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ARCHBISHOP AUGUSTINE OBIORA AKUBEZE HOMILY FOR DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY ON 19 APRIL 2020 AT ST. PETER CATHOLIC CHURCH, BENIN CITY

THEME: THE DIVINE MERCY: GOD’S RESPONSE TO SIN

BY MOST REV DR AUGUSTINE OBIORA AKUBEZE CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF BENIN CITY

1. INTRODUCTION: All praise and glory to God whose mercy and love endures forever. Our God is merciful. Our God is love. Our God is compassionate. Our God is good. These attributes and more tell us something about the essence and nature of God. St Thomas Aquinas tells us that the attributes of God are the same with his existence and essence. We therefore can say a man is just, a woman is good. These are attributes of these persons but they do not define the person. In the case of God, God is not just good, God is Goodness, God is Justice, God is Mercy, God is Love, God is Compassion etc. In God there is no distinction between attributes and essence, or nature. Consequently, these attributes of God reveal to us the nature or essence of God. One of the attributes of God is Mercy. God’s Divine Mercy is what we are celebrating today the Second Sunday of Easter. Today we celebrate God who is mercy personified. Today we celebrate God who does not deal with us according to our sins. We may be on lockdown or partial lockdown but the mercy of God is not on lockdown. His mercy endures forever. May the mercy of God come down upon all of you participating at this mass from home. May his mercy endure forever in your life and that of your loved ones.



2. THE MERCY OF GOD IS BOUNDLESS: The first reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles 2: 42-47 shows the boldness of the Apostles. Uneducated fishermen after experiencing the risen Lord were emboldened to speak publicly about Christ and worked many wonders. The people faithful to the Apostles’ teaching lived together – worshipping and sharing meals and living in community. There appears to be a spiritual shield protecting them from the rest of the world. Under this shield, God adds to their numbers and strengthens their faith. This shield is God’s mercy. We are all also encouraged to proclaim the Easter message that Christ is risen by living together in love. His death and resurrection mean that we are no-longer held captive by death. We are completely redeemed.
In the Second Reading (1 Peter 1:3-9), Peter celebrates the mercy of God and acknowledges it as the source of our salvation. The Gospel reading taken from the Evangelist John 20:19-31 shows this mercy in action. Jesus greets the Apostles with Peace not minding that they abandoned him when he was distressed and commissions them to be agents of mercy: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20:23). This is the explicit institution of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession), the sacrament in which the limitless ocean of God's mercy overwhelms the weak ocean of our misery. It was the ultimate revelation of the Divine Mercy.
Our greatest treasure as Catholics is the revelation of Christ, a revelation of God's boundless mercy, the only force strong enough to penetrate the walls of pain, anger, fear, and resentment that we have built around our hearts. We are encouraged to receive the mercy of God by going to confession whenever we sin. Jesus said to St Faustina, “No soul will be justified until it turns with confidence to my mercy...” (Diary, 570) In the Gospel reading, we see the doubt of Thomas. Thomas could not believe in the resurrection unless he saw evidence. Jesus accepts this weakness of faith, and accommodates Thomas’ unbelief. This loving acceptance is an integral part of divine mercy. Thomas represents us and our various weaknesses. As he did with Thomas, Jesus strengthens us when we have doubts, and raises each of us above our human frailties and, through his mercy, brings us into communion with the Father.



3. THE DIVINE MERCY: GOD’S RESPONSE TO SIN: Dearly beloved in Christ, we do not worship a God who punishes us according to our sins. We do not worship a God who wants our downfall. We do not worship a God who beats and kills us when we sin. In all of scriptures we come to the understanding that God responds to our disobedience, our stubbornness, our unfaithfulness with love. His response to the many sins we commit is mercy. While he was dying on the cross, he did not curse us, he did not decree punishment on us; instead he gave us mercy. “Father forgive them for they not what they do” (Luke 23:34). When the prodigal son left home with his share of his Father’s property and returned, the Father offered him mercy. Our God is full of mercy and compassion, slow to anger and abounding in love (Psalm 145:8). This brings me to a very important subject that is making the rounds as the Covid-19 pandemic rages.
,br>We have heard in many quarters, that the present health crisis is a punishment from God for the sins of humanity. Many have come out to say that God is punishing us for our offenses against Him. Some have even come out to say that the Corona Virus is like the flood in Noah’s time; it has come to purify the earth of evil. My dear people of God we must not listen to such hasty conclusions. God will never kill his own creatures. God does not punish us according to our sins. In fact, we punish ourselves and we kill ourselves by the way we live and act. Every human action has its attendant consequences. So do not blame it on God.
God’s response to sin is mercy. God’s answer to sin is not revenge, it is not rebuke; it is mercy. In several passages of the Old Testament, we read of the destruction of a people, because of their sins. But with the death and resurrection of Christ, God’s mercy is now more visibly manifested to us. That Mercy is what Easter is all about. It is the mercy of God that made him suffer and die for us to open the way to salvation. God’s antidote to death is love and his answer to sin is mercy. We can see that there is no end to the Mercy of God. There is no limit to God’s mercy because mercy is not an attribute in God but it is God’s Being, God’s essence,
God’s Existence. He is full of Mercy. The Psalmist says the house of Israel and Aaron must know that God’s mercy endures forever. Jesus who is the fullness of revelation has shown us that God is Mercy. In the actions of Christ, we discover the fullness of the Divine mercy. No one turns to Christ for forgiveness that does not receive mercy. No matter how far gone you are in sin, God’s mercy will wash away your sins completely if you are ready to repent. God is inviting you today to completely trust in him. God will never fail you. God has never failed to show Mercy. His mercy endures forever. Come and be one of the beneficiaries of Divine Mercy. If there is anything stopping you from receiving the mercy of God in the Holy Eucharist and the sacrament of confession come to meet Christ to take it away. The threat of disease may keep us from the altar of Christ and prevent us from embodying our side of this wonderful exchange in the usual liturgical way. But it can hardly keep God from bestowing his gifts on us. No obstacle can ever keep Christ from being present to us and among us. indeed, so long as the memory of Jesus, who gave himself entirely to God and entirely to us, lives among us by the power of the Holy spirit, so too does the grace of the Eucharist.



4. CONCLUSION: Dearly beloved in Christ, let us praise God who has shown us his mercy in Christ. Through Christ we gain access to the everlasting mercy of God. Let us renew our resolve to continue our corporal and spiritual works of mercy through which we all show to the world that the mercy of God endures forever. Never leave the presence of the Divine Mercy without receiving God’s Mercy. Never leave this sacred moment without saturating yourselves with the mercy of God. From today let all of us become God’s instrument of mercy. God’s mercy endures forever and it must be reflected in our actions. I implore all Catholics watching from home to remember to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3:00pm today asking the Divine Mercy to heal our world and bring an end to this pandemic. At the end of the prayer, pray One our Father, One Hail Mary and one Glory be for the Pope’s intentions and say at the end “Jesus I trust in you”. God will surely answer our prayers in faith.
We should never fail to seek refuge in Mary the Mother of Christ. She is the Mother of Mercy. Let us fly to her to teach us how to make the mercy of God endure in our families and in our world. As we implore St. Maria Faustina to intercede for us before the throne of God’s mercy for healing for the sick in our world today as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic; for God’s divine protection for all health care givers and for ourselves that we will overcome this period by the help of God. May the grace of God the Father, the love of God the Son and the Communion of God the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.
Jesus, I Trust in You!

ARCHBISHOP AUGUSTINE OBIORA AKUBEZE HOMILY AT THE COMMISSIONING OF NEW LECTORS FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BENIN CITY AT ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC CHURCH ON SUNDAY 6 OCTOBER, 2019

THEME: FAITH IS STRENGTHENED BY GOD’S WORD

BY ARCHBISHOP AUGUSTINE OBIORA AKUBEZE
ARCHBISHOP OF BENIN CITY

1. PROTOCOL: Very Rev. Fr. David Ogun, the Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Sixtus Alaegbu, Chaplain of the Archdiocesan Board of Lectors, other Priests here present, Consecrated Persons, Prof. Okungbowa, President of the Archdiocesan Board of Lectors, all lectors present today for the commissioning, Invited Guests and the lay faithful of St. Joseph Catholic Church, Glory be to Jesus. Honour to Mary.

2. GREETINGS: I greet all of you who are here today. The church celebrates the twenty seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time of the Liturgical Year C and during this Mass I shall commission New Lectors for the Archdiocese of Benin City from various Parishes. I Greet Prof. Mrs. Okungbowa, your President and other officers of your Board. I thank you for inviting me to this Mass and for the honor to preside over this ceremony. Occasions like this afford us an opportunity to thank God and to build our faith. It helps to re-ekindle our zeal to work for God and the church. Our role in the church as Lectors is a very important one which calls us to be ever closer to God.



3. THE WORD OF GOD IS POWER: The word of God is a very powerful tool. The word of God tells us in Isaiah 55:11 that the word that goes forth from the mouth of the prophet will not return void. It will not return empty without carrying out all that God wants it to. The word of God holds a pivotal place in the Church. The Word of God increases the faith of the people. The word of God heals us. The word of God guides us. The word of God teaches us. The word of God reproves us. Sometimes the word of God can be difficult and challenging. At other times it can be sweet. Whatever way we see it. God’s word has power. Have you ever wondered why the Liturgy of the word is a very important aspect of the Mass or why we stand to listen to the Gospel at Mass? It is because the “word” is not only of the Lord, it is God himself. Indeed, John was right: “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1). Pope Francis has declared the third Sunday in ordinary time as the Sunday of the word of God. In an Apostolic letter, issued motu proprio last week and titled “Aperuit Illis”: Instituting the Sunday of the word of God, the Pope says and I quote: “Consequently, I hereby declare that the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is to be devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God. This Sunday of the Word of God will thus be a fitting part of that time of the year when we are encouraged to strengthen our bonds with the Jewish people and to pray for Christian unity. This is more than a temporal coincidence: the celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God has ecumenical value, since the Scriptures point out, for those who listen, the path to authentic and firm unity.

This explains the reason why readers of the Word go through rigorous sessions of training to get themselves ready for the daily proclamation of the Word. This is also the very reason we are called to be attentive when it is proclaimed and to put it into practice in our daily lives. When the word is proclaimed it is God who speaks directly to the people, offering them his Spiritual support and the needed guidance for the difficult journey of life. It therefore becomes mandatory that no one should distort the word proclaimed in the church. Proclaimers of the word must be well chosen and well prepared for this very important function in the church. The ministry of Lector is one of the steps taken by candidates preparing for priestly Ordination. Today, the lay faithful also play this role but are not instituted like the candidates for ordination but are instead commissioned. As lay Lectors, you will be entrusted with proclaiming the word of God to your brothers and sisters. You will be invited to an even deeper contemplation of that saving Word, so that you might know Him and be able to offer to others the One whom you know as your Lord. Lectors should read clearly. They should not be people who muddle their words that no one is able to understand what they read. I want to believe that all who are to be commissioned today have gone through the compulsory period of training and have been ascertained fit to proclaim the word of God in the church.

I congratulate all of you today as you take up this task. Always be ready to proclaim the word of God at all masses whether your name is on the roaster or not. Make use of the sacrament of confession as soon as you become conscious of any sin. It is important to be in a state of Grace to proclaim the word of God. Be open to the spirit of God who enlightens us every time we read and meditate on God’s word. Believe what you read and practice what you believe. Any atheist can read the God’s word to a crowd of people. It takes no great skill or intelligence. But to do so with faith, that is the challenge. Delve deeply into the fathomless riches of the Word of God, so that you can communicate to others the intense love that God has for them. And immerse yourselves too in the love of God incarnate in the holy Eucharist. May God bless you as you bring him to others. Amen.



4. THE READINGS: Today’s readings tell us that we need Faith to understand God and his works. It tells us further too that Faith helps us believe in the impossible and that with our gift of faith intact we will always be happy and trust God in all things. The First Reading us from the Book of the Prophet Habakkuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4. The Prophet spoke at a time when the Babylonian army was marching to conquer the Israelites. It was spoken to keep up the spirits of the Jews. The King did nothing to protect the weak and the poor and allowed them to be oppressed. The people went to the Prophet in despair and asked him to consult the Lord for them. The Prophet asks the Lord why he has remained silent and allows the oppression of the people. He asks the Lord why he has refused to listen to their cry for help. He asks the Lord why he has allowed the wicked to triumph? They are the same questions we ask God today. Why is it that I pray and nothing happens?

Why is it that I work hard every day and yet I am not appreciated? Why is it that this sickness has refused to go? Why is that I have been looking for a job for many years now and am yet to get employed? Why is it that those who cheat prosper and I who have remained faithful wallow in abject poverty? Why is there so much killings and injustice? Why is there so much evil in a good world? Why has God abandoned us? God responds to the Prophets complaints. He tells the prophet to be patient: “if it comes slowly wait, for come it will, without fail...the upright man will live by his faithfulness”. My dear people of God, God’s time is always the best. God never abandons us. There is time for everything. When it is His time to act he will act. Those who live by faith will triumph at the end. You must be patient and trust in God. He knows what you are passing through. He knows that you are being oppressed. He knows that you are experiencing family problems. He knows you need money for your school fees. He knows you need that job. He knows you are on the brink of collapse. Just a little time more, He will act. Do not get dismayed, keep your hopes alive. God never fails.



In the Second Reading from Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14. Paul tells Timothy never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord; for the spirit he received is not one of timidity but of power. Some Catholics today are still ashamed of professing their faith. It is so bad that they do not even want to be called Catholics in public. Jesus says, if you are ashamed of me before men, I will also be ashamed of you before my Father in heaven. You are ashamed of your faith when you keep quiet in the face of obvious injustice. You are ashamed of your faith when you cannot beat them and you join them. You are ashamed of your faith when you do not denounce those who steal public money. You are ashamed of your faith when you see a widow or an orphan and you do nothing to help. You are ashamed of your faith when you cannot stand up for the truth, so that you are not considered a weakling. Today, the Psalmist acclaims, if you hear the word of God, harden not your heart. Fan into flame the spirit you received at baptism and confirmation. Be proud to be a child of God. Be bold to speak against corruption, injustices and ills in your place of work; in your schools, in your playgrounds. God who is your Father will not abandon you.



In the Gospel Reading (Luke 17:5-10), the Evangelist Luke tells us about an encounter between Jesus and his disciples. In the first part of the encounter the disciples asked Jesus to increase their Faith. What do they mean when they made that request? Is Jesus in a position to increase faith? Faith, our penny Catechism tells us, is a supernatural gift of God which enables us to believe without doubting whatever God has revealed. Faith is understanding God. Faith is trusting God. Faith is believing that what is impossible can be possible with the help of God. Yes, if you have faith you can say to this mulberry tree, be uprooted and planted in the sea and it will obey you” (Luke 17:5). Faith finds solutions for situations that appear difficult. Faith is total submission to God’s will. You must ask for the gift of faith today; a faith that will enable you trust God above all things; a faith that will enable you love God above all else and your neighbour as yourself; a faith that will make you truly human and to appreciate the wonders of God in your life and that of your family. In the second part of the encounter Jesus tells the apostles a parable that seems disconcerting. After a long day’s work in the fields under the hot sun, as servant returns home exhausted. His employer instead of inviting him to a meal asks him to serve him first. Jesus is saying something very important to all of us today. There are still Christians who think in terms of merit: “if I do good I shall be rewarded”. They spend their lives earning what they think are points in the bank of the Lord. God, of course, will reward us but it is not a healthy attitude to expect, this is because it is our duty to do good. Doing good is not something that is extraordinary. It is what is expected of us who are servants of God. It is your duty to be good and to do good. We do good because by doing good, and not expecting any merit, we achieve our own happiness and we become like our Father in heaven. Put aside the idea of merit. Let your joy begin now and thank God for the good you do.



5. CONCLUSION: In a special way, I wish to thank Rev. Fr. Sixtus Alaegbu, your chaplain, Prof. Mrs. Okungbowa and her team for the wonderful work they are doing in training our brothers and sisters for the task of Reading in the Church. It is not easy but I ask the Lord to continually strengthen and bless you. To our brothers and sisters soon to be commissioned, I thank you for offering yourselves to serve in the Church. I salute your courage and perseverance during the rigours of your training. As you are being commissioned today, I encourage you to bring to bear the fruits of your training in the Liturgical life of our Archdiocese. May the good Lord sustain you with his grace and grant you fruitful service to the Church and humanity. Amen

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL

1. PROTOCOL: Your Eminence, Anthony Cardinal Okogie, Emeritus Archbishop of Lagos, Your Grace, Most Rev. Dr. Patrick Ebosele Ekpu, Emeritus Archbishop of Benin City, Very Rev. Frs., and Rev. Frs., Consecrated Persons, and the lay faithful, glory be to Jesus. Honour to Mary. I greet all of you who have honoured our invitation to join us in thanking God for the successful completion of the new Chancery building.



2. GRATITUDE: I will like to begin by thanking God Almighty who inspired us and gave us the resources to complete the edifice we are going to bless after this Mass. Given the economic challenges and the many competing projects in the Church, one needed the special grace of God to have the courage to begin this work. We started working about two years ago. We started quietly, and with time we discovered that the project was going well, albeit financially demanding. But God who always supplies the resources for his work never left us. The Church is grateful to some donors who contributed to this building. May God bless all of them abundantly. We are very grateful to those who worked in this project. We thank Architect Mike Ebesunu who designed the edifice. We thank Mr. Rufus Oyebanji, all those who supplied quality materials at very good prices because of their love for the Church. May God bless all of you.



In the spirit of gratitude, we want to say thank you to His Eminence Anthony Cardinal Okogie who has deep love for the Archdiocese of Benin City. A love that was present during his leadership of the Church in Lagos, a love that was present when Benin City was a suffragan under Lagos. It was under His Eminence that the diocese of Benin City became an Archdiocese. We are grateful for the prophetic voice of this great son of Edo who has spoken out against every evil in the society. He is not afraid to speak truth to power. We are grateful to this triple prince. A prince from the royal family of Oyo Empire; a prince from the Royal Family of Uromi and a Prince of the Church as a Cardinal. Your Eminence, we are proud to claim you as a true son of Edo. A prince who has transformed the ecclesiastical terrain of Lagos. We are grateful to you for honouring us with your presence.



In our midst is Archbishop Patrick Ebosele Ekpu, the First indigenous Bishop of Benin City; the First Archbishop of Benin City. In Archbishop Ekpu we see the embodiment of wisdom, meticulous planning and discipline; a discipline that is clearly shown in the administrative systems set up in the Archdiocese of Benin City by him. He has established a decorum and structures that many dioceses in Nigeria are modelling their governance after; in him we see a simple and gentle prelate of the Church who makes decisions without fear or favour. We are grateful to him because he established many structures that are still of great benefit to the Church in Benin City. Your Grace, we are grateful to you for the leadership you provided when you governed the Church in Benin City. Under your leadership, the Dioceses of Auchi and Uromi were created. I consider myself privileged to be a successor to the See you once governed with love and care for the flock. Your Grace, thank you very much for coming.



In the Gospel Reading, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, to guide us. It is the Holy Spirit that will enable us acknowledge God as our creator. It is the Holy Spirit that will remind of us all that Jesus has taught us. It is the Holy Spirit that will inspire all our actions in the ways of the Lord. The Holy Spirit is the advocate, our counselor and will help us to be good children, staff and parents.
In our midst is Archbishop Patrick Ebosele Ekpu, the First indigenous Bishop of Benin City; the First Archbishop of Benin City. In Archbishop Ekpu we see the embodiment of wisdom, meticulous planning and discipline; a discipline that is clearly shown in the administrative systems set up in the Archdiocese of Benin City by him. He has established a decorum and structures that many dioceses in Nigeria are modelling their governance after; in him we see a simple and gentle prelate of the Church who makes decisions without fear or favour. We are grateful to him because he established many structures that are still of great benefit to the Church in Benin City. Your Grace, we are grateful to you for the leadership you provided when you governed the Church in Benin City. Under your leadership, the Dioceses of Auchi and Uromi were created. I consider myself privileged to be a successor to the See you once governed with love and care for the flock. Your Grace, thank you very much for coming.



To show that we are under the influence of the Holy Spirit, we are to become witnesses and teachers in our homes, our work places, our classrooms, the play field and our dormitories. You are to carry out Jesus’ instructions to be good children wherever you find ourselves. You must make conscious efforts to become the kind of person Jesus teaches you to be and become the kind of person the Holy Spirit inspires you to be. Love one another. Help your friends with their academic challenges. Avoid unhealthy competitions and rivalries, that leads to hatred and quarrel.
Correct your fellow students in love. Treat your juniors with love, respect them, help them fetch water and teach them the right things to do. Do not bully your junior ones. When you do, you shut the Holy Spirit out of your life. Respect your seniors and your teachers and obey the school rules and regulations. Do not take what does not belong to you. Do not eat other people’s food when they come late to the refectory. Do not make noise or sleep during mass. May God give you the grace to be truly open to His Spirit, who will teach us to do all things in love through Christ our Lord.



3. THE CHANCERY BUILDING: When we decided to build this new chancery, we were motivated by the growth in the various sections in the Chancery. We saw the need for expansion, an expansion that was inspired by the need for more efficiency. With the new edifice we will now have offices that are in consonance with modern day facilities and requirements. We have built this edifice to enable us serve the people of God better. We are called to serve God’s people and we must do everything within our power to give them better service. The Diocesan Curia housed by the chancery is one of the facilities provided to serve the people of God.



We read in the Code of Canon Law that the diocesan curia consists of those institutions and persons which assist the bishop in the governance of the whole diocese, especially in providing pastoral action in caring for the administration of the diocese and in exercising judicial power (Canon 469). While the Cathedral Church represents the symbol of the authority of the diocesan bishop, the chancery is the place where the administration of the diocese takes place. In this new edifice we will have offices for the Vicar General, all Episcopal Vicars, Directors of Commissions, and other institutions of the Curia as we shall determine as time goes on. As we thank God today for this opportunity, it is also a time for us to know that we must be ready to work harder. I thank all my close collaborators, all the priests working in the Archdiocese, the members of the Presbyterial council, the College of Consultors, Pastoral Council, Finance Council, Marriage Tribunal and the Curia officers. All of you now have a better place to work and the outcome should be for the greater glory of God and for the good of the people of the Archdiocese of Benin City.



4. THE FEAST OF THE GUARDIAN ANGELS: A few days ago, we celebrated the feast of the Archangels, Gabriel, Michael and Raphael. Gabriel brings good news; Michael brings protection in spiritual battle and Raphael brings healing. Today we honour the Guardian angels, the help that God gives to each one of us. The teachings on the existence of angels are part of the Dogma of the Christian faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 328 states: “The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition.” In another section the Catechism states: “From infancy to death human life is surrounded by their (the angels) watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shared by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united to God.” This means angels are spiritual beings that inhabits God’s creation. They are not just symbols but beings with will. Secondly, Christ is the centre and head of the angelic world. Angels are the agents of Christ. They were created for a purpose and they have a mission. The word “angels” points to their mission or office as messengers rather than their nature. Thirdly, they are given to us as helpers and guides so that in this life we are already in contact with the heavenly host as they join us in prayer at every Mass. Just as God gave angels to guide the Israelites in their journey from Egypt so also God has given each one of us a guardian angel.

The teaching of St. Bernard we read in today’s office of the reading stated that the guardian angels should inspire us with respect, devotion and confidence. We should respect their presence among us, and therefore fear no evil attack. They are our divine body and soul guard. They help ward away evil from us. The guardian angels are signs of God’s love for us. God has given them to us to help us on our way to heaven. God has given a guardian angel to everyone irrespective of whether they believe in angels or not. Whether a person is holy or not, he or she has a guardian angel. This speaks of God’s abundant love for us. To the many who are here today, who are afraid of all sorts of demonic attacks, I have good news for you. To many who are here today, who have received news that people are after you and that they have gone to meet those with diabolic powers to harm you or your children, I have good news for you. To many of you who keep holding on to the believe that there are evil forces working against your success, I have good news for you today. To many who are sick and the doctors have not been able to diagnose the true cause of illness and many have concluded that this is not ordinary sickness, I have good news for you. To those who say there is ancestral family cause hindering their progress, I have good news for you today. The good news is that you have a spiritual bodyguard, you have a spiritual soul guard, you have a guardian angel equipped by God to defend you. You do not have to be afraid of any evil spirit. The angel of God always defeats the angel of evil. Yes, the evil one will try to destroy you, but if you always have connection with your guardian angel, those against you cannot do you any harm to you.



5. DEVOTION TO THE GUARDIAN ANGEL: Many of us relate only with what we can see with our eyes. But in the creed, we profess belief in God who created the visible and invisible world. We must know always that there is invisible world. In the invisible world we have our guardian angels. We should develop devotion to them. Pray to them as we travel for their guidance, thank them after we return from a journey for their help. Call on them before we go to bed to watch over us and thank them when we wake up for their protection. Be conscious of their presence every time in our life. Such consciousness should help us avoid offending God through sin. When we remember that God’s angel is with us and wants us to obey God’s commandment we should turn away from that temptation. Consciousness of the guardian angels should help us keep our sexual purity; it should help us to extend a helping hand to a brother or sister in need; it should help us to speak kindly of others and avoid gossiping. Just remember whenever you want to do something bad that your guardian angel is there. Sent by God to help you do what is right and good always. I encourage us to pray daily the prayer to our guardian angel that says:

Angel of God, my guardian dear, To whom God's love commits me here, Ever this day, be at my side, To light and guard, Rule and guide. Amen.



6. CONCLUSION: Dearly beloved in Christ, we are once again reassured of God’s loving care for us. Let nothing make you despair because we worship God whose love for us is everlasting. Even if things are not going well for you know that God is with you. When things are going well for you know that God is with you. God is not a fair-weather friend. His friendship is everlasting. That is why he has given us guardian angels to lead us, to intercede for us and to guide us on our way to heaven. It is my prayers that we will call on our guardian angels always for their protection and guidance.

Yesterday was our Independence Day. Many Nigerians think that we are not independent from poverty, we are not independent from insecurity, we are not independent from corruption. We are not independent from many things that hinder our progress as a people. Yet, we have 59 years of self-governance. Dearly beloved in Christ, let us hope for a brighter future. Let us keep praying for a better and greater Nigeria. A Nigeria where it will not matter where the leader comes from. A Nigeria where development will spread to every part. A Nigeria where the Green Passport will not raise suspicion by immigration officers in other countries. A Nigeria where there will be no need for brain drain because the country will be good enough to keep our best. A Nigeria where ethnic and religious differences will not matter in appointing people to offices. A Nigeria where merit will trump connection for appointments. A Nigeria where everyone will feel welcomed in every part of the country. Let us continue to pray and hope for this Nigeria. Prayer for Nigeria in distress should continue in all our parishes.

Once again, I thank all of you for coming out to join us in this Mass. After the final blessing we shall proceed to the new building to bless it. We are blessing it because we want God to take control of the building and to assist all those who will meet in the building so that their deliberations will be inspired by God. We want God to bless all those who will enter the building so that the place will be where God’s will would be carried out through administrative decisions made by me, my successors and my collaborators. May God continue to bless us as we continue to serve him in this world and seek eternal happiness with him in the life to come. Amen. May God bless his words in our hearts and may our Mother Mary, Queen of Angels intercede for us always through Christ our Lord. Amen.

May God bless you all!