Your Redemption is Near!

(Homily for the 1^st Sunday of Advent Yr. C)

     Today marks the beginning of the new year of the Church, a new liturgical year. What is the liturgical year all about? The liturgical year is the year in the course of which the Church and the Christian community celebrate and meditate the mystery of Christ, from the Incarnation to his Birth, his Passion, Death, Ascension, to the Pentecost. Furthermore, it presents before us, the public life of Jesus, his preaching and miracles, as they are transmitted to us by the evangelists. Be that as it may, the liturgical year is not merely a remembrance or a re-evocation of past events; rather it is rendering actual, present and efficacious now and every time the event of Christ and the mystery of our salvation. Thus, every liturgical year well lived, is a year rich and replete with grace and divine benevolence. The Holy Mother Church, in her wisdom does not want the succession of time in idleness and emptiness, rather she desires that time be enriched and occupied with the events of the redemption wrought by Christ. As such, in the course of the Church’s liturgical year, the ordinary time (kronos) is transformed into a time and moment of grace (kairos) a time of salvation replete with eternity.

     The New liturgical Year begins today with the period of Advent, which was historically instituted for the preparation for Christmas. However, with the passing of time, it acquired a dual significance, as the memorial of the dual coming of the Lord that is his coming among men in the flesh and his coming at the end of time, in glory as Judge and Lord. Advent etymologically means “coming” and historically the word was later used to denote a “visit” of an important figure (like a King to a city), so Advent is a period of preparation for this visit. In St. Bernard’s parlance we can distinguish a triple Advent: First Advent, which is constituted by the Birth of the Saviour, the Incarnation proper. Last Advent will be the future one, the glorious coming of Christ as the Judge of the whole world at the end of time. Intermediary Advent, while in the first and last Advent the coming of Christ is and will be manifest and evident, in the intermediary Advent it is hidden, it is the coming of Christ in the hearts of men. In Christendom, Advent is a four week of anticipation. Anticipation of what or of who? Certainly, the answer to this question will vary from one individual to another, incumbent of course, on individual experiences. For some it could be for a party, for others it could be for vacation or for Christmas bonus. However, these human expectations are not bad in themselves, but there is more to Advent than those vegetative kinds of anticipation. It is a period of preparation for the visit of the Saviour.

   This no doubt introduces us to an important and paramount element of Advent, as a period of expectation, but also of preparation. This second element requires our personal responses. And as such, the pertinent questions we are bound to ask are: What are you preparing for? How are you preparing? Whom are you preparing for? Indeed, these questions bring us face to face with our own existential realities. Some may go to retreat, some may begin to pray more, some become more generous, some indulge in drinking to stupor, some steal and kill and only few really tidy up their lives so that they may become one with the Saviour. We need to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Redeemer; we need to ward off from ourselves all that may be a hindrance for us in this period of spiritual expectancy, of He who is to come, il Veniente. On this idea of ‘coming’ the readings of today converge. In the first reading Yahweh declares through the Prophet Jeremiah thus: “I shall make an upright Branch grow for David, who will do what is just and upright in the country” (v.15). Jesus in his eschatological discourse in the Gospel of St. Luke affirms that “they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (v.27). In the second reading St. Paul exalts the Christians of Thessalonica to be prepared for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. 

     The first reading (Jer. 33:14-16) begins with a divine reassurance by the Covenant keeping God, to the Israelites. God says to his people: “Behold, the days are coming...when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah”. And what is that promise: “I will make a righteous branch to spring forth from David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land” (Jer. 33:15). This wondrous voice of the fulfilment of God’s promise to his people re-echoed in the time and period of despair, in the history of the Israelites, they just returned from exile and upon their arrival they saw everything in ruins. Indeed, the divine reassurance came at the time the people needed it most. The same experience could be applicable to the historical moment we find ourselves today. It does appear we are battered on every side by bitter realities that surround us, ranging from economic and political crises to a near neglect of God. In this moment of despair and despondency, if we turn to God, His reassuring voice and words will resound in our time too. If we wait for him with adequate preparation, He will renew our lives and our society at large. The words of prophet Jeremiah will equally find its fulfilment in us and in our time. In the passage we see the phrase “the Lord is our righteousness”; here righteousness is not an ethical or moral attribute, but the saving act of Yahweh, who accomplishes His words.

     The context was the conquest of Jerusalem by Babylon, and the exile of a good number of the Israelites. The restoration of David’s dynasty that was prophesied by Jeremiah seemed not to have been fulfilled as a result of the long duration of the exile period. However, its partial fulfilment was seen in the return from exile. On the other hand, Christians see the fulfilment of that promises with the coming of the Messiah. The divine promises seem to have been kept on hold and the people were in a state of despair, however, the prophecy of Jeremiah consoles and raised a beacon of hope for them. On the other hand, the fundamental message that prophet Jeremiah intends to communicate to us today is that God is faithful; he maintains and fulfils his promises, which are always promises of good. God comes to the aid of our helplessness and confusion with his liberating and saving action, when and how he desires, and nothing can stop Him.

     In the Gospel passage of St. Luke (Lk. 21:25-28.34-36), we are given a message of consolation and of hope in apocalyptic contents, which apparently instils fear in the listeners. It is ad rem to affirm that the apocalyptic literature has its peculiar style, which requires an adequate interpretative key. Therefore, in today’s passage the intent of the evangelist is not to strike us with fear and anguish, rather he wants us to adopt the attitude of hope, a confident waiting on and for the Saviour, and the certainty that the Lord comes to liberate humanity from evil. And no doubt, this is the pivot around which revolves the whole Advent Season. However, from this passage spring triple invitation for Christians of the first generation and of our own generation: First, “Look up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near”. Raising one’s head means to work in freedom with one’s gaze fixed on the freedom God. It is an invitation to stand firm in moments of trial and tribulation. Second, “Take heed yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of life”. The disciples of Jesus have to be attentive like the sentinel in the night and avoid styles of life that contradict the Christian Message. Third, “Watch and pray at all times”. Watching and praying all the times, a Christian makes his or her life to become a continuous advent.

      In the Gospel passage, beyond the apparent terrifying images is a message of consolation and of hope. St. Luke suggests to us the right spirit with which we have to live the Advent Season: ●He invites us to see things and to evaluate situations with the eyes of faith and the Christian hope, therefore, with serenity and joy. ●To always be vigilant and attentive for the “coming of the Lord”.  Therefore, the Gospel indicates two important attitudes for us: To watch and to pray. And these two values are essential in the spirituality of Advent.

     The second reading (1Th. 3:12-4:2) serves as a completion of this day’s discourse on how to live the Advent. St. Paul invites us to rediscover the Christian meaning of our life, which revolves around the call to walk towards sanctity: “And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father” (v.13). St. Paul indicated to Christians another practical and concrete way of preparing for the coming of the Lord. He equated the Christian life to a journey, for he invited us “to walk and to please God”. To walk involves a continuous movement towards Him, trying to please Him with good deeds. And if the Christian life is a walk, in advent the walking becomes intense because our Saviour is in view.

    In the second part of his letter the apostle presents some ethical exhortation and some theological problems that are of concern to the nascent community. He reminded his readers of his initial catechesis, which was given “through our Lord Jesus”. Indeed, this Christological title denotes that the catechesis of the Church in general and that of St. Paul in particular is founded on the words of the historical Jesus, and perpetuated today by the Living Lord, the exalted Kyrios.

     Beloved in Christ, in this season beaming with grace, the Christian meaning of time and history are well orchestrated, for us Christians Jesus gives meaning to time. He is the Centre of human history. History has its beginning in Him, for He is the Alpha, and its end, for He is the Omega. Time and history culminate in Him. Without Christ time and history are mere accidents, but with and in Christ they are God’s design, a history of salvation. For us therefore, time is not just a succession of seconds, minutes and hours etc. it is a history directed and governed by God.

     Above all else, however, we need to rediscover and appropriate the spirituality of Advent, and as it is suggestive of the readings of today, ours has to be an existence in expectation for the Veniente. Our entire existence as Christians ought to be lived in a continuous tension and propensity towards the One who is, who was and who is to come (cf. Rev. 1:8). We are called to live the Intermediary Advent with gratitude for His First coming and with an attitude of preparation (to watch and to pray) and of hope towards His Second Coming. Beloved friends, is Advent, let us watch, pray and wait in joyful hope for the One who is to come, the Veniente! May the CHILD of Bethlehem give us enabling grace to earnestly watch and pray for His Coming into our hearts!! Amen!!!

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

His Kingdom Will Have No End!

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

     Existentially speaking, today we live in hard and distressing times. We are confronted everyday with the discomforting news of terror, power tussle, political protests, kid-napping, injustice and the global nascent plight of migrants etc. Be that as it may, these experiences create fear and distrust in us. As such, every reasonable and God fearing individual is in search of and praying for a world where peace and justice reign. And we can only find that world in our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the universe. The feast of Christ the King was introduced by Pope Pius XI in 1925, in order to confront the abuse of power by the nations and the surge of secularism among the nations and must importantly, to proclaim the primacy and supremacy of Christ over the kingdoms of the world. For as St. Paul would have it, “for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth; everything visible and everything invisible, thrones, ruling forces, sovereignties, powers -- all things were created through him and for him” (Col. 1:16).

     On this day we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe, the grand finale of the liturgical year. With the solemnity of Christ the King we conclude the Church’s liturgical year, through which the Church, with the Sunday liturgical celebrations, celebrate and relive the history of our salvation, which has as its centre and culminating point the mystery of Christ. Most importantly, today the church presents the figure of Christ in his kingly dignity. Christ is the King of the universe and his kingdom is eternal. The readings of today went a long way in helping us grasp the origin and true meaning of his Kingship. The confirmation of Christ’s Kingship from above is prophetically announced by Daniel in the first reading: “One who comes on the cloud of heaven like a Son of Man” (Dan. 7:13). In the second reading from the Apocalypse of St. John, “He comes on the clouds; everyone will see Him” (Ap. 1:7). In the Gospel Jesus reconfirms the divine origin of his Kingship and Kingdom, thus: “Mine is not a Kingdom of this world” (Jn. 18:36b). Today therefore, we celebrate a King whose kingdom is totally different from the kingdoms of the world. The Preface of the Mass puts it thus: “a Kingdom of truth and life, kingdom of holiness and grace, a Kingdom of justice, love and peace”. Kings come and go, likewise their kingdoms, but the kingship and the kingdom of Christ is eternal. The only Being who died more than 2000 years ago without RIP attached to his name, for he reigns for ever (cf. Ap. 1:17b-18a). St. Luke says: “his kingdom will have no end” (Lk. 1:33).

     The first reading (Dan. 7:13-14) is the prophecy about the Son of man and the divine origin of his kingdom. As we noted last Sunday, the figure of the Son of man in Daniel stands to indicate the people of the Lord. However, this concept underwent a sort of evolution especially in the Jewish apocalyptic literature, such that in the New Testament it becomes an individual figure from above, the Messiah, who will sit as the Agent of final judgement and salvation. Meditating on the seventh chapter of the book of Daniel, we have to do so not in the light of a prediction that has already taken place, for that will jettison the not-yet character of the Christ Event. Instead we ought to read it as a proclamation of the final inauguration of Christ’s kingly rule, for all things are yet to be subdued under his feet. In the passage Daniel described the kingly investiture which the Son of man received directly from the Father: “On him was conferred rule, honour and kingship, and all peoples, nations and languages became his servants” (v.4a). And again, “His rule is an everlasting rule which will never pass away, and his kingship will never come to an end” (v.4b). Daniel presented the kingdom of the Son of man as an eternal and a universal kingdom. And as such, his power is an eternal power. His power is eternal because his kingdom is a Kingdom of love, and love lasts forever.

     The Gospel passage (Jn. 18:33-37) is taken from the Gospel of St. John, which is guided from the beginning to the end, with the idea of a process: the process between light and darkness, between faith and incredulity, between Jesus and the world. In the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate, two different orders and plans are delineated, two orders of greatness: that of force and greatness (Pilate), and that of truth (Jesus). Pilate was not even able to have a glimpse of that order and he asked Jesus: What is truth? In the narrative, we see that dramatic dialogue that issued between Jesus and Pilate. It is obvious that Jesus was crucified on the charge of being a messianic pretender. This could be ascertained by the inscription on the Cross: “King of the Jews” (at that time king was the Roman equivalent for Messiah). And over the question of his kingship, opinions differ as regards Jesus’ reaction to this accusation, some present Jesus observing a stony silence, while the synoptic  present him as not rejecting it, as he responds, “It is you who say it” (cf. Mt. 27:11; Mk. 15:2; Lk. 23:3), which could be interpreted to mean “it is your word not mine”. However, in the Johannine narrative of the trial before Pilate Jesus offers a response that clears the air, for he embarked on the reinterpretation of the meaning of kingship in his own parlance, through his responses to the three questions of Pilate: ►First, Pilate asked: Are you a King? In reply Jesus questioned Pilate where he got the idea from. In response Pilate indicated that the charge is put against him by the Jewish authorities and then asked Jesus the basis of his behaviour? ►Second, Jesus replies via negativa by affirming what his kingship is not, it is not of this world. Thus, affirming in a certain sense that he is a king. This prompted Pilate to repeat the first question, which gave rise to Jesus’ redefinition of his kingship. ►Third, he delineated the inherent character of his kingship in terms of witness to the truth. Jesus conceived his kingdom as a testimony to the truth.

     The dialogue began with Pilate’s question: “Are you the King of the Jews?”, and ended with the answer and the affirmation of Jesus. Jesus affirmed and at the same time specified the character of his kingship. Jesus told Pilate, “My kingship is not of this world”, which goes a long way in confirming the vision of Daniel in the first reading. His kingship is from above, and not from below. It has no political or worldly character, but spiritual. Above all else, however, Jesus declared that his kingship is founded on Truth, or rather on the testimony he bears for the Truth. “For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the Truth” (v.37). What does He mean by Truth? The word truth has a dense meaning in the Gospel of John. Therein, truth acquired a Trinitarian dimension: ●Truth is the word of the Father: “Father consecrate them in the truth, your word is truth” (Jn. 17:17). ●Christ himself is also the truth, in the measure He communicates to us the words of the Father. “I am the way; I am the truth and life” (Jn. 14:6). ●“The Spirit is Truth” (1Jn. 5:6), “when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you into all the truth” (Jn. 16:13). Synthetically, truth in the Gospel of John is the word of the Father, incarnated and revealed in Christ, interiorized and rendered efficacious in us through the action of the Holy Spirit. Besides, truth in the gospel of John is not an abstract concept, but a concrete revelation of God and His Love, the truth is that God so love the world that He gave his only Begotten Son (cf. Jn. 3:16). Christ bore witness to the truth, and he manifested this love through his words and works, with his life and death. Indeed, He is the one “who loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood” (Rev 1:6).

     Jesus defines who effectively belongs to His kingdom. He says: “Everyone who is of the truth hears (akuoè) my voice” (v.37), those who are in harmony with his word of truth, those who listen to his word and put it into practice, these are the people who belong to his kingdom. Indeed, Jesus in the parable of the Good Shepherd opined that his “sheep listen to his voice” (Jn. 10:3), and again elsewhere he expressed that “It is not anyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Mt. 7:21). We are members of his kingdom, for St. Paul tells us that, “It is he who has rescued us from the ruling force of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son that he loves” (Col. 1:13).

     Today’s celebration ought to lead us to the consciousness of the particularity of Christ’s Kingship, especially when viewed from the perspective of some earthly kings and kingdoms already in decline and those that did not leave an exalting history behind, but Jesus made it clear that his kingdom is not of this world, that is why it is universal, inclusive and eternal. Paradoxically, it is at the peak of his suffering that Jesus speaks of his Kingdom. At the very moment he was to be condemned, scourged and nailed to the cross, he affirms his kingship. It follows that the reality of our own participation in his Kingship has to follow the way of the cross too. He is a King that stoops low to wash our feet. He stoops low so as to exalt us high. He is a King that overhauls world order, for “he has cast down the mighty from their thrones and he has lifted up the lowly” (Lk. 1:46-47, 51-52). Speaking on the Kingship of Christ, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said: “It is not that of the kings of the great of this world; it is the divine power to give eternal life, to liberate from evil, to defeat the dominion of death. It is the power of Love that can draw good from evil, soften a hardened heart, bring peace to the bitterest conflict, turn the thickest darkness into hope. This Kingdom of Grace is never imposed and always respects our freedom” (Angelus November 22, 2009).

     In the second reading (Rev. 1:5-8), he was called the “faithful witness” and “the highest of all earthly kings” (v.5), for he witnesses to the truth. The passage continues with a triple doxology: First, he loves us; the verb here is in present tense. Thus, it denotes that Christ’s love for us is eternal. It follows that the Kingdom of Christ is the Kingdom of love, founded on the love of the Father, who willed the salvation of the world, it is no doubt, a love made visible, and concretely witnessed and manifested glaringly by the Son, Jesus Christ, “the faithful witness”. Second, we see the event of the atonement, “he washed away our sins with his blood”. Third, the effect of the redemption of Christ is to establish a community which shares in Christ’s priestly and kingly functions, “he made us a Kingdom of Priests”. After the triple doxology comes the proclamation of the imminent parousia, which no doubt is the central theme of the Apocalypse. There is the vision of the Second Coming of Jesus when he comes on the clouds and every eye will see Him and everyone on earth will lament because they will see that he is pierced, he suffered and died for everyone in the world. The question of Pilate to Jesus on truth receives its response, this is truth: that Jesus loves us and has liberated us with His blood. Through our baptism, He loves us, and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father. Our kingly dignity lies in our capacity to win evil forces, slavery of sin and to live freely as God’s children. This interesting passage ends with the self-proclamation of Yahweh with three titles: ●Alpha and Omega, which entails that He is the First and the Last, the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, signifying that Jesus is the beginning and the end of everything we do and say, that Jesus is the King of our lives; ●The name Yahweh “who is, who was, and who is to come” indicates that God’s being comprises of the present, the past and the future. ●The title Almighty which in Greek is Pantokrator, the All-ruling or Ruler of everything.

     Today, the hot button questions we have to ask ourselves are: Is Christ really my King?  What or who is ruling in my life? Christ is our King when his words and examples have become norms for our actions. Today’s feast should not only end with mere and empty proclamations, we have to allow the Truth to lead us. We belong to his kingdom when we live according to his words. His is a kingdom of truth, a kingdom of love. Do we bear witness to the truth and to his love? That is bearing witness to his kingdom. Or do we bear witness to evil? The second reading says that He made us a Kingdom. Therefore, we are his kingdom when we live in truth, grace, holiness, justice, love and peace. Once again, let each person asks himself or herself: Am i still a kingdom as God desired or a Kingdom as I desire? Which kingdom do i belong? The one of Jesus or the one of the Devil? Today, we are marching out to tell the whole world that we have a King whose Kingdom is eternal. We are going out to proclaim and acclaim his Kingship. We are going out to confess and profess that there is no King like him: Eze Onyedika (cf. Ex. 15:11), Eze Chinyere (cf. Dn.7:14), Eze Chimere (cf. Ps.110:3; Jn.18:37). We are at the same time challenged to allow him to be the ultimate King in our lives. It is not untrue that most of us have various kings and kingdoms that are ruling our lives. We need to stop a while and ask ourselves: who is actually ruling in my life? Let us re-echo our voices together with that of the Psalmist in declaring the smooth entrance of this King:

Lift high your heads, o ye gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! Let him enter the King of glory”. Who is the king of glory? The Lord of Host, He is the King of glory (Ps. 24:9-10).

Let us lift all those things in our life, in our families and in our societies that may be a hindrance to His entrance. Come Lord Jesus, come and reign in my life! Amen!!!

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

His Second Coming A Second Chance!!

(Homily 33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time-Yr. B)

     With the theme of the end of time, it does appear we are surrounded by threatening signs. Sometimes it seems the end is so near. However, it is nearer and nearer every single day that passes by. But let us not bother ourselves with the preoccupations of the end of this world; rather think about the end of you in this world. The discussion on the end of time is one that every person is interested in, believers and non-believers alike. However, there is a danger today of ignoring the biblical sense of imminence, and end up parading the prediction of a remote consummation of history. Most often than not, whenever the issue of the end of the time is raised people tend to refer to the annihilation of the planet and the world as we perceive it. But for us Christians the ‘end of time’ refers to the second coming of Christ. Be that as it may, the thought of the end or the second coming of Christ should not terrify us, rather we should see it as a second chance to live better, for his second coming is a beginning of a new world, renewed in and through Him. Apparently, the first reading and the Gospel of today are replete with terrifying images and messages. Contrarily, these biblical passages fundamentally propose to us a message of trust and hope: “at that time your people shall be delivered”; “He will gather his elect from the four winds”. The two readings began with an identical formula: “at that time”. In the book of Daniel it was “a time of anguish”, in the gospel “a time of great tribulation”.  It is imperative that whatever has a beginning must surely have an end. The sacred writer posited it well when he said “for everything under the earth there is a season” (Qo. 3:1). The fact of the beginning runs through the old and the New Testament (cf. Gen. 1:1, Jn. 1:1) and the fact of a beginning could be suggestive of an end as well.    

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Generosity that Attracts God's Attention!

(Homily 32^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time-Yr. B)

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

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

     In the first reading (1kg 17:10-16) we see two figures: the widow of the city of Zarephate and Prophet Elijah. The men of Ahab were pursuing Elijah, and he risked dying of hunger because of the famine. He went towards the city of Zarephate of Sidon, and on his way he met a widow with her son. One can imagine the plight of Prophet Elijah, who was passing through persecution in the hands of King Ahab. He was insecure in his homeland; as a result, he flew to another country. No person from his village was ready to help him because they were afraid of the King. The prophet felt administered by God to go to a pagan country. And in this country a poor pagan widow welcomed and assisted him. She equally shared what she had for survival with Elijah. On his way, he met the poor widow of Zarephath, he requested water from her, and later a piece of bread, and the widow did not make any resistance, she went and prepared a little cake for him, not minding that, that was all her hope for survival. This story teaches us that: ●God is present in human history; he does not limit his love and omnipotence to Israel his rebellious people, but looks with mercy on pagans. He used them also to do wonders. ●God can save from any situation, even in desperate cases like that of Elijah, and can work through weak and inadequate means. ●The story of the widow’s inexhaustible supply thereafter emphasizes on the power of the word of God in the mouth of the prophet. In this episode the power of God’s word is revealed in the fulfilment in verse 16 of the promise made in verse 14. The hospitality of the widow of Zarephath that sustained Elijah corresponds to the generous gesture of another widow in today’s gospel.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Two Wings of Love!

(Homily 31^st Sunday in Ordinary Time-Yr. B)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

►They levitical priests were many, but Jesus is the only one.

►They were impermanent, but Jesus is eternal.

►They levitical priests were subject to death, but Jesus lives forever.

►They were sinners and had to offer sacrifices for their sins too, but Jesus is sinless.

►They repeated sacrifices but Jesus’ sacrifice is once-for-all etc.

The list can continue on and on. Above all, the existential crux of this passage points to the Eucharist as the concrete reality of Jesus’ sacrifice, though in an unbloody manner. The priestly offering of Jesus reveals in no small way that we are loved by God. A priest is in a constant cosmic movement: vertically and horizontally, of bringing God’s favour, blessings and message to man, and at the same time takes man’s supplications to God. The priesthood indeed, is an eloquent expression of the two wings of love.

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

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

Earth Our Tent! Heaven Our Homeland!!

(Homily for the Commemoration of All Souls)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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