Dear Parishioners, friends & visitors,
Dear Parishioners, friends & visitors, There are human figures we will encounter as we continue on our Advent journey. The presence of these human beings and the significant roles they played in the drama of the incarnation aptly capture this firm conviction of Saint Augustine when he said: “the God who created us without our help will not save us without our help.” God will always use human beings to achieve God’s purpose for human beings. As our advent journey enters into the second week, we read and reflect on the story of John the Baptist. More than five hundred years before John the Baptist appeared on the scene, the prophet Isaiah prophesied that John the Baptist’s ministry would be to clear the path and soften the hearts of the people for when Jesus Christ would come upon the scene. Prophet Isaiah said: “a voice of one calling in the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain” (Isaiah 40:3-4). Right from the moment of John the Baptist’s conception, God destined John as the precursor of Jesus Christ. His mission was specific. His role was to herald the coming of the Messiah and to prepare human hearts to accept and embrace Jesus Christ as the Messiah. We are made on purpose and for a purpose. There is a reason and a purpose for every human life. No human person is in this life by chance. In the gospel of this weekend, the Evangelist Matthew introduced John the Baptist thus: “in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’ Saint Gregory the Great once said that John the Baptist “preached upright faith and good works… so that the force of grace may penetrate, the light of the truth shines out, the paths to God be straightened and honest thoughts be born in the mind after hearing the word that guides us to goodness.” John’s role was to herald the imminent arrival of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Saviour of the World, the one whom everyone was waiting for, the one we all need. As John the Baptist came from the wilderness and began preaching, his message to his listeners was to repent for the kingdom of God was close at hand. John was determined to bring the message and reality of the kingdom of God to the doorsteps of the people. The kingdom of God as understood and preached by John the Baptist and eventually by Jesus Christ is both a present and future reality. It’s here and not yet. John knew what God was doing in the midst of His people. . God was not out to seek revenge for sin but to save and heal His children who had wandered away from Him. From its etymological derivatives, the word ‘repentance’ from the Hebrew word ‘teshuva’ or Greek word ‘metanoia’ means more than a feeling of guilt or regret. To repent is more than a state of the mind. It’s a conscious and deliberate decision to return to God. When we embark on the journey of repentance, we do not deny our dark and wounded past. We recognise our sins and the wrongs we have done and we show our remorse while at the same time humbly committing ourselves to a new path, which leads to liberation and freedom
Just as the voice of John the Baptist echoed over 2000 years ago, the voice of John the Baptist still echoes today in the secret places of our hearts as we continue on our Advent journey. John the Baptist’s appeal for repentance is a pressing invitation to open our hearts to receive the Son of God, who comes among us so that we might have life and have it to the fullest (John 10:10). Jesus Christ is the way, the Truth and the Life, (John 14:6). In and through Jesus Christ, we will have life not just in the here and now but also in the hereafter. This means that it is today, in the present, when our future destiny is being played out. Our actual conduct in this life will decide our eternal fate. At the end of our days on this earth, when our eyes are closed in death, we will be judged on the basis of how we lived. Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans can resonate with us today. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the reassurance they provide we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and reassurance give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God,” (Romans 15:4-8). May the voices of Prophet Isaiah, the Apostle Paul and John the Baptist continue to appeal and speak to our hearts preparing our hearts to become the new Bethlehem, the new birthplace for Christ not just in these advent days but also beyond God bless you all. Fr. John Ikechu
Saints of the Day
Christmas 2018 Mass Schedule 
