The Present of the Saints, Our Glorious Future!

 (Homily for the Solemnity of All Saints)

          The Holy Mother Church teaches the simultaneous existence of the Church in heaven, on earth and in purgatory. As we celebrate all the saints today both canonized and non-canonized, we prefigure the celebration in heaven. And as a matter of fact, today’s feast reminds us of the Church in heaven (The Triumphant Church). The pertinent question we might ask ourselves is this: who are the saints? The saints are not perfect beings or those who became righteous solely as a result of their human effort. Rather the saints are or were human beings like us who made a sincere effort in collaborating with the grace of God. Holiness indeed is not a state that one can achieve by one’s personal effort, it’s God’s gift. It equally reminds us of the continuity and unity between the pilgrimage Church on earth and the triumphant Church in heaven. The solemnity of All Saints is for each and every one of us an invitation and a reminder to holiness of life, which is the vocation of all the baptized. Our Eucharistic celebration today begins (Entrance Antiphon) with the invitation to joy, which the Church as Mother and Teacher directs to all of us, thus:

 

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

 

         In today’s first reading (Ap. 7:2-4.9-14) John recounts a vision he received about the heavenly celebration of the saints. The words of the book of Apocalypse in the seventh chapter are illuminating: “I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. They shouted aloud, “victory to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb” (7:9-10). The number of saints cannot be counted. The number of 144,000 is a multiple of 12, which in turn is four times three, that is the sum of what has no measure, which reaches the extremes of the four cardinal points of the earth. These saints are of every race, people and culture, of every age, sex, state or profession. The latest popes, but especially John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis have highlighted this universality, by beatifying and canonizing numerous men and women of faith in the different continents. The number is without measure, because in truth a saint is everyone who lives and dies in a state of grace and in friendship with God. Besides, he was equally told why they are in heaven, “These are the people who have been through the great persecution, and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb” (Ap. 7:14). The saints in heaven were faithful to God despite the many hardships and persecutions they had to endure. Little wonder, they have been crowned and graced with white robes. The saints won victory over trials and tribulations through their collaboration with the grace of God. St. Paul captured the efficacy of divine grace when he opined that “what I am now I am through the grace of God” (1Cor 15:10).

          Furthermore, many a times, we are confronted with the question, “why do we pray to the saints?” We pray through the saints because they can help us on our sojourn towards heaven, because they are already there. John saw an earlier vision when he narrated that he “saw golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints” (Ap. 5:8). So they can intercede for us, and they do intercede for us. The prayers of the saints are powerful. In fact, before the beatification or canonization of a saint there is always a preceding miracle. More than that, the vision of the author about heaven gives meaning to our long and existence here on earth, it reveals that we are not wandering here on earth, we have heaven in view.

          Today’s Gospel periscope (Mt 5:1-12) features the episode of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, his teaching on the Beatitudes. Jesus is master of the beatitudes. In the Sermon on the Mount, He expressed in a glaring manner what he had lived and would have lived until his death. He proclaims blessed the poor, and he will have nowhere to lay his head (Lk. 9:58). Blessed are the meek, and he defines himself as meek and humble of heart (Mt. 11:29). Blessed are those who weep, and he wept before Jerusalem, which kills the prophets and does not receive those who are sent to it (Lk. 19:41). Blessed are the pure in heart, and sin never lurked in his heart, to the point of asking: "Which of you can convince me of sin?" (Jn. 8:46). Blessed are the peacemakers, and Jesus is the prince of peace, who enters Jerusalem on a donkey, like a peaceful king (Mt. 21: 1-5), also we remember his words to Peter: "Put your sword back in its sheath, because all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Mt. 26:52). Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice; Jesus had no other food than the will of the Father (Jn. 4:34) and his thirst is none other than the redemption of the world (Jn. 19:28). Blessed are those who suffer persecution for justice, and he was treated as a criminal and led to the torture of the cross (cf. Lk. 23, 1-25).  Indeed, it has been often observed that the beatitudes describe the life of Christ himself. The beatitudes that were proclaimed by him were not abstract precepts or theoretical enunciations, rather they are portraits of Jesus himself, who first lived and experienced them integrally. He is the poor in spirit per excellence, the One who hungers and thirsts for justice, the merciful, the pure in heart, peace-maker and the persecuted. It is necessary to clarify the thoughts of Jesus, thus, by proclaiming blessed or happy some categories of people in certain life conditions, Jesus didn’t intend to exalt or to beatify the situations of suffering and pain that would be a sort of masochism. The saints and therefore the disciples of Jesus Christ. Like Christ and with him, the saints are the champions of the beatitudes. Among them, there are those who excelled in a special way in a particular beatitude. Nonetheless, today’s celebration has to lead us to spiritual introspection, we have to cross-examine ourselves and see if we are making effort to sanctify ourselves and those around us.

          The first beatitude proclaimed by Jesus which summarizes all the discourse on the mount, is according to Mathew: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs”, that is, blessed, happy are those who choose to be poor. Poverty in spirit does not signify only interior detachment, of the heart from earthly things, but it also signifies poverty, a choice, not imposed by necessity or suffered out of a particular circumstance. The poor in spirit is one who renounces the accumulation of earthly things, who chooses to live without making money, power and carrier absolutes, who refuses the idolatry of money and of power. But this does not mean to wallow in idleness and fatalism, rather it hinges on not counting on human means and security. They are those who have placed their trust in the Lord, convinced that He does not disappoint, and that is why they are happy and blessed. Little wonder, at the heart of today’s Gospel the word “Blessed” was repeated for nine good times. The second beatitude: “blessed are those who mourn”, does not mean that God is pleased when people suffer or are in sorrow. In the prophecy of Isaiah, those who mourn are those that do not have house to live in or fields to cultivate, those their fathers’ heritage has been taken away from them by foreigners, as such, they suffer injustice and humiliation (cf. Is. 61:7); to these categories of people, those that are heart-broken, those who sit in ashes and those who mourn (cf. 61:3) Jesus announces a message of hope in the beatitudes.      

          A profound reflection on this passage reveals that the saints are men and women of Beatitudes. Little wonder, at the heart of today’s Gospel the word “Blessed” was repeated for nine good times. The beatitudes are proclaimed by Jesus in a fascinating way. The choice of the Mount by Mathew for this sermon is in line with his conception of these sets of teachings as the new law, which corresponds with the old law given by Moses on Mount Sinai. For Mathew Jesus is the new law giver, the second Moses. Though for Luke the Sermon took place on the plain. Indeed, it has been often observed that the beatitudes describe the life of Christ himself. And as such, in connection to ‘All Saints” it denotes that all saints are those who manifested a Christ-like character as expressed in the beatitudes. St. Paul in his letters uses the word “Holy” to denote many a times, what should be the spiritual existential state of Christians and their vocation: “to all God’s holy people in Christ” (Phil. 1:1); “to God’s holy people, faithful in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 1:1); “to God’s holy people in Colossae” (Col. 1:2); “To you all, God’s beloved in Rome, called to be his holy people” (Rm.1:7).

          Be that as it may, the road to sanctity or holiness is the road of the Beatitudes. Spiritual poverty or humility and detachment from the things of this world, meekness and the rejection of violence, bearing pains, thirst for justice, comprehension and mercy towards ones neighbour, purity of heart, spirit of peace: are the roads to holiness. And the saints we are celebrating today teach us by their exemplary life that it is a road that can be plied by all. However, we may ask a pertinent question thus: why are these categories of people proclaimed blessed by Jesus? Not because to them Jesus assured success and wealth, but they are blessed because the “Good News” of God’s kingdom has been announced to them, and they were disposed to welcome it, from here springs joy, happiness and blessedness. We too can be called blessed if we welcome the Good news and all that it comports, for by so doing we will be on the road to holiness.

          God wants us all to be holy according to our vocation and our living conditions. Nobody should feel excluded, however unworthy the person considers himself or herself. For this reason, God does not ask us for anything extraordinary, since, if it were so, only some would be capable of attaining holiness. He asks us only to live, in the simplicity of daily life, the spirit of the Beatitudes, making it present in everything we will undertake every day. He asks us to carry out our daily task in honesty and joyfulness. He asks us to live our family life happily, as fathers, spouses, children, brothers, grandchildren.  He asks us to always give a good example to others, wherever we are. He asks us to help those most in need, even when we ourselves are poor and suffer from needs. He asks us to raise our hearts to God during the day, to praise him, bless him, thank him and adore him.

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

          Above all else however, with the Solemnity of all Saints the Church draws our attention to few paramount messages: ►That Heaven is our destination, as St. John said, “Beloved we are now children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed we shall see Him as He is” (1Jn 3:2). Analogically, St. Paul expresses that “for now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face” (1Cor 13:12). Really the saints are beholding God face to face. And we hope to do same too! ►The second message comes from the first reading, the fact that we are all called to holiness. St. Peter affirms this when he vehemently posited: “this is the will of God: your sanctification” (1Pt 1:15-16). The conciliar document of Vatican II reminds us equally of this universal call to holiness (LG 40). We are not called to an exceptional holiness, rather we are all (the first reading talks about a great multitude from every nation, race, people and language) called to essential holiness. We pray that the Saints may continue to intercede for us on our journey of perfectibility, so that we too may become partakers of the saints in light!

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

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

 

The Two Wings of love: God And Neighbor!

 (Homily 30^th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A)

The central message of this Sunday is condensed in the love of God and neighbor. For Christian love to be authentic, it has to be in forma crucis, vertically and horizontally (God and neighbor). The first reading of today hinges on the love of one’s neighbor, while the Gospel presents the two wings of love: love of God and love of neighbor, and it is a re-presentation of the commandments in a new way. In Jesus’ parlance the love of God and the love of neighbor are interlaced. You cannot have one authentically without the other. As a matter of fact, the love of God devoid of the love of neighbour is nothing but a mere barren emotion; and in the same vein, without the love of God, the love of neighbor is nothing but egoistic and self-centered love. In the second reading, similar to the tone of last week, St. Paul continues with the thanksgiving for the spiritual progress of the Thessalonians in the Gospel. This passage reveals the content of the major themes of St. Paul’s preaching, the abandonment of idols for the worship of the True God: “you turned from idols to serve the living and true God…”

     In today’s first reading (Ex. 22:20-26) we find ourselves in the context when the Israelites have left Egypt. They were no longer under the dictatorial laws of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. This reading presents a section of the guiding rules God gave them on how to care for the weak and the needy in their midst. So, this passage is an excerpt from the book of the covenant between God and his people, as such, the materials therein are related to legal codes of the Ancient Near East. The codes are formulated in the negative: “Do not maltreat the widow…”  But in the evangelical text St. Mathew gives us a positive formulation: “you will love the Lord your God with all your heart…” This passage comes from a section of the code on social conduct, and it hinges on the love of one’s neighbor. It gives us some clues on the activeness and genuiness of love, thus: Do not molest a stranger or oppress him. Do not maltreat the weak (orphans and widows). Do not take interest from a poor man when you lend to him. If you take your neighbour’s garment in pledge, restore it before the sun goes down. All these point to the love of neighbor.

     Reflecting on the Gospel passage (Mt 22:34-40) I think we have to thank this unknown doctor of the law for his question, “Master what is the greatest commandment of the law?” (v.36). He asked the question, not because he was desirous to know or to learn but because he  wanted to put Jesus to the test (v.35). Even though the intention was not good, Jesus profited from the occasion to give a great teaching on love. The teaching of Jesus reveals that the heart of Christian religion is Love. The essence of our being Christians is to Love. To the question on the greatest commandment, Jesus responded, offering three objects of love: God, the neighbour and oneself.

     In answering the question about the greatest commandment Jesus did not quote any of the Ten Commandments, rather he summarized them in two parts: love of God (from the first to the third commandment) and love of neighbor (from the fourth to the tenth commandment). Thus, Jesus focused on the two commandments: love of God and of neighbor. For the first, the Word of God says: “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (v.37), this entails that the love of God has to be total, incomparable and without measures. And then for the second it says “and your neighbor as yourself” (v.39), because it is presumed that one ought to love himself. However, we are going to see the novelty brought by Jesus in the New Testament about the love of neighbor. In his response, Jesus used the verb in the future tense “you will love”, which indicates that it is an inconclusive act, to love is not a duty per se, but a necessity for living, for in as much as man continues to exist he is called to love. The response of Jesus could be seen as the summary of the whole bible, both the Old and the New Testaments.

     In the bid, to respond to his interlocutor, Jesus enlisted two commandments already existent in the Old law, but he unified them together, for he says that the second is like the first. In fact Jesus took his response from the book of Deuteronomy (6:4-5): “Shema O Israel: Yahweh our God is the one, the only Yahweh. You must love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength”, that is with regards to the love of God, while the love of the neighbour alludes to Leviticus (19:18): “You will not exact vengeance on, or bear any sort of grudge against, the members of your race, but you will love your neighbor as yourself”. In the time of Jesus there were known to be 613 commandments in the Jewish Law. These two commandments were dispersed in the 613 prescriptions of the law (365 prohibitions and 248 actions to be carried out).    

     Once again in the response of Jesus we see the third aspect of the two commandments, which calls the attention of man to love himself, “love your neighbor as you love yourself”, because one who is not capable of loving himself, cannot love others. But Jesus took this to another level, to its Christological dimension, is no longer love your neighbor as yourself, but love one another as I have loved you” (Jn. 13:34: 15:12), here Jesus becomes the model and the reason of love of the neighbor. Unlike in the Old Testament (Lev. 19:18). In some other passages of the Gospel Jesus deepened the modality of loving our neighbor and broadened the concept of neighborhood. There is indeed, a new sense that Jesus brought in, he called us to love our neighbor not as oneself, but as  He (Jesus) loved us, because now everyone (especially those in need) as Jesus taught in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25:37) is our neighbor. Thus, there is a passage from the Old Testament restricted sense of neighborhood to Jesus universalistic and inclusive sense of neighborhood. At the basis of this, is an invitation to love our neighbor without measures. For and with Jesus the concept of neighborhood acquired a universal meaning without discrimination of race, colour, religion or territory. My neighbour therefore, is someone I have to be close to, somebody in need. We remember the words of Jesus at the episode of the last judgement “In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me” and again “In truth I tell you, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me” (Mt. 25: 40,45). This reminds us of this sacrament of love and our neighbor as a sacrament of God. He who truly loves God cannot but love his fellow man (neighbour). The neighbor in Jesus parlance is similar to God, for the neighbor bears the image of God.

     The love we are talking about originates from God, for God is the source of love. The word of God says that “God is love” (1Jn. 4:8b) and thus “everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God” (1Jn. 4:7), therefore, as human beings we are objects of God’s Love, for we experience it daily, but also we are called to be subjects of God’s love, to become channel of God’s love to our neighbors. For Jesus the love of God and the love of neighbour are like two sides of the same coin. Little wonder, tells us that: “anyone who says I love God and hates his brother is a liar, since whoever does not love the brother whom he can see cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1Jn. 4:20-21). Indeed this is the commandment we have received from him, that whoever loves God, must also love his brother”. We can see the imperative on must, there is no negotiation about it.

     Furthermore, it behooves us to affirm vehemently in this reflection, that though in the parlance of the great French Philosopher Rene Descartes man is an “res cogitas” but before becoming “res cogitas”, man was and still is “res cogitata”, that is to say that before becoming thinking beings, we were already thought of by God, and being thought of by God is a revelation of God’s love. God in deed, is the source of love.

    For Jesus these two commandments are interconnected, for love comes from God and St. John makes it glaring thus: “dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1Jn. 4:7). Love indeed, is the manifestation of the true knowledge of God. Here, when we talk about “knowledge” we don’t mean “knowledge” (gnosis) tout court, rather we are talking about epignosis, that’s real, practical and experiential knowledge, an incarnated knowledge. St. Paul links epignosis with love (cf. Phil. 1:9-11; Eph. 4:13). Give or take, the authenticity of our faith is shown when we put these two commandments into practice. Thus we can say: no love no faith in God. Little wonder St. Paul affirms that “faith works through love” (Gal. 5:6). And in the letter of St. James we read, “faith without works is dead” (Jm. 2:17), the vitality of faith is given by good works. St. John once again in his first letter brings it to a drammatic conclusion as he says: “Children our love must be not just words or mere talk, but something active and genuine” (1Jn. 4:18). So, how is our love to be active and genuine? On this, the first and the second readings gives us some guidelines.

     In the second reading (1Th 1:5-10) instead St. Paul presents the community of Thessalonica as a model for other Christian communities, because they welcomed the word of God with joy. Not only that they welcomed the word of God but they equally translated it into concrete life situations. They got converted and turned to God abandoning their idols. This no doubt points to their love of God. Likewise, for us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, we too need to abbandon our idols, not necessarily other gods, but those things that divide and deviate our attention from God. We need to abandon our self-made idols, object-idles and person-idles.

     Above all, my beloved brothers and sisters in and of Nigeria, an approach to the second commandment about love could be by reflecting on how we love ourselves, ranging from our leaders to the led. Love of neighbour becomes virtually impossible in the agony of self-hatred in which some fearful, discouraged people can find themselves. Loving the other as oneself only becomes possible if we have, or can gain, a healthy, sane level of self-appreciation. With the state of things in our country today, we need to embark on the commitment and on the outreach of love and justice. Let us shun and do away with tribal prejudices and political divide, prejudices feed not on facts but on feelings. Is quite unfortunate that in our dear country we are swimming in the pool of blood of our innocent brothers and sisters massacred by those who ought to protect them. A nation that slaughters her youth befuddles her hope! Today, war and rebellion, economic disorder, famine, massacre, oppression, corruption and looting threaten every State, are these the presages of the destruction of the entity called Nigeria or the turning point that gives birth to a New Nigeria? In my outreach for love and justice I join my voice to the voices of all Nigerian Youths and all Nigerians who have the peace and development of this country at heart to decry for the end of clueless government, of the dehumanization of the human life, of greed, of corruption and of the politics of the winner takes it all! We need a transformation in people and in the social structures. Let love and justice lead!

     In conclusion, for Christian love to be authentic, it has to be in forma crucis, vertically and horizontally (God and neighbor). Little wonder, the cross is our sign of love and victory. That is why Jesus transformed a sign of shame to a sign of salvific love. In all, we are called to be witnesses of love: “from this all we know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn.13:35). Love no doubt, is the distinguishing Christian personality trait that enables us to be who God wants us to be! Lord Jesus inspire us to love you and to love one another! Amen!!!

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

The Two Wings of love: God And Neighbor!

(Homily 30^th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A)

      The central message of this Sunday is condensed in the love of God and neighbor. For Christian love to be authentic, it has to be in forma crucis, vertically and horizontally (God and neighbor). The first reading of today hinges on the love of one’s neighbor, while the Gospel presents the two wings of love: love of God and love of neighbor, and it is a re-presentation of the commandments in a new way. In Jesus’ parlance the love of God and the love of neighbor are interlaced. You cannot have one authentically without the other. As a matter of fact, the love of God devoid of the love of neighbour is nothing but a mere barren emotion; and in the same vein, without the love of God, the love of neighbor is nothing but egoistic and self-centered love. In the second reading, similar to the tone of last week, St. Paul continues with the thanksgiving for the spiritual progress of the Thessalonians in the Gospel. This passage reveals the content of the major themes of St. Paul’s preaching, the abandonment of idols for the worship of the True God: “you turned from idols to serve the living and true God…”

     In today’s first reading (Ex. 22:20-26) we find ourselves in the context when the Israelites have left Egypt. They were no longer under the dictatorial laws of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. This reading presents a section of the guiding rules God gave them on how to care for the weak and the needy in their midst. So, this passage is an excerpt from the book of the covenant between God and his people, as such, the materials therein are related to legal codes of the Ancient Near East. The codes are formulated in the negative: “Do not maltreat the widow…”  But in the evangelical text St. Mathew gives us a positive formulation: “you will love the Lord your God with all your heart…” This passage comes from a section of the code on social conduct, and it hinges on the love of one’s neighbor. It gives us some clues on the activeness and genuiness of love, thus: Do not molest a stranger or oppress him. Do not maltreat the weak (orphans and widows). Do not take interest from a poor man when you lend to him. If you take your neighbour’s garment in pledge, restore it before the sun goes down. All these point to the love of neighbor.

     Reflecting on the Gospel passage (Mt 22:34-40) I think we have to thank this unknown doctor of the law for his question, “Master what is the greatest commandment of the law?” (v.36). He asked the question, not because he was desirous to know or to learn but because he  wanted to put Jesus to the test (v.35). Even though the intention was not good, Jesus profited from the occasion to give a great teaching on love. The teaching of Jesus reveals that the heart of Christian religion is Love. The essence of our being Christians is to Love. To the question on the greatest commandment, Jesus responded, offering three objects of love: God, the neighbour and oneself.

     In answering the question about the greatest commandment Jesus did not quote any of the Ten Commandments, rather he summarized them in two parts: love of God (from the first to the third commandment) and love of neighbor (from the fourth to the tenth commandment). Thus, Jesus focused on the two commandments: love of God and of neighbor. For the first, the Word of God says: “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (v.37), this entails that the love of God has to be total, incomparable and without measures. And then for the second it says “and your neighbor as yourself” (v.39), because it is presumed that one ought to love himself. However, we are going to see the novelty brought by Jesus in the New Testament about the love of neighbor. In his response, Jesus used the verb in the future tense “you will love”, which indicates that it is an inconclusive act, to love is not a duty per se, but a necessity for living, for in as much as man continues to exist he is called to love. The response of Jesus could be seen as the summary of the whole bible, both the Old and the New Testaments.

     In the bid, to respond to his interlocutor, Jesus enlisted two commandments already existent in the Old law, but he unified them together, for he says that the second is like the first. In fact Jesus took his response from the book of Deuteronomy (6:4-5): “Shema O Israel: Yahweh our God is the one, the only Yahweh. You must love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength”, that is with regards to the love of God, while the love of the neighbour alludes to Leviticus (19:18): “You will not exact vengeance on, or bear any sort of grudge against, the members of your race, but you will love your neighbor as yourself”. In the time of Jesus there were known to be 613 commandments in the Jewish Law. These two commandments were dispersed in the 613 prescriptions of the law (365 prohibitions and 248 actions to be carried out).    

     Once again in the response of Jesus we see the third aspect of the two commandments, which calls the attention of man to love himself, “love your neighbor as you love yourself”, because one who is not capable of loving himself, cannot love others. But Jesus took this to another level, to its Christological dimension, is no longer love your neighbor as yourself, but love one another as I have loved you” (Jn. 13:34: 15:12), here Jesus becomes the model and the reason of love of the neighbor. Unlike in the Old Testament (Lev. 19:18). In some other passages of the Gospel Jesus deepened the modality of loving our neighbor and broadened the concept of neighborhood. There is indeed, a new sense that Jesus brought in, he called us to love our neighbor not as oneself, but as  He (Jesus) loved us, because now everyone (especially those in need) as Jesus taught in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25:37) is our neighbor. Thus, there is a passage from the Old Testament restricted sense of neighborhood to Jesus universalistic and inclusive sense of neighborhood. At the basis of this, is an invitation to love our neighbor without measures. For and with Jesus the concept of neighborhood acquired a universal meaning without discrimination of race, colour, religion or territory. My neighbour therefore, is someone I have to be close to, somebody in need. We remember the words of Jesus at the episode of the last judgement “In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me” and again “In truth I tell you, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me” (Mt. 25: 40,45). This reminds us of this sacrament of love and our neighbor as a sacrament of God. He who truly loves God cannot but love his fellow man (neighbour). The neighbor in Jesus parlance is similar to God, for the neighbor bears the image of God.

     The love we are talking about originates from God, for God is the source of love. The word of God says that “God is love” (1Jn. 4:8b) and thus “everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God” (1Jn. 4:7), therefore, as human beings we are objects of God’s Love, for we experience it daily, but also we are called to be subjects of God’s love, to become channel of God’s love to our neighbors. For Jesus the love of God and the love of neighbour are like two sides of the same coin. Little wonder, tells us that: “anyone who says I love God and hates his brother is a liar, since whoever does not love the brother whom he can see cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1Jn. 4:20-21). Indeed this is the commandment we have received from him, that whoever loves God, must also love his brother”. We can see the imperative on must, there is no negotiation about it.

     Furthermore, it behooves us to affirm vehemently in this reflection, that though in the parlance of the great French Philosopher Rene Descartes man is an “res cogitas” but before becoming “res cogitas”, man was and still is “res cogitata”, that is to say that before becoming thinking beings, we were already thought of by God, and being thought of by God is a revelation of God’s love. God in deed, is the source of love.

    For Jesus these two commandments are interconnected, for love comes from God and St. John makes it glaring thus: “dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1Jn. 4:7). Love indeed, is the manifestation of the true knowledge of God. Here, when we talk about “knowledge” we don’t mean “knowledge” (gnosis) tout court, rather we are talking about epignosis, that’s real, practical and experiential knowledge, an incarnated knowledge. St. Paul links epignosis with love (cf. Phil. 1:9-11; Eph. 4:13). Give or take, the authenticity of our faith is shown when we put these two commandments into practice. Thus we can say: no love no faith in God. Little wonder St. Paul affirms that “faith works through love” (Gal. 5:6). And in the letter of St. James we read, “faith without works is dead” (Jm. 2:17), the vitality of faith is given by good works. St. John once again in his first letter brings it to a drammatic conclusion as he says: “Children our love must be not just words or mere talk, but something active and genuine” (1Jn. 4:18). So, how is our love to be active and genuine? On this, the first and the second readings gives us some guidelines.

     In the second reading (1Th 1:5-10) instead St. Paul presents the community of Thessalonica as a model for other Christian communities, because they welcomed the word of God with joy. Not only that they welcomed the word of God but they equally translated it into concrete life situations. They got converted and turned to God abandoning their idols. This no doubt points to their love of God. Likewise, for us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, we too need to abbandon our idols, not necessarily other gods, but those things that divide and deviate our attention from God. We need to abandon our self-made idols, object-idles and person-idles.

     Above all, my beloved brothers and sisters in and of Nigeria, an approach to the second commandment about love could be by reflecting on how we love ourselves, ranging from our leaders to the led. Love of neighbour becomes virtually impossible in the agony of self-hatred in which some fearful, discouraged people can find themselves. Loving the other as oneself only becomes possible if we have, or can gain, a healthy, sane level of self-appreciation. With the state of things in our country today, we need to embark on the commitment and on the outreach of love and justice. Let us shun and do away with tribal prejudices and political divide, prejudices feed not on facts but on feelings. Is quite unfortunate that in our dear country we are swimming in the pool of blood of our innocent brothers and sisters massacred by those who ought to protect them. A nation that slaughters her youth befuddles her hope! Today, war and rebellion, economic disorder, famine, massacre, oppression, corruption and looting threaten every State, are these the presages of the destruction of the entity called Nigeria or the turning point that gives birth to a New Nigeria? In my outreach for love and justice I join my voice to the voices of all Nigerian Youths and all Nigerians who have the peace and development of this country at heart to decry for the end of clueless government, of the dehumanization of the human life, of greed, of corruption and of the politics of the winner takes it all! We need a transformation in people and in the social structures. Let love and justice lead!

     In conclusion, for Christian love to be authentic, it has to be in forma crucis, vertically and horizontally (God and neighbor). Little wonder, the cross is our sign of love and victory. That is why Jesus transformed a sign of shame to a sign of salvific love. In all, we are called to be witnesses of love: “from this all we know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn.13:35). Love no doubt, is the distinguishing Christian personality trait that enables us to be who God wants us to be! Lord Jesus inspire us to love you and to love one another! Amen!!!

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

Things To Caesar and Persons To God!

 (Homily 29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr .A)

          Human history itself has been characterized by conflicts, oppositions and clashes. And one of the clashes is that between religion and the state, which is no longer new. Drawing the issue further, the history of Christianity especially in the West, was largely a history of conflicts. In the first few centuries of its existence, the Christian religion was strongly persecuted by the state. Even though, the persecutions gave birth to the martyrs and Christianity did later become the religion of the state, however, the traces of that tension still lingers today. Our readings today talk about these oppositions and tensions: Cyrus a pagan king as opposed to the Israelites, God chosen people and the tension between Caesar and God etc. The first reading from Deutero-Isaiah presents a remarkable story of the Persian King Cyrus, who did not know God, but all the same God used him to achieve his divine purpose, thus revealing that God is Supreme over all, all the rulers of the earth are subject to him. Cyrus was a pagan king but however was appointed by God (first reading). This episode in the first reading introduces a sort of Jewish teaching about the state, and the teaching culminates in the declaration of Jesus on the tribute to Caesar and to God (Gospel). In the second reading, the faith account of the community of Thessalonica is a manifestation of a community that has placed God in the first position; they have given to God what is God’s through their faith, charity and hope.

          The first reading (Is.45:1, 4-6) tells us that God used Cyrus, a pagan King of Persia, in order to realize his designs, the promise of liberation of the people of Israel. Isaiah envisaged God’s work in a pagan king, an unbeliever led by God and called by name and appointed by God. The word of God to Cyrus: “It is for the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen one, that I have called you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me” (Is. 45:4). The chosen people were slaves in Babylon, and Cyrus won victory over Babylonians, and with his political astuteness he made the exiled Israelites to come back to their own country. Although, some scholars have it that the King did this not with the intention to liberate them, rather he did it because he wanted to dominate them better by sending them to their own land. But the overwhelming point here is that, Cyrus unknowingly became an instrument for the realization of God’s project on Israel: Their liberation from slavery. Extrapolating from the above fact, we see two emergent considerations: ►God can use anyone to realize his divine plans, believers and non-believers alike. However, he will use us more if we are docile and disposed to the manifestations of His grace. ►We should not always consider whatever that happens to us or in our world purely from the point of view of human criterion and logic, sometimes behind the scenes of the happenings, negative or positive there is God at work, for our favor and good. God can make something good out of evil. More so, it serves as a reminder to all of us, that the mission of the Church is to bring to all unbelievers the Good News that it is God that guides their destiny, and through faith in Christ and baptism they too will be anointed by the Spirit and called by a new name. The Good News is that God knows us even when we do not know Him.

         In the Gospel (Mt. 22:15-21) Mathew presents the episode of the tension between Jesus and the two opposing groups: Pharisees and Romans over the issue of tribute to Caesar as a plot to trap Jesus. Latently, Mathew sets out to present the episode as part of the conflicts of Jesus and his opponents. And the fulcrum of this encounter is condensed in the words: “Give to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar, and to God the things that are God’s”. Doubtlessly, this pronouncement has been subjected to a number of interpretations in the course of the history of Christianity. However, all the three evangelists collocated the episode within the context of the happenings in the last days of Jesus in Jerusalem.

          In the context of today’s Gospel, we see an unusual occurrence of two opposing groups (Pharisees and Romans) coming together for a purpose, that is, to lay a snare for Jesus. In fact, with their initial eulogies they pretended to be on the side of Jesus. The fake tributes to Jesus by two groups of enemies that suddenly became friends, mention of his honesty, his fearlessness, his disregard for the status of those he encountered, all this flattery coming from people who normally were hostile to Christ merely exposes the hypocrisy of their praise. They wanted to get Jesus by incensing him with eulogies, “Master, we know that you are an honest man and teach the way of God in all honesty and that you are not afraid of anyone, because human rank means nothing to you” (v.16). Afterwards, they threw him the question “give us your opinion, then. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (v.17). But Jesus “knowing their wickedness” (v.18), reacts immediately with a counterattack: “You hypocrites, why do you tempt me” (v.18). And he asks for a coin, saying “whose image is here?” (v.20), they couldn’t but reply “of Caesar”. And he told them “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar…” If Jesus were to answer, “Pay the tax,” he would have been accused of collaboration with the Roman oppressors, and would have incurred the scorn of the ordinary Jews, who pay tax. If he had advocated for non-payment of tax, he could have been arrested for sedition by the Roman authorities. So Jesus played his cards well. “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s”, these words left them confounded and they quietly went away. However, it could be said that the response of Jesus left the matter in suspense, for it neither touch on the right of the Romans to rule the Israelites, nor did it enumerate concretely the things of Caesar and those of God.

          However, the hot button phrase of today’s Gospel: “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God” (Mt.22:21), was reported not only by Mathew, but by the three synoptic. And in the account of the three synoptic we see the contending question to Jesus: “Is it lawful or not, to pay tribute to Caesar?” (v.15), this was indeed a hot button question because: ►If Jesus had responded that it was lawful, he would have become a friend of the Romans, and attracted the anger of the Jews. ►If he responded that it is not lawful, he would have fallen into the hands of the Romans. ►If he did not respond it would have been a big disappointment after that their initial eulogy.

          But with his well calculated response Jesus silenced them all, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar”. That is to say, if you accept the services of Caesar, pay also the tribute. This goes a long way to educate the Christians that they have their prescribed rights and duties before the State. Then, Jesus added “And to God what belongs to God”, this invariably reveals that before the duties one owes to the State comes the duties before God, who is the Supreme and Absolute Being. The State / Government cannot appropriate to herself absolute values. Be that as it may, if the State promulgates laws that are contrary to the laws of God, a Christian has to respond courageously like the apostles: “obedience to God comes before obedience to men” (At. 5:29).

          The saying of Jesus above has been interpreted in so many ways, some use it to justify the claim that religious leaders should not interfere in secular domains like politics and economics etc. But this could not possibly be the meaning. As a matter of fact, the whole teachings of Jesus reiterates the fact that the whole of creation belong to God, “his is the earth and the fullness thereof”. As such, there is no question of separate domains, for everything belongs to God. More than that, the saying is rather about maintaining priorities. The question was a trap because for the Pharisees paying taxes to Caesar is important, but for Jesus it is of a relative importance, little wonder he responded in such a wise manner. What belongs to God therefore, must be considered from a wider sense to mean what we can not compromise where and when it is concerned, for instance we can talk about: family, the sacrality of human life, justice etc. Jesus in this passage is pointing out that priorities have gone wrong, little wonder, his response took them by surprise and at the same time, very satisfying, for they left him alone and went away. Many a times, we fall into the same misplacement of priorities like the Pharisees, for we lay too much stress on things that are important but secondary, for instance: wealth, prestige and popularity.

          Symbolically, as the image of the emperor on the coin demonstrates that the coin belongs to him, so also, man as an image of God, with God’s imprint, belongs to God. For Genesis 1: 26-27 reminds us that man is a “creatio imago Dei”, made in the image and likeness of God. As such, if the coin is giving to Caesar because it bears his image, man bears the image of God and thus, belongs to God. Therefore, to Caesar things, to God Persons! Jesus responded to their question with a double edged answer. First, he substituted the very “to pay” with the verb “to restitute”, restitute, therefore to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. Here, restitute is a strong imperative, that has to do not only with money, but the whole life. The question we cannot but ask is this: who is Caesar? Caesar is not God, and Jesus removed from Caesar any divine pretense. Restitute to God what is God’s: to God belongs man, made little less than the angels (Ps. 8) and at the same time on our hands we carry the inscription: “Yahweh’s” (Is. 44:5). No doubt, Jesus recognized the value and autonomy of political powers in the spheres of their competence, however, he reminds Caesar (political powers) that he also has “to give God what belongs to God”, to recognize the universal sovereignty of God, therefore, respecting God’s law on man and the human conscience.

          In the second reading (1Th. 1:1-5b), we read from the earliest written document of the New Testament, which was authored by Paul around 50 AD during his stay at Corinth. It happened that Paul founded the Church in Thessalonica not too long from the moment he wrote this epistle. He writes with preoccupation over his new converts that he left, not only that, he even sent Timothy to go and see how they were faring in the faith. And as God would have it, Timothy brought an encouraging report, and that triggered the warm tone of the opening of this epistle, thus, he began with thanksgiving. They tried to put God at the proper position in their lives, they put God first, they did give to God what belongs to God. He compliments them for their commitment in the faith, industriousness in charity and for their constant hope in the Lord. Can this be said of our own Christian communities and parishes too?

          In all, the story of Cyrus in the first reading confirms the fact that all authority comes from God and belongs to Him too (cf. Romans 13:1), all the same, giving to Caesar and to God does not mean compromising our faith in God with the things of this world. There is a pressing need to put God at the proper position in our lives and society. Today we are in a society that on and on tends to relegate God to the background, a society where relative opinions that drag the human dignity to the mud are made laws. We cannot but talk about the latent and manifest legalization of abortion, violence on human life, the presages of injustice and the reification of the human person.  Above all, we cannot but reaffirm the belongingness of man to God. Heavenly Father, all power and authority in heaven and on earth belongs to and comes from you, give us the grace to understand that it is in your Son we have life, and may the light of the Holy Spirit enlighten our minds and our darkened world to acknowledge and place You at the first position in our lives, thus God above all else. As we celebrate World Mission Sunday today, may the Lord give us the grace always to respond to his invitation like Isaiah: “Here am I, send me” (Is. 6:8). May the Lord help us to participate in the Mission either by going or by giving! Amen!

(Fr. Vitus M.C. Unegbu, SC) 

 

 

God’s Banquet Is Open for All!

(Homily 28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr . A)

          The predominant context of today’s readings is that of a feast, a banquet. Thus, theme of banquet or feast serves as a bridge connecting our first reading and the Gospel passage. Indeed, by banquet here, the sacred authors do not allude merely to ordinary feasting; rather it is a symbol of the happiness and joy that are essential elements in God’s Kingdom. In the first reading and the Gospel we see a promise and the ratification of the promise respectively. In the first reading (Is. 25: 6-10) we see the promise of a change and transformation, from a situation of disgrace that the people of Israel were living in, to a life of happiness and joy, as symbolized in the imagery of the feast on the Mount Zion, to which all nations were to participate. It is for all. Again, in the Gospel (Mt. 22: 1-14) we see the dramatic situation of the King whose guests did not honor his invitation and consequently, the exceptional condition of inviting all, to the banquet of his Son’s wedding feast without ifs and buts, no merit, no preference and no consideration of class. On the other hand, in the second reading (Phil. 4: 12-14.19-20) the apostle presents a Christian community living in authentic love, joy and sharing in one another’s trouble. The gifts they sent to St. Paul are eloquent manifestations of their participation in the eternal banquet.

          In the Gospel passage Jesus employed the use of imagery in the narration of the parable to teach about the different aspects of the Kingdom of God. As a matter of fact, the theme “Kingdom of God” occupied a very important place in the life and ministry of Jesus. For at the beginning of his ministry, he started with the imminent call: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe the gospel” (Mk.1:15). And the Kingdom of God that Jesus has come to inaugurate on earth is not to be understood as a mere eschatological reality, but also as an experience of the love and peace that are parts and parcel of Jesus’ public ministry. It is a situation of inclusiveness where there is no discrimination and injustice. Drawing the issue further, the parable is full of symbolic personages: the King is God, his Son is Jesus, the invited guests are the chief priests and elders of the people and the messenger-servants are the prophets. The chief priests and elders refused to recognize God’s invitation to a call of holiness as delivered by His Son, but they rejected the Son and ignored his message out of stubbornness and hypocrisy. As such, the parable of this Sunday continues in the same direction of the previous ones, it does not matter who you are, where you come from and what your past has been, what matters is one’s readiness to respond to the Lord who calls. At the heart of that parable we see the theme of the universality of the Kingdom of God that Christ came to inaugurate.

          The Gospel periscope from Mathew presents the wedding feast of the Son of the King, and contrary from what is obtainable in the ordinary human existential context, none of the invitees seem interested, not even the rich and the wealthy wanted to come. But the King does not give up at the prime refusal of those invited, and he went ahead and launched another invitation, yet they did not honor it, but he did not give up. Afterwards, the third time, he said to his servants: “the wedding feast is ready, but those invited are not worthy”, then he sent them to call all, good and bad, and lastly, the wedding hall was filled with people. He asked his servants to invite all, without consideration of merits or formalities anymore. Here lies the central message of this parable: God is like one who organizes a feast, the best of all feasts, and He invites you and gives you the conditions for a good and joyful life. At this third time, he sent his servants to go out, this gesture cannot but remind us, of the invitation of the Church to be on the move, and not an immobile Church. They were sent out to call all, men and women of little importance, what is important is that they are thirsty for the feast and for life. Through this parable Jesus is telling us that God has opened the door of his heart for all men, no one and no race is excluded, likewise, we are expected to open the doors of hearts to welcome his invitation. Therefore, this parable reveals the image of a God whose purpose is to share his life and blessing with all and the outright rejection of man does not reduce the intensity of the divine insistence. This loving and open-hearted persistence of God in invitation us to a joyful life in and with Him is a renewed Gospel that should reecho ceaselessly in our hearts and ears.

          An important aspect of the Kingdom of God is explained through the parable of the Wedding feast. As such, to belong to the Kingdom of God, is a personal choice of an individual, for therein all are invited, but each person has the freedom to choose to be or not to be a participant. And to become a participant of the Kingdom of God is both a Gift and a Responsibility; the responsibility to undergo a radical transformation and change, leaving behind the old man (cf. Rom. 6:6; Col. 3:9-10), in the Pauline parlance. We as followers of Christ are called to create an atmosphere of love, peace, sharing and passing from the logic of self-centeredness to that of God-centeredness, which depicts the reality of God’s Kingdom.

          In the same vein, the theme of universality was anticipated in the first reading from the prophecy of Isaiah, where he prophesized that the Lord: “will prepare a banquet for all the nations”. St. Mathew in the Gospel sees the parable of the banquet prepared by the King, as a summary of the history of Salvation of mankind. God sends on different times and occasions his servants to call the invited, there are those invited for the wedding banquet, particularly the Jewish people, and a good number of them did not honor the invitation. And their refusal served as an avenue to invite all. Interestingly, in the context of this parable, Mathew sets out to communicate to his readers that the true chosen people are made up of both Jews and Gentiles (pagans) alike, for Jesus has broken all the barriers of separation between peoples and nations. Meanwhile, in the person of Christ, the history of salvation reaches its culminating point: “everything is ready, come to the wedding” (v.4). The kingdom of God is present in Christ, for he is the “Autobasilea”, Kingdom personified. The Kingdom of God is realized through him and with Him the Kingdom of God is present. It is not just only an eschatological reality, for the Kingdom of God is present in our midst. Thus, there is no time to waste, man has to decide and make a choice. Are you honoring the invitation of the Great King or no?

          Secondly, we cannot but underline the gratuitous nature of this banquet; it is God that offers it. It is God that calls, and he expects us to accept the invitation. However, accepting the invitation entails accepting it with all its implications and consequences. It is surprising and astonishing that some of those invited to the banquet turned down the invitation, thus ungrateful of the generosity of the King. This is discouraging because the banquet is already ready, there are no serious reasons not to respond. For as we can see, the major reasons for turning down the invitation is because one prefers his own interest and personal work to the work and invitation of God.

           Consequently, others were invited “good and bad”, “Go on the streets, and call all you find there” (v.9). Here, once again the theme of last Sunday resurfaces, the people of Israel did not listen, and God turned towards all who are ready to welcome his Word. He does not ask about who they are, where they come from and what they have been doing before. Here, we see divine logic in action: from the Few invited to the All invited, from important persons to simple people of no worth. He says let them all enter. Interestingly, he says the bad before the good. The Gospel verily demonstrates that God is not in search of perfect people; rather he welcomes all who are ready to begin a journey of perfectibility and not of perfectionism. He does not want the wedding hall (Church) full of self-acclaimed saints, rather a Church full of pardoned sinners.

           Furthermore, the second part of the parable seems a little bit in contrast with the first one. The King calls all, good and bad, and then, when they are already at the banquet room, he pretends that those invited have the “wedding garment”, and sends away who does not have it (Mt. 20:11-14). In any case, above any exegetical discussion on the interpretation of the fact, it is certain that the parable is calling the attention of the disciples of Jesus, and all of us against the idea that the only thing important is to answer the call, and enter inside the banquet room, but that is not enough, there is also need to put on the “wedding garment”. The king enters the wedding hall and discovered that one of the invitees has not changed his garment, he has not put on the wedding garment, while all changed, he did not. He was still looking like those outside, the fact of his not changing and putting on the wedding garment is symbolic of one who remained in the old life, someone not ready to embark on the journey of conversion, a journey of perfectibility. He refused to enter into the dialectics of pardoned sinners. God’s banquet is open for all, but with the prospective of a spiritual and moral change, because man, and as such a Christian is in a constant becoming! It is indeed surprising that after inviting all, beggars and people of less importance, he now discovered one invited guest without the wedding dress. How come? What is this wedding garment that is necessary in order not to be sent away from the banquet? More than that, the wedding garment here does not refer to the one you wear on the body, it is a garment of the heart. It is a fervent heart, a heart desirous of an encounter with God in His eternal banquet. The wedding garment can be identified with promptness and readiness to begin anew, to start a new life, a state of mind in grace, and it has to do concretely with love (charity), the love of God and the love of neighbors poured on our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us (cf. Rom. 5:5). The wedding garment can also signify the “dazzling white linen” of the book of Apocalypses (19:8), which consists “in the work of the saints” or “in the works of justice” that Mathew talked about in the Gospel (5:20), and particularly in the great sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:29).

          The consideration above, invites each and every one of us to ask himself or herself the basic question: if he has the wedding garment? This is an important examination of conscience, we all have to do, because the parable ended emblematically with the phrase “many are called, but few are chosen”. The parable of the today’s Gospel is suggestive of four considerations:

►First, is that God continues to invite man to his banquet, even till today, but how do we respond? Sometimes like the invitees of the banquet in that Parable. The Eucharistic banquet is a sacramental sign of the biggest banquet of God, and it is the prefiguration of the eschatological banquet prepared for eternal life.

►Second, God calls each and every one of us to the banquet of friendship with him, to a life of communion with him. How do we respond to this? Do we always find excuses or we respond positively?

►Third, the parable admonishes us that it is not enough to enter in the Church, in order to be saved, there is need to live in accordance with the divine call. There is need of putting on the “wedding garment”, or to say it with St. Paul of putting on Christ (cf. Rom. 13:14).

►Fourth, it serves equally as an invitation to continue the work of evangelization to all: “All that you can find”. As such, in accordance with his invitation: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations” (Mt. 28:19).

          Above all else, however, our God is a God that does not sit impassible on his Divine throne; rather he comes close to his people, a God that organizes feast for His people. As a matter of fact, as emanating from our readings today, especially from the Gospel, we cannot but re-affirm that the invitation of God to holiness is an invitation of joy, joy that is likened to a great banquet. So, responding to the invitation of the Great King to embrace the life of holiness does not subject us to sadness, rather it yields the fruits of happiness and joy. It is happiness that links us to eternal celebration with the Great King. In fact, St. Paul captured it well when he re-affirmed the words of the Scriptures thus: “What no eye has seen and no ear has heard, what the mind of man cannot visualize; all that God has prepared for those who love him” (1Cor.2:9). Who can imagine how the great banquet will be? My prayer for us all is that when the Great King comes, we may be found with our wedding garment, for indeed “blessed are those invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:9). Amen!!!

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