IT IS TIME FOR RECONCILIATION

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

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

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

1. Dare to reconcile

2. Dare to Discipline

3. Dare to pray

No. 1 Reconciliation

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

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

No. 2 Disciplining

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

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

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

No. 3 Praying

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

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

CARRY YOUR CROSS FOR A CROSS-OVER

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

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

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

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

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

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

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

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

OUR CAESAREA PHILIPPI

HOMILY FOR THE 21^ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

The town Caesarea Philipii lies some miles north of the sea of Galilee, and beside the mount Horeb where the transfiguration is proposed by many to have taken place. It was outside the territory of Herod Antipas who ruled over Galilee. The population was mainly non-Jewish. This town was so replete with the shrines of pagan gods. In fact, its name was originally Panias, which symbolizes the area of Pan, the god of nature. There was a big cavern in Caesarea Philippi which was believed to be the birthplace of Pan. That was why that area was identified with the name of that god, Pan. Still to note is that in this town, Herod the Great had built a white marble to the godhead of Caesar, and thereupon erected a temple. Later on, Philip the son of Herod beatified the temple, enriched it and even changed the name of the area which was known as Panias to Caesarea Philippi. Caesarea here means Caesar’s town, as Philipii here means of Philip; that is, Caesar’s town of Philip. This means that the town is owned and cared for by Philip.

In the Gospel of today (Matt 16:13-20), we find Jesus, together with his disciples inside this pagan territory, Caesarea Philippi. Therein, he asked them series of questions about what people say He is and what they themselves say He is. It was Peter who later on got the answer to the question Jesus posed: you are the Christ, the son of the living God. Through Peter’s answer, the disciples became better aware of the identity of Jesus, even though they were yet to understand more fully the spiritual work of the messiah, whom they thought about in political terms. Jesus then had to ascertain Peter as the head of the others, and promised to be with them till the end of time. We must remember that by this time, Jesus was about to face the pains of the cross. So, he needed to hand the work over to his disciples, and to make the leader the one who best understood his mission. He then enjoined them to tell no one about the discovery they have made. With the knowledge of this town Caesarea Philippi, and with what happened therein in the life of Jesus and his disciples, we discover a big significance it can have in the lives of today’s Christians.

1. Caesarea Philippi is a place of prayerful retreat. In the Gospel parallels of the episode, we discover one thing. Mark (8:27-29) gives his account of this question of the identity of Jesus as Matthew who places the context in the district of Caesarea Philippi, but Luke (9:18-20) says that it happened that as Jesus was praying alone, his disciples were with him. Hence, he places it under the context of prayer. So, we can allude that Jesus who was fond of praying went to Caesarea Philippi with his disciples and after they prayed, he asked the questions. And if we are right about this, then Caesarea Philippi was a place of retreat for Jesus and his disciples. It is then a place of retreat for us. It can signify the place we go to when we desire to be alone with our God. It can signify the moment we decide to go indoors in prayer. So, the question comes: what do you do when you need spiritual revival? We are encouraged to have some time for ourselves every month and every year to observe some hours and days of retreat for the nourishment of our souls. The experience of Caesarea Philipii ensures this nourishment.

2. Caesarea Philipii is a place of decision making. Of all places that was, Christ took the disciples to a place adorned with many pagan altars and idols, a place littered with the temples of the Syrian gods, a place that reminded the Israelites about the image of Caesar in whose political bondage they were under. There, Jesus, a Jew too the disciples to question them about whom he was. It is as if Jesus deliberately set himself against the background of the many gods and their splendour demanding to be compared with them and be given the verdict in his favour. It was as if Jesus told the disciples: look at all these gods and decide for yourself whom you believe in. It was as if too Jesus deliberately places himself side by side with Caesar’s image demanding to be compared with it and be given the verdict of who really was their king. Caesarea Philippi then became a place of making the decision for Christ and for no other. It is a place where we go to for the best conviction that Jesus is our Lord. It can also be that experience that gives you the opportunity to really compare Jesus with the pagan gods and the corrupt monarchs of the world. It is a place where we have to compare Jesus with the material possessions that tend to distract and lure us away from God. We need such confrontation. To gain credibility over anything, we have to go face to face with that which poses as a threat unto us; that which fights to contradict what we stand for, and that which we have come to abolish. Our God wants our decision for Him to be out of our free will, having convinced ourselves that he is above all other gods, and all other kings. It is a place or the experience where we repeat the action of Joshua 24:14-15, choose this day whom you will serve.

3. Caesarea Philippi is a place for problem confrontation and solution. Jesus knew very well that his earthly time was ending, and it had to end in a very painful manner. He was troubled. His time was now short. As a human being, he must have thought to himself: is there anyone who understood me? Was there any who recognized me for what I really am? Will there be any who will carry on this work after I am gone? He was troubled about the survival of the new way he came to inaugurate. These problems would only be solved through putting his followers to test. It was however good to know that the problem eased after the interaction with his disciples. It was there in Caesarea Philipii that he gained that consoling. He gained strength. He was happy that someone answered the question prompted by God. More energy came for the mission. If we allow ourselves to make use of Caesarea Philipii to confront our problems, we surely will get solution as Jesus. We grow stronger and wiser. When you are troubled, what do you do? Where is your own Caesarea Philippi where you go to confront your worries and solve them?  It can be a person or a place. It is a place that gives you the conducive atmosphere to tell yourself the truth and face your troubles, asking questions and getting solutions. You must go out. The solution is not always in oneself. The other can help us solve the problems sometimes. It is a person that is sincere to you, and represents Jesus Christ. It can be your spiritual director or your counsellor. But the sure yardstick for measuring the place or person is Christ. Christ must be in the place (e.g. The Chapel/Church) and in the person (a faithful Christian).

4. It is a place for Christ-discovery and self-discovery. Jesus wanted his disciples to know who he really is. From such knowledge, they too would discover themselves as regards the mission for which they are called. If you are in doubt about the existence of God, then you need the experience of Caesarea Philippi. You need to discover who Christ is to you and by so doing discover yourself and the mission he wants you to accomplish. To discover your purpose and goal in Life, you must discover Christ first for only He can direct you well. Discovering Jesus assures us of a great courage knowing that we have him; cut off from me, you can do nothing (John 15:5). If we desire to discover ourselves outside Jesus, we are best to be likely compared to the flower that shines in the morning but withers before the night fall. Christ demands a personal knowledge of him. When you need to discover Christ, what do you do? It is true as the Second Reading (Rom 11:33-36) asks for who can know the mind of God? However, it is even truer that when we walk with Jesus to Caesarea Philipii, we shall discover God, and in fact, it will be himself to ask us of himself and lead us to a proper discovery of ourselves. When you need to discover yourself, what do you do?

5. It is a place of empowerment. At Caesarea Philipii, Peter and the disciples got empowerment. There were four sets of promise –on this rock my Church will be built, the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, the keys of heaven I give you, and whatever you bind on earth is bound in heaven. These must have inspired the disciples the more for their mission. Hence, Caesarea Philippi signifies the place for inspiration and empowerment. It is a place where God makes promises to us. It is a place where we are given the power to combat evil. With this sort of experience, we remain resolute with a resilient spirit to fight on and will never be defeated. God empowers us to fight against evil. In the First Reading (Isaiah 22:19-23), the Lord promised to crown and empower Eliakim so as to fight against sin and the corruption in Jerusalem. If you wish to join us in the fight against corruption and the evil edifices the devil have erected, then join us to Caesarea Philippi for a very powerful empowerment. In that place, we are enthroned so as to dethrone evil.

May the experience of the disciples in Caesarea Philippi be felt by us this week and ever. Amen God bless you. Amen.

HEALING BORDER CONFLICTS BY FAITH

HOMILY FOR THE 20^TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

Communities and countries of the world are so interested in boundaries, and even time and again fight over them. The war fought between America and Mexico between 1846 and 1848 was as a result of a conflict over border. This war was refreshed and stretched between 1910 and 1918. Between the years 1879 and 1883, three countries, Chile, Bolivia and Peru were also in war, which is now known as the war of the pacific. The Chaco war was fought between 1931 and 1935 by the countries of Bolivia and Paraguay. There was a battle over the lake of Khasan between the Soviet Union and Japan in 1938. Recently, there was a lingered conflict between Israel and Lebanon over the Shebaa farms during the years 2000 to 2006. India and Bangladesh had conflicts in 2001 over the Bangladeshi border. In 2012, Sudan and South Sudan experienced border conflicts, while between the years 2012-2014, Syria and Turkey had clashes over border. Down here in our country Nigeria, we all are aware of the Bakassi Peninsula case. 

Today, Bakassi Peninsula is governed by Cameroon, but before it all happened, there was boundary dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon. The long border area between Cameroon and Nigeria, extending from Lake Chad to the Gulf of Guinea has been a bone of contention between these two countries dating back to colonial period. In the early 1990s, there was a break-out of military confrontations between the two countries over this area. It took the intervention of the International Court of Justice to settle the case on the 10^th October 2002. Ever since, there had been uprisings around some portions of that area. In 2006, when the Bakassians threatened to seek independence if Nigeria renounced sovereignty, the Nigerian President, Olesugun Obasanjo sent Nigerian troops to calm the area. This is to show us that the conflicts lingered. There were interventions both from UN secretary then Kofi Annam and the Nigerian senate over this same peninsula, until it was finally handed over to Cameroon on 14^th August, 2008. The question comes: why this thirst over lands?

There is a paradigm that really does not recognize and fight over boundaries –the paradigm of faith. That is, the faith in Jesus which extends to all the earth. No one is excluded. Faith breaks all boundaries. In my one-year experience as a Catholic priest, one of the confirmed understandings I have made is that in faith, everyone has got an equal chance to believe and be saved by his/her belief. Faith knows no boundary. Faith assures acceptance of one in another distant land. It is as a result of faith that the Pope travels out of Rome to pay visits to various countries regardless of the colour and culture of the people. Faith is the background behind the pastoral visit of every Bishop to the parishes within his diocese but in different villages. One lives his/her nation and goes to another nation, and yet finds a community of believers, and within a twinkle of an eye is so comfortable in their midst without fear of being sabotaged or relegated; faith does it. In faith, there is but one culture.

In the First Reading (Isaiah 56:1.6-7), we hear the Lord giving equal opportunity of salvation to the people considered as foreigners in Jewish land. The salvation and the justice of the Lord are not for a particular clan or culture. These divine opportunities are for all. Foreigners living within Palestine were granted limited rights and protection (cf. Exod. 22:20, Deut. 10:19), but Isaiah proclaimed a message that broke these bounds extending full privileges to the foreigners, and more extensively to those living outside Palestine; the nekar. Everyone is welcomed and fully admitted into the community of God’s people. And so, the Prophet Isaiah unequivocally proclaimed salvation to foreigners; and that means to all. The whole of Isaiah 56 is regarded as “salvation for foreigners.” Inasmuch as the foreigner has faith in God and does his duties, he has an equal chance with the person considered as ‘son of the soil’ who has faith in God and does his duties too.

In the Gospel (Matt. 15:21-28), this message was sounded so clearly by Jesus to his disciples in a dramatic way. This event foreshadowed the spread of the Gospel worldwide and God’s own desire that all barriers are broken down. A Canaanite woman came to Jesus for help. The son was possessed by a demon. Jesus gave the impression of sending her away. The woman insisted even when her importance was undermined. Jesus then passed his message: O woman, great is your faith. Jesus meant to tell the disciples that faith breaks the division existing in the mind of almost every Jew. This woman cried not for herself but for her daughter. She loved so deeply that she considered her daughter’s problem her own. Her love was more than the normal love and sympathy. We come to ask ourselves: how many of us can do same for our children? Many of our children are simply living under the influence of Satan, sin or shame of the devil. We are obliged as parents and friends to report the matter to Jesus. We must seek the Lord while he may be found and call on him while he is near (Isa 55:6).

Imagine how many of us would have our needs met if we interceded for one another as this woman did. This woman was not a Jew and yet recognized Jesus. She believed in the power of the Messiah. Her insistence (which manifests faith) proves it. As much as faith is involved, acceptance has to follow. We must be aware that this woman was a Canaanite, and the old Canaanites were the ancestral enemies of the Jews. One can imagine with what eye the disciples looked unto this woman coming for help. We must recall the fight for the land of Canaan, which was over land acquisition and possession. The message is clear. Faith heals boundary conflicts. Faith heals ancestral enmity. Faith heals the mind that projects hatred. It was not merely the healing of the girl that mattered, but there was also a healing of mentality in the disciples. For the Gospel of Jesus to be extended to the whole world, the disciples who would be the agents of this message must undergo a purgative exercise that would make their minds to accept every person. That is what Jesus achieved with this. It was all about faith.

This woman had faith. The encounter with Jesus made her faith to grow stronger. She began by calling Jesus Son of David which was somewhat a political title. This title looked on Jesus in terms of earthly glory and power. She ended by calling Jesus Lord, which was a title which looked on Jesus in terms of heavenly power and glory. Her faith was persistent. It was undiscourageable. She came to Jesus because Jesus was her hope. Her faith was cheerful and patient. Even in the midst of trouble, she was passionately in earnest, and yet could smile. God loves a cheerful faith, the faith with a smile which can light the gloom. Remember that there were only two people whose faith Jesus commended and pronounced to be great: this woman’s and the centurion. It is worth noting that both of them were Gentiles. We all are connected by this same faith. But what is a great faith? It is a desperate cry of need (v. 22). It is a persistence that will not quit (vv.23-24). It is a spirit that worships Jesus as Lord (v. 25). It is a spirit of humility and surrender to the Lord (vv. 26-27). It is a faith that receives its request (v.28).

As human beings and as Christians today, we tend to build walls around ourselves to demarcate ourselves from others. We create boundaries even by ourselves and exclude others because they are not ‘like us.’ We pride ourselves with the ‘son of the soil’ syndrome which eats deep into the fabric of unity that is characterized by the Christian faith. We give others names to show their non-belongedness from us. In our domestic families, we tend to create divisions that only serve to erode the morality of our homes. Children tend to let go the faith handed down by their parents to follow theirs, and in a fanatical way create tensions in homes. We as a community must work to allow our common faith to break the boundaries the human society and culture in different strata has created. We pray our common faith helps us to achieve a common humanity built on a common goal. Amen. Happy New Week. God bless you.