2nd Sunday of Lent, 28th February 2021

May we have the graces to understand that Jesus whose future glorious resurrection was revealed at the transfiguration is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity forever and ever.

                     Happy Sunday!

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Genesis  22, 1-2.9a. 10-13. 15-18; Romans 8, 31b-34; Mark 9, 2-10: 2nd Sunday of Lent, 28th February 2021)

Today the liturgy prepares us for Jesus’ paschal mystery-two moments of his sacrifice and resurrection. The first two readings speak of the Abraham’s sacrifice and that of Christ.  The Gospel is about transfiguration, which shows us, in advance, Jesus’ glorification in the resurrection. The whole of Lent is a preparation for celebrating the paschal mystery of Jesus with favour. Let us then prepare ourselves to live this mystery not only in the mind, but also in our lives, just as Paul did, who said that his only purpose was to know Christ, the power of his resurrection, the participation in his sufferings (Phil 3,10). Christian life is this vital knowledge of Christ in his twofold mixture of suffering and glory.

The first reading relates to us the episode in which God puts Abraham to the test. The story insists on the sacrifice of the patriarch. We could think that the principal character of this episode is Isaac, who is offered to God; in reality the story highlights, above all, the figure of Abraham, who must take his son, his favourite son, and go and offer him as a holocaust. It is a test desired by God, to deepen His relationship with Abraham. For the Jews, sacrifice is not a negative reality but a positive one, because it makes one united with God. Therefore, they explained that Isaac felt honoured to be the victim of a sacrifice. Today we no longer understand this positive aspect of sacrifice, but we are invited to rediscover it. With limitless generosity, Abraham prepares to offer his beloved son to God, so that God may, mysteriously, unite him to himself. But the moment he takes the knife to immolate his son, the angel of the Lord stops him, saying. Abraham, Abraham! Don't stretch out your hand against the boy and don't hurt him! God's intention is not to let Isaac die, not even in the positive perspective of uniting him to himself. The angel acknowledges that Abraham did not hesitate to sacrifice his own son: Now I know that you fear God and you have not refused me your son, your only son. God will then take up these same words in an oracle: Because you did this and you did not refuse me your son, your only son, I will bless you with every blessing.  Abraham's sacrifice, which in reality was not completed, is the source of an immense blessing. God says to him: I will multiply your descendants, like the stars of the sky and like the sand that is on the shore of the sea [...]. All the nations of the earth will be blessed for your descendants. In this way the fruitfulness of the sacrifice is revealed.

In the second reading, Paul shows that God himself made a sacrifice: he did not spare his own Son. The Apostle makes a comparison with Abraham, who did not spare his son. We are not used to considering Christ's death as a painful sacrifice for God the Father. Rather, there is also this aspect in it:  in the sacrifice of Christ, the infinite generosity of the Father is revealed. Jesus sacrificed himself, adhering, completely, to this generosity of the Father. The first concrete action of this aspect of his sacrifice is that God gave his Son for us. John affirms: God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes [...] may have eternal life (Jn 3,16). God’s extraordinary generosity arouses Paul’s admiration and, unlimited trust, because, if God did not spare his own Son but gave him for all of us, how will he not give us everything together with him? All the other gifts that God gives us are much less important than the gift of his Son. The sacrifice of Jesus arouses immense trust in us. Paul asks himself: Who will accuse the elect of God? It is unthinkable that God's elect can be accused by any accuser. If God himself has chosen them, they are safe from any accusation and any condemnation. The Apostle asks again: When God acquits, could any one condemn? And he replies: Not even Christ for, Christ Jesus, who is actually risen, stands at the right hand of God and intercedes for us? Thus, the first two readings today show us the positive aspect of Jesus' sacrifice.

The Gospel tells us about the Transfiguration episode, an episode that has an evident relationship with the glorification of Jesus. It is an anticipated glorification: Jesus manifests himself in his glory even before the sacrifice; God proclaims him his beloved Son and invites the disciples to listen to him. Jesus takes with him the three privileged apostles - Peter, James and John - to prepare them for his passion, which he has recently announced. At the moment of the announcement, Peter was unable to understand this mystery and was decisively opposed to it. Now Jesus takes these three apostles with him, to prepare them to overcome the scandal of the cross, showing them his glory in advance. The transfiguration illumines Jesus before his passion. Thus, it allows us to enter the mystery of the passion in a positive way, without being upset. Passion is a mystery of suffering, but it is also the blessed passion, as it is said in the Roman canon after the consecration. Passion is blessed, because it is a mystery of extraordinary love on the part of Christ. The transfiguration also helps to interpret the resurrection of Jesus better. If before the passion there had not been the transfiguration with the declaration by God: This is my beloved Son, the resurrection and the paschal mystery of Jesus would not have been easily understood in all their depth. In fact, in order to understand them, it is necessary to know in advance that the one who suffered and glorified is not just a man, but the Son of God, who got ready to save us. Thus, the light of the transfiguration illumines, not only the passion of Jesus, but also his resurrection. Thanks to this episode, for through it we know that the resurrection of Jesus is not a glorification that comes in an unexpected way and that puts a man in a close relationship, yes, but not truly extraordinary with God; we instead know that in the resurrection the Son of God obtains the glory that he already possessed before the foundation of the world (cf. John 17,5). In the resurrection, the man Jesus reveals himself as the true Son of God. He is not a man who has been adopted by God, as some heretics claimed, but he is, truly, the Son of the eternal God. His glory is filial glory in the most absolute fullness. So, we are not surprised that in his Second Letter Peter insists so much on the transfiguration, because, it is through it that we are introduced into the profound knowledge of the paschal mystery of Jesus: he who suffers is the Son of God; he who is glorified is the Son of God. Jesus was the Son of God even before receiving all his filial glory in his humanity through this mystery of extreme love which is his passion. We thank the Lord for the gift of the transfiguration, which helps us to contemplate him in his glory. It is of great importance for us to reflect on this event. Many saints have been attracted to this mystery. Even the Greek Church, in her icons, has a special cult for it. Therefore, transfiguration is a luminous mystery, which is of great help to our faith. +John I. Okoye

(graphics by Charles O Chukwubike)

1 Sunday of Lent, February 21, 2021

    Lenten Season is the period we prepare for the great feast of Easter. May the good Lord grant us all the necessary graces to prepare for a fruitful celebration of Easter. May we also allow ourselves to be remoulded and refashioned by God through genuine conversion and by following faithfully his directives in this Lenten Season.

                                 Happy Sunday!

  

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Genesis 9,8-15; 1 Peter 3,18-22; Mark 1,12-15: 1 Sunday of Lent, February  21, 2021)

On this first Sunday of Lent the readings speak of temptation, conversion, the Good News and baptism. The first reading tells us about God's promise and covenant after the flood, therefore, the good news that comes after an immense disaster. In the second reading, Peter speaks of Jesus who, after his death, goes to preach to the spirits, and remembers the days of Noah, that is, the flood and salvation, thereby noting that they were like figures that announced Christian baptism, in which there are conversion and salvation. Today's Gospel is short, but very dense, and recalls the themes of temptation, conversion and the Good News.

Jesus remained in the desert forty days, tempted by satan. Mark does not tell us about the temptations of Jesus, but only tells us that he was tempted. Driven by the Holy Spirit, Jesus goes into the desert to prepare himself for his ministry. He does not need conversion, but, as a man, he needs intense preparation for a ministry of decisive importance. It is a preparation for a spiritual battle against the forces of evil. Every great mission requires a preparation of this type. It is not possible to carry out an important mission without adequate spiritual preparation.

For us, Lent is a time of spiritual preparation for our mission. We must - and the Church insists that we- personally face the forces of evil in prayer, with the help of God, in order to be strengthened by God's grace and become capable of facing these same forces in our world, and daily life. In fact, these forces of evil are active in our existence, as well as in the world around us, where there are still so many wars, violence and injustices. Jesus submits to this need. The Letter to the Hebrews says that in order to become a merciful high priest, [Jesus] had to make himself like his brothers in all things (Hebrew 2,17) and, in particular, he had to face temptations and overcome them. Mark tells us that in the desert Jesus is with the beasts and, on the other hand, is served by angels. In Jesus’ spiritual battle God is close to him and sends his angels to help him.

Immediately after the temptations, Jesus begins to preach the Gospel of God or the Good News (Gospel is a Greek word meaning Good News), which requires conversion and faith from man. He announces: The time is complete and the kingdom of God is near then he appeals: Get converted and believe this Good News. We always need conversion and faith in our life; the Church makes us pray for a continuous conversion. This means that we are never sufficiently orientated towards God and that we must always address ourselves  towards him. Conversion consists of leaving all secondary things and orienting ourselves with decision and love towards God, trusting in his goodness and in his plan of love for us. Only the kingdom of God can give us true happiness; we cannot look for it elsewhere. The kingdom of God is the fulfilment of all our deepest aspirations. It is, at the same time, man's salvation and God's glory. We must with joy listen attentively to Jesus’ call to convert and believe in the Gospel. We must begin the journey of Lent with commitment, and always welcome the grace of God better, who wants to transform the world into a kingdom of justice, peace and love. God's plan, which manifested itself in the Old Testament with the flood and salvation of Noah, his family and all living beings, consists of eliminating evil from the world and allowing man to live a good and beautiful life. For this reason, the story of the flood ends with a marvellous promise that God makes to every man and every living thing (birds, beasts, and all the animals that are in the ark): I establish my covenant with you: No living thing will ever be destroyed by the waters of the flood, nor will the flood devastate the earth any more. The flood happened once, to eliminate evil from the world, but now God affirms that there will no longer be a second flood, because we are in a time of salvation. God’s sign of this intention to offer the earth, men and all nature his covenant and peace is the rainbow. The Lord says: When the clouds gather on the earth and the arch appear on the clouds, I will remember my covenant. The clouds will no longer be recognised as a threat of a flood, but only as God’s instrument to make the earth fruitful.

In the second reading, Peter teaches us that this extraordinary event of salvation after the flood was a prefiguration of the Christian salvation that is implemented in baptism. The passage begins in a rather obscure way: it speaks of a journey of the dead Christ to the underworld. With his crucifixion, Jesus died from the bodily point of view, but he is alive from the spiritual point of view, indeed fully alive, precisely, by his death. And with this spiritual life he descends into hell, as we say in the Creed. I am also announcing salvation to the spirits who were waiting in prison, and especially, to those people who were incredulous  at the time of Noah (probably the term spirits designates here, as in other passages of the New Testament, the souls of the dead). Christ demonstrates his victory over the forces of evil with his descent into hell. Obviously, the term hell here is not intended as hell, but designates the sojourn of the dead, according to the Old Testament concept. The Jews spoke of sheol, the Greeks of Hades; but everyone was convinced that after death the soul of man went to an underground, mysterious region, where life was no longer a human life, but a kind of shadowy existence. Christ also brings salvation to this living room of the dead. The most important affirmation of this passage from Peter is that the flood and Noah's salvation serve as a prefiguration of Christian baptism. Baptism is not removal of body dirt; it has the appearance of an ablution, but in reality, it is a sacrament. The external ablution then becomes a sign of an interior transformation, which means salvation. Baptism, as Peter says, is invocation of salvation addressed to God [...] by virtue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It requires conversion and faith: Get converted and believe! - and it brings salvation. We should feel intimate joy for haven received the baptism that truly put us in communion with the risen Christ and, through him, with God. We have been radically liberated from evil. However, this does not mean that every temptation has now become impossible for us. We are still in trial time, a time in which we have to fight to keep the white garment we received at baptism immaculate and which symbolises the interior purity obtained in it. Therefore, we are in a time when continuous conversion is needed. We are truly saved, in the sense that our souls have been purified and the Holy Spirit has come within us to communicate a new life to us: a life of union with Christ and God, a life lived in the new covenant, which is much more beautiful than the alliance promised to Noah and his descendants. In this Lent we must live life of acknowledging God, because everything is his gift; with great loyalty to his Word; and with an insistent prayer, as Jesus did in the desert. We must therefore, live with the desire to fully welcome the love that comes from God and wants to transform our life and the whole world. +John I. Okoye

 (graphics  by Charles O Chukwubike)

6th Sunday of Year B, 14th February, 2021

May God in today's Eucharistic celebration, purify us from the leprosy of sin so that we may be fully united with him.

Happy Sunday!

 

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Lev 13, 1-2.45-46; 1 Cor. 10,31-11,1; Mark 1,40-45; 6th Sunday of Year B, 14th February, 2021)

This Sunday's Gospel tells us about the purification of a leper. It is prepared from the first reading, which speaks of lepers according to the Old Testament. The second reading has only an indirect relationship with the Gospel, in that it invites us to do everything for the glory of God, just as Jesus did everything, and performed this purification, for the glory of God.

We must first note an inaccuracy in many English versions of the Bible in using the word cure or heal to represent the Greek word katharisai in the Gospel passage of today. The translations present the term healing three times: the leper begs Jesus, saying: If you want, you can heal me; Jesus replies: I want it, get well; Immediately the leprosy disappeared and he recovered. In reality, the original text does not speak of healing, but of purification. Leprosy was considered an impurity, rather than a disease, which made it even more serious. In this episode the leper begs Jesus to purify him, and Jesus purifies him.

The first reading shows us how leprosy was considered in the Old Testament. The book of Leviticus dedicates two long chapters to it (cf., Lev 13-14). The first concerns the diagnosis of this disease. It is the priest who must make the diagnosis, precisely, because leprosy is considered an impurity, which results in the separation of the leper from the community. The leper is isolated, because contact with him propagates the impurity, thus making other people unable to participate in the cult. This segregation constitutes a very painful fact for lepers. In Leviticus, priests receive, very precise, instructions to check if there is sore, tumour or pustule (a small pimple or blister on the skin containing pus) that are signs of leprosy. If they are, the leper is removed from the community. Leviticus says: The leper affected by leprosy will wear torn garments and his head uncovered, he will cover his beard and will go shouting: Unclean! Unclean! He will be unclean as long as he has the wound/sore; and as unclean, he stays alone, and dwells outside the camp. The condition of the leper is truly painful, because he is struck by God and separated from all humans. This fact is more painful for him than the disease itself. In fact, a physical illness arouses people’s passion, who come to console and help him the sick. Usually, illness is not an occasion for segregation. On the other hand, leprosy is, because it is considered an impurity from the religious point of view. For this reason, the leper of the Gospel does not ask Jesus for healing, but for purification. Jesus grants it to him, and then says to him: Go, present yourself to the priest, and offer for your purification what Moses has ordered, as a testimony for them. In the book of Leviticus, the chapter dedicated to the diagnosis of the various possible cases of leprosy or a similar disease is followed by the chapter concerning the case of purification. When leper was cured - or better, purified -they must present themselves to the priest, who has the task of verifying that the leprosy has really disappeared. In this circumstance the leper must offer sacrifices, called sacrifices for the purification of leprosy.

In the Gospel, Jesus feels compassion for the leper as the leper approached him. We can easily understand this, because the condition of the leper is a painful condition, which arouses pity. Jesus’ heart is full of compassion towards this leper. What does Jesus do then? He stretches out his hands, touches him and tells him: I want it, be purified! The most striking thing is that Jesus touches the leper, because this is absolutely forbidden by law. Touching a leper means being infected from the religious point of view, that is, becoming impure.

Jesus touches the leper, and in this case the influence does not go from the leper to him to communicate the infection to him, but from him to communicate the purification. Jesus’ purity proves to be contagious in a very positive way: contact with him purifies the leper. Instead of being infected by the impurity of the leper, he communicates his purity to him. May we then admire both the compassion and the audacity of Jesus, who is not concerned with contagion, but concerned with communicating purity and health.

In the Church leprosy is, traditionally, presented as an image of sin. Today it is no longer thought that it can be a cause of impurity, no disease is a consequence of impurity. Illness is only a physical fact, which is not linked to a person's religious situation. In fact, in this case, a person can be even more united with God, because illness brings precious graces with it. But it is also true that sin is a true leprosy: it is what makes us unclean before God. Therefore, we need to be cleansed. Then we too can and must address the invocation addressed to the Lord by the drunkard: If you will, you can purify me. And in the sacrament of reconciliation, the Lord tells us: I want it, be purified! Thus, the leprosy of sin disappears, and we are fully readmitted into the Christian community, we return to participate in the relationship with God, in communion with the Holy Spirit and in the love of the Lord. In this Gospel passage, we can also see how Jesus does not seek to advertise himself, but intends to act with great discretion. He doesn't do miracles to be loved; on the contrary, he wants us not to talk about it; therefore, he says to the cured leper: Be careful not to tell anyone anything, but go, introduce yourself to the priest, to fulfil the law, as every good Jew does. However, the leper is so happy with his purification that he cannot help but divulge the fact. This made it impossible for Jesus to enter the city publicly, he then secluded himself in a deserted place.

In the second reading, Paul invites us to imitate Christ. He tells this to us in an indirect form, as he affirms: Be my imitators as I am imitator of Christ. We are called to imitate Christ. Therefore, we must always be full of compassion towards all those who suffer, and also towards sinners, who are separated from the Christian community on account of their fault and no longer have a positive relationship with God and the community. We must be imitators of Christ, in order to maintain communion and positive relationship with God and with our brothers and sisters. We are called to imitate Christ. Therefore, we must do everything for the glory of God, as Jesus did. On the other hand, we must strive to please everyone in everything, without seeking personal profit, but that of many, as Paul did. We are always in the evangelical perspective of the twofold dimension of love: love for God - doing everything for the glory of God - and love for others, in union with God. In the episode of the purification of the leper, Jesus gives us the example, and we, with his grace, can and must imitate him. Thus, his kingdom will be able to extend, and all people will be able to become more like brothers and sisters, full of peace and joy. +John I. Okoye

(graphics by Charles O  Chukwubike)

5th Sunday of the Year B:7th February 2021

                              (DOCTRINE AND FAITH)

Job 7,1-4.6-7; 1 Cor. 9, 16-19.22-23; Mark 1,29-39: 5th Sunday of the Year B:7th February 2021)

On this Sunday, the first reading expresses a suffering man’s lamentations; Jesus in the Gospel comes to meet people who suffer; Paul in the second reading shows us how he imitates Jesus, making himself everything to everyone.

The first reading is taken from the book of Job and full of sadness. Job observes that man’s stay, on earth is a hard job. He likens it to a slave who sighs for the shadow, and to a mercenary who waits for wages. He is assigned months of illusion and nights of pain. When he lies down, he thinks: When will I get up?; then, when he gets up, endless tribulations and afflictions await him. He says to God: Remember that a breath is my life: my eye will never see the good again. 

In the Gospel, however, we see Jesus coming to meet people who suffer. Here the perspective is no longer negative: all the people who suffer can know that Jesus is with them, that with his compassion he wants to help them in their suffering. Jesus neither shrinks from any effort, nor difficulty, in order to console the afflicted, help the sick, and relieve everyone. Mark tells us about the first miracle performed by Jesus, when he goes to the house of Simon and Andrew, the first two apostles. Simon's mother-in-law is in bed with a fever, and Jesus simply approaches her, lifts her up, taking her by the hand and heals her. The woman was healed and she was able to serve the guests at once. When this becomes known, many who were sick and those possessed by unclean spirits were brought to Jesus. With a certain exaggeration, the evangelist says that the whole city is gathered in front of the door. Jesus with a tireless dedication puts himself at the service of all those who were sick and possessed.  heals many who were afflicted with various diseases and casts out many demons. But he does not allow the latter to speak, because they knew him. Jesus does not want to, immediately, manifest his dignity as Son of God and Messiah; he wants to carry out his ministry in humility, without seeking human success and approbation. The Gospel tells us that after this tiring day - the fatigue continues even during the night - Jesus gets up early in the morning, when it is still dark, and goes to a deserted place to pray. Jesus is a model for us. In any circumstance he finds time to pray. Prayer is a need of his heart. Jesus wants to be in contact with the Father; therefore, he seeks solitude, whenever it is possible for him, to invoke God, dialogue with him, and in this manner manifests his filial life with the Father. In the morning, Simon Peter, not seeing Jesus at home, starts looking for him and, when he finds him, he tells him: Everyone is looking for you! But Jesus, instead of returning to Peter, says: Let us go elsewhere for the neighbouring villages, so that I may also preach there; for this, in fact, is the reason for which I have come! Here is manifested the zeal of Jesus; his ministry is very different from that of John the Baptist. The latter had gone into the desert, to lead a hermit's life, and people came to him. He welcomed them and preached baptism for conversion. In the case of the Baptist, it was the people who came to him, while he remained in a place. In Jesus’ case, however, the opposite is the case, it is he who moves, goes from one country to another, and preaches everywhere. In all of the Old Testament, we do not find a similar example in the inspired men of God. This fact is truly characteristic of Jesus. We can think of his tireless activities: it is he who reaches out to people where they are, without waiting for them to come to him. He came (the Gospel says literally: he went out) to fulfil this mission. Thus, he demonstrates the ardor of his charity: he wants to fulfil his mission of proclaiming the kingdom of God, offering all men light and strength, meeting the suffering and welcoming even sinners. In the parable of the prodigal son, the father awaits the return of the son, he does not go out looking for him (cf., Luke 15, 11-32). Instead, in his concrete life, Jesus goes in search of people, like the shepherd who goes in search of the lost sheep (cf., Luke 15, 3-7; Matt 18, 12-14). We can admire this attitude of his, which manifests such a great strength of love. The Son of God came to earth, he made, so to speak, a great journey to look for us. This journey of his corresponds to the mission he received from the Father and fulfilled with his death and resurrection.

 The second reading makes us understand that we Christians must not only be the beneficiaries of Jesus’ goodness, we must not receive it only passively, but must take an example from him to go out to meet people who suffer, and help those in difficulty. Paul presents himself to us as a model. He imitated Jesus, and went everywhere to preach the gospel; indeed, he traveled much longer than Jesus. On the other hand, Jesus himself had predicted: Even whoever believes in me will do the works that I do and will do greater ones [because I will be glorified, and I will help him] (John 14,12). Paul, therefore, exclaims: Woe to me if I don't preach the Gospel! And he explains that he intends to preach the Gospel with an attitude of gratuitousness. Charity always presents an aspect of gratuitousness: it does not seek its own interest, but wants to spend itself generously for others. For Paul, preaching the gospel is a commission he has been given. How will he fulfil it? He will preach the Gospel for free, to have true merit before God. If for instance, he preached the Gospel by taking advantage of all the rights that come with it, then he would not show that he has generous charity. 

The Apostle affirms: Although I am free from all, I have made myself the servant of all in order to gain the greatest number. I have made myself weak with the weak, to gain the weak; I have been everything to everyone, to save someone at some cost. Paul does all of this for the gospel. Thus, he truly becomes a participant in Jesus’ evangelising ministry, stays with Jesus, to bring the Good News of God's love that comes to transform the world to everyone. He announces the Gospel not only in words, but also with his generous behaviour. Every Christian must imitate Jesus. He must not limit himself to benefiting from the grace he receives from him, but with him he must bring this grace to other people. He must then ask himself which people around him need his help most, which people he can make happy, enlighten not only with words, but also, and above all, with his behaviour. In this way he imitates Jesus, as he is presented to us in the Gospel. +John I. Okoye

 (graphics  by Chukwubike OC)