THE WORD BECAME FLESH

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

The very first sentence of the Gospel Reading (John 1:1-18) summarizes the eternal status of the logos (the word) who is Jesus Christ. This means that the Christ born in our midst has been right from the beginning. There was no time he was not. However, His advent into the world marks the end of the beginning of the definite plan of God towards the redemption of humans. This is why the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews (cf. Second Reading; Heb. 1:1-6) could say that Christ, the Son of God is the last prophet of the last days who the Father sent to finally speak to us. God has spoken to us through His Son in these last days as the completion and fulfilment of all the prophets and prophecies of old. God’s manifestation of Himself to the people has progressive stages which has its highest point in Christ. Hence, Christ, the Word became flesh is the highest of all revelations.  

It is John’s great idea that Jesus is none other than God’s creative, life-giving and light-giving word; the power with which the world was created and the reason for which the world is sustained. The sentence in the beginning was the word can be placed side by side with the very first sentence in the Bible: in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen1:1). By using the same formula (in the beginning) as of the first sentence of the Bible, John tries to make us understand that the Word was not part of the created things. The word possesses the character of eternity. This Word which is uncreated never existed apart from God. The Word was with God. There was never a time when the Word separated Himself from God. And if there can be any person to tell us about and to lead us to the Father, that one person is Jesus the Christ who has never lived a life apart from the Father. The Word was God. This same Word that never was separated from God has every attribute that God has, in such a manner that anywhere and at all times, He is God. Thus, Jesus is so perfectly identical with God. In Him, we perfectly see what God is like. To have seen Jesus is to have seen the Father. When Jesus works, it is the Father that works (cf. John 14:10-12). And because Jesus is everything as the Father, He is a Creator.

What does this mean? By the word of mouth, the universe was created according to the Genesis account of creation. The powerful Word that brought forth material creation is the same that was made flesh. In creation, the spoken word made all things. In Incarnation, the Word made itself the product of itself. This signifies that the omnipotence of the Word reached its highest level in the Incarnation. He does not only end in giving life and flesh to nothingness (I.e, creation), He became flesh like that which he created, in order to redeem what He has created. In natural science, we have seen how gases can turn into liquid (i.e condensation) and from liquid into solid (I.e freezing). We can actually employ this physical change to understand this eternal mystery of how the word can be made flesh. We know how temperature can have some effects on the state of a substance. At high temperature, substances boil and change their states into gases. But as temperature lowers, the momentum of the particles reduces and the particles begin to slow down. As they slow down, they begin to come together and stick to one another. Hence, a liquid is formed. This process is called condensation. When the temperature is lowered more, the particles stick more to one another to form a solid. This process becomes freezing. If we then consider the word of our mouth to be gaseous, then we can imagine that they too can be made solid through this process.

A practical instance would be the experience of seeing our breadths at low temperatures. In actual fact, nothing has changed about the way we speak. What changes is that the movement of the gases let out by our words has been made to slow down as a result of the low temperature, making them visible as vapour, and furthermore can become solid when all the more acted upon by lower temperatures. Does this not mean that the gases from the words of our mouth and the breadth of our nostrils can be made solid? Then, how about God? Yes, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God’s word made the world. God’s word was made flesh in Jesus Christ. The word is so powerful. The Lord sends out His word and it melts every hardened structure (Ps. 147:18). With this omnipotence that lies in His mouth, the Lord made man, and breathed into him (cf. Gen 2:7).The word of the Lord also guides and protects us. Psalm 119:105 unequivocally stated that the word of the Lord is a lamp for our feet and a light for our paths. Proverb 30:5 states: every word of God is pure. He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Hence, the word made flesh is pure and was actually made flesh to direct us, guide us and protect us.

From this physical changes, we can grasp the spiritual changes that lies hidden in our words. Many people have failed to understand the power that lies in the words of our mouths. The human being is the image of God, and so his/her word has powers too. We need only to be conscious of this as we ask ourselves: How many times have we uttered bad words with our mouths? How many times have we cursed people with our mouths? Being conscious of this can really help us to control the words of your mouth. The very best we can do is to utter words of blessings to people. Remember that the word made flesh is a blessing to all of us. Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to humanity. The Word made flesh who is born for humanity today has come to show us the way and protect us as we journey towards the light.

It is the visibility of this word made flesh that we celebrate this Christmas season. Christmas is the feast of merciful love. The love of God was made palpable through the nativity of Him who as son is God. We must imitate our Lord by loving God as He loves us and loving our neighbours as ourselves. Let their be joy in the air, let us rejoice in the birth of Christ. And in the spirit of the joy at our redemption of the First Reading (Isaiah 52:7-10) and borrowing some leaves from Adolphe Adam in the famous Christmas song: O Holy Night, we cannot but say: Yes, the weary world rejoices, because his law is love and his gospel is peace. With his birth, chains shall be broken and all oppression shall cease. Let us be joyful for Christ is the Lord. We shall continue to proclaim his power and glory. It is Christmas. Happy Christmas. God bless you.

THE BABY LYING IN A MANGER

HOMILY FOR THE MIDNIGHT MASS OF THE SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

It is Christmas. We congratulate ourselves for sustaining the hope of expectation. Now, we can sing the Gloria. It is the night of nights, the night celebrating the birth of the Lord. It is the birth that marked some continuity in discontinuity in the history of humanity. What do I mean by that? Socio-economically, the birth of Jesus inaugurated a fresh calculation in the global calendar. Thus, without any breakage in history, emphasis was shifted to Anno Domini. The birth of the Lord became an epicentre of the global history. Spiritually, the birth of the Lord marked a palpable step by God towards the liberation of humanity in the hypostatic union (the divine-human union in Christ). The oracle of Isaiah was fulfilled. Our victory over sin and death has received an insurmountable appearance. Humanity has indeed received the omnipotent back-up. She has received her greatest privilege of having God in the form with which he made us. This is Christmas.

It was a silent night as Mary and Joseph were on their way to register for census (cf. The Gospel; Luke 2:11-14). The most honourable man of the world, Caesar Augustus’ decree from Rome had affected the location of an insignificant couple living in Nazareth to move to their home, Bethlehem in Judaea. So, this decree initiated the movement that put Mary into labour. No one knew that that decree and the movement of this couple would bring about the most important meetings. On that night, a meeting of heaven and earth was made. God and humanity embraced. The child was born in a manger. And this resulted into a heavenly chorus by the angels. An angel had to appear to some shepherds to proclaim this news of great joy that Christ has been born. The shepherds became the most privileged as the status of their career would be borne by this king. The child would later call himself the good shepherd. God’s ways are always amazing to us. He chooses the weak, the poor, and the marginalized to make very important messages known to all. Most probably, this must be a divine effort to teach human beings the importance of equality and respect of all regardless of earthly level.

The angels sang and the shepherds hurried to discover the great news. Surely, they did the same thing the angels had done earlier: they went back praising God for such revelation. Yes, the King has been born. The silence of the night has been been shattered by the heavenly and an earthly chorus. The hypostatic union has been visible effected. Yes, the Light has been born to dispel the darkness of the night. The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light. With these words, the First Reading (Isaiah 9:1-7) ushers us into the spirit of Christmas. It is the season of light and beauty. The righteous reign of the coming king has finally come. No more sorrows, no more weeping and no more depression. The light has come to dispel the sorrows of darkness and to illumine us with its powerful rays. And as Paul wrote to Timothy (cf. Second Reading; Titus 2:11-14), God’s grace has been revealed to such an extent that salvation is now available for the whole human race. And as those who have found the most precious pearl, is it not time to give up everything that distracts us so as to embrace this salvation? Thus, Christmas has to be celebrated then for what it truly is.

Christmas uplifts. The season of Christmas is here to initiate such grace of importance and elevation. Christmas initiates a paradigm shift in the life of all; it raises a nobody to somebody, the rejected to most welcomed, the disregarded to most regarded, and the forsaken to most visited. It is not for no reason that the first witnesses of the nativity of Christ were the shepherds. Shepherds were those looked down upon, and they were not respected. Yet, they were the first witnesses of the nativity.

Christmas signifies a defeat of sin and shame fanned by the arch enemy of God, the devil. Christ is born in our midst to save us and to ensure that the devil is completely destroyed. We must conform our lives to that of the king for a total crush of the enemy and for the holistic salvation of our body and souls.

Christmas makes us reflect on the great mystery of the God-man’s nativity which has the foundation of God’s love for humanity. We must develop serious love for humanity and for the earth. We must care for the earth and must show some charity to our neighbours.

Christmas must make us to glorify God. We must glorify and thank God for the super opportunity He has given us in Jesus. So, Christmas should never pass by without our offering great words of blessing to God for this singular favour. We can as well learn through this act to thank those who were of help to us in the past. Saying thank you does not cost us anything, but even adds more to what we are. We say thanks to all who remembered to wish us a merry Christmas. Let joy be felt everywhere around us.

Happy Christmas, dear Friends. Felix Navidad. May the Christmas season usher new tidings, joy, peace and love to our homes and our lives. God bless you.

LIKE MARY, WE TOO ARE PREGNANT OF JESUS

HOMILY FOR THE 4^TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

We are in labour. Yes, just like Mary, we are now pregnant and are about to go to the delivery room. And one can say that this pain of child-bearing is on its topmost gear. These preparations can indeed be very exhausting and energy sapping due to the busyness of the season. And one may be inclined to think: But why should we not just work and rest as we normally do; why subject ourselves to fatigue for Christmas? It is simply because in this weariness lies joy and gladness. Sometimes, it seems that unless we feel worn-out from the daily preparations for Christmas, the later would not have been duly celebrated. There is joy and expectation that enshrouds us as we prepare for the birth of Jesus. Even when we get tired, we desire to push more. It is as if that the more we complain of distractions, the more we are attracted to labour for Christmas, sending Christmas cards, organizing family visits and meals, sharing gifts and pleasantries, etc. All these energy-sapping events are characteristic of this season, no doubt. And so, It is from these angles of exhaustive preparations coupled with the story of Mary’s pregnancy that we can understand why it has been said that we are pregnant of Jesus. The first angle would be labour as connected to childbearing, and the second angle would be labour as connected to the exhaustive preparations and readiness for the very D-day -the Christmas Day. What do we make out of both labours?

The Gospel (Luke 1:39-44) speaks about the amazing pregnancy of Mary that transmitted the power of the Holy Spirit to the miraculous pregnancy of her cousin sister, Elizabeth. After the visit of the angel to Mary, Mary set out to visit her sister. On arrival and as she greeted her, there was a great divine experience in Elizabeth. And one could imagine the power of joy and anointing being let out from the child Jesus in the womb through the mouth of Mary and straight through the ears of Elizabeth down through the umbilical cord into the child John as soon as Mary offered her good-day greeting to Elizabeth. These sense organs of speech and hearing became the media that transmitted the divine power in Mary within a twinkle of an eye, moving through into Elizabeth. Oh, what an incredibly fast divine chemical reaction; one that beats hands down the timing of the chemical reaction of diffusion. Mary carried in her a highly concentrated divine power ready to be delivered. And the first woman that embraced her was so lucky that she got this power of the Holy Spirit in her. When power is diffused, there is a blasting occurrence. In this case, Elizabeth gave out a loud cry. And here in this story, Elizabeth is not only important because of her blood affiliation to Mary, but also because of those prophetic words she released unto Mary. The phrase “exclaimed in a loud cry” when understood from its Greek origin would signify one who shouts as if he/she is talking through a mega phone; that is, an out-door cry or a mega voice. These words of Elizabeth to Mary were prophetic. And just as Elizabeth spoke them to Mary, she also speaks them to us today, for we too are now pregnant of Jesus. We carry great power in us.

But why do we regard those words of Elizabeth as prophetic? It is because they were prompted by the Holy Spirit. Remember, Mary had barely said any words to Elizabeth before she exploded with those words. Mary was yet to give her the news of her pregnancy, yet the words of Elizabeth implied that Mary was pregnant: and blessed is the fruit of your womb. We are grateful to Elizabeth for such prophetic words; declaring Mary and her unborn child the most blessed, and understanding Jesus to be her Lord who effected an unusual and divinely-inspired movement of the child in her own womb. We are grateful to Elizabeth for giving Mary through her prophetic words the baton that produced Mary’s song of praise, the Magnificat (cf. Luke 1:46-56). Therefore, we are very optimistic today to be disposed as Mary, allowing ourselves to be used as channels of God’s grace and letting out songs of praise at the sound of the greetings of one another, especially during the kiss of peace. We must resound in our lives as the Second Reading (Heb. 10:5-10) proposes: Here, I am! I have come to do your will. As pregnant as Mary that we are now, we must also be as loudly joyful as Elizabeth in our greetings of one another, looking at the beautiful faces of one another, and not removing our faces unless we have given out a smile. Jesus transmits vibrancy, joy and peace. In the womb of Mary, he transmitted joy into Elizabeth. In our womb today, he also transmits joy. Thus, we are expected to allow ourselves remain channels of joy to the people we meet.

Something very important that we must be ready to remind ourselves during this season that we labour heavily and seriously for Christmas is the relevance of joy. Any form of labour that does not tend towards the production of joy in people ought to be avoided. If we are preparing for Christmas, we must prepare in joy and allow this joy to be felt by others. Remember, you need not be sad over your inability to acquire certain material things you think you need for Christmas. Remember too that there are so many people who are praying to have, even if it be that little that you currently have. In the face of all these, a few important questions which can be personalised arise: Should my acquisition or lack of material things hamper in me the joy of Christmas? Why mount on myself unnnecessary pressures which are not even prerequisites for the faith I express in Chritmas? So many are materially poor, and yet they are ready to celebrate the birth of Christ in joy. There are many who have been made to live apart from family and friends, for the reasons of work or civil unrest, and yet they are celebrating Christmas in joy. We need only be  contented, accommodating, and never to bear forth sadness or the feeling of rejection in others.

There is this story of a rich lady who sat beside a poor elderly man on an air plane. She alerted the air hostess immediately upon taking her seat to find another seat for her. But as the attendant told her the economy cabin is all booked, the rich lady replied: I’m sorry, but I am not going to travel beside a worthless bum. Do something.’ while the elderly man starred in disbelief, the attendant excused herself to go and talk to the pilot about the situation. A few minutes later, she returned and said: “Luckily, we found an open seat in business class, and the pilot has allowed us to use it.” The rich proudly stood out of her seat, but the attendant quickly reached out her arm to the man and said: “Sir, will you please follow me; there is a place for you in business Class.” At this point, there was a round of applause in the air plane. There was joy. As that rich lady was trying to give birth to sorrow for the other, God turned the table around and gave the elderly man joy and a pride of place. We must allow ourselves to be envoys of joy. Being pregnant of Jesus implies putting to bed joy, peace, love, justice, unity, and selflessness and to putting out of bed rancour, injustice, selfishness, hatred, division and war prevalent in our world today. We continue to hope for the actualization of the Lord’s word through the prophet Micah in the First Reading (Micah 5:1-4); to be in a world where total abundance, security, and peace are made available to all. And we pray that being now in labour to deliver Jesus to the world that needs her would also mean for us individually to help in whatever little ways that we can to deliver abundance of food and drink to our hungry neighbours, ensuring security for warring nations and instilling peace in our depressed society. All these we hope to deliver through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy New Week of Christmas.. God bless you.

“I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY ALWAYS… ”

HOMILY FOR THE 3^RD SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

It is Gaudete (rejoice) Sunday. It is a day the Church calls on her sons and daughters to be happy and joyful. The very first sentence of the First Reading (Zephaniah 3:14-18) opens the show with its sort of declaration: shout for joy…rejoice with all your heart. We must not be left with the feeling that we have waited so long for the arrival of Christ to such an extent that boredom and sadness sets in. Of course, it is humanly understandable that there is the feeling of nervousness and slight fear when one plans to host a renowned person. It is this sort of feeling that we may be inclined to have at this point as regards the arrival of the great messiah. This is why it is necessary for us at this moment to convert immediately this likely feeling into a feeling of great joy and happiness, in the development of a good image of ourselves who have been found worthy and fit to host a Very Important Person (VIP), Christ. Thus, since we have been notified of this grandiose arrival, let us rise up and celebrate in joy.

The letter of St. Paul to Philippians has as its major feature this exhortation to be happy and be joyful always. Its perspective is in the sense of the coming of the Lord. So, the joy we meet in the Second Reading (Phil. 4:4-7) is in the sense of the nearness of the Lord’s coming. This joy with which our hearts should be filled bears the fruits of thanksgiving and prayer, and finally is composed and deepened in peace. A general view at this Joy Epistle (Philippians) reveals that Paul seems to have digressed so to speak after chapter 3:1 from the exhortation to rejoice. And so, what we meet from chapter 3:2 to chapter 4:3 would be a series of warning. Now, in chapter 4:4, we find Paul coming back in an abrupt manner to his main theme of joy. This time around, he repeated it, most probably for the sake of emphasis. However, this time around again, his style reveals that he wanted to strike the dagger point at the strictest meaning of the type of joy he has been proposing for the people; and that is the joy oriented towards Jesus, because the Lord is near. And to appreciate its richness, we must be left to ask ourselves a very important question: what is the substratum of this joy/happiness?

It is a joy founded on Christ. Paul did not just exhort the people to rejoice, but to do so ‘in the Lord’. Therefore, the phrase “in the Lord” ought not to be overlooked for a nice interpretation of the message. Whenever Paul speaks of the Lord, he speaks of Jesus, and whenever he addresses Christians in all of his letters, his style of writing remains Christo-centric. From his writings, it is clear that Paul makes Jesus and which He is, the centre of the faith. It was Paul who said: imitate me as I imitate Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1). For Paul, Christ is the foundation of our lives. It is in Him that we live, and move, and have our being (cf. Acts. 17:28). This is the basis of the relationship of the Christian to Jesus. We are deeply connected to Jesus. All earthly attachments are but poor representations of the intimate, and indeed very mysterious union our souls are in Christ. Therefore, to have this union is a great assurance of joy. It is a very pure joy of self-effacement and forgetfulness. It is at this point can the christian say: I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me (cf. Gal. 2:20).

For those who keep the law, there is no law. When we live in this joy of Christ, we discover little by little how outgrown we have become over sin and selfishness. Then can we see ourselves as above those people, tax collectors, and soldiers who were seeking from John the Baptist directives on their ways of life in the Gospel (Luke 3:10-18). In joy, we shall find ourselves giving out our spare tunics, not collecting bribes, and not intimidating or extorting people as John admonished them. We shall find out that it is in being joyful in Christ that the material things we glory in are indeed worthless. See how the people in that Gospel story became filled up with expectations. This is because they felt the presence of the messiah among them. They even started wondering whether John was the Christ. It is in the joy of Christ the messiah that an authentic feeling of expectancy is enhanced. With this, our faith is preserved. Yes, sing and shout for joy for great in your midst is the holy one of Israel (cf. Is. 12:6).

Another important aspect of this joy is that it must be constant in us. And Paul added, rejoice in the Lord always. That word signifies that we must continue to rejoice in and out of season. This joy must be allowed to be felt by everyone around us. It does not pay in being gloomy or melancholic as a Christian. In fact, a gloomy Christian gives a false impression of his/her faith as a sort of prison. The brightness of our faces and our cheerfulness speak of the calmness of our hearts of joy in Christ. This cheerfulness and happy faces are very important for the attraction of others to Jesus. No one enjoys a place of mourning more than a place of joy. Let us make our Church a place of joy and cheerfulness where any one who comes newly would desire to come again. Let us make our Church a place where spare tunics are shared, justice is maintained, equity and equality are promoted. Let us not shy away from this life of joy. All God wants of us during this moment is to allow Him be the God of joy who comes into your life to delete all sadness. We need only to pray Him to come to the wintery branches where our lives bear no fruits and our energy sapped by the shortness of the day. Come, Lord Jesus. Remember, I want you to be happy always as I wish you a happy new week. God bless you.

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.