January 01, 2021. Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God; (Year B)

Readings: Nm 6:22-27; Gal. 4:4-7; Lk. 2:16-21

Mary Ever Virgin, The Blessed One!

1.     Today is New Year’s Day. It is right that we should give thanks and praises to God for bringing us to another year of favor. Though last year brought so many changes in our lives, desirable and undesirable, as individuals and as a nation, we were able to celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas. On this first day of the month of January, we celebrate the solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.  We thank God for the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ. Because the Blessed Mother said ‘Yes’ to God, Christ was born to take away our sins and reconcile us to one another and to God the father. At Christmas, we celebrated the glory of God revealed in the human birth of his Son. Today, we celebrate the effects of this birth on us. Mary our mother, plays an important role in both. When we acknowledge her as the Mother of God, we acknowledge her as the Mother of the Church, inasmuch as the Church is the Body of Christ, her Son.

2.     At the beginning of this year, the first reading from the book of Numbers teaches us how to address one another, by invoking the name of the Lord in the threefold blessing. “Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: This is how you shall bless the Israelites. Say to them: The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace! So, shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.” (Num. 6:22-27). This invocation of his name was the invocation of his person, of his power, of his love and peace. We are told: “So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.” Jesus is the one whose name will be invoked in every blessing. He is the “Lord” who is gracious to us and gives us peace.

3.     The Blessed virgin Mary has always been the favored one of God. At the annunciation, the angel greeted her, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” (Lk. 1:28). Again, in verse 30, the angel assured her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” When Mary visited her cousin, Elizabeth, she cried out: “Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” (Lk. 1:42). Mary, herself acknowledged how very blessed she was, as she told Elizabeth, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.” (Lk.1:46-50).

4.     In the Old Testament, according to Eugene Maly, “The mother was given much respect. We glimpse this already in the first mother whose prestigious name of Eve meant “mother of all the living” (Gen. 3:20). The queen mother had a special place in the royal court, seated on a throne at the right of her king-son (1King 2:19). Paul, in the second reading referred to Mary, though not by name, indicating the very important role that she played in the salvation of the world.” Mary was needed and chosen by God to show the manner of our redemption. Jesus Christ was, by divine necessity, born of a woman. Today is Mary’s feast, not because she initiated salvation, but because she was the willing virgin who gave birth to God’s Son. The respect we give Mary today is not because she was a goddess, but because God honored and blessed her first, and so we thank and bless her for allowing herself to be a willing instrument in the hand of God, to be the channel of grace and blessing to the whole world. She gave birth to the Son of God, the savior of the world.

5.     So, we should talk and bless one another, at the beginning of this year, as we are blessed by God. We know our words have power. If you do not want your child to be foolish, do not call him a fool. Do not wish anyone what you do not want to happen to that person. Let us use our words to bless and not to curse people. God blessed Mary even before she was conceived in the womb of her mother. He blessed her when she was chosen for her motherhood role and today, as she said, “From now on will all ages call me blessed”, may we learn to bless and not curse. Let me conclude by invoking these words of blessing on us all: The Lord bless you and keep you! Amen. The Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you! Amen. The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!” Amen.

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

December 27, 2020. The homily for the Feast of the Holy Family in Year (B)

 

Readings: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14; Colossians 3:12-21; Lk. 2:22-40

Not a Perfect Family but a Holy Family

1.     Having celebrated the birth of Christ, it is fitting, today to look at the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We may be tempted to see this family as being perfect in every way with no experience of the difficulties and problems we have in our families. This is very far from the truth, of course. To learn from this family, we must look at the elements and virtues that would qualify them, not as a perfect but as a holy family. In my opinion, what makes a family holy is being able to navigate through the areas of imperfections that we experienced in their daily life. This morning let me reflect briefly with you on those areas that will help us achieve a life of holiness in our families.

2.      There are many reasons why there is no harmony in many families. Can you recall the number of times a week you eat meals together as a family? Even when you do, how many children at dinner table are more interested in their phones than of family discussions? When did you do things together as family this week? Like praying together, having a family time not interrupted by phone calls, alert from Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook. What about having a quiet time to think and pray? When did you read and share from bible last; or reading spiritual books and talking about it at table or praying the rosary together? As parents, can you honestly say that you have been a good role model to them, to the point that you correct them without fearing that they will withdraw love and affection from you? It seems parents have used material things, like, TV, Smartphones, Notebook, I-pad and other gadgets to bribe your children and take away the quality time you should spend together as a family.  

3.     This is why today’s celebration is so important to us as a family. We must learn from the family of Jesus in Nazareth. To this Pope Paul VI noted among other things: “The home of Nazareth is the school where we begin to understand the life of Jesus – the school of the Gospel. First, then, a lesson of silence. May esteem for silence, that admirable and indispensable condition of mind, revive in us…A lesson on family life. May Nazareth teach us what family life is, its communion of love, its austere and simple beauty, and its sacred and inviolable character… A lesson of work. Nazareth, home of the “Carpenter’s Son,” in you I would choose to understand and proclaim the severe and redeeming law of human work.”

4.     We notice with dismay, that our families do not always live up to the ideals of Pope Paul VI. At times our behaviors are similar to those of the Colossian Church which was falling into cracks. Therefore, St Paul responding to them, listed the qualities that must be in a Christian home. He told them to “Put to death the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. Put away anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths. Stop lying to one another. Put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another. Over all these put on love. Let the peace of Christ dwell in your hearts. Be thankful. Wives, cherish your husbands. Husbands, love your wives. Children, obey your parents in everything.” (Col. 3:12-21). These are the qualities of a holy family. If these virtues are lacking, family members must work hard to restore them. The point raised by Paul in the reading second and the Gospel is that “Responsibility of family members one to another does not flow only from their natural relationships. It flows also and more profoundly from the special relationship they have to the Lord. When they respond to one another’s needs, they are responding to God’s covenant call to love.” (The Word Alive by Eugene H. Maly)

5.     In the Gospel we read of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. This poor family could only afford the offering of the poor. “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” There was nothing perfect about them. Mary is a virgin and Joseph is not the biological father of Jesus. They are not living in any ideal family setting. They were running away as refugees from Herod to Egypt to prevent the child from being killed. They experienced all the anxieties of a poor family, struggling to make ends meet. I am sure there were times when anger and frustration robbed them of their peace of mind. But this was the family that God chose for his Son to grow up in. This family is holy because it responded to the demand of the word of God as they listened to God. We celebrate today because God created the institution of the family, despite its shortcomings, chose to transform it through the Incarnation and make it one of the ways by which he saved us. We know, from reflecting on the Holy Family that despite all our failures and difficulties, we too are called to become holy by paying attention to God’s word and putting it into practice.

6.     Instead of looking at the holy family from the standpoint of Mary being a virgin, Joseph being a saint and Jesus being God’s Son; or looking at the Christmas stable like a glossy house we see in magazines, let us consider it as any normal family. Christ had no pampers, the stable where he was born was constructed for animals and it was crawling with dangerous vermin and foul odors and his first visitors were poor shepherds. Mary and Joseph had to be sick with worry for the infant’s health and well-being. This family did not find everything a bed of roses. Hence, what we celebrate is not the feast of the Perfect Family but the feast of the Holy Family. It would be easy for us to relate to this family that has a lot of semblance with ours. Our family must not be perfect, but it should be holy. This can only happen by us being caring and supportive of one another and by allowing God to be the foundation of our actions. May God bless us and our families during the remaining part of this year into the coming year. Amen.

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP.

 

December 25, 2020 Homily for Christmas Day (Year B)

 

Readings: Is. 52:7-10; Heb. 1:1-6; John 1:1-18 

Christ is born for us let us celebrate!

1.     Today we celebrate the birth of Christ the king. The birth of a child, especially the first born always brings great rejoicing to the parents and family. The first reading captures this joy thus: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation and saying to Zion, ‘Your God is King!”” The birth of Christ, the long-awaited Messiah, brings us peace and joy. Yes, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. It brings people together to share what they have, cards, food, gifts and songs of joy. Let us sing with the Psalmist “All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.”

2.     The readings at this Mass all have the theme of joy and exultation. The birth of Christ is the dawn of a new day, it is much more than superficial celebration of joy. The joy of Christmas goes deeper in all its ramifications. It shows the love that God has for humanity, the love that transcends mere emotions. For Christ is the communication of God to the world. The second reading tells us that God speaks to us through his Son, “Whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word.” Therefore, Christ came into the world primarily to “Save his people from their sins.” (Mat. 1:21). He came for the liberation of his people: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” (Lk.4:18-19).

3.     We must have the right disposition in order to celebrate the birth of Christ fittingly. That means being for others what Christ has been to us. As he was sent to bring solace to the downtrodden and the poor, so must we do whatever we can to alleviate the sufferings of others in our midst. Christmas is the beginning of living for others not the end. Our Christmas songs should not end on Christmas day, but should initiate us into a life of service for others. Howard Thurman captured what should happen after Christmas in these words: “When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flock, the work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among all, to make music in the heart.”

4.     Let me end this reflection when this Christmas story. “A certain company has a tradition of holding a party and a lottery every Christmas Eve. The rules of the lottery draw are as follows: each employee pays ten dollars as a fund. There are three hundred people in the company. In other words, a total of three thousand dollars can be raised. The winner takes all the money home. On the day of the lottery draw, the office was filled with a lively atmosphere. Everyone wrote their names on a slip of paper and put them in the lottery box.

5.     However, a young man Karl, hesitated when he wrote. Because he thought that the company’s Cleaner has a frail and sickly son who was going to have an operation recently, but she did not have the money to pay for the operation. This made her very troubled. So, even though he knew that the chance of winning was slim, with only a three percent chance, Karl wrote the name of the Cleaner on the note. The tense moment came. The boss stirred the slips in the lottery box, and finally drew out a note. Karl also kept praying in his heart: I hope the Cleaner can win the prize… Then the boss carefully announced the winner’s name. A miracle has happened! The winner turned out to be the Cleaner! Cheers broke out in the office, and the Cleaner hurriedly came to the stage to accept the award. She burst into tears and said movingly: I am so lucky! With this money, my son has hope to live!

6.     As the party was in progress, while thinking about this “Christmas miracle”, Karl paced to the lottery box. He took out another piece of paper and opened it casually. The name on it was also the name of the Cleaner! Karl was sincerely surprised. He took out several pieces of the slip of papers one after another. Although the handwriting on them were different, the names were all the same. All of them were the names of the Cleaner! Then Karl’s eyes were red tears of joy. He clearly understood that there is a Christmas miracle in the world, but the miracle will not fall from the sky. People are required to create it by themselves.” On this Christmas, let us go out and join the many whose concern in life is to create a Christmas miracle in the lives of the many who need it. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

December 24, 2020. Homily for Christmas Eve

 

Readings: Is. 62:1-5; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Matthew 1:1-25

The Family of Jesus

1.     We gather this evening to keep vigil for the birth of Christ, the Savior of the world. Christmas always brings families both natural and spiritual together. Unfortunately, this year, our family celebration will be observed differently due to Covid -19 pandemic. So, let us reflect on the family of Jesus, while at the same time praying for our own families too.

2.     In the Gospel, we read of the genealogy or the family tree of Jesus. A genealogy is more than just a list of names. Just like our human family, we have our origins through our family tree. It points out our path from the beginning to where we are today. So, it was with Jesus. St. Matthew traced the path of Jesus from its origin to this night as we celebrate his coming in the flesh. The first and the second readings both find fulfillment in Matthew’s genealogy. Acts reminds us that David was to have a descendant far greater than himself; while Isaiah recalls the promise made to Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation and have many descendants. The purpose of the genealogy, according to St. Jerome Biblical commentary is to show that, “Jesus is the Messiah (Mt.1:1,16) the term of the history of salvation that was begun with the promises to Abraham. Jesus is king Messiah, the Son of David, and the Messiah of Israel, the Son of Abraham.”

3.     The genealogy is deliberately compiled in 3 sets of 14 names (Mt.1:7), 14 is a multiple of 7. It is divided at the two critical points of Israelite history, the foundation of the monarchy of David and the collapse of David and the collapse of the Monarchy of Judah in the Babylonian conquest of 587 BC. In the compilation of this genealogy, Matthew chose to follow the timeline of the kings of Judah. Four women appear in the genealogy: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. Tamar deceived her father-in-law Judah into an incestuous union. (Gen. 38), a very interesting story, I must confess. Rahab in folklore was the prostitute of Jericho who sheltered the spies and was admitted to the Israelite community (Joshua 2). Ruth, the heroine of the Book of Ruth, was a Moabite who joined the Israelite community. Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah and the partner of David’s adultery (2 Sam. 11). The only common element is that they were not Jews but foreigners.

4.     I have taken pains to describe the genealogy of Jesus, especially the four women mentioned therein. Matthew informs us that Jesus’ background includes Jewish and Gentile blood, he came for all people regardless of race. Hence, one cannot and must not lay claims on Jesus and salvation based on race or any privileges one may seem to have. Jesus is the Emmanuel, God who is with us. The ‘us’ stands for all people regardless of race, tribe, tongue and culture. The birth of Jesus means that He will make his dwelling in every heart and every family that seeks him. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, is there anyone who hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20). It doesn’t matter what your family looks like or whether you are a sinner or a saint. Your family may be messed up, your son or daughter may be in jail, your uncle or aunt may be on drugs, you may be sick in hospital or at home, you may be unemployed or may lack food and shelter, there may be violence in our streets, or we may be afraid of covid-19, but as soon as you open the door of your heart to Christ, he will come in and dwell with you. Christ will transform your family and give you a new name. “You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the Lord, a royal diadem held by your God. No more shall people call you “Forsaken,” or your land “Desolate,” but you shall be called “My Delight,” and your land “Espoused.” (Is. 62:2-4). For “To those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God.” (Jn. 1:12)

5.     So dear friends, in whatever situation we find ourselves, we must celebrate Christmas. The birth of Christ was not announced to people of high standing in society, but to poor shepherds who were tending the flock of their masters out in the field on a cold winter night. Christ was not born in a royal hospital but in a dirty smelly manger. His bed was the place where animal’s food was served, and his first visitors were cows. No matter how sad or depressed we may be, Christ has a special place for us in his heart. Remember Joseph! He was betrothed to Mary. But when he found that Mary was pregnant, he wanted to divorce her informally, but the angel assured him that the Holy Spirit was responsible for the pregnancy and he took Mary home and became the foster father of Christ. Christmas is about giving our hearts to God. That was why John told us to prepare the way in our hearts for the Lord. Yes, our families may be messy, but our God is not. We may have doubts, but Christ is born for us, it is his birthday and so we must celebrate and wish him a happy birthday and begin to live a life of joy, peace, hope and love even as we wish ourselves a very Merry Christmas.

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

December 20, 2020; Homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent, Year B.

 

Readings: 2 Sam 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38

‘May It Be Done to Me According to Your Word’

1.     Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent. Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ at incarnation is just five days away. Christmas is the celebration of the love of God the father for humanity. For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved. In order for God’s will to be done on earth, he needed the cooperation of human beings. The blessed Virgin Mary was therefore, chosen and given the singular honor and privilege to be the mother of Jesus. “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord”, was Mary’s response. Yes, “Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister and mother.” (Matt. 12:50).

2.     In the first reading, David demonstrated his willingness to build a house for the Lord. He wanted the Ark of the Covenant to be in a temple, or in a place where God would dwell. According to Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, “This passage attempts to explain why the Jerusalem Temple was not built by King David but by his son Solomon. More importantly, it communicates how God takes the initiative to encounter humanity – not principally by means of a shrine, but in a person, David’s heir. Chosen by God, kings in the Davidic succession were to occupy the throne in Israel forever (“your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me”).

3.     Christmas is the celebration of God dwelling among us. “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary did not understand what that meant: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” The Angel’s explanation was simple and yet complicated, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”

4.     The word “overshadow” was used in Exodus 40:34 to indicate the presence of God as He filled the Ark of the covenant. Luke, in the Gospel reading compared Mary’s body to the tent in which the Ark was kept. He compared Mary’s womb, in which Jesus will be housed, to the Ark in which the tablets of the Ten Commandments were housed. Thus, when God’s power overshadows Mary, The Lord’s presence fills her. The Lord’s presence in Mary is the flesh-and-blood presence of Jesus at his incarnation.  And all Mary could say was, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” When Mary said ‘Yes’ to God the impossible became possible. A virgin was with child, and an old lady who was barren was pregnant and the liberation of God’s people was begun.

5.     Sometimes we have great plans for ourselves, our family and our friends, but those plans must fall under the scrutiny of God’s plans for us. David planned to build a house for the Lord. To Solomon he said: “My son, my heart was set on building a house for the name of Yahweh, my God.” (1Chronicles 22:7). But God said no, it is Solomon who will build a house for me. Mary was betrothed to Joseph, to be married and raise a family as his wife. But then the visit of an angel changed all that and she became the mother of the Son of God instead. So, friends, when you plan, always subject your plans to God’s will, and say, let your will be done, not mine. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts” (Is. 55:8). 

6.     Christmas is about God making his home with us, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” It is about hospitality, generosity, kindness and availability. We give of ourselves completely in humility to God, like Mary, our mother, and so reciprocate God’s self-giving and selflessness to us. When we say yes to God, we let go of ourselves and become like clay in the hands of the potter. We must allow God to turn us into worthy instruments for his glory. We should be available to God and say ‘Yes’ to him because we do not know the day or the hour. By saying yes to God, we make ourselves available to others in service and in love. Hence, Mary went to assist her elderly cousin when she heard that she was with child. Because Mary’s child was holy, the Son of God, by doing God’s will, we too will begin to do holy things, for Emmanuel is with us. We will begin to do the impossible things and our lives will reflect God the Most High. “Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways!” (Is.64:4).  Amen

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

December 13, 2020. Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Advent (Year B)

Readings: Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11; 1 Thess. 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28 

Rejoicing in the midst of Adversity 

1.   Every December 25th after the Christmas Mass, I would travel to Nigeria to be with my family. At the beginning of December, my friends will begin to count days, then hours down to minutes before I touched down in Nigeria. There is always anticipation, anxiety and a sheer joy when I call to say that I was in Nigeria. The joy and anticipation of my family and friends describe the few remaining days before Christmas. On this Gaudete Sunday, the Church calls on us to rejoice for the Lord is near! 

2. December is the month of expectation, anxiety and anticipation. It is the month of lights, festivities, gift-giving, Christmas trees, carols, shopping, traveling and merriment. This year will be different due to Covid-19. While preparing materially for Christmas, we must not forget the reason for the season. Christ is the reason for the season. Because of him we must rejoice. The first reading tells us: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God.” We rejoice because when the Messiah comes, “He shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.” (Is. 11:4-5). We rejoice because with the Messiah in our midst, “The wolf shall be a guest of the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord as water covers the sea.” (Is. 11:6-9). Yes, “In his days justice shall flourish and peace till the moon fails.” (Ps. 71). Our God is coming to save us, indeed! 

3. It is not surprising that the preaching of John drew so much attention. “People of the whole Judean     countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.” (Mark 1:5). John’s preaching brought rich and poor, Jews and gentiles, friends and foes alike, sharing the same space to listen to him. He provoked a change of heart even as they asked, “What then should we do?” (Lk. 3:10). He made them forget their differences as they searched for happiness, peace and joy. Could John be the Messiah? Is he Elijah, the long-awaited prophet prophesied in Malachi 3? “Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; and suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek, and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of host.” The Gospel narrated that the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask John if he was the Messiah or the Christ, or Elijah or the Prophet. He said he was none of those personalities, instead “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.” 

4. John prepared the way for Jesus, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” John testified to the light, for he himself was not the light. The real light was coming into the world and that light is Christ. Therefore, Christ must increase, but I must decrease.” (Jn. 3:30). Christ himself said “I am the light of the world.” (Jn. 8:12). John’s mission was to make Christ known “so that all might believe through him.” We are waiting anxiously with joy for Christ. He is our joy, our peace and our love. Once you find Christ, you have all the happiness and joy you need. He will change your life. 

5. So dear friends, on this third Sunday of Advent, we rejoice, not because life is perfect but because we share the life of grace with Jesus. He came into the world for our salvation. He tells us, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (Jn. 10:10). In spite of our troubled world, the uncertainties of daily life, Covid-19, our disturbing political environment, violence, unemployment, fears, anxieties and all other vicissitudes of life, we know that we should rejoice in the Lord. Hence St. Paul tells us in the second reading to “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” Yes, our world may not be free of worries and anxieties, but we can be agents of change and transformation we desire. If we have the knowledge and fear of the Lord in ourselves and begin to live according to the grace of God, we will create that perfect world we all long for. It may not be in this world, but we will be sure to share a life of grace with God in the next. May God bless and guide us now and always. Amen.

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

December 06, 2020. Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Advent, Year B

 

Readings: Isaiah 40 :1-5, 9-11; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8

The Voices in Our Life

1.     On this second Sunday of Advent, we meet John the Baptist once again as we do every year. John was humble but courageous, a defender of the truth and a fearless preacher. He looked simple and austere both in his dressing and eating habit, but he was passionate and committed to his mission. John was the voice crying in the wilderness, calling people to repent. His preaching was direct and urgent: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” (Mk. 1:3). He proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. For fear of being mistaken for who he was not, John was quick to add: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the holy spirit.” (Mk.1:7-8).

2.     In the first reading, Isaiah assured the people that God was coming into the wilderness – their land of captivity in Babylon and bring them out of exile. “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the Lord double for all her sins.”  The children of Israel were to prepare the way for the Lord in the desert. They were to “Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, abroad valley. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together.” This was also the message of John the Baptist who heralded the coming of the Lord by encouraging the people to prepare the way for the Messiah. This was the good news proclaimed by John the Baptist. In the same way, Isaiah was mandated to “Go up onto a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, herald of good news! Here comes with power the Lord God, who rules by his strong arm; here is his reward with him, his recompense before him.” 

3.     In order to be a recipient of this good news we must confess our sins, like those who listened to John the Baptist. We must listen and prepare the way for the Lord in the desert of our hearts. We must also be heralds of good tidings. We do this by paying attention to the positive voices in our lives. The voices that cry in our wilderness. These are voices of conscience, warning, begging and exhorting us to stop making bad choices. We hear these voices crying, not only from the wilderness, but from the pulpit, from street corners, from men and women of integrity, telling us the truth about our life and our relationship with God. But do we always listen? No, only if they tell us what we want to hear rather than what we ought to hear. Their message is simple: repent, make a U-turn, change your mind, change the course of your life, be alert, be watchful, pay attention, you are on the wrong path, the wrong trajectory, stop and think before you act, for you know not when he will come. Those who listen and prepare the way will receive the Messiah when he comes, either at his birth at incarnation or at his second coming. 

4.     Today, dear friends we must listen to the voice of the one crying in the wilderness. He calls us to do what is right so that the Messiah will find us waiting in readiness for his coming. Peter tells us in the second reading that we should be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him at peace when he comes. It was on account of Jesus our Messiah at the Transfiguration that the Father’s voice was heard from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5). There are different voices that compete for our attention. The voice of our doctor gives us medical advice. The voice of our lawyer gives us legal advice, our teacher’s voice directs us in our academic pursuit. The voices of our parents point us to right direction in life. The voice of our therapist helps us to maintain a balanced mental state. The voice of our pastor, re-echoing the voice of the Church, helps us to achieve and maintain a stable spiritual and religious well-being. The discordant voices of politicians, though confusing at times, should help us to make up our minds and decide what is the best way to live our lives. We are not bound to follow anyone who is not capable of telling the truth.

5.     In spite of all the voices of our life, it is Christ that we must ultimately listen to. John the Baptist has told us what to do. We must make a pathway for Jesus in our hearts. It is by so doing that we will realize the meaning of peace and joy at the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. May the voice of John and the many positive voices of our lives challenge us to bring down the mountain of pride, fill in the valley of deceit, and make straight the highway of corruption and dishonesty so that our Lord may dwell in our hearts made clean by works of charity and penitence. May God bless us now and always. Amen.

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

 

November 29, 2020. Homily for the 1st Sunday of Advent (Year B)

 

Readings: Isaiah 63 :16-17, 19; 64:2-7; 1 Cor. 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37

Advent is about Waiting in Hope

1.     Life is full of periods of waiting. Waiting to be born, to grow up, to start school, to graduate, to begin work. Waiting to get married and to begin a family; and of course, waiting for your first child. There are other waiting periods: waiting to see a doctor, to catch a flight, a cab or waiting for a vaccine that will, hopefully, put an end to Covid-19. Won't that be great! Politically, we wait too: waiting to vote at election, for the results, and also, waiting for the incumbent to concede.  If things do not go well with us, we wait in hope for better days. There are always some anticipations associated with the waiting period. Say you are waiting for the results of the test ordered by your doctor: you may be anxious about your prognosis. While we wait, most of the time, we always occupy our time with doing something: read a book, go through face book feeds, play games on your phone or do a puzzle. Advent is a period of waiting in hope for the birth of Christ, while anticipating his second coming. So, what do we do while we engage in the waiting game?

2.     On this Sunday we begin the liturgical season of Advent, a term that means “arrival” or “coming”. It is a-four-week-period whereby Christians recall the first coming of Christ in his incarnation at Christmas while anticipating his final coming in glory at the end of time. The purple color used during this season, except for the third Sunday, symbolizes hope, a yearning by God’s people and all creation for the transforming light of Christ. The sense of hope generated by this season portrays a time of darkness and gloom, hence the reason to hope for better days.

3.     In the first reading, Isaiah the prophet recounts the return of the children of Israel from captivity in Babylon and their feeling of sadness, loss, depression and desperation. He told them that they were responsible for their misery for they had abandoned the way of the Lord. The task of rebuilding their fallen city was so daunting that the prophet cried out and begged for God’s mercy and forgiveness on the people: “You, Lord, are our father, our redeemer you are named forever. Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down…” 

4.     Since we must wait for the coming of Christ both at his birth and at his second coming, what sort of life should we live? According to St. Peter, “Since everything is to be dissolved in this way what sort of persons ought you to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. So then, my friends, while you are waiting do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace.” (2Peter 3:11-15). St. Paul prays in the second reading that “…you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Gospel urged us: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.” Matthew 25:31-46 tells us to give food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, cloth the naked, care for the ill and visit those in prison. We are not asked to do the impossible but to do the simple. We are not demanded to execute extra-ordinary tasks, but to do the ordinary things in life extraordinarily well. In short, we should be doing good. “Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways!” (Is.64:4).

5.     So dear friends, let us be engaged in sporadic acts of virtues, like being honest, trustworthy, coming to the aid of those unjustly treated and speaking out for the voiceless. Let us deepen our relationship with the Lord during this Advent by praying the rosary with our family, reading at least a chapter of the Gospel of our choice every day. Share a meal with your family and talk about the things that matter. Your sacramental life should, by no means, be ignored, like attending Mass and going to confession so to realign your life with Christ. These will keep us alert and watchful so that the coming of Christ may not take us by surprise. Then we will be ready to be admitted into the wedding feast of the lamb. May it be so for us now and always. Amen.

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

November 22, 2020; Homily for the 34th Sunday Time, (Year A)

Readings: Ez. 34:11-12, 15-17; 1 Cor. 15:20-26,28; Matthew 25:31-46

A Kingdom of Truth and Life, of Justice, Love and Peace!

1.     Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. I want to reflect with you this morning on the theme ‘A Kingdom of Truth and Life, of Justice, Love and Peace.’ This is the kingdom that our universal king came to establish on earth. Unfortunately, the virtues espoused by Christ in his kingdom are very much lacking in our world of alternate realities today. In this world people are afraid to stand up for the truth for fear of reprisal. In the face of bogus claims of voters fraud without facts, where thousands are dying of corona virus amidst denial among some people that the virus is indeed virulent and dangerous, where people are fired, here and there, for standing up for the truth and where others have become enablers in spite of the facts on ground, where justice is denied the vast majority of people due to race, religion and sexual orientation, where we have become more divisive and divided, and love and peace have become realities too difficult to attend,  we must look elsewhere for truth and life, justice and peace. This can only be found in Christ who came to save the last, the least and the lost. Christ made an option for the poor from his first sermon on the mount till his last sermon about the end of the world. He made it clear that we will be judged on how we treat the poor, the sick, the strangers, the imprisoned, the hungry and thirsty and the naked. When we help them, we help Christ!

2.     In the first reading, Ezekiel reports that God is displeased with the shepherds who mislead his people. God, therefore, promised to pasture his people himself. The people of God are entrusted to religious and temporal leaders to be ruled after the heart of God in righteousness, truth, justice, love and peace. Once leaders abdicate their responsibilities and become selfish and egotistical, God is displeased with such leaders and promised, “I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD. The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy, shepherding them rightly.” This prophesy is clearly fulfilled in Jesus whose major concern was to lead the people aright. The second reading states that Christ will rule until evil is destroyed, “Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

3.     Jesus is the judge over the nations in the Gospel. His judgement is based on love and how we treat the less privileged in our midst. It reminds us that we have a choice to make: to choose heaven or hell. It presents us with two kingdoms: the kingdom of God, where there will be happiness and joy beyond our wildest imagination and the kingdom of Satan, where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Moreover, there will be sadness, regrets, endless remorse and long suffering. Our choice will not be based on what we say but on how we live. The choice is ours and we must choose wisely.

4.     Listen to how St. Martin of Tours chose Christ in the poor. Martin was a Roman soldier and a Christian. One cold winter day, as he was entering a city, a beggar stopped him and asked for alms. Martin had no money; but the beggar was blue and shivering with cold, and Martin gave what he had. He took off his soldier’s coat, worn and frayed as it was; he cut it in two and gave half of it to the beggar man. That night he had a dream. In it he saw the heavenly places and all the angels and Jesus in the midst of them; and Jesus was wearing half of a Roman soldier’s cloak. One of the angels said to him, “Master, why are you wearing that battered old cloak? Who gave it to you?” And Jesus answered softly, “My servant Martin gave it to me.”

5.     If the many who are poor are not assisted, the few who are rich could not be saved. If the few who are rich cannot help the many who are poor, the many who are poor won’t save the few who are rich. “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did to one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Christ is more easily found among the poor than among the rich who are attached to their wealth, who closed their hearts to the plight of the poor. So, the reading of today calls on us to open our hearts to the poor Christ who is hungry, to the Christ who is thirsty and homeless, who freezes at street corners while begging for alms. This Christ is not attractive, neither does he dress elegantly. He certainly will not emit the best of scents. But it will be on account of assisting the many shades of Christ that we will be admitted into the kingdom of the Christ who sits on the throne.

6.     Let us take the words of Tobit to heart: “Give to the hungry some of your bread, and to the naked some of your clothing. Whatever you have left over, give away as alms; and do not begrudge the alms you give.” (Tobit 4:16). May we remember that “Whoever shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will call and not be answered.” (Prov. 21:13). May God answer us on the day we call him. Amen.

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

November 15, 2020. Homily for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A.

Readings: Proverbs 31:10-31; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6; Matthew 25:14-30 Talents are Given According to Our Abilities 

 1. Before his journey to Heaven, Christ gave us the gift of himself (talent) and He expects us to be accountable to Him on his return. What is this talent? Talent is a natural aptitude or skill that we received from God. It is also a weight and unit of currency, used especially by the ancient Romans and Greeks. Hence a talent was the Roman denomination of the highest amount possible. Two drachmas were a day’s wage for a laborer, and a talent was worth 6,000 drachmas, or 8 years pay for a worker. So, you can imagine the enormous amount of money given to these men to trade with while waiting for the return of the master. 

 2. The master did not just give his servants money, no, he gave them his property: “It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.” The master gave away all his property, he gave them everything. On his return he had nothing left therefore, he depended on his servants and what they had done with his property. If the servants were accountable, responsible and invested his money prudently, the master will reap a bountiful harvest on his return. 

 3. This parable is about the generosity of God and how extravagant God is with us. God gives us everything freely and generously, he holds nothing back from us. He gives each one of us according to our ability. He doesn’t expect us to give him what we do not have, but only what we have. God gave us his very self by dying on the cross and he expects us to reciprocate his love and give of ourselves to others. What we have is God’s gift to us but what we do with it is our gift to God. 

 4. Do we always invest our gifts, no matter what they may be, for the glory of God? Many times, we behave like the third servant, who buried his master’s money in the ground, refusing to use it to enrich others. Yet, St. Paul clearly reminds us “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them: if prophecy, in proportion to the faith; if ministry, in ministering; if one is a teacher, in teaching; if one exhorts, in exhortation; if one contributes, in generosity; if one is over others, with diligence; if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:6-8). In exercising our gifts, we build up the body of Christ the Church. 

 5. We are invited to participate in ministries in the church. When we sing, we praise God and minister to his people. When we read as lectors, or participate in various other ministries, we are accountable to God for his gifts. If we don’t do anything in church, we are indirectly burying our gifts refusing to minister to the people of God. The third servant was punished for refusing to try, he did not lose his talent; he simply did nothing with it. It is wrong to think that my talent or gift is so small that I can do nothing with it. We must use what we have to better our lives and the lives of people around us. 

 6. Finally, we should not fear that the reward of the work well done is more work. If we have talents and use them according to our ability, we will perfect them and gain more. If we have some proficiency at a game or an art, if we have some gift for doing something, the more we exercise that proficiency and that gift, the harder the work and the bigger the task we will be able to tackle. Whereas, if we fail to use it, we lose it. That is equally true about playing golf, playing piano, singing, writing, carving wood or thinking out ideas; it is the lesson of life that the only way to keep a gift is to use it in the service of God and others. 

 7. It is by using our gifts to build up the kingdom of God that we will hear those beautiful words from the mouth of our master: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.” May God bless and keep us now and always. Amen.

 Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP