Christ Awaits Us At The End of Life’s Road!!

(Homily for the 33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B)

     With the theme of the end of time, it does appear we are surrounded by threatening signs. Sometimes it seems the end is so near. However, it is nearer and nearer every single day that passes by. But let us not bother ourselves with the preoccupations of the end of this world; rather think about the end of you in this world. The discussion on the end of time is one that every person is interested in, believers and non-believers alike. However, there is a danger today of ignoring the biblical sense of imminence, and end up parading the prediction of a remote consummation of history. Most often than not, whenever the issue of the end of time is raised people tend to refer to the annihilation of the planet and the world as we perceive it. But for us Christians the ‘end of time’ refers to the second coming of Christ. Be that as it may, the thought of the end or the second coming of Christ should not terrify us, rather we should see it as a second chance to live better, for his second coming is a beginning of a new world, renewed in and through Him. Apparently, the first reading and the Gospel of today are replete with terrifying images and messages. Contrarily, these biblical passages fundamentally propose to us a message of trust and hope: “at that time your people shall be delivered”; “He will gather his elect from the four winds”. The two readings began with an identical formula: “at that time”. In the book of Daniel it was “a time of anguish”, in the Gospel “a time of great tribulation”. It is imperative that whatever has a beginning must surely have an end. The sacred writer posited it well when he said “for everything under the earth there is a season” (Qo. 3:1). The fact of the beginning runs through the old and the New Testament (cf. Gen. 1:1; Jn. 1:1) and the fact of a beginning could be suggestive of an end as well. But the question is: will the end be the same and at the same time for all? However, no need to panic for Jesus awaits us.

    The first reading (Dan. 12:1-3) from the twelfth chapter of the book of Daniel announces the great trial, a time of anguish; the persecution of the Jews by Antioch IV. Nevertheless, there is the salvific presence of God for those who will resist to the trial, those who will not succumb to the threats of the persecutor. History reveals that Antioch IV ended badly, and he is a representation of the end of all enemies of God. The victory of evil over good is momentary; at last, victory is God’s over Satan, of good over evil. When Michael arises there will be a time of trouble as never before, because it will be a time to overthrow the devil, and therefore, in this time of great trouble there will be hope for God’s children.

     There will be the final judgement in which the righteous and the wicked are separated, the righteous to eternal life, while the wicked to eternal damnation. This is one of the earliest passages in the Old Testament that talk about the resurrection. As a matter of fact, the resurrection of life entails a radical transformation; for the redeemed shall shine like the brightness of the firmament and like stars. Be that as it may, this apocalyptic concept of radical transformation was taken up in the New Testament, in the synoptic. Jesus speaks of a life like that of the angels in heaven (cf. Mt. 12:25) while St. Paul speaks of the spiritual body (cf. 1Cor. 15; Phil. 3:21). Therein, resurrection is about a total transformation, and not resuscitation to the same mode of existence. In the passage, beyond the revelation of the resurrection of the dead, there is the proclamation of an eternal life of happiness and of glory for those who are “workers” of justice and wisdom (v.3). On the other hand, for evil men, there will be resurrection, but a resurrection “to shame and eternal damnation” (v.2). What should bother us should not be when but how and where am i going to spend my eternity?

     In the Gospel (Mk. 13:24-32) we meditate on what is popularly denominated as Mark’s “little apocalypse”. Interestingly, at the time when St. Mark was writing his Gospel, the first Christian communities were living a moment of tribulation. The message that was given to the Christian communities in this state of trial and tribulation, was a message of trust and hope: “Know that He is near, right at the gates” (v.29); “They will see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory” (v.26); “before this generation has passed away all these things will have taken place” (v.30). Therein, Mark talks of “tribulation” while Daniel talks about the “time of trouble”. In both Mark and Daniel there are images of the fall of the sun, the moon and stars. In the narrative of the last judgement, the account of Mark differs from that of Daniel, especially in the role given to the Son of man, even though the figure of the Son of man appeared in Daniel 7. While in Daniel He (Son of man) appeared as a symbol of the people of God at the end, in Mark he is an individual figure, who performs the eschatological judgement. However, some exegetes have made effort to assimilate Mark’s Son of Man to Daniel’s by means of a harmonization of the two perceptions.

     The passage presents the famous apocalyptic discourse of Jesus (that is the revelation of the future realities) or eschatology (of last things: death, judgement, hell and heaven). The apocalyptic message of the Gospel links it to the first reading. Jesus wanted to address the issue or rather the daily question that many were raising during his time: what will be the end of the struggle between good and bad, Christ and Satan? The answer is that at the end of time, the efficacy and power of Christ’s Cross will be fully manifested, the end will be the victory of Christ and his followers. And St. Mark captured the episode of the finally victory with the words, “then they will see the Son of man coming from the cloud with great power and glory” (v.26). But then, the vital question we have to answer is: How do we comport ourselves or live having Christ’s final victory in view? The discourse of Jesus is not only referred to the end of time, but also to the present reality of the Christian communities.

      As a matter of fact, the symbolical nature of this passage makes it somewhat difficult to grasp, because of some tensions created in the text. Indeed, this passage could be said to be difficult to comprehend for various motives:

►First is constituted by the literary style employed by the evangelist, the so-called ‘apocalyptic’ style. It is replete with expressions that are not to be taken in literary sense, for instance: “But in these days, after that time of distress, the sun will come falling out of the sky and the powers in the heavens will be shaken” (vv. 24-25). They are words that indicate a great trial, a great calamity or a great change. ►Second is incumbent on the fact that in the evangelical narrative, various elements intercept. For instance, there is the prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem and together there is the prophecy of the trial that the Christian community has to bear, the “tribulation” (v.24). there is equally the prophecy of the second glorious coming of Christ in a time and hour that nobody knows (v.32), it is enwrapped in the absolute mystery, that only the Father knows, there is also the prophecy of the imminent coming of Christ: “when you see these things happening, know that he is near, right at the gates” (v.29) and again, “before this generation has passed away all these things will have taken place” (v.30). ►Third we need to take into cognizance of the fact that the apocalyptic discourse of Jesus contains series of references and admonitions that concern not only the first Christian community, but also the Christian community of every time and to every single Christian.

     The passage of the second reading (Heb. 10:11-14; 18) concludes the theological highpoint of the letter to the Hebrews, and that is the contrast of the high priesthood of Christ with the levitical priesthood. This passage is also in line with the concern of the other two readings. In the reading, it is written that different from the priests of the Old Testament, who multiplied the sacrifices of expiation, Christ offered one sacrifice, that is the sacrifice of Himself, a perfect sacrifice, of infinite value, capable of expiating all the sins of the world. But now he has ascended to Heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father “waiting for when his enemies will be put under his shoes” (vv12-13). The sacrifice of Christ is unique and definitive; through it Christ accomplished forever the forgiveness of sins and the redemption of the world. We continue to wait for the full manifestation of the efficacy of the sacrifice of the Cross. There are still the enemies of our salvation, who exercise power on the world, today we can see the power of injustice in all its diverse forms, of immorality and of violence. But in the face of all these, we cannot afford to lose hope or give up to the triumph of evil, until the time when the enemies of Christ and our enemies too will be made into a footstool.

     Be that as it may, the word of God today invites us to make the following considerations:

●The Word of God calls our attention and admonishes that the Lord will come at the end of time, and it will be a glorious coming, in which Christ will be manifested in the fullness of his power, but he will also come at the end of our life, at the end of the personal history of each one of us. However, there is uncertainty as regards the hour, the moment of this coming. We are uncertain of when the end will be, as well as the hour of our personal end on earth. This uncertainty shouldn’t create anguish or induce fear in us, rather it has to help us to remain in a condition of a “vigilant waiting” and as such to live in the grace of God. Thus, it should propel us to an “industrious waiting or active waiting”.

●Before the final judgement (the universal judgement), there will be a particular judgement, which concerns us individually. Each one of us will be judged at the end of his/her life based on the good or bad works (cf. 2Cor. 5:10; Rm. 14:10-13). In the words of prophet Hosea, “sow righteousness for yourself and reap the harvest of mercy” (10:12). At the judgement: “he will send the angels to gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the world to the ends of the sky” (Mk. 13:27). The final fate of every man will not be the same: there will be a resurrection “of shame” and “of everlasting disgrace” (Dan. 12:2), for those who rejected God and the One He sent- Jesus Christ; and there will be resurrection of glory and of happiness for the just and for those who have worked for justice (Dan. 12:3).

   Above all else, however, presenting the discourse of Jesus, St. Mark invites us: a) Not to lose our serenity and trust, having as our foundation, the Word of God that does not pass away (v.31). It guarantees us the presence of God, for God is with us. However, at long last, there will be the triumph of good over evil. b) We have to be able to see the positive signs, the seeds of hope that emanate from the present moment of trial and tribulation. Besides, Jesus recommends an attitude of hope and vigilance, in the certainty that he does not abandon his people. The centre of Jesus’ discourse and the message that empowers his followers to stand firm is in his words: “heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away”. The end therefore is certain but should it produce fear or faith in us? Hope or despair? The psalmist expresses this faith and hope in God with the words: “I keep Yahweh before me always, for with him at my right hand, nothing can shake me” (Ps. 16:9). Reflecting on the theme of the end, Joseph G. Donders gives it, what I will call a maternal undertone thus:

 

An end has been near to us before, when were nicely wrapped and packed in the wombs of our mothers, warm and humid, comfortable and well protected, growing rapidly… Growing in that way, we were at the same time growing away, growing out of the womb, growing to the moment, that that universe, the first one we knew, would be shattered and shaken, broken up and upset, growing to the moment that we would be forced through a very dark tunnel out of that womb in a totally new life… At the end of that tunnel all those were waiting who made our lives here possible, parents and family, friends and acquaintances, and even Jesus…Jesus does not say all this to frighten or to threaten us. Isn’t he waiting at the other end of that tunnel together with all those we knew and who went before us, just like that very first time, they will be there, parents and our family friends and acquaintances, and even Jesus too. Isn’t he standing at the other side of the door?

 

Yes! Let us not be afraid of the end, for Jesus is waiting for us!! He is waiting for us at the end of life’s road!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

A Generosity that Attracts God's Attention!

 (Homily for 32^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B)

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. (Pro. 11:25) 

     There is indeed, a predominant tendency inherent in the contemporary man to calibrate the human beings along the lines of the have and the have not; the successful and the unsuccessful, and finally the poor and the rich. This type of erroneous tendency often times has plunged man into the clutches of pragmatism, where those who count are the haves, the successful and the rich. On the other hand, in today’s readings, the two widow-protagonists educate us on the difference between being successful and being fruitful. Certainly, in human standard, the two poor widows were not successful, but they were fruitful because they maximized the little or nothing they had. This no doubt confirms the dictum that ‘Nobody is so poor or destitute that he or she cannot give anything’, the two widows are eloquent expressions of that. Many a times we ask: do I have enough? Or for our defence mechanism we say “I don’t have enough that I will give out.” The two widows in today’s readings must have been confronted with this question as well.  But they demonstrated to us what ought to be the authentic Christian response and reaction. The liturgy of today presents to us two poor widows, as opposed to the rich scribes. They are widows in a pathetic social condition. Ordinarily, they are judged to be unable to do great things based on human standard, but they are protagonists of two extraordinary gestures.

     In the first reading (1kg 17:10-16) we see two figures: the widow of the city of Zarephate and Prophet Elijah. The men of Ahab were pursuing Elijah, and he risked dying of hunger because of the famine. He went towards the city of Zarephate of Sidon, and on his way he met a widow with her son. One can imagine the plight of Prophet Elijah, who was passing through persecution in the hands of King Ahab. He was insecure in his homeland; as a result, he flew to another country. No person from his village was ready to help him because they were afraid of the King. The prophet felt administered by God to go to a pagan country. And in this country a poor pagan widow welcomed and assisted him. She equally shared what she had for survival with Elijah. On his way, he met the poor widow of Zarephath, he requested water from her, and later a piece of bread, and the widow told him “I have no baked bread, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug; I am just gathering a stick or two to go and prepare this for myself and my son to eat, and then we shall die.” On hearing this the prophet told her not to be afraid. The widow without hesitation went and prepared all she had for the prophet, not minding that, that was all her hope for survival. This story teaches us that: ●God is present in human history; he does not limit his love and omnipotence to Israel his rebellious people, but looks with mercy on pagans. He used them also to do wonders. ●God can save from any situation, even in desperate cases like that of Elijah, and can work through weak and inadequate means. ●The story of the widow’s inexhaustible supply thereafter occasioned the declaration of the Word of God by the prophet. The prophet declared that “jar of meal shall not be spent, jug of oil shall not be emptied”. In this episode the power of God’s word is revealed in the fulfilment in verse 16 of the promise made in verse 14. The hospitality of the widow of Zarephath that sustained Elijah corresponds to the generous gesture of another widow in today’s gospel.

     The Gospel passage (Mk 12:38-44) like the first reading presents to us another kind and generous gesture of a woman, widow and a pagan too. Here, it was not all about great things or great donation, just like in the case of the Zarephath widow. The first woman gave only bread and water, and the second gave just two coins. But one thing paramount in their giving or in their act of kindness is that they gave with their whole heart, they gave even all they have, all that is necessary for their survival. The two widows today demonstrated their total and undivided trust in God, and they entered into the spirit of the evangelical beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit”, the poor in biblical sense are those who neither confide in what they have nor in themselves, but in God. The passage of the Gospel can be divided into two parts: the first part on Jesus’ denunciation of the scribes, and the second on the episode of the widow’s offering. The behaviour of the scribes is contrastingly sharp with that of the widow. The story of the widow however, serves as a form of catechesis on the Christian duty of almsgiving.

     In the episode of today’s Gospel, Jesus took a curious posture, he sat very close to the offering box in the temple, he saw the rich putting in large sums, but this poor widow put in only two coins. Immediately he called his disciples and said to them “truly, i say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury”. Jesus praised her for her generosity, irrespective of the amount she had given. Jesus was counting the quality and confident nature of her offering, not on its quantity. Man looks on appearance, but God looks at the heart (1Sam 16:7). God’s weighing balance is qualitative and not quantitative. Is not quantity that counts but the quality of one’s internal disposition, the heart. While the rich gave from their excess and superfluity, she gave out of her nothingness and poverty. Indeed, before God what counts is not the quantity of the offering, or the publicity of the gestures, but the interior motivation and disposition. God wants us to give to Him and our brothers without calculating. God of course, cannot be deceived by mere appearance (Jesus at the side of the treasury penetrated the hearts of the givers). He reads our hearts and minds to see if we have confidence and trust in his providence, or we have confidence in human accruements.

     On the other hand, Jesus denounces the vanity and exhibitionistic attitude of the scribes. He denounces the scribes, in the same manner he denounces our apparent and superficial religiosity made up of empty rites and exterior observances. Jesus takes a clear position against the representatives of the official religion. In Jerusalem, according to St. Mark, as well as Mathew and Luke, Jesus was separated definitively from the leaders of Israel. He exposed their vanity, ambitions and greed. They love to be revered, they are desirous of front seats in public places and they even instrumentalize their long prayers to their vanity. They devour the houses of widows and those that are socially weak (vv.38-40). Jesus does not cover evil; He does not tolerate falsity and double life at all. He abhors the hypocrisy of a religious observance put as a cover for an unworthy life. The reproach of Jesus to the scribes has to propel us to reflect a bit, because we cannot be contended with a superficial and apparent religiosity, that does not lead us to conversion.

     For our two exemplary widows, their acts of kindness drew God’s attention to their lives; to the widow of Zarephath God promised “The jar of meal shall not be spent, and the pitcher of oil shall not fail, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth” (vv.15-16). And He praised the widow of the gospel thus: “this poor widow has put more than all those who are contributing to the treasury” (v.43). In the words of St. Paul, “Each one should give as much as he has decided on his own initiative, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2Cor. 9:7). The book of Malachi presents the blessings of generous givers in a more fascinating manner thus:

 Bring the tithes in full to the treasury, so that there is food in my house; put me to the test now like this, says Yahweh Sabaoth, and see if I do not open the floodgates of heaven for you and pour out an abundant blessing for you.  For your sake I shall forbid the locust to destroy the produce of your soil or prevent the vine from bearing fruit in your field, says Yahweh Sabaoth, and all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delights, says Yahweh Sabaoth. (Mal. 3:10-12).

Our simple act of generosity will draw God's attention in our existence. The two widows teach us that no person is too poor to the extent that he or she cannot offer anything. Our generosity should not be geared towards drawing man's attention but God's. Our motivation determines the authenticity of our generosity. From the good and courageous examples of these two widows emerge few educative considerations for us:

►First, to avoid the tendency and temptation of judging people based on appearance, because apparently these two women are insignificant and have nothing to offer, but instead they are two exceptional persons, who are capable of making extraordinary gestures. Their simple gesture of sharing has become an event in history, and a school for generosity and charity. Let us therefore, do away with human standard of looking at appearance and emulate the divine standard, “God does not see as human beings see; they look at appearance but Yahweh looks at the heart” (1Sam. 16:7). ►Second, from the two widows we learn once again that believing seriously in God, with a convinced faith, means trusting completely in Him, abandoning oneself to God and his providence. Whoever believes in this ideal is not contended with giving from his excesses. ►Third, as a catechesis on almsgiving, the two widows teach us to give without ostentation, but rather to give sincerely and willingly.

     The second reading (Heb. 9:24-28) is a continuation of the author’s exposition of the priestly work of Christ in contrast with the levitical priesthood. The author once again makes some comparisons thus: The levitical priests had a material sanctuary, while Jesus’ is a heavenly sanctuary with the real presence of God. They repeated sacrifices yearly, while Jesus’ was once for all. They offered sacrifices with the blood of animals, while Jesus offered his own blood. The priestly sacrifice of Christ is a manifestation of Love, a love given once and for all. The shedding of his blood on the Cross is a sign of his love for the Father and for humanity. The two widows of today by virtue of their generosity enter into the dynamics of the sacrificial love of Christ. For we may say that they offered their all, in like manner Jesus offered his all including himself as a generous gift to the Father for our sake. Jesus’ is a holocaustal offering or self-giving, while theirs is a holocaustal giving.

     In all, the decision of the widow of Zarephath to give to prophet Elijah out of his sustenance, is what justified her before God, and thus attracted God’s blessings and favour, for the jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry. Similarly, in the episode of the Markan Gospel, another poor widow puts in the offering box, her two small tunics, which were her livelihood. Her gesture attracted Jesus, for in Jesus’ parlance she outshines all including the rich who have been throwing their large sums noisily in the box. God recognizes those who give with their whole heart, those who give their all. The two poor widows acknowledged God even in their condition of extreme poverty. The two wings of love we meditated upon last Sunday propelled them to wave aside the question of “do I have enough?” Before God what counts is not the quantity of the gift or the publicity of the gestures, rather the internal disposition, what counts behind such internal disposition is Love. And Jesus as revealed in the second reading, in his priestly sacrifice demonstrated to us the extent one can go in loving others and the Other. God desires that we offer ourselves to Him and to the brothers without measure or human calculations. God cannot be deceived by appearance, for He sees the heart of each person. He therefore, knows whether we trust in Him or we prefer to rest secure upon human accruements. The historic gestures of these two widows have to propel us to ask ourselves the intension and the motivation behind our little gestures of generosity. Many give because of pressure, others to avoid embarrassment and some to get something in return. But true giving should spring from the heart, motivated by the real value of giving. Remember always: Our simple act of generosity will attract God's attention! Try and see! Do not only count your blessings, but share your blessings too! And may God bless you.

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

The Two Wings of Love!

(Homily for the 31^stSunday in Ordinary Time Year B)

God wants all of our heart, all of our mind, and all of our soul. It is this unconditional and unreserved love for God that leads to the care for our neighbour, not as an activity which distracts us from God or competes with our attention to God, but as an expression of our love for God who is revealed to us as the God of all people. It is in God that we find our neighbours and discover our responsibility to them. We might even say that only in God does our neighbour become a neighbour rather than an infringement upon our autonomy, and that only in and through God does service become possible.

(Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Living Reminder)

     The three readings of today presents with different degree and intensity the theme of love, orchestrated in the two wings of: love of God and love of neighbour, especially in the first reading and the Gospel passage. The second reading instead presents in an existential and concrete manner what it really entails to love God and neighbour through the priestly offering of Jesus. Therefore, the question of and on love launches us both to the realms of being and doing, for God is love, and as creatio imago Dei we participate in this agapic ontology of God and at the same time called to practice it existentially. It is therefore a response to God’s revelation of himself as the One True God. The two wings of love exist in a cruciform, and as such, the authentic manifestation of one, presupposes the presence of the other. To say it with Henri J. M. Nouwen, “A growing intimacy with God deepens our sense of responsibility for others”.

     The first reading (Deut. 6:2-6) presents the famous Shemah, which serves as an invitation, to the people of Israel to a joyful, total and profound love of God. In the first paragraph, we see the supposedly response of Israel to God who fulfilled his promise of a Promised Land. They have to fulfil their own part of the Covenant; the Israelites have to keep the law of God. The second paragraph is the famous ‘Shemah’ (Hear, O Israel), an old Jewish prayer, which every faithful Hebrew believer prayed every morning. God is to be loved in response to his revelation as the One True God. In the context of the Deuteronomist, to love means to trust wholly in God and corollarily to reject other gods.

     In the Hebraic perception, the faculties designated for the love of God, heart, soul and might are not separate human faculties, and rather they denote man in the totality of his being. The invitation to love God “with all the heart, with all the soul and with all the strength” presupposes that we have to love God without limit, we have to love God with all because God is all in all. God is the Supreme Being. In connection with the Gospel, the passage of the first reading, presented the vertical dimension of the commandment of love, while the Gospel completes the cruciform, by presenting not only the vertical but also the horizontal dimensions of love.

     In the Gospel (Mk. 12:28-34) we see an encounter that occasioned Jesus’ teaching on love and the amalgamation of the two wings of love. This time it is a scribe or rather a doctor, an expert in the law of Moses, who confronted Jesus with an interrogation on the commandments. From all indications, he did not confront Jesus with the intension to put him to the test or to challenge him, rather he puts his question to Jesus with respect and with a sincere desire to obtain a reliable judgement on a question of great importance at that time. It is plausible to know that in the Bible, in the first five books of the Old Testament, that is the Pentateuch, we have 613 commandments or divine precepts, of which 365 are prohibitions while 248 are positive precepts. However, of all these laws, the ten commandment remains the core. It is obvious that all the divine precepts cannot be considered at the same level with the same importance. This is the pivot around which revolves the question of the scribe: what is the first or the most important of all the commandments? (Mk. 12:28).

     To this question, Jesus responded in a rather prompt and exhaustive manner. He made a combination of two Old Testament passages: Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19. First, He made reference to the words of the book of Deuteronomy, the passage of our first reading today. He says: “This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the One, Only Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength” (vv.29-30). Here, we notice that the commandment started with an important presupposition; that the Lord our God is One and there is no other. It begins with the absolute and unique Lordship and majesty of God. Be that as it may, this God that is unique and absolute, from whom all is derived, ought to be loved with the totality of one’s being and person. We ought to love Him with our all. But the question we have to ask ourselves today is: do we truly love God with our all? As such, to the One and True God we have to show our total and unreserved love, and this is actually nothing but a response to his prevenient love towards us, without our merit. It is by virtue of this love that “we live and move and exist” in him (Act. 17:28), this indeed is a compenetration of love.

     Similarly, in responding to the scribe, Jesus didn’t limit himself to the specification of the first or the most important commandment. Instead, he announces another, “The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these” (v.31). This time Jesus alludes to the book of Leviticus (19:18). Therein, the neighbour is not limited to those living around you or those you share common provenience with, rather every man and woman. The love one has to show to his neighbour, that is, to any man or woman, has to be equivalent  to the love that the person has for him/herself. In Jesus’ parlance, the two commandments are interconnected in a radical manner, for love of God without love of neighbour is illusory, while love of neighbour devoid of the love of God is nothing but rebranded self-love.

     Upon the above backdrop, we would like to make two considerations: ● First, Jesus is not interested so much to establish a sort of priority on these two commandments with respect to others, but he helped us to understand the fundamental exigency with which we have to live all the divine laws,  all has to be carried out as an expression of the dual love of God and neighbour. ● Second, Jesus links intimately the two commandments: love of God and of neighbour. In Jesus parlance, they are like the two faces of the same coin; for the love of the Creator can not but be concretized in the love of the creatures. In the same vein, if you love Christ you cannot but love those redeemed by and through His blood. We are therefore invited to love God in our brothers and sisters. Here, the other (our neighbour) is the sacrament of Christ. In fact, in the words of Jesus: “whatever you do to the least of my brothers you do to me” (Mt. 25:40).

     Furthermore, in the teaching of Jesus, the Christian love has two dimensions: vertical and horizontal, and both are interconnected and they vivify each other reciprocally. They are like the two wings of the same bird, one cannot function well without the other. The love of neighbour reveals the measure of the love of God, for as St. John opined: “Anyone who says I love God and hates his brothers, is a liar, since whoever does not love the brother whom he can see cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1Jn. 4:20). And St. Paul will put it in a more succinct manner thus: “The whole of the Law is summarized in the one commandment: You must love your neighbour as yourself” (Gal. 5:14), presenting this synthesis of the law in an imperative form, no doubt suggests its pivotal nature.

     On hearing the response of Jesus, the scribe was convinced that he confirmed the veracity of Jesus’ response, “Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true” (v. 32). He was satisfied with the response of Jesus. Jesus concluded the encounter by complimenting that lawyer: “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (v.34). The evangelist asserts that after this wonderful response of Jesus, no one dared to question him again. Drawing the issue further, we cannot forget that this is not exhaustive of Jesus’ teaching on love, especially on the horizontal dimension. His teaching on love is in a progressive way or better in a crescendo, for in this passage, the love for oneself should be the measure of love for others, but elsewhere Jesus shifted the paradigm and took this to its Christological dimension, when at the Last Supper he said: “I give you a new commandment: “love one another; you must love one another as I have loved you” (Jn. 13:34). Henceforth, Christ and not man becomes the measure of love. It is no longer: love your neighbour as you love yourself, but love one another as I have loved you. This is the novelty introduced by Jesus. Therefore, Jesus is the measure and model of Christian love. He demonstrated this at the episode of the washing of feet (cf. Jn.13). The invitation to love as Christ loved and loves us expresses the sublime nature of love. It is indeed, this love that explains the vulnerability of God-Emmanuel, Jesus!

     The second reading (Heb. 7:23-28) once again continues the theme of Christ’s priesthood, but this time around in comparison with the levitical priests. Jesus in his priestly self-giving and sacrifice demonstrates to us how to love God and our neighbour, for a priest stands as a mediator between God and man. Indeed, his priestly function reveals the two dimensions of love: love of God and neighbour. Before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD the Jewish priests offered animals daily in sacrifice, but of Jesus the writer of the letter to the Hebrews affirms: “Those priests were many because they were prevented by death from remaining in office, but he, because he remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away…He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once and for all when he offered himself” (Heb. 7:23-24,27). Here the writer sets out to expose his crucial theological theme, which consists in the comparison of Jesus with the levitical priests of the old covenant. The author demonstrated that Jesus and his priestly works surpass those of the levitical priests. In the comparison list, we see that:

►They levitical priests were many, but Jesus is the only one. ►They were impermanent, but Jesus is eternal. ►They levitical priests were subject to death, but Jesus lives forever. ►They were sinners and had to offer sacrifices for their sins too, but Jesus is sinless. ►They repeated sacrifices but Jesus’ sacrifice is once-for-all etc. The list can continue on and on. Above all, the existential crux of this passage points to the Eucharist as the concrete reality of Jesus’ sacrifice, though in an unbloody manner. The priestly offering of Jesus reveals in no small way that we are loved by God. A priest is in a constant cosmic movement: vertically and horizontally, of bringing God’s favour, blessings and message to man, and at the same time takes man’s supplications to God. The priesthood indeed, is an eloquent expression of the two wings of love.

     In all, going back to the Gospel passage, the originality of Jesus is not on the fact that he recalled the two important commandments, but on uniting the two together as the two faces of the same coin. He synthetized the two in one commandment, in fact St. John  asserted that “This is the commandment we have received from him, that whoever loves God, must also love his brother” (1Jn. 4:21). Thus, speaking on the Christian love of God and neighbour, we have to guide against two possible erroneous tendencies: First, is the tendency to love humanity, and relegating God at the background, that is a sort of Philanthropism. Second, is the tendency of the illusion of loving God without regard and care for man, this is a sort of spiritual intimism. In the words of an Italian writer, Bruno Maggioni, whenever and wherever this two manifestations of Christian love is separated, there is falsity and idolatry. Lord Jesus, help us to love You and to love our neighbours! Amen!!

(Fr. Vitus(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC) 

Earth Our Tent! Heaven Our Homeland!!

(Homily for the Commemoration of All Souls)

          The feast of today reminds us of the communion with the three churches (Triumphant, militant and suffering); while the Triumphant prays for us, we pray for the suffering church. We are in a communion of prayers. The remembrance of the dead will have no meaning without the Resurrection. What we are celebrating today takes its reason and foundation from the resurrection event, the Resurrection of Christ (first fruit from the dead). For as St. Paul vehemently echoed: “if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is without substance and so is your faith” (1Cor. 15:14), and we may add also that our life would have been meaningless, without that event.

          The commemoration of today brings a pertinent truth about human life and existence to our consideration, and that is the fact that we are pilgrims on earth. It is therefore, important we understand that our life is a journey, a journey from birth to death. Biblically, the greatest journey in the Old Testament was the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. But for us our promised land is not on this earth: ours is in Heaven. The journey to the Promised Land in the Old Testament is a symbol of the journey each of us make to God as we go through this life. So between our life and death we are pilgrims on the road to God. For this St. Paul opined that “when the tent that houses us on earth is folded up, there is a house for us from God, not made by human hands but everlasting, in the heavens” (2Cor.5:1), we are living in tent, because we are travelling and intend to move from place to place and the tent is a temporary dwelling, our final destination, abode is in God. St. Augustine comprehended the reality of human existence profoundly well when he affirmed: “you have made us for yourself o Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you”.

         The first reading (Jb. 19:1.23-27b) presents the faith of Job on the reality of Resurrection. The choice of this passage is not far-fetched, for as we earlier opined, the belief on the Resurrection serves as the basis for today’s celebration, and in the New Testament Christ’s Resurrection serves the foundation for our hope in the life after death, for through it we were made to understand that death does not have the final word on human existence. Job in his predicament and existential failures, frustration and diminishment expressed hope of beholding God after his earthly misery. Each and every one of us nourishes this hope, and that is why the thought and reality of death should not threaten us. Job in his words affirmed: “I know that my redeemer lives”, and this indeed was his source of hope, and this hope built on the assurance of the Redeemer that lives does not and cannot disappoint us (cf. Rm. 5:5). Christ himself said: “I was dead and look – I am alive for ever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and of Hades” (Rev. 1:18).

          In the Second reading (Rm. 5:5-11) St. Paul tells us that our hope cannot deceive us, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts. He went on to say that what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. For our sins are not stronger than his love. Filled with the assurance of this hope St. Paul asks “what can separate us from the love of Christ?...“can hardships or distress or persecution…neither death nor life can separate us from the love of God” (Rm 8:35-39).

          And Jesus in the Gospel passage (Jn. 6:37-40) assures us that he came on earth to do not his will but the will of he who sent him, “Now the will of him who sent me is that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me, but I should raise it up on the last day” (v.39). And no doubt our belief in the Son of the Father will be necessary for our victory over death, “It is my Father’s will that whoever sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and that I should raise that person up on the last day” (v.40). Prior to this passage Jesus affirmed “Truly, I say to you, he who hears my words and believes him who sent me, has eternal life” (Jn 5:24).

          Dear brothers and sisters, what we have to celebrate today is not necessarily only about the dead, but also about death itself. As we pray for the dead, we equally have to think about the reality of death itself. Death is a reality that concerns us all; we cannot but talk about it. In the words of Henri J. M. Nouwen in his book “A letter to Consolation”, he proposes the idea of befriending our death:

And isn’t death, the frightening unknown that lurks in the depths of our unconscious minds, like a great shadow that we perceive only dimly in our dreams? Befriending death seems to be the basis of all other forms of befriending. I have a deep sense, hard to articulate, that if we could really befriend death, we would be free people. So many of our doubts and hesitations, ambivalences and insecurities, are bound up with our deep-seated fear of death, that our lives would be significantly different if we could relate to death as a familiar guest instead of a threatening stranger.

 

We should not be afraid of death, for Christ has won it forever. We may put our voices together to that of St. Paul in asking: “Death where is your victory? Death where is your sting? Thank God then for giving us the victory through Jesus Christ” (1Cor 15:55-57). But we need to be found worthy when the Master comes knocking!

          Above all else, however, with death man is born into eternity. Little wonder, the Church recognizes the day of death of saints as a day of their Birth into heaven (dies natalies). The question we have to ask ourselves today is, where will I spend my eternity or everlasting life? If I should die now, where will I be? Our reflection on death reminds us that we should be ready and well prepared for our date of Birth into Eternity. For as the psalmist says “man is like a grass that dies, sprouts in the morning, by evening it is dry and withered” (Ps. 90:6), “teach us to count our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart” (Ps 90:12). It is indeed true that “a caterpillar could never tell how beautiful it would become as a butterfly with beautiful wings”.

May the Souls of all the Faithful Departed through the Mercy of God Rest in Peace! Amen!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

 

The Present of the Saints, Our Glorious Future!

(Homily for the Solemnity of All Saints)

 

          As we celebrate all the saints today both canonized and non-canonized, we prefigure the celebration in heaven. Today’s feast reminds us of the continuity and unity between the pilgrim church on earth and the triumphant church in heaven. The solemnity of All Saints is for each and every one of us an invitation and a reminder to holiness of life, which is the vocation of all the baptized. Our Eucharistic celebration today begins (Entrance Antiphon) with the invitation to joy, which the Church as Mother and Teacher directs to all of us, thus:

                                            Let us all rejoice in the Lord, as we celebrate the feast day in honour of all the Saints, at whose festival the Angels rejoice and praise the Son of God.

    In today’s first reading (Ap. 7:2-4.9-14), John recounts a vision he received about that heavenly celebration of the saints. The words of Apocalypse 7:9-10 are illuminating: “I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. They shouted aloud, “victory to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb”. And he was equally told why they are in heaven, “These are the people who have been through the great persecution, and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb” (Ap. 7:14). The saints in heaven were faithful to God despite the many hardships and persecutions they had to endure. Little wonder, they have been crowned and graced with white robes. The saints won victory over trials and tribulations through their collaboration with the grace of God. St. Paul captured the efficacy of divine grace when he opined that “what I am now I am through the grace of God” (1Cor 15:10).

    Furthermore, many a times, we are confronted with the question, “why do we pray through the saints?” We pray through the saints because they can help us on our sojourn towards heaven, because they are already there. John saw an earlier vision when he narrated that he “saw golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints” (Ap. 5:8). So they can intercede for us, and they do intercede for us. The prayers of the saints are powerful.

          A profound reflection on the Gospel passage (Mt 5:1-12) reveals that the saints are men and women of Beatitudes. Little wonder, at the heart of today’s Gospel the word “Blessed” was repeated for nine good times. The beatitudes are proclaimed by Jesus in a fascinating way. The choice of the Mount by Mathew for this sermon is in line with his conception of these sets of teachings as the new law, which corresponds with the old law given by Moses on Mount Sinai. For Mathew Jesus is the new law giver, the second Moses. Though for Luke the Sermon took place on the plain. Indeed, it has been often observed that the beatitudes describe the life of Christ himself. And as such, in connection to ‘All Saints” it denotes that all saints are those who manifested a Christ-like character as expressed in the beatitudes.

        Be that as it may, the road to sanctity or holiness is the road of the beatitudes. Spiritual poverty or humility and detachment from the things of this world, meekness and the rejection of every violence, bearing pains, thirst for justice, comprehension and mercy towards ones neighbour, purity of heart, spirit of peace: are the roads to holiness. And the saints we are celebrating today teach us by their exemplary life that it is a road that can be plied by all.

          However, we may ask a pertinent question thus: why are these categories of people proclaimed blessed by Jesus? Not because to them Jesus assured success and wealth, but they are blessed because the “Good News” of God’s kingdom has been announced to them, and they were disposed to welcome it, from here springs joy, happiness and blessedness. We too can be called blessed if we welcome the Good news and all that it comports, for by so doing we will be on the road to holiness.

          Interestingly, the second reading (1Jn 3:1-3), invites us to aspire to be where the saints are. So that, there present can become our future. He reminds us that heaven is our destination, and this is the first message emanating from this passage that we have to take to heart, “we are God’s children, but what we shall be in the future has not yet been revealed. We are well aware that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is” (v.2). As such, St. John enjoins us: “surely everyone who entertains this hope must purify himself, must try to be as pure as Christ” (1Jn 3:3).

          Above all else however, with the Solemnity of all Saints the Church draws our attention to few paramount messages:

►That Heaven is our destination, as St. John said, “Beloved we are now children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed we shall see Him as He is” (1Jn 3:2). Analogically, St. Paul expresses that “for now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face” (1Cor 13:12). Really the saints are beholding God face to face. And we hope to do same too!

►The second message comes from the first reading, the fact that we are all called to holiness. St. Peter affirms this when he vehemently posited: “this is the will of God: your sanctification” (1Pt 1:15-16). The conciliar document of Vatican II reminds us equally of this universal call to holiness (LG 40). We are not called to an exceptional holiness, rather we are all (the first reading talks about a great multitude from every nation, race, people and language) called to essential holiness. We pray that the Saints may continue to intercede for us on our journey of perfectibility, so that we too may become partakers of the saints in light!

May the Saints continue to intercede for us!! Amen!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

 

Lord That I May See!

(Homily for the 30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B)

 

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary

When troubles come and my heart burdened be

Then, I am still and wait here in the silence

Until you come and sit awhile with me

 

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains

You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas

I am strong, when I am on your shoulders

You raise me up…To more than I can be 

     The soul touching lyrics above of Josh Groban captures exceedingly well those existential conditions that bring us face to face with human fragility at one end and the liberating power of God’s grace at the other. In our journey of life, many a times we are faced with existential ups and downs, sometimes we are knocked down and battered by the trials and ordeals of life. However, in those moments of human fragility, we need to be picked up, to be raised up. As such, those moments when our createdness weighs down on us, we need to have a “pick-me-up” experience, and we need Jesus to pick us up. He comes to the aid of our weakness and failures. He did not come only to liberate us of all diminishment, frustration, ailments and sins. He did not come only to show us who we are and who He wants us to be. He came to ask, to invite and to implore us to become liberators of others. This indeed was the motivational force behind Bartimaeus’ prompt decision to follow Him.

     The first reading (Jer. 31:7-9) from the prophecy of Jeremiah is part of the series of four poems that celebrate the return of the Israelites from Babylonian exile. Upon closer look, one discovers that these poems are connected with the prophecy of Deutero-Isaiah. At first Yahweh invites the people to jubilate for He has saved them, He saved them from bondage. This passage reveals Jeremiah’s hope for the restoration of his people, as indicated in the prophecy of the new covenant, which we find in the later chapter. Similarly, like the hymn of return in the prophecy of Isaiah 35, our present hymn emphasizes the presence of the weak among the people that returned, amongst them were the blind, the lame and nursing and pregnant mothers. Be that as it may, we may well presume that it is the mention of the blind in this passage that connects it to the passage of the Gospel about blind Bartimaeus. Indeed, the journey of some of the blind people of Israel to freedom is a preparatio for the healing and restoration of Bartimaeus.

     The Gospel (Mk. 10:46-52) presents the last miracle that Jesus performed before his Passion according to the account of Mark, but also of Mathew and Luke. St. Mark in his account gives the name of this blind man as Bartimaeus, while Mathew and Luke did not mention the name in their own accounts. Jesus performed this miracle along the road that goes from Jericho to Jerusalem, where his supreme sacrifice awaits him. Is all about the story of Bartimaeus, whose identity is characterized by three qualities: blind, beggar and alone. But on this existential dangerous road leading from Jericho to Jerusalem, Bartimaeus had an encounter that changed his whole life. It was his day of total turn-around. His grace was the coincidence of finding himself one day, on the same road with Jesus. And to say the least, this unexpected encounter on that beautiful day changed everything about him. Besides, in Bartimaeus we see three great qualities that led him far: ● First, his belief in God, and trust in Jesus the Messiah, as he was shouting and imploring: “Jesus Son of David” and Jesus recognized his great faith: “your faith has saved you”. ●Second, his conviction in imploring for healing with a loud voice: “have mercy on me” with much insistence, without allowing the crowd or any factor to shout him down, rather he shouted all the more louder ●Third, his decision to follow Jesus after his human (his dignity as man and child of God was restored), social (he entered once again into rapport with others), psychological (he regained his self-concept and esteem) and spiritual (regained his rapport with God) healing, indeed, the healing not only restored his sight, but it equally opened up a new horizon (from a blind beggar to a disciple of Jesus).

     Let us take time to follow the circumstances surrounding this miracle in order to savour its spiritual depth. The story began with the departure of Jesus from Jericho, he was not alone, but with his disciples and a large crowd, then there was also Bartimaeus sitting along the road. He only heard that it was Jesus passing, he began to shout. This presupposes that this is not his first time of hearing about Jesus. He must have heard about Him prior to this context, and for him it was a rear occasion he cannot afford to miss. Upon realizing Jesus’ presence it was as if every gesture, every action he took was excessive. He was not just talking but he was shouting, he shouted even louder when the crowd reacted against him. Interestingly, he started by imploring for God’s mercy: “Jesus, Son of David have mercy on me”. He knew that he needed something more than restoration of sight, he needed also spiritual healing. This was glaring in his supplication literally in Greek “Kyrie eleison”, this for the Greek people is an invitation for spiritual healing. Likewise, at the beginning of the Eucharistic sacrifice it is used to implore God’s healing and purification.

     Then followed the reaction of the “many” in the crowd who tried to shout him down. Of course, they could not succeed because Bartimaeus was intent and insistent on making something out of this encounter. Surprisingly, in the midst of the large crowd Jesus distinguished the voice of Bartimaeus. Jesus stopped and said: “call him”. Now some members of the crowd called him, they developed sympathy for him, “Take heart; rise, he is calling you”. Thus, Jesus teaches the crowd and us today that the sufferings of others should not only stir up just sympathy in us, but empathy. Once again his gestures and actions were excessive, he did not just remove his cloak, but he threw it off, he did not just stand up, but he sprang up and went to Jesus. Jesus’ presence and voice healed him. The healing of Bartimaeus started when he left everything that was sustaining him, and without seeing he started moving towards that voice, that was vibrating on air, because he was guided and oriented by the words of Christ. He received an internal liberation and enlightenment that made him to stand firm and began to walk towards Jesus, even though he was not seeing him, he was following the eco of His voice.

      Here comes the shocking question of Jesus: “what do you want me to do for you?” (v.51). This question must have sounded strange to those around, because it was obvious that the blind man wants Jesus to restore his sight. The interaction between Jesus and Bartimaeus may apparently give the impression that Jesus is unaware or unconcerned of the situation of the blind man. For the question “what do you want me to do for you?” is suggestive of that, it is obvious that a blind man would be asking for sight (though it is not a given, he could also limit himself to ask of a few coins). But the blind man patiently replied, “Master, let me see again”, and indeed he was healed both physically and spiritually: “Go your faith has saved you. And at once his sight returned” (v.52). Jesus knows everything concerning people, everything concerning us, as he knew about Nathaniel under the fig tree (Jn. 1:48) and about the Samaritan woman who had five husbands before her present partner (Jn. 4:18). Likewise, Jesus knows about the condition of the blind man, he knows our conditions too. Whatever we are passing through today is not beyond his knowledge. However, Jesus allowed him to speak out, to voice out his problems in order to prepare his heart for the imminent healing. So, child of God you might have stood alone along the road of life like Bartimaeus, do not give up, insist and persist. The voice of Jesus will re-echo to you: “What do you want me to do for you?”

     The interpretative key to this miracle could be found in the Gospel of St. John in Jesus’ affirmation: “I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark, but have the light of life” (Jn. 8:12). In fact, in his programmatic mission speech, Jesus declared: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, for he has anointed me to bring the good news to the afflicted. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free” (Lk. 4:18). Jesus has the miraculous power to restore sight to the blind, for he is the light of the world. He came to be the light of our souls and to indicate to us the way to follow. Therefore, humanity needs Him, for without Him man gropes in the darkness of sin and meaninglessness of life. Jesus came to enlighten us and liberate us from our spiritual blindness, from the darkness of sin. Little wonder, the first request of the blind man in today’s gospel: “Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me”. Even though, we may not suffer from physical blindness like Bartimaeus, but when we are living in the darkness of sin, we need His light, and just like Bartimaeus we should stand at the road of life and implore his mercy. Like Bartimaeus on that dangerous road going from Jericho to Jerusalem, which symbolizes for us the road from earth to heaven, we need to shout, Lord that I may see!

    On the other hand, as Christians who have encountered Jesus, and have been enlightened by Him, we have the duty to enlighten many today who are in darkness, those in search of meaning in life, and those who lack a point of reference in life. We are called to be light to them; in fact as Jesus reminded us “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden” (Mt. 5:14), elsewhere he said “In the same way your light must shine in people’s sight, so that, seeing your good works, they may give praise to your Father in heaven” (Mt.5:16).

     Above all, in this gospel narrative we see majorly three figures (Bartimaeus, Jesus and the crowd). Sometimes we may find ourselves in the shoes of Bartimaeus, in a situation of existential and spiritual need, and upon our effort to get rid of them, those around us (friends, neighbours and relatives) may rebuke us, but insist and persist like our blind friend today, until Jesus hears, distinguishes your voice and stops. And when he stops there begins the encounter that changes life and produces effect. Some members of the crowd were a stumbling block, obstacles to his healing and restoration, they were rebuking him, because he was disturbing their peace. They were Bartimaeus enemies of progress, but he did not give them chance, and that is why his healing came through. Sometimes also we shout at and rebuke the needy and those in difficulties. Jesus teaches us what it means to have a heart that sees and an ear that distinguishes the voice of one who is suffering and in need of help. He does not stop at the level of sympathy (of saying courage, take heart), rather he empathized with him and felt in his shoes. He heals both his spiritual and physical blindness.

     In all, Bartimaeus teaches us in today’s gospel that prayer tailors our faith. There is no true and authentic faith without a persistent and trusting prayer. At the beginning of the episode we were told that Bartimaeus heard that it was Jesus, but at the end he came to know Jesus not only by hear say, but he saw Him with his eyes, and His healing and comforting presence equally propelled him to follow Him. Upon deeper reflection, the message of this passage revolves around the fact that a true and authentic disciple is cured of his Christological blindness that is the blindness of seeing in Jesus only the miracle worker and not the suffering servant, and Bartimaeus demonstrated this by following Jesus in the way of the Cross. Therefore, in connection with the discipleship of Jesus, Bartimaeus teaches us that at the face of the internal and external difficulties involved in following Jesus, a disciple cannot but recourse to insistent prayer, prayer that is a sign and manifestation of one’s faith. Therefore, today more than ever, we need to rediscover the value of prayer. However, the presence and companionship of Our High Priest gives us courage to continue to journey on the lonely road of life.

     Thus, the second reading (Heb. 5:1-6) from the letter to Hebrews continues in its exposition of the theme of the High Priest of Christ. The passage sets out to give us an assurance of faith as regards the provenience and the purpose of the election of this High Priest: ●The high priest was dully appointed by God. ●He was chosen among men to act as their representative before God in offering sacrifices for sins. ●He sympathizes with sinners. Our High Priest consoles us as Bartimaeus was consoled with the empathizing presence of Son of David, who understands our weaknesses and human fragility. Oremus: Lord Jesus our Eternal High Priest as you continue to move around doing good, do not pass us by, recognize our voices of supplication in the midst of the noisy world as you did to Bartimaeus. May your healing presence dispel the darkness of our sins and inadequacies. Amen!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)