Fr. Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie, MSP - Homily for the 7th day in the Octave of Christmas Year B - December 31, 2020

THURSDAY 31ST DECEMBER 2020

7TH DAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS

1 John 2:18-21

John 1:1-18

TO GOD BE THE GLORY

Today is the last day of the year 2020. We cannot imagine it that this year has already come and gone. For many people, It just seemed like yesterday that we started the year with so much zeal and enthusiasm. For so many people, thank God that the very interesting year 2020 is over.

As St John tells us in the first reading, many of us were able to overcome the year because we did not listen to wrong teachings and advice. It is only those who hold on to Jesus who will conquer till the end.

In the gospel reading, we are told that God has been with us from the very beginning. Jesus has been with the father right from the time of creation. He knows the end from the very beginning.

As we spend the last day of the year 2020 and get set for 2021, let us thank God for all that he has done for us, and pray that the year 2021 will be better than this one. God help us. Amen. See you in 2021.

Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie, MSP

Fr. Emmanuel Megwara, MSP - Homily for the 7th day in the octave of Christmas Year B - December 31, 2020

DATE : 31/12/2020, Thursday of the First Week of Christmas year (B)

 EVENT : Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas

 COLOUR: White

 READINGS : 1John 2:18-21; Resp.

Psalm 95:1-2,11-13; John 1:1-18.

 THEME: BEWARE OF ANTICHRISTS THIS  SEASON

    Greetings beloved people of God. I welcome you to "My Catholic Homily Digest". On this Thirty First and last day of December 2020, I wish to reflect with us on the theme: " Beware of Antichrists this Season". Beloved, permit me to use this opportunity to congratulate you for making it to the end of this year. It is neither by power nor by might, but by my Spirit says the Lord God of hosts. Beloved, even as I heartily congratulate you for surviving the difficulties that came with this year, As a priest of God, I wish to warn you to be careful of the kind of house of prayer or voice of prophecy that you allow to lead you into the coming year. From every satanic and antichrist prayer houses and evil laden prophecies deliver us oh Lord.

    Beloved in Christ, judging from the tone of voice and contextual background of the community in which St. John wrote his first letter, we get the feeling that the Original Gospel of Christ has been bastadised and adulterated by fake and dangerously evil individuals, who parade themselves as preachers, pastors, prophets and seers like the Nicolaitanes, Simon Magnus, Cerinthus, Diotrephes, and Philetus. More so, in the first reading of today, 1John 2:18-21, St. John refers to these "scavengerous" gospel mongers as antichrists and enemies of the faith because the motive of their preaching and prophesying is advertently anti-Christian. They are deceivers, who are only interested in cheap popularity, fame, fat tithes and new year offering collection. So I beg of you, do not allow the temporal and passing conditions of this year, to make you to fall prey to their lying lips and deceptive prophecies. You have been feed and trained in the true knowledge of God in the Catholic Church by your priests, do not throw this precious gift away just for a sweet sounding  pot of porridge as Esau did.

      Child of God, instead of making frenzied search for a powerful prayer house to spend the crossover night, into 2021 as you have always done in the past. I wish to encourage you in the light of the prevailing scourge of Corona Virus and its consequent reatrictions, sit quietly and take a look at how you spent this year. Count the number of opportunities that slipped through your fingers, mark the mistakes you made, record the good you failed to carry out, write down the good things you achieved, reflect on how your relationship with God went, take note of those you have offended and thank God for the privileges you enjoyed as you meditatively ask him to take charge of the coming year as he promised (Prov. 3:5-6).

Oh that today you would listen to his voice harden not your hearts (Ps.95:7-8).

  Do not be afraid for you will be remembered in my priestly prayers throughout this month. God bless you

#End Sars,

#End Political Oppression

#End Bad Governance 

 

 LET US PRAY :Lord Jesus, all I have to say is THANK YOU.....

 The Lord be with you....... and with your Spirit.

 May Almighty God bless you the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit......Amen

 HAPPY CROSSOVER TO THE NEW YEAR BELOVED FRIENDS

@ Fada Emmanuel Nnamdi Megwara, MSP.

Fr. Emmanuel Megwara, MSP - Homily for Christmas Day - December 25, 2020

  DATE : 24/12/2020, Vigil Mass of Christmas Year (B)

 EVENT : CHRISTMAS EVE

 COLOUR: WHITE

 READINGS : 1 Isaiah 52:7-10; Resp. Psalm 98:1.2-3ab.3.cd-4.5-6; Heb. 1:1-6; John 1:1-18.

 THEME: JOY!!! JOY!!! JOY!!!

    Greetings beloved people of God. I welcome you to "My Catholic Homily Digest". On this day of Christmas, I wish to reflect with you on the theme: " Joy!!! Joy!!! Joy!!!. Beloved, one of the words that best qualifies the sentiment of almost every human person during this Christmas season is the feeling of joy. On a general sense, joy is described as the response of the mind to any pleasurable event. It is a feeling that touches the deepest springs of emotion, and finds expression in external acts such as, dancing, leaping, shouting, singing and sharing of gifts as we can see all around us. True and authentic joy is always a natural outcome of fellowship with God. For as the Psalmist says in Ps. 16:11, "In his presence is fullness of joy and plentiful gladness". In the Old Testament, the Idea of Joy is expressed with the Hebrew Simchah (1Sam. 18:6), which could either mean, rejoice, exult, gladness excited, etc. And God is frequently the source and object of true joy. The Greek word for joy in the New Testament is chara, and it is seen to be the best state of mind for the believer and the appropriate  response in every condition, as Jesus did.

    In the first reading of today, the prophet Isaiah told us that messengers are racing to Zion with good news, watchmen are raising their voices with shouts of joy, and the entire nation is exalted to break forth into joyful song because, the Lord has come to visit and console his people. This same, sentiment is expressed by the Psalmist who invites all the earth to shout to the Lord and to ring out their joy. The author of the second reading of today, Hebrews 1:1-6, also beckons on us to see and have reason to rejoice, for all the prophecies of redemption and consolation which God made with men of old, has been fulfilled in our own day. For with the birth of Christ today, human nature has been sanctified and exalted, and we have received the powers and special grace of being called children of God. A privilege which not even the greatest of prophets of old had.

    Child of God, as we celebrate Christ-Mass today,  let us rejoice and celebrate, let us exult and spread the joy around, let us shun every activity contrary to the spirit of God and of virtue. Listen to me beloved, the coming of Christ is chiefly for our salvation, so, let us not in the pretext of celebrating Christ's nativity, sink deeper into the dungeon of sin and so wander very far beyond the redeeming arm of Jesus. May God bless you and increase you joy.

  Do not be afraid for you will be remembered in my priestly prayers throughout this month. God bless you

          Oh that today you would listen to his voice harden not your hearts (Ps.95:7-8)

 LET US PRAY : Lord Jesus, may your coming this Christmas fill my heart with exceeding joy and rid me of all bitterness and hatred...

 The Lord be with you....... and with your Spirit.

 May Almighty God bless you in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit......Amen

   HAPPY CHRISTMAS BELOVED.

  @ Fada Emmanuel Nnamdi Megwara, MSP. ⛪

Fr. Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie, MSP - Homily for Christmas Day - December 25, 2020

Isaiah 62:1-5

Psalm 88:4-5,16-17,27,29

Acts 13:16-17,22-25

Matthew 1:1-25

REJOICE AT THE BIRTH OF JESUS

For about four weeks now, we have prepared ourselves to receive our saviour. We are ready to come out of darkness and embrace Jesus who is the light that dispels darkness. The prophet Isaiah tells us in 9:1-2 that the coming of Christ has brought light to us all who have been living in darkness. Today we commemorate the birth of our saviour, it is a time for us to once again come out of the various forms of darkness in our lives.

The world before the coming of Jesus was in darkness. The original sin of Adam and Eve our first parents left us in a very pitiable state. Right from creation therefore, God has mapped out ways to bring us back to himself and restore us to our original holy state. God called Abraham and his descendants so that through him, every tribe and nation will be saved. God sent leaders, kings, judges and many prophets to lead the people back to himself, but in the fullness of time, God sent his only son Jesus Christ into our world to show us the way back to him. How much God truly loves and cherishes us.

In the old Testament, we see that the consciousness of sin and morality was very low, that is why Jesus in Luke 10:23-24 said that we all are privileged to have been born to see and hear him and relate with him. Many kings and prophets longed for his coming. We see how Zechariah was very happy in the gospel reading of yesterday that he lived to see the birth of the saviour.

We are therefore called to rejoice and be happy today. Many things may have taken away our joy this year, we all have our various troubles and anxieties ranging from family, business, education, health, friendship and work challenges. We are called today to place them by the side of the new born king. Let us trust that Jesus who  became a human being like us, knows our troubles and challenges in life, and he will be our comfort and solace.

We can imagine how Mary struggled with her life since the angel gave her the message of the incarnation. We can imagine a woman giving birth during this cold season in a manger. We can imagine Joseph who had already planned his life with Mary, told to become a celibate and foster father of Jesus.

Let us rejoice at the birth of Jesus amidst our life challenges and share the joy with one another. Jesus has also come as the king of peace; let us be agents of peace and joy to everyone we meet. Jesus is the reason for the season, let us rejoice and be glad because our salvation is assured by the birth of Jesus. Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year in advance. God bless you. Amen.

Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie MSP.

Fr. Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie, MSP - Homily for Thursday Week 4 of Advent - December 24, 2020

THURSDAY 24TH DECEMBER 2020

 Samuel 7:1-5,8-12,14,16

Luke 1:67-79

ARE YOU READY TO RECEIVE JESUS?

Many of us are doing last minute preparations for the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Going out today to get some things for the celebration, I see how crowded everywhere is. Some people are still hoping to get the basic things for the celebration. The readings of today remind us once again that the season is that of joy and happiness. In the first reading, we are reminded that the one to be born to us is from the line of David as God promised him when he wanted to build the temple. Jesus is coming because of us, to lead us away from the slavery of sin and take us back to the father.

In the gospel reading, we see the joy in the heart of Zechariah who blessed the name of God for raising a saviour for humanity from the line of David as he promised through the prophets. The child to be born is the son of God who will make us aware of the need of our salvation, he will forgive our sins and lead us out of darkness.

Whatever we do in this season of Christmas, let us not forget that Jesus is the reason for the season. We do not need to do more than what we are capable of, we should not borrow to celebrate, we should not spend our last penny in celebration. May the coming of Christ bring us joy, and may we be truly conscious of God's abiding love for us. Amen. Be happy today and make others happy by extending a generous hand to them. Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year in advance. God bless you.

Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie MSP

Fr. Emmanuel Megwara, MSP - Homily for Thursday Week 4 of Advent - December 24, 2020

  DATE : 24/12/2020, Thursday of the Fourth week of Advent Year (B)

 EVENT : Mass of the Weekday

 COLOUR: VIOLET/ PURPLE

 READINGS : 2 Samuel 7:1-5,8-12,14,16; Resp. Psalm 88:2-5,27,29; Luke 1:67-79.

 THEME: A SON: THE PLEDGE OF POSTERITY

    Greetings beloved people of God. I welcome you to "My Catholic Homily Digest". On this Twenty Fourth day of December, I wish to reflect with you on the theme: " A Son: The Pledge of Posterity". Beloved in Christ, one of the major reasons for quarrel and polygamy in most families is the inordinate quest for a male heir. This desperate search for a son is caused by the heavily patriarchal and patrilinear nature of most cultures of the world, which lays emphasis on the male child as the rightful heir and line of ensuring the continuity of a blood lineage. Moreso, as a natural tendency, Apart from companionship that comes with family life, another reason why people marry is the human person desire to be immortalised. And this can be attained by ensuring that posterity continues.

   In the first reading of today, God made a heart cheering promise to David that of his posterity there shall be no end. What a cheerful news this must have been for king David, to be given the divine assurance that he shall be immortalised and that his dynasty shall last forever. I believe David must have died a fulfilled man. Now, this eternal promise of God about David's posterity was concretised in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, whose birth we eagerly await in few hours from now. He it was who has come to unite all peoples into a universal adoption as the sons and daughters of God, that we may participate in the posterity of David. Thus, that son which was promised to David, as a pledge that his posterity will continue, is also the son of Joseph and Mary, and the Son of God.

   So beloved. the joy of Christmas is not merely that a child was born, but that this child that was born came to destroy the powers of death, of extinction and of mortality which was our lot by virtue of our sinful merit and to restore us back to the posterity of holiness and immortality which was originally ours from creation. I pray that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, will continue to be our pledge of redemption and immortality as we celebrate his nativity this Christmas... Amen

  Do not be afraid for you will be remembered in my priestly prayers throughout this month. God bless you

          Oh that today you would listen to his voice harden not your hearts (Ps.95:7-8)

 LET US PRAY : Lord Jesus,  you are the fulfilment of God's promise, help me to gain the promise of immortality of the children of God....

 The Lord be with you....... and with your Spirit.

 May Almighty God bless you in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit......Amen

  @ Fada Emmanuel Nnamdi Megwara, MSP. ⛪