Fr Peter Ireorji, MSP - Homily from Friday, March 1, 2019

Though we be friendly with many, only one in a thousand should be our close confidant, or our partner in life. Sirach opens his mini-essay on friendship with this advice: A kind mouth multiplies friends, and gracious lips prompt friendly greetings. We begin with a smile; our first communication, imparted intuitively, is one of interior joy and peace, showing that we are at peace with ourselves and with God. His guidance is both peaceful and cautious, for he counsels: “When you gain a friend, first test him, and don’t be too ready to trust him.” He proceeds to give the positive qualities of a true friend, who will be like “your other self; a treasure beyond price; a sure shelter a life-saving remedy.”  “A faithful friend is the elixir of life.” He is confident that those who fear the Lord will find a faithful friend. In other words, when we relate well to the Lord we will find the right kind of friends, ones we can rely on. When our relationship with the Lord is right it helps us to form good human relationships, marked by faithfulness and generosity. Whether married or single, we are all called to build faithful friendships that mirror the Lord’s faithful love and in turn reveal to others that faithful love of the Lord. Shalom!

Fr Peter Ireorji, MSP - Homily from Thursday, February 28, 2019

We can say that our love for our neighbour has reached its full maturity in Christ from the daily and visible exercise of charity toward our neediest brothers: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. Our love for neighbour should be an imitation and prolongation of the merciful goodness of God the Father who provides for the needs of all and makes no distinctions whether one is a friend or an enemy. Only when we let ourselves be moved by our neighbour’ impoverished state can one say that we loves God. To be indifferent to those who hunger and thirst is to be closed to Christ and to deny the universal love of our Heavenly Father. Jesus, in today’s Mk 9:41-50, reminds us that every ounce of kindness done in His Name will never be forgotten and will certainly be rewarded. Every act of love will never be unnoticed by the Father if done to give glory to Him. Because we all belong to Christ, the cord that should bind us together should be the bond of His love and compassion. When we truly love our neighbour, then we can say that we love God. Rejoice if you followed God’s commandment of love. Jesus said to his disciples: “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.” If we imitate Christ and follow His ways, then we have certainly kept Him in our lives and we will be able to live in peace not only with one another but also with ourselves. Shalom!

Fr Peter Ireorji, MSP - Homily from Wednesday, February 27, 2019

John and the other Apostles witness someone with whom they were not familiar, doing the very good deed of driving out a demon in Jesus’ name. It’s a somewhat strange image to imagine.  John sees this good act and tries to interfere by asking the person to stop. Then he goes and tells on this man to Jesus, hoping Jesus will intervene. But Jesus does the opposite. "Exclusivism” can be defined as a tendency to think that something is good only when I do it. It’s a form of spiritual greed in which we have a hard time rejoicing in and supporting the good deeds of another. This is a dangerous but all too common struggle for many. The ideal, in our Christian life, is to look for the works of God everywhere and within everyone. We should so deeply desire that the Kingdom of God be built up that we are overjoyed whenever we witness such activity. If, on the other hand, we find ourselves jealous of another for the good that they do, or if we find ourselves trying to find fault with what they are doing, then we should be aware of this tendency and claim it as our sin, not theirs. Shalom!

Fr Peter Ireorji, MSP - Homily from Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Benjamin Franklin, the early American statesman, made a list of character qualities that he wanted to develop in his own life. When he mastered one virtue, he went on to the next. He did pretty well, he said, until he got to humility. Every time he thought he was making significant progress, he would be so pleased with himself that he became proud. Humility is an elusive virtue. Even Jesus’ disciples struggled with it. When Jesus learned that they had been arguing about who was the greatest, He responded, “If anyone desires to be first, he should be last of all and servant of all” Mk. 9:35. Then He took a little child in His arms and indicated that we need to humbly serve others as if we were serving Christ. If a news reporter were to talk to our friends, neighbours, or fellow church members and ask them to describe us, would they use the word humble? True greatness does not lie with those who strive for worldly fame; It lies instead with those who choose to serve in Jesus’ name. Humility can be sought but never celebrated. Good morning and you have a great day. Shalom!

Fr Peter Ireorji, MSP - Homily from Monday, February 25, 2019

Jesus said, “Everything is possible to one who has faith.” And the father of the boy replied, “I do believe. Help my unbelief.” He believed in Jesus, but he knew his faith wasn’t enough. So he prayed: “Help my unbelief.” That was enough for Jesus to do another miracle of casting out the evil spirit from the boy. It is not necessary that we have great faith. Jesus said that if we have a faith the size of a mustard seed, we can command a mountain to move. But that has to be accompanied by a great deal of prayer. It is only by asking God to help us that our faith will be much stronger. This is what happened to the father of the boy. In contrast, let us look at the disciples. They were trying to cast out the evil spirit from the boy, but they could not. Why? Jesus told them, “This kind could only come out through prayer.” In other words, they were not praying. They were trying to cast out the devil through their own power, without asking for God’s help. It is only through prayer that our faith can grow stronger, and then everything becomes possible. I always like this quotation: “When man works, it is just man who works. But when man prays, God works.” Another quotation says: “The most powerful man on earth is the one who bends his knees and prays.” He who prays without ceasing unites prayer to good works and good works to prayer. Shalom!

Fr Peter Ireorji, MSP - Homily from 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time year C, Feb. 24, 2019

The story of David and Saul in 1Sam 26:2-23, functions almost like a parable. Showing mercy to his deadly foe, David gives a concrete example of what Jesus expects to become a way of life for His disciples. The reading informs us how David had the opportunity to revenge against Saul but chose to spare Saul’s life. At that time when the law was, “eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,” David stood out in showing mercy and forgiveness to Saul who made eleven attempts on his life. David is a perfect example of Jesus’ teaching in today’s Gospel: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To those who strike you on one cheek, offer the other one as well…” A forgiving and merciful state of heart will free us from judging others and make us reconcilers, builders of man as God is. If in prayer we ask God to deliver us and pardon our sins for His Name’s sake and not to deal with us according to our sins, we too should be able to intercede for our neighbor and seek God’s mercy and compassion on them. Forgive as the Lord forgave us. Not as others treated us but as Jesus treated us. If Jesus forgave us for all we have done to hurt Him despite our undeserving state then we too should be able to freely forgive. When we forgive, we are able to take off our judge’s robe and let God be the one to take care of the person who hurt us. His justice will be far superior to any revenge we could have. Shalom!

Fr Peter Ireorji, MSP - Homily from Thursday, February 21, 2019

In Mark 8:27-33, Jesus and his disciples were traveling between villages when He asked them who they believe He is. “You are the Christ,” Peter responded. But as soon as Jesus begun to describe what it means to be Christ – rejection, suffering and even death – Peter was found ambivalent and cold to what Jesus confided to them as he tried to discourage Jesus from talking about it. In our own life, We are like Peter as we always avoid the most uncomfortable situations. We are not exactly proponent for self denial and self giving neither do I face rejection and pain with an open heart. Today, to be an authentic follower of Christ, we have to do more than just offer lip service. It’s not enough to say I am a follower of Jesus as Peter did but we need to live it and accept all that it means. Jesus took His place among the poor. He chose rejection, suffering and death over power and influence. Today His invitation to all of us is no different. He wants us to pursue a life of self giving and self denial. He is asking us to bear our cross and follow Him. In our hearts let us deny ourselves and allow God to change us according to His plan and let Him perfect our faith. Shalom!