4th Sunday of Lent: Year B

May you through participating in today's Sunday  Eucharistic celebration receive the fullness of God's generous love that makes you an instrument of the same divine love and mercy to others.Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(2Chronicles 36, 14-16.19-23; Ephesians 2, 4-10; John 3, 14-21; 4th Sunday of Lent:  Year B)

The entrance antiphon of this fourth Sunday of Lent invites us to rejoice: Rejoice Jerusalem … Be joyful, all who were mourning. It is a Sunday of joy. Today’s readings indicate God’s generous love for us as the motive of this joy. In the gospel reading Jesus tells Nicodemus: God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. In the second reading Paul declares: God loved us with so much that he was generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ - it is through grace that you have been saved. The first reading shows example of God’s mercy as, through the pagan king Cyrus, he made it possible for the exiled Jews to return home and reconstruct the Temple after a very long time.

The second book of Chronicles, from where the first reading is taken, describes how, despite the sinfulness of the people, God was moved to compassion. Again and again reforming prophets (messengers) were sent to this corrupt nation but to no avail. Not only did they ignore the prophets, they actively derided them. According to this account, it was this callous contempt that unleashed the avenging anger of God. The demise of the monarchy, collapse of the temple system of worship and deportation of the people were the inevitable consequences of this hardhearted obstinacy. The punishment was brutal and sweeping. What had been desecrated through the wickedness of the people was now purified through the inexorable fury of God’s wrath. What was not destroyed was appropriated by the conquerors. Because the people had failed to observe the Sabbath, the entire land would now be deserted in a Sabbath rest for seventy years (cf. Jer 25, 11). However, the reading ends on a hopeful note. Just as Jeremiah had prophesied the demise of Judah, so he also foretold the collapse of its conquerors and the captor (Jer 25,12). As the king Cyrus, the new Persian king came to power, through God’s inspiration, he decided to set the exiles free and made it possible for them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. He gave them all the necessary means to do this. In doing this he did not deny the scope of the influence of the power he wielded, but he credited the God of Israel as the source of it all. King Cyrus’ intervention was another stupendous manifestation of the mercy and faithfulness/steadfastness of God, the infidelity and criminality of the Jewish people notwithstanding.

The manifestation of the mercy and generosity of God as we have seen in the first reading is only a prefiguration of God’s generosity that came to fore at the resurrection of Jesus. This is the show of God’s mercy and generosity after the extreme infidelity of the Jews when they condemned Jesus to death and rejected their Messiah. God made him rise from the dead. The resurrection is not something that concerns only Jesus; it also concerns us as Paul teaches that God, out of his love for us, raised us to life with Christ. The resurrection of Christ is a miracle of love which is much more important than the reconstruction of the temple of Jerusalem. The risen body of Christ is now the medium of both presence and worship of God. The resurrection of Christ is now a gift to the whole humanity. It is affirmed in the Gospel reading that God so loved the world that he sent his Son … God does not love only the Jews. The love of predilection which the Jew were privileged to enjoy was not an exclusive love but one destined to diffuse to all people and nations of the earth.
God loved the world and gave his only Son… God gave his Son to the world raising him on the cross and equally raising him to be with him, to the right hand of his majesty in heaven. Thus the raising on the cross was the first part of the movement of elevation. It was followed by the resurrection and then the ascension into heaven by which our human nature was placed near God to the advantage of all of us. In the gospel reading, Jesus hinted to Nicodemus that as the serpent was raised in the desert, the son of man will also be raised. Jesus accepted his being compared to the brazen serpent that was raised up in a pole. He was fully aware that the raised serpent was a symbol of sin and punishment for it. The cross, on which he was, eventually, raised signified sin and punishment for sin. But by the strength of his love, Jesus completely changed the meaning of the cross, from being instrument of punishment for rebellious slaves, to becoming the manifestation of the greatest act of love. Jesus himself affirms: No one has love greater than giving one’s life for one’s friends (John 15, 13). The cross is the greatest manifestation of God’s love. It is a love that proceeds from the heart of the Father. This love was received with gratitude and generosity by the heart of the Son and from there it spread to the ends of the world. This is surely for the salvation of the world. Jesus holds also in today’s Gospel: God did not send his Son in the world to judge the world but rather that the world be saved through him. God does not want the death of the sinner but that he repents (Ezek 33, 11). All sinners are invited to have confidence in God’s infinite mercy which is manifested in the death of Jesus on the cross.

God, however, will not force people to behave in any particular manner. That is why they can still behave as the Jews, during the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem, when they mocked the prophets. It is still possible to close ones heart against the love that comes from God and prefer darkness to light. Jesus affirms: Whoever does evil, hates the light, and does not come from the light so that his works will not be revealed. All said and done, God desires that he who does evil comes to light so that he may receive God’s infinite mercy and begin to work in truth, that is, to always walk in the direction of the light.

We are invited always to open our hearts to the infinite love of God, to his tender mercy and unbounded generosity. During Lent our joy consists of receiving God’s mercy more and more. Indeed it is not enough receiving forgiveness, but it is necessary and required to receive God’s mercy. Therefore, we have to receive this love while conducting a life full of justice and charity. In this way our life will become a testimony of love that has God as its source. Happy sunday! +John I. Okoye

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12th Sunday of the Year A, 2017

May Christ at Sunday Eucharistic celebration bestow on you the special gift of fortitude that will enable you courageously witness to him and the blessed Trinity everywhere and every moment of your life. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Jeremiah 20, 10-13; Romans 5, 12-15; Matthew 10, 26-33: ;  12^th  Sunday of the Year A,  2017)

       Fear is one factor that has continued to militate against our call to authentic witnessing to the gospel. Undertaking the task of committed witnessing would demand that we make ourselves susceptible to cajole, insults, persecution and threats of outright extermination. How many of us are prepared to stake out their necks to protect the rights of others? How many of us would be ready to risk their job, status, positions in the society, or valued relationship in protest against injustice or to expose unjust structures? There is no doubt that there is hardship in being a disciple nowadays where money is usually the standard of measuring success. It is a world of competition where there is only one winner and everyone else is a failure. It is a world that values possessions more than commitment, shrewdness more than integrity. A world where races and cultures, welfare of people and natural environment are secondary to the desires of those in power.     This is a world that, desperately, needs to hear the call of conversion, but the world is either deaf to it or on hearing it, may persecute the one who delivers the message. This is the world subject to the death that entered into it through the sin of Adam. Those who respond positively to God’s call, as disciples, may have to face the hostility of the world, because their values and commitments threaten the world’s assured values. They may encounter  this hostility in friends and neighbours. They may even have to face the hostility from family members. They can even experience terror in every side. This can happen in both major and minor situations. One can be maligned or one can feel marginalized. To  commit oneself to the reign of God is to challenge the reign of the world, and this can make one very unpopular. Difficult as these may sound it is precisely on such grounds that we can boast of being true witnesses to the gospel of Christ and his  true disciples. 

    Jeremiah had his own toll of suffering among his people. The first reading shows the pathetic lament of this prophet of God with regard to his fate at the hands of the people to whom he was called to deliver the message or mind of God. He had to suffer untold difficulties, persecution, imprisonment, outright rejection and hatred, even from his own very friends. In the face of all these, Jeremiah was able to realize the place of God in his life and to utter wonderful words of hope and trust in Him: But the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero….

               Christ is well aware of the difficulties associated with the proclamation of the gospel. He knows that the disciples would be torn apart by uncertainties and the prospect of being brutalized by the enemies of the gospel. Hence he encourages them: Do not be afraid! This expression used three times in today’s gospel reading is indeed reassuring. Without promising the disciples a crossless Christianity, Jesus assures them that God knows them through and through and will surely protect them if they remain faithful and really fear God who is able to destroy both the body and the soul, rather than man who can only destroy the body. In the midst of suffering, the attitude of the disciple of Jesus, and all of us who are baptized and witnessing as disciples, is to find strength in the promise of God, for as we believe, God is faithful to these promises. We have not been created and then thrown into the world to fend for ourselves. God cares for us more than the sparrows. God knows everything there is to know about us: our fears and aversions, our thoughts and dreams. Why is it too hard for us to believe we are cared for and loved by God? 

    We saw above the difficulties in witnessing to the good Lord in the good world which God created, on account of sin that entered into the world and death that followed suit. Paul assures us today, in the second reading, that the gracious gift God offers us is far greater than the transgressions brought on us by sin. This greatest gift is Jesus Christ himself. This gift exceeds anything for which we might have hoped. He is the comfort that will carry us through our disappointments. He is the strength that will enable us to endure the misunderstandings and hardship that come with discipleship. We are called to acknowledge him before the world. Today, the need to witness to Christ is even more urgent in our society than ever. We are called to challenge the immoral structures, gross injustices, outright discrimination, exploitation of the weak, bribery and corruption, tribalism, morality e.t.c.. that have continued to hold our society hostage. It is always more convenient to remain in the confines of one’s house and pretend not to see the ignoble trend of events in our society today, or allow others to be the first to voice it out rather than to come out immediately and fight for justice and fairness. But, Jesus invites us to actively witness to him in the face of such menace, so that he may declare himself for us in the presence of his Father. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

 

 GRAPHICS  BY CHUKWUBIKE 

14th Sunday of the Year C 2016

DOCTRINE AND FAITH 
(Isaiah 66, 10-14; Galatians 6,14-18; Luke 10, 1-12.17-20: 14th Sunday of the Year C  2016)

   

Last Sunday we reflected on the characteristics of good discipleship according to the Evangelist Luke. They include: abandoning all terrestrial security and detachment from material things; having God and the reign of His Kingdom as the primary and absolute value to which all other values, even familial ones, are subordinated to; and persevering in following Christ and living out our commitment to him without planning to change our minds or turning backwards.

   In today’s gospel, Jesus sends out his disciples to announce the coming of the Kingdom of God and they are to do so two and two in every city Jesus is to visit. It all means the disciples were to go before Jesus to prepare the way for him. They are to perform the type of work John the Baptist, the precursor Christ, did. Being disciples of Jesus, they must have received enough formation to fully execute this important function. Their formation consisted simply in the docile listening to the words of Jesus which, more or less, formed their faith and helped them to follow him convincingly. By virtue of our baptism we, Christians of today, are called to a life of intimate relationship with Christ. We need also to bear in mind that through our baptism we are called to be sent out in order to carry out a mission which is that of disposing our brothers and sisters to meet with Christ, thereby making them benefit from the gospel message of salvation. Disposing our brothers and sisters to meet Christ is mainly done through the witness of good Christian life. Seeing the Christian and watching him, people will discover what is particular and peculiar in him—transformation.  This transformation, what Paul terms the new creature is a direct result of the encounter of Jesus with the Christian. 

    In the gospel story today, Jesus himself indicates the characteristics of the disciple who becomes a missionary. First of all, he has to adopt the proverbial meekness of the lamb. Jesus says: I will send you like a lamb in the midst of wolves. The proclaimer of the gospel is to follow the path of meekness and not of violence. The mission is no doubt difficult and arduous, especially in the world of today that prefers violence and show of prepotence. Jesus’ use of lamb and wolf metaphor is ad rem. The forces are disproportional. The meekness or gentility of the lamb is counter-posed to the aggression or show of prepotence of the wolf. It would look like the battle is lost from the onset. It would be so, if the lamb is bereft of the power of Christ who sent him. We need to be very clear on this point. No matter how aggressive and violent wicked forces oppose good ones and no matter the extent of difficulties we encounter in the announcement of the gospel, Christ is with us and no evil force will overpower us. We need to trust, rely upon and confide in him and in the power of his grace. Jesus again recommends that in carrying on the work of proclamation, there should be no waste of time through unnecessary exchange of pleasantries; this is because the proclamation of the gospel is urgent and does not allow such delays. In the directive:  carry no purse, no haversack, no sandal, Jesus forbids the announcer of the gospel to provide any human or material security for himself. He is to be content with those things that are really necessary; he is also to live in poverty so that he would be free from superfluous things that could impede his movement and make his spirit less disposed for the announcement of the gospel. The announcer of the gospel is credible in so far as he does not rely on material and terrestrial means or human efficiency and to the extent he reposes confidence in divine providence. The next recommendation for the proclaimer of the gospel is that he has to be a man of peace. The peace meant here connotes interior peace, serenity of spirit, a gift of Christ which he won with his precious blood, a sign of the Kingdom of God and a sign of God’s power, especially the power of divine renewal. Whoever accepts the kingdom of God has peace. Indeed, the first greeting of the proclaimer of the gospel as he enters a home should be: Peace to this house…The next characteristic of the announcer of the gospel is that he should be a person who is attentive and sensitive to the necessities of people who are somehow weak and needy. He exhibits this character when he fulfils Jesus injunction: cure the sick. He is, therefore, to be a person who practices love/charity, beginning with the least and most needy.

    The disciples of Jesus’ time were sent to the places where Jesus was to visit. They acted as precursors of Jesus. The disciples of our own time are the baptized Christians of today including we Christians of Nigeria. Where are we to carry out our missionary work as precursors of Christ? Do we go afar field? or do we bring the venue nearer home? The common dictum holds that charity begins at home; however, it should not stop there. There are certainly members of our family or family circles, nuclear and extended family members, colleagues in work places, in schools, in market stalls etc that are sick in one way or the other and need to meet Christ so as to be healed. Do we through our meekness and gentleness bring them closer to Christ by showing them love, and trying to assuage their material, spiritual, emotional and psychological needs. It is necessary that we Christians of today,  no matter how low or high we are placed, know how to use every opportunity to give witness to our faith through simple and kind gestures of smiles, gentility, sympathy and favours which we show to people we come in contact with. What is more, life offers us wonderful opportunities of contact with diverse people in different environments where we can coherently and effectively bear witness to our faith. As we follow the injunction of Jesus to pray, so that the good Lord may send labourers to his harvest, may we personalize the prayer by requesting: Send me Lord! I am ready and willing to do your will and live out the recommendations of the discipleship as you stipulated in today’s gospel reading, in my circumstances of life.

 +John I. Okoye      

(GRAPHICS ADDED BY BLOGGER)

13th Sunday of the Year C 2016

(1 Kings 19, 16.19-21; Galatians 5, 1.13-18; Luke 9, 51-62: 13th Sunday of the Year C 2016)

   

 There is some sort of parallelism between the first reading and the second part of the gospel reading. The resemblance is found in the theme that treats the exigency of the call of Prophet Elisha and the call to the would-be-disciple of Jesus. The time Prophet Elijah was ministered was a difficult one. It was a critical time, religious crisis for that matter, infidelity to God on the part of the elected people of God and full blown apostasy through idolatry of foreign gods. It was also the time, of chastisement of the people of God, a time of their purification. There was then the need for another prophet who would work with Elijah (Elijah means: My God is the Lord) for a while and would later continue with his prophetic mission alone. The lot fell on Elisha (Elisha means: My God is the Saviour). The call of Elisha was through prophetic symbolic action. The symbolic act of Elijah, throwing his clock over Elisha, can be interpreted in more than one way. It can be interpreted that Elisha has been invested with the power and authority of Elijah. It also suggests that the kind of activity in which Elijah was engaged had come to an end and a new generation of prophets was on the horizon. Elijah, then, was a kind of precursor, a sign of what was to come. Elisha was called while he was ploughing a field. He immediately left his ploughing and eagerly ran after Prophet Elijah. He had no second thought about following his call. He only asked permission to say farewell to his parents. The account describes the conflict that exists between two fundamental responsibilities: fidelity to the call of God and fidelity to one’s primary family obligations. Elijah did not grant Elisha permission to leave but he did respond that Elisha had been commissioned by God to be a prophet and it was up to him to decide whether or not he could make the radical break from the past that this commission required. His response was wholehearted. His slaughter of the oxen and his destruction of the plowing equipment were symbolic acts of severing his ties with his past. He was now totally committed to the ministry of the people. He demonstrated this by feeding them.

 In the second part of the today’s gospel there are three episodes which teach the things Jesus expects from those who decide to follow him. Jesus demands that he who follows him should not repose his confidence in terrestrial and material things. Jesus referring to himself said: The foxes have holes and the birds of the air their nets but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head. The disciple of Jesus, therefore, will have to know how to live in want, poverty, necessity and scarcity in this world, and on the other hand, know how to repose his confidence and security in God. What is more, he has to regard the possession of the Kingdom of heaven as one’s true wealth. Again, Jesus demands complete and absolute disposition from those who want to follow him and enter the kingdom of heaven. Such disposition would help them not to look for excuses and pretences to postpone decisions and also prevent them from swinging from one indecision to the other. Jesus’ dictum, Leave the dead to bury the dead. Go and proclaim the Kingdom of God clinches the above point. Jesus also demands that the would-be-disciple does not allow himself/herself be distracted by the thought of changing his/her mind after responding positively to the call of God:No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back ward is worthy of the kingdom of God. From the foregoing, it is clear that Jesus makes himself and his message of salvation the absolute values to which other values are subordinated. Any other thing acquires its value in relation to this absolute value. We have, therefore, to ask ourselves sincerely, if we really regard the Lord as the truly and unique value, the value more important in our lives, as is indicated in the responsorial psalm that we sang. If God is the absolute and unique value, we then have to follow his call with our whole being and with our whole strength. That boils down to affirm that there is no part-time discipleship. We must have a willing attitude that frees us interiorly from all other concerns so that we might be able to follow Christ, regardless of our state in life and our profession. This attitude of commitment does not merely arise from our own generosity of heart but, fundamentally, from our having been transformed into Christ through faith and baptism. With the psalmist we cling to God, who is our allotted portion and cup. Such whole hearted commitment is an interior reality and not an exterior demonstration. It is not for a few, it is required from all.

    This interior reality is the mainstay of Paul’s teaching to the Galatians which we are privileged to listen to in the 2nd reading of today. Paul teaches that the Christian is free from the prescriptions of the Jewish law. Therefore, what is important for the salvation of a person is Jesus Christ and faith in him. This faith is to be mediated through charity or love. The Christian, all of us are liberated by Christ so that we can show charity to one another. But to live in the liberty of the sons and daughters of God and to practice love among ourselves we need to allow ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit. It is this Spirit of God that will guide our lives as the disciples of Jesus and will help us with his guidance and illumination to always stick to our decision to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Happy Sunday!+John I. Okoye

Second Sunday of Lent: Year C 2016....DOCTRINE AND FAITH

DOCTRINE  AND  FAITH(Genesis 15, 5-12.17-18; Philippians  3,17-4,1;  Luke  9,28-36: Second Sunday of Lent:  Year C  2016)

Every second Sunday of Lent, the church proposes the event of the transfiguration of Christ for our reflection. The yearly reflection shows its importance for Christ and for us. Our reflection today is in three parts. 

(1) Transfiguration in the context of the events in the ministry of Jesus: To help understand the full import of the transfiguration, it is necessary to relate it to what Jesus did before and after it. In his ministry before his transfiguration, Jesus worked many miracles (See chapters 4,5,6); healed the sick; overpowered the forces of nature (Luke 8,22-25) and  cast out demons (Luke 8,26; 4,31). Like any grand master, he gathered some disciples around him (Luke 6,12-16) whom he sent on apostolic mission (Luke cap. 9). Witnessing his deeds and hearing his teachings, it was logical that public had to wonder at his identity. It was Herod who said in bewilderment:  I had the head of John cut … who is this one? (Luke cap 9). It was Peter who, in the name of all the disciples declared: He is Christ of God, the promised Messiah. Immediately after Peter’s confession, Jesus predicts his passion. He demands much from his would-be disciples when he declared: who wishes to follow me, let him deny himself…: who wishes to save his life will lose it, but who will lose it for my sake, will gain it; who is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of man will be ashamed of him when he comes into his glory in the presence of his heavenly Father and the holy angels. But who is this Jesus that is able to perform a lot of extraordinary miracles and is demanding much from his disciples? This is the big question that underlines the transfiguration narrative of Luke. His gospel is a deep catechesis through which he intends that the disciples of Jesus, the first Christian community, as well as disciples and Christian communities of all times, would be able to discover whom Jesus truly is. 

(2) Transfiguration reveals who Jesus is: The event of the transfiguration supplies the answer to the big question: Who is Jesus! Jesus is not only a human being, even if he is the most extraordinary person. In addition, even of more importance, Jesus is the beloved Son of God, as the voice from the cloud declared. Thus, beyond the humanity of Christ, there is the divinity in him. After the event of his passion and death, which he predicted and about which he discusses with Elijah and Moses, would follow unfailingly his resurrection and his return to his Father. Therefore, one can trust him and should listen to him; one can and should follow him, even when it would be tantamount to carrying one’s cross and denying oneself. The liturgy in the first reading presents the figure of Abraham as a shining example of a man of faith. Abraham was a person who trusted God. In spite of all the temptations and challenges, he believed in the divine promise, even when, humanly speaking, it looked impossible; he believed and hoped against all human hope. If we are believers, we should follow Abraham’s example. Like every other mortal, we are not spared from temptation and suffering. At times, it would look like the good people suffer even more. We are, however, certain of these facts: all things work well for the good of those who love God; God is faithful to his words and maintains his promises. It is also clear in our mind that through suffering and temptations we resemble Christ, transfigure into him and participate in his glory at the end of our lives. 

(3) Configured to Christ: In the 2nd reading, Paul tells us that our fatherland is heaven. But to enter into this celestial fatherland, be able to participate in the glory of the risen Christ and be transfigured into him and with him, we need to remain strong and firm in faith. The assimilation or configuration (transfiguration) in Christ comes to us at our baptism on the level of being. It is necessary to realize and perfect it in the level of doing and living. That is to say, we need to transform and transfigure ourselves into Christ by manifesting in our lives the sentiments and comportments of Christ. We need to follow his style of life. Paul also warns us not to live as if we were enemies to the cross of Christ. We are rather to exhibit detachment and wisdom in the use of the things of this world, not loosing sight of the celestial goods. We are to show sobriety, moderation, mortification and the discipline of the body and the spirit and especially, practicing love and charity without closing the heart against the needy neighbour. This will signify being friends to the Cross of Christ. To be really so, it is necessary that we complete the exodus: coming out of our blind selfishness, perverse inclinations; we need also to liberate ourselves from our moral slavery, that is, to stay, to make steady progress on the road of continued conversion. This is what Lenten season invites and solicits us to do. It is therefore, only when we are friends to the Cross of Christ, we will be able to participate fully and definitively in the resurrection and transfiguration of Christ. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye