Homily 13th Sunday of the Year B: Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily 13^th Sunday of the Year B: Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24; Ps 30:2, 4-6, 11-13 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15; Mark 5:21-43

Christ became “poor” that we might be “rich”

The first reading of today, Book of Wisdom was written in Greek language, many years, before Christ’s birth. It was meant to encourage faith in God, fulfilled in Christ. Although the original audience had their difficulties during that Hellenistic period, they understood the genre of divine wisdom: the wisdom and richness of God’s mercy, His creating us in his own image, His love, justice, judgment, His forgiveness, generosity, healing mercies, liberation and His restoring us from death to life; different from human thinking. God in is Wisdom created us in his own image. When people fumbled, in the case of Cain and Abel, Tower of Babel, misbehaviors of the judges and Israel’s Kings, in His wisdom God would always sent us people like Abraham, Sarah, Samuel, David, Hezekiah, Josiah, the prophets down to John the Baptist as His instruments of our salvation. This is divine wisdom and richness. As the Psalmist would put, it is in God’s wisdom not to “let our enemies rejoice over us…. He changes our mourning into dancing” (Ps 30). And death into life.

St. Paul  enhances this glory, this "poverty", this graciousness, this generosity of divine Wisdom- Christ with us when he addresses the troubling Corinthian Church with these words, “you know that gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ that for our sake he became poor although he was rich,”(2 Cor 8:7-9). Poor in the sense that though he was in the form of God Christ did not count equality with God. He humbled himself and became obedience to God – to the cross, for our sake (Phil 2:6-8). He generously, and freely died that we might have life, be "rich" with life. And share in that divine wealth, and eternal banquette who is God himself.

This generosity of Christ, his "poverty" is expressed in the two healing episodes of today’s Gospel (Mark 5:21-43). He goes out of his way, to heal not only Jarius’ daughter but also the woman who had hemorrhage for many years. The Bible says 12 years, and had gone around without healing success in the hands of several doctors of her time. Not counting cost!  In these two healing episodes we cannot dismiss the power of faith- perseverance and personal contact with Jesus, the Divine Wisdom. Contrasting this with the disciples, the crowd who attempted to discourage the woman or those who ridiculed Jesus’ divine and wisdom statement that the child was “asleep not dead.” Something Jesus also did and said at the Cemetery of Lazarus in John chapter 11.  Sometimes we are like this crowd, faithless, tired, and frustrated in our life’s journeys. In other words, we have our challenges today! Even the challenges to understand the wisdom of God!

When we are dead in sin, overwhelmed by poverty: material and spiritual, lack of jobs and fatih, trials, sufferings, disappointments, threats of wars and denials of religious freedom, divisions, terrorism, secularism, materialism, relativism, monolatrism, or pains of injustices done to us, or lose of a loved one, we want to place all our faith and hope in the richness of Christ's wealth and wisdom, his love, mercy, generosity and forgiveness. Jesus is the source of life.  And we want to  go out of our way,  to be "poor" "humble" and be generous with our neighbors, so that they might be "rich", loved them as Christ has first loved us. For he became “poor” that we might all be “rich”!

Homily Nativity of John the Baptist- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily Nativity of John the Baptist- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings Vigil and Day: Jer 1:4-10; Ps 71:1-4a, 5-6ab, 15ab and 17; 1 Pt 1:8-12 and Luke 1:5-17; Isa 49:1-6; Acts 13;22-26 and Luke 1:57-66,80

God’s Will and Light to the Nations

Today we celebrate the Birth of John the Baptist, the last but not the least prophets in the OT. From Scriptures, what are remarkable in today’s celebration are not just the humility of John the Baptist, and the virtues of his parents Zechariah and Elizabeth, but how God through his prophetic promises, prepares each of us for salvation. It is about doing God’s will and how we respond to God’s invitation to imitate St. John  and his parents, in prayer by allowing ourselves to be made lights of the present world, nations and neighborhoods.  

This goes back to Prophets before John the Baptist, who spoke god's words of love, comfort and hope to Israel through prophet- servants like Isaiah and Jeremiah. God called Isaiah from his mother’s womb, gave him his name and prepared him for Israel. God made of Isaiah a sharp-edge sword and concealed him in the shadow of his hand. He made him a polished arrow to hunt for salvation, and a light to all nations (Isa 49:1-6). Same for Jeremiah, God says, “before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you to the nations I appointed you” (Jer 1:4-10).

God’s covenants of love endures for ever. It’s fulfilled in Christ heralded by John whom we celebrate today. Evangelist Luke affirms this in the second reading, when he says, “God raised up David as King of him God testified. I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will carry out my every wish. From this man’s descendants God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus (Acts 13:22-26).

Zechariah and Elizabeth John’s parents, as we have seen in the Gospel, had their own difficulties and challenges, whether to do God’s will or their will. They were barren for years.   And we know the challenges that come with this especially for barren parents of ancient times who desired children. After his birth his name wasn’t going to be Zechariah according to family tradition, and “will” but “John” as earlier promised by the Lord in Luke 1:5-17, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John, and you will have joy and gladness… he will drink neither wine nor strong drink and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit”--- and will prepare Israel before the Lord.”

Besides relating the challenges of Zechariah and Elizabeth to our daily challenges, we can imitate John and Israel’s prophets in our daily lives. John was humble. Like Isaiah and Jeremiah it wasn’t all about himself. Think of the incident of the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. John leapt, saluted Christ while in his mother’s womb. He was always humble. Whenever there was tension between his disciples and that of Christ (John’s Gospel) he preached and instructed his disciples publicly that he wasn’t the Messiah. Rather, he was not even worthy to unstrapped the sandals of the he coming Messiah after him. He withstood the pressure of the Pharisees and the challenges of Herod and Herodias (Mark 6:18). Again, like Isaiah and Jeremiah he was a light to the nations. This is who we are called to be. John teaches us today to be God’s mouth piece, light to the nations, charitable, and hunters for salvation of souls in our communities and neighborhoods. And relying always in God's Will.

Homily 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily 11^th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Ezekiel 17:22-24; Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16; 2 Cor 5:1-10 and Mark 4:26-34

 We walk by Faith Not by Sight (2 Cor 5:6-10)

 In every 3^rd Sunday in June we celebrate Father’s Day in the United States of America. Historically this memorial dates back to the mining tragic incidence involving many fathers in 1907 in Monongah, West Virginia. Like the mother’s day celebration, today with joy we are reminded of the place of our fathers, teachers, mentors or father figures in our lives. The love, the shoes, the care, the clothing, the protection and tuition fees, name them!

Spiritually, it reminds us of God’s role; the role of the “Father of fathers” in our life’s journeys. Our faith history, past, present and future is watched over by God. This is true in the Bible readings of today, which reaches back to the time of Zedekiah, Christ and Paul, leaving lessons for us to learn.

 In the concluding section of the parable of the eagle (Ezek 17:22-24) Prophet Ezekiel explains how God protects those who trust him. He compares Christ with King Zedekiah, Jehoiachin’s uncle dethroned and deported to Babylon (2 Kings 24:11-16). Zedekiah rebelled and broke his oath and faith in God, in the face of the threat of “the eagle” Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. Zedekiah allowed himself to be tricked into death, by Pharaoh, the king of Egypt (2 Kings 25:1-6).

  Remember, God does not like this sort of disobedience, oath breaking and faithlessness orchestrated by Zedekiah.  Although he is removed the Lord will provide Israel with a messiah from a lowly root, namely Christ as prophesied Israel’s prophets (Isa 9:6-7).

The tender branch that will be removed and planted on a lofty mountain, in the first reading is nothing, but the presence of the promised messiah (Isa 4:2; 11:1; Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zech 3:8) in the Church, the mountain. The high tree,, is Zedekiah, with accompanying acts of disobedience and faithlessness shall be brought low, while the humble tree Christ, faithfulness and his values shall be exalted.

 This remings us of Mary, the Mother and Joseph her husband in the mysteries of the infancy narratives (Luke 1­–2 and Matthew 1–2).  They walked by faith, and aspire to serve and please the Lord. He says, “we walk by faith and not by sight,” (2 Cor 5:6-10). 

With faith the humanly impossible becomes divinely possible. Faith makes meaningful to us not the parable of the eagles in prophet Ezekiel but also the parable of the smallest  scattered seed which grows and springs up once planted to become the largest plants in the farm (Mark 4:26-34). Each of us has a place in the kingdom even with the minutest of our faith and acts of love.

In the face of adversities, mysteries, disappointment,  threats, bad economy, unfaithfulness,  insult, war, famine, illness, lose of loved ones, many of our parents, particularly our fathers know how to persevere, love their wives and children or teach us endurance, patience, care and forgiveness.  

We want to honor our husbands today. We want to pray for our fathers and father figures today, including our mentors and teachers, our brothers, friends, nephews and uncles. We want to appreciate them. And share in the gifts that God has blessed them with, especially the gift of faith in God, the Father of all fathers. For we “walk by faith and not by sight.”

Homily The Solemnity of Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – Fr. Michael Udoekpo

Homily The Solemnity of Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ – Fr. Michael Udoekpo

Readings: Exodus 24:3-8; Ps 116:12-18; Heb 9:11-15 and Mark 14; 12-16, 22-26

The Presence of Christ, the efficacy of his Body and Blood

Today is the Solemnity of the Body of Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi, in Latin. I would like to invite you to reflect with me on the theme, “the presence of Christ, the efficacy of his Body and Blood.” I have chosen this theme because when Pope Urban IV in 1264, the time of Saint Thomas Aquinas instituted this celebration, among the things he had in mind was that we continue to be devoted to Christ, worship him with hymns and songs, processions, genuflections, adoration,  veneration, visitations, for he is ever present with us in the Blessed Sacrament of love, at Mass, in the bread we break, in the cup we share, in our neighbors we love, in the Church we listen to, and pray with. He is present on our faith journeys.

His presence of love, his covenant with us is unbroken, ever active and effective at least from his part. In ancient days, in Exodus 19, God on Mount Sinai established this covenant of love, and his divine presence with Israel. This covenant was ratified in today’s first reading, Exodus 24:3-8, by the sprinkling of blood on the altar and on the people.  These ancient rites continued on. We see this in Leviticus 16 and 17, on the Day of Atonement, blood sprinkled by priests in the Holy of Holies.  Since ancient times this sprinkled blood was not only a sacred symbol, but a symbol of life, a sign of purification from sins, filthy things, blessings, peace (shalom), good luck, covenant and life’s renewal in the years ahead.

But in the new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah 31:31” in the days to come I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and Judah,” the author to the Letter to the Hebrews in the second reading (Heb 9:11-15) moves a step further to remind us of the efficacy of the Body and blood of Christ, the new covenant foretold by the prophets.

By dying for us on the cross (as we saw during the Holy Week) Christ fulfills/perfects this covenant. He is both the perfect high priest and the perfect sacrifice. Christ’s blood, shed on the cross is more effective than the blood of the animals shed annually and sprinkled on the altar and on the people by the OT priests.

Notice the argument from “less” to “great” or from the “lesser” to the “greater” presented by the second reading. He says, “Christ came as the high priests of the good things that have come to be.” He passes through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, entered into the divinely constructed sanctuary or tent that is heaven, with his own blood, not with animal blood like goats and calves, in order to bring us eternal redemption.

If the ordinary animal blood could be effective in the context of earthly sacrifice, how much more the perfect sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, his body and blood. Christ in the Gospel (Mark 14:12-16, 22-26) says, “Take this is my body… and for the cup, this is my blood of the covenant,” words we repeat at every Mass we celebrate. This body and blood of Christ is efficacious. It is superior to the blood of the animals in the OT. It cleanses our consciences from sins, from dead works and enables us to worship the living true God and restore our rightful relationship with God. 

He is alive in the rich and the poor. Christ is alive in the healthy and the sick. He is alive in the living and in our loves ones gone before us marked with the sign faith. He is alive in our relationship with one another. In our homes and rooms he remains the unseen guests of the believer. He is alive in the sacred music. He is alive in the Holy Scriptures we share.   He is alive among peace makers, champions of unity and in those who forgive wrong doings done to them.  Above all He is really present with us,”transubstantially,” in the bread and in the wine when the priests invoke God’s blessings upon it at the epiclesis, particularly in the community of believers.

This reminds me of the song: He’s alive amen, He’s alive, and Jesus is alive forever…He’s alive amen! 

As we celebrate this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ may we continue to share our faith and our experience of the efficacy of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist with our neighbors, friends and family members!