4th Sunday of Easter, Year B, April 25, 2021

May God bestow us in this Eucharistic celebration, the graces to be loyal to Christ the good Shepherd, to listen and to follow his inspirations. May he also through our relationship with him enable us to sacrifice ourselves for our needy brothers just as Christ the good Shepherd did.

Happy Sunday!

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Acts 4, 8-12; 1 John 3,1-2; John 10, 11-18: 4th Sunday of Easter, Year B, April 25, 2021)

On this Sunday the readings again speak of the resurrection, the paschal mystery of Jesus and its consequences for us. The first reading is the beginning of the discourse of Peter after the healing of the cripple. The leaders of the people and the elders asked him to account for the miracle that has taken place, because they saw some diabolical influence in it. For Peter, this is the occasion to bear witness to the resurrection of Jesus. The second reading speaks of our divine sonship. It reveals the great love that the Father has for us to be called children of God, and the hope we have in Jesus a vision full of God and perfect joy. The Gospel is that of the Good Shepherd. Jesus alludes to his paschal mystery when he says that the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Between the shepherd and the sheep there is a deep and very strong mutual relationship: I am the good shepherd - says Jesus -, I know my sheep and my sheep know me. This reciprocal relationship is a participation in the reciprocal relationship that exists between Jesus and the Father: I know my sheep, says Jesus - and my sheep know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father. Jesus’ relationship with us is as an extension of his life in the Holy Trinity. Due to this deep, personal, loving relationship, the good shepherd offers his life for his sheep. He does not act like the mercenary, who does not have a deep relationship with the sheep. In fact, the sheep do not belong to the hireling; he sees in them only the profit that he can draw and when he sees the wolf coming, he does not face it, but flees and abandons the sheep; then the wolf can kidnap and disperse them. With this comparison, Jesus wants us to understand that all his generosity is founded on love. As a good shepherd, he loves his own and the time may, eventually, come when to give one's life for them. This corresponds to the saving will of the Father. Jesus says: For this the Father loves me: because I offer my life. But then he adds: And then,  will take it back again. The two aspects of the paschal mystery are expressed: the first is that of offering life and accepting death; the second is to resume life and overcoming death. The Greek verb Jesus here does not, properly, mean to offer, but to lay down. This makes us think of the gesture that Jesus made at the Last Supper when he washed the feet of the apostles. On that occasion he laid off (cf. John 13, 4) his garment as Lord and Teacher, to become the servant of his disciples; then he took up his garment again (cf. John 13,12). In this way Jesus refers to his paschal mystery: the radical renunciation that he made of the honour to which he was entitled, is expressed with the image of taking off his garment; the resurrection is expressed with the image of taking back the garment. All this makes us think of the paschal mystery as a voluntary humiliation, a voluntary acceptance of suffering, but with a positive purpose: it is not a question of accepting suffering and death as such, but of transforming them in a positive way for means of love, so that they produce a fruit of new life. The resurrection is the new life that Jesus obtained through his passion. He has obtained it for us, and it is bestowed on us through baptism, which makes us children of God. As he faces his mystery of death and resurrection, Jesus is aware that he is fulfilling the will of the Father, a will full of love for us. Therefore, John can say in the second reading: See what great love the Father gave us to be called children of God, and we really are! Through Jesus’ paschal mystery, we receive new life, the life of the children of God. Through the passion and resurrection of Jesus our life is transformed in a very positive way. We must rejoice and be grateful of the extraordinary goodness we have received of being children of God. Even if it does not yet appear fully and we are still in the time of trial, and suffering, we must, therefore live in faith, we know by faith that we are already children of God and that, when Jesus appears, we will be similar to him because we will see him as he is and [that is, in his glory].

In the first reading we can see the singular transformation that took place in Peter after the resurrection of Jesus and the Pentecost. During the passion he had denied his Lord and Master three times: a word of a servant was enough to make him lose all courage and push him to deny Jesus. Peter had a generous temperament, but he had put himself in a situation that had caused his weakness. But, after the resurrection of Jesus, he is filled with the Holy Spirit and shows wonderful strength. After the cripple who was at the door of the temple was healed, he was arrested. But, instead of being frightened, he faces this situation with great courage: he speaks freely to the leaders of the people and to the elderly. With a certain irony, which reveals his great inner freedom, he says to us: Today we are questioned about the benefit brought to a sick man. Usually a person is questioned when he has committed a crime; instead, in Peter’s case, the reason for his arrest was a benefit to a sick man. Peter then gives a magnificent witness to the Lord when he affirms: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead, he stands before you safe and sound. Peter has the courage to hold the leaders of the people and the elders responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus, He faces the Jewish authorities with all the courage and authority that comes to him from the resurrection of Jesus, He quotes a psalm in which it is said that the stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone, to show that the passion and resurrection of Jesus were pre-announced by the prophetic texts of Scripture. But he adds: The stone that, rejected by you, builders.... With this addition, he shows that he is not afraid to speak clearly to these authorities, in front of whom one, usually, feels fear and not have the courage to testify. Peter gives a truly significant testimony, because he affirms: In no other is there salvation; in fact there is no other name given to men under heaven in which it is established that we can be saved. In this way he shows the universality of the salvation that Jesus has obtained for us. In no other is there salvation; Jesus is the only Saviour. He was crucified, but resurrected. Only through him can we obtain the new life that makes us children of God and gives salvation. Peter speaks, firmly, to the leaders of the people and the elders, and yet he has no contempt for them. Previously, he had said that they had acted out of ignorance (cf. Acts 3,17), they had not been aware of the enormous sin they were committing by condemning Jesus to death on the cross. They are sinners, as are all other men, when the grace of God does not illuminate their path and strengthen their will. Peter speaks firmly to the leaders of the people, to arouse their conversion, and, therefore, their salvation. It is necessary to convert, and recognize one's own faults. God's forgiveness cannot reach those who persist in denying their responsibilities. On the other hand, those who confess their sins with confidence in God's mercy find salvation in Jesus Christ who died and rose again. In fact, Jesus died for sinners, and rose to bestow divine and filial life to them. This makes us understand the positive dynamism of the paschal mystery of Jesus, a dynamism founded on love: The good shepherd offers his life for the sheep. This love is not limited to a small circle of people. In the first reading Peter affirms that Jesus is the Saviour of all, and in the Gospel Jesus says: «I have other sheep that are not of this fold [the chosen people]; these too I must lead; they will listen to my voice and will become one flock and one shepherd. The work carried out by Jesus through his passion and resurrection is the unity of all in the love of God: a work carried out in a very close union with the Father, the source of all love. +John I. Okoye

(Graphics  by Chukwubike)

3rd Sunday of Easter, Year B, April 18, 2021

May the Risen Christ bestow on us today, the gift of total conversion to God and the forgiveness of all our sins.

                  Happy Sunday!

May the Risen Christ bestow on us today, the gift of total conversion to God and the forgiveness of all our sins.

Happy Sunday! 

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Acts 3,13-15.17-19; 1 John 2, l-5a; Luke 24, 35-48; 3rd Sunday of Easter, Year B, April 18, 2021)

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Acts 3,13-15.17-19; 1 John 2, l-5a; Luke 24, 35-48; 3rd Sunday of Easter, Year B, April 18, 2021)

Today the liturgy continues to speak on the resurrection of Christ particularly manifestation (of the Risen One to the apostles in the Upper Room). The first reading is a part of Peter's discourse after the healing of the cripple, in which he proclaims the resurrection of Jesus. The theme common to the texts of today's liturgy is that of the remission of sins, which is obtained for us by Jesus’ passion and offered to us by the Risen One.

The Gospel leads us back to the Upper Room, where Jesus was manifested to the Eleven, addressing them, first of all, with this greeting: Peace be with you! As in the Gospel of John (20,19.21.26), the Risen One brings peace to us, precisely, because he gives us the remission of sins, reconciliation with God. Luke recounts this episode with great emphasis on the realism of the resurrection. In fact here, it is not simply a question of an apparition of the soul of Jesus, but his true manifestation with his risen body. Jesus realises that the apostles were troubled and were not convinced by the sight of him, because they have no idea of the resurrection: they think it is impossible. This is why Jesus tells them: Look at my hands and my feet: it is really me! He shows his wounds as marks of his identity. He does not say: Look at my face!; but: Look at my hands and my feet: it is really me! Touch me and look. The disciples think they see a ghost, but the risen Jesus is not a ghost: he is a man with body and soul. On account of this he says to the disciples: Touch me and look; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you see I have. And since this does not seem to be enough, he asks them: Do you have anything here to eat? The disciples offered him a portion of fish; Jesus takes it and eats it. Jesus' persistence on the realism of his resurrection illuminates the biblical perspective on the body. This is a very different perspective from the Greek one. The Greeks had arrived at the affirmation of the immortality of the soul, and this had undoubtedly constituted a great advancement in philosophical thought. But they regarded the body as an obstacle to the soul. For some even, the body was like a tomb or a prison for the soul. The body is a burden for the soul; therefore, the soul must free itself from it, and only in this way can it reach its full dignity. The biblical perspective, on the other hand, is very different. According to the Bible, the body is created by God, and man is not complete if he is not a union of body and soul. Therefore, Jesus' victory over death does not consist of his remaining united with God with his immortal soul, but again receiving his body united with his soul, in an existence that is obviously very different from our earthly existence. Thus, the victory over death is truly complete: Jesus is risen body and soul. This makes us understand that we must have a very positive idea of our body. It is true that the body can be an occasion for sin for us; in reality, sin is not caused by the body, but by our psychological and moral weakness. The body itself is a magnificent tool that God has placed at our disposal so that we can live our life to the fullest. And we must have great respect for it, because it was created by God. We must take care of it in a balanced way, and truly recognize that man is not complete if he is not a union of body and soul. After showing the disciples that he was truly risen with his body, Jesus, to find out the depth of their faith, refers to the words he had said before his death, and precisely, from the word of God in the Old Testament: These are the words that I was mentioning when I was still with you. These words referred to the prophecies: All the things written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled. Here Jesus mentions the three parts of the Old Testament: the Law, the Prophets and the Writings. We can recognize the Risen One only if we have assimilated the teaching of the Bible and its predictions. Thanks Jesus’ words, who had predicted his sufferings, death and resurrection several times, we can recognize him as risen. Jesus’ words correspond to the predictions of the Old Testament. The risen one, in fact, says to the apostles: Thus it is written: Christ will have to suffer, rise from the dead on the third day and in his name conversion and the forgiveness of sins will be preached to all peoples, beginning with Jerusalem. Of this you are witnesses. The passion and resurrection of Jesus, as well as the fruitfulness that comes from them, had been foretold in the Scriptures. The mystery of Jesus is a mystery of reconciliation, which obtains conversion and the forgiveness of sins for all peoples. Jesus’ earthly mission was limited to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (cf. Matt 10,6), but after his passion and his resurrection the mission of the apostles extends to the whole world. The risen Lord affirms:  conversion and the forgiveness of sins will be preached to all people. This conversion and forgiveness are obtained through faith in the risen Christ.

In the first reading, Peter addresses the Jewish people, the people who had asked for the condemnation of Jesus on the cross. With strong words and insistence, the Apostle reminds them of this deplorable fact: You denied the Holy and the Righteous One; You handed him over and denied him before Pilate, who had the mind to free him; You killed the author of life. Thus, Peter arouses repentance and conversion in the hearts of his listeners. But at the same time, he shows divine mercy, saying: I know that you have acted out of ignorance, as did your leaders. Peter here mitigates the guilt of the Jews: they acted out of ignorance; circumstances made them blind; they did not know what they were doing, as Jesus himself said on the cross (cf. Luke 23,34). Peter then invites the people to repent, so that they may receive the forgiveness of sins: God has fulfilled what he had announced through the mouth of all the prophets, that is, that Christ would die. Repent therefore and change your life, so that your sins may be blotted out. It is a message of personal, spiritual resurrection, through repentance, conversion and the forgiveness of sins.

The second reading completes the teaching of the other readings, describing, in a more precise way, the situation of Christians after baptism, that is, after their adhesion to Jesus. They cannot and must no longer sin, because they have received the grace, the power of the resurrection, to, victoriously, resist all the forces of evil. However, human weakness continues to manifest itself in our Christian life and we can still fall into sin. John, however, continues to invite us to keep hope alive, saying: If anyone sins we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the just One. Jesus is our advocate with the Father, and the instrument of forgiveness. Through his passion and resurrection, Jesus received the ability to offer forgiveness for sins and to purify souls from any sin. And this applies not only to our sins, but also to those of the whole world. The fruitfulness of Jesus' passion and resurrection has no limits: it is a mystery of salvation that has value for all peoples. Then John makes a statement that seems to be in contrast with the previous ones: From this we know that we have known him: if we observe his commandments. Whoever says: I know him and does not keep his commandments, is a liar. John insists on the need to observe the commandments, not to sin, to have an orientation in conformity with the Christian faith and the victory of Christ over all the forces of evil. We must, seriously, commit ourselves in this direction; otherwise, we are not in authentic relationship with Jesus, we do not know him. In the Bible, the term knowing means a very deep personal relationship with a person. Therefore, without a serious commitment to faithfulness to God's commandments, and Jesus' commandment to love one another, it is not possible to, truly, be Christians, it is not possible to have an authentic, profound relationship with Jesus. Thus, it becomes clear that the   Christian's situation cannot be a situation of resignation to sin. It is always possible for him to commit faults, but these must not be his normal attitude. His basic attitude must be that of the faithful observance of God's commandments, especially that of charity. Whoever follows an orientation different from this one, is not truly Christian, places himself outside Jesus’ influence, and grace, and moves towards perdition. We must distinguish the basic attitude and faults well: they are two really different things. The basic attitude of the Christian must be faithfulness to the Lord. However, despite this attitude, we can be faulty due to human frailty. Then we have Jesus as our advocate, who obtains forgiveness for us. However, we do not obtain this forgiveness if our basic attitude is characterised by vice and selfishness, which means, concretely, denying the faith. If our basic attitude is bad, we cannot be united with Jesus.

Today the liturgy invites us to strengthen our fundamental attitude of faith in the risen Christ, of faith in his victory over all the forces of evil, and adherence to his saving will. Jesus wants to communicate to us his victory over evil and make us progress in his love. We must  therefore, develop this basic attitude, knowing that it is essential for our Christian life. +John I. Okoye

(graphics  by Chukwubike OC)

2nd Sunday of Easter, Year B, April 11, 2021

May the Risen Lord bestow  on us also his Easter gifts of peace, joy and Holy Spirit, may he also enable us by his grace to witness  his resurrection through active faith in him and deep charity coming from transformed hearts.

                              Happy Sunday

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Acts 4, 32-35; 1 John 5, 1-6; John 20, 19-31: 2nd Sunday of Easter, Year B, April 11, 2021)

On this Sunday, the Gospel refers to a first apparition of the risen Jesus to the disciples in the Upper Room on Easter evening, and another apparition that takes place eight days later. The doors of the Upper Room were closed for fear of the Jews. The risen Jesus appears in the midst of the disciples, despite the closed doors, and the first word he addresses to them is very significant. He could have scolded them harshly, because they all abandoned him and Peter even denied him; instead, he says to them: Peace be with you! This is the peace that comes after victory. Jesus conquered evil and death, hatred and all selfishness; therefore, it can bring us reconciliation and peace. Instead of rebuke, he addresses the disciples with a wish for peace. Then he shows his hands and side, that is, the wounds with which he obtained the victory. They are the wounds that testify to the sufferings he endured with love, in order to overcome, precisely through love, evil and death. The disciples then rejoice seeing the Lord. The risen Jesus also brings joy to the disciples. This is the joy of his victory, the joy above all for his love, which defeated our selfishness and our wickedness, Jesus makes the disciples sharer in his victory. Then he repeats his wish: Peace be with you! He then  gives his disciples a task: As the Father has sent me, so am I sending you. Jesus’ resurrection is not an individual benefit, which concerns only him, but it involves us all. He communicates his new life to us: a life of intense love, which is meant to transform the world. Risen Jesus entrusts missions/assignments to be carried out to people:  Mary Magdalene, some women, and now the apostles. To bestow the strength necessary to carry out this mission, which is the continuation of his mission, Jesus gives the Holy Spirit: Receive the Holy Spirit. Thus, the evangelist makes us understand that the Holy Spirit is a gift from the Risen One, a gift that Jesus obtained for us with his victory over death. This gift was most, sensationally, manifested on Pentecost; but even then Peter will declare that the Holy Spirit was obtained by Jesus with his resurrection and passed on to us (cf. Acts 2, 32-33). Therefore, Jesus’ resurrection is an immense benefit for all of us: it is the new life of Christ - life in the Spirit - which is bestowed on us and meant to transform our whole existence. At the end of this episode the evangelist points out that Thomas was not with the other disciples when Jesus came, and that he does not believe their words. They tell him: We have seen the Lord! Thomas declares: If I do not see the sign of the nails in his hands and I do not put my finger in the place of the nails and I do not put my hand in his side, I do not believe». Thomas does not believe until after seeing. However, the condition that he poses is also inspired, because, in order to believe, he asks to see the sign of the nails and the wound on the side. Jesus had made himself known by the disciples by showing them his hands and his side. Therefore, his identity is now defined by his wounds, and the love they manifest. Jesus went to the extreme possibility of love, accepting unspeakable suffering for us, death itself and, after it, a wound in the side. It is from these signs that it is now possible to his suffering. Eight days later Jesus appears to the disciples again. He stops in their midst and says again: Peace be with you!

 Jesus never tires of bestowing his peace to the disciples, as he promised: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you (John 14,27). Then, turning to Thomas, he says to him: Put your finger here and look at my hands; stretch out your hand and put it in my side; doubt no longer, but believe. Jesus accepts the conditions set by Thomas, to overcome his incredulity. At this point Thomas declares himself defeated and expresses his purest and strongest faith towards the risen Jesus, saying: My Lord and my God! In the whole of the New Testament there is no confession of faith so profound, and perfect as that of Thomas. He recognises not only the messianicity of Jesus, but also his divinity. He receives this inspiration, thanks to his contact with the hands and the pierced side of Jesus. The heart of Jesus communicates to him a strong and profound faith. Jesus then says to him: Because you have seen me, you believe: blessed are those who have not seen, but believe. The teaching that was given to Thomas is to our advantage. This episode could make us think that in these apparitions of the Risen Lord the apostles were privileged, and therefore, could arouse some envy for the time they saw the risen Jesus in us. But Jesus says: Blessed are those who, despite not having seen, still believe. Thus, we are made to understand that faith puts us in a much more beautiful relationship with him, more profound than the physical vision of his risen body. In fact, our relationship with him must be that of faith. And the purer the faith, our relationship with him will be more profound and perfect. God has given us faith in his Son, and we must be happy and proud indeed. Faith is a wonderful gift from God, because it puts us in an intimate relationship with Jesus and, through him, with the Father, in the Holy Spirit. We must, therefore, be aware of the beauty and strength of our faith.
In the second reading John tells us that faith is our victory. Through it, we participate in Jesus' victory over the active world: This is the victory that defeated the world: our faith. Whoever, truly, believes in Jesus is a winner; he draws from him all the strength necessary to overcome the evil world, that is, to overcome all egoistic tendencies, the temptations of sin, and forces of hatred. Jesus came with water and blood, which flowed from his pierced side and manifest the fruitfulness of his sacrifice. When we contemplate Jesus in meditation, our faith grows and our victory becomes more and more complete.
The first reading makes us understand what Christian victory consists of. For the apostles it consists of having the courage to bear witness to the Jesus’ resurrection, as the Acts of the Apostles tell us: With great force the apostles testified to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. During Jesus’ Passion, the apostles were fearful, and abandoned their Lord, Peter had not had the courage to accept his relationship with him. But after Jesus’ resurrection and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, they have the courage to bear witness to him before the authorities, despite all threats, and risking their lives for the sake of faith. Faith makes them victorious. This is the first aspect of the victory of faith: the testimony given to Jesus. The second aspect concerns charity. We read in the Acts of the Apostles: The multitude of those who had come to faith had one heart and one soul. This is perfect union in brotherly charity, through the love of Jesus poured into hearts by the Holy Spirit. This union is not only theoretical, but  manifests itself in a very concrete and visible way: No one kept to himself his property as belonging to him alone, but everything was made available to all for common use. This charity is truly an impressive victory of faith. In fact, we are all naturally inclined to be possessive and hardly accept to share our things with others. However, the early Christians had such a strong faith that they shared all their properties. The author explains that those who owned fields or houses sold them, brought the amount of what had been sold and placed it at the feet of the apostles; and then it was distributed to each according to need. The result was that none of them was needy. In the first communities the sharing of goods was practiced. Therefore, they lived an exemplary life, free from all selfishness and happy life, because no one was in need. We can then recognize that the risen Christ makes us sharer in his victory in two ways: with the witness of faith and witness of brotherly charity. We must therefore, ask the Lord to make us more open and available to the strength of faith, more courageous in bearing witness to it and more generous in practicing the charitable brotherhood, which was bestowed on us by the pierced heart of Jesus and his resurrection. +John I. Okoye

(graphics by Chukwubike)