6TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Year C, 2019

 May you, by the merits of this Eucharistic Celebration, experience Christ’s indwelling presence and peace, and may you radiate them in your attitude towards your neighbor. Happy Sunday +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Acts 15,1-2,22-29; Revelation 21, 1 0-14, 22-23; John 14:23-29: Year C, 2019)

The first reading takes up the issue of the serious dispute about the criteria for membership in the nascent church and the way the leaders of the church resolved it. Because the Jesus movement was originally seen as an internal Jewish renewal, the Jewish Christians continued to observe the religious practices of their former faith. There had always been Gentiles who were attracted to the fundamental integrity of the Jewish faith, such as the God-fearers (cf. Acts 13,16) and proselytes, or converts (Acts 13,43). Since there seemed to be no problem with their assuming the religious practices of Israel, most Jewish Christians expected Gentile converts to Christianity to do the same. Paul on the other hand allowed his Gentile converts to refrain from Jewish observance. It seems that some of the more reactionary Christians from Judea provoked dissension within the church in Antioch, insisting that circumcision was necessary for salvation. Not only were they challenging the faith in Jesus as the sole means of salvation, but they were also trying to import the male bias that membership through circumcision reinforced. The matter was publicly decided by the whole church and decision was officially communicated to the local churches in writing. The letter shows that the leadership of the church in Jerusalem believed that it was the vehicle of the Spirit by which they took the decision and that its decisions were one with the will of God. While the Gentiles were not required to be circumcised, they were bound by some prescriptions. Not only did this decree affirm the belief that salvation came only from Jesus and not in anyway through the law, it also opened membership wide for women, who, under the regulation of circumcision, belonged to the Jewish community only through the membership of their closest male relative. In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither male nor female.
The second reading deals on the vision of the Holy City Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God . Even  though the city is on a high mountain, the traditional site of the dwelling place of God, it is coming down from heaven, a sign of divine condescension. Coming from God, the city is radiant with his splendour. Two features of the city are given particular attention in this passage: the gates in its high walls and the foundation stones. Note is to be taken of the use of numbers in this vision as numbers  often have symbolic meaning. The meaning of the twelve tribes and twelve apostles has been variously interpreted. It is important to note that the latter does not replace the former. Each forms a very explicit part of the city. It is clear that the new Jerusalem is founded on the apostolic teaching, but the meaning of the role played by the tribes of Israel is not as evident. As the vision shows, there is no temple in the city; the temple was the usual place of encounter between God and man. However, Christian faith insists that the risen Christ is the place where God and human beings meet. Temple symbolism is thus fulfilled in God and the Lamb.Finally, the splendour of God gleamed through the city so completely that there was no need for light from the sun or moon. 

The gospel of this Sunday presents sacrificing love as one of its main themes. Jesus calls for a demanding kind of love, one that is as self-sacrificing as his. Only those who follow his example and obey his directives can be said to truly love, and those who love as Jesus did will in turn be loved by his Father. Such love is more than an emotional response. It is a state of being, a disposition within which one lives. The dwelling Jesus and his Father make with those who love like this is an abiding dwelling in contrast to a transitory state. Another important theme in the gospel passage is the issue of the sending of the Holy Spirit. Like Jesus, the Holy Spirit is sent by the Father, but the Spirit is sent in the name of Jesus, not in the name of the Father. The Spirit is not a substitute for Jesus but is an emissary, participating in the mission of Jesus by reminding the disciples the things Jesus taught them. To so remember is more than an intellectual act. It is a call to bear witness to the word of God. In this passage the coming of the Spirit appears to be distinct from the coming of Jesus and his Father to abide with the disciples. They come in order to abide in love; the Spirit comes to enlighten. Another important theme emanating from the gospel is the bequeathing of peace by Jesus. This is more than a wish, it is a blessing that includes all the benefits of the resurrection. His peace is utterly different from the peace of the world, the Pax Romana, which was won and preserved at the point of the sword. His peace is grounded in his relationship with his Father and his self-sacrificing love of the world. This peace is the legacy Jesus leaves with those who love him.
Every Sunday the risen Christ encounters us in a special way and  provokes in us items of reflection. Today he wishes us to turn our minds on the new city of God. This remarkable city is built on the foundation of the apostles, but on its gates are inscribed the names of the tribes of Israel. There is no substitution here, one group of believers replacing another. There is only inclusion. Even if the names and numbers are symbolic, they represent openness to all nations, races, peoples, and tongues. Such inclusiveness will be radically new for people who are accustomed to privilege or discrimination based on gender or race or social class. In the city of God there are no foreigners, no non-indigenes, no not-from-our tribe, no not-from-our-state, no not-from-our-part-of-the state, no un­documented immigrants. Whoever have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb are welcome in the city of God. In this city the indwelling of God will be so complete that there will be no need for a temple, a special meeting place for God and the people. The glory of God will be so encompassing that all other sources of light will vanish in its brilliance. The resurrection of Jesus has radically transformed the way we live together and the way we live with God. It has assured us that regardless of outward appearances we have even here and now a foretaste of this heavenly city, if we but choose to live in the power of the resurrection. The risen Christ gives us insight into the age long question: What must we do to be saved? The question put to Jesus centuries ago is still asked today, and the answer is still the same. We must believe and we must love God and love one another. This sounds so simple, and yet it is so radical. We will be recognised as resurrection people by our active faith and our unselfish love, not by an exterior mark, regardless of how sacred. Ceremonial marks too often identify some as belonging while excluding others. They separate men from women, the young from the old, one race from another. What once may have been essential for membership has now lost its meaning. However, all obligations are not put aside. Along with strong religious conviction, we must be willing to make compromises for the sake of others. As Pope John XXIII has taught us, let there be unity in what is necessary, freedom in what is doubtful, and charity in everything. This change in requirements for membership does not diminish the rigour of our religious obligations. Rather, it suggests that we may always have to reinterpret the law, for what is appropriate at one time and in one place may be inappropriate in another. Actually, the ability to discern God's will in new situations may be much more difficult than any consistent compliance to religious custom. With the early Christians, we will need the guidance of the Holy Spirit in this delicate process. This is why the departing Jesus assures us that the Spirit will come to us to teach us all things. The risen Lord does not allow us to go empty handed: He bequests us his peace. This cannot be a reference to safety from distress because the one who promises it is the one who faced humiliation and crucifixion. The peace Jesus bestows is a peace he has won by overcoming sin and death. While this peace probably does embrace human concord, it really encompasses salvation in the deepest sense. It issues from the union Jesus enjoys with God, a union we are now invited to share. It is a peace in which we can rest even while in the throes of life's struggles. Jesus bequeaths his peace to us just after he has assured us that God will send the Spirit to be with us in his absence. This is the greatest of his farewell gifts. May we, in today’s Eucharistic celebration, appreciate God’s indwelling presence in our lives, become aware of God’s loving, his invitation to sacrificial love, and his willingness to send us the Holy Spirit, as well as, bequeathing us his peace. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

 (graphics  by chukwubike)