32nd Sunday of the Year, Nov. 8, 2020

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 May God in today's Eucharistic celebration, grant us the graces to be vigilant and prepared at all times, by             showing our faith in good deeds, so that we may be welcomed on the last day into the heavenly marriage feast

Happy Sunday!

 

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Wisdom 6, 12-16; 1 Thessalonians 4,13-18; Matthew 25, 1-13; 32nd Sunday of the Year, Nov. 8, 2020)

On this Sunday the second reading speaks to us of the dead, therefore, corresponds to this time of the year when we think more about our dead. The Gospel speaks of the condition for entering the kingdom of heaven, and is prepared by the first reading, taken from the book of Wisdom.

The Christians of Thessalonia worry about their dead. They await the coming of Jesus, consider it imminent and they think that it is necessary for them to still be alive in order to be introduced by Jesus into heaven. Paul wants to dispel these worries, and explains that death is not an obstacle to rediscovering Christ, because the Lord, when he comes, will make us rise again. Therefore everyone will be able to go to meet the Lord, and to be always with him. These words gave us hope. The awareness that death is not an obstacle for the Lord must console us when we think of our dead, but also when we think of our destiny, because in all probability we too may still be alive when the Lord manifests himself in his definitive glory.

The Gospel indicates the condition for entering into celestial glory with Jesus. The Lord compares the kingdom of heaven to a group of girls preparing for the wedding celebration. Five of them are wise, and five foolish, that is, imprudent, unable to foresee the future.

In Jesus' time it was customary for weddings to be celebrated at night. Therefore, the procession had to proceed with the lamps lit. Foolish girls take their lamps, but they don't take oil with them; the wise ones, however, together with the lamps also take some oil. The bridegroom is late in coming, and they all doze off. At midnight a cry is heard: Here is the bridegroom, go to meet him! The foolish realise that they have no oil for their lamps; they ask the wise, but they point out that the oil will not be enough for everyone, and that then, everyone will be in trouble. While the foolish go to buy oil, the bridegroom arrives. The wise girls enter the banquet hall with him, and the door is closed. The other girls arrive too late and cannot enter. What teaching does Jesus want to give us with this parable? He wants to tell us that we must always prepare ourselves for the encounter with him: for the final encounter, but also for our day to day life. Often Jesus invites us to keep watch in the Gospel, and also at the end of this passage he repeats it: Watch, therefore, because you know neither the day nor the hour. But with this parable he wants us to understand that it is not enough to be awake: we also need to be prepared. Watching is not just about resisting sleep. And in fact in this parable all the girls are asleep when the bridegroom arrives. The important thing, therefore, is not to be physically awake, but to be prepared. Jesus does not specify what he means by that reserve oil that the wise girls took with the lamps. Therefore, various interpretations can be given. However, it is probable that with it Jesus wants to understand the good deeds done in correspondence with his grace. Being prudent means not waiting for the last moment to correspond to the grace of God, but actively correspond to it right now. If we want to be ready at the moment of the encounter with the Lord, we must from now on collaborate with his grace and carry out good deeds inspired by his love. It is not enough to have the lamp. This can be compared to faith, which illuminates our life. But faith alone is not enough; the faith that is valid, as Paul says, is the faith that works through charity (Gal 5,6). In this way, the Apostle makes us understand what condition to be ready for the encounter with the Lord should be: not only faith, but the Christian life, which is a life of love, full of good works. If we let ourselves to be guided by our human inclinations, what we consider interesting, and the pursuit of our interest, then our lives are sterile, and we do not accumulate any reserves of oil for our lamp. This will be extinguished at the time of the Lord's coming, or even before. If, on the other hand, we are vigilant and do good to correspond to God's grace, then we can be calm: the Lord will be able to come even while we sleep; this doesn't matter, because we have the reserve accumulated with the good works of every day. Faith that operates through charity is what is worthwhile, that is what truly unites us to the Lord. It is an illusion to think that it is enough to believe in God in order to be truly united with Christ. As James says, idle, inactive, and dead faith is useless. To be authentic, faith must be active. Another way of presenting this requirement of the Lord is what is indicated by Paul in the Letter to the Romans, when he says that we must offer our bodies to the Lord, that is, to put our whole person at his disposal, to do his will, which is a will of love. We must always seek the will of God and correspond to it in various circumstances. This is another way to be vigilant: to seek to correspond to the will of the Lord. The Lord is good; his will is not a heavy yoke. He said that his yoke is sweet and his burden is light (cf. Matt 11,30). So we can move forward with him with confidence. Guided by him, we will become capable of discerning his will and carrying it out day by day. Then we will be truly wise.

 Old Testament holds wisdom in great esteem. The first reading praises her, as radiant and unswerving/unfailing, and full of attention for those who are concerned about finding her. Indeed, she moves forward to make herself known to those who wish to be acquainted with her: Who gets up for her early in the morning, will find her sitting at his door. Therefore, it is not difficult to obtain wisdom: only to be vigilant is enough to seek her and to welcome her. Wisdom is a way to speak of an aspect of God's grace. This illuminates our lives, shows us the sure path and enables us to always welcome Christ when he appears in our lives. Every day he presents himself to us, and we must welcome him with vigilance and love. Otherwise we will be like the foolish girls of the Gospel parable, who do not foresee the necessities of life and in the end, when the definitive encounter with the Lord takes place, they find themselves in a desperate situation. +John I. Okoye

(graphics  by Charles)

32nd Sunday of Year A, November 12, 2017

May the good Lord grant you the divine wisdom to be properly prepared always as you keep vigil awaiting his return. Happy Sunday! +John Okoye

Doctrine And Faith

(Wisdom 6, 13-17; 1 Thess. 4, 13-18; Matt 25, 1-13: 32nd Sunday of Year A, November 12, 2017)

The first reading of today's liturgy is taken from the book of Wisdom. The book of Wisdom is one of the five books that make up  the part of the Old Testament known as the Wisdom Literature [Proverbs, Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes), Job, Ben Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) and Book of Wisdom]. Every culture has some type of wisdom or the other. In Igbo culture and society, we have the popular wisdom in form of proverbs, riddles and wise sayings. Proverbs are the encapsulating of insights gleaned from reflection of life experiences. To aid memory, such sentences are adorned with assonance, alliteration and rhymes. By using the lessons of such insights from the tradition of the society, one is often equipped to surmount problems that challenge him/her at a particular time of his/her life. The other type of wisdom, which is also found in Igbo culture is the search for the purpose of life on earth; or why does death cut off life; why should human being not live forever on this earth; or why should there be much suffering in the world; or why should the innocent suffer. Some of the folklores in the culture attempt giving answers to questions like these. The Igbos along with other peoples of other cultures who search for meaning and understanding realise, however, that human wisdom cannot plumb the depth of reality. The deepest question of life do not seem to be satisfied with answers derived from experience. Still, the order discerned in life and nature suggests that there is meaning and purpose behind or within everything. This meaning or purpose is considered a form of divine wisdom. In the tradition of Israel, this Wisdom is personified as a woman. (Personification is to predicate the attributes of a person to non-living things or abstracts). Wisdom in this feminine personification has not divine characteristic, but she is very close to it (c.f Wisdom 7, 25-26). It is this wisdom that the author of the book of Wisdom, known as Pseudo Solomon, applauds in the first reading of this Sunday. In this passage there is claim that Wisdom is perceived by those who love her and found by those who search for her. Actually, the love of Wisdom (philo-sophia) and the search for Wisdom are evidence that one is already wise. The search at dawn shows that the desire for wisdom is uppermost in the mind of the wise.  The search for wisdom is paradoxical. Human beings are always in search of Wisdom because they think she is out of their reach. And yet Wisdom is always available to them, waiting for and, calling to them. Although she permeates all reality she resides at its deepest level, so only those who venture into the deepest realms of experience will find her. However, those who find Wisdom find peace and security, meaning and fulfilment. And once she has been found, one will be able to see her every way.

Wisdom was created by God and poured into creation. Therefore, to find or acquire Wisdom has to be done in reference to God. That is why the statement, “The fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom” runs as a refrain through almost all the wisdom books. It is also to be noted that Ben Sira eventually identified Wisdom as Torah (chapter 24). This has the implication that just as Torah (the Law: Pentateuch) was a pointer or shield showing how to also  encounter God, true search of Wisdom leads one to also encounter God. We eventually note that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity and the Word Incarnate was the full-fledged Wisdom of God.

Jesus as the Wisdom of God was able to give answers to questions about life which human wisdom could not give. He not only declared that he was the Resurrection and Life, but he also destroyed death by his resurrection. By that he showed that the purpose of life was to live with God for ever. Human beings can participate in this eternal life through union with Jesus Christ by virtue of baptism. This is Paul’s argument in today's second reading from his letter to the Thessalonians. He holds that Jesus died and rose from the dead, and thus conquering the control death initially had over him. Next, through the victory of Jesus those joined to him are also delivered from the power of death, for neither life nor death can separate them from the love of Christ (cf. Rom 8, 38-39). Finally at the end of time, all believers will be decisively joined with the Lord. The Thessalonians will be comforted to know that the Christians who have already died would be the first in procession to rise and meet the Lord. In this brief passage to the Thessalonians, Paul assures us that Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again and all the faithful will be joined with him. How it will happen we do not know. When it will happen, we do not know. That it will happen, we are sure.

If Paul’s exposition makes it so clear to us, we have to prepare for this important day by taking inspiration from the parable of the ten virgins as is narrated today in the gospel reading. Jesus' last exhortation is simple but strong: Be alert! You do not know when the end will come. Jesus admonishes vigilance. But the vigilance is to be enhanced and determined by preparedness. Note that in the parable there is no difference in status among the virgins. They all came with torches, and all fell asleep as the night drew on. The difference was in their preparedness. Half of them had made provision for the possibly delay of the bridegroom, the other half had not. It was their responsibility to be ready at any moment. Note also that the wise ones were not chided for not being generous with their oil. This aspect of the story suggests that what is required for entrance into the banquet cannot be loaned or given by another. It must be procured by oneself. The trust of the parable is caution to be vigilant and to be prepared for Jesus is coming at any time as he will come into every life and at the time we least expect it. We are, therefore,  to be ready, even while we sleep. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

pictures by chukwubike

1st Sunday of Advent, Year A, 2016

May God at the beginning of this holy season of Advent and the beginning of the Liturgical Year bestow on you the Grace to put on Christ, that is to say, to have the same attitude and sentiment, as Christ had and to be ready to do the will of God in all aspects of your life as He did. Happy Season Advent! Happy Sunday! + John I. Okoye

                      DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Isaiah 2,1-5; Romans 3,11-14; Matt 24, 37-44: 1^st  Sunday of Advent, Year A,  2016)

    With the celebration of the liturgical season of Advent we begin the liturgical year. The season of Advent prepares us for the celebration of Christmas. In the celebration of Advent, Christmas and other seasons of the liturgical year, we run the risk of considering them as mere nostalgic remembrance that has nothing to do with our actual present life. This can be avoided if we believe that Christ is not a personality of the past but the risen Lord, he is actively working in our lives today and in the Church. Our celebrations in the liturgical year will, therefore, be a memorial, that is  what Christ did in the past but will also be a re-enactment through which the risen Christ will enter into the lives of people with his grace and message of salvation. If this is the significance and scope of our celebrations in the liturgical year, then our celebration of Advent and Christmas, Easter, etc. is first of all  a memorial and bringing to mind the history of salvation wrought by Christ. But because he is the risen One and the living One, those celebrations of the past are renewed in the present: He is the one whose Advent (coming) is always being expected and desired consciously or unconsciously in the hearts of people. He is the one who is to come and who wants to come so as to insert himself into our life situation in order to liberate and save us. In Advent, therefore, we are not pretending to be expecting the Lord Jesus, we are truly and really waiting for his coming. Advent is not to be considered simply as the preparation for Christmas but should also be taken as the constant attitude of waiting for the coming of the Lord. Let us, therefore, dispose our hearts for his coming, to welcome his word and teaching, make room for him in our lives and create a new space for him in our public life. This our disposition in waiting for him and welcoming him in our lives and creating a public space for him looks forward to the future towards, the return of  the Lord at the end of our lives, the glorious coming back of the Lord for the final judgment and the final and complete realization of the plan of salvation. 

With what spirit, therefore, should we then live the season of Advent? What disposition of the mind should we have so that our lives become an expectation of/a waiting for the Lord? The readings provide some clear directives. In the first reading, Isaiah admonishes us to put away our instruments of violence and hatred, our swords and spears. We are to convert them into life-producing implements, into plows and pruning hooks. Jesus in the gospel reading insists on our keeping watch. We should not be distracted like the people of Noah’s time who were occupied with social events and  neither  know, read  the sings of time well , nor attune themselves to the will of God. They lost their lives in the deluge. So we are to watch and not fall asleep. Not falling asleep means paying attention to the right thing at the right moment, seeking for  what is really good for us and for other people, being generous, showing love to people, and living peacefully with people. Whoever is watchful and vigilant in this way will not be taken by surprise by the coming of the Son of Man at the end of life. In the second reading, Paul gives us a directive that is analogous to that of Christ, when he writes to the Christians of Rome: It is already the time to wake from sleep, because our salvation in nearer now than the time we became believers. Paul does not mean  waking from physical but  spiritual  sleep. This means that we are not to allow ourselves to be invaded and inundated by preoccupation for material things. We are not to be servants to material things, rather they are to be at the service of the most important aspect of our lives which is union with Christ. Paul goes on to teach: Put away the work of darkness and put on the amour of light. To put on the amour of light means to put on Christ. To put on Christ is to be identified with him, to have the same attitudes and sentiments which Christ had and live Christ’s life in one’s own flesh.
    Therefore we need to remind ourselves that our lives in this holy season of Advent must be lived in the actual world and circumstances we find ourselves. We are called in this season to journey deeper into our lives, not outside of them. That is where God is present. And if we are truly alert and attentive we will discover that it is in our own lives, as ordinary as we may think they are, that we will discover God. There we will come in contact with the Son of Man and anticipate the joys of the   end time.                            Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

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