Homilies (Page 49)

Luke 10:1-12, 17-20; Galatians 6:14-18; Isaiah 66:10-14c Let the Real Me Appear: The Power of Reform Patience is a relation of reform. As the saying goes, “Rome was not built in a day,” even though what was done daily led to the building of Rome! The creation of personality and character too take very long, and perseverance leads to the desired goal and reward. “Let the real me appear: the power of reform” becomes a very urgent question given the readings of this Sunday and the result of the recent referendum in England. Is unity possible and how does God create unity, so that humansRead More →

Save the Last Kiss: the Holy Spirit, God’s Power at Work in You and Me At St. John of the Cross Minor Seminary, Nsukka, Bishop Godfrey Okoye kept changing the rectors of the seminary every year, so goes the story. After a few years, behold the bishop himself visited the seminary and the seminarians made an appeal, in their welcome speech to the bishop, to the effect that the appointment of rectors should take into cognizance stability instead of flux; that they hardly get to know and appreciate a rector before he is transferred. Bishop Okoye responded to the seminarians: “no single priest can showRead More →

Zechariah 12:10-11; 13:1; Galatians 3:26-29; Lk 9:18-24 These People of Colours are God’s Children! Sitting at a dining table or around a family gathering, it is frequently the case that economic woes and political disasters trump our discussions. A friend, brother or sister, who is jobless despite many years of academic investments and graduation in flying colours, weighs on people’s minds. For those who live in the northern part of Nigeria, religious violence and insecurity are obvious topics of discussion: the inability to worship God in peace and freedom, not to talk of access to education without fears of attacks by Boko Haram militants. ButRead More →

2 Samuel 12:7-10, 13; Galatians 2:16, 19-21; Luke 7:36-8:3 My Body Odor needs Christ’s Perfume! A man feared his wife wasn’t hearing as well as she used to, and he thought she might need a hearing aid. Not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family Doctor to discuss the problem. The doctor told him there is a simple informal test the husband could perform, to give the doctor a better idea about her hearing loss. Here’s what you do,” said the doctor, “stand about 40 feet away from her, and in a normal conversational speaking tone see if she hears you. IfRead More →

1 King 17:17-24; Galatians 1:11-19; Luke 7:11-17 A Missionary God, Yet Present to All Looking deep down into one’s soul can sometimes be discomforting and scary because not everything therein is pleasant to see. The moments of silent introspection recall more of the negatives than the positives; one realizes the lapses, the unfaithfulness to God and human beings, not to mention missed opportunities to do good and be reconciled with one’s foes, real or imaginary. How true the saying of the Psalmist: “O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern myRead More →

Genesis 14:18-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Luke 9:11-17 When We Break, We’re Broken; but he Broke First, so We’re Blessed! Life is full of breaking and breakage! I am not talking about broken promises and marriages; I’m not thinking of broken economies and planetary break down; far from it! Rather, I am talking about breaking eggs to make omelet. Indeed, when we relish our omelet at breakfast, that was not the first breaking; when a chick breaks its shell, a new life begins in earnest; it begins in freedom, rather than in the confinement of an egg. Interestingly, this chick, when it hatches out, the roleRead More →

Proverbs 8:22-31; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15 Unity: We are One, because God is One! Ordinarily, I am not a stammerer, but tell me to explain the Holy Trinity to you, and I begin to stutter! Yet, one thing is sure: I believe it, and I profess it. Every Sunday and Solemnity, I profess anew: 1) that God is a Father and my Father, I say – “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and Earth.” 2) I also profess – “and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord.” 3) Still, I profess that “I believe in the Holy Spirit, theRead More →

Acts 2:1-11; 1 Cor 12:3b–7, 12–13; Jn 20:19–23 Pentecost Day: Creating Unity through Love and Forgiveness Two characteristics of Lucan narratives today (Acts 2:1-11) mark him out as a historian: his desire for chronology and detail. In the previous chapter (chapter 1), Luke underscores the fact that Jesus told the apostles not to leave Jerusalem before they had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Luke also added that Jesus appeared to his apostles for forty days before his ascension. Now, at the mention of Pentecost, it makes chronological sense to understand that on the fiftieth day after the resurrection of Jesus, it was PentecostRead More →

Acts 1:1-11; Hebrews 9:24-28; Luke 24:46-53 Ascension Day: Heaven is Our Home! As a seminarian in theology, in the 90s, the seminary rector saddled me with lots of responsibilities. For a while, I managed to discharge them as best as I could, but they began to weigh me down. One day, I went to the rector to complain about all the responsibilities given me, whether he could give other seminarians some of the functions I had to discharge. His response to my request was unexpected; he said: “Ayo, the reward for hard work is extra hard work!” Really! Our first reading and the gospel appearRead More →