SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR B, JULY 25, 2021

May God in this Eucharistic celebration, help us to appreciate the generosity of Jesus Christ in feeding the crowds with five loaves of bread and two fish, thereby, showing us that we have to be generous in helping our needy neighbour. May we also learn from St. Paul that we have also the responsibility to maintain the unity of the Church by imitating the universal love of God for everyone.

Happy Sunday!

                         DOCTRINE AND FAITH    

 (2 Kings 4, 42-44;Ephesia n 4, 1-6; John 6, 1-15: 17th Sunday of Year B, 25th July, 2021)

On This Sunday the Gospel of John presents the story of the multiplication of the loaves to us. This account is prepared in the first reading, by a similar episode of the multiplication of food. The second reading invites us to conduct ourselves in a way worthy of our vocation: It is not enough for us to welcome the food that the Lord gives us in abundance, but we must also live in a way worthy of our vocation, thanks precisely to this food.

John tells us the episode of the multiplication of the loaves, a very well-known episode, which is also presented to us in the other gospels (Mathew and Mark tell it twice). In it we note, first of all, Jesus’ initiative. He had set out with his disciples to go to the other shore of the lake of galilee and find some tranquility, but he was joined by a large number of people. Jesus, immediately, worries about this folly, and ask Phillip: where can we buy bread so that this people have something to eat? Philip replies that a large amount of money would not be enough to feed all those people. Another disciple, Andrew, observes that there is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fishes. However, with realism he adds: but what is this for so many people? Jesus takes the initiative. He makes the people to sit down. Then he takes the loaves, gives thanks to God for them and distributes them. And it does the same with the two fishes. The distribution continues, without the food ever failing. The whole crowd was satisfied. At the end Jesus recommends to collect the leftover pieces, so that nothing is lost. The abundance of leftover pieces makes us understand the importance of this miracle. Twelve baskets were filled with the pieces of the five barley loaves leftover from those who have eaten them. It is a truly extraordinary fact! People were impressed by this miracle and begin to say: this is indeed the prophet that is to come into the world! The Jews were waiting for the last times not just any prophet, but the prophet, who had been promised by God. In the book of Deuteronomy God had promised to give his people a prophet similar to Moses (cf. Deut. 18,15,18), but at the end of this book, the author observed: a prophet like Moses has no arisen in Israel anymore (Deut. 34,10). Therefore, the Jews were waiting for the prophets of the end times, who was to come in the world to prepare the people or the fulfilment of God’s plan, which is a plan of peace, joy and happiness. Now people recognize Jesus as such a prophet. In fact in the acts of the apostle, Peter, in one of his discourses, applies his head of Deuteronomy to Jesus, saying that he is the prophet announced and therefore, we must listen to his words with docility (cf. acts 3, 22-23). Jesus’ reaction was surprising. At first he has shown himself to be welcoming, he was concerned about helping this great crowd; in the end, however, he breaks his bond with it, runs away, yes retires to the mountain. Why? Because he knows that they were about to come and get him to make him king, and he intend not to consent to this project. He did not come into the world to become an earthly king. So now he has the courage to disappoint the crowd, after having satisfied them so generously. Jesus’ attitude is a teaching/lesson for us. The Lord however satisfies our desires by granting wonderful graces to us: at other times, however, he refuses to give them to us, he disappoints us, but even this refusal of his is inspired by love.

This too, is a grace, a negative grace, if we can say so. In fact, the lord acts like this to detach us from our too human and too interested projects. And it is important for us to be detached from these projects. When they are too selfish, they hinder our spiritual progress, which must always be a progress in love and, therefore, in detachment, and gratuitousness’. So, the Lord demonstrates his love for us in this two ways: by giving us the abundance of his and asking us for renunciations.

In the second reading, Paul exhorts us to behave in a manner worthy of our vocation. We must then be docile to the Lord and welcome his graces: be it those that are pleasing to us or those that require some renunciation/sacrifice from us. Above all, the apostles invite us to bear each other with love: I urge you to behave […] with all humility, meekness and patience, bearing each other with love. For us, this is difficult. Among us there are always reasons for division, dissent and disagreement. The life of relationship is not easy, because among people, there are so much difference in temperaments, orientation and taste, therefore there are many opportunities to be irritated by others, or to irritate others. But our vocation is to live in love, which involves living in unity. Love does not accept divisions, but brings unity among people. Paul insists a lot on this point: the gifts of the Lord are given to us for progress in love and, therefore, are aimed at the unity of the spirit, through the bond of peace. The apostle proclaims: one body, one spirit as one in hope [… ]; one lord, one faith, one baptism. One God the father of all. All the gifts of God pushes us to fraternal union, and we must not accept reasons for divisions, conflicts and tensions. Deep down we are all united by the grace of God; therefore, we have a fundamental reason to get along. We know that God loves all men; and then, to be with him, we too must love all our brothers. The reasons that go in the direction of division are of much less importance than those that unite us. We must insist more on everything that unites us than on everything that divides, and be aware that some interests are worth giving up for the sake of peace, unity and agreements with our brothers. With episodes of the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus shows us his generosity, but he also makes us to understand that we must commit ourselves to love – even though, this costs us – in other to fully correspond to his gifts. In fact, not only has he multiplies the loaves, but in the Eucharist, he multiplies himself every day for us, to become our interior and spiritual food, which connects us in union with God and unites us with all our brothers. 

+John I. Okoye

graphics by charles

16TH SUNDAY OF YEAR B, JULY 18,2021

May we in today's Eucharistic celebration, emulate Jesus Christ in his compassion for the weak and as a bringer of peace and unity among people.

Happy Sunday!

 

             DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Jeremiah 23, 1-6; Ephesians 2,13-18; Mark 6, 30-34: 16th Sunday of Year B, Juy 18, 2021)

Today the liturgy offers us a vision of Jesus and the apostles’ which is very significant for the pastoral life of all the ministers of the Lord. In the Gospel, Jesus shows himself full of compassion, because he saw that people were like sheep without a shepherd. The first reading is an oracle of the prophet Jeremiah, who criticizes the shepherds of the chosen people and announces that God himself will take care of his flock. The second reading speaks of the peace that Jesus brought us with his dedication until death.

The Gospel reports that the apostles, after their first mission, returned to Jesus and told him what they have done and taught, according to the instructions received from him. Not only that they taught, but they also worked, especially with their generous commitment to the sick. Jesus then made sure they rested; he says to them: Come aside, to a lonely place, and rest for a while. Rest is also an aspect of pastoral life. It is not possible to continue an intense activity for a long time without taking a break; it is necessary to respect the needs of the human organism, which requires an alternation of work and rest. But in this circumstance, Jesus’ intension could not be realized, because the crowd saw him leaving with the disciples and began to rush to where he and the disciples were headed, preceding them. Jesus has left on the boat to a lonely place, but when he gets there, the place is no longer lonely: there is a great crowd waiting for him. This situation often occurs for us too. We can’t bring fulfilment of our projects, because an urgent need intervenes, which we must face with full availability. Disembarking, Jesus saw a large crowd and was moved by piety for them. He has a heart full of compassion, because he realized that these people were like sheep without a shepherd. This compassion prompts him above all to teach. People need the truth to guide their lives. They cannot live without light, and the light for them is the truth. Whoever does not know the essential truth cannot find the right path in life, but gets lost, and ends up in blind alleys; life then becomes a continuous despair for him. However, he who is led by a very profound religious teaching, can proceed with ease in life, overcome, not only without damage but profitably, the tests/problems of life and thus have a truly successful existence. It is significant that compassion pushes Jesus above all to teach and explain to people how one should behave in relationships with God, with one’s neighbour and with other things and how one can progress in love.

In the first reading God, through the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah, criticizes the shepherds of Israel because, instead of gathering the sheep, they scattered them: You scattered my sheep, you drove them away and you did not worry about them. The Lord promises to gather the rest of the sheep himself from all the religions where they have been dispersed. Then he promises to set up shepherds who will feed them. Therefore, he will use human tools- as Jesus uses the apostles – to associate them with his pastoral mission. The oracle of Jeremiah refers, in particular, to a successor of David, who will be a righteous shepherd, full of wisdom and generosity, and that he will be called Lord our justice. This oracle finds its fulfilment in Jesus, who is descendant of David and the good shepherd, who cares for his sheep, to the point of offering his life for them.

An aspect of Jesus’ pastoral work is presented to us in the second reading, in which Paul speaks of the gathering of all men into one people. Christ Jesus – he says – is our peace. Jesus is a shepherd who does not divide, but gathers everyone into one flock. Before him there was the division, a wall of separation, between the chosen people and the pagan nations, a wall that caused mutual enmity. But Jesus’ work in his paschal mystery was to tear down this wall, annulling the prescriptions of the law that separated the Jews from other nations. By now in Christ there is no longer any difference between the Jews and the Greek (cf. Rom. 10,12), but all are called to welcome the grace of God, that is, justification and the fullness of divine love. Men are called to welcome it together, united among themselves, because Jesus reconciled everyone. This reconciliation was done by means of the cross, which destroyed the enmity between Jews and pagans. Jesus announced peace to those who were far away (the pagans) and to those who were close (the Jews). So, all together we can feel united as one flock under one Shepherd (Jesus) and be guided by him towards the Father, in one Spirit. The purpose of the pastoral mission is to bring all men together in the love of Christ and to bring all to intimate communion with God. +John I. Okoye.

(graphics by Chukwubike)

15th Sunday Year B, July 11, 2021

May God in today's Eucharistic celebration, grant us the grace to realise that for us to be truly messengers of God, we must learn to detach ourselves from our own interests, and then manifest the goodness of God with the acts of charity, service and dedication as we preach God's message as apostles sent by Christ Jesus into the world.

Happy Sunday!

                   

 

 

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Amos 7,12-15; Ephesian 1,3-14; John 6, 7-13: 15th Sunday Year B, July 11, 2021)

On this Sunday, the liturgy offers us the Gospel episode of Jesus sending the Twelve on mission. This text is prepared from the first reading, which speaks of the mission of the prophet Amos. The second reading is a splendid text, with a very rich content, which speaks of our Christian vocation.

In today's Gospel, Jesus takes the initiative to send the twelve apostles on a mission. It is an initiative that has no parallel in the Old Testament. In fact, it never happens that a prophet chooses a certain number of disciples and sends them on a mission. It is a significant initiative, because it shows that Jesus wants collaborators for his mission. He could do it all by himself. As a Son of God, he has all the capabilities. But he came, precisely, to share in our existence, and make us share his mission. Here an aspect of Jesus' love is manifested: he does not disdain the help that other men can bring to his mission. He knows their limitations, and weaknesses, but he does not despise them, on the contrary he confers the dignity of being his envoys on them. The term apostle in fact means sent. It is because they were sent by Jesus that the Twelve received the title of apostles. Jesus sends them two by two and gives instructions, which the evangelist summarises in a few sentences. The first concerns the spirit of detachment: the apostles must neither be attached to money, nor comforts, they must not be attached to anything. Jesus tells us that they should take nothing for the journey: no bread, no saddlebag, no money in the bag. This attitude of complete detachment is very important, because, if a person is attached to his own interests, he cannot be truly a messenger of God's love. The Church has always had this attitude, which corresponds to an evangelical beatitude: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Jesus then warns the disciples that they will not always receive positive welcome: sometimes they will be rejected; indeed, they may even be persecuted. But this must not deter them: it is a reality that falls within their destiny. They must speak in the name of Jesus, preach the kingdom of God, but without being concerned about success.

The first reading presents us with the same perspective, showing us that those sent by God are often not well received. This is the case of the prophet Amos, sent by God to prophesy in the sanctuary of Bethel, a sanctuary of the kingdom of Israel. Amos preaches with great energy against injustice. But this is neither liked by the powerful, nor the priests of the sanctuary, because his words have the negative effect of driving people away from the sanctuary. Therefore, Amaziah priest of Bethel, orders him: Go away, seer, retire to the land of Judah; you will eat your bread and you will be able to prophesy, but prophesy no more in Bethel, for this is the sanctuary of the king and the temple of the kingdom [of Israel. Amos replies that it was not he who chose this mission, but this mission was given to him by the Lord, who took him from behind the cattle and said to him: Go, prophesy to my people Israel. So, whether he is well received or rejected, he will continue to prophesy. Similarly, in the Gospel, the Twelve, if they are not well received, must show their detachment. Jesus recommends to them: If somewhere they do not receive you and listen to you, while going away shake the dust from under your feet (to show that you have not really sought anything for yourself, you do not want to take anything for yourself), as a testimony for them. The other very important indication of the Gospel passage is that the Twelve cannot be satisfied with preaching only conversion: care for the sick must be added to the task of preaching, according to the instructions and example given by Jesus. In fact, the Gospel tells us that the apostles anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. The apostolic mission must always include the two aspects of preaching the word of God and manifesting the goodness of God with acts of charity, service and dedication.

The second reading shows us the fruitfulness of the mission of the Twelve. In this passage from the Letter to the Ephesians, Paul gives thanks to God because he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven, in Christ. The mission of the Twelve was the beginning of a much broader mission, which took place after Jesus’ resurrection, and of a richer preaching, which made us aware of divine generosity. The mystery of Christ, in fact, manifests God's infinite love for us. And all those who have responded positively to the apostolic preaching must be filled with gratitude to God. Their very life must be a hymn of thanksgiving, because they have received so many spiritual riches. God does not improvise his gifts, but prepares them in time. Paul reminds us that in him [Christ] God chose us before the creation of the world. God's original plan was to communicate his grace to man; for this he created the world. The most important creatures of God in the world are human persons, who are called to become holy and immaculate in the sight of God in love. God the Father, full of mercy, created us to be able to communicate his love to us and make us live in love in union with him. The glory of God, in fact, is the glory of loving; and our existence, as Paul says, must be to the praise and glory of his grace, and gratuitous love, which he offered us in his beloved Son. This gratuitous love of God has brought about redemption, the salvation of sinners. In the blood of Christ, we obtain the remission of sins, according to the richness of his generous love, abundantly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. God did not content himself with pouring out the abundance of his love upon us, but he also shared his knowledge with us, in order to make him share his life more intimately and fully. Our Christian existence is full of promises and hope, because we have been made heirs, we are predestined to live, fully and eternally, in communion with God.

In the end Paul explains that the Christians from among the people of Israel were the first beneficiaries of this immense love of God, but that now even the pagans are fully reached by this plan of God. The mission of the apostles puts great joy and trust in our hearts and pushes us to give thanks. Therefore, the atmosphere of our Christian life must be that of immense gratitude to God because his grace was superabundant for us, and we will never be able to receive it in all its fullness. However, we must always ensure that we make progress in this regard. +John I. Okoye

                                                      

(graphics by chukwubike)

14 Sunday of the Year B, 4th July, 2021

 May we realise in today's Eucharistic celebration that faith is putting all my trust in God as my only hope of which  Abraham is a good example. May we therefore pray for such gift of faith in today's Eucharistic celebration.

Happy Sunday

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Ezekiel 2,2-5; 2 Cor 12,7-10; Mark 6,1-6: 14 Sunday of the Year B, 4th July, 2021)

Today the liturgy speaks to us of faith, difficulty in believing, and invites us to open ourselves to a deep and simple faith. In the first reading, taken from the book of Ezekiel, God announces to the prophet that he will neither be believed nor accepted by the Jews. The Gospel presents us with an episode that corresponds to this prophecy: Jesus comes to teach in the synagogue of his country, and his message was not accepted; the Nazarenes do not believe in him. Even the second reading, although not having an explicit connection with the other two, can be related to faith: Paul must have an attitude of faith to overcome the difficulties he encounters in the apostolate. 

In the first reading, God seems to be harsh on the chosen people. In fact, he says to Ezekiel: Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a people of rebels, who have turned against me. Many prophets had rebuked the Israelites for their hardness of heart, for their lack of faith in God; and now the Lord says, They and their fathers have sinned against me to this day. God says to Ezekiel: Those to whom I send you are stubborn children with hardened hearts. You will say this to them: The Lord God says .... The prophet must speak; even if his message is not received, he must utter the words inspired by God. Thus, there is hope, at least for the future, that his message can be received. This will happen when God gives man a new heart and a new spirit. Then faith will be possible.

In the Gospel, Jesus encounters resistance to his message especially in his country, Nazareth. He began to preach and perform miracles in Caparnaum. Then he returns to Nazareth, and on Saturday he starts teaching in the synagogue. The first reaction of the Nazarenes is of amazement; they say, Where do these things come from? And what a rare wisdom that is given to him? And these prodigies performed by his hands? Here the two aspects of Jesus' ministry are mentioned: that of preaching, which manifests superhuman wisdom; and that of healings, which manifests superhuman powers. The Nazarenes were amazed, because they knew Jesus as one of their country member, who was a carpenter before starting his ministry. Therefore, they say: Isn't this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, John, Judas and Simon? And aren't their sisters here among us? In these sentences the term brothers must be understood in a broad sense, and not in a strict sense, as is usually the case in the Bible. The ending of Mark’s gospel tells us that two men named here - James and John - were sons of another Mary (cf. Mark15,47), and the same goes for Judas and Simon. The Nazarenes make a comparison between the humble origin of Jesus (he is a carpenter, he is not a person who has done many studies, was not educated as a rabbi) and his current activity and ability, and they take offence at him. Instead of accepting the reality, instead of saying: Yes, we know him, but now he reveals himself to us as a different person from how we knew him, they want to remain firm in the knowledge they have of him: Jesus, for them, is the carpenter, he must not leave this his identity. Like the Nazarenes, we too often have prejudices that prevent us from grasping reality. We, nevertheless, must be careful, because God's grace can often present itself to us in surprising ways, which do not correspond to our expectations. God does not conform to our prejudices. We must open our hearts, and minds, to welcome the divine realm that comes to meet us. Jesus comments sadly: A prophet is despised only in his homeland, among his relatives and in his house. A prophet is despised by people who claim to know him well and they do not accept that he has a supernatural inspiration, a superhuman mission. Lack of faith is an obstacle to God's grace, in order for it to be communicated to us, it needs our acceptance. If we reject it, it respects our choice and cannot operate as it would like. The Gospel tells us that Jesus could not work any miracle in the synagogue of Nazareth. He limits himself to laying hands on a few sick people and healing them. And in the end, it was said that Jesus marvelled at their unbelief. Let us ask the Lord to help us be open to his grace, truth and mission, so that he does not marvel at our unbelief. Jesus marvelled at the attitude of his fellow citizens, because the proofs of his mission were so evident as to make unbelief impossible, so to speak. This became possible only because of their hardness of hearts and the narrowness of minds.

In the second reading, Paul speaks to us of a situation in which he had to accept a divine manifestation that did not correspond to his expectations. Paul received so many graces, he also performed miracles, he preached, he faced and overcome so many dangers, but he complained because a thorn was put in his flesh. We don't really know what it is. Some think of an illness, others of a difficulty in his ministry. In any case, the Apostle speaks of it in an obscure way, because he speaks of an envoy of Satan charged with slapping him. Seeing himself impeded in his ministry, he, insistently, prayed to the Lord to free him from this obstacle. But the Lord did not hear him; he said to him: My grace is enough for you; in fact, my power is fully manifested in weakness. For Paul these words are divine light: they are something to be accepted with faith. He believed that he absolutely needed the Lord's intervention to be freed from the obstacles to his ministry; but now the Lord tells him: My grace is enough for you. It is, really, true that the Lord does not need our skills, but needs our docility and humility. In fact, if we are not humble, his work cannot be done. The graces of the Lord cannot be communicated to the proud, who take advantage of them to be even more proud and overbearing. Faced with these words of the Lord, Paul has a magnificent reaction of faith and says: I will gladly boast of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. When Paul speaks of his weaknesses, it is never a question of moral weaknesses, but rather difficulties, infirmity, outrages, persecutions and contrary situations faced for the love of Christ. In many circumstances he felt weak; but now with full faith he says: I will boast of my weaknesses. Not only does it say: I accepted, resigned myself to my weaknesses, but: I will boast, that is, I loved my weaknesses, I consider them an advantageous reality for me. Weaknesses are really an advantage, because thanks to them the power of God can be fully manifested. It was not easy for Paul to boast of his weaknesses. He was very sensitive to his fame and worried about it. But he was able to overcome himself, he overcame these natural impulses that he had inside and, instead of seeking human reasons for boasting, he sought divine reasons, and boasted of his weaknesses, so that the power of God might dwell in him.We therefore, ask the Lord to give us attitudes similar to those of Paul; attitudes that can transform unfavourable and negative circumstances into opportunities for progress in the faith; attitudes of great docility to the action of God, who wants to use us as humble instruments to do a great work. +John I. Okoye 

(graphics by Chukwubike)