6TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Year C, 2019

 May you, by the merits of this Eucharistic Celebration, experience Christ’s indwelling presence and peace, and may you radiate them in your attitude towards your neighbor. Happy Sunday +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Acts 15,1-2,22-29; Revelation 21, 1 0-14, 22-23; John 14:23-29: Year C, 2019)

The first reading takes up the issue of the serious dispute about the criteria for membership in the nascent church and the way the leaders of the church resolved it. Because the Jesus movement was originally seen as an internal Jewish renewal, the Jewish Christians continued to observe the religious practices of their former faith. There had always been Gentiles who were attracted to the fundamental integrity of the Jewish faith, such as the God-fearers (cf. Acts 13,16) and proselytes, or converts (Acts 13,43). Since there seemed to be no problem with their assuming the religious practices of Israel, most Jewish Christians expected Gentile converts to Christianity to do the same. Paul on the other hand allowed his Gentile converts to refrain from Jewish observance. It seems that some of the more reactionary Christians from Judea provoked dissension within the church in Antioch, insisting that circumcision was necessary for salvation. Not only were they challenging the faith in Jesus as the sole means of salvation, but they were also trying to import the male bias that membership through circumcision reinforced. The matter was publicly decided by the whole church and decision was officially communicated to the local churches in writing. The letter shows that the leadership of the church in Jerusalem believed that it was the vehicle of the Spirit by which they took the decision and that its decisions were one with the will of God. While the Gentiles were not required to be circumcised, they were bound by some prescriptions. Not only did this decree affirm the belief that salvation came only from Jesus and not in anyway through the law, it also opened membership wide for women, who, under the regulation of circumcision, belonged to the Jewish community only through the membership of their closest male relative. In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither male nor female.
The second reading deals on the vision of the Holy City Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God . Even  though the city is on a high mountain, the traditional site of the dwelling place of God, it is coming down from heaven, a sign of divine condescension. Coming from God, the city is radiant with his splendour. Two features of the city are given particular attention in this passage: the gates in its high walls and the foundation stones. Note is to be taken of the use of numbers in this vision as numbers  often have symbolic meaning. The meaning of the twelve tribes and twelve apostles has been variously interpreted. It is important to note that the latter does not replace the former. Each forms a very explicit part of the city. It is clear that the new Jerusalem is founded on the apostolic teaching, but the meaning of the role played by the tribes of Israel is not as evident. As the vision shows, there is no temple in the city; the temple was the usual place of encounter between God and man. However, Christian faith insists that the risen Christ is the place where God and human beings meet. Temple symbolism is thus fulfilled in God and the Lamb.Finally, the splendour of God gleamed through the city so completely that there was no need for light from the sun or moon. 

The gospel of this Sunday presents sacrificing love as one of its main themes. Jesus calls for a demanding kind of love, one that is as self-sacrificing as his. Only those who follow his example and obey his directives can be said to truly love, and those who love as Jesus did will in turn be loved by his Father. Such love is more than an emotional response. It is a state of being, a disposition within which one lives. The dwelling Jesus and his Father make with those who love like this is an abiding dwelling in contrast to a transitory state. Another important theme in the gospel passage is the issue of the sending of the Holy Spirit. Like Jesus, the Holy Spirit is sent by the Father, but the Spirit is sent in the name of Jesus, not in the name of the Father. The Spirit is not a substitute for Jesus but is an emissary, participating in the mission of Jesus by reminding the disciples the things Jesus taught them. To so remember is more than an intellectual act. It is a call to bear witness to the word of God. In this passage the coming of the Spirit appears to be distinct from the coming of Jesus and his Father to abide with the disciples. They come in order to abide in love; the Spirit comes to enlighten. Another important theme emanating from the gospel is the bequeathing of peace by Jesus. This is more than a wish, it is a blessing that includes all the benefits of the resurrection. His peace is utterly different from the peace of the world, the Pax Romana, which was won and preserved at the point of the sword. His peace is grounded in his relationship with his Father and his self-sacrificing love of the world. This peace is the legacy Jesus leaves with those who love him.
Every Sunday the risen Christ encounters us in a special way and  provokes in us items of reflection. Today he wishes us to turn our minds on the new city of God. This remarkable city is built on the foundation of the apostles, but on its gates are inscribed the names of the tribes of Israel. There is no substitution here, one group of believers replacing another. There is only inclusion. Even if the names and numbers are symbolic, they represent openness to all nations, races, peoples, and tongues. Such inclusiveness will be radically new for people who are accustomed to privilege or discrimination based on gender or race or social class. In the city of God there are no foreigners, no non-indigenes, no not-from-our tribe, no not-from-our-state, no not-from-our-part-of-the state, no un­documented immigrants. Whoever have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb are welcome in the city of God. In this city the indwelling of God will be so complete that there will be no need for a temple, a special meeting place for God and the people. The glory of God will be so encompassing that all other sources of light will vanish in its brilliance. The resurrection of Jesus has radically transformed the way we live together and the way we live with God. It has assured us that regardless of outward appearances we have even here and now a foretaste of this heavenly city, if we but choose to live in the power of the resurrection. The risen Christ gives us insight into the age long question: What must we do to be saved? The question put to Jesus centuries ago is still asked today, and the answer is still the same. We must believe and we must love God and love one another. This sounds so simple, and yet it is so radical. We will be recognised as resurrection people by our active faith and our unselfish love, not by an exterior mark, regardless of how sacred. Ceremonial marks too often identify some as belonging while excluding others. They separate men from women, the young from the old, one race from another. What once may have been essential for membership has now lost its meaning. However, all obligations are not put aside. Along with strong religious conviction, we must be willing to make compromises for the sake of others. As Pope John XXIII has taught us, let there be unity in what is necessary, freedom in what is doubtful, and charity in everything. This change in requirements for membership does not diminish the rigour of our religious obligations. Rather, it suggests that we may always have to reinterpret the law, for what is appropriate at one time and in one place may be inappropriate in another. Actually, the ability to discern God's will in new situations may be much more difficult than any consistent compliance to religious custom. With the early Christians, we will need the guidance of the Holy Spirit in this delicate process. This is why the departing Jesus assures us that the Spirit will come to us to teach us all things. The risen Lord does not allow us to go empty handed: He bequests us his peace. This cannot be a reference to safety from distress because the one who promises it is the one who faced humiliation and crucifixion. The peace Jesus bestows is a peace he has won by overcoming sin and death. While this peace probably does embrace human concord, it really encompasses salvation in the deepest sense. It issues from the union Jesus enjoys with God, a union we are now invited to share. It is a peace in which we can rest even while in the throes of life's struggles. Jesus bequeaths his peace to us just after he has assured us that God will send the Spirit to be with us in his absence. This is the greatest of his farewell gifts. May we, in today’s Eucharistic celebration, appreciate God’s indwelling presence in our lives, become aware of God’s loving, his invitation to sacrificial love, and his willingness to send us the Holy Spirit, as well as, bequeathing us his peace. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

 (graphics  by chukwubike)

5th Sunday of Easter,Year C, 2019

May God through today’s Eucharistic Celebration bestow on you the grace to realise that God is in yourmidst and that you as member of his church will mediate the presence of the Risen Christ in the ordinary circumstances of your life.Happy Sunday +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Acts 14, 21-27;  Revelation 21,1-5a; John 13:31-33a, 34-35: 5^th Sunday of Easter,Year C, 2019)

Paul and Barnabas’missionary journey is the subject matter of the first reading. A map of the ancient world will show the ambitious scope of their daring apostolic venture. The success of their preaching is evident. They made a considerable number of disciples in Derbe (v. 21). The purpose of their return to cities visited earlier (v. 21) was to strengthen the converts they had already made. Paul and Barnabas apostolic activities had not been without difficulties (cf. vv. 1-19). Hardship was  inescapable for any of them. In the cities they wererevisiting, the apostles established a kind of administrative structure like that found in the synagogues. The need for organisation is yet another evidence of the growth of the Church. They appointed elders who were probably entrusted with overseeing worship, discipline, instruction, and administration. The apostles were not independent missionaries. They had been sent forth by the Church in Antioch, and it was to that same Church they returnedto and reported what had been accomplished by God through them. It is important to note that the success of the mission is credited to God. Note how the final verse indicates that it was through Paul that the door of faith, an opportunity to believe in salvation through Jesus Christ, was opened for the Gentiles.

The vision reported in the gospel of this Sunday employs several images to characterise the new reality that will be brought forth in the age of fulfilment. While the passage begins and ends with the theme of newness, its chiastic structure suggests that the theme of God dwelling in the midst of his people is the dominant one. Every other theme serves this one.

The new heaven and new earth of the passage of the second reading will not be as a result of the transformation of the present heaven and earth but something entirely new in nature. First, the Greek word used (kainos) denotes new in nature as distinct from new in time (neos). Second, the disappearance of the sea is significant. At the consummation of the world, when the final battle is won by the forces of good, the sea, the symbol of chaos, will be no more. Something completely new will then be established. This understanding of newness is substantiated by the statement that there will be no more death. The new Jerusalem fulfils for the people of the new age what the former Jerusalem meant for the people of the past. It was a sacred place, the place where God dwelt in their midst in a special way (cf. lsa 65,17-20). Beyond its importance as a place, the name "Jerusalem" also stood for the People of God, whether they lived within the city or not. In this vision Jerusalem probably represents the redeemed in whose midst God dwells. To characterise the city as a bride signifies not only its state of pristine innocence but also the intimate relationship of love that exists between God and the people (cf. Isa 61,10; 62:5).

In the gospel reading, Judas’departure sets the machinery of Jesus' arrest, trial, and execution into motion. There is no going back now. The die is cast; the events of salvation are about to begin. The hour of eschatological fulfilment has come. While it looks like only suffering and death are on the horizon, this is in fact the moment of glorification. Lifted up in ignominy, Jesus will really be lifted up in glory, for surrender, death, resurrection, and exaltation are really all one event. The Son of Man is glorified both in his own willingness to obey God even unto death and in the fact that God will glorify him by making his sacrifice effective for the salvation of all. Glorification does not cancel suffering. Rather, it is precisely, at the moment of his being lifted up on the cross that Jesus will be lifted up in glory. Jesus' willingness to suffer also glorifies God, for it reveals the extent of Jesus' love for God and God's love for humankind. This mutual glorification flows from the intimate relationship that exists between God and the Son of Man. Addressing the remaining eleven apostles with the affectionate address of a teacher to students, my children he gave the commandment to love one another. The command to love was given long ago: Love your neighbor as yourself (Lev 19,18). This is a new commandment, new (kainos) in nature as distinct from new (neos) in time. What makes it significantly different here is the measure of such love. They are to love one another with the same self-sacrificing love Jesus has shown them. This kind of love will be the universal sign of discipleship of Jesus. It will establish a new kind of order. The disciples are to love one another as Jesus has loved them. His love is manifested in his willingness to sacrifice himself. His self-sacrifice is identical with his glorification. His glorification is also the glorification of God. In this way the love the followers of Jesus have for one an­other redounds to the glorification of God.

On account of God in-dwelling with his people, everything is new! There is a new law of love, a new heaven and earth that is established in the Church, a new depth of communion there, and a new glory of God that shines forth from its members. The new community Jesus formed, in addition to tolerance, mutual respect requires self-sacrificing love. Perhaps the greatest obstacle to this love is the failure to accept the diversity of members of our communities. What is more is that we allow sentiments of tribalism, racism, to take upper hand in our thoughts and behaviours. It is hard enough to love those who are like us; how can we possibly love those who are different? And how can we love those who do not love us? It is no wonder the commandment is called new (kainos). This is something completely different. The new commandment is the law of the new heaven and the new earth established in the Church. Standards are entirely different there. The greater ones serve; the meek possess the earth; happy are the poor; woe to those who laugh. In the new heaven and the new earth children are cherished rather than ignored, those who are disabled are cared for rather than discarded, women and men are equally respected, all nations and tongues are welcomed. This is clearly a city that comes down from heaven, not one made by human hands. It is a city that embraces all who come to it. It is a city well beloved by God. God dwells in the midst of this city, in the heart of this people. God dwells with them and they dwell with God. Because of this special indwelling they are God's special people, and God is their special God, a God who is with them and for them. Previously they were considered children of God, born of the love that is God. In that new city they are joined to God as a bride is joined to her groom, in a love that reproduces itself, thus creating new life. Because of this love disciples go out to proclaim the good news, and other communities of love are established. Communities that so bind themselves in love become the living sacrament of God's presence. Through this new love, this new heaven and new earth, this new depth of communion, the glory of God is manifested in a new way. The eschatological future is anticipated in the present. The age of fulfilment has dawned. Because the glory of God is manifested in and through us in a startling new way, it is not necessary for the risen Lord to be tangibly present to us anymore. From now on Christ will remain in the Church in an entirely new way through us as much as for us. May we, therefore,  in today’sEucharistic liturgy gain the grace to realise that God is in our midst and that we as members of his church will mediate the presence of the Risen Christ in the very ordinary circumstances of our life. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

3rd Sunday of Easter, Year C, 2019

 As you participate in today’s Eucharistic celebration, may the good Lord grant you the grace to bear witness to the resurrection of Christ through words and deeds in all the circumstances of your daily life. Happy Sunday  +John I. Okoye

 DOCTRINE AND FAITH(Acts 5,27-32, 40b-41; Revelation 5, 11-14; John 21,1-19: 3rd Sunday of Easter, Year C, 2019)

The court scene depicted in the first reading of this Sunday describes apostles who are courageous witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection and heralds to the world of this wondrous event. According to the high priest, the one who presides over this court, the apostles have been so successful that it was of great concern that the temper of the people may have changed and the ruling body might be blamed for Jesus' death. Peter, acting as spokesperson for the rest of the apostles, indicates that God has reversed the plans of those who put Jesus to death. They brought dishonour upon Jesus by crucifying him (cf. Deut 21,23: Cursed is the one who hangs on a tree), but God raised him from the dead and exalted him in a place of honour at His own right hand. Peter further suggests that this exalted Jesus is leader and saviour, two roles traditionally played by Moses. Finally, Peter maintains that the opportunities for repentance, or change of heart (metanoia), and forgiveness of sin, for which Israel awaits, will be granted through this once crucified now exalted Jesus. In the second place Peter points out the reversal accomplished by God. The one who will bring to fulfilment the eschatological hopes of Israel is the very one in whose name the apostles are forbidden to preach. Ordered once again to desist from their preaching, the apostles are set free. Their response is unusual. Rather than celebrating their dismissal, they rejoice in having suffered dishonour in Jesus' name. It is not that dishonour is something to be sought. Rather, in being witnesses to the marvelous deeds God accomplished in Jesus, and then being heralds of this good news, they now share in the dishonour Jesus suffered knowing that they will eventually share in his exaltation as well.The vision John describes in the second reading reveals the heavenly throne room, where angels, living creatures, and elders surround the throne of God in praise song. The song is a doxology in the form of an acclamation. The seven prerogatives listed (v. 12) reflect a kind of royal investiture. They will be conferred upon the Lamb, because the Lamb has been found worthy of them. Each' of these prerogatives belongs, by right, to God, but He bestows it on others (usually kings) to enable them to rule as He would rule. Although the focus is the investiture of the Lamb, the theology behind the vision is more, specifically, theological than christological. God is seated on the throne; the Lamb is not. Nor is the Lamb identified with God. Finally, any divine attribute the Lamb possesses has been given by God. Worship of and devotion to Christ must be understood in terms of his relationship with God. To this all cry out: "Amen!"The gospel reading appears to be a composite of distinct episodes that have been brought together and now appear as one. It begins with an account of a miraculous catch of fish into which is woven a second report, that of a meal on the shore (vv. 1-14). This is followed by an exchange between Jesus and Peter (vv. 15-19). The encounter of Jesus with the group of disciples begins and ends with the announcement that the risen Jesus revealed himself to his disciples (vv. I, 14). This tells us that even those who had been his intimate companions did not recognise the Lord in his risen state (v. 4). Here, recognition comes through Jesus' actions, not through his words. He directs them to cast the nets on the right side, the preferred side for right-handed people. Only after they pulled in the multitude of fish did the disciple whom Jesus loved identify the man on the shore: it is the Lord: When they had come safely to shore, the others also recognised him. Then they shared a meal prepared by Jesus. Finally, Jesus exchanges some words with Peter. During his passion, Peter denied him three times; three times he is called upon to declare his love. When he does, he is commissioned to assume the role of shepherd in Jesus’ place. He is now a shepherd who can show compassion to those who have failed. The passage ends with a prediction of Peter's future death. It could as well refer to the practice of binding the hands of the one to be crucified. Having been given the role of shepherd once held by Jesus, Peter is now told that he will suffer a fate similar to that which Jesus suffered.
The readings of today continue the theme of the manifestations of the risen Lord which began last week, but concentrated on the different ways the witness of the community of faith manifests the Lord. We see it in the apostolic witness of service in leadership, preaching and teaching, and in a life lived faithfully despite the high cost that such living might exact. The apostolic witness of leadership and service accomplished by the various ministries within the Church is an example of the living presence of Christ. While today's gospel singles out Peter as a leader within the community, in no way does this mean that such providential care for the Church, the flock of God, is the sole responsibility of authorised leaders. Rather, it is the responsibility of all the baptised. The flock of the Lord is under the care of the shepherding community. All are called to feed and tend the flock of God. However, some are given the added responsibility of overseeing this ministry. This is true of bishops, priests, and all pastoral ministers. In the world in which we live, a world of extensive dehumanising poverty, terrifying and continual violence, exploitation and criminal abuse of the defenceless, the Church is rightfully judged by the character and extent of the care it provides for the most vulnerable. Those called to this service, as Peter was called, should respond out of the same kind of humble love Peter did, for they should know it is only the saving power of God that enables them to persevere. Without it, they too might deny they even know Christ.The apostles have crossed a threshold and through their preaching and teaching have led others across as well. They moved from one understanding of God's presence and activity in the midst of the people to another. This new understanding had the death and resurrection of Jesus at its core. The light of the resurrection had illumined their former religious convictions and aspirations, and they were undeterred in their commitment to spread this good news, this new word, this transforming light. We are in a situation in the Church today that bears some resemblance to this earlier period. Our religious convictions and aspirations seem to be floundering, sometimes even languishing and seems to be moving to extinction. The rapid pace of social change has caused many to relinquish any sense of religious purpose. The number of people not raised properly and shallowly within our religious culture has increased sharply. There may be needed more today for effective preaching and enlightened teaching than in the recent past. There is a great need to re-examine our method of catechesis in respect to our Christians in the early stage of their lives and it is also now necessary to introduce on going catechesis for our so called adult Catholics. A martyr is a witness. The Greek word suggests that a martyr is not only one who dies for the faith but also one who lives it so completely that the person is willing to suffer any consequence, even death, in order to be faithful. In the first reading the apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin because they refused to desist from proclaiming the good news. They rejoiced that they have been found worthy of ill-treatment for the sake of the name of Jesus. In the second reading the Lamb who is exalted is the one who was slain. In fact, it is precisely in being slain that the Lamb is exalted. In the gospel Peter is told that, like his master, he will pay for his commitment with his life. This kind of steadfastness has always been a persuasive witness. The presence of the risen Lord is always loudly announced by the witness of those who persevere even unto death. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. We Nigerian Christians must ask ourselves this question: Do our days have its share of martyrs, brave women and men who are being silenced because they have cried out against injustice, war, poverty, corruption, discrimination etc . Do we stick out our necks and speak out in situations where things are going wrong and be ready to die and be brutalised for our witnessing.  Furthermore, we must honestly ask ourselves: What price are we willing to pay for our convictions and aspirations? Will the risen Lord be made manifest in our witness? Let us pray in today’s Eucharistic celebration for the graces to be veritable witnesses of the resurrection of Christ through our words and deeds in our families, homes, places of works, schools markets and in deed, in all the circumstances of our daily life. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye.

(Graphics  by Chukwubike)