Fr. Martin Eke, MSP - June 7, 2020. Homily for Holy Trinity Sunday

Homily of Holy Trinity Sunday of Year A, 2020

We celebrated the Solemnity of Pentecost last Sunday. The descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles brings the work of the Holy Trinity to its fullness. God the Father is the Creator. God the Son is the Savior. God the Holy Spirit is the Sanctifier and the Renewer.

When Jesus was about to ascend to heaven, he authorized his apostles to baptize in the name of the Trinity. He said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). By extension, Jesus commands us to do all things in the name of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. That is why all our prayers begin with the invocation of the Trinity, and end with the blessing of the Trinity. We invoke the Trinity each time we profess the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirt, and sign ourselves with the Sign of the Cross. It is, therefore, important that we profess the holy names and sign ourselves reverently. The sign of the Cross was known in Christian liturgy about the 3rd century AD.

St. Paul prays for us today in the second reading, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” St. Paul prays that our existence be ruled and sustained by the saving grace of Jesus Christ, by the everlasting love of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul prays that our existence be rooted in the Trinity because life outside the Trinity is not worth living.

The Trinity is one of the most important mysteries in Christianity. That God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are three persons, but one nature, one God, equal, undivided, and no separation. We are not invited to fully understand the mystery. We are, rather, invited to participate in the life of the Trinity, and walk in the way of the Trinity.

Some lessons from the life and way of the Trinity:

The three persons of the Trinity are one nature and united. The word ‘trinity’ means a unity of three (inseparable three).

The three persons of the Trinity related in perfect harmony from creation to redemption, and to the descent of the Holy Spirit.

There is no inequality with the three persons of the Trinity.

The three persons of the Trinity are bonded in love and are undivided.

The life and way of the Trinity bring unity and peace.  Any family, church, community, organization, or country that walks in the way of the Trinity will experience peace. St. Paul tells us in the second reading today, “… agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.” Where there is no unity, there is no peace; and where there is no peace, there is disintegration. But where there is unity, God reigns, and his blessings abound. Psalm 133:3 tells us that where there is unity, “There the Lord has decreed a blessing, life forever more.”

Unity is strength. When we work together as a team, with the same agenda and the same goal, we are most successful, and we make much progress. It is often said, “Where there is unity, there is always victory;” “United, we stand, divided we fall.”

We are invited to be rooted in the life and way of the Trinity. The crises we have all over the world are because men and women refuse the life and way of the Trinity but prefer the life and way of the world and the Evil One. The life and way of the world and the Evil One, such as, inequality, injustice, disharmony, hate, disunity, crises, and so on are opposed to the life and way of the Trinity which are one nature, unity, harmony, love, equality and peace. Has humanity not seen enough signs that what happens to one affects all; to show us that we are one nature, and are supposed to be united, work in harmony and live in peace? An English author, John Donne, in 1624 wrote, “No one is an Island, entire of itself; everyone is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main. … No one is self-sufficient; everyone relies on others.”

As we celebrate and worship the Most Holy Trinity, may the rays of their holy light shine on us and dispel forces of sin and darkness and bring us to conversion. May the rays of their holy light grant healing to us and our land. May the rays of their holy light guide us to the path of love, justice and righteousness. And may the rays of their holy light grant us protection and peace. Amen.

Fr. Martin Eke, MSP

Fr. Martin Eke, MSP - May 31, 2020. Homily for Pentecost Sunday

Homily of Pentecost Sunday of Year A, 2020

Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104:1, 29-34; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23

The Church was conceived when Jesus said to Peter, “You are the rock, upon you I will build my Church” (Matthew 16:18). But the Church was born on Pentecost Sunday with the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.

Among the Jews in the Old Testament, the feast of Pentecost was when Jewish pilgrims gathered in Jerusalem from various parts of the world: Europe, Asia and Africa to celebrate the festival of thanksgiving for the first fruits of their harvest (Numbers 28:26). While the crowds were celebrating, the apostles hid themselves in a room and stayed in prayer. We recall that after the death of Jesus, the apostles locked themselves up in a room. Jesus rose from the dead and took them out of the locked room. Before his ascension, he told them to go and wait in Jerusalem until the coming of the Holy Spirit. The apostles returned to Jerusalem, and again locked themselves up in a room. It took the power of the Holy Spirit to finally break the lock that held the apostles. From then on, the apostles were liberated from the fear of the Jews.

In some ways, too, we are locked up. May the Holy Spirit break the locks and grant us freedom. We pray that the Church will prevail and emerge reborn and renewed after the catastrophic impact of Covid 19. Amen.

We read in the first reading, “Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, ‘Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?’” One of the experiences of the apostles was that they spoke in different languages, in such a way that people from various parts of the world could understand them in their own language. In Genesis, God used language to disperse the builders of the Tower of Babel (Genesis: 11:1-9). During the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, God used language to unite all peoples. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is to preach the message of Christ in different languages in all parts of the world.

The celebration of Pentecost Sunday is a prayer for our individual Pentecost experience. We are praying for the renewal or revival of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us. Isaiah 11:2-3 names the following gifts: wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. I call these foundation gifts.

St. Paul names some other gifts which have been referred to as extraordinary or charismatic gifts: faith, healing, mighty deeds (miracles), prophecy, discernment of spirits, varieties of tongues (or languages), interpretation of tongues (or languages), apostleship (or discipleship), teaching, assistance, and administration (1 Corinthians 12:9-10, 28). These extraordinary or charismatic gifts are dependent on the foundation gifts named above.

The sign that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are effective and active are the lasting fruits they bear. St. Paul in Galatians 5:22-23 mentions some of the fruits as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

For many of us, it is true that the gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed on us are either inactive or minimally active. For this reason, St. Paul urges us, “I invite you to fan into flame the gift of God you received through the laying on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6).

However, there are spiritual conditions that enable revival of the gifts and for us to experience personal or interior Pentecost. The first condition is as St. Paul urges us, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light” (Ephesians 5:14). The second condition is as St. Paul, also, invites us, “Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12).

Through the unction of the Holy Spirit, may we be able to wake up and rise. May we be able to throw off the works of darkness. May we be freed from where we are locked in. May the light of Christ shine on us that we may fan into flame the gifts God has given to us. May the gifts bear lasting fruits. Amen.                    

Let us sing:

Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.  Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.

Melt me, mold me, and use me.  Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.

(The one who sings, prays twice. – St. Augustine of Hippo)

Fr. Martin Eke, MSP

Fr. Martin Eke, MSP - May 24, 2020. Homily for the Seventh Sunday of Easter - Ascension

Homily of Seventh Sunday of Easter Year A 2020 ●●● for places where Ascension of the Lord is celebrated on Thursday.

Acts 1:12-14; Psalm 27:1-8; 1 Peter 4:13-16; John 17:1-11

Before he ascended into heaven, Jesus instructed his apostles “not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with Water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5). The apostles obeyed Jesus. As we read in the first reading, “When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying … and devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”

Jesus’ instruction to his apostles not to depart from Jerusalem meant that they were not to leave the city of Jerusalem until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. But for us, what does the instruction, “not to depart from Jerusalem” mean? It means that we do not veer off from our faith and depart from God’s presence. Because, “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:16); and apart from God we can do nothing (John 15:5).

The apostles went to the upper room and devoted themselves with one accord to prayer. For us, this statement means to wait for God in faith and in prayer. We have our churches, chapels, prayer gardens, retreat centers and so on that serve as our upper room. In addition to our Sunday and weekday Masses, and prayer meetings, we are encouraged to have time for private prayers, and time for recollections and retreats. Today’s Psalm advises us to seek to dwell in the house of the Lord, gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate his temple. It is, also, a wonderful idea to have a designated place or corner in our homes for prayer; where we can gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate his goodness, and offer him our praises and petitions. The designated prayer place may have an altar. Bible, Rosary, Crucifix, statue of Mary and/or statues of other saints, sacred symbols, prayer books and prayer aids can be placed on the altar. A designated and disciplined time for prayer is very helpful too.

We will celebrate Pentecost next Sunday. Most parishes would be unable to organize parish Novena to the Holy Spirit due to Covid 19 Pandemic restrictions. We are, therefore, encouraged to privately prepare for our own fresh and interior Pentecost. Prayers to the Holy Spirit are highly recommended as we prepare.

Jesus pleads to God on our behalf in the Gospel:

“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I pray for them… I have been glorified in them.”

In the above prayer, Jesus makes bold claims on our behalf. We are left to prove Jesus right or wrong.  Jesus claims:

“They belong to you.” Right or wrong?

“They have kept your word.” Right or wrong?

“They know that everything you gave me is from you.” Right or wrong?

“The words you gave to me I have given them, and they have accepted them.” Right or wrong?

“I have been glorified in them.” Right or wrong?

Through the graces of Pentecost celebration, may we be spiritually renewed, and may the prayer and words of Jesus be fulfilled in us so that our joy may be complete, for our salvation, and for God’s glory. Amen.

Fr. Martin Eke, MSP