THE SIGN OF EMMANUEL

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

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

Every serious event is preceded by an announcement, isn’t it? According to African cultural tradition, whenever a ruler is about to deliver a message to his people, it is customary for his messenger to get people’s attention by sounding a gong. The people hear the gong before they hear the message. Today we are metaphorically hearing the sound of the gong and listening to the announcement about the birth of the Messiah. This is the last Sunday of Advent; we are standing on the threshold of Christmas. During this Advent season, we have heard the crescendo of joyous expectation regarding the coming of our Lord and Saviour. Today we join our voices to those of the prophet Isaiah and the Angel Gabriel to announce to the world that a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call him Immanuel. The Child will be conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. His mission is to save the world from her sins. This is indeed the apex of all theophanies throughout history, the zenith of all miracles and the ultimate liberation from slavery, sin and fear. 

The First Reading (Isaiah 7:10-14) champions this glorious announcement. The context is that Isaiah exhorts the earthly king to place his trust in the Lord who, to gain that trust, will show him any sign he chooses. Ahaz, the king of Judah, is in a tight spot. Syria and Israel have invaded Judah, but so far have been unable to capture Jerusalem, the capital of the Judean kingdom. Ahaz has made the decision to ally his country with a pagan nation (Assyria), both in order to protect his kingdom and to preserve the dynasty of David. In doing so, Ahaz has disregarded Yahweh (God). Ahaz himself lives a wayward lifestyle and has sacrificed to pagan idols, even to the point of sacrificing his own son. Isaiah foresees doom in this political alliance of Judah with Assyria, and opposes Ahaz. Isaiah reasons that the Davidic dynasty can only be preserved by the power of God, and certainly not by a secular political alliance. Only the power of God can be relied upon to save the king and his kingdom. Then Ahaz is instructed by the Lord to ask for any sign that would convince him to place his trust in God’s promises, but Ahaz doesn’t want to go there. He has a hissy fit, throwing God’s own offer back in His face on the spurious ground that he doesn’t want to ‘put the Lord to the test’. The Lord Himself patiently insists on giving him the most wonderful sign possible: the sign of Immanuel. 

The sign of Immanuel is given to confirm the words of the prophet about the will of God, rather than to astonish King Ahaz. Thus, God’s will is revealed: Immanuel will be born into the earthly dynasty of David as the fulfilment of God’s promise to David that his dynasty would be eternal. Transcendent God will become Immanent God - God-with-us. God will assume human flesh and will allow Himself to accept earthly maternity, paternity and lineage. This extensive dynasty will be sustained by God Himself. 

That was the sign given to Ahaz. And at one time or another, we too might find ourselves as faithless as Ahaz whose experience of war led him to lose such faith as he had. He lost confidence that God could and would save the kingdom of Judah; and, having lost that trust, he chose to rely solely upon human efforts including his own. The outcome was his political alliance with Assyria. It is, of course, indisputable that the impact of horrendous life experiences upon us may serve to undermine our faith and shake our trust in God and in our friends. We do, however, slide even deeper into pain and error whenever we harden our hearts and block our ears from listening to that inner voice, that inner voice which calls us to put our faith and trust in God because God is in control. That insistent inner voice urges us to place our confidence and trust in a power infinitely greater than our own, in total submission to the will of God. The earthly dynasty of David, which Ahaz was fighting for, was that from which God had already willed Himself to be born. God knows everything. God knows the best way forward for each one of us. Yes, He knows what is best for you and for me. Why, then, should we hesitate to place our confidence and trust in Him?

The promise of the Emmanuel re-emerges in the Gospel (Matthew 1:18-20). St. Matthew’s Infancy Narrative focuses on the person of Joseph (unlike St. Luke’s, which is built around the person of Mary). St. Matthew presents the fascinating character of Joseph, the husband of Mary, who respected both God and men. Joseph did not want to disgrace Mary who, after her formal betrothal to Joseph, had been found to be expecting a baby. According to Jewish custom, if after betrothal the prospective bride was found to be pregnant, divorce was permitted. The divorce had to be finalised in public in order to make plain to the community the reason for the divorce. But Joseph perceived that such publicity would heap disgrace upon Mary. He made the decision to preserve Mary’s dignity and honour by secretly sending her packing. It would have taken the intervention of God to overturn the decision, had He willed it. Why didn’t He? Because this inspired decision of Joseph helped to reveal to the world the vital aspect which was not apparent in Isaiah’s prophecy – the vital aspect that is the Virginal conception. The Child, the Emmanuel, the God-with-us, would be conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Mary’s pregnancy resulted from the action of the Holy Spirit. The impossible was made possible. God became incarnate. Mary and Joseph were now confronted with the great mystery of conception without consummation. They both, by their fiats, demonstrated the obedience of faith - the sort of faith spoken of by St. Paul in the Second reading (Romans 1:1-7). Without faith, we cannot please God (cf. Heb. 11:6). Unlike King Ahaz, Joseph did believe the Angel of the Lord. In so doing, Joseph counteracted the infidelity of Ahaz through his fidelity to God and by placing his absolute trust in God. Joseph, then, played a major part in the magnificent plan of God for the salvation of mankind. Remember that Mary, in her capacity as the Mother of God, could just as well have nurtured and raised the Holy Child as a single parent - but that wasn’t the will of God. Our Lord wanted to live and grow up on earth in a family, in a family of three - Jesus, Mary and Joseph - having been united in heaven in a single substance of the three divine Persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The mission of the Child who was to be conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit was to save humanity from the wages of sin.

The Virginal conception would mark the beginning of the restoration of the original order that was in place at creation. In Gen 1:2. the Spirit of God was moving upon the face of the waters. This Spirit brought order to the chaos that initially existed. When the Lord sends forth His Spirit, they (the creatures) are created (cf. Psalm 104:30). Never was the Spirit of God so operative and efficacious than He was in the Virginal conception. To restore the order of peace, hope, and joy, which was reduced to chaos by original sin, it was the Holy Spirit Who caused the Virginal conception from the spark of Divine Love. In the Virginal conception, the move to recreate the human soul that was damaged by the disobedience of Adam was manifested in concrete terms. This same Holy Spirit recreates each one of us even today (cf. Isaiah 42:5): ‘I will cause breath to enter you and you shall live’ (Ezekiel 37: 5). Today the Holy Spirit even can enliven the soul that is dead in sin, revitalizing and empowering it to launch a vigorous and radical assault against sin, and then enrapturing that soul in the life of grace. Only divine love makes all this possible. May we continue to live in the love of God. Amen. God bless you.

HOW CAN WE LOOK FOR ANOTHER? YOU ARE HE!

HOMILY FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

How do you feel whenever a particular expectation of yours is not met? Disappointed? Upset? Fed up? Do you simply put the disappointment behind you and look for another way forward? Do you ask questions in order to discover why you’re so disappointed? Well, these are examples of reactions that we might have. When we consider how John the Baptist might have felt when he was left to rot in prison, it would be a mistake to go along with the notion that his question to Jesus in the Gospel Reading (Mt.11:2-11) arose from a feeling of disappointment – disappointment that his expectations about the Messiah were not being met. We too might feel similarly about being kept waiting for something we are anticipating, about being kept waiting and waiting for something that we expect to happen. Like John, we might  feel disappointed that our prayers are not being answered in the way we hoped they would be. Like John, we might feel disappointed that things and events are not playing out the way we want them to. But, by the end of our reflections today, like John we will have discovered that the episode in today’s Gospel goes way beyond a mere expression of disappointment.

Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else? John had been thrown in prison and was already a ‘dead man walking’. Nothing could have made him happier than to die in the knowledge that the man he introduced to the world as the Messiah (Mt. 3:1-17) was actively accomplishing the work that the long-awaited Messiah was prophesied to do. Confirmation of the Messiahship of Jesus would validate John’s own mission as the forerunner of the Messiah. If, however, Jesus was not the Messiah, then John’s message and mission would have been in vain. John’s imprisonment and execution would have been no more than great personal misfortune. John needed to have his own mission affirmed as true; that would give him the strength to go on in the face of death. We can imagine the renewed zeal that energised John upon receiving the positive response of Jesus to his question. Yes, Jesus was indeed the Christ. And we can go on to elicit for ourselves further meanings from this scenario. Reminding ourselves of the work of the Messiah can really refresh us spiritually and enhance our spiritual growth. 

Let’s go on to consider this episode from the point of view of the disciples of John the Baptist. It is probable that John’s disciples found themselves wondering whether Jesus really was the Messiah, and questioned John about Jesus’ status when they visited John in prison. In response to the queries raised, John might well have said to them: if any of you has doubts, let him go and ask Jesus himself. The question would then have become a vehicle for redirecting them to the Messiah, which was the objective of John’s mission. The question would serve to open a channel of conversion to those who were having doubts, and to be a platform for the disciples to brainstorm how to react effectively both to critics and to those who were yet to believe in the Christ. The best response to the question of how to discern God - how to get those first fingertips latched onto His existence - is to go to Jesus, to surrender our life to Him, and to wait and see what He will do with us. The supreme argument in favour of Christ is not via intellectual debate but through a personal experience of His life-changing power. Why not try it and see for yourself? I guarantee that it will completely convince you!

Jesus’ response to John the Baptist’s disciples confirmed His mission as that of the Messiah, the Christ. In his reply, Jesus made reference to the messianic passages in the Hebrew Scriptures. For those held captive physically, mentally or spiritually, there is abundant liberation to be had. The woman said to him: I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things. Jesus said to her, I who speak to you am He (John 4:25). Jesus is the Saviour. He comes to bring us new life and to infuse us with new zeal. In the First Reading (Isaiah 35:1-6a.10), the prophet sees the desert blooming with new life, as the eyes of the blind are opened and the ears of the deaf unsealed, and everyone returns singing to Zion.

We must not forget that Jesus spoke about John with deep admiration. His comments portrayed John as an extraordinary man who was sought-after for the rare gift he possessed; a spiritual man, who was neither materialistic nor moved by the things of this world; a preacher of the word, who was interested solely in the repentance of the people; a great prophet, who showed the people the Way (for the sole Way is Christ Himself). John the Baptist is the great prophet about whom other prophets spoke: behold, I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord. (cf. Mal. 4:5); He was a special herald of God, the greatest of human beings. 

Jesus also said that John was the least in the Kingdom of heaven, and that the least in the Kingdom of heaven was greater than John. But why did Our Lord say that? What a conundrum. Let’s try to unpack it and offer some explanations. Firstly, remember that Jesus is the Kingdom of God Himself. This is key. Jesus is the auto-basileia. To experience Christ is to experience the Kingdom of heaven. To be with Christ is to be with the Kingdom. To know Christ is to know the Kingdom. To preach Christ is to preach the Kingdom. This is what Christians have now. John himself never did. John pointed out Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, but even though he was His cousin, John never experienced a close relationship with the God-man. John was like a signpost pointing the way to the destination, the destination which was the Christ. Of course, those who reach their destination have actual knowledge and experience of it, while the sign or person who merely points the way to it does not. A signpost does its job effectively: it indicates the way to the destination. Its job as a signpost gives it zero experience of the destination itself, while the people who get there do enjoy that experience. John showed Jesus to the world, but personally he witnessed neither Jesus’ mission nor His redemptive acts on earth. The apostles and the disciples of Jesus were privileged to experience the Christ, and to see and hear what the prophets all dreamt about seeing and hearing, but never did John. To paraphrase Jesus’ words: ‘John prophesied about My coming and pointed to Me as the Messiah; but now there are those who live with Me, preach Me to the whole world, make converts to Me, live holy lives for My sake and die for Me. All these people are greater than John, even though John is the greatest of all the prophets before him’.

Now, we have discovered that the question of John to Jesus was all about Jesus’ Messiahship; in no way was it about doubt or feelings of disappointment. Reassured and encouraged by Jesus’ response, John continued his mission as the forerunner while he was in prison. The goal of the conversation reported by the Evangelist, St. Matthew, is to lead us too to the discovery of the nature of the mission of Jesus Christ and to solid faith in Jesus as the Anointed One, the Messiah. During this season of Advent, then, this message is in place to remove any doubts we might harbour within us concerning the Messiahship of Jesus as we prepare for His coming at Christmas. We are called to supersede any feelings of world-weariness or disappointment we might have with deep joy - joy in longing for the arrival of Our Lord. In the Second Reading (James 5:7-10) St. James emphasises the patience that every farmer has, and offers us a way of enhancing our joy by emulating that patience. The farmer plants the seed and waits patiently through the early and late rains for the crops to begin to grow in season. Such patience will be required from us today. Be patient and wait until the Lord comes. May the joy of expectation fill us today and evermore. Amen. God bless you.

THAT PROPHETIC CALL TO RECONCILIATION

HOMILY FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

What’s the very first thing we do when we’re expecting a visitor? We would probably all agree that we have a good tidy-up and ensure that our home is nice and clean. A clean home assures the visitor that his host has really made himself ready for his arrival. In other words, we prepare for an expected visit. Now, when we see Jesus as the very special Visitor who has informed us of His intention to visit each one of us, how then should we get ready to receive Him as the King that He truly is? In order to welcome the King and invite the Lord Jesus into our hearts - and this is the whole purpose of Advent – what we must do is repent and prepare the way of the Lord by making His paths straight in our lives and in the world. This duty is communicated in the three readings of this Sunday - the duty to repent and get ready for the coming of the Lord. All this boils down to a single, central theme of reconciliation with God and with one another. Why? Because it is reconciliation that brings about peace.

The Gospel Reading (Mt. 3:1-12) is the story of the forerunner, John the Baptist, and his message of repentance. Repent for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. There had been a gap of four hundred years since a prophet had last arisen in Israel, and that was the prophet Malachi. And so we can appreciate the thunderous impact John’s message had upon people. The voice crying in the wilderness was prophetic, and so there must have been quite a feeling of relief in the air, relief that God had not forgotten His people after all. The voice of the humble precursor to the Messiah was potent, compelling and a threat to the powerful. That voice called the people to repentance. Repentance is generally characterised either by a feeling of remorse and regret for doing wrong, or by a sense of pain and sorrow for what one has committed or omitted. However, we need to dig deeper behind this general understanding. In the original language (Greek), the verb used is metanoein which means to change one’s mind or purpose. Here, it is used in the imperative. Metanoia then denotes a change of mind; as it’s in the imperative, this change is an order - something that must be done - as a necessary condition for the reception of the Lord. This order takes repentance beyond mere feeling to a firm, concrete change of mind. 

Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John is preparing the way of the One of whom Isaiah spoke, says St. Matthew. This oracle of Isaiah in Israelite history served to console the people after the exile, when there was seemingly no hope. The people longed for reconciliation. And so, this became a message of hope and peace for the people, with the promise of a Davidic king who was coming to bring total restoration to them. The notion of how this restoration would come about was for the people to be reconciled to God, without whom the exile experience would be repeated. St. Matthew links the voice of John to this message of Isaiah to stress the urgency of the call to reconciliation with God and with one another. In his concern for the reconciliation of Gentiles and Jews, St. Paul prays for them (and us) to be tolerant of each other, following the example of Jesus (cf. Second Reading; Romans 15:4-9). This is an explicit way of preparing ourselves for the coming of the Lord.

In the First Reading (Isaiah 11:1-10), Isaiah relays the apparently impossible experiences that will mark the new era of the King. These experiences can only be effected as a result of total, comprehensive reconciliation. After the King has judged with integrity and equity, rather than by appearances or hearsay, as Isaiah envisioned, there will be a totally peaceful world. That world is represented allegorically here in terms of predators and prey getting along together. There will no longer be fear: animals will no longer attack each other or mankind, and even children will no longer be afraid of them. This takes us right back to the first Garden, the first Paradise. But this abundance of joy and innocence will be heavily dependent upon the righteousness of humanity. The prophet envisions the new Paradise by speaking of the justice with which the poor and the meek will be defended, and by which the wicked will be eliminated. Just as the animals turned wild as the result of the original fault of the first parents, the redemption of mankind in Jesus the Anointed One will restore the entire earth to its original, pristine peace.  

Finally, the voice of John heralded both a threat and a promise. He warns the Pharisees and Sadducees that for them to plead that Abraham is their father would be of no avail to them. This was perceived as a threat by the Jews because they believed that the merits of Abraham would suffice to guarantee them safe passage to eternity. This would mean that neither they, nor we, should hope to benefit from the spiritual capital of the past. No age can hope to claim salvation simply because of its heroic past, just as a wayward son cannot hope to plead the merits of a saintly father when he is brought before the judge. John also promised that the One who was to come would baptise them with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The Holy Spirit is the supreme agent of reconciliation, both between us and God, and also between us and one another. When the Spirit enters our hearts, our eyes are opened. The prejudices which blind us are removed. The self-will which darkens us is overcome and the weary defeat of life is ended. And then, we experience the surge of the new life of peace entering us. These are the merits the Anointed One comes to bring us. May these gifts of the Spirit be bequeathed to us today and evermore, as we repent and prepare ourselves to receive Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

STAY AWAKE!

HOMILY FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

Even though we can identify exactly when Christmas Day will be celebrated according to the liturgical calendar, The Son of Man will be coming at an hour that we do not expect (Matt 24:44).

You must have heard the story about the three demons who were coming to earth in order to deceive men and lure them to Satan. The three demons were seeking advice from their boss, Satan, regarding their plans to tempt and ruin mankind.

  The first demon said, “I will tell them that God doesn’t exist.” Satan laughed dismissively and said: “that won’t deceive people, for so many have experience of God in their lives.”

  The second demon said, “I will tell them that Hell does not exist, so they can just go ahead and do whatever they like with their lives.” Satan laughed out loud and said: “people know that there is always a punishment to fit the crime. They will never believe that there is no Hell.”

  The third demon said, “I will tell men that they have plenty of time; that they should relax, take life easy and be in no hurry to amend their lives, for there is always tomorrow.” Satan didn’t laugh this time. An evil grin crept across his face. “Off you go,” he said, “for you will manage to deceive billions upon billions of people.”

Advent is a time to remind ourselves that “time and tide wait for no man”. The clock is ticking … tick-tock! The Lord will come at an hour we do not expect. So, as we get ready for Christmas, the time of which we do know, we should remind ourselves of the need to be constantly vigilant and spiritually ready for the final coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the time of which we don’t know.

When He was here on earth, Jesus talked about himself as The Son of Man. Since we do not know the hour of the second coming of The Son of Man, we are encouraged in the Gospel Reading (Mt 24:37-44) to be ready at all times. Every one of us is aware that when we know the specific time of something that is going to happen (for example when we’ve scheduled something in our diary), there is this temptation to leave things until the last minute. When we don’t have to guess when something is going to happen, we lose that sense of anticipation and expectation. Conversely, then, the lack of information about the arrival of Our Lord at His second coming contributes to keeping us on our toes in fulfilling the demands of the Christian life. In so doing, we do not merely wait passively for the arrival of the Lord, but we are actively prepared and ready for Him. It is futile - and a waste of God’s good time - to expend our energies on trying to discern the hour of the return of The Son of Man. Be warned that speculation regarding the time of the second coming is actually nothing less than blasphemy, for anyone who does this is seeking to wrest from God a secret which belongs to God alone. We can say, then, that Advent is not a time for speculation about the timing of the coming of The Lord, but a time for examination of ourselves with regard to how attentive we are to His message of salvation.

In his admonition in today’s gospel reading, Jesus made reference to the story of Noah. Noah listened to God, prepared himself for the flood, and was saved; but those others, who were focused entirely on their earthly lives and were ignoring God, were lost. The others allowed the activities of this life (even the essentials) to rip them from the activity of heaven. We must never be so immersed in the things of this life that we neglect to prepare for eternity and the eternal life that awaits us. In immersing ourselves in things of this side of eternity, we tend to forgo God, to shove Him to one side; and so, at some point, time catches up with us with shattering suddenness. To live without watchfulness for the Day of the Lord can be disastrous for us. The primary weapon of the thief is surprise; the householder must be constantly on watchful guard against the burglar. We too must be watchful, not with fear (for God is no burglar) but with joy, with eager expectation for the Lord who will come in glory. The season of Advent is to remind us of the need to ready ourselves for His second coming, and to be filled with eager expectation of the time when there will be no more war or hatred, because the people of God will be walking in the light of the Lord (cf. First Reading; Isa 2:1-5). Advent is a time of preparation, peace and stillness so that each one of us shall be alert to detect those signals by which God wants to lead us out of our weaknesses, prejudices and fears.  

Let’s think a bit more about that story about the demons. We deceive ourselves whenever we allow ourselves to be convinced that there is still plenty of time for us to acknowledge God and to do good things. There is no greater deception by Satan than that which delays our invitation to God to come into our lives, the deception that convinces us to put off conversion to the will of God until tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. Let’s get it done. The sooner, the better. But isn’t it true that some people derive pleasure in turning away from God, in postponing their daily conversion, in refusing to participate in good works, in ridiculing the virtuous life and in deliberately declining to reconcile with God and the Church? For example, they tell themselves: Oh, I can come back to the Church any time I want!  But the second coming of the Lord brings with it great surprises. And indeed, life is full of surprises. It is therefore good practice to be ready for the surprises of each day, and for us to extract virtues from them. We ought to live each day knowing that our salvation is nearer than when we first began to believe (cf. the 2nd Reading: Rom. 13:11-14a). We must keep on mining virtues as the days run by!

Advent alerts us to prepare for surprises and sudden changes. How should we get ready for these in our daily lives?

   Sometimes, it can be really worrying to see a change in people’s attitude towards us, especially in those close to us. This is when we have to mine the virtue of patience.

   Sometimes, people’s words and actions can devastate us, especially when they clash with our own plans and desires. That’s when we have to mine the virtue of tolerance.

   At other times, we might be pleasantly surprised, even bewildered, by people’s good intentions and brave endeavours, especially by those from whom we wouldn’t necessarily expect them. Our reaction ought to be one of sincere affirmation, believing in the hidden treasures implanted by God in every person. That’s when we mine the virtue of acceptance.

The list of virtues we can mine through the daily experiences of sudden changes can be lengthy! By undertaking this task of mining virtues, we will have started the Advent season on solid ground.

May the new liturgical year bring forth favours from God and an increase of joy in our lives. May I wish you a lovely and spiritually profitable Advent season. Amen. God bless you.  

JESUS, REMEMBER ME IN YOUR KINGDOM!

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE, YEAR C

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

What is the best way to explain the reasons why Our Lord Jesus Christ is The King of the universe? Of course, there is no doubt that in His divine nature, Christ is the King because He is God. Furthermore, as the God-Man, Christ enjoys kingship which is conferred (cf. Luke 22:29: and I confer upon you a Kingdom, just as my father conferred one on me) and economical. When we speak of the economy of Our Lord’s Kingship, we mean that Jesus is “God-as-He-is-for-us” human beings, that the immanent Jesus shows us the transcendent Father as far as the human mind is able to perceive Him. This conferred kingship entitles Christ to the official and absolute power to rule over everyone and everything in heaven and on earth, and to rule both for the sheer glory of God, and also for the carrying-out of God’s purpose of salvation. According to the Psalmist, the Lord has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over all (Psalm 103:19). This kingship is mediatorial: in other words, Jesus mediates between us and the Father on our behalf. He pleads for us at the right hand of the Father (Romans 8:34). Being then the King who mediates between humanity and divinity, Christ has a kingdom of grace (regnum gratiae) and a kingdom of dominion (regnum potentiae).

Within His all-encompassing kingdom of grace, Christ rules over the entire universe, over everything created. This is a salvific rule, established in the lives, hearts and minds of believers, which bears directly upon the eternal purpose of Creation – salvation! Referring to this kingdom of grace, the Psalmist prays: Your throne O God will last forever, a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of your kingdom (Ps. 43:6; cf. Heb. 1:8, 9). This kingdom of grace, governed with the sceptre of God’s justice, is eternal, everlasting. The Lord will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, his kingdom will never end (Luke 1:33). The kingdom of Our Lord Jesus Christ rules over all things for eternity. We see a small-scale version of this mirrored in the First Reading (2 Samuel 5:1-3) which gives an account of how the anointing of David as king united all the tribes in Israel under one royal head. Christ’s kingship of grace, however, unites every tribe and tongue and people and nation (cf. Revelation 7:9).

In his capacity as the King of Grace, Christ is the head of the Church (cf. Col. 2:19). In the Second Reading (Col 1:12-20), Christ is called the head of the body - “His body” - the Church. The term ‘Head’ here indicates that Christ is vested with authority. He wields that authority specifically to reconcile all things to Himself, and to make peace by the blood of his Cross. We deduce, then, that the characteristics of this kingdom of grace are justice and mercy. In his justice he condemns us, but in His mercy he redeems us (cf. 2 Cor 5:21). Jesus the merciful King both reconciles and brings peace. We live in an age that emphasises dry academic expertise and practice of secular legal argument, leaving no place for mercy. In some places of the world, ‘jungle justice’ red in tooth and claw, is dispensed indiscriminately. In other places, offenders face the wrath of the civil law, sometimes for sins which were committed decades ago, while others suffer the heavy hand of the civil law for making a rightful stand for a just cause. None of this, however, is the case in Christ’s kingdom of Grace.

This kingdom has its origin in the redeeming grace of God. The repentant thief on the Cross, St. Dismas, experienced this kingdom of grace (cf. The Gospel: Luke 23:35-43) - But this man has done nothing... Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom (Luke 23:41.42). Having recognized the innocence of the crucified Saviour, the thief was rewarded by being given the grace of apprising the existence of the redeeming kingdom of grace in Christ. As a result, he was saved and accepted into that kingdom. The merciful divine nature overshadows us, covers us, wraps us around when we too recognize Jesus as King. When we accept the reign of God in our hearts (by personal contrition) and in the Church (in her sacraments), we step up like the Good Thief. At the glorious Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the establishment of His Kingship on earth will be perfected, while His spiritual rule will find its consummation in His visible and majestic reign in heaven.

Christ rules over the universe in His kingdom of dominion. This kingdom is sovereign over every created reality without exception. Christ providentially and judicially administers all things in the interest of his chosen people. He guides the actions of individuals, He guides the actions of groups and He guides the actions of nations, in order to promote the growth, the gradual purification, and the final perfection of the people whom He has redeemed by His blood. As a reflection of the defeat of evil by the anointed King David, the Kingship of Christ (Who shed His blood for us in apparent defeat) has dominion over sin, death and every other evil that afflicts human society. Christ protects His own against danger (not a hair of your head will be harmed Lk 21:18) and affirms His righteousness in the ongoing subjection and ultimate defeat of Satan. It follows that Our Lord’s divine Kingship serves as a model for each and every earthly kingship.   

The responsibility to establish the Kingdom of God, to govern it, and to protect and safeguard it against all hostile forces, rests squarely on the shoulders of Christ as the Anointed One. He accomplishes this in the context of the world riddled with sin, sin which aims to thwart all divine endeavour. God the Father therefore invested Christ as King with authority over the whole world. Christ the King has control over all thrones, dominions, principalities and powers (Cf. Colossians 1:16); He guarantees safe passage into eternal life for His people, and protects His own against the powers of darkness. Yet, even in His kingdom of dominion, Christ is not domineering: He has given every human being the gift of free will. He has given every person the freedom to opt in or to opt out, to accept His Kingship or to decline it. While gifting us with the promptings of the Holy Spirit, He encourages us to make use of our well-formed consciences to bring about His kingdom of grace, unity and mercy for the benefit of all humanity. The appropriate honouring of Jesus Christ as King of the Universe must go way beyond a flag-waving exercise, and way beyond simply signing up as a member of The Jesus Fan Club. It belittles Him when we are tempted to use His name as a slogan or an ‘Open Sesame’ trigger. What is required of us as loyal subjects of Christ The King is to commit ourselves to work for merciful justice for all, to labour to bring about a world where might and violence are eliminated, to strive for a world where natural resources are shared fairly, and to toil for a world where peace and unity flourish - peace between people and nations, peace within our own lives and peace with God. May Christ the Universal King reign in our hearts and in our world. Amen. God bless you.

YOUR ENDURANCE WILL WIN YOU YOUR LIVES

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

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

As we approach the end of the Church’s liturgical year, it will not have escaped your notice that the recent readings at Mass have sounded a sombre warning note. These readings help to prepare within us the right attitude – comprising  honesty, realism and practicality – regarding the best way to live in the face of daily difficulties and challenges, cataclysmic personal events, and impending large-scale disasters including war, famine and disease. The thread running throughout history is that the world is afflicted. There is never a time when somewhere in the world there are no people enduring religious or social sorrows, or suffering from economical or environmental affliction. The effect of suffering on people can be traumatic. As Christians, we do not get to live in a bubble, insulated from pains and trials. We live out our lives in the real world, which is a place of confusion and turmoil. It is no Garden of Eden. It is in the midst of chaos and disorder that Our Beloved Lord expects us to be His witnesses. This is the message of this Sunday’s readings. What an onerous task we are presented with!  How, then, shall we bear it?

There will be terrifying signs and events accompanying the advent of the renewed world; but never fear, endurance will win us eternal life with beatific vision. Today’s Gospel (Luke 21:5-19) not only offers us a snapshot of these terrifying happenings but also tells us how to live through them. Some disciples with Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem (the heart of the Jewish religion and the place of sacrifice) were very taken with its stunningly beautiful physical adornment. In the Temple, the pillars of the porches and of the cloisters were columns of white marble, forty feet high, each crafted from a single block of stone. The disciples’ comments on the splendour of the Temple moved Jesus to speak out. Imagine, then, the impact that Jesus’ predictions of the destruction of the Temple would have had on His listeners. To the Jews, it was unthinkable that the glories of the Temple should ever be razed to the ground. But they were, just over three decades later.

And for us today, what impact does it have on us when we are faced with the potential destruction of something very precious to us; when it seems to us that our personal temples ‘adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings’ are about to crash down upon our heads? It is possible that our sacrosanct places, people and things - our careers, vocations, family and friends - in our personal lives might come to appear to us to be worthless. We may feel hopeless and practically devoid of God’s presence. “Where has God gone?” we think; “Is God merely a figment of our human imagination?” For reasons beyond mortal explanation, God may seem to hide, and prayer may be hard-going and dry. A lot of voices will be audible at such times, and these voices might well mislead us. The plain advice of Jesus is: take care not to be deceived. What then should our reaction be when the glories of life seem to fade and wither before our very eyes? Jesus tells us that such a time is our time of trial; we will not be abandoned. The trials will give us the opportunity to bear witness to God.

We live in such a dangerous time, don’t we? Times of trial come to every happy marriage, to every peaceful home, to every contented person living out the single life, to every priest and religious, however devoted to Our Lord they may be. Each individual trial we face may be associated with someone or something tempting us and trying to draw us away from our loyalty to God and our loved ones. Sometimes, in the face of disappointment or betrayal, we might be tempted to feel that the sky is falling in on us. We may feel as though our friends and families are subjecting us to public trial by their rumour-mongering and deliberate misunderstandings. But feelings can be misleading! This will be the moment for when the words of Jesus resonate in the mind: you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends and some of you will be put to death… However, Jesus goes on to speak very convincingly of His protection that puts these horrendous experiences of life in the shade: Not one hair of your head will be harmed. The 1^st Reading (Malachi 4:1-2a) offers us further consolation by speaking of the dawn of a new day which will be the day of the salvation of the just. On this day, righteousness will prevail (cf. 2 Pet 3:13).

Jesus counsels us further regarding how we are to react to personal trials: you are not to prepare your defence because I myself will give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict…your endurance will win you your lives. This implies that sometimes our response should not be verbal but non-verbal - a silence filled with strength, loyalty and dignity. But silence doesn’t release us from the commitment to do the work we are called to do. Trials and expectations are not intended to make us shy away from what we ought to do; rather, they should help us grow in character and backbone, in wisdom and in understanding, with an eagerness to take a full part in society. This sentiment is expressed in the 2^nd Reading (2Thessalonians 3:7-12). For those who were idle as they waited for the appearing of the Messiah, St. Paul called on them to go on working and earning their daily bread. Surely that should also be our disposition? We must not allow ourselves to be so wearied by the drudgery, disappointments and cares of this life that we give up battling  on, working and loving and encouraging each other. The punchline of today’s Gospel reading is that our endurance will win us our lives in heaven. May the Lord continue to stir up in us the grace of endurance. Amen. God bless you.

LIFE IS CHANGED, NOT ENDED; SUCH SURE HOPE!

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

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

Let us begin by recognizing the similarity between the First Reading and the Gospel, in that they both speak about seven brothers and one woman. Whereas in the First Reading the seven brothers, along with their mother, suffered martyrdom for their faith (cf. 2 Macc. 7:40), in the Gospel Reading the seven brothers with their wife died of unknown causes. Both these stories point to the afterlife, while simultaneously pointing out the contingency of earthly life. And indeed, the liturgy of today is dominated by the idea of what happens after life here on earth comes to an end. Isn’t it true that, most of the time, we are so concerned with what is going on in this life that we tend not to consider or seek the eternal life of our immortal soul? So, these readings give us another opportunity to reflect on what we do and do not believe about the afterlife. It’s an ideal time then in these dark, dank and dreary November days in the Northern hemisphere to talk about what we may expect at the end of our personal life.

The Gospel reading (Luke 20:27-38) clarifies the idea of the afterlife. The Sadducees were a small but wealthy group who did not believe in continuing existence or resurrection. ‘Once you’re dead, you’re dead!’ they said. So, their question to Jesus was intended to ridicule the notion of bodily resurrection from the dead by using marriage as vehicle to justify their stance. Jesus was fully aware of their intentions and refusing to be drawn in to their hypothetical, dead-end argument, he delivered an important lesson in faith: Those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world and in the resurrection from the dead do not marry because they can no longer die, for they are the same as the angels, and being children of the resurrection, they are sons of God. This teaching implies that life in the ‘other world’ involves a novum (newness), a transformed way of being. This transformation confirms our sure hope, the sort of hope given only by God, as expressed in the 2^nd Reading: “...may God our Father, who has given us His love, and through His grace such inexhaustible comfort and such sure hope, comfort you and strengthen you in everything good...” (2 Thess. 2:16-3:5). This sure and solid hope for the future is what every human being can really count on.

Without downplaying what the future holds concerning the events and outcomes of the daily life of each and every person physically here on earth, and in the dynamics of the present moment, the Resurrection Faith deals with the future that is not temporally foreseeable or predictable (who will be the wife?) and not materially evolutive (for they will not be known by their marriage status). This future is an absolute future beyond which no other future exists. It is to this future that we ourselves are bound. Constant prompts and reminders about this future give us the courage and the backbone to endure the uncertainties of this present life. It is our faith in the resurrection of the dead that animates and strengthens us as Christians in our struggle against evil, and gives us the strength to endure its effects of pain in our life experiences. It is our hope in the resurrection of the dead that helps us look beyond the misfortunes and misery of human existence and of physical death. Armed with faith and hope in the resurrection, pain and death cease to have the last word with us. Life triumphs over death, good triumphs over evil, and justice triumphs over injustice. Suffering and death do not have the last word with us: love cannot be quenched by hatred, and joy cannot be snuffed out by anguish. Death is indeed swallowed up in victory: When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? (1 Cor. 15:54-55).

The idea of looking beyond death is presented in the 1^st Reading (2Macc 7:1-2.9-14). The context is that there was a revolt  - the Maccabean revolt. Between 167 and 151 BC, in a bid to unify their empire, the kings of Syria wanted to stamp out the Jewish faith and way of life. The Maccabean revolt involved a struggle against those secular rules, influences and lifestyles that the Jews saw as working against their faith in Yahweh. The deliberate spreading of paganism succeeded in other nations, but was met with strong opposition from the Jews. The opposition that became known as ‘the Maccabees’ (‘the hammers’) was led by a priestly family, Mattathias and his sons. They demonstrated both selfless courage and faith in the unfailing help of God. It became abundantly clear to the champions of the Law that a necessary condition for religious freedom was the gaining of political independence. This is the historical context behind the story of the seven brothers with their mother.

The king, Antiochus Epiphanes, compelled the seven brothers to eat pork, which was unlawful for the Jews to do (cf. Deut.14:8) as pig meat was considered unclean. (Cf. also the sending by Our Lord of unclean spirits into the Gadarene swine Mk. 5:13). Although the Jewish brothers knew that their refusal to eat pork would prompt their torture and execution, they looked beyond death on account of their faith towards the resurrection of the righteous. It was their faith that sustained them in resisting worldly pressures. It was their faith that enabled them to see death as part of a process and not as oblivion. To this day, the words of these brothers serve as words of encouragement and admonition to lovers of God as they undergo suffering of any kind. The words of these brothers provide us too with a proper frame of  reference as we grapple with the choices we make between good and evil.

In daily life, each one of us may come up against unpleasant experiences - hardship, illness, mistreatment, injustice, character assassination, neglect - and what makes these experiences harder for us to bear is when they arise because of our profession of the Christian Faith. When and where can we find an answer that sheds light on why these experiences happen to us? Where is God when bad things happen? There is no perfect answer to either of these questions, and none of us can claim to know the bigger picture. Only God is all-knowing. And it is our faith in God that will help to keep us calm in times of trouble. We believe that there is a time when God will be all in all (cf. 1 Cor. 15:28). The Christian faith in the Resurrection is rock-solid, and offers us great consolation amidst the puzzles that bewilder the human mind. The reassurance that physical death is not the end of life might well serve as the take-home message from this talk about the Resurrection Faith which we Christians cherish. The hope of resurrection is indeed an efficacious response to the mysteries of evil and of human suffering. May God enlighten the eyes of our minds more and more, as we strive to understand the hidden mysteries of creation and of life after death. Amen. God bless you.