s voice and to the Good News of the Gospel. Only the humble of heart can find joy and favor in God’s grace.

PAX VOBIS

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com

DAILY SPIRITUAL REFLECTION BY REV FR AWOYEMI EMMANUEL, ILORIN DIOCESE, NIGERIA

 HOMILY FOR MONDAY 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B

{1COR 12:12-14.27-31a; LUKE 7:11-17}

Faith without good works is indeed dead. This theme continues throughout the week. Today we see that our faith must be demonstrated on those who need our help of any kind. This help can be in form of healing someone emotionally, putting a smile on the one who is sad, comforting the one who is mourning etc. This is what we see Jesus do in our gospel pericope. Today’s Gospel presents one of the three stories in the Gospel where Jesus brings a dead person back to life. The other stories are those of Lazarus and of the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue leader. Today’s story is found only in Luke. Nain is a village six miles SE of Nazareth, and it is mentioned nowhere else in the Bible. The scene is particularly sad because the mother in this story, who had already lost her husband, has now lost her only son and her only means of support.

 Jesus was visibly moved by the sight of the weeping widow, perhaps because he could foresee his own mother in the same position at the foot of his cross. His compassionate heart prompted him to console the widow saying: “Do not weep.” Then Luke reports, “He touched the bier and when the bearers stood still, he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’ And the dead man sat up and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother,” and participated in her indescribable joy. There were instances in the Old Testament of people being raised from death, by Elijah (1 Kgs 17:17-24), and Elisha (2 Kgs 4:32-37). Jesus’ miracle took place near the spot where the prophet Elisha had brought another mother’s son back to life again (see 2 Kgs 4:18-37). These miracles were signs of the power of God working through His prophets. In the case of the widow’s son in today’s Gospel, the miracle showed the people that Jesus, like Elijah and Elisha, was, at the least, a great prophet.

Dear brothers and sisters, St. Augustine compares the joy of that widow to the joy of our Mother, the Church, when her sinful children return to the life of grace: “Our Mother the Church rejoices every day when people are raised again in spirit.” 2) The event also reminds us to have the same love and compassion for those who suffer just like what we had Jesus did in the gospel.

PAX VOBIS

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com

DAILY SPIRITUAL REFLECTION BY REV FR AWOYEMI EMMANUEL, ILORIN DIOCESE

 HOMILY FOR MONDAY 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B

{Corinthians 11:17-26,33;Luke 7:1-10}

Jesus’ healing of the centurion’s slave, described in today’s Gospel, shows us how God listens to our Faith-filled prayers and meets our needs. Matthew (8:5-13) indicates that the centurion came to Jesus personally. Centurions were reliable, commanding officers, brave captains in charge of 100 soldiers in Rome and 80 soldiers in first century AD Palestine. They were the backbone of the Roman army. According to Luke’s account (Lk 7:1-10), this centurion loved the Jews, respected their religious customs, built a synagogue for them, loved his sick servant, trusted in Jesus’ power of healing, and was ready to face the ridicule of his fellow-centurions by pleading before a Jewish rabbi.

The centurion asked Jesus to give a command, as the centurion did with his soldiers, so that the illness might leave his servant by the power of that order. Jesus was moved by the centurion’s Faith-filled request and rewarded the trusting Faith of this Gentile officer by performing a telepathic healing. When we ask for the intercession of the saints, we are like the centurion, acknowledging that we are not worthy, by our own merits, to stand before the Lord and bring Him our request.

Dear brothers and sisters, the CCC tells us that before we can love and serve God, we need to know God. in other words, we need to grow to the level of the Faith of the centurion by knowing and personally experiencing Jesus in our lives. We do so by daily meditative reading of the Bible, by our daily personal and family prayers, and by frequenting the Sacraments, especially the Eucharistic celebration. The next step to which the Holy Spirit brings us to doing this, is the complete surrender of our whole being and life to Jesus whom we have experienced, by rendering loving service to others, seeing Jesus in them. 

PAX VOBIS

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com

Daily Spiritual Reflection by Rev Fr Awoyemi Emmanuel, Ilorin Diocese, Nigeria

 HOMILY FOR THURSDAY 23RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B

MOST HOLY NAME OF MARY (OPT MEM) 

One prayer is very prominent in the life of a Christian. And such prayer is that God should kill our enemies. But unfortunately, God cannot kill our enemies. God can only destort or destroy the plan of our enemies (Psalm 23). Thus, we must learn to love our enemies and pray for them. Today’s Gospel passage is the second part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain as given by Luke. It describes the power of Christian love when exercised by practicing the golden rule:“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” This golden rule is amplified by a string of particular commands: 

1) "Love your enemies…Do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you and pray for those who maltreat you." Jesus orders us to love our enemies.

 2) Show your Christian love to everyone, especially to your enemies by treating them with mercy and compassion because our Heavenly Father is merciful and compassionate to all His children. “Be compassionate, as your Father is compassionate."

3) Stop judging and start forgiving.

Dear brothers and sisters, we need to answer the invitation to grace-filled behavior: What makes Christianity distinct from any other religion is the quality known as grace, i.e., our ability to treat others, not as we think they deserve, but with love, kindness, the spirit of forgiveness and mercy. 2) We need to accept the challenges of day-to-day life. Jesus challenges our willingness to endure unjust suffering for His sake and the sake of His Gospel. 3) We need to pray for the strength to forgive. At every Mass we pray the “Our Father,” asking God to forgive us as we forgive others. We must forgive, because only forgiveness truly heals our relationships and heals us. If we remember how God has forgiven us, it will help us forgive others. 4) We need to live our lives in accordance with “the Golden Rule."

PAX VOBIS

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com

DAILY SPIRITUAL REFLECTION BY REV FR AWOYEMI EMMANUEL, ILORIN DIOCESE, NIGERIA

 HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY 23RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B

1COR 7:25-31; LUKE 6:20-26

The pursuit of happiness is one important thing that is common to everyone. However, true happiness should distinguish us as Christians from the world. The world seems to oppose the reality of true happiness in content. The world's happiness contradicts the happiness Jesus Christ puts before us in the Gospel. Today’s gospel talks about the beatitudes, there are eight beatitudes Jesus gives in Mathew and four in Luke. 

Let us therefore examine the beatitudes. Jesus instructs his disciples in the paradoxical blessedness of poverty, hunger, sorrow, and persecution, which contradict our natural expectations. Blessed are those who are poor, hungry, weeping, hated, excluded, insulted, and denounced because, in poverty, we recognize God’s reign; in hunger, His providence; in sorrow, true happiness; and in persecution, true joy. Experiencing these miseries opens the way for us to receive the true riches, food, comfort and acceptance we find only in His love and His presence here and in His Kingdom forever. The Beatitudes are commands for how we should live, and what we should do. What makes one blessed is not simply poverty or hunger or sadness or suffering for one’s Faith, but commitment to Jesus and His spirit of sharing.

Dear brothers and sisters, we need to respond to the challenges of the Beatitudes in our daily lives. Millions are starving, persecuted, homeless, and leading hopeless lives. When we reach out to help them, we are living out the Beatitudes. In addition, Jesus tells us that we are serving him in these suffering people. We are also loving our neighbours as Jesus loves us. That is why we are told that we will be judged based on our acts of mercy and charity (Mt 25:31-46). 

2) Let us also remember that each time we reach out to help the people who are needy, sick, and/or oppressed, we give them the experience of God’s love for them. 

3) Just as the Apostles were called to minister to society’s untouchables, so all Christians are called to minister to the untouchables, the discriminated against and the marginalized in our modern society, that they may meet God’s love in human flesh.

PAX VOBIS

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com

DAILY SPIRITUAL REFLECTION BY REV FR AWOYEMI EMMANUEL, ILORIN DIOCESE, NIGERIA

 HOMILY FOR TUESDAY 23RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME B

{1 Corinthians 6:1-11,Luke 6:12-19}

The Corinthian community is known for having moral issues. This is why in the early chapter of the letter, St. Paul continues to admonish them that as Christians, there are things that are not supposed to be heard of or should not associate with them such as quarreling, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, thieves, greed, drunkenness, etc. Even if Christians have discord, they must settle it amongst themselves. Not even your pastor or anyone should come in as a judge amongst you. Remember what Jesus told the man who came to him for the property settlement between him and his brothers. Jesus told the young man who made him judge over you? In such case or cases, there are always bound to be cheaters or those who covet neighbors' goods. Thus, if we call ourselves Christians or saints, we must allow the spirit of God to work in us by being good to those around us. 

It is from this theme of being called Christians or saints that today’s Gospel passage gives a short account of the call of the Apostles and the preaching and healing mission of Jesus. Jesus was the first missionary, sent by His Father with the “Good News” that God his Father is a loving, merciful, and forgiving Father Who wants to save everyone through His Son, Jesus. Today’s Gospel describes how this First Missionary selected and empowered twelve future missionaries as Apostles to continue his mission.

Jesus selected very ordinary people, most of them hard-working fishermen with no social status, learning, or political influence, and above all, they were persons with good intentions. Jesus was sure that this strange mixture of people would be a very effective instruments in God’s hands. Matthew was a hated tax collector serving the Roman Empire, while Simon the Cananean was a Zealot, a fanatical nationalist or terrorist of those days, determined to destroy Roman rule by any means. The others were mostly professional fishermen with a lot of goodwill, patience, and stamina. It was only Jesus love for them and their admiration and love for Jesus that united them. Jesus selected them after a night of prayer and gave them His own Divine powers of healing and exorcism and made them a key part of His own Messianic mission of preaching the “Kingdom of God.”

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, God wants to show us that a calling for ministry, or a vocation to priestly or religious life or family life, is an initiative of God. 

2) As Christians we have the same mission that Jesus entrusted to his Apostles. 

3) We fulfill this mission of preaching the word of God, primarily, by living out Jesus’ teachings and by promoting and helping world-wide missionary activities of the Church.

PAX VOBIS

Rev. Fr. Awoyemi Emmanuel,
Catholic Diocese of Ilorin, Kwara State,

Nigeria
awoyemiemmanuel@gmail.com