THE ADVENT OF HOPE, (RM 5:5)

Your Grace, the Vicar, Monsignoris and Frs. It is with great humility that I wish to say thank you for
giving me today’s reflection to share. Titled, THE ADVENT OF HOPE. RM 5:5.

Just briefly before the moment of sharing, I think it is due to appreciate God for all that He has
done for us beginning from January to this day that we are gathered as pilgrims in our journey of
faith and also of life. It has been a year full of great testimonies, equally, of expectations. But i
believe that God, being God in his nature, as 1Jn 4:8 would tell us that God is Love, has kept to
his words as affirmed Jn 14:18 that says I will not abandon you as orphans but will come to you.
It means God will not abandon us our situation, but come to our aid. And I think,
it is in this, that we await joyfully for his coming. However, the Holy Mother Church in her wisdom
had also prepared us for that great moment of encounter, when Pope Francis proposed to us that this
year, 2024, should be dedicated to prayer in view of the 2025 Jubilee year of Pilgrims of Hope. Th e
wisdom of the Holy mother church in collaboration with the local church has brought us to
appreciate more the need to pray and the gift of prayer. But the question is, how much have we
prayed and what is the quality of our prayer? As pilgrims, we know that our journey is always in
two folds; moving towards uniting ourselves with him and moving towards having an encounter
with him, these two movements bring transformations to our lives. That is why today, we have
gathered here, as pilgrims with great hope and full confidence that his coming in this year's advent
will bring us not just only fulfillment of what we have prayed and hoped for, but more to it
abundant of favours and blessings beyond what we have prayed and ask for, Ephesians 3:20 affirms
that. When it says that God will bless us beyond what we have asked and prayed for.

And i think It is in this great hope of Romans 5:5, of a God who does not put us to shame or
disappoint us that the sons and daughters of Israel had waited patiently for the restoration of all that
they had lost, their lands, kings, temple of worship and many others. And so, is my prayer for you
today, i pray that what the prophecy of Joel 2:25 says, that for the sake of your participation in
today’s pilgrimage, whatever you have lost all these years till this day shall be restored back to you.

Yes, that is our God! So, for those of you who are still doubting and lamenting in their hearts,
saying, but I have prayed, fasted and even did charities, yet no response, nothing has happened, it’s
just as if heaven is short to me, God deaf to my prayers, I have prayed and cried, yet, it is as if God
isn’t seeing or even listening to my pleads, everything around me seems to be silent and dark, I do
not even know what else to do. My dear brothers and sisters, I just want to tell you something today,
that God hasn’t forgotten you. You will give testimonies too someday, just as Joshua and the entire

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sons and daughters of Israel, said in Joshua 21:45, that indeed, all the good things that the Lord had
promised, not even one failed, all came to pass. I pray this day again upon you, that the promises of
God in this year's advent pilgrimage of hope, will be for you not just only blessings and favours of
God but also the opening of all the doors that are closed in your life. And to those of you who are
still troubled even as you journey towards having an encounter with our God of whom the gospel of
Mathew 19:26 said with him all things are possible shall people join you at the end of this
pilgrimage to rejoice in your testimonies. (Acts 16:25-26 pray with it).

Is there still somebody here who is troubled because their marriage is failing, are you still troubled
because there’s no unity or peace in your homes, are you still troubled because as siblings, there’s
no longer true love amongst you, are you still worried and full of anxiety because you’re yet to
conceive, haven prayed for years for the fruit of the womb, yet no conception has come, even if it
does come, it ends in miscarriage, are you still worried because your children are not growing
according to how you’ve desired, are you disturbed because you are still struggling with your
health, each time you go to the hospital, the doctors will tell you that your condition isn’t getting
better, are you still perturbed because your business isn’t doing well as expected, are you still
perturbed because you’ve worked for years and put in all your best, yet no progress or promotion,
are you still disturbed because you’ve no job, and have wondered from place to place yet, couldn’t
find any and more to it, not even knowing the next meal with your family, are you still disturbed as
David who cried in Psalm 41:9, saying, even my own close friend in whom I trusted, with whom I
shared my bread has turned against me, are you disturbed that even when you were innocent, you
spoke, nobody gave you a listening ear or even believed you, and more to it was justice never on
your side, are you worried and doubting because you think your sins faults or your limitations are
above God's pardon and this has conditioned you from year to year to distant yourself from the
sacrament of reconciliation. No my brother!! No my sister! Our God is merciful. Exodus 34:6
affirms it when it says God is kind and full of compassion. He is not a God that judges, so does the
gospel of John 12:47 tell us, that Christ has not come to judge but to save. No wonder he woukd
ask, is there anything holding you back from having this moment of divine encounter. What a God
that always seeks your good!! No wonder, he creates always that space for healing, space for true
love, space for forgiveness, space for financial breakthrough, space where nothing will hinder your
divine encounter. That is why he says in Isaiah 1:18, come let us talk it over, though your sins are
like scarlet, the shall be as white as snow. What a God!!! Are you still doubting or are you still
worried? (I just feel like singing this song...this kind God ohhh).

My dear brothers and sisters, the message of angel Gabriel in Luke 1:37, to our Mother Mary, where
it says, for nothing is impossible to God was not just only a message of hope, neither, was it of a
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mere believe for our mother Mary who received the good news but more to it, is of a faith that is
convinced that God does not disappoint. God will not disappoint you (2×).

Are you now convinced of your believe in God that He will transform your situation? When
Matthew 17:20 says, if your faith is as the size of a mustard seed, you will move mountain and
nothing will be impossible for you, puts before you this question of what is the quality of your faith.
The gospel of Matthew 9:21 says, for she was thinking, “if only I can touch the hem of his garment,
I shall be made whole”, what a faith! Just a touch of his garment was all she needed to be well
again, the woman with the issue of blood for twelve years. Your situation may seem to be taking a
long time, I just want to let you know today, that God will not abandon you, for every single thing
he had promised you, he will fulfil.

The faithfulness of God, I will tell you, is very evident in the entire scriptures: To Abraham and
Sarah, was the promise of a son Isaac, Gen. 21:2 told us that she conceived and gave birth at the
appointed time, haven waited for many years. Is it to Hannah, in 1Samuel 1:20, while she was
praying and waiting patiently on the Lord, with great faith and trust in God, she was mocked,
insulted and humiliated by men but God in due time answered her prayers and gave her a son
called Samuel. At this point, the Psalmist in psalm 46:10 would say, “be still and know that I am
God”. As the prophet Isaiah chapter 64:4 echoes, that from of old, no one has heard or perceived by
ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait patiently for him.

I don’t know if you are noticing what I am noticing, in due time, there was an encounter, at the
appointed time, there was also an encounter. This tells that there is something about the TIME OF
GOD. No wonder, Exodus 19:9-11, describes best the time of God, when God said to Moses, go
prepare and sanctify the people for in three days I shall come down on mount Sinai. The three days
are these: Yesterday, Tomorrow and Today. For yesterday signifies your story, your situation, your
limitation, while Tomorrow, signifies your grace of preparation for what Today would offer you as
the day of divine encounter. This can be seen in the life of Zaccheus in the gospel of Luke 19:1-9,
when in the yesterday of Zaccheus, rich as a tax collector and unhappy as a person, prepared
himself in the grace of his tomorrow by making every effort to meet Christ, when he heard that
Christ was passing. This burning desire of Zaccheus to meet Christ which was his earnest prayer
request would lead not just only to what he had prayed and longed for, but more to it, the fulfilment
of the promise of God: Today salvation has come to this house. A day of divine encounter. I tell,
(today, is your day of divine encounter)2×. today, your day prayers are answered, today, the Lord
has wiped away all your tears and today, whatever additional intention you will be adding to the
raised chalice in this holy eucharistic sacrifice shall be for you a permanent amen. I also pray that

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the God whom Zaccheus encountered at his greatest point of need will also meet you at your point
of needs. My dear brothers and sisters, finally, I want to charge you, that as the lord visits you today
and grant answers to all your prayer request, do not forget this Hebrew word, Bethlehem in Micah
5:2, the place of the birth of Christ. Remember that Beth signifies house, and lehem…bread…to
mean house of bread, but with his divine presence it transforms it into a house full of bread. As God
answers all your prayers today and blesses you, don’t forget to share with the poor in this advent.
May the lord bless this word in our hearts and continue to answer all our prayers through Christ our
lord. Amen.