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)

6th Sunday of Year C, 2019

During the Eucharistic Celebration of this Sunday, may you be enriched with unflinching faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, which would yield in your life the fruit of a new and transformed life. 

Happy Sunday +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Jeremiah 17, 5-8; 1 Co 6th Sunday of Year C, 2019)

    The first reading is a prophetic oracle that contains both a curse and a blessing, the kind of statement generally associated with the Wisdom tradition. Two individuals are contrasted, each representing a distinct attitude toward life. The first one trusts in human beings and finds strength there. The second trusts in and lives by the power of God. The contrast drawn between these two is striking. All the imagery used to characterize the one who turns away from the Lord depicts barrenness and desolation. He settles in a land too salty to sustain life. Unfortunately, this desolation is not a temporary situation that eventually will be remedied. There is no change of season here, no change of heart. On the other hand, the one who trusts in the Lord is firmly planted near water, the source of life. This one is not spared the hardship of heat, but because the source of life is so near and because its roots have forged their way underground to that source, the drought that often accompanies heat is not a serious threat. The one who trusts in the Lord is described as secure and productive. As a description of these two contrasting life situations, the passage functions as an exhortation to the hearers to choose the way that guarantees security and productivity. As a prophetic proclamation it explains the reason for the fate of each so each can decide upon which path of life to take in the future. 
    In the second reading for last Sunday, Paul proclaimed and interpreted the good news of Christ's resurrection. In today's second reading he defends belief in the resurrection against those who do not believe in the resurrection of the body. Paul’s position can be seen as follows: If Christ did not rise, then he is still dead; if he is dead, then he has not conquered sin and death; if he has not conquered sin, then believers are unforgiven and still in their sins; if he has not conquered death, then those who have died in Christ have really perished. Paul ends this instruction with a declaration of faith, using an image from harvesting. As certain as the first fruits are a promise of the quality of the coming harvest, so surely does the resurrection of Christ guarantee the resurrection of believers. As their resurrection is dependent on his, so their resurrection demonstrates the fruitfulness of his. 
    In the Sermon on the Plain delivered to his disciples in the presence of some crowd, Jesus addresses his disciples with both macarisms (blessings) and woes. The teaching is based on a practice associated with the Wisdom tradition. Certain behavior results in blessedness; misfortune is brought on by its opposite. There is a perfect balance in the message of Jesus' sermon. He first singles out four situations in life that, he claims, make people blessed. He then identifies their opposites and declares them as being woeful. What is startling about Jesus' teaching is the reversal he proclaims. The blessed are those who are poor, who are hungry, who weep, who are persecuted, while the woeful ones are the rich, the satisfied, the joyful, the respected. Jesus has overturned the standards of this age and established new standards, those of the reign of God. While there is definitely a religious meaning to these beatitudes and woes, they should not be merely spiritualized. We must appreciate their literal meaning as well as their religious implications. The poor (ptochoi)were the economically impoverished and marginalized. They were frequently reduced to begging and were almost totally dependent upon the generosity of others for sustenance. While anyone can suffer an economic setback, the existence of a social class of poor is evidence that the community as a whole had not taken seriously its covenant responsibility to care for the needy. When this happened, God sided with the poor and acted as their protector. This first beatitude announces that, unfairly deprived now, these poor will enjoy the reign of God. Conversely, the rich who did not address the needs of the poor will not enjoy the consolation of the reign of God. They have had their solace already. Those who are hungry now will be satisfied, and those who are satisfied now will be hungry. Those who weep now will laugh; those who laugh now will weep. The reign of God will turn standards upside down. Perhaps the heart of this teaching is found in the last beatitude and the last woe. It is not just poverty or hunger or mourning that determines one's reward but the commitment to the Son of Man that may have caused the misfortune in the first place or that survived despite it. The followers of Jesus will be hated and marginalized and scorned because they are his followers. When this happens, they will be like the prophets, who, because of their call for repentance and renewal, were rejected by the ancestors. Conversely, the disciples of Jesus should be wary when they are accepted and esteemed in this world. This could mean that, like the false prophets of old, they enjoy approval because they deliver a message that unfaithful or disengaged people want to hear, a message that contains no call to conversion. The reign of God has turned the standards of the world upside down. 

    We who were called last week to witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus are instructed this week as to the meaning of that death and resurrection and the implications of this mystery in our lives. The death of Christ, which at first seemed like a curse, has been conquered in the resurrection of Christ. The curse has become the blessing. Paul teaches us that united to Christ through faith and in baptism, we are united in his death and resurrection. With Christ we die to sin; with him we rise to a new life. Once again the ambiguities of human life may cloud our understanding of this mystery. We may be inclined to live our lives as if nothing transformative has occurred. It would be tragic if this were to happen. Our lives would be empty, our faith would be vain, and we would be people to be pitied. On the other hand, there is a way in which we can live ourselves into a new way of understanding. This can happen when actions performed in deep faith change the way we perceive the workings of God in our lives. If we live those lives as if we have really died to sin and have been raised to a new and transformed life, we may not only begin to believe we actually have died and been raised, but our lives will manifest the fact of this mystery. We cannot wait to see proof of our transformation before we change our actions. The proof is in the lives we live in faith. To deny that we have died and been raised is to deny the resurrection of Christ. Paul insists that they cannot be separated. The challenge is to live in and out of this faith.  Both Jeremiah and Jesus introduce us to such a way of living. It is a way of paradox, a way that moves us beyond the self-centered standards of the world. In the everyday give-and-take of living, the implications of faith work them­selves out in blessing if we are faithful, in curse if we are not. The Wisdom form, which both men use, suggests that their teaching springs from the way life itself has been fashioned. In other words, the consequences of our behavior are not arbitrary; they flow directly from the behavior itself. However, dying with Christ and rising with him transport us into a new mode of being with consequences that are paradoxical. We are called to trust in God and the ways of God, which we cannot always see or understand, rather than in what is human, which we can grasp. Dying and rising turns the standards of living upside down. In the world sketched in these readings the poor, the hungry, those who weep, and those who are persecuted are really the ones who are blessed. The victims of our social and economic and political systems, those who have been ravaged by war or have been made vulnerable by life itself are the ones who, if they place their trust in God, will be blessed in the end. They may appear to be the outcasts of this world, but if they are filled with faith, they will inherit heaven. The wealth of this world and its pleasures are not the blessings we might think they are. They can blind us to the real values of life and prevent us from dying to the world and living resurrected lives in Christ. It is neither poverty nor wealth that promises blessing or curse but commitment to Christ despite the poverty or wealth. Therein lies the paradox. The life of the tree is subject to the water that nourishes it; the life of the Christian feeds on faith in the death and resurrection of Christ. May Christ in today’s Eucharistic Celebration endow us with profound and committed faith in his death and resurrection, Amen! Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

(graphics  by charles OC)

5th Sunday of Year C, 2019

May the Lord give you the grace to respond to your call to witness to the death and resurrection of Christ in the ordinariness of your life, family, and in carrying out your civic responsibility, especially in the upcoming elections.Happy Sunday +John I. Okoye

Doctrine and Faith

(Isaiah 6, 1- 2a, 3-8; 1 Corinthians 15,1-11; Luke 5,1-11: 5th Sunday of Year C, 2019)The reading from the prophet Isaiah is an autobiographical report of a visionary experience he had during a liturgical celebration held in the Temple. The God of Israel is depicted as supreme among all other gods, since only the mightiest would be sitting on the throne of heaven. The glory of God fills the entire earth and overflows into the Temple like the train of a royal robe. Seraphim, supernatural beings are stationed in homage. The very name is associated with burning flames, hence it is fitting that one of them should participate in the purification of the prophet. The threefold acclamation of praise, Holy, Holy, Holy, is a way of expressing superlative. There is no god as holy as the God of Israel. God is extolled as Lord of hosts, a reference to armies or military regiments. The heavenly hosts were those supernatural beings that first fought on the side of the deity and, once the battle was won, surrounded the divine throne as guards. The contrast between God’s holiness and Isaiah's uncleanness causes him to cry out in despair. It is not by accident that it is his lips rather than his eyes or his hands that are cleansed. He will, after all, proclaim the word of the LORD. Now purified, he is ready to offer himself for that ministry. This visionary experience of Isaiah both purified him and invited him into a life of service of God, an invitation he accepted with enthusiasm. This last verse shows that Isaiah was not, merely, a passive observer of the vision. In the end, he was an eager participant.

This second reading contains one of the earliest creedal statements. The proclamation that Christ died is itself a statement of faith, for it identifies the historical Jesus as the Messiah, the anointed one of God. Added to this is the declaration that his death was substitutional expiation; he died for our sins. Finally, his death was in fulfilment of the Scriptures. Thus the creed of the Christian community is rooted in Israel’s tradition. The creedal statement maintains that Jesus was raised by the power of God, that he did not raise himself. This happened on the third day, in accordance with the Scriptures. No one saw him rise; they experienced him as risen. He appeared, not merely seen by others, but manifested himself; the initiative was his. In a sense, it is the appearances that witness to the truth of the community's faith claims. He appeared to several groups of people and lastly to Paul who likened himself to an aborted fetus, one that was rejected from the womb and not ripe enough for a normal birth. Though once a persecutor, by the grace of God, he now toils harder than all the others. 
The scene of today’s gospel story is Gennesaret. It is the fertile, heavily populated area at the northwestern corner of the lake known as the Sea of Galilee. In the gospel reading for this Sunday the name of this district is ascribed to the lake. In his first encounter with Jesus Simon first calls Jesus Master (epistates, a word that is probably an equivalent to "rabbi". Simon uses this title after Jesus has taught the crowd on the shore from Simon's own boat. Later, Simon, the experienced fisherman, follows Jesus' directive and is astounded by the yield of fish it brings. This causes him to prostrate himself before Jesus and to address him as Lord (kyrios), a title that combines the elements of power and authority. Simon and those who are with him have a theophanic experience, a recognition of the divine power at work in and through Jesus. They are filled with astonishment or fear, to which Jesus responds in a characteristic manner: Do not be afraid (cf. Luke 1,13,30; 2,10). Usually when there is such an experience that fills the recipient with fear, the words of assurance are followed by some kind of commission. This suggests the commission is the point of importance, and that is the case here. Jesus does not provide these fishermen a remarkable catch merely to cancel the frustration they experienced in an unsuccessful night of fishing. The miracle became an acted-out prophecy revealing both his own mysterious authority and the ministry to which they are being called. Jesus declares that a turning point in their lives has been reached. The commission states: From now on. . .! Those who have made a living by catching fish are told that now they will cast a different net, one that will catch women and men. Jesus their Lord gathered crowds around him-men, women, and children who came to be captivated by his powerful words. From now on, if they will but follow the directives he gives them, regardless of how they might initially question them, they too will gather in hearers beyond number. The verb for catching (zogreo) is in the continuous tense, indicating a habitual practice. The astonishment of the fishermen turns to commitment. They leave everything-the incredible catch, their business (they were partners), the stability of their homes, families, and neighbourhoods and they followed him (akoloutheo suggests spiritual allegiance or discipleship). 
The first and the gospel readings for this Sunday are call narratives; the epistle contains a statement of the faith that undergirds our response to our call. The call described today is more than a summons to faith; it is a call to ministry. Isaiah is called in order to be sent; the fishermen are called in order to gather others to Jesus. So it is with us. Our call is not merely to a life of personal holiness lived in union with God. As important as this might be, we are called by God to be sent out to the world. Our covenant with God is not a private affair; it is a communal reality. We belong to the People of God; we are members of the body of Christ. The faith has been handed to us, and we in turn hand it on to others. As life transforming as this call may be, it comes to us in the ordinariness of life. It may come to us in our place of worship if we minister in the Temple as Isaiah did. It will usually come to us as we wash our nets or our dishes, as we teach or raise children, as we prepare a brief for trial or examine a patient; as we repair cars or work at the computer or as we collect our PVC (permanent voters card) and listen to politicians campaining. The call of God comes to us in the ordinariness of life. This may sound scandalous precisely because of its ordinariness. However, God calls wherever the people are to be found, and if that means during the plowing, that is where the call of God will be heard. On the other hand, such a view sanctifies what might otherwise be deemed merely ordinary. The incarnation means that God took on human flesh and blood, human existence, human experience. The incarnation implies that God uses ordinary people, places, and things to reveal the extraordinariness of God. When we realize this we too will be able to cry out: It is the Lord! Our first and most fundamental service is to witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus. He died, he rose, and he lives on. This is the message that must be announced. This is the gist of Paul's instruction to the Corinthian community. It is the basis of all other ministries. We are called to proclaim the message of the resurrection by every means possible. Some, like Isaiah and the disciples of Jesus, will witness in open and dramatic ways. They will teach and preach;  nurse the sick and care for the elderly. Others will witness in less conspicuous ways. They will insist on fair practices in their own workplaces; they will weed out expressions of prejudice and violence so that a new and just world can be fashioned for themselves and their children. So that, in the ordinariness of their lives, they will witness to the death and resurrection in that very ordinariness, thus transforming everything into extraordinariness. Happy Sunday ws

4th Sunday of the Year, Year C

May agape (love), the choicest gift of the Holy Spirit be yours this Sunday and all through your life. Happy Sunday +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Jeremiah 1,4-5, 17-19; 1 Cor 12,31-13,3; Luke 4,21-30: 4th Sunday of the Year, Year C)

The first reading is the call narrative of prophet Jeremiahwhich indicates his destiny even before he was born. For the exercise of his ministry, Jeremiah is told to get ready for some ordeal, and the ordeal is the proclamation of the word of the Lord. It is not going to be an easy task. The Lord tells Jeremiah not to fear and then explains why there will be no need for fear. God will fortify the prophet as one would fortify a city. Jeremiah's assailants will be the very people to whom he is sent to prophesy. They will not be merely unresponsive, they will vigorously fight Jeremiah. That is why he must prepare himself for battle. The passage ends with words of encouragement. His adversaries will not prevail against the prophet, because the Lord will be with him. With the strength that God will give him, he will be able to endure.

Paul's praise of love (agape) in the second reading is one of the best-known biblical passages. This is not only the greatest of all spiritual gifts, but it is one all can possess. In last Sunday's reading Paul spoke of the importance of several functions within the community. In this Sunday's reading he dismisses them as empty if they do not issue from love. He seems to order the gifts from the least important to the self-sacrificing service of others. As beneficial as tongues and prophecy and wisdom and knowledge and faith and generosity and even martyrdom may be, without love they are nothing. It is not that these gifts or functions are without value. It is, rather, that their value is transitory. It is only love that will never cease to be. Paul personifies rather than describes love, and he does it in both positive and negative fashion. By stating what love is not, Paul is also suggesting what his hearers or readers really are: jealous, pompous, rude, quick-tempered. By indicating what love is, he is intimating that his hearers or readers could be patient, kind, and forbearing. While on the one hand, to love like this may appear an almost impossible task, on the other hand, we must remember that such love is a gift from God. 

In the gospel reading, the Scripture to which Jesus refers in this reading is a passage from Isaiah read as part of last Sunday's gospel (cf Isa 61,1-2). It announced the eschatological age of fulfilment. It provides a glimpse into the kind of Messiah Jesus will be, namely one who will refashion society for the sake of the oppressed. The response of those in the synagogue who heard Jesus is curious. At first they speak highly of him and are amazed at his words, but later in the episode they drive him out of the city to the brow of a hill to hurl him down. Some interpreters say their initial acceptance was superficial. Others believe they turned against him because of the proverb he quoted. The people of Nazareth may have wanted Jesus to perform in their midst wonders like those they heard he had done elsewhere. The proverb would then mean: Perform miracles of healing at home. Jesus seems to have understood it this way, for he goes on to show that the people at home have no advantage over those who belong somewhere else. The woman in the Elijah story (cf 1 Kings 17,1-16) and the leper in the Elisha narrative (2 Kgs 5, 1-14) were both Gentiles. Jesus has taken his examples of universalism to the extreme. The people of Nazareth may have envied other Jewish cities that had benefited from Jesus' power when they themselves had not, but Jesus suggests that God even goes beyond the confines of Israel into the territory of the Gentiles. Like the woman of Zarephath, Gentiles are open to the prophets of God; as with the Syrian leper, the healing power of God reaches out to them. This is what filled the people in the synagogue with fury. To think that the prophetic promise of fulfilment or the saving power of God would be extended to the Gentiles was, in their estimation, pure blasphemy. In indignation they rose up against Jesus. This response gives us a second insight into the kind of Messiah Jesus will be. Not only will he fulfil the role of the prophet who announces the advent of the age of fulfilment, but he will also be rejected, as were the other prophets. Jesus is not accepted by his people because he preaches that he has come not merely for them but for any who will open themselves to his teaching. In fact, the point he makes in each of his examples is not that the Gentiles will join the Jews in their experience of God's goodness but that this goodness comes to the Gentiles instead of the Jews. They are bypassed. This is a bitter message for a chosen people to hear, and they respond with fury. 

This Sunday could be considered a continuation of our reflection on the major themes of last Sunday. Last week's gospel stopped short with Jesus' interpretation of the prophetic passage read during the synagogue service. Looking only at the themes of last week, we considered the possibility of a positive reaction to the word of God proclaimed. This week we see the shocking reaction of those who heard Jesus' words, and we realize the complexity of any response. In our moments of fervor we might wholeheartedly answer yes to the word of God, but in reality that yes is seldom uncomplicated. Even those who heard Jesus were first amazed at his words and then later sought to throw him off a cliff. They turned too quickly from their initial appreciation of him. A similarly complex situation existed in the life of Jeremiah. He was told of the great honour that was his as a prophet of God, called even before he was born. Yet he would have to fight against the people to whom he would be sent, the entire people of Judah-political rulers, priests, and people. The very people one would think should welcome his ministry are the ones who fight against him. Jeremiah is told that in the face of their resistance and their active opposition he will be preserved by God. God's ways are sometimes as complex as our responses to them. As important as keen insight, total commitment, and courage are the greatest response to the challenge presented us by the word of God is love. Despite the struggles that accompany its proclamation, despite the misunderstanding it might cause, the word of God cannot be silenced. Neither Jeremiah nor Jesus recoiled from the implications of their call, regardless of the resistance they experienced. Instead, they entered even more deeply into the call to love. Lest he brood over his injuries, Jeremiah is reassured of God's protection. And, without aggressively demonstrating his strength when he was threatened with harm, Jesus exhibited patience and kindness. Both men bore and endured their bitter misfortunes. This is the image placed before us as an example for us to follow. The call to discipleship is a call to live in the eschatological age inaugurated by Jesus. In its own way it is to that reality Jeremiah was called; it is to that same reality we are all called; finally, it is this age of fulfilment that Jesus manifests in his power and glory. Returning again to the themes of last Sunday, we can say with certainty that God calls us to a new way of living. We may be dismayed under the suffering it could cause us, but we will not be left alone in our distress. As God was with Jeremiah, so we can depend upon God to be with us in our need. We must remember that however we do react, our response must be born out of love. May God in the Eucharistic Celebration of this Sunday bestow us with love, the most important of the theological virtues! Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

(Pictures by Chukwubike OC)