June 30, 2019 Homily for 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time - No Time For It

You may have listened to the music “No time for it” by Fantasia Barrino. “…I don’t care for gossip, what they gonna say?... I’m strictly focused on commas, and dollars signs in my pockets, …you can’t hang today … For the ones that’s causing me problems; there’s no time for it, you wanna tell me how you feel, But there’s no time for it…” We can look at this music in two ways: we are too busy with our lives and so we have no time for frivolities; or from the point intended by this reflection: the call to follow Christ cannot wait, Christ has no time for our excuses. The call is immediate and urgent. We are to answer him pronto, get up and follow.

In the first reading Elijah threw his cloak over Elisha indicating that he was called to a higher office, to take over from Elijah as a prophet. There was no prior discussion with Elisha as to whether he would have chosen this calling. All Elisha requested for was to settle his hired hands and then he was ready to go. He broke from his past, left his wealth and family behind and followed Elijah. There was no time to waste: Elijah would have had no time for excuses. In the Gospel we encounter Jesus who was determined to answer the ultimate call of his life as he embarked on a journey to Jerusalem. Christ had no time to waste on personal comfort. He was committed to the will of his father: go to Jerusalem where his death was imminent. On this journey he encountered four sets of people who could have become his followers but were held back due to ulterior motives. Instead of answering the call to discipleship they only had excuses to give. They allowed excuses to suppress their desire for greater things. “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else”. Aren’t we all like that? Always finding excuses for everything!

The Samaritans could not look pass their hatred for the Jews and so prevented Jesus from going through their village; by so doing they lost out on the blessings Christ could have brought to them. They were blinded by their hurts, prejudices, tribalistic and nationalistic tendencies. Why did they find it so difficult to forgive and let go of their past hurt? It is for the same reasons that we hold on to grudges and refuse to forgive. We don’t forgive because we are too attached to something or someone other than Christ. We allow our pettiness to dwarf our vision of what Christ calls us to be; free individuals who must let go and let God come in and transform us to be truly his disciples. Following Christ should make us supremely free to be our best selves, free from all attachments and addictions.

James and John, Zebedee’s sons felt offended with the refusal of the Samaritans and wanted Christ to call down fire from heaven on them (Lk. 9:54). No wonder Christ rebuked them in Mark 3:17 and called them Boanerges, or “Sons of Thunder”. “They were rough-hewn guys – amazing, colorful characters. They would not back away from a confrontation. In fact, they might even have looked forward to one. They could be very aggressive. And they also could be very insensitive” (Christianity.com). “These men were just like us: hopelessly human and remarkably unremarkable” (Sons of thunder” by harvest Ministries). But Jesus had no time for unrestrained anger. This would be a distraction to him and his mission. How do we react when we do not have our way? We throw tantrum and threaten fire and brimstone on the object of our aggression. We at time refuse to listen to reason and insist on our way or the highway. But Jesus demonstrated that there is always another way to solve problems. We don’t have to resort to war or violence. He came to bring us peace and love and love always conquers a multitude of sins. Do not allow anger to distract you from your call to discipleship.

To the second would-be follower, Christ warned him that his followers must depend solely on God. “Foxes have holes, … but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head”. Christ may have sensed that financial security was more important to him than answering the call to discipleship. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33). The third would-be follower wanted to bury his father first before following Christ. Yes, observing the commandment to “honor your father and mother” is indeed good but that should not prevent someone from answering the call to discipleship. We cannot save discipleship for our retirement, or a deathbed conversion, or a plan we have down the road after the kids are grown. If we don’t follow Jesus at the time of the invitation, we are not following him at all. It is time for us to consider how many of our excuses are valid. We must make time for God or God’s time will pass us by. And finally, the last would-be follower wanted to say goodbye to his family first before answering the call. To him Jesus answered, “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Lk. 9:62). The call of Christ should always supersede family ties. “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of me…” (Matt. 10:37).

The readings of today demonstrate that we cannot place conditions on following Christ. We must find time for and be committed to him. Our readiness to follow Christ must be borne by an absolute freedom from attachments. This inner freedom is the focus of our second reading today. This freedom must be seen in all vocations in life. Christ freely undertook the journey to Jerusalem to save us from damnation. In all situations of our lives, we must freely choose to follow or not to follow Christ. To be honest in our dealings with one another or decide to cut corners. We must be determined at all times to make decisions that will make us friends of Jesus or his enemies. And this needs inner freedom. Jesus will not accept a second place in our lives. He will be first or nothing. It is either we stand for Jesus or we fall for anything. Let us pray that we may be free to choose Jesus at all times. May our choice of Him set us free to answer his call to be his disciples, not only in words but in our actions as well. Let us say with the Psalmist of today: “You are my inheritance, O Lord.

June 23, 2019: Homily on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. The Eucharist is the Food Angels.

Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – The Corpus Christi. We acknowledge that in partaking in the Eucharist we eat the food of Angels. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (Jn. 6:51). In the blessed Eucharist, Christ himself is offered and received and in him the church continually lives and grows. In the sacrifice of the Eucharist, the memorial of the death and resurrection of the Lord, the sacrifice of the cross is forever perpetuated. This is the summit and the source of all worship and Christian life. By means of the Eucharist the unity of God’s people is signified and brought about, and the building up of the body of Christ is perfected. “Christ’s faithful are to hold the blessed eucharist in highest honor. They should take an active part in the celebration of the most august sacrifice of the Mass; they should receive the sacrament with great devotion and frequently and should reverence it with the greatest adoration. In explaining the doctrine of this sacrament, pastors of souls are assiduously to instruct the faithful about their obligation in this regard” (c. 898). Today, the 23^rd day of June, I thank God for calling me, unworthy as I am, to follow in the priesthood of his Son for this 29 years. He called me to offer the sacrifice of the body and blood of his Son for the salvation of the world. Thank you for being a part of my story and for sharing my joy.

In the first reading Melchizedek, the king of Salem exchanged bread with Abram and fellowship is formed between them. In the Gospel, Jesus feeds the hungry with five loaves and a few fish through his divine power. And in the second reading, Jesus gives himself as food and drink and makes himself available to us in a perpetual sacrifice for the nourishment of our souls. We are Christians because of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ but Catholics because of the Eucharist. Food is an absolute necessity for the growth of our bodies. And so is the Eucharist. It is an absolute necessity for our spiritual life. “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day” (Jn. 6:54). By eating the Body of Christ, we become the living Christ and we are enabled to discover our own closeness and blessedness, acknowledge our brokenness, and live our life for others. Thus we, like Jesus Himself, become food for the world.

As you receive the body and blood of Christ, do you identify your pains and joys with Christ? Do you believe that he who is in you, whom you have received in the Eucharist; the body and blood of Christ, is above and beyond, far greater and more powerful than he that is in the world? If you truly believe in what you receive, he will change you; He will make you holy, forgiving, loving, merciful, compassionate, devoted, caring, charitable, more human and humane. Why is it that we receive Jesus Christ in the Eucharist daily, yet we are not changed? Could it be that we are not convinced of what we receive? Or that we do not know who we are and whose we are? Eating the food of angels should make us behave like angels because we become what we eat. In eating the food of angels, we should say with St. Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20).

One of the core teachings of the Church on the Eucharist is that “Our Lord is truly, really and substantially present in the Holy Eucharist. Jesus Christ did not mince words when he told his disciples point blank “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven” (Jn. 6:57-58). Though many of his disciples stopped following him, Christ did not beg them to stay. Instead he asked his apostles: “Do you also want to leave?” (Jn. 6:67). According to Pope John Paul ll, this teaching “is at the heart of the Church, the secret of her vigor; she must keep watch with jealous care over this mystery and affirm it in its fullness”. Therefore, we should prepare ourselves for the fruitful participation at Mass. It is recommended that we read, beforehand, the readings of the Mass, examine our consciences for any mortal sins we did not confess, if we plan to receive holy communion, confess them and be ready to receive our Lord and Savior Jesus timely and devotedly. After receiving Holy Communion, our Lord is present in the communicant as long as the species remain. This can be as long as 8 to 10 minutes. According to the Sacred Congregation for the sacraments and divine worship, “The faithful are to be recommended not to omit to make a proper thanksgiving after communion. They may do this during the celebration with a period of silence, with a hymn, Psalm, or other song of praise, or also after the celebration if possible by staying behind to pray for a suitable time”.

After Mass, the priest dismisses the people with “Go forth, the Mass is ended, or Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord or Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life”. We must therefore, take the Christ that we have received in the Eucharist, the food of the angels to all and sundry. Like Jesus we must share him, the bread of life with the poor, the homeless, the sick, the saints and sinners alike. We are to make the bread of Christ, broken and received by us available in our lives and keep it fresh at all times. May we offer this bread to those who need healing for their broken bodies, to the public sinners may we offer forgiveness, companionship to the lonely, conversion for those who hunger for Christ but do not know how to get to him and reconciliation for those who are on the streets. May we derive strength and nourishment from this food so that we may live forever with our Lord now and in eternity. Amen.

June 16, 2019: Homily for the feast of the Most Holy Trinity

Today we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity. We worship God who manifested himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We worship three persons in one God: God the father, the creator of the world, God the Son the Savior of the world and God the Holy Spirit, the sanctifier and the one who leads us to all truths. Today also we celebrate Father’s Day, a day we give thanks to the fathers in our lives, who with their wives and in cooperation with the Triune God brought us to birth in this world. We thank them for their love, their protection and for providing for our wellbeing. May God the father, and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit bless, protect and reward you all accordingly.

The aim of this reflection is not to give a theological expose on the Trinity but rather to aid us in making the Trinity a part of our life. We begin every prayer by calling on God the Father, the Son and the Spirit to dwell in us help us live good and saintly lives. We were baptized into the life of the Trinity and on the day of our death, our coffin and grave will be blessed and marked by the sign of the Cross. We begin and end every prayer calling on the blessed Trinity, to be the beginning and end of all we do or say and to guide our steps in the right path. The life of every Christian is marked by the Triune God dwelling in and through us.

The Trinity is a mystery that presents us with a God of closeness, communion and intimacy. We see God who desires community, communication and love within the persons of the Trinity. According to William J. Bausch, “This is an initiating God, an outgoing God, a creative, life-giving God who stamps his communal life on us. We are in relationship because God is, we are made in his image and likeness”. There is absolute love, respect and understanding within the persons of the Trinity. The unity of mind and purpose is enjoyed and expressed in the Trinity. God loves the world so much that he gave his son to redeem the world. In giving his Son, God the Father also gave himself because the Father and the Son are in perfect communion. They are one in Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the origin of the mutual relationship and expression of love between the Father and the Son. The mystery of the Trinity is seen in the intimate relationship between the person where each person is perfect transparency of the other. In this love relationship there is no hiding places, none of the three keeps anything as his own and no one takes particular pride in individual achievements. The success of one is enjoyed by all; everything is shared, communicated, given and everything is welcomed. Nothing and no person of the Trinity is ever taken for granted. The love seen in the Trinity is not a jealous love, not conceited and certainly not boastful. It is a reciprocal love where the duty of one is the duty of all. Therefore, in the act attributed to God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are equally present and cooperated in the execution of that task. The love of the Trinity is transformative and redemptive, creative and generative. It is salvific love that assured humanity redemption from decadence and despair. This is agape love.

This is the kind of love that should be experienced in the family, among husband and wife and the children are the expression of that love. Let us pray that we may demonstrate the love of the Trinity in our dealings with one another, in our relationships and even in our ministries in the Church. We pray that the Trinity may teach the leaders of nations to be civil in their utterances, that there may be mutual respect and tolerance among people and nations of the world. May the Trinity teach us that whatever we do is done not for ourselves but for love of him who created us. May the Trinity teach us to love as they love themselves so that we may show our love in the service to humanity and in our Church. Amen.

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP