Homily: First Sunday of Lent B: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

First Sunday of Lent Year B:  Reflections- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

 Readings: Gen 9:8-15; Ps 25:4-9; 1 Pet 3:18-22; and Mark 1:12-15

Strengthening Our Covenant with God

On Ash Wednesday, when we received those ashes, we were introduced into a new liturgical season of Lent; a season of prayer,fasting, repentance, spiritual and covenant renewals. Lent reminds of the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert, fasting and praying. Lent is a time we re-learn obedience to God and how to manage trials and temptations of this life. Jesus our new Adam and Moses is the best teacher in this case (Matt 4:1-11; Mk 1:12-15 and Luke 4:1-13).

It is an apportunity for us to reconcile with ourselves; our neighbors and with God. It provides us an opportunity to recharge our spiritual batteries, practice charity, works of mercies and recall our promises from baptism till now. It provides each of us an opportunity to strengthen our covenant relationship with God, while we remain opened in obedience and humility to be nourished by the word of God and by the examples of the saints.

The first reading of today recalls not only God’s covenant with Noah, and the sign of the rainbow which affirms God’s abiding presence among us, but the centrality of covenant theology in our relationship with God. This goes back to the early chapters of the Book of Genesis (Gen 2:7-9; 3:1-7; 4). Here we read about the fall of our first parents, who disobeyed God by eating from the forbidden fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. As if this was not enough, Cain slaughtered his brother Abel, and humanity was preoccupied with pride. Should God destroy creation? However, he made unconditionally possible the saving Ark of Noah (Gen 6:5-8, 7:1-5, 10), which foreshadows the baptism of Christ and his saving mission, for those who keep the covenant (Psalm 25:4-10).

Similarly in the Second Reading ( 1 Peter 3:18-22) Peter reminds us that in Baptism we die and resurrect with Christ. Lent provides  an opportunity for us to rethink our commitment as Christians; Our vows and values. Values to imitate Christ our Lord who went about doing good, comforting, healing, teaching, forgiving, and resisting temptations, even to dance to the tone of Satan!

In  today's Gospel temptation episode (Mark 1:12-15), Jesus teaches us how to resist temptations. There are so many of them: be it abuse of power, our sexuality, money, wealth, prestige or all the natural recourses God has bless this earth with.

Satan is in doubt if our Lord has such power to turn stone into bread! Of course, Jesus does. He does not dance to the music of Satian. Jesus would use his power appropriately for the glory of God, for compassion and love for everyone, men, women and children, and forgiveness of sins.

 In Matthew 14:15-21, 15:32-38, and John chapter 6, Jesus miraculously multiplied a few fish and bread feeding multitude of people, men, women and children. Jesus never exercises his divine power for his own glory, but always for the glory of God.  He was unquestionably obedient to his Father. He conquered and shamed Satan when he said, “man does not live by bread alone but by every Word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”

As a renewed Israel, a new creation after Noah’s flood, Lent would be a favorable time for us to reconsider the truths of the Gospel and reevaluate our covenant with God.  None of us is above temptations and trials.

 As we journey through this special season, let us as a new creation pray for increase in grace, to imitate Jesus by overcoming trials and temptations, strengthening our covenant relationship with Christ.  And may nothing separate us from the love of God as we persevere in our lenten observances, and dispose ourselves to the Angels, who would always be there to minister unto us.

Homily: Thursday after Ash Wednesday @SHST Community Mass- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Reflection: Thursday after Ash Wednesday at SHST Community's Mass-Fr. Michael Udoekpo

Readings: Deut 30:15-20; Psalm 1:1-6 and Luke 9:22-25

Each year Ash Wednesday, which we marked yesterday, as Day of Recollection, introduces Lent, a spirit-filled liturgical season, with demands for newness of life, and other forms of spiritual choices: choice to listen to the word of God more closely, preach it and live it or not; a choice to intensify our prayer life or not, a choice to live with a renewed zeal our baptismal promises or not; a choice for recon conciliation with our neighbors and God or not and choice to be charitable or not!

These choices are clear in today’s Bible readings. Moses in the first reading reminds this pilgrim  Israel as they journey towards the promise land, what God has done for them from day one: creation, the call of Abraham, what God has done for our patriarchs and matriarchs, those promises, especially the Sinaitic Covenant- an invitation to obey the Lord.

For Moses it was a time for them to renew or make their choices between life and prosperity, death and doom. For Moses the people have the freedom as to keep God’s commandments which come with the divine blessings and inheritance of the Promised Land. Doing otherwise brings curses (Deut 30:15-20).

This same note of Lenten spiritual choice is struck in Psalm One,- Torah Psalm (‘ashere ha-ish asher lo halak beset rashi’im)“Happy are those, or blessed are those (makarios cf. Matt 5 the beatitude) who do not follow the counsel of the advice of the wicked or take the path that sinners tread,…but delights in the law/Torah… and meditates on this Torah day and night.” Look at the metaphorical blessings, or the simile that conveys the blessings, “they will be like trees planted by the streams of water…such trees yield fruits seasonally, they prosper a lot and their leaves do not wither.” Those who chose to do the opposite will perish.

This clear Lenten choice to prosper or to perish is stressed by Jesus the new Moses in the Gospel (Luke 9:22-25). “…any one who wishes to follow Jesus has the choice either to deny or not to deny himself/herself or not. He/she has the choice to take or not to take his/her cross and follow Jesus.” Jesus is very clear. He says, those who keep the Torah, those who loses their lives for Christ’s sake will save it.

Dear friends, in this season of grace let us beckon on God for His Graces to make good Lenten choices, to keep the Torah,  to chose to forgive, to choose to be charitable, to choose to  be prosperous and diligence in our studies and works, be it here the Seminary,  or in our homes and various communities, which may also be a way of carrying our daily crosses to follow Jesus.

 

Homily: Ash Wednesday B; Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily:Ash Wednesday- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Reading: Joel 2:12-18; Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17; 2 Cor 5:20–6:2 and Matt 6:1-6, 16-18.

Ashes, Inward Cleansing, Fertility in Hope, Faith and Love

Ash Wednesday is a universal day of fast. Each year it introduces Lent, a new liturgical season, with the demands of newness of life. This period spans from today till the Holy Week which begins with Palm (Passion Sunday). It is a special time of grace that we yearn for God’s Love.

   St. Paul puts it well in the Second Reading “it is a favorable time” for spiritual and renewal; a time we renew our baptismal promises. It is a time of fasting and prayer. In our Seminary Community here, we are poised for full Day of Recollection with other Communal Spiritual activities. This is a special season that comes ones a year.  During this Season you and I are specially invited to pay closer attention to Scriptures, to the Word God; and for those who preach to do it with a renewed zeal. It is a favorable time of penance and reconciliation; a time we go back to pray Psalm 51, with David, asking for God’s blessings and forgiveness.

  In doing this, the Gospel reading of today (Matt 6:1-6, 16-18), warns against selfish and hypocritical penitential life of Lent. Whatever acts of charity and penance we do this lent must not be “so that people may see them.” Our alms giving, fasting and prayer this lent, should reflect our interior, deep spirituality and true love for Christ and our neighbors, already outlined in the sermon on the mountain (Matt 5–7).  It is for this same reason, spirituality that comes from within, that, Prophet Joel in the first reading (Joel 2:12-18) warns against the “locust plague” the Day of the Lord,  the impending judgment and advises us thus: “Return to me with fasting, weeping and mourning; Rend your hearts not your garments.” 

 Heart, I mean "biblical heart" is the center of love. We need to keep it clean. It is from the heart that you and I initiate our penance in the direction of corporeal and spiritual works of mercy, on behalf of our brothers and sisters. We need a pure heart to love and to forgive.

The Ashes that we shall receive at this Mass are ashes, dust and sacramental of our personal stories that we were “created out of dust and dust shall we return” (Gen 3:19); we are nothing without God. It is an ancient and biblical symbol of the sinful, broken, and dusty human conditions, in need of interior cleansing, purification, renewal, fertility and God’s mercy.

Job for instance; at the end of his fruitless argument with God puts on dust and ashes as signs of repentance (Job 42:5-6). While mourning for Jerusalem Isaiah put on sackcloth and stripped himself naked for three years (Isa 20:2). Jeremiah also recommended sackcloth and ashes as a sign of repentance (6:26). Christ himself fasted amidst temptations in a dusty wilderness for 40 days before his public ministry (Matt 4:1-11; Mk 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13).

We are another Christ.  Moreover, once in a while we do feel a little dustiness in our lives; dust of laziness, dust of weaknesses; dust of violence and all kinds of injustices; and the more reason why we are here. We are also concern for our neighbors-like Job, Isaiah and Jeremiah- we all want to be cleansed in Christ.

 In fact in some cultures after cooking with fire woods the remaining ashes are used as manure, fertilizers and agents of growth and fertility of crops in farm lands and gardens. Think about that! And may the ashes we receive this day on our foreheads serves not only as a sign of our need for inward cleansing and purification, but also as a sign of fertility in hope, faith and Christian Love.

Homily Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time B: Fr. Michael U.Udoekpo

Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time B: Reflections by Fr. Michael U Udoekpo

Readings: Isa 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25; Ps 41:2-5, 13-14; 2 Cor 1:18-22 and Mark 2:1-12

Bringing Christ’s Healing Touch to the World

In the last few Sundays we saw Jesus consistently doing good, healing people, including the illness of Simon’s mother-in-law. He went on to heal the lepers in Mark 1:40-45. Today Christ the new Prophets continues to forgive sin, to love and show comfort. Particularly he heals, forgives and wipes out the offenses of the paralytic brought to him by four men (Mk 2:1-12) at Capernuam.

We have so much to learn spiritually and pastorally from this healing gathering in Capernaum as well as from the liberating journeys of Israel from the dryness and paralyses of exile we have heard in the first reading from the Prophet Isaiah.

In the first reading when Isaiah says, “Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago, consider not, see I am doing something new,” What is God telling Israel/ us through Isaiah? I want to believe that it is all about God’s saving role in the life of Israel; God’s role in liberating Israel from their bondage in Egypt, the wilderness experience, the journeys through that desert which was fundamental to the existence of Israel, God’s covenant with Israel.

Even after the liberating hardship from the desert’s journeys, they found themselves again in the wilderness of exile, in Babylon. Though liberation would still come  how to get home became a problem as well. It was frightening. They needed  today's words of comfort and healing, even of fear and uncetainties from Isaiah.

It is sometimes hard for us to appreciate what a scary prospect this journey from Babylon to Israel must have been for them especially for the young ones who were born in Exile. Babylon would have been the only home they knew. We are talking about more than 900 miles on foot from Babylon to Israel on a stony dusty road. This will take months and months. But God was on their side wiping away their sins and guiding them throughout their dangerous journeys from Babylon to Israel. He brings them comfort.

The dangers and the hardship of exile can be compared with dangers of   illnesses, paralysis and even the dangers of sins that often put barriers between us, God and our neighbors.

 The Four friends of the paralytic knew that Jesus was there in Capernaum. Most of them also thought that being bed-ridden were as a result of sin (Jn 9:2). They also knew with faith that it was Jesus alone who could heal and at the same time forgive sins.

 It must have been heavy to carry this man on the stretcher. Plus their faith, they   unroofed the roof to make sure the sick man was brought to receive healing and forgiveness from Jesus. When Jesus saw the faith of these four friends he forgave the paralytic and cured him body and soul.

What a moving healing scene. Our Christian faith is not just reasoning but living. Faith has no boundary it can break through all kinds of barriers, including that of hatred to love, exclusiveness to inclusiveness. With faith we can also help our spouse, friend, brother, sister, parents and children to see the beauty of the forgiving power of God in the sacrament of reconciliation and in union with Christ in other Sacraments.

The four faith-filled friends who carried this stretcher represent  all of us called to be, namely our brother and sister's keeper.  As priests and priests- to-be, including married and unmarried people, we are call to recognize how dependent we are on one another, and to assist one another in different areas of lives, seeking peace, justice, and working for the common good. We are call to offer good suggestions to our needy friends in our different professional circumstances; in the church narthex, hospitals, schools, offices, and homes.

And may the healing touch of Christ upon us today enable us to bring Christ’s forgiving and loving presence to the rest of the world.

Homily: Wed Fifth Week Ordinary Time B: SHST’s Community Mass, Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily: Wed Fifth Week Ordinary Time B: SHST’s Community Mass

Readings: 1 Kings 10:1-10; Ps 37:5-6, 30-31, 39-40 and Mk 7:14-23 

During the course of our community’s activities last week, I mean, the interview process of searching for a new President- Rector, one of the questions put to me was what I thought was the  “high point, the heart of  our  Seminary activities here.” My answer was the Holy Eucharist, Jesus; always a joy to see members of the Administration, the faculty, staff, and our students come together every Wednesday, as a community to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, the source and the centre of our lives, where the Church and our Seminary community draw strength from.

Within this context of our community- celebration and in the light of the Scripture  readings of today, 1 Kings 10: 1-10, Psalm 37 and  the Gospel Mark 7:14-23,  I want invite you to reflect with me on the theme: “The Ironies of the Wisdom of Solomon and the Sarcasms of the Splendor of his kingdom.”

Israel story is told through the analysis of the reigns of more than forty kings, majority of them being unfaithful to God, after the Death of David, except Asa, Hezekiah and Josiah. The Story of Solomon, in the 1^st reading is one of them. In this faith narrative Solomon’s wealth, wisdom and military power are often interwoven with the account of his relationship with foreign dignitaries, including the Queen of Sheba, who sought his renowned wisdom, today. She blesses Solomon and lavishes him with gold and precious stones.

Listening to that 1^st reading on the surface, we all seem to be excited and impressed with the wealth of his wisdom and the splendor of his kingdom but below these flashes of wisdom and luxurious home, all was not well with Solomon. Solomon would not have the character of David his father. Solomon would marry pharaoh’s daughter. Solomon would not dance with joy before God nor show any of the humility that David personified. He does build the temple, but Solomon seems mostly concerned with the rest of his building program. He carries out this building program unethically, with forced labor, which is one of the causes of the civil wars that erupted after his death. Moreover, we are not told any where in the readings that Solomon shared any of the gifts he received from the Queen of Sheba nor his horses and chariots with anyone. Very selfish!

He does not keep God’s teachings in his heart.

He neglected the warnings in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 (1) not to accumulate large numbers of horses, especially from Egypt (2) not to accumulate large numbers of wives (3) and not to accumulate a large quantity of silver and gold. The point is that, in spite of his wealth and wisdom something is not quite right about the Solomon’s heart.

There is this tension in his life. He had splendorous kingdom, wisdom, silver and gold, horses and chariots but lack Torah, the teachings of God. He could not keep that covenant relationship with God. Solomon had no pastoral heart.

Heart in biblical thought, that the Psalmist refers to today, is very much the center of person’s life, the seat of human activity and emotion, and the battleground between good and evil. It is from the Heart that we give thanks to God, praise Him and keep his Law.  It is also from the heart that evil inclination flows (Gen 6:5).

So it is not by accident that today’s Gospel is read along side this narrative about Solomon. In the Gospel the tension tightens and heightens; the tension between externalism and holiness of life the tension between pure and impure, clean and unclean. Jesus in the Gospel clearly invokes the Torah against “human traditions.” Jesus challenges the ancient tradition of ritual purity. For Jesus what comes out of the person’s heart is what really matters:

He mentions “un-chastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance” all comes from the heart to defile us and our society.

Our Seminary, a school of human and spiritual virtues, is blessed with the name, Sacred Heart School of Theology. Interestingly we have the painting of the Heart of Jesus all over our beautiful chapel here. By the way, as you walk out from this chapel today, turn on your right and look at the second stained- glass window- it is written there Ecce Cor- behold the heart.

This reminds us of the Heart of Jesus, his values, the values of Venerable John Leo Dehon. It reminds us that that from a God’s centered heart comes the opposite of all the vices listed by Jesus in today’s gospel, to strengthen our community.  Unlike Solomon, we are called to be celibate, chaste, and pure in our different states of lives.

We are called to respect life, our neighbors and their properties, to be forgiving not bearing grudges and malice, to be honest, transparent, contented and be humble in the service of one another, with faith and reasons, and in he light of divine revelation, both within here and outside our seminary community.

As we ascend the altar to share in the Body and Blood of Christ, may this same Lord who has begun this good work in us, in our community, homes, and families continue to bless us and bring it to a fulfillment!

Homily: Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time B: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

 

Homily: Sixth Sunday of Ordinary time Year B:   Fr. Michael U Udoekpo

Readings: Lev 13:1-2, 44-46; Ps 32:1-2, 5, 11; 1 Cor 10:31–11:1; and Mk 1:40-45

Christ: Merciful and Compassionate

Last Sunday Jesus healed the fever of Simon's mother in-law. The readings of today continue to present Jesus as new prophet, a martyr-messiah and a miracle worker and a healer. He brings mercy, forgiveness, compassion, hope and renewal for the people of God, especially the lepers as against the oppressive rulers and the establishment of the Scribes and the Pharisees in Jerusalem.

The compassionate healing of the leper by Jesus in today’s Gospel must have been shocking to everyone. Shocking, because as narrated in today’s first reading Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46, whoever suffered from this type of skin/surface disease, leprosy (t[;r"+c')- we might call it Hansen disease, was regarded by the community as unclean and a threat to others. In fact, it was regarded as an incurable condition (See also Matt 8:1-4 and Luke 5:12-16).  Some in the ancient days thought it was even a punishment from God as a result of sin. It was an image of sin. Today we might have a different image of what is sinful in our society!

 But remember that story in the Book of Numbers 12:10-15, after Miriam and Aaron had spoken negatively against Moses, Miriam is said to have been afflicted with leprosy because she committed the sin of speaking against Moses, God’s Servant, a prophet (see also Deut 28:27; 2 Kings 5:25-27). How often do we speak harshly if not falsely against one another, the Church? However, as the disease progresses on the human skin, their limbs, hands, fingers, toes, noses, mouth could be disfigured with flies paging on the sores.

For fear of contaminating others, they were driven away from the neighborhood and kept in isolation and restricted from using common roads, stores and facilities. They must let others in the society know that they were lepers by not covering their hairs. They must also wear torn pants and clothing’s. If there is any reason for them to step outside their isolated camps they have to alert others by shouting “unclean, unclean, and unclean.” This disease had the power of separating members of the family from each other since contact with them would make others unclean! It is terrible to be isolated from  our community. Here we might want to think of what isolate us from our family member, friends, and community and even from the love of God. What seperates us from the love of God?

If for whatever reason a leper thought he was cured he or she must go through a very prolonged ritual of cleansing procedure, as stipulated by the Levitical Laws (Lev 13–14). These elaborate rituals include animal sacrifices, as well bringing oneself to be certified as cleaned and cured by the priest. Read Leviticus chapter 13–14 you will see it was not an easy process. This is what Jesus was dealing with love and instant compassion. No Levitical Bureaucracy.

It must have been an extraordinary healing session even to have a leper in the city, outside their camp. I am sure others were scared when they saw the man coming and kneeling before Jesus. He didn’t say “please Jesus kindly healed me.” Rather he said “IF YOU WISH YOU CAN MAKE ME CLEAN.” Probably, he knew, the hope of his hopeless condition was only going to be realized in Jesus; his healing grace and mercies

 Jesus said to the leper, “I do will be made clean.”  “Go show yourself to the priest, but tell no one.” But he went and told everyone. This is understandable, the experience of gratitude of been healed of been liberated. How do you feel when you are liberated from any burden or difficulty? I mean the experience and the joy of freedom, from debt, student loans and - could also be from the discrimination, and isolation; freedom from the terrible stigma of leprosy and freedom from sins in the case of this particular leper.

The highpoint of this lesson is nothing but the compassion of Jesus and the challenge before each of us to be imitators of Christ’s compassion and forgiving spirit ,in our relationship with one another (1 Cor 10:31–11:1). Sometimes we are called to go out of our way to show compassion and to forgive.  Jesus acted with a deep sense of compassion. He touched this leper against the Jewish law. He did not cure him from a distance (which reminds me of the care I see a certain lay woman brings to the seniors, voluntarily in one of the health care facilities- not the best in our country).

 We are “lepers” in one way or the other, morally, socially and spiritually. Jesus reminds us today how deeply he cares for us and ready to forgive and to bear our infirmities. Jesus has the will and the power of God to turns things in our lives. He can turn our talking back to daddy and mummy to listening obedience. He can turn our lack of attentiveness to our teachers, professors, and pastors to attentiveness. He can turn our selfishness to selflessness. He can turn our bad health to good health. He can turn our sadness to joy, austerity to prosperity. Jesus can turn our peace-less-ness to peacefulness. He can turn our exclusiveness to inclusiveness. He can turn our weaknesses to strengths.

As it must have been for the leper, may our encounter with Christ today bring memorable healings and peace in our lives and to our various communities.