God The Indefatigable Sower!

(Homily 11^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr. B)

     At the heart of today’s readings is the demonstration of the divine power and its force at work in the history of the chosen people and in the life of all believers in Christ Jesus. The image of God portrayed in the first reading and the gospel is that of a caring and provident God. In the prophecy of Ezekiel he assured his people, “From the top of the tall cedar tree, from the highest branch I shall take a shoot and I myself will plant it upon a high and lofty mountain; on the mountain height of Israel will I plant it that it may bring forth boughs and bear fruit, and become a noble cedar” (Ez.17:22-23). He is presented as the one who gives life and growth to what is planted, He makes the seed scattered by a farmer in the gospel to sprout and grow beyond the knowledge of the farmer (Mk. 4:26-27). This is symbolic of God’s graciousness in giving new life to those who believe in him, a new life that is the prerequisite for entrance into the kingdom of Heaven. The context for today’s overriding theme is agrarian, where new life springs, grows and matures. Similarly, Jesus has sown his seed in our hearts and off he went, like the farmer of the parable, and like every other farmer, and the divine power shows its force always in assuring the growth of his seed/word in us and the expansion of the Kingdom. As the Kingdom of God is growing, we are invited to grow as well; to grow with the rest and the best!

     The first reading and the gospel remind us that like the plant, planted by God himself, and like the seed that God gives life and growth, we are in a state of becoming. And our state of becoming is two-dimensional: our becoming as in our growth and maturity in God and our becoming part of that great Kingdom, the second is predicated upon the first. Interestingly, the second reading, serves as a revelation of the climax of our becoming, for on the last day, we shall see the  type of person we have become, and that will give rise to a state of being, no longer becoming;  a state of being in and with God.

     The first reading (Ez. 17:22-24) is replete with menaingful symbolic images and equally in line with the teaching of the parables. Indeed, during the time of the fall of the Kingdom of Judah in 587 a.c., the dynasty of David, on which the divine promises hinged and the hope of the people of Israel were seemingly compromised. During this period the people of Israel were going through a very difficult period of their history. Jehoiakim, the last of the line of David, had been defeated and taken prisoner to Babylon. This national disaster weakened the faith of many in Yaweh. They questioned about God’s promise that David and his descendants would reign forever. Then, here begins our reading, the prophet makes assurance of what seemed humanly impossible, God will do it: from the top of the cedar (that symbolizes the dynasty of David) it will take a shoot (the Messiah), and he will plant it on Mount Zion (which repressents Jerusalem and the people of Israel), and “it will put out branches and bear fruit and grow into a noble cedar tree. Every kind of bird will live beneath it, every kind of winged creature will rest in the shade of its branches” (v.23). That stands to indicate that the Kingdom of the Messiah will be open to all peoples. All this will be possible, only through the power of God, because the history of the chosen people is in his hands. He is the Lord of history: “I am the Lord, I have spoken and I will do it” (v.24).   

     Truly, Jesus is David’s descendant par excellence, and he is kingdom personified (Auto-Basilea). The birds and the winged creatures represent the people of the earth who will find shade and dwelling in the Him and in the Christian community. In all, this reading invites us to keep on believing in God, mainly when our expectations seem to come to nothing and our hopes dashed. No doubt, prophet Ezekiel desires to transmit a strong message of trust and hope to the people of Israel exiled in Babylon. And to us today, it reminds us of the need to remain focused in God and his promises, even when trials and difficulties seem to uproot our root in God, even when the foundation of our faith is shaky, let us not rely on human means and possibilities, but on the power of God, who realizes his words.

     The Gospel of today (Mark 4: 26-34) invites us to reflect on the two popular parables of Jesus, drawn as usual from the agrarian context. He used the scene of the reality of everyday life experience, to explain transcendent truths: the parable of the seed that germinates and grows on its own and that of the musteard seed. He used them to explain some paradoxical aspects of the Kingdom of God. In the first parable Jesus shows the miracle of growth, which describes the dynamics of sowing. The seed is sown in the earth, then without the farmers knowledge and effort, it sprouts and grows by itself. The expereince of life in the field reveals that man does nothing but sowing and waiting. We are in front of the mystery of creation, God's action in history which we must contemplate in amazement. He is the Lord of the Kingdom, man is a humble collaborator contemplating and rejoicing of God's creative act and waiting for the harvest eager to participate in it. In the second parable Jesus speaks of the mustard seed, which is the smallest of all the seed, but when it grows it becomes a very large tree, and he likened it to the development and expansion of God’s kingdom. Irrespective of the fact that the mustard seed is the smallest seed, it has an unthinkable dynamism and power of life. The mustard seed becomes a high and robust shrub, able to give shelter in its branches to the birds. Similarly, the Kingdom of God, from a human point of view, may appear small, but it contains within itself the mystery of a prodigious divine force that is unimaginable. Extrapolating from this passage, it behooves us to affirm that the Gospel is a school that educates us to the value of waiting. As such, in the Gospel we can gather images of the value of waiting by which we can learn how to live the "already and not yet", the paradoxical waiting of the Christian life.

     Be that as it may, one could ask the reason behind the two parables? And from all indications it does appear at that point in time, the ministry of Jesus was encountering difficulties and incomprehension (cf. Mk. 3:22-30), with the consequence of exposing the apostles and the disciples to pessimism and discouragement. Jesus intended to hearten them, and thus with the parable of the seed that grows on its own he teaches that the Kingdom of God grows irrespective of many incomprehensions and difficulties. It is not man that gives success to the growth of God’s word and Kingdom. There is need to adopt the virtue of patience, for the word of God in its own time will produce good fruits (cf. Is. 55:11). The word of God is to be procalimed with trust, courage and perseverance, then it follows its course, and in accordance to God’s time too. With the parable of the Mustard seed, Jesus intends to teach us that the Kingdom of God, the work of salvation begins in a modest way, and later grows into a magnificent reality, such that it has the capacity to contain people from all walks of life. This is not as a result of human capacity or organisation, but through the power of God. Furthermore, the parable reawakens in us the consciousness to take serious the present time, the here and now. The parable thus, serves as an invitation to rediscover the value of trust in God, but also a reminder to remain committed to the Kingdom-cause. From the beginning  of his ministry, Jesus announced that this is the aim of his mission (Mk.1:14). He inaugurates and established the Kingdom, teaching also that the kingdom of God will grow and mature, but that it will reach full manifestation, only at the end, with his glorious coming (1Cor. 15:24).

     The second reading (2Cor. 5:6-10) is in conformity with the Gospel and the first reading. The central message is an invitation to a greater trust, in the words of St. Paul: “we are always filled with trust”, notwithstanding all the difficulties of the apostolic ministry. St. Paul was getting old, and beginning to feel weary, in fact, the many sufferings and persecutions he passed through had left their marks on him. Little wonder, at the beginning of the reading we see Paul’s famous spiritual saying delineating the Christian life as a journey “we walk by faith and not by sight” (v.7). It is a journey towards God, for this he talks about leaving the body.

     Drawing the issue further, as evident in the first reading and the gospel, it is God who takes a sprig from the cedar to plant it, it is he who makes the seed to germinate on its own and makes the mustard seed to grow, who gives growth and increase to his Kingdom. Be that as it may, this providential gesture of God, should serve as an invitation to a commitment for a coherent christian life, in the continuous effort to do what is pleasing to Him (v.9). It equally serves as a reminder to rediscover the sense of responsibility, with the consciousness that “at the judgement seat of Christ we are all to be seen for what we are, so that each of us may receive what he has deserved in the body, matched to whatever he has done, good or bad” (v.10). Indeed, at his judgement seat, our spiritual developmental journey of ‘becoming’ assumes the reality of ‘being’, being in and with Christ, for we shall see him face to face (cf. 1Cor. 13:12)

     In all, that God sees to the growth and expansion of his Kingdom does not mean that we have to be passive expectators. We are called to cooperate with the grace of God. If we love and live in a way pleasing to God, we will make the world a “Little Heaven”. Predicated upon that, the question we have to ask ourselves today is: how are mine contributing to the growth and expansion of God’s Kingdom, in our life and in the world around us? If you show love, respect others and desist from whatever is evil, infact, in few words, if you live in a way pleasing to God, then God is near to you, and the nearness of God is the nearness of his kingdom. God our Father, as you continue to ensure the growth of your kingdom, we pray you to sow the divine seed in us, so that we may grow to the full stature of perfection, worthy of your kingdom! Give us the grace to work for the growth and expansion of your Kingdom around us, so that our families and our societies will become “little heavens” at the imitation of your Eternal Kingdom! Amen!!!

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

Choosing Between Satan’s Snares and God’s Will!

(Homily 10^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr. B)

     The readings of this Sunday are replete with many themes for reflection, ranging from the disobedience of the first parents, its consequences on Satan and man, the hope of eternal glory in all tribulations, to the blasphemy against Jesus and his preferential option for the will of God, which surpasses the power of human blood ties. In all, the point that dovetails into the three readings is the latent call to choose and prefer the will of God to the promptings of Satan. For indeed, there is an eloquent presence of the evil one in the existential journey of believers in Christ. But the Good News of today is that in both the ordinary and extraordinary works of the Devil, Satan has been defeated and in the midst of many tribulations, an incomparable eternal weight of glory awaits us. Therefore, it is upon this moral spiritual consciousness that we are called to choose God’s will against Satan’s snare.

     In the first reading (Gen. 3:9-15), we reckon with the emblematic reality of the Original sin, which marked the dramatic origin of humanity. The quest to be like God was the presumption of man at the beginning, the desire for an absolute autonomy from God, the dream to be without Him. But the whole drama turned against man, for he ended up as slave to Satan and thus, fell into the deceptive hands of the tempter, who entered into the world as the “prince of this world” (Jn. 14:30), in order to terrorize the children of God. Consequently, man came out of that dramatic situation divided and in struggle against each other. Adam accuses Eve, Eve accuses Adam and the snake, and later Cain accused and eliminated Abel. And unfortunately, this chain of accusation, hatred, division and envy has continues till today.

     In today’s gospel (Mk. 3:20-35) St. Mark presented the ugly encounter of Jesus with the scribes, who accused Jesus of being possessed by Beelzebul, and attributed his mighty works and miracles to the demon. “He is possessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons he casts out the demons” (Mk. 3:22). This biblically, is one of the heaviest blasphemy against Jesus.  The worst attack on Jesus is the consideration that he was possessed by a devil. For it is not only an attack on his works and the source of them, but regrettably on his ontology, on his person, as the Son of God. But to their illogical way of reasoning, Jesus sought to help to reason a bit: “How can Satan cast out Satan?” (Mk. 3:24). And consequently, he told them: “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemies against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilt of an eternal sin” (Mk. 3:28-29). This concept of ‘blasphemy against Holy Spirit’ is common in the synoptic gospel (cf. Mt. 12:22-32; Lk. 12:10). And one may ask, what are the sins against the Holy Spirit? There are basically six ways one can sin against the Holy Spirit: ●Despair: that is when one cease to hope for his/her personal salvation from God, and for help in attaining it or for forgiveness of one’s sins. ●Presumption of God’s mercy: the hope to save oneself without the help of God and the hope to obtain God’s forgiveness without conversion. ●Watering down the known truth: this has to do with attack on religious truths, by word or by argument, in order to resist and contradict it or even to oppose it. ●Envy the spiritual good of another: it has to do with envying the spiritual gifts of another, and it amounts to questioning the Divine judgment of the Holy Spirit in his distribution of spiritual gifts. ●Obstinacy in sin: this has to do with the resistance of the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, stubborn and persistent in sin. ●Final impenitence: entails remaining unrepentant, hardened without regret or remorse for one’s sins

     In the second moment, Jesus demonstrates that family for him is not just by blood, but by adherence to the will and obedience to the Word of God. Jesus broke the ties and circle of physical human relations, he broke the circle of blood and race. He launched a new family, the family of God, the family of those who are brothers, and sisters and friends not because they are born out of the will of women or men, but because they are born out of God (cf. Jn.1:13). Indeed, those that brought Jesus the news that his mother and his relatives were looking for him to take him back to the house, gave Him the opportunity to point out that family for him is beyond natural blood ties. For he reacted immediately, “who are my mother and my brothers?’” (Mk.3:33). At first glance, the response of Jesus gives the impression that he is unconcerned and somewhat disrespectful towards his mother and relatives. In another passage Jesus reacted apparently in a harsh way to the mother thus: “Woman, what do you want from me? My hour has not come yet” (Jn. 2:4). But in reality he was neither disrespectful nor rude to them. For with the affirmation: “He who does the will of God is my brother, my sister and my mother” (Mk. 3:35), Jesus intends here, to communicate that the ties of faith is stronger than the blood ties. For the ties of faith is sealed by the blood of Christ. It is the exercise of obedience to God’s will that makes us closer to Him.

     Behold, Jesus is the perfect model of submission and the fulfilment of the will of the Father. In Jesus words: “Here I am, I am coming, in the scroll of the book it is written of me, to do your will, God” (Heb. 10:7). His gaze was always fixed on the will of God, the fulfilment of the Father’s will is the pillar of his existential program. Little wonder, he affirmed: “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me, and to complete his work” (Jn.4:34). In fact, during the supreme moment of his trial, in the Garden of Olive, when his human nature reckoned with the pains of the Passion, he exclaimed: “Abba, Father! For you everything is possible. Take this cup away from me. But let it be as you, not I, would have it” (Mk. 14:36). Obedience to the Father, the fulfilment of the Father’s will synthesizes the life of Jesus. Indeed, St. Paul captured it vividly well, “He was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross. And for this God raised him high, and gave him the name which is above all other names” (Phil. 2:8-9). This manner of adherence to the Father’s will is what Jesus demands from his disciples and from us too: “It is not anyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Mt. 7:21).

     The most eloquent and perfect disciple of Jesus is the Mother, Mary, who is united to and with Christ by means of family blood and at the same time with the most profound tie of fulfilment of God’s will. She is the one very close to Jesus in a spiritual resemblance, not by somatic traits but by total disposition to do the will of God. Indeed, from the Annunciation to the Calvary, the life of Mary can be condensed in her fiat: “Mary Said, You see before you Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said” (Lk. 1:38). ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord’, as such, Mary declared herself willing and ready to do the will of God.

     Be that as it may, by means of this perfect obedience to the Father, by Christ the Redeemer and Mary Co-Redemptrix, we are redeemed from the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Evil entered into the world when they rebelled against God, when they sought for their complete autonomy and independence, as it is evident in the first reading. Truly, contrary to the disobedience of Adam and Eve that brought us death; rehabilitation and redemption came through the obedience of Christ and Mary.

     As such, the road of obedience becomes the principal road that man has to follow, as a child of God and a disciple of Christ. For when man distances himself from the will of God, to follow other roads, he ends up in ruin. The abandonment of the will of God in search of other egoistic, seductive and individualistic projects leads man to his ruin, it takes him back to the road of slavery and not of freedom. It is of course, obvious that sometimes it is difficult and demanding to do the will of God (we cannot but find inspiration with Christ who paid with his life). Indeed, it is a sacrifice that redeems us, it is a fecund sacrifice.

     A gaze back to the first reading reveals that right from the beginning, God gives humanity a great message of salvation, a good news, which anticipates the Gospel: “I shall put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; it will bruise your head and you will strike its heel” (Gen.3:15). This promise was realized in and with the coming of Christ, in particular with the event of his Passion, Death and Victorious Resurrection. Christ indeed, is the ‘most powerful Man’ that the Gospel talks about. Satan, the deceiver is by no means the Lord of the world, he has been blocked and caged by “the Man” more powerful than him, namely Christ. Sequel to this, Jesus posited at the imminence of his Passion: “Now sentence is being passed on this world; now the prince of this world is to be driven out” (Jn. 12:31). And we have been made participants of the victory of Christ over Satan. Our liberation was gained the day of our baptism, to say it with St. Paul: “It is he who has rescued us from the ruling force of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col. 1:13). However, the struggle with and against the evil one is not yet over, rather the fight is more arduous, the devil continues his devastating work and plot against the children of light.

     No doubt, the bible and the Gospel in particular, affirm clearly the existence of Satan, the tempter. Contrarily, he who says that Satan does not exist, is rendering him a service, and doing a disservice to his life of grace and salvation. In fact, the tendency of negating the existence of the devil is itself, a wonderful tactics of the Devil, so as to act undisturbed. On this, St. John categorically declared: “This was the purpose of the appearing of the Son of God, to undo the work of the Devil” (1Jn. 3:8). John traced the reason of the coming of Jesus to the fight against Satan. No doubt, with this in view, Jesus sternly alerted his apostles thus: “Look, Satan has got his wish to sift you all like wheat” (Lk.22:31). Therefore, we have to be vigilant and strong to resist him. St. Peter admonished us thus: “keep sober and alert, because your enemy the devil is on the prowl like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1Pt. 5:8-9).We can protect ourselves against the works of the Devil with the armour of prayer and the sacraments. The battle against the Devil remains always open, and of course, it will end with our death, but we are consoled by the word of God in Romans 8:37, as St. Paul tells us “we come through all these things triumphantly victorious, by the power of Him who loved us”. And interestingly, in the words of the second reading, united with Christ, “the temporary, light burden of our hardships is earning us forever an utterly incomparable, eternal weight of glory” (2Cor. 4:17).

     The second reading (2Cor. 4:13-5:1) is a wonderful consideration of the hope of eternal glory that awaits God’s children, and “that is why we do not waver” (2Cor. 4:16). And as such, we are encouraged not to be weighed down by the present affliction that may come in form of the ordinary and extraordinary works of the devil. St. Paul gives us the reason to remain firm in the following words: “we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2Cor. 4:18). Indeed, the phrase “we believe, and so we speak” (2Cor. 4:13) is predicated upon the hope of what God will do for us in and through the resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ.

     In all, the readings of today brings to our consideration the fact that as far as we are in this world, we will encounter many afflictions and temptations by the temper. However, the word of God invites us to remain firm like Jesus to the Father’s will. For separated from Him we can do nothing (Jn.15:5). And this has to reflect in the choice we make, for or against God. To say it with the Vatican Exorcist of blessed memory, Fr. Gabriele Amorth: “We must choose between Satan’s snares and God’s promises. The first Adam chose Satan’s snare. The second Adam, Christ, chose obedience to God” (An Exorcist, More Stories, p.30). May God help us to choose his will and promises against the enticing snares of Satan. Amen!

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

THE EUCHARIST: SYMBOL OF HIS CONTINUOUS INCARNATION

(Homily for Corpus Christi Sunday, Year B)

     Today the Holy Mother Church celebrates the most sublime Mystery: the Solemnity of the Corpus Christi, the Solemnity that recalls the Mystery of the real presence of Christ in Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The aim of  this solemnity is three-fold: first, it serves an invitation for us to be always conscious of the greatness of this Gift; second, to make our faith always alife and convinced in It; third, to reawaken in us the sensibility always to render gratitude to Jesus who instituted It, “the very night he was to be betrayed”, as a sign of His extreme love for us. The Eucharist is the perpetuation of both his Love and his Presence. It is the Sacrament of Christ’s extreme love for humanity. It is a sign of his continuous Incarnation in human history. In the words of Giovanni Vannucci, “man is the only creature that has God in his blood”, we have in us a divine chromosome, for Jesus dwells in us! This Sacrament reminds us of the Jewish religious tradition of Berakah, which has to do with blessing, thanksgiving and praise to God for the wonders he has wrought.

     Going through history lane, we remember that in the Old Jewish tradition, when the family gathers for the Passover Meal, it was prescribed that the last born of the house, asks a question to the Father of the family, thus: What does this ritual mean? This was the question that someone (maybe John that was the youngest apostle) directed to Jesus, the evening they were at table for the Last Super. In response to the question Jesus might have explained to them how the whole celebration from the night of the Exodus, to the killing of the lamb and the Passover Meal, were not but a figure and a prophecy of Him; the Lamb of God (cf. Gen. 22:7; Jn. 1:29), that has to be slaughtered in order to take away the sins of the world, and to be food and drink for his friends. Indeed, “Christ loved us and handed himself over to us as an offering and a sweet-smelling sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5:2).

     Similarly, the same question can situate us well into the context of our present gathering, therefore, let us ask ourselves: What is the meaning of this ritual? Not because we do not know what we are about to do or the essence of our celebration, but for the Lord to explain it to us again, through his word and through the church,  always for a more profound understanding. To that question the readings of today have much in stock for us.

     In the first reading (Ex 24:3-8), prior to this wonderful gift, the people of Israel celebrated their covenant with God by means of the blood of sacrificed animals. This reading tells us how God one day at the foot of mount Sinai made a covenant with Israel. He promised to protect and defend them if they keep his commandments. Moses asked the people if they want to accept, and they all in one accord agreed. There Moses raised an altar representing God and the twelve tribes of Israel. Moses pours the blood of animal on the altar for sacrifice. This pouring of blood symbolizes that from that moment onward God and the people of Israel are one person (because of the blood). For this covenant to be effective, God demanded faithfulness from the people.

     The two readings from the New Testament throw more light to the awareness of the centrality of this passage to the understanding of the Christian redemption and its representation in the Eucharist. First, in Mark 14:24: “This is my blood of the Covenant”. Here, the covenant blood of Christ is contrasted with the blood that Moses sprinkled against the alter and over the people. Second, in Hebrew 9:15-21, with particular reference to verse 20, which cited Exodus 24:8, in a glaring manner. The basic question emanating from this passage goes thus: why was it necessary in the Scripture for a covenant to be ratified in and with blood? This boils down to the idea that the death of the victim has the finality of making the covenant irrevocable. More so, the sacrifice is an eloquent expression of the offerer’s total commitment to carry out the terms of the covenant. The passage from the book of Exodus is suggestive of a possible understanding and interpretation of the Eucharist from the view point of an atonement. In the Old Testament, before the covenant is completed, the people have to become participants. For instance, in the Sinai covenant, Moses sprinkled the people with half of the blood, after he must have applied the other half on the alter (which represents Yahweh). Be that as it may, in this parlance, the Eucharist becomes an integral part of the once and for all sacrifice of Calvary.

     The second reading (Heb 9:11-15), reminds us of the yearly celebration of the feast of Expiation by the people of Israel, to wipe their sins away. The High Priest enters the Holy of Holies where God was believed to be present and there he poured the blood of the covenant. The author of the letter to the Hebrews makes a comparison between what the High Priest of old did and the sacrifice of Christ. And he says that the new is greater than the old. Why? Because the old was offered with the blood of animals, while in the new Christ offers his own blood. Christ shed his blood once and for all (and commanded us to continue to do it in memory of Him). In todays readings we hear repeatedly of blood that purifies, and that is the blood of Christ. Jesus is the High Priest of the New Testament. He is not in opposition with the Jewish worship, rather he came for its fulfilment. The high priest of the Old covenant was entering into the Holy of Holies once a year and he sprinkled blood to offer atonement for sins. But Jesus entered the Holy of Holies offering his blood, and the sacrifice of and with his blood is effective at all times. Jesus is both Priest and Victim.    

     The Gospel (Mk 14:12-16.22-26), can be divided into two parts: preparation for the last supper and the institution of the Eucharist. It is in this passage that Mark identified the Last Super with the Passover meal. Mark in his account desires to affirm that the Eucharist is the Christian Passover meal. Little wonder, Jesus is depicted as the eschatological Prophet (Mk. 14:12-16), owing to his foreknowledge of the direction to which the disciples were to meet the man with the water jar. Therein, we need to pay attention to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, which actually captures what we traditionally refer to as the institution of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist: He took a loaf of bread and after blessing it gave it to them and said: take; this is my body. Here we pay attention to the fact that what he was having was a loaf of bread but after the blessing it became his body. After the blessing he no longer called what he had loaf of bread but My Body. The same thing is applicable to the cup of wine after giving thanks he said take, This is my Blood. At the end of this special meal he told them to do what he had done in memory or remembrance of him, as in (cf. 1Cor. 11:24.25).

     Extrapolating from the passage, we can identify three important elements in relation to this sublime mystery, namely: ●The substantial change of the bread to the body of our Lord Jesus Christ and the wine to his blood. This is what we refer to as transubstantiation, as opposed to transfiguration. ●The element of thanksgiving, which in Greek is “Eucharistia”. ●The phenomenon of remembrance or memorial. This serves as a reminder to the people of God not to forget the good deeds of the Lord.

     Drawing the issue further, the three readings of today propel us to consider the Holy Eucharist above all, from variegated points of view:

►The Eucharist as a Sacrifice: The Eucharist is above all, the sacrifice that renders the self-immolation of Christ actual and perenially present. It is the sacrifice of the New covenant ratified with the blood of Christ. ●As we read in the first reading, God through Moses made the chosen people to know of his laws and commands. And the people on their part, resolved to observe them, repeating it with an oath: “All the words Yahweh has spoken we will carry out” (Ex. 24:3). ●The letter to the Hebrews declares in a definitive manner the conclusion of the time of the Old law, which was to serve as a preparation for the coming of Christ and for salvation through faith in Him. The numerous sacrifices with animals gives way to the unique and perfect sacrifice of Christ, a sacrifice of infinite value. The blood of animals was replaced with the blood of the unique and immaculate victim: Jesus Christ. By means of the replacement with the blood of Christ, we are no longer talking about a provisory covenant, that has to do with the Israelites alone, but a definitive covenant. It is not just a ritual of external purification, rather the “purification of our conscience from the works of death to serve the living God” (Heb. 9:12-14). ●For this Jesus insitituted the Eucharist, according to Mark (14:22-23), with the pronouncement of the following words: “When he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to them. Take it, he said, this is my body. Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he handed it to them, and all drank from it”. On the other hand, Luke in his gospel (22:20) and St. Paul in 1Corinthians (11:25) speak explicitly of the “New Covenant”. The Eucharist, therefore, is the representation in a sacramental way under the signs of bread and wine, of the unique and perfect sacrifice of Christ, to the glory of the Father, for the expiation of sins.

►The Eucharist as a Banquet: The Eucharist is not only the sacrifice of Christ, but at the same time, it is a supper, a feast, to which everyone is invited. Jesus instituted it in the context of the Last Supper, with typical elements of a banquet: bread and wine, and he said clearly and distinctly: “Take, this is my body” (v.22). “Then he took the chalice and gave thanks and handed it to them and they all drank from it” (v.23). Indeed, the Eucharistic celebration is inseparably a sacrifice and a banquet.

►The Eucharist as a mystery which calls for commitment: The Eucharist is not a mere rite or a simple cultual act, that is repeated in a formal way. Above all, it is a mystery that requires a conscious and active participation. It is a mystery that demands fully the commitment of a believer. The Eucharist as a sacrifice requires those who participate in it the effort to make themselve a living sacrifice acceptable to God, to unite their daily sufferings to that of Christ. And as a banquet, it is a feast around which we gather as children of God, the Eucharist as such, invites us to live in communion, fraternity and love.

    Again to our earlier question: What does this ritual mean? Our Lord responds to us, first of all, with the words of St. Paul: “whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes” (1Cor. 11:26). And at the moment of the Institution of the Eucharist Jesus said to his apostles: “Do this in memory of me”. But memorial of what? Of the death of the Lord, certainly, but not only of this, Jesus said: “In memory of me”, the Eucharist, therefore, remembers (brings to heart) Him, all his mystery; His prefiguration in the Old Testament and his actuation in the New Testament. In this sense, the Eucharist is a Remembrance/Memorial of the Lord and the Salvation he wrought, that culminates in his Death and Resurrection.

     Above all else, however, the people of God have their memorial, but it is a living memorial. Here stands the great difference, a living memorial, not the ashes of someone. The biblical remembrance is essentially different from the human, that makes one to relive the reality only intentionally in the memory. The biblical remembrance (zikkaron) rather makes one to relive the reality really; it is a remembrance and a presence at the same time!. The Death and Salvation of Christ, in the Eucharist, are not relived only in our memory, but they are relived really; there is a real presence on the alter (Along history lane some have doubted this, we recall the Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano in the year 700). It is the presence of the Risen Lord who says: “Touch me, it is really I” (Lk. 24:39). We remember him, his death, that is, we become witnesses to his death. We have gathered round the alter like Maria and John around the Cross, but there is also the sad possiblity that we are here like the soldiers, like the enemies and like the passer-bys were round the Cross (little wonder, today, there are many abuses of this Sacrament). May the Ever Present Emmanuel, the Eucharistic Jesus continue to nourish us physically and spiritually! May He make our presence before his Presence a transforming encounter. May we become more of Him and less of us. Amen!!!

Verbum caro factum est

Verbum panis factum est

Verbum caro factum est

Verbum panis factum est.

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

O TRINITY OF LOVE! O FOUNT OF LIFE!!

(Homily for the Holy Trinity Sunday Year B)

     After we have celebrated in Advent and Christmas the merciful love of the Father who sent his Son to, in and for the world; in lent and Easter we celebrated the infinite goodness of the Son, who gave his life for us, and also after celebrating the feast of the Pentecoste, the coming of the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father and the Son, in order to bring to fulfilment the wonderful works of our salvation, in today’s liturgy we celebrate the three divine Persons together (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). Indeed, the reality of the three divine persons is not a fairy tale, rather a certainty of what has been revealed to us. Even though it has been revealed, it still remains a mystery. The revelation of our God who in essence is one, and manifests Himself in three Persons is beyond human logic and calculations. The Holy Trinity is the mystery that distinquinshes our religion from others (the jews adored only one God: Jahvè, the pagans adore many divinities, without unity), but in ours there is unity in distintion. The Holy Trinity is not just the perception in three aspects (Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier) that we sometimes have of God, more than that, the Trinity does not only refer to human viewing, but to God himself, to His ways of being God. The Holy Bible actually made us to understand that the Father is God (Phil.1:2), the Son is God (Titus 2:13) and that the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4).

     In the bid, I would like to introduce the Holy Trinity in this reflection in two broad terms: immanent Trinity and transcendent Trinity. Immanent is how God has revealed himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And many a times when we talk about the Holy Trinity, we tend to do so, limiting ourselves to the immanent Trinity, as revealed to us. But more than that the Holy Trinity is also to be considered from the point of view of how God is in himself, God in his essence is One but manifests himself in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that is transcendent Trinity. The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is a mystery beyond and above us (transcendent) and at the same time it is a mystery that has been revealed to us and it is our way of knowing that God is present in Human history (immanent). Be that as it may, it behooves us to underscore that this doctrine does not explain God because as St. Augustine opined "si comprehendis non est Deus". In another writing of his St. Augustine exclaimed "if you see love, you have seen the Trinity". Whether considered from the dimension of transcendency or immanency, the central word that dovetails into God’s essence and manifestation is LOVE. The Trinity is therefore a sign of a harmonious unity existent in God, which should equally be existent among God's children. The central message of today's doctrine is that of Love (Father-Lover, Son-Loved and Holy Spirit-Love).

     The word Trinity (tri-unity) was coined by Tertullian about the third century in the bid to establish the distinct persons in one God.  The Scriptures in no small way, buttress the reality of the Trinity with some biblical quotations: In Genesis 18: 1-2: God appeared to Abraham at the sacred tree of Mamre. As Abraham was sitting at the entrance during the hottest part of the day, he looked up and saw three men. God came to Abraham in the Trinitarian form. In Isaiah 6:8: “Whom shall I send and who will go for US?” Here we can discover God the Father making a representational request on behalf of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Likewise in Matthew 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”  Jesus Christ, the Son undoubtedly is God: John 1:1: “In the beginning was the WORD, the WORD was with God and the WORD was God. The Holy Spirit is equally God: Genesis 1:2: “The Spirit of God was brought over the waters” This was before God began active creation. The Holy Spirit has been with the Godhead from eternity. Hence the Holy Spirit is God. In John 14:26: “The Counsellor whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything”. 

     Similarly, no matter how hard we try, we remain limited in the endeavor to understand this mystery in toto, what is important for us is not even to understand Him, rather to recognize how he manifests Himself, what are the signs of his presence and action, for God is experienced as going out of himself, in revelation and and redemption actions. And it is on this no doubt that the three readings of today try to give us some indications:

     The first reading (Deut 4:32-34.39-40) speaks of God “in heaven above and on earth beneath”. Thus, of his trascendence (heaven above) and immanence (on earth beneath). It equally speaks of God, going forth out of himself in his acts of revelation and redemption. However, at that time, it seems to have been a general belief that if God appeared to men, it was for the purpose of destroying them; and indeed most of the extraordinary manifestations of God were in the way of jugdement, but in this passage it was quite different. For God did appear in a sovereign and extraordinary manner, but it was for the delivereance of the people. They heard his voice speaking with them in a distinct manner. They saw the fire, the symbol of his presence. In this appearance no person was destroyed rather he came to save. God saved his people through seven means: temptations, signs, wonders, war, mighty hand, outreched arm, great terrors. The writer further opined that this “he showed you, so that you might know that Yahweh is the only TRUE God and that there is no other” (4:35). This affirmation was repeated twice in this passage “Yahweh is the true God, in heaven above as on earth beneath, he and no other” (4:39). And the pericope ends with an existential invitation “keep his laws and commandments…so that you may prosper and live”.

     In the second reading (Rm 8:14-17), St. Paul affirms that none can claim to be the child of God who are not led or guided by the Spirit. And the Spirit in question is not a spirit of bondage, but the Spirit of adoption, we are made members of God’s family by adoption, and the Holy Spirit is the agent that brought us into God’s family. Owing to the nature of this adoption we can cry “Abba Father”. To reveal the strongness of this divine family ties St. Paul says that “the Spirit joins with our Spirit in bearing witness that we are children of God” (v.16). If children, then we are also heirs of God, and heirs with Christ, and I would add in the Spirit. God the Father has made us His children in Christ through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, our sonship bears a Trinitarian mark, and as such the christian existence is called to be a trinitarian existence. Above all, in this passage as in Galatians (4:6-7), St. Paul maintains that the divine sonship is an eschatological gift and not a natural gift of human existence.

     In today’s gospel (Mt 28:16-20) Jesus manifested himself to the apostles in the fullness of his divine powers, as he declares “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…and behold I am with you always, to close of the age”. With and in these words, Jesus condenses the Mission he is entrusting to the apostles and to the Church. It is a mission that begins and to be exercised in the sign and in the power of the Trinity: “in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. It is a mission that has as it’s ultimate end the encounter of man with the Blessed Trinity. The emphasis here lies on the baptismal command, the most glaring example of the New Testament triadic formula, which later formed the basis for the doctrine of the Trinity.

     Be that as it may, we have a number of virtues to learn and imbibe: Unity in diversity, a call, therefore, to recognize all as brothers, despite our differences, and to live in love and communion as children of the same Father.  The revelation of God as Trinity is a revelation of love. We can as well reconsider the Holy Trinity in three dimensinos: the Trinity of faith (of the past, that revealed himself), the Trinity of Love (of the present, that lives and works in us), there is also the Trinity of Hope (of the future, we are on our journey towards the return to the Father). It is of a Hope that is certain (cf. Rm 5:5). The Trinity is ocean of Peace and communion; the Father always works with the Son and the Holy Spirit “let us” (cf Gen 1 & 2).

     The mystery of the Holy Trnity is a reality hidden in the heart of God. The mystery of the Holy Trinity is neither the work or the fruit of theological thoughts nor of mysticism. The Trinity is not a fruit of human invention, is not an idea, rather it is a reality, the most sublime reality; that the Father revealed through the Son. The mystery of Trinity was immensely revealed to us through the action and manifestations of God in human history. God revealed himself as Father by sending the Son. And Jesus Christ revealed himself to us in his perfect obedience to the Father, through his death and redentive resurrection. And the Holy Spirit revealed himself to us as the “cement” of the love of the Father and the Son, as a gift of communion to man, so that they will live in the trinitarian image.

     What should be the attitude of man before this mystery? First, there is need for the attitude of adoration and submission to the Father that so much loves us, to our Brother Jesus who gave his life for us, and to the Holy Spirit who accompanies and sustains us in the course of our earthly existence. More important to reflecting, thinking and pondering on the mystery is to worship and render all adoration to the Triune God. Second, is the attitude of thanksgiving, thanking God for the fact that He is a mystery and continues to be a mystery even after the revelation. But not a mysterious and complicated mystery, for we are constatntly involved in the life of the Blessed Trinity. Being a mystery, as such it cannot be manipulated or instrumentalized by man. Third, is the attitude of humble acceptance of the mystery, avoiding a rationalistic postion and an irrationalistic position, that seeks to exclude it (because it does not comprehend it) or that seeks to succumb to its weight (because it is perceived to be cumbersome), respectively.

     In the mystery of the Holy Trinity, there is love amongst the three Divine Persons (ad intra), but in the same vein the trinitarian love is manifested externally (ad extra), love towards humanity, towards us. This trinitarian love extended to us should be a prerogative for the extension of that same love to our fellow human beings. The Trinity is therefore a sign of a harmonious unity existent in God, which should equally be existent among God's children. The central message of today's doctrine is that of Love. The Holy Trinity is a mystery of interpersonal communion of love. It is a sign of communion and of love. As those called to live a trinitarian life, is our life a sign of communion and of love, a reflex of the trinitarian life? Above all else, however, drawing the issue further, we see that the Holy Trinity is a mystery of Mission: the Father sends the Son, and both send the Holy Spirit, and in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, the Church is sent by Christ to “go and make disciples of all nations”. You too, you are sent to be heralds of love, unity and communion.

Oratio: Oh our Trinitarian God, enable us to recognize you in us and in our world, so that we may be capable of living the trinitarian existence of communion, love and a harmonious unity. Amen!

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

Come O Holy Spirit, Come!

 (Homily for the Pentecost Sunday Year B)

          Today as we are celebrating the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the word of God gives account of this Event, in four different ways, to demonstrate that the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, cannot be locked up in human schemes. In the Gospel, the Holy Spirit comes as a consoling presence, a counsellor, Spirit of truth and a witness to Christ. In the Acts of the Apostles, He comes as energy, courage, life force. He opens a new horizon. In the Pauline account, He comes with different fruits as opposed to the works of the flesh. And the fourth account is in the verse of today’s Psalm “Send forth your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth” (Ps.104:30). All the earth, nothing and nobody is excluded. Indeed, what we are celebrating today is the fulfilment of the promise of the Risen Christ. Several times in his farewell speech, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to the apostles: “I will not leave you orphans… I will send you the Paraclete, the Spirit of truth… and you will receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn. 14). And 50 days after the Resurrection, Jesus maintains his promise, as St. Luke recounts in the Acts of the Apostles. St. John instead, in his Gospel collocates the coming of the Holy Spirit in the evening of the same day of Resurrection, as such, he intends to make us understand that the Holy Spirit is the most important Gift of the Risen Christ, the most precious fruit of his gesture of love and obedience to the Father.

          The word Pentecost is from a Greek word which means fiftieth. The Pentecost was an old Jewish traditional feast that was celebrated 50 days after the Passover. It commemorated the arrival of the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, and the giving of the law to Moses on Mount Sinai (cf. Ex. 34, 28). And for us today, it refers to the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and others who were present at the Upper room. A gaze into the Old Testament reveals the power and activity of God’s Spirit at work. For instance, God allowed His Spirit to rest on the seventy elders who were appointed to assist Moses (Num. 11:16-17; 25). After his anointing as King, Saul received the Spirit of God and prophesied (1 Sam. 10:10); and when he lost his connection with God the Spirit of God left him (1 Sam. 16:14). Therefore, obedience to God attracts the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life, for it can be seen that when Saul disobeyed God, the Spirit of God that was upon him departed from him (cf. 1Sam. 15:26; 16:14). The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a mark of God’s presence in us. David was a man filled with God’s Spirit and when he sinned he begged God not to take the Holy Spirit away from him (Psalm 51:11).

         Be that as it may, the yearly celebration of the Pentecost brings to us the consciousness of the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit and as such, we are invited to discover the essence of His presence in our life and in the Church. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Holy Trinity. Even in the Credo we repeat “I believe in the Holy Spirit”. He is the Gift of God and the Giver of God’s gift to us. And as we celebrate this descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles many centuries ago, let us dispose our hearts and our whole being in order to receive this outpouring.`

          In the first reading (Acts 2:1-11), St. Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles. This account of the Pentecost permits us to discover another great thing that the Holy Spirit represents for the Church, the life force that nourishes her in her Mission. There are some vital elements to ponder upon in the passage, first, “they were all together”, this entails that the Holy Spirit comes where there is unity. Second, “A sound came from heaven like a mighty wind, this lays credence that it is truly Ruah Adonai, for the Holy Spirit manifests Himself so many times through the wind. In the book of Genesis (1:2) we are told that at the first moment of creation “The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters”. Third, “It rested on each one of them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages”. This is suggestive that the Holy Spirit came on them individually, likewise his gifts are individually given but for the common purpose, other languages here symbolizes a language of love that all understand. Little wonder, St. Paul tells us: “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1Cor 13, 1-2). Fourth, “at this sound the multitude came together”, this gesture of gathering together is the beginning of the Church’s mission to evangelize, because they are gathered in order to be sent. Fifth, “we hear them telling in our tongues the mighty works of God”, indeed, the Holy Spirit urges us to proclaim the wonderful works God has wrought for us, and as such, it was the major content of the preaching of the apostles that very day. On the other hand, in the book of Genesis (11, 1-9), we see a direct opposite of what happened today in the Acts of the Apostles, the tower of Babel, where people because of pride, presumption and distance from God, were divided and were thrown into confusion and incomprehension, language became a source of confusion instead of unity and understanding. That indicates simply the absence of the Holy Spirit.

          In the second reading (Gal.5:16-25), St. Paul gives us an eloquent and concrete indications on how to be witnesses of Christ through the Holy Spirit. St. Paul affirms that deep within us, there is a struggle between “the flesh” and “the spirit”. In his words, “the Spirit has desires contrary to the flesh, and the flesh has desires contrary to the Spirit” (v.17). The consequences is that many a times, we do not do the good we desire, as Paul experienced: “the good thing I want to do, I never do; the evil thing which I do not want- that is what I do” (Rm. 7:19). St. Paul enlists the works of the flesh and afterwards the fruits of the Spirit. The works of the flesh are: “immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing”. The fruits of the Spirit includes: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”. In Paul’s parlance, with and through our baptism we belong to Christ, and as such, “All who to Christ Jesus have crucified self with all its passions and its desires” (Gal. 5:24), thus, we have become temple of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul further admonished that our Christian life has to be a “walk”, a movement according to the exigencies of the Spirit. In that bid, our life in the Spirit abhors passivity, for we are called to allow “our behaviour be guided by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25), and indeed, “all who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rm. 8:14).

         The Gospel passage of St. John (Jn. 15:26-27;16:12-15) we read today helps us to understand the importance and need of the presence and the action of the Holy Spirit in the world, in the church and in the life of every single Christian. St. John therein, presents the Holy Spirit as the “witness” of Christ before the world, for “when the Paraclete comes whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father, he will be my witness. And you too will be witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning” (Jn. 15:26-27). In all, we ought to bear in mind that today, the Holy Spirit desires to continue to speak to the world through our collective (as a church) and individual witnesses, just like in the beginning, through the preaching and testimony of the apostles and disciples. St. John puts it succinctly thus: “And you too will be witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning” (Jn. 15:27), even though that referred to the disciples, the same word re-echoes for us today.

        Jesus promised his followers formally that he will send them the Holy Spirit, and as such, he fulfilled his promise (first reading) on the Pentecost day. The Holy Spirit is promised and sent by Jesus so that He can accomplish two broad missions amongst the disciples and in the Church; and that is revealed in the two mission-titles given by Jesus: “Spirit of truth” and “Paraclete/Counsellor”. First, He will bring the disciples to the knowledge of the revealed truth and he will give them consolation and comfort. The apparent emptiness created by the absence of Jesus will be filled by the presence of the Holy Spirit, Second, Jesus says, “I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you for ever” (Jn. 14:16). Such that, after being consoled and confirmed by the Holy Spirit, the disciples can give courageous witness of their faith in Christ before the world.

        During his earthly ministry, we could say that Jesus entrusted the mission of a complete teaching of the truth to the Spirit. For this, he assured his followers: “However, when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth” (Jn. 16:13). Jesus promises fervently that through the action of the Holy Spirit they will be led to the comprehension of the entire truth (on his person, on his doctrine and on the salvific project of the Father). The Spirit will not add anything to the truth proclaimed by Jesus, for in Jesus’ words: “all he reveals to you will be taken from what is mine” (Jn. 16:14). Therefore, the truth remains the same but it will be better understood with great profundity and richness by the disciples.

           Dear beloved in Christ, the Pentecost experience still continues, like the first Christian community today we are gathered, but unlike the first Christian community we are not waiting for the absent Spirit to come, rather we have to reawaken ourselves to the Spirit who is already present and working in, for and through us since we received Him during our Baptism. We only need to wake up to His presence. We need the Holy Spirit in all that we do, even Jesus at the beginning of his mission declared: ‘The Spirit of God is upon me” (Lk. 4:18; cf. Is. 61:1). We need Him in our weaknesses and He prays in us, for this St. Paul said that “the spirit comes to help in our weakness, for when we do not know how to pray properly, he intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words” (Rm. 8:26). It is the same Spirit that bears witness to our divine identity, as God’s children, “The Spirit himself joins our spirit to bear witness that we are children of God” (Rm. 8:16), he confirms our filial identity. And above all, St. Paul captured the essence of the Pentecost experience when he affirms and confirms that “our Hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out His Love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us” (Rm. 5:5). May God continue to pour His gifts upon us through the Holy Spirit, the highest Gift of God. Come o Holy Spirit and fill our hearts with Love and with a hope that does not disappoint! Be renewed as we receive the outpouring! And as we welcome Him today may the same Spirit liberate us from all that do not allow us to be free sons and daughters of God! May He chase away the powers of darkness in our hearts and in our world with his Eternal light!

Come O Holy Spirit!

Come Father of the poor!

Come Our Great Intercessor!

Come the Liberator of mankind!

Come Gift of God Most High!

Come Love of the Father and the Son!

Come on everyone of Us!

Come so that we may become courageuos witnesses of the Risen Christ!!!

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