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
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