Homily 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily 3^rd Sunday of Lent Year C:  Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Exod 3:1-8a, 13-15; Ps 103:1-4, 6-11 and 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12 and Luke 13:1-9

The Ever Presence of Christ, in our midst

As we journey through Lent with the scriptures our confidence in God continues to grow. We are confident in his presence, protection, provisions, love and forgiveness, when we turn to him in repentance.

Let me begin with the 2nd reading of today. While originally addressed to the Corinthians’ Church, Paul wants us today to learn a lesson from the Book of Exodus (Exodus= going out), the goings and the comings of Israel, their trials and difficulties in the desert, how they reacted to these trials, and of course the role of Moses in the 1^st reading.

Paul warns, “I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all of them were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, yet God was not pleased with all of them.....These things happen as an example for us.”

Significant in the 1^st reading, the Exodus story, that  Paul is referencing, is God’s choice of his people and his readiness to liberate and save humanity through human instrument, Moses, whom he called.  With Moses’ initial objection, God revealed himself ( in the burning bush Exodus 3:15) as the one who is (ayeh ahser ayeh, ego eimi), who creates, who controls, who protects, who intervenes  in human history, who liberates, who provides, who redeems, who forgives, who fulfills his promises, and the one who saves!

Again, it is  a meaningful name, “I am who am,” for  each of us, old and renewed Israel to remember, especially in the face hunger, thirstiness, and temptations to complaint, to disobey, object, resist, murmur or doubt the presence of God in our midst. God is always there! Moses, Christ and Paul knew this!

 Our Christian and daily living is an “exodus.” Think of our going and coming. Each day many of us  wake up, exit our homes, come to the church and from the church we exit  to our cars, offices, places of meetings, shops,  farms, gardens, court and class  rooms, business areas, enter and exit trains, boats and planes and return home most of the time safely with our  friends, children, and grand children.

These are not without ups and downs. Sometimes our cars are broken down and at another time, we find ourselves locked out of our rooms, or stuck in the desert of frustration and starvation. Our computers are broken or our telephone lines are not going through or the batteries need recharging. In our offices and work environment we are tempted to over-judged, serve but ourselves, consumed in our self-confidence forgetting the role of God in our journeys and the invitation to exit and empty ourselves for others. Paul warns us not t be like some the ungrateful Israelite.

Similar warning is heard in the Gospel reading of today (Luke 13:1-9).  Christ invites us in his goodness, to repentance and renewal, especially in this time of lent. He wants us to be that healthy parabolic fig tree, bearing good fruits; fruits of selfless services, fruits of love, fruits of gratitude and graciousness, and fruits of faith  with the recognition of his ever divine presence in our midst, homes, study rooms and places of work.

Homily for Second Sunday of Lent Year C: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily for Second Sunday of Lent Year C:   Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

 Readings: Gen 15:5-12, 17-18; Ps 27: 1, 7-9,13-14; Phil 3:17­–4:1 and Luke 9:28b-36.

Our Exodus to Citizenship in the Promised Land

It is interesting to listen to the American Politicians: Democrats and the Republican debates immigration. Both parties debate the path of the immigrants to citizenship. Each party has different views and criteria to become an American Citizen.

Lent is a time we contemplate the “exodus” the path or the way that leads every Christian to heaven, or the path to becoming  a citizen of that eternal  and heavenly city.

In the transfiguration episode in today’s gospel Jesus' face changes in appearance, during prayer, while his cloth becomes dazzling white to the amazement of his disciples, Peter, James and John who were with him. Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with Jesus about the glory of the cross in the language of the exodus, known to both of them.

In the exodus God was in charge. Even before then, after the fall of man and woman, he called Abraham in Genesis 12. And established a covenant, a bond, a sacred relationship with Abraham, during which God promised him descendants as numerous as the stars as well as the  Land, place of rest (katapausis, Gen 15:5-12,17-18). Although, the righteous Abraham put his faith in the Lord, the journey to inherit the Promised Land was never going to be easy: they would encounter, hostile kings, wars, temptations, famine which will take them to Egypt. Moses and Joshua would continue to be God’s viceroys through the exodus, the departure from Egypt through the wilderness, desert, the sufferings, “the cross” the thirstiness, hunger, murmuring, rebellion, and other ups and down as they journeyed towards that Promised Land.

As clearly stated in the Letter to the Hebrews 4:1-13, that promise remains; that exodus departure would be completed in the paschal mysteries of Christ, which lent prepares us for, as cited by Evangelist Luke in today’s gospel, and by Pope Benedict XVI in his Apostolic Letter, Porta Fidei. while acknowledging the challenges, the deserts and the difficulties of times we are in( n.7), he summons all of us, pastors, everyone to imitate Christ, by setting out to lead people out of the desert, towards the place of life; towards friendship with God(n.2), towards the heavenly kingdom.

St. Paul an Apostle of the Gentiles experienced the desert himself- beaten, imprisoned, and shipped wrecked and killed. Paul and exemplary leader knew, and reminds us today that our citizenship is not on earthly desert, as such, but in peaceful and friendly heaven (Phil 3:17:1). As he would have invited the Philippians, Paul invites us to stand firm in Christ, in spite of the trials, temptation, and the wilderness of life that each of us might  experience in life.

Prayer, courage, perseverance exemplified in the passion of Christ during Holy Week(his exodus) and the type of faith and firmness displayed by Abraham and Paul are the true paths that will guarantee us that heavenly citizenship.

Homily First Sunday of Lent Year C: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily First Sunday of Lent Year C:  Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo
Readings: Deut 26:4-10; Ps 91:1-2, 10-15; Rom 10:8-13 and Luke 4:1-13

“One does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

These are words of Jesus, charging back to Satan in that wilderness area, where he was led by the Spirit, for 40 days of fasting with prayers,  and to be tempted after his Baptism. Lent, among other things, commemorates these 40 days.

There is hardly any of us here who has never experienced temptation: temptation to over eat, to over enjoy a bottle of wine, temptation to over study- putting your health into danger, temptation to get angry, or to over reactor to commit one sin or the other.  How to manage these trials and temptation is an important aspect of our faith, such that three Evangelist Matthew, Mark and Luke took note of this, with slight variations, in the light of Christ’s events. The Church is delightful with these stories that we read them in all the three liturgical cycles on every first Sunday of Lent.

Lent, introduced to us ( the other day), on Ash Wednesday, is not only a time for prayer, fasting and doing charitable works; it is also  a time we pay closer attention to Jesus and learn from Jesus how to manage crises, troubles, trials, temptations since we all vulnerable to these things- even as years pass by.

I say, “as years pass by” not that we have not been praying or practicing corporal and spiritual works of mercy in the past, but remember this is  2013  different from 2012. Lent 2013,  falls in this  Year  of Faith, is a time we want to re-examine ourselves spiritually; it’s a time for a new kind of spiritual renewal, with hunger for a renewed entrance through that door of faith(Porta Fidei). None of us recharges his or her cell phone once a year. We recharge them occasionally. Lent is a time we want to recharge our spiritual batteries again, and pay closer and renewed attention to how we listen to, study, live or actualize the Word of God, and the teachings of the Church, particularly in the face of present day, challenges and trials.

The three temptations in the Gospel reading of today, demanding Jesus to turn stone into bread, to prostrate and worship Satan or jump from a high storey temple building for a prize, in order to prove that he was the son of God, is indicative of the fact that temptation or testing of one’s faith and love for God is not a new phenomenon. Temptation does not respect anybody.

I guess, it would have respected Adam and Eve in the Garden. But it did not. They ate the forbidden fruit. It would have respected Moses and Israelites in the desert but it did not.  Those Israelites were tempted to forget the freedom God had given them or the battle God, the Divine warrior fought on their behalf against Pharaoh. Rather, they were tempted to rebel and complain bitterly against God and Moses. They even went as far as making other god’s for themselves. They slipped into idolatries. Even Moses became angry and  impatiently struck the rock indiscriminately for the water and impatient community. Anger, inpatient, ingratitude!

 We find these stories of temptations dotting biblical histories, down to us. But the difference is in Jesus, in his teachings on faithfulness, prayers and resilience. By resisting that temptation and being able to say, “One does not live by bread alone,” by being able to say “you shall worship the Lord your God, by being able to say,” you shall not put the Lord your God to test”, Jesus  rejected, worldly power, wealth and materialism, and teaches us how to do same.

Though divine, remember he was human too. But his divine power was not meant for his own glory, but for the glory of God his Father and for the service of humanity. We see this in his miracle in Cana; we see this in his feeding of the crowds, in his healing ministries, raising Lazarus from the death, eating with those the society considered as sinners, we see this in his universal approach to the gospel- reaching out to the Gentiles and Jews. Making sure, as Paul would put it, “no one who believes in him (is)[will be] put to shame,’ (Rom 10:8-13), even in times of troubles and temptations.

 Brothers and sisters, Lent is a time we want to re-acknowledge how weak and broken we are, prone to  temptations of our times in our own desert- selfishness, individualism or tendencies to put God last instead of putting God first. The Temptation to disrespect our parents, seniors, peoples of all genders, even us, our bodies and the teachings of the Church. It is a time we want to reexamine or reconscientize our relationship with our neighbors and God. It is a time not to give into our modern idolatries, possessiveness, power, manipulating the weak, abuse of our talents or acquiring more than we need.  But in the face of any danger and temptation, we want to be able to say, with the psalmist “Be with me Lord, when I am in trouble” (Ps 91:15b) and we want to be able to say with Christ “one does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4; Luke 4:1-13).

Homily Fifth Sunday of Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily Fifth Sunday of Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Isa 6:1-2a, 3-8; Ps 138:1-5, 7-8; 1 Cor 15: 1-11 and Luke 5:1-11

Surrendering our unworthiness upon  the Grace of God's Throne

Today’s readings from Isaiah, Paul to Luke reminds of our unworthiness, our brokenness, yet the need for us to always rely upon the grace of God in our missions, and in whatever we called to do.

In the first reading of today there is a marching Assyrian army, marching to engulf Judah. Everybody is panicking looking for what to hold on, including the two successive Kings, Ahaz and Hezekiah. Ahaz wants to put his trust in foreign gods and rely on Assyria for help, rather than the true God of Isreael.  When Isaiah was call to take up this difficult mission of convincing and converting Ahaz from idolatry, from Assyria to Trust in God, he thought he was not worthy. He said to himself, “Woe is me, I am doomed!, for I am a man of unclean lips, living among people of unclean lips.”

What is interesting in Isaiah, just like in the case of Jeremiah and other calls in the Bible,  is that he finally disposed himself and surrendered himself, including his mouth, to God’s grace. His wickedness removed, his mouth clean, and Isaiah was able to say, “Here I am Lord, send me.”

The story is not different with Paul. In the call and ministry of Paul, beginning from his conversion from Saul to Paul his goal has always been to preach Christ crucified not himself. He acknowledges how bad he was before his conversion and his role in persecuting the Christians. It is only with the special grace God that he was chosen to embark on this special mission of preaching the gospel of Christ. By no means should this make him pompous and arrogant, but he considers himself,” the least of the apostles not even fit to be called an apostle.”

Like the Centurions words, which we repeat at every mass, “Lord I am not worthy for you to enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

Our trust and reliance is on the power of God, the grace of God, the Word of God, and the command of God.  In the Gospel narrative today, Simon Peter and other fisher men had professionally toiled all night without catching any fish. But with the grace of God, at the command of Jesus they were able to such a great number of fish that even threaten to tear their nets. This so much touched Peter and his companions that they left everything and followed Jesus, the source grace and everlasting wisdom.

In our present day life’s circumstances ( raising our kids, working hard to pay our bills, visiting the aged, the sick, keeping our vows, reaching out to the poor, preaching the gospel) we can learn from Moses, we can learn from the prophets, Isaiah. We can learn from Paul. We can learn from Simon Peter, to not only acknowledge our unworthiness, our limitedness, our "unclean lipness," our "least apostleness," but our readiness to always rely on God’s grace.

Take for example in the case of illness. When we must have taken our medication, see all our doctors and nurses, consult all our spiritual directors, we always want to finally rely on God’s grace. Or surrender ourselves upon the Grace of God's throne. And be able to say always, “here I am Lord, I am not worthy, and I have tried my very best, but do with me whatever you want.

Reflection Saturday Week 4 Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Reflection Saturday Week 4 Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Hebrews 13:15-17, 20-21; Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-6; Mark 6:30-34

Christ is our good and true Shepherd

For the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews if Christ is same yesterday, today and forever, and if he preexisted with God his father there are new ways to continually adore, worship and offer sacrifices to him different from the old ways of the old covenant. Deeds of kindness, charity, thanksgiving and songs of praise are equally ways of worshiping God.

 Obedience even to our teachers, mentors and leaders are praiseworthy. But as for the leaders of the new covenant, they must not behave like the metaphorical false shepherd of Israel described in Ezekiel chapter 34 1-6. They fed themselves, drank the sheep’s milk, slaughtered them recklessly and used their wool without reciprocal care.

Members of the Christian community especially leaders must imitate Christ and provide the quality pastoral leadership and integrity that the new covenant relationship demands.

These include humility, prayer, accountability, love, compassion and care exemplified by Christ in the Gospel reading of today (Mark 6:30-34). When Jesus disembarked from his traveling boat he saw a large multitude, his heart was moved with pity for them, “for they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.”

Yes, this “sheep without a shepherd” is a reminder to us that, some of Israel’s shepherd did not own flocks, but were employed by owners to look after the sheep. Kings and presidents do not own people, but elected or appointed to exercise love, care, justice and responsible leadership. God owns people. He calls them “my sheep.” Leaders everywhere must also watch against the temptation of abusing one’s office or running their flock and sheep as a means of personal prosperity or self-interest and power, without the common good at heart.

The flock belongs to the Lord. We are caretakers and workers in the Lord's Vineyard. And  may members of the Christian and civil communities trust in Christ the Great shepherd of the sheep and imitate his qualities of compassion, love and care, in exercising their responsibilities, and in  dealing with  and caring for one another.

Reflection Friday Week 4 Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Reflection Friday Week 4 Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Hebrews 13:1-8; Ps 27:1, 3, 5,8b-9abc and Mark 614-29

Christians' Expectations

As we come to the last chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews Christian’s responsibilities or the qualities of a good Christian are stressed. These include, love of one’s neighbor, hospitality, reaching out for those who are in trouble, purity and spirit of contentment.

Of course this is the opposite of what we see in Herod in today’s Gospel, jealousy of Christ, unfaithfulness, threat, boasting about the beheading John the Baptist, hatred, arrogant, oppressive,and violent and lack of spirit of contentment stressed in the Epistle to the Hebrews.

This goes to reminds us that even in the early church there were circumstances that threatened love for one another addressed also by St. Paul (1 Cor 13).  And the very fact that some people would take their faith and religion seriously was a threat and cause for hatred for others. This is true in the case of Herod’s hostilities towards John the Baptist and Jesus.

But unlike Herod who imprisoned John, it is the mark of a true Christian to visit one another, not just in hospice, home bound, hospitals, and nursing homes but even in prison, and to be hospitable to our neighbors. Unlike Herod and Herodias, who cared-less about their marriages, it is the mark of a good Christian, especially in this challenging time, to honor marriages and keep our vows undefiled.

Equally, challenging today is how to practice contentment in a materialistic culture engulfed in consumerism. Where do we draw the line, or say “I have enough money, homes, houses, cars, jackets, clothing etc, let me reach out to the poor and the needy”?

This, of course require not just confident that the Lord is our helper (Ps 118:6), our light and our salvation (Ps 27), but an imitation of our exemplary faith leaders, including the prophets, saints and our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today and for evermore.

Reflection Thursday Week 4 Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Reflection Thursday Week 4 Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Hebrews 12:18-19,21-24; Ps 48:2-3ab,3cd-4,9,10-11 and Mark 6:7-13

Through Christ we belong to a Spiritual Kingdom

In the readings of today we see the contrast between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion., between the old covenant and the new covenant. We learn that through Christ we belong to a spiritual and eternal kingdom, a kingdom of the new covenant. And this could be challenging in a materialistic and individualistic age that we live in.

Jesus in the Gospel summoning the Twelve sent them out two by two and gave them power over unclean spirit. It makes sense to work as a group, in company with others. He did not send them out one by one, but two by two- unity, community. They were to travel light no sandals, food, sacks, no money, but a walking stick, a symbol of Christ’s authority and his love. You can imagine  it would not be quite easy to leave one’s home without sufficient money and other material things.

Similar picture is painted in the community of the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Everything surrounding Judaism: Mount Sinai, Moses and the law, the temple, the furnishing of the sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, the sacrifices, vengeance, retribution, the trumpet, the image of the voice of the Lord and the unapproachability of the divine presence.

These would have to be reassessed. It was not easy for these early Jewish Christian community to abandoned this religion to  follow a new way of Christ of grace and pardon, detachment, “turn the other cheek”, peace, love, forgiveness, no matter how many times you are being offended, welcome everyone , men women and children around the same table. These are the qualities of the citizens of the eternal kingdom, the city of the living God.

As children of the Spiritual kingdom, what prevents us today from making it to this kingdom, or keeping our citizenship intact- money, power, material wealth, and clothing, 'second tunics" cars, houses, lack of communal spirit and forgiveness,  the longing for vengeance always, or selfishness?

Reflection Wednesday Week 4 Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Reflection Wednesday Week 4 Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Hebrews 12:4-7, 11-15; Ps 103:1-2,13-14,17-18a Mark 6:1-6

Discipline is part of our Christian faith

It is very easy for us to take our faith and gifts for granted without discipline. In his native place in the gospel of Mark many who listened to Jesus preached on the Sabbath took him for granted because they knew his parents, Joseph and Mary. And Jesus  was “amazed at their lack of faith.” And how easy it is to forget all the goodness of the lord in our lives, all the prophecies!

As we struggle to resist daily temptation and keep our faith the writer to the Epistle to the Hebrews reminds us the danger of not paying attention to God’s words. God has so much loved us. He treats us as his sons and daughters. Loving parents correct their children because they really loved them. Some of these disciplines an corrections may show up as pains and trials humanly speaking. But God knows what is good for us.

Though the journeys may be long but God’s discipline produces permanent peace and the fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained in Christian ethics.

Just as athletes requires training to do well each of us requires daily training in matters of faith, hope and love. Therefore, we must strengthen our drooping hands and make firm and strong our feeble knows in order to travel successfully, this road to holiness  and run our Christian race to the end, with peace, love and harmony.

Reflection Tuesday Week 4 Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Reflection Tuesday Week 4 Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Hebrews 12:1-4 Ps 22:26b-27, 38, 30-32 Mark 5:21-43

How we must run our Christian Race

The Bible lessons today remind us that practicing our Christian faith is like running a race. In order to win this race there are things we must reject, or do or look for. We must reject the burden of sins. We must run with endurance. It is action packed. We must fix our eyes on Jesus, just as Jairius did in today's Gospel.

Jairius a synagogue official we are told came forward and seeing, Jesus, he fixed his eyes on him, and felt at his feet and pleads for God’s healing mercies upon his daughter. Same with the woman who had suffered hemorrhage for 12 years; hearing about Jesus, came up and touched Jesus and was cured. Even at the house of the synagogue official many ridiculed the healing power of Jesus. But this did not stop the official in believing nor Jesus from saying to the sick girl “Talitha Koum” Little girl arise!

Rising on our Christian journey the Epistle to the Hebrew affirms is never going to be easy. We must let certain things go, materially and spiritually, especially sins and bad habits in order to rise smoothly or to run well. It requires endurance, perseverance and learning even from our past heroes, Abraham, and the Saints, and even from Jesus himself.

And like the synagogue officials and the woman healed of hemorrhage our senses, eyes, ears must be fixed on the compassionate High Priest, Jesus, no distraction.

As we run this race in our marriages, politics, friendship, studies, work, priesthood and religious life to whom do we have our eyes fixed upon? And what might prevent us from running this spiritual race to the end? And what will ever separate us from the love of God?

Reflection Monday Week 4 Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Reflection Monday Week 4 Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Hebrews 11:32-40; Ps 31:20-24 and Mark 5:1-20

Faith that Encourage Fortitude and inspire others

In the Gospel reading of today (Mark 5:1-20) Jesus freed the man who had been possessed by Legions of unclean spirit. The man is not only now free with his right thinking faculty but the legion went in to thousands of swine and drove them into the sea. The community is seized with fear. And the cleansed man wants to hold onto Jesus. But the Lord said to him, “go into the whole world and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”

 In other words go and spread the faith. This is the faith that is well summarized in the letter to the Hebrews chapter 11. Faith accepts God’s words and what the church teaches. Faith anticipates the future. It is the assurances of things hoped for. Faith reevaluates the "now", the present and accept things that eyes cannot see. Faith recognizes God’s power (Heb 11:3) in whatever we are able to accomplished.

 This is seen in the lives of Abel, Enoch and Noah (Heb 11:4-7) and that of Abraham (vv8-12), a sacrificial faith, a courageous faith, a persistent faith and faith that depends on God, Abraham’s GPS. Their faith and confidence in God challenges us. It challenges our cowardice and even our attachment to material things.

Sometimes, it’s like today we cannot do without cell phones, la tops and other material objects and electronics. When I went to Nigeria this past December I was surprised that I can survive, and live happily for three weeks without internet or checking my emails!

Faith requires submission to the will of God. Faith requires the right perception, anticipation, conviction and it conquers fear like in the case of the man freed from Legions of demons. Faith determines our choices and options. It recognizes our dependence on God and sharpens our visions, undaunted faith (v30), adventurous faith (v31), diversified faith and gifts. Besides Abraham, Noah, Enoch and others, think of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the Prophets, down to John the Baptist, that the first readings talks about today (v32).

There are many unknown saints and faithful heroes here in our midst and communities, today.  The man in today’s Gospel obeyed Christ. He went out to encourage others, to announce what he saw, the goodness of Christ.

We want to be like this man, heroes and heroines of faith by going out there to encourage the rest of our brothers and sisters.

Homily Sunday Week 4 Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily Sunday Week 4 Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Jer 1:4-5, 17-19; Ps 71:1-6, 15, 17; 1 Cor 12:31–13:13 and Luke 4:21-30

The strength for our Christian Journey is Love

Our Christian calling is like preparing for a pilgrimage or a long journey. It requires some home work and of course endurance on the way.

The strength for any Christian and Spiritual journey is Love! Of course not just any type of love. But the type Paul preaches for the troubled Corinthians Church. For Paul, Love is patient, love is kind; love is not jealous, love is not pompous, love is not inflated, love is not rude, love does not seek its own interest, love is not quick-tempered, love does not brood over injuries, love does not rejoice over wrong doings. Love rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things; hope all things, and endures all things.

When Jeremiah was called centuries ago, even before Paul to be a prophet to all the nations, to challenge faithlessness, idolatries of his time of late pre-exilic period, his excuse was that he was too young. Jeremiah did not know that before he was born, God had already prepared him with his love. He makes Jeremiah as strong as fortified city and his strength Scripture says was as strong as an iron pillar and a bronze wall. This is the strength that will resist all attack and temptations; the strength of patient, and endurance.

At the commencement of his ministry, Jesus knew people would ridicule him. He knew he would be rejected. But he did not blink because he knew he had the strength that only God his father can give; the strength of love. The more reason he 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 Lord….today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing,” Christ concluded ( Luke 4).

 It was this love that enabled Jeremiah to preach to the nations of his time, even to the point of death.  It was this love that enable Christ to visit with the poor, the needy, the marginalized and the oppressed; that ultimate love to the cross.

On our Christian journeys, on our faith journeys I have no doubt there have been challenges; challenges in our relationship with God and one another at homes, in our families and work places.

We want Christ's love to be our strength. And love is nothing else than, hope, faith, trust, patient, humility, selflessness,  endurance and kindness  towards one another.

Reflection Saturday Week 3 Year C (Presentation of the Lord and World Day of Consecrated Life)- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Reflection Saturday Week 3 Year C (Presentation of the Lord and World Day of Consecrated Life)- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Hebrews Malachi 3:1-4; Ps 24:7-10; Heb 2:14-18 and Luke 2:22-40

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. It reminds us that Christ is the Son of God, the first born, the heir and higher than the angels. He is the messiah, human and divine and of course the light of the world; the savior of the world, who conquers our fears, particularly that of death.

This morning I received the sad news the passing on of two priests who not only had presented themselves for years of services in the Lord’ vineyard, but touched my life too, on my personal journey to consecrate myself in the service of the Lord as they did. One of them is Rt. Rev. Msgr. S.T. Umoh who was my one time vocation director, the other Fr. C. C. Ndonduok, one time Parish priests of mine. May they rest in perfect peace, in Christ Jesus?

My consolation (and I believe that of their families and the church  as a whole),  is that, that preparation for the Lord long foretold by Malachi in today’s first reading has been fulfilled in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ whose feast we celebrate today- presentation of Christ. We rejoice with Mary, Joseph, Anna and Simeon because our eyes have seen the salvation and our ears continue to hear this message of hope and salvation daily, and sometimes in mysterious ways.

The Letter to the Hebrews puts to us this message of hope well in the second reading. Even in the face of death or loosing a loved one, Jesus has final power over death and the devil of fear. He is the life, death and the resurrection. He demonstrates this by overcoming temptations in the desert.  Moreover, after his presentation, baptism, and through out the course of his ministry he taught us on every step of the way, to be courageous, to overcome fear with courage and love. Courage and love took him to the cross, as a merciful priest, faithful and humble victim!

Symbolically, the candle we carry today in processesion  is a candle of hope and love; a universal love for peoples of all walks of life, culture, race and nations; a light for Israel and a Light for the Gentiles; the opposite of darkness of sins and evil. It is a light of hope no matter what our daily challenges and fears may look like.

May we encourage one another today; May we continue to be that conduit and channel of Christ’s light to our neighbors, especially the poor, the depressed, the sorrowful and those who have recently lost their loved ones, including those who had consecrated themselves in one way or the other to the service of the Lord and Humanity.

Reflection Friday Week 3 Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Reflection Friday Week 3 Year C- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Hebrews 10:32-39; Ps 373-6,23-24,39-40 Mark 4:26-34

Patient with Faith Endurance

Psalm 37 verse 9a captures well the message the Epistle to the Hebrews as well as the Gospel, today,” The salvation of the just comes from the Lord”. Or as Habakkuk would put it “ My just one shall live by faith and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him” (Hab 1:1-4).

What this means is that in the face trials and persecution Christians must persevere as see is as participating in the sufferings of Christ. Suffering with our neighbors is a way of partnership with Christ. As the writer to the Epistle to the Hebrews would stress, think of visiting those in prison. Or what do you do when you are unjustly treated, your property unduly taken away from you. Patient endurance and compassion are recommended. These are ways of sufferings with Christ.

Moreover, the seeming delay of God’s judgment or Christ arrival should not discourage us. Christ is in our midst in a mysterious ways. It is like a planting who plants seed, goes to bed at night only to be surprise the following day of how far the seed has sprout and grow, without his knowledge.

Again the workings of Christ is like a mustard seed planted which grows up to a huge tree that can even accommodates birds of all kinds on its branches(Mark 4:26-34)

Truly there are many ways and instances Christians are tempted today or are made to feel that God is so far away from them. Some are made to feel like Job and Habakkuk.  Some are been persecuted. Some are ignored. Some are ridiculed. For such group of Christians, the writer to the Epistle to the Hebrews suggests that prayers, patient and faith endurance are the answers.