http://www.frlouis.com/ Catholic Homilies and Sermons for the liturgical year by Rev. Fr. Dr. John Kobina Louis of the Archdiocese of Accra, Ghana. THEME: JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED! READINGS: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19/ 1 John 2:1-5 / Luke 24:35-48 3rd Sunday of Easter The Gospels narrate several events after the resurrection of Jesus Christ with two main interrelated reasons: (a) to affirm that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead indeed; (b) so that we may believe in Him and be saved.  To affirm that Jesus has risen from the dead, John’s Gospel tells us that Mary Magdalene and her friends saw an empty grave (John 20:1-5); ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCsb_YCRFYo

http://www.frlouis.com/ Catholic Homilies and Sermons for the liturgical year by Rev. Fr. Dr. John Kobina Louis of the Archdiocese of Accra, Ghana. SUBSCRIBE NOW: http://bit.ly/FrJohnLouis THEME: REMOVE THE SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET READINGS: Exodus 3:1-8, 13-15/ 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12/ Luke 13:1-9 3rd Sunday of Lent As Moses got closer to the spectacle of the bush on fire, yet unconsumed, he heard the words: “Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground” (Exo. 3:5). This injunction would later become for the Israelites the norm for entering the temple (the holy place of worship). Sandals collected dust or dirt, and with the understanding that ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’, the Israelites removed their footwear before entering the holy place of worship. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sOMrnJpw4o

http://www.frlouis.com/ Catholic Homilies and Sermons for the liturgical year by Rev. Fr. Dr. John Kobina Louis of the Archdiocese of Accra, Ghana. SUBSCRIBE NOW: http://bit.ly/FrJohnLouis THEME: O COME, ALL YOU FAITHFUL READINGS: Isaiah 52:7-10/ Hebrews 1:1-6/ John 1:1-18 Christmas Day INTRODUCTION The theme of this homily, “O Come, all you Faithful”, is the title of a favourite Christmas hymn or carol.  This Christmas carol was originally written in Latin (as Adeste Fideles), probably in the 17th century; and it has been attributed to various authors.  The original carol in Latin had four verses but later on four more verses were added. It has been translated into many languages; and it seems that the translation in 1841 by the English Catholic priest, Fr. Frederick Oakley, is the first English translation. INVITATION TO BETHLEHEM The first part of the first verse of the carol reads: “O come, all you faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come you, O come you, to Bethlehem…” Thus, there is an invitation to Bethlehem to all the faithful of God – to all of us. It is an invitation by God.  Apparently, the first “invitation card” was delivered by an angel of God to the privileged shepherds of Bethlehem on the very night of the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. This first invitation to Bethlehem was accompanied by a spectacular funfair of the joyful singing by a choir of angels (Luke 2:8-13).  Subsequently, God sent an invitation to the Magi (wise men) via a “heavenly drone”, i.e. a star (Matt. 2:1-2).  Then, He sent to King Herod the Great and the people of Jerusalem an invitation through the “curia service” of the wise men (Matt. 2:1-8).  Since then and for 2,000 years and counting, God has been inviting us to travel to Bethlehem in our heart. BETHLEHEM IN OUR HEART What is the Bethlehem in our heart? We find the answer to this question in the stories of the shepherds and Magi who journeyed to the physical Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. Firstly, the shepherds found the Baby Jesus in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, as well as His mother and St. Joseph; and they glorified and praised God (Luke 2:12,16-20). Secondly, the Magi found the Child Jesus and His mother; they worshipped Jesus and presented gifts (Matt. 2:9-11). From the above, I wish to draw our attention to six (out of the several) ways by which we can journey to Bethlehem in our heart, not only on Christmas day but every day: a) The Christmas carol invites us: “O come you to Bethlehem; come and behold Him, born the King of Angels”. That is, the invitation to Bethlehem is primarily to see the King of Angels who has been born as a little Child. This is exactly what the shepherds and Magi found in Bethlehem: the little Child Jesus. Now, tho ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GADxXYTyT4

http://www.frlouis.com/ Catholic Homilies and Sermons for the liturgical year by Rev. Fr. Dr. John Kobina Louis of the Archdiocese of Accra, Ghana. SUBSCRIBE NOW: http://bit.ly/FrJohnLouis THEME: COMFORT MY PEOPLE READINGS:  Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11/ 2 Peter 3:8-14/ Mark 1:1-8 Second Sunday of Advent Christmas is less than three weeks away, but the usual joyful anticipation for its celebration seems to be overshadowed by the gloomy cloud of the coronavirus disease – 2019 (CoViD-19) pandemic. This is not surprising because, some people painfully have lost dear ones to the deadly coronavirus disease, while others have lost their jobs or have shut down their businesses. Still some others have missed some good prospects or have had to cancel their weddings, for instance.  This is by no means an exhaustive list of the havocs caused by the current pandemic. This notwithstanding, the Word of God assures us of His concern for our plight and His intention to deliver us: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God…. Behold the Lord comes with might” (Isa. 40:1, 10). These words were first addressed to the Jews who were then suffering in exile in Babylon due to the virus of sin.  Happily, those Jews who accepted the message of God with faith and prepared their hearts by seeking God’s forgiveness were eventually delivered from exile and returned to the Promised Land. Similarly, when the whole world was exiled from God because of the virus of sin, He was concerned; and so, He sent His Son to save us. This time the Word of God was not merely spoken to us, for His Son (the very Word of God) became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). He came to suffer with us, die on the cross of Calvary and arose on the third day, making His blood the vaccine for our eternal salvation. As in the case of the Jews in Babylonian exile, to be saved we must accept the message of God – namely, accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour – and prepare our hearts by seeking God’s forgiveness.  Thus, John the Baptist appeared to proclaim Christ as the one we have to look to for our salvation, while he preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (cf. Mark 1:1-8). Therefore, let us prepare for our eternal salvation by renewing our faith in Christ and by seeking His forgiveness, and then He will vaccinate us with His saving blood. Whereas the ultimate interest of Christ is in our eternal salvation, He is also concerned about the problems or difficulties we encounter in our daily lives.  Thus, it is clear from the Gospels that besides preaching the message of eternal salvation, and dying and rising from the dead, our Lord fed the hungry, healed the sick, raised the dead, among others.  In this light, therefore, our Lord is interested in delivering us from t ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrPWaenZmjE