GOD’S WAYS (GRACE) ARE NOT OUR WAYS (RACE)

HOMILY FOR THE 25^TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A

 

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

God’s way is grace. All God gives us is of grace. No man can earn what God offers him/her; not anyone of us deserves it. What God gives to us is given out of the generosity of his heart, and not our merit. God does not give us a pay, but a gift. It is not a reward, but grace. It is all about grace. There is a difference between labour and favour. It is true that we can labour. But it is even truer that when God wills it, it is favour. In a labour that demands a pay, we are paid in consideration with the time input and the work done. We are rated in consideration with the amount of labour we are able to do. A perfect example will be the example of the bricklaying job. The number of bricks one is able to lay determines the amount he is going to be paid. And that is by counting. The world’s way of wages may be by counting, but God’s way of wages is by graciousness. In the world’s way, one can boast that he deserves his pay, but no one can actually boast of such in the divine realm. God’s way differs from our way.

We notice this different way of God from ours chiefly in the Gospel (Matt 20:1-16). Jesus told a parable to his disciples. The kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. He employed the first group in the morning, employed the second in the afternoon, and the third in the evening. When it was time to pay them, he paid all an equal amount. But the first group murmured against such equal pay. But he made them to understand that the way they are thinking is not the way he is thinking for he is allowed to do what he chooses with what belongs to him. And in this line, the last can be the first as the first can be the last. This means that anyone who considers himself first must be on alert to avoid becoming the last out of jealousy and greed. The First lesson to be drawn from this episode is that the grace of God cannot be affected or influenced by the whims and caprices of person’s around. This grace is one that provides work for us. The householder is God. God’s provides the field on which we work. He desires us to work and be enriched.  

The Second lesson is that God is one who goes out to seek and call men to work. It is not the workers who come to him. In the world’s way, workers seek for job and go to the masters, but in God’s way, God seeks out his workers. And this is marvellous grace; for the son of man has come to seek and to save what was lost (cf. Luke 19:10). He wants us to work and constantly calls us to work; the harvest is indeed great, but the labourers are few (Mat. 9:37-38). The Third lesson is that we are warned to remain steadfast when we receive great privilege of being called so early. Be you aware that in later days, others will be called, and you must not claim a special honour and place over them. There are people who think that because they have been members of the Church before others, and for that the Church belongs to them and can dictate its policy. Such people resent the rise of a new generation with somewhat different plans and ways of worship and organization. In Christendom, seniority does not necessarily mean honour.

The fourth lesson is the spirit with which we work for God. There was an agreement with the first group for a denarius. For the second group, there was no agreement but a word of trust that they would be given their due. For the third, there was no agreement neither was there any word of trust. The first were concerned with their pay; that is, what to get after their work. But in the case of those engaged later, they just needed to work. All they needed was an opportunity to work and not just for the pay. They willingly left the reward to the master’s choice. Our first concern is not in our pay. Some will ask: what do we get out of it? We work for the joy of service. This is exactly why the first will be the last for many a man who in our eyes worked so hard on earth may get a low place in the kingdom because rewards were his sole aim. Some who the world sees as poor will be great in heaven because they never thought in terms of reward but worked for the joy of serving. This is a paradox actually. For the world, the more we aim at earthly rewards, the more the material success. But for heaven, the more interest in the earthly reward, the less the recompense. He who aims at rewards looses it, but he who forgets it gains it. God’s way is not our way.

The First Reading (Isaiah 55:6-7) of today strikes the head at the nail when it says: for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. This is purely an invitation that urges us to make a leap out of the way we impose our thoughts on God, or think God to act the way we do. Anyone who desires to eat must work first. Anyone who desires to drink wine has to buy it; yes. But whenever God wills it, he can declare free feeding (as it happened in the feeding of the five thousand in Matt 14:13-21) and free drinking (as he did during the wedding at Cana in John 2:1-12). In fact, the 55^th chapter of the prophet Isaiah can be summarized as a call to grace. The beginning of the chapter makes a general invitation to all who are thirsty (v.1a) and have no money (v.1b) to come and drink and eat without cost. This invitation was made as an aftermath of a restored people. It is a call to a feast that invites the Israelites to a moment of restoration of their heritage. The exilic years may have made them hopeless and made people to ridicule them thinking of them as a failed nation and even wishing them stagnancy in nation building. But that was not the way God was thinking of them. God was planning freedom, restoration, happiness, joy and plenitude for them. This transformation was possible because God’s ways are not our ways.

The world may wish you remain a slave, you remain a spinster, you remain a bachelor, you remain a tenant, you remain a student, you remain a job seeker, you remain in tears, you remain in pains, you remain ignorant, you remain childless, you remain in prison, you remain poor, you remain degenerated, you remain in poverty, you remain in sin, you remain in darkness. But God will wish you become a master, you become a wife, you become a husband, you become a teacher or a graduate, you become a worker, you become happy, you gain, you become knowledgeable, you bear a child, you become a free person, you become rich, you become regenerated, you swim in plenty, you become holy, and you experience the light. And this is why the prophet would exclaim: the people walking in darkness have seen a great light (Isaiah 9:2, cf. Matt. 4:16) and the three wise men exclaimed that we have seen his star and we have come to pay him homage (Matt 2:2).

Every one of us wants to behold the light and to move out of darkness. Left for the world, many will remain in darkness. However, such intention is frustrated because God’s way is not our way. In conclusion and just as the Psalmist says the Lord is close to all who call him (Ps. 145:18a), and being aware of the difference of God’s way from humans, we must report every worry to God whose grace is bountiful and marvellous. Just make sure your manner of life is worthy of the Gospel as St. Paul admonishes in the Second Reading (Phil. 1:20c-24.27a). I wish you a blessed week ahead. God bless you.

FORGIVE!!! IT IS THE STRONGER YOU

HOMILY FOR THE 24^TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A

 

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

Holding a grudge does not make you strong. Swearing never to forgive the other does not make you a hard-liner. These make you bitter and weak. Forgiveness does not make you a weak person; it rather makes you better and stronger. Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness. Laugh when you can, apologize when you should. You must forgive those who hurt you, even when what they have done against you seems unforgiveable in your mind. Forgive them not actually because they deserve to be forgiven, but because you don’t want to suffer and hurt yourself any time you remember what they did to you. Forgiveness is your own mental healing. It is an act of sincere self-love. In his book, All men are brothers: Autobiographical Reflections, Mahatma Gandhi said in clear terms, the weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong.

It was on the 13^th day of May, 1981 that an assassination attempt was made on the life of St. Pope JohnPaul II the great by Mehmet Ali Agca. As the Pope was entering the St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican City, this man shot the Pope for not less than four times, and as a result the Pontiff suffered great blood loss. The assassin was apprehended immediately and was sentenced to life in prison by an Italian court. Following the shooting, the Pope asked people to “pray for my brother...whom I have sincerely forgiven.” In 1983, he had an audience with Agca, and ever since kept in touch with the mother and brother of the assassin, whom he described as his brother. In June 2000, he was pardoned of the life imprisonment by the Italian president, Carlo Ciampi at the request of the pope. The Pope was strong; and that’s why he was able to forgive.

In the Gospel (Matt. 18:21-35), the King was strong, and that was why he was able to forgive the servant the much he owed. However, the servant could not forgive a fellow servant the little he owed and that made him weak. As a result of such heart that does not pardon, he received a severe punishment from his master. This story was the consequence of the question Peter asked Jesus about how often an offender can be forgiven. In the opening chapters of the book of Amos (1:3013; 2:1-6), there is a series of condemnations on the various nations for three transgressions and for four. From this, it was thought that God’s forgiveness extends to three offences, and that he visits the sinner with punishment at the fourth.

 It was not then to be thought that a man could be more gracious than God; so forgiveness was limited to three times. Peter thought that he was even being generous with the number of times, and thus must have expected commendations from Christ. But Jesus’ answer was that the Christian has to forgive seventy times seven; and that is, limitlessly. That means that there is no reckonable limit to forgiveness. Jesus then told a story of a servant forgiven a great debt who went and dealt mercilessly with a fellow servant who owed him so little. The question comes, how do you expect God who pardons us great offences to react when we are unable to pardon our fellows? The development of a heart that does not forgive is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies. At last, it ends up killing you. We see this practical in the life of the unforgiving servant. He did not realize that forgiveness is the giving up of one’s right to return hurt for hurt.

The other servants were in grievance over such an act by the wicked servant. God’s true people are always grieved when they see people in suffering, mistreated, abused, and trampled upon. Cruel and mean treatment always troubles the Christian. It is true that the wicked servant was just in putting his fellow servant into prison, but the question is, was it a holy act? The man was just, very strict, legalistic, and rigid and mean, but he lacked holiness. Thus, his act was just but sinful.  Any act that is just but sinful is not to be seen as a good moral act. His strict justice causes more trouble and trouble, disturbance and oppression of people. The other servants had to do the only thing they could have done. They took the matter to the king. They were not silent. They must not allow the license of oppression and legalism to destroy a human spirit which must be enshrouded in mercy and compassion.

After he received pardon, he failed to pardon. And so he was thrown into prison and was given a more strict condition which he would not meet. If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God (Heb 10:26-27). And the First Reading (Sir 27:30 -28:7) was very clear about this. He that takes vengeance will suffer vengeance from the Lord, and he will firmly establish his sins. The moral lesson of all this is that we must forgive our neighbours their sins against us; then can ours be forgiven by God. We must forgive. We must distance ourselves from such philosophies that go in line with an eye for an eye. However, we must admit that forgiveness has many challenges. But these challenges have been conquered by the singular christological action of grace and salvation. The grace of God is sufficient for us.

What do you do when you find it challenging to forgive? 1) Be thankful of that experience. When someone has done something which challenges the virtue of forgiveness in you, simply develop some sense of thanksgiving as regards the experience which made you wiser. Oprah Winfrey had said: ‘true forgiveness is when you can say, thank you for that experience.’2) Try hard to wish the person well. You will be sure that true forgiveness has started in you when having recalled the hurts you still feel the power to sincerely wish the person well. When this is done, you will discover that you have set a prisoner free; that prisoner is you. 3) Work on your mind. It was Confucius who once told his followers that to be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it. If you continue to remind yourself of the hurts and pains you have experienced, you end up piling up grudges, but if you wave these aside, and allow fresh experiences to replace those ones, you end up forgiving and acquiring inner peace. 4) Don’t you want to move forward? Holding grudges is a sort of living in the past. The naked truth is that unless you let go, forgive yourself, forgive the situation, forgive the person and realize the situation is over, you cannot move forward. And finally, if you cannot forgive and forget, choose one. You will find yourself in the very act of forgiveness. Forgiveness is challenging; forgive anyway. I wish you a blessed week ahead. God bless you.

IT IS TIME FOR RECONCILIATION

HOMILY FOR THE 23^RD SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

Reconciliation is a reestablishment of friendly relations. It is the act of bring back peace and harmony to a friendliness or togetherness that is suffering from strife. We have carefully chosen this term to sound out the goal of the readings of this Sunday. Jesus clearly explained to the apostles the ways of going about brotherly correction and ending quarrels among the faithful. There are three steps that the Gospel (Matt. 18:15-20) of today enumerates when we seek reconciliation.

1. Dare to reconcile

2. Dare to Discipline

3. Dare to pray

No. 1 Reconciliation

When one has discovers that a brother has offended him/her, the very first move is to make a bold step towards reconciliation. We are not to wait on the offender to come to us, but are to go to the offender for reconciliation. Jesus shows us three specific and wise ways to do this. The first is to go to the offender alone, and talk over the problem with him/her. We must not share the matter with anyone else, nor are we to openly rebuke him, and must do so in humility, gentility and understanding. It is probable that the offender may be unaware of the offence over which we are annoyed. But even when you are sure that he knows about the offence, you still need to go. If this is done, the quarrel is stretched beyond limit and the guilt of the sin continues. The Christian must not quarrel, but must be kind to all (2 Tim. 2:24). And unconsciously, the division grows deeper and nearly irreconcilable, until the moment we become revengeful and diabolic. We must work for peace. Without peace with one another, our offerings are superfluous. When you offer gifts to the altar and discover that you are not in peace with your brother, leave your gifts and go reconcile with him, and then can you offer them (Mat 5:24). 

The second step is to go to the brother with witnesses. It is true that many can be immature or selfish or with ulterior motives, and so may not admit to the wrong, and may even be totally unwilling to reconcile. In this case, one or two wise brothers are to assist. This shows that the one seeking reconciliation truly desires it, and that the one approached for reconciliation is truly loved and cared for. It also provides objective and wise counsel between the two parties, and helps to prevent bias and partial interests. The third step is to go before the Church. If the breach continues without taking the matter to the Church, it will cause more division and harm both within and without the Church. Other people may be involved and affected. Christ has a singular purpose here: to keep the sin, division and devastation from spreading and destroying the lives of more faithful. This is why Paul tells us in the Second Reading to love one another. It is love that summarizes it all. Love des no evil to the neighbour; it is the fulfilment of the law (Rom. 13:8-10).

No. 2 Disciplining

This second level which involves disciplining and sanctions can only be done if the first level has been completed. Jesus said: if he refuses to listen to the Church, treat him as you would treat a Gentile or a tax collector. Here comes the sanction, but the question readily comes to mind, how do Jews treat Gentiles and Tax collectors?  There are two possible interpretations that readily come to mind. The Jews ostracize the Gentiles. They refuse intermarriage and anything that suggests relationship with them. Even when they build their temples, they bring out a separate place for them. From this sense, treating the brother as a Gentile involves ostracizing and discriminating against the brother. However, it was actually for sinners and the tax collectors that Christ came for (Luke 5:32; Mat 9:13). It is not the healthy that need the doctor but the sick (cf. Luke 5:31, Mat 9:12). Paul had to tell Timothy that Christ came to the world to save sinners, of whom he is the worst (1:15). He continually insisted that the Gospel message is for both Jews and Greeks; all must turn to God for repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus (Acts 20:21).

Christ reached out to them and they were reachable. And so he gives us an example of how to act as he did and not as a Jew. It is true that the divisive brother has already acted as an outsider, and so ought to be treated as such. If the brother has refused to listen and respond to the humble request of a fellow Christian or the Church, therefore he is to be left alone and not bothered until he is ready to listen and be reconciled. Yes, the mission of the Church involves reaching out to pagans and sinners. This is the reason for evangelization. The disciplining of the brother then is one which allows the Church to continue to reach out for the backsliding brother. What I actually vision Christ saying is that the Church is to continue seeking after him as she deems wise, just as they seek after unbelievers. But realistically, the attempts at future reconciliation would probably be much less often.

There is a heavenly support to this earthly disciplinary measure. If the procedures are strictly followed in love and without bias or prejudice, then it is so in heaven. The heavenly discipline supports then the earthly discipline. As the Church on earth (where two or three are gathered in my name) has treated him as an outsider, so too is it in heaven. Thus, Christ has given us the procedures to follow in conflict resolution. It is our duty to follow them, and not be deceived by the world’s legal system of unspiritual or godless philosophies and arguments. Among God’s people, disputes have to be settled in this manner of Christ. We must all work and build the Church. The Church exists for worship, peace, love, brotherly correction and witnessing to Christ.

No. 3 Praying

The third step is to soak the matter in prayer. It is in the act of prayer that heaven hears and agrees with us. The Church is a community of prayer. And every reconciliation move has to involve prayers. When we pray, it is not just that heaven hears us, but also heaven grants our request. Prayers help us to be united. So, when a brother abandons every effort that has been made on him to repent and accept his fellow Christian, the Church commends him/her to God in prayer. And surely, heaven does accept the Church’s petition.

The Church has the duty to do her best for the unity of all Christians. Our job is to follow the measures laid down by Christ. We can only save ourselves as a Church if we do the best we can to save a brother from grief and error. This takes me to the first reading (Ezekiel 33:7-9). Ezekiel was given a special assignment to call the people to warn the people against their sins and call them to repentance. If he does not do the duty, the sin of the people is on me, but if he does it, the sin of the sinner is upon the sinner. We must do our work as a Church. If we refuse to do our work as a Church, it all implies the sin of the sinner will be upon us all. We all must seek reconciliation. It is now or never. Firstly, seek to reconcile with yourself. Secondly, seek to reconcile with your fellows (husband, wife, children, neighbours, family and Church members). Thirdly, seek to reconcile with the Church. Many feel embittered against the Church. What is it you think the Church has done against you? It is time to forgive. Be reconciled with the Church. Reconciliation paves way for peace on earth, and makes assurance for eternal peace in heaven. I wish you a week of reconciliation. Amen. God bless you.

CARRY YOUR CROSS FOR A CROSS-OVER

HOMILY FOR THE 22^ND SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR, A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

There is the story of three persons who were walking alongside one another bearing heavy crosses. As they walked, the cross became so heavy on one of them. He cried unto God and said: please God, this is so heavy on me, can you cut off some parts of this vertical part? God obliged him and did what he asked for. Going a little bit further, the same person found out that the same cross was still heavy on him. He begged God the second time to cut off the left-hand side of the horizontal part, and God obliged him the second time. He did this the third time and the right-hand side was also reduced. But there came a point where there was a rift valley. The two other persons that were also carrying theirs without begging for its reduction had to slide theirs to cross over. But the third person discovered that his cross has been so shortened that it was unable to become a ladder for him, and so he was stranded. He shouted unto God again and prayed: God help me and bring back those parts that were chopped off that I may place down my cross for a crossover. Well, it was a pity, for he could not have eaten his cake and still had it. The only condition was to go back and carry another cross, without cutting any part off. You can imagine the time he would waste, and the more energy he would spend. With this story, we come to understand the importance of carrying our crosses and holding firm to them. Those crosses may be the materials for your salvation tomorrow. 

Spurred by Peter’s reaction, Jesus clearly gave the condition for discipleship to his disciples in the gospel of today (Matt 16:21-27). After the confession of Peter at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus continued to tell his disciples how the son of man will suffer greatly and be killed and on the third day arise. Then Peter in his thought that Jesus was not wishing himself any good brought him aside and rebuked him. But Jesus rebuked him more strongly. He had not understood well the message of the cross. He was not aware that the cross of Christ was the weapon for our crossover from sin to grace, from damnation to salvation, from hatred to love, from hell to heaven, from pieces to peace, from slavery to freedom, from tears to joy, from sorrows to gladness. Jesus then spilled it out what he demands from his disciples: whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. As much as it is for the sake of Christ, that cross that seems to be crushing becomes a bridge and a ladder. It is in losing our sweat, crying out our tears, spilling our blood, that we actually gain strength, gain consolation and get rejuvenated. 

Now, what was actually the cross Jesus talked about? We must remember that Jesus desired to correct the impression in Peter that the moments of and with Christ must be glorious. He desired to put it to Peter that even though I am the Christ, there is a way that I must follow if I really want to accomplish my mission as the Messiah. It was the way of the cross. So, in this passage the cross Jesus talked about is the pains and suffering that go with following the Messiah. It must not always be palatable. We must learn to endure anything we perceive as sorrowful when we are bent on following Christ. Another point to note is that everyone has his cross to carry. Interest on the cross of the other suggests disobedience and waywardness. He must take up his own cross, Christ said. And each one of us has been given our own crosses. Do not forget you need to concentrate on your cross, and see that it crosses you over.

Suffering perfects the Christian. And so, a faithful must see suffering as a ladder for glorification. Christ was perfected through suffering (Heb. 2:10). Ellie Wiesel was a survivor of the dreaded Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz during the Second World War. He wrote of his experiences in the book The Night. In that book, he relates the harrowing story of two Jewish men and a Jewish boy hung alongside one another. Having mounted the stairs, the two adults cried: Long live liberty. But the boy was silent. Behind Wiesel someone desperately asked “where is God? Where is He? The chairs the victims were standing on were kicked out from under them and the three hung there. The adults died quickly, but the boy’s weight was not great enough to snap his neck immediately. For more than half an hour he hung there, dying in slow agony before their eyes. Again, Wiesel heard the question, where is God now? And standing there Wiesel heard a voice within himself answer: where is he? Here he is. He is hanging here on this gallows. When Wiesel said it was God hanging on the gallows, he indicated the death of his faith. For Wiesel, his faith in God died with that hanging child. But I tell you that it is in what the human eyes perceive as suffering that we are perfected as Christians. That cross these people bore became a ladder for their cross over to paradise.

However, we must work to see that we do not lay heavy burdens on our fellow human beings by way of making them suffer. As Christians, our work must be to help ease the sufferings meted on people caused by sin and by the unjust rulership of the world. We can actually assist our neighbours in carrying such crosses which can simply be termed unnecessary, and about which Jesus invites us to come and have rest (cf. Matt. 11:48). Remember that Simon of Cerene assisted Jesus in carrying that wood the unjust leaders laid upon him. A young man was once making a presentation in his class and in fact, it was his first time. While he was making the presentation, the professor handling the class noticed that he was holding his paper in the left hand while the right hand was loosely tucked inside his pocket. The professor saw this as an offensive sign of pride and instantly asked him to use his right hand or end the presentation. It was at this point that the young man raised the right arm that was inside his pocket and everyone saw that a quarter of it was cut off and that was obviously an accident. The professor seeing this came to the boy, and knelt down in the full gaze of the class and begged to be forgiven for mistaking his disability for pride. The scenario brought out tears from the eyes of many who were present. In this situation, the lecturer has added to the suffering of this young man because he was impatient to feel the other’s pain.

Finally, we must learn from the experience of Jeremiah in the First Reading (Jer. 20:7-9) who thought that the prophetic ministry would lead him to great success and attract more love from the people. He discovered it late that the prophetic ministry entails the cross. People will hate you, and will criticize, but these are the crosses we carry for the sake of God. He was almost hated and derided because he condemned evil; his messages were always that of repent or perish. It is in the context of this experience that he proclaimed: you have seduced me Lord and I have allowed myself to be seduced. The message he proclaimed became a cross he had to bear for the sake of God. This awareness was a step fotward in his understanding of his mission. When you see that suffering that comes to you, and hand it over to God, we are eased. Paul in the Second Reading (Romans 12:1-2) advices us not to be conformed to the ways of the world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds, that we may easily prove what the will of God is, and what is good and acceptable and perfect. This transformation is got by the way of the cross. To understand the will of God, we must be docile to carry our crosses, for those crosses are ladders for our cross over into paradise at the end of our lives. May the crosses we bear today help us to cross over into peace, joy, holiness, success, and eternal life. Amen. God bless you.