Homily 26th Sunday Year C: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily 26^th Sunday Year C: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Ps 146:7, 8-10; 1 Tim 6:11-16; and Luke 16:19-31

Solidarity with the Poor/Lazarus and Dives/Rich

Last Sunday we began reflecting on the issue of solidarity with the poor. This same issue is insisted upon in today’s Bible readings: Amos, Paul and Luke. It reechoes part of what we have heard before from Saint Francis of Assisi, and from theologians  such as, Leonardo Boff, Gustavo Gutierrez, John Sobrino, Dorr and even from Mother Theresa of Calcutta and currently Pope Francis. It’s a message that challenges the Pharisees, those who think that they are entitle to power, money and wealth. It challenges, the faithless, those without conscience and compassion, the unrighteous, and those who are impatience with the poor and refuses to secure justice for them ( Ps 146).

 All that we have comes from God and must be shared, since there is always reversal of fortunes. The first could become the last. Those who have big names in this world may end up faceless before God, like the rich man, whose name is not recorded in the Bible, while the name of the faceless-poor, like Lazarus may be boldly printed in God’ dairy. Those who dominate big “gates” in this world may end up “gate-less” in the kingdom of heaven.

Unfortunately this is an age long issue since the time of Amos, middle of the 8^th century BC. The reigning kings, politicians and priests were not only proud of their gates, but delighted in maltreating the poor (8:4-7). They preferred to lie on expensive beds, couches made from ivory, and “they eat lambs taken from the flock, and calves from the stall!’ They listen to good music, drink good wines and showered themselves with best perfumes. All these to the expenses of the poor- tax- payers. It is to those who have such an “I don’t care attitude” toward the poor, that Amos says, “woe to the complacent in Zion.”

Ordinary citizen in most part of the world today including United States can imagine the quality of beds, furniture, meals, wine, and couches that homes, hotels, offices, cars and jets of their high ranking elected officials and politicians are decorated with. Ironically, policies from these furnished homes and offices, State Capitals, do not seem to take the plight of ordinary poor- citizen into account.  Many have no health insurance, jobs, food, clothing and roof over their heads. Currently, many in the States are waiting at the “gate” of the wealthy, even with the threat of a government shut –down!

Jesus uses this parable of the poor Lazarus waiting at this metaphorical gate of the rich, nameless man to address issues of neglect of the poor and abuse of money and wealth. In this parable Jesus is not condemning all the rich while suggesting that all the poor will all go to heaven. Each parable teaches only one point. Jesus does not question how the rich man got his money or that he has it. Jesus does not condemn hard work. The rich man is not even necessarily a bad man because he worked very hard to earn his wealth legitimately. Remember there are many rich people out there in different parts of the world who are deeply caring persons. They are saddened and dismayed by the high rate of unemployment, student’s loans, broken education system, and inflation figures in our government and society.In fact some of them say rosary, they receive holy communion and visit with the sick.

Also some of our rich people may have been very generous donor to charitable causes and orphanages. But the rich in this gospel parable, whatever else he was, or charity he may have given, he is blind to the person in need who is sitting outside his gate. He is impatient with him. He does not show that he loves him, he cares for him. He is not kind to him. Therefore, he is condemned for his casual indifference to the very person right at his door.

It is quite possible that we have great compassion for the human race while we ignore somebody, some neighbor next door, down the street, or in the office.  And I think one of the lessons of these parables is that if you have the resources to help and choose not to, you are judged. The poor are judged as well.  Are you grateful when you received? Are you thankful for the little you have? Remember, those who are faithful, thankful, and grateful for the little things will be given more. The poor are to be stewards of what they have as much as the rich or middle class.

The poor can of course be extended from nation to nation. Reading this parable in the light of the events in the United Nations, a friend once said to me, Africa, and other “Third World’ countries or non-industrialized nations could be “Lazarus” at the gate of Industrialized “First World,’ nations.

In fact, arrogance can also accompany wealth and power. We see this in the rich man’s encounter with Abraham and Lazarus in heaven. He thinks he is still behind his mansion with big gate, where he stays to issue orders. Seeing the poor Lazarus in heaven, in the bosom of Abraham he cries out, “Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am suffering torment in these flames.” No where are we told in the text that the poor man complained while suffering in the world, nor does he show off because he is now in heaven! The poor man whether on earth, in front of that rich man’s gate, or in heaven at the bosom of Abraham accepted everything- relying always on God’s providence.

It is this divine providence and trust that we must rely upon. All that we have comes from God- are given to be shared, including the good news of Christ; the message of hope, peace, justice, forgiveness, repentance, kindness and righteousness which saint Paul talks about in today’s Second reading. Paul like Amos and Christ, recommend, that in all circumstances, social, political and religious we must “pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness”( 1 Tim 6:11-16).

Homily 25th Sunday of Year C: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily 25^th Sunday of Year C: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings Amos 8:4-7; Ps 113:1-8; 1 Tim 2:1-8 and Luke 16:1-13

Service of God through the Poor

Today’s readings are quite interesting. It focuses on the need for us to always treat one another especially the poor and the margin of the society with dignity. It is also about the need for us to wisely make good use of all the material things God has blessed us with, including our money. Wealth has to be gotten honestly. The readings again invite us to always act, even in living and preaching the gospel message with a spiritual foresight.

Christ particularly passes on this message to us in this parable of a rich steward who plans to fire his corrupt steward. Finding this out, the steward tells all those who owe his master some money to forget about the interest. By doing this the dishonest servant acted with worldly foresight and shrewdly bought friends for himself in the future, knowing that soon he would be unemployed. Again he was not punished by doing this. Perhaps he made his master also look good by writing off the debts of all the borrowers.

Towards the end of the parable, Jesus reiterate, “You cannot serve both God and mammon,” referring still to dishonest and inordinate wealth, wrong profits-making, ill-treatment of the poor, worldly foresight and behavior of the shrewd steward for buying off future friends with money.

This type of behavior is not limited to the time of Christ. In the mid Eight century BC, during the time of Amos, when Jeroboam the II was the king of Samaria, and Amazia served as his priest, injustices, ill treatment of the poor was also prevalent. There was greediness everywhere. And the widow’s head and the poor were trampled into the dust and some were sold out with a pair of sandals or for just a little silver, as the shrewd steward of the gospel parable(Amos 8:4-7).

In the US Senate and Congress now, and I believe in many other parts of the world as well, there is a constant debate on how to bridge the yawing gap between the rich and the poor. How do we help those on food- stamps? What do we do with our brothers and sisters without job, employment and health insurance? Is it necessary for some to keep 10 or more homes or cars when others have none, especially homes or those material goods gotten in a wrong and dishonest manner? Pope Francis recently has also demonstrated in words and action the need to reach out to the poor—the essentials of the message of Christ.

In the face of the disparity between the rich and the poor today what would Jesus have done? He would reach out to them because in the beginning of his ministry in Galilee, in the same very Luke’s gospel, Jesus proclaims “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 proclaimed a year acceptable to the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19).

From then on Jesus reached out to the sick, the leper, the blind, the poor, the widow, the needy, the rejected, men, women and children. Jesus wants everyone to eat. He wants every to be clothed. He wants everyone to be healthy.   He wants everyone to have a roof over their heads. As Saint Paul would put it in the Second Reading, He wants everyone to be saved (1 Tim 2:1-8).

Money especially wrong use of money is not everything. There is a story of a very hungry and starving rich sick man who received a huge parcel in the mail, which he presumed was food. He greedily tore open the box and proclaimed, “Oh my God, it is not food, but gold.”

 We need Christ-like values and spiritual insight in our preaching, in our daily living, in our government decisions, in our relationship with God and with our neighbors, that material things, particularly money is not everything- selfishly used, but was meant for the common good, for the service of God and our neighbors- especially of the poor!

Homily 24th Sunday of Year C: Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily 24^th Sunday of Year C: Michael U. Udoekpo

 Readings: Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14; Ps 51:3-4,12-13,17,19; 1 Tim 1:12-17 and Luke 15:1-32

God mercifully finds us

Today’s readings speak of the enduring mercy of God, our Father, who finds his children when they are lost. This is exemplified with the stories of Israel and Moses, Paul, the lost sheep, coin and the prodigal son.

Moses was sent by God in the Book of Exodus to approach Pharaoh so that he would let Israel, God’s children go. However difficult this mission would turn out to be, Moses successfully, patiently led Israel through the sea, and the wilderness to the foot of Mount Sinai. It was here, on the mountain, that Moses received the law, the commandments, and a covenant was established between God and Israel. A covenant of God's love and mercy- God's presence no matter what!

But before Moses could come down from the mountain the Israelite were once again lost to sin of apostasy, idolatry and worship of golden calf. God contemplated of punishing them except for the intercessory role of Moses “why O Lord, should your wrath blaze against your our own people whom you brought out of Egypt.”  With this God relented when Israel atoned for their sins followed by the renewal or the rediscovery of the tablets, their relationship with God (Exod 34).

Same could be said of Paul in today’s second reading (1 Tim 1:12-17), whose past anti-Christian attitude we are familiar with. In Acts of the Apostles 26:9-11 Saint Paul, then Saul was lost in his persecution of the Christian communities until his conversion by intervention of divine mercy, manifested in the redeeming person of our Lord Jesus.

In gratitude to God’s mercy, Paul writes to Timothy, his missionary companion, “I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord because he considers me trustworthy in appointing me to the ministry. I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant, but I have been mercifully treated, because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.”

Some of us get lost in our sins, our selfishness not because of our own faults, but because of one factor or the other. It could be our environment. It could be the type of company we keep. It could be the type of books we read. It could also be the type of movies we watch. It could be ambition or the wrong choices we make in life. Even political ideologies can make us loose track of the universal mercy of God.

But in the tender eyes and love of God there is always room to make- up, for a rediscovery, for atonement for a renewal. And this is again demonstrated in the three parables of today’s Gospel: the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin and the parable of the lost son. In all these “losses” there is this image of merciful, concerned, caring owner who left everything to search for the lost item. At discovery they are all very happy and joyful.

For example, in the case of the Good Shepherd he left 99 other sheep to search for the only lost one sheep. The woman also left 9 coins to search for just a single coin. While the father’s joyous, celebrative response to the remorse and return of the prodigal son also shows that, though he had a lot including, animals, servants, another son, and perhaps children, he rather had invested so much thinking, emotions and prayers wishing his lost son returns. He says, to the angry first son, “My son, you are here with me always, everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.”

 In fact, the many times we have gotten lost, our merciful God is the one who finds us.  But although our God is a merciful God, who cares for each and everyone of us, the poor, the one lost sheep, the one lost coin, the lost son,  gratitude to God as in the case of Paul is demanded of us, especially when God intervenes in our lives, when he finds us.

This last summer I was in Portugal with a group of pilgrims. I presided over Mass at the Church of Saint Anthony of Padua. It was interesting to notice how the pilgrims were conscious that Saint Anthony of is reputed as the patron saint of lost items. During the intercessory prayer, taken spontaneously there was a popular refrain, “Anthony Find us.” Clearly this also would highlight the fact that it is very easy for us to get lost in our anger, in our selfishness, inordinate ambition, materialism, appetite for violence, terrorism, war and sterility of the sense of the sacred.

  But when God finds us we want to celebrate his love, his mercy, his everlasting covenant, his presence, his compassion and his redemption. And this is what we do each time we gather to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, which of course, is the sacrament of redemption, a sacrament of divine mercy and  of God's everlasting presence among us.

Homily 23rd Sunday Year C: Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily 23^rd Sunday Year C: Michael U. Udoekpo

 Readings: Wisdom 9:13-18b; Ps 90:3-6, 12-17; Philm 9-10, 12-17; Luke 14:25-33

Giving up Our Possessions to be the disciple of Christ

In the Gospel reading of today Jesus says, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even his own life he cannot be my disciple.” And again, “whoever does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciples.” And lastly, he says, “anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciples.”

In all these, we know Jesus is not recommending hatred of our neighbors, in the literal sense of hatred. Our Lord is not recommending that we go to a carpenter or furniture maker to have a cross made for us. Neither is Jesus suggesting that to own a house, or a car or basic necessities of life are wrong.

Rather our Lord is reminding us that to be a Christian, to be his follower is a lot work. It demands some sacrifices. These sacrifices include getting rid- of anything that could have stood on our way between the love of God and the love our neighbors. Excessive possessions of material things could be one of them. But what about the possession of an ideology or philosophy of life and worldview that is contrary to the gospel (Christ's worldview). One could be possessed by selfishness, arrogance, insensitivity to the need of the community of ones’ neighbor. What about divisive tendencies? Again one could be possessed by ignorance or bad habits or by a conscience wrongly formed; or  by the refusal to see things in the eyes of hope, faith and love.

By the time today’s first reading was written, about fifty years before the coming of Christ, suffering, persecution and acts of injustices would have been the order of the day in the community of Jews who had not only experienced exile, but were returning home from exile. For the author of the Book of Wisdom, we got to see things in the eye of faith. We also got to see things in the eyes of justice and God’s mercy, which has always been there from creation, through the wilderness experience. Furthermore, endurance and perseverance must be part of our faith community. We must not allow ourselves to be possessed by faithlessness, despair and selfishness. This is where true wisdom lies.

From a prison in Rome, Paul pointed this out too in his Letter to Philemon, concerning the slave, Onesimus. It is most likely that Onesimus had done something wrong. He ran away from his master to Paul for safety. Granted that Onesimus has been converted, obviously through Paul’s preaching, Paul is not interested in possessing, keeping nor taking advantage of Onesimus. Paul selflessly judges that Onesimus return to his master. He pleaded that his master takes him back not just as a slave, but as a brother in the spirit of Christ Jesus.

It is this spirit of Christ, or doing things in the spirit of Christ that is recommended for each of us on our Christian journeys; the spirit of oneness.  The Spirit to be able to let certain things go for the sake of peace and love. It is the spirit of dialogue and not violence; the spirit of peace not war and terrorism; the spirit of forgiveness not vengeance; the spirit of obedience to the teachings of the church, the counsels of our mentors, the advice of our parents and good teachers; the spirit of unity not division; the spirit of tolerance and to always be able to ask ourselves, “what would Christ have done in this given situation?”

We must forgive. We must bear pains of illnesses, and even the pains of the loss of our loved ones patiently. We must also give up our bad-possessed habits and old ways of thinking, especially if they are not in line with the gospel of Christ. To do these could be challenging. And this is where Christ warns us that, “anyone who does not renounce all his (or her) possessions cannot be my (his) disciple.”