Behold The King Who Died for Love!

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

     Today is the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year and it is dedicated to the celebration of the solemnity of the Kingship of Christ. The feast of Christ the King was introduced by Pope Pius XI in 1925, in order to confront the abuse of power by the nations and the surge of secularism among the nations and most importantly, to proclaim the primacy and supremacy of Christ over the kingdoms of the world. From the beginning of the liturgical year to its end we not only celebrate some religious feast, but God’s presence, indeed, we are deeply immersed in the ocean of God’s grace. In the course of the liturgical year, according to the Second Vatican Council, we celebrate all the mysteries of Christ, from Incarnation to Nativity, to his ascension, the Pentecost and the vigilant hope of the Coming in glory of the Lord. With the celebration of the liturgical year, the Church in a way, renders present in all times the mysteries of redemption, such that the faithful can approach to these mysteries and to be filled with the grace of redemption (cf. Sacrosanctum Conciliun, nn. 102 and 185).

     The Solemnity of Christ the King brings the Liturgical Year to a close. In the course of this passing liturgical year, we have celebrated the mysteries of the life of the Lord. Now, we contemplate Christ in his glorified state as King of all creation and of our souls. Today we celebrate a King whose kingdom is totally different from the kingdoms of the world. A king whose ruling staff is Love. Little wonder, the readings of today do not talk much about kingdoms, but about the King who dies for love. Ours therefore is a King of Love and a King for Love. Indeed, Kings come and go, likewise their kingdoms, but our King reigns forever, and for this St. Luke affirms that: “his kingdom will have no end” (Lk. 1:33). His is an everlasting kingdom. In the words of the psalmist: “All the kings of the earth give thanks to you, Yahweh, when they hear the promises you make; they sing of Yahweh’s ways, ‘Great is the glory of Yahweh” (Ps. 138:4-5).

     In the first reading (2 Sam. 5:1-3) we are presented with the episode of the solemn coronation of David as the King of the people of Israel. He was consecrated King by Samuel for the southern tribe of the nation (cf. 2Sam. 2:4), and the elders of the north recognized that God has chosen him as the King of Israel, and they consecrated him with the unction (cf. 2Sam.5:1-3). David was not only called to carry out political and economic responsibilities as a King, but he had to perform the mission of a spiritual and moral leader in favor of his people, to express and to make effective in concrete manner, the covenant God has made with his people, in some circumstances he was even wearing the priestly vest and was carrying out priestly functions, “David presented burnt offerings and communion sacrifices in Yahweh’s presence. And when David finished presenting burnt offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh Sabaoth” (2Sam.6:17-18). David is the prefiguration of Christ in the Old Testament, he is like a Christ-figure; his regality is a prophetic anticipation and prefiguration of the regality of Christ. Yahweh promised to secure this throne forever (cf. 2Sam. 7:12-16), even with the limits and infidelity of the man David. He carried out his mission as a King in an inadequate and imperfect manner, but that of Christ is perfect! However, the word of God was addressed to David thus: “You are to shepherd my people Israel and be leader of Israel” (v.2), similar words were referred to Christ: “And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least among the leaders of Judah, for from you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel” (Mt. 2:6).

      The Gospel passage (Lk. 23:35-43) rather presents in a somewhat dramatic manner the coronation of the King of the universe, because therein we see a scene that seems to relegate the royal dignity: Christ on the cross with two thieves. Indeed, on Calvary the regality of Christ was an object of derision, by the crowd, by the leaders, by the soldiers, even by one of the thieves. Even the inscription of Pilate on top of the cross sounds ironic. Even though before Pilate Jesus declared expressly that He is a King, but he equally made it clear that His Kingdom is not of this world (cf. Jn. 18:36). Behold, it is indeed on Calvary, on the Cross that Jesus received his solemn coronation as a King. For on the cross he acquired his kingly title in full, because with his sacrifice he expiated the sins of mankind and became the first-Son of the multitude of brothers (cf. Mk. 3:35; Heb. 2:11). On the cross with the sacrifice of his life, Jesus expresses with all clarity the meaning and essence of his kingship: a service to mankind taken to the extreme: “No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13) elsewhere St John says: “having loved those who were his in the world, he loved them to the end” (Jn. 13:1), his indeed is not merely too much or excess love, but extreme and endless love (love in extremis). His sovereignty is founded on his total self-giving for love, in the offering of himself as the victim for the expiation of the sins of the world. Our King received his crown on the cross. His is not a kingdom of domination and imposition, rather a kingdom that has love and mercy as its pillars. Interestingly, this gospel passage calls us today to mediate not only on the King, but also on the Cross that is, his Throne. His indeed, is a kingdom of Love and a sovereignty of Mercy! It is love and mercy expressed in the parlance of the Cross, of suffering and dying for Love!

     Let us reflect deeper over the scene on Calvary, as St. Luke presents it to us: ●The leaders: “jeered at him with the words, He saved others, let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One” (v.35). ●The soldiers “mocked him too, coming up to him, offering him vinegar, and saying, If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself” (vv.36-37). ●Even one of the thieves abused him: “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us as well” (v.39). ●There was also the inscription by Pilate that was pasted at the top of the cross: “This is the king of the Jews” (v.38). However, without knowing it Pilate expressed the truth. The work of salvation accomplished by Jesus during his earthly life reaches its climax and its culmination on Calvary. Indeed, here lies the scandal of the cross (cf. 1Cor.1:18; 22-25). The one who is hanged on the cross in agony and died in the midst of two thieves is the “image of the invisible God”, as St. Paul expressed in the passage of the second reading, he existed before all, he is the Creator of all and all subsists in him, in a nutshell a God in the midst of men (and women), a weak God, who could not save himself. He is an absurd and inconceivable God by the Jews. But instead, that is the supreme sign and gesture of his love and the love of the Father: “For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (Jn.3:16; 1Jn.4:9-10; Rm.8:32).

     At the heart of that event, we see the challenging interrogation of the hardened thief: “If you are the Christ, save yourself and save us as well.” This is a scandalous quest that put not only the authenticity of the divinity of Christ, but also of the Kingdom of God into question. But the King responds, demonstrating that there is something worth more than life, and that is Love, little wonder in the drama of the Cross we see “a King who dies loving”. Because dying is not the end of this love, and certainly the resurrection is a seal that such love cannot go in vain. But the good thief understood or rather had an intuition that “this man has done nothing wrong” (v.41), therefore he was condemned unjustly, just as Pilate recognized many times during the prosecution, “I find no case against this man” (Lk. 23:4.14-15.22), yet he handed him over to the Jews to be crucified. The good thief then humbly asked: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (v.42). Indeed Jesus was even reigning on the cross, the heart of the thief was touched by grace and he entrusted himself to Jesus. Jesus exhorted him beyond expectation: “In truth I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (v.43). The famous good thief is a symbolic representation of the human person that God continues to show his love, for God every man or woman is lovable. One may curiously ask: what merit had the good thief? His merit comes absolutely from God’s love. His merit is Love. The response of Jesus to his supplication goes beyond mere answer to a request, but the fulfilment of every human desire.

     Extrapolating from the encounter with the good thief, we could see the last three salvific words of Jesus on the Cross: Today, with-me, and paradise. ● Today: this is common in the gospel of Luke (cf. Lk. 4:21; 19:9), which denotes the readiness of God to save us sinners, for the love of God is humanly speaking an instant that opens to eternity. ● With-me: entails that the Kingdom of God unlike the earthly kingdoms is inclusive. The symbolic image of the King who dies on the Cross with arms outstretched is a credible sign of a love without frontiers, a kingdom without walls, and an inclusive kingdom. And the arms of the crucified King will continue to be outstretched for all who recognize Jesus as a companion of Love and suffering, irrespective of what their past might be. ● Paradise: the hope of every man and woman. Behold, his kingdom is not a futuristic kingdom but today, his kingdom is not far-fetched is with us already, but yet it looks forward to the future, the “not yet”.

     In the second reading (Col. 1:12-20) we see the solemn Christological hymn of St. Paul where the regality of Christ, his sovereignty on souls and on the world is expressed with strong theological foundations. Christ is the King of the universe, because he is the Son of God, the God-Man, the visible image of the invisible God (v.15), “for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth” (v.16), “in him all things hold together” (v.17), it is through him that the Father desired “to reconcile all things to him, everything in heaven and everything on earth, by making peace through his death on the cross” (v.20). Indeed, St. Paul pictured him accurately well as “the Head of the body, that is, the Church” (v.18), therefore, he is King in a very special way for those who are members of his body, of those who have effectively been “rescued … from the ruling force of darkness” (v.13), those who have truly obtained “freedom and the forgiveness of sins” (v.14). Indeed, the Church is on earth, the Kingdom of Christ, and all the members recognize him as their Sovereign Lord, Guide and Shepherd. In verse 20 St. Paul says that Jesus made “peace through his death on the cross”. Similarly, the Gospel passage directs our attention to the scene of Calvary. For it is precisely on Calvary that Jesus received his kingly investiture, and the cross became his kingly throne, the place of his coronation and his exaltation as St. John opined: “as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up” (Jn. 3:14). Ironically, the moment of his maximum annihilation was transformed into the moment of his supreme glorification (cf. Phil. 2:7-11). Such, is our King!

          In all, dear friends, this kingdom comports an existential implication for us, because we do not only celebrate the King of the Universe, but also our membership and belonging to this kingdom. For this St. Peter called us “kingly people” (1Pt. 2:9). In the words of St. Paul “It is he who has rescued us from the ruling force of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son that he loves” (Col. 1:13), ours is merely a gratuitous transfer to this Kingdom, but do we really belong to this Kingdom? Today, the hot button questions we have to ask ourselves are: Is Christ really our or my King?  What or who is ruling in my life? Christ is our King when his words and examples have become norms for our actions. Today’s feast should not only end with mere and empty proclamations and gyrations, we have to allow the Truth to lead us. We belong to his kingdom when we live according to his words. His is a kingdom of truth, a kingdom of love. Do we bear witness to his truth and to his love? That is bearing witness to his kingdom or do we bear witness to evil? We belong to his kingdom when we live in truth, grace, holiness, Justice, love and peace. Which kingdom do you belong? The one of Jesus or the one of the Devil? Today, we are marching out to tell the whole world that we have a King whose Kingdom is eternal. We are going out to proclaim and acclaim his Kingship. We are going out to confess and profess that there is no King like him. We are at the same time challenged to allow him to be the ultimate King in our lives. It is not untrue that most of us have various kings and kingdoms that are ruling our lives. We need to stop a while and ask ourselves: who is actually reigning in my life? Let us re-echo our voices together with that of the Psalmist in declaring the smooth entrance of this King into our lives, into our families, into the hooks and crannies of our society: “Lift high your heads, o ye gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! Let him enter the King of glory”. Who is the king of glory? The Lord of Host, He is the King of glory” (Ps. 24:9-10). Lift those things in your life that may block His entrance, lift those things that may obstacle his entrance into your family, lift those ancient ways of living, those ancient gods. Let us open up for him too. Let us open our lives, our families, our societies, our educational system, our political system, our work place, our dreams and aspirations, so that He can enter and take control. For wherever he enters, witnesses a change. Welcome Him today, so that he may recognize you as sheep and not as goat on the day of reckoning. Let Him enter the King of Glory (cf. Ps. 24:10). Come our King forever and always!

King of Glory (cf. Ps. 24:10)

Our Peculiar King, for no one is like you (cf. Ex. 15:11)

God made King, for royal dignity has been yours from birth (cf. Ps. 110:3; Jn. 18:37)

King with divine mandate (cf. Dn. 7:14a)

King of Kings (cf. Rev. 17:14; 19:16)

King of the whole world (cf. Zech. 14:9)

King of peace (cf. Is. 9:6)

The highest King (cf. Rev. 1:5)

Everlasting King (cf. Jer. 10:10; Lk. 1:33)

Come Lord Jesus, come and reign in my life! Amen!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

 

 

Stand Firm, Goodness Overcomes Evil!

(Homily for the 33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C)

     As we draw near to the end of the liturgical year, the Church brings to our consideration the question of the end. The imagery used in the readings of today is that of the “end of the world” predicated upon the present and the future, but it is not to be understood as in the end of the world as such, even though the readings especially the first reading and the Gospel speak about the end of the world, but the imagery of the “end of the world” symbolically points to the end of the world of sin, injustice, suffering and hatred. The two categories prevalent in the liturgy of the Word of this Sunday are the present and the future. It is in the hope of these two temporal processes that the existence of the human person revolves and tends. For this, in the first reading Prophet Malachi foresees the Day of Yahweh when the “arrogant and evildoers” will be uprooted and burned up. In the Gospel passage St. Luke maintained that the tribulations and trials of the present time ought not to perturb us, because through our perseverance in faith we will receive the future salvation. With the same consciousness of time and eternity St. Paul invites the Thessalonians to imitate him in his dedication to work here on earth in order to receive in the world to come the imperishable crown. However, both Paul and Luke lay emphasis on the working out of a Christian presence in the world.

    However, when we look at the happenings and events in our world today from the surface, apparently it does appear evil forces prevail over good, and the workers of iniquity dominate over the good and honest people. Thus, for the wicked they seem to have won for everything seem to work for their good. But the situation instead perturbs the believers, and they question: how come God permits that the just be always disadvantaged? Is there no time when justice will finally be done? Those were the questions that the believers in Israel were posing during the time after their liberation from Egypt. It was a period of crisis, of delusion, because even the promises of the prophets appeared to have failed. It was a time of discouragement and consequently of religious infidelity, manifested in moral disorder and apostasy. As such, they were asking: “Where is the God of fair judgment now?” (Mal.2:17). Behold, they made a fatal conclusion thus: “It is useless to serve God; what is the good of keeping his commands…? (Mal.3:14). That is equal to saying that believing in God is of no need. This is the background of the episode of the first reading. No doubt, these interrogations and the dominance of evil forces still perturb us today. No doubt, these interrogations and the dominance of evil forces still perturb us today. The precarious situation of things in our country Nigeria today depicts a similar situation, where human beings are massacred for the sake of their faith, and some of the Shepherds that should speak truth to power, are blinded for the sake of their personal interest and political correctness. Some shepherds claim to speak the truth but for their vested interest, in order to suit their whims and caprices. As such, some like some of the Israelites ma raise the same question: “Where is the God of fair judgment now?” (Mal.2:17).Indeed, this is a very difficult time to be a Christian, because beyond the external persecutions and marginalization, there is an internal ambivalence. But the Good news is: Stand Firm, Goodness Overcomes Evil!

     The first reading (Mal.3:19-20) tries to respond and react to the many provocations and interrogations of the people. His (the prophet) was indeed an endeavor to restore their hope. He opines: “For look, the Day is coming, glowing like a furnace. All the proud and all the evil-doers will be the stubble, and the Day, when it comes, will set them ablaze, says Yahweh Sabaoth, leaving them neither root nor branch” (v.19). The Day that the prophet is referring to here is the Day of Yahweh, the day of divine judgment. The inevitable divine judgment will be like fire that purifies and discriminates; it reduces to ashes the waste and makes precious metals to shine. Be that as it may, the divine judgment while it will be an inevitable condemnation for the wicked, will be a thing of joy and hope for the true believers, for in the words of prophet Malachi, “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of justice will rise with healing in his rays, and you will come out leaping like calves from the stall” (v.20). Indeed, the Sun of justice is Jesus, the promised Messiah. Little wonder, St. Luke puts in the mouth of Zachariah the father of John the Baptist: “the rising Sun has come from on high to visit us” (Lk. 1:78). Jesus is already the Judge of the world, he draws a discriminating line between the good and bad, between the wicked and the lovers of God’s name: he who listens to his words and put it into practice is the wise man who builds his house on the rock; and who does not put it into practice is the foolish man that builds on sand (cf. Lk.7:46-49); who is not with Him is against Him, and he who does not gather with Him, scatters (cf. Mt.12:30). Jesus is truly a sign of contradiction: of salvation for the true believers and condemnation for those who do not believe.

     Indeed, the passage of this first reading strikes two important points, one that will be dominant for the next two Sundays: the last judgment, and the other: the coming of Christ in his Nativity, which will dominate the latter Sundays of Advent. And the responsorial psalm stressed the eschatological dimension of his coming, for he comes to judge the earth, he will judge the world in righteousness.

     According to the Gospel passage (Lk. 21:5-19) the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 d. C. was prophesized by Jesus himself. And it could be considered a prefiguration of the end of the world, of the final judgment and the glorious manifestation of Christ. Here we see the apocalyptic discourse of Jesus, even though it was pronounced more than 2,000 years ago, but it seems to give us in different dimensions a realistic picture of what is happening today in our world. Today there is a proliferation of false prophets, wars, revolutions, nations fighting against nations, earthquake, plagues, famines, persecutions, betrayals and even martyrdom. To those who were talking to him about the magnificence of the temple, of its beautiful stones and votive offerings, Jesus responded to them: “All these things you are staring at now – the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another; everything will be destroyed” (v.6). This prophecy will be realized few years later, exactly in 70 d. C. Afterwards, the interlocutors posed him two questions: “Master, when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that it is about to take place?” (v.7).

      Jesus did not respond to their questions, rather he shifted the discourse to the end of the world and the glorious coming of his Kingdom. Even on this, he did not give precisions as regards neither time nor signs of the nearness of the end. Probably, because to know with precision the time and signs of the end will not be of help to man, rather it may be an obstacle, for man would have continued to live the way he likes until when the end approaches then he will begin to make amends. But man has to live essentially in uncertainty, which requires continuous readiness. However, drawing from the Gospel passage, the end of the world and the glorious coming of Jesus will surely take place, but they were not announced by Jesus with imminence, for Jesus said that things and events will take place first, “but the end will not come at once” (v.9). Rather Jesus made two important remarks:

●First, Jesus foretold his disciples of all that will happen, even within a short time, and then throughout the course of history. Jesus pre-announced “Take care not to be deceived, because many will come using my name” (v.8), they are false prophets and they will deceive you saying that “The time is near at hand” (v.8). He warned them to be careful because it is not true, they are false prophets and liars. Again, “And when you hear of wars and revolutions” (v.9), “Nations will fight against nations” (v.10), Jesus continued that they are not sign of the imminent end of the world, they do not pre-announce the end of time, instead they are inescapable facts of the corrupt nature of man. “There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famine” (v.11). Not even these are the signs of the end of the world, instead they are caducity and vanity of the precarious nature of this cosmos, indeed, in the words of St. Paul, “the whole creation, until this time, has been groaning in labour pains” (Rm.8:22), with the hope of being liberated from corruption (cf. Rm. 8:21). At last, Jesus foretold his disciples: “But before all this happens, you will be seized and persecuted…for the sake of my name; you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death; you will be hated universally on account of my name” (vv. 12.16-17). Equally, these persecutions and sufferings are not signs of the imminent end, they are normal and inevitable situations in every time, because the mentality and criterion of judgment of a Christian cannot but collide and be opposed to those of the world. Therefore, we could say that Jesus rapidly presented to his disciples the normal situation of every epoch, what his disciples in every epoch would have confronted, the trials that surround the intermediary time, that is the time between the coming of Christ on earth, the inauguration of the Kingdom of God and his glorious coming at the end of time, the definitive realization of his Kingdom.

●Second, He instructed and gave them indications on how to comport themselves. What is more important to Jesus is how the disciples have to comport themselves. His disciples and Christians of every epoch: –Should not allow themselves to be deceived by false prophets, those who say that they are the Messiah and that the end is near. He gave them strict order: “do not follow them” (v.8c), do not listen to them, else they will lead you astray. –Should “not be terrified” in the face of wars, revolutions, and cosmic catastrophes, they should not allow themselves to be taken by panic or anguish, be serene and face the situation with self-mastery. –Should give witness of their faith: the persecutions, threats and even sacrifice of live are occasions for the Christian to express his love for Christ and to put all his trust in Him. And Jesus promised: “I myself shall give you eloquence and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict” (v.15), and “not a hair of your head will be lost” (v.18). –Should persevere in their faith, and be constant in their fidelity to the Gospel and in the coherency of their life, for “your perseverance will win you your lives” (v.19).

     From the foregoing, Jesus wants us not to live in inertia, in idleness and in alienation from the concrete existential problems of life with the thoughts of the end of the world and the hereafter. Rather, he wants us to be inspired the more at the imitation of the values of the Gospel and insert them where ever we are. However, it is important to note that Jesus with his apocalyptic discourse was not intending to give a precise time for the end of the world or to indicate the prevalent signs as his listeners wanted him to do (v.7). He foretold the destruction of Jerusalem (v.6), and this will mark the end of an epoch in the salvation history, such that the old people of God (the people of Israel) will be succeeded by the new people of God (the Church). The discourse of Jesus was directed to Christians of every time, including us, with the objective of teaching us how we have to live and comport ourselves in the various situations in which invariable we will find ourselves. We therefore, need to appropriate the advice, to always live as though each day may be your last; for time and tide wait for no one. It is on this point that the message of the Gospel dovetails into that of the second reading.

      In the second reading (2Th. 3:7-12) St. Paul reproaches the Christian community of Thessalonica because of the problem of idleness, inertia and parasitism, as consequences of the thought and mentality that all will end soon and Christ will come gloriously. On the contrary, today we run the opposite risk, of not being committed in the Christian sense, because we do not even think about the end of the world and the judgment of God. Some are tempted to believe that everything ends in this world. Little wonder, they tend to amass wealth, without the vision of the hereafter. St. Paul uses himself and the other apostles as example, and thus invites them to imitate them in their hard work and dexterity, and not to wallow in idleness.

     The message that runs through the readings of this Sunday is somewhat a reminder to us that we should not be bothered much about the end of the world, rather we should always be ready for the end of our individual journey here on earth. It is a reminder that no matter how evil and evil-doers thrive, goodness will always triumph. Therefore, it is against the above backdrop that St. Paul warned the Thessalonians not to be carried away by the worries of the imminent end of the world, rather they should imitate the apostles and be filled with the sense of urgency in preparing for the end of our individual sojourn on earth and as we prepare let us not entertain any form of distraction or desperation! For Jesus will win and goodness will triumph over evil, let us therefore, take to heart the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives” (Lk. 21:19). Lord Jesus Christ fill us with the boldness and courage to be witnesses and partakers of your victory over powers of sin, Satan and death. Amen!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

GOD DWELLS IN HIS TEMPLE!

(Homily for the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica)

Beloved in Christ, today, instead of our usual Sunday liturgy, we are celebrating the feast of the dedication of the mother of all Churches: the Lateran Basilica in Rome, near the Lateran palace. The Basilica of St. John Lateran was built by Emperor Constantine after his conversion, and it was dedicated on the 9th November, 324 to the Most Holy Saviour, with Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist as patrons.The Basilica in question is the first and oldest Basilica, little wonder it is considered the mother and head of all Churches. Similarly, it is the Pope’s Cathedral as the Bishop of Rome.

The dedication of this Basilica marked the passage and the moving out of the christian assemble from the catacombs to the big Basilicas. The idea of building a temple for God, started from the Old Testament, first of all when they needed a place to keep the Ark of the covenant and where due worship can be given to God. This was undertaken and completed by King Solomon (1 Kings 6:1). However, this feast is therefore not the commemoration of a building, but the celebration of the mystery of the Church as the people of God, the body of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit. It is the “Church” with a capital letter, made up of redeemed men and women. The liturgical readings for this Sunday shed light on this meaning.

In today’s first reading (Ezekiel 47:1-2.8-9.12) the prophet recounted his vision about the temple especially with particular reference to the water that flows from the eastern part of the temple reaching out to the Arabah and the stagnant water. The water is so powerful that it brings about life and vitality for both plants and animals. Hence it could be said that the water from the temple recreates and renews creation, and makes it anew. It is obvious that this water is not an ordinary water, rather it is symbolic of the blessings flowing from God, it flows from God’s house to the house of his people. It is a life-giving water, little wonder the psalmist tells us that “there is a river its water gives joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High dwells”.

In the Second Reading (1 Cor. 3:9-11,16-17) St. Paul tries to shift the paradigm a bit. He reminds us of what we often tend to forget; and that is the fact, that we are God’s temple. Some find it difficult to comprehend this designation, but when we go to the book of Genesis, we are made to understand that God created us in His image and likeness (cf. Gen. 1:27). As such, today we have the opportunity to interrogate ourselves on the meaning of the Church or Temple (edifice) in which we gather every day and Person-Temple (for our body is the Temple of God). Indeed, today we are called to meditate on the mystery of the temple.

Today’s Gospel (John 2:13-22) takes up the image of the temple and applies it to the body of Jesus. Jesus drives out the merchants and money changers from the temple to emphasise the revelation He is about to bring: the new temple. Jesus blew hot on them and concluded that the house of God should be a place of prayer and not a den of robbers. Therein, the evangelist explains that Jesus was speaking of the temple of his body. The true temple is no longer made of stone, but of flesh: it is his humanity, in which God has made his dwelling. In Christ, God definitively encounters man. The Son of Man is the new holy place, in constant communication with the Father, the true ‘presence’ of God among his people. Jesus is Temple-personified.

Dear friends in Christ, let us ask ourselves this vital question: what does the temple stand for us: a place of worship or a place of encounter with God or a business centre? Again, what does the dedication of the Church mean for the christian community?  In the Catholic tradition, the Church building is not just a hall for fellowship.  It is a sacred space.  It is the abode of God, where the presence of God is made very tangible by the presence of the Eucharist. The Church is the focus point of the believing community: the Body of Christ.  Symbolically the Church itself is the Body of Christ. This is the major theme of the Gospel narrative of today, where Jesus replaces the Temple of Jerusalem with his own body. The Temple-building, which for the people of Israel, represented the presence of the Lord God has now become redundant.  God is present here and now in the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ. There is a kind of a shift from temple-building to temple-person, and in this optics, we too are His temples.

Thus, there is no need for the money changers to assist the people to offer the shekel in the temple; there is no need of the pigeon-sellers to facilitate the sacrifice in the temple.  Just turn around, look at him: the Word that has taken flesh (Jn 1:14). And believe in Him as the Son of God. Why don’t we welcome Jesus today to cleanse this temple too?  Let us usher Him in to clean our churches and this temple that is our body. The Feast of today challenges us to recognise our personal baptismal identity as temples of the Holy Spirit, and to confirm that identity by the way we live. 

Let us beckon on our Lord Jesus Christ to cleanse and renew us with the life-giving streams of mercy and love that flow from His throne, so that we may become true temples of the Spirit.

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

 

Earth Our Tent! Heaven Our Homeland!!

(Homily for the Commemoration of All Souls)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

 

 

 

Religion of Merit Vs Religion of Mercy!

(Homily for the 30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C)

     Last Sunday in our reflection we considered prayer as the gym of the Christian soul and invariably today’s readings buttress the fact that in this spiritual gym there are two kinds of spiritual athletes: those that puff up and think that they can do everything with their muscle, and those that are simple and have a healthy spiritual self-esteem. In that bid, those who belong to the religion of merit and those who belong to the religion of mercy. Those who belong to the religion of merit are self-justified, they are proud, they have unhealthy high self-esteem and they feel they can obtain spiritual favours out of merit. Those of religion of mercy, instead are humble and simple, capable of entering into themselves (intusleggere) in order to make a healthy and balanced evaluation of themselves, for them another name of God and for God’s Love is Mercy, they trust in the mercy of God and not in their human merits. Those of the religion of merit are self-justified, while those of the religion of mercy are justified by God. The themes of justice and prayer recapitulate well the readings of this Sunday. Prayer is a place where pride is abandoned, hope is lifted and supplications are made. Indeed, “The nearer you go to God, the nearer God will come to you” (Jm. 4:8a). A humble and authentic prayer takes us closer to God and draws God closer to us. In the parable, both the Pharisee and the Publican prayed in the temple, but only the publican was justified by God. In the first reading, Sirach applies the divine justice to prayer and teaches that God, the just judge has no preference of persons, he listens to the prayer of the oppressed. Lastly, in the second reading, St. Paul in humility accepted his ordeal of faith, however, not trusting on his own strength but on divine grace: “From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day”.

     It is against this backdrop that the first reading (Sir. 35, 15-17.20-22) basically tells us that the humble man’s prayer pierces the cloud and will not stop until they reach the throne of God. (vv. 16-18). The passage reminds us that God has no favourites and that he hears the voice of the oppressed (vv.12-13). God is presented here as a just judge, that cannot be compromised like human judges, for this, he listens favourably to the prayers of the oppressed, the poor, the orphan and widows. However, prayer accompanied with good interior dispositions like humility fast-forwards our prayers to God’s thrown. No doubt, “the heartfelt prayer of someone upright works very powerfully” (Jm.5:16). There is efficacy in the prayer of a humble person. Indeed, humility accompanied with perseverance is the basic condition for every prayer. The Lord does not delay in answering the prayers of the weak, the oppressed and the humble. For this the word of God was addressed to Jeremiah thus: “Call to me and I will answer you” (Jer. 33:3). It is against this backdrop, that the Psalmist assures us that “the lowly one called and the Lord heard him” (Ps.34:6). Let us humble ourselves, accept our unworthiness and nothingness before God, so that all our prayers today will pierce the cloud and reach God’s thrown.

     The message of the Gospel passage (Lk. 18: 9-14) centres on the right attitude towards prayer and the theme of justification not by personal merit, but by faith in Jesus Christ (cf. Rm.8:33-37). At the beginning of the gospel Luke tells us that Jesus narrated the parable for “those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else” (v.9), and this is the basic trait of those that belong to the religion of merit. Jesus narrated the story of two people that went up to the temple to pray: a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee sees himself as a man “separated” from others, he kept all the laws. The Jewish law prescribed fasting once a year (cf. Lev. 16:29), but he fasted twice a week. What a self-flattery! The meaning of this parable is that of the entire Gospel of St. Luke: Jesus is the revelation of God’s mercy. And man is liberated from sin through the gratuitous initiative of God’s mercy. The more we stoop low and become convinced of our misery and moral inconsistency, the more God in his merciful love forgives and raises us up.

     On entering the temple, the Pharisee as we are told “took up his position” maybe he sat down. Probably he did not assume the religious posture or position of a pious Jew. Then, he started his prayer: “O God I thank you because I am not like other men, impure and unjust…”. The Pharisee seemed to offer his prayers to God, but in reality he is self-centred, he repeated the word “I” many times. An authentic Prayer opens one in a relationship with the Other and with the others, but the prayer of the Pharisee opened and closed him up only to himself. This is real spiritual schizophrenia in action, he was disconnected with the Other and the others, he remained closed in his own world, where only him exists. This indeed, is religion of Merit. He reminds God what he has been doing for God, and not remembering what God has done and is doing for him. The Pharisee saw himself as a just man, who is at peace with God: he is presumptuous and proud. In this passage, Jesus condemns religious self-sufficiency. Humility is not weakness of character, rather strength of the will, such that one neither succumbs before the threats of the powerful nor the flattery of the wicked.

     On the other hand, we figure out the tax collector, who out of humility and a healthy sense of guilt “stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, O God be merciful to me a sinner”. This is an attitude of those who belong to the religion of Mercy. Certainly, he remembered what God has done and is doing for him, he cannot but ask for Mercy. At the end, the situation reverses, for he went home forgiven, absolved, exalted, sanctified, but the Pharisee no! (v.14). Indeed, our sins distance us from God, little wonder he stood off at a distance to pray, a similar thing happened in Luke (5:8) at the episode of the encounter between Peter and Jesus. Even though, it is true that sin distances us from God, but humility and spiritual self-acceptance draw us closer to God. Little wonder, we are told that the tax collector went home justified. While the prayer of the Pharisee closed him up in his world, that of the tax collector opened him up to the Other and the others. Prayer indeed creates and nurtures friendship (with God and with others). The big difference between the prayer of the Pharisee and the tax collector is this, while the first composed his prayer based on what he does for God, the later inwardly prays for what God does and is capable of doing for him. And that is the major difference between the Religion of Merit and the Religion of Mercy. Really the tax collector went home justified not only because he was humble, but also because he opened up to the mysteries of God and to God Himself. He opened up to God’s mercy, which is “God’s weakness” and a manifestation of his omnipotence.

     In the Gospel the maxim of Jesus: “who exalts himself will be humbled, and who humbles himself will be exalted” is reported three good times in three different circumstances (two times in the Gospel of Luke and once in that of Mathew). From those three circumstances we have to deduce the three different aspects of humility and how they complement each other. ●In Luke (14:11) Jesus teaches humility in the sense of not aspiring for the positions of honour, not showing off, but rather to choose the last seat. ●Again, in Luke (18:14) Jesus teaches that humility also entails comporting oneself like the publican: recognizing oneself as a sinner and rely completely on God’s mercy; therefore, not doing like the Pharisee who presumed to just, he exalts himself and despises others, he failed to understand that salvation is a gratuitous gift of the Lord and not a reward as a result of one’s work. ●In Mathew (23:19) Jesus teaches that humility consists in avoiding the ostentation of oneself (self-display), the desire of being admired and revered, the ambition for honorific titles, instead great is the one who serves the brothers: “just as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt. 20:28). Jesus is the divine model and archetype of humility, because in the mystery of his incarnation, passion and death, he offers us a maximum expression of true humility. For this, St. Paul invites us to imitate him, who humbled himself to the point of death (cf. Ph. 2:3-11).

     How many times have we Christians fallen into the same ditch of the Pharisee, the tendency of religious self-sufficiency? Many a times we indulge in the erroneous mentality of thinking that we secure our salvation by our mere actions alone or by our religious practices. This is the tendency of justification by self and not by grace. An authentic Christian feels like “a publican”, a sinner, one saved by the divine mercy and continuously in need of his help. One who does not think that he is better than others, rather one who believes and trusts in the goodness and infinite mercy of God, one who tries to do the will of God, but however, knows that he can do nothing without the grace of God. The publican prayed and cried to God: “Kyrie eleison” and he was accepted by God, because he submitted himself to God’s mercy. Come to think of it, let us reason together with St. Paul: “what made you so important? What have you got that was not given to you? And if it is given to you, why are you boasting as though it were your own”, (1Cor. 4:7). Remember always: “everyone who raises himself up will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be raised up” (Lk. 14:11; 18:14); indeed, “The Lord opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Jm. 4:6).

     Drawing the issue further, the parable shows us the right attitude to adopt towards prayer; it gives us a useful indication on how to pray well. As emanating from the parable, a Christian prayer should not be like the one of the Pharisee, a sort of self-exultation with the consequent disregard for others; instead, it has to be like the one of the publican, it has to be a true and interior witness of humility. A Christian in the liturgical assembly has to rediscover the authentic esteem of others and a healthy self-concept. As scripture tells us, “All things are open and laid bare to the eyes of the One to whom one day we must give an account of ourselves” (Heb. 4:13). So we cannot deceive God or bemuse Him with our outward religiosity.

     In the second reading (2Tm.4:6-8.16-18) Paul expresses his lowliness before God, who he believes will reward him for his spiritual sojourn. At the moment Paul foresaw what awaits him that is why he says that he is being poured out as a libation (v.6), by this he was intending to say that his life will end up in martyrdom. He anticipated death for himself, because there is no hope of release like in his former imprisonment. St. Paul recounted his ordeal of being left alone, all deserted him, the roman Christians deserted him, however he affirmed: “But the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed for all the gentiles to hear, and so I was saved from the lion’s mouth” (v.17). Despite his impending trial Paul was full of confidence: “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness” (v.8). Similarly, St. Paul lived the attitude of the tax collector, he was real before God.

     There is indeed something impressing in the liturgical tests of today, because while talking about the attitude of God towards the one who prays, emphasis is laid on God as a Judge. It does not exclude the fact that God is a Father, but a Father who loves and does justice. He does justice to the one who prays with filial attitude, like the publican, and he justifies him; and equally he does justice to the one who prays with self-justified attitude, like the Pharisee, who goes out from the temple without God’s forgiveness, for he did not recognize his need of it. God is a judge who does not make preferences of persons, for this he listens with particular attention to the prayers of the oppressed. The prayer of the oppressed pierces the clouds till it reaches the abode of God. God grants the prayer of the one who prays according to the divine parameter, and not according to the parameters of the one who prays. For this, the crown that Paul was expecting is not the fruit of his person merit, rather as a sign of God’s justice before him and all those who are his imitators in the service of the Gospel. I cannot but conclude my reflection this Sunday with the traditional prayer that goes thus: Jesus meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like unto yours. Truly, the goal and desire of our sojourn as Christians is to be more like Jesus and less of us.

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

Prayer: The Gym of a Christian Soul!

(Homily for the 29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C)

     In virtually all the religions prayer is a fundamental expression and characteristic of one’s faith. More importantly, in the Christian religion, prayer acquires an extraordinary importance. The Liturgy of the Word today places the theme of prayer at the heart of our reflections. Prayer is that necessary and constant element in our religious experience that nourishes and enlivens our spiritual life and our life in its entirety. Jesus gave us a wonderful example on prayer, for he was seen many times in a constant attitude of prayer especially in important and decisive moments of his life and mission (cf. Lk. 3:21; 6:12-13; 9:18.28-29; 23:24.46), Jesus equally taught his disciples how to pray (cf. Mt. 6:5-8; 7:7; Lk. 11:1-4; Mk. 11:22-24). We really need to emphasize on the importance of prayer and the need for its constancy too, especially in our world today where men and women are caught up in the dangling position of two extremes, at one side we see the presumptuous attitude of believing that they can obtain whatever they want by their capacity and power alone, and at the other side, we see the tendency of those who pray and shout as if God is a manipulative tool in their hands. Today we live in a world where men and women have become more frenetic than ever, they are obsessive and compulsive in their behaviour, busy many a times doing nothing. Thus, in this situation it is difficult to find a minimum space and time for prayer and a colloquium with God. And again, we live in a noisy society where it is not very easy to find the decorum and the suitable and enabling environment needed for prayer.

     In the world of faith, everything is a gift. As gift we do not have right to anything, but we have to ask for it humbly in prayer. For that, Jesus in the Parable today reminds us of the need to pray without ceasing, exemplified by the widow who never gave up in disturbing the Judge until she obtains justice. In the first reading, Moses on his part, accompanied by Aaron and Hur never ceased during the day in raising their hands and heart to Yahweh, until the Israelites overcome the Amalekites. St. Paul in the second reading reminds us of the importance of God’s word in order to perform good works, prayer inclusive. Prayer more than the sword, obtains victory. Even as we celebrate Mission Sunday today, prayer still remains the essential element that engenders God’s urgent call in our heart and enlivens our desire and experiences of Mission. Prayer ought to be the first instrument of the missionary. The Church is missionary in nature, and we the members too are missionaries, though in different categories and degrees, some participate in the mission by going, some by giving while others by praying. And the readings (Zech.8:20-23; Ps.19:2-3.4-5; Rm.10:9-18; Mk.16:15-20) proper to the Mission Sunday revolve around the beauty and the necessity of the missionary exploit, indeed “how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news” (Rm.10:15) and again “Go into the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation” (Mk.16:15).

     The first reading (Ex.17:8-13) presents the fascinating story of the Amalekites and the people of Israel. On the Israelites mission towards the Promised Land, they were to pass through Amalek, and the Amalekites stood on their way and waged war against them. As war ensued between the Israelites and the Amalekites, Moses ordered Joshua to attack them, while he went to the mountain with Aaron and Hur to pray for God’s help. While Moses was praying with his hands raised up, Joshua will be winning, but as soon as he lowers his arms for weakness, the Amalekites will gain upper hand. Then the nagging question that was coming up in their minds: How can the hand of Moses be constantly kept raised in prayer? Aaron and Hur found a solution, they put a stone under Moses and made him sat on it, while the two of them (left and right) supported his arms, and this effort and gesture assured victory for them. Symbolically, the raising of hands points to God, and it is a cultic gesture of invocation for divine assistance. And the gesture of the raised hands that have to be supported constantly brings to light the values of constancy and perseverance in Prayer. In our many trials, how many times, do we raise our hands towards heaven, to call on God with confidence and trust? Truly, to say it with the psalmist, “Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Ps.121:2).

     Today’s Gospel (Lk. 18:1-8) throws more light on the first reading, on the need of persistency and insistency in prayer. In the bid, to answer the people’s plea on injustice and existential problems, Jesus came up with the Parable of the poor widow who could not obtain justice from a wicked judge. This parable, more than anything else is a parable on Prayer, because Jesus’ intention for narrating it as St. Luke tells us is “to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to lose heart” (Lk. 18:1). The prayer that is the subject of today's gospel is the prayer of petition. It is a very important form of prayer, of course, but it is not the most important. Prayer of praise is the highest form of prayer.

     The Judge as presented by St. Luke neither fears God nor respects man, little wonder, at first he was indifferent to the pleas of the poor widow, but upon her insistence and persistence he was compelled to give her justice. Not because he was moved with sympathy or empathy, but because he wants his peace, he does not want to be disturbed by the widow. The judge decided to do justice to the widow, in order that she bothers him no more. The insistence of the widow overcame the resistance of the Judge. It is worthy to note, that this parable in no way presents God as the wicked Judge, rather it portrays the existential context of the Jews at that time. However, Jesus seized the occasion to educate his followers on how and what to pray. As a matter of fact, a beautiful prophetic image of perseverant and persistent prayer is Jesus Christ, whose prayer continued even when his soul was sorrowful unto death.

     Again, sometimes we may experience what the poor widow in today’s gospel experienced, little wonder, St. Luke symbolically did not mention the precise location of the episode, he says: “in a certain town” (v.2). Sometimes it may come in form of injustice meted out to us, suffering and hardship inflicted on us by others. But Jesus, tells us today, in such situations and occasions we should make our voices heard, we should never give up. On the other hand, this parable teaches us that God is not controlled by human needs. He intervenes at the appointed time. Ours is to pray! Nevertheless, Jesus does not hesitate in calling back our attention on the necessity of prayer, and its constancy. Indeed, perseverance in prayer is a sign and a proof of trust and abandonment in God. In fact, in Jesus’ parlance, it is not just necessary to pray, but to pray always. The important thing about praying is perseverance and persistence, little wonder, St. Paul urges the Ephesians: “In all your prayer and entreaty keep praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion. Never get tired of staying awake to pray for all God’s holy people” (Eph. 6:18). A Christian has to cultivate the attitude of prayer, for we learn how to pray by praying, and the more we pray, the more it becomes easy to pray. They more we stoop and kneel before God in prayer, the more he raises us and we stand tall and great before our challenges and challengers.

     Dearly beloved, the prayer we are talking about here, is not the casual vocal prayer, is not that hysterical dramatization we often see today, is not a stage show, rather the Prayer that Jesus is talking about is that, offered with the mind and the heart. Without mincing words, prayer more than its common understanding as an interaction with God, has to be a spiritual attitude before God. It should originate from the heart, St. Luigi Guanella captured it well, when he opined that “prayer is the thing of the Heart”, and it is indeed. Prayer is not a monologue, of someone shouting to a “deaf god”, rather it is a dialogue, (of one speaking and listening to a Friend and a Father) but it entails an attitude of listening, paying attention to what God has to tell me. It is the humble attitude of a mental and internal disposition of oneself to God, and it entails emptying oneself in order to be refilled by Him. Usually, each time I pray well I feel something great in me. Prayer indeed, is the gym of the Christian soul. Prayer also goes with corresponding actions. Little wonder, St. Benedict used “ora et labora” as his motto. My prayer and spiritual life should not be disconnected with my real life or actions. Rather my prayer should push me into action. Else, there is a danger of suffering spiritual schizophrenia.

     We cannot but enter into constant contact with God, our Supreme Being; in fact any contingent being that wants to survive needs this contact with the Necessary Being. We are creatures and as such, we are dependent on God, we need His help in order to continue to exist. Prayer may be described as a concentration on who God is and who we are in relationship to God. Indeed, St. Paul captured this well when in the Acts of the Apostles he affirmed vigorously that “in Him we live, in Him we move, in Him we have our being” (Acts 17:28). In the Gospel of St. John Jesus says: “cut off from me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). Once again, we need to pray as children of God for in the words of Jesus: “nothing is impossible to God” (Lk. 1:37).

     In the second reading (2Tm. 3:14-4:2) St. Paul assured Timothy that “all scripture is inspired by God and useful for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be upright” (2Tm. 3:16). Be that as it may, the Sacred Scripture nourishes our prayer; it forms us to the spirit of prayer and inspires to say better prayers. On the other hand, even though we have affirmed vigorously that prayer is necessary, it behooves us also to opine that prayer is not all, because it is necessary to incarnate our prayer into action, just as in the motto of St. Benedict: “Ora et labora”. For every Christian by virtue of his baptism and his belonging to the church, is called to participate in the mission of spreading of the message of salvation, in word and in deed. Therefore, every Christian has to appropriate the following words of St. Paul to Timothy: “Before God and before Christ Jesus who is to be judge of the living and the dead, I charge you, in the name of his appearing and his Kingdom: proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, give encouragement-but do all with patience and with care to instruct” (2Tm. 4:1-2).

     St. Paul’s invitation of Timothy to dedicate himself to the teaching of the Word is at the heart of the Church’s missionary experience. The above words of exhortation of St. Paul situate us well into the context of today’s Mission Sunday; indeed, we are all called to spread the message of salvation in and out of season, to insist on it with our life, wherever we go and in every context we find ourselves. The message at the heart of this Mission Sunday reminds us that we too are “baptized and sent” to continue the mission of our Lord Jesus Christ in the world.

     Brethren, let us pray earnestly for our missionaries that just like the voice and sound of the apostles and disciples of Jesus that “their sound goes forth through all the earth. Their message to the utmost bounds of the world” (Ps.19:4). It is by means of that, that we may be able to respond positively to the question of Jesus in the Gospel: “when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth” (Lk.18:8). Therefore, we pray for us and for the active missionaries, may God give us the grace to rediscover the place of Prayer and the Word of God in our various missions. Jesus is calling us today to go back to the gym where we exercise our souls for Eternal fitness: Prayer. Above all, let us keep our faith and mission alive through prayer. May God bless our true and authentic missionaries, Amen! Happy Mission Sunday Friends!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)