Third Sunday of Lent: Year C 2016

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Exodus 3,1-8.13-15; 1 Cor. 10,1-6.10-12;   Luke  13,1-9: third Sunday of Lent:  Year C  2016).

   The readings of this Sunday are challenges to us. The first reading talks about the incident of the burning bush, an event that provided the occasion in which God revealed his personal identity to Moses. God, first of all, revealed himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: as a faithful God, that is to say, the God who maintains his promise. God reveals himself as the spontaneous liberator of the people of Israel:  I have seen the miserable state of my people in Egypt. I have heard their appeal to be free … Yes I am aware of their suffering. I mean to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians. God laid the burden of leading his people towards freedom on Moses. God assured him of full success and revealed his personal name to him: I am who am. In this first reading we note that the initiative to free the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt came, first and foremost, from God. We are aware of the prodigies God worked in Egypt in order to bring them out and how he protected and cared for them in the desert until they reached the Promised Land. Paul, in today’s 2nd reading, teaches that the salvation of the newly converted Corinthians (and ours by extension) is the fruit of God’s action and love. In reviewing God’s relationship with the people of Israel, Paul noted how God showed preference to Israel and how he bestowed favours on her. Yet, due to presumption, she fell out of God’s favour. Paul was, therefore, warning the new converts of the Church of Corinth to desist from manifesting the same presumptuous mentality of assured salvation. This was because there was always the possibility of falling and losing one’s soul. Paul warns all of us, the Christians of Nigeria as well: The man who thinks that he is safe must be careful that he does not fall. One of the questions we have to ask ourselves this Sunday is: Am I presuming that my salvation is assured, by the fact that I am baptized into the Catholic Faith? Being baptized is already an enormous privilege: it means being inserted into the mystical body of Christ, being incorporated into Jesus Christ and being the son or daughter of God. In this Sunday, and the rest of Lent, God challenges us to review our relationship with him. Am I just a nominal member in the body of Christ or am I committed by the way I live my Christian life in the circumstances of my daily life?  How do I co-operate with the grace of God so as to bring to fruition the salvific action which God had already initiated at baptism?

    The gospel reading also challenges us Catholic Christians in Nigeria. In our daily life, it is noticed that the principle of retributive justice is often evoked. This principle holds that the just and good people are rewarded with good things and the wicked are punished with bad things in this world. Therefore, when any one suffers misfortune, what comes to the mind of people is that he/she must have done something wrong and that is why God is punishing him/her with some misfortune. Even when one’s conscience was clear, then comes the idea of retributive justice taking its toll generation after. That is why, any misfortune would be interpreted as the punishment arising from the sins of our forebears who died generations and generations before. To prevent the misfortune from going on further, people seek for the so-called powerful men and sometimes women of God to heal their family roots. Such mentality was in vogue both in the Old Testament and New Testament, as the gospel reading makes us understand. The people who approached Jesus had the same mentality. For them, the people whom Pilate killed and those who died, following the fall of the tower, were paying for their sins. Jesus corrected this idea: There is no link of cause and effect between sin and misfortune, between personal sin and sickness. There are no where, in the teaching of Jesus, where he holds that the good people will be rewarded while the wicked punished in this life. Reward and punishment are issues for the next life not for this present earthly one.

    Having put to rest the idea of retributive justice, Jesus affirms that conversion to the Lord is the important issue that his disciple should pursue: … but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Conversion entails the resolute decision to be always free from sin and to always behave as Jesus would want and put into practice his teachings. This serious duty of ongoing conversion is not to be postponed from day to day without incurring great risk. The two incidents of the sudden deaths in the gospel reading warn against any waste of time so as not to be caught by surprise and unprepared at the coming of the Lord.  There is also a theological fallacy that circulates among us and robs us of the rich mercy of God. That is, we often think that we are such  hardened sinners that we hold firmly that we cannot change our way of life for better and what is left to us is to drift along in our accustomed situation of hopelessness. In such situation, we think that God is tired of us. At other times we hold that it is impossible for God to pardon all our sins. Jesus corrects this notion we have of God with the parable of the unproductive fig tree. The owner for three years has been waiting for its fruit. He was willing to wait for another year before uprooting it. By this parable, Jesus reveals that Our God is a God of mercy and compassion and is willing to pardon our sins. He is patient with us and waits for us to change and be converted to him. This is one side of the coin. The other side is that God’s patience and mercy should not be abused, for surely the time to give account of our lives will come. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye  

(graphics  added by blogger)

Second Sunday of Lent: Year C 2016....DOCTRINE AND FAITH

DOCTRINE  AND  FAITH(Genesis 15, 5-12.17-18; Philippians  3,17-4,1;  Luke  9,28-36: Second Sunday of Lent:  Year C  2016)

Every second Sunday of Lent, the church proposes the event of the transfiguration of Christ for our reflection. The yearly reflection shows its importance for Christ and for us. Our reflection today is in three parts. 

(1) Transfiguration in the context of the events in the ministry of Jesus: To help understand the full import of the transfiguration, it is necessary to relate it to what Jesus did before and after it. In his ministry before his transfiguration, Jesus worked many miracles (See chapters 4,5,6); healed the sick; overpowered the forces of nature (Luke 8,22-25) and  cast out demons (Luke 8,26; 4,31). Like any grand master, he gathered some disciples around him (Luke 6,12-16) whom he sent on apostolic mission (Luke cap. 9). Witnessing his deeds and hearing his teachings, it was logical that public had to wonder at his identity. It was Herod who said in bewilderment:  I had the head of John cut … who is this one? (Luke cap 9). It was Peter who, in the name of all the disciples declared: He is Christ of God, the promised Messiah. Immediately after Peter’s confession, Jesus predicts his passion. He demands much from his would-be disciples when he declared: who wishes to follow me, let him deny himself…: who wishes to save his life will lose it, but who will lose it for my sake, will gain it; who is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of man will be ashamed of him when he comes into his glory in the presence of his heavenly Father and the holy angels. But who is this Jesus that is able to perform a lot of extraordinary miracles and is demanding much from his disciples? This is the big question that underlines the transfiguration narrative of Luke. His gospel is a deep catechesis through which he intends that the disciples of Jesus, the first Christian community, as well as disciples and Christian communities of all times, would be able to discover whom Jesus truly is. 

(2) Transfiguration reveals who Jesus is: The event of the transfiguration supplies the answer to the big question: Who is Jesus! Jesus is not only a human being, even if he is the most extraordinary person. In addition, even of more importance, Jesus is the beloved Son of God, as the voice from the cloud declared. Thus, beyond the humanity of Christ, there is the divinity in him. After the event of his passion and death, which he predicted and about which he discusses with Elijah and Moses, would follow unfailingly his resurrection and his return to his Father. Therefore, one can trust him and should listen to him; one can and should follow him, even when it would be tantamount to carrying one’s cross and denying oneself. The liturgy in the first reading presents the figure of Abraham as a shining example of a man of faith. Abraham was a person who trusted God. In spite of all the temptations and challenges, he believed in the divine promise, even when, humanly speaking, it looked impossible; he believed and hoped against all human hope. If we are believers, we should follow Abraham’s example. Like every other mortal, we are not spared from temptation and suffering. At times, it would look like the good people suffer even more. We are, however, certain of these facts: all things work well for the good of those who love God; God is faithful to his words and maintains his promises. It is also clear in our mind that through suffering and temptations we resemble Christ, transfigure into him and participate in his glory at the end of our lives. 

(3) Configured to Christ: In the 2nd reading, Paul tells us that our fatherland is heaven. But to enter into this celestial fatherland, be able to participate in the glory of the risen Christ and be transfigured into him and with him, we need to remain strong and firm in faith. The assimilation or configuration (transfiguration) in Christ comes to us at our baptism on the level of being. It is necessary to realize and perfect it in the level of doing and living. That is to say, we need to transform and transfigure ourselves into Christ by manifesting in our lives the sentiments and comportments of Christ. We need to follow his style of life. Paul also warns us not to live as if we were enemies to the cross of Christ. We are rather to exhibit detachment and wisdom in the use of the things of this world, not loosing sight of the celestial goods. We are to show sobriety, moderation, mortification and the discipline of the body and the spirit and especially, practicing love and charity without closing the heart against the needy neighbour. This will signify being friends to the Cross of Christ. To be really so, it is necessary that we complete the exodus: coming out of our blind selfishness, perverse inclinations; we need also to liberate ourselves from our moral slavery, that is, to stay, to make steady progress on the road of continued conversion. This is what Lenten season invites and solicits us to do. It is therefore, only when we are friends to the Cross of Christ, we will be able to participate fully and definitively in the resurrection and transfiguration of Christ. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye 

 

First Sunday of Lent: Year C 2016

DOCTRINE AND FAITH(Deut 26,4-10; Romans 10, 8-13;   Luke 4,1-13: First Sunday of Lent:  Year C  2016)

    We are thankful to God for giving us the privilege to begin the Lenten Season of this year, in order to prepare in faith for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery, that is the passion, the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The paschal mystery constitutes the summit or the highest point of the liturgical year. The period of Lent is instituted to help us renew our spirit in preparation for this feast of feasts: Easter. The three readings of today give us good points to reflect upon and point out practical indications to follow in order that the grace of God, which is abundant in this Lenten season, will not be in vain in our regard.

    First indication: God: the great benefactor of humanity (First Reading) 
Every Passover the Jewish people of the Old Testament used to offer to God the first fruits of their harvest. This was a significant gesture by which they acknowledged that all they had, even the product of their fields, were gifts from God with whom they were in a covenant treaty. Besides, they wanted to show gratitude to God for all the favours which they were privileged to enjoy, especially his wonderful intervention by which he brought them out from their life situation of slavery in Egypt. The third reason for the offer of the first fruit was to show the necessity and the duty of the creature to prostrate before his creator, to adore him and acknowledge him as the Lord, unique, true God and supreme benefactor of humanity. This fundamental teaching and religious attitude of the spirit (exhibited by the Jewish people of OT) enjoins us believers of today to always acknowledge, and never to forget the favours we receive from God, be it on the natural or supernatural order. This will lead us to always show God our devotedness and recognition for all we have received from him, not so much the material gifts as the gifts of ourselves, our lives and works. If this attitude of prayerful recognition is normal in the life of a Christian, it should be lived in a more intense degree during this time of Lent.

    Second Indication: Faith in Christ-Salvation of Man (2nd Reading).
Discussing the salvation of man is to discuss Christ’s role in it. Paul declares that the fundamental truths to believe in order to be saved include the following: to believe that Jesus Christ is the Lord. This is to say, to believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, in his sovereignty over all created things and in the salvation he achieved for all humanity.  To be saved, we need also to believe that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, which means, that Jesus is alive and influences events in the history of the world, in the lives of every individual and especially in his Church. But the faith Paul has in mind is not the profession of faith in Christ only with the lips; he means an attestation of faith that comes up from the depth of our hearts, that is followed with good deeds. Open and public profession of faith in order to show that we believe in Christ, without shying away from human respect, is always necessary and permitted. However, it is to be expected that such public profession in words should be anchored in the heart, mind, and will and be manifested in good works and life. Lent challenges and verifies the quality of our faith: Is it a faith shown only in words, that is evanescence and inconsistent or is it one that is concretized in works of love, to declare itself in front of people? Do we know how to be coherent in our faith in ordinary daily affairs, as well as in making important decisions of our life? What are the things that do not go well with the will of God in our comportment?   Let us ask God for his graces for a strong faith in order to renew our lives this Lenten season.

    Third Indication: The temptation of Jesus is our temptation: It is not easy to adhere to Christ all through life and to be in perfect harmony with the will of God. This is because we are fragile, inclined to evil, and are subjects of temptation. Jesus Christ in so far as he was truly man, was tempted by the devil, as the gospel story of today narrates. This temptation took place during his forty days of fasting and prayer in the desert. He was further tempted during the rest of his life. In the desert the devil tempted Jesus on three issues. He was tempted to seek personal advantage on material satisfaction: Tell this stone to turn into a loaf. He was also tempted to be a powerful and triumphant Messiah: I will give you all this power and the glory of the kingdoms … Worship me and it will all be yours. He was tempted to seek success and personal prestige using spectacular means: If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here (from the pinnacle of the temple) … He will put his angels in charge of you to guard you. During his ministry and public life Jesus was tempted in other different ways. The most substantial of those temptations was the one not to follow the path which the Father has traced for the Messiah, that is the way of humility, suffering and apparent defeat.

    We are also continually tempted to deviate from the path which God has indicated to us and pursued the mirage of possession of earthly wealth, or followed the desire to lord it over and dominate others, or carried away by ambition of prestige and success, and in our carrier pursuit have trampled others in order to arrive and remain on top. Other ways we are tempted are: to follow our instincts, selfishness, pride and presumption. As our weakness is so blatant, it should not be a surprise for us especially, when we reflect on the disorder we carry with us as a consequence of original sin. We are also to bear in mind that the devil is not an abstraction of the mind, but a reality, a personal being who wishes to drag us to himself, into the abyss of evil and destruction. Jesus, however, indicates to us the sure way not to succumb to devil’s insinuations. Underneath all the temptations of the devil was a distorted interpretation and application of the Sacred Scriptures. Jesus replied with precise and exact reference to the word of God, showing the expression of the will of God upon which he reposes all his confidence and to which he wishes to obey absolutely and fully.  We have, thus, an indication that is very precise. We are, hereby, solicited to listen assiduously to the word of God and to feed ourselves daily with it, especially during this time of Lent in order to unmask the traps of the evil one and to realize our life according to the will of God. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

5th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C

DOCTRINE AND FAITH 
(Isaiah 6,1-2.3-8; 1 Cor 15,1-11; Luke 5,1-11: )

    Let us put ourselves in the place of Peter and his companions, experts and experienced fishermen who have laboured all night in the lake of Gennesaret and was unable to catch even one fish. Then comes Jesus whose identity Peter and his companions do not yet know and who directs Peter: Put out into deep water and pay out your net for a catch. What would have been your reply, if you were in Peter’s shoes? Perhaps you would have courteously asked him whether he was trying to instruct you who have, at your finger tips, all the art of catching fish and who are very familiar with the nook and cranny of the lake. You would even tell him that he was qualified to teach the crowd about the salvation of their souls, but as far as fishing was concerned, you remain the expert. What is more, you would even point out to Jesus that it was not usual to catch fish at that time of the day. Actually, Peter, of the gospel narrative, tried to give a timid reply to Jesus’ directive when he said: Master, we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say, I will pay out the nets.  Then Peter cast the net into the lake. By his words and obedience Peter was actually saying: I trust you, I believe in your word blindly even when my experience would suggest otherwise. The gospel narrates further the reward of this marvellous act of faith and obedience: They netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear…they filled the two boats to sinking point. But the greater reward lies in Jesus’ call to Peter to become his disciple and apostle: Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch. Jesus also called Peter’s two companions, James and his brother John, who accepted the call with stupendous spontaneity and docility:Bringing their boat back to land, they left everything and followed him.

    Note that Peter and his companions neither looked for excuses, nor did they protest saying: How could we leave our work, families; who will be taking care of our dear ones? They could have presented all types of plausible and valid excuses to refuse and withdraw themselves from the call. But, they did not? Just as they followed Jesus’ command and put out their nets into the lake without much discussion, in the same manner without much consideration they followed him spontaneously.

    Today’s gospel teaches us two main lessons. The first is that we have to seriously believe the words of Jesus Christ and trust him completely.  Even when he demands some sacrifices that seem to contrast our human experience or vision, or the prevailing worldly opinion, what we need to say is: Jesus, I believe in your word.  At times it is very difficult to show this act of faith and trust, but sooner or later we will discover that Jesus never deceives and that he abundantly recompenses all our renouncements and sacrifices. The second lesson is that we have to (according to our state in life) feel that we are called not only to follow Christ (being his disciple) but also to be fishers of men. We need to get involved in the mission to make Jesus and the Gospel known. This call to mission is brought out well by the Evangelist John: I have chosen you from the world so that you will go and bear fruit that will last (John 15,16). Jesus has called us to this mission, right from the day of our baptism, confirmation and from the day he endowed us with the gift of faith and the Holy Spirit.

    The message of salvation we are to make known to people is not different from the content of the second reading of today, which St. Paul received from the apostles and transmitted it further to the Christians of Corinth. The message of salvation centres on the paschal mystery: Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose from the dead on the third day; he appeared to Peter and then to the Twelve Apostles and also to more than five hundred people and finally to Paul himself. To be able to transmit this message to others there are two indispensable dispositions that are required. The first is that one has to be free in the interior of his being, in his spirit, detached from the things of the world and not putting one’s confidence on human capacity or on himself. The second disposition is to trust in God’s help, the efficacy of his Word and the sustenance of his grace, just as Paul teaches again in the 2nd Reading of today. Paul contests that he should not be reckoned as an Apostle because he persecuted the Church. However, it is through the grace of God that he was what he was and that the grace of God was not a waste on him.
    In the gospel narrative of today, Peter, before becoming a fisher of men, first of all had personal encounter and experience of Jesus. It is a necessary requirement that whoever is called to be the messenger of the good news should be able to speak of his/her direct and personal experience of God and of the mystery of Christ. What is meant here is one’s personal experience with the crucified, dead and risen and now living Christ. Our contact with Christ and intimate relationship with him should be such that should make us affirm with Paul: It is not I who live but Christ lives in me (Gal 2,20). Only the person who has such experience can be convinced and be able to speak in a convincing manner. This experience we talk about is a gift of God, but we can obtain it through arduous prayer and constant duty of living a truly Christian life.  Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

 

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