THE ANTIDOTE FOR WORRY

HOMILY FOR THE 8TH SUNDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR, A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

Worry is a killer of happiness. It disturbs the peace of mind of someone. In worry, there is distress and mental agitation. The one that worries too much is even incapable of taking decisions concerning him/her. When the mind is inflicted by worry, the body is rendered so weak and incapable of rational human action. Worry causes illness, prolongs it and can even cause death. Worry hampers our right relationship with God in such manner that the one who worries thinks less of God and more of Him/herself. The one disregards the glory that is due to God and focus more on the problems of life which do not last. The one who worries too much is selfish. Does that sound harsh? Of course, yes, it does. When you worry, you grow selfish as if to say you are the only person carrying overweight. Only if every one of us can open his/her mouth and narrate our troubles and travails, you will grow humble and worry less about your problems. Those problems cannot last. They come and go. When you worry, you give those problems more longevity and strength to attack you the more. When you worry so much, you give those challenging times opportunities to overpower you. I tell you; what the problems of life do is to make us stronger and not weaker. When you allow worry to accompany your problems and prospects, you grow even much weaker that you become incapacitated of solving or achieving them. With these words, I welcome you to our weekly soul food, where we encounter the Lord in his words.
What is it that you worry about? Jesus is asking you this question today. The Gospel (Matt 6:24-34) today re-echoes the message of the First Reading (Isaiah 49:14-15) which is an invitation to quit worrying. The First Reading gives compared the personality of God to a mother. This passage in the oracle of Isaiah talks about the restoration of Zion. Here, Zion is consoled. What type of animal is Zion? Zion is Jerusalem which signifies the place where Yahweh chose for his dwelling place. Zion is His Holy mountain upon which He has set His king (cf. Ps. 2:6). The restoration of Zion or of Jerusalem is a vital messianic conception and a work of the fidelity of Yahweh. It is the source of revelation to the world, the centre of worship to which all nations must resort.
Thus, the consolation of Zion which is the work of Yahweh is a restoration of the initial joy that followed the inauguration of the worship of God in Zion. Zion gets a reassurance. Yahweh asks her: can a mother forget her infant and be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Surely, this is rare, but even if it happens, the Lord cannot forget his children. Zion gets the reassurance that the Lord cannot forsake her in her troubles. That is the same assurance that I give you today. The Lord cannot forsake you in your troubles. When you are being maimed, slandered, and punished by others who desire your downfall, the word of the Lord reminds us that if those people do not change of their ways, the Lord God will make them to eat their own flesh (Isaiah 49:26). If so, why worry? The Lord is there to fight for you.
The Lord will not only fight for you; he will also provide for you. In the Gospel, Jesus crowns it all with this idea of provision. Here, the personality of God is compared to a Father who works and tries very hard to provide the needs of his children. We are bothered so much about what to eat, drink, and wear to the extent that we tend to forget the kingdom of heaven. Inferior creatures that do not have much to eat or drink or wear still survive and are sustained by God. What more of humans who are the image of God? Jesus makes us to understand that worries and anxieties can lead us to materialism and a neglect of God. Too much worry leads to a service of two masters. You want to serve God but you are so worried about that your business or academics that even when you come to the church, you keep thinking about them and distracting yourself with them.
Why anxious about your life? Remember, if God has given you life and thereupon gives you the body to help sustain life, you must trust him that He will provide everything necessary to support life. God owns our lives and provides for us. Worrying is baseless anyway since we cannot even add anything to our span here on earth.
Is there any problem greater than Jesus? Worry is essentially a distrust of God. Such distrust should not be tolerated in the life of a Christian who does not believe in a capricious and unpredictable god. A Christian has learnt to call God by the name Father; and this means we are his children and he is filled with love for us. Jesus advances two ways that serve as antidotes to worry. The first is to seek first the kingdom of God.  To concentrate on the doing of God’s will is the way to defeat worry. Imagine how you feel when you find love in your neighbour, and this love drives out all other bad experiences. You are joyful. So, Jesus teaches that worry can be banished when God becomes the dominating power of our lives. Thus, the sole cure for worry is joy in the Lord. St. Paul in his Letter to the Philippians insisted that we must rejoice. Never be anxious over anything, but let your request be made to God by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving (Phil. 4:4.6).
The second is to learn to live one day at a time. If each day is lived as it comes, if each task is done as it appears, then the sum of all the days is bound to be good. Jesus advices us to handle the demands of each as it comes, without worrying about the unknown future, and things which may never happen. We should not worry even when people ridicule us for righteousness sake. The life of Paul in the Second Reading (2 Cor. 4:1-5) gives us a clue. Paul was not worried about what people say or think of him. He placed his whole trust in God. Actually, when you do not allow your circumstance to make you worry, you become better. When you pray to God to reduce or annihilate any harsh circumstance, the circumstance may not after all be better, but you are sure to be better.
One way of solving worry is sharing. Sharing our worries with one another makes us realize that we are not alone. It makes us think of what the other person suffers and carries which may weigh heavier that yours. But worrying about the future is blind since no one sees the future. Another is to believe that they have not come to be permanent. A circumstance can make one absolutely serene and another worried to death. This implies that both worry and serenity come not from the circumstance but from the heart. Another is to smile at your challenges. Where others see a stumbling block, you see a stepping stone. Where others see a wall, you see a war to combat. Where others see obstacle, you tackle. Where others see themselves as victims of circumstances, you see yourself as a future victor. Where people see sorrow, you see glory. Where people lament over discouraging situation, you are thankful over the opportunity to become a hero. I wish you a worry-free week ahead. Happy Sunday and God bless you.

WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN TO BE HOLY?

HOMILY FOR THE 7TH SUNDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR, A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

A woman was well known and regarded to be holy. She attended her daily masses, assisted in cleaning the church premises, and prayed her rosary. She was so pious that any day she is absent from the morning mass, everyone will notice her absence due to the fact that she was the one that would seat in the front row of the church, directing the rosary and leading in the liturgical songs. She was indeed pious. And I must say that these acts are good. But this woman had a problem. She hardly forgave. If you dare stepped on her toes mistakenly, the type of gaze she would give you would make you want to run. She believed and stressed so much that everyone has to pay for any wrong doing. She would tell anybody at any slightest provocation that he/she will pay direly. This mentality grew in her so much that she lost her good pious qualities for which she was known. People then saw her as self-righteous and as someone who retaliates without consideration.
The First Reading (Lev. 19:1-2.17-18) and the Gospel (Matt. 4:38-48) have a sentence in common, and that is the call for holiness/perfection. This call is the beginning and the end of today’s readings, and so we can comfortably allude that the three readings are enshrouded by this call. And since this is true, the message in the readings would necessary point to the way towards perfection or holiness. The First Sentence reads: ...You shall be holy for the Lord your God am holy. The Last Sentence reads: You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. So, this forms an inclusio. An Inclusio in Biblical Exegesis is a literary device used by some hagiographers to showcase a particular theme and to transmit a particular lesson. I repeat; every other thing the readings of today say must be linked to the way and manner of making it towards holiness.
These readings contain the Dos and the Donts of how to be holy. The First clearly exposes the DONTs: 1. You shall not hate your brother in the heart... 2. You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge... The DOs immediately serve as antidotes against the DONTs. 1. But you shall reason with your neighbour lest you bear sin against him. This is the way to crush hatred. 2. But you shall love your neighbour as yourself. This is the way to crush the spirit of vengeance and grudge. The implication of all these resides in the fact that if anyone wants to be holy, he/she must start with the purification of intention. You must crush the spirits of grudge, vengeance and hatred, for these vice militate strongly against our search for holiness. If these vices are found in anyone, he/she can hardly be called holy.
Jesus widened it all the more in the Gospel. In Exodus 21:23-25, the law stated: if anyone harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. This is the law known as Lex talionis. Christ went back to the reason for which the law was made, and that reason is to avoid harm, vengeance, and war. I must say that the lex talionis had the intention of limiting violence and vengeance. It does not promote someone taking the law into his/her hands. It dictates that the court of law gives every punishment and penalty (Deut. 19:18). Jesus provided another interpretation to this law. Instead of averting vengeance through the law of deterrent, He exhorts us to avert vengeance through the law of love. It is only the law of love that can serve as an antidote to vengeance and serve as a way towards holiness.
Holiness/Perfection is a way of life, whereby a person continually makes sincere efforts to live a pious life, and not stopping at it, but goes beyond it to include a life lived for others in love. This life of love has many manifestations. 1. Ability to forgive and not to retaliate. 2. Ability to sacrifice and help those in need. 3. Ability to pray for your enemies and never to wish them evil 4. Ability to do good to all regardless of the person’s ethnicity, race or tribe. If you do all these, then you would resemble your heavenly Father who is God of love, mercy and justice. But I ask, How can we make it to this stage of perfection and holiness in a world of sin, hatred and war? Is it really possible?
Some persons who may be saying that holiness/perfection is not realizable in our age should be taught a lesson from the lives of Theresa of Calcutta and of Blessed John Paul II, those who lived among us few years back. In an age when holiness is trampled upon by people and the virtues of sincerity and honesty are disregarded, there comes a pattern of life that is set before the people of God to follow. This pattern of life encompasses all these values which seem to have been forgotten by people. Yes, holiness is achievable. However, human nature cannot achieve perfection unless the grace of God acts on her. There is the need for the grace of God to continue to make perfect that which is already good in us, and to shave off that which is not good in us, so that we may as time progresses move from being good to being very good of which at this level God implants in us his grace which will bring about the perfection needed for our salvation.
Many people in our age may regard those who live this life of sincere love according to the teaching of Jesus the Christ as fools. But I tell you; they are no fools but are the wise. Wisdom is not in the acquisition of worldly powers, wealth and knowledge, but lies in the acquisition of divine powers, spirituality and knowledge. For others, we are foolish; but for us, we know what we are searching for. We have seen and believed that wisdom lies in the keeping of God’s commandments. The Second Reading (1 Cor. 3:16-23) challenges all of us: if any one among you think that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may be wise. For the wisdom of God is folly in this world. To be wise is to reside in God, to do His will and to love our neighbours. To be foolish is to ridicule the efforts of those who actually make sincere efforts to be holy with their pious life and their daily life in the society.
Going back to our lead story, the woman, truly may be making assiduous effort to be pious. She needs only to eschew from herself the spirit of vengeance and retaliation. Pious life is good, but we need to be human first. Being human is a way of realizing our being holy. It is the whole teaching of the Bible that we realize our humanity; that way we become holy. The one thing which makes us like God is the love which never ceases to care for men, no matter what men do to it. When we learn to forgive as God does, and to love as God does, we realize our humanity, and so can we enter upon Christian perfection. I pray that God gives all of us the grace to be human first so as to be holy. I wish you a splendid week ahead. God bless you

EMBRACE THE CROSS FOR YOUR RACE!!!

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

DISPOSITION
Suffering perfects the Christian. Ellie Wiesel was a survivor of the dreaded Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz during the Second World War. He wrote of his experiences in the book The Night. In that book, he relates the harrowing story of two Jewish men and a Jewish boy hung alongside one another. Having mounted the stairs, the two adults cried: Long live liberty. But the boy was silent. Behind Wiesel someone desperately asked “where is God? Where is He? The chairs the victims were standing on were kicked out from under them and the three hung there. The adults died quickly, but the boy’s weight was not great enough to snap his neck immediately. For more than half an hour he hung there, dying in slow agony before their eyes. Again, Wiesel heard the question, where is God now? And standing there Wiesel heard a voice within himself answer: where is he? Here he is. He is hanging here on this gallows. When Wiesel said it was God hanging on the gallows, he indicated the death of his faith. For Wiesel, his faith in God died with that hanging child. But I tell you that it is in what the human eyes perceive as suffering that we are perfected as Christians. Yes, indeed am encouraged on remembering the words of the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews 2:10: For it was fitting that He for whom and by whom all things exist in bringing many people to glory should make the founder (Jesus) of their salvation perfect through suffering. If only we engraft that which we see as suffering to that of Christ, we can find absolute equanimity. In the cross of Christ and suffering with Him, we gain our true crown and glory. Seeking for earthly pleasure and comfort outside God and his commandment can only land us to rebelliousness.

EXPOSITION
This rebelliousness is clearly seen in the First Reading (Gen 11:1-9). The land of Shinar (a name used also of Babylon, cf. Gen 10:10), which is the multiplied descendants of Noah came together to build a great city and tower in rebellion against God’s command in Gen 9:1 to spread out over all the earth. The heart and the materials used for the tower of Babel show that it was not only disobedient to God’s command to fill the earth.  It also shows man did not believe God’s promise to never again flood the earth. Using baked bricks and asphalt for mortar, men desired to erect a structure that will be both strong and waterproof. Remember, Noah had used the same material in Gen 6:14 in waterproofing the ark. Hence, a waterproof tower was made to protect man against a future deluge. As men were planning to do these, God was also planning to neutralize their actions so that his will for man may be actualized; that is, filling the earth. Thus, the Lord confused their one language, and confusion had to set in which made them to scatter over the face of the earth. Yahweh’s intervention is a punishment for their pride and a guarding against any future massed assault on divine sovereignty.
In fact, the whole account of what happened at Babel with its anti-God dictator, its organized rebellion against God, and its direct distrust of God’s promise shows that humans have not got any further since the flood. Time, progress, development, organization may have made mankind better off, but not better. God in his infinite mercy and zeal would continue to make man better. He will start as He always starts, with a man who will do his will even if he does not do it perfectly. He started with Abram of the Ur of the Chaldeans, through Isaac, Jacob, the Judges, the Kings (in particular, David), the prophets till the Messiah Himself, Jesus the Christ who came to do the will of the Father and did it perfectly too. These were the people the Lord chose to be his own, and blessed are such people (cf. Psalm 33:12). Of course, there is no gain saying that this messiah who came to do in the most perfect way the will of God must also bring about a mental revolution in our worship relationship with God. He has to teach men the perfect way of claiming relationship with God and avoiding rebelliousness against Him. And according to our Gospel today, this very perfect way is the way of the cross (via Crucis).

In the Gospel (Mark 8:34-9:1), we are marvelled at the boldness and confidence with which Jesus spoke, departing from his regular parabolic style. He did this so that there could be no possibility of misunderstanding him. If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  In this sentence are three conditions of coming after Jesus (οπισω μου ελθιεν): 1. Self-denial (απαρνησασθω): This is not just a denial of oneself from pleasure, but a disowning of oneself, in such manner that the person believes and lives it out that God is his owner and not himself.  2. Taking up the cross (άρατω τον σταυρον αυτου): The cross here is strictly the transverse beam (not plank) placed at the top of the vertical part. Each criminal carried his own cross and moved towards crucifixion. So, everyone is expected to carry his own cross, not the cross of another 3. Followership (άκολουθειτω): This is not simply to follow from behind, the preposition used in Mark 1:17 and 8:34 (οπίσω) denoting to come after. This means to accompany side by side, an accompaniment in which the persons interact verbally with one other (άκολουθειτω, having the same root as άκουω, I listen). Hence, the bearer of the cross must walk side by side with Jesus conversing with Him as a friend. It is in that conversation that he can find energy and courage to continue. With Jesus, our crosses become much lighter. He even exhorts us to come to Him all those who are overburdened that He will give us rest (Mtt. 11:28). Many of us may have our crosses, but the question remains: are we walking with Jesus?

Jesus placed much emphasis on this. The English translation played down on this emphasis. This is much more evident if we render these three implications in Greek: απαρνησασθω εαντον, και άρατω τον σταυρον αυτου, και άκολουθειτω μοι. I translate: let him deny himself, and let him take up his cross, and let him follow me. In our study of the figures of speech, this is what is called an anaphora; that is the usage of a specific word or clause at the beginning of each sentence to demonstrate serious concern, to evoke sentiments and to lay emphasis on the concern. The statement is of great concern to Jesus and he used it to evoke the sentiments of his listeners for an experiential understanding.

One can imagine the disappointments that covered the faces of the apostles as Jesus was uttering these words. Their zeal for followership may have been punctured. However, this web of disappointment and confusion would be cleared and this zeal perennially rejuvenated on the day of Pentecost when a reversal of the experience at Babel would take place. Humanity was gathered again and understood one another, as against when humanity was scattered and confused one another. It was on this day that Peter preached. This sermon became a proof that the apostles had finally understood the role of their master Jesus, the Messiah who must embrace the way of the cross: Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified (Acts 2:36). They had now realized and recognized the actual demand of discipleship to Jesus the Christ.

PROPOSITION
The very first awareness that must be drawn to every Christian is that the identity of the Christian is the identity of the cross. Following and knowing Christ entails passing through the cross of suffering; and sticking out our necks to be tortured for the sake of Christ. ♫♫ Anyi ga-amara ya; eh, anyi ga amara ya. Ihe anyi ga eji mara ya, site na apa ahu di n’ukwu na aka ya ♫♫ That is the demand of discipleship. Christianity without the cross is mundanity. If there is no cross, there will not be any crown. Christ suffered and then entered into the glory of the Father. We must be encouraged whenever we face trials or disappointments for the sake of Christ, whether as a formator or a priest or a seminarian by the words of Romans 8:17: provided that we suffer with Him, we may also be glorified with Him. The problem today is that many Christians do not want to hear about suffering for the sake of Christ as part of the gospel message. Worse still, many preachers have toed the line of only prosperity message (a cross-less Christianity) in their preaching. This is the situation today, and every authentic Christian must swim against such current. Accept the suffering that may come your way and pray God to transform that suffering into glory. A cross-less Christianity is a Christ-less Christianity. In the cross of Christ is salvation (In crucis Christi salus es). Make effort to understand the cross from the perspective of these four centres of gravity:

The cross mathematically presents itself in the form of a plus sign; that means an addition. If you hold firm to the cross, many divine favours are added to your Christian life. Grace becomes your daily companion.

The cross when horizontally held like a gun becomes a weapon to combat the devil and sin. And ever since the most holy body of Jesus was nailed on the cross, the crucifix became the sign of victory.

The cross has two lines; one pointing towards God, and the other pointing towards men. Holding firm to the cross places you on a happy relationship with God and with man.

The cross has four cardinal points, East, West, North and the South. And geographically speaking, no global space is beyond these cardinal points. It is in the cross that we discover the world in its entirety. And so, while others try to discover the world in superficiality and mundanity, we are bent on discovering the world in its spirituality and divinity.

a) To my classmate Priests
Most beloved classmates and brother priests, for the Priest to become a credible herald, witness, demonstrator and messenger in the service of Jesus the Christ whose another we are and represent, then he must carefully and constantly repeat and live the identity of Jesus not only to the world or others, but also to himself. The Priestly identity depends totally on its remaining faithful to the identity of the cross of Jesus the Christ.

The cross of Christ is CENTRAL to the Christian faith. The Priest should maintain this centrality of the cross in his preaching, and should never attract to himself the glory due to God. You must not give the impression that the people’s decision is for you, rather than for God, or that the faithful exists for you, rather than you for the faithful. If you fail to do this, then you will grow tired and weak and will have no future. But if you do this conscientiously, you can survive and be strengthened by God.

The cross of Christ is REDEMPTIVE. Through the cross God showed His omnipotence. The priest must put his whole trust in God, and not in himself, knowing that only God redeems and ransoms. If you fail to do this, you are bound to failure and destruction because of the lack of unselfish and trusting faith in God’s decisive action. But if you adhere to this, you will be able to gather people together, for strength will be given to your humility and confidence. And so can you redeem and change the world.

In the cross of Christ is a radical OBEDIENCE. The priest must turn away from worldly message and desires in metanoia and accept any condition he finds himself, so that he can turn to the world in a spirit of kenosis. You must not shy away from the world in a purported spirit of asceticism, but must live in the everyday world, inspired by the radical obedience of love towards God’s will. If you tend to forget to whom your obedience is due, trying to play the master, then you must end up enslaving and enchaining yourself. But if you do all expected of you in total obedience to God, you will totally become free; free in imitating the service of Christ, the service of God by which you can truly serve men.

In the cross of Christ is SERVICE. The Priest should never, whatever the circumstance may be present himself as an earthly king or governor; knowing well that the kingdom of Jesus the Christ is not of this world (cf. Luke 18:36). Your role must be a spiritual diakonia. You must perform your ministry in the guise of a servant, the service of God as a service to men, the service of men as a service to God.  If you fail to do this, then you lose your dignity and rank and the very justification of your existence. But if you do this without pump and majesty, you will find in your significance your true greatness, which is in the cross of Christ, for only in losing your life can you regain it.

The cross of Christ is SAVING. It is a saving event for sinners. The priest should never behave as if he is a menacing, intimidating person devoted to preaching doom and inculcating fear, but should preach the message of salvation, the joyful good news, and the message of peace. Remembering the very words of Christ that it is the sick that needs the doctor (cf. Mtt. 9:12-13), you exist for the sinners and the godless men, not for the righteous, and hence must forgive, heal and save. If you fail to recognise that you are a sinful man and exists for sinful men, then you must grow hardhearted, self-righteous and without compassion, deserving neither the mercy of God nor the confidence of men. But if you recognize and do this, you will have the grace of holiness and righteousness.

b) To the Seminarians
I would not know the type of crosses that you may be carrying; family crises, financial crisis, academic burdens, immoral entanglements. There are crosses you carry as a result of the formation process. Some crosses are necessary to be carried; those ones are the crosses we carry for the sake of Christ. Do not be so quick to ask God to remove those crosses for you because they may actually be the ladder to climb over some obstacles in the future. That reminds me of the story of the three persons who were carrying their crosses. One of them continually begged God three good times to reduce the weight of the cross for him by cutting off some parts of the wood. The Lord did it for him. But there came a point where there was a rift valley. The two other persons that were also carrying theirs without begging for its reduction had to slide theirs to cross over. But the third person discovered that his cross has been so shortened that it was unable to become a ladder for him, and so he was stranded. Some problems you face now are only preparation for your prospects. An author, Robert Schuller wrote a book and captioned it: Tough times never last but tough people do.  That tough time you experience now will never last, but if you are tough you will last. To give you the dexterity and courage you need to carry your cross of Christ, remember the words of the Psalmist in 126:6, those who are sowing in tears will sing when they reap. They go out full of tears carrying seeds for the sowing; they come back full of songs carrying their sheaves.

However, some other crosses are not necessary. In fact, there may be certain experiences or worries that give you sleepless nights and that make you perturbed all the time which may cause you to pull long faces all the time in the Seminary. These experiences are only strangulating the smiles that your face must always radiate. They are killing your joy. Why not hand those worries over to Jesus? Brothers, try some form of smiling. Smiles help us to solve many problems. These worries can grow into trauma for you in the future, and will by then cause you into acting like a sheep instead of being a lion which you are meant to be. Come out of that fearful situation which you have consciously or unconsciously allowed to envelop your personality and to clamp down your identity. It does not matter the weight of the load you carry. What matters is the much time you carry it. If it is carried for more than expected, it becomes heavier irrespective of the fact that the weight remains unchanged. Learn to drop the weight as soon as possible. Be like Jesus.
You are like Jesus who was living in the womb of Mary. That is why no day passes without a seminarian reciting that powerful prayer: O Jesu vivens in Maria. You must not allow yourself to be aborted neither should you be so stubborn as to kick so hard the walls of the womb which is the Church our mother (by your unnecessary disobedience). You must be quiet, in perfect docility and plasticity feeding from the Church’s umbilical cord, and eagerly waiting for your moment of delivery.

You are like Jesus, the little boy who was the carpenter’s son. He was ever ready to learn from the father, gathering tools for him and doing some menial works. And so, you must be disposed to learn the art of carpentry so well as to be a good carpenter tomorrow. You must bend so low and make use of this period of learning to gather all the necessary virtues you may need for the priesthood.

You are like the boy Jesus found in the Temple. You must be happy to sit with the elders, listening to them and asking them questions (cf. Luke 2:46). Through this way, you show your zeal for the Catholic priesthood. All of you are here because the zeal for the father’s house overwhelms you. Just like Jesus, you are asking the society: do you not know that I must be in my father’s house?

You are like Jesus who went to the wedding at Cana with the mother. Even though he knew his time had not yet come, he still ordered that the jars be filled with water. Do not restrain from performing some tasks as a Christian under the guise that you are not yet ordained and has not been empowered for the ministry. Every Christian prays, so you too must pray. Every Christian preaches Christ, so you too must gather everything necessary for preaching and must preach if any occasion warrants it. We are in need of prayerful preachers.

Beloved seminarians, I pray you realize one thing at this stage. The logic of seminary life is not the logic of the priestly life. Do not spend your time in the Seminary gathering around yourself unnecessary enemies through the way you live your life and the way you carry out your functions. It is also humility on your part as an authority to realize that God perfects every good work, not you. You can talk and talk, dispense punishments, and expect to change those ones you see as bad seminarians. But I tell you, it is the work of the Holy Spirit. You must allow Paul to plant, and Appollos to water, and God to initiate the growth (1Cor 3:6). Thus, in the awareness that functions are temporary, do your function with the greatest sense of humility couched in responsibility without being frivolous and too rigid.

c) To the Formators
You too, dear Fathers have your crosses. Do not be discouraged by your accommodation which in our eyes may not be luxurious, but be encouraged and strengthened by that identity of Christ who has nowhere to lay his head, even when foxes have holes and birds have nests. Do not be discouraged by the paucity of financial income you make here, but be encouraged by Jesus who emptied Himself to the point of accepting death. These are ways of embracing your cross for your race. Do not be discouraged when after many number of years of teaching and no academic award or title is given to you, but be encouraged by the words of Jesus who said that my kingdom is not of this world. Do not be discouraged when you are criticized and destroyed for the sincere teachings you give and the efforts you make, but be encouraged by the life of your master Jesus the Great Teacher, who was maimed and killed for his teaching and lifestyle which in the minds of the Jews were blasphemous and heterodox. Do not be discouraged when your teaching is not understood the way you want it. You must think like Jesus, who told the apostles that he has a lot to tell them but they will be too much for them (cf. Jn 16:12), trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit to lead them to the fullness of the truth (Jn 14:26). Hence, you must trust that the grace of ordination will lead the Seminarians to the fullness of the truth. These are ways of embracing the cross of Christ.

You are like Jesus, the great master and teacher (rabboni). He explained everything to his disciples even when others remained confused about his teachings. He exhibited such endurance and zeal in his many parables and teaching to make the followers understand what the kingdom of God is like and why they need to bear their cross. And so, you too ought to exhibit such endurance and zeal in your teachings knowing that sometimes, there is need for further explanations.

You must also respond happily like Jesus who was approached by the apostles to be taught to pray (cf. Luke 11:1). Your work extends to teaching our delicate seminarians how to pray, when to pray and where to pray. Jesus not only taught them to pray but was found regularly praying alone.

I want to beg you for something. Do not lay heavy burdens on these delicate Seminarians. Do not also stand as a subject of tension for them. Be mindful of what you say, how you say it, and to whom you say it. Some may easily be threatened by the words you have uttered and that you take to be jokes. Try to be an icon of encouragement and equanimity, not an icon of stress and tension. Tension can kill. It aggravates illness and reduces chances of speedy recovery. Instead, provide palliative care which can help in reducing tension and ensuring quick recovery.

REPOSITION
Do you know you can assist your neighbour in carrying the cross, just as Joseph of Arimathea assisted Jesus? Listen to this story. A young man was once making a presentation in his class and in fact, it was his first time. While he was making the presentation, the professor handling the class noticed that he was holding his paper in the left hand while the right hand was loosely tucked inside his pocket. The professor saw this as an offensive sign of pride and instantly asked him to use his right hand or end the presentation. It was at this point that the young man raised the right arm that was inside his pocket and everyone saw that a quarter of it was cut off and that was obviously an accident. The professor seeing this came to the boy, and knelt down in the full gaze of the class and begged to be forgiven for mistaking his disability for pride. The scenario brought out tears from the eyes of many who were present. Dear friends, do not be so fast to condemn the other person from seeing something from your own perspective. Be patient to discover why that person be it your fellow seminarian, your room mate, your Parish Priest, your co-formator or even your worker act the way he/she acts. From today, we shall not be so quick to condemn that formator who in our eyes is not doing well. From today, we shall not be so quick to condemn a seminarian who in the eyes of all has done something so wrong. From today, we shall be patient enough to tell anyone who is erring to use his right arm. From today, we shall develop a discernment strategy to see pride where it is and to see disability where it is. From today, when we discover our mistake, we must be ready to go down on our knees asking for pardon for mistaking someone’s disability for pride. That simple apology heals. It raises the self esteem. It unites. It engenders love. It makes us human. We become Christ-like.

May the Soul of Rev. Mr. Jude Okechukwu Nwoye continue to rest in the Lord. Amen.

As we embrace our crosses for our race, may He, Jesus the Christ be felt in our Seminary, in the lives of our Formators, in the lives of our seminarians, and in the lives of all those who work for the good of this place. Amen. God bless you all.

Homily presented at the Seat of Wisdom Seminary Owerri, during the Tu Es Visit of the 2014/2015 set of Theology Graduates, this day, the 17th of February, 2017

MAKING A LEAP OUT OF ANCESTRAL CAPTIVITY

HOMILY FOR THE 6^TH SUNDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR, A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

It was always the case that many believe so much in the old good days and in the old good dictates, old good cultures, old good meals, old good mode of worship, old good culture of respect, old good community spirit, old good festivals and festivities, etc. I ask you: do you also believe in the old good system of transportation, old good fashion/dress code, old good human sacrifices, old good inter-village wars, old good system of communication, old good ancestral worship and curses, old good habitation/shelter, etc? Already, I can imagine where your mind is heading to having read these few lines with which we have started. Many times, we are so conservative that we lose focus of the good that is coming with an imminent novelty. We are so tied to the old ways of doing things that our eyes are blocked from seeing things in a new and different perspective. Yes, the old is good; no one doubts that. But the new can also be better. Give the new its chance to prove its goodness and so you can weigh it with the old. By so doing, you will not be captivated by the only way your ancestors said and did it.

An old man was so conservative that whenever he comes to Church, he does not worship but complains. He grew up when the early missionaries were still around. He enjoyed the Latin and the sober way of worship. The priest backs the people of God. There was no musical instrument. No dancing in the Church during offertory. Every now and then, he would always recline to the old pattern and question: why must today’s worship not be celebrated according to how Fr. Kettle did it? He kept on complaining to almost every priest he met. One day, he met me and presented his complaints. I began my answer to him with a simple question: And why must today’s worship not be celebrated under a mango tree or udara tree with children putting on pants and appearing bemused? One can imagine the discouragement that was shone on his face as he looked frustrated. That was not what he expected from me, I sensed. However, he has lost the sight of the moving with the signs of time because he was an extreme conservative which led him to pay deaf ears to the good new ways.

The Gospel of today (Matt. 5:17-37)which is a very long one can be understood as a unit only if we realize that Christ was releasing new teachings that actually was not meant to destroy the old, but was meant to make the old relevant and understood more by his contemporaries. People were already thinking that this man’s teaching was against what their ancestors believed, taught and lived. They thought he had come to abolish the law and the prophets, and then inaugurate his own totally new teachings that would annihilate the old. Jesus corrects this impression. He unequivocally stated: do not think that I have come to abolish the law and the Prophets. I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. He immediately exalted the importance of law. Law makes for order and peace. And anyone who works sincerely to create such order and peace is considered great in heaven. But we must have to go beyond the letters of the law. There is also the spirit of the law. Christ meticulously distinguished between the letters of the law and the spirit.

1. It was said to the men of old: you will not kill... (letter, v.21). I now say to you: anyone who is angry with his brother is liable to judgment... (spirit; vv. 22-26). This warns us against anger which is a capital sin that can lead us to murder. In this way, we go beyond the sin of murder to quench its cause and make a leap out of ancestral limitation to the sense of peace and order.

2. You have heard that it was said: do not commit adultery (letter; v.27). I now say to you: everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart... (spirit; vv. 28-30). This warns us against the sin of lust which is a capital sin that can lead us to adultery and fornication. In this way, we go beyond the sin of adultery and fornication to quench its cause which is impure thought, and so make a leap out of the ancestral limitation to the sense of love and community spirit.

3. Again, you have heard that it was said to the men of old: you shall not swear falsely... (letter; v.33). I now say to you: do not swear at all... (spirit; vv. 34-37). This warns us against the capital sin of pride which leads to the sin of lies, dishonesty and insincerity. In this way, we go beyond these sins to quench their cause, and so make a leap out of the ancestral limitation to the sense of truthfulness, honesty and sincerity.

It is in such a leap that we are declared blessed having walked according to the letters and the spirit of the law (cf. Ps. 119:1b). The First Reading (Sirach 15:15-20) exhorts us to keep the commandments for our salvation. Going beyond the letters of the law proves our trust in God. This new standard kills all pride, and forces us to Jesus Christ who alone can enable us to rise to that standard which he himself has set before us. Rising above old standards towards the new is a leap out of the captivity the old has put us.

What is that old way of living that is so hard for you to drop? What is that sin that has presented itself as a nagging issue in your life that it has become your way? Romans 7:6 makes us to understand that the new way has released us from the law having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not only the old written code but in the new life of the spirit. You must allow yourself to be liberated from this captive, for it was for your sake that Jesus came to proclaim liberty to the captives (Luke 4:16).

Do not believe that the old practices of your ancestors are affecting you negatively today. It starts from the mind. Even if such a practice was done, there is power that has destroyed the power and the influence of such in your life as a Christian. That is the power of baptism by which we are adopted as sons and daughters of Christ, cleansed from all sins, but original and actual, and engrafts us as members of the body of Christ, the Church. If you are member of Christ’s body, no power on earth can pull you out because the God of Jesus Christ is the omnipotent God.

Now, let us go personal and psychological. Most times, we are enslaved by our mode of thinking that we tend to lose sight of the perspective of the other person which we may consider immature. When we argue about a particular point with others, we tend to render superfluous the good points of the other since we are keen to forcefully insert our thought (which for us is the good and the better way) and make it accepted by the other person. If in case the other person shows signs of discomfort or rejection, we immediately pigeon-hole him/her as our enemy who has failed to understand with us. You, yourself, have you understood with the other person? My thought is not meant to abolish the thought of the other, but to embellish it. In that manner, we gain deeper understanding and better ways of saying and doing the same thing. Elders must take note of this. Your grey head does not mean that the youth cannot develop ideologies and systems that can develop your family, your business, your society and even your experience as an elder. Ancestral captivity strangulates novelty, trivializes sincere efforts, makes powerless the sense of positive thinking, and crumbles development. I pray we continually grow in our experience of God according to the signs of the time, while making a constant leap out of the old ways which tries to choke the new ways. I wish you this week a leap out of any ancestral captivity experienced in your life. Happy Sunday. God bless you.

LOVE AND SERVE AS SALT AND LIGHT

HOMILY FOR THE 5^TH SUNDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

 

A maid served in a household that was hostile to her. She does her work so perfectly well as to attract no punishments from the master and mistress. However, the more she made every effort to make them happy, the more they insulted her and mistreated her. She learnt to live with it and never gave up. Neighbours thought of her as stupid and worthless, for they kept saying within themselves that the girl has no home and so was unable to react by leaving the home because of their hostility to her. They even advised her to take an action, by allowing these childless couple to live on their own without anyone to assist them. The girl maintained a particular response: I derive joy in service, for I derive my worth from the service I render to others. When I stop serving, I stop living. It is in service that I show my greatest love to people. So even if my master and mistress show a disregard to the services I render, am pretty sure that am important to them. And my importance is rooted in my service.

Now, my dear, kindly scroll up once more and repeat the words of this young maid; but this time around do that as if you are making a pronouncement of the Christian faith. When you love to live, then you must live to love. Your love must be shown in your service. The Gospel (Mtt 5: 13-16) brings out this message by presenting two important elements to us: salt and light. He relates them to the Christian life and shows how his followers can combat the earthly challenges by becoming these elements to the people around.

Salt of the earth: Loving...

You are the salt of the earth. To understand how Christians should be the salt of the earth, we need to talk about the uses of salt, and why it should be applied to the Christian life. Salt has many usages.

The Salt purifies. It is an element for purity. In the rite of blessing of Holy Water, the salt is necessary. In the Old Testament, during the early days of the prophet Elisha, the prophet purified the waters of misfortune by the addition of salt (cf. 2Kings 2:19-22). The water was healed and purified. Salt is an agent of purification, and renders the impure water pure. The sea known as the Dead Sea has healing powers and in connection with this healing ability has the greatest content of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) which is salt. The Jewish sacrifice was also offered with salt to make sure that the sacrifice is purified of all impurity. Thus, the Christian as salt is a call to an example of purity.

Today, the world loves to lower standards and to trivialize morality at the excuse of human freedom. The world trivializes standards of honesty, sincerity, and truthfulness. The Christian must be the person to raise these standards and heal the world of this tendency. He/she must be ready to be an agent of purification in any place he/she finds him/herself, without being arrogant. No Christian should allow him/herself the joke of being present in a group that disregards godly virtues and moral standards. We must remain unstained from the world (James 1:27).

Salt is a preservative. It is used to keep things from decaying and undergoing putrefaction. It is used to keep things fresh; and thus preserves the matter (such as meat)from corruption. Hence, the Christian must work so hard to preserve humanity from decay and corruption. In life, the companies we keep matter a lot. Some companies prompt us easily towards goodness while some others prompt us easily towards evil. The Christian should not be so afraid to identify him/herself with those regarded as the corrupt people of the society, but must work to be the cleansing agent and must work to bring others out from corruption, thereby drawing them towards goodness.

Salt is a seasoning agent. Any food without salt is insipid. Christianity says Barclay, is to life what salt is to food. That means that Christianity must lend flavour to life. Think about a meal which has no salt. That is how life would have been if there is no Christianity. Therefore, as a Christian, the work is enormous for us to keep the world lively and flavoured. In situations where people express hopelessness, the Christian must be seen with a gleaming joy of life. He must console and comfort and become a source of joy to others in the society.

One word summarizes these qualities of the salt: love. The salt on its own may not be so important, but when added to the other, its importance manifests. Add salt to water, it becomes purified. Add salt to food, it becomes seasoned. Add salt to meat, it preserves it. So, a life for the other is the living out of our saltiness. No one can comfortably be the salt of the earth without living in love for the other person; and so, without helping to transform the society he/she lives. Can someone make an application of these to our country Nigeria? Yes, it is true that if Nigeria is getting darker and more corrupt, the blame may not actually be laid on the Government or the economy. Evil thrive when those who should speak are silent or are silenced. It is most probable that the Church is getting more worldly and corrupt that the centre can no longer hold water. In that case, one can then say that the salt has lost its taste. But, why? May we not be trampled upon.

The Light of the world: Serving..

Light illumines. Anything luminous is fashioned for visibility. No bother puts on the bulb light and thereupon covers it so that it does not give light. The only place in my history where I have experienced an apparent covering of light bulbs is in the seminary. During odd hours when the lights are expected to be put off, some seminarians who would like to study more makes their light bulbs in such a way that its visibility is concentrated at the particular space of their studies. But even at that, this is done not to block visibility totally, but to avert disturbance which the reflection may cause to the peace of the house when it is light-out. The point is that light dispels darkness. So, the Christian must be effortful to dispel the darkness in the world by the lights they manifest.

Light guides. Light makes clear the way. Think about a situation where you travel in your vehicle at night without putting on the head lamp. You will end up crashing. So, the Christian must with his life guide others, and show them the way towards heaven. It is the Christian that is meant to rise against bad governance, and take the lead in the streets for the emancipation of the people of God, rather than staying alone claiming that he is praying and fasting. There are many people who lack the courage to stand against evil. It is the duty of the Christian to stand and let others follow. We need to guide the people towards freedom, towards holiness and towards goodness whose sole source is God. The world needs us as guiding lights.

Light dazzles and burns. When combustion is needed, light is indispensable. The Christian must be ready to burn to ashes the devil and its cohorts. The Christian must dazzle the eyes of the world that glory in evil. They must make effort to destroy the plans of the devil and the dictates made by the advocates of the devil to lure people away from God. It is the Christian that must rise up against bad policies of the government, abuses against human right, and the denial of privileges.

All these features are meant for service to humanity. This is why the Christian as light of the world depicts a life of service. We must shine to dispel darkness. We must shine to guide. We must shine to dazzle and burn evil.

The emphasis on light is the emphasis on good works. To be salt and light of the world in love and service, let us go back to the First Reading (Isaiah 58:7-10). The Lord admonishes the Israelites to share their bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and homeless, clothe the naked. This is the life for anyone who wants to be just; and such a man is a light in darkness to the upright. When they do that, their light shall break forth like the dawn and their wounds are healed, their vindication shall be heard by God, the glory of the Lord becomes their rear guard, and the Lord will answer them. He will even make light to rise for them when they are overpowered by darkness. Listen, the benefits of being the light and salt of the earth is enormous. So, when as a Christian you make frantic effort to live out your identity, know you that the Lord can never leave you go unrewarded. With this in mind, join me and repeat the words of our first paragraph: I derive joy in service, for I derive my worth from the service I render to others. When I stop serving, I stop living. It is in service that I show my greatest love to people. So even if the world or my society (my master and mistress) show a disregard to the services I render, am pretty sure that am important to God (them). I wish you divine favours as we begin a New Week. God bless you.