Solemnity of Christ the King: Year A Nov. 26, 2017

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Ezek 34,11-12.15-17; 1 Cor 15,20-26.28; Matt 25,31-46: Solemnity of Christ the King: Year A 2017)

Today, the universal Church celebrates the solemnity of Christ the King. The liturgy of today presents as the theme of our meditation, the image of God as the Good Shepherd. Further reflection will make us see Jesus as a shepherd-king and judge-king. He affirms: I am the Good Shepherd and in the gospel today, he sits in judgement to judge all people. The metaphor Good Shepherd aptly characterises both God’s concern and God’s personal intervention in shepherding his flock, the people of Israel. The first reading describes how God fulfils the role of shepherd primarily, in two ways by caring for the sheep and by separating the good from the bad. God’s first words are self-proclamation: I will tend my sheep. There is no intermediary here; God is immediately involved. Since the flock is described as scattered, he will carefully look for  the sheep, implying that they must first be found before they can be cared for. Once the scattered sheep have been rescued and brought together the attentive shepherd feeds the flock and provides them with the security and rest they need. He appears to be particularly interested in the most vulnerable sheep of the flock, those that were lost or strayed and, those that are injured or sick. Even though, the sheep was formerly neglected, now the sheep is under the supervision of the owner, who is a good shepherd.

The image of God as the Shepherd is taken up by the responsorial Psalm. In order to fulfil this role well, God as the shepherd will discharge the following responsibilities: to find pasture that will provide enough grazing and abundant water for the flock, to lead them without allowing any of the sheep to stray and be lost, to guard them from predators and dangers of any kind, and to attend to their every need. The personal dimension of the psalm shifts the care given to the entire flock to concern for one individual, making God’s care a very intimate matter. Not only are the physical needs of the psalmist satisfied, but the soul, the very life force of the person, is renewed. The guidance of the shepherd is more than provident, it is moral as well. The psalmist is led in the paths of righteousness and this is done for the sake of the Lord’s name. This righteousness, because it stems from the covenant kindness (hesed), is enduring and not a passing sentiment. In addition, the Lord spreads a banquet in honour of the psalmist where even his foes are entertained. This feast, not only provides nourishment but is also a public witness to God’s high regard for the psalmist who will continue to enjoy God’s favour in God’s house.

The metaphor of the Good Shepherd elaborated above from the first reading and the responsorial psalm fits the garb of Jesus Christ, who in the gospel of John, affirmed: I am the good shepherd (Chapter 10 of the gospel of John). His coming into the world was to continue shepherding the people of God for whose sake he died on the cross. He put into practice what he enunciated in John 10,11:  The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. Jesus is, therefore, the shepherd-king who is victorious over death which is the last of the enemies to be conquered as today’s second reading puts it: The last  enemy to be conquered is death. The victory over death is realised by his resurrection by which Christ is the first fruit of all those who rise from the death. As the first-fruit of the dead, the risen Christ is the most forceful expression of life after death, and his resurrection contains the promise of resurrection for all who are joined to him. Christ is not king unto himself. His earthly life was a submission to God and when all things must have come under him as the king of the universe, he himself will still submit himself to God who put every thing under him. Christ does not desire the kingship for himself but for the glory and honour of the Father. He was not covetous for kingly power but had only desired to offer his life and make love take root in people’s heart for the glory of God, the Father. 

Christ is a king who came into the world to inaugurate  the kingdom or reign of God with his blood. Even though this kingdom has its roots in  the election of Israel as the people and flock of God, the kingdom Christ founded was an inclusive kingdom. Its embrace is as comprehensive as God’s embrace. Criteria for membership are not merely based on obedience  to the commandments or on conformity to ritual obligation, but also on the covenantal bonds that unite us to one another. These are bonds of love and concern, bonds that reach deep into the human heart. The gospel story lays bare the genuineness of such concern. Assistance is given whenever and wherever there is need. It is given on ordinary acts: in giving food and drink, shelter and clothing, spending time with someone who might be lonely or afraid, hospitalised or imprisoned, in thanking people for their services, in greeting and cheering up one who is depressed, in showing kindness to beggars and street children and nowadays street men and women, etc. The kingdom of God is established, brick by brick, through these simple acts of kindness. If this is the kingdom we establish during our lifetime, this will be the kingdom into which we shall be welcomed at its end.

What we do for others we do for Christ because Christ is identified with those in need. We seldom see the face of the glorified Christ in the faces of the needy. We often make the mistake of picking and choosing those whom we help, those who fit into the standards we have set. The rest we consider the refuse of the earth, the unavoidable flotsam (people or things that have been rejected or discarded as worthless) of life’s misfortune.   These are precisely the ones with whom Christ is identified. He looks out to us through their eyes. It is his hands that reaches out for assistance. He is the one who tests our patience and generosity. It is through them that we enter the kingdom of God which Christ came to establish and whose eternal king he is.

 In the end, Christ will have conquered all. Having entered into the frailty of human nature, having identified himself with the needy of the world, having handed himself over to death and having risen from the dead, Christ would have conquered all. It is a curious kingdom he has won. It is not a kingdom of the strong but of the weak. Hence he has turned the standards of the world upside down. He has shown that it does not take strength to ignore or to exploit the needy, but it does take strength to overcome our own selfishness in order to serve them. The kingdom Christ hands over to God is a kingdom of love and care. The one in whose hands the kingdom resides and who will act as judge, is characterised as a shepherd. These readings which contain hard themes such a Christ’s death and punishment in eternal fires, depict God as a tender and loving shepherd. The shepherd does not punish those who are lost but instead seeks them and lovingly carries them to safety. Jesus who is our king and judge, is the shepherd who has given himself for his sheep.   Therefore in this Eucharistic celebration let us ask God for the grace, like Christ, to be ready always to show love and kindness to our neighbours. Happy Solemnity of Christ, the King! Happy Sunday. +John I. Okoye

33rd Sunday of Year A, November 19, 2017

May you in this Sunday Eucharistic celebration, be filled with God's graces that will enable you discover, develop and make fruitful the talents God has adorned you with. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Proverbs 31, 10-13. 19-20. 30-31; 1 Thess. 5, 1-6; Matt 14-15. 19-21: 33rd Sunday of Year A, November 19, 2017)

In the parable of the ten virgins the previous Sunday, we were instructed to be prepared as we wait for the return of the Lord. In today's liturgy, the theme of the return of the Lord comes up again. In this Sunday, we are encouraged to be prepared while waiting for Lord by making the talents God has given us fruitful through industry and hard work.  The parable narrative speaks of a man who, before he set out on a journey, entrusted some talents to his servants. He gave five talents to one, two to the other and one to the third, according to their capabilities. When the man finally returned from his journey, he settled account with his servants. The first two showed that during his absence they have been very industrious, doubling the amount entrusted to them. On the other hand, the servant who received one talent, made a hole on the ground and hid the talent of the master tried to justify his lack of industry by stating that he was intimidated by the demanding character of the master. In response to this attempt of self-justification, the master turns the excuse against the unproductive servant. He told him that the realisation of the character of the master should have spurred him on to do something with the money, at least depositing it with bankers to attract some interest. This parable throws light on the meaning of preparedness in waiting for the Lord's coming. It is not a disposition of passive waiting or non engagement because of fear of possible error. Rather, the preparedness rewarded here stems from the realisation that one is a steward of the goods of another, and knowing the disposition of that other, one seeks to maximise the potential of the goods.

As human beings, especially Christians and more especially as Catholics, we have been entrusted with talents, talents that really belong to God. These talents given to us include natural gifts like life, intelligence, wealth, good health, various capabilities and supernatural gifts like faith, hope, love, graces etc. The time of waiting is a period of opportunity, of active engagement, and creative growth. As we wait for the Lord's return, we are required to use these talents to the best of our abilities. We are required to invest ourselves in the here and now. It makes no difference what our talents may be or how many talents we have.  They have been entrusted to us as the possession of the master are entrusted to his servants. The ideal Wisdom figure, the woman of valour, of the first reading is an example of industriousness. She has a broad scope of interests and responsibilities, and faithfully pursues every one of them. She exemplifies the virtues needed in a self-sufficient household, particularly industry, versatility, trustworthiness, constancy, generosity and general goodness. Her worth is not principally in her productivity but in the fact that the fear of Lord governs her life. As we know, it is the fear of the Lord that is the basis of wisdom (Prov 1,7). It is correct to say that the woman is the model not primarily of the good wife but of the wise person. She is virtuous and successful because she possesses the wisdom that flows from the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord that drives her life is not servile; it enriches her, leads her to Wisdom, unlike the fear that seemed to immobilise the third servant in the gospel narrative. It is her commitment to God that results in her resourcefulness.

Apart from the lesson of watching actively for the Lord's return by a life of industry, the parable of today's gospel reading also teaches that we should have good and positive idea or image of God. In the parable, the master who entrusted the talents to the servants represents God of whom the third servant had wrong image. We should not follow the third servant to think that God is a bad master, or someone hard and sever who seeks to have people land in trouble in order to punish them. If we have a wrong image of God, our life will not be fruitful as we would be living in fear and would not be able to achieve anything positive. We need to examine the image of God we have. God manifests himself, especially in the Gospel, and even earlier in the Old Testament, as a God of generosity, rich in mercy and a loving Father. Christ insists in demonstrating that God is not a severe master, but a loving and benevolent Father. That is why we should place an extraordinary confidence in him. There is no doubt that as a father he has some demanding expectations from us. A father would normally have bold and ambitious plans for the children as he would not want their lives to be wasted and unsuccessful. Likewise God has ambitious plans for us. He expects much from us and he is ready to help us realise them. He is not a terrible judge who looks out for faults to punish but a loving father who is always ready to welcome the children even when they have made mistakes and is ready to give another opportunity for the children to sail through. Therefore, we need to have the correct image of God and also a profound love for the Father. We should do so in union with Jesus, his Son who manifested great love for the Father and who reposed great confidence in him.

The liturgy of today speaks of the invitation to be vigilant which the parable of today's gospel somehow reminds us of. The Lord will come for the rendering of accounts. We do not know the time, but he will surely come and he may come unannounced. Paul says in today's second reading: "As you know very well, the day of the Lord, could come like a thief in the night". The day of the Lord will not come to us unprepared if we have been wise and have industriously employed the Lord's talent that were entrusted to us. What is more, we shall all be richly rewarded, if we did so. But if we have not realised the potential that is possessed by our talents, and if we have not employed them in the way they were intended to be employed, we will be punished. If the later is the situation, if we have not faithfully engaged the talents, we will not be able to blame the Lord for the suffering we have to endure. We would have brought the misfortune on ourselves. The foolish man in the gospel knew that the master was exacting. He had some idea of what to expect. He made his choice and he had to accept the consequences of that choice. May we therefore in the Eucharistic celebration of this Sunday ask from God the graces to discover the talents he has bestowed on us and the special graces to make them fruitful. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

(graphics  by chukwubike)

32nd Sunday of Year A, November 12, 2017

May the good Lord grant you the divine wisdom to be properly prepared always as you keep vigil awaiting his return. Happy Sunday! +John Okoye

Doctrine And Faith

(Wisdom 6, 13-17; 1 Thess. 4, 13-18; Matt 25, 1-13: 32nd Sunday of Year A, November 12, 2017)

The first reading of today's liturgy is taken from the book of Wisdom. The book of Wisdom is one of the five books that make up  the part of the Old Testament known as the Wisdom Literature [Proverbs, Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes), Job, Ben Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) and Book of Wisdom]. Every culture has some type of wisdom or the other. In Igbo culture and society, we have the popular wisdom in form of proverbs, riddles and wise sayings. Proverbs are the encapsulating of insights gleaned from reflection of life experiences. To aid memory, such sentences are adorned with assonance, alliteration and rhymes. By using the lessons of such insights from the tradition of the society, one is often equipped to surmount problems that challenge him/her at a particular time of his/her life. The other type of wisdom, which is also found in Igbo culture is the search for the purpose of life on earth; or why does death cut off life; why should human being not live forever on this earth; or why should there be much suffering in the world; or why should the innocent suffer. Some of the folklores in the culture attempt giving answers to questions like these. The Igbos along with other peoples of other cultures who search for meaning and understanding realise, however, that human wisdom cannot plumb the depth of reality. The deepest question of life do not seem to be satisfied with answers derived from experience. Still, the order discerned in life and nature suggests that there is meaning and purpose behind or within everything. This meaning or purpose is considered a form of divine wisdom. In the tradition of Israel, this Wisdom is personified as a woman. (Personification is to predicate the attributes of a person to non-living things or abstracts). Wisdom in this feminine personification has not divine characteristic, but she is very close to it (c.f Wisdom 7, 25-26). It is this wisdom that the author of the book of Wisdom, known as Pseudo Solomon, applauds in the first reading of this Sunday. In this passage there is claim that Wisdom is perceived by those who love her and found by those who search for her. Actually, the love of Wisdom (philo-sophia) and the search for Wisdom are evidence that one is already wise. The search at dawn shows that the desire for wisdom is uppermost in the mind of the wise.  The search for wisdom is paradoxical. Human beings are always in search of Wisdom because they think she is out of their reach. And yet Wisdom is always available to them, waiting for and, calling to them. Although she permeates all reality she resides at its deepest level, so only those who venture into the deepest realms of experience will find her. However, those who find Wisdom find peace and security, meaning and fulfilment. And once she has been found, one will be able to see her every way.

Wisdom was created by God and poured into creation. Therefore, to find or acquire Wisdom has to be done in reference to God. That is why the statement, “The fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom” runs as a refrain through almost all the wisdom books. It is also to be noted that Ben Sira eventually identified Wisdom as Torah (chapter 24). This has the implication that just as Torah (the Law: Pentateuch) was a pointer or shield showing how to also  encounter God, true search of Wisdom leads one to also encounter God. We eventually note that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity and the Word Incarnate was the full-fledged Wisdom of God.

Jesus as the Wisdom of God was able to give answers to questions about life which human wisdom could not give. He not only declared that he was the Resurrection and Life, but he also destroyed death by his resurrection. By that he showed that the purpose of life was to live with God for ever. Human beings can participate in this eternal life through union with Jesus Christ by virtue of baptism. This is Paul’s argument in today's second reading from his letter to the Thessalonians. He holds that Jesus died and rose from the dead, and thus conquering the control death initially had over him. Next, through the victory of Jesus those joined to him are also delivered from the power of death, for neither life nor death can separate them from the love of Christ (cf. Rom 8, 38-39). Finally at the end of time, all believers will be decisively joined with the Lord. The Thessalonians will be comforted to know that the Christians who have already died would be the first in procession to rise and meet the Lord. In this brief passage to the Thessalonians, Paul assures us that Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again and all the faithful will be joined with him. How it will happen we do not know. When it will happen, we do not know. That it will happen, we are sure.

If Paul’s exposition makes it so clear to us, we have to prepare for this important day by taking inspiration from the parable of the ten virgins as is narrated today in the gospel reading. Jesus' last exhortation is simple but strong: Be alert! You do not know when the end will come. Jesus admonishes vigilance. But the vigilance is to be enhanced and determined by preparedness. Note that in the parable there is no difference in status among the virgins. They all came with torches, and all fell asleep as the night drew on. The difference was in their preparedness. Half of them had made provision for the possibly delay of the bridegroom, the other half had not. It was their responsibility to be ready at any moment. Note also that the wise ones were not chided for not being generous with their oil. This aspect of the story suggests that what is required for entrance into the banquet cannot be loaned or given by another. It must be procured by oneself. The trust of the parable is caution to be vigilant and to be prepared for Jesus is coming at any time as he will come into every life and at the time we least expect it. We are, therefore,  to be ready, even while we sleep. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

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31st Sunday of Year A, November 5, 2017

May the good Lord during this Sunday's Eucharistic celebration bestow on you the graces that will enable you radiate missionary tenderness and love among the people whom you will encounter this week. Happy Sunday! 

+ John Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Malachi 1,14-2.8-10; 1 Thess. 2,7-9,13; Matt 23,1-12: 31st Sunday of Year A, November 5, 2017)

The first reading from the Prophet Malachi as well as the gospel reading criticises the manner the priests of the Old Testament in the time of Malachi and religious leaders (the Scribes and Pharisees) of Jesus’ time exercised their leadership. The second reading from the letter of Paul to the Thessalonians brings out positively the tender pastoral charity of Paul that is manifest in the brief pericope that was proclaimed to us.

There was no doubt, according to prophet Malachi, that the priests of the Old Testament were entrusted with the sacred duty of enhancing the glory of God. They had  the divine mandate of teaching the Torah / Law of God to the people. But they were not faithful to the mission. Instead of working for the glory of God, they were busy pursuing selfish interests. The priests, by their call, were also channels of divine blessings for themselves and the people of Israel. The blessings helped the people of God to find adequate ways to confront the difficulties of life; they also assured prosperity, fecundity and happiness. But unfortunately the priests were not able to communicate the blessings to the people, because they failed to cultivate good relationship with God. Moreover, the blessings started turning into curses. God had to rebuke the priests for swerving from the just path and becoming stumbling blocks with their teaching. Instead of teaching the people the Torah/Law (directives that lead them into good relationship with God) of God they priests were rather peddling information that enhanced their ego.  What the passage of the prophet Malachi teaches in effect is that those who have religious responsibility should be very faithful to their mission, conscious of their duties and avoid seeking the adulation of people or going after selfish interests.

In the Gospel reading, addressing the crowds and his disciples, Jesus issued scathing denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees. While Jesus recognises the authenticity of their office as the successors of Moses in teaching authority, he criticised them for the disparity that exists between what they teach and how they live. The disparity was evidenced of the duplicity of their lives. He counsels his hearers: Listen to them but do not follow their examples. Jesus’ criticism focuses on two Pharisaic practices. The first is their casuistic method of interpreting the Law. It was their devotion to the Law that prompted the Pharisees to develop the vast array of detailed minor rules, refereed to as the hedge around the Law meant to ensure obedience to the commandments. This collection, the number of which eventually reached 613, came to be a  very heavy burden for the people to carry and the Scribes and Pharisees did nothing to alleviate this onus. The second feature for which they were criticised was the love for praise. Devout men scrupulously adhered to the admonition to bind the Scriptures on the heads and foreheads (Deut. 6,8). This led to the practice of placing scriptural passages in small leader boxes called phylacteries and binding them on their foreheads and upper left arm. They also exaggerated in their use of tassels. In addition to this outward display, they sought other ways to be treated with deference and enjoy privileges. At banquets they coveted  the places of honoured guests who flanked the hosts, the most honoured hosts sitting at right and the second most honoured at the left. In the synagogues the Pharisees sat in the front benches, which were the most important seats and the Scribes and Pharisees loved ostentatious greetings. Jesus declared that such pomposity should have no place among his followers. His is to be a community of equals, and so his followers must shun titles that implied status. They are not to be called Rabbi which means my great ones because there is only one great rabbi and they are equal disciples of that teachers. Jesus also indicates also that his community  is to consider no one their master, the great guiding mind of the community; they have one master and that is Christ.

While the first and gospel readings comment negatively on the activities of the religious leaders of their times, the perspective of the second reading is quite the opposite as it brings out the pastoral charity of  the missionaries, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy. The reading shows the deep affection with which the missionaries held their converts. Paul uses the metaphor of a nursing mother to represent their sentiments. He speaks first of  gentleness. This calls to mind the tenderness with which the mother holds the suckling child to her breasts, a gesture that is both calming and reassuring. With a comparable love, the missionaries embraced the Thessalonians, holding them tensely and protectively. Born anew in Christ, the coverts were indeed infants in the faith, and needed care and tender sheltering. The metaphor suggests that the missionaries’ love preceded the Thessalonians’ acceptance of the faith, it was not a reward for it. The image of a nursing mother also effectively characterises the apostolic self-giving of which Paul speaks. The woman’s love for her child prompts her to give to that child both what she has and literally what she is. The child was first fashioned of her very substance and is now nourished from her body. Analogously, the missionaries have wholeheartedly shared the gospel with the Christians and have magnanimously given their very selves  to them as well.

There is yet another example of the Missionaries’ pastoral charity. Caring for the physical needs and the traveling of preachers seemed to have been the custom of the day (cf Luke 10,7). Thus Paul and his companions would have been within the right circumstances to expect such hospitality from there converts.  However, they chose to forgo their prerogative. They worked at their respective trades (cf Acts 18,3), earning their own upkeep, being a financial burden to no one. They proclaimed the gospel as they saw fit, asking for nothing in return. 

Today’s readings offer us much to learn about our roles as baptised Christians. Listening to the readings one may say that they do not concern us as most of us are not religious leaders. In the first reading the priests of the Old Testament were the targets  of prophetic rebuke and in the gospel reading the Scribes and Pharisees were the objects of criticism. Yes, applying the readings concretely to our contemporary situation, the religious leaders of our time, members of the ordained clergy should take time to reflect on the readings and see how they readings could engender positive transformation in their pastoral life and ministry. Just as the members of the clergy have responsibility in the Church, so do all baptised Christians. We all share in the responsibility of building up and transforming the church of God  and the Christian community we live in. The readings of today will be a good help in this wise, they talk to us as heads of our families, parents of families, leaders of various segments, association and organisation in the church, as chairpersons or in any other capacity or position of leadership where we have opportunity to do good, perform something better or improve on things. What do we do in this situation? Do we waste the opportunity searching for personal interests and praise? No, it should not be. The call is more on working on ourselves to make sure that the rebuke meted out to the priests of the Old Testament by prophet Malachi and the criticism of the lifestyle of the Scribes and Pharisee will never be our portion. Our aim, therefore, should rather be how to become not only channels of God’s blessings to other people but also how to become missionaries like Paul and his companions whose ministry was compared to the tenderness of a nursing mother in the metaphor and image in today’s second reading. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

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