THE POWER OF THE ‘TWO’: PROGRESS IN MISSIONARY WORK

HOMILY FOR THE 14^TH SUNDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C

Rev. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

There was a forest. In that forest was a very mighty tree that actually was the mightiest and the oldest of all the trees. This mighty tree was fond of intimidating other trees, telling them that they are powerless; that they can only feed from the rains, the sunlight, and the soil after it must have fed. So the others are bound to feed from its left-overs. The other trees were always condoning it for all it said to them until one day when it said something that broke the camel’s back. The mighty tree said: You are because I am. Whenever the winds come, you are protected because of my mighty branches and leaves. You do not experience erosion because my roots are deeply rooted with very many fibrous roots scattered all around the forest. If not for my sake, this place can never be termed a forest. If not for my sake, you all would have long been cut down and perished. So, I demand that every morning, you all must bow down before me. The others felt too humbled and intimidated all the more, until a little grass that overhead the discourse whispered into the ears of the other trees: why not you all relocate to another area and see whether what he has told you is true? They all agreed to leave and relocated to another area; but there was one who pitied this mighty tree and remained. When the caretakers came and saw the deforestation that had taken place, they wandered and wanted to use the remaining two for wood production, but one person said: let us give these two trees some chance and care for them, so that when the others that left see how they are been cared for, they can return. The mighty tree did not learn from this as it continued to oppress its remaining ally, until this tree decided to join others in their new habitats. Hence, the mighty tree was left all alone. When the caretakers return, they saw that only the mighty tree was left. They immediately cut it down and used it for timber; so ended the forest.

There are many lessons derivable from this story, but amidst all, one is paramount to my theme. The reason for which the two trees were left and the reason for which the mighty tree was cut down is simply the fact that a tree cannot make a forest. Hence, unlike this mighty tree, I have never seen a reasonable tree that makes noise that it is a forest. There is power in the number two (2) for livelihood, for survival and for success.

In the Gospel ( Luke 10:1-12.17-20) of today, the Lord sends out his disciples “two by two” and gave them authority over unclean spirits with series of instructions so as to avoid the smallest suspicion that they may be working for their own economic advantage. In this number, we find the foundation for every mission and every Christian life in the community. It is the root without which the announcement of the good news and the financial advantage of the preacher become superfluous and ridiculous. It is the character and the power of “two by two” in Christian life. The disciples whom Jesus sent were seventy in number, but even in their numerical strength, they were sent two-by-two, which means that they were sent to 35 places/areas; of their names the hagiographer did not mention; all we can deduce is that these areas were places Christ had the intention of going to. He sent them ahead of them. But why must they be sent out two by two?

Our first awareness must go to the importance the Jews place on testimony. Testimony on Jewish law consists of testimony by eligible witnesses to a court authorized to render decisions. There are qualities which can make one an eligible witness. An eligible witness must in almost all cases never be deaf, mentally or morally unsuitable, or too young. In particular, women are in most cases not eligible. Hence, for the witness of the gospel to be eligible, Jesus sent free men who are matured enough, mentally and morally sound; women were not in this list. After the resurrection Jesus would send the women to go and proclaim the good news of resurrection; from thence began the gender inclusiveness of mission.

Two witnesses provide conclusive proof of reality, but one witness does not. The testimony of two witnesses is equal in force to the testimony of three or more witnesses. Thus, if two witnesses say an event occurred, and one hundred witnesses say it did not occur, the groups of witnesses are considered to contradict one another, but no more weight is given to the larger group. In betrothal ceremony, two witnesses are required to perform the action. Even a divorce case requires still two witnesses to sign the document or see the delivery. Recourse to the scriptures makes the case vivid. In Deuteronomy 19:15, only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three shall a charge be established. In Numbers 35:30, only on the evidence of more than one witness shall a murderer be put to death. In the Gospel of Matthew 18:16, it is by the evidence of two or three witnesses that a charge can be established. In John 8:13, the Jews had to make reference to this law when the Pharisees told Jesus: you bear witness about yourself and so this testimony is not true. In 2 Cor. 13:1, Paul reminds the Church of the Jewish law that every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. In 1 Timothy 5: 19, Paul admonishes Timothy not to admit a charge against an elder unless on the evidence of two or three witnesses. Even in Hebrews 10:28, the author establishes that anyone who sets aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy.

Hence, we can say that Jesus sent out his disciples bearing in mind that those to whom he sent them always require the testimony of two. Whatever is received is received according to the mode of the receiver – for the Jews to receive the message for which Christ sent his disciples, their mode ought to be considered. Christ actually made it easy for the disciples for the easy receptivity of their message. Therefore the evidence of two disciples carries much weight. In two is power; in two is acceptance. Two paves way without much ado. Who knows the series of questions that would have been asked the disciples if they were sent one by one. Their number enhanced their mission. Hence, we can unequivocally regard the number 2 as the number for missions. And actually, existence stands because of the reality of two. Recourse through the Scriptures and through our daily cultural experiences buttresses this point.

In the Old Testament, the power and the importance of the ‘two-reality’ stand out clearly. The very first verse in the bible says, in the beginning, God created heaven and earth (Gen 1:1), the hagiographer continues, the days of creation saw the creation of light and darkness (Gen 1:3-5), dry land and waters (Gen 1:10) till the day he made humans; male and female he created them (Gen 1:27). When still this man and woman brought forth offspring, they were ab initio two (Cain and Abel). In Gen. 4, Cain had to kill Abel; there came the distortion of the importance of two which made people to regard two as the number of division. Christ’s action of sending out his disciples now is employed to correct the impression left by the inordinate desire of Cain. This inordinate desire we again see in the history of Esau and Jacob, the two sons of Isaac (Gen. 27ff). However and continually, the importance of two was re-emphasized in the life of Moses in God’s gift of Aaron to him as his prophet in Exodus 7:1. We see again the relevance of two in the life of David and Jonathan (cf. 1 Samuel 18-20). Actually, David’s successes cannot but acknowledge the aid Jonathan gave him.

In the New Testament, we see how God acknowledges the relevance of two. Even though Mary needed not Joseph for the birth of the messiah, it was the divine desire that Joseph be the foster father of Jesus. Together Christ was born in the family of two –Mary and Joseph`s (cf. Matt.1:18-25.). Again we see Christ’s calling of his disciples in twos, he saw two brothers Simon and Andrew (cf. Matt 4:18). He saw two other brothers James and John the sons of Zebedee (Matt 4:21). Christ also sent his twelve disciples on mission two by two (cf. Mk. 6:7). In the crucifixion of Jesus, two men were crucified at his side (cf. Lk.23:32.) In the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit said as they were praying and fasting; set apart for me Paul and Barnabbas (Acts 13:2). The relevance of two in a mission is again emphasized even when Paul and Barnabas separated; each took with him another partner. Paul took Silas, while Barnabas took Mark (cf. Acts 15:13-41).

We are a new creation as Paul tells us in the second Reading (Gal. 6:14-18). So, let us work to transform this number two that neutrally signifies division into possessing the significance of unity and tolerance. If this is done then our citizens will learn to rejoice over her Government; and vice versa; just as the First Reading (Isaiah 66:10-14) exhorts us to rejoice over Jerusalem and be glad for her. Our own geographical Jerusalem is Nigeria. Is it possible to rejoice over Nigeria and be glad for her? Is it possible to expect that one day, we may suck and be satisfied with her consoling breast? In the Igbo tribe of the Nigerian nation, there are series of sayings that point out this character and importance of two: Adi abuo buru otu ibu, o di mfe; echiche otu onye anaghi ezuru ya; oji bu otu, mana o na-agba karia otu; otu aka anaghi eke ngwugwu. The character of two in the journey of life is very important. No man is an island. Everyone needs a companion to talk to and to listen to, to advice and to get advice from, in such manner that aka nri kwuo aka ekpe, aka ekpe akwuo aka nri.

We need each other for life’s goal. The wife needs the husband. The husband needs the wife. The women need the men; the men need the women. The Government needs the citizens; the citizens need the Government. The employer needs the employees; the employees need the employer. The clergy need the lay; the lay need the clergy. The priests need their bishop; the bishops need their priests. God needs us; and we need Him; that is why it is said that His grace is first of all operative, demanding our cooperation. There are practical benefits of doing the work of Christ with others. We are corrected by our counterpart when we err. We are advised when confused. We are encouraged when despaired. We are loved when we are downtrodden. It helps us to speak the mind of Christ, not our own. We draw more persons to God, when we carry out our mission as a group. We are assisted in the face of difficulties. We develop better thoughts when we share them with our counterparts. We achieve more as a group. It is in praying together that we experience Christ better, for where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there (cf. Mtt. 18: 20). It is in working together that we experience Christ the more, and that others see Christ in us (cf. Acts 11:19-26). May the Lord continue to give His Church the zeal to work together in community; may the mission for which we are sent be ever renewed in our hearts; and may we be faithful messengers to the purpose of our mission. All this I pray as I wish you a blessed week ahead and a new month. God Bless You.

FOLLOWING CHRIST: HOW SINCERE AND READY ARE WE?

HOMILY FOR THE 13^TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C

Rev. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

The abundance of evangelists, preachers, pastors, ministers, and clerics in an epoch when divine call is held in high esteem, should sometimes be looked upon with some suspicion. The proliferation of worshipping centres, ministries, and camping and crusade arenas in an era when people are tended towards fanaticism should sometimes be applauded only after great scrutiny. Following Christ demands a lot, and ought to be devoid of ulterior motives. Whenever any epoch follows and preaches Christ insincerely, the perceived vocations boom can only lead to societal doom, whereby such society suffers greatly in the hands of the two great monsters: social injustice and social vices. We are free to view the Nigerian society under this optic to see what we shall discover.

The readings of today bring out this idea of divine call (i.e. vocation). In the First Reading (1Kgs 19:16b.19-21), Yahweh instructs Elijah to anoint Elisha, the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah to replace after he is gone. Elijah then arose in search of his successor. He found him and had to cast his mantle upon him. This is a sign of divine call; that God has chosen Elisha to replace Elijah. Elisha understood the message immediately and pleaded for an excuse to go and do the necessary acts of courtesy to the family and friends. He was not wrong; little wonder Elijah permitted him. He bided farewell and even gave out all he had, and coming back, he followed Elijah. Elijah thus begins to function as a point of holy power to which Elisha is drawn and from which he will go forth.

Discipleship involves the teacher and the student; and the student is expected to posses the virtue of discipline. Both words ‘disciple’ and ‘discipline’ are got from the same root discipulis (disco, discere, didici –to learn) which point to the character of learning. Just as Elijah encountered Elisha at the very point of making his livelihood, God expects us to use our strength to work for our livelihood, and not lazing about claiming to have been called. It is in our hard work that we are called. Remember how the first four apostles were called at the point of their occupation. Let us get to work and permit God to call us when He deems fit. Let us stop forcing ourselves on God.

The Second Reading (Gal. 5:1.13-18) tells us that our followership of Christ is that which is guided by the law of love, not compulsion. No one is forced to follow Christ. God allows us to make use of the freewill He has given us. That is why he continues to liberate us and to set us free from anything that enslaves us. The Gospel (Lk 9:52-61) explains that the Christian life is a journey undertaken with Christ, not outside of Him. One can say that the Gospel contains two pericopes; one, concerning the rejection of Jesus and his followers by the Samaritans, and two, concerning the cost of following Jesus. My interest lies on the second. In it, we encounter three different insincere attitudes of followers in the three encounters of those who wanted to follow Christ.

First Encounter

The man approached Jesus and said to him: I will follow you wherever you go. Jesus replied: foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” He desired to follow Christ without counting the cost. It is vivid that this man’s request may have been born out of following Christ for vain glory; to belong to the popular group and to be among the respected, since he may have thought that Christ wielded much respect and admiration. This man represents Christians who claim to follow Christ but have ulterior motives of selfishness and self-enrichment. In this group are those who are inclined to classism. They come to church in order to be recognized and honoured. They seek titles, and demand that they be addressed honourably. If you deny them that or correct them, they change Church immediately and will speak all sorts of evils against the Church and her ministers. In the society, they want to be identified with the happening class, fashion, ideas, experiences and people. Persons in this group are inclined to marrying for what they can gain from their partners, not actually for love.

At the words of this man who had some selfish motives for coming to Jesus, Jesus admonished the man that before he desires to follow Him, he should count the cost. It is not when suffering arrives, the Christian flees. So we must be aware of this, for no one can say that he was induced to follow Jesus under false pretences. There are demands in discipleship. Our discipleship must cost us many things. Church membership needs not numerous numbers who are insincere. All we need are sincere and devoted members, regardless of the number.

Second Encounter

To another man, Jesus said: follow me. But he said: Lord, let me go first and bury my father. Jesus replied: leave the dead to bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God. Jesus’ words to this man sound very unsympathetic. But we must know that it is most probable that the father of this man was not dead already. Most probably, the man’s words simply meant: I will follow after my father has died. So, it means that the condition for accepting to follow Christ was that the father who was his responsibility must (having lived his complete life here on earth) die. He can then be free to come and follow Jesus. Helping to bury the dead is one of the spiritual works of mercy and cannot be disregarded by Jesus. Jesus’ reply to him simply meant that no condition should be attached to the gospel message. Discipleship must cost us, even detachment from our families. Christ had explicitly instructed us that discipleship does cost wives, children, parents and wealth (cf. Matt 10:37-42). God must be first in our lives. His mission must be paramount.

Nobody and nothing should take precedence over our followership of Christ. We must know that in life, there are opportunities which when we miss can never be regained. If the man misses that opportunity to follow Christ on that occasion, he can never have it again. Jesus was already on his way to Jerusalem where he will die. Hence, no time to waste; he should grab the opportunity now. In this group are Christians who place their worries and work over worship. They do not even go to Church on Sundays to listen to Jesus speak to them. They will concoct 1001 reasons why they are unable to go to Church: There was rainfall, I fell sick, I was offloading my goods, I woke up lately, etc. Remember, God first; His mission paramount. In the society, this set of people is inclined to be in tension concerning marriage. They will love one sincerely, and yet allow their past and some family hindrances to go ahead with marriage. They are prone to distractions that can make them loose focus from their goals. Hence, following Jesus demands concentration and focus unto Him that we are following.

Third Encounter

Another man approached Jesus and said: I will follow you, Lord, but let me say farewell to those at my home. Jesus replied: no one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. This man was in a confused state. He does not even know his priorities. He wants to go forward, but he has not left hold of the past. He needs to get decided. It was as if Christ was telling Him: Until you know what you want; until you become not confused about your need, I can give you a reply. His eyes were not even focused ahead but behind. The difference between him and the second one is that as the second moves ahead in a less focused manner, the third moves with his eyes on the past. And you know the consequence: he will stagger and fall. The Christian must march forward; forward ever and backward never. The difference too between Elijah’s permission of Elisha and Christ repudiation of this man is simply based on purity and sincerity of heart and intention. Whereas Elisha was acting in zeal and readiness to answer divine call, this man was placing those at his home more important than his desire.

Many people are simply wishful Christians or Catholics. They remain on the level of wish; and find it hard to take actions and decisions. They continue to procrastinate: tomorrow, I will go to Church. Tomorrow comes and goes and they are still not yet in the Church. In our society, such persons are inclined to finding it difficult to disentangle from that which they hold dear: their houses, cars, companies, etc. I have a word for such persons: it is true that we do not know what we have until we lose it, but it is even truer that we do not know what we miss until it arrives. They find it difficult from forgetting and forgiving their fellows. They can tell and retell the stories of all the wrong doings someone has done to them. In marriage, they find it difficult to let go of the other’s mistakes. Such a life only leads one to doom; to heartbreak and to marriage break-ups.

The richness and abundance of vocations today should be praised; yes, but today’s message challenges us to apply more caution in believing and canonizing people who claim to profess Christ. It also challenges the preachers themselves to purify their intentions for following Christ. Today is a day we have a rethink on Vocations. More seriousness too should be paid in the proper discernment of vocations; for without proper discernment, vocation boom may actually lead to societal doom. In the seven sacraments of the Church, we have two sacraments that are regarded as the sacrament of Christian vocations. They are the Holy Orders and Matrimony. These sacraments empower the faithful to live and perform their Christian duties either as chaste celibates or chaste married couples. The celibates together with the married couples share in this vocation to follow Christ more closely. We must be constantly ready to follow Christ in our vocation. Sincerity of mind and readiness to serve must be our watchword. May God continue to make His words alive in us as I wish all of us great week ahead. GOD BLESS YOU.

WHO DO YOU SAY I AM? THE CRUCIAL QUESTION TODAY

HOMILY FOR THE 12TH SUNDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C
Rev. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

No doubt, Christians today suffer from identity crisis as a result of varied doctrines and teachings coming forth from the mouth of many preachers. In our society today, basic Christian doctrines have fallen in the hands of many who produce teachings either to satisfy their motives or to justify their actions. Indeed, many have left the Gospel of Jesus Christ and have entangled themselves with their own gospel, to the extent that if it were possible, they would estrange themselves from Christianity in order to find their own religion. This explains why many church Sign Posts and Bill Boards today have the pictures of the founding Pastor and the wife, rather than the picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. The various inscriptions on many of these Sign Posts and Bill Boards are not even Christian at all. In such a societal set-up, Jesus is asking all of us today: who do you say I am? Who do you tell people that I am? What do you preach concerning me? Hence, we all need to ask ourselves: who do we say Jesus is? What do we tell people that Jesus is? What do we preach concerning Jesus? We must discover the identity of Jesus whom we preach. Preaching Jesus presupposes the knowledge of Him; not only about His person but also about what he expects from us as disciples, for by following him, we too discover our mission.

The readings of today present this fact of identity discovery. The Gospel (Luke 9:18-24) is based on the identity of Jesus Christ and how this identity must affect our discipleship. The First Reading (Zech. 12:10-11; 13:1) is a prophecy on the identity of a just man who was killed by his people due to their inability to discover the righteousness of the just man because of their wickedness of heart. Having realized their fault and wickedness, they will weep and mourn extensively for this just man and would require divine cleansing. God will pour a spirit into the people means that he will take the initiative in bringing about in them a new interior attitude; one flowing from repentance for the evil they had done (cf. Is. 53, on the suffering servant). No doubt, this is a prophecy about Christ who said in the Gospel that “the son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests, and be killed...” The Second Reading (Gal. 3:26-29) speaks on the identity of Christians, as people united in Christ regardless of nationality, gender, age, or status.

In the Gospel, Jesus had to ask his disciples, on the one hand about what people take him to be, and on the other hand, about what they they take him to be. There was a report of who Jesus was in other people’s views. The importance of asking questions cannot be over-emphasized. Asking questions leads to discovery, and sometimes asking the right question is crucial for your well being. The Igbos say: Onye ajuju anaghi efu uzo. While there are a lot of spiritual questions we need to ask, none is more important than the question Jesus asked his disciples: but, who do you say I am? Jesus needed to be sure what His followers take Him to be prior to his death on the cross. We must realize that in the study of Luke, the matter of Jesus’ identity is emphasized. In the birth narrative, the angel announced the birth of the saviour who is Christ the lord (2:11). John the Baptist denied that he was the Christ and appointed people to Jesus (3:15-17). Many works Jesus did too put the people in confusion whether he was the Christ, the Holy one of God (cf. 5:21, 7:49, 9:9). At this question, Peter answered: you are the Christ of God. In other Synoptic Gospel writers, the answer had this formulation: you are the Christ (Mk. 8:29), and you are the Christ, the son of the living God (Mtt. 16:16). Here, we concentrate on Luke.

Luke hence presents to the reader Peter’s answer to this question as one that clears these confusions about the identity of Christ who does not make noise about it but even tells his disciples to keep it secret. It is the first time in Luke a disciple refers to Jesus as Messiah. Peter’s answer due to the Jewish understanding of the Messiah focuses on Jesus power to save needy people from the forces of evil, especially the evil perpetrated by the earthly rulers (the Roman Emperors). But beyond this notion of the Messiah as a reigning king who will overthrow the evil rule and bring political freedom to the Jews is the sacrificial dimension of the messiah who will suffer and die, and so sacrifice his life for others bringing spiritual freedom to all, not even only to the Jews (for in Christ, no Jew, no Gentile as the Second Reading says). Now, the Messiah (Jesus), as the Christ (anointed) of God must be viewed from a new dimension: the cross. Little wonder Jesus had to immediately correct such an impression by informing His disciples of His impending death and resurrection, and the cost of discipleship. Going back to Peter’s answer, there are two upshots regarding it which are worthy of note: 1. The answer to the question is the most correct 2. The answer requires a personal response of faith and obedience

A. It is the most correct answer for it was when Peter answered that Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone these. The answers they all gave concerning people’s view about Jesus were all incorrect. Only Peter’s answer was correct. We must know that Jesus is not whatever you want him to be. He is what He is (cf. I am who I am of Exodus). What you feel does not change the identity of Jesus. This answer is simply an objectively revealed truth. Many people today think that the identity of Jesus must be left under the whims and caprices of however one experiences Him. They have removed their vision of truth from this objective revelation in the Scriptures and have become inclined to their individual hypotheses perceived from dreams, hallucinations or imaginations. Hence, we must say what we have been told Jesus is, not any sentimental perception.

B. Secondly, Jesus went on to warn the disciples to tell no one of this truth, and then He tells them of His impending death. Jesus came to deal with the sinfulness of man; that is why He must die to redeem us. The disciples must also take up their crosses and follow Him not expecting glory or crown without suffering or the cross. This cross upon which Jesus died is the only divine solution for our sin problem. Thus, Peter’s answer exhorts us to come as sinners to the crucified Christ, trusting in Him for salvation and justification. This is where the response of faith and obedience comes in. Therefore, our faith here is that Jesus is the Christ who has come to wash away our sins that we may have life. He is our sin-bearer.
The words of Jesus too have many lessons to teach us today.

1. Identity discovery is very crucial in the life of every Christian. We must discover whom actually we are following. Are we following Jesus, or are we following some human beings? Christianity is a lifestyle patterned along the line of a divine person, not merely a set of rules. Paul told Timothy, “I know whom I have believed” (2 Tim 1:120). Christianity does not mean only reciting a creed, it means also knowing a person. It is a life of followership to Christ. We must make every effort to know the identity of Jesus whom we are following. Read your Bible; study your Catechism and listen to the Church. We must discover Jesus Christ; and to discover him, we must go to Gethsamane, Gabatha and Golgotha. We must discover Jesus in every hardship we experience in life. Running from one pastor to the other or from one native doctor to the doctor does not solve the problem. What solves the problem is our ability to see Jesus in our suffering. He is the Christ of God who suffered and died for our sake. We must also weigh every preacher on the scale of his or her followership to Christ. That is why it is pertinent to know Christ, for how can we weigh our preachers if we are unable to know Christ? Make no mistake about this. St. Paul said: imitate me as I imitate Christ. Today, Christians sheepishly imitate people that are proven to be outside Christ. Are you among these sheep that are led astray? Come back and begin to follow the right way. Shine your eyes, my dear people of God. Go and read Mathew 24:24.

2. 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. There are four mysteries we constantly go through whenever we say our rosaries. These four mysteries (the joyful, the luminous, the sorrowful and the glorious) are all parts and parcel of the Christian experience. Any attempt to remove one considered bitter renders the Christian lifestyle k-legged. If there is no cross, there will not be any crown. The Christ we are following is the one that have died and was killed for our sake. The son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priest. He suffered and then enter into the glory of the Father. 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 work against such current. Accept the suffering that may come your way and pray God to transform that suffering into glory.

3. The gospel of Jesus Christ is one of perseverance devoid of hypocrisy. Hypocrites have the outward show of love where hatred lies inward. They act as if they want to lose their lives for the other where they are actually trying to save them; trying to amerce wealth with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The truth here is that they may succeed in deceiving man, not God. Christ constantly warned his followers to avoid the yeast of the Pharisees and their white-wash mentality. Christians must beware of such a life. Our proclamation of Christ must be sincere merged with utmost devotion. What we say about Christ must be connected with what he had told us that he is, not our selfish interest. Many preachers today preach themselves instead of Christ. Many too twist the message of truth to suit their selfish interest. Many bank on the gullibility of their followers and release teachings that cause more harm than good to the Christian fold. Hypocrisy is a cankerworm trying to eat deep into the fabrics of the worshipping community today.

Permit me to end with a story. One Sunday morning during Church worship, a worshipping community of about 3000 were surprised to see two men enter the church. Both covered from head to toe in black and carrying submachine guns. One of the men said: anyone willing to take a bullet for Christ, remain where you are. Instantly, the choir fled, the prominent members fled, and many others too, remaining only about 15 people. The man who had spoken took off his hood and then looked at the preacher and said: okay Sir, I have got rid of all the hypocrites; you may now continue your worship. Have a nice day. The two men then walked away. We become really Christians during the hard moments of life, not just during its joyful moments. The witness of life has become more than ever an essential condition for real effectiveness in preaching. Pope Paul VI in his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Nuntiandi of 1975, no. 75 asks all Christians: Do you really believe what you are proclaiming? Do you live what you believe? Do you really preach what you live? I live you to answer these questions, as I wish you a blessed week ahead. GOD BLESS YOU.

WE ALL NEED HEALING: THE CHURCH OF STRUGGLING SINNERS

HOMILY FOR THE 11^TH SUNDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C

Rev. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

On the 19^th April, 2016, I woke up in the morning and some thoughts came to my mind as a result of an experience I had of a Catholic Christian who had to leave the fold because some people he knew to be evil were regarded as ardent members of the Church. After the morning Mass of that day, and at around 7:55 am, I penned down this thought and then had to share it on my Facebook page. It is the hospice dimension of the Church; the Church looked upon as an infirmary (hospital, clinic, healing centre, a rehab). It is a dimension of the Church I thought, which requires more stress today in the face of the self-righteousness of many Christians. This post attracted many considerations from which more thoughts ran through my mind. Sincerely, the questions and contributions that followed that post help to form the bedrock of this homily. Hence, permit me to start this Homily with this question: Why should somehow leave from the Church just because he or she thinks some others to be evil or cultic? Why should someone be angry seeing the person he perceives as evil come to Church? 

This is the attitude that the readings of today exposes to us. To go straight to the point, this person that has this inclination already runs the risk of being a Pharisee of Jesus’ time seen chiefly in the Gospel of today. Now, if you are angry at the Church even to the point of abandonment of faith; may be due to fanaticism, scandals, inhuman acts by your fellow members, you must be aware that your decision has no foundation. May be, you should also quit your job, drop out of school, disconnect from all your friends and family, stop chatting via any social media; then get yourself locked up in your room. By so doing, you avoid human beings totally. There will be flaws wherever there are humans.  We all need healing. Remember, it is said that to err is human but to forgive is divine. This simply means that it lies in man’s nature to make mistakes as it lies in God’s nature to forgive. Let us be conscious of this and learn to admit our guilt, and walk towards better Christian lives, for only so can we meet God’s forgiveness that is unfailingly crossing our paths.

The readings of today apart from the fact that they present to us people who admitted their guilt and their need for God’s forgiveness, also made it clear to us that the Church is not only made up of saints, but also sinners who have been forgiven and who know that they are in need of God’s continuing forgiveness. When God forgives, he forgives completely (Ps. 103:12). It is when we recognize that we all are in need of healing that we can better accept everyone and work mutually and continually for our healing. The First Reading (2 Sam 12:7-10.13) gives us an account of how David, the king of Israel, due to lust and greed committed murder and fornication, but later recognized his sins and pleaded for divine forgiveness. It was because of this act of admission of his guilt, through which he pleaded for divine forgiveness that he was forgiven. This is shown in the words of the Prophet Nathan: the Lord has put away your sins; you shall not die. The Second Reading (Gal. 2:16.19-21) brings to our awareness that we need Jesus for without him, we cannot be declared righteous. Only his love, mercy, and forgiveness guarantee a man’s righteousness, not merely by works of the law. We all are sinners in need of the justification of God. Justification is the righteousness and faith gained through Jesus Christ without which we cannot be able to please God (cf. Romans 3-8). We receive God’s forgiveness and healing through Jesus Christ (cf. Eph. 4:32).

The Gospel Reading (Luke 7:36-8:3) is no exception to this theme of our need for healing and the divine forgiveness. It presents succinctly the undying love of God for sinners. The first sentence of the Gospel mentions the name of a group that promotes laws of purity (the Pharisees), as the second sentence mentions the name considered impure (the sinners). This simply implies that in that meal Jesus was invited to were the presence of both those considered as pure and those considered as impure (saints and sinners). The Pharisees believe that the clean and the unclean have nothing in common, and that if they come together, the unclean renders the clean unclean. Jesus was not a Pharisee; that was why they ended only at being surprised since in their thoughts as a result of what they were taught, prophets are also clean since they work for Yahweh. Jesus was seen by them as a prophet; that was why he was invited by a Pharisee, Simon. If a Pharisee had done what Jesus did, the story would not have remained the same.

It took a sinner to show Jesus the greatest signs of hospitality, not even that Pharisee who sees himself as a saint. The sinner, who is a woman washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, kissed them and anointed them with alabaster oil. But instead of this self-righteous Pharisee to see the good in the action of the woman; a woman who had done what he did not do and could not have done; he began to think about the laws of purity he knew, failing to see how guilty he himself was. The generosity of this woman is contrasted with the stinginess of Simon, the Pharisee. He was unable to show the most important gestures of hospitality. But thank God, Jesus is not a Pharisee and cannot think like them. He believes that the clean and the unclean should work together, only by so doing and acting can the clean render the unclean clean. There should be no form of discrimination between them. Jesus then had to tell Peter the Parable of the Debtors, and having acknowledged the woman’s generosity towards Him said to her: your sins are forgiven. By these words, Jesus articulates what had been obvious in the woman’s actions. Jesus too brings home the message of his short parable of vv. 40-43, which is a challenge to the self-righteousness of this Pharisee, who neglects what he should have done, and condemned what another did. Yes, only those who are in need of help gets help. Only those who see themselves as unworthy will be made worthy. Only those who need justification will be justified. Only the sick who recognizes their illness and makes effort to get healed will receive healing. Let us grab these:

1. However, you know every Evangelist has a community to which he wrote. Luke narrates this story to teach his community a lesson. The Pharisees represent Jewish Christians who promote rigorist criteria for membership in the Lucan community and participation in their meals. He tried to tell his audience to focus more on the foundation of their membership which is Christ, and not forming dissensions which only promote pharisaic attitudes and self-righteousness. Is such in our worshipping community today? Your experience answers the question. There are some additional rules we set for membership into the Christian fold, into the reception of the sacraments or into any pious or social group in the Church that actually are accidents and are not needful. We need to review those rules that make it difficult for people to encounter God’s forgiveness and mercy. Such rules may be good for pastoral reasons, but sometimes they scare people away from our fold unconsciously. Remember the Great Commission (Mtt 19:28-29). We must go back to the drawing board.

2. We must notice a contrast between two attitudes of mind and heart in Simon and the woman (cf. Barclay W. on Luke). Simon was conscious of no need and therefore felt no love, and so received no forgiveness. Simon’s impression of himself was that he was a good man in the sight of God. The woman was conscious of nothing else than a clamant need, and therefore was overwhelmed with love for him who could supply it, and so received forgiveness. Whenever we take ourselves as the measure of all things, we start dwindling spiritually. Have you ever asked yourself how many times you remember to pray for divine forgiveness in your private prayers? Nelson Mandela is known to have once said: I am not a saint unless you think of me as a sinner who keeps trying. That should be our attitude. The greatest of sins is to be conscious of no sin, but a sense of need will open the door to the forgiveness of God, for God is love, and love’s greatest glory is to be needed. We must constantly grow in the need for God; for in such orientation can our love for God be enhanced more, and so we encounter the importance of forgiveness. The one thing that shuts a man off from God is self-sufficiency. David admitted his guilt, his insufficiency, and his need for God’s help and forgiveness; so he received pardon and forgiveness. In fact, make out time today to say the prayer of David when the Prophet Nathan went to him: Psalm 51.

3. It is then the work of the Church to teach the self-righteous the importance of love, tolerance and forgiveness, and to teach the lost sinner the need of coming back to God. So many times, we are the ones tired of pleading for Gods’ mercy, not God tired of forgiving us. God does forgive. Never imagine that your sin has outgrown God’s edifice of forgives. Even though our sins have stained us so much, he has the technology that can wipe us totally as newly born. If we turn to the Lord, he will have mercy, and will freely pardon, for our thinking is not his (cf. Is. 55:7-12). I believe you are not thinking that the hand of the Lord is too short to save you or his ear to dull to hear you. Just read Isaiah 59ff. Come and be forgiven. Approach his throne of mercy. Sure, only the sick needs the doctor. For the son of man came to seek and to save what was lost (cf. Luke 19:10). He is our healer. He heals us of every infirmity, and mandates the Church to do the same as He is with her.

4. Thus, we must look at the Church for what it actually is. It is an infirmary (healing centre); a clinic trying to heal many people of their wounds, sores, injuries, sins, disappointments, and hurts. You will find messed up, conniving, annoying, calculating, cultic, witches, wizards; indeed imperfect individuals, including yourself and myself. It is the work of the Church to take care, heal and assist every person. So if you feel betrayed and scandalized by a fellow Church member, put on your nursing cap and think of them as your patients. Treat them with care, love and kindness despite their sins, rudeness and ungodliness. Be one of the nurses in the Church, so that the Church can have more healers from within. We all are sick and need to be transformed. So the Church assists humans to continuously work for this transformation. When we relegate the Church, be careful as to whether you run a RACE devoid of GRACE. An experience of GRACE is when you allow GOD to go with you in your RACE. The Church has this task of helping you to walk along with grace. She does this and continues to do it until its plenitude is achieved in Heaven when the Creator certifies us worthy of being free from any ailment. Let us allow God to heal us so that we can heal others, heal our world, heal our Church, and heal the Nigerian society. God bless you as a wish you a blessed week of divine healing and forgiveness.

THAT MOMENT WHEN IT SEEMS ALL HOPE IS LOST

HOMILY FOR THE 10TH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR C  Rev. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

♫♫ When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrow like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to know, it is well, it is well with my soul. (Chorus) it is well (it is well) with my soul (with my soul), it is well, it is well with my soul ♫♫ 

The song we have just sung has a history. Spafford Horatio lived with his family in Chicago. He was a lawyer and lived well with many investments in the city; but in 1871, he faced tragedies. The family was struck by economic and personal tragedies in a way that could render one hopeless and faithless in God: the only son died and the investments were destroyed by fire. However, the family carried on. About two years later, they decided to take a trip to Europe for a program. Mr. Spafford sent his wife and the four daughters ahead on the journey, being held back by business matters. The trip turned tragic when their vessel was struck mid-voyage by a large industrial ship taking the lives of 226 passengers including the four daughters of Spafford. However, the wife survived and finally arrived in England from where she sent a telegram with only two words: saved alone. It would be two years before Horatio Spafford would sail to England to rejoin his wife. As he was on the voyage across the ocean, he was shown the very spot where the accident happened. There he penned the fateful words to the beloved song; it is well with my soul.

Each one of us at one time or another must have had experiences that did appear that all hope is lost. Many have experienced moments of exhaustion, failures, injustices, excruciating pains and displeasure. I would not know the particular experience that you have had that made you experience some moments of hopelessness. However, we must continuously grow in the consciousness that even in the midst of these experiences that challenge our hope, God is present. Yes, God is there, God comes; all we need do is to be calm and discover from where he comes. Some have experienced amazing favour at some moments of exhaustion. Some students may have surprisingly seen themselves having high grades in a course they had lost the hope of passing. Some persons seeking for justice have amazingly been justified in the Law Court even amidst corrupt lawyers, judges, rich accusers, and a failed juridical system. Some people have been astounded by an outburst of wealth after years of poverty. Some may have experienced moments in which people had given up on them on account of ill health, and suddenly the health became restored.

The Gospel of today (Luke 7:1-11) presents to us an example of what it means to lose hope and how God is present in our travails. There was a woman from the city of Nain. She was a widow and had an only son. This only son died. The woman had practically lost hope on his son as he was been carried out, most probably for burial. Now, the Jewish culture was a patriarchal one; and for a woman to have lost her only son in a patriarchal society meant that she was without any male agency. Her fate was grim and harsh; her status would become all the more degenerated. Losing an only son is like losing all that you have; all that makes you happy, and the only person you can rightly call yours. Little wonder in another pericope of Luke, the man from the crowd had to beckon on Jesus to heal his only son (cf. Luke 9:38). Jesus seeing her condition had to help this woman even though this woman never pleaded for help.

We must also be aware that there was no specification of what actually led to the death of this her only son. All that matters here is the handiwork of God; what God can do irrespective of what caused the death. God knows her condition, and knows what led to the death of the young man. Hence, Christ needed not to lead her to more sorrows and grief as telling the story of his death may open old wounds. Again, in Numbers 19:11 is a law of ritual purity which forbids people to touch corpse. Even in the presence of such a norm, Christ’s compassion for this woman in such dire need bypasses this law of ritual purity. This compassion was expressed in the consoling words of Jesus to the widow: do not weep. At these words, Jesus raised the son and gave him to the mother, and the people glorified God. This is why we must extol the Lord who continues to raise us up (cf. Psalms 30: 1).

The words, he gave him to the mother immediately links us to the story of the First reading (1Kings 17:17-24), about Elijah restoring to life the son of the widow of Zarephath. As the Gospel talks about rising to life after the death of the physical body, the First Reading deals on restoring to life after the weakening of the physical body exemplified as the ceasing of breath. Yet, both concern widows and their sons, and the divine intervention in their conditions. The Zarephat woman was already trying to lose hope due to the death of the son as she thought that God was trying to punish her because of her sins. The woman approached the Prophet Elijah whom she had housed and lamented on his son’s death. When Elijah stretched his hands and cried to the Lord, the Lord answered him. Elijah then gave him to the mother who glorified God and grew more in faith. The Lord through the instrumentality of Elijah consoled this widow and helped her to regain her hope and faith. Hope comes from the Lord; faith too comes from Him. Even the courage and strength with which we work for God are also God’s gift. The courage and strength with which Paul worked was as a result of the revelation received from Christ Jesus Himself. Paul recognized this too well that he saw Himself as an instrument of God. He became an instrument that gingered the hope of the people. He became an instrument that encouraged people to live in Christ, for life in Christ can never be hopeless, but hopeful. We must go home with these lessons.

1. The Lord is present when we are in the greatest difficulty. He comes to remove dejection which is the great challenge to hope. When the door closes, and there seems to be no escape route, the Lord shows us light through a window from which we can actually be liberated. Be hopeful. The Latins say: dum spiro spero (while we breathe, we hope). Inasmuch as we are breathing, we must be hopeful. Breathing should be a pushing factor towards hopefulness. Tell me, why do you give up so easily? Why are you giving up on God? See how the woman of Zarephat made Elijah to talk to his God. See how she recognizes the connection between the Prophet of God whom she housed and the son’s illness. The Lord does not forsake his people. We must grow in that consciousness. However, it is sometimes the case that even when we face difficulties, it becomes hard to see God. Even when we pray hardest, we see what we pray for not come to fruition. Hence, we tend to be demoralized, forsaking God and losing hope and faith in Him. I tell you to keep hoping even in such situation. Kindly read through this second point.

2. It is true as it is said that we do not know what we have until we lose it. Hence, when we lose that which we cherish most or when at the verge of losing that which we cherish most, we tend to become despondent and hopeless, being moody and fearful about how to survive. However, it is even more true that we do not know what we miss until it comes. When we see ourselves losing that which we hold dear, let us always focus on that with which the Lord comes. The Lord comes with success, with deliverance, with revival, with restoration, with resuscitation, with resurrection, with good health, with the most beautiful, with the most authentic and truthful; yes, he comes with everything good. The widow at Nain, and her associates had already carried the dead man to be buried. But they never knew that the Lord was coming to visit them in that situation. If they had stayed at home, crying and lamenting, they may have lost the opportunity of encountering Jesus. They had accepted the condition and were looking towards the future. That greatly facilitated the wonder of God in the life of their son. Never lose focus of the future due to your stubborn cleavage on the past. The windshield of a car is large and the side mirrors small; this is to tell the driver that what matters more is the future. Look straight but having the past as moments that made you grow in experience and knowledge.

3. As humans, even when we have our own troubles to grapple with, we must show compassion to others we meet. Never you say: I have many problems, or does he/she know what I am passing through? You should rather say: even though I have my problems, I can still be helpful. Humanity can only smile when each of us even in our travails helps each other to bear the loads of life. Christ had his own problems; problems concerning the crowd that was following him, problems concerning his mission and how he would be betrayed and crucified. Yet, he continued to show compassion to the people he met. We must learn this spiritual act of mercy. We must make out time to visit the sick, the downtrodden, the prisoners, and the mad people. Show compassion to those we meet. Actually, a little smile towards others can raise their hopes. Dear, we must learn to smile to others. Smile connotes acceptance, solves problems and raises hope.

In the face of hardship, never lose hope; in the face of hunger, never lose hope; in the face of ill health, never lose hope, in the face of the death of a loved one, never lose hope, even when things appear to have finished, never lose hope. Tell yourself that it is not yet over. God is there. Yes, Deus ibi est.

May God continue to be present in our difficulties, may our hopes never fail us, and may we experience compassion from people when we need them. For all this I pray as I wish you a blessed week ahead. GOD BLESS YOU.