TURN YOUR EYES TO THE EAST

HOMILY FOR THE 2^ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

There is always that angle to which the eyes turn to when they are filled with expectation of an important visitor. As children, whenever our parents told us of the visit of a revered person, we were not only filled with great expectation and preparedness, our eyes would always peer through the windows and corridors at the sound of any car engine, door bells or knocks. When we expect a visitor naturally, our physical eyes are surely involved. They turn towards the direction from which we expect the visitor to come. This is also true of our preparedness and expectation of the messiah. Our spiritual eyes of faith are involved. They turn towards the direction from which the Messiah Christ would come. In the First Reading (Baruch 5:1-9), the prophet consoles Jerusalem under distress and assuring them of divine visitation and sustenance, enjoins her to turn her eyes to the East. Why must her eyes be turned to the East, and not the West, the North or South?

There was a peculiar experience I made in 2013 during the pilgrimage for seminarians in Rome. It concerns the St. Peter’s Basilica, which was known as the largest in size of all the Catholic Church’s buildings in the world. It is built and situated in such a way that it faces the East; and of course many ancient churches were built that way: facing the East. This is because of the Biblical theology that salvation comes from the East, for it is from the East that the rising sun blossoms. The sun rises in the East to brighten up the day and dispel the darkness of the night. And so, the messiah of the people would rise from the east to brighten up the world and to dispel the darkness that sin has caused. Therefore, the ancients believed that salvation comes from the East and was regarded as the source of blessing. Hosea prophesied that the Messiah would come to us as the rising sun (Cf. Hosea 6:3). The messiah is the bringer of salvation, and therefore Jesus’ birth which was likened to the rising sun in Luke 1:78 signified the opening up of salvation for mankind. To wrap it up, the wise men were guided by the star that rose from the East. So, turning our eyes to the East would signify an ever-more readiness and preparedness that the messiah is almost with us, and that our salvation is very near at hand.

While in Rome, standing in front of the Basilica, I felt the direct heat of the early morning sunshine; and on entering the Basilica experienced such rays of light which by piercing the upper windows and the stained glasses illumine the interior of the Basilica, as if to say that God’s eye directly watches over the community in prayer and gives them the Light which He, God is. This thought me the lesson of a God who is beyond us, but dwells in our midst. The rising sun has come to visit us, for God comes from heaven to dwell in our midst. Thus, the eye of the Church is always turned towards the East, the location of the rising sun. This is a signification of her orientation towards salvation to which she goes with all her children. But specifically, during this Advent season, our eyes are focused in wrapped attention towards the East because the Word is about to be made flesh in Jesus Christ? We are still on the look out gazing towards the East to witness this rising sun that has the mission of brightening the day and dispelling the darkness of the night.

This will help us, as St. Paul advocates in the Second Reading (Phil. 1:3-6.8-11) to become purer and prepared for the Day of the Lord. On that day, perfect goodness will be produced in us. Is this not what our salvation is all about? Our eyes are now turned towards the east because a palpable announcement has been made about the clearance of darkness; for the forerunner of that messiah has been announced. This is what we meet in the Gospel (Luke 3:1-6). The job of this forerunner is to prepare us, immerse (baptise) us in repentance for the forgiveness of sins, that our eyes may be cleared enough to behold Him who is most pure and bright, to be able to see the salvation of God that ought to be visible for us all. The forerunner, John is the voice that cries in the wilderness. And I think it is not without any purpose that the story of the incarnation of the messiah started in the wilderness where life was difficult and where wild beasts dominate. It did not happen in Jerusalem or in Galilee or any big city, but in a forsaken, tough and dry wilderness.

Remember, many years (about 400 years) had passed since the time of the prophet Malachi, and there was no prophet in Israel. So, the Jews were like those living in a period of prophetic wilderness, a period during which there was no prophet in the land. Thus, the coming of John was the end of this prophetic wilderness. His appearance became a comfort and great hope to the people in the face of their economic and socio-political servitude under the Roman empire that the messiah is near. Many people even thought him to be the messiah. So, the voice in the wilderness brought back faith and hope, and with his message helped the people to turn their heads towards the East. So, this season is a period we all have to confront whatever wilderness we have been made to face in our lives and try to see some hope in it discerning the presence of God as we turn towards the East, towards the rising sun: the wilderness of regrets, of shame, of enmity, of hatred, of poverty, etc. We must believe that the coming of the messiah would surely bring these forms of wilderness to a halt. Abundance, joy, faith and love come from the Rising Sun, the messiah The rays of salvation emitted from this Rising Sun would be able to boost our bodies, supplying a great deal of Vitamin D (Faith) that promotes bone growth (growth in virtues) and prevents illnesses and depression (removal of vices). May we continue to be filled with this expectant hope as we look towards Christmas. Amen. May we be alert to see this morning sun that rises, and be ready to behold him. Amen

Happy new week, and God bless you.

THE DIVINE PROMISE AND OUR EXPECTATION

HOMILY FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

As I welcome you to yet another beautiful year (C) in the Church’s calender, I also welcome on board the Evangelist of the Gospel according to Luke in whose light the mystery of our redemption will be unravelled to us through out the Sundays of this year. The Advent season marks the beginning of a new year in the Church as it reminds us of the coming of Christ in these three major and all-encompassing perspectives: 1. the coming of Christ in the flesh in Bethlehem 2. the coming of Christ in the hearts of believers 3. the coming at the end of time with power and great glory. And this is why it is called ‘advent’ which means coming as to annually remind us that Christ’s coming is not a fairytale; only that no one knows when. All we need do is to be on the watch at all times; however, not the type of watch the Thessalonians kept, in responsibility to our daily duties as human beings and as Christians. This is why the Advent season even though specifically observed during this time should be a constant reminder in the life of every person of the very promise God has made to His people. So, we are filled with expectation.

The First Reading (Jer. 33:14-16) makes vivid this promise of a virtuous branch grown for David who shall install honesty and integrity, salvation and peace. It was clear that when Jeremiah spoke of this virtuous branch, he was not predicting the birth of Christ. Rather, he was expressing a hope in that time of crisis. However and theologically, this was fulfilled in Christ, and today constantly rekindled in our hearts, as we await the final reign of the Christ in heaven and on earth. And is this not what the season of Advent is all about?  Indeed, this message of Jeremiah is similar to what Christ talks about in the Gospel about the future. He wants us to prepare for that future by acting now. This is advent; the season of expectation and preparation for the coming of Christ. 

In the Gospel (Luke 21: 25-28; 34-36) are contained two pericopes carefully knitted together in the Lectionary to lay bare the message of this Sunday. As the first aspect concerns the coming of the son of man (25-28), the second (34-36) concerns the exhortation to be on guard. The coming of the son of man will be preceded by some signs according to the very first sentence of the Gospel. This sign will be seen in the sun, the moon and the stars, and will be felt on earth because of the confusion among nations concerning the roaring of the sea and the waves. What this means is that the whole creation will be affected by the coming of Christ to the earth. The sun, the moon, the stars and the waters will demonstrate, welcome and be ready to serve the son of man, who is the Christ, God’s very own son. This signifies everything in creation will put up a very important and visible display to welcome her King who created them all. If this is what is suggested by this passage (which truly is), then Human beings must be ready too to put on their own display to welcome their creator who by making them elevated them to the apex of creation.

Surely, when the heavenly and earthly bodies start to demonstrate, humanity instead of joining in such a demonstration with her own displays will be frightened. And this will cause them great distress; because they have failed to see and understand the signs of the coming of the son of man. They may be filled with fear that the world is being destroyed where as the astronomical bodies are simply acting up to welcome their creator. And so, the feeling of distress is as a result of ignorance to recognize the creator and the signs that will precede his coming. Could this not be the reason why Jesus tried to dispel this ignorance from his disciples when he told them to brave up, to stand up and to raise their heads high, for at that moment, what awaits them is redemption and not destruction as others might think? That there will be distress and muddiness among nations can be understood in the picture that the leaders of the world might be meeting to figure out what is happening to the planetary bodies. Yet, they will not be able to interpret the signs, because all their minds tell them is doom. At this moment, people will be filled with terror, sensing that the end has come where as the message is that the salvation of the just is at hand. What a great encouragement for the believer; that he/she is shielded from this distress and confusion.

For the reasons of this great distress and confusion that the world would experience, Christ instructs the Christian to beware in watchfulness and prayer. This is a lesson to be focused and careful not to be deceived by the distractions of life: debauchery, drunkenness and the cares of life. Debauchery is a scandalous activity involving silly talks, frivolity and giddiness as a result of an extreme life of pleasure. Drunkenness dulls the mind, harms the body and impedes the mind against right judgement. The cares of life would mean a craving for more and more of the things of this life; desiring for more than one needs. These things are inimical to the alertness Jesus demands of us. To watch and pray always are great remedies for the Christian. These are signs of our belief and keep us vigilant to recognize the signs that will precede the coming of the Lord. They help to keep us active in faith and warm our hearts for God. By so doing, we are not taken by surprises. Therefore, we are reminded on this first Sunday of Advent to be watchful in constant prayer and examination of our lives, preparing ourselves for the coming of the Lord in love of one another(cf. Second Reading (1 Thess. 3:12-4:2) as we draw closer to the event that celebrates his coming in history. Happy new week; God bless you.

JESUS, THE KING OF TRUTH

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE CHRIST THE KING, YEAR B

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

This reflection is dedicated to the thousands of Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria currently experiencing hardship as a result of the unjust oppression of the government of Paul Biya. May the King of kings deliver them. Amen.

A very important observation in the Gospel of today is the departure it makes out of Mark. To offer us a more intensive reflection on the theme of this Sunday, the Lectionary has again borrowed from John just as it did during the discourse of Jesus as the bread of life. One thing that is needed to point out about the Gospel of Mark, especially at this moment “the year of Mark (B)” comes to an end is the development of the idea of Jesus as the servant Messiah, who continued to avoid any publicity regarding his deeds (Messiah’s secrecy), but was quiet open about the suffering he was meant to undergo for others. This is why the Gospel of Mark is insistent on the need for humility and of service for others. And so, to tell us the goal of this kingdom of service in Mark, Jesus’ trial before Pilate in John helps to describe it as that kingdom of service to the truth. Thus, the peculiar quality the Church unravels to us on this solemnity of Christ the king is truth. Jesus is the King of truth, and as the Psalmist says, ‘robed in majesty’ (Ps. 93:1).

The three Readings (1. Daniel 7:13-14; Revelations 1:5-8; John 18:33-37) talk about Jesus as the king. As the first reveals the indestructible nature of this king and of his kingdom, the Second discloses his everlasting nature, whereby this king is known to have come before all (and thus the Alpha) and will be there after all (and thus the Omega). The Gospel then drives home to us the purpose of this king as truth. This is demonstrated in the context of the dialogue between the suffering Messiah and Pilate. Now, picture Pilate who was a soldier and a politician richly dressed with a chalice of wine and food beside him, with armed soldiers to guard him, and with a powerful army in the barrack awaiting his command. Then, picture Jesus, the itinerant preacher from Galilee, haggard and dirty, hands cuffed with ropes, and seemingly at the mercy of Pilate. Yet, Pilate saw him as a threat to his political position and still had to ask: are you the king of the Jews? In the midst of some other intermediary questions, and with his one-million dollar answer (My kingdom is not of this world…), Jesus finally made him feel at ease. At least, Pilate must have thought, this one is not a threat after all; he has no army training in the hills waiting to attack him. However, the feeling of insecurity, even though calmed by now but still inquisitive at the acceptance of Jesus that he has a kingdom pushed Pilate to quest all the more: Then you are a king?

At this point, Jesus admitted to being a king of another sort. “For this reason I was born and for this I came into the world to testify to the truth,” Jesus said. He is the sort of King who ministers truth to the people, leading them out of falsehood and pretence and does not mislead them for the sake of power and money. He has no armies in the hills nor an arsenal in the caves; truth is his weaponry. His crown was not for personal honour but that the Father be glorified through obedience and service to the truth. His army was not forcibly garnered but he lovingly attracted the people who accepted his teachings. Can Jesus be pictured to have been reaching out to Pilate in any invitation to reconsider his own values of kingship, way of life and his service to the Roman Emperor? Unlike the Roman government to colonial masters to communist dictators whose kingdoms of this world were(are) established by the unjust use of power and maintained by tyranny, corruption and exploitation, Jesus’ kingdom was a service to the truth. It is the truth that really sets people free not the force that makes people live in bondage. In the face of many injustices, corruption and falsehood inundated in the many kingdoms of this world today, Jesus is still speaking vehemently to whatever we consider a kingdom today on the importance of service to the truth.

The kingdom of Jesus is not interested in the acquisition of lands and rulership over others. The territory that concerns him is the human heart. And so, the kingdom of Jesus is established in the heart that lives a life of truth. God reigns there when one is true to self, true to others and true to God. Without truth, there is no justice; without justice, there is no peace. If we truly desire peace in our world, we must work for justice through peace. The service of the truth of Jesus is unlike the present-day system of justice. The system of justice today serves the law and not the truth. It is evident that the so-called veracity of a case is now determined by some small legal technicalities. In talking about the current-day system of justice, Sylvester O’Flynn in His commentary says: “truth has so departed from the courts of justice that perjury is virtually taken for granted as a means to the end.” Thus, we are encouraged as Christians to be courageous enough to refute falsehood, unmask the untruth that lies hidden in the half-truth, and challenge the systems that exploit people. Perhaps, the most uncomfortable task in this is to hear that the work begins with the self. Thanks to God who has blessed all of us with reason to aid us discover truth in its raw form. Was it not John Locke the English philosopher of the 17^th century and social contract theorist who advocated for the use of reason to search after truth. We have been endowed by God to know the truth and search for it.

Finally, we must recall that one of the greatest claims of Jesus was “I am the truth.” Therefore, every one of us must be able to repeat these words of Jesus daily in word and deed. God sees the most secret places of our lives. In God, our pretences are unmasked, the games we play are exposed and our scams are busted. To belong to the kingdom of Christ as that of service to the truth is to live by the truth, and from this truth blossom into the light so that what is plainly seen is done from the truth and in God. It begins from me, from us, from our group as it diffuses into the society. In his book, Hamlet, Shakespeare put it so well in the advice given by Polonius, the chief counsellor to his son: “ To thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night of the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” This advice is relevant for all of us today. The kingdom of Jesus Christ is the kingdom of truth, and this is the sole pillar for justice and peace in our world. Happy New Week. God bless you.

THE RESURRECTION MORNING: A TIME OF ANGUISH?

HOMILY FOR THE 33^rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

In a bid to make us comprehend His nature and message, God uses the imagery perceptible to us. He uses what is known to us to direct our minds to what is yet unknown to us. This is why we find the Bible (especially in its apocalyptic literature) filled up with human and natural imageries; for how can we understand God if he speaks in an incomprehensible language? Imagine how someone who does not understand the English language can make sense of my reflections. The Bible which is the manual of God’s manifestation of Himself to humanity cannot make sense to us if it does not speak in our terms. Remember, whatever is received is received according to the mode of the receiver. These images help us to imagine how those mysteries can be. They are indeed helpful, especially in our knowledge of God and his plans for us. But they have some limitation; they are imperfect representations of the reality which they tend to manifest. This means that they are not that which they point to but are meant to make us understand better, as it were, the heavenly reality they refer to.

The Readings of this Sunday are filled with such allegories and imageries which deal with the final moment of existence. And is this not very appropriate at this moment of our liturgical year? The year’s cycle is almost over; remaining just a few days to Advent season. So, the Church’s liturgy reminds us of that eschatological time when our struggles on earth must have been over -the moment of the resurrection of the dead which is our hope as Christians. This is why the readings give us a picture of how it will be, to block us from thinking of the resurrection like one drunk who dozed off and found himself the following morning in a cemetery, and being still tipsy exclaimed: oh, what a resurrection morning!!! Thus, Daniel (First Reading; Dan. 12:1-3) in the last chapter of his book of images gives us the picture of the real resurrection morning. But even at that, these pictures go beyond themselves. They mean a lot.

Unlike our drunk, the resurrection morning comes in a time. Surely, this is not a specific time, day or year. It is not like that type of time we plan for; for instance, birthday, wedding day, christening day, shopping day, concerts, etc. It is a theological time, a time that is not scheduled yet booked, and that is booked yet its tickets do not ever finish, and again that never sees the pages of our diary yet fills our minds with great expectation. Jesus says of this time in the Gospel (Mark 13:24-32): nobody knows it…no one but the Father. This is the time that fashions our Christian lifestyle to which we joyously hope. But surprisingly, Daniel calls it a time of anguish. But how can this time of joy become also a time of anguish? It is a time that comes with perfection. And since it comes with perfection, as one would expect, the imperfect would be sieved. This time is never intended to punish people, but to save, even though in the process of saving, some may fall apart.

Do not forget that Daniel also calls it the time of the deliverance of God’s people. This is why he began the description of this time with the mention of an angel, Michael who stands as the protector of God’s people. It is the time of protection and deliverance. Thus, this is the time whose primary focus is of salvation, not damnation. God saves us; we are the ones who damn ourselves. So then, it is called the time of distress. We get joy or distress based on our decision and preparedness of this time. Jesus also uses natural knowledge in reference to this time: the sun will be darkened, the moon will loose its brightness, the stars will come falling from heaven… Of course, there would be no need of the sun and moon nor the stars since according to Daniel, the two groups of people, the wise and the leaders of righteousness that have risen to everlasting fame and life would become the brightness of the sky and shining like stars for ever and ever. What makes these people righteous and eternally saved is that they are among those who have gained from the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus (cf. Second Reading: Hebrews 10:11-14.18) that washes clean and forgives sins. To be part of those saved on the resurrection morning then is our choice; and the choice is made in word and in deed.

This time is called the time of anguish due to the experiences that would go with it for the believer. These experiences come with persecutions, trials, and the struggle to make Christianity appear like a hoax and a destroyer of humanity. Christians would be hated, ostracised and discriminated against. Remember this section of Mark which forms the Gospel of today belongs to a style of literature called apocalyptic, another example of which is the Book of Revelations and of course Daniel in the OT. This sort of literature was a product of a time of persecution and mental anguish that attempts to restore the faith that God was still in charge of creation and that there was reason for hope. Can it also be relevant for us today? Sure, it is. And so, a relevant message for us today is that there would come a time when God would intervene in history and change everything to good. We need to shout it that God is still in-charge, no matter what.

We know how our imaginations can be very active creating horrible pictures of doom, but again fantastic pictures of escape, most especially in times of distress and anguish. And just like us today, the community Mark wrote to knew what darkness and distress meant. Many were killed for their faith as many lived in fears and practised their faith in secrets. They needed a reassurance of hope that an eschatological time would come after such time of anguish. And for our own time too, the message is very relevant. Thus, a careful reading of these readings reveals a super message of hope for all of us who are presently in a gloomy situation. There will indeed be a time when we shall realize that after all God is still in-charge of this world. Miracles still happen. The resurrection morning is a time of joy and hope. Remain hopeful!!! I pray we move on during this week with this formidable hope that there will be surely the brightness of the summer after the darkness of the winter. Happy new week. God bless you.

THE WIDOW’S MITE AND OUR MIGHT

HOMILY FOR THE 32^ND SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B

REV. FR. EZEKOKA PETER ONYEKACHI

There are areas our minds easily move to whenever we read about the stories of the widow of Sidon in the Old Testament (First Reading: 1 Kings 17:10-16) or the widow of the widow’s mite in the New Testament (Gospel: Mark 12:34-44). And actually the two stories can be related to each other. Both widows, as we know were materially poor. The stories depict them as women who offered up all they had. And it is to this twin notion that our minds easily run to which then exhorts us to give generously, which for many should mean giving all we have got. Well, this has been a very favourite passage for many pastors and preachers whenever there is the need to encourage people to donate generously. However, beyond this popular lesson are great lessons which form the fulcrum of both stories of the Bible.

First of all, come to think of it: is it humanly wise and life promoting to give out everything one has got to live on, only to be faced with actual death situation? Should we think that God would implicitly permit us to do that knowing that he is the greatest promoter of life who provided even for his people in the wilderness? The story of the widow of Sidon is primarily the story of God’s care for the prophet. This is the foundation of this edifice. Let us not forget how Elijah began his movement in 1 Kings 17:8-9; It was a period of drought and the word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there, for I have commanded a widow there to feed you. God takes care of those he has called to work for him. On a lighter but important mood, may be you may want to consider when next you are inclined to offer your last jar of meal whether you are the ‘widow of Zarephat’ or if there is the presence of ‘an Elijah’ in your home or again if there is ‘a period of drought’ in your land. Thus, the story goes beyond these considerations to expose the power of God to care for the prophet and the widow. Now, the building blocks of this story lies in the choice of God. God commanded a widow to feed Elijah. Why must it be a widow?

A widow was a nobody in that culture, but can be respected if she had a son. This widow of Zarephath had a son, but as we can imagine, he was not yet mature to fend for himself or her mother. That was why the widow was left to do all the works alone. So, the respect this widow ought to have had was still latent since her son was not yet ready to carter for her. It was a period of drought. And one would expect that if there was someone that would die first, it would be the little son. But God chose this woman to save her and her son. Was she the only widow? Not at all. All we can say is that it was God’s choice to protect and provide for the neglected person. Her yes to Elijah (and surely, God’s will) kept her and her son safe during that drought. God is interested in that person we neglect. God is interested in that talent we tend sidetrack as not needed. God makes himself evident especially when we are in lack. He left the homes of the rich and directed Elijah to the home of the poor, that the poor will be preserved too. God makes potent out latent resources. It is when we are in lack that God is in-charge. We may be like this widow of Zarephath and be in lack now in so many ways, but it should not be a reason for us to give up or not to say yes to God or even to feel neglected. How can you neglect yourself when God is most interested in you?

This is similar to the story of the Gospel. A poor widow offers her mite. A mite is simply a small coin which is rated at about half a farthing. She was praised by Jesus that she had offered the greatest gift; she had put in everything she possessed; all she had to live on. Does this not sound contradictory to the interpretation of the first reading? Well, we were not told again whether the woman went home to rest (without working or begging) to prepare for death. The popular interpretation of offering up everything is again not to be considered the direct lesson of this passage. Remember that Jesus had told his disciples to beware of the scribes for so many reasons. One outstanding reason was that they swallow the property of widows (cf. Mark 12:40). So, most probably, this poor widow represented one of such people whose property has been forcefully or cunningly taken by the scribes. So, as the rich offered stolen money into the box, this poor widow offered her hard-earned. This again points to God’s interest in the widow. If there was a direct lesson on giving, Jesus could have easily chosen a poor man or a poor woman as his example. But he was specific in his choice of a poor widow. This again ties to his criticism of the scribes who devour the widows’ property.

It is vivid to us in all our Scripture how God reveals his care for the widow, the poor, the fatherless, the homeless, and to the marginalized. Is this not what should be the basis for the liberation theology in our times? This passage is a clarion call for Christians to love and help the poor, and not to extort the poor in the guise of the widow’s mite. It is also exciting to see how that which is neglected turn out better than that which is honoured. People are inclined to treasure huge offerings, huge buildings, huge bank accounts, huge personalities, popular celebrities, and anything we can think of in this direction. Small offerings and donations, small buildings, small bank accounts, and small personalities are then left to suffer neglects and are taken to be negligible. Was it not Jesus who left ninety-nine to go in search of one? Was it not the little pieces of fish and loaves of the little boy that fed thousands? Was it not a stammerer who led the people out of Egypt? Was it not that little boy of Jesse in the fields who became a powerful king after God’s own heart? Was it not that neglected town of Nazareth where nothing good could come from that became the home of the Messiah? May be we have to remember such examples when next we find ourselves being inclined to neglect certain people, places and things, or even when we feel we are incompetent or negligible in the midst of others.

One of the causes of thinking ourselves small is the intrinsic worry of what people think about us. Someone had told me that he stopped coming to Church because he felt low of himself that during the offertory, as people stood up to walk towards the box or to give their offerings, he was left all alone and thus exposed as someone who had nothing to give. He wondered the image those seated beside him had of him. Now, it does not matter at any point in our worship the image other people may have of us. What matters is the image God has of us. He is interested in us. I hope we all remember this when next we worry a lot about what other people think about us than what God thinks about us. If the widow in the story of Jesus was thinking of what others may think of her at the sound of her two small coins inside the box, she might not have even offered the better gift to God, and we all must have been denied such an inspiring story Jesus made out of the scenario. Think about how you would deny others great inspiration and motivation by sitting back all alone in worry of what others might be thinking about you. Don’t be shy, come out with that little talent, treasure and time you have got to offer to God and to humanity, and it will surely marvel you how that little thing would be considered great. God bless you. Happy new week.

LISTEN; THEN LOVE

HOMILY FOR THE 31^ST SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

An attentive Christian must have discovered that for some weeks now, the Sunday gospels from Mark have been a narration of Jesus’ way to Jerusalem. The Jerusalem ministry of Jesus started from the 11^th chapter to the 13^th chapter. Having been welcomed in a triumphal way, Jesus had a better ground to drive home his points both by deeds, like the cleansing of the temple (Mark 11:15-19) and by teachings. Some of these teachings followed some question and answer series especially from various leaders of Jewish thought designed to catch him; for instance, the question about the payment of taxes (Mark 12: 13-17) and on resurrection (Mark 12:18-27). Being able to understand this background leads us to appreciate the Gospel of today (Mark 12:28-34) which is a question on the First Commandment. Even though he had been welcomed in a grand style into Jerusalem, Jesus knew that the religious and political atmosphere therein would not be anything but hostile.

One of the scribes (whom Mark portrayed as genuinely searching) who had been impressed about the way Jesus answered those questions came with one of the questions that was a regular source of debate among the Jews: which is the first of all the commandments? Awareness has to made prima facie that the Jews had 613 prescriptions on their list. So, it should not then be surprising if there was an argument concerning the first of them. Jesus’ answer was ready: Listen, O Israel, the Lord our god is the one Lord. And then came the commandment: you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. But Jesus began this answer by a declaration, not law: Listen, O Israel… Declaration comes before the law. It is because I believe in something that I keep its laws. Law makes no sense without a decree. Thus, the greatest commandment is really not so much a commandment; it is a belief. Yes, believe in the one true, beautiful and good God.

Now, the pious Jew was meant to recite this prayer every morning and evening. It is called the shema (which means Listen/hear) drawn from the first word of that prayer. The shema is the daily creed of the Israelite which asserts the supreme nature of the one God that every one of them must embrace and live according to his dictates.  This answer of Jesus reflects the instruction of Moses in the First Reading (Deut. 6:2-6). Moses had instructed the Israelites of the greatness of this shema and had urged them to recite it daily, mornings and evenings, advertise it wherever they work or live and to teach their children how to recite it. The heart meant the centre of affection (relying on God’s love), the mind was the centre of thought (searching in God’s truth), the soul was the inner source of energy for outward action (pushing towards God’s beauty) while strength meant a strong commitment to justice and good behaviour (serving God by loving our neighbour). So, Jesus’ allusion to the shema entails allowing the entirety of our being to be governed and directed by the love of God.

However, as it was typical of Jesus, he did not end with the Shema. He added another important element. Now, notice that the man had asked only for the first of all the commandment but Jesus gave him two; and “the second is: you must love your neighbour as yourself.” This is not unconnected to the fact that Jesus wants us to know that the first commandment has no meaning without the second; for both are inseparable. Love of God must be followed up and shown by the love of neighbour. The scribe was impressed with the answer of Jesus, and even went ahead to repeat them. He then added an important element which was a deconstruction of the practice prevalent in the Jewish attitude of the time: this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice. Many of their teachers of the law would have given a pride of place to sacrifice more than the law in talking about the first of all the commandments.

Thus, this became a challenge to the order of priorities in the Jewish worship of God; it can also become a challenge to our worship today. Do we place sacrifice before love of God? Do we place harvest/bazaar before charity? Do we place donations in the church before giving alms to the dying man in our streets? Remember, whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do that to me. Love comes first. This was the message of Jesus that this scribe repeated, and we too have to repeat today. As we exclaim with the Psalmist: I love you Lord, my strength, we are then left to discover for ourselves the order of priorities in our society today that tend to place ‘sacrifice’ over love. Love is the way.

Jack had wanted to sell off his old car, but needed the right buyer. By right buyer, he meant someone who needed a car badly but could not afford a new one. And who knew next to nothing about cars. He then succeeded in finding such a buyer, Jin. This buyer paid Jack a high sum not equivalent to the value of the car. Jack felt proud of himself and would boast to his friends how he got a high sum for what he now acknowledged to be an old piece of junk. Jack did not care whether Jin, the father of a young family were to have a bad accident and he were to get killed. Jack had placed his pocket, business, income, money as being more important than the life of a human being. Are we not sometimes like Jack? Yes, only Love is the way. Happy Sunday. God bless you.

“I SHALL LOOSE NONE”

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF ALL SOULS

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

Whenever we talk about the Holy Mother Church, we do not only talk about those living on earth and practising their faith. There are three groups that make up the Christian Church: the Church Militant, the Church Triumphant, and the Church Penitent. The first consist of Christians on earth who struggle as soldiers of Christ against sin and the devil. The second consists of those who have the beatific vision and are now in heaven. The third (which is our interest for the purpose of today’s solemnity) which can be variously called the ‘Church suffering’ or the ‘Church expectant’ consists of those who are in purgatory undergoing purification. They are there to satisfy whatever portion of the temporal punishment due for their sins that was not satisfied before death. They are in the process of purging their imperfections before their eternal beatific vision. The truth is that they all are destined for heaven; that is, to join the Church triumphant. It is the members of this third group that we remember today. So, All Souls day commemorates the Holy Souls of Christians who have died but are yet to enter heaven. It is a day we remember the souls of all our brothers and sisters who were with us not quite long time ago and now are no longer with us in this our human struggle. We pray that they rest in peace. Only in God can we really say that souls have rested in peace. Where they are now, they are still restless; restless because of their constant desire to see God face to face.

Hope does not disappoint. With these words, the second Reading (Rom. 5:5-11) encourages us and at same time reminds us that Christ has paid the full price of our redemption through his blood. Hence, inasmuch as these brethren of ours died with Christ in their baptism, believed in Him and lived according to his precepts, we are sure that they will be saved. The Christian hope can never be illusive because it is founded on God. When our hope is in God, it cannot turn to dust and ashes. Our hope can never disappoint us because God has given us the final proof of his love. Through Jesus, our status with God got changed. This status that changed is our justification. But not only did our status change; our state also got changed. This state that changed is our sanctification. Justification ensures that we are no longer slaves to sin. Our faith in our Lord Jesus has liberated us from the chains of the evil one. But we need to work on this justification, but to do this, we still need Jesus. The process of his intervention to ensure the maintenance of our justification is sanctification. Was it not Jesus himself who tells us in the Gospel of today (John 6:37-40) that he will never turn away anyone who comes to him? The will of God is that none of us should be lost, but be saved. If we believe in Jesus and do his will, we shall have eternal life.  

Sanctification is a process which starts on earth but does not stop until we behold the beatific vision. Hence, it is Jesus who continues to ensure that our brethren in purgatory are sanctified more and more and more until they are fully sanctified and perfected for heaven. Indeed, the existence of Purgatory is a great manifestation of God’s love for humans. He does not want us to be damned. He desires our salvation. The belief in the concept of purgatory is traceable to the third Century, but the Church did not give it the status of official teaching until the Second Council of Lyons in the 13^th century in 1274. This Council had the desire to restore unity between the Western and the Eastern Churches; part of the discussions attempted to reconcile the beliefs of the two Churches concerning the status of the dead, especially the lot of repentant sinners. This effort continued at the Council of Flourence (1438-1439); and again the subject of a post-death process of purification for sinners came up in the discussions. Even though the effort to reunify the Churches failed, the Council defined Purgatory as an official teaching of the Catholic Church. It was furthered defined at the Council of Trent (1563).

To get the Church’s teaching on purgatory, it is clearly summarized in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: all who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joys of heaven (CCC, 1030). The Church gives the name purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. Simply put, the doctrine of Purgatory has three components:

1) That purification after death exists

2) That it involves some kind of pain

3) That the purification of the dead can be assisted by the prayers and offering of the living

It is true that no one can say that there is a commandment in the Bible which states that we must pray for the faithful departed. We must also know that there is none which tells us never to pray for them. However, the Bible tells us about the practice of people who prayed for their dead. In 2 Mac 12:38-42, we are told of the story of Judas who made a collection of money and sent it to Jerusalem to offer as expiatory sacrifice for the souls of the soldiers who died during the battle against Gorgias; and afterwards in 2 Mac. 12:43, we are told that this act of Judas is a noble and excellent one.  In Sirach 7:33, we are admonished to be generous with the living and not to withhold our kindness from the dead. Therefore, my dear friends, we shall not forget to pray for your dear ones who have gone before us to answer the call of faith; Jesus does not want to loose any one. May their souls rest in peace. Amen. God bless you.