Riches Without Conscience!

(Homily for the 26^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C)

     Once again, the liturgy of the word this Sunday is traversed by the theme of riches or the possession of earthly wealth, and their devastating deceptive character. As such, it is illusory to put one’s trust and security in them. The seduction of wealth and the avidity of possession are the root and cause of all evil (cf. 1Tm. 6:10). As a matter fact, economic well-being which is not necessarily a sign of divine blessing, can become an occasion or cause of sin, thus, a motive of reproach by God. Indeed, time and eternity are like the two poles that will help us to grasp the density of the liturgical readings. It is evident in the Gospel passage, where the rich man and Lazarus were first situated into the context of this world, and later into that of eternity. Implicitly, in the first reading, we see Prophet Amos’ reproach of the rich who live in dissipation and luxury, forgetting the future judgment of God. In the second reading, St. Paul assured us that in order to live fittingly in time and attain eternity with God; we need a living faith that gives us a double assurance. Life after death is not an anesthetic to kill the pains of injustice and inequality in this present world, rather eternity is real. Riches without conscience lead to Hades!

     The first reading (Am. 6:1a. 4-7) like the passage of the previous Sunday that dealt with the question of social injustice, denounces private luxury at the negligence of the poor and the weak. In his prophecy last Sunday, Prophet Amos condemned the attitude of those rich that exploit the poor. Today he directs his attack on the political leaders who live in palaces. Prophet Amos attacks vehemently and condemns the hope of salvation that the heads of Samaria and the kingdom of Judah are placing in their places of cult, while they spend their lives in orgies and debauchery. With irony and sarcasm Prophet Amos stigmatized their thoughtlessness and the shameless display and flaunting of their riches: “lying on ivory beds and sprawling on their divans, they dine on lambs from the flock, and stall-fattened veal; they bawl to the sound of the lyre and, like David, they invent musical instruments; they drink wine by the bowlful, and lard themselves with the finest oils, but for the ruin of Joseph they care nothing” (vv.4-6).

     They were unconcerned about the plight and destruction of the people. And for this, here is the threat and the punishment that looms over them and that will be the end of their arrogant security and thoughtlessness, “That is why they will be the first to go into exile and their feasts and banquets will come to an end” (v.7). The reading ends with a threat, that their enemies will come and burn down their palaces, for they used their wealth to indulge in laziness, easy life and self-aggrandizement. This denunciation links the first reading with the passage of the Gospel on the rich man and Lazarus. On the other hand, the responsorial psalm (Ps. 146) serves as a bridge between the first reading and the Gospel, for in verses 9-10 the Psalmist says: “Yahweh protects the stranger, he sustains the orphan and the widow. Yahweh loves the upright, but he frustrates the wicked. Yahweh reigns forever”. The psalmist echoes the denunciation of the rich as in the prophecy of Amos and God’s concern for the poor, the weak and the oppressed; as such it opens a window to the passage of the Gospel.

     In the Gospel passage (Lk. 16:19-31) we read the first part of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, which is a representation of the reversal of fortunes in the next world. The beggar's name gives us a hint as to his inner attitude. He is called Lazarus, or Eliezer, God will help. The beggar is the man who puts his trust in the Lord and longs for him. The rich man is nameless, his riches took away his identity. He is everyone who closes his heart in the face of the human misery that confronts us daily. One of the interesting parts of the parable is the dialogue that issued between the rich man and Abraham at the end. This is the hit track of this parable. The rich man requested that Lazarus be allowed to come and convey a special warning to his five brothers who are still alive (Who are those five brothers?). However, to his request he was told that the word of the scripture is sufficient for them. Those who do not believe in the word of the Scripture will not be convinced by a miracle of a resurrection of the dead either. This indeed, is one of the salient points for narrating this parable.

     To understand this parable very well, it is necessary to discover its focal point or the key actor or personage of the parable. The key actor is neither Lazarus nor the five brothers. If the central personage was Lazarus, the parable would have been an invitation to the poor to bear with patience and hope their situation as Lazarus did, in view of the glorious fortune that awaits them in the hereafter. If the pivot revolves around the five brothers, the parable would have been a kind of a re-proposal of the theme of the eschatological urgency and there will be more emphasis on the danger of living without the hereafter in view. But if the true central personage of the parable is the rich man, then there is no doubt that the parable aims at a specific theme: the equal use of riches. It is not about the fact of being rich, but the way one uses his riches or wealth. He did not use his riches to make friends for himself in heaven. “And so I tell you this: use money, tainted as it is, to win you friends, and thus make sure that when it fails you, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings” (Lk.16:9). Indeed, this parable is not just a proclamation of blessedness on the poor, but it is a comment on “alas for you who are rich”, it is a comment on all the three “woes” pronounced by Jesus on his sermon on the Mountain: “But alas for you who are rich: you are having your consolation now. Alas for you who have plenty to eat now: you shall go hungry. Alas for you who are laughing now: you shall mourn and weep” (Lk. 6:24-25), in connection with the two “woes” pronounced by Amos in the first reading.

     As a matter fact, placing this parable after the sayings on the right use of wealth, which follows the parable of the unjust steward, makes it probably high that St. Luke intends to lay emphasis on the point of the reversal of fortune of the rich and the poor in the next world. With regards to the parable of the anonymous rich man and Lazarus, we can give two different interpretations. The parable can be divided into two parts. In the first part the two protagonists are duly presented, their ordeal during the earthly existence and after death; the rich man was clothed in purple and fine linen and feasted sumptuously every day and at his gate lay the poor beggar, Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. But on the other hand, when they both died, there was a reversal of order, their situations turned around. Lazarus was raised close to Abraham in beatitudes, while the rich man was down, in the place of torment.

     This is indeed a symbolic narrative; therefore, let us not draw conclusions more than what is given in the passage, especially about heaven and hell. However, upon consideration, few points are clear: ●The rich man was not condemned simply because of his riches, but because he was egoistic and insensible to the necessities of the poor. Riches and wealth on their own, are not sin, rather they become sinful when the rich are indifferent to the plight of the poor and when there is lack of solidarity, for it brings division among men and makes it possible for some to swim in abundance while others perish in the world of hunger and misery. In the same vein, the poor was not saved just because he was poor, but because he opened up to God and allowed himself to be led by the power of His love. If the poor man allowed himself to be taken by envy or avidity and the craving for riches, he too would not have been saved. But deliverance is at hand for the poor, who for a short while share in Christ's sufferings so as to share in his glory. For, as St Paul tells us, “What we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory as yet unrevealed, which is awaiting us” (Rom. 8:18).

●The rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to him, to dip the end of his finger in water and come and cool his tongue, but Abraham explained to him that it was not possible: “Between us and you a great gulf has been fixed, to prevent those who want to cross from our side to yours or from your side to ours” (v.26). Indeed, one can deduce from these words that at death one faces the situation of reward or punishment. One cannot change after death, it has to be done before, and conversion has to take place during our earthly life. In the words of St Paul: “because the world as we know it is passing away” (1 Cor. 7:31).

●Afterwards, the rich man pleaded Abraham once again to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers so that they will not end up like him. And Abraham responded him saying: “They have Moses and the prophets, let them listen to them” (v.29). And the rich man replied: “Ah no, father Abraham, but if someone comes to them from the dead, they will repent” (v.30). And finally Abraham closes the discussion with the following words: “if they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even is someone should rise from the dead” (v.31). Behold, the conclusion of the parable is very bitter and strong, but very realistic, who is not disposed to listen to those who speak in the name of God (Moses and prophets and in fact Christ himself), he who does not pay attention and take to heart the teachings of the Scriptures and particularly the Gospel, all the same, will not be disposed to accept the admonitions of one who resurrects from the dead.

     Furthermore, there is also the second way of interpreting this parable, according to this interpretation this parable aims at the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Jesus contests the opinion of the Pharisees that material well-being and riches is a sign of divine benevolence and poverty is a sign of curse. For them whoever that comports himself well according to the prescriptions of the law, has a recompense already in this world (material well-being) and who does not comport himself well will be punished (poverty). By means of this parable, Jesus intends to explain that things are not the way the Pharisees and the Sadducees see them. What matters is life after death, the hereafter that is where the true state of things for a person is revealed, especially for the Sadducees that do not believe in the hereafter and the Pharisees that believe faintly. As demonstrated in the parable, in the hereafter, the rich man who believed that he was blessed by God was in torment, while the poor who supposedly was punished by God, was welcomed in happiness at the bosom of Abraham. Be that as it may, riches are neither a sign of divine approval nor poverty a sign of divine punishment. In God’s parlance, what matters is the state of one’s interiority, the situation of one’s conscience, which no one but God can judge. Even in this present time, this mentality of the Pharisees is wild spread, for according to common opinion a rich person is considered to be fortunate, but this is not the case before God. If a rich man is driven by the consciousness of and attachment to his riches, he runs the risk of losing the true wealth and his last and ultimate end: Eternal Life.

     In the passage of the second reading (1Tm. 6:11-16) we see St. Paul’s invitation to Timothy: “O man of God, avoid all that” (v.11). What are the things he has to avoid? He said in the few lines preceding this passage: “unending dispute by people who are depraved in mind and depraved of truth, and imagine that religion is a way of making a profit. Religion, of course, does bring large profits, but only to those who are content with what they have. We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (vv.5-7). That is the attitude of those who have made religious practice or service a means of income and gain. And he advanced his reproach in verses 9 & 10, against the people who long to be rich, and as such they fall prey to trials, for the love of money is the root of all evil. St. Paul advised Timothy the Bishop of Ephesus to avoid the false teachers and go after justice, piety, faith, charity, patience and gentleness. Every Christian must reflect this list of virtues, bet especially a community leader. St. Paul spoke of the problem that has been giving him sleepless nights, that is, the activity of the false teachers, thus he admonished Timothy and the community to hold firm to the faith they have received until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, he charged him to work out his eternity in time, by means of the virtues enlisted above and by avoiding the vices aforementioned in the previous verses. Faith is like a dwelling in which a Christian lives and has a foretaste of eternity already in time. And for the fact that he has a foretaste of eternity in time, he ought to “aim at righteousness, faith, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness and gentleness” (v.11).

     Above all, at this point, we may ask a pertinent question: what does Jesus intend to teach us through that parable: that the poor will go to heaven and the rich to hell? Far be it! Jesus teaches us that wealth as such is not perverse and evil, it can only be when it is acquired by hook and crook, through a dishonest way or when riches become “thorns and thistles” that suffocate the Word in our lives. On the other hand, poverty is not a good thing or better a value to be celebrated, it is not a title of merit or a condition for happiness, but it can only become all of the above if the heart is disposed to open up to God and to those around, to put one’s trust in God and not on earthly riches. Therefore, the rich is not to be condemned because he is rich, but only when it renders him closed, egoistic and insensible to the needs of others and if it becomes for him the source of safety and pride, as exemplified in the first reading. In all, the parable Jesus teaches us that truly there is “hereafter” and that in the hereafter, there is a two-fold prospective: of reward for the good and punishment for the wicked. Indeed, in-between time and eternity, we need to hold on to the Faith, as St. Paul insisted in the second reading. And again, the essential thing is to believe in the Word of God (Moses and the prophets), the teachings of Jesus (the Gospel). Little wonder, the parable ended with particular attention on the five brothers. We are in a certain sense those five brothers of the rich man; to us God has sent Someone who rose from the dead. Let us not forget that Someone has actually risen from the dead: Jesus Christ, and our faith is founded and solidified on his resurrection. We may well say that the resurrection of Jesus is the rich man’s prayer answered, therefore, today if we hear his words let us not harden our hearts (cf. Ps. 95:7b-8a). Let us not act like those who jeer at Jesus and his message: “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and jeered at him” (Lk. 16:14). The message at the heart of this parable is the invitation to share the good things God has given to us with the poor and the needy. Do not count your blessings, share your blessings. We need to have a heart that sees in order to do this effectively. Till date, the poor continues to knock at our door, how do we respond to them? Do we respond to them at all or we close our doors at them? Riches and wealth have been given to us in order to serve others and not to dominate them. Share and be enriched the more!

 (Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

True Wealth Goes Beyond Money!

 (Homily for the 25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C)

    The readings of this Sunday revolve around Christian responsibilities in relation to social justice and the good use of earthly riches. At the background of the liturgical texts of this Sunday, we encounter an interrogation of where true riches or wealth are found. To this, the first reading warns that true riches do not coincide with inordinate ambition and avidity at the expense of the poor and the needy. In the parlance of the Gospel passage, true riches are the riches of faith, and we are astute when we use the riches of this world to help those in needy. This manner of understanding does not come by easily; rather we obtain it by means of prayer as evidenced in the second reading. At the heart of the Gospel passage is the borderline between “the sons of this world” and “the sons of light”, however this contraposition could be seen as a point of convergence between the first reading and the Gospel passage, and by extension to the second reading, for St. Paul calls the children of light to embark on prayers that produce peace and destroys anger, quarrelling and class struggle. Prayer is indeed the medium and locus through which true riches flow!

     In the first reading (Am. 8:4-7) we reflect on the passage from the prophecy of Amos. Amos is one of the prophets regarded as a prophet of social justice. This fact is well orchestrated in his prophecy, for he denounces the rich who cheat and exploit the poor. Prophet Amos in this passage proposes the theme of the rapport between the rich and the poor, the theme of social justice. Amos lived in Israel around the 8^th century B. C., when Israel was living in a period of economic breakthrough and material prosperity. However, it was at the advantage of the rich, they were falsifying the scales and increasing the prizes of goods to their own pleasure, but at the detriment of the poor. As such, he threatens them with divine judgment. Prophet Amos condemns those rich who use the vulnerability of the poor to enrich themselves. The rich of the time of Prophet Amos enriched themselves by cheating the poor, is this astuteness as seen in the Gospel? They may be astute in the eyes of men, but before God they are empty, for they have lost out in the eternal treasure. As a matter of fact, in the responsorial psalm we see God’s vindication of the poor: “From the dust he lifts up the lowly, from the ash heap he raises the poor” (Ps.113:7) and this serves as a response to the prophecy of Amos.

     Amos therefore stood with the poor. He was not an economic expert rather he was simply a prophet who speaks in the name of God and before this phenomenon of injustice, he announces without fear the judgment of God on those who enrich themselves at the expense of the poor: “Yahweh has sworn by the pride of Jacob, ‘Never will I forget anything they have done”’ (v.7). Just like Amos every Christian in the name of God, has to be on the side of the poor and the weak especially in situations of injustice and oppression. When Mahatma Ghandi was talking about the sins of the modern world, he mentioned “wealth without work and commerce without morality”. Indeed, the happenings of the time of Amos are not far-fetched from the daily experiences of our present time torn apart by the presages of greed, avarice, inordinate desire for wealth and unfounded ambitions. No doubt, the preaching of Amos has a clearer message for our present day social standards than that of any other Old Testament prophet. We are called therefore, to stop cheating others in our business places, using lies to market our goods, and selling fake products, sometimes even at the cost of quality ones. We cannot give God lip service on Sundays, and then go on throughout the week exploiting others, Amos condemns this! True religion cannot go on with exploitation of the poor and injustice. Such a religion is devoid of adequate corresponding spirituality.

     The Gospel passage (Lk.16:1-13) presents the parable of the shrewd steward with some admonitions on the proper use of wealth. This parable serves as a sign of warning to the contemporaries of Jesus, so as to decide for the Kingdom of God, before it becomes too late. As a matter of fact, the admonitions that follow the parable give it a new dimension: the disciples are expected therefore to demonstrate a good dose of intelligence in the use of wealth, like the shrewd steward, although his was for his own interest. Jesus applauds the steward for his astuteness in planning for the future and not for his dishonesty.

     The parable of the dishonest or the astute steward reveals the dichotomy made by Jesus between “the sons of this world” and “the sons of light”. However, it is as if Jesus praised the dishonest servant for planning for his future. In that bid, we need to situate ourselves into the historical context of that time, because that time among the Jews, stewards had their own gains, illicit though. A steward's salary took the form of a commission on the sale of his master's goods. This was his only salary. So in reducing the debtors’ bills the steward was only giving up the commission due to himself. In that frame work, what the steward gave up was part of his illegal gains. Little wonder, Jesus seems to praise him for his “prudence”.  He praised his astuteness and not the act. He gave up all his illegal gains in order to find friends and plan for his future. Thus, Jesus praised the shrewdness of that steward for he used his wealth to help others. This is contrary to the conduct of the rich of Amos time who impoverished the poor to enrich themselves the more. Instead the astute steward used the riches of this world to build up friendship for his own interest and future.

     The central point of the parable of Jesus on the shrewd steward is the affirmation that “the sons of this world are wiser in their own generation than the sons of light” (v.8). However, Jesus by no means intends to praise the steward in question because of his fraud at the expense of his master, by falsifying the receipts of his debtors and by reducing the amount they owe. Instead Jesus praises him for his astuteness, shrewdness and his craftiness in acting promptly in order to secure for himself a future, when he will no longer be in administration. Jesus bitterly affirmed that the sons of the light (Christians) many a times are not astute and prompt to secure for themselves eternal riches, like the children of this world for their material interest. The children of this world do everything and can go to any length to obtain what they desire; if we Christians should make the same effort in doing good we would have been far ahead in our journey of holiness. In comparison Jesus opined that “the sons of this world are wiser in their own generation than the sons of light” (v.8). This indeed is a sort of challenge for the sons of light, for if Christians should pursue holiness and are heavenly minded as the sons of the world pursue wealth and are future minded, their light will dissipate the darkness of selfishness and inordinate accumulation of wealth in the world. 

     Can something good be learnt from the dishonest steward? His consciousness and concern for the future is presented to us as a veritable example. Applying the parable to the theme of riches, Jesus admonishes: “And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations” (v.9). Those to befriend are the poor and the needy. It is obvious that Jesus is not inviting us to acquire wealth through unjust means and afterwards help the poor, far be it! Rather he is inviting us to use what we have to help the poor and the needy, in order to guarantee our future in Heaven, like the astute steward that befriended his master’s debtors in order to secure his future in their houses. In few words, the Christian use of riches is that of sharing with the poor and the needy. As such, a Christian is astute and shrewd in the measure he shares his wealth with the poor and the needy. A Christian is shrewd when he uses his or her riches to help those Jesus called “the least of these brothers of mine” (Mt. 25:40), he went as far as identifying himself with them, for “in so far as you did this to one of the least brothers of mine, you did it to me” (Mt. 25:40). The dishonest steward realized that his ill-gotten gains will not last forever, so he started planning for his future. Do you as a child of God realize how passing the things of this world are and how are you planning for your future, your eternal future. The word of God therefore invites us to give up the riches of this world and attachment to them, for the true riches that endure forever, the heavenly riches that will secure our eternal friendship with Jesus and our abode in heaven. The Good News of today is that Jesus is inviting us to bank in the Eternal Bank of Heaven, where our true wealth and treasure are secured. Therefore, we should use what we have to win friends for our eternal dwelling, not just for the earthly dwelling.

     At the conclusion of the passage, Jesus warns us sternly that “No servant can serve two masters…You cannot serve God and mammon” (v. 13). It is therefore, an invitation to put God first in our life, to put God as our priority and everything else is subordinated to Him. The concept mammon does not signify only riches, but also the accumulation of earthly riches. On the other hand, it has to do especially with the tendency of trusting in riches and economic powers as a guarantee for security. But in the parlance of Jesus, there cannot be two supreme values or absolutes at the same time. He, who makes money, riches, accumulation of wealth and economic power his supreme value, cannot serve and love God with all his heart as he ought to. And he who serves and loves God cannot be slave to money. Riches, money and economic powers should by nature be at the service of man, but many a times, they tend to render him a slave. There is therefore need for decision: for or against God, for God or for mammon. You cannot serve both God and mammon, Jesus either has all of you or nothing of you, he abhors any form of compromise. There is no 50-50 approach. Thus, it is a call and a challenge to make a fundamental option for God. A Christian thus, must pay attention to the seduction of wealth, the avidity of possession and the avarice of money, which can contaminate not only the rich, but also the poor! If not, the Christian compromises his faith in God. For this, St. Paul in his letter to Timothy affirmed that “The love of money is the root of all evils’ and there are some who, pursuing it, have wandered away from the faith and so given their souls any number of fatal wounds” (1Tm. 6:10).

     In the passage of the second reading (1Tm. 2:1-8) St. Paul brings to light the necessity of prayer. At first he admonished the Christian community to pray always and for all, thus he gives prayer a universal undertone. Not just for all, later St. Paul advised that particular prayers be said for those in authority: for Kings and those in high positions. In fact, the prayer is for all, geared towards a peaceful co-existence of all in the society. The light and the strength to work for true riches come to Christians through prayer. A Christian prays for all, for Kings and for all in high positions. The fact of praying for all is a way of subordinating all to the Power and Sovereignty of God, and subordinating the worldly riches to the riches that cannot be destroyed or exhausted. In prayer we understand that God will judge the rich, whose act of injustice towards the poor and the needy cries to God (as revealed in the first reading). In prayer, we come to understand that the true richness of man consists in the richness of his faith. The one who prays with holy hands lifted up to heaven, without anger or quarrelling discovers the richness of salvation and grace, that Jesus Christ, the Mediator offers. On the contrary, if one prays with dirty hands stained with blood as a result of injustice and iniquities, or with hands filled with hatred and rancor, that prayer cannot rise up to heaven.  

     In the ambience of prayer, we rediscover that all the riches of this world come from above (God), man is a mere administrator. At the school of prayer, we come to grasp that the riches and the wealth of this world are only means of collaborating with God, the Creator of all and with his Son, Jesus Christ who holds all things in being (cf. Col.1:17). And equally a means of serving others better, so that when we leave the administration of this world, we will be welcomed in heaven where true riches abide. Lord Jesus give us the grace to lay lasting treasures in heaven and help us to render you a true and sincere worship. Amen!

 (Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

HAIL O HOLY CROSS!

(Homily for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross)

Today we have the grace to celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, also known as the Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross. It is an immovable feast, little wonder we are celebrating on a Sunday. This Feast commemorates not only the finding of the True Cross, but also the spiritual and redemptive significance of Christ's crucifixion. A symbol of suffering and salvation, the cross becomes the heartbeat of faith. Today we must vehemently affirm that exalting the cross of Christ means exalting the boundless love of Jesus, the infinite love of God.

 The Feast of  the exaltation of the Holy Cross celebrated every  year on the 14^th of September recalls  three historical events and I would like to make a panoramic presentation about them, so that you understand more what we are  celebrating today. the first is the Discovery in the year ad 320 of the true cross of Jesus Christ by Saint Helena Saint Helena was the mother of the emperor Constantine; the second is the dedication of church built by Constantine in the year 335, on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and Mount Calvary; the third is the restoration of the True Cross to Jerusalem by the emperor Heraclius II. Above all else, the feast also celebrates the Holy Cross as the instrument of our Salvation, his salvific Death on the Cross and his Resurrection through which death Was Defeated and the doors of Heaven opened to all of us sinners.

 The first reading (Num. 21:4-9) gives us a wonderful insight into human behavior and God's Divine intervention. We cannot but remember that during their wanderings  in the desert in Sinai, the Israelites suffered from a series of self-inflicted punishments as a result of their short-term memory  losses. They failed to bring to heart, to remember the good things God has done for them. The chosen people forgot the goodness of God, His Covenant and His constant provisions for their many needs. One thing we have to learn from the whole episode is that  God never provide for their greed, rather He  provided for their needs, when they were hungry God gave them Manna From Heaven etc.

In the episode of today’s first reading from the book of Numbers, we see the communal disobedience and rebellion of the Israelites, the chosen people. And God intervened to their rebellion with immediate punishment thus: “The Lord sent among the people serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died.” Upon seeing the plight of the people bitten by snake, Moses pleaded with God, and God showed them mercy. God healed them with the symbol of the same creature He used in afflicting them, a bronze serpent: “If anyone was bitten by a serpent, he looked at a bronze serpent and lived.” As we can see, God does not take away the punishment or the affliction that He has sent, and again, he does not make the snakes disappear. Instead, He provided them with a healing solution to their pain and affliction. Interestingly, God did not take away the snakes, but he gave them a cure or solution for the snake bite. This is because God has a bigger and greater plan for them, while the Israelites focused on the snakes and their bites, God was looking a bigger picture. He was planning for an eternal solution. Indeed, in the Gospel passage we see God’s everlasting plan and solution.

 The Gospel (Jn. 3:13-21) 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; and that is the heart of today’s Gospel narrative.

Jesus in response to Nicodemus, affirmed that no one has gone up to  heaven except the one who has come down from heaven the Son of man and just as Moses lifted  up the serpent in the desert, so must the son of man be lifted up. The symbol of healing in the first reading prefigures Christ as presented by John in the Gospel, “As Moses lifted the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” It was as result of His love that God sent the Israelites a bronze serpent as a symbol of healing, but that love reached its apex, through the lifting and crucifixion of the Son of man.  However, Satan is that snake that never goes away but the Good news is that the Son of man has been lifted, His lifting is an evidence and manifestation of victory and triumph.  

 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 (cf. Num. 21:4-9). Similarly, “the Son of man will be lifted up” (Jn. 3:14), 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.

 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, God “wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth” (1Tm. 2:4). Love is greater than sin. 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.

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. Through the death and crucifixion of his Son, God demonstrates that his love for us is not a long distance and disinterested love affair. In the Gospel, the evangelist John told us that it is by believing in the "exalted Jesus" that we have eternal life. Whoever believes in Christ does not die but has eternal life. This expression: "He does not die", somehow contradicts our sense and existential experiences, for as mortals, we will die one day. Here, the "not dying" that Jesus speaks about is to be understood from the perspective of a faith that believes in eternal life, that fullness of life that begins already here on earth.

 The second reading (Phil. 2:6-11) presents the hymn of St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians, which in no small way illustrates the mystery of Christ’s self-emptying in his death and supreme exaltation. This hymn is often called the Carmen Christi, and the Carmen Christi situates the death of Christ in its total context. St. Paul speaks of the kenosis (self-emptying) of Christ, “who, being in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped. But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being” (Phil. 2:7). St. Paul points to his glorification thus: “And for this God raised him high, and gave him the name which is above all other names” (Phil. 2:9).  In this Christological presentation, the identity of Christ was revealed: Jesus is the Son of God, who in order to save man, became man, through an itinerary of suffering, humiliation and death. The Cross that is being exalted is the instrument par excellence of his kenosis and glorification.  

 Beloved in Christ, by means of today’s Feast the Church reminds us that exalting the Cross of Christ means exalting the boundless love of Jesus, the infinite love of God. Today as we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross we want to renew our allegiance and belongingness to the One, who made the Cross worth exalting, for in the words of St. John: “They will look to the one whom they have pierced” (Jn. 19:37; cf. Zech.12:10). To us as we meditate and ponder on and on, on the event of Jesus on the Cross, is as if He whispers to the ears of our heart: “I did not love you, just for joke”. Hence our meditation on the Exaltation of the Cross of Christ has to inspire us to contrition and pains for our sins, but also to hope, to love and to a sense of gratitude. In the words of St. Paul, “the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1: 18). In the words of St. Rose of Lima, “Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.” Let us pray and ask Jesus to draw us to Himself, for His word says: “when I am lifted up I will draw all men to myself” (Jn. 12:32). May the two horizontal extensions of the Cross and the arms of Jesus outstretched in them continue to be for us a shield for protection and divine coverage. Amen!!! Happy Feast to you all!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SdC)

The Cost of Discipleship!

Homily for the 23^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C)

     The three readings of today seem to have different themes:  the discernment of the Divine will which is only possible through the Spirit of God; the transformation of personal relations in Christ and the total renunciation as a mark of a true discipleship. As such, to figure out a common thread that runs through the three readings requires dexterity. Wisdom is the keyword recurrent in the liturgical texts. In the first reading, the human capacity of reasoning that is weak and uncertain, is opposed to the wisdom with which God teaches man and woman so that they will obtain salvation. The human prudence makes calculations to know if you can count on sufficient means to construct a tower or a sufficient number of soldiers to wage war against an enemy. This prudence is necessary, but in order to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, the prudence or better the wisdom that comes from God is required, as exemplified in the Gospel passage. In the second reading, the letter of St. Paul to Philemon is it not a real manifestation of wisdom learnt at the school of faith? Drawing the issue further, we can summarize the liturgical readings of today thus: The first reading and the responsorial psalm raise a question; the Gospel offers a response; while the second reading gives us an example of its existential application. As a matter of fact, in the biblical logic, the Old Testament reveals an expectation (a waiting), while the New Testament brings its fulfillment.

     The first reading (Wis. 9:13-18) presents a part of prayer which the book of Wisdom attributes to Solomon. In the first book of the Kings we see the earliest version of King Solomon’s prayer (1Kg. 3:6-9), where he prayed for understanding. In another occasion he prayed for wisdom to help him carry out his duties as a King (cf. 2Chr. 1:9-10). However, in this passage therefore, the sacred writer expatiates the point that the will of God can only be discerned through the wisdom and Spirit of God. The question emanating from the first reading with reference to the wisdom, the thought or will of God is this: “What human being indeed can know the intentions of God? And who can comprehend the will of the Lord?” (v.13). The answer is in the negative: No one! The passage tells us with much clarity that man is not capable of knowing the will of God. Man can only know the thoughts of God only if God reveals them to him, and God revealed himself to man: “And who could ever have known your will, had you not given Wisdom and sent your holy Spirit from above?” (v.17). The human person is limited in his knowledge and understanding of life. Thus, he lacks the indication of an existential scope or the sense for living, the drama is condensed in the following words of the psalmist: “All our days pass under your wrath; our lives are over like a sigh. The span of our life is seventy years, eighty for those who are strong, but their whole extent is anxiety and trouble, they are over in a moment and we are gone” (Ps. 90:9-10), before this bitter fact, the modern man falls into desperation and finds refuge in the materialistic point of view: “let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die” (cf. Is. 22:13); the Psalmist as we have heard in the responsorial psalm finds refuge in prayer, he asks God the grace to learn how to count his days, to gain wisdom of heart.

     The Gospel passage (Lk. 14:25-33) consists of Jesus’ demands and the cost of discipleship. Jesus used two parables to illustrate his point on the cost of discipleship: the tower builder and the king going to war. Jesus does not force anyone to follow him, and once you choose to follow him, he must be the number one priority of your life. In verse (26) it says “Anyone who comes to me without hating father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, cannot be my disciple”, the verb hate here is somewhat harsh, however, there is a suggestion that the original Aramaic language is to “love less”. But that does not really portray the real meaning therein. By that Jesus intends to teach his disciples that to follow Him one has to surrender the whole of one’s life and love Him above all others. It entails not putting anything or anyone before Him. He has to occupy the prime and first position in our life. All relationships and family ties must be subordinated to Christ. No one and nothing should be allowed to interfere in our discipleship and Christian life. Thus, there is need for an uncompromising commitment.

     Furthermore, in Chapter 10 of the Gospel of Luke when the Lawyer asked Jesus, “Master, what must i do to inherit eternal life? Jesus asked him: “What is written in the law? He replied: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself”. Then Jesus told him: “You have answered right, do this and life is yours”. (Lk. 10:25-28). Here, we are told to love, now how do we reconcile the invitation of Jesus to hate. Jesus loving and hating reflects a Semitic idiom used to express preference. The words of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel will help us understand better what Jesus meant: “No one who prefers father or mother to me is worthy of me. No one who prefers son or daughter to me is worthy of me” (Mt. 10:37). Therefore, the use of hate here is not to indicate the rejection of something but rather a question of preference. The Semitic mind is comfortable with extremes: light and darkness etc. In the Jewish culture of that time, the family tie was so strong. Therefore, the invitation here, is not to water down the prior teaching of Jesus on love. Here, Jesus is making a call for absolute loyalty.

      In this passage Jesus speaks of the necessity of hating one’s relatives and one’s life, in order to be able to take the Cross and follow Him. He admonishes his disciples to check very well their strength and capabilities before embarking on the journey of his discipleship. As such, Jesus gives instances of the man who started the construction of a tower but could not finish it and the King who engages another King in a war and is incapable of winning. Thus, we can say that Jesus is telling us, before you come to me, think about it very well, but it is somewhat surprising, that the Jesus who said: “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28), and now apparently in this passage he gives us a somewhat discouraging admonition. But that is not the case, in order to understand the meaning of these words, we need to identify whom they were addressed to, they were addressed to the disciples, those that have already said yes to Jesus and to the Gospel and they are following Him. So they are not in doubt on whether to follow Jesus or not, but on how to follow Him. What are the exigencies of the sequela Christi? Accepting the Kingdom of God is indeed a hard nut to crack, it is a decisive choice. However, many a times some of the disciples of Jesus lack awareness about the seriousness and the radicality of the call of Jesus. Maybe they thought like in the mentality of that time, that to follow Jesus, the Messiah, entails grabbing every form of triumphalism, even though they must have understood that following Jesus is something important, but not to the point of renouncing oneself. As such, the passage of this Gospel gives us some indications or conditions for following Christ and to be his disciple: ● Whoever wishes to follow Christ must give precedence to Christ in everything. He has to occupy the first position in our life. ● To be a disciple of Christ entails following the Master and carrying one’s cross daily, it involves the ability to “follow the Lamb wherever he goes” (Rev. 14:4). A cross is a symbol of decision making, sometimes we say I have come to the crossroad, we must be decisive. ● To follow Christ one must detach himself or herself from earthly riches. ● It requires the consciousness that being a disciple of Christ or being a Christian is serious and demanding, little wonder, Jesus expects whoever wishes to follow Him to ponder over it properly. In all, Jesus blows hot against all prosperity Gospel preachers, the cross is at the heart of Christianity. Christianity without the cross is like the gospel without Christ.

     As a mater fact, the heart and bedrock of Christian wisdom is the choice of Christ, and it is an existential choice, in that, it changes our mentality, the way we perceive the world, the way we live and the way we interact with others. This helps us to understand better the conclusive words of Jesus’ discourse: “So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple without giving up all that he owns” (v.33), thus, renouncing all for Christ means not putting anything before Him. There is incompatibility in the choice; it is a fundamental option that determines all other choices. Jesus and his message of salvation have to be the priority of the disciple.

     Indeed, it is indispensable to read the passage of this Gospel without reference to the preceding verses, that is the parable of those invited to the banquet (cf. Lk. 14:15-24). Also it is necessary to read this passage in the light of the successive verses (cf. Lk. 14:34-35), this equally speaks of the disciple who have not understood that he has become lukewarm, and that he is just moving ahead for inertia. The same words used to reproach the Christian community of Laodicea can be addressed to some Christians today: “I know about your activities: how you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other, but since you are neither hot nor cold, but only lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16).

     In the second reading (Phil. 1.9-10.12-17) we see the story of Onesimus, a slave who run away from his master Philemon, a Christian of Colossae, who had joined Paul in prison. When Paul was writing this letter he was already old, but also in prison under chains in Rome, as a result of his fidelity to Christ. The interesting part of this story is that through the influence of Paul, Onesimus was converted to Christianity. After his conversion to Christianity, Paul mediated between Onesimus and his Master, Philemon. In sending Onesimus back to his Master, Paul commended him as no longer a slave, but a dear brother in the Lord. However, through this wonderful intervention of Paul he did not in any way abolish slavery, which would have been impossible in the ancient world. But at least he succeeded in transforming the relationship that existed between them, from a master-slave relationship to a brother-brother relationship. Paul maintained that in Christ there is no longer anyone like a slave, rather we are free sons and daughters of God. Behold, at the heart of this passage is the message that our faith as Christians does not encourage barriers, divisions and discriminations of any kind. Our Christian faith teaches us to recognize all as brothers and sisters, thus sons and daughters of the same Father.

     Behold, the pivot on which revolves the message of this Sunday is on divine Wisdom as opposed to human prudence or wisdom. Jesus is the One who reveals to us the sapiential vision of life, for He is the wisdom of the Father, incarnated and made visible. Therefore, following Him, “Way, Truth and Life” entails walking on the path of that Wisdom that comes from above. And whoever that walks on this path is endowed with divine Wisdom, just as St. Paul. The presence of the divine Wisdom in him was manifested in his brotherly and affectionate intervention in the matter bothering Philemon and Onesimus. It is by means of divine Wisdom that the status of Onesimus was raised from a slave to a beloved brother. No doubt, to be one of the disciples of Christ, one needs the Wisdom that comes from above, capable of transforming a person’s heart, to a heart that sees and feels.

     Dear Jesus give us this Wisdom that comes from above so that we may be enabled to love you more, to love our brothers and sisters sincerely and to follow you more eagerly. May our pains be converted to our gains. Amen!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC) 

Pride Destroys, Humility Exalts!

(Homily for the 22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C)

     In today’s readings humility seems to be the pivotal message that traverses the three liturgical texts. Humility as exemplified in the first reading is the attitude of man before earthly and heavenly (spiritual) riches: “The greater you are, the more humbly you should behave, and then you will find favour with the Lord” (v.18), this serves as a prelude to the Gospel: “For everyone who raises himself up will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be raised up” (v.11). In the Gospel humility is presented as the best attitude of man, and particularly of a Christian, in his relation with others and in the different situations that life offer. The second reading takes up the theme of the heavenly banquet; the sacred author presents the contraposition between the old revelation on Sinai and the new and definitive one that came through the mediation of Christ (Humility personified) in Zion, where those who possess evangelical humility gather.

     The first reading (Sir. 3:17-18, 20, 28-29) presents a veritable lesson on humility. As a matter of fact, pride is the worst of the seven deadly sins, while humility is the mother of all the Christian virtues. For this a humble person finds favour in the sight of God, though not as a reward or merit for his humility, but because humility like faith entails abandoning oneself before God and allowing God to act where we cannot do anything. The passage presents a wise man in the Old Testament, who attracted God’s favour and the love of the people because of his readiness to help others, indeed humility bears many fruits, and one of them is kindness. In this passage we see the fruit of humility: ‘a humble person is loved by men and finds favour with God’. It is the Lord who resists the proud and gives grace to the humble (cf. 1Pt.5:5). Indeed, the Lord gazes at the humble, and the gaze or look of the Lord is life giving, for this Prophet Isaiah puts words in the mouth of the Lord thus: “But my eyes are drawn to the person of humbled and contrite spirit” (Is. 66:2). In the same vein, the verses of today’s psalm, the Psalmist praises God for granting His favour to the poor and the humble.

     The Gospel periscope (Lk. 14:1,7-14) presents the reality of the Kingdom of God in the context of a banquet. However, Jesus is still on his way to Jerusalem, and from time to time the journey is interrupted by some activities, today is a dinner of a Pharisee. The parable is a piece of sapiential and prudential advice on how to comport oneself at the dinner of the Lord, so as to avoid embarrassment. Be that as it may, as a parable, this passage cannot be easily tagged or considered a piece of worldly wisdom or merely a lesson on humility. More than that, it captures more the aspect of man’s relationship with God. For God through His Son, Jesus Christ is inviting men and women to the Messianic feast, the heavenly banquet. The initiative of this banquet is God’s; therefore the way to respond adequately to the invitation is by giving up any form of claim of personal merit or rights. Like the Pharisees that expected the best and privileged seats and positions as a recognition or reward for observing the Torah, instead they have to humble themselves and learn the fact that salvation is an unmerited gift of and from God.

       One of the characteristics of the Gospel of St. Luke is the presentation of Jesus as an invited guest in a meal by the Pharisees. For three times we see him as a guest in the house of the Pharisees, and in those three times Luke presented Jesus who was very accommodating and tolerant before the Pharisees. ●The first time was in the house of Simon (Lk. 7:36-50), and while Jesus was there a woman with a bad name came in with an alabaster ointment, she waited the feet of Jesus, wiped them away with her hair and anointed them with the ointment. Jesus through his presence rehabilitated spiritually that sinful woman. ●The second time was in the house of an anonymous Pharisee (Lk. 11:37-54), he warned the Pharisees of their hypocrisy and exhibitionism. Jesus rebuked them: “You Pharisees! You clean the outside of cup and plate, while inside yourselves you are filled with extortion and wickedness” (v.39). ●The third time is narrated partly by the gospel passage of today, it happened in the house of one of the leading Pharisees, after the healing of a dropsical man. From the foregoing, one notices that each time Jesus honours their invitation he gives them a wonderful lesson for life, he told that man that invited him, “When you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, then you will be blessed, for they have no means to repay you and so you will be repaid when the upright rise again” (vv. 13-14). It is not as if Jesus was trying to abolish the usual sharing and conviviality that exist between friends and families, rather he wanted to admonish them on the need not to do things for egoism and that our gestures of love should have preference (the poor and the needy). The fact that Jesus was going to the houses of the Pharisees at that time, has a big significance for us. And as usual, Jesus grabbed the occasion to rebuke them on their incoherence and presumption. Similarly, this passage reminds us that a person’s acceptance into the Messianic banquet is incumbent upon one’s acceptance of the others in the present time. Upon this consideration, humility becomes really an active virtue.

       The teaching on humility is translated in concrete images in the parable of today’s Gospel. It is pertinent to understand the meaning and aim of this parable. At first it does appear, Jesus is giving a set of norms for good table manners or on subtle calculation (of choosing the last place in order to gain the first). This was the meaning the rabbi of his time was giving to the maxim in the book of Proverbs: “do not take a place among the great; better to be invited, ‘Come up here’, than be humiliated in the presence of the prince” (Prov. 25:6-7). But in the mouth of Jesus the prospective changed radically and the words of natural wisdom become words of eternal life. The banquet that Jesus speaks about is the eschatological banquet; between the choice of a place by those invited and the intervention of the head of the house who enjoins to go back or forward, there is in-between a leap from this life to the other life. Therefore, the rapport that Jesus evokes is not between man and man, but between man and God; and this gives the parable a different undertone.

       Jesus concluded the parable with the words: “who humbles himself will be raised up”. But what does it mean to humble oneself? If this question is posed to a group of Christians, certainly we will get many answers. However, to discover what true humility is, we need to interrogate Jesus. For He says: “learn from me, for I am gentle and humbler in heart” (Mt. 11:29). Where does the humility of Jesus reside? The humility of Jesus resides in the heart, and in deed connecting his humility to the heart entails that the humility of Jesus is a holistic and integral humility. In the whole Gospel Jesus did not admit of any fault whatsoever, not because of pride, but because that is the fact. Little wonder, he says with his head high: “Can any of you convict me of sin?” (Jn. 8:46). This is indeed a proof of his unified divinity-humanity. Not only that, he says learn from me for I am humble. Therefore, humility in the dictionary of Jesus is deep rooted in his being and mission. What did Jesus do in order to show that he is humility personified? He stooped low; he lowered himself, not in words or with sentiments, but with facts and in deed.  The humility of Jesus began with the Incarnation, when even though he was “in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped. But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross” (Phil. 2:6-8). In all his life, Jesus remained coherent with this choice: he is the Master that lowers himself to wash the feet of his disciples, he comports himself as the one who serves. He gave up himself on the Cross. His was a humble existence, of descending and descending till the point of the tomb. And the Father raised him up above all, “for this God raised him high” (Phil. 2:9).  This is how his (Jesus) parable was realized in his words: Who humbles himself will be exalted. As such, to be humble means to “make your own the mind of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5), to comport oneself as he comported himself.

     The central theme of today’s message offers us the opportunity to understand in a new way, what evangelical humility means. Humility is first of all, a question of fact, choice and concrete attitude, not mere sentiments. The concept of humility is deeply rooted and connected with “Humus” (soil), and it reminds us of our connectedness and link with the earth. Indeed, we are dust, and to dust we shall return. The remembrance of this should help us always to calm down and bring down our shoulders. Pride destroys, humility exalts. The Greek word used in the New Testament to indicate the act of humbling oneself is tapeinoo, which literally means to lower oneself, to stoop low. Humility is the readiness to come down from ourselves, and to lower oneself towards the brothers and sisters, it is the will to serve, to serve for love and not for personal gains and advantages. This introduces an important perspective in connection to humility as gratuity, but in relation to the second part of today’s Gospel , which talks about a different thing altogether. Jesus says, when you prepare a meal do not invite the rich, the handsome and the beautiful, the powerful, those who can pay you back; instead invite the poor who have nothing to give you in return. Here, we see that evangelical humility is closely knit with love; it is indeed, a manifestation of agape. That is the love that St. Paul talked about in his famous hymn on love, to say that “love is always patient and kind, love is never jealous; love is not boastful or conceited” (1Cor. 13:4), entails that love is humble and humility is a manifestation of love. Jesus takes the virtue of humility to a higher level, to an agapeic level. To be humble in Jesus’ parlance entails to loss oneself, to spend oneself gratuitously, it means to live for others and not for oneself. Little wonder, boast, pride and self-seeking are opposed to humility. In the words of St. Paul: “Someone who thinks himself important, when he is not, only deceives himself” (Gal. 6:3). St. Paul at times presents humility as a balanced and realistic view or presentation of oneself with sobriety, “never pride yourself on being better than you really are…Do not congratulate yourself on your own wisdom” (Rm. 12:3.16).

     In the second reading (Heb. 12:18-19, 22-24a) the author makes a sort of comparison between the law, the old revelation on mount Sinai and the new and definitive revelation through the mediation of Christ on Mount Zion. The author says that we are on mount Zion, the city of the living God. The mount on which Christians gather is not an inhospitable mount, but a place of the gracious presence of God, a place of salvation (cf. Is. 2). The images of both the mount and the city are symbols of salvation that comes from on high, from God (cf. Gal. 4:26). The new mount (Zion) will not be inaccessible like the old one (Sinai), for Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant. However, the hit-track of this contrast in relation to the central theme of this Sunday is the fact that coming to the mountain is the favour that God grants to the “humble”.

     Be that as it may, upon a deeper reflection on our theme today, we cannot but say that true humility is revealed in the equilibrium in the rapport with God (humility of the heart) and the way of relating with the others (humility of fact). Humility, like love, has to be expressed towards God and towards the neighbour. To be humble in our world today requires the courage of swimming against the current, for we live in a world that exhorts pride, self-centeredness and the philosophy of climbing at the detriment of others. Therefore, dear friends, what we should be aiming at, striving for, are summed up in the words of Sacred Scripture (Ps. 51): "A new heart create for me, Oh God, and put a steadfast spirit within me." This is God's work, not something we can achieve by ourselves. "Without me," Christ told his disciples, "you can do nothing" (Jn. 15:5). But with him, we are assured, all things are possible for those who love him. O Lord give us the enabling grace to emulate your humility, for “You save a people that is humble and humiliate those with haughty looks” (Ps. 18:27). Give us O Lord, a heart that thinks of oneself less, and God and others more, Amen!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)

 

Through The Narrow Door!

(Homily for the 21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C)

     The liturgical texts of today move between two poles: the universal call to salvation and the need for a personal courageous commitment. Isaiah in the first reading speaks of God’s salvific will for the salvation of all peoples: “I am coming to gather every nation and every language. They will come to witness my glory” (Is. 66:18) and in the Gospel Jesus says: “And people from east and west, from north and south, will come and sit down at the feast in the Kingdom of God” (Lk. 13:29). The Gospel gives a further glaring indication that the door to enter into the Kingdom of God is narrow, and only those who are committed courageously for the cause of the Kingdom will pass through it. The readings therefore presented God as a God of infinite love, for he calls all to salvation, but he is also a God of justice. Little wonder, Jesus invites us to be conscious of the fact that our personal actions and inactions will determine our eternal destiny. The second reading on its part deepens the dimension of the personal courageous commitment, for in our struggle for this commitment, the Lord accompanies us with his paternal pedagogy of correction, in order to remold us in a shape suitable for the narrow door.

     The first reading (Is. 66:18-21) presents the scenario of the gathering together of people from all walks of life at Zion at the beginning of the messianic times. This is a common image in the Old Testament prophecies, especially that of Isaiah. Some Christian theologians see the fulfillment of the prophecy of the gathering of people from east and west, north and south, in the gathering of all nations into one Holy Catholic Church and also in the future coming of Jesus Christ, for He will come to gather all the nations of this world into his Kingdom. For God there are no limitations and preferences for entrance into His Kingdom, no geographical, biological or physiological limitations. The psalmist echoes his voice in the universalistic view of God’s redemptive act in Christ, by inviting all nations to praise the name of Yahweh: “O praise the Lord, all you nations; acclaim him, all you peoples” (Ps.117:1). Thus, it serves as a suitable response to the first reading that hinges on the gathering of all peoples in Zion.

     The message of the Gospel (Lk. 13:22-30) culminates in the proclamation that many shall come from east and west, north and south, to take their place in the Kingdom of God. Thus, it evidences the universality of the Christian message. It is for all men, and it is offered through Christ. As Luke presented in the episode, while Jesus was walking towards Jerusalem, as it is common with Luke to present Jesus walking always towards the city where his sacrifice will be consumed, of which he was fully aware, on the process an anonymous interlocutor posed him the question: “Sir, will there be only a few saved?” (v.23). The question is a reflection of a domineering problem that was attracting the interest of many, at that time. The responses given in the Jewish context are variegated. Some were very optimistic, and they maintained that “all the Israelites will have part in the future world’; others instead maintained a rather pessimistic view that “only few persons will participate in the future world”, and there was a widespread belief amongst them that pagans will be excluded from the Kingdom of God and from salvation; irrespective of the fact that the prophets repeated incessantly that all are called to salvation. Jesus did not give a direct response to his interlocutor, to the question of how many that will be saved, he responded with an image of the door that leads to salvation. Certainly the number of the people to be saved is irrelevant, that is why Jesus invited to personalize the concern, and thus, what is important is that each person makes sure he or she is saved. Then, the question ought to be: how can I be saved or what should I do in order to be saved? Instead of answering the question Jesus gave a formula for attaining heaven. He preferred to address all present, and thus invited them:

     First, “try your hardest to enter by the narrow door” (v.24), by this, he intends to let them know that even though salvation is free but it is not without a cost. Even though Jesus has given it to us free, yet it costs us sacrifice, perseverance, self-abnegation and renunciation. It is not even to be considered as an acquired right or a given privilege as in the case of the Jews. The possibility of salvation is given to all; there are no privileges and preclusions whatsoever. To try one’s hardest to enter through the narrow door entails two things: renouncing oneself (the struggle against pride, egoism and all the evil inclinations) and following Christ (to make specific choices in conformity with the will of God without conforming to the mentality of this world). In fact, already in the passage of the first reading the Lord announced: “I am coming to gather every nation and every language. They will come to witness my glory” (Is. 66:18). In the words of St. Paul, with Christ “God’s grace has been revealed to save the whole human race” (Tit. 2:11) and again to Timothy: “He wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth” (1Tim. 2:4). However, the door is narrow as Jesus warned, there is therefore need of making effort to enter. Little wonder, in another occasion Jesus said: “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me” (Lk. 9:23). Let us strive to ward off anything that will prevent us from entering or passing through the narrow door. When Jesus says: “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs” (Lk. 18:16); we are therefore, reminded that to enter through the narrow door we must become like little children, thus we need to possess these child-like qualities: innocent, dependent, trustful, lovely, honest, pure, authentic, simple-hearted and spontaneous. Jesus counts on us, but basically on our readiness to share in his destiny of suffering. At a deeper level, the narrow door is a Person. Jesus himself says: “I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: such a one will go in and out and will and pasture” (Jn. 10:9). Jesus is the door of access to salvation and God’s favor and grace.

     Second, Jesus warns that there is an established time within which one has to decide, a profitable time to have access to the Kingdom, after which the door is closed. In his words, “Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself standing outside and knocking at the door” (v.25). This indicates the necessity of an urgent decision for Jesus and his message and the readiness to allow one’s choice in life be determined by the Gospel of Christ and equally the effort to live in accordance to it, in order to avoid the risk of being excluded from the Kingdom of God. These two admonitions are to be taken very serious and imprinted in our hearts. In that moment, whoever is inside remains inside, and whoever is outside remains outside. It will be of no use shouting: “Lord, open to us” or to claim rights: “we are descendants of Abraham” or to re-vindicate privileges: “we once ate and drank in your company, you taught in our streets”. And the Lord will respond: “I do not know where you come from” (v.25). With this discourse, Jesus was sending an important message and signal to the Jews. They as the descendants of Abraham were heirs of the divine promises of salvation. They were the first to be called to the kingdom of God, but if they do not profit that favorable moment and do not accept him as the Messiah, they could be equally excluded. Jesus therefore, foresees that the call is extended to all peoples scattered all over the world. The message of salvation will be more favorable amongst the pagans than the Jews, for this he said: “people from east and west, from north and south, will come and sit down at the feast in the Kingdom of God”. Little wonder, the discourse concluded thus: “Look, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last” (v.30). Indeed, there will be surprises on the last day in the Kingdom of heaven. Jesus has illustrated the two different ways of approaching God’s salvation: the way of those who pretend to possess the kingdom of God because of some privileges of birth or for passed merits and the way of those, instead who seek for this salvation day after day, with humility, through the following of Christ. This reveals two categories of Christians in the Church 

     Behold, the words of Jesus are quite demanding, they are words addressed to men and women of all times, so that they can come to the decision and make fundamental choice to be on His part, and therefore embrace the Gospel of salvation, in order not to run the risk of being locked out of the Kingdom of God. For us Christians today, we need to make effort to guide against falling into the same false security of the Jews. Remember the words of St. Paul: “Everyone, no matter how firmly he thinks he is standing, must be careful he does not fall” (1Cor. 10:12). Having received Jesus in the Eucharist, having listened to his Word, having invoked him in prayers, all these are not enough to save us. Instead, we have to “try our hardest to enter by the narrow door”, the door of self-abnegation and renunciation from sin, the door of acceptance of suffering and sacrifices. This is the door that the choice of and for the Gospel comports, and which the Lord uses for our correction and to educate us for our sanctification (second reading). Indeed, the teaching on the narrow door finds an eloquent expression in the second reading: “The Lord trains those he loves, and chastises every son he accepts” (v.6).

      The second reading (Heb. 12:5-7.11-13) dwells on the divine discipline of the faithful. The discipline that the sacred writer talks about in this passage is probably not a grave persecution. The discipline referred to in the passage is the disciplining of the Lord to his people. However, it is noteworthy that the discipline in question is a sign of God’s love to his people. This passage touches a very important and sensitive question: why does God permit trial and sufferings? Why is it that many a times, those who suffer more are the good ones or however, those who make effort to live in accordance with the law of God? No doubt, this passage offers us some precious considerations, for the writer tried to explain why God allows or permits trials and sufferings. The sacred writer makes reference to the book of Proverb thus: “My child do not scorn correction from Yahweh, do not resent his reproof; for Yahweh reproves those he loves as a father the child whom he loves” (Pro. 3:11-12), and our author re-affirms: “My son, do not scorn correction from the Lord, do not resent his training, for the Lord trains those he loves, and chastises every son he accepts” (vv.5-6). And he concluded thus: “God is treating you as his sons. Has there ever been any son whose father did not train him? (v.7). God follows the pedagogy of a father who uses even strong and strict ways of educating well his children that he loves. Thus, this passage reminds us that existential trials, and challenges are not signs of God’s absence, rather of his presence.

     Furthermore, the author sustains that God permits that we pass through sufferings, “he does it all for our own good, so that we may share his own holiness” (v.10), (though this verse was omitted by the liturgical text of today. It is important because it clarifies the positive sense of divine correction and education through suffering). Be that as it may, extrapolating from this, we may well affirm that trial and suffering in God’s design has the following scope: to render our faith more pure and coherent; to increase our love, for love is manifested in pains; to purify our hearts from sins; to make us participants of Christ’s crucifixion so as to participate in his glory. Therefore, trials and pains are not punishment from God or a sign that he has abandoned us, but a way of drawing us closer to Himself. They serve as means of our sanctification. Again, the author added that “any discipline is at the moment a matter for grief, not joy; but later, in those who have undergone it, it bears fruit in peace and uprightness” (v.11). Thus, sufferings whether moral or physical are to be considered a sort of spiritual training, which at the moment may be fastidious, but it produces the fruit of holiness, peace and progress in good life. In moments of suffering, a Christian should by no means doubt the love of God and his providence.

     From the foregoing, it is obvious that salvation is God’s initiative and however it comports the human commitment. In that bid, for man it is impossible to save himself single-handedly, it is God who saves. But God does not impose salvation on man; rather He offers it to us! We remember when the apostles were worried and afraid of the exigencies of the Gospel, and they exclaimed and asked Jesus: “Who then can be saved?” Jesus responded them thus: “Things that are impossible by human resources are possible for God” (Lk.18:26-27). God is able! May He give us the grace to accept his divine pedagogy of correction as a means of passing through the narrow door that leads to God’s Kingdom, our eternal destiny! Lord Jesus have mercy on us and may divine grace enable us unload from our hearts all that may prevent us from entering the narrow door. Amen!!!

(Fr. Vitus Chigozie, SC)