Oct 27, 2019 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp.
“He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.” ~ Luke 1:52
(Readings: Sir.35:12-14,16-19, Ps.34, 2Tim.4:6-8,16-18 & Lk.18:9-14)
As the liturgical year gradually draws to a close, the readings call our attention to the fact that our life here on earth has an end. Thus, the readings we will be having in the Sundays before Advent center on the need to strengthen our spiritual life, pointing out some important factors that may constitute obstacle to our relationship with God and our neighbor. Last Sunday the Church calls us to reflect on the importance of Prayer and the need to pray continually and not to lose heart. And on this Sunday, still on his discourse on Prayer, Jesus goes further to narrate a parable about some people who are fully convinced of their own righteousness while despising others as less righteous. The parable illustrates the place of humility in our prayer life and relationships. We therefore, pray today, that, God may bestow on us the grace of genuine humility of heart which is necessary to please God.
The Pharisee in this parable sees his own righteousness and he speaks about it in his prayer. He takes full credit for his model of life. In his pride and self-assuming, the Pharisee exonerates himself that he is not like the rest of other sinful men, and more importantly, he is not like the Publican to whom he points his hands with condemnation. His boastful prayer was centered on his good religious practices rather than on God’s goodness, grace, and pardon. Hence, he enumerates his virtues and his religious deeds. In fact, he supposedly demands that God should give him a certificate of good performance, since he is not like the rest of other sinful men.
It is possible that we sometimes erroneously behave like this self-righteous Pharisee. We consider ourselves better than others by comparing our strong points with their weak points, thus deceiving ourselves that we are the best. We might let our imaginations engage in the unfortunate practice to self-exaltation, attributing all kinds of virtues to ourselves. We might want to project the good we do as against the evil done by the other, thinking that by so doing we would be considered better persons than others.
The Publican, on the other hand, in sincere humility, recognizes his sinfulness before God and beats his chest in sorrow, pleading for forgiveness; ‘Mea culpa, Mea culpa’. And, as Jesus says, the Publican goes home reconciled with God while the self-righteous Pharisee left the temple with his ego and the prayer he said to himself. Why? Because, ‘God’s eyes are always drawn to the man of humbled and contrite spirit, who trembles at God’s word, Is.66:2.
The Gospel story is a warning that judging and despising one’s neighbour closes the door to God’s heart. Expressing disdain and contempt for others is more than being mean and proud. It springs from the assumption that one is qualified to sit in the seat of judgment and to publicly shame those who do not conform to one’s standards and religious practices. Certainly God doe not listen to anyone who boasts in his or her goodness as if he or she achieved it without God’s grace, worse still if the person goes on to despise others in condemnation. Do you recognize God’s goodness to you? Do you humbly seek His mercy and do you show mercy to others, especially to those you find difficult to love and to forgive? Are you involved in destructive and demeaning gossips? Remember: God dwells with the humble of heart who recognize their own sinfulness and acknowledges God’s mercy and saving grace (cf. Isaiah 57:15).
Whenever we gather before the Lord in worship and prayer, two groups of people certainly gather; the Pharisee type and the Publican. The Pharisee type are those of us who see the worst in others. They judge and condemn others in their hearts, while presumptuously think that they are better off and God’s No 1. They may not be fully aware that such presumptuous pride not only hardens their hearts all the more towards repentance but also blocks the effectiveness of their prayer before the Lord. The Publican type, on the other hand, are those who are sincerely humble and contrite in heart to see the areas of their sinfulness and limitations and then plead God for forgiveness and mercy. Such people improve everyday in their walk with the Lord because they realize that there is work to be done. Hence, they often grow in their knowledge of God through constant reading of the bible, intense and consistent prayer life, and practice of virtue. When there is a misunderstanding, they do not immediately blame others, but first seek to find out if they have in any way contributed to the problem. They are also quick to forgive because, having experienced forgiveness, they understand the pain of guilt and the joy of forgiveness.
This parable and the first reading present both an opportunity and a warning. Pride leads to self-deception and spiritual blindness. True humility helps us to see ourselves as we really are in God’s eyes. Such realization of our true worth obliges us to seek God’s mercy and forgiveness. Indeed, as the book of Sirach tells us today in the first reading, “he who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heaven. The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds. It does not rest till it reaches its goal, nor withdraws till the Most High responds.” Building a community where everyone feels loved demands that we avoid the Pharisee mentality and be of service to one another. Our strengths, gifts and talents are gifts from the Lord meant for service to others.
Let us therefore heed the admonition of St. Paul in Romans 15:1-3, ‘We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”
Sep 23, 2019 | Homily
Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp. 22-09-2019
The readings of today, especially the first reading and the gospel, deal with the issue of acquisition of wealth and its uses. Prophet Amos is known for his crusade for social justice. He stood against the oppression of the poor by the rich during his days. That oppression marks the relationship between persons, groups and even nations of unequal powers is evident even in our days. Take any century of your choice and analyze social relations in any given society in it or among the nations. You will see clear traces of the weak being subjected to the strong.
Prophet Amos’ struggle against the oppression of the poor in his days foreshadows the opening sermon of Jesus on the mountain called the Beatitudes (Mtt. 5:3-12). Jesus made a counter-cultural statement about the value system of his time: ‘blessed are the poor in Spirit, to them belongs the kingdom of God’. Further in his preaching, Jesus would regularly remind his audience of the uselessness of trusting in wealth. In the parable of the rich fool (Lk. 12: 13-21) Jesus ended by saying “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Money and what money can buy seems to top the criteria in determining human success in most societies. Your talents, career, ideas and whatever you have are often judged with regard to their financial values. That is why you see parents making all the efforts to ensure that their children get every opportunity to develop those talents that are financially rewarding in the hope that something clicks someday. Almost every child now is engaged in sport or music, even on Sundays; something that was not the case a few years ago.
Wealth, in itself, is not bad. There is fundamental difference between wealth/money and love of wealth/money. Genuinely acquired wealth is a gift from the Lord, and its proper use for the good of humanity is a sign of blessedness. The love of wealth/money is often evident in the manner of its acquisition and dispensation. With love of wealth/money, people can do anything to acquire wealth and to guard it for themselves alone. 1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows”. Like the prophet Amos emphasized, any acquisition of wealth at the expenses of someone else is an atrocity before God. It is a dehumanization of the image of God in which men and women are created. Think of the various things people do to make money and how that affects the society: human trafficking, crimes, forced labor, illegal trades in weapons and raw materials that lead to wars and impoverishing of developing nations, etc. Ecclesiastes 5:10 “ If you love money, you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich, you will never get all you want. It is useless”. When Amos berates the people for trampling upon the needy and bringing the poor of the land to an end, he is speaking of a reality that still faces us today.
The gospel presents another dimension on the question of wealth in the parable of the astute steward. He was wasteful of his master’s wealth. Yet all through the time the steward was in the service of his master, it never crossed his mind that the wealth he was handling could be taken away from him at any point, at least not so soon. He made no reservations or savings for such eventuality. When he was eventually asked to prepare a handover note, he went for a quick fix that will earn him a future. That was a last minute effort. There is something about last-minute fixtures. You risk losing more than you gain. In the case of the astute steward, he never minded because the goods he was giving away were actually not his own. All he cared for was to ensure that he didn’t end up on the streets.
The steward is both dishonest and smart. In the parable, the master praised the astuteness of the steward but not his dishonesty. There is something interesting that Jesus uses this parable to teach. Note that the steward could have decided to steal his master’s goods instead of making a deal with his debtors. That he could make such a deal indicates that his master does not know the quantity of goods that he has. He rather chose the second option because he wanted to secure what he considered lasting relationship rather than quick money. And Jesus added, “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings” (Lk. 16:9).
Everything we have could be considered as the wealth we possess: our talents, time and treasure. They are wonderful to behold and to enjoy, but they will certainly fail some day. However, the use we make of them could be an investment for the future or a wasteful use that has no reward. It is quite encouraging to note that a good number of us devote time and energy to visit the Detention Camp and are involved in various humanitarian works. Others support various community projects, including those of this community. Nevertheless, the gospel challenges each and everyone of us to re-examine our commitment to use worldly wealth to gain eternal friendship with God for ourselves.
In Matthew 25: 31-46 Jesus gives a picture of what the last judgement will look like. Those admitted to the Father’s joy are those to whom the Kind would say, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me’ (Mt. 25: 35-36), and “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me”(Mt. 25: 46). We don’t need to wait for a last minute quick fix like the steward in the parable. We can make hay while the sun shines.
While the world occupies itself with wealth creation and craze for riches, it is important to pay attention to the process of wealth acquisition and its use. God who made us in his image prize our being higher that any other material riches. We are beings in transit with an eternal destination. Lets not forget the words of our creator in Genesis 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” We are meant to rule over created things, to care for the earth and not to be dominated and controlled by created things. Ours is to use the wealth in our possession to serve God in creation and thus win for ourselves an eternal friendship with God.
Jul 28, 2019 | Homily
Dear friends in Christ,
Communication is something that barely any human person can do without. Whenever we pick up our phones, we expect to see a message from someone. Besides official messages, it is a fact that the closer people are to each other, the more often they communicate with one another. While communication involves transmission of information, communion goes further to include union of minds or spirits. Contents of communication (i.e messages) differ in relation to depth of relationships. There can be no relationship without communication or communion such that one can rightly say that a relationship is dead without communication, or how healthy a relationship is can be deduced from the modes, contents or intensity of communication among the partners. Partners in a relationship is here defined in the broader sense to include anyone with whom you are in transaction at the point in time. It could be your boss or colleague, parents or children, and of course your married partner or any other form of relationship, the highest being our relationship with God.
Communication takes many forms. It could be negotiating, arguing, urging, acknowledging, motivating, appreciating, etc. The manner of communicating is not only influenced by the circumstance and the relationship with the other, and vice versa, but can as well largely determines the direction any relationship goes.
In the first reading, we see Abraham negotiating with the Lord who was on his way to destroy the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. Relationship between Abraham and the Lord attained a new level with the good manner in which Abraham received him and the other co-visitors, prompting the Lordm to consider telling Abraham his intention to destroy the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. As the discussion developed, Abraham gained confidence because the partner in the discussion seemed open and tolerant to his requests. Abraham was not asking anything for himself, but knowing that his brother, Lot, was residing in Sodom at the time, he sought to spare the land and his brother’s family. Here we see intercessory prayer in action. The action of praying for others, but also to work for the benefit of other people always find favour in the sight of God. The bible is filled with accounts of great intercessors who pleaded on behalf of the people before God. Moses played this role when the anger of God broke out against his people in the wilderness. In Exodus 32: 11 and Deuteronomy 9: 13-14 Moses stood against God’s anger towards the rebellious Israelites in the wilderness and thereby averted their being destroyed. Ezekiel 22:20 echoes the need for intercession in the words attributed to God desiring that there was an intercessor to avert destruction of the people, “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one”.
In the Gospel Jesus taught his disciples how to pray. In the format of the prayer, The Lord’s prayer, we see the elements of good communication between a child an his loving father. The first part which concentrates on the interest of the father – acknowledgement of his fatherhood, adoration, wishing his will to be done – reflects the purpose of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. He came to reveal our heavenly father to us and teach us his will. Jesus himself opinioned that his food is to do the will of the father who sent him and to finish his work (John 4: 34).
Doing the will of the father is something that is often confusing. How do we know the will of God in any circumstance? The simple human question that naturally arise from this is, “how do we know the will of those around us – our boss, colleagues, friends, children, loved ones, partners, etc? Simple! We may not always know what they want or desire but the closer we are to them the easier it is to decode what they would likely want in a situation. It is a matter of how close a relationship is and the intensity of good and open communication existing in it. Jesus maintained close communion with the father by constantly going aside to pray. Major decisions like choosing his apostles (Lk. 6: 12-13) and facing his crucifixion (Matt. 26:36-42) were preceded by prayer with the father. Communication with the father was a vital aspect of the life and mission of Jesus. When we intensify our communication with God our loving father through prayer and reflection/meditation, our relationship with him will deepen, and his Spirit will reveal things to us (cf.1 Corinthians 2:10).
The second part deals with the interest of the one praying. Like Abraham in the first reading, we negotiate our interest with our heavenly father – seeking our sustenance, reconciliation with him and with others. Forgiveness is so important that it is premised on the condition that we too forgive others. Lack of forgiveness blocks any meaningful communication and severely harms relationships. There is nothing so destructive as unforgiveness. We need God’s forgiveness and those of the people we have offended to enable us enjoy peaceful and blessed life, and we equally need to intend this goodness to others by forgiving them for the harm they caused us. Offering or receiving forgiveness is like repairing a bridge that connects two communities, without which physical contact between those communities would be impossible.
In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus draws our attention to the pattern our prayers or communication with God should take. So often we begin with our interest (give us this day) rather than acknowledging the goodness of God and seeking for his will to be done in our lives. Similar things happen in human relationships. People who only come to take from us without ever appreciating our goodness or giving back in any way are often not in our good book. Even Abraham knew that good reception of his guests could open a way to better relationship.
Jesus went further to tell a story to encourage perseverance. Life is tough and only the tough keeps winning. Giving up in the face of adversity or shutting off when we feel we are not making a headway is often not the best decision. Giving one more trial could do the needed magic. Jesus urges us to pray without ceasing (Lk. 18:1). We need to have confidence in our heavenly father. A confidence that springs from the fact that, through baptism, we have been made God’s children by the death and resurrection of Jesus, an event that cancelled the consequences of our sins (cf. 2nd reading – Colossians 2:12-14).
Jesus assures us that God our loving father will give us what we asks with confidence if we persevere, and St. Paul’s statement in Rom. 8:32 strengthens this assurance: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” It is with this confidence that we have to strengthen the bond of our relationship with God and intensify our communion/communication with him in the various forms of prayer (liturgy, worship, private prayers, meditation/reflection, etc.).
Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp.
Jun 23, 2019 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp.
Today, the universal church celebrates the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This feast was established and extended to the Universal Church by Pope Urban IV in 1264 to celebrate the Real Presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the elements of the Eucharist. During the Last Supper, while at table with his disciples, Jesus took bread, said the prayers, broke it and gave it to his disciples saying: take this all of you and eat of it, for THIS IS MY BODY. The same he did with the wine saying: “THIS IS MY BLOOD”. He then commanded them to “do this in memory of me.” These same words are repeated by the priest during consecration because the Eucharist is NOT a symbol of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ but the REAL presence of Jesus Christ.
Jesus makes the most perfect gift of himself to us in the Eucharist out of his love and desire to be intimately united with us at all times. Love manifests itself in giving, and the greatest gift is that of oneself. The readings of today deal with the subject of giving or offering of something. The first reading related the encounter of Abram with Melchizedek on his return from a victorious battle. Abram offered a tenth of all his spoils to the priest of the Most High God, Melchizedek, who blessed him. Melchizedek in turn offered bread and wine in thanksgiving to God on behalf of Abram. The offering of bread and wine foreshadowed the event of the Eucharist which Jesus, the perfect high priest of the new order, offered for the salvation of mankind.
The Gospel reading touched on the same theme of giving without counting the cost, a symbol of boundless love. Having taught the people for several days, Jesus felt their physical hunger and lack of bread. Rather than sending them away to go and fend for themselves, he decided to do something instead, to find a way to feed them. Jesus had no bread himself. John’s account of this event (John 6: 9) has it that there was a young boy with five loaves and two fish, and was willing to offer them up for the good of everyone rather than focus on his own personal need for them. Jesus took the bread and fish, said the prayers and set them before the people. What could not be enough for a few persons was sufficient to feed over five thousand men and twelf baskets of leftover were gathered afterwards. The extent to which true charity can go is unfathomable. That is why it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts. 20:35).
Aware of the constant human weaknesses and spiritual poverty, Jesus freely offers himself to us in the Eucharist, in such an unconditional love that the human mind can hardly grasp. He invites us to eat of him who is the true bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world (John 6:51). Vatican II in Lumen Gentium 11 declared that the ‘The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.”’ The Catechist of the Catholic Church (CCC 136) reaffirms this and added that “The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch … It is the culmination both of God’s action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit” (CCC 137-138). In his first letter to the Corinthians, which forms the second reading, St. Paul recounts the event of the Eucharistic celebration as a tradition which he himself received and transmits. The Eucharists became the center of Christian communities that began with the apostles of Jesus Christ and has continued down to our time. It is the command of Jesus himself that we do it in his memory.
The famous Dutch priest, Henri Nouwen, in his teaching on becoming the beloved (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-bGS8sysjY) sought to illustrate how the actions of Jesus in instituting the Eucharist summarise the life of Jesus and that of us all as the beloved of the father. In doing that he virtually used the words of St. Paul in the second reading to illustrate the sequence: Jesus took the bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to his disciples. The four words: Taken, Blessed, Broken and Given, according to him, summarize the life we are called to live in the footsteps of Jesus. Jesus, the beloved, unique and anointed son of the father allows his blessed life to be taken, broken to the utmost, and given for the life of the world.
As we celebrate the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ today, let us call to mind the immeasurable gift of himself that Jesus makes to us. A gift that led him to a great suffering and pain, and continues to hurt whenever we abuse his body and blood in the Eucharist. Let us also call to mind that we all, as members of his mystical body – the Church – are called to offer ourselves daily for the good of others. Difficult and painful as this may sometimes be, the Eucharist offers us the spiritual strength to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and make of our lives an offering to God for our brothers and sisters.
(Homily delivered by Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe on 23 June, 2019)
Apr 28, 2019 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today is the second Sunday of Easter – the Octave of Easter. It is also the day that we celebrate the Divine Mercy Sunday. The gospel narrates the appearance of Jesus to his disciples who were still grappling with the entire events of his death and resurrection. After the crucifixion and death of Jesus, his disciples were devastated; some of them scattered in the confusion that followed. Then came the news of his resurrection. They were still at a loss, especially given the manner the news of the resurrection was filtering in. The Jewish authorities that killed Jesus were still a big threat, and the resurrected Jesus was nowhere to be found. They felt harassed and intimidated, like sheep without a shepherd. All they could do was hide behind closed doors. On the one hand, they were afraid of the Jews that murdered their master. On the other hand, the guilt of having abandoned their master during his most difficult moment was in itself scaring.
In the midst of their confusion, doubt and fear, Jesus appeared to reassure them that he is indeed alive. How very awkward they must have felt as Jesus suddenly appeared in their midst. They must have been afraid too that the moment of reckoning has come; the moment of telling off and dressing down, not only for their cowardly behaviour but also for their lack of faith in him. But instead Jesus pronounced peace on them; they had been unsettled and needed that healing of their guilt and awkwardness. The risen Jesus shows his hands and his side lest they forget what they and the world did to him, but he did not follow with words of rebuke, only words of mercy. He goes further to empower them to become the agents of that healing mercy of God in the world; he breaths on them and says, receive the Holy Spirit, whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven, and whose sins you retain, they are retained.
Jesus’ visit to His disciples was vital to restore their courage and faith, assure them of the veracity of His teachings about His death and resurrection and empower them for the task he was entrusting to them. Doubt and fear can be great obstacles to effective Christian living, limiting the power and courage to engage oneself in Christian witnessing, works of mercy and reaching out to those in need. Jesus’ aversion to doubt could be seen in His somewhat reprimanding words to Thomas who was absent during his first visit, and thereafter had difficulties believing the report of his fellow disciples regarding the appearance of Jesus to them. The Christian faith is obviously not resistant to rational reflection; on the contrary, living faith can only be founded on sound reasoning. But in spite of human reasoning being the starting point to the Christian faith, faith goes further than human reason. Taking human reasoning to be the utmost and the only yardstick for measuring facts leads to denial of whatever that eludes human conception; and there are many of such phenomena such as the resurrection of Jesus from the death. They transcends the sphere of human conception that operates with the attributes of space and time.
During this visit, Jesus greeted his disciples with peace before entrusting to them the specific tasks to forgive every sins. In doing so he opens wide the door to the Father’s boundless heart of love and Mercy. Divine Mercy is manifested in the forgiveness of sins as clearly evident in the events of today’s Gospel. Love, mercy and forgiveness naturally lead to peace. When we learn to love, it becomes easy to have mercy, to forgive and to experience lasting peace. It is only then that we can take the extra steps to reach out to others. Today, Jesus reassures us of his living presence with us and invites us to approach his throne of mercy, experience his love and forgiving heart (also in the confessional), and to become agents of love, mercy and forgiveness.
One can then understand why the celebration of the Divine Mercy has been placed on the Octave of Easter. During the 30th April 2000 (Sunday after Easter) canonization of the Polish nun, Sr. Faustina Kowalska who died in 1938, Pope John Paul II designated Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday. Sr. Faustina was gifted with extraordinary visions and experiences of the Lord Jesus. The most famous of these was the Lord revealing his sacred heart from which came rays of light, red and white which she interpreted as the radiating forth of the Divine Mercy. Following the revelations Our Lord gave to Sr. Faustina, Jesus promised to grant forgiveness of all sins and punishment, even to the most hardened sinners who turn to ask for God’s mercy, especially on the Feast of Divine Mercy.
The message of the resurrected Jesus finds expression among his disciples in the signs and wonders that were being done through them among the people. The first reading reports that there is something that can be seen and verified in the Christian community born of faith in the risen Lord. It is the completely new kind of life that is being led in these communities that testifies that Jesus is alive and that he has sent his Spirit into the world. In the early times of the Church, Christians needed no identification badges because the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-23) were evident in their lives and the communities they formed. Acts 4:32 described the interpersonal relationship among them as being united in “one heart and one soul”.
As we celebrate the Divine Mercy Sunday on this Second Sunday (Octave) of Easter, it is important to review to what extent we ourselves and our community mirror the merciful heart of Jesus: a heart of love, care and forgiveness. It is amazing to note that given the absence of Thomas during the first visit of Jesus to His disciples, Jesus had to repeat the visit to personally convince Thomas the he has indeed risen from the dead. That is in itself an invitation to imbibe the Good Shepherd’s attitude in reaching out to our brothers and sisters, even when they seem unwilling to cooperate. Jesus comes to us in a very special way during every Eucharistic celebration. We pray that as he comes today, he may find us -individually and collectively – as true agents of his love, mercy and forgiveness to the world around us.
As we celebrate the Divine Mercy Sunday on this Second Sunday (Octave) of Easter, it is important to review to what extent we ourselves and our community mirror the merciful heart of Jesus: a heart of love, care and forgiveness. It is amazing to note that given the absence of Thomas during the first visit of Jesus to His disciples, Jesus had to repeat the visit to personally convince Thomas the he has indeed risen from the dead. That is in itself an invitation to imbibe the Good Shepherd’s attitude in reaching out to our brothers and sisters, even when they seem unwilling to cooperate. Jesus comes to us in a very special way during every Eucharistic celebration. We pray that as he comes today, he may find us -individually and collectively – as true agents of his love, mercy and forgiveness to the world around us.
(Image source and caption: Wikipedia– The Divine Mercy Shrine in El Salvador City Misamis Oriental, Philippines.)
Mar 24, 2019 | Homily
By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp. | Homily 3rd Sunday of Year Lent C
You may have experienced occasions when misfortune befalls those considered to be evil in the society and instead of being pitied, the dominant response you hear is something like, “that serves them right”, “good that they received what they deserve” or even “thank God for the evil that befell them”. We may have even said that one or more times. That is precisely the attitude displayed by the people who came to Jesus with the news of the slaughter of the Galileans by Pilate in this Sunday’s Gospel reading. We have witnessed a number of disasters and bloody killings in recent times: the Ethiopian flight disaster, the killing of Muslims in New-Zealand, the Mass killing of Christians by Muslims in Northern Nigeria, the horrible natural disaster of the Tropical Cyclone Idai in Mozambique and the Eastern borders of Zimbabwe and Malawi, etc. Could we say that the fate these victims met is a consequence of the sins they committed? No… not in any way. Any such condemnatory attitude embodies some level of self-justification and “better than thou” notion of self as against the victims of these disasters.
Jesus was clear with his rejection of such attitude in his response to the people who brought him the news of the disaster that befell the Galileans: “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way, they were worse sinners than others? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.” Similarly, about the eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed on them Jesus queries: “Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”
The only good that misfortunes serve is the lesson we learn from them to ensure that such never repeats again. In the gospel, Jesus utilized the occasion to teach on the uncertainty of life; the necessity of being vigilant; of not being overly attached to that which we might easily lose at any moment. He noted that it could happen to anybody, and that if they don’t happen to us at this time, it is because of God’s mercy and love not because of what we deserve. It is the grace of God that keeps us alive and enables us to advance in our undertakings; and that grace must not be taken for granted or abused. Thus, the right attitude of living by the grace of God should rather help us to make the best of the opportunity God gives us everyday to make amends and become better human beings. Lent is a grace period to reflect on our lives and seek to understand the aspects of our life that God is calling each of us to pay closer attention to so as to become holy and ready for every good works He wishes to entrust into our hands. So, instead of wasting our limited time standing in judgment over those whom misfortune has befallen, such times should more wisely be invested in responding to the invitation from God to humble repentance and good works before our time on earth runs out.
Saint Paul echoes this warning in the second reading by calling on the Corinthians to learn from the misfortunes of their forefathers who were cherished by God but failed to utilize the opportunity given to them. His warning stems from the story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt which we find in the first reading. God took the initiative, having seen the affliction the people suffered in the hands of the oppressors. He chose a man called Moses who himself was forced to run for his dear life when his personal attempt to save his people hit the rock. He had killed an Egyptian oppressing an Israelitan, who later betrayed him by not keeping the secret (Exodus 2: 11-22). He was uncertain what his return to Egypt would have in stock for him. Despite being betrayed by the very person he fought to save, he needed to put behind the past and focus on the new creation that God was making of him and undertake the unsavoury task of going to speak to the Israelites about God’s decision to set them free from the Egyptians. When God revealed his name “I AM WHO I AM”, Moses realized that what his human effort could not achieve is possible with the divine presence and support. He only needed to make himself available and God will do the rest through him. Saint Paul noted that the people failed to maintain faith in the God who liberated them out of slavery in Egypt, and therefore many of them died without reaching the promised land. We, therefore, need to be careful not to misuse the opportunity the grace of God offers us for repentance and reconciliation.
Dear Friends, the urgency for repentance, reconciliation and gratefulness to God for his graces are the themes that run through the entire readings of today. That is to be expected given that Lenten period encouraged reflection in this necessary direction to salvation which is a core value of Christ’s death on the cross. Repentance and reconciliation are intimately intertwined. Repentance is possible because God is offering us reconciliation, and being reconciled with God involves the commitment to a new style of life and building the new creation made available in Christ. The parable of the fig tree that follows Jesus’ rebuff to the idea of misfortune as punishment in the gospel of today brings out the fact that God continually offer us the possibility of repentance. Honest repentance goes beyond mere words or emotional acts of sorrow for offenses committed to include evaluating our lifestyles, actions and attitudes. The call to repent is the call to turn over a new leaf, to begin afresh; reconciliation is the fruit of this turning around and links the personal new beginning with the work of the whole body of Christ to establish the kingdom of peace and love.
Call to mission follows genuine repentance. What God has done for us, we seek to extend to others through various forms of ministry (service) to them. God would not allow Moses to remain with the new life he had found in Midian but sent him back to extend liberation to his own people. Moses returned to Egypt, no longer as the carnal man with natural powers to fight for the liberation of the Israelitans but in the power of God. We need not be afraid to make ourselves available for whatever God calls us to do that will bring His love to those around us. God’s grace is ever sufficient for us. St. Paul, who experienced the power of God in the midst of hardships he endured during his missionary engagements, wrote in Romans 8:37 that in all things we are more than conquerors through Him (Christ) who loves us, and Philippians 4:13 that he can do all things by the power of Christ who is his strength. This is sufficient assurance of what God can do in us when we repent and reconcile with Him and with one another. May His grace lead us to answer His call this Lenten session. Amen.
Reading 1, Exodus 3:1-8, 13-15
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11
Reading 2, First Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12
Gospel, Luke 13:1-9
