Apr 28, 2024 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, C.S.Sp. ( Acts 9:26-31; Psalm – Ps 22; 1 Jn 3:18-24; Jn 15:1-8)
Dear friends in Christ,
One of the accusations that the Jews brought against Jesus during his trial was that he called God his father, and in that way sought to claim that he was one with God. They could not understand how Jesus, who they could see as a human being, could claim to be God. But Jesus did not stop there. He went on to say that we too are united with God, and are one with God. To make matters worse, he said, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” (John 14: 23). Knowing how difficult it was for his audience to understand his deep spiritual teachings however, Jesus used various metaphors to illustrate his teachings, especially about the relationship that exist between him and his disciples. Last week it was “I am the good shepherd and you are the sheep of my flock.” In today’s Gospel, it is “I am the true vine and you are the branches.”
This Gospel reading is taken from the middle of the Last Supper discourse. There, Jesus spoke about his relationship with his disciples. Using the metaphor of the vine and the branches, which refers to the metaphor of God’s relationship with Israel that was constantly used in the Hebrew Scriptures, Jesus showed himself to be deeply united with those that belong to him. In the Old Testament, Israel was constantly referred to as the vineyard, and Yahweh himself was the master who planted the vineyard and tended it. God took the vine out of Egypt and planted it, watered, and pruned it (Psalm 80: 8-11). Therefore, he expected it to bear fruit. The prophets used this metaphor to remind the Israelites of the consequence of turning away from God whenever they did something wrong.
By using this metaphor, Jesus teaches his disciples that his relationship with them will not end after his death; he will remain with them always. This unity between Jesus and his disciples is the basis for their ability to continue to do the work that he began. Similarly, Jesus’ presence with us through the Gift of the Holy Spirit enables us to continue the work of love that he began. Just as the branches receive life from the stock, so do all who unite themselves with Jesus. He becomes their vital force, inspiring, leading and guaranteeing the life of grace in them.
Jesus also teaches his disciples about the importance of the words he has spoken to them. Keeping his word is the guarantee for remaining in him. It is also the assurance of winning God’s favor and receiving from God what we need or ask. For ourselves who did not see Jesus in the flesh, we come to know him through the Scriptures, the living Word of God. Our commitment to be Christ’s disciples is sustained through God’s Word. This commitment is also strengthened by our life of prayer and nourished by the Eucharist. Through the Eucharist, Jesus dwells in us, remains with us, and transforms us so that we might bear fruit in his name.
The image of pruning is a powerful one. Any gardener knows that growth should not be unchecked and unmanaged. There comes a time when pruning is necessary. It can appear to be a destructive act, and at times a gardener is emotionally reluctant to do it to a beloved plant, but it is absolutely necessary to allow fresh growth and ensure the plant’s long-term vitality. It is just like the plants and flowers we have in our gardens. There comes a time when we must trim them. Otherwise, they will not look beautiful. If you don’t prune the grapes, they won’t bear much fruit. But you also need to know what to prune, and how and when to do it. This image refers to our own lives. We must allow our own lives to be pruned so that we might continue to bear the right fruit.
Notice that the gospel tells us that God is the one who does the pruning, not ourselves. This should be an encouragement because if we were to do it ourselves, we might do it wrongly. What is required of us is to turn to God to help us set the priorities right. We can have a lot going on in our lives and at some point, it becomes too much and we start cutting. Unfortunately, we don’t always trim for the right reasons. We might keep what is fun rather than what is good for us. We might hold on to what makes us popular or what is easiest. The other option might be to get rid of everything, which could be an extreme reaction. But when we turn to God to do the trimming, he brings us to his light to see clearly what needs to be removed and what to keep.
We see in the first reading how Jesus pruned Saul who was destructive to the spreading of the Gospel and made him an apostle. The previous section of the Acts of the Apostles describes Saul’s persecution of the first Christians. He was devout in his Jewish faith and therefore was deeply offended that some of his fellow Jews were accepting Jesus as the Messiah. So Saul imprisoned many of them. He was present when Stephen was martyred, and consented to this violence (Acts 7:58 – 8:1). Saul believed that he was rendering service to God by killing those polluting what he considered to be the pure religion. While traveling to Damascus for this purpose, he was confronted with a vision of Jesus and was converted. His name was changed from Saul to Paul, and he was able to bear fruit for the Gospel to such an extent that a larger portion of the letters in the Bible are attributed to him. Without such pruning, his life would have been wasted pursuing what he considered just, yet unacceptable to God.
When Paul tried to join the other disciples, they were all afraid of him, having heard all he did to destroy them. In today’s reading, we see Barnabas reassuring the Christians in Jerusalem that Paul’s conversion was authentic. He narrated Paul’s encounter with the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus, and how afterward Paul had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus. After the Jerusalem Christian community accepted him, Paul continued to speak out boldly for Christ. When Paul’s life was threatened because of his boldness in the public debate over Jesus Christ as the Messiah against the Hellenists, it was the same Christians he persecuted who had become part of his new family that saved him by bringing him to Caesarea – an important port city northwest of Jerusalem – from where he traveled to Tarsus.
Beloved friends in Christ, Jesus has called each of us to bear fruit. And we can only do that by being part of him who is the true vine. It is dangerous to choose any other way like Paul tried to do before his conversion. As the Scripture wans, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to destruction” (Proverbs 14:12). If we are cut off from him, we can’t do anything. Let us, therefore, continue to grow in our union with Jesus and thus continue to bear fruit in his name. Amen.
Apr 9, 2024 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, C.S.Sp. (Is 50:4-7; Psalm 22; Phil 2:6-11; Mk 15:1-39)
Dear friends in Christ,
The universal church celebrates Palm Sunday today to mark the glorious entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. That begins the last journey that would lead to his death on the cross and eventual resurrection when we celebrate Easter. Palm Sunday leads us to the very peak of the Christian faith. The readings of today, especially the Passion narrative, dwell on the betrayal, arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus on the cross in a very touching and painful manner. Why would Jesus who went about doing good, healing the sick, and raising the dead (cf. Acts. 10: 38) suffer so much?
Suffering is something we all have experienced in some proportion. It is not fun, and no one likes it. Yet, it is a human reality. Every era and every culture has its understanding of suffering and seeks to find solutions or ways to deal with suffering to alleviate it. There is already enough suffering in the world. We suffer on many fronts, from natural disasters and diseases to human-induced suffering. What people do to cause suffering to each other is indescribable. Abuse of power, unbridled selfishness, feelings of insecurity and fear of losing one’s position, being trapped in an ideology, lack of respect for the life of others, carelessness and laziness, and slavish compliance with the norms of a culture, are some of the factors that cause suffering to people.
Suffering is not something to wish for, especially when it leads to nothing positive and greater in proportion to it. We frown at what some people might call meaningless suffering. By that, I mean suffering that leads to no good and that can be avoided. It could also be inflicted suffering from betrayal, lies, mockery, bullying, and all that springs from hatred and the desire to destroy the other for no just cause. The list of what might be regarded as meaningless suffering in human terms keeps expanding each day. When people who are positive about euthanasia speak, they seek to convince their audience of what they consider meaningless suffering and the only solution they can think of as ending one’s life. But can there be a meaningless suffering or do we conceive it to be so due to our perspective in life – the way we look at things or understand them? If we should have a clear picture of what comes much later after the suffering or take a cue about suffering from a divine perspective, will that change our view about the sufferings we might encounter in life, and how we respond to them?
The passion narrative we have just read declares Jesus’ attitude towards suffering. Jesus shows a way through suffering, not a way that makes us suffer less or some kind of grace pill as a pain reliever. He drank the chalice of suffering to the bitter bottom. He was betrayed by his close associate (Judas), abandoned by his disciples who preferred to save their own lives by running away and leaving Jesus alone to suffer, forsaken by his own Father (my God, my God why hast thou forsaken me? – Mark 15:43), mocked by the crowd he fed (John 6: 1-14) and healed of their sickness, accused by Chief Priests he came to instruct on true righteousness and condemned by Pilate to please the Jewish leaders. In all these, Jesus bore his suffering without taking revenge. He responded to evil with goodness, lies with truth, and enmity with love. In that way, he brought to practice his teaching on the Mountain (cf. Matthew 5: 43-44: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy’. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”). Love was central and the determinant of all his actions.
The passion narrative would make no meaning if it was all about Jesus alone. Its beauty lies in the fact that it is about us. Jesus needed not to suffer for his own sake because, being God, he needed no salvation. But as Isaiah earlier prophesied, “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted”(Isaiah 53:4). This attitude is the attitude of sacrifice, of willingness to sacrifice, of overcoming oneself and going all out to do it for the sake of the other. It is an attitude we can only develop by first recognizing and dealing with our selfishness, fears and insecurity, attachments, and self-interest on many fronts. Jesus has shown us that path most radically and completely.
Christianity is not a faith and an attitude to life that makes life easier for us in the human sense of the word. It is not a kind of opium that numbs us in the face of suffering nor is it an antidote to the reality of suffering. If that is the case, the sufferings that Jesus underwent wouldn’t have been real. His pains would have been faked and the whole idea of salvation through his painful death and resurrection would be contestable. It is rather the other way around. Through our faith we receive the strength, the insight, the courage, the perseverance, and the inner joy that comes from knowing God is with us in all things, good and bad, joy and suffering, pain and healing. Faith enables us to experience the transformative power of God who, through the sufferings of Jesus, has brought about the salvation of the world. Thus, even in the face of inevitable pain or suffering, we know that we are not alone and that God who allows it has a greater goal in view for us.
Isaiah tells us in the first reading that the Lord God has given him a well-trained tongue, that he might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. He gave his back to those who beat him, his cheeks to those who plucked his beard and did not shield his face from buffets and spitting. This would not be ordinarily recommended to anyone in the human way of thinking. We humans think in terms of self-defense and retaliation. Referring to Jesus, this prophecy clearly defined the path that Jesus took and would recommend to his would-be followers. He has alleviated people’s suffering in every possible way, through healing, and liberation; the blind could see again, the lame could walk and the deaf could hear, and the dead were raised to life. Yet he allowed himself to undergo suffering. It is now easier to understand why his mockers taunted him saying, ‘he saved others; he cannot save himself’ (Mark 15:31). Being extremely selfish, the Jewish leaders could clearly not understand that Jesus concentrated on saving the world rather than on himself. And this is what he calls us to do. By loving one another and getting interested in the welfare of others, we offer God true worship and are in turn loved and cared for by God himself.
Yet another verse in the prophecy of Isaiah leads us into the second reading. There it reads, ‘Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear; and I have not rebelled, have not turned back’ (Isaiah 50:4). Rebellion is an offense to God. The entire biblical history of God’s anger against his people is linked with the concept of rebellion as sin, and that is often coupled with pride as the prime cause. Paul described Jesus in the second reading as the epitome of humility whose exaltation is based on his humble acceptance of the role of the suffering servant. He took that role and played it perfectly out of love for us so that we who are controlled by pride and selfishness would learn the true meaning of love and thereby become salvific in our dealings with our fellow men and women.
The passion of Jesus was for a purpose. He worked hard in that part of an imperfect world and underwent suffering himself to break its bondage on humanity. Through faith in Jesus, men and women can now be liberated from the clutches of evil in the human heart, the suffering that arises from lack of love, lack of faith, lack of trust, fear, and lies, from lust for power and deceit, excessive greed and selfishness. Humanity can enjoy the freedom brought by Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
We too are invited to be partners in continuing the work of Jesus through faith in him expressed in the living out of the Christian principles of love. Let this Holy Week be a period of sober reflection to truly realize what Jesus does for us and discover how we can be part of his saving mission to the world around us. Amen.
Jul 23, 2023 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, C.S.Sp. Wis.12:13,16-19, Rom.8:26-27, Matt.13:24-43.
Dear Friends in Christ,
Our society has changed a lot. Most children today know nothing about agriculture. One child was asked where eggs and vegetables come from. He replied that they come from the supermarket. You can’t blame the child. Every farm product comes from the supermarket. At least, that’s where you buy them, and that’s all some children born in the city know about farm products.
Growing up with my parents in the village, we had a farm where we planted different kinds of seeds. There I experienced today’s parable that Jesus used to convey a message about the kingdom of God. After tilling a field, we sow the seeds. Within a few days or weeks, the seeds germinate. As the seeds grow, we notice another seed growing around or near the good seed. Sometimes the planted seeds and the weeds looked alike: they shared the same soil nutrients, enjoyed the same weather, and received the same amount of water and sun. Before harvest, we weed the farm. If we weed too early, some desirable crops may be unknowingly uprooted. No matter how careful we are, good seeds will always be tampered with in the field.
Jesus told a parable about a man who had planted good seeds in his field. But at night the enemy came and planted weeds among the grain. The weeds germinated along with the wheat. The servants of the owner of the field where the good seed had been planted asked to remove the weeds from the wheat. The request was refused because by doing so they might also remove the good seed.
The enemy is identified in the parable as the devil. His intent is made clear. It is to destroy the good done and plant evil. Just as Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). It is difficult in life to identify the adversary because some actions seem good at first, but are later discovered to be evil in intent. It is also difficult to know people’s intentions behind their actions. As Shakespeare wrote, “There is no act to find the mind’s construction in the face.” So we can facilitate the enemy’s plan without knowing it. The master in the parable was wise enough not to allow his servants to clear the weeds when the right time has not yet come. It takes time and patience to discover and understand what is not immediately obvious to the senses. Moreover, separating herbs and weeds takes time and patience. Just as the good seed and the weeds are similar, so too, in many cases, good and evil are not immediately recognizable on the surface.
St. Augustine used the image of the two cities to indicate the struggle between evil and good. He called the first Babylon, the second Jerusalem. And he used the story of Cain and Abel from the book of Genesis (Genesis 4:1-16) to illustrate it. He took Babylon to mean confusion, and Jerusalem to represent the vision of peace. He indicated that by looking closely at the city of confusion, one understands better the vision of peace. That implies that the presence of evil can serve to recognize its opposite which is the good that man must strive for, just as darkness enables us to appreciate the light.
The parable of the Sower is also a signpost for our lives. The wheat and the weeds are both present in our hearts. There is always an inward struggle between good and bad within the hearts of men. We see the effect only when people give in to them. When someone gives in to anger, for instance, and acts accordingly, only then do we know what has been going on in him. Likewise, we know that someone loves us, not just when the person says it but when we experience it in action. That calls us to deep reflection. Do I recognize the weeds within myself? Do I know how to deal with it to avoid scattering it in others? Do I have the patience to know when and how to uproot them without endangering the good in me?
That invites us to learn how to discern. Discernment is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor.12:10). It is the ability to judge situations properly, and have a good understanding of the moral and practical consequences of our decisions. If we possess the gift of discernment, costly mistakes, and misfortune will always be avoided. With discernment, we recognize whether or not something is truly from God, in accordance with God’s will, or in consonance with the devil’s agenda.
We have the example of Gamaliel in the Acts of the Apostles. He discerned properly during the persecution of the apostles before the Sanhedrin by advising them to leave the apostles and let them alone; because if what they were doing was of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God the Jewish leaders will not be able to stop them, rather they might even find out that they were fighting against God” (Acts 5:34-39). Without discernment, we cannot distinguish the wolves in sheep’s clothing, or the true prophet from the false prophet (Matt.7:15).
The good news is that we can pray and ask for the gift of discernment and be assured that God will grant it to us. Paul assures us in the second reading that the Holy Spirit can help us to pray properly in accordance with the mind of God. That is of great encouragement. Besides, the other two parables in the Gospel reading speak of the potential for growth in a positive direction. The first is the parables of the mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. This smallest of all seeds grew to become a big tree that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches. The second is the parable of the yeast a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through. These give the confidence that divine power working through us can accomplish infinite greatness (cf. Ephesians 3: 20).
The gift of discernment will enable us to learn from Jesus. There is always a struggle between the forces of good and evil. There is a need to be patient and not be quickly judgmental. Rather we need to tolerate and pray for one another. A sinner today may be a saint tomorrow. A prodigal son today may come to his senses tomorrow and return home a changed person. The first reading described God as strong and just in his judgment, yet lenient to all. By doing so, he has taught a lesson to his people that the virtuous man must be kindly to his fellow men, and has given us the good hope that after sin he will grant repentance.
Learning to discern is to follow Jesus’ example. May God grant us the gift of discernment to separate what is fundamental and good from what is transient and evil so that we may seek first the kingdom of God in all things.
Jun 11, 2023 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, C.S.Sp. | Jer 20:10-13; Ps 69; Rom 5:12-15; Mt 10:26-33
Dear Friends in Christ,
There is a story of a little boy who was sent by his mother to go to the storeroom and get the bucket for her. The boy complained that it was too dark in the storeroom and he was afraid. The mother insisted, saying to him, “Don’t be afraid, my son. You know Jesus is there.” That gave him a bit of encouragement. With great apprehension, the boy opened the door of the storehouse and called out with a trembling voice: “Jesus, can you hand me the bucket, please?”
In the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not be afraid.” He had to say it three times. Perhaps the disciples were already showing signs of fear when Jesus was sending them to go preach the gospel. Though the words, “Fear not” appear 365 times in the Bible indicating that God wants us to live each day of the year without fear, fear remains a daily experience of the human race.
The first reading this Sunday gives us the same message. Jeremiah was constantly threatened by his enemies to who he was sent to proclaim the word of God. Not that he was a bad person. On the contrary, as prophet, he was God’s instrument in proclaiming the truth to the people. But for some people, the truth hurts. So they could not accept God’s message. And the most logical thing to do would be to silence the messenger to prevent the message from getting to the people. They made every effort to intimidate Jeremiah. At some point, even those Jeremiah considered to be his friends joined his enemies to seek his fall.
Jeremiah loved to live a peaceful and unperturbed life before God entrusted him with a difficult mission, which brought him into conflict with the authorities – the kings, priests and false prophets. He was given the task of challenging the people to keep the covenant they made with God or face the wrath of God. He emphasized the need for a deep personal relationship with God instead of the superficial religion, which the people practiced. His message was too hard for the people and they saw him as a prophet of doom. They shouted, “Let us denounce him” (Jeremiah 20:10). Proclaiming the truth can bring negative consequences to the one who proclaims it. This is the lot of most prophets. They were either killed or rejected by their own people. After the prophets, God spoke to His people through His Son, Jesus Christ. He, too, suffered the same fate. So, we can understand why Jesus had to speak the words three times: do not be afraid.
Jesus constantly used this exhortation to encourage his disciples not to be overwhelmed by the dangers they might encounter in the mission. Having told them all that would happen to them in the course of their life and ministry, how they would be put out of the Synagogue and at some point those who kill them would consider it as offering service to God, he concluded by saying, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). When the mission brought them into confrontation with the authorities of the time, they already knew that they needed not be afraid. But that does not take away the fact that fear is a constant challenge which every believer must constantly pray and struggle to overcome. The reasons are obvious.
The first law of nature is self-preservation. Instinctively, we avoid pain and sufferings. That is natural. Looking at the lives of the apostles and what they went through can be terrifying to someone trying to live the truth of his faith in some circumstances that are hostile to the truth. Imagine the experience of Paul recounted in 2Cor 11:24-27. Five times he received thirty-nine lashes at the hands of the Jews. Beaten with rods three times, coupled with shipwrecks and all kinds of dangers on the journey, especially what he described as dangers among false brothers.
In the face of such a grave duty to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom, however, we have to be courageous and move on despite all odds. Jesus did not mix words when he warned “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33). That was not meant to be a threat but a reminder of the reciprocity that is involved in witnessing. We cannot get what we deny. If fear keeps us away from doing something, we cannot get the result doing it should bring.
Let’s face it. Most of the wrongs that we do come about as a result of fear. Why do people tell lies and even go ahead to defend it? Perhaps it is because the truth may not be to their own advantage and they are not willing to put up with the consequences. Why do people resort to dishonesty and all kinds of unjust practices to gain temporal economic advantage? Mostly like because they do not want to lose their wealth, and the prospect of undergoing economic difficulties scares them. Why are people hesitant to fully give themselves in love? Perhaps because they have been hurt before, and they cannot allow themselves to get hurt again. Why are we reluctant to speak about the Lord and the hard truths of his teachings? It could be that we are afraid to be ridiculed by society. The list can go on and on. In all these, one conclusion is clear: self-interest is the root cause of all our fears. Jesus was aware of this when he laid down the condition of discipleship: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mt 16:24).
If that is the case, why then did Jesus ask his disciples not to be afraid? It is simple: because our security is to be found in Him, and not in the world. When we give ourselves over to Jesus, we develop a new way of perceiving the world and all its fears and troubles. We the realize that true peace can only be found in God and in his principles which his word gives us. That is the peace Jeremiah, Paul and all the apostles had when they put their fears and troubles in the hands of God. Then like the little boy we will realize that Jesus is with us always. We do not have to be afraid.
May 28, 2023 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today we celebrate Pentecost. On Pentecost, we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit, which was promised by Jesus to his disciples. A lot of people can’t imagine much about this. Who or what is the Holy Spirit anyway? This is a good question because the Holy Spirit is the abiding presence of God among people. People throughout the ages have experienced that presence. It has helped them, comforted them, and prompted them to do great things. It was present at the beginning of creation, as the opening verses of the Book of Genesis tell us (Genesis 1:2). And he would be there at the end of time (Revelations 14:13). So, there is no fear of losing the presence of the Holy Spirit so long one is disposed to receive him.
We celebrate, therefore, the human consciousness of God’s engagement with the Universe and all in it: the creation of the universe when the Spirit of God hovered over the waters, the creation of humanity when God breathed his Spirit into Adam (Genesis 2:7) and the many instances of God’s Spirit’s involvement in human history. With Pentecost we celebrate the birth of the Church when the Spirit came upon the fearful apostles gathered in the Upper Room and commissioned them to go out and proclaim the Good News to all peoples. We read about that event in the First reading. But it is not just about beginnings, whether of creation or the Church, or even the beginning of this Filipino Catholic Community (FCC). It is the Holy Spirit that is the driving force without which neither creation nor the Church nor the FCC can move forward and fulfill its purpose.
When the Holy Spirit came, the apostles went out to preach to an audience that was so diverse. The reading noted that the people came from various parts of the world to celebrate Pentecost which was actually a Jewish harvest festival called Shavuot celebrated 50 days after the Passover. They were not expecting anything strange to happen until the apostles came forward saying things that not only made sense to them but were an extraordinary exposition of divine mysteries. More importantly, everyone present could understand them in their own native language without any interpreter. That was definitely not logical, that a person speaks in a language and everyone present understands what is said in his or her own native language, but a reality no one could deny, not even those who initially took them for drunken men. This reminds us of the Tower of Babel where the language of the people was confused and they could no longer understand each other (Genesis 11:1-9).
There is, of course, a clear difference between the goal of the Tower of Babel and that of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The goal of the people in building the Tower of Babel was to make a name for themselves. It was something about them, something natural. There is nothing wrong with seeking to make a name for oneself but when that is the sole purpose, the natural issues of tribalism, language, grouping, we against them, competition, etc. will arise and bring about divisions. Love will turn to jealousy, hatred, fighting, and backbiting. Nothing meaningful is achieved in such a situation. And that is what is described as the confusion of their language that brought an end to their project. Paul denounced these natural consequences which he referred to as the life of the natural man in his letter to Galatians. And he pleaded with them to live in the Spirit which brings love, peace, patience, collaboration, unity and all that is good, which all derive from the Pentecost celebration.
Today’s first reading describes the presence of the Holy Spirit with symbolic signs such as wind and fire. Wind and Fire are ancient Biblical symbols for the presence of God among men. And it is used here to describe the powerful new wind that blew over the old world to bring about a new creation. A creation where the walls that divide and separate humanity is abolished and a new form of brotherhood is introduced. A creation where people who ordinarily have nothing with each other would come together to form a new family of God’s people, living in love and respect for each other. A new creation that has made it possible for you and me, coming from different natural families, cultures and nations to be united in ‘one heart and one spirit’ in Christian fellowship. A new creation where the richness of diversity is harvested without destroying the uniqueness of the individual. The Holy Spirit does not mold people from different countries into sameness in the same manner a machine would mold materials to produce similar products. No. He preserves the uniqueness of everyone while urging everyone to work for the same purpose. We could see this in the case of Paul and Barnabas who disagreed about taking John Mark who left them halfway during their first mission. That disagreement did not stop them from preaching the same gospel along the different path that they took (Acts 15: 36-41).
Pentecost is a celebration of connectedness. Connectedness with each other and with God. And at the heart of this connectedness is love. Love that connects us to God. Jesus taught and lived with great love for people. Prior to His departure, He promised His disciples the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will lead them into all truth and remind them of all He taught them. The Holy Spirit helps people who open themselves to God and Jesus to approach and see people and things from a different perspective. When the light of faith threatens to be blown out, the Spirit is needed again to bring fire to faith. One who gives the Spirit every opportunity in his or her life will not testify as a lukewarm believer. A Spirit-filled person will testify full of fire, like one in love who cannot remain silent.
The coming of the Holy Spirit makes us aware of God’s presence within us and enables us to love and live in peace with our fellow human beings. If there is anything our world so desperately needs today, it is love and peace. The heart of every man and woman longs for love, to love, and to be loved. When people feel loved and cherished, they bring out the best in themselves. The true nature and essence of God’s presence in them become clear, and those around them experience peace and joy. The absence of love brings hatred, violence, and all kinds of evil, both to individuals and to society. No one can give what he does not have. Only a heart full of love can radiate love, and only a peaceful heart can give peace to others.
Today a new fervor apparently flares up, enthusiasm and inspiration in our hearts. The Holy Spirit is fire and love. Comforter who absolves and forgives, who warms, who inspires, enthuses, and overcomes fear. The Holy Spirit makes each of us a proclaimer of the Good News of Jesus by using the gift we receive from Him. The Holy Spirit, dear people, is there, among other things, to inspire and strengthen us to bear true witness in our present secularized society. Those who funded this community (Filipino Catholic Community) had their own challenges in the beginning. But they did not stop. They trusted God and allowed the Holy Spirit to lead them. As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of this wonderful Catholic Christian community, we are invited to do the same today and move the community forward.
Let us pray, therefore, that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit, and put His gift that we then receive to work for the betterment of the world around us. Amen
Apr 23, 2023 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp.
(1st reading Acts 2:14, 22-33; Psalm 16; 2nd reading 1 Pt 1:17-21; Gospel Lk 24:13-35)
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today’s readings offer a message of hope in the midst of our confused world and difficult circumstances. It is sometimes surprising how quickly we slip into despair when things go wrong and our expectations don’t come true. This is part of human nature, but it keeps us trapped in our own way of thinking, preventing us from seeing things in a new and more enlightening way. Such was the case with the two disciples of Jesus, about whom we read in today’s Gospel. They were totally distraught after Jesus’ crucifixion and could not make sense of the story being told among their peers that Jesus had risen from the dead. That inability led them to leave the city of Jerusalem and make their way to a village called Emmaus.
The disciples had pinned all their hopes on Jesus, whom, after all, they considered their Messiah. Given the concept of the Messiah in those days, he would deliver them (the Jews) from the oppressive Roman occupiers. No wonder they once asked Jesus when He would restore the Kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). For this project they risked everything. What would happen to this project now that their Messiah had been crucified as a common criminal? With its collapse, the disciples’ lives were in danger, as both the Jewish leaders and the Roman rulers would surely come after them. Gradually the reading leads us to the source of human grief, which we can identify in one way or another. When we lose someone who has occupied a central place in our lives, a wife, husband, son or daughter, beloved friend, brother or sister; when the business we have built up during our lifetime collapses and with it our career comes to an end; when the foundation of our hope, our confidence turns into disappointment, how do we feel and react? All this comes close to the experience of the two disciples. We can mentally put ourselves in their situation and try to understand how that feels.
Therefore, the disciples left Jerusalem where they were and headed for Emmaus. Jerusalem is often referred to as the city of God, representing all that is good and divine. It is the seat of civilization for the Jews and the center of their theocracy. The temple of their pride, a symbol of God’s presence among them, is in Jerusalem, while Emmaus is a small village of no significance. What sorrow would cause these disciples to retreat from Jerusalem to Emmaus? It was indeed hard for them, but Jesus did not abandon them. He went with them as an unknown stranger.
The reading gives us some qualities that enabled the disciples to make some progress in their situation. They are described as open and welcoming. Although they did not know the stranger, they allowed him in and were willing to share their frustrations with him. Being hospitable is a great virtue that opens doors. The world has become so bad that everyone is suspicious of strangers and strange ideas, but without opening up, a person cannot improve himself. It is in sharing that we get to know the stranger, gain access to his or her world, and stop being strangers to each other. Imagine the opportunity that simple events, like sharing coffee or meals, can provide to engage in conversation with a fellow human being. Imagine the depth to which such conversations can lead, and the friendship that can result. It is said that by being hospitable, some welcomed angels (Acts 13:2).
As Jesus set out with them and listened to their frustrations, he began to explain the scriptures to them. This allowed them to understand what was written about the Messiah. Without recognizing Him, they took Him home because it was already late and thus unsafe for the stranger. As they shared their meal with Him, Jesus broke the bread and revealed Himself to them. Now their eyes opened and they recognized Him, but He disappeared from their sight, and with that, their doubts also disappeared, and their frustrations turned into joy. The same disciples who took Jesus in, because it was already dark outside, got up and returned to Jerusalem that very night. Their fears disappeared and courage took over. This is what also happens to us when we recognize the presence of Jesus among us. Jesus who brings us together, breaks and shares bread, and gives us the cup to drink every time we celebrate the Eucharist.
When life hurts us and we tend to turn our backs on God’s plan or turn to our “Emmaus,” it is time to open ourselves to the risen Lord. He is not dead, but alive, and He accompanies us, even in difficulties. We will see Him at the breaking of bread and we will experience the power of His resurrection.
Peter took time in the first reading to explain to the people that Jesus would not be left to the power of death. He is life itself and therefore overcomes death. He rises from the dead. That act of his rising from the dead has become the basis of life for all who believe in him, all who entrust their lives to him. By his death on the cross, he paid the price for our debts, and by rising from the dead he has given us a new birth as children of God (see second reading). Therefore Jesus promised that whoever lives and believes in him will not die for eternity (John 11:26 ).
The resurrection of Jesus and his self-revelation, as described in these two readings (1st reading and the Gospel), are great sources of hope and inspiration. Resurrection is not just something that happens at the end of our human experience. We are children of resurrection every day. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we have been given the strength to overcome our grief and pain, sorrow, and disappointments. We are assured that Jesus is with us all the way on our life journey, even when we do not recognize him. He is the stranger who intervenes to support us, enlighten us, and show us the way. Let’s, therefore, entrust our life with all its ups and downs to him knowing that the power that raised him from the dead works in us.
(Photo credit: Simon Berger)
