Mar 26, 2023 | Homily
Sunday of the Fifth Week of Lent A, Jn. 11:1-45
Brothers and sisters, today we celebrate the fifth Sunday of Lent.
The three readings today are centred on the life that God gives to all people. They reveal Jesus as the lord of life. The death of Lazarus, in the gospel of today, can be seen as a symbolic representation of the soul that has died from mortal sin. This is similar to the fact that leprosy, physical ailments and the like are also symbols of sin. For that reason, Jesus’ initial reactions reveal how we should respond to serious sin in our lives.
When Jesus faced the death of Lazarus, “he became perturbed and deeply troubled,”. He wept and cried out in a loud voice. Though Jesus was God, He freely chose to assume human nature. He chooses to experience human emotions and passion to teach us how we should react. Therefore, when we or our loved ones fall into grave sin, it must not be ignored.
Impenitence is a sin by which a person fails to have appropriate remorse for a sin and reacts to it in a dismissive and casual manner. This cannot be our reaction. Thus, let us begin by considering the great value of taking sin seriously, reacting to it with passion and emotion, and crying out to God for forgiveness.
When Jesus cried out, commanding Lazarus to come out of the tomb, Lazarus came forth but was still bound hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. This symbolizes the entire process of confession and the forgiveness of sins. First, no person is capable of confessing their sins by their own effort. It must be that they are moved by grace and the command of Jesus to come forth to show themselves in their bound state to God.
Hence, the obedience of Lazarus to Jesus’ command symbolizes the Christian’s response to God’s call to repentance. When Jesus said: “Untie him and let him go,” this symbolizes the unmerited effect of the Sacrament of Confession and the power it has to release a person not only from their sins but also from the ongoing effects of those sins.
Jesus is not just a human being, but the Son of God who came to the world to spread the Good News of love, mercy, peace and joy. But the question is: Do we have the same strong faith as Martha, Mary, and Lazarus do? Or is our faith filled with doubts?
Therefore, Jesus says to us today and always: “Take away the stone”. By that, He means the stone of sorrow and misery through the death of a loved one, through adversity and misfortune, through weakness and powerlessness, through pains and sickness, through corona virus pandemic and the misuse of power by the politician against the citizens, through the victimization of the less privilege, the orphans and poor ones in our society, through natural disasters and wars, for example in Ukraine, Russia, Syria, Turkey, Nigeria and Africa in general.
However, the stone of selfishness, of self-interest, of indifference, of jealousy, envy and hatred must also be taken away from our lives, and from our relationship with God and humanity. So many stones that with their gravity crush Jesus’ message of love, mercy, peace and joy in us and in the world must be taken away too.
Brothers and sisters, “Untie him and let him go,” says Jesus when He raised Lazarus from the dead. He also wants to release us from the death of our weak faith and commitment to live according to His words and deeds of love, mercy, peace and joy. Therefore, it should be our strength to go with Jesus in all situations of life, and in whatever happens to us.
So let us go with Jesus in all our actions and thoughts.
Let us go to Easter with Jesus, to the resurrection of love, mercy, peace and joy for ourselves and all our fellow human beings.
Let us reflect, today, upon the rich symbolism found in the story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead.
Let us listen to the passionate voice of Jesus who calls us to “Come out”.
What sin is Jesus calling you to be free from? Identify that sin and repent of it with the same passion that Jesus exhibits.
Jesus desires that you be completely unbound and set free. Be open to that grace and do all you can to accept it.
Jesus, you command us, in love, to come forth from all sin. Free us from all that binds us so that we will be set firmly on the glorious road of virtue that leads to eternal joy, Amen.
“YOU ARE THE LIGHT”.
Feb 26, 2023 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, C.S.Sp. | Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7; Psalm – Ps 51; Romans 5:12.17-19; Matthew 4:1-11
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As we enter into the season of Lent, we are reminded of our human nature and the challenges we face in our spiritual journey. In both the first reading (Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7) and the Gospel (Matthew 4:1-11), we see the story of our first parents Adam and Eve, and the temptation of Jesus in the desert. These stories remind us of the fragility of human nature and the need for God’s grace to guide us through life.
In Genesis 2:7-9, we see God creating man from the dust of the earth and breathing life into him. God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to tend it and keep it. However, Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and they sinned against God. Their disobedience led to their expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the introduction of sin and death into biblical history.
Similarly, in the Gospel reading (Matthew 4:1-11), we see Jesus being led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. For forty days and forty nights, Jesus fasted and prayed, preparing himself for the mission that lay ahead of him. It is in this vulnerable state that the devil approaches Jesus with three temptations. First, he tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread, appealing to his physical hunger. Next, he takes Jesus to the top of the temple in Jerusalem and challenges him to throw himself down, appealing to the human desire for public recognition and approval. Finally, he offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for his worship, appealing to the human desire for power and control.
In each of these temptations, the devil appeals to something deep within us as human beings – our physical needs, our desire for recognition and approval, and our thirst for power and control. These are natural human desires, but they can also be the very things that lead us away from God if we allow them to become the focus of our lives.
The temptations that Jesus underwent tested the very depth from which his life flows. Human hunger makes bread desirable. But living only on bread, on the natural appetites and instincts, impoverishes the very essence of life. It was at the very moment that his flesh craved bread that Jesus chose to live from every word that comes from his father. He made the will of God the compass for his life. His relationship with his Father was so intense that he would not place anything before it. His faithfulness to the will of his Father weakened the strength of those temptations. Why would he fall for human glorification when he was sure of his father’s glory? Why would he bow to another force just to become powerful when God has placed everything in his hands?
Jesus resists these temptations, quoting scripture and proclaiming his allegiance to God alone. In each of these responses, Jesus shows us the way to overcome temptation and remain faithful to God. He turns to scripture and relies on the Word of God to guide him in his decisions. He recognizes the power of the devil, but also knew that God is more powerful and has given authority over the devil to all who trust in him. And he reaffirms his commitment to God alone, rejecting the false promises of the devil.
As we reflect on this story during the season of Lent, we are reminded of the temptations that we face in our own lives. It gives us the opportunity to reflect on these stories and our own human nature; to resist temptation and to seek God’s forgiveness. We may not be tempted to turn stones into bread or to jump off a temple, but we are tempted in other ways – to put our trust in material possessions, to seek the approval of others, and to pursue power and success at all costs. These temptations can distract us from our relationship with God and lead us down the wrong path.
As we journey in this period of Lent, we have the example of Jesus himself to follow, as he showed us the way to resist the devil and remain faithful to God. The story of his temptation in the desert shows us that we have the power to resist these temptations. We have the Word of God to guide us and the Holy Spirit to strengthen us.
Besides, the three pillars of Lent – prayer, fasting, and almsgiving – are essential to helping us in this journey. Through prayer, we deepen our relationship with God and seek His guidance and strength. Prayer helps us to remain focused on God, to offer Him our worship, and to listen to Him speaking to us in the silence of our hearts. Through fasting, we discipline our bodies and focus our attention on the spiritual rather than the physical. Fasting helps us to detach ourselves from the pleasures of the world and to be more aware of the presence of God. Through almsgiving, we share our blessings with those in need and practice the virtue of charity. Almsgiving helps us to put our faith into action, care for the poor, to share our time and resources, and build up our community.
During this season of Lent, let us turn to God in prayer and ask for his guidance and strength. Let us examine our own lives and identify the temptations that we face. And let us rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome these temptations and to remain faithful to God in all that we do.
May the Lord bless us and guide us through this Lenten journey, and may we emerge from it as renewed and transformed people, ready to continue our journey of faith with confidence and joy. Amen.
Dec 25, 2022 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp | Reading: Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm Ps 98; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-5.9-14
Dear brothers and sisters,
We come together to celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. The readings refer to his birth as the triumph of light over darkness. A light that shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. That same darkness that has enveloped the world in various ways has submitted itself to the light that the birth of Jesus brings. He has come into the so that those who walk in darkness may be enlightened and those who are weak, sad, and without hope may be strong, happy, and hopeful instead. The readings show us that this little child, born by a poor couple in a manger, and not by a prince in a palace, is Immanuel – God with us. He is the light that illuminates every human being. He is the savior of the world. That is what we celebrate together, and we call it Christmas.
Christmas is that time of the year when families, friends, and neighbors come together to celebrate the birth of the child Jesus in a unique way, by being a blessing to each other. The coming of Christ brought the different cultures, people, and races in the world closer as a family and ushered in a new order of peace, love, mercy, and unity. For Christ, himself has brought us peace by making Jews and Gentiles one people (Eph. 2:14). Christmas challenges us to see Christ in others, especially in those for whom we may find it difficult to love and be kind. The magic of Christmas emerges perfectly in the fact that Christ is born in the most unexpected place and by the most unexpected parents: in Bethlehem and not in Jerusalem; in the period of the Roman empire and not at the highest point of Jewish power.
A very beautiful story describes the magic of Christ being born in our midst. It is a story that some of you know better than I do. The story goes like this: Once upon a time, there was a flourishing monastery that was in decline, with only six monks left in the monastery. Their love for God and their fellow monks was declining sharply. The Abbot was alarmed. So he went to a Rabbi, who told him that they had committed a terrible sin. “What have we done?” exclaimed the Abbot. “The Messiah has come, he is one of you and you have not duly recognized him,” the Rabbi replied. The Abbot asked the Rabbi which of them was Christ. The Rabbi said he did not know. The Abbot went with fear and called the other monks and asked which of them was Christ. They looked at each other in amazement. Who among them could be Christ? Certainly not Brother John, who never comes to prayer on time; certainly not Brother Peter, who is annoyingly careless with his meals; certainly not the Abbot, who is a difficult man. Perhaps Christ is among them in disguise.
So they started treating each other like Christ since they didn’t know which of them was Christ. They spoke kindly to each other. Rude and threatening words were never used again. They looked for ways to serve and forgive each other. Little things that used to irritate them were overlooked and they looked for the good in each other. Each did his work as a service to Christ who was among them and looked for ways to do good for the other. Each listened to the other with full attention and respect. Life began to flow back into the dying monastery. The monastery was suddenly full of life and love. Their prayer life became authentic, rich, and inspired. Noticing this love, the villagers gradually started coming to the monastery. They were happy to see the changes. They enjoyed these beautiful monks and were in turn influenced by them to go home and do the same. Soon the surrounding villagers came to listen and watch the services, and many joined their communities. The Messiah had indeed come.
Christmas begins from that moment when we allow Christ to be born in us, and learn to recognize and serve Him in others too because Christmas is about truly loving people and seeking out the best for them. It is about giving ourselves to others through our good thoughts and wishes to them, and through our encouraging words and actions. By serving others in whom we see Christ, we are actually serving Christ (cf. Matthew 25:40). So Christmas is not just about opening the gifts we receive, but more about opening our hearts to welcome God’s love and share this love with others. This love also reminds us to be thankful for our family, friends, colleagues, well-wishers, and others who inspire us in different ways. We should reserve a special place in our hearts for those who help us in different ways. People who support us in trying times and those who take care of our social, material, and even spiritual needs. Sometimes we do forget to be grateful for the self-giving of these people in the services they provide to us.
Christmas also demands us to acknowledge Jesus in those who are different, those homeless, and people on the fringes of society because when Jesus was about to be born, there was no place for Mary and Joseph in the inn. So, he had to be born in a manger among domestic animals. Those we treat as less than humans or as less than us might be the Marys and Josephs looking for a place for Jesus. Remember, God comes to us in the least expected manner and through the least expected persons. As humans, we tend to emphasize our differences over our similarities and our weaknesses over our strengths. But Christmas urges us to think and behave differently now that the Messiah is one of us.
As we enjoy the festive celebration of Christmas, let us endeavor to allow the light of Christ to shine in us and through us to others. Let us remember to impact the lives of the less privileged in a positive way by adding value to them. Let us commit to being very helpful to the poor and needy this Christmas, instead of feeling helpless and hopeless.
Wishing you a merry, peaceful, and blessed Christmas.
Nov 27, 2022 | Homily
Homily of 1st Sunday of Advent Year 2022 by Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, C.S.Sp.
Readings: Jer.2: 1-5, Ps.122, Romans 13:11-14 & Matthew 24:37-44
A new circle of the Liturgical year begins today with the First Sunday of Advent. It is interesting that the church’s calendar year always begins with this season which in itself is a period of expectation. The word “advent”, as we know it, is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,” which is a translation of the Greek word parousia. In the Christian church calendar, it is the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas and also of preparation for the Second Coming of Christ. Advent season, therefore, traditionally precedes Christmas and offers us the opportunity to prepare for the celebration of the coming of Jesus, born in a manger many years ago. This first coming was preceded by so many prophecies about the day of the Lord. It would be a time of liberation for the Jews and all who were suffering and the enthronement of God’s righteousness over all the nations. Those promises kept the Jews longing for the coming of the Messiah.
When Jesus came, he taught us about the kingdom of God and ended up giving his life for it on the cross of Calvary. His resurrection that followed began a new order. Upon his Ascension into heaven, Jesus promised that he will return. But this time, he will not be coming to teach us about the kingdom of God nor to give his life on the cross. Rather, it will be a period of judgment when the righteous will be rewarded and the sinner receives the just wage for their actions. The question of the second coming of Jesus occupied the early Christians so much that they thought that Jesus will be coming within their lifetime. Some people in Thessalonica, for instance, stopped working and waited for the coming of Jesus. Although Jesus comes to us every day in different ways through his word in the scripture, the sacrament, our relationship with people and so many other ways, the emphasis on his final coming in glory is what is meant with the term – the day of the Lord.
The day of the Lord is something uncertain. Isaiah writes about it as a day when all the nations will stream to the mountain of the Lord; a day when there will be no more wars; a day of everlasting peace (Isaiah 1:1-5). But while it will be a day of jubilation for the virtuous, it will also be a day when the vicious will tremble in fear. “Behold the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger to make the earth a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it” (Isaiah 13:9-13; Joel 2:1-2; Amos 5:18-20; Zephaniah 1:14-18).
What makes the day of the Lord more interesting is that no one knows when it will be, like a thief in the night. Jesus emphasized this point in the Gospel reading. It will be like in the days of Noah. People were busy going about their businesses, eating, drinking, marrying, and doing whatever they wanted until Noah got into the boat and the flood came upon them. The point here is that the building of the boat took a whole lot of time and processes. Stepping into the boat was only the end of this long process. The people had sufficient time to reflect on what Noah was doing and repent. But they made other choices, focused on other things, and perished with those material choices they made. In like manner, the whole time of our life is meant for us to reflect and make proper choices that will result in a salvific end when Christ returns. Jesus went on to describe his coming as a day of separation when two people will be together, one will be taken and the other left behind. However frightening it might be to think of the day of the Lord in terms of these analogies, Jesus offered his listeners a solution: be awake, be prepared because if the owner of the house knows when a thief will attack his house, he would not sleep but be awake.
Being awake, prepared, or vigilant is something common in daily life. We are living in a period when so many things happen. The car of my confrere, Fr. John was broken into and nearly driven away before the security system in the car locked up everything. Police said the attempt was to steal it. If not for the security system in the car, it would have been stolen. We are in a season when it gets dark earlier and most houses are broken into, people are attacked and robbed. You only need to follow the “opsporing verzocht” program on television to see how people are robbed in this period of the year. That will tell you the importance of being vigilant, being security conscious, and being more careful.
There are three levels of vigilance that every child of God needs to keep according to their degrees of importance. First is the material vigilance which we have spoken about. The second is vigilance over our lives. God requires us to work and enjoy the fruits of our labor. Ecclesiastes 3:13 reads, “And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.” We sometimes forget that whatever material property we have is meant to serve us by improving our lives and that of those around us, and not vice versa. Sometimes people lose their peace, health, or even their lives for material reasons. There are so many cars, houses, clothes, etc, but you are irreplaceable. If people take pains to watch over their houses, cars and positions, if people spend so much to insure their property, how much more should we watch over ourselves? Don’t be discouraged by the things that are passing away, and do not be carried away by success, this too shall pass. Be grateful for who you are and take care of yourself. The most important moment in life is now, don’t lose the joy of now by worrying and complaining about the past and the future, or about what you have or what you do not have. The best way to deal with the past and the future is to do our best today starting from now. Be calm but vigilant. Focus on the important things. The third and most important is eternal life. Jesus warns in Mark 8:36, “what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” The only thing that lasts forever is our life with God. That is what Jesus wants us to give the greatest attention to, to be vigilant about, and to get prepared for it. The question then is, how do we get prepared for the coming of the Lord?
Paul gives us a clue on how to get prepared for the coming of the Lord. “The night is gone, the day has come,” he wrote. “Let us leave the works of darkness and live like the children of light”. The symbols of light and darkness as opposites are used severally to distinguish right from wrong, virtue from vice, good from bad, and salvation from damnation. The works of darkness are sometimes referred to as the desires of the flesh that is in opposition to the demands of the Spirit (Gal. 5:19-22). Whatever choices we make in this regard determine where we will end up. Choosing to live in the light of Christ’s teaching presupposes that we are getting prepared to welcome him with joy, just as choosing to live in the darkness of sin signals the opposite. “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Paul writes in Romans 6:23. In all instances, the Bible warns that those who fail to live in the light of Christ’s teaching will have to regret when he comes in power and glory, while those who obey his words will go out to meet the Lord rejoicing.
The coming of the Lord is, therefore, something to look forward to with joy for all who live in the light of Jesus’ teaching. As Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans (Rom. 8:1-2), “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” Living in the light of Jesus’ teaching becomes the antidote for fear for the day of the Lord. That ensures that the coming of the Lord does not frighten us nor can it catch us unaware. Instead, it will be something that inspires us to be the face of Jesus to those around us who are oppressed, lonely, suffering, or seeking any form of liberation.
As we prepare for Christmas, let our neighbors see in us enough reason to believe in the Jesus we celebrate. That is the best way to prepare for the day of the Lord because it ensures that we are busy with the project for which Jesus came and gave his life. When he finds us doing this, he will confirm us as living in the light of his teaching and therefore prepared to welcome him.
Oct 23, 2022 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe C.S.Sp.
Readings: Sir 35:12-14,16-19; Ps.32:2-3.17-19.23, 2Tim4:6-8,16-18 & Lk. 18:9-14
Dear friends in Christ,
For a bicycle to move properly, the wheel and the hub must work together. So also is it with prayer and humility. The gospel reading of last Sunday centered on prayer, with an emphasis on the need for faith and perseverance when one prays. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus moves further to focus on the centrality of humility for effective prayer.
Humility is said to be the mother of all virtues given the important role it plays in authenticating the rest of the virtues. Take for instance that someone who makes a gift to you goes about boasting that he or she is the one supporting you without which you cannot survive. In that situation, the gift loses the quality of a true charity. Remember that Jesus warns that when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing (Matthew 6:3). So it is also when someone claims to love you but constantly puts you down. The true meaning of love is then lost. That gives us a clue to how central humility is in our relationship with God and our fellow human beings.
In the Parable that Jesus used to bring out his teaching in the gospel, he talked about a Pharisee and a Publican who went into the Temple to pray, just as we all gather in the Church today to worship and pray. The Pharisee in his pride and self-assuming started to appraise his good deeds, making a presentation of how often he fasts, pays his tithes, and gives to the poor. He went on to exonerate himself from all wrongdoings, claiming that he is not like the rest of other men who are sinners and evildoers. He even pointed at the Publican (the Tax-collector) at the other end, saying that he is not like him – a sinner. It seems he was trying to impress God and probably making a case for a reward for his presumed virtues and good deeds. The Publican, on the other hand, was fully conscious of his shortcomings and, in his humility and self-emptying, recognized his sinfulness and beats his chest in sorrow saying, ‘have mercy on me a sinner.’ Jesus ended by saying that the Publican went home justified while the Pharisee was not, because whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
Let’s get closer to the identities of the subject that featured in this parable as narrated by Jesus. Both the pharisee and the publican were of Jewish origin and financially well off. So, it has nothing to do with material wealth or nationality. While the Pharisee enjoyed societal respect and honor as a religious role model of the time, the publican was detested for collaborating with the Roman occupiers. What gave the Pharisees the upper hand was their nationalistic and religious commitments against the Publicans who were seen as traitors and betrayers of their own people. This brief comparison helps us to place this parable in its context, and also to understand the meaning and context of the lowly as used in the first reading, “The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds. It does not rest till it reaches its goal, nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds”
In this parable, Jesus shifts emphasis on the impact of paychecks or socioeconomic status in the definition of the poor and lowly. To make this point clearer, the second reading shows St. Paul imprisoned, awaiting execution, abandoned, and his life being poured out like a libation. Everything had been taken away from him, his family, friends, wealth, adequate food, and so on and so forth. Yet he was spiritually peaceful and able to write, “The time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. And from now on the crown of righteousness awaits me”. St. Paul was writing from a place of supreme material and emotional poverty. However, because of his faith, he could feel like the wealthiest man in the world. He displayed complete abandonment and trust in the grace of almighty God. Humility, therefore, has to do with the acceptance of truth concerning oneself and recognizing one’s capacities and weaknesses. Humility is not about humiliating oneself but rather about taking one’s rightful place and being grateful for who one has become through the grace of God. It is a way of saying, ‘I acknowledge who I’m before God. I depend on him and it’s only with his grace that I can do anything worthy of praise.’ This is what Paul means when he wrote: “What do you have that you didn’t receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (I Co 4:7).
What separates the Pharisees and the Publican was the ability to look inward, recognize the truth about oneself in relation to God, and refuse to judge others using one’s strength against their weaknesses. The only strength the Pharisee could use against the Publican is his religious social standing, which in itself turns out to be hypocrisy. It is a known human tendency to constantly compare with others and try to portray oneself as better than one’s neighbors, friends, and colleagues. That is the root of gossip, backbiting, jealousy, and lack of contentment. This parable also deals with the question of pre-judging others. It warns against the quick judgments on which we often base our concepts on others. The word “prejudice,” comes from “pre-judging”. It is a prejudice to judge people or their actions without knowing who they are, what they think, or why they do what they do. We pre-judge people all the time. A new person who looks different comes into our neighborhood, into our office, into our school, or even in our church, and we quickly map everything about the person based on past experiences or what we know of similar persons in the past.
Judging and despising one’s neighbor closes the door to God’s heart. Expressing contempt and scorn for others is beyond mean and proud. It stems from the assumption that one would be qualified to sit in the seat of judgement and publicly shame those who do not conform to one’s own standards. Certainly, God does not listen to someone who boasts of his or her goodness as if he or she achieved it without God’s grace, and even worse if that person condemns others on that premise. What is important is that we recognize God’s goodness to us, humbly seek His mercy and show mercy to others as well.
The Gospel has a number of practical lessons for us. People who puff themselves up and try to put others down are obviously not the most loved of people. Rather, it is those that care for others, help them become better, build self-confidence, recognize their worth and talents, and are able to make something for themselves in life that is loved and appreciated. In the same manner, Jesus makes it clear to us that relating with God our Father requires us to recognize our place with him, and approach Him with humility because “whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted”. It is only in humility that our prayer can be heard, just as the wheel of a bicycle can only move if the hub is working properly. Prayer, therefore, becomes a conversation between two persons who are conscious of their positions and needs; a kind of relationship between parents and their children. Fear, pretense, puffed-up ego, and belittling others give way to love, respect, obedience, and worship. That is the position from which we can ask and enjoy God’s forgiveness in prayer.
Let us, therefore, cultivate the virtue of humility in our approach to God and in our relationship with our fellow human beings. Amen.
Sep 26, 2022 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp
Readings: Amos 6:1.4-7; Psalm 146: 1 Tim 6:11-16: Lk 16:19-31
Dear brothers and sisters,
Every opportunity we have in life is meant to be used wisely. Wherever God has placed us in life, and whatever capacity we have to do something, are in themselves opportunities to be God’s presence that the people around us can feel and be grateful for. Paul said in his second letter to the Corinthians (5:20) that we are ambassadors for Christ. And the work of a good ambassador is to properly represent the one that sent him or her. When we fail to make good use of the opportunities we have, and it passes away, we end up in regret. That is the important theme of today’s readings.
In the first reading, the prophet Amos vehemently rails against the rich who are only concerned about their pleasure without showing interest in what can benefit others. They lay in beds of ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches. They do nothing except feast, and they do so in a totally immoral way. They do not slaughter adult animals, but lambs and calves, because their meat is more tender than that of adult sheep and cattle. So they eat their own future, so to speak because herds with too few young animals are doomed to extinction. For Amos, who was a farmer until God called him, this must have been a terrible experience. Eating lambs and calves also symbolically allude to acts that hurt young people and are capable of negatively affecting their sound and integral development. Whoever does not care about the effect of his or her action on the young people does not have an eye on the future, and any nation that fails to protect its youth is doomed. So, when Amos wrote that these men drank wine with large cups, used costly cream, and never cared about the destruction that was coming to their nation, he was obviously warning that the nation had no future. That is why these men will be the first to go into exile.
If Amos were to live in our society today, he would have a lot to condemn. The power of money and its abuse has become a daily occurrence. Money has become everything. Once you have money, you can buy anything, even a human being. You can even lobby to turn something immoral and absurd to become legal. Think of the hundreds of thousands of street children in the slums of the world’s cities, the hundreds of thousands of other children in Asia and Africa and so many other places that are forced into child labor, sixteen hours of work a day for a very little wage just to continually enrich the companies owned by the rich. And the owners of these companies could be based elsewhere, and we rush to buy the products of these child laborers because they are cheap. In that way, we patronize the practice. Think of child prostitution and human trafficking. If one would take a look at the various evils in the world today, the real people behind them are not often those poor boys and girls who are rather victims, but the rich who sponsor all kinds of organized crimes. Rather than use their wealth to lift up the poor out of poverty, the rich that Amos attacked used their wealth to destroy the future of the young ones.
While Amos concentrated on the temporal consequences of failing to make good use of wealth, Jesus warned in the gospel that it can lead to eternal damnation. To illustrate this point, Jesus told the parable of Lazarus and a certain rich man. Like the rich people in the time of Amos, he too dresses richly and celebrates lavishly every day, while poor Lazarus lies sore-covered at his gate. But the rich man takes no notice of him. It does not even occur to him to have the surplus of food delivered to Lazarus. Unlike the case of the people Amos condemned for their actions (sin of commission), the sin of the rich man in the gospel is that of doing nothing in a situation that he could actually help (sin of omission). Remarkably, Jesus did not give him a name. The poor man, on the other hand, is given a name, Lazarus, which means “God will help”.
Earlier in this chapter which was read last Sunday, Jesus warned us to make friends with the money we have by reaching out to those in need so that when the money fails, we can be admitted into heaven. This rich man paid no attention to such a warning. So when his wealth failed to keep him living, he realized that he has not made any friends in heaven. It is therefore not surprising that he has no name while Lazarus is always remembered because he is the man we sing about at the end of a funeral service: ‘To paradise the angels lead you. And as Lazarus, the poor of old, thou shalt be in the land of peace forever.’ The most important place we need to have our names written is in the Book of Life (cf. Rev. 20:15) which endures forever, and not just in the cheap popularity of the world. Unfortunately, Lazarus could not respond to the rich man’s cry for help because there is already a separation between them (cf. Matthew 25: 31-32) and there is no repentance in the grave.
Jesus did not tell this parable to praise poverty or to condemn wealth. No. Jesus himself had a number of wealthy friends while on earth, like Joseph of Arimathea on whose grave he was buried (cf. John 19:38). Rather he is warning us to make use of all that we have to win eternal life. Paul calls it “fighting the good fight” in his letter to Timothy in the second reading. What matters in life is not what we have but what we do with it, and how it positively affects others who cannot help themselves. The moment we concentrate only on ourselves, we do not build for the future. We do not make friends with heaven. We fail God who is the giver of all gifts, and we do not live to be remembered. It is people who felt loved and cared for by how we relate to them that often remember us. The apostles were not rich in wealth, instead, they gave up what they had for the gospel. Yet the impact the Gospel they preached and the example of their lives made on people’s lives keep their names still among us. If you should close your eyes for a moment and think of the one person that your heart quickly remembers, it might not be a rich person in terms of material wealth but someone that was there for you when you needed his or her help. And that is what the rich man failed to do for Lazarus. He failed to see him as a fellow human being in need. He failed to help. Jesus said, whatever you do to the least of these my brethren, you have done for me (cf. Matthew 25:40).
The readings invite us to reflect on our attitude to what we have and how it influences our relationship with those around us who are in need. Being rich is not just about material wealth. One can be rich in talents, knowledge, time, or in many other ways. We can see that each and every one of us is rich in some way. We also have a lot of migrants, asylum seekers, victims of war who have fled their homes, the aged who are lonely and sick, and the youth needing direction in making life choices. We have our fellow worshippers who are going through difficulties in their lives, families and work-situations. Do we make our time, knowledge, and talents available to reach out to them, to help those confused, or needing direction and care? Let us ask for the grace to always use our wealth positively to help those in need so that when that day comes, those acts of kindness will speak on our behalf.
