The Sacrifice that Counts!

 (Homily 2^nd Sunday of Lent –Year B)

     In exception of what I read and see on movies about mountains, I never knew the existential importance of mountains, until my experience at the Northern part of Italy. There, people go to the mountain for relaxation, to enjoy the beauty of nature, to enjoy fresh and uncontaminated air, it is a place of peace, tranquility and rest. It does not only introduce one in a wonderful contact with nature, it also leads to the imagination of the brain behind such beauty, and as such to the Creator. In the Sacred scriptures, the mountain is a place of encounter between God and man. It is equally a place of prayer and divine manifestation. When I remember the first time I climbed a mountain, I recognize the reason why God asked Abraham to go to mount Moriah for the sacrifice of his son Isaac and the aim of Jesus for climbing the mountain, without being told. Extrapolating from our readings today, it behooves us to affirm that the scenario and context for today’s message is the mountain, three mountains: Mount Moriah in the first reading, Mount Tabor as presented in the Gospel passage and Mount Golgotha as alluded in the second reading by St. Paul. Be that as it may, every second Sunday of Lent the Church invites us to reflect on the episode of Jesus’ Transfiguration. For his Transfiguration is an indication that we his followers should also strive to be transfigured, to change in mind and heart.

     The first reading (Gn.22:1-2.9a10-13.15-18) is a masterpiece on God’s faithfulness and Abraham’s correspondence. It presents the emblematic passage of the sacrifice of Isaac, which as a matter of fact, was for the early church a prototype of Christ’s death. Therein, we were told about the experience of childlessness of Abraham and his wife Sara for many years. However, they believed that God will bless them one day, even though they were troubled. Their faith in God never wavered. At the appointed time God blessed them with a son, they named him Isaac. Surprisingly, when the child was coming of age something happened. The stage is Mount Moriah, the mount of test. God asked Abraham to take his only son Isaac to a specified place where he would be killed and used as a victim for a sacrifice to God. Abraham did not ask God why he should do so. He simply took the child and the other materials for the sacrifice and left to Mount Moriah, which means God will provide. Moriah was the destination for the sacrifice. And upon reaching there, when he was about killing the child for the sacrifice, then “the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”…Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only-begotten son, from me…And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram”.

          God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, not as if God takes pleasure in the sacrifice of human blood, rather it was a test of Abraham’ faith. The event of Abraham’s demonstration of faith teaches us two important things: It forbids the practice of human sacrifice in any form and emphasizes on the importance of sacrifice. Just like Abraham was set to offer something very precious to him, we need to acquire the same attitude, our sacrifice must touch us to our inner most being, it must pinch us, else it risks becoming a mere religious observance. True sacrifice is not all about giving or sacrificing from our abundance, rather from our scarcity and from our hearts too. It is on this basis that we can posit that the selfless gesture of love of Abraham who wanted to sacrifice his only son, Isaac can be considered a parallel to God’s love for mankind in offering his only Son to save the world.

     The event of the sacrifice of Isaac must have fostered St. Paul to affirm in the second reading (Rm. 8:31b-34) that “God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all”. Upon proper gaze in the story of Isaac’s sacrifice, we have come to comprehend that the central figure is Abraham, even though the sacrifice was that of Isaac. Little wonder, more emphasis is placed on the test of the faith of Abraham (cf Heb 11:17) and not merely on the sacrifice of Isaac. Abraham readily lifted his hand to offer his sacrifice but through an angel God held back his hand. Indeed, God accepted beforehand the sacrifice of Abraham’s heart, and thus did not allow the immolation of his only Son. But our God accomplished the sacrifice of his heart and the immolation of his Son.

     Drawing the issue further, St. Paul takes up the pattern of paternal self-sacrifice to show the density of God’s love for mankind. For in the person and the works of the Son, we experience deeply the immensity of the father’s love. Who “did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all”. In the immensity of his love, God does not withhold anything for himself, he gives all in and with love. It was upon discovering this that St. Paul vehemently questioned: “who can separate us from the love of God?” With this assurance of faith we can stand our ground before any kind of persecution, difficulties and challenges in life. In all, His love super abounds!

     In this passage of the epistle, St. Paul raises a number of rhetoric questions, in those questions he highlights all that God in Christ has done and is still doing for us. He affirmed that “God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all” (Rm. 8:32), and this points to the event of Isaac and it is equally connected with the intercession of Christ in heaven (cf. Rm.34b). What Roman 8:32 means is that God gave up what is most precious to Him. We have the confirmation of the value God placed on his Son Jesus Christ in the Gospel reading where he said: “this is my beloved son; listen to him”. Indeed, God gave up His “Isaac” so that we can be pardoned and redeemed. The sacrifice that counts!

     The Gospel passage (Mk. 9:2-10) is the Markan version of the transfiguration of Jesus. The stage is mount Tabor, a place of divine revelation. The word transfiguration simply means change of figure, and symbolically, it is an anticipation of the resurrection. Put in another way, it means giving up the present figure and obtaining another one. He transfigured before them or He changed in appearance. And then the voice of the Father from the clouds reveals who Jesus is: “This is my Son, my beloved. Listen to Him.” God the Father reveals that Jesus is not only a man, He is also God. The context of the transfiguration event, is a place where God declared the mission of the Son: “This is my beloved Son, listen to him”. We are therefore called to listen to him. This is another important theme of today: obedience to God’s word, in the first reading Abraham listened to the voice of God, and Isaac too to Abraham. Here too, the Father invites thus: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him”.

     After the Father’s voice, Jesus readily climbed down from the mountain of glory to the valley of human predicament and suffering. While he was coming down from the mountain Jesus ordered his disciples not to talk about the transfiguration until after his resurrection. This therefore, entails that the full meaning of the cross will be comprehended only in the light of the resurrection. And after this moment of obscurity, the gospel presents a luminous moment, on which we have to fix our gaze especially in difficult and bloody moments of life.

     In his narrative, Mark provides a number of factors peculiar to his gospel: ●Mark unlike the other synoptic did not mention the change of Jesus’ face. ●He emphasized on the whiteness of Jesus garments. ●He places the name of Elijah before that of Moses (v.4a). ●He stressed on Peter’s bewilderment and lack of understanding (v.6). ●He maintains that the three disciples were also bewildered about his allusion to the resurrection of the dead (v.10). ●There was equally a command of silence until after the resurrection, Mathew reported this command, but Luke omitted it. ●Mark laid emphasis on the incomprehension of Jesus by the disciples and the command to silence, which is in connection with the Markan messianic secret. Although in the previous chapters it was addressed to those healed from diseases and to Demons, but in our present context it is addressed to the disciples.

     Be that as it may, one may ask the essence of this command. The essence of this command boils down to the fact that Mark intends to formulate an understanding of the person of Jesus Christ (his Christology). At the heart of Mark’s understanding, is the conception of Jesus as the suffering Son of man, opposed to a popular understanding of him as one with divine powers manifested in the miracles and culminates in the transfiguration event. Another second question we may ask is this: why do the disciples fail to understand? They seem to be representatives of the Church at that time, which was more attracted to Jesus’ epiphany of divine powers. However, like the blind man of the eightieth chapter, they will gradually understand that Jesus is not merely the epiphany of God, but also the suffering Son of God. In all, the final disclosure is that the true disciples will come after the resurrection (Mk. 14:28; 16:7); when they will see the Risen Lord in Galilee. For it will lack logicality, if the transfiguration is disclosed before the death and resurrection, that would imply glory without the cross. At the heart of this narrative is the age-long assertion: “No cross, no crown”.

     Above all, brethren, to experience transfiguration one needs to let go certain things at the foot of the mountain. The Lenten season therefore, is a period of mountain climbing. The time we are required to let go of certain things and let God in. There will be no transfiguration unless there is a decisive letting go of the contending factors in our life and the ill-behaviours. We are transfigured when we live for God and not just for ourselves. In all, the psalmist concludes with stupendous words in Ps.116 thus “You have loosed my bonds”. This focuses on the deliverance of a righteous man, thereby recalling the liberation and deliverance of Isaac. With this in mind we pray God to loosen every form of bonds in our life, as we continue our Lenten journey. May His presence be manifested in our difficult moments as in the case of Abraham and Isaac. May He speak for us in decisive moments of our life. Amen!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

Do Not Let The Devil Win!

 (Homily 1^st Sunday of Lent, Year B)

      In this first Sunday of lent the word of God through the readings continue to invite us to embark on a journey of rediscovery of what God has wrought for us in and through his Son Jesus Christ, and what ought to be our corresponding reaction to that great manifestation of God’s love and tenderness. Lent above all, is a journey of 40 days, and as we know the number 40 is biblically symbolic. For instance: during Noah's time the rains came down for a period of forty days and forty nights (Gn. 7:4); Moses was with God in the mountain for forty days and forty nights while he was receiving the commandments (Ex. 24:18; 34:28); The Israelites where in the wilderness for forty years before they reached the Promised Land (Num. 14:33-34);
God gave Nineveh forty days to repent (Jon. 3:4); Jesus remained on earth forty days after resurrection (Acts 1:3). In a nutshell, it indicates a period of intense spiritual experience. Therefore is a moment to ask ourselves: what are we to do? (cf. Acts 2:37), upon consideration of all that God did, does and will do for us. In all, the readings of this period are geared towards the preparation of the faithful for an active and adequate participation in the paschal mystery, and concretely for an authentic Christian living.

     The first reading (Gen. 9:8-15) presents the covenant with Noah, and this of all the other Old Testament covenants stands out, for the covenant was made not only with Israel, but with the whole of human race. At the heart of this covenant, is God’s decision not to destroy the earth again by a flood. The flood is only a symbol of a devastation brought by sin. This reveals that it is the ultimate will of God to preserve and to redeem the earth and not to destroy it. Just as it is typical of the Bible, every covenant is accompanied by a sign, and in the case of this, it is a God-given sign of a rainbow. God’s intervention is not to destroy as portrayed in the story, but rather to renew and reconstruct. In all, the essence of this reading, as the message from the epistle reading shows, revolves around the fact that Noah’s flood could be seen as a prefiguration of Christian baptism, as St. Peter alludes in the second reading.

     The second reading (1Pt. 3:18-22) on its part, talks about the redemptive death of Christ and its reconciliatory dimension. In particular, the first two lines express the atoning efficacy of Christ’s death. In his words, St. Peter affirmed that “Christ himself died for our sins, to lead us to God” (1Pt. 3:18). However, the allusion to Baptism connects the first and the second reading, whereby, the flood of Noah is referenced to Christian baptism. An analogy is drawn between the waters of the flood and the water of baptism. St. Peter underscores that baptism saves us not as a removal of dirt from our body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience (1Pt. 3:21), here clear or good conscience points to repentance from ones sins and faith in Jesus Christ. St. Peter used the story of the flood to explain the effects of baptism. In fact, we could say that the water of baptism has similar effect as the water of the flood, it destroys the old person and brings forth the new. Baptism marks the end of sin, of hatred and begins a new life in the Spirit. This is made possible through the redemptive Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.

     Give or take, the existential import of this passage centres on the rediscovery of what the Lord Jesus Christ did for us, he died for our sins, and the purpose of this was to lead us to God. And once led to God let us not turn our back on him, for as St. Paul says “Christ set us free, so that we should remain free” (Gal. 5:1). As we journey along in this Lenten season let us make effort to return and remain where our Redeemer has led us to.

     The Gospel passage (Mk. 1:12-15) is a narrative of the Markan version of the temptation of Jesus. On this event, the account of Mark is brief, unlike the accounts of Mathew and Luke, but dense in significance. Mark does not report the threefold temptation and the affirmation that Jesus fasted. It is the spirit that moved Jesus to the wilderness, where he was to satisfy his desires for silence and prayer. He remained there for 40 days, the number 40 here is connected to the 40 years of the Israelites towards their liberation, it indicates a generation, that is, a life time. This first of all, entails that all his life Jesus desired to remain in contact with the Father. All his life Jesus combated against the one who divides, against the Adversary, the Devil. We are told that our Lord was driven (or moved) into the desert by the Spirit; the Holy Spirit (cf. Mat.4:1). From the passage, we understand that the movement of our Lord into the wilderness was a response to the action of the Holy Spirit. A personal question can be formulated thus: “what is it that really moves you?” What is it that is moving you this Lenten season? The Spirit or our aspirations and inordinate desires? We can also recall that during his baptism, the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended upon him in form of a dove. It is that same Spirit that drove him into the desert where he stayed for forty days and forty nights. Now let us look at the place he was driven to by the Spirit: the wilderness. In the bible, wilderness is often described as a wasteland, an arid region, dry land without water (Psalm 63:1; 107:4). In fact, this particular place is also called desert in some translations. The two are simply one and the same place (Isaiah 35:1). It was into this area that the Spirit moved our Lord Jesus Christ and he did not go there for pleasure or sight seeing. He was there to fast and to pray for a definite period of forty days.

     Afterwards, he was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. But Jesus is able to resist the temptation because of His determination to remain faithful to the mission entrusted to Him by His Father. After conquering the devil, he began to call people to conversion, to a change of life, “The time is fulfilled (the time of grace, favour), and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the Gospel,” (v. 15). This cry of Jesus summarizes the challenge for all Christians during this season of Lent. And so on this First Sunday of Lent, we are invited to reflect on the urgency of the call for repentance. And no doubt, at the heart of the Lenten season lies the vitality and freshness of Jesus’ invitation to conversion for the nearness of God’s Kingdom. Indeed, the clarion call by Jesus (v. 15) contains two points. The first is ‘to reform’ our lives. The second is “to believe in the gospel”. Let’s begin with the first point: the reform of our lives. To ‘reform’ is an invitation to spiritual renewal, and to do this, we need to recognize the evil in our lives and to turn our back to it. It entails freeing ourselves from all that separate us from Christ, in order to be free for all that connect us to Him. As such, the journey of lent entails a twofold movement of freedom from and freedom for (Freedom from evil and freedom for Christ). The second point of this instruction of Jesus is: “believe in the gospel” This means that we have to believe that Jesus is the Son of God who comes to us as a Man and saves us from our sinfulness. It entails seeking out Jesus especially in the Sacrament of Penance and receiving from Him forgiveness and spiritual healing.

     In the passage, Mark’s mention of the wild beast and the angels could be linked to Psalm 91:11-13, there the psalmist says that the righteous man will be protected by the angels and will be immune from the attacks of the beast. And in the context of the desert we are told that wild beasts and angels served him, what does this mean? It could be that our Evangelist intends to posit that Jesus is inaugurating a new reality, where man lives in harmony with other creatures, this points back to the initial state of Adam. As if to say, that truly Jesus is the New Adam. On the other hand, the angels point to other realities we encounter on our journey of faith that lead us to God. Be that as it may, in the temptation account we get three features: the devil, the wild beasts and angels. In the episode of the temptation the devil tried once again the Son of Adam and he was subdued.

     After a thorough perusal into this passage, one could say that irrespective of its brevity, one thing remarkable is that the Markan account of the temptation is indeed rich in meaning. Mark as a matter of fact, was not interested in the psychological experience of Jesus, rather in proclaiming him the righteous man of God, the New Adam, through whom the powers of evil are defeated. The representation of the devil in form of a beast, for instance, could be linked to the mention of the mark of the beast (Rev.13:16; 14:9). But the Good News is that there is a final victory over the ancient serpent or dragon called devil and Satan (Rev. 20:1-3). Truly, there is no gainsaying the fact that “everyone born of God overcomes the world” (1Jn. 5:4) Jesus did overcome, we too!

     Above all else however, every first Sunday of Lent we read the gospel passage of the temptation of Jesus, which in turn serves as a reminder for us to always say “No” to Satan and his promises as Jesus did. Secondly, it reminds us that in our lives temptations must come, but we are called to resist as Jesus did. Temptations in themselves are neutral, that is, they are neither good nor bad. What may be categorized to be good or bad is what we make out of the temptations (our Yes or our No to them). Jesus’ experience of temptation evidences that we humans are not immune to temptation. The author of the letter to the Hebrews was firm on this fact when he affirms: “we do not have a high priest who is incapable of feeling our weakness with us, but one who has been tempted in all things like us, but has not sinned” (Heb. 4:15). So, the devil will continue to tempt us, but God does not, He only tests us. St. James in his letter says that “God tempts no one” (Jm. 1:13). The purpose of temptation is to make us bad, but the purpose of test is to make us better. In all, the Lenten season brings to our consideration the necessity to evaluate our faith. Whether our faith is full of only words and inconsistency, or is concretized in good works and in love. May He who was tempted in the same way we are, and yet remained without sin continue to strengthen us in our daily struggle to resist the devil and his promises. Amen!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

Beginning A Journey of Perfectibility

(Homily for Ash Wednesday)

(Jl 2:12-18; Ps. 50; 2Cor. 5:20-6:2; Mt. 6:1-6.16-18)

     Yearly we embark on this spiritual journey of the Lenten Season. It is a full-time spiritual experience of 40 days, in which we as Christians are called to be sincerely conscious of who we are and who we are called to be before God. This, as a matter of fact, will not only enable us but propel us to embark on the journey of conversion and return back to God, in the manner of the prodigal son (cf. Lk. 15:11-32). It is true that God’s grace and mercy are always available for us, but this is a “kairotic” moment, a moment of grace. Indeed, it is God’s time flowing in the ordinary flux of time. Therefore, to make the best out of this gracious moment, we are called to repudiate all forms of idols that obfuscate our vision and knowledge of the True God, and above all, a moment to grab the infinite and unfathomable mercy of God.

     One may ask: what is the significance of the number 40 in relation to this spiritual journey? Lent is a 40 days period and journey of intense prayer, almsgiving, and fasting, which reflects the 40 days wilderness experience of our Lord Jesus Christ after the event of His Baptism. A careful search into the Bible would reveal that the number forty is mentioned severally and it is indicative of a long time as well as a period of divine testing, trail, probation and judgment. Be that as it may, instances on this in the Bible abound:

• During Noah's time the rains came down for a period of forty days and forty nights (Gen.7:4).

• Moses was with God in the mountain for forty days and forty nights while he was receiving the commandments (Ex. 24:18; 34:28).

• The Israelites where in the wilderness for forty years before they reached the Promised Land (Nm. 14:33-34).

• God gave Nineveh forty days to repent (Jonah 3:4).

• Jesus remained on earth forty days after resurrection (Acts 1:3).

     The event of Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the “kairotic” period: Lent. The event of this day is characterized by the imposition of ashes on the forehead of Christians, which reminds us of who we are, what we are called to do and where we are heading to. For this, during the liturgical act of the imposition of the ashes the Priest says: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” or “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return”. Ash is a symbol of purification, penitence and repentance. On the other hand, it points to the reality of our mortal bodies after death, for it decomposes and returns back to clay. Interestingly, ash reminds us of the burning fire that goes down, and so is our existential experience.

     In these 40 days we are invited to begin or initiate a journey of perfectibility, for conversion does not occur once and for all. Instead, it has to do with a dynamism that has to be renewed daily. Today, the word CHANGE is so much in vogue especially in the political sector, but change as envisaged during this period is a real and authentic one. It is an invitation for a CHANGE of mind and heart, a change of behavior and attitude, a real spiritual overhauling of oneself. According Fulton Sheen the most important verse in the Bible is Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is close at hand”. Repent and believe the gospel”. We are called to change ourselves because the kingdom of God is near. This is the most important because Jesus preferred to begin his ministry with a clarion call to a CHANGE of life, and not with the manifestation of miracles. The change in our life must start with the change of heart. Little wonder Prophet Joel is inviting us in the first reading thus “tear your hearts and not your garments” (cf. Joel 2:12-18). Secondly, this change must be translated into actions: prayer, fasting and alms giving, and I would like to add: a journey of PERFECTIBILITY, trying to become better than who we were yesterday, one step at a time! Therefore, the pertinent question we have to ask ourselves is: what am I giving up for Lent? Which sin, which addiction or negative tendencies am I giving up?

     It is against the above backdrop that we may affirm that Lent is a time of our Christian self-rediscovery, that is the rediscovery of the truth about oneself in Christ. It is not necessarily only a moment of penitence, a moment of mortification. For this, Jesus decried that even the hypocrites fast and do charity as well (cf. Mt. 6:1-6.16-18).

     Historically, one may not be wrong to say, that during this season there is a desire to relive and re-actualize the 40 years of the Israelites in the desert, as such leading Christians to the knowledge of themselves before God, just as the Israelites were led to the knowledge of their real identity as a people before God. And the knowledge in question comes through the w(W)ord of God. It equally reminds us of the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert, when and where he was tempted by the Devil. But in that episode Jesus won the tempter, the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10). He won the Devil with the power of God’s word (cf. Mt. 4:1-11). Be that as it may, the struggle and victorious fight of Jesus in the desert become an example and inspiration for us, to fight and combat against all that threaten our journey of full and self- realization as God’s children.

     The readings of this day situate us well into the context, the immediacy and the programmatic nature of the Lenten season. Prophet Joel in the first reading proclaimed the immediacy and urgency for return to the Lord, that is of conversion, with the following words: “Even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and tear your hearts and not your garments” (Jl. 2:12-13). The Psalmist joins his voice to that of Prophet Joel thereby, inviting us to the humble admission of our sins. St. Paul too in the second reading reechoed this urgency of the now: “Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor.6:2). This indeed, reveals the “kairotic” nature of this season, a time of favor and grace. On the other hand, the programmatic nature of this season is orchestrated in the Gospel passage through the dynamics of Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting. These are the three specific righteous deeds. The righteous deed of giving fosters our relationship with others. The second, prayer which is the dialogue between God and man, is a righteous deed that deepens our life of grace and relationship with God. And the third righteous deed: fasting, the discipline of control over oneself entails that we are serious about the spiritual freedom that opens hearts to the will of God. The evangelist went ahead and delineated the way or ways for its actualization, it must be done in secret, so that “your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Mt. 6:18).

     Beloved in Christ, at the heart of Lent resounds the old and ever new traditional dictum of “bonum faciendum et malum vitadum”, (that is doing good and avoiding evil). Above all, it is upon this consciousness that prophet Joel invited us to “tear our hearts and not our garments”, because the journey we are called to embark on, is more of an internal work, for true and lasting change comes from within. St. Mathew on his part, calls our attention to authentic Christian living and practice of almsgiving, prayer and fasting. And lastly, St. Paul hits the nail on the head as he affirms vigorously that the time of favor, grace and salvation is now. This season is not an ordinary kronos, but a kairos, an ordinary moment, season that has been transformed into an extraordinary season, a season of grace. May God help us in our daily effort to become better Christians this Lenten period! Amen! Wishing You an authentic and life transforming Lenten experience.

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

Jesus Touches The Untouchable!

 (Homily 6^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr. B)

     The readings of today presents one of those scorching human conditions and predicaments, that is illness, but in the context of our readings, we are not just talking about illness tout court, but here is all about a terrible and excruciating disease: leprosy. It was a disease that defiles and separates the victim from others and from God, at least judging from the popular belief at that time. But Jesus brought a turnaround situation and overhauled the mindset of the people of his time. He touched the untouchable and he continues to touch those desperate human conditions of our own time, we just need to muster courage, have faith in him and approach him. To that our ugly situation he will also stretch out his hand! Jesus does not frown at the concrete cases of misery in front of him.

     The first reading from the book of Leviticus (13:1-2.44-46) is the beginning and the end of the section on leprosy. The disease as envisaged in this book cuts across what modern medicine classifies as leprosy per se, for it includes other skin diseases. The patient according to the law is required to report to the priest, who has to diagnose the disease, though not as a physician, rather as a minister of Torah. And it is also the priest that confirms his healing, so as to be reinstated to the community. The picture we have of the leper in this first reading is by no means humane. Apart from the physical pain that could come from the illness, the individual also faces the psychological pain of isolation while outwardly bearing all the dehumanizing categorization of one who is unfit to dwell with others, who are free from the illness.

     Secondly, the situation is also spiritually chastising as the leper has to go about crying: Unclean! Unclean!! A situation that is equal to one saying: “I am a sinner, I am a sinner!” Therefore, from the foregoing, it is easy to identify the connection between leprosy and sin. In fact, during the time of Moses it was believed that whoever was infected by leprosy sinned in the first place. And added to these distortions, is the veritable fact that sin creates a barrier between us and God (cf. Is. 59:2), and here comes the spiritual separation. This is where the isolation comes in. Symbolically, we could say that sin has a way of taking us outside God’s camp, just as the lepers had to stay outside the camp of the Israelites. (An example could be the experience of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2). It is against this backdrop that the first reading serves as a background reading for the Gospel narrative.

     In the Gospel reading (Mk. 1:40-45) we are presented with a spectacular reversal of the approach to leprosy by our Lord Jesus Christ. The poor leper had two burdens to carry: his illness and separation from the community. Lepers were to live outside the village or town as a result of the contagious nature of the disease (Lev. 13:46). In the narrative we are told that a leper came to Jesus begging and kneeling said: “If you will, you can make me clean” (Mk. 1:40). From this first scene we see the leper breaking the social norm or protocol which prevented lepers from having access to those who are not lepers. We can also observe that the man did not ask for healing but cleansing in the manner of David after his sin (Psalm 51:2). He was much concerned about his uncleanliness more than his illness. Here he went beyond his physical illness and asked for spiritual rebirth and by that he got everything, both healing and cleansing.

     Now let us look at the reaction of our Lord Jesus Christ to the request of the leper. We are told that he was first moved with pity. God is compassionate about our situations. God is not jubilant over our miseries and failures like some of us could be over the situations of others. Going back to our point of departure, the real leprosy is sin and the real isolation is being cut away from God. Actually a leper experiences three kinds of separation: separation from himself, separation from others and separation from God. In our limitations we often fall into sin and also get disconnected or isolated from God. The episode in the Gospel reading is a pertinent assurance to us that there is a remedy to this situation and this can be found in Jesus Christ. For that to happen the person involved needs to approach Jesus Christ like in the case of the leper. Going to Jesus Christ will offer the individual the opportunity of being touched by the Lord and being reintegrated. For when Jesus healed the leper, he did not just heal his illness, but he restored him to the community. Man is a social being, and thus he has been created for the community. For this, St. Paul emphasized that “we though many, form one single body” (1Cor. 10:17). On the other hand, if we remain unmoved, our situation will not be moved. There were surely many lepers in their settlement but only one decided to come to our Lord. A fascinating point here, is that while Jesus walked away from Capernaum (Mk. 1:38), from healing there, on his way, he could not say no to this leper who really is in need of healing and reintegration to the community. 

     The cured leper was told not to say anything to anyone, but he disobeyed and his cure became a talk of the town. This gave rise to Jesus withdrawal from the country, to the point that Jesus began to hide himself. Mark must have added this annotation against the understanding of Jesus as a mere Wonder-worker. In the passage of last Sunday’s gospel Jesus used command to silence the demon, but today he intended to use it to silence the cured leper. The purpose of this order revolves around the idea of not allowing the signs to obfuscate the ultimate miracle of the cross. Indeed, the real enigma here is that the command of secrecy was disobeyed. For the man goes and talks about his healing freely. We see similar occurrences in (cf. Mk. 1:34; 3:13; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26). This is typical of Mark’s Messianic secret. Upon consideration of this theory at the heart of Marcan Gospel, we have to ask not what was Jesus’ purpose for giving an injunction, he probably knows will not be kept, rather what does Mark intend theologically, by the aforementioned injunction? The answer points to the fact that Mark’s intention was to demonstrate that the messiahship of Jesus is a mystery that cannot be exposed prematurely, for it is to be understood properly and deeply in the light of the cross. But however, it can’t be totally suppressed!

     Extrapolating from the first reading, the priest is the functionary that confirms one a leper, he also confirms one cleansed just as our Lord mentioned in the Gospel reading today. This actually points to the sanctifying office of the priest. The priest stands between God and the people; appropriately called Alter Christus. By asking the leper to go to the priest our Lord Jesus Christ evidently confirms the work of the priest as the eye and mouthpiece of God. This links us to the responsorial psalm (32), which symbolically presents the reality of human weakness, sinfulness and God’s readiness to forgive. In that bid, as the leper goes to the priests, so a sinner comes and confesses his sins to God, through a priest (this is well orchestrated in the second stanza) in order to receive forgiveness and spiritual healing. And as the Lenten season is so imminent, let us make recourse to the Sacrament of reconciliation, for our own healing too!

     Indeed, the leper mustered courage and pleaded Jesus: “If you wish, you can make me well”. He pleaded with every amount of discretion “if you wish”. And Jesus had compassion on him, stretched out his hands and touched him. He touched the untouchable, and touching him he loved him, and loving him he healed him, and after healing him, he restored him. The response of Jesus to the supplication of the leper is so simple and consoling, “I want, be healed”. The hit track of today’s message is that God wants his children healed, he is a gracious and merciful God. His word says in the book of Exodus, “I am the Lord, your Healer” (Ex. 15:26). His word is promise! For the Psalmist experienced his healing touch and proclaimed: “He sent out his word and cured our diseases” (Ps. 107:20). Prophet Isaiah too, confirmed the efficacy of His word thus: “So it is with the word that goes from my mouth: it will not return to me unfulfilled or before having carried out my good pleasure and having achieved what it was sent to do” (Is. 55:11). Jesus demonstrated that our needs of healing and liberation surpass the demands of law and customs. Above all else, taking the Gospel serious will propel us to touch the lepers in our own time, the abandoned, the dejected and rejected. May Jesus heal every form of infirmity in us threatening our full realization as God’s children! And may He surround you with cries of deliverance as in Psalm 32:7. Amen!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His Presence Makes the Difference!

  (Homily 5^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr. B)

     The readings of this Sunday are beaming with words of hope and encouragement for anyone in a dead-end situation. The readings present the human condition and some of those tributaries of life that do not permit the full realization and freedom of man; ranging from misfortune, sickness and predicaments. But God through his W(w)ord helps us to get through all the difficult and seemingly impossible situations. Job decries for the ordeals of human predicament, but he will later experience the miracle of restoration, and the Mother in-law of Simon experienced healing, all made possible through the presence and the mighty hand of God! The good news behind the screen of today’s message is that God is aware of everything that is happening to us, he knows all that we are passing through.

     Our First Reading today is taken form the book of Job (Job 7:1-4.6-7). The book begins with a prose narrative in which Job, the protagonist, a prosperous father of the family, was subdued by calamities upon calamities. He experienced suffering in all aspects of life: domestic, economic, physical, moral and spiritual. However, one thing striking here is that, suffering here doesn’t and cannot have the same connotation as in Deuteronomy (there suffering is seen as a direct punishment for sin). But in the case of Job, that cannot be applied, for he has been a righteous man. At the end, Job had to grapple with the fact that man’s righteousness gives him no claim upon God.

     In the passage of the first reading we encounter whom we could call the “patron” of suffering: Job. His predicament overwhelmed him to the point of desperation. He lost all that he had and labored for in a twinkling of an eye, including his children and enormous wealth. At a time in this quagmire Job lost hope, he saw gloom in his condition and exclaimed: “My days have passed, and vanished, leaving no hope behind. Remember that my life is but a breath, and that my eyes will never again see joy” (Jb. 7:6b-7). Life for him became empty and without meaning. For him it was as if he was not going to see light at the end of the dark tunnel. But Job did not end his life in suffering. After passing through those turbulent and hard times, God intervened and reversed his condition and thus Job recovered all that he lost, and got even more (Jb. 42:10). And indeed, the book ended happily with the restoration of Job’s fortune.

     One thing striking about Job is that he never gave up totally on God: “In all this misfortune, Job committed not sin, and he did not reproach God” (Jb. 1:22). For in the midst of his predicament he said “I know that I have a living Defender” (Jb. 19:25). Sometimes unlike Job, when we are confronted with challenges we often forget that our Redeemer lives. Our spiritual experience brings to our consideration the fact that God has not promised us total exclusion from the difficulties of life but He has assured us that He will be with us as we pass through them. Often we make the mistake of telling God how big the storm is, instead of telling the storm how big our God is. Job despite all odds still remains the model of and for Christian Suffering, because his moment of all-round misfortune became for him a moment of a personal experience of God. In fact, at the end of his predicament, Job made a spiritual confession thus: “Before, I knew you only by hearsay but now, having seen you with my own eyes, I retract what I have said, and repent in dust and ashes” (Jb. 42:5-6). It is only in this optics that our hard times will draw us closer to God and not the other way round.

     The passage of today’s reading is taken from the early part of the dialogue. After Job must have finished responding to his friends, he was plunged into soliloquy on the miseries of human existence. Indeed, it is not very clear the reason for the choice of this reading today, especially in parallel with the gospel passage. However, we may well presume that Job’s theme on the miseries of human life and existence serves as a background for the healing work of Christ as revealed in the gospel.

     In the Gospel reading (Mark 1:29-39) we are presented with Jesus’ encounter with people with various challenges including the mother-in-law of Simon who was sick with a fever. From the narrative it is very clear that Simon’s mother-in-law and the other people who later came for healing were in hopeless situations. They were experiencing the height of their various challenges and suddenly Jesus Christ came and everything changed. It was as if they were waiting for him to come. Of course those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31). As we can see, as Jesus left the Synagogue he began to heal and expel demons. Peter’s mother-in-law was the first that He healed. As a result, the whole town gathered at the door of Peter’s house so that he might heal them as well. At the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus passed by all the places that where strong meeting points of the people: the place of work (lake and boat), the place of prayer and assembly (Synagogue), the living house of the people (Peter’s house).

     After the healing at Simon’s house, very early in the morning he escaped to a quiet place to pray. Here Jesus teaches us the need and power of prayer when we are tired and in need of strength. Jesus prays in order to renew and recharge Himself. But before he could finish his morning prayers the disciples sought him out and informed Him that an even larger crowd has gathered with their sick and infirm and that everyone is in search of Him. Indeed, here one could expect Jesus to heal those sick people but He does not. He rather says: “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do” (Mark 1:38). Jesus is not conditioned by the CROWD. This is a great lesson modern day preachers have to learn from Jesus. It is an indication that Jesus came for all mankind, his primary mission is the proclamation of God’s kingdom. Probably, in the mind of Peter it was time for Jesus to do more healings and miracles to satisfy the desires and expectations of the crowd, but Jesus did not succumb to this logic of success and tendency of a prosperous preacher. Peter and his companions came and reported to him: “everyone is looking for you”, but he answered: “let us go elsewhere”. However, the people were looking for him, not because of his person and good news but to satisfy their needs of miracles. You, why do you seek him? For the value imbedded in his Words or for cheap miracles? But what did Jesus really come to do? Jesus, being a spiritually-minded person, refuses to limit His ministry to one place or to encourage the belief of a coming worldly Kingdom of God, responding to Simon, He said: “Let us go the neighboring towns so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” So Jesus came to do three major things in His ministry: to heal, to pray and to preach.

     Jesus moved on for a purpose, and the phrase we see in the passage: “that is why I came out”, may not just only be referred to his departure from Capernaum, but instead to the entire purpose of his mission on earth. As such, we can say that Jesus regarded the miracles merely as subordinate elements of his ministry. The main purpose of his ministry was to preach. Besides, there is an important common particularity of the Marcan gospel, and that is the silencing of the demons. Mark reported that the demons “knew Him”, for they recognized him as the “Holy one of God” (cf. Mk1:24). But he rebuked and subdued them into silence. As we can see, it was only at the end of Mark’s narrative that the centurion at the foot of the cross could freely confess that “truly this man was the Son of God” (Mk. 15:39). Indeed, the Jesus he sees, the Jesus as such, is the crucified-risen One. At this point, one may begin to wonder the place of the miracles in the gospel of Mark, and maybe by extension to the ministry of Jesus? The most eloquent of all the miracles, the messianic miracle per excellence is the Cross and Resurrection. The other miracles are prefiguration and preliminary acts of healing that foreshadow that ultimate act of healing.

     The presence of Jesus makes the difference. For in his presence, things happen, the sick are healed, lives are changed, demons are cast out and the gospel is preached. He gets involved in our day today activities and shows his interest in our wellbeing and welfare, for this he healed Simon’s mother in-law without anyone requesting for it. He is truly sensitive to our needs. He is the God with and for his people. A proper and close reading of the gospel of Mark reveals that the Jesus of Mark is not distanced from the human reality. He enters into people’s houses (cf. 3:20; 7:24). He is close to the people. He entered into the house of Peter and healed his mother in-law. Even today, he continues to go about doing good (cf. Acts 10:38), he continues to come into our houses as he did to Simon, do we welcome him? Are we ready to welcome him? In the book of Revelation he says “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20).

     A very close look at the Gospel would reveal a very important thing our Lord did, which connects us to the Second Reading (1 Cor.9:16-19.22-23). We are told that the next morning, after healing the mother-in-law of Simon and others, our Lord Jesus Christ went to a lonely place to pray. While he was there, a lot of people came looking for him at Simon’s place. When Simon and others found him and reported that people were looking for him he said to them: “Let us go on to the next towns that I may PREACH there also”. St. Paul in the Second reading shocked the Corinthians when he declared woe upon himself if he fails to preach the word of God. The preaching of the gospel for him remains a necessity he has no right to boast about, irrespective of all odds, for St. Paul to preach the gospel means to preach Christ-crucified.

     In all, the word of God this Sunday is full of hope and encouragement for us. No matter what you are passing through today, no matter what is facing you or what you are facing, be rest assured that there is no human misery that divine grace cannot transform into avenues of blessings and miracles. Just don’t give up! Hold fast!! Stand firm!!!

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