FEAST OF THE DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA, 2025

 Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; 1 Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17; John 2:13-22

We begin with differentiating between a cathedral and a basilica. Cathedral: The word's origin comes from the Latin word “cathedra,” meaning “chair,” which refers to the bishop's chair. It is the principal church building of a diocese that contains the bishop's throne or seat. Basilica: The word originated from the Greek word “basilike” meaning “royal house.” It is a church building that has been granted special privileges by the pope as a center of worship due to its historical or spiritual importance.

According to history, when Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity, he donated the royal Lateran family land to the Catholic Church. While the emperor constructed the building, Pope Silvester I oversaw the construction and consecrated it in 324 AD. The basilica is called Lateran Basilica because it was built on the Lateran land.

The Lateran Basilica is known as the “Mother Church” because it is the official cathedral of the pope who is the Bishiop of Rome, making it the seat of papal authority and the symbolic head of all Catholic churches worldwide. The frontage of the basilica bears the inscription “Most Holy Lateran Church, Mother and Head of all the Churches in the City and the World.” The Lateran Basilica is the first basilica and the only church building which the commemoration of its dedication is celebrated as a feast.

Throughout its history, the basilica has been severely damaged or destroyed multiple times by earthquakes, fires, and military sackings. As a result, it has undergone numerous repairs and complete rebuilds. For instance: The basilica was plundered during the sackings of Rome by the Vandals and Visigoths in the 5th century. It was devastated by earthquakes in 896 and in 1349. It was ruined by fires in 1308 and in 1360.  It was damaged by mafia bombing in 1993. This is why the basilica church building is celebrated as an enduring symbol of the Universal Church.

The feast is a celebration of the unity of the Universal Church under the leadership of the Pope. The Lateran Church building is a symbol of the Catholic Church’s resilience, strength, and unity. The celebration teaches us strength, resilience, and rebuilding after crises, losses, and setbacks.

The first reading is Prophet Ezekiel’s vision of live-giving water which flowed from the threshold (entrance) of the temple. The water flowed into salt waters and made the salt waters fresh. The flowing waters made creatures live, grow, and bear fruit. By the power of the flowing water, some creatures become food for others, while some become medicine for others.

This image represents Jesus, the Temple and the Head of the Church. We are the Body of the Temple. Jesus is the source of all graces and the Church is the conduit through which the graces flow into the world. And it is through us, the People of God, that the graces reach every man and every woman and all corners of the earth. The church building does not move or preach or minister to the people. We are the feet, the hand, and the mouth of the church building. St. Paul says in the second reading, “You are God’s building.” “…you are the temple of God.” Today, we are reminded and empowered so that we do not fall short of becoming channels and conduits of God’s graces and blessings to our neighbors and the world. The end of the Ezekiel’s vision is, “Their fruit serve for food, and their leaves for medicine.” We are charged with these responsibilities. We are the life-giving waters. We are the food. We are the medicine.

When Jesus went into the temple in Jerusalem, what he saw was a complete opposite of Ezekiel’s vision of the temple. “He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, ‘Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.’” Matthew and Luke are not as mild as John. In the two Gospels, Jesus says, “It is written: ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13; Luke 19:46).

We must not shy away from these words as if they do not speak to truth about us and about the situation of the Church in many places. Commercialization and monetization of religion, whereby financial gain and profit supersede spiritual meaning and salvation is a big problem. If Jesus walks into our parish, will he see graces and blessings flowing or will he walk into a marketplace and den of thieves? St. Paul gives another explanation of “marketplace”/“den of thieves,” “…. envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, and mutual friction, … people with corrupted minds, who are deprived of the truth, supposing religion to be a means of gain” (1 Timothy 6:4-5).

On a personal level, if Jesus walks into my life or my family, will he see graces and blessings flowing or will he walk into corrupted minds and a marketplace?

Today, with the Lateran Basilica as a symbol, we celebrate the Catholic Church’s resilience, strength, and unity. The celebration teaches us unity, strength, resilience, and rebuilding after crises, losses, and setbacks. We are reminded that we are conduits and channels of God’s graces and blessing to our neighbors and the world. We are supposed to be life-givers and life-changers. Jesus says, “Whoever believes in me, …‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him’” (John 7:38). May these words be fulfilled in us.

May Jesus visit us and cleanse every ‘marketplace’ situation in our Church and in our lives. Amen.

ALL SOULS, 2025 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

Wisdom 3:1-9; Psalm 23:1-6; Romans 5:5-11; John 6:37-40

We celebrated the Church Triumphant (All Saints) yesterday. Today, we who are on earth (the Church Militant), pray for the Church Suffering, the departed souls in Purgatory. The Catholic Church teaches that we assist the souls of the dead who are in the condition of purification in Purgatory by praying for them, offering Eucharistic sacrifice for them, and undertake almsgiving and works of penance on their behalf (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1032). Our celebration today enables us to pray for countless departed souls that Masses are not requested or offered for.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (CCC 1030). “The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned” (CCC 1031).

Communion with the departed is a common practice in many cultures. Praying for the departed existed in the Jewish belief far before Christianity. We read in 2 Maccabees 12:43-46, “Judas then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, in as much as he had the resurrection in mind; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. …Thus, he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin.”

Indications of the existence of Purgatory are, also, found in the New Testament. For instance, we read in Revelation 21:22, “I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb. The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb. ... Nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who does abominable things or tells lies. Only those who will enter whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” At our death, none of us is clean and worthy to enter the “City of the Lord God Almighty.” “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Each soul, therefore, goes through a purification before entering the glory of God. The location of Purgatory and the duration that souls spend in Purgatory are beyond human knowledge since it is a mystical reality.

The notion of purgatory was not alien to many ancient cultures. The Igbos of Nigeria have special traditional ceremonies for releasing souls from whatever might have withheld them from transmuting and joining the ancestral realm. When the Catholic missionaries taught the people about purgatory, it was not difficult for many of them to connect and understand.

Originally, Halloween celebration was a feast of holy souls. The word ‘Halloween’ is derived from ‘All Hallowed (Holy) Souls’ Eve.’ Remembrance of the dead was celebrated on the eve of All Saints. Nowadays, Halloween is mostly celebrated in a secularly non-Christian way. For example, in 2025, Americans would spend about a whooping and an outrageous amount of $13.1 billion on Halloween costumes. Meanwhile, various parts of the world are reeling in pains of starvation, poverty, and underdevelopment.

As Christians, we are a people of hope. Today’s celebration is a celebration of hope. We are not hopeless sinners. We are pilgrims of hope. Indeed, God’s love is everlasting, even, in the afterlife. The first reading says, “They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; … and their going forth from us utter destruction. … yet is their hope full of immortality, chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed …” Therefore, we are assured that by God’s grace and mercy, the faithful shall be purified, and they shall abide with God. St. Paul assures us in the second reading that “Hope does not disappoint.”

In our celebration, we believe in the fulfilment of the words of Jesus in today’s gospel, “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day” (John 6:37-39).

Let us pray:  Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let your perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

ALL SAINTS, 2025 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14; Psalm 24:16, 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12 

The Catholic Church holds and teaches that the Church exists simultaneously in heaven, on earth, and in purgatory. The Church in heaven is called Church Triumphant, the Church on earth is called Church Militant, and the Church in purgatory is called Church Suffering. The unity of the Church in heaven and the Church on earth is called the Communion of Saints. The celebration of All Saints is based on this unity. The unity and communion continue with the special commemoration of All Souls, the Church Suffering.

Today, in a special way, we celebrate with the Church in heaven. The saints were close to God while on earth. Being in heaven with God, the Catholic Church teaches that they intercede for us. That is why Catholics pray through their intercession.

In the first reading, St. John saw “a vision of heaven, and of a great multitude, which no one can count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue” (Revelation 7:9). Only a few saints out of the multitude of saints in heaven are canonized and celebrated. Today, we celebrate all saints. Indeed, our loved ones who have gone before us and our ancestors who are in heaven are included. Therefore, it is not out of place to plead with our departed loved ones and our ancestors who lived a godly life to intercede for us.

There are people who do not believe in communion with the saints or the power of the saints to intercede for us. There is no way we can imagine that the saints in heaven, which St. John gives us a tiny picture in his vision, have nothing to do with us on earth. How do those who do not believe in the power of the saints to intercede for us explain the mystery behind the countless prayers answered by God through the intercession of the saints? Ordinarily, we believe in the power of prayer by human being, which is why we ask for prayers from one another. If God hears the prayer of sinners on earth, even more he hears the prayers of the saint in his presence. 

The belief in the power of intercession of the ancestors (known as “Ndichie” among the Igbos of Nigeria) existed among many African peoples before the coming of Christianity. Such belief system cannot be dismissed as pagan practice and meaningless. When the Catholic missionaries taught the people about the intercession of the saints, the Igbo converts understood their teaching without much difficulty. “Ndichie” means the ancestors who lived exemplary lives.

It is for this reason that the Catholic Church teaches that we take or include saints’ names for Baptism and Confirmation. Those saints become our patron saints who intercede for us. We are also encouraged to imitate the lives of our patron saints. While it is a good thing to choose native names for Sacraments, it is spiritually beneficial to include saints’ names.

The Church Militant is a Pilgrim Church. Our destination is the Church Triumphant. We are pilgrims of hope. Therefore, while on earth, we need to live lives that can enable us to join the Church Triumphant in heaven. The second reading says, “Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself [herself] pure, as he is pure” (1 John 3:3).

In the gospel, Jesus gives us the beatitudes (blessings) that can guide us on our faith and life journey. How wonderful our world can become if our leaders and our rulers and everyone are guided by the beatitudes?

“Blessed are the poor in spirit;” is an invitation to be humble.

“Blessed are they who mourn;” is an invitation to grieve/regret over sin and evil and make efforts to stop them or distance from them.

“Blessed are the meek;” is an invitation to be gentle and agreeable.

“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness;” is an invitation to stand for truth and justice.

“Blessed are the merciful;” is an invitation to be kind and compassionate.

“Blessed are the clean of heart;” is an invitation to be honest.

“Blessed are the peacemakers;” is an invitation to be peaceful and to become an instrument of peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

“Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely;” is an invitation to remain steadfast during opposition and persecution.

St. Theresa of Lisieux advises that to become a saint, or to go to heaven, is not only achieved by doing extraordinary and mighty deeds, but also by doing small things with great love. She calls this “the simple way: a simple and direct path to heaven.” St. Joseph Marello is attributed to have said, “Saints do ordinary things in extraordinary ways.”

Also, Miriam C. Hunter writes, “Why are the saints, saints? Because they were cheerful when it was difficult to be cheerful; patient when it was difficult to be patient. And because they pushed on when they wanted to stand still and kept silent when they wanted to talk. And because they were agreeable when they wanted to be disagreeable…” 

Saints are saints because they forgave when it was difficult to forgive. And they lived their life in total surrender to God.

Oh, when the saints are matching in ……

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C, 2025 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18; Psalm 34:2-3, 17-19, 23; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14

In today’s first reading, Sirach reminds us that God is God of all but close to the distressed who call upon him. Sirach mentions the weak, the oppressed, the orphan, and the widow. These distressed (lowly) situations represent our situations. Sirach assures us, “… the prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds” (Sirach 35:21). Today’s Psalm assures us, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves (Psalm 34:18). Psalm 50:15 also says “Call on me on the day of distress; I will rescue you, and you shall honor me.” The palmist gives us a good insight about the first reading.

St. Paul wrote the second letter to Timothy in his moment of distress. He was in chains, deserted, and confined in a dark cold dungeon in Rome around 67 AD during the persecution of Christians by Emperor Nero. Shortly before his execution, St. Paul wrote this letter to Timothy who was the leader of the Christian community in Ephesus, to encourage him to remain strong in faith in his leadership of the Christian community and the work of the Gospel. 

St. Paul was aware that his execution was coming soon and for that reason he wrote, “For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance” (2 Timothy 4:6-8). Instead of “I have competed well,” another translation says “I have fought a good fight.”

Whether I see my journey on earth as a race or as a battle, the questions are: Am I persevering with my best effort in the responsibility God has given to me? That is what fighting a good fight means. Can I say that I give my best shot when it comes to the practice of my faith? That is what keeping the faith means. St. Paul says in the second reading, “… the Lord stood by me and gave me strength …” Do I draw strength from the Lord by praying and trusting him?

When the time of my departure from this world comes, will I look back and say confidently like St. Paul that I have fought a good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith and waiting for the crown of righteousness? 

Jesus gives us the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in today’s gospel to help us to understand why some prayers “pierce the clouds,” and why some prayers do not. “The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’”

James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives…” This is very evident in the prayer of the Pharisee. He took up his position and spoke his prayer to himself, glorifying himself; and then spoke uncharitably about others. He was arrogant and despised everyone else. St. Augustine regards this type of prayer as “praying in a fleshy, unspiritual manner.”

When we are self-righteous, disrespect and despise other people, the Bible has some advice for us; “The one who despises his neighbor lacks sense” (Proverbs 11:12). Also, “The one who despises his neighbor sins” (Proverbs 14:21).

“The tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’” The tax collector prayed to God from a humble and a contrite heart. He prayed in the Spirit and from his brokenness. Jesus concludes, “I tell you; the latter went home justified, not the former…” and “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” The psalmist says, “A humble and contrite heart you will not spurn, O Lord” (Psalm 51:17). “The Lord is close to all call upon him, who call upon him from their hearts” (Psalm 145:18). St. Peter and St. James evoke the words of Jesus, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (James 4:6).

We pray that God gives us the grace to call upon him and trust him in times of distress and at all circumstances. May God give us the grace to do our very best with humility and faith in him in our various life’s work. May God bring our good courses and purposes to perfection and completion. Amen.

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C, 2025 (World Mission Sunday) BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

 

Exodus 17:8-13; Psalm 121:1-8; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2; Luke 18:1-8

Today is World Mission Sunday. Pope Pius XI instituted World Mission Sunday in 1926 to be an annual day of prayer and expression of support for the Catholic Church’s missionary vision and character. It is a Sunday that is set aside for Catholics all over the world to recommit themselves to the Church's missionary activities through prayer and offering. We are invited, constantly, to pray for the success of the Church’s missionary activities in every part of the world. We pray for missionary institutions and missionaries, especially those work in conflict areas and dangerous places.

We pray for seminaries and religious houses, formators, seminarians, novices, and candidates. We pray that the Lord of the harvest sends more laborers for his harvest (Matthew 9:37-38). We also pray for men and women of goodwill who sacrifice their talents and resources to support God’s work in the missions. In addition to our prayers, we are, also, invited to offer material and financial support to the Church’s missionary activities. We are all missionaries, either by going to the missions or by praying for missionaries or by giving material and financial support to sustain the missions.

In his message for World Mission Sunday 2025, Pope Leo XIV says, “Our world, wounded by war, violence and injustice, needs to hear the Gospel message of God’s love and to experience the reconciling power of Christ’s grace. In this sense, the Church herself, in all her members, is increasingly called to be a missionary Church that opens its arms to the world, proclaims the word … and becomes a leaven of harmony for humanity…. We are to bring to all peoples, indeed to all creatures, the Gospel promise of true and lasting peace…. I would conclude by encouraging you to continue to be missionaries of hope among all peoples.” 

St. Paul reminds us in the second reading that although we are in a world that has become more and more irreligious and more and more opposed to Christian values, the Catholic Church mission must continue to, “Proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.” We pray for the grace.

While there are missionaries of hope, love, and joy in faraway lands, we are missionaries of hope, love, and joy to one another, especially to the “wounded” and the needy. By the wounded, we mean those who are soulfully and spiritually wounded by painful physical and psychological experiences, damages, injuries, and harm. We are called to be channels and missionaries of healing to them.

The first reading tells us about the mission before Israel. The mission was to defeat Amalek in order to continue their journey to the Promised Land. We can see the division of labor for the mission. Joshua and the soldiers went to the warfront for the physical battle. Moses and two men climbed to the top of the hill for the spiritual battle. “As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight. Moses’ hands, however, grew tired; so they took a rock and put it under him and he sat on it. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady until sunset” when Joshua and the Israelites defeated the Amalekites (Exodus 17:11-12). This event speaks of the power of prayer; and the importance of persistent and enduring prayer. It speaks also of the importance of spiritual warfare to accompany all our material engagements.

Jesus gave a parable in today’s gospel to teach us the importance of persistent and enduring prayer. The widow never gave up appealing to the dishonest judge until she received justice. Jesus assures us, “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily” (Luke 18:7).

Every important mission has ‘Amalekites’ (challenges) in its way. What are the ‘Amalekites’ in the way to our ‘Promised Land’ (goal)? Let us not be frightened and discouraged by the ‘Amalekites’ as to abandon our mission. Let us not give up. Let us battle bravely like Joshua and the soldiers, but like Moses engage in spiritual warfare until the ‘Amalek’ is conquered. Let us persevere like the widow in today’s gospel. Someone says, “A prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian.” St. Augustine puts it this way, “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” As we work hard and pray hard, may God grant us success. Amen.

TWENTY-EIGHT SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C, 2025 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

 2 Kings 5:14-17; Psalm 98:1, 2-4; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19

The readings of today invite us to reflect on the importance of gratitude. When Naaman bathed in the River Jordan as directed by Elisha, “he was cleansed of his leprosy.” He was grateful to God and returned to Elisha with a gift to express his gratitude. Naaman was a Syrian. Syria, then, was considered a pagan territory because they were Baal worshippers. Naaman said to Elisha, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant.” This happened during the last years of the reign of King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, and their children who, on the contrary, led the Israelites to idolatry. While the Chosen People were ungrateful to God by worshipping pagan gods, Naaman, the Syrian, expressed gratitude to God and proclaimed, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.”

In today’s gospel, Jesus healed ten lepers. Nine were Jews, and one was a Samaritan. The nine Jews took their healing for granted and did not return to Jesus to express gratitude. The Samaritan did. Meanwhile, the Jews looked down on the Samaritans as pagans and foreigners. Yet, it was the ‘pagan’ (the foreigner) “who returned [to Jesus] glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.” Jesus emphasizes the importance of gratitude by asking, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”

Some of us are like the nine Jews who took their healing for granted. Many times, we take our blessings for granted by showing no appreciation. We are invited to limit our complaints, fault finding, whining, and nagging, and to increase our gratitude.

A story is told of an 80-year-old man who recovered from Covid-19 during the Pandemic. In his bill was $5,000 charge per day for use of ventilator. He could not hold back tears. When he was asked why he was crying, whether it was because of the high bill. He said, “I am not crying because of the bill. I have a good health insurance and I can handle the co-pay. I am crying because all my life I had taken God’s free air that I breathe for granted, but have to pay $5,000 per day for use of ventilator.”

There is a saying that those who cry because they have no shoes need to realize that there are people who have no feet. This is to say that those who are not content and are unhappy with what they have need to know that there are people who are living in abject poverty. Failure to give thanks and acknowledge God’s blessings and provisions is a sin of ingratitude. It is also a sin of ingratitude to be extravagant and wasteful failing to realize that there are people who are hungry and starving.

Another story, a rich man looked out of his window and saw a poor man picking up things from his trash can, he said, “Thank God I am not poor.” The poor man looked around and saw a naked man misbehaving on the street, he said, “Thank God I am not mad.” The mad man looked ahead and saw an ambulance carrying a sick person, he said, “Thank God I am not sick.” A sick person in a hospital saw a trolley carry a dead body to the mortuary, he said, “Thank God that I am not dead.” Why not thank God today for all your blessings and for the gift of life? Each of us has something for which to be grateful to God.

The spirit of gratitude has spiritual effects in our relationship with God and our fellow human beings. It is a gift from God for our good but our duty. Common Preface IV of Eucharistic celebration prays, “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God. For, although you have no need of our praise, yet our thanksgiving is itself your gift, since our praises add nothing to your greatness but profit us for salvation …” The Psalmist says, “Those who offer praise as a sacrifice honor me.” Expression of gratitude in itself is a prayer that God offer us more opportunities to express gratitude to him.

For us human beings, expression of gratitude is delightful, encourages, enlivens, and empowers. Ingratitude discourages, diminishes, and is repulsive. Expression of gratitude is uplifting and promotes healthy environments. Ingratitude is sickening, creates anxiety, stress, aches, and pains.

Both in our relationship with God and our fellow human beings, expression of gratitude multiplies blessings. Ingratitude denies blessings.

We hear it often said that ingratitude is the worst of all vices. St. Ignatius of Loyola explains why. He says, “The cause and origin of all evils and sins is the sin of ingratitude.”

St. Paul urges us, “Give thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus to God the Father” (Ephesians 5:20).  “In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

O Lord, grant us a grateful heart. Amen.

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C, 2025 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

Habakkuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4; Psalm 95:1-26-9; 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10

Prophet Habakkuk prophesied in Judah about 600 years before Jesus Christ. At that time, there were political decadence and abandonment of the worship of Yahweh. The first reading was a section of Habakkuk’s lamentation over the situation in Judah. Habakkuk questioned God about his silence over his and the people’s cry and prayers: “How long, O Lord? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ But you do not intervene. Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and clamorous discord.”

There are people whose conditions are as it was with Judah, and like Habakkuk, in their grief and desolation they think that God is silent. They ask God many questions: “Why me?” “Why this?” “Why that?” “Where are you, God?” “Where are your promises?” And many other questions. Some people think that it is not proper to ask God questions. Questions to God with faith are prayers in themselves. It is praying to God as we are, according to our mood, and according to our situation. That is why we have different Mysteries of the Rosary and different seasons of the Church’s liturgical calendar. Every season has its kind of prayer. There are many prayerful questions to God in the Scriptures. Jesus prayed on the Cross with a question to God from Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Jesus did not stop at the question; he set an example for us by his act of faith: “Father into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Inappropriate questions are questions to God asked with doubt and unbelief.

Habakkuk encourages us, “For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late. … The just one, because of his faith, shall live” (Habakkuk 2:2-3). Jesus gives the same assurance, “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily” (Luke 18:7-8). Prophet Isaiah says, “No, the hand of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).

St. Paul writes in the second reading, “Beloved: I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control…”  (2 Timothy 1:6-7). “Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13). St. Paul encourages us that no matter what happens, we are to keep our spirit and faith alive. In these virtues lie our strength. Do not despair! Do not give up!

In today’s gospel, we read, “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ The Lord replied, ‘If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it would obey you’” (Luke 17:5-6). Jesus tells us that by our Baptism, the fire of faith is ignited in us. If it is now smoldering, it is in our hands to fan it into flame.

Yes, our faith will be tested as that of the servant who came in from hard work in the field. The servant was not allowed to get some rest. Immediately, the servant’s master tasked the servant to prepare a meal for him. After the servant prepared and served him the meal, the master ordered, “Put on your apron and wait while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished” (Luke 17:7-10).  He remained obedient and faithful. St James writes, “The testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 4:3). St. Paul says that perseverance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope, the hope that does not disappoint (Romans 5:4-4). When my faith is tested, what does it produce?

The victory over this world is our faith (1 John 5:4). St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We walk by faith, not by sight.”  Jesus bade some persons farewell, recognizing the power of their faith: To the repentant woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50).  To the Samaritan healed of leprosy, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19). To the woman healed of hemorrhage, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering,” (Mark 5:34). To blind Bartimaeus, “Go, your faith has healed you” (Mark 10:52). What will Jesus say to me about my faith?

However, it does happen that we have the faith that uproots trees and moves mountains and have the perseverance that produces proven character yet we do not receive what we have prayed for. At such times, we do not give up but do what Jesus did at Gethsemane and on the Cross. He prayed to God, “… not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42); “Father into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

Let us pray: O Lord, may we see your hand in all our unanswered prayers. May our unanswered prayers come together for our good. May our unanswered prayers produce joyful and thanksgiving testimonies. Amen.

TWENTY SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C, 2025 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Psalm 146:7-10; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31

This homily is a continuation of last week’s homily. About 750 B.C., Amos denounced the rich and the leaders in Israel who in their extravagant life of luxury oppressed and neglected the suffering poor: “Those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge upon their couches; eating lambs taken from the flock, and calves from the stall; … who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the best oils, but are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph” (Amos 4:6-7).

The neglect of the poor by the rich and the leaders was not different during the time of Jesus, which was why Jesus gave the parable of the rich man and Lazarus: “There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores” (Luke 16:19-21).

The rich man did nothing wrong for being rich. However, while he was rich materially, he was spiritually impoverished. His sins were: gluttony (“dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day”), spiritual blindness, and lack of compassion (“lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table”). While the rich man did not show compassion to Lazarus, the rich man’s dogs did. The dogs, ordinarily, would have barked and driven Lazarus away from their master’s gate. Instead, the dogs showed him compassion by licking his sores.

The neglect of the poor, despite the world’s rich resources, may be worse in our time than it was during the time of Amos and the time of Jesus. Blind eyes are turned on the plight of poor countries. Rather, high interest loans and all kinds of Greek gifts are offered to them instead of assisting in their development. Multinational companies impoverish the poor countries further by syphoning their natural resources and leaving them in ruins. The companies declare billions of dollars of profits each year on the ruins of the exploited countries. Some billionaires, companies, and countries make profits from the on-going conflicts and wars around the world. That is why we are in cycles of conflicts, violence, and wars with no end in sight.

It is a fact that some corrupt rulers wine and dine sumptuously and excessively and do not care about the suffering poor in their countries. The funds that should have been used for the benefit of the poor are stolen and spent on life of vanity.

How are the poor neighborhoods and people who look different treated in the distribution of rights, privileges, justice, and allocation of goods and services?

The effects of leadership are like mountaintop spring water that flows down to the people for consumption. If it is poisoned at its source, the people cannot escape the poisonous effects. The corrupt rulers “are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph” (Amos 6:6). Last Sunday, God says, “Never will I forget a thing they have done!” (Amos 4:7).

There is a story of a poor widow who went to a rich man in her village and requested for financial help to bury her husband. The rich man, who had so many plots of land, demanded the widow to forfeit to him the only piece of land that belonged to her and her children in order to receive the financial help she needed. There are many heart wrenching stories of abuse and exploitation of the weak and the needy in exchange for some favor.

Last Sunday, St. Paul instructed us to pray for those in authority. There is every reason to take St. Paul’s prayer invitation seriously.

We may not be among the heartless rich people, or among the corrupt political, judicial, and economic leaders, but we are all called to be compassionate and caring; to open our eyes and see the ‘Lazarus’ lying at our doors; and to open our hearts to help them. Do we check on our neighbor whom we have not seen for a while? Do we check on someone whom we have not seen in the church for a while? Do we reach out to help someone we notice that needs help? Do we turn blind eyes?

I most sincerely thank all who participate in the archdiocese’s and our parish’s charity ministries to the sick, needy, and the homebound. May God bless you all in this present age and on the last day, may Jesus welcome us with these words, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25:34-36). Amen.