Fr. Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie, MSP - Homily for Wednesday Week 18 Ordinary time - August 5, 2020

WEDNESDAY EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR II

Jeremiah 31:1-7, Matthew 15:21-28

Be resilient in prayer

There is an adage that says that it is the one who needs something that stretches out the longer hand. You cannot need something and stay in your comfort zone thinking that it will come to you in a platter of gold. It is the same with spiritual things. It is not as if God wants us to stress ourselves before he answers us, persistence in prayer is a sign of faith and trust that God can and will give us what we want. Sometimes we may suffer a great deal, be insulted and maligned in our quest to get what we want, but at the end when God answers us, we will forget all the troubles we have gone through.

In the gospel reading of today, we see a canaanite woman come to Jesus to ask him to cure her daughter who was possessed by a demon. Jesus initially ignored her, but she persisted; later Jesus spoke in parables that seem to be insulting, that he wanted to attend to the Israelites not a canaanite like her. She never took offence but made a joke out of the situation. With her persistence, Jesus answered her and said it was a sign of her faith in God. You do not need to get angry when your prayers seem not to be answered, your persistence can take you to where anger and frustration will deny you. We should've be ready to go through any pain and insults for God to answer us, above all, to make heaven. God help us. Amen.

Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie MSP

Fr. Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie, MSP - Homily for Tuesday Week 18 Ordinary time - August 4, 2020

TUESDAY EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR II
MEMORIAL OF ST. JOHN MARY VIANNEY

Jeremiah 30:1-2,12-15,18-22,
 Matthew 15:1-2,10-14

GOD'S STANDARD IS OUR HEART

Today we celebrate St John Mary Vianney who is the patron saint of parish priests. He was from a very poor home, and because of that, he did not receive a good education since his parents could not afford it. Nevertheless, he was able to struggle to finish and after which, indicated interest to be a priest. He was admitted into the seminary, but he could not cope with the intellectual demands of the training to the Catholic priesthood. He was very poor in grasping knowledge especially languages of the Church such as Latin, Hebrew, Greek and others. These and other knowledge are very essential to understanding the context of the scriptures.
John Vianney was asked to discontinue his training for the priesthood. After a while, because of his record of humility, docility, readiness to learn and simplicity of heart and life, he was recalled to the seminary to continue his training to the priesthood. He was eventually ordained and sent to a very remote place where he would not need to speak to professors and very learned people but farmers and peasants.
God who had called and chosen him was on his side. John Vianney became a very popular priest with his way of life of holiness. God gave him a special gift. He carried out his priestly work very religiously. He took his time in counselling, and those who knew him said that he could spend 14 to 18 hours in the confessional in a day. He was a good confessor that the learned people left the cities to look for him in the village. In his conversation with people on the confessional, God gave him the gift of reading the minds of people, even to know the sins they did not confess. He admonished them and adviced them to turn fully to God.
He is the patron and model of all parish priests. This goes a long way to show that it is humans who set standard, God looks at a good heart that is ready to do his work. According to John Vianney, it is useless to be intelligent if it will not impart on the life of people. Make good use of the gifts God has given you, and he will bless you the more. God help us. Amen.
Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie MSP

Fr. Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie, MSP - Homily for Monday Week 18 Ordinary time - August 3, 2020

MONDAY EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR II

JEREMIAH 28:1-17, MATTHEW 14:22-36

WHY DO PEOPLE EASILY BELIEVE LIES?

The Christian faith is fast becoming a competitive religion with many people who claim to be pastors and men of God. They go about with their teachings of prosperity that seems to captivate anyone who listens to them. The truth does not easily sell, falsehood does. It is therefore very easy to deceive people with lies because it is what many people want to hear.

In the first reading of today,  we hear how the false prophet Hananiah lied to the people with his false prophesies and they believed him because people like the easy way to everything.

Many Jews were on exile in Babylon, and Nebuchadnezzer had carried away many people from Israel and treasures from the temple. Hananiah told them that God would restore everything to them in about 2 years. This was not true. God never spoke to Hananiah. As Jeremiah said, priests and prophets who speak about repentance, suffering, forgiveness, peace and tranquility are not popular. It is those who preach progress, breakthrough and prosperity that people believe whether they come to pass or not.

A friend called me, lamenting that his pastor had told him in January that he will buy a car before the end of June. As we entered the month of August few days ago, he does not see any sign of it happening.

God truly speaks and he speaks words of progress, prosperity and breakthrough, but this is not devoid of moments of pain as well. In the gospel reading, we see how Jesus intervened in the life of his disciples who were afraid of the wind and storm as well as seeing a ghost, not knowing that it was Jesus.

Fear has made many of us to run to various wrong places to seek help and we get deceived by false prophecies and promises. Jesus tells us not to be afraid because he is there for us in our moments of need. God help us. Amen.

Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie MSP

Fr. Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie, MSP - Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary time Year A - August 2, 2020

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A

ISAIAH 55:1-3, ROMANS 8:35,37-39, MATTHEW 14:13-21

GOD PROVIDES FOR US FREELY, SO SHOULD WE FOR OTHERS

One of the most important needs of man is food. All the work we do daily is to be able to meet our basic needs with food at the top of the list. People can go any length to satisfy their appetite.

In the first reading of today, the prophet Isaiah tells the people of Israel that God is ready to provide all they need at no cost. God does not demand that we pay for what he has given to us because we cannot afford it. If we know how much those who are sick in the hospital pay to breath for an hour, we will understand that God provides our basic needs at no cost.

St Paul in the second reading tells us that some situations in life can make us feel as if God does not care about us, but nothing can separate us from the love of God. Even if we are troubled or worried, or being persecuted, or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even attacked, it does not mean that God has forsaken us. He still loves and cares for us.

In the gospel reading, the love of God becomes very practical in Jesus. He was just informed that Herod had killed John the Baptist, he went to a lonely place to be alone and mourn.

The people not sensitive to what Jesus was passing through, came from various parts of the towns and villages to be cured of their illnesses and diseases. When he had preached to them and cured them, he knew that they also needed physical food even if they did not ask for it. It teaches us therefore that God knows what we need, even when we do not ask.

It is a call on us us today, to be sensitive to the needs of one another. We know many people around us who need help, though they may not ask. Situations around many people may make them think that God has forsaken them. Many people just need a good charitable gesture to rekindle their faith and hope. Let us always trust God for all we need. He will provide for us at the right time. God help us. Amen.

Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie MSP