THE IMPLICATION OF DIVINE OBEDIENCE

REFLECTION FOR 3RD SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR C

THEME: THE IMPLICATION OF DIVINE OBEDIENCE

R1: Acts 5:27-32; 40-41, 

R2: Rev 5:11-14, 

Gospel: John 21:1-19

The presence of Jesus and his teachings were offensive to the Jewish leaders. They killed him since they felt that by allowing him and his teachings with the numerous miracles he had done; a lot of people will come to believe in him. Upon his resurrection the apostles continued to preach this truth which they have received from their master. Because the teaching of the apostles challenged the unjust oppression by the Roman authorities, they decided to arrest the apostles, brought them before the Sanhedrin (Jewish tribunal), forbade them from preaching Christ and placed a severe punishment should they continue preaching this gospel. Even with these conditions, the apostles chose to obey God and be punished than to obey the Roman authorities and be set free.  We are living in a world where many laws have been promulgated and where some of the laws made go contrary to God’s will and our faith. As Christians, our faith demands we obey God and his laws first. Meanwhile, doing this has the following implications:

*1. Persecution:*

Deciding to follow Christ as a severe persecution attached to it. There is no one who is faithful to God and finds live easy. It is either you face rejection by friends and family or hatred from the world. Sometimes life may even be challenging itself. In times like this, it is courage that one needs.

 Courage “ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good.”  At baptism we submitted our will to that of Christ. We accept to do the will of God against the will of mankind. Just like the apostles in the first reading, doing the will of Christ, implies that we shall be brought before the court for persecution. We shall be hated; we may be left alone to face our God alone, friends will abandon us and the world will condemn us and put a belt we wouldn’t want to wear round us.  The virtue of courage will enable face and overcome these difficult moments. Courage will make us see our humiliation as a thing of joy like the apostles, for blessed are those who are persecuted for Christ’s sake, there reward is the kingdom of God (Mt 5:10-12).

*2. Worship:*

Obedience to God is not possible without worship. Worship is the act of reverence and adoration to God. It is by the act of worship that we demonstrate spiritually our obedience to God.

In the vision of John in the second reading of today, all those who are subject to God, the angels, the elders, the animals and in fact, all creatures fall prostrate before God with a wonderful song of praise. This challenges us Christians to always make out time worship God who is always present among us in the Eucharist. This worship should come from the heart and not the Pharisaic worship (lips worship). It is sad that most times we see people who say they are Christians yet they don’t give God a little of their time in adoration. How can we show we love God if we do not worship him and if we don’t make out time for him? If you love God, show it by your action.

*3. Uninterrupted Fellowship:*

 One reality we cannot avoid is that there may be many times we may experience dryness in our faith. After the death of Christ, this reality confronted the apostles, hence, Peter on others decided to go back to their old profession of fishing.  When they left, they laboured all night and caught no fish until Jesus came and the story changed.

Obedience as a commandment that looks very dry. It is like a repetition of the same event again and again. Sometimes, like Peter and the other apostles we may decide to go away from God’s side and at least enjoy some freedom. Let us know that a life outside Christ is a fruitless life and an empty life. What we may consider freedom is baseless because it will benefit us nothing the way the apostles caught no fish that night. To show them that it is only in Christ that we have everything we want, they caught many fish immediately they encountered Christ. When Peter realized this, he jumped out from the boat and started moving towards Christ, even, forgetting the huge fish he has gotten. In the same way, our wealth, our position and power means nothing without Christ. Let us remain joined to him and show the example in the way we live with others.

*Rev. Fr. Chukwuemeka Vin. Livinus, SMMM*

THE POWERFUL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EIGHT DAY

REFLECTION FOR SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER (DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY) YEAR C

THEME: THE POWERFUL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EIGHT DAY

R1: Acts 5:27-32; 32; 40-41

R2: Rev 5:11-14

Gospel: Jn 21:1-19

Dear friends in Christ, this Sunday is called the *Divine Mercy Sunday.* Today we celebrate the endless mercy of God which extends even to those who do not deserve it. To make ever present His mercy among us, Christ commissions his apostles to forgive sins, as whose sins they forgive will be forgiven and whose sins they retain will be retained (Jn 20:23). This divine mandate was given on the eight day which coincidentally is the day of the resurrection and the day the followers always gather to pray. Let us look at the significance of this day on our lives as believers. 

*1. The General Attitude of Christians:*

 From the resurrection of Christ, the eight day is special in the formation of the attitude of Christians. The first reading of today makes clear such attitude notable of  the early Christians. They usually come together on this day to pray and to praise God with one heart and mind. This oneness and community of love attracted the admiration of the crowed that brought their sick ones to receive healing and thereby believing in the gospel.

We, like the early Christians gather every Sunday to praise, worship and to thank God. The question becomes, does our weekly gathering have any influence on non-believers? Does our attitude attract people to God or repel them? Among the early Christians were mixture of people, the poor, the marginalised, people of lower class. These stayed together in harmony, but in our time, do we relate well with those who are not of our level and who are in our midst? An easy way to change the world is not just by preaching but by living well, this will win the admiration of people. We can’t live well if we do not love ourselves no matter our class differences. With one heart and mind we can convert the world.

*2. Christian Community; a Life with Others:*

With the outbreak of the pandemic, a lot of things have taken place which has affected our faith as Christians. Before the pandemic, many people were longing to be together in the Church to worship God, and get relieved of their pains and worries and be reassured of their hope for salvation. Unfortunately, the pandemic came and scattered us apart; coming together became a threat. 

With the first part of gospel reading of today and with the ease in public gatherings, we are being reminded of the need to step out of our homes to go and meet the Lord in the Church. We are being reminded of the need to gather with the faithful because it only there that we shall encounter Christ and his real presence in the Eucharist, his word speaking to us in the readings and homily and his gift of peace in our troubled state. The peace Christ gives is the type the world cannot give (Jn 14:27). Refusing to gather with his people would mean that we shall miss the Lord’s presence, his word and his gift of peace just as in the case of Thomas (Jn 20:24). 

*3. The Thomas Syndrome:* In every gathering of the faithful, there is always the ‘Thomas Syndrome.’  Thomas is known for his doubts and this has led to the famous term, *“Doubting Thomas.”* The ‘Thomas Syndrome’, represents those times we feel dryness and drought in our faith. It stands for those times we expect God to manifest himself in a particular situation so that we may believe his existence. It represents those times we need a proof for our faith. Sometimes, it happens unfortunately that we get no response in what we need at least to boost our faith, and we begin to doubt God. This can happen to anyone; the highly religious and the less religious person, it is a common phenomenon. 

In the presence of doubt, let us remember also that the Lord has manifested himself in one way or the other in different situations of our lives. The end part of the gospel reading today is a reminder, that even if we have gotten no immediate answer to what we seek, let us not be people of doubt but those who believe, for by the act of believing our reward is blessedness (heaven). There are two things that may constitute our doubts. *They are; pride and sin.* With pride we refuse to understand the mind of God that things may not always happen according to our wish but the will of God. With sin, we are prevented from having a clear vision of Christ who is with us in different ways and in different situations, through the things he has done and the ones he is still doing (Jn 20:31). Lets us therefore stand against pride and sin, so that, we may see and understand the immensity of his love and mercy.

Reflection by:

Rev Fr Chukwuemeka V. Livinus, SMMM.

CHRIST'S ENTRY TO JERUSALEM: OUR CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE*

HOMILY FOR PALM SUNDAY, YEAR C

THEME: CHRIST'S ENTRY TO JERUSALEM: OUR CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE

R1: Isaiah 50:4-7, 

R2: Philippians 2:6-11, 

Gospel: Luke 19:28-40_

Dear friends in Christ, this Sunday marks the beginning of the Holy week, the most sacred time of the year for Christians and for Catholics in particular. Today’s liturgy begins beautifully with the shouts of joy of the triumphant entry of Jesus to Jerusalem and a sudden change of mood with passion narrative. Not minding all the good works Christ did for the people, it did not stop them from desiring to kill him. Christ on his own part, being aware of what awaits him there in Jerusalem, did not refuse going. The experience of Christ relates also to our own experience as Christians. We have the following reminders:

*1. WHAT WE MUST GIVE:*

The first part of the first reading beautifully describes God’s endowment. His followers are given different gifts and talents to work for Him. He gives us a disciple’s tongue, the ear to listen as a disciple (Is 50:4-5) and the eye of a disciple. 

Every Christian is gifted specially with these three gifts of the tongue to speak against evil and the unjust treatment of the poor, the ear to listen to the cry of the needy and the eye to see the good and appreciate it; to see the bad and condemn it. That means, service is central to every Christian duty. It is a condition we must fulfil. This was exactly what Jesus did within the three years of his ministry and expects his followers to do likewise.

*2. WHAT WE SHOULD EXPECT:*

 There is a natural tendency in every human to seek a reward or an appreciation for whatever work one has done.  However, as long as we are still in the world, the reward of every Christian is what I may call, the Jerusalem experience. What is the Jerusalem experience?

Jerusalem is the beautiful city of the Lord. In the scripture it presents the worship centre and the figurative representation of where we shall go to meet the Lord. Notwithstanding, this centre of our worship has never been a smooth ground for prophets; it is a place that martyrs prophets. The Jerusalem experience is therefore, the experience of the cross.  Jesus being aware of this reality insists on visiting Jerusalem. He was welcomed with shouts of joy and Hosanna. When the elders of the Jews felt threatened by his progress, possibly, they thought; this man (Jesus) is trying to spoil our business, they decided to kill him.

Every Christian faces this kind of threat from the enemies of goodness. At first we may be welcomed with openness but as the journey keeps going what we get as a reward is never love but persecution. But shall we stop the good work? No, Jesus insists on going thereby encouraging us to remain steadfast even in the face of opposition. The first reading says, I offer my back to those who struck me, my cheeks for those who tore at my beard (Is 50:6).  This is a sad reality we must embrace.

*3. WHAT IS REMAINING:*

The sad experience of persecution a Christian gets in return for love leaves us with a dilemma of to continuing the good or not. How can we battle with this challenge and how can we overcome it? Surely, there is something that is left.

The last line of the first reading; “I know I shall not be put to shame”, (Is 50:7) gives us hope. This summarizes what remains, that which we shall get at last. We may be struck at the back, our beards may be torn, our faces may be covered with insults and spittle as a reward for our humble service, the Lord will not forget us. Like Christ, in the second reading, who humbled himself though he was God and accepted death, we shall be raised and given a name higher than those of our enemies and the enemies of the gospel (Phil 2:6-11).

Therefore, my friends let us not refuse giving out our donkey (colt), our treasure, our talents and our time for the service of God who is our Master. He will surely return it with a greater reward in due time. Lets us cry out to God with the Psalmist, that He will not forsake us in the time of trouble, Amen.

Reflection by 

Fr. Chukwuemeka Vincent Livinus, SMMM.

ALL HAVE SINNED

REFLECTION FOR FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR C*

...If you have not sinned before, be the first to cast a stone on her. (John 8:7)

R1: Isaiah 43: 16-21

R2: Phil 3:8-14

Gospel: John 8:1-11

The readings of today are full of surprises. In the first reading God promises to go extra mile to bring about of deliverance. In the second reading, Paul tells us that to posses Christ is the greatest of all possessions. In the gospel reading, the adulterous woman receives forgiveness even though the law and the people had condemned her. Her story represents our own story.  These readings remind us of the following: 

1. The Forgotten:

 ...they brought the woman to Jesus and said, “Sir, we caught this woman committing adultery, and the law states that such a person deserves death by stoning. What do you think?” (John 8:4-5).

The action of these Pharisees and scribes depicts self-righteousness. They saw themselves as perfect and without sin. With stones in their hands they made themselves masters, judges ready to kill, after judging and condemning the woman. They forgot as well as we do that it is not our duty to determine who is righteous or not, who is to be condemned or not, but God’s.  How can we overcome the dangers of self-righteousness? 

Some years ago, when I was in primary four, our teacher taught us an important and unforgettable life lesson. She told us to point at one another in the class, which we did. She asked, “Do you discover anything as you are pointing at your friend?”  We all answered, No. She said, three of your fingers are pointing at you. Can you notice that? We all looked at our pointed fingers and answered, yes.  Then, she gave us the life lesson; “while you observe people’s weakness and failures, pay more attention on your own weaknesses and mistakes than that of others that is the only way to be great and better in the future.” So my friends let us not be too quick to look for people’s fault and forget our own because all of us have the stain of sin in us, no one is worthy. God is the only judge.

*2. The Unimaginable:*

“...neither will I condemn you, go and sin no more.” (John 8:11)

In the first reading of today, the prophet Isaiah prophesies God’s deliverance of his people in the face of danger, where He will forget the past and make a new way to bring about the deliverance. This is exemplified in the experience of this adulterous woman whom the law and the people condemn and who Jesus’ presence brought about change and wholeness.

When we face betrayal, rejection and condemnation, it is only Jesus that can make things better. His love is immeasurable and unconditional; His forgiveness is extensive and surpasses human imagination. He does not desire the death or destruction of a sinner.  His mercy surpasses even the weakness of our sins. 

However, when God forgives, he gives us a warning, “Go and sin no more.” That means, we should not make mockery of God’s forgiveness by constant repetition of a particular sin since we know he will always forgive us. Making effort to improve is an essential part of forgiveness and this gives meaning to repentance. 

*3. The Supreme Advantage:*

 Knowing Jesus is the supreme advantage. St Paul in the second reading makes this clear, and nothing can outweigh this supreme advantage (Phil 3:8).

The supreme advantage is that when all the men who dragged this woman to Jesus with stones in their hands disappeared, it was only Jesus that remained with the woman. In the same way, when all our friends have condemned us, when the world rejects us, we are left alone with our God. It becomes very important therefore that we make the fundamental choice, the choice seeking Christ, finding him, of following him and remaining with him for he is our greatest friend and redeemer. If we find Jesus, when we are left with our misery like the woman, Christ gives us mercy.

Dear friends, there are three important things we must not forget today. (I). Let us avoid the attitude of the Pharisees who are devoid of humility, pointing at others and condemning them without remembering our own sins. (ii). Let us make effort to repent of our sins and not take for granted God’s forgiveness by repeating and making a habit, a particular sin. (iii). Let us make the choice of Jesus who will never abandon or condemn us even when all our friends do.

Reflection by

Fr Chukwuemeka Livinus V. SMMM