With Fr Franklin Okafor, the Superior General of HFFBY

       HOMILY (Key Points)
By Bishop Chidi Denis ISIZOH
Auxiliary Bishop of Onitsha Archdiocese

1. Memorial –

• another year without Fr Ononuju in this community;
• another year celebrating his triumphant return to our Father’s house in heaven
• another year of examining ourselves on how we have conducted ourselves as his children
• another year of thanking God for our successes
• another year of asking pardon for our failures, our betrayals, etc.
• another year of renewal

 
2. Recalling Fr Ononuju’s strong points

• Life style: mortified, poverty, prayerlife, tansparency, honesty in accepting his limitations
  • A truly dedicated religious
  • He was faithful to the Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers (the Spiritans) till the end of his life
  • Totally obedient and available to his superiors
  • Asked for permission even when he could have done things his own way.

 
3. I have followed with concern your challenges. We are among ourselves, and so let me say freely a few things we should pay attention to.

• The Holy Family Sisters of the Needy….
• The Holy Family Fathers & Brothers of the Youth….

 
Please take note: The truth is that there is no religious institute that sailed through without problems…. Take any Congregation in Nigeria…. Do we talk about the foreign ones? ….

• At some point there have arisen in many of these institutes, members who undertook to suffer in order to steer their institutes our of problem.
• External solutions are not permanent.
• There must be an internal renewal.
• Some people must have to suffer to purify the system.

 
Let each and every one of you answer this question: THE LORD ASKS: “Whom shall I send?” “Who will rebuild my house?” “Who will bring my children together?”  
 
Let the great ones (spiritually fortified, honest, sincere) among you team up. Let there be an internal revolution. The final solution must come from inside of each and every one of you.
 
Please pray for this.
 
There is a prayer I learnt when I was in a minor seminary. It is called A prayer of the Christian Youth. Please pray with me. Say it often:
 
        O Lord, give me courage to do what is hard; courage to say no to sin; courage to hold off the quitter in me.
          Give me a clean mind and clean speech; clean eyes and clean hands. Let me cherish cleanness and recognize that it brings happiness. Let me appreciate that in purity all good things grow.
          Give me a gift for kindness, so that I may never hurt another. Teach me to control my temper and my tongue, so that they do not become the instruments of cruelty. I know my own importance, Lord, but let me never fail to see that others have importance, too.
          Give me strength of spirit to defeat self-pity. If I am lonesome, lead me to the knowledge that to be loved I must be lovable; that I will have no real friends until I earn them.
          Give me that bigness I will need to be cheerfully obedient. Remove from my personality a sullen spirit. Teach me to take orders, so that someday I will know how to give them reasonably.
          Give me zest and drive to conquer laziness. Never let me feel that I can be served without serving or get without giving. Instruct my heart in the love of work, so I may know the joy of rest.
          Give me that peace of mind which comes from knowing that I will never lead another to sin. By your grace, may no one be cheapened because he kept my company. Let all who love me, learn to love you more.
          Give me, finally, such brightness, laughter, and grace, that you will find in me a temple which will please you as Mary pleased you. Amen.

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