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: JESUS AROSE ON THE THIRD DAY READINGS: Acts 10:34, 37-43/ Colossians 3:1-4/ John 20:1-9 Easter Sunday Our Lord Jesus Christ had predicted that He would rise again on the third day after His death (cf. Mark 8:31). However, His disciples seemed to have forgotten this prediction when He was crucified. So, for instance, Mary Magdalene and her friends would go to the tomb with the intention of embalming the Lord’s body; and when they did not find the body, they were alarmed that it had been taken away. Then, Simon Peter and the beloved disciple, also having forgotten that Jesus would rise on the third day, would run to the tomb (cf. John 20:1-9). Paradoxically, the chief priests and Pharisees, who were determined to permanently destroy Jesus and His memory, never forgot that He had predicted His resurrection on the third day. So, they asked Pilate to seal the tomb of Jesus and position guards there (cf. Matt. 27:62-66). The reason given by the chief priests and Pharisees when requesting for the guards was that the disciples might steal the Lord’s body and claim that He was risen. However, knowing well the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), probably their fears arose from the fact that some great things occurred on the “third day” or in “three days”. Let us look at some of these third-day events: In Genesis, it was on the third day that Abraham saw the place to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. 22:4). But since God provided a ram in the place of Isaac, we could say that he was raised back to life on the third day (cf. Heb. 11:17-19). In Gen. 40:12-20, the Egyptian cupbearer, Joseph and others were in prison in Egypt, when the cupbearer had a dream. Joseph interpreted the dream to mean that the cupbearer would be released in three days, and it was so. In the story of Exodus, one of the punishments that Pharaoh and his people suffered was darkness for three days (Exodus 10:22). Again, God instructed Moses that the Israelites were to prepare themselves to meet him on Mt. Sinai; there God revealed himself on the third day (Exodus 19:1-15). We are also very familiar with the story of Jonah; he was in the belly of the whale for three days (Jonah 1:17). Jesus himself alluded to this when he spoke about his death and resurrection (Matt. 12:40). The final reference from Hosea is very interesting. Hosea told his wayward people: ‘Come, let us return to Yahweh…He has struck us down, but…two days later he will bring us back to life; on the third day, he will raise us up’ (Hosea 6:1-7). It should be now obvious why some chief priests and Phari ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-R-CCCvY6c

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: BEYOND OUR EXPECTATIONS AND IMAGINATIONS READINGS: 2 Kings 4:42-44/ Ephesians 4:1-6 / John 6:1-15 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time The Holy Scripture praises God for being ‘able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think’ (Ephesians 3:20). Indeed, God can do far more than we expect or can imagine! A few instances of God providing more than expected or imagined are given in the first and gospel readings. In the first case, the man from Baal-Shalishah thought that the hundred men needed more than twenty barley loaves (each smaller than the size of the fist of an average adult) to be satisfied. However, Elisha, the man of God, thought otherwise. Believing in the infinite power of his God, Elisha insisted: ‘Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: “They will eat and have some left over”’ (2 Kings 4:43). When the man eventually obeyed Elisha, his expectation as well as that of the hundred men were exceeded (2 Kings 4:44). ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2n16b1BcTk

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: THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST READINGS: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7/ Acts 10:34-38/ Mark 1:7-11 Feast of the Baptism of the Lord According to the Gospels, the baptism which St. John the Baptist administered was meant for repentance (Luke 3:1-3; Mark 1:3-4; Matt. 3:1-6).  In this light, why did our Lord Jesus, the sinless Son of God, undergo the baptism of John?  In fact, John himself initially resisted baptizing Jesus (Matt. 3:14).  Fortunately, some saints of old have reflected on why Jesus underwent the baptism of John and they provide us with important teachings.  The main message of these teachings is that the baptism of Jesus became a moment of revelation of His identity and mission. In this homily, I wish to present six aspects of the identity and mission of Jesus revealed on the occasion of His baptism First and foremost Jesus entered the Jordan to be baptized so as to be revealed as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This, John the Baptist himself would testify: ‘There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world…. I myself did not know Him, but I came baptizing to prepare for Him, so that He might be revealed in Israel…’ (John 1:29-34). May Jesus, the Lamb of God, cleanse us of every sin we confess, amen! Secondly, then, the baptism of Jesus at the Jordan revealed Him as the Messiah of Israel and the Son of God. Messiah (or Christ) means the Anointed One, and Jesus, as St. Peter proclaimed to Cornelius and his household, was Anointed at His baptism with the Holy Spirit and power (cf. Acts 10:37-38).  In addition, Jesus Christ was revealed not as a mere ‘man of God’ (as we may refer to a prophet or saint), but as the Son, the Only Begotten One of God (John 1:18).  This is very clear in the heavenly voice of the Father: ‘This is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’ (Matt. 3:17).  May all baptized persons, through Christ, remain forever cherished children of God, amen! Thirdly, St. Ambrose teaches that our Lord was baptized not so that He might be cleansed by the waters, but rather to cleanse the waters, so that they might possess the power of baptism. Thus, Christ leaves the waters sanctified for the baptism of those who would come to believe in Him. May we, who have been baptized, continue to enjoy the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, amen! Fourthly, let us listen to St. Chrysostom: Christ indeed had already manifested himself at His birth by many signs, but people would not consult them. So He, who had in the meantime remained private, revealed Himself more clearly in ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTltNLXcfN4

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: Unless a Grain of Wheat Dies READINGS: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 5:7-9, John 12:20-33 5th Sunday of Lent In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah announced God’s promise of a new covenant to His people (Jer. 31:31-34).  Whereas the old covenant was sealed with the blood of animals, the new covenant was to be sealed by the most precious blood of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Heb. 9:16-28). As the day on which our Lord would shed His blood on the cross approached, He used the imagery of a grain of wheat which dies to produce much grain to speak about His own sacrificial death and its fruit of salvation for all mankind.  Thus, according to the Gospel of John, our Lord said: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest” (John 12:24). By His suffering, death and resurrection, our Lord Jesus Christ has become the source of eternal salvation for all mankind (cf. Heb. 5:7-9; second reading). There are several senses in which our Lord is the source of our eternal salvation. Here, I wish to mention two key senses. Firstly, just as fruits come from a grain which dies, so our salvation comes from Christ who died for all. On the other hand, just as if the grain does not die, no fruits will come from it, so without Christ crucified, no one can be saved. St. Peter affirmed this before the Sanhedrin: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). In other words, Christ is the only begotten Son of God, but with His death and resurrection, there are now countless adopted sons and daughters of God. The second sense in which Christ is the source of eternal salvation is that He is the unique model for our salvation. That is, as He suffered, died and arose, so we must embrace suffering and death with the sure hope of enjoying the resurrection. Thus, right after speaking about His sacrificial death, Christ added: “anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life” (John 12:25). Hence, Scripture encourages us: “let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:1-2). Beloved, let us now use the process of sowing a seed, its growth and fruition to learn how we can also die to ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O3yT6zq1vQ