Apr 25, 2021 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe
Acts 4:8-12 | Psalm 117:1.8-9.21-23.26.28-28 |1 John.3:1-2 | John 10:11-18
Today the Church celebrates the Good Shepherd Sunday and the Gospel reading presents Jesus as the
Good Shepherd who cares for his flock. It is customary today to pray for leaders, especially ecclesiastical
leaders that they might follow the example of Jesus the Good Shepherd in all they do, as well as for
vocations to the Priestly and religious life.
There are many passages in the Old Testament that speak of God as the Shepherd of Israel. It is easier to
understand the analogy of a shepherd and his flock in the context of the traditional life in the time of Jesus
that resulted from centuries of the nomadic lifestyle in which shepherding the flock featured prominently
in their lifestyle. The care, protection, and guidance that a shepherd gives to the flock gradually became
for the Israelites a metaphor for understanding God’s love, guidance, care, and protection against the
constant aggression from their enemies. The Psalmist expresses this in various ways; The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want (Ps 23:1). Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph’s
flock! (Ps 80:1). We are his people and the sheep of his flock (Ps 100:3). The prophet Isaiah also sees the
Messiah as the shepherd of God’s people who will feed his flock like a shepherd, and gather the lambs in
his arms (Isaiah 40:11), and many more.
Peter was bold, in the first reading, to remind the Jewish leaders what should be their function: to protect
and care rather than condemn and punish. Instead of rejoicing that a cripple is healed, they were rather
worried that the healing was done by a group they would rather not have, the followers of Jesus. Having
crucified Jesus, it was disturbing to them to learn that they could still have to contend with the effects of
his power working through his disciples. One can imagine their feeling when Peter declared that it is only
in the name of Jesus that salvation, both temporal and eternal, can be obtained. The stone which they, the
builders rejected, has become the cornerstone. The action of the Jewish leaders depicts that of a hired man that Jesus spoke about in the Gospel reading. The hired man does not feel responsible for the sheep and therefore abandons it once it gets attacked. He is out to seek his interest rather than that of the sheep, just as the Jewish leaders were more interested in exerting their authority on the people than having someone else solve their problems and therefore risk diverting their allegiance. Jesus, on the contrary, is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. He knows his sheep and they know him. Moreover, he is so close to them that they know his voice.
By contrasting the good shepherd with the hired man, Jesus brings out the traits of a good leader. A good
leader is not a boss who commands the subjects around like the earthly leaders, but a servant leader. He
goes ahead of the people he leads, clears every danger on the way, prepares good pasture for them so that they can properly feed and rest peacefully. Psalm 23 details the function of a good shepherd from the perspective of what God does for the Israelites. Considered in this context, and in contrast with the actions of the Jewish leaders at the instance of the healing of the cripple at the Beautiful Gate, the readings set the stage for us to evaluate how our leadership at various levels mirror that of Jesus who heals, teaches, cares, protects, forgives, loves, and guide us unto eternal life.
When Jesus described himself as the Good Shepherd, he employed the Greek word “Kalos” (Ego eimi ho
poimen ho Kalos – ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός), which refers to that which is intrinsically good, ideal and
a model that others could imitate. The goodness of Jesus is inherent in his being, and therefore authentic,
as opposed to aesthetic, fanciful, and temporal goodness that is dependent on situations and other
interests. The goodness that is external to one’s nature does not survive in the face of challenges. It could
be likened to cosmetic or aesthetic goodness. This does not define a person’s identity but only says something about his or her appearance. To look good is different from being good. Appearance and reality are not the same. We should look good as well as be good.
Jesus, therefore, challenges us to imitate his goodness, honesty, and dependability in the leadership and
fellowship in our community, and in all our dealings with people. This kind of goodness does not wane even in the face of challenges or trials. Peter and his fellow apostles did not deny the truth of Jesus even in the face of the hostile Jewish leaders just as Jesus, while subjected to extreme torture and insults while hanging on the cross, responded with a prayer of forgiveness for his unjust aggressors rather than call for vengeance.
The Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. This is why Jesus Christ is both shepherd and lamb.
Hence, he died to save his flock as a lamb of sacrifice, prefigured by the Passover Lamb, willingly laying
down his life for us. He is our Ransom. In the consciousness of this fact, we can say with the psalmist:
“Even though I walk through the valley of Shadow of death I shall fear no evil (Ps 23:4)” knowing that
Jesus the Good Shepherd is always with us. The psalmist says “with your rod and your staff you give me
comfort”. The staff of the Good Shepherd is the cross. As God worked through the rod of Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt, so does he deliver us from death through the Cross of Jesus. When the valley of death threatens, the Lord whispers to us in a gentle voice: “Be of good cheers, I have conquered the world” (Jn.16:33).
It is our duty, therefore, to give a listening ear to Jesus, our Good Shepherd. He knows us, his flock, and
expects us to know him in return, and follow him as he leads us to greener pasture. He will never desert
us. Hence, it is for us to live in trustful faith in him, learning in our turn to show the same care, love, and
protection to those around us who need it. People will only feel the presence and care of Jesus through us,
just as the man at the Beautiful Gate experienced the healing power of Jesus through his Apostles. May the celebration of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, enable us to make the necessary effort to become good followers of Jesus, and in turn be good leaders who love, care, protect, guide, and give a good example to our children and those around us. Peace be with you.
Mar 28, 2021 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp.
(Is.50:4-7, Ps.21:8-9.17-20.23-24, Phil.2:6-11 & Mk.15:1-39)
Today is Palm Sunday which begins the Holy Week. The Palm Sunday event marks Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem to accomplish his redemptive mission of saving humanity from eternal damnation through his passion, death, and resurrection. This event and the joyful acclamation of the crowd show Jesus as Messiah and King. When the crowd acclaimed Jesus as the Son of David (Hosanna to the son of David), they allude to his royal credentials, and when they acknowledged him as “He who comes in the name of the Lord”, the Messiah is understood, that is, the one who is promised to Israel.
On this triumphal procession, Jesus chose to ride on a colt, not on horseback as would kings and earthly warlords. His choice of the poor humble animal highlights his humility and justifies his identity as the prince of peace. His humble procession shows the nature of his victory. He is humble yet victorious, gentle and triumphant; teaching us the gallantry of meekness. In him, we see the power of humility. Hence, all the readings this Sunday highlight Jesus’ humble obedience to carry out the will of the Father who sent him into this world for our redemption.
In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah (Is.50:4-7), Jesus is depicted as the Suffering Servant of the Lord whom the Lord wakes up every morning to listen to his word as a disciple, so as to know how he would respond to the weary hearts. This text reminds us that a true prophet is a person of prayer who regularly listens to God in a master-disciple relationship so as to be able to communicate to the people what God really commands. No one can speak God’s word meaningfully to others without first listening prayerfully to the word himself. Jesus is a classic example of this. His life and ministry were filled with constant prayers and solitude (Mark 1:35; Mark 6:46; Luke 6:12; Luke 11:1).
St Paul exhorts us in the second reading to embrace a deeper life of Christian love and unity by making every effort to avoid any form of self-seeking and self-aggrandizing behavior, but rather to be humble and self-effacing. We are to emulate the humility and self-emptying attitude taken by Jesus who, though he was divine yet “humbled himself becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him…. at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend and every tongue confesses that Jesus is the Lord” (Phil. 2:8-10). Humility is an important mark of discipleship. There are two types of Christian discipleship: those who follow Jesus in their own terms, doing things their own ways, and those who follow Jesus in obedience, striving to follow the teachings of Jesus the way he taught them. Both are separated by subtle pride and humility. While pride marks the first group, the second group is recognizable by their act of humility. Genuine love and humility of heart are indispensable for anyone that really wants to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
Today’s Gospel reading comes before the procession with palms and relates to the event of Palm Sunday. Jesus triumphantly went into Jerusalem knowing full well what awaits him there – betrayal, rejection, and crucifixion. His entry into Jerusalem, riding a colt, was a direct fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy of Zechariah (9:9): “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem. Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, and riding on a donkey and upon a colt the foal of a donkey”. The colt was a sign of peace. Jesus enters Jerusalem in meekness and humility, as the Messianic King who offers victory and peace to his people. The crowd threw their cloaks on the road to express their homage to him. But just as we shall see in the Passion narrative, most of these same persons who welcomed Jesus with shouts of joy also joined to demand his crucifixion. Thus, the children of the kingdom are not just those who welcome and praise Jesus every Sunday, but those that maintain their position in times of trial. The cloaks we need to lay down for Jesus are our pride and material objects of glory. When we throw them at his feet, acknowledging our nothingness and acclaiming his Majesty, he will reign in our hearts. We know that Jesus does not reign like the kings of the earth who suppress their subjects. He reigns with love and peace in the spiritual kingdom that knows no geographical boundaries, in the hearts of his faithful.
The long passion narrative takes us on the journey of how Jesus was betrayed and unjustly condemned to death. He humbly and willingly undergoes his passion, carrying his cross to Calvary to embrace his ignoble crucifixion in the hands of human beings who allowed themselves to be instruments of denial, betrayal, false-witness, perverse-judgment, mockery, inhuman torture, and so on. There are many actors in this event: the betrayer (Judas), the accusers (Jewish leaders), the judge (Pontus Pilate), the crowd, the soldiers, Jesus’ disciples, and Jesus himself. We have seen the role each played. It is probably important to reflect on the role we play in the various events and encounters with people around us, and cross-check if any of them corresponds with those played in the Gospel narrative. That could be a mirror to evaluate our actions.
As we commemorate Jesus’ passion and death and reflect on the ignoble act of human wickedness meted to him, we pray for the grace not only to avoid playing such negative roles in our lives but also to work against such measures wherever we find them. May the Lord’s passion and death heal us and strengthen us, so that we may follow Him more obediently in love and to give Him the first place in our lives. May his teaching and values determine and color our daily decisions and choices. Amen.
Feb 28, 2021 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp. (Gen.22:1-2, 9-13. 15-18, Ps.115:10.15-19, Rom.8:31-34 & Mk.9:2-10)
Dear brothers and sisters,
Two women stood before the 12th century Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. One asked, “Why can’t we build structures like this anymore?” Her friend answered, “The people who built this had faith. Today we have opinions. And you can’t build a cathedral with opinions.” Great faith does mighty works. Whoever has faith in God must be willing to listen to God and serve him in obedience otherwise the faith is just sterile and empty. Your belief determines your action and your action determines your result, but first you have to listen to know what God is saying to you.
In our first reading this Sunday Gen.22:-18, God puts Abraham to the test and demands that he sacrifices his only son, Isaac. Abraham being a man of great faith, did not hesitate to obey, not minding that he and his wife, Sarah were already advanced in years to beget another child through whom God would fulfill his earlier promise that Abraham would be the father of many nations.
In this narrative, Abraham is presented as a sublime model of self-sacrificing and obedient faith. Just when Abraham thinks that God’s promises of making him the father of many nations, had been realized in the person of Isaac, the son of his old age, God makes what looks like the most incomprehensible demand on him. However, when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, God intervened, sending an angel to stop Abraham. The Angel commends Abraham for his obedient faith and then asked him to use the ram hooked by its horns in the bush for the sacrifice in place of his son, Isaac. In rewards for his obedient faith, God appeared again to Abraham and said, “because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore.” By willing to offer his only Son, Isaac, Abraham wins God’s approval and even greater blessings. He emerged with a stronger faith in God.
The Gospel reading presents the transfiguration of Jesus in the presence of three of his disciples. The scene described a very remarkable event of Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah, the two great men symbolizing the Law and the Prophets. Caught up in this marvelous scene, Peter asked to build three tents for Jesus and the two men. The glory was so powerful that Peter wouldn’t want to return. But then came the voice of the Father who, confirming Jesus as His beloved Son, commanded the disciples to listen to Him. Like Abraham who did not hold back his son Isaac, God is not holding back Jesus, but offering Him up for the salvation of all people. What is required on our part is obedient fellowship in doing all that Jesus would ask of us. Thus, the command, “listen to Him”.
The event of the first reading forshadows the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He is the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets who leads us into the new era of God’s salvific plan. What God demands of us is to render him obedient fellowship. Like the disciples of Jesus, we have to learn to listen to Him, to believe in His Word, and to live it out. Abraham did not just have Faith in God, he matched it with obedience. The world does not like the word “obedience”, because it sounds like someone telling you what to do. But how can we grow in Godliness without God telling us how to go about it? Why do we send our children to school if not to learn. Without listening to parents and teachers, children would hardly learn the right things. If God is our Father, then we have to listen to Him and obey His commands, even when it seems difficult.
St. Paul assures us in the second reading that God has our back. We don’t have to be afraid to commit ourselves in carrying out everything he might requires of us. He said, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” God’s assurance is evidenced in the gift of His own Son, Jesus. What else can be more than that? What other assurance do we need to beleive that God is to be trusted, that His commands are perfect and represent our best interest? The foundation for the obedient faith required of us is rooted in God’s faithful and unconditional love shown in the gift of His Son Jesus Christ. That shows the commitment of God to our welfare.
This lenten season is a period to reflect on the events of our salvation. The passion and death of Jesus end with the resurrection, which is a sign of hope. That hope is contained in the glory that was revealed to the disciples during the Transfiguration. Jesus instructed the disciples to keep the event of the Transfiguration secret until he is raised from the dead. We have the benefit of hindsight, helping us to know that pains of death and sacrifice in which we participate in this Lenten period definitely ends in something glorious. That knowledge should inspire us not to withhold anything capable of bringing us closer to God.
Let the sacrifice of Abraham and the passion of Jesus encourage us to render sacrificing services for the good of our brothers and sisters in need, remembering the words of Jesus that, “ whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”.
Jan 24, 2021 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp.
(Jonah 3:1-5,10, Ps.24:4-9, 1Cor.7:29-31 & Mk. 1:14-20)
Today we celebrate the Sunday of the word of God. The Holy Father, Pope Francis, announced on September 30, 2019, which was the liturgical memorial of St. Jerome, that the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time would be celebrated as the Sunday of the Word of God. His Apostolic Letter, “Aperuit illis: Instituting the Sunday of the Word of God” reads in part, “It is fitting, then that the life of our people be constantly marked by this decisive relationship with the living word that the Lord never tires of speaking to his Bride, that she may grow in love and faithful witness. Consequently, I hereby declare that the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is to be devoted to the celebration, study, and dissemination of the word of God.” This apostolic letter emphasized the importance of the word of God in the life of the Church, detailing its richness. It went on to recommend the various ways the word of God can be brought to life, celebrated, and deepened in the life of the faithful. The Scripture is, indeed, central to the life of the church. The readings of today concentrate on the power of the word of God to bring a change to our lifestyle.
The first reading deals with the call of Jonah to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh. It begins as follows: The word of the Lord came to Jonah, saying: “Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and announce to it the message that I will tell you.” This implies that the command to preach to the Ninevites is a command from the Lord communicated to Jonah through the word of the Lord. More importantly, Jonah is to announce only the message that the Lord gave, and not his own message. What is to be preached must emanate from the Lord, who commands. Preachers are not to preach their own ideology, but the truth that sets free. The power of the word of God is greater and above the idiosyncrasies of the preacher. This fact is seen in both the refusal of Jonah to go and in the immediate repentance of the people of Nineveh at the preaching of Jonah.
Ordinarily, one expects that Jonah would be happy to see the people he preached to repent. But the converse was the case, simply because the people of Nineveh were considered enemies of Israel. The human desire for vengeance created an obstacle to Jonah accepting the call of God to take his word to them. When he was eventually forced to go, he did, hoping that they would reject his preaching. That explains why he was expecting to see the country destroyed, even after delivering the message of repentance, and becoming angry when God decided to forgive the people of Nineveh (cf. Jonah 3:10; 4:1, 10 -11).
The word of God embodies the very wish of God for his people to repent and return to Him. It is never the will of the Father that any of his little children get lost (cf. Matthew 18:14). The failure of Jonah to rejoice in the conversion of the Ninevites is contrasted with the genuine preaching of repentance that ushered in the ministry of Jesus. It is a call to repentance and to believe in the Good News. The themes of repentance and believing in the Good News summarise the demand of God on the part of his people. God expects us to accept his word like the people of Nineveh and allow it to transform us, aligning our lifestyle to its principles. This is so important that Jesus had to recruit and train his disciples to carry on with this divine project in every generation. We see the call of the first disciples in the Gospel reading; a call that resulted in their change of profession. One striking characteristic of those called is their readiness to “leave everything” to follow Jesus. It is a sign that they considered the message of Jesus as overriding every other thing. Otherwise, they would not give up their livelihood to follow Jesus, especially at such a time that he was considered a poor itinerant preacher by many of his contemporaries.
The word of God calls us to repentance and to believe the Gospel. Repentance is about letting go of whatever is holding us back and pulling us down. Things that are keeping us away from God. The Bible calls them sin because they are offensive to God, but more importantly because they constitute an obstacle to our being united with God. Letting go is a means of growth and advancement toward our real self: the image, and the glory of God. The Greek word for repentance, metanoia (μετάνοια), meaning “after-thought or beyond-thought”, is commonly understood as “a transformative change of heart; especially as a spiritual conversion”. Repentance is the first step to action to which the word of God calls us. The urgency of repentance is echoed in the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor 7:29-31) that forms the second reading. He was direct in pointing out that “the time is running out.” It is vital that we put our priorities right because the world in its present form is passing away.
Repentance is not just for its own sake. Otherwise, we would constantly relapse to the very things from which we repent. Repentance serves to turn us away from the direction of death and destruction so that we can walk toward life and joy in God; to turn away from darkness to light. The component of repentance is acceptance of the Good News of salvation. The Good News is God’s divine plan for humanity and the very reason for the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By accepting the Gospel, we commit ourselves to live according to its principles.
As we celebrate the Sunday of the word of God, it is important to reflect on what role the word of God plays in our daily lives as Christians. This celebration is meant to revive the attention we should pay to the daily devotion of reading and reflecting on the word of God in the Bible. God speaks to us in his word. As St. Jerome is quoted to have said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” I pray that we make the word of God the center of our Christian inspiration and the reference point of our lifestyle.
Dec 29, 2020 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp. | Sir 3:2-6.12-14; Psalm Ps 128; Col 3:12-21; Lk 2:22-40
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today we celebrate the holy family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The readings focus on family life and what is necessary for a family to live in love and faithfulness. The gospel reading presents the Holy family as an edifying example of a young family fulfilling the demands of God’s law. The scene describes the presentation of Jesus in the temple, which is the fulfillment of the law given to Moses concerning every firstborn male (Exodus 13: 2). The event quickly became an occasion for the revelation of the salvific mission of Jesus. His parents were genuinely surprised by the prophecy of Simeon concerning Jesus: a child set for the rise and fall of many in Israel, and for whose sake a sword will pierce the heart of his mother.
The obedience of the holy family to the divine command grounds the reflection on family life. Every family that worths the name is founded on eternal values and principles that are rooted in the law of God because God is the ultimate founder of families when he created Adam and Eve. Just as the manufacturer of products, knowing how best to operate and maintain the products for maximum efficiency and long duration, puts down the instruction in a manual for the prospective users, God described, in his laws, the process whereby families he created could live happily. Psalm 119:1-2 states that obedience to the law of God is the guarantee of happiness. The family of Adam and Eve hit the rock due to disobedience to God’s command.
The first reading from Ben Sirach describes what obedience to God implies in the context of the relationship between parents and children. Today’s reading is an excerpt from a longer section (3:1-16) of his work concerning parenting and the honor due to parents. Ben Sirach considered the obligation to honor one’s parents to be an integral part of the life of faith. True love of God, in all its implications, necessarily involves love to others, most of all to parents. Without honor to parents, one cannot claim to honor God because biblical ethics is grounded in honoring father and mother. Exodus 20:12 records honor to parents as the only commandment that has a promise attached to it, and Moses reiterated this very important command in one of his last speeches to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 5:16. It reads, “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”
Ben Sira built his teaching on the ancient belief that honor to parents brings long life, the forgiveness of sins, and other blessings. Given that the family bonds endure throughout life, Ben sira saw no reason for the obligation of honoring parents to be related even when the parent had grown old, forgetful, feeble, and/or senile. Children are, in some way, an extension of something about the parents (the DNA) and a prolongation of the family tree. Failure to honor one’s parents amounts to hurting the very channel of life and history.
Given that family is the resting ground where values and virtues are inculcated and cultivated, healthy families are essential to the well-being of society. The second reading details the values that aid cordial relationships in a family. Paul noted in this letter to the Colossians 3:12-13 that heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another are important attitudes that should govern relationships. We know how difficult it can be sometimes, given that we are different in our characters and temperaments. Issues of carrier building, economic hardship, and conflicting interests sometimes exact pressure on the family. The societal values and demands also challenge families in this modern age. Besides, the desire for independence and freedom has also led to radical individualism. Yet the crises all around us remind us that we need each other. We do not only need independence but also interdependence, we need not only freedom but also co-responsibility. We not only need development and progress, but also compassion, love, understanding, and forbearance. The Holy Family teaches us that everyone in the family, even the so-called black sheep, is like a piece in a puzzle without which it cannot be solved.
Everyone contributes something unique to keep the family running. Both the tangible and intangible contributions from every member of the family are essential for a happy home. Jesus had to incarnate in one of the lowliest families to teach us that wealth, status, positions, and all that the world pursue are not necessary to make a happy family. The holy family also teaches us that functions in a family are only different in forms but not in value. We can better appreciate this fact by considering the roles played by Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. Then we can discover how important and protective it was for Joseph to accept Mary’s pregnancy which otherwise would have resulted in her death. The same goes for Mary’s role and that of Jesus in human salvation.
Today, we can as well look beyond our nuclear families to reflect on our community as a wider family of the children of God. The diversity of functions, characters, temperaments, and sensitivity is an indication that we all need to take a closer look again at the second reading if we are to have a cordial, respectful, and caring FCC-Gouda of our dream. If the virtues of heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, and forgiveness are important for the nuclear family, how much more essential is it for the bigger family like ours.
Let us pray for a better understanding and appreciation of every family member, and pray for God’s wisdom and guidance in our relationship with one another. Amen.
Nov 22, 2020 | Homily
By. Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp.
(Ezk.34:11-12,15-17, Ps.23, 1Cor.15:20-26,28 & Matt.25:31-46)
This Sunday, which is the last of the Thirty Four Sundays of the Church’s liturgical calendar, celebrates the Solemnity of Christ the King. The Lord has graciously been leading us through the ministry of his word and sacraments. The reading of today presents us with the scenario of how it will be when Christ, the King of the Universe, will come again in glory to gather his people.
Right from the first book of Samuel when the Isralites requested for a king and God gave them King Saul, God entrusted the leadership of his people to the various kings of Israel and Judah. But they became disappointing and oppressive, neglectful, and even exploited the people. In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel announced God’s decision to take over the leadership of his people since those appointed have failed to provide the needed form of leadership. God would be like a shepherd to his people, going to seek the lost like a shepherd seeks the lost sheep where they are scattered, bringing back the strayed, binding up the crippled, and strengthening the weak. But there will be consequences for the oppressors and exploiters among his people. This judgment will also be executed at all levels of relationships that exist among his people. Thus, God will not only separate the oppressed from the oppressors as a shepherd separates sheep from goat, but will also judge between sheep and sheep, rams and he-goats. This brings us to the idea of the king as the judge on the last day, as described in the Gospel reading.
Jesus took up this point in the gospel passage when he talks about separating people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He gave the criterion for the separation and judgment as based on how much one has loved God and neighbor. The passage reveals that this will be a great separation. The King will separate humanity into two like a shepherd does with his sheep and goats; one on his right and the other on his left. He will tell those on his right to come into his kingdom prepared for them from the beginning because they were able to see Him in the needy (the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, those in prison, etc) and come to his help. Conversely, he will order those on his left to go into the hellfire prepared for them because they neglected to see Him in the needy and so failed to come to His help. Jesus went on to emphasize that whatever we do or fail to do to anyone, even the least person on earth, that, we do or fail to do it to him (Mtt.25:40,45).
Jesus, invariably, teaches in this passage that we should see and love him in every human being. If we recall that the Genesis account of creation has it that every man and woman is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), it will be easier to understand that everyone is a perfect expression of God on earth. Consequently, no one who loves God will hate his or her neighbor and no one who hates God will love his or her neighbor. That is perfectly explained by the first two great commandments: love of God, and love of neighbor. “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matt 22:35-40). It is, therefore, not so much about speaking for the poor but about doing so out of love for God. This teaching has inspired many saints like St Theresa of Calcutta (Mother Theresa) who virtually sees the face of Jesus in every human person in need and reaches out to them, irrespective of tribe, color or religion.
There is a new dimension that Jesus added to the separation that the prophet Ezekiel spoke of in the first reading, and it is very important to take note of it. Those who were condemned to hell by the King in the Gospel story were not necessarily sentenced because of evil things they committed (sins of commission) but rather because of the good things which they neglected to do. We call it sins of “omission”. Perhaps they did avoid doing negative things. However, in the end, they were still found wanting because they neglected or failed to reach out to the situation around them that calls for their compassion, help, and service. Indifference to the cry of the needy is indifference to Jesus (what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me, Matthew 25: 45). Taking a look at the life of Jesus while on earth, we could see that Jesus is the one that often went out of his way to teach the ignorant, feed the hungry, heal the seek and drive out the devil. Act 10: 38 notes “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” That is the same leadership that God expects from each of us, filled with the Holy Spirit.
In today’s society, it is easy to maintain blind eyes over a needy situation without feeling guilty. We can easily exonerate ourselves by arguing that it is the responsibility of this or that government agency to take care of it. We know that there are government policies concerning the poor in society, and there are agencies responsible for carrying out the recommended tasks. However, we also know that there are many needy people around us and that there are many ways to help them if we really want to. Logical self-exoneration does not help in this situation. Where there is the will, there is always the way. Worse still, it is easy to exonerate and commend ourselves presumptuously that we are not like the rest of ungodly men who commit grievous sins. By this, we tend to forget that, the avoidance of evil act, while at the same time remaining indifferent to doing what is good and challenging what is evil, contradicts the law of love and the Christian attitude of holiness, because holiness is all-encompassing.
Since holiness is not just the avoidance of evil acts but also about reaching out to others in need and doing what is good as Jesus would, the readings invite us to sharpen our sensitivity to people and events around us. The Jesus we are seeking is already among us in various forms: as a needy person, challenging situation, and opportunity to do good. These are the areas on which the last judgment will be based. Being sensitive and responsive to a situation that calls for one’s help is a noble and unique virtue; the type that enables one to identify and respond to a situation without waiting to be begged. St Paul gives us a rule of thumb on this point. He said, “As for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. (2Thess3:13). St James even puts it in a more challenging way, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (Jam 4:17).
Let us always remember that, when the roll is called on the evening of our life, we shall all be examined on the law of love. Our Lord, the Universal King spells out today this law of love in pragmatic and concrete actions like feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, accommodating the stranger or the neglected, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting those in prison. Certainly, these are not to be taken as an exhaustive list. Rather, it only serves us to develop the underlying Christian attitude of active concern to those around us who are in any form of human, material, or spiritual need. Jesus assures that every sensitivity and constant positive action in the face of every needy situation will be highly rewarded. But he also warns that any act of omission, neglect, or indifference to situations that call for our Christian service would attract the King’s blame on that great day of separation. The choice is, therefore, clearly laid out.
As wise children of God, let us choose to serve God in our neighbors because, as St John of the Cross said, ‘At the evening of our life, we shall all be examined on the law of love’.
