Rejoice, Even If He Tarries, He Comes!

(Homily for the 3^rd Sunday of Advent Year A)

The Spirituality of Advent - III

          Today is the third Sunday of Advent and the Introit of this Sunday goes thus: Gaudete in Domino semper (Rejoice in God always). For this, we call this Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday. Today we are invited to rejoice, not just for the Savior who comes, but more than anything else, for the Savior who is already in our midst, performing wonders. That of Jesus is the wonderful mystery of presence and absence (the One who has come and who is to come). We rejoice because we can feel his presence and identify his wonderful works. Little wonder, Christ responded to the disciples of John thus: “Tell John what you saw. The blind see, the lame walk… and the Good News is announced to the poor” (this is evidenced in the first reading and in the Gospel). The disciples saw the Messiah and His mighty deeds. On his part, St. James in the second reading exhorts us to the patient waiting of the coming of the Lord with the imagery of a farmer. Notwithstanding the shocking question raised by John the Baptist, the liturgy of the word today redirects our attention to an important dimension of the Advent season, and  that is the dimension of joy. In fact, as we may have it in the Entrance Antiphon: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near” (Phil. 4:4-5). We rejoice in anticipation of the joy of Christmas. Therefore, our joy is caused by love and for the presence of the One who loves us. The joy of Christmas is derived from the presence of Jesus Christ who comes to save us, a gift wrapped in swaddling clothes (Lk.2:12).

          In the first reading (Is. 35: 1-6a.10) the invitation to rejoice is paramount, an invitation particularly to the people of Israel, after the age-long exilic experience. It is equally addressed to us today. For us, the Savior has already come to save us, He is in our midst, He is with us and He will not abandon us. Prophet Isaiah makes himself a messenger of this joy. “Let the wilderness and the dry land be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the lily it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing” (Is. 35:1-2). He reawakened in those that were despondent, the awareness of the redemption God promised to His people and its nearness. He further spurred them on: “Be strong, fear not! Here is our God…He comes to save you” (v.4). Even though, in their situation, the redemption and liberation that Isaiah was talking about (liberation from slavery) was a prefiguration of the redemption and liberation wrought by and through Christ, The Messiah. Be that as it may, the promised redemption has been realized in and through Christ. And He is the reason for our joy. Our joy therefore, should be in Him. We are filled with joy in the presence of the God who comes to save us and in the salvation he has already won for us. Just as Adam rejoiced when he saw Eve “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:23), so too we rejoice in the presence of “the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn. 1:14), he took our human flesh.

Once again, the prophet enjoined: “Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened. Be strong fear not! Here is your God” (vv.3-4). Indeed, it is only the presence of the Lord and his salvation that can bring joy to the weak, the fearful, and the suffering. No doubt, the reason for the Lord’s coming was to relieve the sufferings of his people. As Isaiah prophesized: “Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy, they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee” (v.10).

In today’s Gospel (Mt. 11: 2-11) we are confronted with a rather shocking question by John the Baptist, the Precursor of the Messiah, who we could say knew about the Messiah more than anyone else. But doubts, existential inadequacies and may be the desire to help his disciples understand more about the Messiah propelled him to interrogating the identity of the Messiah, whom he talked about so passionately. Does it mean John the Baptist was not sure of what he was proclaiming? The preoccupying and thought-provoking question of John the Baptist: “Are you the one who is to come or are we to expect another” (Mt. 11:3), apparently, not only raises doubt in the minds of his listeners and followers, but also can lead to despair. Let us not forget the context in which John the Baptist found himself, the place from which he sent his disciples to go and ask Jesus. He was in prison in Herod’s fortress in Machaerus (the place is located very close to where the Jordan flows into the Dead sea, which is the lowest point on the surface of the earth, and the prison was fifteen miles south east of there and as such very hot). He was in the net of king Herod Antipas. Here, is John the Baptist, who Jesus said that he is “more than a prophet” (Lk.7:26). He that recognised Jesus before others as the Lamb of God, and as such indicated Him to his disciples: “Behold, the lamb of God. Behold he who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29). He once said: “I have seen and I testify that he is the Chosen One of God” (Jn.1:34) and “He must increase and I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30). How come, that he of all persons, is raising this question. The reasons for this question can be many, but let us consider only three:

·       It does appear John the Baptist and his disciples had an already made idea and image of the Messiah different from the real image of the incarnated Son of God. They were expecting a Judge, a Vindicator. One who should start punishing sinners and rewarding the just, rather Jesus is meek and merciful, even though at the proper time he will assume his throne as the just Judge. So the apparent delay in the style of Jesus in showing the whole world that the Messiah has arrived must have triggered this quaestio in him.

·       May be, there is a sort of impatience in John, he has longed seeing this Messiah, and he can no longer wait for Him to start manifesting the power of His reign, at least before he dies in the prison. Probably he was disappointed.

·       The third consideration could be that after seeing his situation and condition in the prison (we remember the location of the prison and the insupportable heat), and maybe considering his own disciples who must have asked numerous questions, worried about their future and welfare he sent them to Jesus.

In all, the question of John the Baptist can raise other interrogations, and even doubts in our minds. Some scholars maintain that the question of John was out of doubt, while some church fathers rather, affirmed that his question was not for himself, rather for the benefit of his disciples (cf. St. Jerome Commentary on Mathew 2). However, even doubts do not diminish the faith of the prophet; in fact, we may say that there is no faith without doubt.

          Be that as it may, sometimes we may also run the risk of modelling an image of Christ in our own imagination and according to our mental schemes, our taste and ideology, according to what is in vogue or even according to our problems. Some would want a God who punishes there and then, a self-imposing God, a revolutionary God who comes like a volcano. But we have to accept Christ as He is: humble, simple, merciful, weak and defenceless (the Child in a manger). We cannot reduce God to our own categories and mental schemes, because He transcends us. He is not the one to adjust Himself to our measures and schemes, rather we have to adapt to the realities of His divinity and humanity. He took the part of the weak and the poor. At times, we want our expectations of peace and justice, our aspirations of good and breakthrough to be satisfied, there and then. However, the fact remains that God works in His own time and way. We have to adapt to the pace of God. Little wonder, in the spirituality of Advent are the values of a patient waiting and a trusting hope.

          To the question of John the Baptist, Jesus responded by making reference to his works: “the blind see, the lame work, lepers are made clean, and the poor received the Good tidings”. His doubt never diminished the esteem Jesus has for him. Jesus responded not with arguments, but with facts, and we can see the list. The disciples were to go back and tell John, not what Jesus was saying, but rather what he was doing. John, with his knowledge of the Old Testament, would then understand that in the healing of the sick, the lame, the blind, was clearly revealed the sign which the prophet Isaiah declared would denote the coming of the promised Messiah. God was at work in the actions of Jesus. Indeed, these were the works prophesized to be the features of the messianic time (cf. Is. 35). Jesus manifested in himself the fulfilment of messianic prophecies. Therefore, it is logical to conclude that: Christ is the one who is to come, the Promised Messiah. However, in responding to John’s disciples, literarily, Jesus commanded them: “Go and announce to John…” And it may interest us to know that in Greek this is parallel in structure to the command of Jesus to his disciples towards the end of the Gospel, “Go and teach all nations…” (Mt. 28:19). Again, Jesus’ command: “Go and tell him what you hear and see” (Mt. 11:4), can equally be said to be parallel to the invitation of Peter in his first letter “Simply proclaim the Lord Christ Holy in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you have” (1Pt.3:15). In the same vein, we may say that by that command John’s disciples have become the disciples of Jesus, for he has sent them through that command to go and teach what they hear and see. This is a passage of apostolic experience, from John to Jesus. And this transition in the apostolic experience can only come by if they are not scandalized by Jesus. He says that the “Good News is announced to the poor, blessed is the one that is not scandalized by me” (Mt. 11: 5-6). Interestingly, in Greek the word “scandalon” stands for a stone that one stumbles over. Then, invariably, Jesus is saying to John’s disciples that they are blessed if their faith in Him does not stumble because of the fact that John is in prison. And just like John’s disciples transitioned to Jesus’ disciples we are called to grow higher and closer to the Messiah.

          On the other hand, come to think about it, the question of John, could be considered a spiritual quest, as one of the spiritual masters has said, doubts, anxiousness to know, is better than an adhesion for Christ that is devoid of “anima”, passion and enthusiasm, a sterile and disinterested faith. The Word of God does not leave us indifferent, in the season of Advent, His word cannot but pierce our hearts and stimulate us. Today, many in difficulty, in crisis of faith and in existential indeterminism, still pose the question to Jesus: “Are you the Messiah, the Savior”? Humanly speaking, it is normal that we experience crisis, but it becomes tragic when we do not let it out, when we ignore or suffocate it. Little wonder, some of our brothers and sisters in difficult times have abandoned Christ, the Messiah, in search of other messiahs. But if we go to the root of the crisis, we shall come out of it with a mature and adult faith.

          The passage of the Gospel ended with an annotation thus: “Among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (v.11). Jesus tells us invariably that we are lucky, for we live in the Kingdom of heaven. John only could say: “it’s coming” but we could say: “it’s here”. And again to say it with William Barclay in his commentary what was lacking in John the Baptist was that he could not see Jesus’ love for us as revealed on the Cross. We are luckier than John because he could not experience the full depth and density of God’s love on the Cross as we did.

          In the second reading instead, St. James (5:7-10) makes his voice heard and he advices: “Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord” He invites us to cultivate the attitude of a farmer who works, plants seeds and patiently waits for the germination and growth of the seeds, in order to reap the fruits of his labour. Incumbent upon that, we may once again affirm that the image of a patient farmer is a veritable image in the spirituality of Advent, for more than ever we are called to assume the attitude of patience. In that passage of his letter, St. James used the word patient three times, and in Greek patience is translated “hypomone”. Hypomone delineates the disposition with which a Christian has to confront the difficulties of his faith-experience. Hypomone in its dynamic structure of persevering when one is heavy loaded comports the experience of being weighed down and the courage of remaining firm in view of what or who is to come.

          Brethren as it is suggestive of this Sunday, we rejoice for the New Child of Bethlehem that makes all things new, it was in view of Him, that God promised: “No need to remember past events, no need to think about what was done before. Look, I am doing something new, now it emerges; can you not see it?” (Is. 43:18-19a). Jesus is indeed, the New and Definitive Thing that God has done. No wonder, the last definition of God in the New Testament is the One who makes all things new (cf. Rev. 21:5). As we await in joyful hope to relive the experience of the Birth of our Savior may He give us the grace to continue to carry our lading of faith in view of our meeting with Him. Amen!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

The Woman of Prevenient Grace!

(Homily for the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Blessed Virgin Mary)

     The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary is the feast of grace and its power. Today we celebrate God's victory over evil, the triumph of grace over sin, human nature is preserved in Mary from the contagion of guilt and sin. Although the Solemnity we are celebrating today was not in vigour until the middle ages, even that time, it was not universally accepted, some medieval scholars felt that it was contrary to the Pauline teachings on the universality of human sin (cf. Rm. 3:9, 23) and equally to the enunciation of article XV of the Belgic Confession, which holds that Christ alone did not sin. As a matter of fact, our celebration today offers us an opportunity to peruse into this Doctrine and equally to understand why the Catholic Church holds on to it. Going back to history lane, the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was formally defined as a doctrine of the Church by Pope Pius IX in1854. It is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was conceived without original, that kind of twist in our nature that makes our will tend not to follow what it knows to be right, but the contrary. The doctrine is anchored in advance on God’s redemptive act through Christ. This is Prevenient Grace. “The Virgin Mary at the moment of conception was preserved in advance from all defilement of original sin by a unique privilege of grace in view of the merits of Jesus Christ.” This is a name or title chosen by Mary Herself, we remember the episode on 25th March 1858, the day of the sixteenth apparition of Lourdes, and Bernadette asked the “Lady” her name. The “Lady” replied in the local dialect: “Que soy era Immaculada Counceptiou”, which means “I am the Immaculate Conception”. Mary’s greatness and favor springs from her relation with God. She is a woman of prevenient and enabling grace. In the Gospel of Luke we see the relation of Mary with God the Father: “He who is Mighty has done great things for me” (Lk. 1:49). Indeed, her Immaculate Conception is one of those great things.

     In the first reading (Gen. 3:9-15, 20) we are presented with the story of the fall, which is seen as the origin of evil. Even though it is glaring that the famous Eden cannot be located on a map, and the event of the eating of the forbidden fruit cannot be dated, however, the story of Adam and Eve is no doubt, the expression of fundamental truths about man, and at the heart of that truth is the assertion that the ordeals and woes of human life are majorly caused by man’s rejection of God’s design and divine destiny.

     Furthermore, evil in this passage was symbolized by the serpent. In verse 15 we see the earliest promise of man’s final victory and conquest over evil, the Protevangelium. On the other hand the passage speaks of the perennial antagonism between man and evil, represented by the serpent. Indeed, this earliest promise of man’s victory over evil connects us well to the Solemnity of this day. For the victory came about because the seed that achieved the final victory over evil was born through the woman: Mary. Little wonder, some Church fathers established in their writings a sort of a contrast between Eve and Mary, in fact, Mary at times is considered by some as the New Eve. As a matter of fact, Eve by and through her disobedience brought evil into the world, and contrarily, Mary by and through her obedience let in the Victor over evil into the world.

     The second reading (Eph. 1:3-6,11-12) with the thanksgiving at the beginning situates well the salvation wrought by God in and through Christ into the context of the story of salvation, of course it started with God’s plan: “he chose us in him before the foundation of the world to be holy and faultless before him in love” (v.3). Without mincing words, it behooves us to affirm that Mary is part of the “us” chosen before the foundation of the world. But the Virgin Mary is the only creature in the world redeemed by Christ Jesus for prevention and not for liberation from sin. In the words of Pope Francis: “Above all, today's liturgical feast celebrates one of the marvels of the history of salvation: the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. She too was saved by Christ, but in an extraordinary way, because God wanted that from the moment of her conception the mother of her Son should not be touched by the misery of sin. And therefore Mary, throughout the course of her earthly life, was free from any stain of sin, she was the "full of grace" (Angelus, 8 December 2020).

     In the Gospel passage (Lk. 1:26-38) we are presented with the passage that affirms categorically the obedience of Mary which made the Incarnation possible. Although, there is no Gospel passage that affirms the Immaculate Conception but our present passage asserts God’s choice of Mary and Mary’s obedience that sets the realization of God’s plan in motion. The passage of the Annunciation remains like a masterpiece that you can't stop admiring. Even if you know every detail of the story, the beauty that shines through it never allows you to get used to it, it is perennially admirable. Indeed, in Mary the word of God does not find an obstacle but a mirror, an entirely original way of reflecting itself, of spreading, and expanding.

     The Greek word "kekaritomène", with which the angel greeted her, can be translated literally as “favoured” or “privileged”, but the Greek verbs therein denotes a kind of transformation of the subject: “charitòo”, which entails being transformed through this favour or grace. The word expresses election, the predestination to the maternity of the Messiah. Thus, "kekaritomène" is not just full of grace, it can be translated as "she to whom grace has been given", and this becomes the new name attributed to Mary by God. The Latin Vulgate translates it "Gratia plena", but in Greek it is much stronger and more precise. Indeed, that word describes the gift of grace given to Mary by the Lord even before her birth, and that is the power of the prevenient grace. Since her conception she had the privilege of being called to divine motherhood, and for this reason she was protected and kept so that she could offer the Word all the beauty of creation that shone in her. This is the power of divine grace in action!

     Mary was perturbed at the words of the angel and she wondered what he meant by such a greeting. Mary like every human being in a similar circumstance was caught up with fear, questioning and uncertainty. But the turning point of her story does not consist in not having fear or questions or having sentiments of uncertainty, but in knowing how to trust God despite one's fear, one's questions and the uncertainties. Then the angel told her: "Do not be afraid, Mary, because you have found grace with God." Indeed, human experience confirms that being afraid and being told not to be afraid alone does not make one fearless, rather it just makes one feel not understood. Little wonder, Mary will express her full joy in front of Elizabeth and not in front of the angel, because with her cousin she will feel understood enough to be able to find right interpretations to what happened to her.

     In Mary’s response: «Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word”, we see Mary’s full availability and disposition to what God was about to accomplish with and through her. Indeed, the words of Mary are like the prefiguration of “the Lord’s Prayer, Our Father, for in her fiat is condensed the phrase: “thy will be done.” Every time we say yes to God, something changes in us, but always for the better, Sure it does!

     As a matter fact, the readings of today bring three important facts to our consideration:

►that the dogma of the Immaculate Conception does not compromise the truth that all men, including the Blessed Virgin Mary belong to the fallen humanity.

►that the salvation of humanity depends on Christ alone, once again including the Blessed Virgin Mary.

►that the affirmation of the Immaculate Conception is a way of affirming Mary’s total commitment and obedience to God as revealed in the Scriptures.

     Above all, in our Advent journey therefore, we are invited to contemplate one of the marvels accomplished by the grace of God: the Blessed Virgin Mary. May Mary the Woman of Prevenient grace and the Ark of the New Covenant intercede for us as we prepare more eagerly to welcome her Son: Jesus Christ, Amen!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

  

Voice To The Word!

(Homily for the 2^nd Sunday of Advent Year A)

The Spirituality of Advent - II

          Today is the second Sunday of Advent, the message of the readings seems to draw our attention to what should be the nature and style of our waiting and expectation. Advent is not a sterile and disengaged expectation, rather it is an active one, for we are called to prepare. In Advent we relive two kinds of waiting: waiting with Mary for the birth of Jesus, and waiting for Christ to come again in glory (his second coming). We wait for the birth of Jesus, the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger and the coming of Christ in glory, no longer wrapped in swaddling clothes, but clothed in light. But as we wait, the word of God today calls our attention to the need to prepare, to prepare not with our homes and shops adorned with bright and colourful lights, not by decorating our Christmas trees or by fretting with our shopping lists, but to change our hearts and to mend our habits. The liturgy of the Word today makes it possible for us to listen to two great Advent preachers: Isaiah and John the Baptist. Isaiah preached the coming of the Lord from afar. His preaching nourished the expectation of many generations: “Behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son”. John the Baptist was the one who announced the imminent coming of the Lord: “He who is coming…”. Indeed, we can figure out a link between these two precursors, in the prophecy of Isaiah which Mathew put in the mouth of John the Baptist: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”. And in the second reading, St. Paul cites Jesus Christ as an example, who gave himself both to the Jews and to pagans in order to create unity.

          The first reading from the prophecy of Isaiah (11:1-10) presents the coming of the Messiah in the image of a shoot that will spring out from the stump of Jesse, from the dynasty of David. And he further buttressed that on Him will rest a great divine richness: the Spirit of the Lord. He will possess the Spirit in six ways: of Wisdom, of understanding, of counsel, of might, of knowledge and of fear of the Lord (cf. Is. 11:2). He is to be endowed with the Spirit of Yahweh and with charismatic gifts. His kingdom is announced as a Kingdom of justice, for he will judge the poor with justice and will take equal decision for the oppressed. Who more than Christ took preferential option for the poor! His judgement is not based on appearance or on hearsay, but on righteousness. His, is a kingdom of peace. For therein, humanity experiences a cosmic and existential peace: the wolf shall be the guest of lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid etc. This pacific co-existence of ferocious animals and the weak ones without any victim, is a symbol of the reconciliation amongst men and the created order, inaugurated by Christ in the world. That is the prophecy of the new world led by a little Child, a world transformed by and through the Messiah. And as He transforms the world, He offers us transformation individually. Behold Christ came to inaugurate a new order and a new rapport between God and man, and amongst men, a rapport of brotherly help and reciprocal understanding.  Jesus is making something new, and as He does it, He wants us to leave the past (Cf. Is. 43:19; 2Cor. 5:17; Rev. 21:5, 7). In all, in the spirituality of Advent, this is a period of celebrating the realization of the divine promises, a time to prepare in order to celebrate the Messiah through whom and with whom all this was realized. Can you see the new things He has done?

          Similarly, the Gospel (Mt. 3:1-12) features John the Baptist a prominent figure in the Advent season. It evidences justice and harmony amongst men, which is as a result of conversion. And the word conversion was repeated three times in this gospel passage. Conversion here entails a profound and interior-spiritual change that overhauls and changes one’s way of living and thinking. John the Baptist was shouting: “repent for the kingdom of God is near”. The central figure of the gospel is John the Baptist. At his birth Zechariah the father of John the Baptist announced his mission in the Benedictus thus: “And you, little child, you shall be called Prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare a way for him, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the faithful love of our God in which the rising Sun has come from on high to visit us” (Lk. 1:76-78). And to those who were asking him: who are you? John was responding: “I am the voice of one crying in the desert” The whole life of John the Baptist was that of being the voice that announces to his contemporaries this wonderful message of salvation through the forgiveness of sins: “Look, there is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29). He presented Jesus in such a manner that the people will begin to desire and ache for his presence, “the one who comes after me is more powerful than I, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (v.11), in his words: “he has to increase and I have to decrease”. Indeed, it is true the voice remains silence after it must have echoed the Word. The friend of the Bridegroom retires at the appearance of the Bridegroom.

          John the Baptist realized the prophecy of Isaiah: “A voice of one that cries in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his path”. In reality Isaiah announces with these words the future liberation of the people of Israel from slavery in Babylon and the return from exile. Israel has undergone untold sufferings and injustice, but now the time has come when God is about to turn their situation around for good. It is in this context that John’s preaching came and stirred up hope and enthusiasm, and as such people wanted baptism to be administered to them in view of the New Kingdom. The preaching of John the Baptist and his invitation to conversion received two responses:

·       The ordinary people who confessed their sins, repented and asked for baptism.

·       And the Pharisees and Sadducees who were just coming for baptism.

What type of response is the Word of God going to receive from us this day? Are we ready to bear good fruits that befit repentance? Moreover, John the Baptist talks about two types of Baptism, his and that of Christ: ►The baptism of John is baptism of repentance (he baptizes only with water). ►While the baptism of Christ is a baptism of and for new life (He baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire).

Interestingly, Mathew and the early Christian community see in John the Baptist the one who realized those words of Isaiah. John is the voice that invites all to prepare for the coming of Christ, in order to welcome his gift of liberation and redemption. He is the Precursor of the Messiah. Mathew presented him as a man that lives in the desert, in solitude, he practiced an austere life. Therefore, he in primis, prepared himself for the coming of the Savior, in the following ways:  ● In silence, in prayer and in the meditation of God’s word.  ●In the exercise of mortification and a more rigorous penitence. By so doing, he prepared himself as the precursor. Indeed, every Advent requires a precursor, a herald that prepares the hearts of people, that redirects the attention of the people, such that the One expected, is desired and accepted, and his coming will not pass-by unobserved. Jesus still need precursors, those who announce his coming and presence in the world, those who make His presence felt between his historical coming and future coming. In the Gospel passage, John the Baptist helps us to understand how we can be precursors of the Savior, he says: “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand”. But modern day precursors have to announce not just that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand, instead that “the Kingdom of heaven is already in our midst”.

          In the same vein, even today, we need precursors, those who will continue to call the attention of all to the preparation for the continuous coming of Christ in our hearts and in our lives, through their words and actions. For us priests and religious we have more motives to become voices like John the Baptist, because our vocation, our consecration and our ordination call us to dedicate our lives completely for the service of the Lord. We are to become precursors of Jesus. And by extension, we are all called as Christians to be at the fore front in the preparation for the Savior’s coming. No doubt, to be precursors entails becoming agents of preparation for His coming, therefore ready and willing to remove all obstacles that can impede His coming into our lives and societies: iniquities, ignorance, prejudice and indifference.

          Furthermore, as John cries in the wilderness, the basic question we should be propelled to ask is this: “what shall we do?” (This emanates from the spirituality of Advent). And this question is exemplified in the Acts of the Apostles (2:37; Lk. 3:12, 14). This question presupposes a quest for transformation and conversion. We have to emulate John the Baptist who prepared for the coming of the Messiah in both words and deed. That is what we have to do. We need to join our voices together to that of John the Baptist shouting: “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. In fact as Jesus would say: “His kingdom is already in your midst” (Lk. 17:20-21). Here, “entos” is the Greek word for “in your midst”, and it can be translated within you. And the phrase “within you” is a better translation, with respect to the context. Joining our voices together with that of John the Baptist, we have to tell our generation that there is Someone in our midst, that we do not know (cf. Jn. 1:26), One that is in search of us. But in order to take cognizance of His presence we need to repent, to change our mentality.

          In the second reading (Rm. 15:4-9) St. Paul prays that by the encouragement of the Scriptures we may be strengthened in hope. For during the Advent there is an emphasis on the Old Testament as the book of promise and hope. Furthermore,  he was worried about the tension that existed between Christians (the weak and the strong), and as such, he recommended charity to all. For this, he admonished Christians “to think in harmony with one another”, “to welcome one another, as Christ welcomed you”. Elsewhere, he invites us to have for each other the same sentiments that where in Christ Jesus (Phil. 2:5), sentiments of love, mercy and pardon. He enjoins us to welcome each other irrespective of our limitations and defects. St. Paul talks here in a more concrete terms “welcome each other”. Indeed, the spirituality of Advent calls each one of us to make a space, to have a place for each other in our hearts.

          In all, the coming of Christ should be for us a life changing and transforming event. Basically the Good News of Christ is a Good News of reconciliation of men and God and amongst men themselves, made possible by the sacrifice of Christ. This season therefore, we are obliged to take this Good News to all, bearing in mind that words alone cannot suffice. As a matter of fact, one of the fascinating duties of the disciples of Christ ought to be: giving to the world the knowledge or better the certainty of salvation. As disciples of Christ called therefore to be precursors, should we go around shouting repent? We can respond in the affirmative thus, that all are called to preach the words of salvation, but not all with words. And again, before going about preaching and shouting repent, the Christian in question must ensure that he has been converted, because before John came out to preach, he lived in silence in the desert, “He lived in the desert until the day he appeared openly to Israel” (Lk. 1:80). Therefore, before assuming the role and the state of a preacher and precursor, we need to ensure that we have passed through the stage of conversion. At the heart of advent is an invitation to be better Christians. At the same time, John the Baptist gives us a warning thus: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire”. Therefore, like John the Baptist, we need to leave our deserts in order to announce Christ!

          We may ask ourselves: as Christians where are the fruits of justice and love, of reciprocal respect and mutual understanding? In the Gospel, John the Baptist tells the Pharisees openly and also to us, that it is not a mere physical descendant from Abraham that will save, but a spiritual reborn or rebirth, followed by good works. Therefore, to us it is not enough that we have been baptized as members of the Church, we need to produce good fruits of harmony, peace, love and justice. At the heart of the Spirituality of Advent, therefore, is a clarion call for a serious existential revision (what I may call Revision of life or spiritual check-up) and for spiritual re-start.  May the Lord bless our efforts! Happy Sunday brethren and friends!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

 

 

 

Waiting And Walking In His Light!

   (Homily for the 1^st Sunday of Advent Year A)

The Spirituality of Advent -1

          Today marks the beginning of the liturgical period of Advent and the beginning of a new liturgical year (Year A). The word advent is from the Latin word “Adventus” which means “coming”, and it is a translation from the Greek word “parousia”. Therefore, it connotes expectancy and hope and at the same time points to the second coming of Christ. Hence, in our context, the time of advent is a time of great expectation of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ amongst men, unlike in the ancient Greece it meant the coming of their god, on a fixed day of the year they expose its statue. However, the coming of Jesus can be understood in three senses: First Advent, that is, his Incarnation, that which inaugurated the messianic time of Salvation. Last Advent, His final and glorious coming at the end of time, when he will come as a Judge (the Parousia), and thirdly, between His first coming and the final coming there is the Intermediary Advent, His immanent and continuous coming into our lives, the Christian life is an on-going advent, a constant personal encounter with Jesus who has come, who is to come and who is already in our midst.

          In the Advent spirituality Christ is always the One who is to come, the One who is always expected. Advent therefore, is not just a remembrance of a historical figure linked to a particular time and geographical location. It is not even an anticipated vision of the coming of the Just Judge. Rather the spirituality of Advent draws our attention to the urgency for the Lord to come into our lives with His grace and message of salvation. For Christ is the Living Lord, il Veniente, the One who comes. Be that as it may, we may begin our reflection with some fundamental questions: First, between the first and the final coming what sense has this our Advent? Second, if Christ is the One who always has to come, what then should be our attitude in view of His coming? In that bid, the readings of today are furnished with some insights and responses. In the readings of this first Sunday of Advent, the dominant themes are: the coming of the Lord and vigilance. More than just two themes, it has to do with two movements: the Lord comes and then let us go and meet Him. God comes towards man, and those that can find Him, are only those who are already journeying towards Him. Interestingly, we see this double movement in the parable of the ten virgins: “Look! The bridegroom! Go out and meet him” (Mt. 25:6). The first movement is always that of God, he is by definition the “One who comes”, not just in the context of Advent, but always. Behold, the history of salvation is the history of God’s initiative, a memorial of His many comings towards mankind, beginning from the great event of Creation to the Parousia.

          This idea of a movement is seen in the passage of the first reading (Is. 2: 1-5) from Isaiah’s prophecy, the second movement of humanity walking towards God. Isaiah invites thus: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths” (v.3), once again in verse 5: “House of Jacob, come, let us walk in Yahweh’s light”.  The Psalmist in the responsorial psalm takes up the theme of movement, going towards God: “I rejoiced when I heard them say, let us go to God’s house” (Ps. 122:1). Beyond that, Isaiah talks about the mountain of the Lord that shall be established as the highest of the mountains, an indication therefore, that there are other mountains. Isaiah was promising three things: first, the mountain of Jerusalem is going to be above other mountains; second, many people will come to Jerusalem to listen, to search for the word of the Lord and to listen to his teaching; third, he describes the realization of a universal peace, whereby, nations will no longer fight against nations. Therefore, at the heart of the spirituality of Advent is hope-realization and the promise of peace.

          Furthermore, Isaiah in his prophecy invites us to consider and to live the Advent in and with the attitude of hope and trust. In addressing the afflicted community of the Jews that were repatriated from slavery in Babylon to find comfort and encouragement in his words, for he assures them that God will intervene in favour of His people, such that later Jerusalem will become a centre of spirituality, where people from all walks of life shall flow to. Isaiah invites us to walk in the light of the Lord. The Christian life is a journey/walk in the light of His presence, not in darkness. The Spirituality of Advent brings to the fore, the antithesis of Light and darkness. It entails a walk in the Light, who is Christ himself, in his words: “I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the light of life” (Jn. 8:12). Christ is both the Terminus a quo and the Terminus ad quem of this journey.

          The Gospel passage (Mt. 24: 37-44) begins with reference to the time and the days of Noah. What is this time of Noah? It is a time that people were lost in the things of this world within the ordinary temporal process, without entering into the favourable time, the moment of grace, God’s own time. The days of Noah are the days of superficiality. The days of Noah become my days when I forget that the secret of my existence is beyond me. Instead Advent is a time to live with attention in and towards God’s own time and project. Again, Jesus makes a more appealing description with regards to being awake and being aware of his second coming. He spoke about a “setting aside” that will take place, which means a distinction between those who are aware and awake and those who are not. Jesus gave instances: Two men in the field one taken the other left, two women will be grinding meal together, one taken the other left. The ones taken are the ones both awake and aware. The Gospel gives us therefore indications on the right attitude for the coming of the Lord:

• To watch (v.42), watch ordinarily signifies being awake, not to sleep. But symbolically, sleep represents all that distracts from focusing on the Lord’s coming. All that render our spirit insensible to His grace, it represents a refusal to be with Jesus and to give ourselves completely to Him.
• To be ready (v.44), comports promptness of heart and spirit, internal and external disposition, avoiding all that rubs man of his self-mastery, all that distracts his attention from the awareness and consciousness of the Lord’s coming.

          Being awake and aware will help us go to the mountain of the Lord without wasting time at other mountains, because the Lord’s mountain is a place of encounter and a place of transition. Lastly, as we prepare for His coming, let us pay particular attention to the last verse of the Gospel, where Jesus admonishes us not to allow ourselves the joke of being taken unaware like the master of the house who did not know when the thief would break into the house. The message still revolves around being not just awake but also aware.

          In the second reading St. Paul (Rm. 13:11-14) starts with the phrase “you know ‘the time’ has come, ‘the moment’ is here for you to stop sleeping and wake up” (v.11). In Greek language two words are used to denote time: chronos (ordinary flow of time) and kairos (a special moment of grace). And in this passage St. Paul used kairos in the original text. Kairos is appointed time, the time when something important happens. Little wonder, St Paul invites us to sleep not, to be awake and aware, for something great is about to happen. St. Paul in more concrete terms suggests what vigilance and awareness entail, he gave us three guidelines: ●To cast off the works of darkness and put on the amour of light (once again we see the antithesis between light and darkness in our journey of advent). ●To live as in the day (in openness of mind and heart) not in revelling and drunkenness. ●To avoid debauchery and licentiousness (avoid promiscuity and lust. ●To avoid rivalry and jealousy. ●And above all, to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be your armour (v.14a), armour here is a divine protective coverage.

          St. Paul concretely indicates the steps in the movement towards God who comes. First he says “wake up from sleep”, which invariably entails to be converted. Elsewhere Paul said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Eph. 5:14). Therefore, the keyword in the Gospel and the epistle reading is: “Wake up!” In the optics of being awake St. Paul exhorted the Romans: “Let your armour be the Lord Jesus Christ” (v.14a). The armour of light par excellence is the Spirit of the Risen Lord, he only can help us to conquer the works of darkness. For this St. Paul affirmed: “If by the Spirit you put to death the habits originating in the body, you will have life” (Rm. 8:13). The first advent and the future advent are interconnected little wonder St. Paul invites us not only to leave the darkness of sin, but to walk in the light and to put on Christ in other to be found worthy when he comes again. Truly, faith in the second coming of Christ is the heart of Christian ethics. Indeed, this passage is of special importance for the conversion of St. Augustine, while in Milan St. Augustine heard St. Ambrose preaching but he was not yet ready to give himself fully to the Lord. Finally, one day he was captured by a line in the bible, it struck him deeply that he decided to give his life totally to God, and that is the passage we read today (Rm. 13:13-14), as he recounts in his Confessions (8:12). Therefore, advent is a time to pause and think about our life in Christ (in his continuous coming, for He said in Mt. 28:20: “I will be with you, yes, till the end of time”).

          In order to make this advent a journey of encounter with the Lord we have to pay attention to: ►Listening to the Word of God: for through his W(w)ord the Lord reveals himself. ►Prayer: finding a moment to be with the “Anticipated One”, more especially in the silence of our hearts. ►Charity/Love: to share what we have with those that have not. By so doing we will be in tone with the spirituality of Advent. For us in deed, the celebration of Advent is a memorial, a remembrance of the past (of all that Christ has done for us); of the present (of what He is doing for us) therefore, living today in syntony with the Living Lord, living presently in harmony with Him; is also geared towards the future (of what He is going to do for us), Advent therefore raises our gaze to the future, not just a future in the temporal process, but a future of grace.

          Above all, as we await the Savior who comes, it behoves us to reaffirm that our expectation is not like that of the people of Old Testament, because it is not only an expectation, but it is also memorial and presence. It is a memorial because the One we are awaiting has already come (this we remember at Christmas). It is presence because he is with us. His word we have heard is Himself with us, the Eucharist we celebrate is Himself with us. Interestingly, the most beautiful image of the Christian Advent is that of walking with joy to meet the One who is walking with us, who walks at our side. As suggestive of the theme of our reflection today, the time of Advent is not a time to wallow in idleness or to wait in inertia, rather the itinerary is waiting and walking. It comports a good dose of preparedness for the Coming and the Presence of the Lord. In Advent the search for God changes into the expectation of God, we live in anticipation of Him. And as we expect His coming into our lives, may we put our voices together with that of John in saying: “The one who attests these things says I am coming soon. Amen. Come Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20). May our Blessed Mother Mary the perfect Icon of Advent intercede for us in our journey to encounter JESUS, The SAVIOR who is to COME.

Come Lord Jesus for we need You!

Come Lord Jesus for our families need You!

Come Lord Jesus for humanity needs You!

Come Lord Jesus for the World needs You!

Come Lord Jesus for our Country Nigeria needs You!  Amen!!!

Happy Advent Season Friends!!!

 (Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

 

 

 

 

Behold The King Who Died for Love!

(Homily for the Solemnity of Christ the King, Year C)

     Today is the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year and it is dedicated to the celebration of the solemnity of the Kingship of Christ. The feast of Christ the King was introduced by Pope Pius XI in 1925, in order to confront the abuse of power by the nations and the surge of secularism among the nations and most importantly, to proclaim the primacy and supremacy of Christ over the kingdoms of the world. From the beginning of the liturgical year to its end we not only celebrate some religious feast, but God’s presence, indeed, we are deeply immersed in the ocean of God’s grace. In the course of the liturgical year, according to the Second Vatican Council, we celebrate all the mysteries of Christ, from Incarnation to Nativity, to his ascension, the Pentecost and the vigilant hope of the Coming in glory of the Lord. With the celebration of the liturgical year, the Church in a way, renders present in all times the mysteries of redemption, such that the faithful can approach to these mysteries and to be filled with the grace of redemption (cf. Sacrosanctum Conciliun, nn. 102 and 185).

     The Solemnity of Christ the King brings the Liturgical Year to a close. In the course of this passing liturgical year, we have celebrated the mysteries of the life of the Lord. Now, we contemplate Christ in his glorified state as King of all creation and of our souls. Today we celebrate a King whose kingdom is totally different from the kingdoms of the world. A king whose ruling staff is Love. Little wonder, the readings of today do not talk much about kingdoms, but about the King who dies for love. Ours therefore is a King of Love and a King for Love. Indeed, Kings come and go, likewise their kingdoms, but our King reigns forever, and for this St. Luke affirms that: “his kingdom will have no end” (Lk. 1:33). His is an everlasting kingdom. In the words of the psalmist: “All the kings of the earth give thanks to you, Yahweh, when they hear the promises you make; they sing of Yahweh’s ways, ‘Great is the glory of Yahweh” (Ps. 138:4-5).

     In the first reading (2 Sam. 5:1-3) we are presented with the episode of the solemn coronation of David as the King of the people of Israel. He was consecrated King by Samuel for the southern tribe of the nation (cf. 2Sam. 2:4), and the elders of the north recognized that God has chosen him as the King of Israel, and they consecrated him with the unction (cf. 2Sam.5:1-3). David was not only called to carry out political and economic responsibilities as a King, but he had to perform the mission of a spiritual and moral leader in favor of his people, to express and to make effective in concrete manner, the covenant God has made with his people, in some circumstances he was even wearing the priestly vest and was carrying out priestly functions, “David presented burnt offerings and communion sacrifices in Yahweh’s presence. And when David finished presenting burnt offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh Sabaoth” (2Sam.6:17-18). David is the prefiguration of Christ in the Old Testament, he is like a Christ-figure; his regality is a prophetic anticipation and prefiguration of the regality of Christ. Yahweh promised to secure this throne forever (cf. 2Sam. 7:12-16), even with the limits and infidelity of the man David. He carried out his mission as a King in an inadequate and imperfect manner, but that of Christ is perfect! However, the word of God was addressed to David thus: “You are to shepherd my people Israel and be leader of Israel” (v.2), similar words were referred to Christ: “And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least among the leaders of Judah, for from you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel” (Mt. 2:6).

      The Gospel passage (Lk. 23:35-43) rather presents in a somewhat dramatic manner the coronation of the King of the universe, because therein we see a scene that seems to relegate the royal dignity: Christ on the cross with two thieves. Indeed, on Calvary the regality of Christ was an object of derision, by the crowd, by the leaders, by the soldiers, even by one of the thieves. Even the inscription of Pilate on top of the cross sounds ironic. Even though before Pilate Jesus declared expressly that He is a King, but he equally made it clear that His Kingdom is not of this world (cf. Jn. 18:36). Behold, it is indeed on Calvary, on the Cross that Jesus received his solemn coronation as a King. For on the cross he acquired his kingly title in full, because with his sacrifice he expiated the sins of mankind and became the first-Son of the multitude of brothers (cf. Mk. 3:35; Heb. 2:11). On the cross with the sacrifice of his life, Jesus expresses with all clarity the meaning and essence of his kingship: a service to mankind taken to the extreme: “No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13) elsewhere St John says: “having loved those who were his in the world, he loved them to the end” (Jn. 13:1), his indeed is not merely too much or excess love, but extreme and endless love (love in extremis). His sovereignty is founded on his total self-giving for love, in the offering of himself as the victim for the expiation of the sins of the world. Our King received his crown on the cross. His is not a kingdom of domination and imposition, rather a kingdom that has love and mercy as its pillars. Interestingly, this gospel passage calls us today to mediate not only on the King, but also on the Cross that is, his Throne. His indeed, is a kingdom of Love and a sovereignty of Mercy! It is love and mercy expressed in the parlance of the Cross, of suffering and dying for Love!

     Let us reflect deeper over the scene on Calvary, as St. Luke presents it to us: ●The leaders: “jeered at him with the words, He saved others, let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One” (v.35). ●The soldiers “mocked him too, coming up to him, offering him vinegar, and saying, If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself” (vv.36-37). ●Even one of the thieves abused him: “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us as well” (v.39). ●There was also the inscription by Pilate that was pasted at the top of the cross: “This is the king of the Jews” (v.38). However, without knowing it Pilate expressed the truth. The work of salvation accomplished by Jesus during his earthly life reaches its climax and its culmination on Calvary. Indeed, here lies the scandal of the cross (cf. 1Cor.1:18; 22-25). The one who is hanged on the cross in agony and died in the midst of two thieves is the “image of the invisible God”, as St. Paul expressed in the passage of the second reading, he existed before all, he is the Creator of all and all subsists in him, in a nutshell a God in the midst of men (and women), a weak God, who could not save himself. He is an absurd and inconceivable God by the Jews. But instead, that is the supreme sign and gesture of his love and the love of the Father: “For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (Jn.3:16; 1Jn.4:9-10; Rm.8:32).

     At the heart of that event, we see the challenging interrogation of the hardened thief: “If you are the Christ, save yourself and save us as well.” This is a scandalous quest that put not only the authenticity of the divinity of Christ, but also of the Kingdom of God into question. But the King responds, demonstrating that there is something worth more than life, and that is Love, little wonder in the drama of the Cross we see “a King who dies loving”. Because dying is not the end of this love, and certainly the resurrection is a seal that such love cannot go in vain. But the good thief understood or rather had an intuition that “this man has done nothing wrong” (v.41), therefore he was condemned unjustly, just as Pilate recognized many times during the prosecution, “I find no case against this man” (Lk. 23:4.14-15.22), yet he handed him over to the Jews to be crucified. The good thief then humbly asked: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (v.42). Indeed Jesus was even reigning on the cross, the heart of the thief was touched by grace and he entrusted himself to Jesus. Jesus exhorted him beyond expectation: “In truth I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (v.43). The famous good thief is a symbolic representation of the human person that God continues to show his love, for God every man or woman is lovable. One may curiously ask: what merit had the good thief? His merit comes absolutely from God’s love. His merit is Love. The response of Jesus to his supplication goes beyond mere answer to a request, but the fulfilment of every human desire.

     Extrapolating from the encounter with the good thief, we could see the last three salvific words of Jesus on the Cross: Today, with-me, and paradise. ● Today: this is common in the gospel of Luke (cf. Lk. 4:21; 19:9), which denotes the readiness of God to save us sinners, for the love of God is humanly speaking an instant that opens to eternity. ● With-me: entails that the Kingdom of God unlike the earthly kingdoms is inclusive. The symbolic image of the King who dies on the Cross with arms outstretched is a credible sign of a love without frontiers, a kingdom without walls, and an inclusive kingdom. And the arms of the crucified King will continue to be outstretched for all who recognize Jesus as a companion of Love and suffering, irrespective of what their past might be. ● Paradise: the hope of every man and woman. Behold, his kingdom is not a futuristic kingdom but today, his kingdom is not far-fetched is with us already, but yet it looks forward to the future, the “not yet”.

     In the second reading (Col. 1:12-20) we see the solemn Christological hymn of St. Paul where the regality of Christ, his sovereignty on souls and on the world is expressed with strong theological foundations. Christ is the King of the universe, because he is the Son of God, the God-Man, the visible image of the invisible God (v.15), “for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth” (v.16), “in him all things hold together” (v.17), it is through him that the Father desired “to reconcile all things to him, everything in heaven and everything on earth, by making peace through his death on the cross” (v.20). Indeed, St. Paul pictured him accurately well as “the Head of the body, that is, the Church” (v.18), therefore, he is King in a very special way for those who are members of his body, of those who have effectively been “rescued … from the ruling force of darkness” (v.13), those who have truly obtained “freedom and the forgiveness of sins” (v.14). Indeed, the Church is on earth, the Kingdom of Christ, and all the members recognize him as their Sovereign Lord, Guide and Shepherd. In verse 20 St. Paul says that Jesus made “peace through his death on the cross”. Similarly, the Gospel passage directs our attention to the scene of Calvary. For it is precisely on Calvary that Jesus received his kingly investiture, and the cross became his kingly throne, the place of his coronation and his exaltation as St. John opined: “as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up” (Jn. 3:14). Ironically, the moment of his maximum annihilation was transformed into the moment of his supreme glorification (cf. Phil. 2:7-11). Such, is our King!

          In all, dear friends, this kingdom comports an existential implication for us, because we do not only celebrate the King of the Universe, but also our membership and belonging to this kingdom. For this St. Peter called us “kingly people” (1Pt. 2:9). In the words of St. Paul “It is he who has rescued us from the ruling force of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son that he loves” (Col. 1:13), ours is merely a gratuitous transfer to this Kingdom, but do we really belong to this Kingdom? Today, the hot button questions we have to ask ourselves are: Is Christ really our or my King?  What or who is ruling in my life? Christ is our King when his words and examples have become norms for our actions. Today’s feast should not only end with mere and empty proclamations and gyrations, we have to allow the Truth to lead us. We belong to his kingdom when we live according to his words. His is a kingdom of truth, a kingdom of love. Do we bear witness to his truth and to his love? That is bearing witness to his kingdom or do we bear witness to evil? We belong to his kingdom when we live in truth, grace, holiness, Justice, love and peace. Which kingdom do you belong? The one of Jesus or the one of the Devil? Today, we are marching out to tell the whole world that we have a King whose Kingdom is eternal. We are going out to proclaim and acclaim his Kingship. We are going out to confess and profess that there is no King like him. We are at the same time challenged to allow him to be the ultimate King in our lives. It is not untrue that most of us have various kings and kingdoms that are ruling our lives. We need to stop a while and ask ourselves: who is actually reigning in my life? Let us re-echo our voices together with that of the Psalmist in declaring the smooth entrance of this King into our lives, into our families, into the hooks and crannies of our society: “Lift high your heads, o ye gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! Let him enter the King of glory”. Who is the king of glory? The Lord of Host, He is the King of glory” (Ps. 24:9-10). Lift those things in your life that may block His entrance, lift those things that may obstacle his entrance into your family, lift those ancient ways of living, those ancient gods. Let us open up for him too. Let us open our lives, our families, our societies, our educational system, our political system, our work place, our dreams and aspirations, so that He can enter and take control. For wherever he enters, witnesses a change. Welcome Him today, so that he may recognize you as sheep and not as goat on the day of reckoning. Let Him enter the King of Glory (cf. Ps. 24:10). Come our King forever and always!

King of Glory (cf. Ps. 24:10)

Our Peculiar King, for no one is like you (cf. Ex. 15:11)

God made King, for royal dignity has been yours from birth (cf. Ps. 110:3; Jn. 18:37)

King with divine mandate (cf. Dn. 7:14a)

King of Kings (cf. Rev. 17:14; 19:16)

King of the whole world (cf. Zech. 14:9)

King of peace (cf. Is. 9:6)

The highest King (cf. Rev. 1:5)

Everlasting King (cf. Jer. 10:10; Lk. 1:33)

Come Lord Jesus, come and reign in my life! Amen!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)