Man’s Helplessness and the Greatness of God’s Merciful Love!

(Homily 4^th Sunday of Lent –Year B)

     An in-depth reflection on the readings of today reveals that the themes running through the three readings are mercy and love. It was out of his unfathomable mercy that God never relented in his effort in bringing back the Israelites when they strayed. St. John in today’s gospel passage evoked those reassuring words that depict the density and immensity of God’s mercy and love, thus: “for God so loved the world”. And in the epistle reading, St. Paul draws the matter from theological to its existential implication “God who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ”. Be that as it may, though the readings of today hinge more on God’s merciful love, however, the second reading and the gospel implicitly or explicitly introduced the theme of the Cross. The theme per excellence of this liturgical season. And as our Paschal celebration draws closer we cannot but be reminded that Jesus did not accept the Cross for fun, rather he did to show us the high price of his love, the Psalmist affirmed that the price is too high (cf. Ps. 49:8a). Therefore, behind the Cross, we cannot but see a borderless love. The Cross is the palestra of God’s love and mercy. Above all else, however, the image of God presented today is that of a loving and merciful Father, who is in a relentless and persistent search for his sons and daughters. If he reaches you with his words, make a U-turn back to him, pay him back love with love. Make a move!

     The first reading (2 Chron.36:14-16.19-23), presents a consequential explanation of the exile, as a divine punishment. From the parlance of the chronicler, the punishment was both for the pre-exilic priests and the people, for they failed to listen to the pre-exilic prophets. The book of chronicles presents in a condensed manner the history of Israel, and at the heart of this history is the affirmation thus: “In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests and the people added infidelity to infidelity”. Drawing the issue further, one could opine that this not only depicts the historical reality of the Israelites but that of humanity as whole. They practiced all sorts of abomination and polluted God’s temple. The writer then enumerated the different steps that God took to bring them back, “God send messenger after messenger to them, for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God. Despised his warnings and scoffed at his prophets” (2Chron. 36:15-16). 

     God persistently sent messengers but they refused to turn back to God. Truly, this indicates that God’s mercy and love go before his justice, for God did not condemn them out rightly, rather he went in search of them with his merciful love. But consequently, their stubbornness of heart brought about God’s wrath and justice, for the city and the temple were destroyed and they were taken to exile by the Chaldeans. The captivating fact about God’s mercy or love is that it does not give up on us, for even when the people were in exile out of their stubbornness of heart, God’s mercy was still searching and waiting for them. Indeed, we could say that God’s mercy and justice are intertwined, for in Hebrew ‘tsedakah’ can stand for both charity (mercy) and justice. Behold, at the heart of the spirituality of Lent is the rediscovery of God’s mercy and love, a mercy that never ends (Lam. 3:22) and a love that endures forever (Ps. 136:1).

     Apparently, the reading does not relate to either the epistle or the Gospel readings, and as such one may wonder the reason for its choice. Indeed, the idea behind the choice revolves around the fact that the exile in Babylon was a type of Christian Lent, and the return forms a sort of Crucifixion and Resurrection. And indeed, the theme of the cross implicitly or explicitly dovetails into the three readings.

     In the second reading (Eph.2:4-10) St. Paul affirmed that “God who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ”. St. Paul further buttressed that we are saved by God’s grace. Indeed, grace brings God’s merciful love at the doorpost of our hearts and life. It is this gratuitous gift (Grace) of God that merited us Salvation. Furthermore, this passage associates baptism with the death and resurrection of Christ. It goes further to buttress the point raised in other Pauline writings on death, resurrection and baptism (cf. Col.2:12, Rm. 6). Ephesians 2 opines that we are not only risen with Christ that we are already in heaven with him. Be that as it may, the fact of being in heaven with Christ should not induce in us the feeling of being arrived or intoxicated of being in heaven. For this, the author further added that by grace you have been saved. This was expounded in v.8 “by grace through faith”. Indeed, the Pauline affirmation that we are in heaven already shouldn’t make us relent in our daily effort to live as God’s children, rather it should serve as a constant reminder for our relentless moral effort to live with heaven in view.

     The Gospel (Jn. 3:14-21) presents the continuation of the dialogue and encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus. Prior to this moment, Nicodemus had come to Jesus at night to ask what he must do to inherit the kingdom of God and our Lord told him that he must be born again. In that encounter Nicodemus asked threefold questions (vv. 2.4.9) and each of the questions gave rise to a pronouncement from Jesus. The first part of the discourse explains the necessity for rebirth as an essential requirement for entrance into the Kingdom of God. The second part from which the passage of today’s gospel is taken, explains that this rebirth can only be realized through the “lifting up” of the Son of Man, that is, the death and glorification of Christ.

     In the passage, the evangelist affirms strongly that the cross is an act of divine love per excellence: “for God so loved the world that he gave his Only Son” (3:16). Verse 16 reveals the initiative of the Father, who offers his Son, a supreme expression of his love for the world. This is equally in connection with the opening words of the epistle reading. Without mincing words, at the heart of the Johannine affirmation about God’s love, is the revelation that God wants our salvation at all cost. The phrase “God so loved the world” is the central verse of the Gospel of John, and even believed to be the summary of the Gospel and the entire Scripture. It is a verse with words replete with stupor each time we hear it. It is an illuminating love. Indeed, with this “love” the night of Nicodemus and our nights are illumined and we are reborn, we are reborn in faith, hope and trust. This verse is really captivating, for it is not only man that is loved, but the world, all the created order. The term ‘world’ has a positive connotation in the present context, and it designates humanity in her entirety. As such, if God so loved even the earth, we too have to love it. In that phrase Jesus reveals that God has consideration for the world, for man, little wonder, He willingly lost his Son in order to purchase us. For this St. Paul asserted that, “through his blood, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins. Such is the richness of the grace” (Eph. 1:17). The psalmist both captured our helplessness and the greatness of God’s merciful love thus “But no one can ever redeem himself or pay his own ransom to God, the price for himself is too high” (Ps. 49:7-8a). God through Jesus Christ paid this price that is too high, at the cost of his blood. God so loved the world, but man is destroying it. God so loved us, but we are instead killing each other. God’s love should propel us to love each other too!

     Our evangelist puts the verb “God so loved the world” in past tense (aorist tense), to indicate that the love God has for us is not something to be realized in the future or something that happened momentarily, rather the tense of the verb indicates the certainty and realism of this love, for he continues to love us even when we stray. With the death of his Son, God demonstrates that his love for us is not a long distance and disinterested love affair.                     Drawing the issue further, we may well affirm that God’s ultimate desire for everyone is salvation. And for the realization of this desire, Jesus speaks of his total self-giving and the mystery of the Cross. In fact, St. Paul puts it thus: “Christ Jesus, who offered himself as a ransom for all” (1Tim. 2:5b-6a). Jesus indicated a symbol to Nicodemus, that bronze serpent that was lifted by Moses for the healing of the Israelites bitten by the snakes. Similarly, Jesus will be lifted up and he will save who turns his gaze towards him. The serpent that Moses raised is nothing but a prophetic prefiguration of the crucifixion of the Son of man. In the context of the Israelites whoever that looked on the serpent was healed, but now we are called to turn our gaze towards the Son of Man, therefore now whoever that looks at the Crucified with the eyes of faith, will have eternal life. The Israelites that looked at the serpent regained only physical health, but whoever that fixes his gaze on the Crucified-Risen Lord gains fullness of life (Jn. 10:10) and the blood and water that gushed forth from his pierced side (Jn.19:34) is a true fountain of eternal life, which is the knowledge of the One Sent! “And eternal life is this: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (Jn. 17:3).

     Beloved brothers and sisters, we have to ask ourselves the pertinent question, concerning where we have kept our gaze today, is our gaze fixed on Jesus or on all sorts of idols? Remember the condition for being saved is remaining focused on Him with faith. St. John added an encouraging but emblematic verdict that “though the light has come into the world people have preferred darkness to the light because their deeds were evil” (Jn. 3:19). Unfortunately, this preference for darkness and evil still continues today. The initiative of God that was manifested through Christ was not aimed at the extermination of the wicked, rather to the salvation of the world. And the fate of every man is dependent on his choice, if he opens up to the love of God or rejects it. Thus, if he chooses darkness or Light. Lord Jesus help us to understand and appreciate the high price of your love, and to pay you back love with love!

Wishing you all a grace-filled Sunday!!!

(Fr. Vitus M.C. Unegbu)

The Echoes of the Decalogue and The Ideal Temple!

(Homily 3^rd Sunday of Lent –Year B)

     Today being the third Sunday of Lent, the Church continues to invite us to have our gaze fixed on the events of Jesus Passion, death and resurrection. In fact, the readings and events of the Lenten season are programmatic and interconnected. On the first Sunday we read the Gospel passage of the temptation of Jesus, which took place in the desert. On the second Sunday we reflected on the event of Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain. And in today’s Gospel we read about the cleansing of the Temple by Jesus. Extrapolating from the above, so far, the contexts of the Gospel readings have offered us three vital places for a special encounter with God: Desert, Mountain and Temple. Thus, it serves as a reminder to us, that the period of Lent is and ought to be a season of special encounter with the Lord, through our prayers, words and actions. And no doubt, the Decalogue is for us a guide. Therefore, today, we are not contemplating the victorious (over temptations) nor the glorious face of Jesus (the transfiguration), rather his ‘angry’ face (in the temple). Indeed, we are reminded that adherence to God’s word and a courageous fidelity to God are at the basis of the spirituality of lent.

     In the First Reading (Exodus 20:1-17), God gave the Israelites a set of rules meant to direct their lives and relationship with God and with their neighbors. This set of rules is traditionally known as the Ten Commandments or the Decalogue. The Decalogue is often seen as the summary of Christian moral obligation. The Decalogue appears in two places in the scriptures, precisely in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5. The two versions differ mainly with regards to the commandment on Sabbath. The Decalogue can be divided into two, the first part on the duties to God, and the second part on the duties to the neighbor. The Ten Commandments are rules of conduct that guide man’s relationship with his fellow man, and man’s relationship with God. They do not remove possibilities to sin, rather they make us to be conscious of the possibility to sin. Similarly, between the Decalogue and the cleansing of the Temple is a call to authentic and courageous religiosity. And in particular a brief story of a friend will throw more light:

A priest was coming back to his parish one evening in the dark, only to be accosted by a robber who pulled a gun at him and demanded, “Your money or your life!” As the priest reached his hand into his coat pocket, the robber saw his Roman collar and said, “So you are a priest? Then you can go.” The priest was rather surprised at this unexpected show of piety and so tried to reciprocate by offering the robber his packet of cigarettes, to which the robber replied, “No, Father, I don’t smoke during Lent.”

Interestingly, one can see how this robber is trying to keep the pious observance of not smoking during Lent, but he virtually forgets the more fundamental commandment of God, “You shall not steal.”

     In the Gospel (John 2:13-25), Jesus gives us a clearer picture of what religiosity or piety beyond mere observance of the law entails. Today in the Gospel Jesus goes radical, he loses his cool. A thorough reading of the fourth gospel reveals that the public ministry of Jesus began with two extra-ordinary events: the wedding feast at Cana, where he performed his first miracle or sign of turning water into wine; and in Jerusalem, in the temple where he chased merchants out of the temple. Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem and saw those who were buying and selling animals and he drove them all away with a whip and went further to overturn the tables of the money changers. A careful look into the event would reveal that Jesus went there, above all, to cleanse the temple and equally, to convey the message that true religiosity is not all about observing the religious laws and ordinances but also the capacity of a convinced performance.

     The primal collocation of the Purification of the temple at the beginning of his Gospel shows that for St. John it is a very important event. The reason behind Jesus action of chasing the merchants away, was as a result of a diffused mentality of that period, the tendency and temptation of thinking that they can buy favor from God. Is a call to guide against the commercialization of religion and faith. As a matter fact, the money changers and the animal sellers in today’s Gospel made an error of judgment about what they could do in the temple, but upon his arrival Jesus seized the occasion to correct that mentality. Sometimes, we may be influenced by the society and people around us; by what we see and hear in the televisions and over the radios respectively.

     There is indeed, a connection between the two episodes that constitute the beginning of the revelation of Jesus. While the sign of Cana represents the first manifestation of the glory of the Messiah, the purification of the temple prefigures his death and resurrection, the culminating point of his mission, which will reveal fully his identity and the redemptive love of the Father. In the episode of the cleansing of the temple, Jesus manifests for the first time his divine son ship, when he declared the temple as the “house of his Father” (v.16), which implies a special relationship with the Father (Lk. 2:49). At that point, the disciples remembered the words of the psalmist thus: “I am eaten up with zeal for your house” (cf. Ps. 69:9). In the passage, we see a version of the cleansing of the temple, which is parallel, but however stands out from the synoptic version. The fourth gospel combines two different events found in the synoptic gospel: 1) the cleansing of the temple (Mk. 11:11.15-19); 2) the prediction of the temple’s destruction (Mk. 14:55-58). More than that, John introduced some other elements not found in the synoptic. For instance: whips: which denotes the degree of force used by Jesus and the allusion that the incident took place when the temple is 46 years since its erection.

     After that incident the Pharisees demanded a sign from Jesus, and behold Jesus told them that he could rebuild the temple in three days. In that bid, Jesus introduced a new understanding of the temple. Henceforth, temple is not only to be understood only as temple-building, but also temple-body. For he was referring to the temple that is, his body. This substitution of Christ for the temple is indeed John’s proprium. This goes a long way in expressing the spiritual intimate relationship that exists between the believers and God. This not only reveals the intimate rapport between man and God, the presence of God in the life of believers, but above all, a privileged task and responsibility to be conscious of Him who inhibits in us and live accordingly. Extrapolating from that perspective, if my body too is the temple of God, likewise my neighbors’, this should propel us to see and recognize the presence of God in others, to see the other as a sacrament of God’s presence and thus to respect, revere and love him/her. Behold, the paramount message of the purification of the temple revolves essentially around the revelation of Jesus himself, as privileged place of God’s presence amongst men. He is the spiritual temple of the New Covenant. Jesus is the New Place of Divine presence, which will be the center of the worship “in spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:23). He is the spiritual temple from which the waters of the Spirit will flow (cf. Ez. 47; Jn. 7:38), that will be the sanctuary of the risen body of Christ. Be that as it may, brethren, as His Spirit dwells in our bodies, our bodies too will become temples of and for God (cf. 1 Cor. 3:16, 2Cor. 6:16). Indeed, we are immersed in this new perspective of Jesus: temple-body, thereby, our bodies become the temple of God who inhabits in us. In the epistle reading, the apostle speaks of the wisdom and power of God, which inaugurates a new dispensation and launches a novelty in the way of worship, as denoted by Jesus’ action in the gospel.

     In the second reading (1Cor 1:22-25), St. Paul writes from the debt of his enriching experience of preaching to both Jews and Gentiles. He discovered that the Jews were in quest for a sign, a miracle (as we can see in today’s gospel: Jn. 2:18), as a proof of the authenticity of his message. On the other hand, the Greeks looked for wisdom, as such, they were ready to accept Christianity, if it was presented in a convincing understanding of the universe and man. At the time of St. Paul’s writing, the Corinthians desired for wisdom and not signs.

     Behold, St. Paul did not repudiate the quest either of the Jews or the Gentiles, instead he tried to connect it with the message of the cross. In the parlance of St. Paul, the cross is “dynamis”, power. Interestingly, dynamis is a word that is frequently used for miracle and it corresponds to sign and wisdom as well. But the “power” that Paul was talking about here is a paradoxical type of power and wisdom that may be apparently seen as foolishness in human parlance. However, it takes faith in God to penetrate the density and immensity of the wisdom behind the folly and the power behind the weakness. In a similar vein, for those who do not have faith in God, the cross and its message remain a scandal and folly. But for believers it is God’s dynamis.

     Above all, Lent is a period to reform and renew our consciences, it is a privileged moment to remove from our live whatever that is based, a period to overturn the tables. The action of Jesus in the temple serves as a reminder to us that every authentic encounter with Him cannot but overhaul us totally. May we allow our consciences to be formed by his word and his message to turn us around for a positive change, for as today’s response to the Psalm says: “You, Lord have the message of eternal life” (Jn. 6:68) Amen!!! Wish you all a grace-filled Sunday!!!

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

Divine Manifestation In Man’s Favor!

(Homily 2^nd Sunday of Lent –Year B)

     In exception of what I read and see on movies about mountains, I never knew the existential importance of mountains, until my experience at the Northern part of Italy. There, people go to the mountain for relaxation, to enjoy the beauty of nature, to enjoy fresh and uncontaminated air, it is a place of peace, tranquility and rest. It does not only introduce one in a wonderful contact with nature, it also leads to the imagination of the brain behind such beauty, and as such to the Creator. In the Sacred scriptures, the mountain is a place of encounter between God and man. It is equally a place of prayer and divine manifestation. When I remember the first time I climbed a mountain, I recognize the reason why God asked Abraham to go to mount Moriah for the sacrifice of his son Isaac and the aim of Jesus for climbing the mountain, without being told. Extrapolating from our readings today, it behooves us to affirm that the scenario and context for today’s message is the mountain: Mount Moriah and the High Mountain as portrayed by St. Mark (Isaac for sacrifice and Jesus for transfiguration). Be that as it may, every second Sunday of Lent the Church invites us to reflect on the episode of Jesus’ Transfiguration. For his Transfiguration is an indication that we his followers should also strive to be transfigured, to change in mind and heart.

     The first reading (Gn.22:1-2.9a10-13.15-18) is a masterpiece on God’s faithfulness and Abraham’s correspondence. It presents the emblematic passage of the sacrifice of Isaac, which as a matter of fact, was for the early church a prototype of Christ’s death. Therein, we were told about the experience of childlessness of Abraham and his wife Sara for many years. However, they believed that God will bless them one day, even though they were troubled. Their faith in God never wavered. At the appointed time God blessed them with a son, they named him Isaac. Surprisingly, when the child was coming of age something happened. God asked Abraham to take his only son Isaac to a specified place where he would be killed and used as a victim for a sacrifice to God. Abraham did not ask God why he should do so. He simply took the child and the other materials for the sacrifice and left to Mount Moriah, which means God will provide. Moriah was the destination for the sacrifice. And upon reaching there, when he was about killing the child for the sacrifice, then “the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”…Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only-begotten son, from me…And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram”.

          God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, not as if God takes pleasure in the sacrifice of human blood, rather it was a test of Abraham’ faith. The event of Abraham’s demonstration of faith teaches us two important things: It forbids the practice of human sacrifice in any form and emphasizes on the importance of sacrifice. Just like Abraham was set to offer something very precious to him, we need to acquire the same attitude, our sacrifice must touch us to our inner most being, it must pinch us, else it risks becoming a mere religious observance. True sacrifice is not all about giving or sacrificing from our abundance, rather from our scarcity and from our hearts too. It is on this basis that we can posit that the selfless gesture of love of Abraham who wanted to sacrifice his only son, Isaac can be considered a parallel to God’s love for mankind in offering his only Son to save the world.

     The event of the sacrifice of Isaac must have fostered St. Paul to affirm in the second reading (Rm. 8:31b-34) that “God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all”. Upon proper gaze in the story of Isaac’s sacrifice, we have come to comprehend, at the second level that the interest of the episode lies not merely on the test of Abraham’s faith (cf Heb 11:17) as portrayed in Judaism, nor on the abandonment of human sacrifice. Rather the interest was often put together with emphasis on Isaac’s voluntary surrender of his life. And as a matter of fact, an atoning undertone was attributed to this voluntary surrender of his life by Isaac.

     Drawing the issue further, St. Paul takes up the pattern of paternal self-sacrifice to show the density of God’s love for mankind. For in the person and the works of the Son, we experience deeply the immensity of the father’s love. Who “did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all”. In the immensity of his love, God does not withhold anything for himself, he gives all in and with love. It was upon discovering this that St. Paul vehemently questioned: “who can separate us from the love of God?” With this assurance of faith we can stand our ground before any kind of persecution, difficulties and challenges in life. In all, His love super abounds!

     In this passage of the epistle, St. Paul raises a number of rhetoric questions, in those questions he highlights all that God in Christ has done and is still doing for us. He affirmed that “God did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all” (Rm. 8:32), and this points to the event of Isaac and it is equally connected with the intercession of Christ in heaven (cf. Rm.34b). What Roman 8:32 means is that God gave up what is most precious to Him. We have the confirmation of the value God placed on his Son Jesus Christ in the Gospel reading where he said: “this is my beloved son; listen to him”. Indeed, God gave up His “Isaac” so that we can be pardoned and redeemed.

     The gospel passage (Mk. 9:2-10) is the Markan version of the transfiguration of Jesus. The word transfiguration simply means change of figure, and symbolically, it is an anticipation of the resurrection. Put in another way, it means giving up the present figure and obtaining another one. He transfigured before them or He changed in appearance. And then the voice of the Father from the clouds reveals who Jesus is: “This is my Son, my beloved. Listen to Him.” God the Father reveals that Jesus is not only a man, He is also God. The context of the transfiguration event, is a place where God declared the mission of the Son: “This is my beloved Son, listen to him”. After the father’s voice, Jesus readily climbed down from the mountain of glory to the valley of human predicament and suffering. While he was coming down from the mountain Jesus ordered his disciples not to talk about the transfiguration until after his resurrection. This therefore, entails that the full meaning of the cross will be comprehended only in the light of the resurrection. And after this moment of obscurity, the gospel presents a luminous moment, on which we have to fix our gaze especially in difficult and bloody moments of life.

     In his narrative, Mark provides a number of factors peculiar to his gospel: ●Mark unlike the other synoptic did not mention the change of Jesus’ face. ●He emphasized on the whiteness of Jesus garments. ●He places the name of Elijah before that of Moses (v.4a). ●He stressed on Peter’s bewilderment and lack of understanding (v.6). ●He maintains that the three disciples were also bewildered about his allusion to the resurrection of the dead (v.10). ●There was equally a command of silence until after the resurrection, Mathew reported this command, but Luke omitted it. ●Mark laid emphasis on the incomprehension of Jesus by the disciples and the command to silence, which is in connection with the Markan messianic secret. Although in the previous chapters it was addressed to those healed from diseases and to Demons, but in our present context it is addressed to the disciples.

     Be that as it may, one may ask the essence of this command. The essence of this command boils down to the fact that Mark intends to formulate an understanding of the person of Jesus Christ (his Christology). At the heart of Marks understanding, is the conception of Jesus as the suffering Son of man, opposed to a popular understanding of him as one with divine powers manifested in the miracles and culminates in the transfiguration event. Another second question we may ask is this: why do the disciples fail to understand? They seem to be representatives of the church at that time, which was more attracted to Jesus’ epiphany of divine powers. However, like the blind man of the eightieth chapter, they will gradually understand that Jesus is not merely the epiphany of God, but also the suffering Son of God. In all, the final disclosure is that the true disciples will come after the resurrection (14:28; 16:7); when they will see the Risen Lord in Galilee. For it will lack logicality, if the transfiguration is disclosed before the death and resurrection, that would imply glory without the cross. At the heart of this narrative is the age-long assertion: “No cross, no crown”.

     Above all, brethren, to experience transfiguration one needs to let go certain things at the foot of the mountain. The Lenten season therefore, is a period of mountain climbing. The time we are required to let go of certain things and let God in. There will be no transfiguration unless there is a decisive letting go of the contending factors in our life and the ill-behaviours. We are transfigured when we live for God and not just for ourselves. In all, the psalmist concludes with stupendous words in Ps.116 thus “You have loosed my bonds”. This focuses on the deliverance of a righteous man, thereby recalling the liberation and deliverance of Isaac. With this in mind we pray God to loosen every form of bonds in our life, as we continue our Lenten journey. May His presence be manifested in our difficult moments as in the case of Abraham and Isaac. May He speak for us in decisive moments of our life. Amen!!!

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

Because He Won, We Shall Also Win!

(Homily 1^st Sunday of Lent, Year B)

      In this first Sunday of lent the word of God through the readings continue to invite us to embark on a journey of rediscovery of what God has wrought for us in and through his Son Jesus Christ, and what ought to be our corresponding reaction to that great manifestation of God’s love and tenderness. Lent above all, is a journey of 40 days, and as we know the number 40 is biblically symbolic. For instance: during Noah's time the rains came down for a period of forty days and forty nights (Gn. 7:4); Moses was with God in the mountain for forty days and forty nights while he was receiving the commandments (Ex. 24:18; 34:28); The Israelites where in the wilderness for forty years before they reached the Promised Land (Num. 14:33-34);
God gave Nineveh forty days to repent (Jon. 3:4); Jesus remained on earth forty days after resurrection (Acts 1:3). In a nutshell, it indicates a period of intense spiritual experience. Therefore is a moment to ask ourselves: what are we to do? (cf. Acts 2; 37), upon consideration of all that God did, does and will do for us. In all, the readings of this period are geared towards the preparation of the faithful for an active and adequate participation in the paschal mystery, and concretely for an authentic Christian living.

     The first reading (Gen. 9:8-15) presents the covenant with Noah, and this of all the other Old Testament covenants stands out, for the covenant was made not only with Israel, but with the whole of human race. At the heart of this covenant, is God’s decision not to destroy the earth again by a flood. The flood is only a symbol of a devastation brought by sin. This reveals that it is the ultimate will of God to preserve and to redeem the earth and not to destroy it. Just as it is typical of the Bible, every covenant is accompanied by a sign, and in the case of this, it is a God-given sign of a rainbow. God’s intervention is not to destroy as portrayed in the story, but rather to renew and reconstruct. In all, the essence of this reading, as the message from the epistle reading shows, revolves around the fact that Noah’s flood could be seen as a prefiguration of Christian baptism.

     The second reading (1Pt. 3:18-22) talks about the redemptive death of Christ and its reconciliatory dimension. In particular, the first two lines express the atoning efficacy of Christ’s death. In his words, St. Peter affirmed that “Christ himself died for our sins, to lead us to God” (1Pt. 3:18). However, the allusion to Baptism connects the first and the second reading, whereby, the flood of Noah is referenced to Christian baptism. An analogy is drawn between the waters of the flood and the water of baptism. St. Peter underscores that baptism saves us not as a removal of dirt from our body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience (1Pt. 3:21), here clear or good conscience points to repentance from ones sins and faith in Jesus Christ. St. Peter used the story of the flood to explain the effects of baptism. The water of baptism has the same effect as the water of the flood, it destroys the old person brings and forth the new. Baptism marks the end of sin, of hatred and begins a new life in the Spirit. This is made possible through his redemptive passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.

     Above all, give or take, the existential import of this passage centers on the rediscovery of what the Lord Jesus Christ did for us, he died for our sins, and the purpose of this was to lead us to God. And once led to God let us not turn our back on him, for as St. Paul says “Christ set us free, so that we should remain free” (Gal. 5:1). As we journey along in this Lenten season let us make effort to return and remain where our Redeemer has led us to.

     The gospel passage (Mk. 1:12-15) is a narrative of the Markan version of the temptation of Jesus. On this event, the account of Mark is brief, unlike the accounts of Mathew and Luke, but dense in significance. Mark does not report the threefold temptation and the affirmation that Jesus fasted. It is the spirit that moved Jesus to the wilderness, where he was to satisfy his desires for silence and prayer. He remained there for 40 days, the number 40 here is connected to the 40 years of the Israelites towards their liberation, it indicates a generation, that is, a life time. This first of all, entails that all his life Jesus desired to remain in contact with the Father. All his life Jesus combacted against the one who divides, against the Adversary, the Devil. We are told that our Lord was driven (or moved) into the desert by the Spirit; the Holy Spirit (cf. Mat.4:1). From the passage, we understand that the movement of our Lord into the wilderness was a response to the action of the Holy Spirit. A personal question can be formulated thus: “what is it that really moves you?” What is it that is moving you this Lenten season? The Spirit or our aspirations and inordinate desires? We can also recall that during his baptism, the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended upon him in form of a dove. It is that same Holy Spirit that drove him into the desert where he stayed for forty days and forty nights. Now let us look at the place he was driven to by the Holy Spirit; the wilderness. In the bible, wilderness is often described as a wasteland, an arid region, dry land without water (Psalm 63:1; 107:4). In fact, this particular place is also called desert in some translations. The two are simply one and the same place (Isaiah 35:1). It was into this area that the Spirit moved our Lord Jesus Christ and he did not go there for pleasure or sight seeing. He was there to fast and to pray for a definite period of forty days.

     Afterwards, he was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. But Jesus is able to resist the temptation because of His determination to remain faithful to the mission entrusted to Him by His Father. After conquering the Devil, he began to call people to conversion, to a change of life “The time is fulfilled (the time of grace, favour), and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the Gospel,” (v. 15). This cry of Jesus summarizes the challenge for all Christians during this season of Lent. And so on this First Sunday of Lent, we are invited to reflect on the urgency of the call for repentance. And no doubt, at the heart of the Lenten season lies the vitality and freshness of Jesus’ invitation to conversion for the nearness of God’s Kingdom. Indeed, the clarion call by Jesus (v. 15) contains two points. The first is ‘to reform’ our lives. The second is “to believe in the gospel”. Let’s begin with the first point: the reform of our lives. To ‘reform’ is an invitation to spiritual renewal, and to do this, we need to recognize the evil in our lives and to turn our back to it. It entails freeing ourselves from all that separate us from Christ, in order to be free for all that connect us to Him. As such, the journey of lent entails a twofold movement of freedom from and freedom for (Freedom from evil and freedom for Christ). The second point of this instruction of Jesus is: “believe in the gospel” This means that we have to believe that Jesus is the Son of God who comes to us as a Man and saves us from our sinfulness. It entails seeking out Jesus especially in the Sacrament of Penance and receiving from Him forgiveness and spiritual healing.

     In the passage, Mark’s mention of the wild beast and the angels could be linked to Psalm 91:11-13, there the psalmist says that the righteous man will be protected by the angels and will be immune from the attacks of the beast. And in the context of the desert we are told that wild beasts and angels served him, what does this mean? It could be that our Evangelist intends to posit that Jesus is inuagurating a new reality, where man lives in harmony with other creatures, this points back to the initial state of Adam. As if to say, that truly Jesus is the New Adam. On the other hand, the angels point to other realities we encounter on our journey of faith that lead us to God. Be that as it may, in the temptation account we get three features: the devil, the wild beasts and angels. In the episode of the temptation the Devil tried once again the Son of Adam and he met his match.

     After a thorough perusal into this passage, one could say that irrespective of its brevity, one thing remarkable is that the Markan account of the temptation is indeed rich in meaning. Mark as a matter of fact, was not interested in the psychological experience of Jesus, rather in proclaiming him the righteous man of God, the New Adam, through whom the powers of evil are defeated. The representation of the devil in form of a beast, for instance, could be linked to the mention of the mark of the beast (Rev.13:16; 14:9). But the Good News is that there is a final victory over the ancient serpent or dragon called Devil and Satan (Rev. 20:1-3). Truly, there is no gainsaying the fact that “everyone born of God overcomes the world” (1Jn. 5:4) Jesus did overcome, we too!

     Above all else however, every first Sunday of Lent we read the gospel passage of the temptation of Jesus, which in turn serves as a reminder for us to always say “No” to Satan and his promises as Jesus did. Secondly, it reminds us that in our lives temptations must come, but we are called to resist as Jesus did. Temptations in themselves are neutral, that is, they are neither good nor bad. What may be categorized to be good or bad is what we make out of the temptations (our Yes or our No to them). Jesus’ experience of temptation evidences that we humans are not immune to temptation. The author of the letter to the Hebrews was firm on this fact when he affirms: “we do not have a high priest who is incapable of feeling our weakness with us, but one who has been tempted in all things like us, but has not sinned” (Heb. 4:15). So, the Devil will continue to tempt us, but God does not, He only tests us. St. James in his letter says that “God tempts no one” (Jm. 1:13). The purpose of temptation is to make us bad, but the purpose of test is to make us better. In all, the Lenten season brings to our consideration the necessity to evaluate our faith. Whether our faith is full of only words and inconsistency, or is concretized in good works and in love. May He who was tempted in the same way we are, and yet remained without sin continue to strengthen us in our daily struggle to resist the devil and his promises. Amen!

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

Ash Wednesday. Beginning A Journey of Perfectibility!

     Yearly we embark on this spiritual journey of the Lenten Season. It is a full-time spiritual experience of 40 days, in which we as Christians are called to be sincerely conscious of who we are before God, for the rediscovery of our identity. This, as a matter of fact, will not only enable us but propel us to embark on the journey of conversion and return back to God, in the manner of the prodigal son (cf. Lk. 15:11-32).

     It is true that God’s grace and mercy are always available for us, but this is a “kairotic” moment, a moment of grace. Indeed, it is God’s time flowing in the ordinary flux of time. Therefore, to make the best out of this gracious moment, we are called to repudiate all forms of idols that offuscate our vision and knowledge of the True God, and above all, a moment to grab the infinite and unfathomable mercy of God.

     The event of Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the kairotic period: Lent. The event of this day is characterized by the imposition od ashes on the forehead of Christians, which reminds us of who we are, what we are called to do and where we are heading to. For this, the liturgical act of the imposition of the ashes the Priest says: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” or “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return”. Ash is a symbol of purification, penitence and repentance. On the other hand, it points to the reality of our mortal bodies after death, for it decomposes and returns back to clay. Interestingly, ash reminds us of the burning fire that goes down, so is our existential experience.

     These 40 days we are invited to begin or initiate a journey of perfectibility, and not that of perfection, for conversion does not occur once and for all. Instead, it has do to with a dynamism that has to be renewed daily. Today, the word CHANGE is so much in vogue especially in the political sector, but change as envisaged during this period is a real and authentic one. It is an invitation for a CHANGE of mind and heart, a change of behavior and attitude, a change of personal life. Little wonder, according Fulton Sheen the most important verse in the Bible is Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is close at hand”. Repent and believe the gospel”. We are called to change ourselves because the kingdom of God is near. This is the most important because Jesus preferred to begin his ministry with a clarion call to a CHANGE of life, and not with the manifestation of miracles. The change in our life must start with the change of heart. Little wonder Prophet Joel is inviting us in the first reading thus “tear your hearts and not your garments” (cf. Joel 2:12-18). Secondly, this change must be translated into actions: prayer, fasting and alms giving, and I would like to add: a journey of PERFECTIBILITY, trying to become better than who we were yesterday, one step at a time!

     It is against the above backdrop that we may affirm that Lent is a time of our Christian self-rediscovery that is the rediscovery of the truth about oneself in Christ. It is not necessarily only a moment of penitence, a moment of mortification. For this, Jesus decried that even the hypocrites fast and do charity as well (cf. Mt. 6:1-6.16-18). Indeed, it is above all, a period of rediscovering oneself in Christ.

     Historically, one may not be wrong to say, that during this season there is a desire to relive and re-actualize the 40 years of the Israelites in the desert, as such leading Christians to the knowledge of themselves before God, just as the Israelites were led to the knowledge their real identity as a people before God. And the knowledge in question comes through the w(W)ord of God. It equally reminds us of the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert, when and where he was tempted by the Devil. But in that episode Jesus won the tempter, the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10). He won the Devil with the power of God’s word (cf. Mt. 4:1-11). Be that as it may, the struggle and victorious fight of Jesus in the desert becomes an example and inspiration for us, to fight and combat against all that threaten our journey of full and self- realization as God’s children.

     Beloved in Christ, at the heart of Lent resounds the old and ever new traditional dictum of “bonum faciendum et malum vitadum”, (that is doing good and avoiding evil). Above all, it is upon this consciousness that prophet Joel invited us in the first reading to “tear our hearts and not our garments”, because the journey we are called to embark on, is more of an internal work. St. Mathew on his part, calls our attention to authentic Christian living. And lastly, St. Paul hits on the nail on the head as he affirms vigorously that “behold, now is the acceptable time; behold now is the day of salvation” (2Cor. 6:2). May God help us in the efforts we make to become better this Lenten period! Amen! Wishing all an authentic and life transforming Lenten experience.

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

Jesus Touches The Untouchable!

(Homily 6^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr. B)

     The readings of today presents one of those scorching human conditions and predicaments, that is illness, but in the context of our readings, we are not just talking about illness tout court, but here is all about a terrible and excruciating disease: leprosy. A disease that defiles and separates the victim from others and from God, at least judging from the popular belief at that time. But Jesus brought a turnaround situation and overhauled the mindset of the people of his time. He touched the untouchable and he continues to touch those desperate human conditions of our own time, we just need to muster courage, have faith in him and approach him. To that our ugly situation he will also stretch out his hand! Jesus does not frown at the concrete cases of misery in front of him.

     The first reading from the book of Leviticus (13:1-2.44-46) is the beginning and the end of the section on leprosy. The disease as envisaged in this book cuts across what modern medicine classifies as leprosy per se, for it includes other skin diseases. The patient according to the law is required to report to the priest, who has to diagnose the disease, though not as a physician, rather as a minister of Torah. And it is also the priest that confirms his healing, so as to be reinstated to the community. The picture we have of the leper in this first reading is by no means humane. Apart from the physical pain that could come from the illness, the individual also faces the psychological pain of isolation while outwardly bearing all the dehumanising categorization of one who is unfit to dwell with others, who are free from the illness.

     Secondly, the situation is also spiritually chastising as the leper has to go about crying: Unclean! Unclean!! A situation that is equal to one saying: “I am a sinner, I am a sinner!” Therefore, from the foregoing, it is easy to identify the connection between leprosy and sin. In fact, during the time of Moses it was believed that whoever was infected by leprosy sinned in the first place. And added to these distortions, is the veritable fact that sin creates a barrier between us and God (cf. Is. 59:2), and here comes the spiritual separation. This is where the isolation comes in. Symbolically, we could say that sin has a way of taking us outside God’s camp, just as the lepers had to stay outside the camp of the Israelites. (An example could be the experience of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2). It is against this backdrop that the first reading serves as a background reading for the Gospel narrative.

     In the Gospel reading (Mk. 1:40-45) we are presented with a spectacular reversal of the approach to leprosy by our Lord Jesus Christ. The poor leper had two burdens to carry: his illness and separation from the community. Lepers were to live outside the village or town as a result of the contagious nature of the disease (Lev. 13:46). In the narrative we are told that a leper came to Jesus begging and kneeling said: “If you will, you can make me clean” (Mk. 1:40). From this first scene we see the leper breaking the social norm or protocol which prevented lepers from having access to those who are not lepers. We can also observe that the man did not ask for healing but cleansing in the manner of David after his sin (Psalm 51:2). He was much concerned about his uncleanliness more than his illness. Here he went beyond his physical illness and asked for spiritual rebirth and by that he got everything, both healing and cleansing.

     Now let us look at the reaction of our Lord Jesus Christ to the request of the leper. We are told that he was first moved with pity. God is compassionate about our situations. God is not jubilant over our miseries and failures like some of us could be over the situations of others. Going back to our point of departure, the real leprosy is sin and the real isolation is being cut away from God. Actually a leper experiences three kinds of separation: separation from himself, separation from others and separation from God. In our limitations we often fall into sin and also get disconnected or isolated from God. The episode in the Gospel reading is a pertinent assurance to us that there is a remedy to this situation and this can be found in Jesus Christ. For that to happen the person involved needs to approach Jesus Christ like in the case of the leper. Going to Jesus Christ will offer the individual the opportunity of being touched by the Lord and being reintegrated. For when Jesus healed the leper, he did not just heal his illness, but he restored him to the community. Man is a social being, and thus he has been created for the community. For this, St. Paul emphasized that “we though many, form one single body” (1Cor. 10:17). On the other hand, if we remain unmoved, our situation will not be moved. There were surely many lepers in their settlement but only one decided to come to our Lord. A fascinating point here, is that while Jesus walked away from Capernaum (Mk. 1:38), from healing there, on his way, he could not say no to this leper who really is in need of healing.

     The cured leper is told not to say anything to anyone, but he disobeyed and his cure became a talk of the town. This gave rise to Jesus withdrawal from the country, to the point that Jesus began to hide himself. Mark must have added this annotation against the understanding of Jesus as a mere Wonder-worker. In the passage of last Sunday’s gospel Jesus used command to silence the demon, but today he intended to use it to silence the cured leper. The purpose of this order revolves around the idea of not allowing the signs to offuscate the ultimate miracle of the cross. Indeed, the real enigma here is that the command of secrecy was disobeyed. For the man goes and talks about his healing freely. We see similar occurrences in (cf. Mk. 1:34; 3:13; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26). This is typical of Mark’s Messianic secret. Upon consideration of this theory at the heart of Marcan Gospel, we have to ask not what was Jesus’ purpose for giving an injunction, he probably knows will not be kept, rather what does Mark intend theologically, by the aforementioned injunction? The answer points to the fact that Mark’s intention was to demonstrate that the messiahship of Jesus is a mystery that cannot be exposed prematurely, for it is to be understood properly and deeply in the light of the cross. But however, it can’t be totally suppressed!

     Extrapolating from the first reading, the priest is the functionary that confirms one a leper, he also confirms one cleansed just as our Lord mentioned in the Gospel reading today. This actually points to the sanctifying office of the priest. The priest stands between God and the people; appropriately called Alter Christus. By asking the leper to go to the priest our Lord Jesus Christ evidently confirms the work of the priest as the eye and mouthpiece of God. This links us to the responsorial psalm (32), which symbolically presents the reality of human weakness, sinfulness and God’s readiness to forgive. In that bid, as the leper goes to the priests, so a sinner comes and confesses his sins to God, through a priest (this is well orchestrated in the second stanza) in order to receive forgiveness and spiritual healing. And as the Lenten season is so imminent, let us make recourse to the Sacrament of reconciliation, for our own healing too!

     Indeed, the leper mustard courage and pleaded Jesus: “If you wish, you can make me well”. He pleaded with every amount of discretion “if you wish”. And Jesus had compassion on him, stretched out his hands and touched him. He touched the untouchable, and touching him he loved him, and loving him he healed him, and after healing him, he restored him. The response of Jesus to the supplication of the leper is so simple and consoling, “I want, be healed”. The hit track of today’s message is that God wants his children healed, he is a gracious and merciful God. Jesus demonstrated that our needs of healing and liberation surpass the demands of law and customs. Above all else, taking the Gospel serious will propel us to touch the lepers in our own time, the abandoned, the dejected and rejected. May Jesus heal every form of infirmity in us threatening our full realization as God’s children! And may He surround you with cries of deliverance as in Psalm 32:7. Amen!

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

His Presence Makes the Difference!

(Homily 5^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr. B)

     The readings of this Sunday are beaming with words of hope and encouragement for anyone in a dead-end situation. The readings present the human condition and some of those element that do not permit the full realization and freedom of man; ranging from misfortune, sickness and predicaments. But God through his W(w)ord helps us to get through all the difficult and seemingly impossible situations. Job experienced the miracle of restoration, and the Mother in-law of Simon experienced healing, all wrought through the presence and the mighty hand of God! The good news behind the screen of today’s message is that God is aware of everything that is happening to us, he knows all that we are passing through.

     Our First Reading today is taken form the book of Job (Job 7:1-4.6-7). The book begins with a prose narrative in which Job, the protagonist, a prosperous father of the family, was subdued by calamities upon calamities. He experienced suffering in all aspects of life: domestic, economic, physical, moral and spiritual. However, one thing striking here is that, suffering here doesn’t and cannot have the same connotation as in Deuteronomy (there suffering is seen as a direct punishment for sin). But in the case of Job, that cannot be applied, for he has been a righteous man. At the end, Job had to grapple with the fact that man’s righteousness gives him no claim upon God.

     In the passage of the first reading we encounter whom we could call the “patron” of suffering: Job. His predicament overwhelmed him to the point of desperation. He lost all that he had and labored for in one day, including his children and enormous wealth. At a time in this quagmire Job lost hope, he saw gloom in his condition and exclaimed: “My days have passed, and vanished, leaving no hope behind. Remember that my life is but a breath, and that my eyes will never again see joy” (Jb. 7:6b-7). Life for him became empty and without meaning. For him it was as if he was not going to see light at the end of the dark tunnel. But Job did not end his life in suffering. For after passing through those turbulent and hard times, God intervened and reversed his condition and thus Job recovered all that he lost, and got even more (Jb. 42:10). And indeed, the book ended happily with the restoration of Job’s fortune.

     One thing striking about Job is that he never gave up totally on God: “In all this misfortune Job committed not sin, and he did not reproach God” (Jb. 1:22). For in the midst of his predicament he said “I know that I have a living Defender” (Jb. 19:25). Sometimes unlike Job, when we are confronted with challenges we often forget that our Redeemer lives. Our spiritual experience brings to our consideration the fact that God has not promised us total exclusion from the difficulties of life but He has assured us that He will be with us as we pass through them. Often we make the mistake of telling God how big the storm is, instead of telling the storm how big our God is. Job despite all odds still remains the model of and for Christian Suffering, because his moment of all-round misfortune became for him a moment of a personal experience of God. It is only in this optics that our hard times will draw us closer to God and not the other way round.

     The passage of today’s reading is taken from the early part of the dialogue. After Job must have finished responding to his friends, he was plunged into soliloquy on the miseries of human existence. Indeed, it is not very clear the reason for the choice of this reading today, especially in parallel with the gospel passage. However, we may well presume that Job’s theme on the miseries of human life and existence serves as a background for the healing work of Christ as revealed in the gospel.

     In the Gospel Reading (Mark 1:29-39) we are presented with Jesus’ encounter with people with various challenges including the mother-in-law of Simon who was sick with a fever. From the narrative it is very clear that Simon’s mother-in-law and the other people who later came for healing were in hopeless situations. They were experiencing the height of their various challenges and suddenly Jesus Christ came and everything changed. It was as if they were waiting for him to come. Of course those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31).

     After the healing at Simon’s house, very early in the morning he escaped to a quiet place to pray. Here Jesus teaches us the need and power of prayer when we are tired and in need of strength. Jesus prays in order to renew and recharge Himself. But before he could finish his morning prayers the disciples sought him out and informed Him that an even larger crowd has gathered with their sick and infirm and that everyone is in search of Him. Indeed, here one could expect Jesus to heal those sick people but He does not. He rather says: “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do” (Mark 1:38). Jesus is not conditioned by the CROWD. This is an indication that Jesus came for all mankind, his primary mission is the proclamation of God’s kingdom. However, the people were looking for him, not because of his person and good news but to satisfy their needs of miracles. You, why do you seek him? For the value imbedded in his Words or for cheap miracles? But what did Jesus really come to do? Jesus, being a spiritually-minded person, refuses to limit His ministry to one place or to encourage the belief of a coming worldly Kingdom of God, responding to Simon, He said: “Let us go the neighboring towns so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” So Jesus came to do three major things in His ministry: to heal, to pray and most importantly to preach.

     Jesus moved on for a purpose, and the phrase we see in the passage: “that is why I came out”, may not just only be referred to his departure from Capernaum, but instead to the entire purpose of his mission on earth. As such, we can say that Jesus regarded the miracles merely as subordinate elements of his ministry. The main purpose of his ministry was to preach. Besides, there is an important common particularity of the Marcan gospel, and that is the silencing of the demons. Mark reported that the demons “knew Him”, for they recognized him as the “Holy one of God” (cf. Mk1:24). But he rebuked and subdued them into silence. As we can see, it was only at the end of Mark’s narrative that the centurion at the foot of the cross could freely confess that “truly this man was the Son of God” (Mk. 15:39). Indeed, the Jesus he sees, the Jesus as such, is the crucified-risen One. At this point, one may begin to wonder the place of the miracles in the gospel of Mark, and maybe by extension to the ministry of Jesus? The most eloquent of all the miracles, the messianic miracle per excellence is the Cross and Resurrection. The other miracles are prefiguration and preliminary acts of healing that foreshadow that ultimate act of healing.

     The presence of Jesus makes the difference. For in his presence, things happen, the sick are healed, lives are changed, demons are cast out and the gospel is preached. He gets involved in our day today activities and shows his interest in our wellbeing and welfare, for this he healed Simon’s mother in-law without anyone requesting for it. He is truly sensitive to our needs. He is the God with and for his people. A proper and close reading of the gospel of Mark reveals that the Jesus of Mark is not distanced from the human reality. He enters into people’s houses (cf. 3:20; 7:24). He is close to the people. He entered into the house of Peter and healed his mother in-law. Even today, he continues to go about doing good (cf. Acts 10:38), he continues to come into our houses as he did to Simon, do we welcome him? Are we ready to welcome him? In the book of Revelation he says “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20).

     A very close look at the Gospel would reveal a very important thing our Lord did, which connects us to the Second Reading (1 Cor.9:16-19.22-23). We are told that the next morning, after healing the mother-in-law of Simon and others, our Lord Jesus Christ went to a lonely place to pray. While he was there, a lot of people came looking for him at Simon’s place. When Simon and others found him and reported that people were looking for him he said to them: “Let us go on to the next towns that I may PREACH there also”. St. Paul in the Second Reading shocked the Corinthians when he declared woe upon himself if he fails to preach the word of God. The preaching of the gospel for him remains a necessity he has no right to boast about, irrespective of all odds, for St. Paul to preach the gospel means to preach Christ-crucified.

     In all, the word of God this Sunday is full of hope and encouragement for us. No matter what you are passing through today, no matter what is facing you or what you are facing, be rest assured that there is no human misery that divine grace cannot transform into avenues of blessings and miracles. Just don’t give up! Hold fast!! Stand firm!!!

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