Christ Our Hope Is Risen!

 (Homily For Easter Sunday Year A)

     Today we celebrate the great mystery of our redemption, and it launches us into another liturgical season. In the new calendar, Easter season is a journey of 50 days in which we are invited to reflect upon the post-resurrectional appearances of the Risen Lord, the consequences of Easter event in the life of the Church, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the promise of eternal life. The season does not run forty days to Ascension, but now fifty days to Pentecost. This could be linked to the fifty days in which the Israelites enjoyed the fruits of the land. Similarly, the church this season reflects in these fifty days on the fruits of Christ’s Resurrection. As I have opined in my previous reflections, the Event of the Resurrection is foundational to our Christian faith, for its realism gives credence to our faith. As a matter of fact, only in the New Testament we encounter about 213 references on the death and Resurrection of Christ. In fact, in Pauline letters alone we have about 81 references; this in no small way reveals the importance of this event in the life of the Church. In the first reading Peter preached to Cornelius and to his entire household, that “God raised him on the third day”. While in the second reading St. Paul opines that the Resurrection of Christ and the consciousness of this mystery is the foundation of Christian ethics, for this he invites us to seek and look for the things that are above. In the Gospel, St. John seems to center the whole story on the empty tomb, because it resonates the faith of the “beloved disciple” on the Resurrection, but the credibility of the event is founded more on the apparitions.

          In the first reading (At. 10:34.37-43) we can see that the Easter appearances are revelatory encounters which founded the Church and launched the Christian Mission. Our Easter faith and the credibility of the Resurrection depend majorly on the testimonies of the first witnesses. Indeed, the credibility of the realism of the Resurrection is by no means an irrational leap of faith. In this passage, we heard about the formidable discourse of St. Peter, where he situated the realism of the Death and Resurrection of Christ at the centre of his preaching. The apostles too declared themselves witnesses of the Resurrection: “Chosen witnesses”. They are indeed witnesses, who ate and drank with Jesus after his Resurrection. They had a first hand and direct experience of the Risen Lord. More than that, the apostles are witnesses with their life, for the Resurrection completely changed and radically transformed them. They really demonstrated the reality and the efficacy of Christ’s Resurrection with their life, for later, they all paid with their blood and martyrdom.

     The Gospel of today (Jn. 20:1-9) invites us to join our voices together to that of Mary Magdalene in shouting “Christ my hope is risen”. Upon encountering the Angel, three tasks were given to the women: ●To believe in what Jesus has already said concerning his death; ●To share the message to the apostles and to others; ●And to rejoice (chairete), for the Resurrection is a message of great Joy. We have to affirm with vigour and conviction our faith in the Risen Lord. That Jesus Christ is truly risen is a given fact, a historical fact, indeed the realism of this event cannot be jettisoned. Concerning the realism of the Resurrection, the Gospel makes reference to the apparitions of the Risen Lord to the women, and to the apostles, and as St. Paul would testify, that Jesus appeared to more than 500 disciples gathered together, some of whom were still alive when Paul was writing (cf. 1Cor.15:16). So, the empty tomb alone does not exhaust the question of the credibility of the Resurrection. It remains a pointer, and even more, a reason of our hope and joy. When they could see Him and find His body, Jesus was alive and victorious.

     Besides, in the gospel of John we have two accounts or stories on the Resurrection. The first in the twentieth chapter, while the second in the twenty-first chapter. In the second account, John shows us that the Risen Lord encounters us in our moments of fragility and in the futility of our everyday life (Jn. 21:1-14).The disciples laboured all through the night, but they didn’t catch any fish, when they were already disappointed and weary. They saw a man standing at the bank. He spoke to them in a lovely manner and invited them to go once more to cast the net. “They cast the net and could not get it in again because it was so full of fish” (Jn. 21:6), then the disciples recognized that “it was the Lord” (Jn. 21:7). The Risen Lord can turn our helplessness and hopelessness into an avenue of and for blessing and favour.

     In the Second reading we have two alternative readings (Col. 3:1-4 or 1Cor. 5:6-8) and both of them accentuate the ethical implications of the Resurrection. This is evident in the imperatives: “seek” the things that are above, “set” your mind on them. Drawing the issue further, in the words of St. Paul, we too are spiritually risen with Christ and in Christ, we are buried with him and risen with him (Eph. 2:6; Col. 2:12). With and through our baptism we are made partakers of the gifts of Resurrection: ●We have passed from death of sin to the life of grace. ●We have passed from the condition of death through our original sin, to the condition of being alive in Christ and for Christ. It is upon this consciousness that St. Paul invites us to walk in the newness of life, to which the Risen Christ has put us (1Cor.5:6-8). We are called now to “look up” to the Risen Christ and to where he has ascended to, at the right hand of the Father. That is our goal! Let us take to heart the words of St. Peter thus “For you know that the price of your ransom from the futile way of life handed down from your ancestors was paid, not in anything perishable like silver and gold, but in the precious blood as of a blameless and spotless lamb, Christ” (1Pt. 1:18-19).

     The passage from the epistle letters points out few existential indications on how to render the Resurrection of Christ evident in our life and actions. In the words of St. Paul “Brothers, if you are risen…” (Col. 3:1-4). Indeed, we are risen effectively with Christ in Baptism, we are risen anytime we turn from our sinful ways to the life of grace in God, through the sacrament of reconciliation. Brethren, let us pray and ask God the grace to live and to walk in the “newness of life” following the example of the Risen Christ. For through his Resurrection Christ renews, recreates and restores creation to Himself.

     As a matter of fact, our reflection on Christ’s Resurrection cannot but draw us closer to the total self-emptying of Jesus and as such an entrance into Kenosis, to the extent that he was subjected to all sorts of evil. On the cross all sorts of evil befell on Jesus. How did Jesus die on the cross? He died with the profession of the great Hope: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”. Even in the midst of all these evils Jesus did his profession of hope. Little wonder, on Good Friday the Holy Mother Church proclaims the Cross “sign of hope”. Here Jesus transformed the cross to an icon of love and hope. The Resurrection of Jesus is the response of the Father to the hope of Jesus. For St. Paul, Jesus does not only teach us hope, he is our Hope (cf. 1Tm. 1:1). On the other hand, the silence of the Father reveals that the paternity of God is not a paternalistic paternity. Little wonder, his absence during the crucifixion was apparent. Why was it unshakeable the hope of Jesus?  Indeed, because it was founded on the communion with the Father. At the basis of the communion in question, there is the Holy Spirit “Vinculum comunionis.” Jesus dies abandoning himself to the Father who brings the dead to life and calls into existence what does not yet exist (Rm. 4:17).

          Dear brethren in the Resurrected Lord, even in the present economic, moral, political and religious crisis we may be experiencing, together with St. Paul it is my utmost desire to reawaken in you the knowledge of the nature of the hope founded on the God of hope (cf. Rm. 15:13). On discovering this, St. Paul averred: “Our hope will not disappoint us, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us” (Rm. 5:5). Therefore, “we should always have our answers ready for those who ask us the reason for the hope that we have” (1Pt. 3:15). Our Hope is Jesus and the Resurrection is the reason for that hope. Yes, Christ among us, is our hope of glory (Col. 1:27).

          In which ever situation we may find ourselves, I repeat we should not give in to sadness and desperation, as the Resurrection is the response of the Father to the cry of Jesus on the cross. The Resurrection is an act of God, indeed God raised Him from the dead (cf. Acts. 2:24; Rm. 10:9; 1Cor. 6:14). Similarly, in the Resurrection of Christ we find the answer to all our questions for meaning. We only have to allow ourselves to be drawn and attracted by Him, as St. John affirmed “They will look to the one whom they have pierced” (Jn. 19:37). Let us look up to Him. The love of the Risen Lord does not leave us indifferent, He Himself confirmed it when He said “when i am lifted up from the earth i shall draw all people to myself” (Jn. 12:32). Let us allow ourselves to be drawn and attracted by the spectacle of the Cross and the Resurrection.

          Beloved in Christ, let us rejoice for Jesus has giving and consumed himself in love and out of love for humanity. He is the Love of the Trinitarian God manifested to us. Therefore, in the Easter season irrespective of the ravaging wars and violence, let us not give room to sadness and depression. Let us rejoice for the Faithful God has risen His Faithful Son from death. Jesus Christ the Crucified-Risen has healed our infirmity of sin. He lowered Himself so that we might rise; he lowered Himself for our salvation. The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ is an event beaming and anchored on hope. In fact, it is ad rem to affirm that the life of Jesus is a life anchored on hope. His was a life lived in a total abandonment in the hands of the Father. More than anything else, the cross is the icon par excellence of Jesus’ hope, and indeed from his cross we learn how and what it entails to hope. The Resurrection should reaffirm our faith and reanimate our hope in Jesus. The Resurrection is indeed an affirmation that the Cross is only a provisional collocation according to Don Tonino Bello, which means is not a permanent place. Even the common cross that the entire humanity is carrying at this period in her history and your own personal cross is provisional. Jesus through His Resurrection is emptying any form of tomb in our lives, in order to set us free from bondage. As the Father listened to his voice and answered him with the Resurrection, may the Risen-Lord hear the cries and lamentations of the entire humanity and raise us from the death-tomb experience of violence, hatred, war and lack of respect for the dignity of human life. May He restore and reanimate our hope. Amen! Lord in your Resurrection is our hope. A wish of a Continuous Resurrection!! Happy Easter to you all!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

He Is Not Here! He Has Risen!!

(Homily For Holy Saturday Year A)

   This according to St. Augustine is the Mother of all vigils, because this night we Christians relive the fundamental event of our faith, the passage from death to life, to life in Christ, the passage from darkness to light, the Holiest of all nights. We celebrate the triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ over sin and death. The Risen Lord is the Eternal Light that dispels the darkness of the world, the darkness that obscures our existence. The Liturgy tonight and the different texts chosen for the readings all revolve around the theme of life, of new life springing up from the power of God. The Liturgy of Light and the renewal of baptismal promises intone a hymn to the new man, risen together with Christ. The Easter proclamation focuses on three major themes: the deliverance of Israel in the Exodus, the baptismal deliverance of the new Israel (Christians); the Resurrection of Christ. The biblical readings for the Easter Vigil recall the saving acts of God like: the creation of the world and of humanity (Gen. 1), the abundant blessings of Abraham (Gen. 22), the liberation of Israel from slavery of Egypt (Ex. 14), this is considered to be the most important reading, because the crossing of the Red sea is a type of Christ’s Death and Resurrection, the restoration of Israel (Is. 54:55; Bar. 3; Ez. 36). In the light of all these readings, the resurrection of Jesus is presented as the climax of the proclamation that God indeed is not the God of the dead but of the living. From the New Testament, we see the text from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans (6:3-11), where St. Paul invites them and us to lead a new life, because Christ is risen from the dead by the power of the Father. In the Gospel of Matthew (28:1-10), we see the holy women in search of Jesus, and later the involvement of the apostles in the amazing event of the Resurrection.

     The message of the Resurrection of Jesus or better the Paschal mystery in its triple moments: of Passion, Death and Resurrection, is invariably the central nucleus and the predominant theme of the Christian faith. Through His descent into hell we reach truly that amazing and fascinating summit of the event of Jesus. An early Christian story says that Jesus entered the place of the dead with his cross, the weapon of his victory. Having released all those who were inside he decided to leave his cross standing in the centre of hell, a sign that even those who pass that way do not find themselves in a place which is unknown to him. On Holy Saturday, we see the radicality of love that offers itself, even till the extremity of the same love. This is exactly what Jesus did for us.

     Jesus in that great silence lived the solitude of the apparent absence of the Father. Here, the hot-button question resounds: “where is God?” This is the interrogative point of Holy Saturday. But interestingly, to this silence and cry of abandonment by Jesus, the Father will respond with and through the Resurrection. For St. Paul tells us that “God…brings back the dead to life and calls into existence what does not exist” (Rm. 4:17), elsewhere he affirms that God raised Him from the dead (Rm. 10:9, cf. Acts. 2:24; 1Cor. 6:14). And it is today that the unprecedented message reaches us with a profound question “why do you look for the living among the dead?” And here, we hear for the first time the mind-blowing response, “He is not here, He has risen”. Yes! Christ has risen as he said. This event reveals that there is no darkness that cannot be transformed into light, no human misery that cannot be transformed into an avenue of mercy and favor. Dear brothers and sisters, we can never have enough voice and courage to repeat or better to shout aloud that Jesus is risen, but let us allow ourselves to be overwhelmed with joy that springs from this event.

          Reflecting deeply in tonight’s Gospel narrative, according to St. Mathew, it is eminent the part the two women played (Mary of Magdala and the other Mary). They made a headway to the Tomb, and this fact of going to the Tomb reveals that their hope was shaky. Certainly, they must have placed their trusts in Him, but his death shook the very foundation of their hope and trust in Him. However, they had the courage to go and pay homage to the corpse. The Matthean account reports that “the angel of Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat on it. His face was like lightening, his robe white as snow.” Whereas, The Markan account reports that on arrival at the grave of Jesus the women were asking themselves: “who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” As Matthew recounts on arrival, they met an angel who said to them: “Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has risen, as he said”. And behold, their reaction was characterized by fear, joy and uncertainty. After their encounter with the angelic messenger and Jesus who said to them: “Hail”, then they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him, later Jesus told them: “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me”. They left and went to the apostles and to others to proclaim what has happened.

     The phrase: “He is not here”, indicates a new presence, Jesus is alive and active. Mathew in fact, accentuates the new life of the Risen Lord. This is also seen in the book of Revelation (5:6) where the image of the crucified and risen Lord was represented with the figure of a Lamb standing that seemed to have been sacrificed. Indeed, the Crucified-Risen Christ is the Living One: “Do not be afraid; it is I, the First and the Last; I am the living One, I was dead and look, I am alive for ever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and of Hades” (Rev. 1:17b-18). And He alone is capable of transmitting new life to entire humanity. Our Creator God is a God of life. The mystery of the Resurrection is directly linked to the mystery of creation. It is all about life, life to the full.

     Indeed the belief in the Resurrection of Christ is not incumbent primarily upon the empty tomb. The Resurrection is by no means identical with the empty tomb, however, the fact remains that the empty tomb plays an essential role in the New Testament witness of Christ Resurrection. Be that as it may, the empty tomb is a symbol that the appearances of the Risen Christ are not mere spiritualist visions. In and through His resurrection Christ overcome death and opened up man’s destiny beyond the grave and death. Let us pause and ponder a little while on the “Pro Nobis” of this event. In fact, in the second reading from the antique homily in the office of readings this morning, there we see that the phrase “for you” reoccurred several times. Hence let’s ponder on what Jesus has done for us. The Resurrection reveals Jesus as the Redeemer of mankind, and here subsists the “Pro Nobis” of His Death and Resurrection. For with the Resurrection of Christ, man is not only redeemed, but he has a divine destiny. He is called to a continuous resurrection, to self-transformation and social transformation.

     The Resurrection impacts the credibility seal on our faith, for without the Person of Jesus, without his death and Resurrection, our Christian faith would not have been credible. For this St. Paul affirms “we preach the crucified Christ” (1Cor. 1:23). In the same letter, he posits: “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is without substance, and so is your faith” (1Cor. 15:14). Yes! Because the center of our faith is the Person and the Event of Jesus of Nazareth. Christianity without the Crucified-Risen is empty. Without Christ our life will be devoid of meaning, Christ is the reason of our existence. In all, it behoves us to reaffirm with St. Paul that, “Christ has been raised from the dead, as the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep” (1Cor. 15:20). It is because he rose that we can say “In him we live, in him we move, in him we have our being” (Acts 17:28). For the realism and credibility of His Resurrection, St. Paul questions, “who can bring any accusation against those that God has chosen? When God grants saving justice who can condemn? Are we not sure that it is Christ Jesus, who died, yes and more, who was raised from the dead, and is at God’s right hand, and who is adding his plea for us?...Can anything cut us off from the love of Christ?...we come through all these things triumphantly victorious, by the power of him who loved us” (Rm. 8: 34.35.37).

     Above all else however, the Easter event restores the hope of the disciples and commissions them to proclaim openly the saving works of God in Christ, through his Death and Resurrection. And this is a mission which we are called to continue today, as a Church and as individual members. The saving work of the Risen Lord is and will continue to be an ever-present reality in the Christian community.

A wish to you all of a Continuous Resurrection!

He has risen as He has said!!

Happy Easter to you all!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

 

 

His Passion: The ‘Reality-Show’ Of Our Redemption!

(Homily for Good Friday)

O dear Lord, what can I say to you on this holy night? Is there any word that could come from my mouth, any thought, any sentence? You died for me, you gave all for my sins, you not only became man for me but also suffered the most cruel death for me. Is there any response? I wish that I could find a fitting response, but in contemplating your Holy Passion and Death I can only confess humbly to you that the immensity of your divine love makes any response seem totally inadequate.

      The above words of Henri J. M. Nouwen in his book, A Cry for Mercy, introduces us well into the context of today’s celebration, which culminates in the saving Passion of Our Savior and the Veneration of the Cross, the symbol of our redemption. Our finite human minds cannot comprehend nor explain the enigma of Jesus’ suffering on the Cross. Jesus died to set us free, to raise the fallen humanity, and to save man created in the image and likeness of God. But to do this, something needed to be done. It was obvious that only God can save man, for man cannot save himself. Then the issue is: Can God do this by means of a gesture of benevolence from heaven? But we know that no one has ever seen God. Can it be accomplished through the angels? But the mission of angels is that of a messenger, not a savior. It was only possible through a man who is at the same time God. And behold, God sent his Son Jesus Christ to come and redeem man. For in the Cross of Christ man rediscovers his real identity, his authentic self, his origin and his destiny. He is the unique Savior, only him can save man integrally and radically, in time and in eternity. Thus demonstrating in a most radical way, the extremity of God’s love towards us.    

     In today’s liturgy the pronoun “We” and the adjective “Our” resound in an unprecedented manner, they resound as the unique and authentic motive of the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ. The first reading (Is. 53:13-53, 12) is insistent on this, when it says: “Yet ours were the sufferings he was bearing, ours the sorrows he was carrying…whereas he was being wounded for our rebellions, crushed because of our guilt; the punishment reconciling us fell on him, and we have been healed by his bruises…Yahweh brought the acts of rebellion of all of us to bear on him” (Is. 53:4-6). In this three verses of the prophecy of Isaiah we can see how many times the words “we and ours” reoccurred. In the Passion account according to St. John (Jn. 18:1-19,42), which has as a background the fourth song of the Servant of Yahweh, however, at the beginning and at the end, it tried to deepen the import of the Passion with two prophetic texts. The first prophecy is the one of the high Priest Caiaphas: “It is better for one man to die for the people” (Jn.18:14), and the second is taken from the prophecy of Zechariah: “They will look to the one whom they have pierced” (Jn. 19:37; cf. Zech. 12:10), this refers to the conversion and the salvation of the nations by means of the redemptive work of Jesus. It was equally at this backdrop that in the second reading (Heb.4:14-16; 5:7-9), the author of the letter to the Hebrews, urges them: “Let us, then, have no fear in approaching the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace when we are in need of help…he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation” (Heb.4:16; 5:9).

     Furthermore, the first reading is suggestive of three important elements to the understanding of Christ’s death: his suffering was innocent, vicarious and redemptive. The second reading, instead, revolves around the High Priesthood of Christ. The author enumerated the characteristics of the High Priest thus: he can sympathize with our temptations and infirmities because of his identification with man in the Incarnation; he prayed for deliverance and he was heard (at Gethsemane deliverance is not an “escape from” but to “save from”), he learned obedience. Indeed, we may well affirm that the Incarnation was so real that Jesus fulfilled the will of the Father, not as an automaton, but through struggle and temptation and an experience of learning.

     Today, we reflect on the Passion narrative of St. John. And each evangelist has his own perspective of the Passion, and at the heart of John’s  narrative is the perspective that the Kingship of Jesus shines through his humiliation. Jesus sets the Passion in motion, for he voluntarily came forward to be arrested. We can see how the temple police who were terrified by his personality fell back. Peter tried to stop the arrest, but Jesus intervened. On the Cross Jesus made his last will entrusting his mother to the disciple and his disciple to his mother. In the Gospel of John, Mary is seen as the symbol of the Church. We may say that the Passion narrative of John elucidates the words of Jesus in John 10:18 “I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord”. For Jesus decides the moment of his death: “He gave  up his Spirit”.

     Today we see an expression of Love displayed on the Cross by our Lord Jesus Christ. It is on account of this that our Lord Jesus said in the Gospel of John (15:13) that “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”. This is indeed what this Friday stands for. So we thank God it is Good Friday because on this day we received the highest expression of God’s love. On this day, we received superabundance of God’s love. On this day God gave us His most ‘precious possession’, namely His Son. This Friday is good because finally our redemption is accomplished and the price of our sins fully paid (tetelestai). The word “tetelestai” (it is finished, accomplished, fully paid) occurred only in two places  (Jn. 19:28.30), and these are the only two places it is found in the New Testament.

     Through his death Jesus obeyed the Father, in the sense of perdoning his enemies. He submitted whole heartedly to the will of the Father, who does not desire the death of a sinner, but that he repents and lives. Christ accepted to die, in order that his enemies that led him to the Cross might live, hence he forgave them. On the Cross Jesus revealed this profound mystery of God’s mercy and love. He emptied himself and was humbler yet, even to accepting death on a cross (cf. Phil. 2:7-8).

      Through his event on the Cross, Jesus conformed to the will of the Father. Little wonder, it is said of Jesus that: “He was insulted and he did not retaliate with insults; when he was suffering he made no threats but put his trust in the upright Judge” (1Pt. 2:23). He did not put his trust in the Upright Judge so that he will punish his enemies and wrongdoers, but it was for the purpose of saving them, irrespective of their freedom. “He made no threats”, for he was not harbouring in his heart words to oppose his adversaries; he was not looking or considering those that are making him to suffer, but for those he was suffering for. What a Love in its extremity! St. Peter further expressed: “He was bearing our sins in his own body on the cross, so that we might die to our sins and live for uprightness; through his wounds we are healed” (1Pt. 2:24; Is. 53:5).

     At Getsemani Jesus touched suffering with his bare hands and lived it on his flesh. Suffering for him was not a hear-say experience. In fact, he “leanrt obedience through suffering” (Heb. 5:8). Jesus exclaimed “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Mk. 14:34). Jesus lived the highest point of suffering, what the mystics called “the dark night of the Soul”, to the extent that He became sin, “For our sake he made the sinless one a victim for sin, so that in him we might become the uprightness of God” (2Cor. 5:21). When Jesus on the Cross cried out “My God My God why have you forsaken me” (Mt. 27:46), this was because he had the experience of the apparent disappearance of the Father. It was as if the Father left Jesus alone on the Cross, after he must have condemned sin and passed judgement on the world. However, in this traumatizing episode, man could learn what it means to do without God, to reject Him and to Sin. If Jesus could feel his apparent absence on the Cross, what more when we decisively reject or abandon Him ourselves?

     As a matter of fact, we see the total self-emptying of Jesus and as such an entrance into Kenosi, to the extent that he was subjected to all sorts of evil. On the cross all sorts of evil befell on Jesus: ●PHYSICAL EVIL: The death on a cross is the highest form of physical suffering and corporal torturing.●PSYCHOLOGICAL EVIL: Jesus was abandoned by all, he was denied and betrayed. He suffered solitude. We cannot but remember the ingratitude of those who wanted Barabbas instead of Jesus. There was the wickedness of those who gave him vinegar while he was thirst.●MORAL EVIL: The injustice of Pilate who suffocated and sacrificed the truth at the altar of unfounded consensus. The condemnation and death of an innocent.●SPIRITUAL EVIL: Then here comes the pertinent question: where is God? Here we see the seemingly absence of God, and Jesus feels this abandonment: My God, My God why have you forsaken me?

     To us, as we meditate and ponder on and on, on the event of Jesus on the Cross, is as if He whispers to the ears of our heart: “I did not love you, just for joke”. Hence, our meditation on the passion of Christ has to inspire us to contrition and pains for our sins, but also to hope. A word of Hope, for us and for our brothers and sisters, for those that are humiliated, offended, oppressed and those their dignity has been dragged to the mud. This existential experiences bring us closer to the Jesus of Good Friday. However, the Cross of Christ is a Word of Hope! Let us not hide this hope from anyone. For we have this assurance of faith that: “If we have been joined to him by dying a death like his, so we shall be by a resurrection like his” (Rm. 6:5).

      Today being Good Friday, is not a day to express sympathy (eeee yaaaa), no room for passivity, rather his suffering and death should raise questions for meaning in our hearts, and thus lead us to conversion. Today is not the day to admire the courage of the few women that followed Him to the Cross, to condemn the acts of the Jewish religious leaders, Pilate, the crowd and the disciples, or a day to merely sympathize with Jesus, rather it is a day to empathize with Him. It is a day we should allow the reality-show of his death to inspire us like the Centurion to proclaim who He is in our life. For the Centurion: “Truly this man was the Son of God” (Mk. 15:39). It is a day we are called to allow ourselves to be transformed by His saving death. The visible sign or fruit of the death of Christ in our lives should be that of transformation, in every individual and in the sinful social structures of our society.

         For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have Mercy on us and on the whole world!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

Jesus The New Passover Lamb And The Priest For Love Of Us!

(Homily For Holy Thursday)

     Today marks the beginning of the Paschal Triduum, and it is indeed a celebration beaming with joy and gratitude for what God has wrought for humanity. In this evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper we gather to open the Paschal Triduum in preparation for the commemoration of the Lord’s Resurrection. Today being Holy Thursday, in a glaring manner we recall Jesus’ act of self-giving, orchestrated in the gift of His Body and Blood; the gift of the ministerial priesthood in the context of the Last Supper, in order to perpetuate his presence in our midst. That fulfils his promise to his disciples “I will be with you till the end of time” (Mt. 28:20). Jesus, indeed, is The Priest of the New Covenant, who unlike the priests of the old covenant offers himself and his blood, and not the blood of animals. The scene around which revolve the readings is the context of the supper where few persons reunited. However, the text and the context reveal that it is not just any supper like others. It is all about a unique supper, of great importance for all the guests. In the first reading, those that reunited were members of an Israelite family, who with the supper celebrate the liberation from slavery in Egypt. In the Gospel, those reunited for the Supper are Jesus and his disciples, and it was a dramatic moment, that pre-announces the Passion. Similarly in the second reading, we see the Christians of Corinth who were reunited first for supper, and later to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

     Our celebration today culminates in the rediscovery of the essence of Christ’ self-giving (the institution of the Holy Eucharist), the gift of his ministerial priesthood (the institution of the Holy Orders), and in the midst of these he continues to invite us to rediscover the value of service and of fraternal love (as exemplified in the washing of feet). We would like to make considerations on these three events: ●Institution of the Eucharist: Institution here does not mean enactment of a new rite. The institution is the investment of an existing rite with a new and profound meaning. This earthly banquet enacted by Jesus looks forward to the eschatological banquet. We may therefore, affirm that the Eucharist has both backward (the event of the Cross) and forward (eschatological banquet) imports. ●The establishment of the ministerial Priesthood: Be that as it may, the ministerial priesthood and the common priesthood of the faithful derive their priestly character from the nature of the Eucharist. ●The commandment to love: this is exemplified in the episode of the washing of the feet and the words of the Lord that accompanied it. In synthesis, we may well affirm that at the center of our celebration this evening are two symbolic elements: the Table and the Towel. It was at the Table of the Last Supper that God revealed the immensity of the divine love in concrete terms: a Towel and a Table (Bread), that is, in service and in total self-giving. A service orchestrated in a profound humility of washing his disciples’ feet. In fact, the act of kneeling before another, points to the voluntary poverty that Jesus embraces. Through the Table and the Towel He manifested how deep his love for humanity is, it is indeed an extravagant and endless love (cf. Jn.13:1), not just too much love, not just excess love, but endless love!

   In the first reading (Ex 12:1-8, 11-14), we see a fascinating description of the first Jewish Passover meal. In that event it was customary that a lamb has to be sacrificed for each family. Afterwards, its blood was put on the doorposts and lintel of the house to protect and protect its occupants (the Israelites). This served as an identification of the houses where the Israelites were. Then the houses without blood were for the Egyptians and when Yahweh passed over that night the firstborn of the Egyptians were massacred. Here, God promised the Israelites: “The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood I will pass over you” (Ex. 12:13). The first reading therefore, is a narration of how the tradition of the banquet of Paschal Lamb began. It was a memorial sign of the passage from slavery to freedom (called the Passover). While the blood of the lamb protected and saved the Jews during the first Passover, now it is the Blood of Jesus that saves and liberates us. His Blood is the seal of the New Covenant, not the blood of an ordinary lamb. He is therefore, the New Passover Lamb. Be that as it may, we would like to make a few considerations: First, the Passover as an annual memorial of God’s great redemptive act. For a devout Jew believed that when he celebrated the Passover he was actually there coming out of Egypt with his forefathers. This indeed, is a strong realism. This type of realism tailors the Christian Eucharist. Second, the shedding of the blood of the lamb is a sort of prefiguration of the death of the Lamb of God. And for Christians, blood shedding is more than a mere ritual or cultic act, it is above all a moral act (cf. Heb. 10:5-9). Third, the Passover was eaten in haste and expectation. In the same vein, in the course of time, this sense of urgency has been transformed into the great expectation of the Messiah. On the other hand, the responsorial Psalm emphasized on the two aspects of the Eucharist: the sacrifice of thanksgiving and the communion among believers.

     The Gospel tonight (John 13:1-15) narrates an unexpected fact that is only seen in the Gospel of St. John: the washing of feet by Jesus. During their Supper Jesus rose from the table and removed his outer garment, with a towel around his waist and He began to wash the feet of his disciples (Jn. 13: 4-5). This was an incredible scene in the sight of the disciples, for this was the task of slaves. In fact, some biblical scholars have it that, even during that time it was not the slave that washes the feet of the guest; rather the slave brings a basin with water and a towel for the guest to wash by himself. Contrarily, Jesus went lower than a slave. Afterwards, He called the attention of the disciples to the moral implication of what he has done: “I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you” (Jn. 13:15). As such, what should characterize our identity as Christians is the humble service rendered to our brothers and sisters in need. Our presence should be a refreshing, enlivening and cleansing presence. He did not do it just to impress the disciples or to win their admiration; rather he did it in order to show them and to show us the example to follow. The washing of his disciple’s feet is a symbolic act. First, because through it Jesus shows how he bowed down to humanity by means of his Incarnation and his death on the Cross, Christ’s self-abasement. Second, is its moral implication: “I have given you an example, so that you may do as I have done to you” (Jn. 13:15). Jesus has given them and us a model of love: serving others. After washing the feet of his disciples, He asked them: “Do you understand what I have done to you?” (v.12). This question of Jesus still re-echoes even in the Christian assembly after so many years. Have we really understood the import of what Jesus did and how it has to shape our rapport with each other? He is still asking us even in the context of this liturgical celebration: “Do you understand?” We fail to understand when we do not love and care about those around us, when we are self-centered and think that the world revolves around us alone, when we are unable to cultivate and appropriate the virtue and value of humble service.

     Drawing the issue further, a deeper reflection on the feet washing reveals that this gesture of Jesus could be considered from two perspectives: Symbolic and Exemplary. First, the symbolic perspective maintains that the laying aside of his garments by Jesus is a sign of humiliation or better his self-emptying and kenosis (v.3). Second, the exemplary perspective, which is seen in verse 15: “I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you.” On the other hand, the washing of the apostles’ feet by Jesus can also have other imports; let us pause a little on the words of Jesus: “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me” (John 13:8). Jesus says to Peter that he will have no inheritance if He does not wash his feet, which implies that Jesus will be Peter’s inheritance but only if Peter allows Jesus to wash his feet. For instance, it can be seen as a symbol of baptism; for when we are baptized, our sins are washed away, Jesus becomes our inheritance. May we also allow Jesus to wash us, to wash our feet, that part of us that is always stained.

     In the second reading (1 Cor. 11:23-26) St. Paul presents a detailed description of the Last Supper. Indeed, it is worthy to note that this is the oldest account of the Last Supper. It was written even before the Gospels, for St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians around the mid 50’s of the first century. Unlike in the Passover meal, in the Lord’s Supper Jesus added two more symbols (Bread and Wine). He took a loaf of bread, said the blessings and broke it and gave it to his disciples saying: “Take, and eat it, this is my body which is broken for you, do this in remembrance of me” (1Cor. 11:24). Similarly, he took the Chalice and said “This cup is the new covenant in my Blood, whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me” (1Cor. 11:25). And indeed, with the above words the sacraments of the Holy Eucharist was enacted. As such, Jesus anticipated the sacrifice of himself on the Cross as he handed the Bread and the Cup to his apostles. The hot button message of this old Pauline text is the fact that Jesus is the True sacrificed Lamb, not the animal of the Jewish Passover; but Jesus who is both the “Offering and the Offerer”. As it was in the tradition of the Jews to confirm covenants with blood, now Jesus declares the shedding of his Blood as a confirmation of the New Covenant. For this, St. Paul expressed with a sublime conviction, “Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God” (Eph. 5:2). Likewise in Paul (as in the Synoptic), the Eucharist looks both backward (to the salvific event on the Cross made present) and forward (to the second coming as anticipated here).

     In all, as we can see, within the context of the Last Supper Jesus instituted the Sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and of the Priesthood (Holy Orders). He passed it on to his apostles: “Do this in memory of me” (Lk. 22:19; 1Cor 11:24). In and with those words Jesus gave us the mandate to continue to celebrate it in commemoration of Him, and that we do each time we celebrate Mass. Here we have to pay attention, for the command “do this” (plural) is addressed to the Christian community as a whole. The Eucharist is an action of the whole church and the eloquent expression of the Eucharistic priestly character (cf. 1Pt.2:1-10; Rev.1:6). He who presides at the Eucharistic celebration is the mouthpiece of the Church’s priesthood. On the other hand, the one presiding exhibits the priesthood of Christ to the Christian community. Jesus instituted this sacrament for the commemoration of his Passion and Death (The One and Living Sacrifice), so that each time we gather to celebrate it, we relive in an unbloody manner the event of Christ, particularly the offering of Himself in a bloody manner on the Cross. It is not by chance that Jesus instituted these two sacraments in the same context, and this goes a long way to reveal that the two sacraments are intimately tied together. Indeed, Jesus is The Real Passover Lamb (the Eucharist) and The Priest (The Priest of the New Covenant) For Love of Us (He demonstrated this in the washing of feet).

Thank you Jesus for the Eucharist, Your Eternal Presence!

Thank you Jesus for the Priesthood, That makes You present in our midst!

Thank You Jesus for calling me to share in your Priesthood!

Lord Jesus, the Eternal High Priest may we never depart from your Eucharistic table and help us to commit ourselves to a life of humble service. The Table and the Towel are signs of liberation; Jesus set us free from every form of darkness. Amen!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

The Journey of His Passion: From Jerusalem to Calvary!

(Homily of the Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, Year A)

     Today marks the beginning of the Holy Week or the “Great Week”, which will be crowned with the Pasqual Triduum, the culminating point of the whole liturgical year. In this WEEK, the Church celebrates in her Liturgy the great mysteries of her redemption (Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord). In the Holy Week God gives us an appointment of an existential and salvific REALITY-SHOW of the Man on the Cross. The Cross, therefore, is at the center of this week, but not just as an ordinary instrument, but because of the Man on it, who made it a sublime and salvific image. As such, we are called to ‘re-live’ with faith and love these events of our Salvation. In our Eucharistic celebration, we read the passion of the Lord, but prior to that, we celebrated his entrance into Jerusalem (His Triumphant entry), in the midst of acclamations by the people, the shouts of Hosanna that decorously accompanied Jesus, and the road that was decorated with palm fronts. In his triumphant entry we could imagine the presence of people of different calibres, the young and the old, the rich and the poor, all full of expectations, and yet they were not too sure of what was happening, they were pushing and pulling all around him, singing and dancing, shouting and ululating: “Hossana! Glory to God, hail the King, Son of God, Son of David, Alleluia”. On the other hand, there were also the scribes, friends and opponents who understood better than others where all this would lead to. Jesus took the path of suffering, he knew the road to suffering and he walked by it. As orchestrated in his Passion journey, it was a road of physical violence and torture, a road of rejection and betrayal, a road of physical and spiritual abandonment. But he knew how to journey on that road by means of humility, obedience and resilience.

     The disciples and the crowd proclaimed Jesus King and he was accompanied majestically, they hailed him as King who comes in the name of the Lord. They hailed Him with Hosanna, because in Jesus’ public ministry, he healed their sick, fed the hungry and performed so many miracles. These wonders he wrought in their midst aroused in them the desire to crown Him King, but afterwards the whole game changed from shouts of acclamation to shouts of elimination. Who would have imagined that the crowd which welcomed Jesus with such excitement and enthusiasm during his entrance into Jerusalem would turn against him with such hostility, as to demand for his elimination and death, from the ululation of Hossana to the demand of his crucifixion. It is now obvious that those shouts and ululations of Hossana were superficial.

     The readings of today unify two events: the commemoration of the triumphant entry of Jesus to Jerusalem and the “reality-show” of the Passion of Christ. The first event was remembered with the rite of entrance through the procession with palm fronts and the proclamation of the Gospel about the entrance of Jesus in the Holy City. And the second event that auspicates the reality of Jesus’ Passion. The essence of our reflection and of the events we are celebrating today is not as a result of the desire to remember just the past, but rather to render present and re-live today the Event of Christ through and in the liturgical celebration and in our lives. Hence, we are called to enter with Jesus into the drama of his Passion.

     In the first reading (Is. 50:4-7) here we see what could be termed the prophecy of Jesus’ Passion: “For my part, I made no resistance, neither did I turn away. I offered my back to those who struck me, my cheeks to those who tore at my beard; I did not cover my face. Against insult and spite” (Is. 50:5-6). Therein, we are called to reflect on the third song of the Servant of Yahweh, which serves as a prefiguration of the sufferings of the future Messiah. Even the psalm prefigures the Passion of Jesus in the following words, “All who see me deride me. They curl their lips, they toss their heads” (Ps. 22:7).

     The second reading (Phil. 2:6-11) presents the hymn of St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians, which in no small way illustrates the mystery of Christ’s self-emptying in his death and supreme exaltation. Already in the Incarnation, Jesus began the self-emptying process known as kenosis. And St. Paul speaks of the kenosis of Christ, “who, being in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped. But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being” (Phil. 2:7). But then St. Paul points to his glorification thus: “And for this God raised him high, and gave him the name which is above all other names” (Phil. 2:9).  In this Christological presentation, the identity of Christ was revealed: Jesus is the Son of God, who in order to save man, became man, through an itinerary of suffering, humiliation and death. Indeed, the liturgy of the Palm / Passion Sunday presents to us a complete chart of the mystery of our salvation. Let us not forget, that we are at the center of the whole event, because it was for the sake of man and his salvation that the Son of God passed through this heroic adventure. As such, St. Paul sets out to propose a model we all have to imitate, if man is at the center of Jesus’s passion, he cannot remain only as a passive spectator. Little wonder, the apostle invites: “make your own the mind of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). We are invited therefore, to follow with faith and love the passion of the Lord.

     This year we are called to reflect on the Passion of Christ according to the Gospel narrative of St. Mathew (Mt. 26:14-27:66). In the account of the Passion according to Mathew, there is a latent emphasis on “freedom”, freedom with which Christ affronts death, he did not suffer passively or against his will, but he accepted suffering willingly, knowing that it was the will of the Father: “Oblatus est quia ipse voluit”. In Mathew’s account we notice a constant reference to the Sacred Scriptures: “The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him” (26:24); “but then, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say this is the way it must be?” (26:54); “all this happened to fulfil the prophecies in the Scripture” (26:56). Jesus through and with his Passion realizes the prophecies and the plan of salvation designed by the Father.

     In Mathew’s narrative, there is a constant repetition of the innocence of Jesus, and the guilt of man, from Pilate to the High Priests and the Pharisees, from Judas who betrayed Him, to Peter that denied Him, to all the disciples that abandoned him. Through the Gospel pericope of Mathew on the Passion, we are called to enter proper into the drama that Jesus passed through his physical and spiritual sufferings. As we enter into his Passion, let us remember those moments we have betrayed Him, like Judas through our sins. At times we have claimed not to know him like Peter in our brothers and sisters who suffer hunger and abandonment. The moments we failed to keep wake with Him, those moments we allowed ourselves to be carried away by the laziness of sleep, by spiritual inertia, like the apostles in the Garden of Olive.

     We can ask ourselves many questions in the light of Christ’s Passion and sufferings. Each one of us can read his own life in the light of the Passion, in order to discover those internal incongruences, contradictions and ingratitude towards God. Let us have a flash back to what transpired during his triumphant entry and during the Passion, here we see once again the power of the crowd. And the truth has to be said that sometimes we behave like the crowd that was ululating HOSSANA and afterwards demand for His death. It is easy to be part of the crowd that attend morning masses and Sunday masses, to take front seats and places of honour in the church, and when Jesus needs us most, we are no where to be found, we are like the crowd that turned against Him and refused to go with Him to the Cross. In all, let us not fail to recognize and appreciate Him for He died on the Cross for our salvation, and He is always ready to welcome us in his Mercy. The immensity of his mercy cannot but propel us to cry for our sins of betrayal, of denial and of abandonment of Him.

     In the Passion, Jesus prays to the Father: “If it is possible, remove this cup”, but “not what I will but what you will” (Mt. 26:29), the prayer of Jesus takes him closer to the Father, it raised him up, and he ascended from the desire “to remove the cup” to the desire of “what the Father wills and not what he wills”. This is what prayer does in our life too, it transcends us and takes us closer to God. Prayer helped him to stand his ground before his terrifying Passion and death. Prayer indeed, transforms our sufferings to avenues for blessing, through His sufferings every suffering of a Christian becomes a SPIRITUAL THERAPY, for through Him, suffering acquires a sublime meaning and signification. Therefore, let us unite our worries, our fears, our questions for meaning, our sufferings, in fact, our passion to His Passion. Indeed, humanity today is experiencing a passion, but it is only with the gaze fixed on the event of the Christ, precisely on His Passion that we will be able to overcome our challenges. His Passion and Death give meaning to our life, our suffering and our death.

     The Passion of Jesus should be for us an opportunity for repentance (the repentant thief), an occasion to affirm His identity (the Centurion) or just as an incident that arouses hostility and indifference in us. So, are we like Judas that betrayed him? Like Peter that denied him? Like Pilate that delivered him to death? Like the stubborn thief that insulted Him? Instead let’s cue in, in the line of Simon of Cyrene who helped him to carry his (our) Cross, of the women of Jerusalem that mourn for him, of the Centurion who strikes his chest and recognizes him as the Son of God, of the good thief that believed and entrusted himself to Jesus. Does His Passion still move us today? His Passion should move and touch us because our sins inflicted those pains and sufferings on him. Let it not be a momentary touch or feelings, rather His Passion should move us to flee from our sins and abandon our old ways, for through His wounds we are healed (Is. 53:5; 1Pt. 2:21) and made whole.

     In all, may His Passion lead us to the discovery of His real identity, and here the gesture and proclamation of the Centurion is superb! “Truly this man was the Son of God” (Mt. 27:54; Mk. 15:39; Lk. 23:47). The pagan Centurion did not recognize his Sonship because he saw the tomb empty, not because he saw shining light, but he discovered this at the heart of the event of Good Friday: Jesus on the Cross, the reality-show! But all does not end here, we can only read and understand this event if we start from the end. Indeed, the Scripture, the Passion of Christ like the Hebrew alphabet is to be read from the end! We pray that we may learn from the Passion of Christ how to be patient in adversity and build our hope in the Lord. Lord we unite our human existential passions to your redeeming Passion. Our hope is in You! Amen!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

  

The Master Is Here!

(Homily for the 5^th Sunday of Lent Year A)

          The predominant theme around which revolve the three readings of today is God’s power, orchestrated in the resurrection to newness of life. This divine power is manifested in the first reading through the Israelites who were extremely humiliated, and were compared to open graves. Despite all odds, this people will rise again by God’s mighty deed and intervention. Again, in the Gospel, the power of God was manifested in an unprecedented manner in Christ who raised his friend Lazarus to life, who died for already four days and in the tomb. With the passage of this Gospel, the Liturgy of the word today inspires us to adhere to Jesus Christ with a convinced and enthusiastic faith: Jesus is the Lord of life, He is the Son of God, and the promised Messiah. And by extension this divine power will be made manifest in all Christians. The divine power of God as St. Paul expressed in the second reading is and will be manifest in all the faithful through the Holy Spirit who will regenerate them into the life of God’s children, and at the end of time, he will vivify our mortal bodies, and enable it to participate in the glory of the risen Christ. Gradually, the Lenten season is approaching its epilogue, that is, the celebration of the mystery of the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection of Christ reveals the destiny of all humanity. For the resurrection of Christ is the beginning, the sign and the cause of our resurrection.

         In the first reading (Ez. 37:12-14) we see the conclusion and Ezekiel’s interpretation of the vision of the valley of dry bones, which was a battle field and later restored to life. The passage is full of symbols. The bones are identified with Israel in exile, and the resurrection of the bones points to Israel’s restoration from Babylonian exile to their land. Furthermore, the passage shifted from dry bones to graves: “I will open your graves, and raise you from your graves.” The reference to graves is suggestive of the fact that already at the time of Ezekiel there was a gradual emergence of the expectation of general resurrection at the last day (cf. Is. 26:19). This expectation was later developed by the apocalyptic literature. However, in our present passage the language of the future hope points to Israel’s return from exile. Indeed, it is likened to resurrection from the grave. At the heart of this figurative resurrection is God’s action, who will bring his people to newness of life and will put his Spirit in them. In all, therefore, in this passage we see the two levels of resurrection: the restoration of his people and the eschatological resurrection of the dead.

          The episode of today’s Gospel (Jn. 11:1-45) indeed, not only reveals the divinity of Jesus, but also his humanity, for he wept for the death of his dear friend Lazarus, and he manifested the sentiment of friendship to Martha and Mary. Through this miracle Jesus manifested himself as true God and true man. The symbol in the prophecy of Ezekiel became a reality in the case of Lazarus. He was a real man, who was living in Bethany, with his sisters (Mary and Martha). He felt sick and died. When Jesus arrived, Lazarus has stayed four days in the tomb, this period in the Jewish tradition and mentality is a period suggestive of a definitive end. But Jesus went to the tomb and called Lazarus out. Indeed, it is true that while the experience of Lazarus is a reality-show of the symbolic narrative of Ezekiel, more still, it refers to another superior reality: the Death and Resurrection of Christ. And connecting the first reading and the Gospel, we can say confidently that there is a transcendent process in the understanding of Resurrection. First, it was a symbol of liberation and participation to a joyful life in the Land God promised to his people. And again, it is a real and historical passage from death to life. This passage from death to life adopts new and insuperable consideration in Christ, who dying won victory over death and regained life for ever! With this miracle Jesus intends to anticipate the great event of his passion and death. Indeed, what happened in the case of Lazarus for himself alone, the Resurrection of Jesus accomplishes that for all humanity. His death overcomes the death of man, and his resurrection is a pledge of the resurrection of man.

          The evangelist placed the event of the raising of Lazarus at a crucial position in the ministry of Jesus. In fact, it occasioned Jesus’ last journey to Judea and Jerusalem, and the resurrection of Lazarus sets in motion the events that will lead to the crucifixion of Jesus. The placing of this event at this time in the mission of Jesus reveals that Jesus goes to his death as the resurrection and the life. As such, through this miracle Jesus attracted the attention of the Jewish leaders who started planning for His execution. It is one of the main reason for the death of Jesus in the fourth Gospel (cf. Jn.11:45-53). Prior to this miracle, Jesus had raised the daughter of Jairus (Lk. 8:41-42, 49-56), and the son of the widow of Nain (Lk. 7:11-17). Though in the Old testament Elijah and Elisha raised people from the dead (1Kgs 17:17-24; 2Kgs 4:17-37). But no where has it been recorded that someone was raised after four days. This makes this miracle of today’s Gospel, extraordinary and unique. The miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus was a real EVENT. Furthermore, the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus is indeed a manifestation of the final destiny of every believer, for Jesus says: “whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live…he will not die forever.” This miracle confirms that faith triumphs over death. The evangelist on his part through this Gospel narrative, wants to lead us to adherence to Christ through a convinced and matured faith, as exemplified in the dialogue between Jesus and Martha.

          As we can see, faith requires generally a progressive development, a gradual maturity, it is a journey. And we can see this in the person of Martha, the sister of Lazarus who said to Jesus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (Jn. 11:21). Martha is still uncertain about the identity of Jesus. If she had known Jesus’ identity, she could have known that the miracle can be realized, with or without the physical presence of Jesus. Indeed, sometimes we are like Martha, that conjugate the verb of our faith and hope in the past: “if you had been here”. Jesus is always present. Not only that, even when he assures Martha that her brother “will rise again” (Jn. 11:23), she instead conjugated the verb of her faith in the remote future: “I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day” (Jn. 11:24). Once again she has not understood who Jesus is, except when Jesus declared vehemently: “I am the resurrection and the life” (Jn. 11:25), and he assured her that whoever believes in Him, even if he dies will live again. Then, Martha added “Yes Lord… I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God” (Jn.11:27). Afterwards, she ran and gave the message of hope to her sister, Mary: “The Master is here” (Jn. 11:28). These words are replete with hope, they not only affirm the name of Jesus as the Emmanuel, but also his identity and mission as the Ever-Present Saviour. And no doubt, the presence of the Master was felt. His presence changes everything. His presence restores hope and vivifies life!  Finally, Martha arrived at the understanding of who Jesus is, because faith is a step by step journey. However, we are called to embark on this journey, in order to avoid the risk of remaining in doubt or in uncertainty.

         Behold, when Lazarus was about to die, they informed Jesus: “The one whom you love is sick.” At that time Jesus was with his disciples in a serene place, because of the hatred of the Jews who have decided to kill him. For this, his disciples were surprised that he wanted to turn back to Judea in order to see his friend Lazarus. And they reminded him: “Master a little while ago the Jews wanted to kill you and now you want to go in their midst?”. Indeed, Jesus knew what awaits him in Jerusalem. Little wonder he said: “Now let’s go to Jerusalem, there the son of man will be handed over to his enemies.” Not minding the danger of meeting the Jews again, Jesus was moved by the love he has for his friend. And not only Lazarus, Jesus has continued to manifest his love towards man, even in his rebellion and spiritual death. Jesus’ love for humanity in this episode finds its most touching manifestation: he wept! He did not hide his emotions. And the people around exclaimed: “See how much he loved him” (Jn. 11:36).

          At the peak of that episode, after praying, Jesus said in a deep voice, “Lazarus come out!” (Jn.11:43), and in the same manner the same words of Jesus are ri-directed to each and everyone of us in our different situations, Jesus is saying to you: “come out! Come out of your tomb! Come out of your bondage!” From whatever that is keeping you in bondage, from whatever that is not allowing you to become who Jesus wants you to be. His words reechoes: “Unbind him, let him go free” (Jn.11:44). May you be unbound, so that you will celebrate your freedom as God’s children. If Jesus can heal and resurrect a decomposing body, there is no situation in the world, that He cannot change, for He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). The resurrection of Lazarus above all, is a revelation of what happens presently, here and now, in the spiritual realm. In each and everyone of us there is a symbol of the new life of grace that conquers the death to sin. We are often times in the tomb of sin, and Jesus shouts at a loud voice: “come out”. At that point we feel free and alive once again. Through this episode, we are called to remove the stones at the tombs in which the man of today closed himself in: the tomb of immorality, of corruption, of injustice, of violence and of egoism. Therefore, in a sense, the resurrection of Lazarus is also our own resurrection, for Jesus calls us out of the tomb, to a new life that not even the corporal death can change. Lazarus is called by name, and you too in baptism have received a name, because salvation involves you personally: it is you who is coming out of the tomb today, who is moving from the slavery of sin to the dignity of the Son of God, from the domination of death to life arising from the resurrection of Christ.

          Similarly, in the second reading (Rm. 8:8-11) St. Paul expresses this in his concept of those “in the flesh” and those “in the spirit”. He talks about the works of the flesh as opposed to that of the spirit. He reintroduces the two levels of resurrection, that we talked about above. The first level has to do with resurrection from the dead, but here in reference to Christ. St. Paul advances his reflection in relation to Christians, thus, he maintained that Christians through Baptism have received the indwelling of the Spirit which raised Jesus from the dead. And here we see the second level of the imports of resurrection: “Your spirits are alive because of righteousness.” The second level has to do with the restoration of the people of God to newness of life. And again, the first level of resurrection is equally expected of Christians: “he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies”. Man ordinarily is mortal, thus, subject to death, but Christ has broken the bonds of death by means of his resurrection. By means of his death we enjoy newness of life here on earth and hope for the future resurrection.

          A thorough attention to today’s Gospel reveals that Jesus repeated or used the same word he used in response to his disciples in the episode of the miracle of the man born blind, when they questioned him, whose fault is this man’s blindness? He replied “is for the revelation of God’s work in him” (Jn. 9:3). And in this episode too, Jesus said a similar thing. He told his disciples that the sickness/death of Lazarus is for the glory of God, so that through it the Son of man may be glorified (Jn. 11:4). My dear brothers and sisters, no matter what you may be passing through now, no matter the intensity and the density of your problems, I can hear the assuring words of Jesus saying “it is for the glory of God”, which means a miracle is about to take place or has already taken place in your life. Do not conjugate the verb of your hope in the past, nor conjugate the verb of your faith to a remote future. For Christ is with you (The Master is here), He will call you out of that situation as He did to Lazarus.

          Jesus is the Lord of life, little wonder he called back his friend Lazarus to life from the grave. And today we invoke Him to have pity on humanity assumed and redeemed by Him, and may He make us to pass from death to life especially in this perilous times. Indeed, what happened at the grave of Lazarus is a sign, it was the beginning of a miracle that Jesus continues to accomplish even today in the Church and in the world. He is also moved with compassion for me and for us. The Good News is that we have a Saviour, there is Jesus Christ in our midst. Indeed, the Master is here! He is before us and he continues to call us with a loud voice: Come out! Come out from your indifference, from your egoism, from your relativism and subjectivism, from secularism, from your greed and insatiable desires, from your trust in science and technology at the expense of faith in God, from your panic and desperation. His voice and words resound now more than ever: “come out of your trust in material things, come out of your worship of idols, come out of that sickness and disease, come out of the evil mechanizations of the agents of darkness, come out of that financial and spiritual insecurity, come out of that bondage the enemies have subjected you to”. However, he asks us as he asked Martha: “Do you believe…” (Jn. 11:26b). And here, Martha did her profession of faith “Yes I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of the God the one who was to come into this world” (Jn. 11:27). Jesus himself assured Martha: “Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God” (Jn, 11:40). Let us believe in Him through a matured and convinced faith, so that this promise will be fulfilled in our lives, that is, the manifestation of God’s glory in Us. May His glory manifest in us, in every situation and in every circumstance of our existence. May He who raised Lazarus raise our fallen world! May His voice continue to resound: “You too Come out! Be free!” Amen! Do not panic for the Master is still here!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)