YOU ARE A SAINT IF…

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

♫♫ When the saints are marching on, when the saints are marching on; Lord I want to be in the number; when the saints are marching on ♫♫.

WHO are the saints? There are at least four sequential meaning of the word saints: 1) all those who have been justified by the grace of Christ, whether they be living or dead; 2) those who, having been justified by Christ on earth, have entered into eternal life; 3) particular figures, especially biblical personages, who are examples of holiness; 4) those whom the Church, either through custom or formal canonization, has singled out as members of the church triumphant so that they may be commemorated in public worship (cf. McBrien R., Catholicism, p. 1109-1110). Today’s celebration focuses on the fourth level.

It is about these people that the First Reading (Revelation 7:2-4.9-14) speaks. The saints are those who have actually persevered in holiness while they were on earth; and as a result, God gives them his grace of perseverance in eternal life. Thus, those “whom God has regenerated and effectually called to a state of grace, can neither totally nor finally fall away from that state, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end and be eternally saved” (Berkhof L., Systematic Theology, p.545). Hence, they will be like God just as the Second Reading (1 John 3:1-3) says. These people come ‘from all tribes and peoples and tongues.’ The saints are countless, and would be gathered from every land. No land is excluded.

WHAT do they do? These saints stand before the throne and the lamb, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with loud voice ‘salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb’, ...and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying, ‘Amen, Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.’ That is their work: worshipping and praising God in their state of eternal happiness. In this perfect state, and being more united to Christ, the Lamb, they fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness and never cease to intercede with the Father for us. There is a fraternal concern; and it is in this that our weakness is helped (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.956)

WHERE do they stay? The saints are wherever God dwells. They are always before the throne and the Lamb. The question of ‘where’ may suggest a geographical location. This may bring about some puzzles in our minds as the search for a geographical location of God will tantamount to become a futile one. God dwells in heaven, and heaven is a state. Therefore, the question of where the saints are is the question as regards their status. Their status is purity. They have been made pure by God. God is purity himself, and anyone who hopes in Him he purifies (cf. 1John 3:3).

WHY are they called saints? These are those who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. They are called saints because they are pure and have made themselves pure through the lives they lived while on earth; a life of witnessing to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The whiteness of their robes is a signification of their victory, the victory gained from their love for purity.

HOW did they make it? They made it through the life of blessedness. They are those who have lived a blessed life; the life of the beatitudes, and hence have received their reward in heaven. The Gospel (Matt 5:1 -12a) dwells on this blessedness. The wordblessed which is used in each of the beatitudes is a very special word. It is the Greek makarios. Makarios is the word which best describes the gods. The saints are godlike. Makarios describes too that joy which has its secret within itself, that joy which is serene and untouchable, and self-contained, that joy which is completely independent of all the chances and changes of life.

Sainthood is a life of blessedness, where the saints sing continuously the hymn of unending joy. This hymn which they sing is a triumphant one which ascribes salvation to God. It is God who has brought them through their trials and tribulations, and it is his glory which now they share. God is the great deliverer of his people. The saints are those who have endured many kinds of trouble and distress, and yet remain erect in God all through them because of which they now share in His glory.

As pilgrim Church on earth, we must imitate these saints in these five-finger questions.

Thus, you are a saint if you struggle to live lives that can lead you into becoming canonizable saints in the Church through our perseverance in the virtues of Jesus Christ.

You are a saint if you while here on earth constantly and tirelessly sing and praise the Almighty God in adoration and perfect worship to him.

You are a saint if  you make assiduous effort to always be in the presence of God. We must be zealous to go the house of God, which is the place we can find living saints in great numbers. The condition for joining the community of saints there in heaven is that we must have been acquainted with the community of saints here on earth.

You are a saint if you endeavour to endure your crosses, carrying them and following the cross, knowing richly well that if there is no cross, there will be no crown.

You are a saint if you make effort to live the life of blessedness (poor in spirit, pure in heart, peacemakers, merciful, mournful, martyrs, etc), in the consciousness that such lifestyle catapults you into the highest form of happiness which is in God. That is when you have truly become a makarios. Then can makarios become our title. This I wish myself and you on this day as I abandon myself totally to the grace of God. I wish it to you even more. God bless you.

WE DIE TO LIVE, NOT TO PERISH

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS, 2018

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

We die not to perish but to live. The feast of All saints sounds a strong bell of the life-after. The saints are those who have been declared pure by God in heaven. Having made sincere efforts to be pure on earth, God grants them the supreme purity in heaven. Yes, we believe in the communion of the saints. It is a feast that reminds us that the Church is not limited to the pilgrim Church on earth. However, from the First Reading of today, we discover that the Feast reminds us of the need for identification. Identification is a major sign that denotes belongingness. Many, if not all of the human society have something with which her members are identified. Schools have badges, stamps, logo, motto, uniforms, etc. Companies have their trademarks. Countries have their flags and coat of arms. There are some images that imprint unto our mind the existence of a particular group or society. These signs, images, trademarks are seals that help to authenticate membership in these organization. Again, the seals are used to denote the visions and the mission of the said group.

The First Reading (Rev. 7:2-4, 9-14) talks about the greatest of all the seal, the seal of the heaven citizenry. Every great seal denotes membership. It reminds the members of their vision and it is an insignia for authentication. God will give the command. That command will be to delay the judgement of the great tribulation until all the saints are sealed. The seal here means the mark of possession/ownership, authority, power, protection and preservation. In ancient times, a king’s ring was his seal. He would stamp the mark of his ring on all official documents showing their possession, authority and power. This is certainly one of the meanings the seal in the first reading bears. In Genesis 41:42, Pharaoh took his ring and put it on Joseph’s hand as a sign of power and authority (cf. Also Esther 3:10, 8:2). In the case of Daniel, King Darius confirmed his proclamation after the divine liberty of Daniel from the den with his signet ring marked on the stone that was laid on the mouth of the den (Dan. 6:17).

The number of those marked with this seal in the book of Revelation is numbered 144, 000. How? The number, 144, 000 does not denote strictly a numerical populace for heaven. It denotes completeness and perfection, and not limitation. It is made up of 12 multiplied by 12 –the perfect square; and being rendered more inclusive and complete by being multiplied by 1,000. These numbers tells us that the number of those to be saved will be great, not small. In the New Testament, the Christian is sealed with the spirit of God; that is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guarantees that we belong to God. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is the seal that guarantees his/her acquittal in the face of the judgement of God. Having this seal is a sign of blessedness. It is God who has put his seal on us and given us his spirit in our hearts as a guarantee (2 Cor. 1:22).

In John’s vision in the First Reading, these men who have been marked with the greatest seal together with the angels praised God and sang to his honour. They have lived a life of blessedness while on earth (cf. The Gospel, Mathew 5: 10-12). But in what does the life of blessedness directed to? The beatitudes cover the glorious hope and reward the believer can expect now as well as in eternity. If you like, being declared eternally blessed entails being marked with the seal of life. Thus, the people that have been marked with the greatest seal means that they have come out from the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the lamb and thus have made them white.

The picture of robes made white by being washed in the blood of the lamb is paradoxical. This paradox can be a way of saying that this victory and purity were won in the power and at the cost of all Jesus did for men in his life and death. They are martyrs who gave up their lives for the sake of Christ. The clothing of all believers colours white, which stands for purity and perfection. When the Bible speaks about the blood of Jesus Christ, it speaks not only about death but also about his life. We die to live. The blood of Christ stands for all the redemptive acts of Christ in his life and deeds. The blood of Christ cleanses all sins (1 John 1:7) and redeems us (Ephesians 1:7).

The desire of every one of us is to be among these saints that are in white robes. It is the wish of every Christian. To be counted as one, we need to live the life of blessedness. It will be pitiable if our names are lost to Sheol in death after we have lived luxuriously on earth. We need to be in the great number of saints that are marching on and singing honourable hymns to our God. The feast of All Saints reminds all of us of our double citizenship and of the need to struggle that we become citizens of both. May we be reinvigorated for a life worthy of sainthood. Amen. Surely, everyone who entertains this hope must purify himself, and must try to be as pure as Christ (1John 3:1-3). God bless you and Happy Feast day.

“LORD, THAT WE MAY SEE!!!”

HOMILY FOR THE 30^TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

A particular boy in a remote village was always so afraid to venture alone in the dark hours of the night or even to stay alone in a dark place. He would always demand that someone else accompanied him with at least a torchlight to any location that made this fear vivid in him. One day, the mum called the boy to address his fears. It turned out that the reason the boy gave to the mum was that he feared the fact of groping alone in the dark so as not to stumble and get harmed by objects due to invisibility. This is the reason he gave even when a torchlight was readily available for him. The mother imagined, as so many of us can ridiculously imagine that he was under the influence of the folk-tales he has heard about harmful witches and wizards operating in the dark; this made him afraid. As he gave a reason based on the physical, the mother knew that the reason was beyond the physical; it was more psychological and spiritual. Well, without probing any further, the mother used the occasion to teach the young boy sympathy and empathy for the blind whose experience of the dark is almost enduring. If you feel this way in the dark, the mum told him, think then about what that our blind neighbour passes through everyday. That day, the boy developed more care for others, especially, the blind in the society. Yes, like the reason we get from the boy and the one we imagine as the mother imagined, physical darkness/blindness goes out to affect every little aspect of our being: spiritual, psychological, emotional, social, etc.

Whenever I come across the story in the Gospel of today (Mark 10:46-52) about the blind Bartimaeus, there is this passionate feeling that rises in me. This man was a blind beggar, who sat by the roadside to ask for money from people. It was so amazing that on this day, this man changed his prayer request. He asked for mercy, for healing, for restoration and reinstatement into the social life of his environment. He must have heard people talk about Jesus as a powerful man who emits healing to people, and knowing what exactly to ask from Jesus, he prayed well. This should ring a bell into our consciousness about how to make the proper request to Jesus. And when he insisted on shouting: Jesus, son of David, have mercy on him as people tried shutting him up, Jesus called him to himself. The same people that tried shutting him up alerted and encouraged him to go and answer to Jesus’ call. Would it not be necessary to ask whether we have shouted enough to the extent of making people try to shut us up? Have we pushed enough, even when others see us as social nuisance, in our struggle to get liberated out of darkness? Have we become stubborn enough to call on the light, rather than being comfortable living in darkness and groping in it?

This blind man was reported to have thrown off his cloak to run up to Jesus. He was fade up with his blind condition, and had even left anything that reminded him of it. And at the question of Jesus about what he needed, he, knowing exactly what he wanted was direct: Lord, that I may see. His sight was restored. This act is so similar to the prophesy of Jeremiah in the First Reading (Jer. 31:7-9). The Lord promises to deliver, bring back and gather his people, the blind and the lame as to make them strong again. There is a promise of consolation and guidance to those that weep. This is what Jesus did in the Gospel. That day, Bartimaeus was cured by his faith; that even when Jesus told him to go, after he regained his sight, he did not leave Jesus but instead followed him. He did not want to go back to that cloak or that condition that placed him in darkness. Having seen the light, why go back to darkness? And this is a question for us today. Why should we choose to remain in darkness even after we have seen the light, or even desire to go back to darkness when we see signs of the light?

Remember, as hinted above, Physical blindness goes beyond the physical. There are many societies in the world that can be likened as being blind, or better still, whose inhabitants grope in the dark. What can we call the scenario that a child is born into a family and the parents are unsure or not assured of the training of this child if not a grope in the dark? What can we call the scenario that a child grows up in a society, and the basic necessities of life: food, water, shelter, clothing, and education are not available for this child if not a grope in the dark? What can we call the scenario that a student tries his/her hardest to become the best academically in the school only to stay at home in an endless search for job if not a grope in the dark? What can we call the scenario when there is a mad rush to become an undergraduate and a graduate, and yet not being sure of jobs after the graduation if not a grope in the dark? What can we call the scenario when one works daily and at the end of the month, his/her wage is not enough to take care of the basic needs of life if not a grope in the dark? What can we call the scenario when during elections, the masses are induced to campaign for the exact set of people who through their bad governance have kept them in poverty for years if not a grope in the dark? All we can pray, dear Lord is to give every person the courage and temerity to shout out persistently unto you: Lord, that we may see!!!. It is the lord who gives sight to the blind (psalm 146:8). May our sight like that of Bartimaeus be restored. We are tired of this cloak of blindness.

The world at large today can also be viewed to have fallen into the description of the oracle of Isaiah 59:10: we grope like the blind along a wall, groping like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among the vigorous as though we were dead. The leaders of this human society on earth tend now to be groping through the streets like those who are blind (Lam. 4:14). There are various philosophies and ideologies which tend to guide the human society today. Many though are still rising. It appears that some persons desire to make their ideas to be followed by many, thereby neglecting the supreme idea of God. This inadvertently may lead us back to the state of nature of every one deciphering the way to lead his/her life. They may claim that no God exists; that the society should be how people living in it defines it, but now and again we come to discover that we are not really the landlords. We come and we go, and the world keeps moving. Yet, we claim to be owners; you see? Why don’t we call on God who asks us daily what we want from Him to help us clear this web of darkness from our eyes to embrace the basic principles upon which humanity was created? 

It is in fact pitiable that the world has so grown used to this darkness/blindness that we can better liken it to the Plato’s allegory of the cave. In this cave, prisoners unable to turn their heads see merely the shadows of creatures cast behind them by a fire that reflects real objects that pass behind them. These prisoners live to the extent of seeing those shadows as real. Even though they see virtual images, they think them to be real. Unless they turned their heads, or someone made them to, they kept seeing shadows as real. We are blind, but we now think its normal to be blind. We grope in the dark, but we now think darkness is the normal situation. And so, like the Bartimaeus or like the description of Plato, for there to be a leap out of the blindness/darkness that the society has cast upon herself, she needs to shout out, turn her head and look backwards. Only then can we see the real images; only then can we see the light (fire) that reflects the real objects; only then can we regain our sights; and lastly only then can we recognize how exalted we can be when we embrace God and follow Jesus for vision continuity. Finally, as a Christian, we have been chosen from among others to become the high priests (as the Second Reading says Hebrews 5:1-6) to make people turn their heads for the real vision, to encourage people to embrace the light and to leave darkness, offering sacrifices for the errors of the dark so that the illumination from the sacrificial fire can open up more vision for our world today. And Jesus will continue to ask us: what do you want me to do for you? Our answers should be like Bartimaeus: O Lord, that we may see!!! Amen. Happy Sunday. God bless you.

CAN YOU DRINK THE CUP?

HOMILY FOR THE 29^TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

Many of us experienced the 2018 FIFA world cup hosted by Russia, which started on the 14^th day of June and ended on the 15^th day of July. Many people followed the 64 matches that were played meticulously while some others stopped following when their favourite teams were evicted. During this tournament which involved 32 teams from 32 nations, Sports channel became our favourite TV station, no reasonable Radio station neglected to create some moments for sports news, sports news became the most surfed in the internet, bloggers made some interesting news out of it, and sports commentaries and discussions were heard all around in the streets. The FIFA world cup trophy is for sure the most sought-after and recognized sports prize in the world and can be seen as a truly universal icon. Little wonder, 32 nations were competing to have this cup. Its design shows its universality. Though the cup is always designed different at each tournament, its form of a chalice-shaped base bearing a ball-like top remains constant. Of course, we are aware of how it all ended: the French team from France was the champion, Croatia was the runners-up, Belgium got the third place and England got the 4the place. The most thrilling time after the finals, for the spectators and for the players, was when the cup was handed over to the winners. Oh, what a victory!!!

Well, many may be tended to ask: why is he repeating the news we already know about the world cup? Who doesn’t know the news after all? As boring as the news may seem after about three months since it ended, that cup of victory handed over to the French team has a lot to teach us (well, for those who care to listen) about our faith in Jesus. We must bring it to our consciousness that the players sacrificed their times, treasures and talents to be part of this competition to win this cup. They passed through, if you like, suffering to get at this victory. And one may be inclined to sidetrack the suffering part only to talk about that moment when that cup was handed over. It did not begin in victory. It began in suffering. And so, will it be out of place if we regard the ‘world cup’ as not only a cup of champions, but also a cup of suffering? The good news is that even if we do, the cup remains a sign of victory. And so, can this not be likened to what the cup of Christ is for us? As we hustle for it, we engage in lots of sacrifices, work-outs, fitness maintenance, under the Supreme Coach (the Christ) who directs us on how to work as a team to get to the victory.

That Supreme Coach himself knows what it means to suffer. He himself has been known as the suffering servant in the oracle of Isaiah. In the First Reading (Isaiah 53: 10-11), Isaiah prophesied on how this Christ would offer his life in atonement for many. His suffering would not be in vain, as through it, many would be made righteous and be saved. And so, aware that he has been reckoned with suffering, he understands it when we suffer for his sake. This is the point of the Second Reading (Hebrews 4:14-16) as we have one who has been tempted in every way. Having passed through suffering which was not done for his own sake or for the sake of suffering itself, we are encouraged. His suffering and sacrifice, even though passed through by Him, were meant for us. His suffering was oriented towards glory; His glory and our glory. This glory became felt by the many who would believe in Him. So too, the sacrifices of those players, were for their nation. They were oriented towards glory; their own individual glories and the glory of their nation.

In the Gospel (Mark 10:35-45), James and John, the sons of thunder desired this glory so much that they overlooked the suffering. And come to think of it, to have made the request when Jesus had just predicted his death was a very bad timing. It showed lack of understanding and insensitivity. However, Jesus drew their attention to a very important and indispensable part of the cup. Having made their request to Jesus to seat with Jesus in His glory, Jesus through his question draws them to revisit the process towards that glory: can you drink the cup that I must drink, or be baptised with the baptism with which I must be baptised? In this statement, the use of ‘or’ simply signifies that this cup is synonymous with this baptism. But what is this cup? In John 18:11, Jesus said to Peter: Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me? It is the cup of suffering to gain glory. It is the cup of suffering to save humanity. It is the cup of suffering to defeat Satan. It is the cup of suffering to prove to us that in suffering we are perfected. This was a clarion call to the sons of thunder and to us never to neglect suffering in our search of glory. Drinking this cup entails the disposition to sacrifice for others, serving others and abandoning the luxuries of the world for the sake of Christ.

And can this not be what mission is all about? This is mission Sunday. In it, we remind ourselves of the importance of the cross of Christ as we acknowledge the efforts of those missionaries who have sacrificed their comfort zones to serve the Church in need and in deed. But sometimes, like these apostles, we are quick to agree to the suffering, especially when our minds have been fixed to the glory. Each one of us, no doubt enjoys glory more than suffering. But there is a consequence when we place glory before suffering. We may disrupt the harmony in the society in which we live. We may lead others to become indignant to us. And this is the foundation of disunity and rancour. The antidote we need to take in when we see ourselves obsessed with the glorious part is to bend our knees in prayer and our necks to the service of others, for anyone who wishes to be first among you must be slave to all. Sincere Service is the antidote. Positions of authority should exist for those who have this principle working correctly in their brains. We need political leaders who would say: since I desire to be a leader, I condemn myself to servitude. For it is when we serve that we are truly leaders.

Back to the world cup story, we must recall the action of the 19 year old French player, Kylian Mbappe. The young man celebrated his victory in a very special way. He dedicated and donated his earnings from the tournament to a non-profit organization dedicated to providing access to sports for hospitalized children. He let the money he made to serve the organization other than himself. What a way to celebrate victory gained through sacrifices! The Glory of the Christian does something for others. It breeds joy in others. Think about how the success of Mbappe made others joyful. Think about how our canonized indigenous saints make us joyful and proud. For instance, we are joyful as Nigerians that our own brother, Iwene Tansi is beatified; we are joyful as the people of Keith that our own brother John Ogilvie is a saint. To crown it all, think about then what the victory/glory of Christ has wrought for us. The glory of Christ brought joy, redemption, salvation and freedom to the whole world. I hope we shall allow this Christ’s seed of glory already sown in us at our baptism to manifest in our life here on earth and hereafter in heaven, for our sake and for the sake of others. Amen. Happy new week. God bless you.  

THAT ONE THING: Go, sell what you own...

HOMILY FOR THE 28^TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

The Gospel has a lot to teach us about discipleship and the way to follow Christ. It tells the story of a rich young man who enthusiastically wanted to follow Jesus, but walked away in sadness when he was presented with its demands. Having tried his best to be a good man, Jesus gave him the ultimate call of the very one thing remaining: Go, sell what you own, give it to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven; then come follow me. This one-thing sentence represents the hand of God that calls and directs us, and in it are five models which represent the five fingers of the hand.

1. Go (the movement) 

The young rich man was told by Jesus to go. And in this we see the first finger of the hand of God that calls and directs us. This finger represents this word of command: go.  Before we can follow the Lord closely, we have to firstly go. This movement is one that does not end in a mere leaving the Lord’s presence; it is the movement of mission. We are sent. It is in the movement that we draw closer to perfect discipleship. That movement signifies the initial acceptance and response of the call of God. And indeed, the formula of Divine call and mission is made vivid in this same word. The follower of Jesus is always on the move to draw closer to the most admirable point of his/her service.

The Old Testament’s God’s calling and institution of his reign on earth clarifies this. The first is the initial call of the Patriachs. Abraham, the father of faith was instructed to ‘go from your country and your kindred’ (Gen. 12:1). Moses in his call was also instructed to go and assemble the elders of Israel (Exodus 3:16). The second is seen in the initial call of the High Priest, Aaron. The first instruction when he was called was to ‘go into the wilderness to meet Moses’ (Exodus 4:27). The third is in the call of the Prophets. Isaiah was called to ‘go and say to the people’ (Is. 6:9). Jeremiah was called to ‘go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem’ (Jer. 2:1). Ezekiel was called to ‘go to the house of Israel’ (Ezek. 3:4). In preparation of the enormous task ahead of leading the people and being vessels of God, these men were required to move. The movement may not be a palatable one, but it is a very necessary step in becoming divine vessels. We need to reconsider asking ourselves the movement associated with our calling.

2. Sell what you own (duty)

The young rich man was told to go and sell what he owned. What a terrible condition!!! We can imagine how vulnerable we can be when we decide to have nothing that we can really call ours. This man had seen the importance of his riches and how his riches contributed to his earthly happiness. But he had not known that those riches could be made to become tickets for another kind of happiness that endures for ever. This is when riches are used to add value to the lives of others. In his scale of preference, his earthly riches mattered more. He become the direct opposite of the wise writer of the First Reading (Wisdom 7:7-11) who extolled wisdom and understanding over riches (gold silver, health beauty). Christ was showing this young man what it really means to be a wise follower but he could be thinking that selling everything would show him foolish. Only the wise choose wisdom as the highest in their scale of preference. It is our duty to do this. It is our decisions to make. However, we still have got a responsibility.

3. Give it to the poor (responsibility)

Here comes the responsibility attached to the duty. The young man was told to give the proceeds of what he would sell off to the poor. It was not for himself. It was for the poor. His conversion has to benefit others. His conversion has to put some smiles on the faces of some others. His conversion has to enrich others. Are these too not what our conversion and discipleship should achieve for others? It is our responsibility to allow the poor around us feel our discipleship. Sell your possessions and give alms (Luke 12:33). The life of the early Christian community is a clear example of how the Christian life can make the rich and the poor be happy together, selling individual possessions and sharing them in common with no consideration of who donates better than the other (Acts 4:34.35).

Like the young man, we too dream of a better and a more authentic Christian life. We rush to Jesus daily to follow him. We desire to be sent. We dream of a nice way of following Him, but are we prepared to act? Are we prepared to let go of our possessions to enrich the people around. Are we prepared to use our treasures, time and talents for the worshipping community? Yes, are we prepared to go, sell what we own, give it to the poor, as an insurance for heavenly treasure, and continue to follow Jesus? Doing these things may surely be discomforting, but from that earthly discomfort comes the heavenly comfort. We shall be rewarded.

4. The treasure in heaven (compensation)

We all expect to have our pension after our work/retirement. Well, for God, the case is not so different. There is hope of compensation and reward. The possessions that are given out are not wasted. They are banked for use as our insurance. Yes, I loose yet I gain. This is the paradox of following Christ. This young man does not most probably understand what it means to have treasure in heaven. What a hold possessions can have on the human heart. How easily they become our gold; how they can take over our lives, absorbing our time, energy and attention, so that we become enslaved to them. The young man went away sad because he had not want to convert the earthly treasures which he saw into heavenly treasures which as he might have thought, he had not seen. Treasures are best stored up in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal (cf. Matt. 6:20).

5. Come, follow me (total care)

The best assurance is that having done all these, we become the associates of Jesus. In this association, there would be no more distraction, no house to sell, no land to sell, no car to sell, for having sold anything and given them to the poor, we become poor ourselves and are left to the total care of Jesus. Jesus becomes our owner and everything. It is in this state that we truly become poor in the spirit. Nothing counts again if not Jesus whom we follow.

The young man who had come with the initial tone of flattery turned away sad-faced from the way of Jesus. Jesus then released the very ground breaking truth to the disciples: how hard it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Riches that were thought to be signs of blessing have now become signs of hindrance. Little wonder then the apostles quickly asked Jesus: who then can be saved? And Jesus made them aware that salvation is far beyond human effort. Salvation is the prerogative of God. It is a gift, and only those who can gladly accept the gift of God more than the gift of the matter can be saved. We are left to answer the question: are we willing to offer up material riches so as to grow ready to embrace and accept the gift of God? O Lord, make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart. Happy new week. God bless you.

WHAT GOD HAS UNITED…

HOMILY FOR THE 27^TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR B

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

There are many ways of understanding the word “unite” - to make one, to combine, to join, to clasp, to grow together, to make to agree. But in the context of the message the Church desires us to grasp from the readings of this day, it can be understood as “to marry.” Hence, to unite here entails to glue as in the state of wedlock. However, we may not be so limited as to not allow this message be felt by so many parts of us that need to be united, and that need to make to agree once more. These parts, as they are, were never meant to be separated or divorced from another. They were created to be together, work together and accomplish together. When these parts suffer from separation, their efficiency is diminished, their frequency is slowed down and their proficiency is hampered. And so, going through the readings, the bells of caution and consciousness are sounded in our hearings to let every creation that God has made to be together to remain the way God ordained for them.

In the First Reading (Gen 2:18-24), and as dramatic as the story may seem to many people, we must notice something which carries in itself the truest proposition. The exclamation of the man at the sight of the woman God made for him unravels the inner drive in the man who was relentlessly searching for completion everywhere. And lo and behold, he finally found. That exclamation was one of gladness. It was one that superseded the exclamation of someone who finally discovered a scientific truth of knowledge. This is an exclamation incomparable with the great Eureka of Archimedes. The exclamation of Adam is not just one from the mind or the soul or the body. It was one that flew from the entirety of his being. He finally found the best companion, a suitable partner. His quest for partnership was not quenched in the midst of other creatures, but in the woman. She was indeed “the bone of his bone and the flesh of his flesh.” They were suitably made for each other. God made them for one another. Does this not tell us that it is only in the man that the woman can find perfect companionship, and not in other animals or things? Again, and according to this first book of the Bible, this pericope became the basis for the matrimonial union between a man and a woman.

But, it is very clear to us how this biblical teaching comes to a head in the secularistic teachings about marriage, divorce and sexuality. Many today seem to claim that these teachings should replace religious teachings, and particularly the Christian values we have so cherished. Fine as those secular thinkings may appear, yet Christianity can never be obliged in any way to loose its values in the guise of moving with the signs of time. A pertinent awareness should even be drawn to the fact that those Christian values were not even, as they were, doctrines taught by men, but doctrines set out by God himself. So, humans ought not to tamper with them. And so, the Church has no option than to uphold marriage as a sacred union between a man and a woman,because the completeness of each is discoverable only in the other. Marital union between a man and a woman is of God’s over all plan. This is the pillar that holds the thesis of the Gospel.

In the Gospel (Mark 10:2-16) The Pharisees had approached Jesus to ask him questions about divorce. And what a great answer there is in that phrase of Christ: what God has united, no one should separate. The first here is that it is God in his love who has united the man and the woman in Holy matrimony. The second is that no human institution can cancel this divine union, not even based on human frailty. Our frailty does not stop God from loving us. The sacrament of marriage is the vocation of man and woman in a procreating love which mirrors on earth the love of God. Since God’s love is ever faithful, unconditional and eternal, shall we then not be inclined to believe that the love on earth which mirrors this divine love ought to also be faithful, unconditional and lasting?

Going down into ourselves, we discover an important question we need to ask ourselves: have we got something in us which God made to be together, but due to varied reason have been made separate by us? The spirit, soul and body are meant to be together. But now and again, we tend to make one fight against the other. And there appears to be war going on inside us, ranging from psychological, emotional and spiritual tensions. This war truly would seem endless until we find a way of joining together what God has united in us as human beings. Disobedience (sin) to the inner voice of God causes this disintegration. These components of the human person are all good and are meant to work with one another to achieve God’s will. The body is good, the spirit is good and the mind is good. No one is bad. We are the ones raising tensions between them. They need to work to produce harmony in us. And one may not be totally wrong to think that the various disintegration in the human society is as a result of the inner disintegration of the various individuals that make up such a society. Remember, if disobedience is the cause of this disharmony, then obedience (contrition and love) is the way to solution. Love conquers all. God bless you; Happy new week.