PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER AS THE STAFF OF VICTORY

HOMILY FOR THE 29^TH SUNDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

A girl accidentally tripped and fell into an ancient, dry well. She shouted for help, but help wasn’t forthcoming. There was nobody around to hear her cries. Dismayed, she looked around. Water was flowing continuously through a channel across the base of the well from one side to the other, rather than filling up the well. There were several blocks of stone on the floor. She noticed that there were open holes at regular intervals up the sides of the well which would prevent the flowing water to fill it up. It was clear that the stones on the floor were intended to fit into the holes and block them up, so that the flowing water would fill up the well to the brim. As the girl realised this, she smiled with relief. She thought to herself: if only I can slot these stones on the floor into these holes up the sides, then this water (which would then have nowhere else to go but up) will rise and lift me out of the well. That would be manageable, since she was a good swimmer and had learnt to hold her breath under water.

The task ahead of her would be tedious and would require much effort, persistence and skill. Every so often she shouted for help to see if any would come, but it never did. Eventually she decided to undertake the task before she died of hunger. She picked up the blocks of stone one by one and started shoving them into their holes. First of all, she blocked up the holes at the base of the well so that the water would no longer flow through it. As she did this, the water level rose and carried her up. On reaching the middle of the well, when all the holes had been blocked up, her work was complete. The water swirled and became more intense after the outlet holes were all filled-in. All she had to do now was to tread water and hold her breath. So it was that she survived. Her intelligence and struggles and persistence had all contributed to her survival. How often do we seek help from afar, when the Lord has already provided help immediately around us to assist us to rise above our difficulties? 

In the 1^st Reading (Exodus 17:8-13), Moses saw for himself how difficult it was to win the war against the Amalekites. Like the girl in my story, and inspired by God, Moses used his initiative to ensure the survival of the Israelites. Then he made a conscious decision to hold up the staff of God, the staff which signified power. Moses had learned from his experience of God just how powerful the staff was! He had this staff with him when he was negotiating the freedom of his people in Exodus 4:20. With this same staff, he struck the Red Sea and the waters were divided (in Exodus 14:16). With this same staff, he struck the rock (Exodus 17:5) and water gushed out. Thus, this staff was the palpable sign of God’s presence among the people on their way to the Promised Land. Then he trusted that this sign of the divine Presence would bring about the necessary victory: “...go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” As Moses held up the staff in his hands, the Israelites prevailed, but when he lowered the staff, it was the Amalekites who prevailed. On that day, God manifested His power to the Israelites. The staff became the symbol of power, of victory and of dominion. This staff remains available to us today if only we can hold up the staff and never let it fall. 

With the passage of time during the battle, the hands of Moses grew weary with holding the staff aloft continuously. Their failure would lead to the defeat of the Israelites. Something had to be done to help him. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. The staff in the hands of Moses became the reason behind their ongoing victory. The steadiness of those hands that held up the staff assured the Israelites of steady progress to winning the battle. We too need to remain steady and focused if we desire to be continual winners against the evils of our time. As a Christian who is always fighting a battle, what do you think is our staff of victory today? In a word, our staff is prayer. That is our weapon against the devil. We have also been provided with many instruments, such as devotional prayer, to help us sharpen this staff of prayer. The Bible too is a veritable instrument. In the Bible are writings inspired by the Holy Spirit and prayerful verses; as the 2^nd Reading (2 Tim 3:14 - 4:2) tells us, Scripture is inspired and is profitable in making us righteous men and women. Prayer remains the staff upon which we can rely. We must watch and pray that we may not fall into temptation (Mt. 26:41); we must pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17) and pray for one another (Jas 5:16). As the staff signifies prayer to Almighty God, the support of the hands of Moses signifies persistence and solidarity in prayer. Today’s Gospel Reading (Luke 18:1-8) begins with beautiful words reminding us of the need to pray continually and never lose heart (Luke 18:1). Jesus told the parable of the Persistent Widow to teach us of the need to persist in prayer.  

Back to our story of ‘the girl in the well.’ Just as the girl did, we will face difficulties in life. These difficulties are not meant to dampen our zeal. They can be seen as opportunities for us to become more resourceful, to use our brains and to grow through experience. Yes, sometimes we are on the look-out for help and are disappointed when it doesn’t seem to come. Like this girl too, we might yell for help without realising that God has already provided us with the resources we need to overcome our difficulties. These resources might require us to employ our intelligence and skills, and to make an effort to use them, just as the girl used her intelligence and skills and made an effort to survive. And, like Aaron and Hur, we must help and support one another in prayer and holy charity. In addition to all these resources is God’s gift to us of His grace, which prompts us to put our minds to work. And how can we continue to tap into this grace if not by constant prayer and good works? Let’s not forget St. Paul’s words of exhortation to Timothy: I desire then that in every place every person should pray, lifting holy hands…(1 Tim 2: 8). I wish you all a prayerful week ahead. God bless you.

WERE NOT ALL TEN MADE CLEAN?

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

REV. FR. EZEKOKA PETER ONYEKACHI

Here is a story for you about a boy who was blind. The boy used to sit begging on the steps of a high street building. He would place a hat by his feet and hold up a sign saying: I am blind. Please help me. The sign wasn’t effective in persuading people to give him their spare change. There were only ever a few coins in the hat. His life changed on the day that a certain man was walking past him. The man took a few coins out of his pocket and dropped them in the hat. Politely, he took the sign from the blind boy, turned it round, and wrote something on the back. Carefully he returned the sign to the boy so that everyone who walked by would see the new appeal. Very soon, the hat began to fill up with donations! Lots more people were giving money to the boy. That same afternoon, the man who had changed the wording on the sign stopped by to see how things were going. The boy recognised his footsteps. He asked, “Are you the kind man who changed my sign this morning? Tell me, please, what was it that you wrote?” The man replied, “Don’t worry, your message stayed the same, but I put it slightly differently. What I wrote was: Today is a beautiful day, but I cannot see it.

It’s true that both signs informed people that the boy was blind and needed help. But the second version acknowledged that the boy was grateful for having been given a beautiful day, even though he could not enjoy it visually. This then became a message to passers-by about how fortunate they were to be able see the day for themselves. Should we then be surprised that the second sign was more effective? Why was it effective? Because it came from a grateful heart. This Sunday both the Gospel (Luke 17:11-19) and the First Reading (2 Kings 5:14-17) point towards a message of thanksgiving. Jesus healed ten men who were lepers, but only one returned to give thanks to God for the healing, and he was a Samaritan, an outsider. After Naaman was healed of his leprosy, he returned to give thanks to God through the gifts he wanted to offer Elisha, the man of God.  

In the culture of both Naaman’s and Jesus’ time, people with skin diseases were branded outcasts, and were isolated from interaction with other people. Sufferers were perceived to be ritually ‘unclean’ and were banned from participation in worship of God in the Temple, the place of sacrifice. Leviticus 13 and 14 give full details of how those with skin diseases were to be relegated from society and to be kept separate from everyone else (cf. Numbers 5:2-3). From these regulations, we can deduce that these afflicted people who were cured (the ten lepers and Naaman) had experienced the harshness of separation from their family and friends and the wider community. Beyond this physical healing, then, is the restoration of these people to their original status in society, the restoration of their daily work, and their reconnection with their families. This is indeed how Jesus heals us daily, and restores us to our original state of sanctity, peace and inner tranquillity. What is it, then, that you feel you need to be healed of, in order to be restored to wholeness? You need only to call on Jesus - as did the lepers - to have pity on you, and thereafter to wait patiently to experience your own healing and restoration in God’s good time.

Both Naaman and the Samaritan leper were exceptional in their acts of thanksgiving to God. However, it comes as a surprise that it was only the Samaritan, the foreigner (rather the other nine, who were Jewish), who understood fully what had happened to him and thanked God for it. By extension, his return to Jesus can be seen as resulting from a deep sense of conversion. We can go on to say that while the other nine were healed physically, their attitude indicated that spiritually they rejected conversion to Jesus Who is God-with-us, Emmanuel. Like the Samaritan, when we return to give God thanks for what He does in our lives, our own conversion and commitment to Him are deepened and strengthened. Gratitude to God paves the way for ever-deeper commitment, rooting it ever more firmly, and enhancing the heart. What has the Lord done for you? Do you consider yourself to be thankful enough to Him? Have you forgotten those moments when you were praying earnestly for what you are now or what you have now; let’s say, for example, your wife, husband, children, job, qualifications, skill, popularity, wealth, and so on? Might you have forgotten that you are benefiting right now from these gifts of God, and are currently praying for yet more gifts without having taken the time to thank God for his blessings to date? If so, may I remind you that the time has come for you to offer massive thanksgiving to God. You might want to think about keeping a personal diary of things in your life for which you are grateful.

A sure test of faith is gratitude to God for what He has done for us. ‘Where not all ten made clean? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praises to God except this foreigner?’ God actually expects us to show gratitude. He admires us when we are sensible enough to thank Him. Remember how you feel when you are expecting someone to thank you, but they never bother? Yes, you might not gain anything in material terms from someone expressing their gratitude to you, but somehow gratitude makes the giver happy that their gift is appreciated by the recipient. It is heart-warming to be appreciated. Whenever we express our delight about the gifts He gives us, God is happy. 

To conclude, may I remind you of what Jesus said to the grateful Samaritan: go, your faith has saved you. The man’s about-turn to offer thanks to Him convinced Jesus of his genuine love and conversion. Jesus went on to declare the man faithful which would lead ultimately to his salvation. Unlike the other nine, this man gained both healing and faith. Expressing gratitude to God produces more and more blessings. The Samaritan went home with a triple portion of blessing: he was healed, faithful and saved. The person who was not considered by society to be a chosen one, like themselves, secured for himself chosen status specifically through his gratitude. The Samaritan became the protagonist in this gospel story. It’s interesting how St. Luke highlighted the beneficiary in the narrative as being someone from outwith the chosen people of God, as Luke himself was. So, what counts with God is no longer the societal pride of place that the Jewish people occupied prior to the Incarnation, but the consistent effort of each and every one of us in adhering to his/her commitment of fidelity to God, to following Our Lord Jesus, and of giving gratitude to Him. ‘Work out your salvation with fear and trembling’ (Phil 2:12). If we hold firm, then we shall reign with him (2 Tim. 2:8-13), as the Second Reading says. Cicero, the Roman orator, declared that: “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the mother of all the others”. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your multiple gifts which You shower upon us. May I wish you all a week filled with gratitude to God for His blessings. God bless you.

MY FAITH, MY Wi-Fi

HOMILY FOR THE 27^TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

Faith deals with - and faith requires - constant contact and connection with God. When this connection is strong, a person of faith can go through a furnace of trials without getting burnt. Walter Ciszek spent fifteen years in forced-labour camps in Siberia. Throughout those years, he belonged to the lowest of the low, doing the dirtiest work, digging foundations by hand, carving them out with picks and shovels, digging long sewer trenches through the frozen ground, loading and unloading heavy construction materials with his bare hands, crawling through tunnels in damp, dark mines where death was only one slip away. What was it that kept Walter Ciszek going? This is what he said: “Men died in the camp, especially when they gave up hope. But I trusted in God, and so I never felt abandoned or without hope. I owe my survival to my faith in God.” Such faith-related stories of survival abound; where a person’s survival is on the line, faith strengthens.

Each of the three readings today has something important to say about faith. The First Reading (Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4) is an account of how faith can open our eyes to a new vision of life, especially when life confronts us with excruciating challenges. The prophet Habakkuk expressed his worries about the apparent silence of God in the face of oppression, injustice, tyranny, outrage, violence and discord. The prophet seemed to be asking: ‘are you going to let all these evils continue, and yet you still claim to be God?’ And God’s answer led him to the clear understanding that evil will never prevail over good. The faith of Habakkuk led him to go beyond the ordinary experience of suffering to the temporality of evil. And at the end, he discovered that it was only faith that could help an upright person to live on. 

The second Reading (2 Tim. 1: 6-8.13-14) is an encouragement to keep the flame of faith burning. Paul urges Timothy never to slack in his faith and love for Christ Jesus. Faith here could connote the idea of ‘fidelity’. A Christian is someone who is ever true and loyal to his/her faith, never ashamed to show his/her identity as a Christian, and who never loses his/her confidence in God.

In the Gospel Reading (Luke 17:5-10), the Apostles - realising how weak their faith was, too weak ever to live the way Jesus was outlining - they asked the Lord to increase their faith. The Lord’s example of the sycamine (or mulberry) tree is helpful in the sense that the sycamine is a relatively large tree with an extensive root system. It would be difficult not only to uproot this tree, but also to grow it in salt water. If, then, this tree could indeed be moved by faith, then it follows that genuine faith can bring about desirable but unexpected outcomes. This genuine faith grows and flourishes with obedience. We are servants, servants who know that to obey God is a duty rather than an option. The gifts of faith are not meant to make us prideful, but to serve to foster and promote the will of God on earth.  

Faith is sustained and increased by maintaining a connection. Faith is very much like Wi-Fi. The closer the device is to the hub, the stronger and faster the connectivity becomes. Similarly, the closer you are to the source of faith (which is God), the stronger your faith becomes. To remain strong, connect to the divine Wi-Fi. Wireless Fidelity helps the device to connect to the internet and thereafter to upload and download files to/from the device. This is how divine fidelity - faith - helps us to access God, to upload our petitions and praise to Him, and to download His superabundant gifts. And again, in order to browse, you must connect to Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi helps to create connections between devices within range of its connectivity. Similarly, this is how faith both connects us to other people, and also assists us to share with each other and to encourage each other. And so, to chat, connect to your divine Wi-Fi.  But beware! Wi-Fi can be prone to attack when anyone who is within range of a network and who has access to the wireless network interface controller goes rogue! This danger is why we must continually encourage one another (cf. 1 Thess. 4:18) and, as Jesus did for Peter, pray for one another that our faith might not fail (Luke 22:32). I pray that all of us may be gifted with high connectivity of faith as the new week blossoms. God bless you.

‘FATHER ABRAHAM, HAVE MERCY ON ME AND SEND LAZARUS’

HOMILY FOR THE 26^TH SUNDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

On the previous Sunday, we read about the story of the unjust steward. And now, we encounter another story that would be a direct advance upon the thoughts there in. In simple terms, if we consider it true enough that the parable of the unjust steward teaches how riches are to be used, then the parable of the rich man and Lazarus spells out the consequences of a failure to so use them. At the end of the parable of the unjust steward, the Pharisees ridiculed Jesus (cf. Luke 16:14); and as a response to that scoffing, Jesus told them the story of the rich man and Lazarus (in today’s Gospel: Luke 16:19-31). There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. The rich man has been popularly referred to as Dives, but this is not his name, as Dives is the Latin equivalent for ‘rich’. Thus, the rich man is nameless; and of course it would not be fitting to name him whom Christ left nameless. He lived to self, neglected the plight of the poor and was never mindful of Lazarus. This man might not have actively committed any evil against Lazarus. His was the sin of omission: the good he failed to do for a brother who was in need. He failed to have compassion for a fellow who was in dire need. He practically ignored Lazarus. He did nothing when he should have done something.

We have often seen how true it is that whatever has one’s affection gets one’s attention. And from the lifestyle of Dives, it could now be clearer how that affection could blind us from seeing the most necessary of things. Dives was described based on his lifestyle and his affection, and so too many a time, we are described based on the things we show our affection for. We must then constantly examine our affections, so that unlike Dives, our names as Christians would not be lost due to our sins of omissions. We are called to be affectionate to our neighbour. Lazarus was a poor man, full of sores, and desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Lazarus, the Latinized form of Eleazar, means God is my help. This name might depict the poor man’s piety who was so helpless that he could not even ward off the street dogs that pestered him. He was always at Dives’ gate but got no help from him nor from his friends. He rather helped himself from the crumbs that fell from Dives’ table; probably the crusts of bread that were used to wipe the hands and would be thrown out afterwards. It is a shame that the rich man could not realize that Lazarus would become the measure for his goodness at the afterlife.

When they both died, and went each to his own place, the helpless Lazarus was now being invited by Dives to be helpful to him: Father Abraham, he cried, have pity…and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. Water here might symbolize relief, to ease him of pains. By now, he would have realized how he neglected the voice of God who sent him to help relief the pains of Lazarus. He was now meant to understand that his was a finished story; pitiable indeed. And when he pleaded for a message to be sent to his five brothers, he was meant to understand that they had all they needed to sail through. Today, we still have Moses and the prophets to guide us. It is our mission to show practical care and concern to the ‘Lazarus’ around us. Indeed, and many a time, God might want to send a ‘Lazarus’ in our paths to provide us with greater opportunity to score better points for heaven. This high score might hinge on how we have ridden on those two basic wheels: one, of restriction where the First Reading (Amos 6:1a.4-7) places a red alert against the life of luxury lived without giving any consideration to others, the sort lived by Dives; and the other, of prescription where the Second Reading (1 Tim 6:11-16) shines forth a green alert for us to keep aiming at righteousness and fighting the good fight of faith.

A woman walking down the street saw an unshaven ragged elderly homeless man begging on the corner. It was very cold that day and the old man had a coat that was tattered and worn. The woman felt the need to help. She stopped and asked if he was alright. Assuming she would make fun of him, he quickly told her to go away. The woman stayed standing there, smiled and asked if he was hungry; and he hesitantly accepted. As they walked into a nearby cafeteria, the manager quickly came over and told the lady that she could not bring the homeless man into his cafe. The old man who was used to this treatment had barely started to turn away when the woman turned to the manager and said: do you know about the banking firm down the street? ‘Yes, they come in here weekly for meetings in my banquet room,’ the manager replied. She asked: do you make a good profit from them? When he sharply asked why she wanted to know, she simply said: ‘I am the CEO of that company.’ The manager did not say another word as the CEO and the old man sat down for a meal. Shocked by the CEO, the old man asked: why did you do this for me? The CEO replied: I was homeless as a little girl, and know what it really means to be neglected and rejected, and so, I promised myself never to neglect anyone in need.’ As Christians, acquainted with suffering like this woman and following after the Messiah who was himself a man of sorrows, despised, rejected and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3), and by virtue of our vocation as Christians, this is the constant promise we make to ourselves. May God’s grace continually abide in us. Amen. God bless you.

WHAT AM I TO DO NOW THAT MY STEWARDSHIP IS BEING REMOVED FROM ME?

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

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

What lesson does Christ teach us by the parable of the unjust servant in the Gospel? (Luke 16:1-13). Any one of us might be inclined to ask: What shrewd manner is Jesus proposing for the way to heaven? Was he commending the unjust steward for what he did? Can such a dishonest person be taken as a model of foresight, prudence and wisdom? Of course, not! Seeing that he was about to lose his job and afraid of his future security, the unjust steward lavished his master’s possession. Wasn’t that selfish of him? According to the norm, he had no right to do this since he was still a steward, and should have required the permission of his master. The surprising part of the story is that the master praised his shrewdness in making provisions for his future. Now, how can a man who had been cheated by his steward, someone who has suffered a substantial and irretrievable loss commend a crooked steward? This would mean then that both the unjust steward and his master valued the same thing –shrewdness. They are clever in dealing with things of this world. That is why they are classified by Christ as sons of this age. Christ said: the master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness, for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light (Luke16:8).

With these words, we are clear then that Jesus neither commends nor approves of the master’s commendation of his steward. Jesus uses this parable to teach us the need for prudence, foresight and wisdom in striving after our salvation. He makes a demarcation between the sons of this age and the sons of light, as he urges the sons of light to exhibit such cleverness as that of the sons of this age in their pursuit of heaven. Therefore, far from giving an impression of using a mischievous method for salvation, the parable teaches the need of such cleverness that is infused with proper acts of charity for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The Christian has only one option; to be/remain a child of light and by this be clever enough to store up treasures in heaven by the means of a generosity of mind and heart. No one can serve two masters at the same time, since one would be loved more than the other. Therefore, material possessions ought to be put into use for the service of others. They should help us gain eternal security, just as the unjust steward used his astuteness to secure his future -make friends for yourselves by the use of material possessions (cf. Luke 16:9). Like the master, God is the owner of everything. And like the steward, we have been put in-charge and have nothing we can really call ours. God is in-charge.   

We have a lot to learn from nature. The autumn might come with a feeling of sadness and disillusionment. The exciting promise of Spring’s young and vibrant colours is now a faded memory. Daylight wanes and darkness advances a step each evening. We are confronted with the dying blaze of tree and hedgerow. And we hear the crisp sound of dried leaves under our feet. These remind us of the end of many things. This autumnal experience brings us face to face with the emptiness of having little to look forward to. Here is a great lesson on the impermanence of everything. Is it not then the perfect time to reflect on how wise we become when we use those momentary things to secure the eternal reality in heaven? Sometimes, in our pursuit of material possessions, we act like that child who follows too far on a pleasant pathway of flowers and get lost, or the one who plays games until the night has crept upon him, and then is unable to find his way home. Some other times, in our insatiability and selfishness, we act like that child who hoards and eats too many berries and gets sick, instead of sharing the berries with his friends that all might eat and stay healthy. Share with others; for that is the proper use of material possessions.

However, it could really be sickening to find the opposite becoming the case. Instead of sharing with the poor, they instead are faced with oppression from the rich; either by intimidation, negligence or denying them what is due to them. This is why the prophet Amos spells it out that the Lord does not smile at the oppressors of the poor (cf. First Reading –Amos 8:4-7). The reason why Paul advises Christians to pray for everyone, especially those who hold public offices (cf. The Second Reading -1 Timothy 2:1-8) could now be understood; this is because directly or indirectly, the social injustices of this world could be connected to them. Ours is a vocation to love and share. So, when people make a generous use of all that they have, then their pilgrim way is a journey to God. We must then constantly remind ourselves that the good things we have in this life are but a foretaste of the genuine riches of eternity. The wise person then would use the good things to secure the genuine riches of heaven. Shall we then not say that the true value of material possessions is achieved when they assure eternal life with God? Yes, it is. May the Lord always keep us in his love. Amen. God bless you.  

FOUND AT THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

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

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

Have you ever experienced or at least imagined yourself in the middle of nowhere; let’s say wandering inside a thick forest? And the more you wander, the more you get lost; and the more you get lost, the more you are lost in thought. Hopelessness seems to set in. As you scream and shout for help, you could hear the reverberation of your voice some distance away getting back at you. It all seems there’s no one to help. And as the night draws near, extreme pain and anxiety overwhelms you. You keep on screaming, but this time, you could hear the roaring, howling, hisses, barking and grunting of wild animals. However, at this point, you are still able to convince your inner self that somehow, help would come from somewhere. There is this tiny hope that’s left in you, just as there is always that tiny hope of survival even in the dying person. You try to convince yourself that you are not going to die in this middle of nowhere. Beating your chest, you say: courage, you will get through this. And as if these are not enough, you begin feeling that these wild beasts are coming towards you to devour you. Oh, just hold it there!!! That’s only a fantasy. Your senses are beginning to respond to your fears occasioned by that miserable situation. Suddenly, you see yourself on the ground, your faces covered with mud, and gasping for air in total danger, anxiety and helplessness. You are lost. The battery has been drained. The Psalmist words in Psalm 56:3, when I am afraid, I put my trust in you might at this moment make no sense to you.

Is it wrong to say that so many people have experienced or are experiencing such a miserable situation? Being so stiff-necked and hard on ourselves, we see darkness and evil, hopelessness and helplessness all around us. These enhance great fears and anxieties within us, making it difficult for us to think right. If only we could at this point be brave enough to use the power of our imaginations and vision the divine rescue team that is right beside us, then we would not notice how the Lord tries to plug us into his divine power socket to get us recharged and re-energized. His bright light will be shone on those wild animals trying to devour us, and would dispel the darkness that has enshrouded us. Then we would hear those reassuring words of Jesus: Courage, it is I, do not be afraid (Matt. 14:27); you are no longer lost, I have found you. And just as I gave Paul my strength (cf. Second Reading, 1 Timothy 1:12-17), I have given it you. To keep on hearing these words, we only need to make sure that the tiny hope of survival is not stifled in us. In the face of dismay, the Lord assures us: I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Is. 41:10). Just like the Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine in search of the lost one, or the woman who keeps searching for her missing coin until she finds it, or the father who rejoices over the return of his prodigal son (cf. Gospel, Luke 15:1-32), the Lord does not give up on us. He forgets and forgives our failures as he forgave the people of the exodus story (cf. First Reading, Exodus 32:7-11.13-14).

What a reckless love!!!, one that we do not even deserve. He is able to leave the ninety-nine in search of us, keeps searching till he finds us, and even calls a feast to celebrate our return. St. Angela of Foligno (canonized in 2013) was someone who was lost in materialism but was later found by grace. In her continuous desire for the Lord, she had asked her soul: Oh my soul, how can you refrain from plunging yourself ever deeper and deeper into the love of Christ, who did not forget you in life or in death, but who willed to give Himself wholly to you, and to unite you to Himself forever? We might stray, but the more we stray, the more God runs after us; the more we get lost, the more he intensifies his search for us. He never abandons us. The Lord keeps searching for us. He does not give up on us.

It might also be true that a part of us can get lost. It could be in the form of anything. We might lose our virtues, lose our good names, lose our sound health of mind and body, lose our treasured fortunes, and in the midst of these lost things, lose even our joy, happiness and our sense of love. However, the good news is that the story does not end in getting lost. A new page opens. God has not finished writing; he has not yet completed this wonderful edifice. Yes, we might have been lost or could get lost, but we do not remain lost. We shall be found; truly we are now found. The saint of the rose flower, St. Therese of Lisieux once said, above the clouds, the sky is always blue. The dark cloud cannot cancel out the bright blue sky. It is then time to let ourselves hear all over again those beautiful voices that tell us: your good name has been found, your lost virtues are back, your sound mind and body are revived, your treasures have been found, your joy and blessedness have been fully restored. We have been found. God has found us. It is an amazing grace and it is sweet. Do have a lovely week ahead. God bless you.

PHILEMON AND ONESIMUS

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

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

Philemon was Paul’s fellow Christian who was the leader in the Colossian Church. His servant, Onesimus had ran away on account of the evil he committed against him. While with Paul, a prisoner in Rome, Onesimus became a believer and renounced his former ways of life which might have put him into trouble with his master Philemon. Paul then wrote to Philemon asking him to forgive and accept Onesimus, no longer as a slave but as a fellow Christian. In Paul, Onesimus found a new faith.

In his Letter to Philemon which deals with the themes of forgiveness and reconciliation (cf. Second Reading, Philemon 9b-10.12-17), Paul addresses Onesimus as his child: I appeal to you for my child, whose father I have become... This would imply that Onesimus was converted through Paul’s ministry. The appeal of Paul to accept Onesimus as a beloved brother, both in the flesh and in the Lord makes all three -Paul, Philemon and Onesimus adopted children of God by virtue of their baptism. The love and unity between Philemon and Onesimus would now be based on their faith in Christ, while that unnecessary slave-master hierarchy would no longer make any sense. Onesimus returns now to his master, more faithful then ever, related in a way that not even death can undo. He returns with a big difference; no longer as a heathen slave, but as a beloved brother in Christ.

Paul did not just stop at exhorting Philemon to accept Onesimus as a beloved brother, but to have him forever. By virtue of the Christian baptism, we have become en-grafted to Christ that we forever share a common patrimony and father, irrespective of race, class and interests. Philemon is a Greek name which means ‘affectionate.’ He has now been urged more by Paul to live up to his name, in being kind and affectionate to accept a brother who erred against him. Is it not then true that the Christian has the obligation to accept the fellow Christian who might have wronged him/her? Often times, we are inclined to write-off individuals for their past mistakes while disregarding their current efforts to re-write their past. People learn, people change, people move on. We should then see ourselves as Philemons being called upon by Jesus to open our minds and hearts to others and to see one another as brethren in Christ.

Onesimus too is a Greek name which means ‘useful’ (a profitable one). The bearer of the name unfortunately was rendered useless by his master whom he wronged. He lost in himself the true meaning of his name. When he met Paul in Rome who helped him regain his true identity of usefulness, he was then sent back, no longer as that useless servant, but as a very resourceful person; useful for himself and for Philemon. And so, one might regard Paul’s Letter to Philemon as a letter of recommendation for Onesimus who had faced condemnation. The Christian is someone who even after having faced condemnation of any form constantly makes great effort to become more useful to/for God. Realising the limitations of human nature, as the First Reading unravels (Wisdom 9:13-18), we plunge ourselves into the river of God’s will, and live in total trust in the divine wisdom.  

Many times too, we might hear voices that tell us how useless we have become, and how wayward we have turned. However, these voices represent the voice of the devil, the arch enemy of God. These voices might try to ridicule even the biggest of all the efforts we make as Christians, without realizing that we have been equipped so well to discern those voices when they come. The Greek terms for ‘useless’ (αχρηστον - achriston) and ‘useful’ (εὑχρηστον - euchriston) suggest that whereas Onesimus was once achriston (useless), and therefore α-χρὶστον (a-christon - without Christ), he has now become euchriston (useful), and therefore εὑ-χρὶστον ( eu- christon, - good Christian). Paul himself testified to this real change in Onesimus. Our usefulness, capability and resourcefulness do not lie in ourselves, but only in our encounter with Jesus who even admonishes us in the Gospel (Luke 14:25-33) to keep renouncing anything that could hinder us from getting to the most useful of things -the kingdom of heaven. And finally, we ask ourselves individually: how much will it cost me to maintain and enhance my usefulness in Christ? If the salt looses its saltiness, how  can it be made salty again? (Cf. Matt. 5:13) Happy New Week. God bless you.