October 31, 2021; 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

Readings: Dt. 6:2-6; Heb. 7:23-28; Mk. 12:28-23

It is Better to Be a Homily in Action than Preach One

1.       Mark Link, SJ writes in his book 'Sunday Homilies', about a priest, Fr. George Anderson, who served as a chaplain at the maximum-security prison at Riker's Island, New York. The priest started a prayer-discussion group among some of the prisoners. The group would read a passage from Scripture, like the parable of the prodigal son. The prisoners would then ponder the passage in silence and end by discussing how it applied to their everyday lives. One evening a prisoner named Richard, from a section for the mentally disturbed, was with the group for the first time. Fr. Anderson describes the episode this way: "It was a windy evening in March. There was little heat in the room. An inmate sitting opposite Richard, having come with his T-shirt and trousers, was shivering. Richard had come with his shoulders wrapped in two blankets. Then while we were discussing the idea of helping each other, Richard suddenly got up, walked to the other inmate, and put one of his blankets around him." 

2.       What Richard did is called practical spirituality. Richard, 'the good prisoner' preached a homily by his action loud enough to see and not boring enough to put everyone to sleep. He put the answer Jesus gave to the question: "Which is the first of all the commandments?" into action. The scribe wanted to be justified by the keeping of the commandments. But Jesus wanted him to see the commandments in practical terms. Jesus reduced the ten commandments to just one with two prongs – the love of God and the love of neighbor. We cannot be so in love with God while we are so out of love with our neighbor. Hence St. John opined, "If someone says he loves God, but hates his brother, he is a liar, for he cannot love God, whom he has not seen, if he does not love his brother, whom he has seen. The command that Christ has given us is this: whoever loves God must love his brother also." (1 John 4:20). Vima Dasan, SJ put it better: "Without love of God, our love of neighbor would become shallow and formalistic; but without love of neighbor, our love of God can become self-centered and individualistic, thus separating religion from life. Hence, however hard it may be, we have to be constantly moving our religion from our throats to our muscles." If we profess to love God but at the same time always be critical and be spiteful of others, there is something wrong with our love. God cannot be loved in isolation.   

3.       Maybe the problem we have with the answer that Christ gave the scribe is that we do not love ourselves. If I am not in love with myself, it is impossible to love anyone else. If I do not love the members of my family, I doubt if I will be capable of loving my neighbor. Loving God is very easy and simple if I don't have to love anyone else. Like the husband told his wife, I love God with all my heart; I have no problem with God. But I have issues with you asking for money to buy stuff, for asking for school fees for the kids, and for talking back at me. You disturbed me while watching football on Sunday, make noise while I listen to the news, and you talk about others all the time. God doesn't do any of that. Oh, I love God dearly but not human beings. 

4.       We have often done harmful things to ourselves. We destroy our bodies by turning them into canvass for the arts. We eat, drink and smoke things that ruin our internal organs. We abuse ourselves by the company we keep. We despise our tongues by what we say and how we use them to destroy others. We fill our minds and hearts with all sorts of things that make it impossible to concentrate on God during prayers or on items that impact our lives positively. We often transfer these attitudes to the way we treat others. We abuse people behind their backs and curse them if they make us unhappy. Our children are usually not spared. There is so much hatred and disregard for our brothers and sisters in the same family that it makes it hard to see eye to eye with them. Often brothers and sisters do not talk to each other due to past hurts and transgressions. Reconciliation is often easier to achieve in the United Nations conflict resolution meetings than in our families. How can we ever begin to love God so entirely in isolation with those around us? Yes, our family members may be a pain in the rear end, but Christ instructs us to love them as we love ourselves. Isn't it true that we love God in the same measure that we can love one another? At least, that is what Christ tells us in today's gospel reading; we must love God with all that we have got and our neighbors as we love ourselves. 

5.       Spending time in prayer, going to confession, receiving Jesus Christ faithfully in the Eucharist, keeping the commandments both of God and the Church, contributing to supporting the Church, and being active in ministries are essential and wonderfully significant, but they are not enough. We must do all these and more. We must not forget or neglect our duties to ourselves and other members of our world, even those who see us as their enemies. Our Christianity must be practical. We are to be the homily that is seen rooted in the homily that we heard. We must plan to go to heaven, not as individuals, though we will go as individuals, with all those dear to us, by being the gospel they see since so many of them will not be able to read any other bible given to them. 

6.       Today’s readings invite us to ask more profound and meaningful questions. How have I identified my love for God with the love I have for my family? Have I expressed my love for God in the way I love those who do not belong to my group? Let us pray for an understanding of God's love so that we may love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Amen. 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

October 24, 2021; World Mission Sunday

 

World Mission Sunday: 

"We Cannot but Speak About What We Have Seen and Heard."

1.       Today is World Mission Sunday. In 1926 Pope Pius Xl inaugurated World Mission Sunday so that the whole Church may participate in the work of the Church, to make Christ known in all parts of the world. This is what the Lord Jesus mandates us to do when He told his apostles: "You will receive power when the holy spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8). This year the theme for the World Mission Sunday is "We cannot but speak about what we have seen and heard."

•        We speak about 19,000 young men who are preparing for the priesthood in Africa.

•        We speak about six million children who receive an education from Religious Sisters in more than 15,000 Church-run elementary schools in Asia. 

•        We speak about Latin America, where catechists travel to remote areas to bring the Good News of God's great love to families.

•        We speak about the Pacific Islands, where 3,500 religious bring the Lord's mercy and peace to those in need.

•        And we speak about Europe where new churches are being built to welcome faith communities renewed after years of persecution.

2.       Every parish in the world can participate, united in this special Eucharistic celebration. Every parishioner is a missionary. We must share our love for Christ's Gospel with one another, supporting the Church most in need. The first worldwide Mission Sunday collection was taken in October 1927. Since then, the Mission Sunday collection is always taken on the next to the last Sunday during the month of October. This year also, we are invited to make a financial contribution in support of mission work.

3.       I am a member of the Missionary Society of St. Paul of Nigeria. We were founded by Dominic Cardinal Ekandem, in consultation with the Episcopal Conferences of Nigeria, in 1977, for missions. This was in response to the call of the Second Vatican Council and Pope Paul Vl in Uganda in 1969 to Africans to participate in the mission mandate of the universal Church. Christ calls us to "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to all creatures." (Mk. 16:15). Since the Nigerian Church benefited from the faith brought by European missionaries, it only fitted that Nigerians, too, should share in the mandate to bring the Gospel of Christ to the ends of the earth.  Today, the Missionaries of St. Paul have also answered the call to bring the Gospel of Christ to God's people as missionaries in America, Canada, Sweden, Ireland, Italy, Germany, England, France, Grenada, Bahamas, South Africa, South Sudan, Botswana, Central African Republic, Chad, Malawi, Cameroon, the Gambia, Kenya, and Libera.

4.       Every baptized catholic must see themselves as a missionary. In fact, we only exist as Church because we are a missionary Church, sent on a mission by God in Jesus, who commands us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19-20). Some of us must necessarily go on a mission as missionaries, but then others must also go on a mission by giving to support the mission. Pope Benedict XV, in his Apostolic letter, Maximum Illud, stressed, "There are three general ways in which a Catholic can assist the missionary effort, and missionaries themselves must constantly remind us of them. This is within everyone's capacity."

•        Prayer: Pray that God may grant the missions His merciful aid. "This kind of prayer cannot fail, especially in this cause. For no cause is dearer or more pleasing to God than this one. While the Israelites fought their battle with Amalek, Moses took his stand on a great hill and, lifting up his hands, implored God's aid for his people. The teachers of the Gospel are manfully at work in the Lord's vineyard, and it is the duty of all the faithful to follow the example of Moses and grant them the support of their prayers."

•        Fostering vocations: Everyone must pray for an increase of vocation in the Church. Jesus reminds us: "The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in. Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest" (Matt. 9:37-38).

•        Economic Help: Every Catholic must give to support the mission.

I am grateful to all who have supported the work of the mission. May God bless and reward you abundantly. Amen.

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

October 24, 2021; 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

Readings: Jer. 31:7-19; Heb. 45:1-6; Mk. 10:46-52

Strike While the Iron is Hot

1.       The gospel reading of today presents us with a story of a blind beggar. Bartimaeus was his name. As he sat by the roadside begging, he couldn't see what was going on but could feel the pulse around him; he could sense the changes in people's behavior as they passed by. He was blind but not hopeless; blind but not deaf. He may have been in need and somewhat handicapped, but not helpless. Bartimaeus may have heard about Jesus from the people as they passed by; He was a good man who cared for the poor, the sick, the oppressed, the marginalized, and the forgotten. I am sure Bartimaeus believed that his turn would come one day to meet that Jesus, and so he was anxiously waiting for the movements that would signal the presence of Jesus. He knew what he wanted. No one would stop him from asking Jesus to have his sight back. He waited! And God answered his prayers. He knew from the crowd and the commotion that Christ was around. He must strike while the iron was hot. He cried out, Jesus, Son of David, pity me.

2.       This story has many nuances. First, Bartimaeus was not an ordinary beggar. He was a beggar with a purpose. He did not want to be defined by his blindness. He had expectations, faith, and hope. He knew that once he got in touch with Christ, he would change his life for the better, but he had to be patient and wait for the right time. Bartimaeus knew that when Jesus heard his voice in distress, he would never turn his back on him. The blind man made the words of the Psalm his own: "In my misfortune I called, the Lord heard and saved me from all distress. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed." (Psalm 34:7, 19).

3.       His cry for help was his prayer through which he directed his concerns to God and God alone. Though the crowd tried to stop him, telling him to be silent, he kept calling out the more, "Son of David, have pity on me." According to Fr. John Pichappily, "Everybody has some type of obstacle, some type of disadvantage, some type of hindrance that stands in their way (physical and spiritual). God does not always remove the handicap, whether spiritual or physical; He does, however, give us the ability to overcome them. He gives us the ability to rise above our handicaps!" But we must learn to overcome the negative influences in our lives, especially those that discourage us from our goals. Public opinions will always try to put us down, but we must be courageous enough to stand up to them. We do this by tapping into our inner strength and convictions, believing that we are stronger and more resilient than whatever anyone thinks about us. When the crowd rebuked Bartimaeus, they had defined him by his blindness. They felt that he was good for nothing, that no good could ever come from him. They put him down and counted him out as not being worthy of Jesus's time. They shouted him down. But they were the ones who were truly blind. They were blind to his potentials, capability, faith, strength, and trust in God. God would never count him out. The Lord came to his rescue and put a new song into his mouth; He changed his mourning into rejoicing. When the Lord stopped and said, "Call him." They said to him, "Take courage, get up, Jesus is calling you." Jesus will always turn those against us to begin to praise our names. Yes, "If God is for us, who can be against us." (Rom. 8:31). 

4.       For Bartimaeus, that was his time. He jumped and went to Jesus. He wanted to see again, and the Lord gave him his sight. Instead of going back to beg, he followed Jesus. Today's Psalm captured the feeling of Bartimaeus. "When the Lord brought back the captives of Zion, we were like men dreaming. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with rejoicing." The marvelous work of the Lord in reversing the misfortune of his people is proclaimed in the first reading. "I will gather them from the ends of the world with the blind and the lame in their midst, the mothers and those with child; they shall return as an immense throng. They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them…." The first reading finds its fulfillment in the person of Jesus in the Gospel. Jesus is the "High Priest who is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people." (Heb. 5:1-6). The opening of the eyes of the blind is the fulfillment of the mission of Christ who said: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." (Lk. 4:18-19).

5.       The story of Bartimaeus teaches us that we should put our trust in the Lord, knowing that he will never forget us. It encourages us to wait patiently for the Lord's visitation and to strike the iron while it is hot. Do not miss the opportunity given to you no matter what. The blind man did not allow the crowd to intimidate him and stop him from calling on the Lord for help. If you need assistance from the Lord, pray and do not give up. Let us learn from Bartimaeus to be sure what we want from the Lord. Asking for too many things can be confusing. The Blind man wanted one thing only; he wanted to see, and he got his sight back. He knew what to do with his sight, to follow the Lord and be a blessing to others. What do you do when your request is granted? We must not behave like the crowd. When we see someone in need, we must do whatever we can to help and not put anyone down.  Even if we do not know how to help someone succeed, it is sufficient to wish him well.

6.       Like Jesus, we too are called to open the eyes of the blind, to counter public opinions, and to be missionary disciples in our world. On this Mission Sunday, that is our mandate – to speak about what we have seen and heard. The blind man received his sight and began to follow the Lord. As baptized Catholics, let us pray that the Lord may open our eyes to see how we can participate in the mission of the Church: by praying for missionaries all over the world, by praying for vocations, and by contributing financially to support mission work in the Church.  Amen.

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP.

October 17, 2021; 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

Readings: Is. 53:10-11; Heb. 4:14-16; Mk. 10:35-45

The Fire, Lord, Not the Scrap Heap

1.     Mark Link, SJ wrote in his Sunday Homilies about Arthur Godfrey who had a sign on his office wall that reads: “The Fire, Lord, not the scrap heap.” The sign reminded Godfrey of a story about a blacksmith who suffered much illness but still maintained a strong faith in God. When unbelievers asked the blacksmith how he could keep trusting God in spite of his illness, he replied: “When I make a tool, I take a piece of iron and put it in the fire. Then I strike it on the anvil to see if it can take temper. If it does, I can make a useful article out of it. If not, I toss it on the scrap heap.” The first reading relates the story of the suffering servant who took the sins of the people upon himself. According to St. Paul “For our sake He (God) made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2Cor. 5:21). Yes, “Christ died to gather into one the dispersed children of God.” (Jn. 11:52). He is the suffering servant, who came not to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through him. He did not conquer the world by might, power, or authority but by serving others with love. “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Napoleon once said: “Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force! Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for him. He has won the hearts of men, a task a conqueror cannot do.” Love conquers all things!

2.     Christ’s love for us was not without pains, suffering and death. “The Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity. If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him.” (First reading). Chastisement, punishment, and suffering are part of life. No one enjoys suffering and pains. Christ cried out to his Father on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The purpose of suffering is always discovered at the end. It was after his crucifixion that Christ enjoyed his resurrection. Mark Link reminds us that “The crucifixion acts as a dramatic sign of Jesus’ love for us.” It is in suffering that we gain eternal life. As human beings we aspire to a life of greatness while doing everything in our power to avoid suffering.

3.     In the gospel James and John, the sons of Zebedee are demanding for high positions in the kingdom of God. “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you. Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right hand the other at your left.” What would you call these two brothers? Selfish, inconsiderate, ambitious, and egocentric? But are we really that different from them? There is something of James and John in all of us. We do not always consider what others think or how they feel so long as we satisfy our ego. We want to lead the parade; be in charge and give instructions to others. We don’t always like to serve, but we don’t mind being served. Like I have said before, authority in the church means service. We must learn to be available to serve others. We are called to be servant leaders.

4.     In answer to James and John and indeed to the apostles, Christ exhorted them to be different. “You know, among the pagans, their so-called rulers lord it over them and their great men make their authority felt, this is not to happen among you. Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk. 10:43-45). As disciples of Jesus, we must follow Christ in his love for all God’s children and shun the ways of the world. We must love and serve even the unapproachable managers, the angry teachers, the authoritarian principals, the power-hungry politicians, and those who are shamefully scheming to capture power by all means. Let us learn the true meaning of power and authority - to serve in love and charity.

5.     The followers of Christ are called to avoid the disordered path to greatness. Christ invited the brothers to think of greatness in terms of suffering. “Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” Christ referred them to his imminent death. If they want to be leaders, they must be prepared to suffer martyrdom. The reward of greatness is given by God alone, and the disciples must work hard to deserve it. The James and John in us push us to be lords and kings, while the Jesus in us calls us to be servant leaders. We pray that we may not shy away from suffering that comes from God in our service of love. “For the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights” (Prov. 3:11-12). Amen.

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP.

October 10, 2021; 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

Readings: Wis. 7:7-11; Heb. 4:12-13; Mk. 10:17-30

What Are You Attached To? Let Go and Let God

1.     In the First book of Kings, Solomon had an encounter with the Lord. God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.” Solomon answered and said to the Lord, “…Give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people and to govern this vast people of yours.” (1 Kings 3:5-10). Solomon asked God for the gift of wisdom. He recognized that he was a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.  He wanted to know how to govern the people entrusted to his care, to rule in equity, justice, and love. He wanted to know the difference between good and evil, to know what really mattered in life. He desired to go after the greater good rather than achieving scanty victories devoid of right judgment. His answer pleased God so much so that God said to him: “Because you have asked for this – not for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but for understanding so that you may know what is right – I do as you requested. I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you. In addition, I give you what you have not asked for, such riches and glory that among kings there is not your like.” (1 Kings 3:10-14).

2.     Wisdom is extoled in today’s first reading. It is what everyone should strive for. Wisdom is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Others are Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord. Wisdom is the first and highest gift of the Holy Spirit, because it is the perfection of faith. It makes it possible for us to value properly those things which we believe through faith. “Wisdom is a spiritual gift which enables one to know the purpose and plan of God.” (CCC 1831).

3.     Christ is the wisdom of God, the hidden treasure a man finds and hides, and sells everything to buy. He is the way, the truth and the life. He knows the way to the kingdom of God. St James tells us that “Wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstance or insincerity.” (3:17). Christ, therefore, is what the rich young man in today’s gospel wanted, he is the answer to his yearning and the aspiration of his life. The rich young man is poor indeed, without Christ. He is lacking in one thing and therefore, must go, sell “what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven, then come, follow me.” He must sell everything, be detached from earthly possession in order to receive the gift of Wisdom, Christ Jesus himself.

4.     But the rich young man was too blind to see that the answer to his prayer was right there in front of him. He asked Eternal Life what he was to do to get eternal life. All he needed was to open his eyes, be detached from the clutches and shackles that hindered him. But the young man was comfortably hiding under the cloak of the law. “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” There was nothing wrong with keeping the law, he did not hurt anyone, but what else did he do? Nothing! Apart from keeping the law, Christ wanted him to dirty his hands by being useful. Go and sell what you have and give to the poor. Christ invited him to be detached from the law so that he may be free to love again. But no, he will rather die than seek the wisdom he so badly needed. His love for wealth and riches robbed him of heaven. He loved the law more than people. He did nothing wrong, but he did nothing more. He offended no one but he sinned against lady charity. Give to the poor so as to gain heaven and eternal life. But he would rather go to hell than allow a penny of his to fall into the hands of those immigrants, those poor people, those beggars, those sick people, the displaced and homeless people. After all he was not responsible for their condition. He worked hard for his money, why should he help anyone! So better die and go to hell than to help those people. Better hold on to the law and doctrines than bend down to see the needs of others.

5.     Oh yes, I pray, I fast and I keep the commandments. I adhere strictly to the law of the church, what else? My reward should be assured. But Christ want us to do more. He wants us to get involved in the lives of others. We must be Christians in word and in deed. Our Christianity must be practical. A Christian who is rich in keeping the law but lacking in charity is a dead Christian. keeping the law must go hand in hand with charitable pursuits.  We must listen to the Word and allow ourselves to be affected by the Word. Many times, we leave the church sad because the pastor said something we do not like or agree with. Remember the rich young man, he went away sad because he did not like what Christ asked him to do. The Word and the Wisdom of God, Christ Jesus himself invites us to dig deep and throw in our nets into the deep water for a catch; are we ready to listen to him? You may say that you have no riches, you have no wealth, you have no money. You may even say that Christ was not talking about you because you do not have these things. But wait a minute. What about your attachment to things, to anger, to hurts, to aggression and to your way of life? If we do not detach from all those things that hinder us from seeing Christ, our way to the Father we will go away sad and miss the kingdom. Let us therefore pray for the gift of wisdom and most especially for the wisdom of God. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit may enlighten us to see Christ inviting us to take that path that will lead us to God. May we see in our poor, the pathway to eternal life. If today, you listen to his voice harden not you heart! Amen.

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP.