30th Sunday of the Year B, 2018

May the Lord in today’s Eucharistic celebration open your eyes not only to see/recognize him in the poor, the sick and the dying but also to become a veritable disciple of his, who follow him by coming to the aid of the needy neighbors. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH(Jer 31,79; Hebrew 5,1-6; Mark 10,46-52: 30th Sunday of the Year B, 2018)
    The first reading is an oracle of salvation (Thus says the Lord) which contains a summons to praise God for the blessings of deliverance and restoration. The Israelites are to praise God for the salvation he brought about, the effect of which will be seen in the future return of the exiles. This anticipated return is described in vivid detail. The procession of returnees seems to be retracing the very path that was taken when the people were exiled to the land of the North. They left their cherished homeland in tears, but they will return amid shouts of joy. Yet only a remnant will return, and this remnant will consist of the most vulnerable of the people. It includes those who are blind or lame, who are mothers or who are pregnant, all people who are utterly dependent upon God. It will be through them that the nation will be restored. From one perspective the returnees represent the people who would be ineligible for major leadership positions within a patriarchal society. Because of their gender or physical impairment, they would be the last ones to be called on for the task of rebuilding a nation. On the other hand, the imagery used here is replete with allusions to new life. Mothers and pregnant women may be vulnerable, but they are also symbols of fecundity and hope. In their bodies they hold the promise of the future. The image of brooks of water also evokes visions of fruitfulness and refreshment. As they leave the land of their exile behind, this remnant carries within itself the possibilities of new beginnings. The restoration promised here is clearly a work of God. Customary human initiative plays no role in it.
    In casting Jesus in the role of high priest, the author of the Letter the Hebrews (2nd Reading) states the general qualifications a man must meet before he can assumes the responsibilities of the office. Patterned after the model of Aaron, the prospective high priest must be able to empathize with the frailty of those he serves, and he must have been called by God. Although the reading does not mention Jesus’ solidarity with human weakness, as king and priest he shared in the limitations of the human condition. His profound humility is seen in his willingness to empty himself of his divine privileges and to become human. His life shows his solidarity with others.
    In the gospel reading the account of the healing of a blind man is in some ways also a call narrative, a call to follow Jesus.  Although Jesus’ words do not actually invite the man to follow him, the man interprets his actions as doing so. The faith of this man is both demonstrated by his actions and explicitly recognized by Jesus. When he hears that it is Jesus of Nazareth who is passing by him, he cries out to him using a title that has strong messianic connotations. Son of David identifies Jesus not only as a descendant of this royal figure but also as the long-awaited one who was to fulfill both the religious and the political expectations of the people. Bartimaeus knows that Jesus has the power to heal him, but he also believes that he is the anointed of God who has come to inaugurate the reign of God. Unlike so many other healing narratives in which people bring those who are sick and afflicted to Jesus to be healed, in this instance the people around the blind man try to silence him. No reason for this is given. Whatever the case may be, Jesus hears the man’s cries and has him brought to him. Beggars normally would spread out their cloaks so they would be able to collect alms. This beggar throws his cloak aside, apparently leaving behind both the alms he has already collected and his life of begging. He has left what he had in order to respond to the call of Jesus. The man who was blind already had eyes of faith and he acted on this faith, publicly proclaiming it. As a consequence of his profession, Jesus tells him it is this faith that gave him his sight. In his eagerness; to respond to Jesus’ call, he had already left everything. Having been cured, he now follows Jesus.

    As we come to the close of the Liturgical Year, we pause this Sunday to see how far we have come. It is a time to examine how we are maturing in the Spirit. To what degree have we followed God, who leads us out of captivity, out from our place of exile, out from the North? Have our fortunes been restored? Have our eyes been opened? Has this been a good year? Throughout this Liturgical Year we have examined several aspects of our faith. We have pondered the history of our salvation, the merciful compassion of God shown to us after we have sinned; God’s willingness to lead us out of the bondage of our addictions and failures. We have meditated often and long on the person of Jesus, on his life and death, on the meaning of his sacrifice, on his resurrection, on his influence in our lives today. We have considered our own ongoing transformation as disciples of Jesus—baptized into his death and resurrection, commissioned to bring the news of his love to all those with whom we come into contact. We have reflected on all of these wonderful deeds of God, and now we must ask the question: what difference has it made? Do We See?  do we now have perception? As we review our consideration of the faith, can we say that we have gained new insight? Have we merely acquired some information about the biblical readings, about our religious ancestors in Israel, about the ministry of Jesus and the life of the early Church? Or have our eyes really been opened; have we been enabled to leave behind whatever prevents us from living the Christian life fully, to abandon our exile or the trappings of our former lives? Have we accepted more genuinely the Christian responsibilities that are ours as baptized followers of Christ—in our own personal lives, in our families, in our relationships with others, at the workplace? To what degree have we been transformed into Christ? How open have we become to the action of the Spirit in our lives? Have we been transformed into a new creation? And do we recognize Christ in our midst, cry to him?
   Have we come to see more deeply who this Christ is and who we are in Christ? Do we recognize him as our teacher, and have we learned from him the mysteries of God’s love and how we can adequately respond to that love? Do we realize that the poor and unassuming man who walked the roads of life is the son of David, the one of royal descent who has come to establish the reign of God? Have we learned to recognize God’s reign—present in the poor and the unassuming as well as in those who struggle with their prosperity, in the people who are burdened with doubt and insecurity as well as those who rejoice in the truth, in the needy and the seriously limited as well as those who minister out of strength and ability? Do we recognize him as the healer who will open our eyes so that we can really see? Have we heard his coming in the words of today’s prophets and teachers, catechists, priests, bishops who open for us the treasures of our religious tradition and in the wisdom of those who know that life is precious and must not be squandered and in the religious leaders who take us by the hand and bring us to the feet of Jesus? We may see all of this in the readings, but do we recognize it in our own lives? Has this been a good year? May our encounter with Christ in this Eucharistic celebration make us perceive his blessings and graces on us, appreciate them and like Bartimaeus abandon all encumbrances and follow him without looking backwards. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

(graphics by chukwubike)

Yr. B July 1 2018

May the Lord of life increase and purify your faith as you participate in this Sunday’s Eucharistic celebration. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye.

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Wisdom 1,13-15; 2,23-24; 2 Cor. 8,7.9.13-15; Mark 5,21-43, Yr. B July 1 2018)

In the gospel story of this Sunday, two miracle narratives are intercalated, joined together so they can interpret each other. Both stories include the subject of faith, the issue of ritual purity, the question of life and death, the span of twelve years, and the power of God in Jesus. There are contrasts between women and men, the prominent and the marginal, public and private, faith and incredulity. The distraught/upset father, a very prominent man, an official of the synagogue, and his proper name is given. He comes to Jesus openly, and throws himself at his feet and pleads with him. The unidentified afflicted woman, on the other hand, has been victim of both her ailment and those who attempted to heal her. Her funds have been depleted/exhausted and because of her haemorrhage she is ritually unclean. She does not presume to approach Jesus directly, nor does she plead. Instead, she boldly violates both social and religious prohibitions. She is a woman and ritually unclean, but she deliberately touches Jesus. This is the only miracle story where Jesus does not initiate the cure. The one afflicted reaches out of her own accord and snatches the power of God and it is a margisnalised woman who does so. Although the contrasts between the woman and the man are striking, in the most important issues they are the same. Both the woman and the man act out of faith. They believe that Jesus has the power to heal, and Jesus grants their wishes. Several factors link the woman of one story and the girl in the other. Both are unnamed and referred to as daughter, suggesting that what happens to them is more important than their identities. Still, they are in relationship with the community and not outcasts. Both are ritually unclean and, in a sense, outside the circle of total acceptability. Twelve years is the duration of the woman’s ailment and the span of the girl’s entire lifetime. Both were prevented from contributing to the future of the community; the woman’s reproductive potential was impaired and the girl’s life was halted by sickness and  eventual death. The faith of the woman and the man are in contrast to the incredulity of those gathered at the home of Jairus. Initially they may have believed that Jesus could bring the official’s daughter back to health, but now they ridicule him for suggesting that he can bring her back to life. Jesus disregards the same purity regulation that the afflicted woman had. He does not accept the finality of the girl’s death, and he touches her lifeless body. In both cases, the touch that would have rendered another unclean is actually the means through which Jesus transfers the power of God.

The healing of the woman, though performed in public, because of the crowd was really a private affair. The raising to life of the girl, though accomplished in private, was in danger of becoming widely known. At the heart of each of these stories is the question of faith in Jesus and his power over sickness and death.

The readings for this Sunday especially the gospel provide us with yet another Christological  (Christology is the branch of Christian theology relating to the person, nature, and role of Christ) meditation on whom Christ is. If we read Mark 4, 35-41, the gospel of the 12th Sunday of the Year, we shall stand in awe of Jesus, who wields the power of the Creator. He is revealed there as having the power that belongs to God alone, the power of being master of nature and controller of the laws of nature. The disciple in the boat had to exclaim: Who is this man? Even the wind and the sea are obedient to him. Today we see that he also has authority over the forces of death. He instantly heals a woman from an illness that no doctor was able to cure. What can we say to his clamorous raising a dead girl of twelve years to life? In the scenes of the gospel, Jesus demonstrates that he is the Lord of life. Remember the raising to life the dead son of the widow of Nain and his friend Lazarus. Who is this  Jesus to me? Can this Jesus cure me of my spiritual ailments, or raise me to life from spiritual death of sin? The Jesus who healed the sick woman and raised the twelve year girl to life can raise anyone to supernatural life of grace. That divine power which emanated from the person of Jesus will continue to radiate from his glorified  humanity and will reach us through the sacraments. The only condition for this to happen is faith. We have already, as examples of faith seen; the  faith of the woman who was cured and that of Jarius. Such faith should be humble, courageous, persevering; a faith that does not give up in difficulties, that does not diminish even when prayer seems not be answered or even when things seem to go in the opposite direction from what is expected. Even when we are, on account of the turn of events, discouraged to have faith as, Jarius was in today’s gospel, Jesus still encourages us to have faith, just as he did to Jarius: Do not fear, just continue to have faith. Sometimes our expression of faith is imperfect, like that of the woman that has admixture of magic and superstition, Jesus assures us as he did the woman: Your faith has saved you. Jesus is interested in our faith in him: at the beginning he is satisfied with imperfect faith  provided it is as simple and spontaneous as that of the woman in the gospel, and open to purification and deepening. May we in this Eucharistic celebration pray earnestly: Lord increase and purify our faith! Amen! Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

(graphics  by chukwubike)