Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Okhoro Road, Benin City.

20/01/2026

27/06/2022

21/03/2021

*HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT (MARCH 22, 2021)*
Daniel 13:1-9,15-17,19-30,33-62; Ps.23; John 8:12-20

*I know my Redeemer Liveth*
In today’s first reading, Susanna is trapped by the two elders who desired to lie with her. This trap is a result of her ardent desire to always do what pleases God. If she were not a light shining brightly in the world, she will not find it a big deal to grant the elders’ sinful advances.

The elders threatened her with their reputation; their story will count more than that of Susanna. Susanna understood this and exclaimed: “I am hemmed in on every side. For if I do this thing, it is death for me; and if I do not, I shall not escape your hands”. But when she remembered that the power of God is greater than any human power, she courageous said: “I choose not to do it and to fall into your hands, rather than to sin in the sight of the Lord”.

It is this courage from on high that pushes Jesus on to keep teaching and bearing testimony to the truth even as the Pharisees sought an opportunity to kill Him. The disciples will later confront the Jewish authorities (who instructed them to stop preaching in the name of Christ) saying: “We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29).

God will always save his own. Ps.121:1-2 says: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains from where shall come my help? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth” Ps.33:19 beautifully states: “many are the troubles of the just, but the Lord delivers them from them all”. Do not be afraid of the deprivation you may suffer for bearing the mark of Christ. The Lord did not promise us a warless Christianity but one in which we shall always be victorious. Therefore, always say like Job “I know my redeemer liveth” (Job 19:25). *God Bless You!*

Fr. Evaristus Okeke

07/03/2021

*HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK OF LENT (MARCH 8, 2021)*
2Kings 5:1-15b; Ps.42; Luke 4:24-30

*Be kind to the weak*
The first reading of today began by stating that Naaman the commander of the army of the king of Syria was a great man. The reading then went on to mention those qualities of Naaman that made him great; but Naaman was a l***r. Upon further reflection, we come to realize that there were certain other good qualities of Naaman which though were not mentioned, contributed a great deal to his healing.

Information is power! The news of the person of Prophet Elisha and his ability to cure leprosy came to Naaman through a little maid that was probably captured as slave from Israel. The consciousness that one is a slave is enough to make the person uncomfortable at any given time until the person is reunited with his/her community. A slave looks upon the master as an oppressor and tyrant who is forcefully dehumanizing him/her. Slaves obey, not out of love but of compunction, just to survive.

It is however surprising that the little maid that served Naaman’s wife seemed not to be having the mentality of a slave. We discover this when we notice how she suggested a prophet in Israel to her mistress for the healing of the husband. It was not part of the duty of the little maid to find a cure for Naaman. If this girl was being treated (maltreated) as a slave, she will not freely offer such suggestion for the good of her oppressor. From the suggestion of the little maid therefore, we can judge that added to the good qualities of Naaman, he was kindhearted to his subordinates.

Reading on, after Elisha sent a messenger to tell Naaman to go and wash in the Jordan seven times, Naaman was not happy with the approach of Elisha and with the choice of water. He would have angrily abandoned Elisha’s prescription if not for the intervention of one of his servants. The servant freely convinced his master to obey the prophet, not because it was his duty to convince the master but because he was personally interested in the healing of the master. If the master was not kindhearted to the servant, the servant would have simply felt unconcerned with the whole situation.

We may need to consider today how well we treat the defenseless around us. Do we capitalize on their weakness and rip them of their dignity or do we try to put ourselves in their shoes and then be motivated to uplift them? The experience of Naaman is a clear testimony to the fact that the good you do to others come back to you in unquantifiable and unexpected ways. As a great army commander, Naaman was disciplined but was not wicked. A sane human being is able to perceive the difference and appreciate the former.

When we remember that God can use the weak to shame the strong, we will always be humble and kind no matter the height we may have attained in life. As we continue to ask God for his blessings in our lives, let us also consider those who need our blessings and act accordingly. *God Bless You!*

Fr. Evaristus Okeke

06/03/2021

*HOMILY FOR SATURDAY FOR THE SECOND WEEK OF LENT (MARCH 6, 2021)*
Micah 7:14-15, 18-20; Ps.103; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

*Do not be afraid to return, HE will have mercy*
It’s a common experience to want to judge people’s personality from their actions. More often than not, we forget that our judgment is based on our preconceived notions or our own interpretation of their other’s actions. But then, sometimes, our interpretations made be different from what the actor intended. In such cases, we have presumed and presumption is never right judgment.

In today’s gospel, the Pharisees and the Scribes noticed how Jesus allowed tax collectors and sinners come close to him and even eat with him. For their self-righteous altitude, they treated sin like a communicable disease. For them, Jesus eating with sinners implies two things: that he has been defiled through contact with them, and that it questions His claim to be the expected messiah. The expected messiah should be so far away from sinners because he is holy. From both implications, they judged that Jesus is not holy and so He is not the expected messiah.

Rather than attacking them for their presumption, Jesus used the opportunity to teach them about the richness of God’s mercy. With the story of the prodigal son, Jesus tells us that God appreciates our slightest effort to repent. He is not like an examiner who will not pass the candidate until he has reached certain cut-off mark. So long as our little effort is sincere, God shows us abundant mercy. But for us to be sincerely sorry for our sins, we must first acknowledge that we have sinned.

Sin goes with shame. When our first parents sinned, they hid themselves from God. Whenever we sin, we feel likewise too. Sometimes, we are so overwhelmed with the magnitude of our sins that we doubt God’s mercy and become obstinate in the sinful act. This is the reason why some Catholics finds it difficult to frequent the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

When Jesus appeared to His disciples after his death, they were afraid thinking that he was a ghost who has come to harm them for deserting Him during His passion. Surprisingly, Jesus said to them “Peace be with you”. Like the prodigal son of today, they were surprised at the depth of God’s mercy. God wants each and every one of us to experience the depth of His mercy. That is the only way we can be merciful like the heavenly Father. Unless we experience the mercy of God, we cannot claim to him and so cannot proudly say that He is our Father.

Sometimes, the devil makes us think that our sinful lives has so much harmed God such that He perpetually lives with the scare which makes forgiveness unthinkable. Beloved, notice that when the Father shared his property and gave the younger son his share, He did not become poorer; and so the only thing he actually lost was the son not the property. That explains why he anticipated the son’s return not the recovery of lost property. Our sins can never reduce God.

Understand this: your past is a mistake not a life-sentence. Get up now and return to your Father; He anxiously anticipates your return. *God Bless You!*

Fr. Evaristus Okeke

05/03/2021

*HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF LENT (MARCH 05, 2021)*
Gen.37:3-4,12-13a,17b-28; Ps.105; Matt.21:33-43

*God's Presence with us*
Experience has shown that not everyone appreciates the goodness in the Goodnews. When people are allergic to the Goodnews, the bearer of the Goodnews becomes a threat. Today, the Lord assures us that he does not abandon His servants. If the Lord has asked you to do something in His name, He knows that attack is inevitable. When the attack comes, he glorifies His name by proving that you are not alone.

The first reading is about Joseph and his brothers. Joseph is hated by the brothers not because he was a prophet who spoke the truth to them (as in the case of Jeremiah) but because he was most loved by the Father Israel. Joseph had not done anything to merit this likeness. It was God’s gift to him. Thus, Joseph’s brothers had problem with the divine presence in him.

Dear friends, we dare not dictate for God as to how and when He will bestow His gifts on His creatures. But one thing is sure, we are all gifted. To hate someone on account of what is given to him, is to hate the giver.

If you find yourself in the situation of Joseph, fear not, for no one battles with the Lord and emerges victorious. Your suffering is the manure that facilitates the growth of God’s kingdom. If you find yourself in the situation of Joseph’s brothers, pray for the grace to recognize God’s presence both in you and in your environment. God’s gifts are not scare resources that should lead to strive and jealousy.

God wills the salvation of all. He gives us ample opportunity to draw closer to Him. But he will never force Himself on us. From the gospel, we see that God will exhaust every possible means for our salvation. This is what He does for us at Lent. In this of season of Lent, the bell of repentance is rung loud and continuous to our hearing. Are we going to keep fighting the Divine presence in our midst by giving excuses?

Understand this, we cannot question the establishment of the kingdom of God amongst us, we can only question our belongingness to the kingdom. The price is not jealousy and greed but repentance. *God Bless You!*

Fr. Evaristus Okeke