Homilies (Page 44)

  The Eleventh Commandment does not Exist: Man, know thyself and Act Accordingly! Sirach 27:30-28:7, Romans 14:7-9; Matthew 18:21-35 A story may illustrate well the meaning of today’s readings – I can’t get away with my sins, I must account for them – even if wisdom is like every analogy, it limps. Wisdom can fit into a thousand and one illustration, just like every African proverb and the parables of the New Testament, but the story of a man who was over speeding and notices the police chasing after him, and he sticks out his hand through the window of his car with the inscriptionRead More →

Not I alone, but We, all of Us: Salvation for All! Ezekiel 33:7-9; Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 18:15-20 There was a story told of a group of people on a voyage to heaven. They set sail in a gigantic ship to cross the oceans to meet God. Few meters away from shore, with their gaze already seeing heaven, suddenly, they were shipwrecked. Those who could swim, started swimming to the safety of heaven. There was an Olympic swimmer among those shipwrecked, this man swam quickly to heaven. On arrival on the shores of heaven, God was there to welcome him to heaven. God asked him, “wereRead More →

  By All Means, Keep Moving: Faith is the Indispensable Element of the Journey Jeremiah 20:7-9; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27 One sure story known about Jeremiah is that he was a complainant. Anyone who complains is called a Jeremiah. But we can ask ourselves whether it is bad or wrong to complain? When our life’s dreams do not fall in place, what do we do? When we have done the right thing, should we be rewarded with evil and punishment? Is it too much to ask that he/she who has done wrong should be the person punished? Of course, we have a thousand and oneRead More →

Reclaiming your Christian Identity as a Child of God through Insult Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Romans 11:13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15:21-28 Those who are slightly above forty years of age, and surely those who are in their fifties and sixties, they’ll recall the glorious days of Nigeria. A Nigeria that was economically buoyant, morally colossal and academically gargantuan. It was a time when Americans and Canadians scramble for Nigerian visa, when the English treated Nigerians like equals, at least, on a diplomatic level – Nigerians and Englishmen and Englishwomen needed no visas to visit their respective countries. That was the time Nigerians travelled with ease to Europe and America, becauseRead More →

1 Kings 3:5, 7-12; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-52 There is only one Vocation for All: Doing the Will of God is Our Sole Mission on Earth Is God still useful and relevant in the 21st Century? Is scientific advancement compatible with faith and wisdom? The other day, President Putin of Russia openly admitted that European leaders are ashamed to admit the Christian roots of their respective countries. If that is the case, it goes without saying that those leaders will not accept Christian wisdom and principles. In the academia, it is no longer acceptable in most quarters to profess any religious affiliations or views, itRead More →

  Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43 Hell is God’s Headache, but the Holy Spirit is God in You Overcoming Hell There was a fiery preacher who was preaching on today’s gospel, and the theme of his homily was “Hell Fire!” As he emphasized on the fact that sinners will burn in “Hell,” he explained the ordeals of Hell: you see, he said, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth for those who go to Hell. Right in front of him, on the front pew, an old lady burst out laughing. The preacher stopped momentarily and asked the old lady the cause ofRead More →

Isaiah 55:10-11; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23 Faith – God’s Advice to the Doubtful Living in Africa today, it is very difficult not to doubt people and even God: politicians make promises during their election campaigns, which they do not honor after election into office; couples make wonderful promises on their wedding day, but given economic poverty they chicken out of their marriage vows; most men promise their wife fidelity until death, but they celebrate infidelity in their marriage; ministers of God and preachers promise fidelity to God, but they are the first to run away from martyrdom and, for love of money, they promote theRead More →

Zechariah 9:9-10; Romans 8:9, 11-13; Matthew 11:25-30 The New age of the sons and daughters of God: Living according to the Spirit If the twentieth century was considered the age of war and man’s inhumanity to man, what adjective shall we find to qualify the twenty-first century, the age of Islamic jihadism? The wars fought for natural and Human Resources, the quest for colonization and military superiority conquest, left many casualties behind and the scars of those wars linger on today. But what do we say about the rise of Al Qaeda, ISIL, Al-Shabaab, Boko-Haram, and others plunging this new century deeper into darker yearsRead More →

Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a; Romans 5:6-11; Matthew 9:36-10:8 Food: God Meeting us where we are at The general state of hunger in the world and the human need for food explains most of the problems beseeching human beings, it explains what is on the human mind when going to bed, and what will likely get one out of bed in the morning – “man must wak” (food is important), as we fondly say in Nigeria. The world hungers for food, love, security, clean water, etc. There is no human being without some kind of hunger or need. It is this general state of hunger that necessitatesRead More →