There Is Power In His Word!

 (Homily 15^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Yr-A)

     The theme of our message and reflection today hinges on the power and efficacy of the Word of God, its intrinsic vitality that can transform and bear good and abiding fruits and the required human disposition to make the Word fructify. As orchestrated especially in the first reading and the Gospel, there is the dimension of the Word, that is not just about listening but also seeing, and we enter into this dimension when we have an obedient listening to the Word and the willingness to allow it produce good fruits, then we pass to the dimension of seeing the efficacy of the Word of God. Here, there is a passage from Logos to Rhema. For this, the sacred author says: “I shall stand at my post, I shall station myself on my watch-tower, watching to see what he say to me” (Hab. 2:1). The Word of God is not only believable, it can be experienced, and that is why the Psalmist says “Taste and see” (Ps. 34:8). It is on the basis of the above that Isaiah in the first reading reminds us that the Word of God does not return to Him empty and Jesus in the Gospel promises a great harvest occasioned by the Word. The second reading instead reminds us that we are like work in progress before God, and that we will bear fruit in the measure we resist tribulations and continue to build our spiritual edifice in the midst of suffering and challenges, as we wait in hope for the manifestation of God’s glory in us.

          In the first reading (Is. 55:10-11) prophet Isaiah compares the Word of God to rain and snow that come down from heaven and before returning as a result of evaporation, they accomplish their functions of irrigating the soil. So is the Word of God that does not go forth in vain, even when it meets the freedom of man which can reject it, all the same it produces its effect, because it becomes a motive of judgment and condemnation for anyone who rejects it. He anticipated the comprehension of the Word of God similar to the Word as presented in Jesus’ parable in the Gospel passage. Certainly, the wonderful seed which is the Word of God is never without efficacy. The language of the prophet is very much eloquent and attainable, not just for us, but in a very special way for the people he was addressing these words directly to, they were people that knew very well what the desert is all about and its aridity or drought, for them rain was like life. In that sense, wherever the Word of God falls, life germinates. Little wonder, Jesus acclaimed: “Sky and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Mk. 13:31).

          The Word of God is powerful and replete with fulfillment. It was on this account that Isaiah declared: “For as the rain and the snow come down from the sky and do not return before having watered the earth, fertilizing it and making it germinate to provide seed for the sower to eat, so it is with the word that goes from my mouth: it will not return to me unfulfilled or before having carried out my good pleasure and having achieved what it was sent to do” (vv.10-11). This passage of our first reading in no small way, affirms the power and efficacy of God’s Word. There is power in God’s word because his word is spirit and life (cf. Jn. 6:63), it brings discernment and gives life, it revives. The author of the letter to the Hebrews testifies that, “The Word of God is something alive and active, it cuts more incisively than any two-edged sword: it can seek out the place where soul is divided from the spirit, or joints from the marrow, it can pass judgment on secret emotions and thoughts” (Heb. 4:12). However, irrespective of the intrinsic vitality of the Word of God as anticipated in this passage of the prophecy of Isaiah, Jesus tells us in the Parable that His Word in many cases can remain in-efficacious and sterile owing to the lack of disposition and willingness of the recipient. Let us therefore, ask ourselves if the Word of God in us is succeeding for what it was sent to do?

          In today’s Gospel (Mt. 13:1-23) we are nourished with St. Mathew’s account of the parable of the Sower. After a careful reading of the Gospel of Mathew, it is noted that the Jesus presented by Mathew is close to human reality, He goes to the house of people and in the synagogue to proclaim the Good News. Also in today's Gospel he explains the reality of the kingdom through the earthly / existential things very common to his listeners. In the previous chapter Jesus taught in the synagogue (Mt. 12:9), but here in the 13^th chapter, he changed his method, from the house, he went to the lakeside, to teach along the sea, so that his message can reach every man in his reality and concrete condition (he speaks of sowing of seeds to a crowd of peasant majority). This betokens the fact that Jesus goes in search of man in his condition. The ascent of Jesus on the boat was not a spontaneous act, but he did it with the aim of looking all his listeners in the face. Just as the sower sows the seeds without distinction or preference of soil, so the Word of God reaches us in our condition, today, here and now, but what makes the difference is the state of the soil, and availability of the heart is decisive.

          This is one of the so called Parables of the Kingdom that Jesus narrated in different times but St. Mathew gathered them in one chapter of his Gospel, in order to give us a more unified and complete account and teachings of Jesus on the mystery of the “Kingdom of Heaven”. The language of the parable is very much enriching. It is colorful, poetic, efficacious, but it is not immediately transparent and comprehensive, it requires explanation. Little wonder, the disciples asked Jesus: Why do you speak in parables? And Jesus responded with the Words of Isaiah, “…for this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn for me to heal them” (Mt. 13: 15; cf. Is. 6:10). Our present passage can be divided into three parts:

1)      Jesus who narrates a parable, here begins the parabolic account of St. Mathew (Ch. 13), after the discourse on the mount (Ch. 5-7) and the missionary discourse (Ch. 10)

2)      Jesus explains why he speaks in parables, because he was using images and figurative narratives that are not easily comprehended.

3)      The explanation of the parables.

          Let us begin with the second point, why does Jesus speak in parables? The response of Jesus was synthetically essential; he said that the purpose is so that it would be understood by some. It is to be understood by the simple and pure hearted; and not to be understood by those who have a stiff heart. It is not for the purpose of punishment in any way to his listeners, rather it serves as an admonition to the men of Synagogues, so that they do not close their hearts to the Gospel and as such risk losing forever the opportunity of adhering to the Gospel. This admonition is valid for the men and women of every age and time.

          In this parable Jesus used images and narratives very familiar to the majority of his listeners that are from agrarian area; for them to understand him better. Jesus talks about a sower who goes to sow early in the morning, and as he sows some seeds fell on different types of soils. In the context of the parable, the Sower is Jesus, the seed is the Word of God, and the land or the soil is the heart of man or the world that stands at the receptive end! Jesus observed a farmer, a sower sowing and intuited something of God in it, little wonder, in the parable he talked about “a sower”. The Sower Jesus, is generous as he spreads the seeds with full hands, the seed of his Word, but also for what is sown to bear fruitful, there is need of at least two conditions:  ●That the seed is good or of a good quality (but this is already a given). ●That the soil is also good and irrigated. As such, the seed that is sown, the Word of God is by its very nature good, efficacious and capable of bearing good fruits. But in order to bear good fruits, it requires a good ground that is the disposition of our hearts. It is against this backdrop that Jesus enumerated four different types of soils, comparable to four categories of persons that receive the Word of God and what becomes of it afterwards:

          ●First, Jesus talked about the ground at the edge of the path or along the path, where the seed cannot enter, it does not penetrate, it remains at the surface, and birds come to pick them up to eat. They are hearts that listen to the Word of God, but they do not understand it, they do not welcome it profoundly, then Satan comes to destroy everything. Persons in this category are like scorched and dry ground, in which the Word cannot penetrate, it remains on the surface and it is blown away at the slightest temptation.

          ●Second is the rocky ground that is sterile. Here the seeds spring up because there is small soil, but owing to the fact that the soil is not in-depth, they do not put roots deep in the soil, so when the sun comes they wither away. Likewise, there are hearts that listen to the Word of God, they welcome it with joy but it does not put deep roots, as such, they are not constant and when tribulations or persecutions come their way, they are thrown off balance, they crumble.

           ●Third is the type of ground or soil with thorns, thorny ground. In this type of soil the seeds fell among thorns and germinate, but when the thorns grow up, they choke them. These are symbolic of human hearts that listen to the Word of God, but are carried away by preoccupations and worries for the things of this world and by the deception of riches and wealth, as such; the Word of God is suffocated in their hearts, e.g. the rich young man (cf. Mt. 19:16:30).

          ●Fourth is the good soil. The good soil bears fruit, but according to the disposition and receptivity of the heart. For some 100, some 60 and some 30; that is, according to the capacity and disposition of each one. Here, the good soil stands to indicate those who thirsty for the Word of God, those who are eager to listen and to understand the Word, and ready to allow themselves to be penetrated, illumined, guided and converted by it. In a nutshell, they are the hearts that listen, welcome and put the Word of God into practice.

          At this point we have to ask ourselves a pertinent question: what type of soil am I? Am I like the path, the rocky, the thorny or the good soil? We are in part like the path, the hard soil where the Word of God desires to penetrate, but because of our egoism and presumption, our hearts are closed. We are in part like the rocky soil where the Word of God does not put deep roots, because of our superficiality and inconsistency, when trials and persecutions come we fall by the way side. We are in part the thorny soil, because we are carried away by material things, seduced by the deception of riches, such that the Word does not produce its fruits in us. Indeed also, we are in part good soil, but Jesus wants us to be real good soil. Thanks to God, the fact that we are here in the Church demonstrates that we are making effort to live like Christians. However, we have to allow the Word of God to bear good fruit in us. The spiritual and moral responsibilities that we have to assume daily is the effort to become good soil, fecund and fruitful, making daily effort to eliminate the aspects of the hardy, the rocky and the thorny soils in us. We have to appropriate and make ours the prayer of the Collect of this Sunday: “give all who for the faith they profess are accounted Christians the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ, and strive after all that does it honour”. It is therefore, our wish that the Word of God sown in our heart will neither fall on rocky ground, nor be choked by our material greed, rather may the Word sown in us blossom into eternal life.

          In the second reading (Rm. 8:18-23) St. Paul reminds us that the kingdom of God is to be constructed in us and in the world in the midst of suffering. He made a comparison with the labor of childbirth, that takes place through great suffering and pain, but which later procures an infinite joy, so is our Christian life and sojourn. He therefore reminds us that the sufferings of this present moment, even those related to our daily struggles and the commitment to fidelity to God’s Word cannot be compared to the glory that awaits us. These words of St. Paul have to make us courageous and persevering, especially in our present world where it is difficult to welcome the Word of God and make it germinate for it to bear abundant fruits. In all, we have to be courageous and optimistic. In fact, Jesus narrated the parable not to teach us that in many cases there is no fruit, rather to teach us that the seed bears abundant fruit, above every expectation, when it encounters in our heart a suitable and fitting ground.

          Above all, the words of St. James are worth recalling at the end of this reflection, he says: “Humbly welcome the Word which has been planted in you and can save your souls. But you must do what the Word tells you and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves. Anyone who listens to the Word and takes no action is like someone who looks at his own features in a mirror and, once he has seen what he looks like goes off and immediately forgets it” (Jm. 1:21a-24). Thus, he challenges us to allow the Word of God fructify in us, in order not to be forgetful listeners. We cannot but conclude our reflection with the example of Mary, in whom the Word found a disposed heart and a good soil. The heart of Mary indeed, was a good soil, she listened, welcomed, accepted, treasured and pondered them in her heart (cf. Lk.2:19). She became a fertile ground for the Word in all dimensions. Let us emulate her. May the Word of God sown in our hearts everyday germinate, grow and bear good fruits! May Jesus the Sower continue to sow his seeds in our hearts and may He make of us a good soil for his Word. May our hearts be transformed to wombs that accept and carry the seed of God’s Word till it germinates and bears fruit in us. Jesus is inviting us today to become mothers of the Word, to accept it with tenderness and love. As we try to give life to the Word of God sown in us, may the same Word in turn give us life and transform us! Amen!!

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

Come to Jesus And Learn!

(Homily 14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Yr-A)

     The readings of today present to us one of the overwhelming paradoxes of the Christian message: The first reading speaks of the Messianic King who rides humbly towards Jerusalem on a donkey, an event that betokens his self-identification with the lowly. And in the Gospel St. Mathew presents Jesus thanking the Father for the things hidden from the wise and the intelligent and revealed to little children. Jesus further, presented himself as a model of humility, for He is simple and humble of heart. In the second reading, St. Paul reasons in line with Christ, as he introduces the theme of the Spirit. The Spirit is the ‘Revelator’ of those hidden things to the lowly, those who live not according to human inclination (flesh) but according to the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead.

     In the first reading (Zech. 9:9-10) prophet Zechariah presents the paradox of the Messiah, a just and victorious King, but also humble and he mounts the donkey. “Behold, your King comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey” (v.9). Prophet Zechariah invites the people to rejoice and to shout for joy. Why? Because the end of suffering is in sight. The Messiah is about to appear. He will be a just and a victorious king. However, this is not the first time that the coming of the Messiah is announced, but here it connotes a symbolic meaning by what the prophet says after, that the Savior will not come at the head of a powerful army, with chariots and horses, rather he comes humbly. In the second part we are told that on his arrival he will remove every sign of military power, will destroy all the instruments of war and violence, proclaim peace to the nations. Despite that, he will be powerful and his kingdom stretch from sea to sea. Jesus will fulfill this prophecy when he will enter Jerusalem on a donkey (Cf. Jn. 12:14; Mk. 11:7). And Christianity has seen this prophecy realized in the person of Jesus, the Messiah awaited by Israel and by all the people. A victorious King, who reigns on the cross! Truly his kingdom has no end!

     In the first reading and in the Gospel, we see a communance of sentiment, while the prophet announces the advent of the Messiah who is poor and humble, Jesus speaks of himself as gentle and humble and on the side of the poor. Jesus praised the Father for He chose to reveal the great mysteries to little children and not to the intelligent and learned. We see here at work the logic of Jesus, for usually in the world the weak and the unlearned are looked down upon. But in the parlance of Jesus they are the blessed ones, because the Father chose to reveal his glory to them. And when we peruse into the gospels we see similar attitude of praise and recognition for an act of humility: ●Jesus praises the poor widow for putting in two copper coins while the rich were putting a huge amount (Lk. 21:3). ●Jesus praises the tax collector for praying in the temple with a deep repentant heart (Lk.18:14). ●He praises the Canaanite woman for her answer that dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the table (Lk. 15:28).

     In the Gospel passage (Mt. 11:25-30) we find ourselves in an intense period of Jesus’s preaching in Galilee, it was an unsuccessful period in the ministry of Jesus, but suddenly Jesus witnesses a turn-around situation and he gives thanks to the Father, even though the doctors, lawyers, scribes and pharisees distanced themselves from Him, but already his fame has gone everywhere and not only, but he was now surrounded by the poor, the sick, the blind and children. Indeed, people equally came from far and wide to listen to Him and to witness his prodigious works. In this brief passage of the Gospel of Mathew, Jesus offers us the most splendid revelation of himself: he reveals his true and profound identity by addressing God as Father “Abba”. Jesus demonstrates with the title “Abba”, his unique rapport with God the Father. As a matter of fact, no Jew has ever addressed God with such familiarity, and this reveals the self-knowledge of his filiation as a Son. We are indeed, invited to be part of this relationship. Jesus therefore reveals three important things about himself: ●That He is the Son of God, the only Son of the Father ●That between him and the Father there is a perfect and total communion of life: “all have been given to me by my Father” ●That between Him and the Father there is a perfect reciprocal knowledge: “no one knows the Son if not the Father and no one knows the Father if not the Son”, and indeed, owing to his perfect knowledge of the Father, only Jesus can reveal the true face of God. Thus, we have to think of God as Father, and to speak to him as Father. In fact, according St. John in his Gospel, the Jews will draw this conclusion, when they will be looking for reasons to condemn him, “He spoke of God as his own Father and so made himself God’s equal” (Jn. 5:18). On the other hand, it is pertinent to note that our faith is rooted in this strong and unwavering consciousness that Jesus has, of being the Son of God. Every other thing rests on this authentic certainty of his Resurrection, for He “was designated Son of God in power by resurrection from the dead” (Rm.1:4). Indeed, Jesus is not only the Messiah, He is not only the Son of man, above all, He is the Son of God, even before his advent on earth.

     St. Mathew in today’s Gospel presents this wonderful episode of the Son’s praise and gratitude to the Father. Jesus glorified and praised the Father because He has hidden certain realities from the wise, and revealed them instead to the simple. However, even though the revelation of God is for all men, but the wise and the intelligent are those who have closed themselves from it. And one may ask: who are the wise and the intelligent? They are the religious masters of that time (pharisees, Scribes, lawyers), their knowledge of the law made them to be full of themselves and closed to the message of Christ. Rather God revealed the secrets to the poor, the little ones. Here, we have the little children as opposed to the wise. Who are these little children? The little children are those that are simple and humble hearted, not little children by age, but those with the heart and disposition of the little children and those who recognize their dependency on God. If we want to render this passage actual, we have to ask: Today in our present world, who are the wise and the intelligent that did not receive those hidden things? The wise are those who feel they are self-made, the self-sufficient people, those who are attached to positions of power and prestige, those who presume they can judge everyone and everything according to their human categories, those who derive happiness in amassing wealth at the expense of the poor and those who think that they can do without God. On the other hand, the little children, the simple are not just the poor in the sense of material wealth, or those that are unlearned. The little ones are those who recognize and accept the fact of their createdness, those who do not trust or lean on earthly security of power and prestige, rather they entrust themselves and all that concerns them to God. So, where do we belong, the wise or little children? Are we open or closed to understanding those things that Jesus came to reveal?

     In Jesus’ parlance the little children are in reality, those the Father appreciates for their humility and purity of heart. These are the two conditions that make one great in the sight of God: humility and purity of heart. God does not look at our possessions, political and intellectual acruements, our religious status, our certificates and grades; rather he looks at the heart. Prophet Jeremiah understood the divine logic when he said, “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind…” (Jer. 17:10; cf. 2Chro 16:10; 1 Sam. 16:7). The psalmist says that God “knows the secrets of the heart” (Ps. 44:21). For this St. Peter encouraged that “humility must be the garment you all must wear constantly, because God opposes the proud and accords his favour to the humble” (1Pt. 5:5).

     Another pertinent question is this: what are those things that their comprehension is hidden from the wise and intelligent? Jesus proffers an answer, it is the knowledge of the Father, through the revelation of the Son. “No one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (v.27). The biblical value of the word knowledge, is not a mere abstract intellectual cognition, but it entails love, an interpersonal rapport. This type of reciprocal knowledge of the Father and the Son is participated in certain measure by the little children. In Jesus, a new image of God is revealed to the simple hearted: The hallmark of the things revealed is the knowledge of God as Father and of Jesus as Son.

     Furthermore, the second part of the Gospel introduces us to the next theme of the Gospel: the beautiful invitation of Jesus: “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest” (v.28). Therein Jesus is presented as the mouthpiece of the wisdom of God. Jesus is inviting us to come to Him, those who labour and are overburdened. These are actually the little children, those who recognize there need of God, and run to him.  Those who labour and are overburdened as Jesus alludes are the poor Jews, on whom the yoke of the law has been imposed; they are oppressed and frustrated by many prescriptions and exterior practices, rejected by the wise. Thus, Jesus calls those oppressed from Jewish legalism to give them hope and rest. So in order to welcome the invitation of Jesus: “come to me”, it is necessary that we have to put ourselves in the school of Jesus, the school of humility and meekness. “Come to me”, only Jesus can make this promise without disappointment, only him, who is the Only Son of the Father. He does not fail and cannot fail. If we go to him, if we trust in him, if we abandon ourselves to him, we will find consolation and sustenance in every situation of our life, no matter how difficult. He does not promise to remove obstacles and difficulties on our way, instead He promises to lighten them and to give us rest.

      Again, Jesus presents himself as a model of humility and gentleness, “Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls” (v.29). He went further, “Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (v.30). He is the one that makes our own difficult yoke easy, the one that makes our heavy burden light. This truly is a Good News  inside the Good News. Biblically, the yoke indicates the law. And as we know, the law of Jesus is Love. It is as if Jesus says, take upon you my love, and as we know the love of Jesus is like the oxygen that gives us the breath of life. The yoke of Christ makes life easy. He says that his yoke is easy; it is not because the morality that Jesus demands is less exigent, but because Jesus himself renders the yoke easy and makes the burden light with his love and solidarity. He too is poor and humble of heart, submissive to the will of the Father. Jesus invites us to come to him to experience peace and liberation from our burdens. And it is only the lowly and humbly of heart that hearken to the voice of Jesus and his invitation, because they recognize their need of Him. Do you recognize your need of Him?

     In the second reading (Rm. 8:9.11-13) St. Paul introduces the theme of the indwelling and presence of the Spirit. He makes a clarion call thus: “live not by your natural inclinations, but by the Spirit, since the Spirit of God has made a home in you. Indeed, anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (v.9). And in connection with the message in the Gospel about the things hidden from the wise and revealed to little children, we can say that if one does not have the Spirit of God he cannot understand the secrets of God. It is against this backdrop that the apostle asserted thus: “to us, though, God has given revelation through the Spirit, for the Spirit explores everything , even the depths of God” (1 Cor. 2:10). And indeed, the Gospel presents before us the secret and profundity of God, the secret that exists between the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is part of that secret that is why He can explore its depths. Yes it is through the Spirit that the secret of who the Father and the Son are, are laid bare to us. It is on the basis of this conviction that St. Paul tells us that “the Spirit we have received is not the spirit of the world but God’s own Spirit, so that we may understand the lavish gifts God has given us” (1 Cor. 2:12). More than that, also through the Spirit our own identity are revealed to us: Sons in the Son of the Father. Little wonder, St. Paul invites us in this passage to shun the temptation and tendency of living according to our natural inclination, but to live by the Spirit. In all, we may say that those categorized as little children in the Gospel are those that the Spirit of God has made a home in them, while the wise and the intelligent are those living according to the inclinations of the flesh. The apostle convincingly opined that “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead has made his home in you, then he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you” (v.11).  

     Above all else, beloved in Christ, today's message certainly calls for a response. There is need for a strong stance. So, where do we belong, the wise or little children? Do we live according to the flesh or the Spirit? Indeed, it behooves us to affirm that Christ in his message of salvation does not condemn science and wisdom, but the pride and presumption of man. May Jesus give us the enabling grace to become simple and humble-hearted. May He make your yoke easy and lighten your burdens! Today more than ever, we need to hear this reassuring and reinvigorating invitation of Jesus: “Come to me, all you who are over-burdened”. He alone can lighten our heavy burden.  May all your burden be lightened in the name of Jesus, Amen!

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

 

Generosity Enriches The Giver and The Receiver!

 (Homily 13^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Yr-A)

     The point of concentration of today’s readings is on the theme of hospitality or generosity and its dignifying dimension. As manifested in the readings generosity or hospitality can be seen as the most natural outward expression of an inner attitude of love and compassion. In the same vein, we see the logic of hospitality or generosity: give and receive, it is the logic of recompense; both the giver and the receiver are enriched. As a matter of fact, the theme of hospitality connects the Gospel and the first reading. In the first reading, we see the figure of a simple, rich Shunammite woman, who out of her generosity showed hospitality to Prophet Elisha, and to show gratitude Elisha promised her a son since she was barren. The theme of hospitality reoccurs in the Gospel passage, and therein Jesus invites his followers to be hospitable to the messengers of the word. This invitation of Jesus was accompanied with the idea of a recompense, for Jesus promises something to those who welcome a prophet, a minister of God or a missionary of the kingdom. And lastly, the letter to the Romans brings to light the new life (or better new dignity) made possible by and through Baptism, which makes us worthy to be incorporated into the mystery of Christ our Redeemer, where we become brothers and sisters, thus vested with the responsibility of sharing with each other as children of the same Father (God).

      In the first reading (2Kgs 4:8-11.14-16a) we see the figure of a simple, rich Shunammite woman. She was generous and caring. She had a spectacular intuition about prophet Elisha, for one day she said to the husband “Look, I am sure the man who is constantly passing our way must be a holy man of God” (v.9). The woman recognized him to be a man of God, and in the Old Testament, one is recognized as a man of God not on the basis of mystical experience but it is a title that denotes that the person in question is a bearer of God’s word. So Elisha like his predecessor Elijah (cf. 1Kg.17:24) was recognized as a man of God, because he was entrusted with the effective word of God. The woman in her generosity made a request to her husband: “Let us make a small roof chamber with walls, and put there for him bed, a table, a chair and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can rest there” (v.10).

      And I tell you her generosity dignified her, and changed her situation from a barren to a fruitful woman. It happened that the prophet felt indebted to show gratitude for this kindness, he desired to repay her for her generosity. And one day the Prophet called the servant and asked her: “what is to be done for her?” Then the servant revealed to him that the woman has no child and her husband is old. For a Jewish woman, there is no great suffering than not having a child. No doubt this Shunammite woman must have suffered so much for her sterility. Then the prophet sent for her, and he assured her “This time next year, he said, you will hold a son in your arms” (v.16a). And indeed, God ratified the promise of the prophet and did not allow the woman to wait in vein. Behold, she was recompensed for her generosity and hospitality. Indeed, whoever that has an open heart for generosity and hospitality towards others will in turn find hospitality in the heart of God. God is faithful to words and promises made in His name! The woman of Shunem that welcomed Elisha in her house demonstrated her love and respect for the other, for the ‘other’ different from her, someone from a different culture and background. Similarly, today we can talk about this aspect of respect for the other in terms of solidarity, welcoming immigrants and active participation in social charity.

      The Gospel passage (Mt. 10:37-42) is the last part of Mathew’s account of the missionary charge to the twelve. The passage contains two distinct themes, and we can condense them in the following manner: following Christ even unto the cross and welcoming Christ in the brothers (and sisters). The two themes revolve around “us and Christ”. The passage can further be divided into two parts: the first part dwells on the cost of discipleship. The words of Jesus in the first part of this Gospel passage are addressed to the apostles for their mission and whoever desires to be a radical follower of Jesus. Jesus said to them and to us: “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worth of me”. Here Jesus reminds of the primordial invitation of detachment from father and mother in the book of Genesis: “This is why a man leaves his father and mother and becomes attached to his wife and they become one flesh” (2:24). This is a divine invitation to abandon father and mother for fecundity, here we equally see the logic of giving and receiving, leaving and finding. The parents are left for another creature, but there life multiplies and grows. In Jesus’ mission pedagogy he invites us to leave father and mother for love of Him, for superior values (cf. Mt. 13:44-45). Secondly, he says “he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me”, in this second affirmation we see a progression, not only that one has to prefer and maintain the relation with Jesus above all else, but one has to accept sufferings and humiliations for Christ’s sake. It entails loving him above all else, here equally there is the logic of generosity and recompense: “Anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it” (v.39), losing here is all about an active giving of one’s life as a gift, not loss against one’s will. Thus, Jesus sets before us the Paschal law: to lose in order to find, to die in order to rise. This still boils down to the logic of generosity and recompense.

     Then on the third part, Jesus makes three declarative statements on the reward for a generous reception accorded to messengers of the Good News. As a matter of fact, the two affirmations in the first part of the passage are linked one with the other, and they reveal the cost of discipleship. Interestingly, the third part on hospitality and generosity accorded to messengers of the divine word establishes a wonderful bridge with the first reading. It is an invitation for us to receive the messengers of the word with generous hospitality, not on account of their persons, but because they are bearers of the divine word. Jesus attaches great reward to the acts of hospitality. In the first part of the Gospel, Jesus promises eternal life to those who are disposed to lose their life in this world for his sake and in this second part, he promises a great reward to those who practice hospitality and generosity.  As we can see Jesus promises a great recompense to a generous and hospitable heart. He says: “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple , truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward” (Mt. 10:40-42; cf. Lk 10:16).

     As a matter of fact, we would like to lay much emphasis on ‘welcoming’ or on ‘hospitality’, the central message of our reflection. In the first reading the Shunammite woman was recompensed for her hospitality with the promise of a son. And in the Gospel Jesus picks up the theme of hospitality and therein we still see the idea of a recompense, for Jesus promises something to those who welcome a prophet, that is, a minister of God, a missionary of the kingdom. What does Jesus promise? Jesus promises himself: “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me” (v.40a) and again He promises the Father: “anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me” (v.40b). This reveals that Jesus attached so much importance to the human gesture of hospitality, to the extent of promising Himself and the Father. Jesus in the Gospel went on to give us a concrete example of welcoming someone or showing hospitality to a stranger: giving a cup of cold water (v.42). Drawing the issue further, a cup of cold water in our context today could be translated into a helping hand, a letter, a phone-call, a smile, a word of encouragement etc. In fact, while describing the general judgment in Matthew 25, Jesus speaks of bread, water, clothes, visits to prisons, etc. These things cost little or nothing, but however, many in our world, in our neighborhood are crying and craving for ‘cups of cold water’. A cup of cold water may stand for any help, gesture or word offered to the other, that revives and reinvigorates the person and restores his or her hope.

     To give a cup of cold water, to welcome the other or to offer a helping hand entails going out from our egoism and prejudices and thus approaching the other with empathy and a patient listening. It involves giving our resources and time to our brothers and sisters, strangers or those in need, and especially to messengers of the divine word as it is suggestive of the passage. In fact, St. Paul in his letter to the Romans says: “Accept one another, then, for the sake of God’s glory, as Christ accepted you” (Rm. 15:7). This should be the model of our hospitality, ‘as Christ’. Therefore, we may ask: how did Christ welcome or accept us? He accepted us even though we are sinners, even though many times we offend him, he welcomed us gratuitously even though many a times we turn our back on Him, we have to do same towards others, especially those we consider different from us, strangers, immigrants, those from different language, culture, race and colour. Jesus ought to be our model of hospitality.

     The second reading (Rm. 6:3-4.8-11) expresses vigorously our new dignity realized through Baptism, through which we are immersed in the mystery of the Risen Christ and participate in the life of God in our mortal body and in the “here and now” of our personal history. St. Paul maintained in his letter that the baptized already in this world are “alive for God, in union with Jesus Christ”. In this passage we notice that while talking about the idea of a Christian dying with Christ, the apostle uses the past tense, and on resurrection he uses the future and conditional tenses. It therefore entails that the new life in Christ is to be constantly renewed, because what happened to us at Baptism remains and cannot be removed. We need to live in accordance with the life we have been welcomed into through Baptism. As such, we cannot but appropriate the principle of “agere seguitur esse”. It serves as a reminder for us to become what we are! We Christians, whether good or bad, have been signed with the mark of God, as was Elisha the prophet. Thus, each one of us can say: I have, through the waters of baptism in Christ Jesus, been made into something special for God.

     In order to help us understand the profound reality of Baptism, St. Paul reminds us of the meaning itself of the baptismal rite, a rite that expresses with much efficacy what the sacrament does in and for us, that is the participation in the mystery of death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact, with the immersion in water (as at that time it was by immersion, now we pour water on the head) we participate in the death and burial of Jesus, not just in the metaphorical sense but also in the real sense. For through the immersion we are invited to die to sin (old man gives way for the new man in Christ), while by emerging from the water we take part in the resurrection of Christ, we rise with Him to a new life, and thus we become “new creatures” (2 Cor. 5:17). This passage of the Pauline epistle helps us to understand the exalted reality of baptism, the elevated dignity accorded to us and the sublime destiny in which we have been called. A dignity and destiny that reminds us always that we are a family of God, and if we are a family of God we cannot but share what we have with others, be generous and hospitable to anyone in need and in the words of Jesus ready to offer a cup of cold water.

     In all, the theme of hospitality as orchestrated in the first reading of today and that of generosity glaringly presented by Jesus in the Gospel call our attention back to the challenges of immigration in our world today, this has lately become a hot button issue. We need to cultivate the attitude of what Carl Rogers, an American Psychologist called “unconditional positive regard” for anyone that comes our way, irrespective of his origin, colour and social class. In this season of the pandemic more than ever, we need to practice generosity to those who are struggling to make both ends meet. Again, in our world divided by hatred, homophobia, violence, war, tribalism, nepotism (both in political and ecclesial circles), indeed, the example of the woman of Shunem and the invitation of Jesus require an imminent and immediate response. Nowhere is welcome more needed than in our world at this present time. Especially in our country Nigeria where we are swimming in a dangerous sea of tribal hatred and rejection, uncertainty and insecurity; where everything seems to be disintegrating, it is high time this reality facing us be stripped of the intellectual, political and religious verbalizing that it is normally clothed in. Our country Nigeria has reached a turning-point and it easy enough to slide into “only God knows what”. We have to rediscover the one universal language of a life lived out in love, acceptance of the other and hospitality. May the words of Jesus find a fitting place in our hearts and in our dear country! May Mary the model of Christian hospitality, the woman who made a space in her heart for the Word just as she made a space in her womb for his body, the woman who pondered His words in her heart so that gradually her whole life was filled with his presence, intercede for us. Amen!!!

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

Do Not Be Afraid!

 (Homily 12^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Yr-A)

    The liturgy of the Word today presents before us situations of anguish and terror. First it is seen in the prophecy of Jeremiah in the first reading, he was constrained to announce violence and oppression, and his enemies accused him of spreading terror around. And they threatened to speak out against him. As such, the prophet was living in fear. The second situation of anguish is that of the psalmist: “It is for you that I suffer taunts, that shame has covered my face. To my own kin I have become an outcast, a stranger to the children of my mother…and taunts against you fall on me” (Ps. 69:7-9). Furthermore, the first reading and the Gospel passages insist on two characteristics of the Christian existence: the difficulties and the persecutions; and trust in God, which dispels every fear. Prophet Jeremiah confessed, putting words in the mouth of God thus: “I have listened to the calumnies of the people” and at the same time he felt encouraged by God’s presence, “But the Lord is with me like a powerful hero” (Jer. 20:10a, 11a). In the same vein, in the Gospel we hear similar words: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul” (Mt. 10:28), these were the words of Jesus to his disciples and to us today. Why should we not be afraid? Because in the words of the second reading, “there is no comparison between the free gift and the offence” (Rm.5:15), between the powers of the persecutors and the power of God.  The effulgence of God’s grace surpasses all. Many of us need to hear these comforting and encouraging words of Jesus: Do not be afraid!

     The first reading (Jer. 20:10-13) presents the figure of prophet Jeremiah, who lived between 650 and 586 B.C., it was an epoch deeply tormented politically and religiously, which will culminate in the conquest of the city of Jerusalem by the Babylonians and in the deportation of the King and the major part of the citizens. Jeremiah remained in the destroyed city, with the poor that escaped from exile. More than the sufferings that were coming as a result of the destruction of the Holy City and the deportation of the citizens, he was object of hostility in the sight of the official representatives of religion and of the Jewish cult, who did not understand his prophetic message. When Jeremiah was deeply oppressed, facing suffering from all angles, prior to the passage of today’s reading, the prophet throw it to God on the face, the fact of being not only abandoned, but disappointed and deceived by God. “Why is my suffering continual, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Truly, for me you are a deceptive stream with uncertain waters!” (Jer. 15:18). And again, “You have seduced me, Yahweh, and I have let myself be seduced; you have overpowered me: you were the stronger. I am a laughing-stock all day long; they all make fun of me” (Jer. 20:7). Those were the words that he used to express his bitter experience.

     This passage from the prophecy of Jeremiah is clearly chosen to suit the Gospel passage, which speaks of the persecution the apostles are going to encounter in their mission. Jeremiah was majorly the prophet that suffered persecution severely on account of his prophetic activity. From his experience came the conception in the later Jewish view that rejection, persecution and martyrdom go hand in hand with the prophetic ministry; this idea appeared in the New Testament (cf. Lk. 11:51, 13:33-34; Mk. 12:1-9). In that perspective, to be a bearer of the word of God amounts to suffering, because the word of God encounters hostility and rejection. From the experience of Jeremiah we can decipher that a Christian is called not only to a prophetic mission of announcing the truth in the name of God, but also of a mission of suffering for the sake of the Good News of Salvation. Jeremiah prefigures the great moment of the revelation that will be fulfilled in Christ.

     In the Gospel (Mt. 10:26-33) Jesus says to his disciples “So do not be afraid of them. Everything now covered up will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from housetops” (vv. 26-27). With these paradoxical expression Jesus entrusts to his disciples the task of announcing the word, of proclaiming the Good News, “without if and but”! This passage of the Gospel can be summed up in one sentence: “Be afraid, don't be afraid." Jesus says: "Fear not men... Fear not those who kill the body, but have no power to kill the soul; rather fear him who has power to destroy both soul and body...” Of men we should neither fear nor fear; of God we should fear, but not fear. So there is a difference between fear and fear and let’s try to understand what it is. Fear is a manifestation of our basic conservation instinct. It is the reaction to a threat brought to our lives, the response to a real or presumed danger: from the greatest danger of all, which is death, to particular hazards that threaten either our tranquility or our physical safety. Fears are like ghosts: they need darkness to act. Now let’s move on to considering the fear of God. The first difference from fear is this: the fear of God must be learned. "Come, children, listen to me, says a psalm; I will teach you the fear of the Lord" (Psalm 33:12). Fear, on the other hand, there is no need to go to school to learn it, it surges suddenly in the face of danger; things take charge of themselves to instill fear in us. The fear of God is a component of faith: it is born from knowing who God is. In the face of the miracle of the paralyzed who, at the word of Jesus, stands up and walks, the sacred author said that "everyone was amazed and gave praise to God; full of fear they said: Today we have seen miraculous things" (Lk. 5:26). Fear, as you can see, is another name for awe and praise. It is even one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (cf. Is. 11:2).

     Jesus offers us some motivations for which we should not be afraid, he gives us some remedies to our fears. He says: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul…Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair of your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid” (vv. 28-31). Here, Jesus evokes the paternity of God as a reason for which we should not be afraid. As such, the revelation of the paternity of God and the revelation of a life after death sustain the invitation of Jesus. Not only that, the death and resurrection of Christ are also guarantee for us not to be afraid, for this St. Paul courageously affirmed that “If God is for us, who can be against us?... Who can bring any accusation against those that God has chosen? When God grants saving justice who can condemn?... Who can separate us from the love of Christ?... No, we come through all these things triumphantly victorious, by the power of him who loved us” (Rm. 8:31-39). With each of those words he alludes to an event that really happened to him. And then he looked at all these things in the light of the great certainty that God loves him and concludes triumphantly: “In all these things we overcome through Him who loved us.” We are invited to do the same.

     Extrapolating from this passage we see certain attitudes and behavior that we Christians are tempted to assume in our existential experience: ●First, the most immediate risk is the temptation to abandon the Christian commitment of living as a Christian and return to live according to the spirit of the world. ●Second, is the temptation to believe that with Christ we have arrived at a certain privileged position of living in serenity and quietude, a sort of exemption from suffering and tribulation. Jesus does not give us any guarantee to that effect, instead he encourages us not to be afraid. ●Third, is the sense of fear that can take over a Christian. The message of Christ will always be provocative, and before the world those who live and announce the message of Christ will be confronted, rejected and persecuted. Many a times, Jesus makes reference to this fundamental condition of the Christian existence. It is as if the Christian existence is always exposed to risk, opposition, and even the danger of losing one’s life. And from this situation fear can emerge, which can paralyze a Christian to the point of denying Christ or be ashamed of being called a Christian. It is incumbent upon this conviction that Jesus repeatedly exhorted his disciples thus: “do not be afraid”. The disciples of Christ are therefore, invited not be afraid of those that persecute them or of the world that gangs up against them because: No human power can stop the success of the Word of God; God assures them of his Providence, He promises to safeguard them as he takes care of the birds in the sky and the flowers in the field (cf. Mt. 6:26-30) and for them He knows how to draw something good from evil. And finally, because God is on our side, on the side of his disciples, as he was on the side of Jeremiah in the first reading.

     On the other hand, our Christian life has to be founded on a certain type of fear, a healthy fear. Not the fear of or for persecution and threats, rather the fear of God and the divine judgment. For we know, as the word of God has made us to understand that at the end of our life, we shall be judged. Healthy fear therefore, entails living coherently and adhering to the Gospel, reverence for God. A Christian is therefore, called to be courageous and strong in proclaiming his faith in Christ and in the Gospel, and always ready to confront dangers on account of this. St. Peter gives us the spiritual secret code thus: “Simply proclaim the Lord Christ holy in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for the people who ask you the reason for the hope that you have” (1Pt. 3:15).

     However, giving the foundation of our Christian faith, a convinced Christian does not fear men of this world, for Jesus in the passage of today’s Gospel repeated three good times: “So do not be afraid of them” (Mt. 10:26); “Do not be afraid of those…” (Mt. 10:28); “So there is no need to be afraid” (Mt. 10:31). The disciple of Christ should not be afraid of those who persecute them, because we know that God is always on our side, as in the case of Jeremiah in the first reading, he felt the presence of God at his side, notwithstanding the persecutions he was passing through. However, let us appropriate the word of God in the Gospel of John “I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have hardship, but be courageous: I have conquered the world” (Jn. 16:33), yes our courage is founded on his victory. A Christian is therefore, called to be courageous and strong in proclaiming his faith in Christ and in the Gospel, and always ready to confront dangers on account of this. “Simply proclaim the Lord Christ holy in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for the people who ask you the reason for the hope that you have” (1Pt. 3:15). Therefore, if we are Christians we have to confess Christ openly in every situation, without fear and shame, like St. Paul who was glorying in the cross of Christ.

     Jesus warns us that if anyone disowns him in the presence of human beings, he will disown that person in the presence of his Father in heaven (v.33). Jesus is thus, calling us to proclaim his message of salvation with courage, with our lips and our lives. Our world today has distanced herself from Christ and his message, has many a times disowned him and relegated the Christian values to the background, there is need of a “re-evangelization”. Our world today needs to be re-evangelized, few years ago the discourse and the concern on “New Evangelization” was very strong and intense. Behold, I think there is need to return to that awareness, but now from a different standpoint, we need to deepen the consciousness of the necessity of a continuous evangelization, at the personal and collective levels.

     The second reading (Rm. 5:12-15) expounds the liberating power and effects of Christ’s redemption. It is freedom and emancipation from sin and death. St. Paul makes a sort of comparison between Adam and Christ while enunciating our liberation from sin and death. Disobedience, sin and death were prevalent in Adam, but through and in Christ obedience, free gift of grace and life were made manifest. However, we should jettison the idea that Adam sort of introduced a hereditary stain, which is somehow biologically transmittable; rather the fact is that all men sinned like Adam. Adam opened the door to sin and death. In the passage St. Paul affirmed that “There is no comparison between the free gift and the offence. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have grace of God and the free gift in the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many” (v.15). It therefore, entails that God’s grace is much greater than our sin. The grace of God abounds for all. That is the basis of our trust and confidence. In the face of persecutions, criticisms, rejections, indifference and incomprehension we neither rely on our strength, nor on our morals. The rock of our trust and confidence is the grace of God, manifested as a gratuitous Gift in Jesus Christ.

     No doubt, there are many things that threaten our internal peace, many things that frighten us. Many a times we are afraid of the future, afraid of sickness and death, but contrarily to all forms and manifestations of fear and anguish in our life, Jesus says: “do not be afraid”. In fact, the Bible is full of this hopeful reassurance of God “do not be afraid”. To Abram God says “do not be afraid” (Gen. 15:1; 26:24) even when He called him to leave his own country for an unknown country. To the prophets God says “do not be afraid” (Is. 41:10; 43:5; Jer. 1:8) for I am with you. Also to Mary God through his angel says “do not be afraid” (Lk. 1:30). When Jesus was sending his apostles on mission, he reminded them of the possibility of persecution, however, he says to them: “do not worry about how to speak or what to say” (Mt. 10:19). And to all his disciples Jesus says “do not be afraid, little flock” (Lk. 12:32). You too, do not be afraid!

     Today there are many things that threaten our life and well-being, many situations that make us be encapsulated by fear. Ranging from the current social and political upheaval, economic instability and moral decadence have plunged us more than ever in a long dark tunnel that we are desperately waiting and looking for rays of hope. Thus, in this dramatic situation of fear and uncertainty, Jesus’ words resound: “do not be afraid”. Jesus explains in the Gospel the inseparable connection between fear and trust in God. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair of your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid” (vv. 28-31). God doesn't want us to create fear but trust. Indeed, Jesus’ words fall like a healing balm: Nonlite timere. It is like a refrain that resounds in the words of Jesus. Before anything else, it is worthwhile to allow these words and invitation of Jesus to inhabit in our hearts, “do not be afraid”. Today more than ever, we need these reassuring words of Jesus. We need not only someone, but ‘Someone’ who calms us, who reassures us that there is still hope. Truly, in our present situation of fear, anguish, hunger, desperation and sickness, we need to hear the voice of Jesus. Beloved in Christ, the most important revelation about God to emerge from the Gospels is that he is a caring God, a compassionate and forgiving God, and a God who is on our side. Therefore, no matter what we are facing or whatever is facing us, our attitude must be that of the psalmist when he says, “In God I trust I shall not fear” (Ps. 56:11).

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