Christianity Without Frontiers!

(Homily 26^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-Yr. B)

     A voyage back to history lane reveals that there has been an incessant craving in man to stand out from others, to manifest his tendencies of superiority and inequality especially towards those he considers outside of his own ‘group’. For instance, in the Christian religion, many a times the different denominations do not agree on certain issues of faith and manner of worship. Sometimes this degenerates into a sort of division and sense of inequality. However, attempts have been made in various quarters to close the gap and overcome the often exaggerated division. Yet this sense of inequality still persists, often times degenerating into fanatism, integralism and intolerance. Similarly, it is this craving that propelled the apostles of Jesus to make such divisional remarks in today’s Gospel. The striking phrase of the readings of this Sunday is: “someone who is not one of us” as evidenced in the Gospel passage. This phrase too was the force propelling the reaction of the anonymous young man and Joshua in the context of the first reading. Many a times, a good number of us repeat this phrase too, either too ascertain our authority or to sustain our feelings of superiority and inequality. This of course, is a statement that divides and separates, instead of unifying. But Jesus’ intervention can be condensed in the phrase “communion with all”. Thus, Jesus invites his disciples and followers to pass from an ideological contraposition to a joyful and disarming proposal of the Good News. Goodness is not tied to one temple. Incumbent upon that, the common thread that runs through the first reading and the Gospel is the fact the spirit blows where it wills. It was Dietrich Bonhoeffer a German theologian who came up with a puzzling thought of “non-religious-Christianity”, this seems to be connected with K. Rahner’s “anonymous Christians”, though their outlook on the terms differ. This new theological outlook of Bonhoeffer is not a denial of the church. Instead the “non-religious Christian” is by extension a follower of Christ, but in a different new way.

     In the first reading (Nm. 11:25-29) we read a somewhat confusing story. After Moses’ appointment of the seventy elders to assist him in governing the people in the wilderness. They received a share of Moses’ spirit. This gave rise to a temporary manifestation of charismatic prophecy among them. Later on, it ceased, and then two men Eldad and Medad engaged in the charismatic prophecy, but given that they were not part of the seventy elders, an overzealous young man brought this to the notice of Joshua, who told Moses to stop them for exercising an unauthorized ministry, but Moses refused and responded in a rather strong manner, thus: “Are you jealous on my account? If only all Yahweh’s people were prophets, and Yahweh had given them his spirit” (v.29). This is equally a lesson for us today. The spirit cannot be confined to a particular group, the spirit blows where it wills. Every good and authentic Christian has to guide against every form of intolerance towards those who are not Christians and do not belong to the church. Rather there is need for openness, openness also to welcome the seeds of truth and goodness that the Lord spread in every man and woman, in every race and culture. That is the semina verbi, the seed of the divine Word, of God’s wisdom.

     The Gospel passage (Mk. 9:38-43.45.47-48) of this Sunday is loaded with many admonitions from the Master. The teachings of Jesus in today’s Gospel periscope can be divided into three: ●First, an invitation not to stop those who perform miracle in the name of Jesus, but are not his followers. ●Second, a call to guide against being a scandal to the little ones in the faith. ●Third, the invitation to cut off anything in us or around us that may lead us to sin (this indeed is a proactive advice to us as well).

     In this passage, Jesus continued his instruction to his disciples and apostles; he pointed out to them what should be their comportment towards those who are not part of the band of apostles and disciples, those who are not “one of them”. He invited them to guide against any form of integralism and intolerance. Those who belong to him should not think of having the monopoly or exclusivity of truth and goodness. God is free and generous, and He can plant truth and goodness even in the hearts of those who are not Christ’s disciples. This teaching of Jesus was a fellow up to the reaction of the apostles to those who do not belong to their circle. John reported: “Master, we saw someone who is not one of us driving out devils in your name, and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him” (v.38). Certainly, John must have expected to receive a pat on the back from his Master for his zeal, instead Jesus said: “You must not stop him; no one who works a miracle in my name could soon afterwards speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us” (vv. 39-40). He further added, that anyone who does a good and generous work, no matter how small and insignificant, like giving a cup of water, in his name will receive his reward (v. 41). In the apostles one notices the tendency to reserve healing and exorcism for themselves. Probably they wanted to be seen to be more important and more equal than others in his name. They wanted to be seen as superiors in his name. They seem to have forgotten too early the lesson he taught them with that child in the center of their circle (cf. Mk. 9:36-37). In their intervention, they were not motivated by values like, goodness, unity and harmony; rather they were carried away by their quest for the observation of rules and feelings of inequality.

     Afterwards, Jesus advanced a teaching about scandal in relation to the little ones that believe. In biblical language, scandal signifies an obstacle, on which one can stumble and fall. In this context, the little ones that believe are not children, but believers who are fragile and insecure. In order to help the apostles understand the intensity of this admonition, Jesus pronounced threat to those who become obstacle, for others to believe or worst still, who make the little ones to lose their faith, “But anyone who is the downfall of one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone hung round his neck” (v.42). Here, Jesus calls us to live our Christian life in a coherent and authentic way, warding off whatever may mislead others, especially the little ones in the faith. The admonition of Jesus obliges every Christian to lead an exemplary life, such that those who have little faith will be reinforced and those who do not have will be encouraged to embrace it.

     The third teaching of Jesus has to do equally with scandal, the obstacle that we can set for ourselves. While the second teaching has to do with obstacle to the faith of others, this admonition has to do with one’s faith. “If your hand should be your downfall, cut it off…if your foot should be your downfall, cut it off…if your eyes should be your downfall, tear it out…” (vv.43.45.47). Jesus gives us guidelines on how to overcome evil, temptation and sin. Here, Jesus speaks in metaphorical terms, when he invites us to cut off our hand or foot or pluck our eyes, he is inviting us to avoid the occasions of sin, whatever or whoever that may induce us to sin. It is an invitation for intus legere (to read inside), to examine our lives and to reflect deep within ourselves in order to see if there are things that are leading us astray. The parts of the body mentioned here, hand, leg and eye, are the avenues through which human beings carry out their activities. If your hand should…, that is if you commit acts that will distance you from the faith, if your foot…, that is if you walk on paths that are dangerous for your faith; if your eye should…, that is if you watch or read things that will endanger your faith. Faith is a supernatural gift that we have to try and avoid anything that will compromise it in us and in others.

     The admonitions of Jesus therefore, become very much important in our world today flooded with occasions and realities that can easily lure us to sin, ranging from drugs, alcohol, the events and realities portrayed on the media. Worried as she was over this situation, Mother Teresa of Calcutta said about television: “we have a tabernacle to Jesus in the Church and we have a tabernacle to the Satan in the home”. Thus, Jesus invites us to avoid the occasion of sin and to strengthen ourselves against evil. He constantly invites us to follow his examples. Of a truth, Christian discipleship must have a Christological basis, in that the disciple has to become what the Master is. Little wonder the cost of discipleship is high.

     In the second reading (Jm. 5:1-6) we encounter yet another admonition. Therein St. James blows hot against the rich. It revolves around the rich, certainly not all, but those that enrich themselves by means of injustice, oppression and fraud. The employers that exploit their employees. Those who use their riches egoistically, instead of sharing with the poor and the needy. This indeed, is one of those few New Testament passages that address the issue of social justice. In the words of St. James: “on earth you have had a life of comfort and luxury; in the time of slaughter you went on eating to your heart’s content” (v.5). The author equally provided a sort of a theological basis for his social ethics, thus: “The cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord Sabaoth” (v.4b). This admonition of St. James is not only to be understood individually, but also collectively, and as such also valid for the rich nations towards the poor ones, especially those who continue to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor nations. To those individuals and nations who are insensitive to the plight of the poor, he says: “Your wealth is rotting; your clothes are all moth-eaten” (v.2).

     In all, the readings of today invites us to guide against what could be called religious and social divides, as manifested in the first reading and in the Gospel. It is the tendency to segregate and separate ourselves from those we term non-Christians or those who do not belong to our religious circle. Let us not forget that a real Christian is one who follows the example of Jesus, we cannot brag about being Christians by mere belongingness. The dividing line is not between those who go to church and those who do not, rather it is between those that follow His examples and those who do not, those who use their resources to help the poor and the needy (cf. Mt. 25: 31-46) and those who do not like those insensitive rich in the second reading. In no small way the admonition of James buttresses the fact raised in the other two readings. For we have rich Christians who do not help the poor, and as well rich non-Christians or even atheists who are sensitive to the plight of the poor. So, goodness is not tied to only one temple, the Spirit blows where it wills. Lord Jesus help us always to recognize your presence even when it is hidden! Amen!!

(Fr. Vitus M.C. Unegbu, SC)

On Christian Greatness!

(Homily 25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-Yr. B)

     A dive into history will reveal that long since the existence of man, there has been a constant tension between good (God) and evil (Devil), between the righteous and the unrighteous, between the just and the unjust, the list can continue, on and on. However, the scenario presented in the readings today is an existential manifestation of this age long tension. Of course, till today we still experience the presages of that tension, many a times fuelled by the quest for greatness. As a matter of fact, the ungodly men will continue to strive to lord it over the just and the righteous, as it is narrated in the first reading, and as we often experience. Many a times is as if the ungodly men do everything to be in power, in order to continue to perpetrate their evil agenda. They strive for the seat of position not for the sake of service but for power, self-exaltation and for the continuation of the so-called spiral of evil. The three readings seem to converge on the themes of the just, the unjust, wisdom and greatness. In the book of Wisdom, the just is a believer in God, who seeks to do his will, what is right and acceptable in His sight. In the New Testament, particularly from the second reading and the Gospel passage, the just is one who is guided by the “wisdom from above”, while the impious, the unjust, according to the book of Wisdom is one who doesn’t recognise the supremacy of God, and retains that he came to the world by chance, he is after pleasure and personal gains. And from the second reading and the Gospel, the impious is one who is guided by the earthly wisdom, and as such, in search of worldly greatness. Above all else, however, it behoves us to affirm that Christian greatness is measured not by the amount of wealth, nor by the numerous titles acquired outside and inside the Church, is rather measured by the capacity and readiness to serve others, particularly the poorest. In today’s message, therefore, the idea of the triumphant ministry is replaced by that of servant hood.

     The first reading (Wis. 2:12.17-20) from the book of Wisdom presents to us the situation of the Jewish community that remained faithful to God and to their religious tradition, in the midst of a pagan world. The sacred author talks about two sets or categories of people: the Just and the godless people. The godless in our text here represents the pagan world, or those Jews that have abandoned their faith in God to conform themselves to the style of life of pagans. The just instead, represents the community of the faithful or individually, one who lives in conformity with the commandments of God. The godless sees the just as a threat, “he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training”. Here, is there reason for hating the righteous. Instead of changing their lives, they look for a way of dealing with the just, even questioning what will be the outcome of their faith in God at the end. Their honesty and truthfulness provoke the godless. Righteousness and justice in the sight of the godless is inflammatory, little wonder they are combative of the just. A closer look to what is happening in our society today goes a long way in revealing that holiness and righteousness are for those that are courageous and ready to swim against the current. For the good actions of the righteous is a threat to the evil deeds of the ungodly. As such, many a times those who are righteous and lack courage are subjected to silence. On the other times they are forced to the trend of conspiracy of silence. Conscious of this, we re-echo our prayer, joining our voices to that of the Psalmist saying: “The sceptre of the wicked will not come to rest over the heritage of the upright; or the upright might set their own hands to evil” (Ps. 125:3).

     Drawing the issue further, from the Christological perspective, the ordeal of the just seem to anticipate the Passion of Christ (the Just par excellence). Secondly, the figure of the just presented in the book of Wisdom shows close affinity with the righteous man described by the Psalmist, who is vindicated by God and also with the suffering servant of Deutero-Isaiah. A sort of parallel exists between the ordeal of the just and the prediction of the Passion. This passage from all indications might have been chosen in consideration of the second prediction of the Passion, in today’s Gospel. And from the existential standpoint, it presents an actual situation that is even present in our own time too. For many a time, honesty and rectitude can attract hostility and hatred. Truly, a Christian who lives in accordance with the spirit of Christ and his Gospel is called to be a reproach to the spirit of the world. Thus, a Christian is equally called to suffer the persecution of the “just”, “anyone who tries to live in devotion to Christ is certain to be persecuted” (2Tm. 3:12).

     The persecution of the just by the impious, though doesn’t have any justification, but it has a psychological explanation, that we can find in the passage. The life of the just is a constant reproach to the impious, it is a constant obstacle to their evil plans and projects. From the psychological standpoint, the impious persecute the just because the ways of the just is a reproach to their conduct and lays bare their hypocrisy. The ways of the just destabilises their apparently built homeostasis, it destroys their primitive defence mechanism.

     In the second reading (James 3:16-4.3) St. James tells us that there is a wisdom that comes from on high, a gift of God. “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity”.  But there is wisdom opposed to this wisdom from above, and that is the wisdom of the world, is a diabolic wisdom. It causes wars, fights, inordinate desires that push you to kill. A brother kills his brother because of this type of wisdom. But a Christian is one who has made a precise choice: to allow himself to be led by the Wisdom from above. He advanced his exultation saying “you do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (Jm. 4:2-3). For this incapacity to decipher what matters in life, the second reading warned us about the danger of confused priorities.

     In today’s Gospel (Mk 9:30-37) Jesus teaches his apostles privately, with the exclusion of the crowd. This could be seen as a moment of formation for the apostles before they could continue the ministry of Jesus. Therein, we see the episode of the discussion of the apostles on their way to Capernaum. The content of their discussion revolved around who is the greatest. Irrespective of the fact that Jesus has predicted for the second time, the betrayal and death that await him in Jerusalem, yet they were not able to understand the demands and the nature of His Mission. Little wonder, they already started to dream of sharing his glory, probably bent on whom to succeed Him, when he will be no more.

     Jesus continued with the teaching on his passion and death to his disciples, but they did not understand profoundly what He was talking about. He was talking about a matter of life and death. But they were not listening to him; they were busy competing on power. Their minds were stalked at the thought of the things of the world like power and authority. And as Jesus and his apostles arrived Capernaum, as soon as they entered the house, Jesus asked them what they were discussing along the road? But they were silent, ashamed of themselves, because on their way they were discussing among themselves who is the greatest or the most important person. Here, the evangelist helps us to picture an interesting scenario. Providentially, this moved Jesus to give them a wonderful teaching on authority-service, or a servant leader. A leader should lead serving. He sat down and called the twelve together, “if anyone wants to be first, he must be the last and the servant of all” (v.35). Jesus teaches by example, he said “I did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life” (Mk.10:45). As such, a Christian should not be eying first positions or desire to dominate others; rather he is called to practice humility. He has to be at the service of others, especially the least and the lost.

     Jesus further illustrated his teaching with a fascinating gesture, he took a child, put him in the midst of the twelve, he hugged him tenderly and said, “Who welcomes one of these little ones in my name welcomes me, who welcomes me welcomes He who sent me” (v.37). Jesus puts a child at the centre and not himself. In the words of St. Luke “those who exalts themselves will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk. 14:11). A child is an eloquent symbol of a weak, needy and dependent person. And welcoming people like this in the name of Christ, in one’s heart and sharing in their sufferings, entails welcoming Christ himself and through Him, the Father. In order to do this, it is necessary to humble oneself. This is the paradox of the wisdom that comes from on high. The most important in the eyes of God is the one who humbles himself. Indeed, Jesus shows them who is truly great, because from the passage, the disciples and Jesus had different ideas of service and how to achieve greatness. Later on, the apostles will understand what true greatness is and they followed the example of Jesus even in their deaths, as martyrs. Today, the world presents power, sex and money as greatness, but Jesus presents humility and service. We have to be ready to show the world what comes first. On the road to Christian greatness, humility ought to be our sure foundation. In fact, when St. Bernard was asked what the four cardinal virtues were, he replied: “Humility, humility, humility and humility”. This even though looks repetitive, reveals the place of importance that humility occupies in the Christian life.

     The message of this Sunday therefore, calls our attention to the imitation of the ways of the just. For the just, as in the first reading is one who is led by the wisdom from above, as it is suggestive of the second reading; and as such he understands life as a gift, and is ready to render service to others (as revealed in Jesus’ teaching to his apostles). For a disciple of Christ therefore, authority is no longer to be understood in terms of power, domination and self-exaltation, but as a humble service. Brethren, we therefore pray in this Holy Eucharist, that we may be enabled to enter into full and profound communion with Christ, the Wisdom of God incarnated and crucified for love. Amen!!!

(Fr. Vitus M.C. Unegbu, SC)

Rediscovering The Real Image of The Messiah!

(Homily 24^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-Yr B)

     The overriding theme that permeates the readings of this day is the unveiling of Jesus’ identity, as the Suffering Servant, as the Messiah, Son of God etc. Drawing the issue further, the presentation of the Suffering Servant in the first reading and the Christological confession of Peter to Jesus’ question of self-identity portray in a fascinating manner a balanced image of the Messiah. The question of the identity of Jesus is the enigma that the Gospel, especially that of Mark, sets out to unravel. In some episodes, questions have been raised who is this Man? But in the episode of today’s Gospel Jesus himself takes the initiative of asking: who do people say I am? And you, who do you say I am? Even though no human image is able to grasp fully who Jesus is, but in the image of “Messiah” the identity of Jesus is revealed but not in a simplistic manner, for the real and authentic identity of Jesus still evades this image, when idealized or demystified. Indeed, for the Jews the concept of Messiah embodied all their expectations and longing for God’s intervention in their history. They construed a Messiah according to their own standard, need and mentality. A Messiah that will be very potent as to set people free from wicked rules, liberate the oppressed, establish his political rule and punish severely the wicked and the unjust. Their conception was not as remote as ours today, though some of us today are still enveloped in this idealized and demystified image of the Messiah. Indeed, providentially, the prophecy of Isaiah in the first reading and the episode of the Gospel reading together give us an equilibrated conception and image of the Messiah, Son Of God. And again, the theme of Christian existence orchestrated by the invitation to carry the Cross, is an existential part of today’s message that need not to be taken for granted.

     Today we read from the eighth chapter of the Gospel of Mark (Mk. 8:27-35). The passage of today’s Gospel is collocated at the centre of the Gospel of Mark, between the first part and the second part, and this evidences its importance. No doubt, Jesus has preached, taught and spoken with authority, he has performed extraordinary miracles, yet his precise identity remains mysterious, an enigma yet to be unravelled. Therefore, who is Jesus? What do people say about him? And what do those very close to him say about him? These two fundamental questions were raised by Jesus (v.8). The Gospel of Mark especially in the first part, the first eight chapters can be considered a great catechesis on the discovery of Jesus’ identity. And the evangelist helps us to set out for this journey starting from the beginning of his gospel, in order to understand who Jesus is and to adhere to His words with faith.

     First, Jesus addressed the question to His disciples: “who do men say I am?”. Some say you are John the Baptist, some say you are Elijah, while others say you are one of the prophets of old. Second, He now turned to his disciples and asked the same question: “But who do you say i am?” Peter spoke up immediately, “You are the Christ” Peter’s answer was right on point and extraordinary too. The response of Peter is an anticipated confession of faith, it is an anticipation of the full and definitive profession of faith proclaimed by the centurion at the foot of the cross: “Truly this man was Son of God” (Mk.15:39). At the beginning of the second Gospel, Mark presented his as “the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mk.1:1). If we remember vividly well, in John 1:41 Andrew introduced Jesus to Peter, as the Christ, the Messiah. Let us go back to Jesus’ second question once again, he asked them, “But who do you say I am”, ‘but’ here denotes that Jesus was expecting a different response from his disciples, after their experience of Him and with Him, they shouldn’t still remain at “here say knowledge”, Peter’s response is an offshoot from a knowledge of an encounter. The response of Peter was exact, but Jesus strictly warned his disciples not to speak about Him to anyone (v.30). The command to silence is typical of Mark’s redaction. This injunction to silence may appear strange, which reoccurs three times in the Gospel of Mark, and it is the “messianic secret” peculiar to the second Gospel. The messianic secret in truth is like an invitation “to wait and see”, to wait and see the whole package of Jesus’ Mission and identity before talking about Him. In fact, after Peter’s proclamation, Jesus began to speak openly about his Passion and Resurrection. Christ will realize the prophecy of Isaiah, of the Suffering Servant of Yahweh, as in the first reading.

    The title “Christ” or “Messiah” are all appropriate to Jesus. Messiah is a Hebrew word translated into Greek as Christos, and it speaks of Jesus as the Anointed One. But at that time, the popular opinion at that time believed that the Messiah would have demonstrated great political and miraculous powers. The Messiah should be basking in his glory and thrilling manifestations. Instead, Jesus announces beforehand that his title of Messiah is totally different from the imagination and opinion of the people. His teaching says it all: “Then he began to teach them that the Son of man was destined to suffer grievously, and to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death and after three days to rise again” (v.31). He is truly the Messiah, but not in political or social terms, rather from the moral and spiritual dimensions, not through power and success but through suffering and weakness summed up with his violent death on the Cross. Indeed, Jesus will realize his messianic mandate by following the prophetic tradition of the “suffering Servant” of prophet Isaiah. As we read in the first reading: “I have offered my back to those who struck me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; I have not turned my face away from insult and spitting” (Is.50:6).

     Not too long after his wonderful response, Peter derailed. He was not able to comprehend the density of the words of Jesus, they seem to be impossible to him. After his profession of faith. Jesus began to talk about his pending suffering, death and resurrection that the son of man must suffer. These words were not palatable to ears of Peter, and he reacted immediately. Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him (v.32). Peter was thinking in human terms, not according to the divine plan of God. But turning and seeing his disciples (as such Jesus was afraid that Peter’s reaction may lead others astray, and he reacted there and then). In turn Jesus rebuked Peter, “Get behind me, Satan” (v.33) a tempter. Jesus addressed Peter as Satan in response to Peter’s reaction to the prediction of the Passion, because Peter could readily accept the idea of Jesus as Messiah, but not as a suffering Messiah. In Peter’s parlance and in the mentality of that time, a Messiah, who suffers is inconceivable. He called him Satan because at that moment Peter wanted to induce Jesus to a miraculous and clamorous Messiah. For if we remember the second temptation of Jesus by Satan: “If you are the Son of God, jump from the pinnacle of the temple” (Mt. 4:6; Lk. 4:9b-10a), it is a temptation of the Devil that is geared towards inducing Jesus to revealing his identity with clamorous and triumphalistic manifestations. But Jesus frowns at this temptation once again. Many a times, we are like Peter, we want to stand against the will of God for ourselves and for others. We want to follow only a triumphalistic Jesus. Many a times, like Peter our oral proclamation of faith does not correspond with our outward manifestation of the same faith.

     Afterwards, he convoked the crowd, together with his disciples; certainly the reaction of Peter has propelled him to educate them too. And at this point, Jesus gives them the prerequisite for his discipleship thus: “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it, but anyone who loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it” (vv.34-35). In fact, in the Gospel Jesus preannounced his Passion three times, and whenever he announces it, it concludes with the declaration, that the disciple must follow the Master in renunciation and in the readiness to sacrifice one’s life for him and the gospel. On this, we would like to make three considerations:

●We are called to grow and mature continuously in our knowledge of Christ, because faith is not a conquest, once and for all, rather it requires a continuous purification and in-depth.

●We have to avoid the popular mentality of Jesus that tends to idealize and at the same time reduce his identity. Jesus indeed “is the Son of God” (Mt.16:16; Mk. 15:39). Today, there is a widespread of this erroneous conception of Jesus.

●To be a disciple of Christ that is being a Christian by name and by fact, comports adherence to his words and style of life. His way is not that of glory, success and self-affirmation, but of self-abnegation, humility and self-giving. The three programmatic words in the discipleship of Jesus are: Renounce yourself, Take up your Cross and Follow me. No Christianity without the cross. Christianity is indeed costly.

      The first reading from the prophecy of Isaiah (Is. 50:5-9) preannounces the ordeal and suffering of the Messiah presented in the image of the Suffering Servant. As we saw in the gospel, Jesus did not want to present himself as a political Messiah. The crown of his kingship is made of thorns, and his thrown is the cross. Prophet Isaiah talks about the suffering servant, in his words, “I gave my back to those who struck me, and cheeks to those who pulled out the beard, i hid not my face from shame and spitting”. In the words of the prophet, “he who vindicates me is near”, “who will declare me guilty”. These phrases are in connection with the passion prediction in the Gospel, where Jesus affirms the certainty of his vindication, “after three days he will rise again”.

     In the second reading (Jm. 2:14-18), St. James picks up the central message of the gospel: faith. He asserted that faith in Christ is not a question of words, rather of good works. Faith without work is dead. Faith in Christ cannot but be demonstrated, witnessed and authenticated through good works. The works that give outstanding testimony to our faith are the works of charity, solidarity and sharing. Our faith is sterile without good works, for in the parlance of St. James: “If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, ‘I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty, without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that?” (vv.15-16). What good is your faith? A good Christian has to guide against the dissociation of faith from good works, faith without corresponding good works is barren.

     In all, the messages emanating from the readings invite us to make our knowledge of Christ correspond with our actions, which will be good works of an authentic faith. Our knowledge of the Messiah ought to shape our follow-ship and discipleship too. But Peter’s knowledge was still that of the Jewish idealistic conception. Little wonder, he wanted ‘sola gloria’.Therefore, the question of Jesus still resounds: “But you who do you say I am? Above all, we pray that Jesus may give us the grace to become real disciples and not mere admirers of Him. For a disciple follows the example of the Master and imitates him, but an admirer instead only talk about the master and his virtues not in an empathic way. Jesus may our knowledge of You pass from gnosis to epignosis. Amen!!!

(Fr. Vitus M.C. Unegbu, SC)

HAIL O HOLY CROSS!

(Culled from my reflection on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross)

          Today as we celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross we want to renew our allegiance and belongingness to the One, who made the Cross worth exalting, for in the words of St. John: “They will look to the one whom they have pierced” (Jn. 19:37; cf. Zech.12:10). To us as we meditate and ponder on and on, on the event of Jesus on the Cross, is as if He whisppers to the ears of our heart: “I did not love you, just for joke”. Hence our meditation on the Exaltation of the Cross of Christ has to inspire us to contriction 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 humilaited, offended, oppressed and those their dignity has been dragged to the mud. This existential experiences bring us closer to the Jesus on the Cross. The Cross of Christ indeed, is a Word of Hope! Let us not hide this hope from anyone.

          The Cross is not merely a heavy load, it is not merely a symbol of suffering and death. Above all these, it is a plus sign, it is a salvific ladder, and indeed, a warfare arsenal for all who look up to Him, for anyone who looks up to the sign, shall be saved (cf. Num.21:8, Jn. 3:14-15).

          Today, let us pray and ask Jesus to draw us to Himself, for his word says: “when I am lifted up I will draw all men to myself” (Jn. 12:32). In our world and particularly in our country Nigeria, today torn apart by the presages of violence and war, may the two horizontal extenxions of the Cross and the arms of Jesus oustrectched in them continue to be for us a shield for protection and divine coverage from power-drunk leaders and their inhuman agenda. Amen!!!

(Fada Vitus Chigozie)

They Brought Him a Man!

(Homily 23^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr. B)

     The message of this Sunday revolves around the theme of the messianic miracle, orchestrated in the images of deafness, blindness, lameness and speech impediment; and the miraculous healing that followed. For in the first reading, the Israelites paid deaf ears to the Word of God. But the Prophet promises that God is going to heal them of this spiritual deafness, blindness, dumbness and stagnation. And in deed, the healing of the deaf and dumb man in the Gospel goes a long way to reveal that the Messianic times prophesized in the first reading has come. The miraculous healing of Jesus is therefore the fulfilment of the messianic healings prophesized by Isaiah. In the same vein, the second reading, in practical terms continued the exposition of this theme, thereby presenting a community that faced the temptation of not listening to the Word of God and to the voice of the poor. The writer therefore, reminds us to stay away from the worldly tendency of making preferences in favour of the rich at the detriment of the poor and the weak.

     The first reading (Is. 35:4-7) started with the solemn invitation to courage, trust and hope in God: “Say to those who are of a fearful heart, Be strong, do not be afraid” (v.4). This passage is taken from the first part of Isaiah; it is among the prophecies of the pre-exilic period. From all indications, this passage must have been chosen because of verses 5 and 6 that speak of the healing miracles that will accompany the return from exile. The prophet encourages the people for two reasons: First, because their God is coming to liberate them. Second, because with this God, the desert will no longer be a place of malediction, of hunger and thirst, but a place of divine intervention. Little wonder the Prophet assures them: “for waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. And the burning sand shall become a pool” (vv. 6b-7a). This is what God does for His people. He turns negativity to positivity. He changes curse to blessing. The prophet addresses the Israelites who were faint-hearted, and in their feelings of discouragement, depression and despondency, he brought them words replete with hope. The prophet brought them a message of joy and hope: “Be strong! Do not be afraid. Here is your God coming to save you” (v4), this indeed, serves as a pre-announcement to the Incarnation. And he continued “the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed, the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb will sing for joy” (vv. 5-6). The prophet likened the Israelites to a lame person, because they cannot leave the place where they are prisoners. They are blind, because they move about in the darkness of Babylon and cannot find the way to freedom. They seem deaf and dumb, because they have closed their ears to the Word of God. But the great Good News is that God is coming to their rescue.

     As a matter of fact, ‘deaf, dumb, lame and blind’ are the elements that make up the mission of the Messiah in the prophecy of Isaiah (61:1-4), they so called “messianic miracles”. Even in the Gospel of Mathew, when John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus: “Are you the one to come, or we should expect another?” Jesus replied and said “Go and tell John: the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, and the Good news is proclaimed to the poor” (Mt.11:4-5). And this mission has its fulfilment in the words and in the person of Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Gospel today. Be that as it may, the healing in the first reading can be better understood from the eschatological standpoint. With the words “He makes the deaf hear and the mute to speak” (Mk.7:37), although not very explicit, however, our evangelist has plausibly communicated that the prophecy of Isaiah is now fulfilled in Christ.

     The Gospel narrative (Mk.7:31-37) presents one of the two miracle accounts peculiar to St. Mark, the other account is the healing of the blind man of Bethsaida in Mark 8:22-23. In both accounts Jesus is presented as a Healer, who employs physical healing techniques, unlike the other evangelists who presented Him as a healer solely through a word. Little wonder, it does appear Mark emphasized the physical means of healing, for instance: putting his fingers into his ears, spitting and touching his tongue. Today, it is all about the pathetic story of the deaf-mute man that was brought to Jesus. The evangelist did not tell us that he himself went, not even that he wanted to go, but that he was brought to Jesus. How did they treat him? Did they treat him as an equal or they treated him as we often do to the disabled among us? Another question that comes to mind is this: why did they bring him? To support him or to use him to see whether Jesus would heal him or they wanted to see with their eyes all that they have heard about Jesus? But upon their arrival, Jesus did something very much fascinating; Jesus took him aside, far from the crowd. They started to communicate in the language of signs. But Jesus went on to touch his ears, to spat on the ground, to touch his tongue and looked up to heaven. And immediately his isolation started to disappear. He must have felt at that moment that something is beginning to happen, and behold upon Jesus’command “Ephphatha”, It is done! He was freed, unbound, liberated and healed. While the crowd kept on waiting for them, when they saw both of them communicating, they were greatly amazed, and thus their vision of him changed instantly.

     Let us return to the story once more, upon bringing him to Jesus, Jesus took the deaf-mute away from the crowd, he took him aside. Why? It is because He wanted to get involved empathically in the situation of the man. He developed interest in the existential situation of the man, because of his handicap, which often creates in persons with disability a sort of inferiority complex; they don’t feel comfortable in the presence of many people. Christ understood this special need and took him aside, so that the man will not be embarrassed. But above all else however, Jesus does not want the news to spread around that He is the Messiah. Remember, we are in the Gospel of Mark, and biblically, the messianic secret is so dear to our Evangelist (Mark).

     In the process of the healing, Jesus used what I may call human elements to realize a divine mission. With those gestures that were somewhat strange Jesus accomplished the miracle. Besides, with those gestures Jesus situates himself into the cultural context of that time:

● laying on of hands: was a Jewish ritual gesture for healing.

● putting of fingers in the ears and touching with saliva: were common gestures of healers of that time. Saliva symbolizes the breath of a person, so it was as if Jesus gave him new life, and of course He did. On the other hand, the last two gestures more than an appeal to the cultural context, are beaming with theological meanings:

● the rising of his eyes to heaven entails that Jesus is in constant communication with the Father.

● afterwards comes the healing word “ephphatha” (be opened), or better a healing command that reveals Jesus’ authority as the Messiah.

     In all, Jesus effectively carried out the miracle of the healing of the deaf man with speech impediment, “And his ears were opened, and at once the impediment of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly” (v.35). Indeed, through this, Jesus revealed who he is: the Anointed One, the One sent by God, The Messiah. Jesus performs the miracle in Pagan territory, “in the Decapolis territory” (v.31b), and as such, Jesus intends to communicate by this very gesture that Salvation is for all, not only for the Jewish people.

     This wonderful gesture of Jesus attracted the admiration of the bystanders, who confessed: “Everything he does is good, he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak” (v.37). That is the proclamation full of stupor of those who witnessed this miracle and the other miracles of Jesus. “Everything he does is good”, this expression re-echoes that, which ends every work of God in the account of the Six days of creation in the book of Genesis: “God saw that it was good” (cf. Gen.1-2). This further reveals that there is a constant continuity between the action of God in the Old Testament and the work of Jesus in the Gospel in particular and in the New Testament in general. The same God that created man and liberates his people from Slavery in Egypt and Babylon is the same God who in Jesus cares and heals his people. As God did everything “good” so also Jesus continues to do “good” everything. Little wonder, in the passage of today’s Gospel, the verb is used in the present tense “everything he does is good”, to delineate that Jesus works are not to be conjugated in the past, for he is “athanatos” (immortal) and that his work of liberation is on-going.

     On the other hand, the story of this deaf-mute man is our story too. The passage only gave him identity as “a man”, which can be any of us. Sometimes we are deaf and dumb and as such in need of Jesus’ powerful words that heal and liberate. Sometimes we are deaf to the Good news of Christ; we are dumb to His words because we fail to proclaim it with our lives and existence. We do not only demonstrate that we are not deaf to the Word of God only when we listen to it, but also when the act of listening produces action in us. In the words of St. Paul: “akuoe pistos”, faith comes by hearing (Rm. 10:17), not ordinary hearing, but a hearing that becomes an obedient listening that produces moral obedience.

     Similarly, in the Second reading (Jm. 2:1-5) we are exhorted to adopt the right treatment of the poor. Sensitivity to the poor is indeed presented as an aspect of the Christian message that must continue. St. James affirms that God does not discriminate, and as such we should not let class distinction enter into our faith (v.1). In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul puts it succinctly well: “There is no favouritism with God” (Rm. 2:11). And if at all, there is a preference or a privilege in God and in the comportment of Jesus, it is for the poor, the weak and the needy. Indeed, to say it with St. James, “It was those who were poor according to the world that God chose, to be rich in faith and to be the heirs to the kingdom which he promised to those who love him” (v.5). He chose the poor because they are humble, and without presumption of self-sufficiency, more open to the gift of God and more disposed to love God. Here, poverty is not referred to material poverty, but to those who are humble and conscious of their dependency on God.

     Today therefore, the prophecy of Isaiah is not only fulfilled in the healing of the deaf-mute, but also in every one of us when we were baptized, for in the rite of Baptism, the priest says the Ephphatha blessing of the ears and the mouth thus: “The Lord Jesus made the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father”. And again, today his Word resounds deep within us, Jesus takes us apart and speaks to our deafness, our dumbness, our stubbornness of heart, our solitude and our isolation. May He once again touch our ears to listen obediently to his word and our mouth/tongues so that we may be authentic witnesses of his word. We earnestly pray for Jesus’ touch in our lives, for His is a touch that heals, restores and liberates.

(Fr. Vitus M.C. Unegbu, SC)

God’s Law Above All!

(Homily 22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr. B)

     The Word of God sets before us today the distinguishing factor(s) between a true Christian and a false Christian, an authentic Christian and a Christian-hypocrite. Drawing the issue further, it is not merely the external manifestations of goodness that matter, but the good disposition of the heart. Indeed, the recurrent words in today’s readings are “listen”, “put in practice”. “Observe” and “welcome”. Indeed, these exhortations revolve around the Word of God, his laws and commandments. To the God who speaks, there is need of a human agent who hears, listens, welcomes and puts the Word heard into practice. For in the verbs “to listen”, “to practice” we find the distinguishing mark between a doer of the Word and a deceptive hearer. Thus, the first reading invites the Israelites to an obedient listening of God’s commands, and the Gospel in turn fortifies this message by inviting us to rediscover the primacy of God’s Word and commands over human traditions. Then, the second reading takes the theme of listening to God’s Word to a radical conclusion with an ethical dimension: Be doers of the Word and to practice Pure Religion.

     In the first reading from the book of Deuteronomy (Dt. 4:1-2.6-8), therein Moses exhorted the chosen people with the following words: “And now Israel, listen to the laws and customs which I am teaching you today” (v.1); “keep the commandments of Yahweh your God just as I lay them down for you” (v. 2, 6). At this point, it will not be out of place to ask why Moses was exhorting the people in an insistent and persuading manner, to observe the commandments of God? The reasons are not far-fetched, for we find them in the verses thus: First, “So that, by observing them, you may survive to enter and take possession of the country which Yahweh, God of your ancestors, is giving you” (v.1b). Second, “keep them and put them into practice, and other peoples will admire your wisdom and prudence” (v.6a). Third, “What great nation has its gods as near as Yahweh our God is to us whenever we call him?” (v.7). The commandments of the Lord will be sign of the presence and closeness of God to his people. And above all, because God is a God, who loves and desires the good of his people, he accompanies and leads his people to liberation.

     Be that as it may, it is with this conviction that the word of God can be welcomed with joy and also be put into practice, even when it requires sacrifice. This can be done when we welcome the Word of God as an initiative of love, as a proposition for our welfare, and not as an imposition or a mere obligation. In that bid, we can say that in the measure in which man does not listen to the word of God and doesn’t put it into practice, he distances himself not only from God, but also from salvation and true life that He offers. He ends up in paths that are not those of “wisdom and prudence”, thus deluding himself with ways contrary to his self-realization. Above all, in this passage, we see the prohibition to add or to subtract from the law (Deut. 4:2), and by that it becomes obvious that this passage was chosen to lay emphasis on the distinction between God’s commandment and the traditions of men, which is well orchestrated in the Gospel passage.

     The passage of the Gospel (Mk. 7:1-8.14-15.21-23) presents a part of Jesus’ dispute about the “ancient traditions”. Those hypocrites came all the way from Jerusalem to catch Jesus, unfortunately, not out of love for God, not out of love for God’s law, but they were driven by their hatred for him. They must have watched him closely, but they were not able to find in him any wrong. Certainly, because Jesus was an observer of law in words and in behavior, not like them. So, when they could not find anything against him, they shifted the attention to his followers, and as they looked on and watched, they caught some who did not wash their hands before eating, then, they seized that as a point to question them and to attack their master. They never appealed to the law out of love for God, rather they appealed to the law in order to litigate and win, to catch and to kill. This is what happens when we are carried away by hysterical tendencies, and this unfortunately deteriorates into hypocrisy, which is capable of making any excellent law, even God’s law to degenerate in the hands of the people to something that kills, as it was in the case of Jesus, when he was nailed on the Cross under the pretext of observing God’s law.

     The Pharisees and the Scribes criticized the disciples of Jesus, because they were not observing some of the legal traditions, like the ablution rite, and Jesus responded with a warning from the prophecy of Isaiah: “How rightly Isaiah prophesied about you hypocrites in the passage of scripture: This people honors me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me” (v.6). And again, “You put aside the commandment of God to observe human traditions” (v.8). They relegated God’s commandment to the background and observed human traditions, especially with regards to love and justice. Afterwards Jesus explained to the crowd the meaning of his intervention thus: “Nothing that goes into someone from outside can make that person unclean” (v.15b), rather “it is from within, from the heart that evil intentions emerge” (v.21) and they are the things that contaminate man. From the intervention of Jesus we can infer three fundamental facts: ●We need to liberate the Word of God from the entanglement of human schemes and impositions, which tend to suffocate the Word of God that liberates and helps man in his journey of faith. ●Care must be taken in order not to give much importance to certain traditions and practices, ensuring that they do not obscure the substance of the Word of God, which revolves around love and justice. ●There is need to purify the heart, that is the center of our personality, from disordered affections, thoughts, desires and intentions, such that we will be always disposed to welcome the Word of God, always conscious of the fact that “every good gift comes from the Father” (Jm. 1:17).

     Jesus used a very strong word or language on the Scribes and Pharisees by calling them Hypocrites. Hypocrisy is another word for false, of a person with double face, one who says one thing and does another, one who wants to appear differently from what he really is. Jesus did not hesitate to rebuke them for they did not come with a sincere heart to know the truth, rather to find a pretext for argumentation. They attached more importance to formality, to appearance than to the substance. Hypocrisy is an evil, a dangerous trap that can also find way into our comportment as Christians. It is the tendency of one who tends to appear and not to be, of one who is preoccupied about formalities and exteriorities and not about the substance of things. One who is satisfied with the observation of human traditions and religious practices, but neglects the commandment of God. The danger of a Christian-hypocrite is that his conduct scandalizes non-Christians, because there is disharmony in what he believes and what he lives out. He lacks orthopraxy: right believing and right living. It was I guess, on the basis of this that M. Gandhi opined that “He has great esteem and respect for Christ but not for Christians”. And in Jesus’ parlance, what matters is not outward purity, rather an inner purity that is manifested in outward behavior.

     The second reading (Jm. 1:17-18.21-22.27) can be divided into two parts, while the first presents God as the giver of every good gift. And that serves as a response to the argument in the preceding verses, against the idea that temptation comes from God, while instead it comes from the concupiscence (vv.13-16). Instead, he affirms that from God, “the Father of light” comes “every good and perfect gift” (v.17). The second part presents the highest gift with an ethical injunction. And the highest gift that he has offered us is indeed, the “Word of truth” (v.18), it is a living, efficacious Word, that generated us by the power of the Holy Spirit, as children of God. As such, the apostle recommends, “humbly welcome the Word which has been planted in you and can save your souls” (v.21b). And the motive for this lies in the following words: “but you must do what the Word tells you and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves” (v.22).

     The Word of God therefore, as divinely revealed is not a chain that binds or an imposition that has to be jettisoned, but it a Word that saves and gives life, which like a fecund seed fructifies in good works. It enables one to help the weak and the needy, to engage in works of charity.  Yes! if we desire to live an authentic and genuine religiosity, that is not pharisaic, we have to be attentive to the needs of the poor and the weak, like the old people, the sick, handicaps, orphans and widows, the list can go on and on. And it is frankly on that backdrop, that we can verify if we have welcomed and are putting the Word of God into practice or we are just like deceptive hearers. And lastly, St. James insists on the need for an authentic religion. In Greek the word for religion is equivalent to cultus, and in that bid, in James’ parlance, the true cultus consists in ethical obedience of God’s commands. The epistle reading is suggestive of cultus as a possible avenue where distinction is drawn between the commandment of God and the traditions of men, especially where human traditions obscure God’s will and commands.

     In all, hearing those words of Jesus addressed to the Scribes and Pharisees, it behooves us to ask ourselves, what we ought to do, in order not to be qualified as Hypocrites? And on this the liturgy of the Word of today is of great help: Frist, we need to purify our hearts, rectify our intensions, and extirpate from us all that is disordered and contrary to the will of God. Second, we need to order our life according to the commandments of God, just as Moses teaches us in the first reading, to observe and keep the commandment of God, which will be a manifestation of our wisdom to other peoples (cf. vv.2,6). And again, St. James invites us in the second reading to “do what the Word tells us and not just listen to it and deceive ourselves” (v. 22). Yet, in the Gospel of Mathew Jesus puts it succinctly in a more touching manner, “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock”, “But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand” (Mt. 7: 24.26). Therefore, may we earnestly pray and ask God for the grace to be obedient listeners of his Word. May our actions manifest our calling and who we are as God’s children, for “agere seguitur esse”! Amen!!

(Fr. Vitus M.C. Unegbu, SC)