26TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (29th Sept. 2019)

May you, through the grace of today's Eucharistic celebration, feel the need to reach out to the less-privileged in order to alleviate their conditions.Happy Sunday!

DOCTRINE AND FAITH, 26TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

(Amos 6,1a, 4-7; 1 Timothy 6,11-16; Luke 16,19-31: Year C, 2019)

The denunciation of the prophet Amos in the first reading, Amos 6,1a, 4-7, is not of the possession of wealth itself but the complacency that often accompanies it. He is distressed because the affluent entertain themselves with wantonness while the social structure of the northern kingdom of Israel disintegrates. The prophet's condemnation could not be more severe. He pronounces "Woe!" upon the people. Only funeral dirges begin in this way. The use of such denunciation here denotes the degree of the prophet's disdain. He believes the degenerate nature of the wealthy indicates that real life has died in them, and so a dirge is appropriate. The particular aspect of their lives that he censures is their habit of self-indulgence at feasts which is depicted in the luxurious lounges where they dine and wine, their menu mostly of diet of meat that was a rarity in ancient Israel. Nothing is said about their attire but mention is made of the costly oils with which they anoint themselves. Such perfuming was both a cosmetic practice and a sexual stimulation. Perhaps the most excessive example of dissolute dining is their manner of drinking wine. Not content to sip from goblets, they guzzle from wide-mouthed bowls. The prophet has gone to great lengths to paint a picture of the dissolute character of the wealthy. In contrast to this, with one simple but piercing phrase he describes the condition of the nation as the collapse of Joseph. The profligacy of the wealthy in the face of social breakdown is evidence of their self-indulgence and complacency. However, their affluent lifestyle will be cut short, and in an ironic turn of events those who always thought of themselves first will be the first to be deported into exile.

In the second reading, 1 Timothy 6,11-16, Paul addresses a personal message to Timothy. In it he delivers a fourfold charge: pursue the virtues; fight for the faith; grasp eternal life; keep the commandments. He calls Timothy to responsibilities any Christian would have assumed upon initiation into the Church. However, he expects that Timothy will fulfill them in ways that reflect his pastoral office. The righteousness Timothy is called to pursue is right conduct in human affairs; the devotion is openness to the will of God. Faith is an attitude of trust in God; love is benevolence and goodwill toward others. Patience, or endurance, is staying-power, and gentleness is the kind of meekness that will inherit the earth. Paul employs an image from athletic competition in order to illustrate the struggle that being faithful often entails. It is not clear whether he was thinking of running, boxing, or wrestling. In any case, he exhorts Timothy to perform energetically in order to grasp the prize that is given to the winner. The prize Paul has in mind is eternal life. Timothy, like all other Christians, was called to eternal life at his baptism. And now, again like all other Christians, he must fight for the faith so that he can attain it. Paul underscores the seriousness of his admonitions. He charges Timothy, before God, and Christ, to obey the commandments in anticipation of Christ's glorious manifestation (epiphaneia), a word that denotes divine self-disclosure. Here it is probably a reference to the Second Coming. When this great event will transpire is known only by God whom Paul extols in the final doxology.

The gospel reading for this Sunday, Luke 16:19-3, is a narrative that painstakingly paints a picture of radical reversals. The man who during life was treated as a castoff enjoys the bliss of heaven, while the one who savoured the pleasures life has to give ends up in great torment in the netherworld. The story has two parts. The first describes the situations and fates of the two men (vv. 19-26). The second describes the man's concern for his brothers (vv. 27-31). Jesus goes to great lengths to contrast the lives of these two men. The wealth of the first man is seen in his manner of dress, in the style of his home, and in the quality of the table he spreads for himself. He dressed like the wealthy people of his day. He lived in luxury everyday, enjoying sumptuous meals and a home that boasted a large gate or portico. By contrast, the poor man, Lazarus, whose name is the Greek form of Eliezer (my God helps), was destitute. He lay begging at the gate of the home of the rich man, hoping for crumbs from his table. His condition was so debased that the scavenging dogs licked his sores. Neither description comments on the moral rectitude of the man. However, the unclean state of Lazarus is obvious, and it is reinforced with the licking of the impure dogs. Then why is Lazarus rewarded while the rich man suffers? Is there merely a bias in favour of poverty here? The answer is found in the understanding of covenant responsibility. Both men are somehow associated with Abraham and therefore belong to the people of Israel. Abraham tells the rich man that his brothers have Moses and the prophets, a reference to the religious traditions of the people. From this we can conclude that though the social conditions of the two protagonists were diametrically opposed, these men were bound together by the covenant. This means they had responsibilities toward each other, particularly the rich man toward the poor man. The story shows that he ignored these responsibilities. The rich man was indifferent to the needs of the covenant brother who lay at the gate of his home. The fact that he named the poor man when he asked Abraham to send him refreshing water indicates he was not ignorant of him. When he asked that Lazarus be sent to warn his brothers to change their way of life (metanoia), he was told that they had the same religious tradition he had, a tradition that clearly charges the wealthy to meet the needs of the poor. If they were not attentive to that tradition, they would not heed a resurrected Lazarus. When he was alive and in a position to help Lazarus, he disregarded him. Now that he is in need, he asks that Lazarus first comfort him and then warn his brothers. Even in death the man is selfish. The entire character of the man shows he is concerned only with himself and with those who are like him (his brothers; there was no mention of sisters, etc). This is why he suffers. He has not been faithful to his covenant responsibilities, and his life witnessed no metanoia.

On this Sunday, there comes again, the question of responsible management of money and the social relationships that influence it. The significance of covenant is clearly sketched, as is the harsh reality of judgment. It is Paul who offers us an alternative way of living that will stave off the punishment that results from disregard of our commitments. Both the reading from the prophet Amos and the gospel narrative pointedly condemn the lifestyles of the rich. Again, it is not wealth itself but the complacency and disregard for others that it too frequently generates that is denounced. When we are relatively secure and satisfied with the circumstances of our lives, it is easy for us to take these blessings for granted, to think we have a right to all our good fortune. This is particularly the case in societies that foster a sense of individual opportunity and advancement in contrast to those that are more communal in their perspective. There we find the sense that I earned this and so I have a right to enjoy it as I see fit. On the other hand, biblical covenant is a communal concept. It emerges from a society that insists on mutual responsibility. With the exception of the Davidic covenant established between God and one family (cf. 2 Sam 7,8-17), all biblical covenants presume that God entered into a solemn pact with the entire people. While individuals do have rights and obligations, they carry them as members of the group, not merely as individuals. Furthermore, these rights and obligations flow from the relationships with one another as well as the relationship with God. It is for this reason that social justice was such a fundamental concern of the prophets in ancient Israel. These readings are held up before us so we can compare our sense of covenant with that of the people portrayed within them. To what extent have we even been aware of our covenant bond with others? And conscious of it, how faithfully have we carried out our responsibilities? Unlike the people depicted in last Sunday's readings, those appearing here are not accused of dishonest behaviour. They are not guilty of sins of commission, infractions of the law. They are guilty of sins of omission, sins that flow from a casualness toward covenant commitment. How do we measure up in this regard? There is a theme in these readings we do not like to face. Although the fundamental image of God is one of mercy and compassion, we cannot disregard the fact of judgment. Amos pronounces a woe against his own people; Abraham declares there is an unbridgeable chasm between the saved and the condemned. These are harsh condemnations, but they cannot be softened. Their very harshness lays bare the gravity of indifference to the sorry plight of others. Paul even speaks here of the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though he does not say that Christ will bring judgment when he comes, the nuances of this idea are present. Judgment will be deter­mined not primarily in terms of our obedience to law but in view of our fidelity to covenant commitment. Righteousness is a covenant term. It is a quality of God that is shared with us by means of our covenant bond. Paul admonishes Timothy, and us, to pursue this righteousness, along with devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Some of these virtues focus on our relationship with God, but most are directed toward our relationship with others. Those who are less fortunate are our sisters and brothers. If we take our covenant obligations lightly and allow them to languish at our gates, on our street, in village squares, etc., we will have only ourselves to blame when we find ourselves facing the harsh judgment of God. May we, therefore, ask the good Lord to endow us with the grace to take up our covenant relationship by assuaging the needs of our less privileged brothers and sisters.Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

(graphics  by chukwubike)

7th Sunday of Year C, 2019

Through the Eucharistic celebration of this Sunday, may your life be modeled in the image of Christ, and may you show mercy and compassion towards all, especially those you regard as enemies. Happy Sunday +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH 

(1Samuel 26,2. 7-9.12-13.22-23; 1 Corinthians 15,45-49; Luke 6,27-38; 
7th Sunday of Year C, 2019)

The story of the first reading contrasts the respect in which David held the anointed of the Lord with the murderous intent of Saul. Although David was the one hunted, Saul was the one caught. The king had an army of three thousand men, while David had one companion. It is clear that God had delivered Saul into David's hand. Still, David did not raise his hand against the king. The king's spear was part of the royal regalia. It was more than a weapon. It was a sign of royal rank. When stuck in the ground, it marked the location of the royal tent. The ultimate disgrace would be to die by one's own spear. This is precisely what Abishai suggested. Abner had failed in his responsibility to protect the king. Furthermore, the very fact that David and Abishai were able to enter such a large camp without being detected could be credited only to God's intervention. Abishai offered to administer the blow so David would not have to live with the guilt of having killed the king. One might think that David would be justified in killing the man who sought to kill him. However, by taking the symbol of royal rank he chose to shame his enemy rather than assassinate him. Despite the fact that Saul was out to kill him, David refused to harm the king, for he was still the one chosen by God to lead the people. The fate of God's anointed one was in God's own hands. Though clearly favored by God, David does not take advantage of this favor. Judgment is in God's hands, and He alone will reward or punish each one according to his/her righteousness (sedeqah) and faithfulness ('emet).

In the second reading, Paul continues the discussion on the resurrection that we have followed the previous Sundays. Today he contrasts the ordinary human body with the resurrected body that believers will receive. He does this in several ways. First he draws a clear distinction between the first man, Adam, and the last Adam, Christ. In the second creation narrative Genesis 2,7, the first man became a living being (nepesh hayyah). In contrast, those possessing the spirit of the risen Christ have life through him, thus making him a life-giving spirit. Adam received life, while Christ gives it. Still  contrasting Adam and Christ, Paul states that Adam, the first man, was out of the earth, made of its dust, while the second man, the Lord Jesus, by his resurrection was from heaven. Finally, those who come from the dust, as did the first man, will have natural bodies like that of the first man; those who are joined to the risen Lord will have resurrected bodies, as has the Lord. The passage ends with Paul playing on the idea of being made in the image of another. Just as being made of dust we bear the image of the first man, who was made of dust, so sharing in the resurrection of the Lord we bear the image of the last man, the one who was raised from the dead. 

Jesus' Sermon on the Plain, begun in the gospel for last Sunday, continues today. The primary focus of this instruction is love (agape),specifically, love of one's enemies. This injunction to love is stated in four different but parallel ways: Love your  enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you. In each case the disciples of Jesus are told to act toward their enemies in a way exactly opposite to the way they themselves are treated. In other words, they are not to retaliate in kind. Furthermore, it is not enough that they refrain from retaliation; their love should not be mere passive acceptance. Rather, they are called to active love of those who do not love them. Four examples of how this love is to be carried out are then given. Whether attacked or insulted by the blow on the cheek, one must be willing to be extravagant in one's resistance to retaliation. This same extravagance is illustrated in one's willingness to surrender even an undergarment when an outer cloak is taken. The disciples are told to give unquestioningly when asked and not to demand re­turn of items taken. Such behavior may appear to be excessive, but it illustrates the extremes to which one must be willing to love enemies. What has come to be known as the Golden Rule appears elsewhere in negative form: What is hateful to you, do not do to others. The negative form admonishes us to refrain from evil, while Jesus' positive, open-ended version (Treat others as you would like them to treat you) is a call for active love. Three examples for living out this Golden Rule are given, each demonstrating that there is no credit in simple reciprocity. The disciples must surpass others in loving, doing good, and in lending. As children of God, they must model their love after the love God has for all, even for those who have turned away from Him. The disciples are called to be merciful (oiktirmon) as God is merciful. The word is closely akin to the Hebrew word meaning compassionate (rahum), the attitude of loving attachment a mother has for the child of her womb. Here that loving attitude is attributed to God, who is referred to as Father. Characterizing God in this way radically reinterprets the meaning of God's fatherhood. It is represented as lavishly loving and unselfishly attentive to others. Finally, the way the disciples treat others will be the standard for the way they are treated by God. If they do not judge or condemn, they will not be judged or condemned. If they forgive and are generous, they will be forgiven and will receive generously. While we may be extravagant in our loving, the goodness of God far exceeds even the greatest human beneficence. 
In toddy’s liturgy, the schooling of the disciples continues. Here we see that such schooling is intent on changing the way we think as well as the way we act. Perhaps one of the most difficult lessons to learn in this area is forgiveness of those we consider our enemies, those who have wronged us. As challenging as this may be, the gospel calls us to an even higher standard: we must be merciful as God is merciful. If such perfection can become a reality in our lives, we will be able to forgive. Paul assures us that we can indeed attain such perfection, not by ourselves but through the power of the risen Lord, whose image we bear. Paul plays with the theology of creation. In the beginning we were made like the first Adam, earthly, limited, weak, concerned about the things of this world, and committed to our own well-being. Now we have been fashioned after the image of the second Adam, Christ, the risen Lord. Being like Christ, we become godlike, empowered with his saving power, transformed with him into new beings. It is now in our power, which is really the power of the resurrection, to be merciful as God is merciful. In the risen Lord we experience a mystical trans­formation. From now on all our actions can flow from this new reality. Transformed by the power of the resurrection, we are capable of unprecedented good works. We can live without retaliation; we can render good for evil. We can be prodigal in our generosity toward others; we can relinquish any rights of proprietorship we might enjoy. We can live with others without unfairly judging them. We can be like God, boundless in our forgiveness. When we are transformed, God becomes the source of our spiritual power, the model after whom we pattern our lives, the incentive that spurs us on, and the ultimate goal of all our works. The works themselves are not mere external performances done out of obligation. They are visible manifestations of a deep inner reality, of the transformation/conversion that has taken place in our lives. Schooling for discipleship results in total transformation in Christ. May we, therefore, assiduously pray in today’s Eucharistic Celebration for the grace to be totally formed into the image of Christ! Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye
(graphics by chukwubike oc)

29th Sunday: Year B

May today’s Eucharistic celebration bestow on you the insight how to deepen  and strengthen  your relationship with God that will enable you  approach the throne of God boldly, and there  receive the grace to be faithful to the end. 

  Happy Sunday. +John I. Okoye

 DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Isaiah 53,2.3.10-11; Hebrew 4, 14-16; Mark 10, 35-45; 29th Sunday: Year B)


This short passage of the first reading provides a partial sketch of the portrait of the suffering servant of God. It opens on a discomforting note: the suffering of this forlorn individual was brought on by the Lord; the Lord has been pleased to crush his servant with suffering. The vicarious nature of this suffering is clear from the reading. The servant gives himself as a sin offering; he endures his agony so that others can be justified. His death will win life for others, and in this way he will accomplish God’s will. It seems that the Lord delights in crushing this pitiable victim because his agony will bring about salutary benefits in the lives of others. The prophet claims that the servant too will eventually be relieved and will experience fullness of days. However, the principal consequence of his sufferings will be felt in the lives of others. So often violence begets violence. Here the suffering servant offers no defensive response, no retaliation. The violence inflicted upon him is accepted, embraced, and put to rest. With the vicarious offerings of this innocent scapegoat, reconciliation with God is accomplished.    Who is this suffering servant? He is the prefiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ whose vicarious suffering brought salivation to the whole world. 
    This first reading gives us some glimpses of the person of Christ. The second reading takes up cue from the first reading and develops further the personality of Christ from the point of view of his role as the High Priest. He is the High Priest who intercedes for all those who turn to him. He is a high priest who was tempted in all things and, therefore, can sympathize with human struggle. He is as well the Son of God. In order to demonstrate Jesus’ preeminence, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews, from where our second reading is got, applies to him several features of the high-priestly office. Just as the high priest of the Old Testament passed through the curtain into the presence of God in the holy of holies, there to sprinkle sacrificial blood on the mercy seat (Hebrew 9:7), so Christ, exalted after shedding his own blood, passed through the heavens into the presence of God. Being the Son of God, his sacrifice far exceeds anything that the ritual performed by the high priest might have actually accomplished or hoped to accomplish. Jesus’ exalted state has not distanced him from us. On the contrary, he knows our limitations; as a man he shared many of them. He was tried to the limit, but he did not succumb to despair or blasphemy. Furthermore, it is precisely his exalted state that gives us access to the throne of God. As an authentic human being, he carries all of the members of the human race with him as he approaches the heavenly throne. Unlike former high priests who approached the mercy seat alone and only on the Day of Atonement, Christ enables each one of us to approach God, and to do so continually. This confidence we have in our relationship with Christ should empower us to approach the throne of God boldly, there to receive the grace we need to be faithful. The throne of grace from which we receive mercy is in striking contrast to the mercy seat on which the blood of reconciliation was sprinkled. Where previously the mercy seat was inaccessible, now we are invited to approach God’s throne with confidence. Reconciliation has been achieved through the blood of Christ. Now grace reigns.
    In the gospel reading, we see how the close disciples of Jesus misunderstood his role as the vicarious sufferer, his identity as the Son of God and  his identifying with us. James and John seek places of prominence in Jesus’ kingdom, and Jesus informs them that real prominence is found in service, not in wielding authority over others. The other apostles were probably indignant not because the request of James and John was so audacious but because it was made before any of the others were able to make comparable requests. The instructions that follow indicate that the apostles were all ambitious and misunderstood the nature of Jesus’ life and ministry. whose ministry was to serve people and ransom them. 

    We may ask ourselves: What reward do we hope to receive ourselves for our loyal services as Christians and contemporary disciples of God? When we set out to follow Jesus, faithful to the promises we made at baptism to renounce sin and to live lives that are directed by the Spirit, we normally do so with generosity of heart, with full enthusiasm. It is the love of God that impels us, not the thought of reward. However, after we have borne the burden of this decision for a while and we realize some of the implications of our commitment, we begin to wonder what it is all worth. How will we benefit from our dedication? What will we get out of it? We know that we will be generously blessed by God, that we will inhabit one of the mansions that Jesus has gone ahead to prepare for us. Would it be so wrong to hope for a little more, especially if we have made significant sacrifices along the way? It seems that two of Jesus’ closest disciples felt the same way. These two brothers belonged to Jesus’ inner circle. They had already been set apart from the others. They had been privileged to witness his transfiguration (cf. Mark 9, 2-8). Surely they were not asking for a privilege that God had not already granted them. Of those to whom much has been given, much will be required in return. The closer we are to Jesus, the more we will be expected to mirror him. James and John asked for places of honor, places reserved for those who exercise authority. Jesus did not deny that they would have such authority. He assured them that they would have places that were set apart. However, he described these places of distinction in a way the brothers had not expected. The great ones in the reign of God, the ones who exercise authority over others, must be the servants of the rest. Parents, teachers, civil authorities, managers of every kind, pastoral leaders (catechists, priests and bishops) must all be servants, as Jesus was a servant. Besides modelling our leadership after his, we will also have to model our hardship after his; we will drink from his cup of suffering and be baptized into his death. As we draw close to the one who gave his life as an offering for sin, we will find that the same self-sacrifice is being asked of us. Put another way, when we struggle with the misfortunes we encounter, misfortunes we face because of our commitment to Jesus, we will have him as an inspiration and a model to follow. He can sympathize with our weaknesses, identify with our suffering. For this reason, we can draw strength from his example, and we can hope for his kindness. May we pray in today’s Eucharistic celebration for the graces to morrow in our lives Jesus the servant of all and Jesus the vicarious sufferer. Happy Sunday! 
+John I. Okoye

(graphics  by chukwubike)

4th Sunday of Lent: Year A, 2017

May Christ, the light of the world, illumine your  mind not only to  perceive what is God's will for you at any given moment of your life but also to know how to be docile in fulfilling it. Happy Sunday!

+John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

                                 (Samuel 16,1.4.6-7.10-13; Ephesians 5,8-14; John 9,1-41: 4^th Sunday of Lent: Year A, 2017)

            In order to understand the significance of  the episode of the cure of the man born blind we need to call back  to mind what Jesus affirmed of himself in John 8,12:  I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. This miracle also bears out what is stated in the prologue to the Gospel of John about Jesus: (He is) the true light that lightens every one coming into the world (John 1,9). The cure of the man blind from birth appears like a sign, a proof and confirmation that Jesus is indeed the light. He gives the eyes of the body the capacity to see material things and endows the spirit the capacity to penetrate the supernatural world with the light of faith. Just as the man born blind acquired the power to see from the water of the pool of Siloam; in the same way every one baptized receives from Jesus the capacity to welcome the light of salvation.

The cure itself is not a restoration, for the man was born blind. It is more of a new creation. The ritual or process of cure was simple. Jesus spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man’s eyes with the clay. Jesus, who is sent by God, sends the man to the pool named One who has been sent (Siloam). There, the waters wash away his blindness; by means of the waters he is made a new creation. How was this miracle received? How did people react to it? The episode shows different ways in which people reacted to Jesus’ cure of the person born blind. The first reaction to the cure comes from the neighbours who knew him as a begging blind man. They were astonished at his transformation and they inquired as to its source. The cured born blind man gives a report of the events that occurred along with the name of Jesus as the healer. The next reaction came from the Pharisees who questioned the cured born blind man. They were divided on their opinion of the righteousness of one who heals on the Sabbath. They, stubbornly, refuse to see or believe, despite the evidence before their eyes. The Pharisees, to avoid having to acknowledge Jesus’ divinity, rejected the only possible explanation for the miracle. They negated the evidence. They lack the disposition of leaving themselves be illumined and the sincerity required in search of truth. The reasons or causes, on the part of the Pharisees, for locking themselves up in their blindness, and this their rejection of the light of Christ can be seen to be three. The first is prejudice: They had it stamped in their mind that Jesus could not be the Messiah and, therefore, superior to Moses, Abraham and the prophets, for this would not agree the idea of the Messiah they had in mind. The second is selfish interest: This is nothing other than the fear of loosing their position of power and prestige. Jesus was indeed a threat to their selfishness. The third is presumption:  They believed to be seeing well, of being in the right position while they were indeed blind and guided blind people. The real blind person is the one who thinks that he sees and knows everything but never subjects himself or his reasoning to thorough scrutiny. Prejudice, selfish interest and presumption are also reasons of incredulity among people today.

The reactions of the parents of the blind from birth are awkward. They were afraid to accord any type of claim to Jesus lest they lose their standing in the religious community. Unlike his parents, the beneficiary of the miracle, the born blind man, boldly proclaims that his cure is evidence that Jesus is from God. He progressed from simply knowing the name of the one who cured him to professing that Jesus is a prophet, then to proclaiming that he comes from God. The final stage in his profession of faith occurs when he encountered Jesus a second time. When Jesus reveals his identity to him, the one whose eyes have been opened attested to his faith in Jesus and accorded to him the kind of reverent adoration that belongs to God. 
    What is the implication of the episode of the cure of the man born blind for the Christian of today? The Christian is thankful for the illumination from God he got through his faith. Baptism is the sacrament of this illumination. Baptism first of all plants faith firmly in the soul. This faith disposes the soul to welcome and accept supernatural truths and realities. Therefore, without faith there is not even an iota of illumination. It is, therefore, necessary to be informed about faith. First and foremost, though faith is a gift from God, the Christian must work for its increase, deepening, maturation, progression and perfection. The search for firm possession of faith is on-going. However, it is to be borne in mind that search for faith does not exclude difficulties, trials and moments of darkness and uncertainties. What will be helpful to us are the lessons from today’s gospel: assiduous and docile listening to the word of God and allowing ourselves to be illumined and guided by the light of Christ. There has to be a movement from seeing with the light of faith to doing guided by faith. The second point about faith is that if God, through Christ, draws us out of darkness into light and gives us faith it is in order that we will be able to conduct our lives like the children of light. This is what Paul teaches us in today’s 2nd reading. The Christian will have to exhibit in his/her life complete goodness, righteousness and truth. These qualities are merely symbolic of the complete transformation of character this light can effect. Goodness is a quality of moral excellence, it is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5,22). Although righteousness is a divine attribute, humans share in it as long as they live their lives in harmony with God’s plan. Truth connotes sincerity, genuineness, the absence of sham or pretence. These three qualities describe a life lived openly in the light that comes from Christ. The third important fact about the gift of faith is that it often gives rise to opposition and discomfort. The case of the person born blind of today’s gospel is typical; his parents did not even support him; he was expelled from the community, marginalized and isolated. Let us therefore, be thankful today as we celebrate the Eucharist for the gift of faith and the illumination it brings about in our lives. May we also ask for the grace, courage to bear witness to this faith and light of Christ when the occasion comes about in our family, committee of friends, colleagues circles. May we not follow the example of the Pharisees, nor that of the parents of the person born blind but that of the cured born blind man in his courageous profession of faith in Christ Jesus.  Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye 

pictures and graphics by chukwubike 

4th Sunday of the Year A, 2017

May the almighty God give you the special grace to live out the beatitudes every moment of your life. Happy Sunday!
+ John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Zephaniah 2,3; 3,12-13; 1 Cor 1, 26-31 ; Matt 5,1-12,: 4th Sunday of the Year A,  2017)

 In the gospel reading of today, Jesus proclaims in a very solemn manner the beatitudes. Proclaiming this from a mountain, Mathew presents Jesus as the new Moses who proclaims the new law, the statutes of the new people of God, the people of the new covenant, which is the Church. The beatitudes which he proclaims are not abstract precepts, nor theoretical enunciations but rather true characteristics of Jesus himself which are verifiable in his life as we see in the Gospel narratives. He is per excellence the poor in spirit, the afflicted, the meek, the one who thirst for justice, the merciful, the pure in heart, the operator of peace and the persecuted.   

            The disciple of Jesus, the true Christian, is the one who follows the master and incarnates the beatitudes in his life after the Christ’s example. The first beatitude which Jesus enunciates is: How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is a typical example of this beatitude. He was born, lived and died poor. Poverty in spirit does not only mean interior detachment from material things but also connotes the idea that it is chosen and willed and that it is not endured out of necessity or undertaken on account of circumstances. The one who is poor in spirit is one who refrains from the accumulation of the goods of the world, one who chooses to live not paying any iota of attention to money, power or career. He is also one who refuses to get involved in the worship of money or power. The poor of the beatitudes are like the poor about which both Zephaniah and Paul speak. These are people who, in engaging themselves in life, repose their hope especially on God. They are free from selfishness and ambition for power, from avidity for wealth. They are people who, no matter how badly the world treats them, remain attached to God, repose all their confidence in him and entrust themselves into his hands, assured that God will never disappoint them and for this reason they are very happy.

  What one finds a bit jolting in the proclamation of the beatitudes is that Jesus declares blessed or happy the category of people whom the world considers unhappy: the poor, afflicted, the persecuted, etc. It is not to be understood that Jesus exalts and beatifies any situation of suffering and sorrow as such; this would be some special type of masochism. The situation of suffering remains what it is. But the reaction of the Christian about it should be different from that of the world. The world anchors the foundation of her joy and happiness in the possession of the goods of this world, in wealth, success, pleasure or something of this kind. However, the gospel invites one to set the foundation of his joy on the love of God, a love that promises unfailing security in the midst of any crisis in which one may find himself. The joy of the beatitudes is based on the certainty of a happy future which will be the gift of God. It is also based on the joyful realization that right now, it is possible to have a foretaste of the joy, on account of the spiritual disposition which the beatitudes make possible. This spiritual disposition as well as the moral attitudes emanating from the beatitudes should not remain interior, individualistic and abstract; neither should it be left to be passive. It should not have a private but rather a public and concrete aspect. The spiritual disposition should lead to a very courageous undertaking for justice and peace, from individual faithful as well as the entire Christian community. What is expected from the Christian is not passive surrender but concrete and active task in favour of peace and justice.

 We mentioned above that true follower of Christ is the one who incarnates the beatitudes in himself/herself especially in his/her heart, where the reign of God has its root. It is, therefore, opportune that we ask ourselves if our moral profile corresponds to those traced by the beatitudes, that is to say, if we are truly people who do not run after the goods of the world considering it as the mirage of happiness. We examine ourselves to find out if we trust in God and confide in him. We need to ask if we are people that are humble and simple and sincere in heart, who are not ambitious and full of the arrogant air of one who has arrived. Are we people who do not believe in violence but desirous to work for justice and peace with the force of love, also capable to suffer and bear persecution for the cause of good. Are we merciful? It is necessary that we Christians assume and imitate this evangelical mentality and believe that through them to be happy, already in this world as far as it is possible to human condition, but hopefully to be permanently happy in the next life.

 Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

graphics  by chukwubike 

32nd Sunday of the Year C 2016

May our good God grant you strong belief in the future life with him after death, equip you also with all you need to prepare for it through a transformed Christian living, here and now, that is nurtured by the word of God and the Eucharist. Happy Sunday! + John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE  AND  FAITH

(2 Macc 7, 1-2.9-14; 2 Thess 2,16-3,5; Luke 20, 27,34-38–10: 32^nd  Sunday of the Year C 2016)

        The mystery of death and what follows have been occupying and tormenting human intelligence. Human intelligence, with all its resources has succeeded in giving us some intuition, some feeble information that is neither certain nor secure, but such that only satisfies our desire and curiosity. Every year, in the liturgy of the Church we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints and the day after the Commemoration of all the Dead. It all means that the mystery beyond death is proposed annually for our reflection as Christians. What is more is that through these celebrations our faith in a future life is solemnly reaffirmed. Even the liturgy of this Sunday takes up this reflection.
    The word of God and especially the revelation of Jesus Christ give us a clear answer: Not only that there is life after beyond this earthly life but also our bodies will rise to new life one day. It is in 2nd Maccabees that we find for the first time, in the Old Testament an explicit affirmation of faith in the resurrection of the body. In the liturgy of today and precisely   the first reading of today we come to  know that seven sons and their mother were ready and decisive to undergo martyrdom and to sacrifice their young lives instead of contravening the law of God. Where did these young people find the strength and courage for their resolve? This is from the certainty that after their death, on account of observing the law of the Lord, God will raise them to a new and eternal life. In other words, it is good to die from the hands of men at the same time expecting from God the fulfillment of the hope to be with him in the new life of the resurrection.

  In the gospel reading of today, Jesus gives an answer that is clearer, authoritative and convincing. The Sadducees (a sect of intellectual Jews) who were in opposition of the Pharisees (a more popular sect) negate the resurrection of the dead. In order to ridicule those who believe in it, the Sadducees trumped up a hypothetical question about the resurrection that was absurd and detached from reality. They presented a woman in fulfillment of the law of levirate (a custom of the ancient Hebrews and some other peoples by which a man may be obliged to marry his brother's widow to raise children in the name of the dead brother) who was married to seven brothers and they asked Jesus:  At the resurrection whose wife will she be? In his reaction, Jesus indicated that their problem was a misunderstanding of the issue, because in the future life there will be no need to marry husbands or wives. The error of the Sadducees is from the fact that they imagine the future life is a continuation of the present one, with the same conditioning, exigencies and relationships; but it is not so. Resurrection rather signifies, the entrance into a new condition of life, for the risen will be similar to the angels and the sons of God. This is to say, that they will be in perfect union with God, participate in the fullness of divine life. It is a condition we cannot imagine or define with our finite human mind. In answering the Sadducees, Jesus further searched out from the Scriptures argument in favour of the resurrection. The passage he referred to, was from one of the books attributed to the authority of Moses which the Sadducees recognized: And Moses himself implies that the dead rise again in the passage about the burning bush where he calls God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all men are in fact alive.  The great Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were united to God through faith and love and God made a covenant with them and promised them protection and salvation.  Through this covenant God established a relationship with humans. The issue here is whether the relationship is severed by death. Is death powerful enough to break the ties that bind us to God? But it is God’s desire that the covenant endure. The later traditions of the Bible, in places where this issue is addressed, clearly state that God’s desire to be united with us is stronger than death. That is why, God is faithful in his promises; God who is lover of life cannot abandon his friends as victim of death and he cannot be impotent before death, otherwise he would not be God. He is not the God of the dead but of the living: all those who are worthy of the future life live by God.

    There are circumstances in which Jesus better explains the resurrection: I am the resurrection and life:  whoever believes in me even though he is dead will live and who is living and believes in me will never die (John  11,25;  See also John 5, 28; 6,40; and 1 Cor 15,14.20). The unique condition that Jesus gives for the resurrection of life is to believe in him and be united to him as a branch is united to the stem of the vine. Another condition is to feed on him who is present in the word of God (Scriptures) and the Eucharist:  I am the bread of life, whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him on the last day.

    If we Christians, who have entered a new relationship with Blessed Trinity through our incorporation into Christ at Baptism, are assured of future life, how are we to live it until it dawns? Indeed the future life has dawned. This is the eschatological hope in which we live by the grace given to us from God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Our future is already present and we are therefore called upon to conduct lives that are radically transformed. However, the future is not completely dawned and we find ourselves living both in this age and in the age to come. Thus we live proleptically; we anticipate future lives but we live them in the present. We are supposed to live like angels and sons and daughters of God who are already in the future life. As difficult as this may be, we have the eternal encouragement of Christ. We have the promise that God will strengthen and guard us. We have the instructions of our religious traditions and our present teachers of faith that direct our mind and hearts. When we live life of the future, we truly enable the future to dawn in the present. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

graphics added by chukwubike

22nd Sunday of the Year C 2016

May the good Lord grant you the graces of humility and the generous heart to be bounteous in your help to the needy. Happy Sunday!

DOCTRINE AND FAITH 
(Sirach 3, 17-18. 20. 28-29; Hebrew 12, 18-19.22-24; Luke 14, 1. 7-14 22nd Sunday of the Year C 2016)

   

In today’s gospel reading Jesus, exhorts us to imbibe two important attitudes in life: humility and disinterested generosity. The circumstances of this exhortation was during a sabbath meal in the home of one of the leading Pharisees. Jesus was startled as he noticed how the guests picked the places of honour. He took advantage of the situation to give advice: When some one invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. The reason for this, based on human psychology, is that someone higher in honour might have been invited and leaving the honoured place for a higher guest and taking a lower place could be humiliating for someone’s ego. To avoid such a situation is to follow Jesus’ advice: He would have people humble themselves and refrain from self exaltation and so they can be exalted by God rather than man. It is difficult for us to follow the advice of Jesus. This is because we always seek when possible, to occupy the place of honour and we do not willingly accept to be modest in taking the least one. However, this attitude of humility is very important. It is all about giving up our initiative in seeking honour and glory for ourselves rather than accepting others to give us honour and glory. There is an innate thirst for honour and glory and if we want to obtain it for ourselves, it would land us to attitude of selfishness and pride, which degrades. Jesus adviced that we assume humble attitude, because humility manifests a disposition favourable for the practice of charity. The worst enemies of charity are pride and arrogance. Humility helps the advancement of charity. That is why Jesus wishes that we renounce all direct search for honour because it manifests a negative possessive attitude. 

    Pride is what can, fundamentally, block the action of God’s grace. He who is proud and presumptuous believes he is auto-sufficient and keeps his mind impenetrable from God’s influence. God would have no other choice than to abandon him to himself and when one is so abandoned, he falls to the lowest level of existence and remains degraded. To practice humility is to live in truth; that is to be aware of the gifts and blessings which are bestowed on someone, without boasting of them and aware that they come from God. Practicing humility also means being conscious of one’s limits and defects, but without getting disheartened on account of them because one’s confidence should be firmly reposed in God. Practicing the virtue of humility and modesty is necessary not only for the perfection of our Christian life, but also for our civil life in the society. It is therefore necessary to pray to the Lord that he may concede us the spirit of humility because pride, its opposite, is a capital vice that is very insidious, not easily recognizable, does infiltrate in everything even in good things we do and is extremely difficult to eradicate totally.

Jesus then takes up the theme of disinterested generosity which he wishes us to imbibe. He exhorts the host: When you give a lunch or a dinner do not invite your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours…on the other hand invite the  poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. One will be blessed in doing this for there is no expectation of being paid back. Jesus does not prohibit any convivial meeting of relations or friends. He himself participated in some of such festive meetings. He wishes to teach two lessons.  The first is that we should never do anything for selfish purposes, to have an advantage or for personal profit, if one hopes to be eventually rewarded by God. The second is that our gesture of love, (charity) and altruism should have preference for the poor, the needy in body and in the spirit. One should not expect any repayment from these categories of people. Rather, repayment for such disinterested charity will be rewarded at the resurrection of the just. This in effect means that there will be a divine payback which will be completely different from the usual repayment we do expect and have, and which often are vitiated.

    The psalm and the second reading from the letter to the Hebrews invite us to reflect on the bounteous generosity of God. In the psalm, the rain that falls on the entire landscape indicates the blessings of God that are showered on all. The chief recipients are the needy who cannot in any stretch of imagination pay back. For them the blessings are true gifts. They have not been earned, nor can they be repaid. Such is the nature of God’s giving. God’s openness to include all, is also seen in the letter to the Hebrews. All are invited to approach the heavenly city; the heavenly banquet will be open to the poor and those who have no way of repayment. No type of worldly possessions or accomplishment is needed for recompense. The only coin acceptable is a heart open to receive.

    Only God can give gifts in this way, because only God has an infinite supply of blessings to give and has no need to receive in return. Yet we are admonished to be generous in this way. In the gospel we are told to open our tables and our hearts to those who are not able to respond in kind. There should be no restrictions on our openness to others, on our generosity with which we give of ourselves and our possessions. We must be as prodigal in our generosity as God has been towards us. As we have received from the bounty of God, so we are called to give to others. Only those who have received with a humble spirit can give with the generosity of God, for they know that they do not deserve God’s goodness, so they do not require anything from those to whom they give. There is no quid pro quo, no this for that. Everything is freely given and humbly received. The blessings of God are given to us so we in turn can give them to others. It is like love that is not really love until is given to another. We live in this paradox of receiving and giving and we are transformed as the process unfolds. May we, therefore, pray that  Christ Jesus, who gave himself up completely for our sake bless us abundantly in today’s Eucharistic celebration and make us practice disinterested generosity from humble hearts. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye