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Homily For The 4th Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A.

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Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13; Psalm 145:6-10; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 1:1-12.   “FROM HAPPINESS TO BLESSEDNESS!” By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide. ·        There is a strong desire to find happiness at all costs in everyone. We try to find reasons to make ourselves happy and have fun despite the many things around us that should make us sad. We are not ready to stop at anything until this happiness or joy is found. ·        What makes each of us happy differs from person to person? For some, their happiness lays in the amount of money they have, some it lays in how influential they are, for some, it lays in how vast their connection and league of friends are, for some, it is in how much approval they get from people around them etc. what makes people happy can be really vast, but our focus today is not just being happy but that kind of happiness that guarantees blessedness or eternity. ·    ...
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Homily For The 3rd Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A.

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    Isaiah 8:23-9:3; Psalm 26:1.4.13-14; 1Corinthians 1:10-13, 17; Matthew 4:12-23 “I BELONG TO GOD!” By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide. ·        For the past few days, the church has been celebrating the week of Christian Unity, where we as Catholics are enjoined to pray for Christian unity in the world. And this is beautifully captured in our readings today. ·        The second reading (1Corinthians 1:10-13, 17) sets the tone for today’s reflection. The reading talks about the crisis that engulfed the early Corinthian community. A church which once had a vision is now plunged into division. ·        This Corinthian church witnessed tremendous growth and an increase in faith. Great preachers had arisen among them, calling them to return to God. However, at some point, self-projection set in, and people now formed a personality cult around these preachers whom they liked. Th...
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Homily For The 2nd Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A.

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    Isaiah 49:3.5-6; Psalm 39:2.4.7-10 R/ v.8.9; 1Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34 “THE NEW ISRAEL AND THE NEW MISSION!” By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide. ·         Today the church celebrates the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. In the context of today’s liturgy, the Lord calls us to mission. He calls the New Israel and, by extension, a New Mission. ·         Today, the Lord calls us to himself, to be by him and imitate him so that through us and our way of life, and through our living testimonies in the world, he might be glorified. We must remember that it is only a life that is Holy that glorifies God. If we must glorify God, then we are called to holiness of life. ·         In the first reading (Isaiah 49:3.5-6), God calls us the New Israel; he calls each of us by his name because “before we were formed in the womb he knew us” (Isaiah 49:5). In cal...
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Homily For The 4th Sunday Of Advent, Year A.

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  Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 24:1-6; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24. “EMMANUEL: GOD-IS-WITH-US!” By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide ·        Today is the fourth and last Sunday of Advent. If you like, you can call it ‘rush hour Sunday.’ We cannot help but notice the mad rush to engage in the last minutes of shopping and preparation for Christmas, both physical and spiritual. ·        Christmas is barely a week from today, the countdown has started, and this last Sunday of Advent still gives us yet another opportunity to put our hearts and house in order. ·        Dearly beloved in Christ, it is painful to observe that the Advent season, rather than a time of preparation for the birth of the Saviour of the world, has become an ADVERT season, where we sell all kinds of goods at exorbitant prices to make surplus gains. We buy and buy, even things we don't need, to ensure our houses are ful...
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Homily For The 3rd Sunday Of Advent, Year A.

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  Isaiah 35:1-6, 10; Psalm 145:6-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11. “THE JOY OF WAITING ON GOD!” By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide ·        Today we celebrate the 3 rd Sunday of Advent. Today, more than ever before, the coming of the Son of God at Christmas is closer to us than ever. And the Advent season affords us that opportunity to make adequate preparation to receive the Lord at Christmas. ·        Today, the church celebrates “Gaudete Sunday”, which means Joy or happiness. We are happy because the coming of the Son of God is closer to us than ever. The word “joy” is used with happiness and rejoicing ·        For the four Sundays of Advent, the Lord continues to write us a personal letter through the readings on the best way to make preparations for his coming, what we should do and what we should not do, and most importantly, how to occupy ourselves while waiting for his c...
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Homily For The 2nd Sunday Of Advent, Year A.

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  Isaiah 1:1-10; Psalm 71:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12. “BE PREPARED!” By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide ·        Today, the church continues in her journey of waiting in joyful hope for the second coming of the Son of God in the flesh at Christmas. This journey is not expected to be idle, but one filled with activities that please God, so that when the Son of God is revealed, we will be found worthy to behold him. ·        Today, being the second Sunday of Advent, the Lord is issuing us a second letter, a personal letter asking us to be prepared and make ourselves and our hearts ready to receive him. He will repeat this letter in various forms throughout the season of Advent; will you rather not respond positively to it? ·        Today’s personal letter to us from God is asking us to be prepared, just like the motto of the Boy Scouts, since we do not know t...
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Homily For The 1st Sunday Of Advent, Year A.

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  Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 121:1-2, 4-5, 6-9; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:37-44. THE JOY OF BEHOLDING THE HOUSE OF GOD By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide ·        Happy New Year to you all! ·        A lot of you may be surprised or confused, and probably wondering if Fr. Charles has gone mad. Why is he greeting “Happy New Year” in November and not the usual 1 st January? I am not mistaken nor confused. Today, the church begins a new liturgical year; hence, it is proper to start the year by wishing you all a “Happy New Year”. ·        Today, we move from the liturgical year C to year A while preparing ourselves for the imminent coming of the Son of God at Christmas, which is what the season of Advent reminds us of. ·        Today, being the first Sunday of Advent, the Psalmist reminds us that we should be joyful in having the privilege to dwell in the ho...
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