We Have Come To Adore Him!

(Homily for Christmas, Mass during the Day)

          Today, with great joy and solemnity we celebrate Christmas - the feast of God's magnanimous and unconditional love, the feast of God's Self-gift to mankind. Christmas is God's gift placed in human hands’. A real Gift wrapped in swaddling clothes (Lk. 2:12). One may ask why this yearly celebration for a Child that was born more than 2000 years ago, but it is only with and through the eyes of faith that one can understand why this Child is perennially adorable. Christmas is not an event of the past, but more importantly, it is also an event of today and each day. Only the Word of God, welcomed simply in our hearts can reveal to us the mystery surrounding this Child of Bethlehem, and indeed, the pre-existent Word of God throws more light to the mystery of the grotto of Bethlehem. Interestingly, the readings of Hebrew 1 and John 1 reveal that we are not merely celebrating the birth of a baby, rather the mystery of God’s self disclosure and communication in Jesus. His coming into the world is part of the dynamic process of God’s self-communication. The Christian God does not present Himself as a supreme entity that resides impassive on His throne of changeless eternity, but He descended and stooped so low to take the human flesh. The mystery of the Incarnation is so great and attracting that no matter how hard one tries, it cannot be jettisoned. The mystery is so great that the great thinkers of all times could not exhaust it. Indeed, I have allowed myself to be drawn by the irresistible attraction of this mystery. And together with the angels and shepherds i have come to contemplate the real gift of Christmas: The Child Jesus (a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes). Come let us adore Him the pre-existent and eternal Word!

          In the First reading (Is. 52: 7-10) Prophet Isaiah proclaims the reign of God, that is being realized now by God’s mighty act. In the context of this passage, the mighty act is the return from exile. Whereas for us it is the Birth of the Child of Bethlehem: Jesus, as announced by this angelic hymn. Therein, Yahweh returns to Zion (v. 8) to comfort his chosen people (v.9), and indeed, his mighty work of salvation is seen by all men (v.10). The prophet announced the universality of God’s salvation. Behold, “all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God”. “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings. What is this good tiding? Jesus is the good tiding. And what is the good tiding all about? Is a tiding of peace, goodness, God’s tenderness and salvation. The prophet says to Zion and to us today “your God reigns”. The Lord has comforted his people, Isaiah says, because he sent his only Son, the Saviour. Even the psalmist joins in this universal exultation: “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God” (Ps. 98:3).

          In the Second reading (Heb. 1:1-6), the sacred author writes vehemently about the manifestation of God to men, not through Kings or prophets, but now through His Son. And that is the greatest novelty of the mystery of Incarnation. Jesus is the definitive Word of the Father, the supreme revelation of the Father. The writer of the letter to the Hebrew presents Jesus as the highest revelation and definitive Word of the Father (Okwu ekwuru ihe agbañwo). In the words of the writer, “In the olden days God spoke to our fathers in various ways through the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son”. He says that the dignity of Jesus is more than the angels, because no angel was given a name that he was given, which name? “Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father (A child and a Father) Jesus is called Father, in participation to the Father’s paternity, “from whom every fatherhood in heaven or on earth takes its name” (Eph. 3:15), Prince of peace” (Is. 9:5), Jesus, Emmanuel. Therefore, all the angels adore Him, and if the angels of God adore Him, what of we humans. Let us join our voices together and shout “we have come to adore Him”. Behold, this passage of the letter to the Hebrew reaffirms the Pauline expression: “He is the image of the unseen God, the first-born of all creation, for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible, thrones, ruling forces, sovereignties, powers- all things were created through him and for him. He exists before all things and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:15-17).

          The Gospel (Jn. 1:1-18) of today exhumes once again the pre-eminence and pre-existence of the Word of God, for, “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God”. St. John starts with the beginning because Jesus is the eternal Word of the Father, the Word that was used in the creation (Gen. 1:1-3), all was made through him, “ihe nile di adi siri n’aya diri”. Be that as it may, the self-revelation (Word, Logos) did not begin with the Incarnation event, rather with creation (cf. Heb. 1:1-14). St. John in his gospel gives us a wonderful explanation of the Incarnation (Kai o Logos sarx ergheneto). The Word of God took flesh and became one of us and one with us. The word “flesh” denotes the whole of humanity, not just the humanity of Jesus. Not only that he took the human flesh, but he dwells within and with us. Little wonder, St. Paul affirmed “in him we move, in him we live in him we have our being” (Acts 17:28).

           However, though he dwells in and within us, He remains the Eternal Word of the Eternal Father. John affirms that He is eternal like the Father. He is the true Light that enlightens all men. He is the fullness of grace from whom all draw grace. He has power to make children of God all those that welcome Him. John tells us the type of reception the Word of God received: “He came to His own and his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God” (Jn. 1:11-12). Behold, wherever the Son is received, man is restored to divine sonship. But unfortunately till today, in so many ways, God continues to suffer rejection in the hands of men, in our societies and in our world. The event of Christmas interrogates each and every one of us. If Jesus were to come today, can we make a place for him in our home and heart? As a matter of fact, he is already there standing and knocking at the door (Rev 3:20). As Joseph and Mary did, we are invited to welcome Him. Christmas is an event of God knocking at our door. If you hear his voice and open he will also open for you when you knock.

         St. John says that “in him was life, the life was the light of all men”. He further expressed that, “Light shines in darkness, but darkness hasn’t overcome it” and I may add, and it will never overcome it. Irrespective of the fact that evil still persists in the world today, all kinds of atrocities and unimaginable crimes, yet the fact still remains: “Light shines in darkness, but darkness hasn’t overcome it”. JESUS is our light, allow him to enlighten your life. He will continue to shine, His light will continue to beam. With this consciousness we join our voices together to that of St. Augustine in saying “Oh man wake up, it was for you that God was made man”.

          In all, as emanating from the gospel passage of St. John’s prologue, the event of today brings three important factors to our consideration: ►Christmas is an event of light: The Readings resonate the theme of light, and the Baby in the manger is the Light of the world (Jn. 1:9). ►Christmas is an event of love: John in his Gospel says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him, will not perish, but will have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16). ►Christmas is God's self-gift! The real message of Christmas is that Jesus is a gift to the world. “You will see a sign: a child wrapped in swaddling clothes” (Lk 2:12).   

          Behold, the peak of our excitement and celebration today revolves around the fact that we are not talking about a sign like in Isaiah and Mathew, but today we are celebrating his presence in our midst. The highest point of God’s revelation is this passage from sign to reality, a real presence! Truly, he is present with us in this celebration in a special way through the Eucharist. At this altar the sign of a Baby in the manger is made present in the sign of Bread, no longer wrapped in swaddling clothes, but broken for the life of the world. And with his presence in the Eucharistic Bread he becomes a Gift per excellence, not just a Gift, but equally the Food for our nourishment. Thank You Jesus! There is indeed a knit connection between the Incarnation and the Eucharist, even the place of his birth Bethlehem means “House of Bread” and with Jesus it is no longer ordinary bread, but the Eucharistic Bread. We are filled with joy in the presence of the God who comes to save us and in the salvation he has already won for us. Just as Adam rejoiced when he saw Eve “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:23), so too we rejoice in the presence of “the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn. 1:14), he took our human flesh.

          Brethren, let us assume the sensibility of the wise men, “we have come to adore Him” (Mt. 2:2). And really we too have come to adore Him. May we all join in this perennial adoration of the Child of Bethlehem, and as we solemnly adore and celebrate Him today, we joyfully acclaim “TODAY IS BORN OUR SAVIOR - CHRIST THE LORD”.

Come let us adore Him!

Come let us adore the Child of Bethlehem!

Come let us adore the Savior!

Come let us adore this Child who is equally a Father!

Come let us adore the Emmanuel!

Come! Come!! Come!!!

Wishing you all a grace-filled celebration of Christmas!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

 

The Ever Present God: Emmanu-El!

(Homily for the 4^th Sunday of Advent Yr. A)

The Spirituality of Advent - IV

          As a matter of fact, the Advent season has a certain peculiar rhythm that goes like in a crescendo. It rises in a continuous crescendo toward the full light of Christmas. The rhythm in question is adequately symbolized by the Advent wreath. No doubt, the crescendo of Advent is reflected in the liturgical readings of the season, which begins with the prophecies of Isaiah and John the Baptist and culminates on the figures of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Joseph and the annunciation of Jesus’ birth. In today’s liturgy the Church through the readings anticipates the narration of the birth of Jesus according to Mathew. The Angel told Joseph that he will be called Jesus for He will save his people from their sins; He shall be called Emmanuel for He is God-with-us. Here, we see not only the meaning of his names but also his inherent identity.

          The first reading (Is. 7:10-14) presents the story of Ahaz, who was known for his religious indifference. The historical situation of the episode in this passage is described in 2 Kings 16:5-9. It happened when Syria entered into alliance with the northern kingdom of Israel against the southern kingdom of Judah of which Ahaz was King. Together they laid siege to Jerusalem. Here, prophet Isaiah offers Ahaz a sign that everything will be a success at the long run, but Ahaz refused such a sign, because he wanted to have nothing to do with Isaiah’s advice. Notwithstanding, Isaiah proceeded and gave the sign: “A young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel”. Ahaz had trust in the political alliance with the Assyrians and their gods, but not in the help of God. But Isaiah reminded him that God has guaranteed the continuity of the dynasty of David, and as such it cannot be destroyed. As a matter of fact, there are two sides of this episode: first, in connection with 2 Kings 16, it is probable that the young woman in question is the wife of the king and the Son to be born is Hezekiah, future king, son of Ahaz, through whom God will bring liberation to his people.

           Second, is as it is taken up by Mathew. As such, we could say that, that of Hezekiah is a prefiguration of the real Liberator of His people, the Emmanuel, He who reveals and manifests to what extend God can be with His people. Indeed, the prophecy of the “Emmanuel” cuts across and goes beyond the person of Hezekiah. Jesus is the Emmanuel to the point of being one with and like us in everything except sin (cf. 1Pt.2:22; Heb.4:15; 2Chro.5:21). In Isaiah 7:14 there was the prophecy about a child, “behold, a virgin will be with a child and will give birth to a son, and his name will be called Immanuel” But do we really believe in Him? We may sometimes find ourselves in the same ditch with Ahaz who never believed fully in God’s fidelity in the Covenant with his people, rather in difficult moments he sort for security and protection in the covenant with the pagan people of Assyria. Indeed, the spirituality of Advent calls us to come back to God, our primordial love (cf. Rev.2:4), to have trust in His love, especially in difficult times. In our difficult moments there is always a sign, king Ahaz failed to see it, may we never fail to see that sign in hard times, that is the sign of God’s presence (Immanuel). This episode reveals that what God says He will do, He does it. God keeps His promises. He carries out His will and designs irrespective of human infidelity and lack of cooperation, the story of Ahaz is an eloquent example. Likewise, God continues to realize His designs and plans for us, irrespective of our human weaknesses. But in all, God needs the human cooperation.

          In the same vein, the Gospel reading (Mt. 1:18-24) presented Christ as the Son of God, his birth was prodigious, it was the work of the Holy Spirit, but He is also man, for He was born of the Virgin Mary, and Joseph was his foster father. As such, Jesus is a descendant of David. As we can see in the passage of St. Mathew’s Gospel, Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, while his mother remained a virgin. Mathew and Luke agree on this, even though their infancy stories have some discrepancies. It affirms the transcendental origin of Jesus’ history. He is by no means the product of human evolution, but the intervention of the transcendent God in the history of humanity. In this passage, the parents of Jesus enter into scene. Both Mary and Joseph had a vocation and a mission to realize in that divine project. Mary was called to be the mother of Jesus, being a virgin. Joseph was called to be the “father” of Jesus, being just. They were both perturbed at the beginning of this divine plan, however, in their torment they searched for God, and God introduced them into the truth of the mystery. Both of them received those encouraging words from God: Angel Gabriel told Mary: “do not be afraid” (Lk. 1:30) and the angel of the Lord also told Joseph: “do not be afraid” (Mt. 1:20). And confident in God both of them gave their “Yes” with a generous heart to the mission God entrusted to each one of them. While Mary responded to the Angel “May it be done unto me according to thy word” (Lk. 1:38), Joseph did not utter any word, the Gospel said when he woke up he did as the Angel commanded him (cf. Mt. 1:24).

          The message of this last Sunday of Advent partly revolves around the identity of the Messiah. Last Sunday we heard Jesus affirming indirectly that He is the Messiah (through his prodigious works), in that emblematic episode between Him and the disciples of John (cf. Mt. 11). Above all else, however, we may still ask: “who truly is Jesus? St. Mathew tries to proffer an answer or answers to this question through the literary genre of apparition and dreams: through the dream of Joseph, which has a meaning of a divine revelation that enlightens or shades light to a historical event of the conception of Mary and the Birth of Jesus. The Messiah is the Son of Joseph, and through him the link to the dynasty of David. But he is also Son of God. However, the extraordinary manner of his conception without human interventions evidences that God is the protagonist of His birth through the work of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the virginity of Mary affirms and manifests clearly the sovereign action of God, the absolute gratuitous nature of the Gift. Even though the birth of Christ is not by means of the work of man, Joseph, however is called to be close to his spouse and to be father to the child that will be born, also to give him a name: Jesus, which means “God saves” and to guarantee his royal and messianic dynasty from David. Mathew reveals the double overriding titles / names of the Messiah: Jesus: for he will save his people form their sins and Emmanuel: God with us. He comes to save us and to assure us of the nearness and presence of God. We see glaringly the primary mission of Jesus, that is, to save His people from their sins, to liberate man from the slavery of sin and thus lead him to the freedom of God’s children. As such, Christianity is above all, against every form of slavery and oppression, it is an encounter of liberation from the slavery of sin, of egoism, and of moral disorder. Indeed, a Christian is in turn a liberator in the measure he or she has been liberated from sin.

          Jesus is Emmanu: with us; he is one of us, “from the descendant of David according to the flesh” as St. Paul puts it. But Jesus is also El: God. He is the Son of man and also the Son of God. From ancient times, God has been the One with his people, He told Abraham, “I am with you” (Gen. 17:1-19), he revealed himself to Abraham as a God with his people; God sent Moses to go and demand freedom from Pharaoh for the Hebrew slaves, Moses objected but God assured him “I will be with you” (Ex. 3:12); in his vision Paul heard God saying to him: “I am with you” (Acts 18:10). This indeed, is the very mystery at the heart of Christmas. He is the God-with-us. But is he truly the God-with-us even till today? Yes, even till today, for in his words: “I am with you always; yes, to the end of time” (Mt. 28:20). He is still the God-with-us. Through his resurrection he inaugurated a new way of being in the world, spiritual and invisible, but real. Little wonder, St. Paul emerged with his joyous cry thus: “If God is for us, who can be against us? Who can separate us from the love of Christ?” (Rm. 8:31.35). No one, except we ourselves, we can turn our back to Christ, and live for ourselves and not for him who died and was raised to life (2Cor. 5:15). In that bid, the period of Advent and Christmas is a time to remind a Christian of his / her moral responsibility. “Ecce nunc tempus acceptabile”: This is the favourable time. Jesus is always the Emmanuel, the God-with-us. But there is a moment in which he is with us in a different way: sacramentally and really. And it is now, in our Eucharistic celebration. He is present here with us.

          The spirituality of Advent demonstrates that in giving his Son, God needed human cooperation. Notwithstanding, that he could do everything on His power alone, and may be one day we discover Jesus all of a sudden in the scene and street of the world, in a more mysterious way. Instead He offered Him to us, through Mary and through the cooperation of Joseph, his foster father. We can see this even in the history of our salvation in both the Old and the New testaments, God takes the initiative both to create and to redeem man. It is his divine design but He requires the collaboration of man. Once again, God still needs our cooperation to announce the presence of His Son in the world. He needs our cooperation to take Jesus to the heart of humanity, and the heart of everyman. He wants us to become bearers of Christ (Christophers). But we cannot bear Him in our hearts or give Him to others, if we do not have Him in our heart and in our lives, “nemo dat quod non habet”.

           The second reading (Rm. 1:1-7) is the opening greeting of St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. As a matter of fact, all the letters of Paul were addressed to the churches he founded, in exception to this letter. And unlike in his letters he made a sketch of the Gospel in a traditional form, with the expressions: “descended from David according to the flesh”, “designated as Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness”. Therein, St. Paul stresses the Davidic descent of Jesus, but at the same time his divine origin with the second expression. He used the first expression to reaffirm the humanity of Jesus. Indeed, the Davidic descent of Jesus stresses his lowliness and not his exalted majesty. Above all, in our second reading today, St. Paul reaffirmed vigorously his divine and human origins (Davidic lineage); he is man and also God.

          As the good tidings of Advent, and the pillar around which revolves the message of Advent spirituality is that “God really entered into human history, in order to introduce us to His divine life”. This Good News is still actual today waiting for us to welcome it. However, it is true that some have not accepted or received the grace of his birth, maybe because of their negligence, scepticism and indifference. Even some of us that are Christians, what have we done with this Good news? Are we really convinced that God is in our midst? Do we live in accordance to such conviction? The spirituality of Advent calls us for a proper and sincere examination of conscience with regards to our faith in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world.

          Above all, the liturgy of the word this Sunday opens with the famous prophecy of Isaiah: “The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”. The passage of the Gospel describes the fulfilment of this prophecy. With these two passages of the Scripture we are indeed introduced into the heart of the imminent event: Christmas. Before the celebration of the historical birth or the memorial of the birth of Jesus in few days’ time, today we are contemplating and celebrating his theological birth, that is the profound significance of his Birth. The mystery of Christmas is this: God in Jesus Christ became the Emmanuel, the God-with-us. From the “Most High God” he became the “near-by God” or better the “God with”, a God for humanity. Truly, God has been with man from the moment of creation, but it was a dialogue from a distance, made through the prophets. But in and through Jesus he entered personally into human history, he became one of us, in order to save us from within, from our situation. The covenant became “new and eternal”, eternal because the two parts God and man, as a matter of fact have become ‘one person’, a unique being, that is not divisible: Jesus Christ. The peak of our excitement and celebration in few days’ time revolves around the fact that we are not talking about a sign like in Isaiah and Mathew, but today we are celebrating his presence in our midst. The highest point of God’s revelation is this passage from sign to reality, a real presence! May we therefore echo our voices together with that of the Psalmist saying: “Let the Lord enter, He is the King of glory” (Ps. 24:7.10). Maranatha!!! Come Lord Jesus!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

 

 

 

 

 

Rejoice, Even If He Tarries, He Comes!

(Homily for the 3^rd Sunday of Advent Year A)

The Spirituality of Advent - III

          Today is the third Sunday of Advent and the Introit of this Sunday goes thus: Gaudete in Domino semper (Rejoice in God always). For this, we call this Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday. Today we are invited to rejoice, not just for the Savior who comes, but more than anything else, for the Savior who is already in our midst, performing wonders. That of Jesus is the wonderful mystery of presence and absence (the One who has come and who is to come). We rejoice because we can feel his presence and identify his wonderful works. Little wonder, Christ responded to the disciples of John thus: “Tell John what you saw. The blind see, the lame walk… and the Good News is announced to the poor” (this is evidenced in the first reading and in the Gospel). The disciples saw the Messiah and His mighty deeds. On his part, St. James in the second reading exhorts us to the patient waiting of the coming of the Lord with the imagery of a farmer. Notwithstanding the shocking question raised by John the Baptist, the liturgy of the word today redirects our attention to an important dimension of the Advent season, and  that is the dimension of joy. In fact, as we may have it in the Entrance Antiphon: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near” (Phil. 4:4-5). We rejoice in anticipation of the joy of Christmas. Therefore, our joy is caused by love and for the presence of the One who loves us. The joy of Christmas is derived from the presence of Jesus Christ who comes to save us, a gift wrapped in swaddling clothes (Lk.2:12).

          In the first reading (Is. 35: 1-6a.10) the invitation to rejoice is paramount, an invitation particularly to the people of Israel, after the age-long exilic experience. It is equally addressed to us today. For us, the Savior has already come to save us, He is in our midst, He is with us and He will not abandon us. Prophet Isaiah makes himself a messenger of this joy. “Let the wilderness and the dry land be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the lily it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing” (Is. 35:1-2). He reawakened in those that were despondent, the awareness of the redemption God promised to His people and its nearness. He further spurred them on: “Be strong, fear not! Here is our God…He comes to save you” (v.4). Even though, in their situation, the redemption and liberation that Isaiah was talking about (liberation from slavery) was a prefiguration of the redemption and liberation wrought by and through Christ, The Messiah. Be that as it may, the promised redemption has been realized in and through Christ. And He is the reason for our joy. Our joy therefore, should be in Him. We are filled with joy in the presence of the God who comes to save us and in the salvation he has already won for us. Just as Adam rejoiced when he saw Eve “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:23), so too we rejoice in the presence of “the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn. 1:14), he took our human flesh.

Once again, the prophet enjoined: “Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened. Be strong fear not! Here is your God” (vv.3-4). Indeed, it is only the presence of the Lord and his salvation that can bring joy to the weak, the fearful, and the suffering. No doubt, the reason for the Lord’s coming was to relieve the sufferings of his people. As Isaiah prophesized: “Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy, they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee” (v.10).

In today’s Gospel (Mt. 11: 2-11) we are confronted with a rather shocking question by John the Baptist, the Precursor of the Messiah, who we could say knew about the Messiah more than anyone else. But doubts, existential inadequacies and may be the desire to help his disciples understand more about the Messiah propelled him to interrogating the identity of the Messiah, whom he talked about so passionately. Does it mean John the Baptist was not sure of what he was proclaiming? The preoccupying and thought-provoking question of John the Baptist: “Are you the one who is to come or are we to expect another” (Mt. 11:3), apparently, not only raises doubt in the minds of his listeners and followers, but also can lead to despair. Let us not forget the context in which John the Baptist found himself, the place from which he sent his disciples to go and ask Jesus. He was in prison in Herod’s fortress in Machaerus (the place is located very close to where the Jordan flows into the Dead sea, which is the lowest point on the surface of the earth, and the prison was fifteen miles south east of there and as such very hot). He was in the net of king Herod Antipas. Here, is John the Baptist, who Jesus said that he is “more than a prophet” (Lk.7:26). He that recognised Jesus before others as the Lamb of God, and as such indicated Him to his disciples: “Behold, the lamb of God. Behold he who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29). He once said: “I have seen and I testify that he is the Chosen One of God” (Jn.1:34) and “He must increase and I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30). How come, that he of all persons, is raising this question. The reasons for this question can be many, but let us consider only three:

·       It does appear John the Baptist and his disciples had an already made idea and image of the Messiah different from the real image of the incarnated Son of God. They were expecting a Judge, a Vindicator. One who should start punishing sinners and rewarding the just, rather Jesus is meek and merciful, even though at the proper time he will assume his throne as the just Judge. So the apparent delay in the style of Jesus in showing the whole world that the Messiah has arrived must have triggered this quaestio in him.

·       May be, there is a sort of impatience in John, he has longed seeing this Messiah, and he can no longer wait for Him to start manifesting the power of His reign, at least before he dies in the prison. Probably he was disappointed.

·       The third consideration could be that after seeing his situation and condition in the prison (we remember the location of the prison and the insupportable heat), and maybe considering his own disciples who must have asked numerous questions, worried about their future and welfare he sent them to Jesus.

In all, the question of John the Baptist can raise other interrogations, and even doubts in our minds. Some scholars maintain that the question of John was out of doubt, while some church fathers rather, affirmed that his question was not for himself, rather for the benefit of his disciples (cf. St. Jerome Commentary on Mathew 2). However, even doubts do not diminish the faith of the prophet; in fact, we may say that there is no faith without doubt.

          Be that as it may, sometimes we may also run the risk of modelling an image of Christ in our own imagination and according to our mental schemes, our taste and ideology, according to what is in vogue or even according to our problems. Some would want a God who punishes there and then, a self-imposing God, a revolutionary God who comes like a volcano. But we have to accept Christ as He is: humble, simple, merciful, weak and defenceless (the Child in a manger). We cannot reduce God to our own categories and mental schemes, because He transcends us. He is not the one to adjust Himself to our measures and schemes, rather we have to adapt to the realities of His divinity and humanity. He took the part of the weak and the poor. At times, we want our expectations of peace and justice, our aspirations of good and breakthrough to be satisfied, there and then. However, the fact remains that God works in His own time and way. We have to adapt to the pace of God. Little wonder, in the spirituality of Advent are the values of a patient waiting and a trusting hope.

          To the question of John the Baptist, Jesus responded by making reference to his works: “the blind see, the lame work, lepers are made clean, and the poor received the Good tidings”. His doubt never diminished the esteem Jesus has for him. Jesus responded not with arguments, but with facts, and we can see the list. The disciples were to go back and tell John, not what Jesus was saying, but rather what he was doing. John, with his knowledge of the Old Testament, would then understand that in the healing of the sick, the lame, the blind, was clearly revealed the sign which the prophet Isaiah declared would denote the coming of the promised Messiah. God was at work in the actions of Jesus. Indeed, these were the works prophesized to be the features of the messianic time (cf. Is. 35). Jesus manifested in himself the fulfilment of messianic prophecies. Therefore, it is logical to conclude that: Christ is the one who is to come, the Promised Messiah. However, in responding to John’s disciples, literarily, Jesus commanded them: “Go and announce to John…” And it may interest us to know that in Greek this is parallel in structure to the command of Jesus to his disciples towards the end of the Gospel, “Go and teach all nations…” (Mt. 28:19). Again, Jesus’ command: “Go and tell him what you hear and see” (Mt. 11:4), can equally be said to be parallel to the invitation of Peter in his first letter “Simply proclaim the Lord Christ Holy in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you have” (1Pt.3:15). In the same vein, we may say that by that command John’s disciples have become the disciples of Jesus, for he has sent them through that command to go and teach what they hear and see. This is a passage of apostolic experience, from John to Jesus. And this transition in the apostolic experience can only come by if they are not scandalized by Jesus. He says that the “Good News is announced to the poor, blessed is the one that is not scandalized by me” (Mt. 11: 5-6). Interestingly, in Greek the word “scandalon” stands for a stone that one stumbles over. Then, invariably, Jesus is saying to John’s disciples that they are blessed if their faith in Him does not stumble because of the fact that John is in prison. And just like John’s disciples transitioned to Jesus’ disciples we are called to grow higher and closer to the Messiah.

          On the other hand, come to think about it, the question of John, could be considered a spiritual quest, as one of the spiritual masters has said, doubts, anxiousness to know, is better than an adhesion for Christ that is devoid of “anima”, passion and enthusiasm, a sterile and disinterested faith. The Word of God does not leave us indifferent, in the season of Advent, His word cannot but pierce our hearts and stimulate us. Today, many in difficulty, in crisis of faith and in existential indeterminism, still pose the question to Jesus: “Are you the Messiah, the Savior”? Humanly speaking, it is normal that we experience crisis, but it becomes tragic when we do not let it out, when we ignore or suffocate it. Little wonder, some of our brothers and sisters in difficult times have abandoned Christ, the Messiah, in search of other messiahs. But if we go to the root of the crisis, we shall come out of it with a mature and adult faith.

          The passage of the Gospel ended with an annotation thus: “Among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (v.11). Jesus tells us invariably that we are lucky, for we live in the Kingdom of heaven. John only could say: “it’s coming” but we could say: “it’s here”. And again to say it with William Barclay in his commentary what was lacking in John the Baptist was that he could not see Jesus’ love for us as revealed on the Cross. We are luckier than John because he could not experience the full depth and density of God’s love on the Cross as we did.

          In the second reading instead, St. James (5:7-10) makes his voice heard and he advices: “Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord” He invites us to cultivate the attitude of a farmer who works, plants seeds and patiently waits for the germination and growth of the seeds, in order to reap the fruits of his labour. Incumbent upon that, we may once again affirm that the image of a patient farmer is a veritable image in the spirituality of Advent, for more than ever we are called to assume the attitude of patience. In that passage of his letter, St. James used the word patient three times, and in Greek patience is translated “hypomone”. Hypomone delineates the disposition with which a Christian has to confront the difficulties of his faith-experience. Hypomone in its dynamic structure of persevering when one is heavy loaded comports the experience of being weighed down and the courage of remaining firm in view of what or who is to come.

          Brethren as it is suggestive of this Sunday, we rejoice for the New Child of Bethlehem that makes all things new, it was in view of Him, that God promised: “No need to remember past events, no need to think about what was done before. Look, I am doing something new, now it emerges; can you not see it?” (Is. 43:18-19a). Jesus is indeed, the New and Definitive Thing that God has done. No wonder, the last definition of God in the New Testament is the One who makes all things new (cf. Rev. 21:5). As we await in joyful hope to relive the experience of the Birth of our Savior may He give us the grace to continue to carry our lading of faith in view of our meeting with Him. Amen!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

The Woman of Prevenient Grace!

(Homily for the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Blessed Virgin Mary)

     The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary is the feast of grace and its power. Today we celebrate God's victory over evil, the triumph of grace over sin, human nature is preserved in Mary from the contagion of guilt and sin. Although the Solemnity we are celebrating today was not in vigour until the middle ages, even that time, it was not universally accepted, some medieval scholars felt that it was contrary to the Pauline teachings on the universality of human sin (cf. Rm. 3:9, 23) and equally to the enunciation of article XV of the Belgic Confession, which holds that Christ alone did not sin. As a matter of fact, our celebration today offers us an opportunity to peruse into this Doctrine and equally to understand why the Catholic Church holds on to it. Going back to history lane, the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was formally defined as a doctrine of the Church by Pope Pius IX in1854. It is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was conceived without original, that kind of twist in our nature that makes our will tend not to follow what it knows to be right, but the contrary. The doctrine is anchored in advance on God’s redemptive act through Christ. This is Prevenient Grace. “The Virgin Mary at the moment of conception was preserved in advance from all defilement of original sin by a unique privilege of grace in view of the merits of Jesus Christ.” This is a name or title chosen by Mary Herself, we remember the episode on 25th March 1858, the day of the sixteenth apparition of Lourdes, and Bernadette asked the “Lady” her name. The “Lady” replied in the local dialect: “Que soy era Immaculada Counceptiou”, which means “I am the Immaculate Conception”. Mary’s greatness and favor springs from her relation with God. She is a woman of prevenient and enabling grace. In the Gospel of Luke we see the relation of Mary with God the Father: “He who is Mighty has done great things for me” (Lk. 1:49). Indeed, her Immaculate Conception is one of those great things.

     In the first reading (Gen. 3:9-15, 20) we are presented with the story of the fall, which is seen as the origin of evil. Even though it is glaring that the famous Eden cannot be located on a map, and the event of the eating of the forbidden fruit cannot be dated, however, the story of Adam and Eve is no doubt, the expression of fundamental truths about man, and at the heart of that truth is the assertion that the ordeals and woes of human life are majorly caused by man’s rejection of God’s design and divine destiny.

     Furthermore, evil in this passage was symbolized by the serpent. In verse 15 we see the earliest promise of man’s final victory and conquest over evil, the Protevangelium. On the other hand the passage speaks of the perennial antagonism between man and evil, represented by the serpent. Indeed, this earliest promise of man’s victory over evil connects us well to the Solemnity of this day. For the victory came about because the seed that achieved the final victory over evil was born through the woman: Mary. Little wonder, some Church fathers established in their writings a sort of a contrast between Eve and Mary, in fact, Mary at times is considered by some as the New Eve. As a matter of fact, Eve by and through her disobedience brought evil into the world, and contrarily, Mary by and through her obedience let in the Victor over evil into the world.

     The second reading (Eph. 1:3-6,11-12) with the thanksgiving at the beginning situates well the salvation wrought by God in and through Christ into the context of the story of salvation, of course it started with God’s plan: “he chose us in him before the foundation of the world to be holy and faultless before him in love” (v.3). Without mincing words, it behooves us to affirm that Mary is part of the “us” chosen before the foundation of the world. But the Virgin Mary is the only creature in the world redeemed by Christ Jesus for prevention and not for liberation from sin. In the words of Pope Francis: “Above all, today's liturgical feast celebrates one of the marvels of the history of salvation: the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. She too was saved by Christ, but in an extraordinary way, because God wanted that from the moment of her conception the mother of her Son should not be touched by the misery of sin. And therefore Mary, throughout the course of her earthly life, was free from any stain of sin, she was the "full of grace" (Angelus, 8 December 2020).

     In the Gospel passage (Lk. 1:26-38) we are presented with the passage that affirms categorically the obedience of Mary which made the Incarnation possible. Although, there is no Gospel passage that affirms the Immaculate Conception but our present passage asserts God’s choice of Mary and Mary’s obedience that sets the realization of God’s plan in motion. The passage of the Annunciation remains like a masterpiece that you can't stop admiring. Even if you know every detail of the story, the beauty that shines through it never allows you to get used to it, it is perennially admirable. Indeed, in Mary the word of God does not find an obstacle but a mirror, an entirely original way of reflecting itself, of spreading, and expanding.

     The Greek word "kekaritomène", with which the angel greeted her, can be translated literally as “favoured” or “privileged”, but the Greek verbs therein denotes a kind of transformation of the subject: “charitòo”, which entails being transformed through this favour or grace. The word expresses election, the predestination to the maternity of the Messiah. Thus, "kekaritomène" is not just full of grace, it can be translated as "she to whom grace has been given", and this becomes the new name attributed to Mary by God. The Latin Vulgate translates it "Gratia plena", but in Greek it is much stronger and more precise. Indeed, that word describes the gift of grace given to Mary by the Lord even before her birth, and that is the power of the prevenient grace. Since her conception she had the privilege of being called to divine motherhood, and for this reason she was protected and kept so that she could offer the Word all the beauty of creation that shone in her. This is the power of divine grace in action!

     Mary was perturbed at the words of the angel and she wondered what he meant by such a greeting. Mary like every human being in a similar circumstance was caught up with fear, questioning and uncertainty. But the turning point of her story does not consist in not having fear or questions or having sentiments of uncertainty, but in knowing how to trust God despite one's fear, one's questions and the uncertainties. Then the angel told her: "Do not be afraid, Mary, because you have found grace with God." Indeed, human experience confirms that being afraid and being told not to be afraid alone does not make one fearless, rather it just makes one feel not understood. Little wonder, Mary will express her full joy in front of Elizabeth and not in front of the angel, because with her cousin she will feel understood enough to be able to find right interpretations to what happened to her.

     In Mary’s response: «Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word”, we see Mary’s full availability and disposition to what God was about to accomplish with and through her. Indeed, the words of Mary are like the prefiguration of “the Lord’s Prayer, Our Father, for in her fiat is condensed the phrase: “thy will be done.” Every time we say yes to God, something changes in us, but always for the better, Sure it does!

     As a matter fact, the readings of today bring three important facts to our consideration:

►that the dogma of the Immaculate Conception does not compromise the truth that all men, including the Blessed Virgin Mary belong to the fallen humanity.

►that the salvation of humanity depends on Christ alone, once again including the Blessed Virgin Mary.

►that the affirmation of the Immaculate Conception is a way of affirming Mary’s total commitment and obedience to God as revealed in the Scriptures.

     Above all, in our Advent journey therefore, we are invited to contemplate one of the marvels accomplished by the grace of God: the Blessed Virgin Mary. May Mary the Woman of Prevenient grace and the Ark of the New Covenant intercede for us as we prepare more eagerly to welcome her Son: Jesus Christ, Amen!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

  

Voice To The Word!

(Homily for the 2^nd Sunday of Advent Year A)

The Spirituality of Advent - II

          Today is the second Sunday of Advent, the message of the readings seems to draw our attention to what should be the nature and style of our waiting and expectation. Advent is not a sterile and disengaged expectation, rather it is an active one, for we are called to prepare. In Advent we relive two kinds of waiting: waiting with Mary for the birth of Jesus, and waiting for Christ to come again in glory (his second coming). We wait for the birth of Jesus, the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger and the coming of Christ in glory, no longer wrapped in swaddling clothes, but clothed in light. But as we wait, the word of God today calls our attention to the need to prepare, to prepare not with our homes and shops adorned with bright and colourful lights, not by decorating our Christmas trees or by fretting with our shopping lists, but to change our hearts and to mend our habits. The liturgy of the Word today makes it possible for us to listen to two great Advent preachers: Isaiah and John the Baptist. Isaiah preached the coming of the Lord from afar. His preaching nourished the expectation of many generations: “Behold, a virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son”. John the Baptist was the one who announced the imminent coming of the Lord: “He who is coming…”. Indeed, we can figure out a link between these two precursors, in the prophecy of Isaiah which Mathew put in the mouth of John the Baptist: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”. And in the second reading, St. Paul cites Jesus Christ as an example, who gave himself both to the Jews and to pagans in order to create unity.

          The first reading from the prophecy of Isaiah (11:1-10) presents the coming of the Messiah in the image of a shoot that will spring out from the stump of Jesse, from the dynasty of David. And he further buttressed that on Him will rest a great divine richness: the Spirit of the Lord. He will possess the Spirit in six ways: of Wisdom, of understanding, of counsel, of might, of knowledge and of fear of the Lord (cf. Is. 11:2). He is to be endowed with the Spirit of Yahweh and with charismatic gifts. His kingdom is announced as a Kingdom of justice, for he will judge the poor with justice and will take equal decision for the oppressed. Who more than Christ took preferential option for the poor! His judgement is not based on appearance or on hearsay, but on righteousness. His, is a kingdom of peace. For therein, humanity experiences a cosmic and existential peace: the wolf shall be the guest of lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid etc. This pacific co-existence of ferocious animals and the weak ones without any victim, is a symbol of the reconciliation amongst men and the created order, inaugurated by Christ in the world. That is the prophecy of the new world led by a little Child, a world transformed by and through the Messiah. And as He transforms the world, He offers us transformation individually. Behold Christ came to inaugurate a new order and a new rapport between God and man, and amongst men, a rapport of brotherly help and reciprocal understanding.  Jesus is making something new, and as He does it, He wants us to leave the past (Cf. Is. 43:19; 2Cor. 5:17; Rev. 21:5, 7). In all, in the spirituality of Advent, this is a period of celebrating the realization of the divine promises, a time to prepare in order to celebrate the Messiah through whom and with whom all this was realized. Can you see the new things He has done?

          Similarly, the Gospel (Mt. 3:1-12) features John the Baptist a prominent figure in the Advent season. It evidences justice and harmony amongst men, which is as a result of conversion. And the word conversion was repeated three times in this gospel passage. Conversion here entails a profound and interior-spiritual change that overhauls and changes one’s way of living and thinking. John the Baptist was shouting: “repent for the kingdom of God is near”. The central figure of the gospel is John the Baptist. At his birth Zechariah the father of John the Baptist announced his mission in the Benedictus thus: “And you, little child, you shall be called Prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare a way for him, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the faithful love of our God in which the rising Sun has come from on high to visit us” (Lk. 1:76-78). And to those who were asking him: who are you? John was responding: “I am the voice of one crying in the desert” The whole life of John the Baptist was that of being the voice that announces to his contemporaries this wonderful message of salvation through the forgiveness of sins: “Look, there is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29). He presented Jesus in such a manner that the people will begin to desire and ache for his presence, “the one who comes after me is more powerful than I, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (v.11), in his words: “he has to increase and I have to decrease”. Indeed, it is true the voice remains silence after it must have echoed the Word. The friend of the Bridegroom retires at the appearance of the Bridegroom.

          John the Baptist realized the prophecy of Isaiah: “A voice of one that cries in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his path”. In reality Isaiah announces with these words the future liberation of the people of Israel from slavery in Babylon and the return from exile. Israel has undergone untold sufferings and injustice, but now the time has come when God is about to turn their situation around for good. It is in this context that John’s preaching came and stirred up hope and enthusiasm, and as such people wanted baptism to be administered to them in view of the New Kingdom. The preaching of John the Baptist and his invitation to conversion received two responses:

·       The ordinary people who confessed their sins, repented and asked for baptism.

·       And the Pharisees and Sadducees who were just coming for baptism.

What type of response is the Word of God going to receive from us this day? Are we ready to bear good fruits that befit repentance? Moreover, John the Baptist talks about two types of Baptism, his and that of Christ: ►The baptism of John is baptism of repentance (he baptizes only with water). ►While the baptism of Christ is a baptism of and for new life (He baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire).

Interestingly, Mathew and the early Christian community see in John the Baptist the one who realized those words of Isaiah. John is the voice that invites all to prepare for the coming of Christ, in order to welcome his gift of liberation and redemption. He is the Precursor of the Messiah. Mathew presented him as a man that lives in the desert, in solitude, he practiced an austere life. Therefore, he in primis, prepared himself for the coming of the Savior, in the following ways:  ● In silence, in prayer and in the meditation of God’s word.  ●In the exercise of mortification and a more rigorous penitence. By so doing, he prepared himself as the precursor. Indeed, every Advent requires a precursor, a herald that prepares the hearts of people, that redirects the attention of the people, such that the One expected, is desired and accepted, and his coming will not pass-by unobserved. Jesus still need precursors, those who announce his coming and presence in the world, those who make His presence felt between his historical coming and future coming. In the Gospel passage, John the Baptist helps us to understand how we can be precursors of the Savior, he says: “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand”. But modern day precursors have to announce not just that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand, instead that “the Kingdom of heaven is already in our midst”.

          In the same vein, even today, we need precursors, those who will continue to call the attention of all to the preparation for the continuous coming of Christ in our hearts and in our lives, through their words and actions. For us priests and religious we have more motives to become voices like John the Baptist, because our vocation, our consecration and our ordination call us to dedicate our lives completely for the service of the Lord. We are to become precursors of Jesus. And by extension, we are all called as Christians to be at the fore front in the preparation for the Savior’s coming. No doubt, to be precursors entails becoming agents of preparation for His coming, therefore ready and willing to remove all obstacles that can impede His coming into our lives and societies: iniquities, ignorance, prejudice and indifference.

          Furthermore, as John cries in the wilderness, the basic question we should be propelled to ask is this: “what shall we do?” (This emanates from the spirituality of Advent). And this question is exemplified in the Acts of the Apostles (2:37; Lk. 3:12, 14). This question presupposes a quest for transformation and conversion. We have to emulate John the Baptist who prepared for the coming of the Messiah in both words and deed. That is what we have to do. We need to join our voices together to that of John the Baptist shouting: “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. In fact as Jesus would say: “His kingdom is already in your midst” (Lk. 17:20-21). Here, “entos” is the Greek word for “in your midst”, and it can be translated within you. And the phrase “within you” is a better translation, with respect to the context. Joining our voices together with that of John the Baptist, we have to tell our generation that there is Someone in our midst, that we do not know (cf. Jn. 1:26), One that is in search of us. But in order to take cognizance of His presence we need to repent, to change our mentality.

          In the second reading (Rm. 15:4-9) St. Paul prays that by the encouragement of the Scriptures we may be strengthened in hope. For during the Advent there is an emphasis on the Old Testament as the book of promise and hope. Furthermore,  he was worried about the tension that existed between Christians (the weak and the strong), and as such, he recommended charity to all. For this, he admonished Christians “to think in harmony with one another”, “to welcome one another, as Christ welcomed you”. Elsewhere, he invites us to have for each other the same sentiments that where in Christ Jesus (Phil. 2:5), sentiments of love, mercy and pardon. He enjoins us to welcome each other irrespective of our limitations and defects. St. Paul talks here in a more concrete terms “welcome each other”. Indeed, the spirituality of Advent calls each one of us to make a space, to have a place for each other in our hearts.

          In all, the coming of Christ should be for us a life changing and transforming event. Basically the Good News of Christ is a Good News of reconciliation of men and God and amongst men themselves, made possible by the sacrifice of Christ. This season therefore, we are obliged to take this Good News to all, bearing in mind that words alone cannot suffice. As a matter of fact, one of the fascinating duties of the disciples of Christ ought to be: giving to the world the knowledge or better the certainty of salvation. As disciples of Christ called therefore to be precursors, should we go around shouting repent? We can respond in the affirmative thus, that all are called to preach the words of salvation, but not all with words. And again, before going about preaching and shouting repent, the Christian in question must ensure that he has been converted, because before John came out to preach, he lived in silence in the desert, “He lived in the desert until the day he appeared openly to Israel” (Lk. 1:80). Therefore, before assuming the role and the state of a preacher and precursor, we need to ensure that we have passed through the stage of conversion. At the heart of advent is an invitation to be better Christians. At the same time, John the Baptist gives us a warning thus: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire”. Therefore, like John the Baptist, we need to leave our deserts in order to announce Christ!

          We may ask ourselves: as Christians where are the fruits of justice and love, of reciprocal respect and mutual understanding? In the Gospel, John the Baptist tells the Pharisees openly and also to us, that it is not a mere physical descendant from Abraham that will save, but a spiritual reborn or rebirth, followed by good works. Therefore, to us it is not enough that we have been baptized as members of the Church, we need to produce good fruits of harmony, peace, love and justice. At the heart of the Spirituality of Advent, therefore, is a clarion call for a serious existential revision (what I may call Revision of life or spiritual check-up) and for spiritual re-start.  May the Lord bless our efforts! Happy Sunday brethren and friends!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)