Fr. Emmanuel Megwara, MSP - Homily for Monday Week 1 of Advent - November 30, 2020

 DATE : 30/11/2020

 EVENT : St. Andrew. Apostle (Feast)

 COLOUR: RED

 READINGS : Rom. 10:9-18; Responsorial Psalm 18:2-5 Gospel. Mark 4:18-22.

 THEME: WOULD YOU BELIEVE IF I TOLD YOU THAT I HAVE FOUND CHRIST

 INTRODUCTION:

                   Greetings beloved people of God and fellow pilgrims. I welcome you to the first Monday of Advent on which the Church celebrates the feast day of St. Andrew the apostle and brother of St. Peter. As this new working week begins beloved friends, I wish to reflect with us on the theme, " Would you believe if I told you that I have found Christ". Beloved, in his love and desire for the service of God, St. Andrew was previously a disciple of St. John the baptist. And when John the baptist pointed to Christ as the Lamb of God, and upon a personal invitation by Christ himself, St. Andrew withdrew from John the baptist and became an ardent apostle of Christ. After the death of Christ, he preached the Gospel in Asia, Russia and Poland, before being martyred on a saltire (an X shaped cross).

   Beloved, just like the first reading of today says: "they will not ask his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher, and they will never have a preacher unless one is sent". St. Andrew became an answer to this yearning and question of St. Paul. This means that St. Peter would not have heard of Christ nor believed in him if St. Andrew did not act as a preacher when he told Peter: 'we have found the messiah' (Cf. John 1:41). Child of God, just like St. Andrew, I ask you today, have you found Christ? or have you lost him? Do your life style lead people to Christ or away from Christ? Are you proud enough to share your Christian faith with an unbeliever or are you too shy of your faith? Finally are you ready to believe in Christ and amend your ways especially as we prepare for the coming of Christ this advent season? I pray that like St. Andrew who left his family and fishing boat, we too may have the courage to leave behind every form of distraction and worldly attachment and follow Christ as he calls us through today's homily. God bless you.

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

 LET US PRAY: Lord Jesus, help me never to lose hope in your promises nor lag in zeal for your kingdom of righteousness and peace....Amen

  HAPPY NEW WEEK BELOVED FRIENDS AND I PRAY GOD TO KEEP YOU SAFE         

 @Fada  Emmanuel Nnamdi Megwara MSP.⛪

Fr. Emmanuel Megwara, MSP - Homily for the First Sunday of Advent Year B - November 29, 2020

 DATE : 29/11/2020

 EVENT : 1st Sunday of Advent (Year B)

 COLOUR: VIOLET/PURPLE

 READINGS : Isaiah 63:16-17; 64:1.3-8; Responsorial Psalm 80:2ac and 3b.15-16a.18-19; 1Cor. 1:3-9; Gospel Accl. Ps.85:7; Gospel. Mark 13:33-37.

 THEME: WHAT IS ADVENT

 INTRODUCTION:

                   Greetings beloved people of God and fellow pilgrims. I welcome you to the 1st Sunday of Advent. This Sunday beloved friends, I wish to reflect with us on the theme, " What is Advent". Beloved, for those of us with strong Catholic background, we would recall that there are several seasons, times or celebrations within each liturgical year of the Church. These seasons in their sequential order include: Advent, Christmas, First and short Ordinary Time, Lent, Easter/Pentecost and the Second and Long Ordinary Time. Each of these seasons have their corresponding colour and its significance. Like the above list shows, Advent is the first season of each liturgical calendar of the Church, and purple or violet is used to represent it, a colour signifying contrition and penitence. The word "Advent" is derived from the Latin word adventus , meaning "coming," which is a translation of the Greek word "parousia", meaning appearing or unveiling. For centuries, Advent has been a time of spiritual preparation as well as cheerful anticipation of the nativity of the saviour of the world. Advent is the period preceding the Christmas season and it begins on the Sunday nearest November 30, the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle, and covers four Sundays before 25th December. Because the day it begins changes from year to year, the length of each Advent season varies.

     More so, an ancient Catechism of the Church  describes Advent spirituality beautifully, when it states that "as the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present the expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Saviour's first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming which is definitely sure to happen soon (emphasis mine). Beloved, just as lent, in which we become contrite, advent season is meant to help us prepare penitentially so as to be worthy and ready to receive Jesus when he comes anew at Christmas. But even more, we are supposed to be much more prepared to meet Christ at his second coming, a coming in which he shall judge us according to the merits of our deeds or misdeeds. Hear me child of God, like the prophet Isaiah prophesied in today's first reading, 'no ear has heard and no eye has seen what God has packaged for those who trust him, who obey him, who wait expectantly for him, who keep their hearts clean from all defilement, and those who have washed and prepared themselves by the blood of the lamb for the banquet feast.

    Beloved, while we are still waiting for the eventual and sure coming of Jesus, we are not meant to be mere passive waiters, sitting idly and marking time. No, God desires us to be busy, for he has work for us to do. Namely that we should get busy loving, honoring, serving him and loving, honoring, and serving our families, neighbors, and communities as well. The Lord  also urges us to be vigilant and active in prayer that his kingdom may come quickly and that his will be constantly done on earth as it is usually done in heaven. We are not only to watch for Christ, but to watch with Christ. The Lord wants us to have our hearts and minds fixed on his promises. For just like Christ admonished us in the Gospel of today, we must constantly  be on our guard and stay awake, because we do not know when the time will come. I pray that God may give us the grace to use this year's Advent to adequately rid our lives of all sinful rubbish and baggages and so merit the blessings of his coming at Christmas. God bless you.

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

 LET US PRAY: Lord Jesus, free me from complacency, from the grip of sin and worldliness, and from attachments to things which pass away. May I always be eager to receive your word and be ready to meet you when you come again....Amen

 HAPPY FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT TO YOU BELOVED FRIENDS.                   

 @Fada  Emmanuel Nnamdi Megwara MSP.⛪

Fr. Emmanuel Megwara, MSP - Homily for Saturday Week 34 Ordinary time - November 28, 2020

 DATE : 28/11/2020, Saturday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time (A)

 EVENT : Mass of the Weekday or of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 COLOUR: GREEN

 READINGS : Rev.22:1-7; Resp. Psalm 94:1-7; Luke 21:34-36.

 THEME: GUARD YOUR HEART JEALOUSLY, FOR IT IS THE GATEWAY OF THE DEVIL

    Greetings beloved people of God. I welcome you to "My Catholic Homily Digest". As we come to the last day of this week, I want to reflect with us on the theme " Guard your Heart Jealously, for it is the Gateway of the Devil". Beloved, I believe non of us have ever seen the devil physically, but we know he exists because we can feel his manipulative presence in our lives on daily basis. In fact, the devil knows that based on the mental and graphic pictures created of him, if he should come to anyone physically, his chances of success would be very slim, so he would rather not show himself but continually wreck havoc by sneaking into the hearts of men to fill them with poisonous thoughts. Thus Proverbs 4:23 tells us, 'to keep and guard our heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life and death'. Hear me, if you want to stay clear from committing evil, guard your heart constantly and purge it of all misleading desires from the evil one.

    Child of God, just like Jesus warned us in the Gospel reading of today, we need to purify our hearts of all sordid desires, of all forms of debauchery and attachment to material realities. Nevertheless, the reality of life is that many of us find it difficult to fight and keep the devil out of our hearts because, we sometimes enjoy the negative and debased thoughts that he throws into our hearts. And we carelessly feed these thoughts by ruminating on them until they eventually materialise. More so, we feel too lazy to practice the habit of constant examination of heart, which would have helped us to detect inordinate desires whenever and immediately they raise their head. Just like Jer. 17:9 foretold, 'the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick', and so, like a sick baby or part of the body, we need to pay special care and attention to our heart for any slightest negligence over it can portend great danger in our race for salvation.

    Dear friends, Scriptures tells us in Heb. 13:9 that, we should not be led away by diverse and strange thoughts or teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them'. Listen, if you want your heart to be free from the powers of Satan and his manipulative innuendos, then fill your heart with the word of God in the Bible, read motivational and inspiring literatures, listen to sound and profitable doctrine, see a faith building or interest building movie, and practice a simple prayerful mantra (such as: thank you Jesus, or I love you Jesus, or Save me Jesus, or Have mercy on me Jesus), and let this mantra dominate your every word and thought. Finally, each day, pray and ask God to create in your a clean heart and renew a right spirit within you (Ps. 51:10). God bless you

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