DOCTRINE AND FAITH Year C, February 13, 2022

May the Eucharist we celebrate today help us to know that in any difficulty we find ourselves if we endure to the end, we will be among those that Jesus said blessed are those who suffer now for they shall be consoled in heaven.

Happy Sunday!

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(May the Eucharist we celebrate today help us to know that in any difficulty we find ourselves if we endure to the end, we will be among those that Jesus said blessed are those who suffer now for they shall be consoled in heaven.

Happy Sunday!

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Jer 17,5-8; 1 Cor 15, 12.16-20; Luke 6, 17.20-26; Year C, February 13, 2022)

This Sunday's Gospel presents us with Jesus' discourse on the beatitudes and also on the woes. Jesus invites us neither to believe in appearances, nor remain at the level of superficial observations, but go deeper into situations, showing us that, those situations that precisely seem to us unfavorable may actually be favorable and, on the other hand, that those which seem favorable to us may actually be unfavorable. We must recognize the true values, which are not those that the world usually appreciates, but the evangelical ones of union with Christ, love, courage in difficulties, hope in difficult situations, and generosity and forgiveness when we are struck by injustice. Jesus says to the disciples: Blessed are you who are poor, because yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, because you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who cry now, because you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you and when they bandy you and insult you and reject your name as a villain, because of the son of man. Rejoice on that day and exult, because, behold, your reward is great in heaven. All these statements seem disconcerting, because they go against our spontaneous inclinations. The world does not say: Blessed are the poor ..., but: Blessed are the rich, blessed are the sated, blessed are those who are happy. But Jesus teaches us that these situations so coveted by the world, in reality present serious dangers, because they are not conducive to spiritual growth. This growth, is favored by poverty. Here it is not so much a question of actual, material poverty as of an attitude of detachment from wealth. The disciples of Christ are not attached to material riches, because they want to live in an attitude of spiritual riches: union with God and Christ in faith, hope and love. These are the real riches, which cannot coexist with materialistic mindset. Therefore, we must always purify our hearts from those tendencies which in the New Testament are called greed and lust. We must be free from them in order to be able to grow spiritually in faith, hope and love. When we encounter difficulties or trials, instead of being discouraged, we must be full of hope, we must raise our heads and think that the Lord is giving us precious graces and preparing even more precious graces for us. Jesus says: Blessed are you who are hungry now, because you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who cry now, because you will laugh. We have the most profound reason for spiritual joy when we are united with Jesus in his passion, having to face, like him, situations of injustice. Jesus suffered the greatest injustice: he who was innocent, was accused, criticized, condemned and rejected. He faced all these sufferings, precisely, to fight and overcome evil. If we are privileged to be with him in these difficult trials, we can have great joy. In his first Letter, Peter tells us: To the extent that you share in Christ's sufferings, rejoice, that even in the revelation of his glory you may rejoice and rejoice (1Peter 4,13). And Jesus tells us: Rejoice on that day and exult, because, behold, your reward is great in heaven. Jesus’ Beatitudes are a message that is not easy to accept, but an important message, which helps us to be detached from superficial and temporary things.

The first reading, taken from the book of the prophet Jeremiah, gives us a teaching similar to that of today's Gospel, insisting on the need to trust in the Lord. Jeremiah affirms: Thus! the Lord says: Cursed is the man who trusts in man, who places his support in the flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. We must instead place our trust in the Lord: Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and the Lord is his confidence. We are always tempted to place our trust in human means, which certainly are useful, but are not the essential. Our trust, on the other hand, must be placed in the divine persons, because our relationship with them is the most important thing, the source of true happiness and the means to proceed in life with courage and generosity, If, following our natural inclination, we put our trust in material things or in human relationships, then we will remain delusioned. Jeremiah reveals to us that whoever trusts in man, rather than in the Lord, will be like a tamarisk in the wilderness; when good comes he does not see it. He will dwell in arid places in the desert, in a land of salt, where no one can live. For us, the fundamental thing is the Christian hope, which consists in a personal relationship with God. It is necessary to trust in him, to seek his will in everything, which is a saving will, who desires our true good and also gives us the means to achieve it... Jeremiah affirms: Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is in the Lord. He is like a tree planted by the bank of the river, that spreads its roots towards the current of water; it is not afraid when the heat comes, its leaves remain green; in the year of drought it does not wither, it does not stop producing its fruits.

The second reading tells us about the resurrection. Paul responds to the difficulties presented by the Corinthians, who do not believe that there can be a resurrection of the dead. He retorts: If the dead are not raised, neither is Christ risen; but if Christ is not risen, your faith is in vain and you are still in your sins. And even those who are dead in Christ are lost. We need to have faith in Christ's resurrection as a fact. Christ is truly risen from the dead. And we are united with him as risen. This is the foundation of our joy and hope. Christ is risen from the dead, and he invites us to place our hearts not in material things, but in spiritual ones, which are the most important goods. For example, in a family the most important things are relationships between people and mutual trust and love; the other things are secondary and cannot give real joy. If there is mutual trust and love, then all circumstances, even the most difficult ones, can be, successfully, faced; you can be sure of overcoming all difficulties, because, when you are united in love, you have an irresistible strength. We ask the Lord to help us change our mentality, because we always need to be converted. We always tend to behave according to our spontaneous inclinations, that is, to put trust in material things and to seek happiness as the world understands it. Instead, we must search for authentic goods, which are already present in our world, if we know how to seek them out. They are the relationship with God through Christ, and all the graces that come from this life-giving, sanctifying and beautifying relationship.+ John I. Okoye.

7th Sunday of Year C, 2019

Through the Eucharistic celebration of this Sunday, may your life be modeled in the image of Christ, and may you show mercy and compassion towards all, especially those you regard as enemies. Happy Sunday +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH 

(1Samuel 26,2. 7-9.12-13.22-23; 1 Corinthians 15,45-49; Luke 6,27-38; 
7th Sunday of Year C, 2019)

The story of the first reading contrasts the respect in which David held the anointed of the Lord with the murderous intent of Saul. Although David was the one hunted, Saul was the one caught. The king had an army of three thousand men, while David had one companion. It is clear that God had delivered Saul into David's hand. Still, David did not raise his hand against the king. The king's spear was part of the royal regalia. It was more than a weapon. It was a sign of royal rank. When stuck in the ground, it marked the location of the royal tent. The ultimate disgrace would be to die by one's own spear. This is precisely what Abishai suggested. Abner had failed in his responsibility to protect the king. Furthermore, the very fact that David and Abishai were able to enter such a large camp without being detected could be credited only to God's intervention. Abishai offered to administer the blow so David would not have to live with the guilt of having killed the king. One might think that David would be justified in killing the man who sought to kill him. However, by taking the symbol of royal rank he chose to shame his enemy rather than assassinate him. Despite the fact that Saul was out to kill him, David refused to harm the king, for he was still the one chosen by God to lead the people. The fate of God's anointed one was in God's own hands. Though clearly favored by God, David does not take advantage of this favor. Judgment is in God's hands, and He alone will reward or punish each one according to his/her righteousness (sedeqah) and faithfulness ('emet).

In the second reading, Paul continues the discussion on the resurrection that we have followed the previous Sundays. Today he contrasts the ordinary human body with the resurrected body that believers will receive. He does this in several ways. First he draws a clear distinction between the first man, Adam, and the last Adam, Christ. In the second creation narrative Genesis 2,7, the first man became a living being (nepesh hayyah). In contrast, those possessing the spirit of the risen Christ have life through him, thus making him a life-giving spirit. Adam received life, while Christ gives it. Still  contrasting Adam and Christ, Paul states that Adam, the first man, was out of the earth, made of its dust, while the second man, the Lord Jesus, by his resurrection was from heaven. Finally, those who come from the dust, as did the first man, will have natural bodies like that of the first man; those who are joined to the risen Lord will have resurrected bodies, as has the Lord. The passage ends with Paul playing on the idea of being made in the image of another. Just as being made of dust we bear the image of the first man, who was made of dust, so sharing in the resurrection of the Lord we bear the image of the last man, the one who was raised from the dead. 

Jesus' Sermon on the Plain, begun in the gospel for last Sunday, continues today. The primary focus of this instruction is love (agape),specifically, love of one's enemies. This injunction to love is stated in four different but parallel ways: Love your  enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you. In each case the disciples of Jesus are told to act toward their enemies in a way exactly opposite to the way they themselves are treated. In other words, they are not to retaliate in kind. Furthermore, it is not enough that they refrain from retaliation; their love should not be mere passive acceptance. Rather, they are called to active love of those who do not love them. Four examples of how this love is to be carried out are then given. Whether attacked or insulted by the blow on the cheek, one must be willing to be extravagant in one's resistance to retaliation. This same extravagance is illustrated in one's willingness to surrender even an undergarment when an outer cloak is taken. The disciples are told to give unquestioningly when asked and not to demand re­turn of items taken. Such behavior may appear to be excessive, but it illustrates the extremes to which one must be willing to love enemies. What has come to be known as the Golden Rule appears elsewhere in negative form: What is hateful to you, do not do to others. The negative form admonishes us to refrain from evil, while Jesus' positive, open-ended version (Treat others as you would like them to treat you) is a call for active love. Three examples for living out this Golden Rule are given, each demonstrating that there is no credit in simple reciprocity. The disciples must surpass others in loving, doing good, and in lending. As children of God, they must model their love after the love God has for all, even for those who have turned away from Him. The disciples are called to be merciful (oiktirmon) as God is merciful. The word is closely akin to the Hebrew word meaning compassionate (rahum), the attitude of loving attachment a mother has for the child of her womb. Here that loving attitude is attributed to God, who is referred to as Father. Characterizing God in this way radically reinterprets the meaning of God's fatherhood. It is represented as lavishly loving and unselfishly attentive to others. Finally, the way the disciples treat others will be the standard for the way they are treated by God. If they do not judge or condemn, they will not be judged or condemned. If they forgive and are generous, they will be forgiven and will receive generously. While we may be extravagant in our loving, the goodness of God far exceeds even the greatest human beneficence. 
In toddy’s liturgy, the schooling of the disciples continues. Here we see that such schooling is intent on changing the way we think as well as the way we act. Perhaps one of the most difficult lessons to learn in this area is forgiveness of those we consider our enemies, those who have wronged us. As challenging as this may be, the gospel calls us to an even higher standard: we must be merciful as God is merciful. If such perfection can become a reality in our lives, we will be able to forgive. Paul assures us that we can indeed attain such perfection, not by ourselves but through the power of the risen Lord, whose image we bear. Paul plays with the theology of creation. In the beginning we were made like the first Adam, earthly, limited, weak, concerned about the things of this world, and committed to our own well-being. Now we have been fashioned after the image of the second Adam, Christ, the risen Lord. Being like Christ, we become godlike, empowered with his saving power, transformed with him into new beings. It is now in our power, which is really the power of the resurrection, to be merciful as God is merciful. In the risen Lord we experience a mystical trans­formation. From now on all our actions can flow from this new reality. Transformed by the power of the resurrection, we are capable of unprecedented good works. We can live without retaliation; we can render good for evil. We can be prodigal in our generosity toward others; we can relinquish any rights of proprietorship we might enjoy. We can live with others without unfairly judging them. We can be like God, boundless in our forgiveness. When we are transformed, God becomes the source of our spiritual power, the model after whom we pattern our lives, the incentive that spurs us on, and the ultimate goal of all our works. The works themselves are not mere external performances done out of obligation. They are visible manifestations of a deep inner reality, of the transformation/conversion that has taken place in our lives. Schooling for discipleship results in total transformation in Christ. May we, therefore, assiduously pray in today’s Eucharistic Celebration for the grace to be totally formed into the image of Christ! Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye
(graphics by chukwubike oc)

6th Sunday of Easter; May 6, 2018 Year B

May the divine Love whose source is God the Father and which you received through Jesus Christ at Baptism equip you to be a good instrument for the spreading of the same divine Love in the world among people. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Acts 10,25-27.34-35.44-48; 1 John 4,7-10; John 15, 9-17: 6th Sunday of Easter; May 6, 2018 Year B)

   In today’s liturgy, in the readings especially, the Church as mother, continues to offer us the post Easter period catechesis (the mystagogical catechesis). One of the major themes of today’s readings is love. In the second reading, from the First Letter of John, there are about nine occurrences of the English word “love” and in the Gospel reading, from the Gospel of John, we have also nine occurrences of the same word. In our linguistic usage today, the word “love” has become a cliché (a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought). It has been so over-used and abused that it has lost its depth of meaning. The Evangelist, John in teaching about love was careful with his choice of words. To denote love, he used neither erōs, the passion that seeks some form of possession of the person or object loved, nor philia, which denotes the love of kin or those very closely related. The word used instead was agapē, a word that in itself is very similar to philia but which in John’s Gospel has special theological meaning.Agapē is usually the word used when we predicate the love of God. Agapē, is not merely an expression of the best that the human spirit has to offer. It is neither exemplary piety nor altruistic (showing a disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others; unselfish) concern for others. Actually, there is nothing human about it. It is divine in its origin, and only those who have been begotten by God can have a share in it. God initiates this love, and it is best exemplified in Christ’s own selfless offering of himself for others. When Christians are called to live in this self-giving love, more than an imitation of Christ is being required of them. Rather it is because they have been begotten by God and somehow share in the very nature of God that they can be exhorted to live out this divine love as God does and as Christ did. By virtue of our Baptism, we become adopted sons and daughters of God, the beloved (agapētoi) of God. We encounter agapē again in the starting statement of the second reading: God is love! That God is love is a fundamental theological reality. Love is of God; Love has its origin in God. Love is divine in its origin; God is the true source of this love. This love comes from God the Father and passes through the heart of Jesus and comes to us as Jesus so informs today: As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Jesus himself never pretended to be the source of this love. He was aware of receiving this love from the Father, and of being only a mediator of this love, that is, one who transmits it. Jesus transmitted this love in a very active manner. In the gospel periscope of today, He asserts: There is no love greater than this than to lay down one’s life for the friends. This is what Jesus actually did; motivated by the desire to fulfill the will of his heavenly Father by going through the passion to save not only his disciples but all men. We like Jesus, will not only welcome this divine love but will also have to remain in it as he instructs: Remain in my love. The Greek word ménō rendered here as “remain” and sometimes as “abide”, literally means to stay in a place. It suggests permanence that is associated with God. The union that is offered is not intended to be a passing occasion; it is to be a lasting state of being. It will be accomplished through obedience. In this, Jesus is both the model and the mediator. As he was obedient to the commandments of God, so the disciples must be obedient to his commandments. In fact, it is through their obedience to him that they will be obedient to God. To remain in the love of Jesus and invariably in the love that has God as its source has obvious gains. One of which is that the disciples will abide in the joy of Jesus as well. This is the type of joy that is not diminished by sacrifice, even the sacrifice of laying down one’s life for another. Another advantage of abiding in the love of God is that the disciples become the beneficiaries of the love of Christ as his friends. They are not slaves who obey blindly. Chosen by Jesus, they have heard and accepted God’s will as revealed by him. They have responded freely, like friends would respond. Thus he calls them friends, and because of his love for them he is willing to lay down his life for them. They, in turn, must similarly love one another and, presumably, be willing to lay down their lives for one another.

Indeed the disciples will have to follow the injunction of Christ as he ends the gospel reading: Love one another. The disciple of Jesus then, and we the modern disciples, will have to pass on this good news of love. This agapē, the active love reaching out from God to Jesus, Jesus to his disciples, the disciples to one another must be passed on. It must not stop here with us. This active love must move out beyond the confines of the group of the chosen ones into the broader world. Those who have been chosen for love have also been elected to mission. They must go forth, and their love and obedience must bear fruit in the lives of others.
    It must be admitted that one who is the beneficiary of God’ love, abides in Him and one of the beloved (agapētoi) of God, and certainly a friend of Jesus cannot but be a transformed person or disciple. This must have been the case with Peter in the first reading when at the house of Cornelius, admitted that God has no preference, and that God’s project of love was universal - a project that was realised through the paschal mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus, today, challenges us to follow his example in loving one another as he has loved us. Thus, the challenge he posits is not to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. Rather we are to love our neighbour as he himself had done, that is to say, that we are to sacrifice our lives as Jesus did. To be able to take up this challenge, we need to have the heart of Jesus. We will have the sentiments of the heart of Jesus when we allow the Eucharistic Jesus whom we receive often to transform us to his image. It is the transformation that accrues to us through worthy reception of the Eucharist that will enable us, like Jesus, to become mediators of God’s universal and divine love which the liturgy of today’sSunday handles. Happy Sunday! + John I. Okoye

graphics  by chukwubike oc

4th Sunday of the Year A, 2017

May the almighty God give you the special grace to live out the beatitudes every moment of your life. Happy Sunday!
+ John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Zephaniah 2,3; 3,12-13; 1 Cor 1, 26-31 ; Matt 5,1-12,: 4th Sunday of the Year A,  2017)

 In the gospel reading of today, Jesus proclaims in a very solemn manner the beatitudes. Proclaiming this from a mountain, Mathew presents Jesus as the new Moses who proclaims the new law, the statutes of the new people of God, the people of the new covenant, which is the Church. The beatitudes which he proclaims are not abstract precepts, nor theoretical enunciations but rather true characteristics of Jesus himself which are verifiable in his life as we see in the Gospel narratives. He is per excellence the poor in spirit, the afflicted, the meek, the one who thirst for justice, the merciful, the pure in heart, the operator of peace and the persecuted.   

            The disciple of Jesus, the true Christian, is the one who follows the master and incarnates the beatitudes in his life after the Christ’s example. The first beatitude which Jesus enunciates is: How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is a typical example of this beatitude. He was born, lived and died poor. Poverty in spirit does not only mean interior detachment from material things but also connotes the idea that it is chosen and willed and that it is not endured out of necessity or undertaken on account of circumstances. The one who is poor in spirit is one who refrains from the accumulation of the goods of the world, one who chooses to live not paying any iota of attention to money, power or career. He is also one who refuses to get involved in the worship of money or power. The poor of the beatitudes are like the poor about which both Zephaniah and Paul speak. These are people who, in engaging themselves in life, repose their hope especially on God. They are free from selfishness and ambition for power, from avidity for wealth. They are people who, no matter how badly the world treats them, remain attached to God, repose all their confidence in him and entrust themselves into his hands, assured that God will never disappoint them and for this reason they are very happy.

  What one finds a bit jolting in the proclamation of the beatitudes is that Jesus declares blessed or happy the category of people whom the world considers unhappy: the poor, afflicted, the persecuted, etc. It is not to be understood that Jesus exalts and beatifies any situation of suffering and sorrow as such; this would be some special type of masochism. The situation of suffering remains what it is. But the reaction of the Christian about it should be different from that of the world. The world anchors the foundation of her joy and happiness in the possession of the goods of this world, in wealth, success, pleasure or something of this kind. However, the gospel invites one to set the foundation of his joy on the love of God, a love that promises unfailing security in the midst of any crisis in which one may find himself. The joy of the beatitudes is based on the certainty of a happy future which will be the gift of God. It is also based on the joyful realization that right now, it is possible to have a foretaste of the joy, on account of the spiritual disposition which the beatitudes make possible. This spiritual disposition as well as the moral attitudes emanating from the beatitudes should not remain interior, individualistic and abstract; neither should it be left to be passive. It should not have a private but rather a public and concrete aspect. The spiritual disposition should lead to a very courageous undertaking for justice and peace, from individual faithful as well as the entire Christian community. What is expected from the Christian is not passive surrender but concrete and active task in favour of peace and justice.

 We mentioned above that true follower of Christ is the one who incarnates the beatitudes in himself/herself especially in his/her heart, where the reign of God has its root. It is, therefore, opportune that we ask ourselves if our moral profile corresponds to those traced by the beatitudes, that is to say, if we are truly people who do not run after the goods of the world considering it as the mirage of happiness. We examine ourselves to find out if we trust in God and confide in him. We need to ask if we are people that are humble and simple and sincere in heart, who are not ambitious and full of the arrogant air of one who has arrived. Are we people who do not believe in violence but desirous to work for justice and peace with the force of love, also capable to suffer and bear persecution for the cause of good. Are we merciful? It is necessary that we Christians assume and imitate this evangelical mentality and believe that through them to be happy, already in this world as far as it is possible to human condition, but hopefully to be permanently happy in the next life.

 Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

graphics  by chukwubike