DOCTRINE & FAITH 2025 FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 21sth December 2025

 FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 

Readings of the day: Is 7:10-14; Ps 23 (24); Rom 1:1-7; Mt 1:18-24.

The passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (cf. 7:10-14) requires a few words of context. News have just reached Jerusalem that the army of Damascus and the army of Samaria have joined forces in the mountains of Ephraim and are marching against the small kingdom of Judah. Faced with the looming danger, "his (the king's) heart and the hearts of his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken before the wind" (Isaiah 7:2). But the prophet does not tremble because he knows that God is able to save his people. He goes to meet the king, who is making his way around the ramparts to inspect the fortifications, and invites him not to be afraid, to have faith, not to seek alliances elsewhere, but to trust only in the Lord. To persuade him to do this, God is even willing to give him a sign, but the king has already decided to ask the Assyrian government for protection and refuses the sign, hypocritically citing a religious reason: "I do not want to put the Lord to the test" (v. 12). The reality, however, is that the king does not have the courage to trust solely in the Lord.

It is in this precise context that Emmanuel's announcement takes on its full significance. Faced with the king's incredulity, the rebuke: "Is it not enough for you to weary men, that you now weary my God also?" (v. 13). But then comes the surprise; we would expect the prophet to continue with words of threat and punishment, but instead he continues with a word of hope: "The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (v. 14).

To the disbelief of the king and the people, God responds by promising the birth of a child who will be "God with us." Here lies the wonder of Christmas, which is also the wonder of God's love: God does not distance himself from our disbelief but conquers it by drawing close, becoming a brother to sinful men.

The evangelist Matthew recounts that Jesus was born in the most pure womb of the Virgin and by the power of the Spirit (therefore his origin comes from above), yet he is also included in a genealogy, and among his ancestors are righteous and sinners, believers and unbelievers. And this is the great consolation, the rock on which Christian hope rests, a theme that constitutes - in the light of the prophet's passages the guiding thread throughout the Advent season: despite our infidelities, despite the increasingly aggressive forces of evil, God does not cease to be Emmanuel, God with us. A simple and consoling name. God has emerged from his distance and invisibility, becoming visible and concrete, reachable. Having come among us in human form, the Son of God wants us to continue to seek him among men and to welcome him as a man. Since the Son of God became man, any other search for God is no longer possible, because God not only became man, but also remained among men.

However, there are three things we must not forget. The first is that we must not remain closed in the past. To the people of his generation, Isaiah kept repeating: "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old!" (43:18). It is not the past that must return. There is an attachment to the past, a nostalgia for what "once was," which prevents us from grasping new possibilities. Anyone who dreams of redoing the old ways is not a builder of hope.

Then we need the courage to admit that the situation we find ourselves in is also caused by our own personal responsibility. To always and only place the blame on others is simplistically hypocritical. In reality, the responsibility belongs to everyone, and we have the situation we deserve. Only those who allow themselves to be questioned have understood Christmas and are bearers of hope.

And finally, the man who shapes his hope on Jesus Christ knows that good and evil ultimately touch everyday events, everyday life. To believe that everything is played out where the destinies of peoples are decided is a temptation and an illusion. History will change only if every man takes his destiny, his daily world, into his own hands, renewing it. Hope rises from the base rather than descending from the top.

Happy Sunday!

†John I. Okoye

Bishop of Awgu

Awgu diocese diaconate ordination

20th December 2025

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, 21st January, 2024

 “Until now you have been a fisherman, now you will become a fisherman of men. There is a change, even a radical one, that does not destroy what you have always been but rather makes it mature to its fullness.” May the good Lord in this holy Mass give us the grace to live the life worthy of our call as Christians. Happy Sunday!

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Jonah 3,1-5.10; Psalm 24 (25); 1 Cor 7,29-31; Mark 1,14-20; 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, 21st January, 2024)

“The time has become short,” writes the apostle Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor 7,29). “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand,” Jesus proclaims in Mark (1,15). Jonah also brings Nineveh an announcement regarding time and its end: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be destroyed" (Jonah 3,4). This attention to time, which dominates the liturgy of the Word on this Sunday, is closely connected to the theme of choice. The time is approaching, and our decision is urgent, which cannot be postponed.

For Paul, the brevity of time changes our relationship with the world, with history, and with the relationships we weave in it. Since Jesus died and rose again, the world has been transformed. His figure passes not because it dissolves into nothingness, but because it is transfigured in the promised fulfillment. The world takes on a new figure: from being the only horizon in which our life is called to play out, it becomes a prophetic sign of a future world, which we certainly still have to wait for, but which already descends into our history, becomes present in it, like a yeast that transforms it, giving it a new meaning. Even the world we know, the relationships we live in it, the commitments we take on, everything must become a sign of something else, that is, of that kingdom of God which, as Jesus announced while walking through the streets of Galilee, is now finally "near" (Mark 1,15). Then there is a "how" that wedges itself between us and reality. “From now on, let those who have wives live as if they had none; those who cry, as if they were not crying; those who rejoice, as if they did not rejoice; those who buy, as if they did not own; those who use the goods of the world, as if they did not use them fully" (1 Cor 7,29-31). We need to understand this "how" well so as not to misunderstand it. It does not mean that what we experience loses depth, and meaning, is no longer worth anything, or that we even have to interrupt the relationships - even marital ones - that characterize our existence. On the contrary, the Apostle's invitation is to continue living what we already live, but by replacing it in a broader gaze - which goes beyond our horizon and manages to glimpse the promised fulfillment, which gives a new meaning to every aspect of our life, existence. The kingdom of God is now so close to our lives that our lives can no longer remain the same. If I cry I know that someone will console my tears forever. If I rejoice, I know that this joy, which over time is always provisional and precarious, will become full and definitive on the coming day. If I possess goods, I know that the true good to be desired is another. Even the love between a man and a woman becomes a sign of that love that will be complete and timeless in the love of God and in the communion of saints. This is the real decision to be made, the conversion to be lived. The Ninevites, in the first reading, convert from their evil works, because they accept Jonah's warning, and above all because they believe in God. They begin to believe in a God who does not punish, but uses mercy. Their conversion corresponds to the conversion of God himself, who "repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them and did not do it" (Jonah 3,10). It is not that God waits for our behavior to decide how to behave towards us. Rather, it is our conversion that allows us to know what God's authentic face is. If we turn to good, we encounter the God of good, who turns his gaze of benevolence and mercy towards us. Remaining prisoners of the logic of evil prevents us from knowing this face of God and from experiencing his love for him.

Every conversion is, radically, going out of oneself to turn to God and thus receiving a different look at reality, and learning to judge everything according to the logic of that "how" announced by Paul, and being able to discern the proximity in every reality of the Kingdom that becomes truly close to the most ordinary and everyday places of life, to your throwing your nets into the water as you already did yesterday and the day before yesterday. There the Lord comes close and then your life changes, because before your eyes his word opens up a different horizon: "Come after me, I will make you become fishers of men" (Mark 1,17). The newness of God, the unparalleled beauty of his promise, matures within your own life, in your everyday life, to make it different from within. It is not another role that is imposed on you from above, with force, almost with violence. It is rather a new shoot that the Lord slowly matures in the ancient trunk of your life. Until now you have been a fisherman, now you will become a fisherman of men. There is a change, even a radical one, that does not destroy what you have always been but rather makes it mature to its fullness.

Time is short: we have to decide. Jesus passes by and “immediately” calls James and John, just as a moment earlier Simon and Andrew “immediately” left their nets to follow him (see verses 20 and 18). Right away! There's no time. We must convert and believe now. With this awareness: converting to Jesus and believing his word means making his promise explode within our lives, which opens up to an unexpected horizon. The world is transfigured by the light of the Kingdom that now inhabits it, thanks to the gift of God that brings it close to us; thanks to our followership that make us welcome him. + John I. Okoye

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR A, 30TH APRIL 2023

 
We pray through the fruits of this Holy Sacrifice, that we receive the grace to always fix the gaze of our mind and heart on Jesus, the good shepherd. It is He who will transform our life through the glory of his resurrection. Happy Sunday!

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Acts 2,14a.36-41; Psalm 22 (23); 1 Peter 2,20b-25; John 10,1-10; 4th Sunday of Easter, Year A, April 30, 2023)

In the heart of the Easter season, the liturgy invites us, every year, to fix the gaze of our mind and heart on Jesus, the good shepherd. More exactly, he is the beautiful shepherd, as John defines him in his account. Beautiful in the sense of an exemplary shepherd, and therefore true, reliable, credible. In Greek - the word which the evangelist rendered - beautiful is kalos, a term built on the same root from which the verb “to call” (kaleo, in Greek) comes. It is a verb on which all of today's biblical readings seem to insist.

In the Gospel, John writes that the handsome\good shepherd calls his sheep, each one by his name, and leads them out (John 10,3). And the sheep, recognizing his voice, listen to him and follow him. They can do this because they recognize that it is not only the sound of his voice that calls them but also the beauty of the shepherd, the beauty of his life. The sheep know his voice not only in the sense that they know how to distinguish it from other voices - such as those of thieves, brigands, or mercenaries -, they also know it more deeply. They listen and understand that it springs from a beautiful\genuine life that it is totally delivered\donated, like gift, in love, so that all of them could have life, and have it in abundance. In the passage that we read this Sunday, the evangelist alludes to this, but he says it more clearly only in the verses that immediately follow: The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep (John 10,11; cf. also John 10, 15.17-18). This is the beautiful shepherd that calls the sheep and the sheep know how to listen to, recognize and follow and allow themselves to be attracted by him. He is no other than the one (as Peter recalls in his First Letter) who suffered for you and who bore our sins in his body, on the wood of the cross (1 Peter 2,21.24). By his wounds, we have been healed! Healed and transformed, this is so because letting oneself be attracted by the voice of this shepherd means, Peter insists, accepting his example and following in his footsteps. And here, in the context of this letter, the verb to call still resonates strongly: To this you were called (1 Peter 2,21), that is, to do good, even at the cost of having to bear with patience some unjust punishment (1 Peter 2,20). However, this is not just any kind of patience, much less painful or passive patience. It is rather the patience of love that continues, with perseverance, to love and to do good, even when faced with adversity, misunderstanding, and hostility, which often expose one to violence and rejection.

What are we to do, brothers? (Acts 2,37), the crowds of Jerusalem ask in the Acts. Repent … (replies Peter) for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the promise is for you and for your children and for all those whom the Lord our God is calling to himself (Acts 2,38-39). Converting doesn't mean adjusting one's life and behavior a little. There is a more radical transformation that is required of us: to truly believe in God's promise, which preserves his desire to make us, through the gift of the Spirit, more like his Son. Receiving baptism in the name of Jesus Christ in fact means, in addition to accepting the forgiveness of sins, allowing oneself to be clothed by him, so that the beauty of his life may radiate and shine through in our existence as well. Also in Acts, in Peter's words, the verb “to call” resounds brightly as the Lord calls people to himself. (Acts 2,39). The Lord calls us to believe in this promise: in the Spirit we are given through whom we are clothed with the very beauty of the handsome shepherd whose voice we recognize and whom we follow with trust. He, John reminds us, that Jesus is not only the shepherd but also the door. In the temple of Jerusalem, there was a door designated of the sheep, through which the animals were led to be sacrificed. Now, Jesus solemnly affirms that he is the true door, but a different door, because it does not lead inside, towards sacrifice, but outside, towards communion with the Father, interwoven no longer with observances, precepts, sacrifices, yokes, and heavy burdens to carry, but with mutual knowledge in love. The shepherd calls his sheep by his name, because he knows them one by one; the sheep follow him because they know his voice. Now, it is mutual knowledge (a sign of a profound communion in love) that becomes the sole foundation of the relationship with God. And the sheep must no longer be led to sacrifice, because it is the shepherd himself who gives them life, in abundance, through the gift of his own life. It is the shepherd (no longer the sheep) who passes through the door, making himself a lamb, and a sacrificed lamb. Among the negative figures to whom Jesus controversially contrasts himself, there are not only thieves and brigands but also strangers. Now, every extraneousness that could characterize our relationship with God is demolished: mutual knowledge and communion in love are possible and are implemented in the gift of himself. The shepherd comes to give us his life and this gift, which precedes us, allows us to listen to his voice and to let ourselves be called by him, in turn giving our lives to him and to our brothers and sisters. It is in this mutual exchange, of a gift that is accepted and paid for, that we can savor life, and life in abundance for that matter, letting the beauty of him shine through. 

+ John. I. Okoye.

(graphics  by Chukwubike OC)

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 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)

CHURCH DEDICATION; ST MICHAEL'S PARISH AMOJI NENWE

Solemnity of Corpus Christi, June 14,2020

May the participation in this Sunday's Eucharistic celebration offer us not only the opportunity of a life of communion with the Blessed Trinity, but also the graces to be docile to the will of God in our lives.

Happy Sunday!

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Deut 8,2-3.14b-16a; 1 Cor 10, 16-17; John 6,51-58: Solemnity of Corpus Christi, June 14,2020)

On this Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. The readings of the Mass do not tell us about the institution of the Eucharist, but speaks about the Eucharist in other ways. The first reading speaks of manna, which is a prefiguration of the Eucharist. In the second reading, Paul speaks to us of communion with the Body and Blood of Christ. The Gospel presents the last part of Jesus' discourse on the bread of life.

In the second reading, Paul reminds the Corinthians that the Eucharist gives us communion with the Body and Blood of Christ: Is the cup of blessing that we bless, not, perhaps, communion with the blood of Christ? And the bread that we break, is it not a communion with the body of Christ? The answer to these questions is obviously in the affirmative: the consecrated chalice contains the Blood of Christ; the consecrated bread gives us communion with the Body of Christ. It is a profound mystery, a mystery of love, a real mystery of communion. Communion means intimate, profound union. Jesus wanted to offer us communion with himself, the Word of God incarnate; that is why he offered us communion with his Body and his Blood. This communion is not only the union of each of us with Jesus, but also the union with one another. The Eucharist is the source of love, not only for God, but also of fraternal charity. Paul says: Since there is only one bread, although we are many, we are one body: in fact we all participate in the one bread. In this participation in one bread, the profound union of all believers is realised. Let us welcome this extraordinary gift from the Lord. It was an unimaginable thing that everyone could communicate in the Body and Blood of Christ, but Jesus realised this miracle, a miracle of infinite love.

The first reading speaks to us of manna, that is, of the food given by God to his people while they were crossing the desert and not finding the nourishment necessary to survive there. [God] fed you with manna (says Moses to the people) that you did not know about before and which even your fathers had never known. Manna is an extraordinary element that arouses people's surprise. The very name manna means an unknown thing, because in Hebrew it is a question: What is this?=man hu. This is the food prepared by God for his people, who needed it so much to cross the desert. Deuteronomy shows us that manna had a symbolic meaning. It was not only a gift from God, but it was also a revelation: he wanted to make people understand that man does not live only on bread, he lives on what comes from the mouth of the Lord. The manna came from God; in a sense, it came from the mouth of the Lord. But what comes, most authentically, from the mouth of the Lord is his word, law and commands, all of which are an expression of his love and which put man on the path of love. Jesus took up this phrase from Deuteronomy to answer the tempter in the desert, who suggested that he turn the stones into bread: Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matt 4, 4). That is to say, the most important thing for living well is docility to the word of God, welcoming the Word, which illuminates us, shows us the way forward and also gives us the strength to follow it. So, in the time of the Exodus, God worried about giving his people food, and at the same time gave them a very important teaching. The Eucharist is the real manna. In the discourse after the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus says to the crowd: It was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it was my Father who gave you the true bread from heaven; for the bread of God is that which descends from heaven and gives the life of the world (John 6, 32-33). After giving material food to people who were unprovided for in a deserted place, Jesus explains the profound meaning of this miracle: he had to announce a greater miracle, a greater divine gift, that is, the gift of the Eucharist, which is more essential for life. Jesus declares: I am the living bread which came down from heaven. The Jews neither understand nor accept this revelation, and say: How can he give us his flesh to eat? They do not understand that Jesus announces here a mysterious gift: he does not speak of his concrete flesh to eat, but wants to announce a sacrament, which is truly his Body and his Blood and which communicates life to us. Jesus does not, immediately explain that he intends to speak of a sacrament, but insists on the need to eat his flesh and drink his blood: In truth, in truth I tell you: if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and do not drink His blood, you will not have life in you. It is about a vital necessity. Jesus underlines it, repeating it several times. You will not have life in you. Jesus does not speak of physical life (and it is possible to live even without receiving the Eucharist) but of the true life, of the life of the soul and spiritual life, which unites man to God forever. Jesus, immediately, specifies it: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. Here, it is not a question of physical life, which necessarily has an end, but of the eternal life, which begins on earth and continues, after death, in heaven. It is the life of union with God in love. The condition for having this life is eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus in the Eucharist; having this mysterious contact with the incarnate Word of God. Jesus knows that we are not pure spirits, but human persons, people who live and express themselves through the body, and, therefore, he wanted to give us intimate contact with himself through communion with his Body and his Blood. Then he reiterates: My flesh is real food, my blood is real drink. This is not on a physical level, but on a spiritual level, that is, on a very important and profound level. Jesus explains that this sacrament perfectly unites with him. This can be described as mutual interiority: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I in him. This is an amazing formula. We are led to think that whoever eats the Eucharist receives Jesus in himself; instead Jesus says first: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me. We dwell in Jesus and Jesus in us. These are the two dimensions of the Eucharist. Through this means we are introduced into the Body of Christ, we dwell in him, we become cells of his Body. And, on the other hand, he lives in us, as Paul says: It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me (Gal 2,20). This is the wonder of the Eucharist, which brings about a perfect union in love: we receive Jesus in ourselves and, at the same time, we are inserted in him. Somehow what happens in our relationship with the atmosphere happens: we are in the atmosphere and, at the same time, we breathe it, that is, we inspire the air inside us. As the Father, who has life, sent me and I live for the Father, so also the one who eats me will live for me. The relationship we have with Jesus is a participation in his relationship with the Father. Jesus lives for the Father, that is, he receives his life from the Father and directs his whole life to the glory of the Father. The expression: I live for the Father has a twofold meaning: through the Father and for the glory of the Father. Similarly, the Eucharist makes us live for Jesus in both directions: he comes to us to communicate his life of union with the Father and, on the other hand, teaches us to direct our life for the glory of the Father, that is, for the manifestation of his love. The Eucharist is a wonderful treasure. We must meditate and contemplate this extraordinary gift: a gift from the whole being of Jesus, who puts himself at our service not only by washing the feet of the apostles, but also by giving himself to us as food and drink. It was not possible for him to become our servant in a more complete way than this. The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life, because it is the greatest manifestation of Jesus' love for us. And this manifestation reaches each and every one of us. It is not a generic gesture, valid for all men, but an action in which Jesus manages to have a very personal contact with each of us. All these put us in joy, thanksgiving and give impetus to all our lives. Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, have mercy on us! Happy Solemnity of Corpus Christi! +John I. Okoye
(graphics  by charles )

4th Sunday of Easter; Year A, 2017

May Christ Jesus, the good and true Shepherd, the Lord and Messiah, the Mediator through whom you go to God the Father guide, guard, pasture and nurture you now and throughout your life. HappySunday! + John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FA  (Acts 2, 14. 36-41; 1 Peter 14, 7-9; John 10, 1-10; 4th Sunday of Easter; Year A,  2017)

            This fourth Sunday of the year is traditionally called the Good Shepherd Sunday (or to be more precise the True Shepherd Sunday) referring to Jesus who has all the qualities of a true pastor or guide of the soul. In his auto presentation in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says: I am the gate of the sheepfold. As the gate/door of the sheepfold, he is the unique and safe way of getting to the sheepfold, thereby ensuring their safety and pasture. Whoever would tries to enter into the sheepfold without passing through the gate is a thief, robber whose intention is to steal, kill and destroy. How are we to interpret and apply the metaphor of the gate of the sheepfold which Jesus applied to himself. The first and second readings of today seem to proffer some ways.

              In the first reading, we see that those who listened to Peter’s explanation of the events of the Pentecost were cut in the heart. They were open and ready to follow Peter’s directives; they asked what they were to do? In response, Peter exhorted them to repent and be baptized. Repentance (metanoia) is a total change of heart, an interior disposition, that would result in a new way of life. Baptism was a recognized external rite that marks the inner change. It is to be recalled that John the Baptist, during his ministry, called for repentance and some form of Baptism of Gentile proselytes who wished to embrace Jewish faith. What was then novel in Peter’s directives was the name in which they were to be baptized and the gift they were to receive. They were told to be baptized in the name of Jesus, who was both Lord and Christ, and they were promised the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the first reading indicates that the essential way of passing into the sheepfold is to be baptized, to become Christian. It is expected that the life of the Christian would be, henceforth, coherent with his baptism, that is to say, that he has to always pass through Jesus who is the gate of the sheepfold. 
            In the second reading, Peter tells us that: Christ suffered for you and left an example for you to follow the way he took. Following Christ’s example is a way of regarding him as the gate of the sheepfold. Passing through Christ as gate means that the Christians have the example of Christ after which they can pattern their behavior. They have Christ in whose footprints (steps) they can walk. The word for example (hypogrammos) refers to a child’s writing exercise. The letters of the alphabet from alpha to omega (A to Z) are copied stoke by stroke from a pattern. By using this image, the author is suggesting that, like the child, Christians can trace their own manner of suffering from the pattern set by Christ. Translating the word ichnos as foot-spring instead of footsteps would mean that when Christians follow Christ, they will not only go where he went, but they will also step into the prints made by his feet. Walking in the footprints, they follow Christ exactly as if they were tracing their lives after his pattern. Peter presents Christ’s innocence and avoidance of vengeance as pattern the Christians can trace from Christ’s life. The innocent suffering of Christ is described in terms that recall a passage of one of the Suffering Servants’s Songs of prophet Isaiah (53, 4-7). This is the pattern after which Christians are to model their lives. When they are persecuted for good they have done, they must be willing to bear the suffering, perhaps even for the sake of the very ones who have victimized them. Therefore, to pass through Christ who is the sheep-gate/door means to imitate him, live as he lived and in particular carrying the cross with love, just as he did. Instead of liberating ourselves or using violence we should always show goodness and generosity.

            The church passes through the sheep-gate/door because she concludes her prayers to God saying: Through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Saviour. All the prayers of the Church pass through Christ to reach God the Father; they are offered to Christ that He may present it to God the Father. The Church proclaims that Jesus Christ is the mediator. He is the mediator of a new covenant as the Letter to the Hebrews (9,15) indicates. The metaphor of sheep-gate/door brings out well Christ’s mediatory role. It is necessary to pass through him in order to gain salvation. Jesus says: If one goes in through me, he will be saved and then he added: He will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture. Jesus introduces us in the exterior and interior world. That is why it is necessary to be with him when we intend to deepen our interior life and enter into a profound and authentic rapport with God. Jesus said: No one goes to the Father, except through me (John 14,6). If we wish to encounter God and to have a personal rapport with him we have to pass through Christ, unite ourselves with him so that he presents us to God. All our offerings are presented to the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the mediator of the relationship with God the Father.

            Jesus is the universal mediator. He is the only one capable of establishing good rapport among men. He is the mediator between God and the people. We should be united to his heart in order to accomplish his work here on earth. Each one of us will have to bring to a finish a part of the work of Christ in union with him. In this way our life will become truly Christian, a life pleasing to God and fruitful for the life of the world. Jesus affirms: I am the sheep-gate/door, if any one enters through me, he shall be saved. If we do not enter through the sheep-gate/door, we are thieves and we would be doing things that are not proper. And what is more, instead of achieving positive results we would be moving on the opposite direction of dishonesty and selfishness and our whole life will be corrupt. But if we enter through Jesus, through his heart and his love, then we shall be saved and will be living our lives in its fullness. Jesus himself said that he came so that all will have life and have it in abundance.  In the Eucharist we receive the very life of Christ who gave himself up for us and we receive it so that we may be able to live in the fullness of divine charity. This is our vocation as Christians, of which we should be proud of and for which we should be grateful to God, through Jesus Christ, the sole and unique mediator. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

graphics  by chukwubike

10th Sunday of Year C 2016

DOCTRINE AND  FAITH(1 Kings 17,17-24; Galatians 1,11-19; Luke 7,11-17: 10th Sunday of Year C  2016).

    The first remark that can be made from the first reading is that the revival of the son of the widow by Elijah happened in a non Israelite territory, in the confines of Israel, to the north of Sidon. This fact is important, because this miracle took place in a land thought to be under the jurisdiction of another god. Thus the Lord has his sway in other lands and had universal influence. He blesses those who are not of his chosen race, Israel. God’s power and goodness disregard national boundaries. There are no limits to the healing love of God. It embraces all, regardless of race or gender.

    Both miracles in the first and Gospel readings were done in favour of widows, both having only a son. In the face of death of their sons, the widows faced double tragedy.  In a patriarchal society a woman could claim the major privileges of society only through the agency of men in her life. With no husband and no son they would not fit into the kin structure. Furthermore, with the death of the son, the family itself was at its end. There would be no descendants to inherit the estate, and the name of the father would not pass into the future and, therefore, cease to exist. In the case of the first reading, in order to heal, Elijah performed what was really a kind of symbolic prophetic act. It was not the power from the body of the prophet that restored the boy but the power of God working through the prophet. The passage itself makes this clear; Elijah prayed to the Lord, and the Lord heard his prayer. When the son was restored to her alive, the woman responded with an act of faith. Her living son was proof that God’s power worked through the man of God. She testified that God’s word came from Elijah’s mouth as well. God’s life-giving power has been exercised in a foreign land for the benefit of one of the most disadvantaged of the society, a widow.

    In the issue of the miracle of bringing back the life of the only son of the widow of Nain, Jesus seemed to have performed it out of his own deep emotion rather than in response to someone else’s request or demonstration of faith. Jesus was deeply moved at the sight of the grieving mother, a widow over her only son. Jesus and his companions met the funeral procession at the limits of the town. Jesus disregarded the cultic prohibition against touching a corpse. Such an act would render him unclean. However, it was through this act that the life giving power of God was transmitted to the corpse. The same act that polluted Jesus raised the young man. He spoke giving evidence that he was alive. Jesus gave him back to his mother.

    While the prophet Elijah prayed to God and performed the rites of intercession in order to bring back the life of the dead child, Jesus rather brought back the life of the widow of Nain’s son through the prodigious force of his Word, because he is the Lord and his words are not the words of men, but the Word of God. It is understandable the wave of administration and enthusiasm which the bystanders experienced as the miracle was performed. They attested: a great prophet has risen from among us and God has visited his own people. Jesus is the last Word of God, not just any prophetic word no matter how important it could be. As Bonora holds: With Jesus God has said all his Word, in an insuperable definitive way. He has made us understand that death is neither the ultimate word, a conclusive seal nor an invincible evil. Jesus himself solemnly declared at the raising of Lazarus from the dead: I am the resurrection and life: who believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will not die forever (John 11, 25-26).

    It is also necessary to mention that Jesus has not only conquered the death of the body because he is the Lord of life, but can also break into the intimacy of the most obstinate and hard heart, he can open for himself a passage even in the heart that does not allow grace to get in and change it in a most radical way. This is demonstrated in the event of St Paul who from persecuting the young church of Christ became, after the apparition of Jesus on his way to Damascus, the most fervid and passionate proclaimer of the gospel among the Jews and Gentiles. This thought makes us feel optimistic in our own case for we know that God can make us rise from our weaknesses, and cure us from our spiritual infirmities. Indeed, he wishes to do so; what we need to do is to open our hearts to him and strive to cooperate generously to his grace. In fact, what the Church invites us to ask in prayer, for ourselves and for others, is the spiritual resurrection. God is able to raise the dead even those obstinate dead who consider themselves still alive. God is able to transform us. Faith means considering it possible that God can make us new.  The true atheist is not one who affirms that God does not exist. Such are few. The real atheist is the one who affirms that God cannot transform him, who says that he is no longer able to change, and is too late to change. Real atheist is one who negates the infinite power and force of the resurrection which is inherent in the grace of God. True believers are those among us who know that it is only a genuine prayer, a sincere confession and just only one word from God that are enough for us to be renewed and to continue our Christian life. Therefore, let us in today’s Eucharistic celebration, ask God to give us the grace to be true believers. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye