DAILY HOMILIES

Jesus’ arrival in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy: “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light.” This recalls the star that guided the Magi to Jesus. To know Jesus is to be drawn to His light. If this light rests on you, you become part of it. Instead of darkness (hatred, bitterness, malice, animosity), you start to radiate love. In today’s first reading, St. John said: “This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another.” (1 John 3:23).

The wise men brought Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This is Epiphany, a revelation of Jesus’ identity as KING, PRIEST, AND SAVIOUR of the world. Jesus had not yet begun to talk or walk when this occurred, yet it is clear to the world that He is God in human flesh. He rules as King with gold, sanctifies as a Priest with incense (which we still use today at Mass), and as Saviour of mankind. Jesus’ body was preserved with myrrh when he offered his life for our salvation.

In today’s Gospel passage, John the Baptist introduces Jesus Christ as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” We can interpret this statement in two ways. One, by dying for us, Jesus has become our advocate (our defence attorney), and his blood continues to plead for mercy on our behalf. We should not be afraid to approach him, regardless of our past sinfulness. Two, as the Lamb of God, there is no sin in Jesus. The closer we draw to the lamb, the less sinful we become. If you want to be rich, you must surround yourself with rich people. If you want to be holy, ensure your inner circle of friends values righteousness.

We have just concluded our celebration of the Incarnation—God taking our human flesh. This celebration is the greatest event humanity has ever witnessed. If we take our time to think about it, it feels too good to be true. Indeed, many still do not believe that God took our flesh. There are many people (even today) who doubt that Jesus Christ is God. St. John refers to such persons as antichrists.

God could have decided to come in another way, but because He wanted us to have a physical, flesh-and-blood connection with Him, He took flesh in the womb of a woman. This is to say that God became a son of man so that man can truly become the son of God. God chose to have a mother to show us how close He is to us. God wants us to have that feeling of warmth in His presence so that we see ourselves not just as slaves but as His children.

If we call ourselves Christians, our lives ought to shine like bright stars in the world; that is, there has to be a difference in our pattern of life. However, many Christians only pretend to be in the light while full of darkness inside. By our actions (especially those done under the cover of darkness or in secret), we reject Christ, thereby behaving as anti-Christ.

Anna experienced the peace Jesus spoke about when he said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.” (John 14:27). Anna recognised God in the baby Jesus because she was at peace. Do not love the world; it is never enough, it is passing away, and it can never take God’s place in your heart. Be like Anna, love God, seek first His kingdom, and you will find peace, as everything else will be added to you. (cf. Matthew 6:33)

Do not become the Herod who kills thousands of innocent children in a bid to kill someone you consider a rival. You may consider yourself a good person, but you do not know how much evil you are capable of doing when you allow hatred to take hold of your mind. We have seen saints behave worse than demons because the wine of bitterness toward others intoxicated them. The saying goes, “When our enemies succeed in making us hate them, they have defeated us.” When we hate others, we become like them. Our real power lies in our ability to remain angels of light regardless of the provocation from others.

Between Joseph and Mary, who was the prayer warrior? I’ll let you debate that. If you say Mary was the prayer warrior, I wonder why the angel appeared to Joseph rather than Mary, warning him about the child’s safety. Men who neglect prayer in the name of it being a woman’s duty are terrible fathers. As a man, you should be the one seeing visions and dreaming big for your family. Every man is the Joseph of the house. You lead, you provide, and you protect; to do this, you must be deeply connected to God. Twice Joseph dreamt and received vital instructions. If he weren’t prayerful, he would have failed in his responsibilities.

While other apostles fled during the Passion of Jesus, John stayed with Mary at the foot of the cross. John’s presence demonstrates that he was a true friend of Jesus. He was there when Jesus was “nothing”—he was present when Jesus was stripped, disfigured, and hung on the cross. Only when times are tough do you truly find out who your friends are. No wonder Jesus entrusted his mother to John.

“But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they secretly instigated men, who said, ‘We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.’” (Acts 6:10-11). There is a saying in pidgin – “the person wei dey cry still fit see road”. Do not assume that everyone showing you love during this period truly loves you. Shine your eyes! Be on guard. In today’s Gospel passage, we hear Jesus say: “Beware of men…” In other words: “Be Careful!” It is not everyone who goes to Church (or quotes the Bible) that is a Christian.

If every Nigerian Christian truly lived out the values of the baby in the manger, humility, love, justice, and sacrifice, Nigeria would be transformed, not by laws from above, but by lives changed from within. Christmas is a call to repentance. It is a call to let the Christ who is born tonight to be born again in us, to live in us, to rule in us, to change us. St. Paul’s words are clear: Grace trains us to renounce ungodliness. If our Christianity has not changed our behaviour, our integrity, our honesty, our treatment of others, then we have received the grace of God in vain.