DOCTRINE and FAITH....30TH MARCH 2014

1 Sam 16.1.4.6-7.10-13; Eph 5,8-14; John 9,1-41; 4th Sun of Lent: Year A)

            In order to appreciate the significance of today’s gospel reading event, it is pertinent to refer to one of Jesus sayings in the preceding chapter where he solemnly affirmed: I am the light of the world; he who follows me does not walk in darkness but will have the light of life (John 8,12). The cure of the person born blind serves to confirm that Jesus is indeed the light. He enables the eyes of the body to see material things and gives the spirit the capacity to glance into the supernatural world with the light of faith. Just as the person born blind was able to see by washing with water from the pool of Siloam, so also the baptized, from the water of the baptismal font, acquires the faculty to receive the light of revelation from Christ. 

As far as the supernatural realities are concerned the human person, without the light of faith is like the person born blind, that is to say, he is in complete darkness. His cognitive faculty can neither grasp the reality of God and his mysteries, the mystery surrounding man and the destiny of his life, the meaning of suffering and death nor the meaning of history and especially salvation history and God’s role in it. Christ is the light of the world, who came to manifest the work of God, cure our blindness, open our eyes and lead us to the truth. There are some conditions to be fulfilled if these were to take place. First, we must meet with Christ. We meet him in the word of God, when we listen to the word of God and appreciate the goodness of his works. The second condition is that we must be disposed to dialogue, and to sincerely search for truth. The healed person born blind exemplifies the content of such disposition as he wanted to know more about Jesus who cured him. His enthusiasm to know more about Jesus was rewarded with spiritual vision and supernatural perception by means of the gift of faith. On the other hand the Pharisees listened to Christ, observed his good works, but were unwilling to see, and were obstinate in negating the evidence. They were lacking in the disposition to be enlightened and search for the truth. The probable causes for the lack of requisite disposition on the part of the Pharisees were three. The first was that they were working on the prejudice that Jesus could not have been the messiah, and wondered how he could be superior to Moses, Abraham and the prophets. His messiahship did not correspond to the idea of the Messiah they had in mind. The second reason was their vested interest in the powerful position they wielded. They were afraid that if they welcomed Christ as the Messiah and hearkened to him they would lose not only esteem but also their much coveted position of power, privilege and influence. Jesus presence was a threat to them and made them very uncomfortable. The third cause or reason was their presumption that they were not blind at all, (that they were on top of the situation) and that they had the correct vision and perception of things, while unfortunately they were blind people leading other blind people. The true blind person is the one, who deceives himself by thinking that he/she sees  clearly and knows it all and who never allows himself/herself nor his/her ideas to be critically examined. 

            The Christian has the grace and privilege of being enlightened by God through faith. Baptism is the sacrament of this illumination, and as we all know from the Catholic doctrine faith is necessary for the worthy and fruitful reception of Baptism. As this initial thrust of faith from God at Baptism is deepened and made to take root in the soul, the Christian is made fit (capable) to receive the supernatural truths. Faith, as it were, is a journey; it entails a continuous search and deepening. Though it is fundamentally a gift from God, the Christian has to appropriate this gift. There is always the need to grow, progress and mature in faith. Progress in faith does not mean exclusion from difficulties, trials, troubles and moments of obscurity. As we grow in faith, so increases the supernatural illumination from God.  

            One would say that the two appeals from  today’s gospel reading is applicable to us, Christians. First, the appeal to assiduously listen to the word of God, and secondly the cultivation of the disposition of deepening our faith through dialogue and search for the truth. We should go further. Our being cured from our spiritual blindness and our seeing should lead us to acting. Again, if God through Christ, the true light, out of darkness makes us to be light, it boils down to mean that our being (the mere fact of existing) and actions are to reflect and radiate this light. In the words of St. Paul, in the second reading of today, we are to be like children of the light. In practical terms, it means living as good Christians, in justice, goodness and love. It also entails seeking to do God’s will in the circumstances of our lives. As light cannot stand darkness, the Christian illumined by the light of Christ should not shy away from condemning what is evil in the society. The illumined Christian has the obligation to translate into action and make alive the salvation that he was endowed with at his baptism; the various seeds of faith, hope and love planted in his soul at Baptism should be made to germinate and bear fruit, otherwise there would be the risk of loosing these gifts. The best way to progress and mature in faith is to live it out and to communicate it to others. It is also to be borne in mind that this gift of faith attracts opposition from the world, as is verifiable in the case of the cured blind person from birth, who was not defended even by his parents, expelled by the community, isolated and marginalized. The healed blind man did not find it easy with the Jewish authorities then who cajoled him. But he bore witness in favour of Christ and it was only by his steadfastness that his initial vague and general intuition of faith got so matured and progressed that he was able to perceive that Jesus was the saviour of the world. In today’s Eucharist celebration, may we pray that the graces of faith and spiritual illumination we received during our first encounter with Christ at our Baptism grow to maturity in us, bear fruits of charity, hope and endurance in the midst of difficulties and problems as we struggle to witness in favour of Christ and to follow the will of God in the circumstances of our lives.  +John I. Okoye

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NB: Pictures(2) added by the blogger...Chukwubike

DOCTRINE AND FAITH; (3rd Sunday of Lent: Year A)

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Exodus 17,3-7; Romans 5,1-2.5-8; John 4, 5-42; 3rd Sunday of Lent: Year A)

            The first impression from gospel narrative of Jesus ’ encounter with the Samaritan woman is His humanity. The narrative depicts a Jesus who is tired after trekking under a scorching sun, a thirsty Jesus who like an ordinary pilgrim requests for a cup of water to refresh himself. On the other hand, one also sees another side of this Jesus who disregards contemporary usages, a man who goes decisively against the current of opinions and removes all sorts of barriers and prejudices. This Jesus, a rabbi discussed with a woman. The conversation of a rabbi (a doctor of Law) with a woman was unbecoming and improper. That is even why the narrator, the Evangelist John remarked: ... his disciples returned and were surprised to find him speaking to a woman... .Jesus did not allow himself to be affected by the prevailing opinion of his time. What is even worse, the woman in question was a Samaritan and Jesus was a Jew. It is to be remembered that there existed an enormous enmity between the Jews and Samaritans at that time. The Jews regarded them as schismatic who had different religious rites, from those of Jerusalem, where the orthodox Jews performed their religious rites. Jesus was unaffected by the differences in cult and the prevailing hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans to the point that the woman exclaimed when Jesus asked  her for water to drink: how is it that you a Jew should ask for a drink from me who is a Samaritan woman. It is also to be  noted  that Jesus was conversing with a woman whose moral life was not commendable and  already had  five husbands and the man she was then cohabiting was not married to her. The moral disorder of the woman did not scare Jesus away. Perhaps it was for that reason that Jesus discussed with her in order to prepare her to welcome his message. 

            Indeed, he chose to speak with such a woman in order to reveal extraordinary aspects of his personality. First, Jesus manifested himself before her as a prophet, then unmasked her past (a woman of five husbands) and the way she was living then (in concubinage with a man) she declared: I see that you are a prophet. In those days, one of the attributes of a prophet was that he had the capacity of knowing hidden facts and can penetrate into the depth of a person’s mind. Before her, Jesus  also revealed himself  as the Messiah. When she mentioned that she knew that the Messiah was to come, Jesus declared: I who am speaking to you, I am he. Jesus also revealed top her that he was the one who was to come into the world in order to bring the living water to the people; the only water that can quell the thirst for truth and search for love of the human soul, the water of the Holy Spirit and of the truth, word and grace of the same Spirit of God. Jesus said to her: Whoever drinks the water that I shall give will never be thirsty again: the water that I shall give will turn into a spring inside him welling up to eternal life. Finally, Jesus announced to the Samaritan woman that the time had come to abolish all types of religious rites and worships except the worship God in spirit and in truth. This is because from the time of Christ true and worthy worship of God would be based on the newness of life, which the Holy Spirit would impart; true worshippers would then be those who would be reborn of the Holy Spirit and would had become sons and daughters of God by the action of the Holy Spirit.

            Jesus made all the revelations to the Samaritan woman and through her to the whole world on that special afternoon at the well of Jacob. Jesus did a wonderful work on this woman. He changed her from the depth of her being, from being a sinner to a convert, from being a convert to an apostle and a missionary. That is why St. Augustine holds the woman to be a symbol of the Church, who receives revelation from Christ and announces it further to the whole world. Indeed the gospel says of the woman:         The woman put down her water jar and hurried back to the town to tell the people: come and see the man who has told me everything I ever did. Also to us, through the liturgy, Jesus repeats his discussion he had with the Samaritan woman. I am the Messiah who is speaking to you. Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Saviour of the world and we do not need to look for our salvation from anyone else. Jesus also repeats to us what he told the Samaritan woman: I am the only one who can give the water that quells thirst that can assuage the deep longings of your heart. Do not seek to quell the search for truth, goodness, happiness elsewhere lest you meet with delusion. Things and creatures are useful, if they bring you to me, for I am the spring of life. The church, using Psalm 94 recommends: If you listen to his words today, do not harden your hearts. We are in Lent, and in the heart of it. It is, therefore, time to immerse ourselves in the word of God and use it to open our hearts completely to Christ. Just as the Hebrew people in the desert had their difficulties, we also have  our own difficulties of life. But we should be rest assured for the Lord is with us. In the 2nd reading, Paul brings to our mind that Christ died for us when we were sinners. Christ is the rock of the living water which satisfies the thirst of our souls. We no longer need to doubt his love and his willingness to save us, his nearness and  presence in our midst. Let us, therefore pray earnestly in this Sunday’s Eucharistic celebration, as Christ who rose from the dead is with us, to ask for the graces to always be attentive to Christ’s self-revelation, welcome it and let it transform us into veritable apostles and instruments of his love and salvation for the whole world.  +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH 2nd Sunday of Lent

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Genesis 12,1-4; 1 Tim 1,8-10; Matt 17,1-9: 2nd Sun of Lent: Year A)

            The focal point of the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration is the revelation of His sonship by God the Father: This is my Son, the beloved; he enjoys my favour: Listen to Him. This expression is the summary of the mystery of our faith and the salvation, which Jesus wrought for us. The important question is: What I am to do in order to benefit from this salvation? The answer is: I am to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God the Father. It is only such a belief that will save me from my sins, get me reconciled with God, the Father, help  me overcome death and give me eternal life. Paul exclaims in the 2nd reading: He abolished death, and he has promised life and immortality through the Good News. The believe in Christ, should not remain on the abstract/intellectual level, but should be felt on the concrete level of close relationship with Christ shown by following his teachings and examples. All through his life, Christ sought and followed the will of God, even when that meant death on the cross for him.  

            However, such belief in Christ is easy to say but difficult to do for two reasons. The first reason is that the words of Jesus, his teaching and his examples continuously challenge us; in our selfishness, vices, sins, worldly mentality and our materialistic vision of things. The words and examples of Jesus generate crisis in us and for this reason we do not take them very seriously, as they entail that we need to change  our lives and actions radically. The second reason is that paying heed to Jesus would mean taking the steps which Abraham took. Indeed what God demanded from Abraham is also what Jesus expects from us:  that we move out not from our land, but from our selfishness, our short-sightedness; that we abandon our human securities, not reposing our security on worldly goods, honour, pleasures, power, which can neither  give  happiness nor save us; that we follow the way that Christ has indicated to us, and not the path, which we  or the world wants us to follow. 

            To listen to Jesus, as the voice of God the Father exhorts us today in the gospel reading, entails that we believe like Abraham, that is to say, to completely trust in and rely upon Him. Listening to Jesus means getting convinced that he is absolutely faithful to his promises, will never deceive and delude us. On the other hand, He would transform all the sacrifices he demands from us to benefits beyond our expectations. We know that there are some difficulties to overcome. One of them is the sense of uncertainty we always feel, for Jesus does not disclose to us the way he is guiding us and sometimes it looks like he is leading us on ways that contradict common sense. It is in such situations that faith has its merit. We should allow ourselves to be guided trustfully by the Lord, just as a child trusts his mother because he is sure that the mother thinks of his wellbeing. We wish, therefore, beginning from this Lent to seriously believe, or rather entrust ourselves wholly to the Lord, doing all he asks us to do, living according to his teaching even when these entail giving up our legitimate rights in order to make sacrifices. 

            Times of suffering are the moments we sometimes doubt the will of God and have little trust in Him. Even the disciples were scandalized and taken aback when Jesus predicted his passion on Mount Calvary and called upon them to share in his suffering and humiliation: He who wishes to follow me, let him deny himself (Matt 16, 24-28). At his transfiguration Jesus manifested his divinity, anticipated for a moment the glory of his future resurrection, guaranteed his apostles that they could always trust him, that the cross/suffering lasts only for a brief moment and that the resurrection is the definitive goal. We have relevant questions to ask ourselves: Do we now believe that it is through suffering that God saves us? Do we trust God who allows our daily crosses in order to bring us into our Transfiguration? Are we willing to begin to accept our own tribulations and unite them to the sufferings of Christ for our salvation and the redemption of the world? Even Saint Paul invites us as he exhorts in the Second reading: With me, bear the hardship for the sake of the Good News, relying on the power of God.  May we, therefore, pray at the Eucharistic celebration of this second Sunday of Lent that the good Lord may give us all the graces we need to always listen to Jesus by following his life and example and to have the courage to take up our crosses and follow him, assured that by God’s graces they will lead us to our salvation. +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH.....1st Sunday of Lent:Year A

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Gen, 2,7-9; 3,1-7; Rom 5,12-19; Matt, 4,1-11; 1 Sunday of Lent:Year A) 

                One of the questions that comes into mind on this first Sunday of Lent is: why were these readings chosen for this Sunday? The simple reason is that we are in Lent, which is a period of fourty days devoted to the preparation for the annual celebration of the Paschal mysteries (the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ), a period in which we make some serious, personal and communal effort in the fight against sin and all sorts of moral evil. There are two fundamental questions we should ask ourselves: Why was it necessary that Christ should face suffering and death? Why does sin diffuse in the world and why are we continually subjected to temptation and sin? The answers to these questions are contained in the readings of today. 

                Sin entered into the world, according to the first reading from the book of Genesis, as a consequence of original sin. Through the fault of our first parents sin became part of every human being, like a powerful force evil. Personal sin is nothing but the prolongation of the evil caused by the first sin of Adam and Eve. Christ came and sacrificed himself to repay the harm that was done by original sin, (original sin is aggravated by multitudes of personal sins of human race) redeem us from the slavery of sin, restore friendship and communion of life with God and teach us the way to salvation as well as the correct way of realising our true happiness. Going beyond the symbols used in the story of the fall of Adam and Eve we should try to gain insight into the theological and religious meaning of the passage. Reading this passage we see the abundance of God’s providence for his privileged creature, man, whom He created with much love, put him in a beautiful garden where other creatures lower than him were, then placed a woman similar to him at his side, as his companion and helper. This was the situation of man in the state of grace and friendship with God. Unfortunately, man’s response to God’s love was lack of trust disobedience him. The essence of original sin consisted in man’s pretence to be able to realise himself without God, to be able to be like God, fully autonomous and auto-sufficient. It was a catastrophe for man to try separating himself from God, for he immediately found himself naked, with neither power nor dignity. This was the fall of Adam and Eve, a fall through which sin entered into the world involving every human being. 

                God, however, neither abandoned man to himself, nor permit his design of love to fail. In the fullness of time, he sent his only Son to redeem the human race. This is why, Paul in the second reading affirms: If it is certain that death reigned over everyone as the consequence of one man’s fall, it is even more certain that one man, Jesus Christ, will cause everyone to reign in life who receives the free gift that he does not deserve, of being made righteous. Just as we all became sinners because of the disobedience of Adam awe all became righteous because of the obedience of Christ. Christ through his obedience to God the Father redeemed us and restored the friendship between man and God, the relationship broke through Adam’s.  In order to profit from the redemption wrought by Christ and from the graces therefrom, we have to fight with Christ against all seduction to evil. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus was really tempted as a human person. His temptation was not only in the desert at the beginning of his public ministry, but all through his life on earth. He was tempted to reject and avoid the cross, poverty, humiliation, and suffering, as was willed by God, the Father. He was also tempted to seek auto-affirmation, power   and wealth. He refuted all these, inspired by the Bible as he repeated: it is written. The will of God, the Father enlightened the way of life of a poor and suffering Messiah and Jesus did not want to deflect from it for any reason. We, Christians of today, are tempted in the same way Adam and Jesus were tempted: We are tempted to seek happiness outside God and without Him; to assert ourselves against his will; not to repose confidence in God but in human beings, wealth, success, power, etc. The gospel truth is that it is only in obedience to God and dependence on Him and in the faithful execution of his will, can we achieve our full happiness and realisation of ourselves. We can find the will of God and his design of love for man only in the word of God, in the sacred books of the Bible. 

                During this period of Lent we are advised and exhorted to give the following some consideration. (1) To devote time and give attention for the docile, reflective and contemplative study of the Bible. Our study of the bible should not be geared towards the acquisition of information about God and his salvific plan, as is contained in the Bible, but should be aimed at transformation of our lives. (2) To devote more time to personal prayer that illumines the mind to understand the will of God and gives the fortitude of will to carry it out. (3) To undertake some exercise in mortification, denying ourselves of legitimate rights with the aim of acquiring some virtue (good habit) or eliminating some vice (bad habit) and strengthening our will. Let us, therefore, at the beginning of Lent pray that Christ who retired into the desert for forty days and nights praying and fasting may help us to imitate him in this period of Lent so that we may worthily and profitably participate in the mother of all feasts, the great feast of Easter.  +John I. Okoye

8th Sunday of Year A (Isaiah 49,14-15; 1 Cor 4,1-5; Matt 6, 24-34: )

                                             DOCTRINE  & FAITH

(Isaiah 49,14-15; 1 Cor 4,1-5; Matt 6, 24-34: 8th  Sunday of Year A)

          The gospel reading of today is the continuation of the Sermon on the Mount, which commenced with the Beatitudes. This is a programmatic discourse that summarises the Gospel, (Goodnews) which Jesus Christ came to  spread in the world. Last Sunday, Jesus told us what our attitude should be towards our neighbour and to what point we should love them. His teaching was strong and demanding as he held that we should love even our enemies and all who hurt us and to pray for them.

           Today, Jesus tells us what our behaviour and attitudes ought to be as regards to the goods of the earth and our sustenance in the future.  Jesus said: Do not worry about what you are to eat or drink, nor what to put on...It is the pagans that are to worry about them. Again: Do not worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. What is Jesus recommendation on these issues? Is it that we should not be interested, at all, in earthly things? Or, that we should cross our hands and expect everything from Divine Providence? Or, that we have to assume a passive or fatalistic attitude? Certainly, Jesus does not recommend any of the above! What Jesus approves is that we should neither worry, be over anxious, excessively preoccupied over material things nor give priority to material things over spiritual ones. Worries, anxiety, excessive concern for earthly things and the future are attitudes or the state of mind of pagans and those who do not place their confidence in God.

          Why should a Christian, not be worried or anxious over material possession and sustenance in the future? This is because God is a Father to him/her, who always provides all his/her needs and who will never abandon any of his sons or daughters. If God cares for the birds of the air and lilies in the field, he will surely take good care of the Christians, the disciples of Jesus. In the first reading, Isaiah compares God to a mother who would never abandon her child, but goes on to state that even if in any given situation a mother does abandon her child, God will never abandon his own children. If God is there for us and provides for us, what is expected of us then? First of all, commitment, hard work and the spirit of sacrifice are expected from us so that we will be able to work out the things necessary for good living in our life situations, and seek ways to improve our social, economic and political situation? The pursuit of our daily needs and effort to improve our life conditions should be done without worry, anxiety, placing higher value on material things or becoming a slave to them.  In doing all these we should repose great confidence in God, and make ourselves completely over to him with the certainty that when we must have earnestly done our duties, God will come to our aid and will show us the way and means to resolve our problems. Nowadays, there is the temptation to plan and execute programmes leaving no space for God’s Providence. Doing so, we run the risk of not resolving our problems and not coming out of them.

          Our top priority should be to do what Jesus told us in the gospel of today; to seek the righteousness of God, that is to say, to seek to know well God’s ways well, his plans for us well and to confirm our will to his own. And in the context of today’s gospel reading, it means that spiritual goods, absolute and eternal values should take precedence over material and earthly goods. At the end of last Sunday’s gospel, we were confronted with the question whether, by our actions and deeds, we were Christians or pagans. If we love those who love us, we are still on the same level with pagans. At the end of today’s gospel reflection, we ask ourselves the same question: Are we Christians or pagans? If we are so preoccupied and worried about what we eat, or how we dress, if we are over anxious in our quest for material goods, if allow ourselves to be contaminated by the mentality that advocates worshipping wealth and seeking wealth and what it procures at all costs (often times by cheating, fraud, injustice, killing, etc), and if we fail to put God and spiritual values as our top priority, then it should occur to us that we are not yet true Christians, (though baptised) and that we have notably very close relationship with pagans. May we in this Sunday Eucharistic celebration ask the good Lord for the grace not to pursue material goods at the detriment of our spiritual life and the grace to repose full confidence on Divine Providence.+John I. Okoye
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(Picture added by blogger)