13th Sunday, Year C, 2019

As you participate in this Eucharistic Celebration, may you be granted the grace of true freedom and genuine love that will enable you commit yourself wholeheartedly to following Christ as your first priority without counting the cost you have to pay for doing so. Happy Sunday +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(1 Kings 19,16b.19-21;  Galatians 5,1.13-18; Luke 9,51-62: 13th Sunday, Year C, 2019)

The narrative of the first reading is an illustration of prophetic succession in ancient Israel. The spoken word was not the only way prophecy was handed on; certain symbolic action also carried prophetic meaning. The symbolic act by Elijah of throwing his cloak over Elisha is one such example. Elisha is called while he is ploughing a field, not unlike Saul, Israel's first king (cf. 1 Sam 11,5). And as soon as he was called, the narrative holds that Elisha immediately left his ploughing and eagerly ran after the prophet. He had no second thoughts about following his call. He only asked leave to say farewell to his parents. Kinship ties are very important in traditional societies like that of ancient Israel. To say good-bye is more of emotional attachment than kinship responsibilities. It is important to note that both father and mother are mentioned. This account describes the conflict that exists between two fundamental responsibilities: fidelity to the call from God and that of one's primary family obligations. Elijah does not grant Elisha permission to leave, but he does respond. The implications are demanding. Elisha has been commissioned by God to be a prophet, and it is up to him to decide whether he can make the radical break from the past that this commission requires or not. His response is wholehearted. His slaughter of the oxen and his destruction of the ploughing equipment were symbolic acts of severing his ties with his past. He was now totally committed to the ministry of the people. He demonstrates this by feeding them. The narrative ends with Elisha in a subservient position. Though he had been commissioned as Elijah's successor, he would first minister to him as attendant. It would seem that his time of independent prophetic activity had not yet come. 

The second reading, Galatians 5,1.13-18, is a discourse on the nature of Christian freedom. Paul, in this passage does not merely proclaim Christian freedom, he also states that Christians have been freed for the sake of freedom itself. In other words, Christ did not free them from one form of bondage only to have them submit themselves to another. They are told to stand fast in their freedom and not to allow themselves to be bound again. The Christians are already free, but they are not yet totally free. It is not merely that they could lose their freedom, though this is clearly a possibility, rather, the reason they might lose it is that, though freed by Christ, they are not yet completely free within themselves. They still retain habits of mind and heart, addictions of all kinds, even after they are renounced. Freedom itself is a frightening thing because it requires the willing renunciation of whatever compensations people have cultivated in order to cope with those habits that enslave them. Paul realised this, so he exhorts the Galatians to stand fast in their freedom. Having warned the Galatians against reverting to some form of slavery after being set free by Christ, Paul next addresses the opposite inclination. He insists that the freedom to which the Galatians have been called is not an invitation to license. It is not an opportunity for throwing off all moral restraint and indulging in some form of libertinism. Though no longer under the bondage of the law, they are not free to live lawless lives. In fact, they are expected to love their neighbours as themselves (cf. Lev 19,18). Though not slaves of the law, they should be servants of one another in love. In this way, though they may not accomplish all that the law requires, they will have fulfilled all that the law intends. Paul contrasts life lived in the Spirit with life lived in the flesh. Jewish anthropology of the day maintained that the inclination toward good, which resided in the spirit, and the inclination toward evil, which resided in the flesh, were in constant contention within the human being. It is this inner struggle Paul has in mind. He insists that if, through a false sense of freedom, the Galatians give in to the inclinations of the flesh, they will eventually destroy one another. However, if they serve one another in love, they will live lives of genuine freedom guided by the Spirit of God. 

In the gospel pericope, Luke 9,51-62, when the Samaritans refused to welcome Jesus and his company, James and John suggested that Jesus call down fire from heaven, just as Elijah had done when the enemies of Israel approached the prophet (cf 2 Kgs 1,10). The antagonism the Samaritans felt toward the Jews can be traced back to the return of the Jews from the exile in Babylon (ca. 536 B.C.). Because some of the people in the district of Samaria had remained in the land during the period of exile and had intermarried with foreigners who lived in the vicinity, the returning Jews considered them social and religious half-breeds and, consequently, culticly unclean. For this reason they were prevented from helping with the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. In reaction to this, the Samaritans built their own temple. Although the Jews later destroyed it, the Samaritans continued to worship God on Mount Gerizim, an action the Jews considered illegitimate. This explains why the Samaritans refused to show hospitality to Jews who travelled through Samaria on their way to worship in Jerusalem. As we go further in today’s gospel, we see someone step forward and offer to follow Jesus, and later two others are called by Jesus to be disciples. The attitude of these three toward discipleship and Jesus' response to them is revealing. The first enthusiastically offers commitment, the other two wish to postpone joining Jesus until they have put their immediate affairs in order. In each instance Jesus emphasises the demands that discipleship will exact. With the first, Jesus points to the price the commitment will require. A follower of Jesus must be willing to relinquish all. The example given to illustrate the degree of surrender required is the willingness to forgo the sense of belonging somewhere. Jesus underscores the same demand when responding to the other two individuals. To one he insists that even religious ceremonial customs must be set aside if need be when commitment to Jesus is at stake. With the other he maintains that not even family ties can take precedence over discipleship. The advice to the first person seems to be contradicted by the advice given the other two. However, this contradiction is only apparent. Discipleship does require wholehearted commitment to Jesus, but this commitment must be embraced realistically. While followers should be enthusiastic in their dedication, they should also be prepared to pay the price of wholehearted commitment. 

The readings of today challenge us to examine the quality of our response to the call of discipleship to the Lord Jesus Christ. Our response should be a commitment that is wholehearted. For there is no part-time discipleship. Our commitment must be wholehearted and complete. We must have a willing attitude that frees us interiorly from all other concerns, so we might be able to follow Christ regardless of our state in life or our occupation. This attitude of commitment comes not merely from our own generosity of heart but also from our having been transformed into Christ through faith and baptism. With the psalmist we cling to God, who is our allotted portion and our cup. Such wholehearted commitment is an interior reality, not an exterior demonstration. It is not for the few; it is required of all. The readings for this Sunday also invite us to meditate on another aspect of discipleship, the cost of discipleship, on the conflicts that face us when our various allegiances seem to clash. We may have family responsibilities. There are children to raise, elderly parents or infirm relatives to care for. What does discipleship require of us? We must earn a living. Are we expected to leave our employment to follow Jesus? And if so, what then will we do? All disciples must face the interior struggle caused by the conflict of legitimate responsibility. There is no other way to navigate through the interior dilemma other than heeding the exhortation to love one’s neighbour, love that is based on the true concept of freedom, as expounded by Paul in the second reading. The freedom of which Paul speaks is neither license nor half-hearted commitment. It is the freedom that comes with genuine love. If out of love we can negotiate successfully these conflicts caused by competing responsibilities without compromising our total commitment to Christ, we will find a new kind of freedom. This is the freedom that enables us to be faithful to both sets of responsibilities according to the proper priority. We will see that commitment to Christ is primary and the circumstances of our lives with the accompanying responsibilities set the parameters within which we live out our commitment. It is not in opposition with these responsibilities or despite them but by means of or through them that we live out our discipleship. May we, therefore, in today’s Eucharistic celebration, be granted the grace of true freedom and genuine love that will enable us commit ourselves wholeheartedly to following Christ as our first priority without counting the cost we have to pay for doing so.Happy Sunday +John I. Okoye.

(graphics  by chukwwubike)

Solemnity of Corpus Christi; 2019)

As you participate in this Eucharistic Celebration, may you be united intimately and forever with Christ whom  you encounter in the reception of the holy communion, and allow him to transform your life and make you generous in providing for the needs of others. Happy Solemnity of Corpus Christi +John I. Okoye.

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Genesis 14,18-20; 1 Corinthians 11,23-26; Luke 9,11b-17: Solemnity of Corpus Christi; 2019)

The few verses that constitute the first reading is a description of a cultic event that includes a priest, possibly a sacrifice, a blessing, and a religious practice. It is a story about Abram, the premier ancestor of the Israelites. But he is not, as one would expect, the principal actor in the drama that unfolds. All the significant actions are performed by someone named Melchizedek. The only important action Abram initiates is the tithing, and that appears to be a response to what has transpired. The deity in whose name (God Most High) Melchizedek blesses Abram is closely associated with the cult that was practiced in Jerusalem (cf. Pss 46,4; 87,5). This was not a saviour God, as was the God of Israel; this God was the Creator of heaven and earth, and Melchizedek, who was not an Israelite, was His priest and conducted worship in the name of his God. The rite celebrated here is a kind of thanksgiving offering, probably for Abram's victory over his foes. The text does not tell us why it is this mysterious king-priest who presides and not Abram, or why Abram is blessed in the name of a god not his own. The words pronounced by Melchizedek are both a blessing for Abram and an exclamation of praise of God Most High. A blessing by the Creator would include a share in the goods of creation, the benefits of fertility of the land, crops, animals, and particularly of one's own procreative potential. It is at the conclusion of this blessing that Abram offers a tenth of his goods to the king-priest.

The second reading (1 Corinthians 11, 23-26) is an account of the institution of the Lord's Supper that draws on the Jesus tradition. The language used is technical and formulaic; what Paul received he now hands down (cf. 1 Cor 15,3). This does not mean that he received this tradition in direct revelation from the Lord but that he received it by word of mouth, the usual way a religious heritage is transmitted. This manner of expression establishes the ecclesial authority of the teaching. It also demonstrates Paul's own conviction that the risen Christ transmits the tradition through the agency of the members of the body of Christ, the Church. That the account comes specifically from the Jesus tradition and not from the more general early Christian tradition is evident in the recital of the words of Jesus. They actually give instruction for the continual celebration of the liturgical reenactment. The fact that they are the words of Jesus gives divine legitimation to the anamnesis (ritual of remembering that makes events of the past effective and effectual in the present) that is enjoined upon the community of believers. The words themselves are found within a succinct account of Jesus' Last Supper, wherein he draws lines of continuity between the old and the new covenants and also makes clear their differences. Jesus' sharing of the blessed bread and cup was a prophetic symbolic action that anticipated his death. The ritual reenactment of this supper would be a participation in his death and a sharing in the benefits that would accrue from it. In it the risen exalted Lord continually gives what the dying Jesus gave once for all. In the memorial celebration the past, the present, and the future are brought together: the past is the commemoration of his death; the present is the ritual of remembrance itself; the future is his parousia, his coming again. The reason for repeating Jesus' actions and words is that they reenact and signify his salvific death. Believers live an essentially eschatological existence, anticipating the future as they reenact the past. 

The gospel account (Luke 9,11b-17) opens with a summary statement about the ministry of Jesus: He preached about the reign of God and he healed the people of their illnesses. If his preaching had not attracted crowds, his healing certainly would have. At any rate, people from all walks of life thronged around him so that, as we see in this narrative, they had to be dismissed. It is the end of the day, the time when the major meal is customarily eaten. The scene is an out-of-the-way place, deserted but close enough to populated areas that the Twelve could suggest that food and lodging might be procured there. They could not have imagined what Jesus had in mind. Five loaves and two fish would not have been much of a meal for Jesus and the Twelve, much less for the crowd said to have gathered on this occasion. Yet that was the fare the disciples were told to distribute. Jesus' actions over the food are brief but significant. He blessed it, he broke it, and he gave it as food. The eucharistic overtones are obvious. The prayer said over the food was probably more a thanksgiving than a blessing. The role played by the apostles cannot be overlooked. They are actually the ones through whom the crowds experience the munificence of Jesus. They distributed the food and, most likely, collected what was left over into twelve baskets. The author of the gospel shows by this that Jesus provides for his people through the agency of the Church. Over the years there have been attempts to explain what really happened in this event. Was food really multiplied? Or did people bring out their own pro­visions and share them with others? Any attempt to explain away the miracle completely misses the point of the narrative. Its many-levelled meaning rests on the miraculous abundance God provides through Jesus. 

This day’s feast combines two previously separate feasts (Corpus Christi and the Precious Blood) and celebrates the living presence of Christ, which we know in the gift of his body and blood in the Eucharist. The readings themselves offer us portals through which we can enter this mystery. There is the portal of Melchizedek, the portal of sacrifice, the portal of banquet, the portal of the death of Jesus. No one theme exhausts the possibilities of entrance into the mystery. The letter to the Hebrews holds that Jesus offered himself once and for all times. The body and blood of Christ are offered as a sacrifice for us, and every time we reenact this sacrifice (at Holy Masses), we renew his sacrifice for us. The bread that is broken is the bread of a thanksgiving sacrifice, and the blood that is consumed is the blood that ratifies the covenant between us and God. However, the broken bread is really his broken body, offered for us, and the ratifying wine is really his blood, poured out in atonement for our sins. The body and blood of Jesus is the interim meal for the Christian community. They are to feed on it until the Lord returns. Take note of the already-but-not-yet character of Christian eschatology, for the Lord has already returned. This means that the Eucharistic meal is a re-enactment of Christ's death, an anticipatory celebration of his coming, and a thanksgiving banquet with him present. The symbolism here is rich and many-layered. The sacrifice Melchizedek offered was neither more or less than a thanksgiving offering to the Most High God. Read on this feast day, the passage opens the door for us to step into the realm of thanksgiving. Although what we commemorate today is intimately linked with the death of Jesus, the sentiments this reading opens us to are sentiments of thanksgiving and awe before the high God of heaven. The psalmist moves away from the content of the sacrifice and concentrates on the priest who offers it. He is not only a priest but a king as well. This feast would have us stop in our tracks and contemplate the royal as well as the priestly character of Jesus, who offers his body and blood as sacred food and drink. The multiplication of the loaves and fish is another portal that opens into the richness of this feast. It prefigures the eschatological banquet of fulfilment, Its miraculous bounty assures us of the abundance of that future banquet. Its miracle of multiplication prefigures the miracle of Jesus as he changed the bread and wine into his own body and blood. Jesus handed himself over as food and drink on the very night he was handed over by others to become a victim of sacrifice. The banquet he prepared was a celebration of the new covenant; it was a banquet of thanksgiving; it was eschatological. This feast invites us to enter through any portal, for each one will lead us to the mystery we celebrate: the mystery of the sacrifice of Christ; the mystery of the sacred bread and wine of the future; the mystery of the eschatological banquet of the present. It also challenges us to sacrifice ourselves for our neighbour as Christ did, to allow ourselves be transformed into Christ we receive as communion, to be generous in providing for the needs of others just as the bread and fish multiplied in the gospel were provided by some people, to build up the body of the church by contributing our time, talents, money as Abraham did by offering a tenth of his war-spoils and to join Christ and the members of his mystical body the, Church, in rendering God the greatest form of thanksgiving through our active participating in the Holy Masses especially those of Sunday, the day of the Lord. May we be united intimately and for ever with Christ whom we encounter in today’s Eucharistic celebration! Happy Solemnity of Corpus Christi!+John I. Okoye

GRAPHICS  BY CHUKWUBIKE

Trinity Sunday, Year C, 2019

May you be granted, in the Eucharistic celebration of today, the singular grace to relate deeply in love not only with the Godhead but also with each of the Persons of the Most Holy Trinity. Happy Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity! +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Proverbs 8,22-31; Romans 5,1-5; John 16,12-15: Trinity Sunday, Year C,   2019) 

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the most sublime doctrine of the Church that indicates one Nature but three divine persons in God. We are to bear in mind that the readings of this feast are chosen because something in them either exemplifies or elucidates the doctrinal theology of the feast. This means that the readings will be interpreted through the lens of the feast and not the other way around. In the first reading, Proverbs 8,22-31, the mysterious figure of Woman Wisdom, with her several puzzling characteristics about her, is present and active during God's wondrous acts of creation. She is there as amon (v, 30). The meaning of this word is uncertain, but the context lends its rendering as craftsperson or architect very plausible. However, as active as she may have been in these primordial events of creation, it is God who really creates. The created world itself is beautifully portrayed in this passage. There is no cosmic battle here, as is found in some of the other ancient creation myths. There is only one God, and that God effortlessly establishes the entire universe in tranquility and order. What in other myths were enemies to be conquered, such as the heavens and the sea, here are docile creatures that have been set in place by the Creator and have been given limits beyond which they cannot advance. This is a solid world, securely founded and wonderful to behold. If Woman Wisdom acted as craftsperson or architect for this magnificent project, then the principles of wisdom are woven into the very fabric of creation. This would explain the order that can be discerned within its workings. There is rejoicing in this created world. God delights in Woman Wisdom; Woman Wisdom rejoices before God. This is the kind of rejoicing that springs from the very heart of the universe. It is delight in the glory of creation and in creation's God. Creatures would cry out in praise; God and Woman Wisdom sing out in delight. The last verse brings all of these home to us. Wisdom takes delight in the inhabited part of the earth, in the human race. This brief statement locates humankind squarely within the created world. No other species is singled out in this way. The verse leaves us at an open threshold gazing at the universe that unfolds before us, aware that this mysterious primordial figure has a special interest in us.

The overarching theme in the second reading, Romans 51-5, from the letter to the Romans is justifi­cation by faith. Every blessing mentioned in the passage rests on the believers having been justified by faith in Jesus Christ. According to Paul, the justification of the Roman Christians is an accomplished fact. They have already been reconciled with God; their guilt has already been forgiven. They are now in right relationship with God, and though God is really the author of their justification, it has been accomplished through their faith in Jesus Christ who, through his death and resurrection, has reconciled all people with God; he is the mediator of the new covenant of peace. Also In this passage of the second reading, there is also a trinitarian theme present, appropriate for the feast we are celebrating today. The trinitarian nature of Paul's faith and teaching is clear. It is faith in Christ that justifies us with God; it is faith in Christ that gives us peace with God, it is faith in Christ that grants us access to the grace of God. Because of the reconciliation won for us by Christ, the love of God is poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. In other words, Christ brings us to God, and the Spirit comes to us from that same God. God, Christ, and the Spirit are all involved in our ultimate union with God.

In the gospel reading of John 16, 12-15 the gospel writer attempts to show the relationship between the Father, Jesus, and the Spirit by somehow relating all three to the teaching of Jesus. However, what we find here are seeds of theological thought that will come to fruition at another time in the development of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. This passage, as brief and oblique as it is, gives us but a glimpse into the author's incipient trinitarian thinking. In this passage it is Jesus' concern for the instruction of his disciples that prompts his discourse. He states that he has much more to tell them, but they cannot bear it now. By implication, they will be able to bear it at another time. The reason they will be able to understand in the future is that they will then have been instructed in truth by the spirit of truth. Thus the teaching of Jesus is referred to as the truth. The Spirit is somehow to fill the void caused by the absence of Jesus and to fill it not so much with a presence as with a form of teaching. Jesus insists that the Spirit will not bring new teaching but teaching the Spirit has heard from another. However, the Spirit of truth is more than a messenger who merely repeats the words of another. Jesus says that this Spirit will also announce things that are to come. This could refer to an unfolding of the mysteries Jesus himself announced or alluded to when he was with them, mysteries that had not yet been brought to completion. Or it could allude to some of the ancient expectations that had not yet been brought to fulfilment. In this way the Spirit would teach and reveal what had already been taught yet was nonetheless new. It will be through this unfolding of the depths of the mysteries Jesus proclaimed that the Spirit will glorify Jesus and reveal him to be the chosen one of God. The mission of the Spirit seems to be the guidance of the disciples into the deep meaning and radical implications of the teachings of Jesus. The truth the Spirit reveals is grounded in the teachings of Jesus, but it goes far beyond it. In this way there is continuity but not repetition. In a statement that seems to be an abrupt shift in thought, Jesus clearly asserts that what belongs to the Father belongs to him. This could mean that it was from the Father that the Spirit heard the teachings of Jesus, and it was also from the Father that the Spirit was sent to bring these teachings to fruition. The Spirit glorifies Jesus by bringing to light the deeper truth of his teaching, teaching that also belongs to God.
Like we mentioned earlier, we celebrate the solemnity of the Most Blessed Trinity.

The readings of today’s Eucharistic Celebration are chosen because something in them either exemplifies or elucidates the doctrinal theology of the feast. This means that the readings will be interpreted through the lens of the feast and not the other way around. Both the first reading and the psalm response celebrate the marvels of creation and, by inference, the marvellous Creator who brought them into being. They invite us to join the psalmist, standing back in awe of the creative power and imagination of God. We have only scratched the surface in our understanding of the myriad of species that are on our planet alone. One thing we have discovered about these creatures is that each is unique. No two persons are exactly the same, no stars, no snowflakes. What creativity! What imagination! The passage from Proverbs states that God created all these things through Wisdom, through which the glories of the God is extolled. It is with Paul that we find the beginnings of trinitarian theology. In the epistle reading for today he very clearly credits God with our justification through faith and our possession of divine love. There is no doubt in Paul's mind about the source and mediator of our salvation. Justification, or salvation, is accomplished by God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The love of God is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Paul does not clearly state that the love of God we receive through the Holy Spirit sanctifies us, but one could certainly understand it in this way. The trinitarian theology we find in the reading from the Gospel of John resembles very closely that of Paul. In it Jesus reveals the intimate connection between himself and the Father as well as himself and the Spirit. The Spirit continues the mission of Jesus, neither adding anything to his teaching nor omitting anything from it. The Spirit's task is to lead us ever deeper into the truth that Jesus brought, truth that is really found in God. 
One point is clear from these readings. While this is a feast that glorifies the central mystery of our faith, a mystery based on the way the three divine Persons relate to one another (ad intra), the readings all address the ways God relates to us (ad extra). This feast, which follows our celebration of the completion of the paschal mystery, is not intended for our clear articulation of doctrine; it is meant to give us an opportunity to commit ourselves to this God who, though beyond our comprehension, is present and active at the very core of our being. If we concentrate merely on the doctrine, we might be awed by an intellectual concept. But if we concentrate, as the texts for today suggest we do, on all the ways our triune God has blessed us, we may be more inclined to cry out with the psalmist: How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth! “. May we be granted the grace in the Eucharistic celebration of today the singular grace to relate deeply not only with God but also with each of the Persons of the Most Holy Trinity. Happy Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity! +John I. Okoye

Pentecost Sunday, Year C, 2019

As you participate in this Eucharistic Celebration may you receive the Holy Spirit, and allow Him to renew your life in holiness and inflame your heart with the fire of love, and make you a good instrument for the spread of the mission of Christ in the world. Happy Pentecost Sunday +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH 
(Acts 2,1-11; 1 Corinthians 12,3b-7. 12-13; John 20,19-23: Pentecost Sunday, Year C, 2019)

The Jewish feast of Pentecost was one of the three major pilgrim festivals of Israel. The fact that it was a pilgrim feast explains why devout Jews from every nation were in Jerusalem at this time. The reading from Acts does not tell us precisely who were in the room when the Spirit descended. The external manifestations that accompanied the outpouring of the Spirit were all phenomena associated with a theophany, an experience of God. The text reports that these phenomena were audible and visible while the actual outpouring of the Spirit was not. However, as those in the room were filled with the Spirit, they began to speak in other languages, a feat that could only have some supernatural origin. The same Greek word (glossa) is used for the tongues of fire that appeared above each one and for the foreign tongues that were subsequently spoken. There is question whether the reference here is to communicative speech (foreign tongues) or ecstatic speech, called glossolalia. Since the people who came to see what had happened did understand the bold proclamations of these Spirit-filled preachers, the meaning seems to be communicative rather than ecstatic speech (vv. 6-11). There seems to have been both miracle in hearing as well as in speaking. The exact nature of this marvel is less significant than its meaning. It was clearly a manifestation of the universal presence and power of the Spirit. Some commentators believe it demonstrated the reversal of the fragmentation of peoples that occurred at Babel when languages were confused after the people attempted to construct the tower (cf. Gen 11,1-9). The outpouring of the Spirit and the preaching of the gospel to all nations are seen by some as the reuniting of the human race and the gathering of all into the reign of God. 
The second reading, 1 Corinthians 12,3b-7.12-13 consists of three different yet related themes: an acclamation of the lordship of Jesus; a defence of diversity within the community; the body metaphor that characterises that diversity. The acclamation Jesus is Lord is rich in both Jewish and early Christian meaning. Lord (kyrios) was the official title of the Roman emperor. To proclaim Jesus as Lord was to set up a rivalry between the followers of Jesus and the ruling political authority. Since most, if not all, of the emperors claimed to be somehow divine, this rivalry was both political and religious. The word Lord is also used in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament, as a substitute for God's personal name. To use this title for Jesus is to ascribe to him the attributes of God. This use may not have set up a political rivalry between Jesus and God, as was the case with the Roman emperor, but it certainly did make serious religious claims. It is important to note that the acclamation uses the name of the man Jesus, not his religious title, Christ. It is this man who is placed on the same level as the God of ancient Israel. No one would make such a claim were it not for the prompting of the Holy Spirit. This is a cry of faith, a testimony to the divine character of this man from Galilee. Paul next launches into a discourse on the varieties of functions within the Christian community. In sketching this diversity he uses two triads: gifts, ministries, and works; Spirit, Lord, and God. Since all these gifts or ministries or works were manifestations of the Spirit, no one was to be considered superior to another. Further, they were not given for the self-aggrandisement of the one who received them. All were given for the benefit of the entire community. The diversity found within the community is compared to the complexity of the human body. Each part has its own unique function, but all parts work for the good of the whole. This metaphor characterises several aspects of the community. First, it portrays unity in diversity, a unity that is far from uniformity. Second, it underscores the lack of competition among members, one activity elevating itself above the others. Lowly service is no less important than charismatic gifts. Third, it points up the interdependence that exists within the community. In this community there are no more stratifications, whether religious (Jew or Greek) or social (slave or free).
The gospel passage of John 20,19-23 treats the resurrection and the bestowal of the Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus as having occurred on the same day, for the event described took place on the evening of that first day of the week (v. 19). This first day of the week is the actual day of the resurrection (v. 19). It is clear that the entire reckoning of time has been altered by the event that occurred early in the morning, the resurrection of Jesus. Where previously religious meaning was given to the Sabbath, the conclusion of the week, now the focus is on the beginning, on the future. The locked doors secured the disciples from those who had had some part in the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus. His followers had reason to fear that these people might be hostile toward them as well. The closed doors also underscore the mysterious character of Jesus' risen body. It is not impeded by material obstacles; it can move as it wishes and where it will. The wish of peace, which was the common Jewish greeting of the day, was also a prayer for the eschatological blessings of health, prosperity, and all good things. When Jesus wishes peace for his disciples, he is proclaiming the arrival of this time of fulfilment. By calling attention to the wounds in his hands and side, Jesus shows the disciples he is not a figment of their imaginations or some kind of ghost from the netherworld. He is the same man who was crucified, but now he is risen. Apparently the disciples recognised the Lord, because they rejoiced at the sight of him. The bestowal of the Holy Spirit is introduced by a second salutation of peace. The image of breathing life into another is reminiscent of the creation of Adam (cf. Gen 2,7) and restoration of Israel after the Exile (cf. Ezek 37,9). By breathing in this way, the risen Lord portrays himself as one who can create or re-create. One of the Hebrew words for breath (ruah) is also translated spirit, so there is long tradition of linking spirit and breath. The spirit of God is also the breath of God. With the bestowal of the Spirit the disciples are authorised to continue the mission of Jesus.
The solemnity of today celebrates the fullness of the Spirit and the great gathering together of nations, and it also brings the Easter season to its conclusion. At last the plan of salvation has been brought to conclusion. The risen Lord who was exalted to his rightful place next to God, sent his Spirit to fill the earth with God's power. The world is charged with divine energy; it needs but a spark to ignite it with life and excitement. This vitality explodes into the extraordinary: tongues are loosed, and speech overflows its linguistic constraints; charismatic gifts flood the valleys of human habitation; barred doors are burst open, and frightened hearts are calmed. The Spirit of the Lord fills the whole world. Through the Spirit of God the world is renewed, the community is revitalised, and we come to know the mysterious yet all-pervasive peace of Christ. If this has all really happened, why does our world look the same? Why is there so much religious and ethnic rivalry? Why do we continue to make distinctions between Jew and Gentile, slave and free, woman and man, my tribe and the other tribe, osu and amadi, indigenes and non indigenes, distinctions that favour one at the expense of the other? Why is there so little peace, or comfort, or solace? Why do we refuse to forgive or to be reconciled? Is Pentecost merely a feast we celebrate in red vestments? Has the face of the earth really been renewed? The answer is yes! Resoundingly, yes! The Spirit has been poured forth and works wonders wherever human hearts are open to its promptings. The earth is renewed each time rivalries are resolved, distinctions are recognised as merely expressions of diversity, peace is restored, comfort and solace are offered, and forgiveness is granted. We are immersed in the vigour of the Spirit of God; all we have to do is open ourselves to it and the reign of God will be born in our midst. May God grant us in today’s Eucharistic Celebration the grace that will enable us to be open to the Holy Spirit who will transform us to be veritable instruments in spreading further the mission of Christ in the world. Amen! +John I. 

02nd June ..Year C, 2019

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

 (Acts 7,55-60; Revelation 22, 12-14, 16-17, 20; John 17:20-26: Year C, 2019)The death of Stephen parallels the death of Jesus in many ways. Like his master before him, the innocent Stephen was found guilty of the crime of blasphemy brought against him and he suffered the punishment of that crime as prescribed by the law-stoning outside the camp (cf. Lev 24,14). Like his master before him, Stephen prayed that the sin of his executioners not be held against them (cf. Luke 23:34) and that at death his own spirit would be welcomed in heaven (cf. Luke 23:46). The difference here is that while Jesus prayed to God, Stephen prayed to the risen Lord. This suggests that in the mind of the author, the risen Jesus was now identified with God. This account may have been an explicit example of what it meant for Christians to take up the cross and follow Jesus. 

In the vision of Revelation 22,12-14.16-17.20 the risen Jesus himself announces that he is not only coming soon but that he is also coming as a judge. In two self-disclosive statements (ego eimi, I am) he lists five characterisations that describe him. The first three, Alpha­-Omega, first-last, beginning-end (v. 13), mean basically the same thing. They are literary devices that name only the two poles of a certain dimension of reality but encompass everything that exists between those poles. The risen Jesus here claims to be both origin and end of all things. By appropriating to himself attributes that belong to God he is claiming intimate unity with God. The last two characterisations (v, 16): I am of David’s line, the   root of David and the bright star of the morning  reflect messianic titles. The risen Jesus announces that he will judge everyone not merely according to their faith but also according to their deeds. However, his attention is focused on those who have been faithful. He introduces them by means of a macarism: Blessed are they! He then describes them in three ways. They are the ones who have washed their robes. These righteous ones are also given access to the tree of life, obviously a rescinding of the prohibition ordained in the Garden of Eden (cf. Gen 3,22). This would mean they would never have to face death. Finally, they are allowed to enter the city, the new Jerusalem, the renewed community, the place where God dwells eternally with the faithful. Moral or spiritual cleansing has taken place, all things have been fulfilled, the final consummation is at hand. The righteous who are invited into the city are those who have thirsted for the gift of living water (cf. Isaiah 55,1). They are invited not only by the Spirit who calls but by the bride, the Holy City itself (cf. Rev 21,2). The words of the risen Jesus end as they began, with an announcement that he is coming soon. The Greek form of the verb coming is known as prophetic present, implying that the future is already in the present. 

The prayer of Jesus in John 17,20-26 includes three major themes that together reveal something of the nature of God and that of the nature of the Church. The first and perhaps the major theme is that of unity. It is the reason for Jesus' prayer. He prays for the unity of believers that they may all be one (vv. 21, 22,23). He explicitly states that his prayer is not only for those who have heard and responded to his own preaching but also for those who believe in him because of the preaching of others. The mission of the apostles has been successful. However, he does not want there to be even a hint of status. Eyewitnesses to the events of Jesus' life have no advantage over Christians of the twenty-first century. The unity for which Jesus prays is anything but superficial. It is to resemble the unity that exists between Jesus and his Father. Jesus proceeds from God as the image of God. We may be made according to the image of God, but the Son is that image. This notion of unity was reinforced as the historical Jesus conformed his will to the will of God. Thus the unity between Jesus and God flows from both the divine nature and the human obedience. Jesus goes even further. The unity for which he prays does more than resemble divine unity, it participates in it. It is in faith that Christians are intimately united with Jesus. Therefore it will be through Jesus that they will be brought into the divine union, where the Father dwells in the Son and the Son in the Father. The second major theme of the gospel passage is glory (vv. 22, 24). Divine glory is the manifestation of God's character, or person. The glory of Jesus was believed to have been manifested through his death, his resurrection, and his exaltation by God. Joined to Jesus in faith, by virtue of their baptism, believers share in this glory because in a very real sense they share in his person. In this way they have entered into the very life of God and share in the union of Jesus and his Father. The next theme of the passage is that of the world. Presently, the world does not know God (v. 25). However, it is Jesus' prayer that this situation be changed. It will be accomplished through the witness given by the union that exists among and within the believers, Jesus, and his Father (vv. 21, 23). In other words, the world is the object of the ministry of the believers. To the world that does not yet know God, they are to manifest the divine union in which they participate. Through this manifestation the world will see not only that God sent Jesus but also that God loves believers with the same love with which Jesus is loved.

  
All through the season of Easter, especially in our Sunday liturgies we have been celebrating the exalted risen Christ while still on earth. Today’s liturgy gives us some glimpse of the risen Lord as exalted with God in heaven. This is shown by the use of image upon image, metaphor on metaphor. From the responsorial psalm we can adduce that Jesus is the king who reigns in heaven; the one who governs both heaven and earth with justice rather than brute force; the one who elicits rejoicing rather than fear. He is the Son of Man seen by Stephen, standing in heaven in the place of honour at God's right hand; the one to whom were given dominion and glory and kingship. He is the consummation of all things; the Alpha and Omega, the first and last, the beginning and end. He is the long-awaited Messiah, who heralded the new day of promise. Is it our lot to participate in the exaltation of the risen Lord? Of course, Yes! Stephen prayed to be received into the presence of this exalted Lord, and his prayer was answered. But he is not the only one invited to share in Christ's exaltation. All who wash their robes have been given a right to the tree of life and permission to enter the new City. The exaltation of Jesus is a mighty act of God. Jesus had been sent by God as he himself proclaimed, and he returned to God as Stephen testified. God's exaltation of Jesus is an impenetrable mystery. Conscious of our own limitations, we might wonder how God can accomplish such things. An even more pressing question is, Why would God act in this way? Why raise to such heights one who shares our human limitations? Why exalt humanity with a share in divinity? We have no answers to these questions. They are not intended to be answered. Rather, they must be asked again and again so that, in the absence of an answer, we can stand in astonishment and awe, realising that all we can do is praise God and our exalted Lord. Jesus prayed for us, not merely for his earliest followers. He wanted us to share in the intimate union that was his with God. It was his wish that we would be with him, that we would share the glory that had been his from the beginning and will be his forever in his exaltation.  Will this wish of Jesus be rea

lised in you and me? Yes it is realisable, if we imitate Jesus as Stephen did by forgiving our neighbours from our heart and living always in the presence of God and entrusting ourselves and our spirits to God; if we sustain the unity between us and Christ which the sacrament of Baptism established by obeying God and keeping his commandments of love of Him and our neighbour just as Christ did, who though possessing the same image with God, the Father, kept the unity between him and God by his obedience to the will of God the Father; if we manifest in our lives, through mutual love, the divine union that should exist among us as members of the community of the risen Lord and by so doing bring the reign of God to the world which yet neither know God the Father nor the exalted risen Lord;  and if we remain open to the power of the Spirit of Jesus that will soon take hold of us at Pentecost. It is the Spirit of God that will make the wish of the exalted risen Lord possible in our lives. But the Spirit of God will be operative in us to the extent we are open to Him. May we in today’s Eucharistic celebration pray that the good God will one day unite us, weak as our human nature are, with the exalted risen Lord in his heavenly kingdom. Happy Sunday +John I. Okoye

                                            

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