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)

The Power of Thank You!

(Homily for the 28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C)

     At the heart of today’s message is the theme of gratitude or thanksgiving. Gratitude is disarming; it paves way for favours and benevolence. On the other hand, as Shakespeare wrote in his play King Lear, “How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child”. Truly, nothing is quite so hurtful as to be consistently taken for granted, without ever a word of thanks or praise. In fact, the Gospel passage gives us a glimpse into the heart of Jesus, when he receives or does not receive gratitude. Indeed, one of the most satisfying feelings is to receive a sincere “Thank you” for a service rendered and appreciated. It was because of ‘thank you’ that Naaman went back to Elisha, because of ‘thank you’ the Samaritan leper went back to Jesus, and equally because of gratitude St. Paul remained in chains for fidelity and appreciation of what Jesus has done in his life. Alongside the theme of gratitude is that of the obedience of faith, which helps us to reflect on the readings of this Sunday by considering them together in order to be aware of certain significant facts. The ten lepers in the Gospel passage in obedience trusted the words of Jesus and they embarked on a journey to present themselves to the priests, in order that the later, will certify that they have been made clean. Again, in the first reading Naaman the Syrian after much hesitation obeyed the words of Elisha, by the help of his servant, immersing himself seven times in the River Jordan, and thus he was made clean. It is on account of obedience of faith that St. Paul ended in chains and had to suffer greatly for his faith and trust in God, for the encounter with Jesus on his way to Damascus healed him of spiritual blindness and hatred towards Christians, little wonder, he succumbed to the obedience of faith even to the extent of suffering harshly. Truly, Jesus is the great Physician of both body and soul.

     In the first reading (2Kgs. 5:14-17) we see the figure of a certain Naaman, an “army commander to the King of Aram” (2Kgs. 5:1). Naaman was infected with leprosy on the body and his soul was unclean for he worshipped in the temple of Rimon (2Kgs.5:18) a pagan god. He was told to go and wash at River Jordan seven times in order for him to be cleansed. At first he refused, and later agreed upon the insistence of his servant, he agreed and bathed seven times in the River Jordan and was healed. Afterwards, he went back to thank Elisha with a present, but Elisha refused, because is God that healed him, his healing came forth as a handiwork of God. As Naaman experienced and confirmed his total cleansing and healing, he made his profession of faith thus: “Now I know there is no God anywhere on earth except in Israel” (v.15). Indeed, Naaman experienced double-healing, for he was cured of the physical (leprosy) and spiritual (uncleanliness) ailments.

       Extrapolating from the above scenario, it is important to trust the ministers of God, His authentic ministers and messengers. In the first reading when Naaman the leper learnt from Prophet Elisha that he has to go to the river Jordan to wash himself seven times in order to be healed, he rebelled and protested: “Here was I, thinking he would be sure to come out to me, and stand there, and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and wave his hand over the spot and cure the part that was diseased. Surely, Abana and Parpar, the rivers of Damascus, are better than any water in Israel? Could I not bathe in them and become clean? And he turned round and went off in a rage” (2Kg. 5:11-12). But he would later follow the counsel of the prophet and he will be healed. When the ministers and messengers of God speak in the name of God, they are to be trusted and listened to. In the words of Jesus: “As the Father sent me, so am I sending you” (Jn. 20:21) and again “Anyone who listens to you listens to me, anyone who rejects you rejects me, and those who reject me reject the one who sent me” (Lk. 10:16).

 

     The two episodes of the Word of God this Sunday especially in the first reading and the Gospel, presents a sort of affinity and evident points of convergence between them. In fact, the passage from the 2 kings can be considered as a kind of prelude or prophetic anticipation of the narrative in the Gospel passage by St. Luke. They two episodes present two cases of healing, one by immersion in the River, through the instrumentality of Prophet Elisha, and the other by the words of Jesus, the New Priest of the New Covenant.

     The Gospel periscope (Lk. 17:11-19) narrates the episode and encounter of Jesus and the ten lepers. Situating us into the historical context of that time, leprosy then was a symbol of divine punishment for one’s sin. It was regarded equally as a contagious disease. Little wonder, the person infected with it is ostracized. And to cure it, requires divine intervention or even a miracle that is why a person cured from leprosy has to show himself to the priest, so that according to the custom, the priest will certify truly that he has been made whole, and thus can be welcomed back to the community. For the fact that lepers are isolated from the rest of the people, the ten lepers maintained some distance from Jesus as they made their request, our evangelist says: “They stood some way off” (v.12b). On encountering Jesus, the ten lepers were imploring him to help them from afar, because according to the prescription of the Law: “Anyone with a contagious skin-disease will wear torn clothing and disordered hair, and will cover the upper lip and shout, “Unclean, unclean”. As long as the disease lasts, such a person will be unclean and, being unclean, will live alone and live outside the camp” (Lev. 13:45-46). But Jesus did not run away and treat them that way, when he encountered them. They called Jesus and pleaded him: “Jesus! Master! Take pity on us” (v.13). And when Jesus said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests” (v.14a), as the custom demands. And immediately without ifs and buts, they set out to go to the priest, and instantly the miracle of healing and cleansing took place: “Now as they were going away they were cleansed” (v.14b). Just at the words and invitation of Jesus, they were healed. There is power indeed in the words of Jesus, “he sent forth his word and cured them, and rescued their life from the abyss” (Ps. 107:20).   

      Jesus told the ten lepers to go and present themselves to the priests, but it is important to know that only cured lepers can present themselves to the priests, so that they can certify the healing. For as stipulated: “This is the law to be applied on the day of the purification of someone who has suffered from a contagious skin-disease. Such a person will be taken to the priest, and the priest will go outside the camp. If he finds on examination that the person has recovered from the disease, he will order the following to be brought for purification…” (Lev. 14:2-4). So, one may well presume that Jesus’ invitation to them to go and present themselves to the priests when they have not been healed, sounds like a joke. Instead they trusted in the words of Jesus and on their way they discovered that they have been healed. This is what it means to believe in Jesus and his words: to trust in him completely, to accept his words without hesitation and to put it into practice without looking for excuses, even when he asks us to do something that contradicts the human logic and understanding. It was similar to the episode where Jesus told Peter to throw the net, and Peter said: “Master, we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets” (Lk. 5:5). We could imagine the ten lepers say, Master only cured lepers present themselves to the priests, but on your word…

     Behold, the second part of the story is quite interesting, encouraging and discouraging at the same time. For while they were on their way to the priests, “Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice and threw himself prostrate at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was a Samaritan” (vv.15-16). Indeed, Jesus wondered why only one came back to say thank you, and he said to him: “It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner. And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you” (vv.18-19), for his healing was not only physical but also spiritual. Little wonder, Jesus alludes to his faith. His healing was indeed, an integral healing. The Samaritan was not only cured, but equally saved. The emphasis on the fact that this man was a Samaritan reveals that God’s salvation is for all, it is no birth right of any people. As a matter of fact, at first, the situation and ailment of the ten lepers led them to Jesus, but it was faith that led the Samaritan back to Jesus to thank him. For he (the Samaritan) recognized in Jesus the Priest, for this, he out of faith went back to him. Instead of going back to the Old Priests for certification, he comes to the New Priest (Jesus) to say thank you and Jesus certified him. Truly, Jesus manifested that he is the New Priest of the New Covenant: “Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you”. Child of God, when you are battered and embittered by the trials and difficulties of this life, to whom do you go? The ten lepers went to Jesus. And one of them still returned to him to thank him, when we receive favour, blessings and healing from God, do we remember to show gratitude? Indeed, the Samaritan teaches us to go to the New Way, and not the old way as did the other nine lepers.

     The episodes of the first reading and the Gospel propel us to make a two-fold consideration: ●First, God in his actions towards men and woman is absolutely free, and as such, cannot be conditioned by anyone, neither can He be confined within any ethnic, religious and political barrier nor can He be manipulated by human presumptions. In the two episodes the two persons that were made whole, one was a pagan and the other a stranger, that is, two individuals outside the Jewish religious circle, those considered to be excluded from God’s Kingdom. And in fact, Jesus made reference to this episode when his kinsmen were indulging him to do miracles for them as he has done in other places, “And in the prophet Elisha’s time there were many suffering from virulent skin-diseases in Israel, but none of these was cured – only Naaman the Syrian” (Lk. 4:27). No one indeed, has the monopoly of God’s benevolence.

●Second, is the obligation of gratitude towards God. We need to learn how to recognize the benefits and blessings of the Lord in our lives, and as such, we cannot but praise and thank Him. Conscious of this, St. Paul admonished: “I urged then, first of all that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving should be offered for everyone” (1Tm. 2:1), elsewhere he insistently urged the Christian communities to be “overflowing with thanksgiving” (Col. 2:7). Thus, we need to cultivate the attitude of thanking and praising the Lord for the benefits and favours he continues to bestow on us. How often do we find time and consider it necessary during our moments of prayer to thank the Lord for his benevolence. We need to cultivate more the attitude of gratitude and do less of spiritual begging: ‘Lord give me this, give me that. Do this for me, do that for me’. In the first reading, Naaman recognized God’s intervention in his healing and as a sign of gratitude and thanksgiving he made a commitment to worship only the God of Israel, the True God and no more the false gods. Amongst the ten lepers healed by Jesus in the Gospel only one came back to thank and praise him, and as a result, more than the health of the body, he equally received salvation of his soul. But Jesus must have felt bad: “Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? (v.17).

     In the second reading (2Tm. 2:8-13) St. Paul was writing to his friend Timothy, he (Paul) was in prison and in chains. He was treated as a miscreant because of his preaching, but he writes: “It is on account of this that I have to put up with suffering, even to being chained like a criminal. But God’s message cannot be chained” (v. 9). On the example of Paul we have to be disposed to suffer for the love of Christ and his Gospel, “So I persevere for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they, too, may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory” (v.10). St. Paul invites us to be ready to suffer all sorts of things, ranging from incomprehension, derision, blasphemy, marginalization and persecution, in as much as we bring someone to salvation in Christ. Let us implore the Lord to give us a generous courage and holy audacity, for as St. Paul assured us: “If we have died with him, then we shall live with him. If we persevere, then we shall reign with him” (vv.11-12). This attitude of Paul toward suffering could equally be seen as a way of showing gratitude to God for rescuing him from darkness, for healing him from his own “leprosy”. With that conviction, St. Paul maintained that God’s message cannot be chained; it has to be proclaimed to Jews and Gentiles as well. He reaffirms the universality of God’s salvation.

     Above all, this attitude of gratitude and incessant prayer of thanksgiving should not remain only at the level of verbal expressions and sentiments, but they have to be incarnated in action, especially in the joyful proclamation of our faith in the risen Christ. Naaman proclaimed his unalloyed loyalty to the God of Israel, the Samaritan leper came to thank Jesus because he recognized in Him the New Priest of the New Covenant and St. Paul as well exhorts us that the best way of praising and thanking God is to accept suffering and persevere for the sake of obtaining the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. Beloved in Christ, let us enrol ourselves into this attitude of gratitude and grateful witnessing, as we make effort to become the “mouthpiece” of the Word and heralds of God’s design of love. Lord Jesus help me never to fail to recognize your loving kindness and blessings. Help me to count and share my blessings with a grateful heart, Amen. Happy Sunday To You All!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)