CLIMAX OF 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF DIVINE MERCY CHURCH, OKPONGLO, ACCRA, ON ALL SOULS’ DAY, 2025 – HOMILY BY BISHOP JOHN K. LOUIS
Theme: Christ, Our Hope: In Life and in Death
Readings: Wisdom 3:1-9/ Romans 5:5-11/ John 6:37-40
Introduction
Beloved in Christ, I wish to begin by congratulating you all on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of your church, Divine Mercy Church. Your anniversary is happily climaxed in the Jubilee Year of the Universal Church and on a special day when the whole Church commemorates all the faithful departed.
Hope is a keyword in the theme of the Jubilee Year. Hope is also the vehicle conveying the faithful departed to Heaven. This hope, according to today’s second reading, “does not disappoint us” (Rom. 5:5). And Christ is this hope. He was the hope of the pioneers of Divine Mercy Church, and He should remain the hope of the future of this church community.
Hence, I have chosen the theme: “Christ, Our Hope: In Life and in Death”.
- Hope that Disappoints Us
Anything that is created, including humans, can disappoint us. This is because creatures are mortal and changeable. So, Scripture admonishes us:
“Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish” (Psalm 146:3-4).
We should also not put trust in material wealth:
“Put no confidence in extortion,
and set no vain hopes on robbery;
if riches increase, do not set your heart on them” (Psalm 62:10).
In whom then should we hope?
- Hope that Does Not Disappoint Us
Our hope should be in the One we can absolutely trust, because He is eternal and ever faithful. So, in whom have we placed our trust? In Jesus: “Jesus, I trust in You!” He is our Hope (cf. 1 Tim. 1:1). Indeed, He is the “Hope [that] does not disappoint us” (Rom. 5:5). He who so loved us that He left the heavenly glory to save us; He who lovingly embraced shameful death on the cross for our sake; He who died for us, while we were enemies of God cannot not disappoint us (cf. Rom. 5:6-10).
- Hope for the Faithful Departed
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus assures us: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away… and I will raise them up on the last day” (John 6:37,40). This a message of great hope – that in Jesus, death is not the end, but the beginning of the eternal glorious life.
Jesus who was the hope of our departed brothers and sisters while they were alive on this earth, is their hope after death. It is because of His suffering, death and resurrection that “The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them” (Wis. 3:1). They are assured that in the almighty hand of God who is the captain of the “hope-craft”, they will certainly reach their heavenly destination.
And the more we pray for their souls, the faster the “hope-craft” moves to their desired destination. So, let us continue to pray and offer Holy Masses for them.
- Hope for Divine Mercy Church
The celebration of the 20th anniversary of your church community is an occasion to remember and appreciate the pioneers and all others have contributed to its growth. As we do so, we should be guided by an admonition of St. Paul to the Church in Corinth: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor. 3:6-7).
In this perspective, Christ who instilled hope in church growth in both the pioneers and other contributors in the past should be “our hope for years to come”. Let us continue to trust in Christ so as to grow in prayer, worship, fellowship, spirituality and charity. In addition, if we trust in Him, we can be hopeful for the completion of the church building project in good time.
- Hope for our Personal Journey
Christ is the hope not only for the departed souls and your church community, but also for each of us in our spiritual journey. Remember the story of the two disciples who were going from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the day of the Lord’s resurrection (cf. Luke 24:13-35). They were disappointed that Christ had been crucified and they had lost hope. However, when they realized that man whom they initially thought was a stranger was actually the Risen Lord, their hope was rekindled. So, they joyfully returned to Jerusalem that very night to announce the good news to the other disciples.
Similarly, let us embrace Christ as our living and sure hope, as we journey through the uncertainties and challenges of life. He will eventually bring us safely to the heavenly Jerusalem.
Conclusion
Christ is the hope of our departed brothers and sisters.
Christ is the hope of Divine Mercy Church.
Individually, Christ is our hope now, at the hour of our death and afterwards.
Finally, may Christ our hope energize us to complete the church building and dedicate it to the glory of God by our 25th anniversary.
Once again, congratulations!
