Homily (2) 30th Sunday of Year A: Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily (2) 30^th Sunday of Year A: Michael U. Udoekpo
Readings: Exod 22:20-26; Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51; 1 Thess 1:5c-10 and Matt 22: 34-40

 Love of God OR Love of our Neighbors?

 

Throughout Matthew’s Gospel 22 Jesus engages in a series of debate with the local leaders, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, regarding many practical, legal and faith issues.  They keep challenging Jesus. Lasts few Sundays the issues were that of preparedness for the kingdom of God and civil responsibility. Should we pay taxes or not. If we do, to whom? Should we honor God or not? If we do, why and how?  Today the Pharisees wants to know which is more important, the love of God or the love neighbor (Matt 22:34-40). How do we express our love for God? Through sacrifices, burnt offerings? Or charity?  Christ did not waste time in reminding the Pharisee that, this is an old tension.  Both are important: the love of God and the love of neighbor as oneself.

 For Christ, the whole Law, the Torah, from Genesis to the Book of Deuteronomy, as well as the entire prophetic books, that essentially stress true worship, holiness of life, social justice, obedience to God’s words and covenant depend on these two- dimensional principles of the love of God and the love of our neighbors.  They are not contradictory to each other.

In fact, those that today’s first reading from the Book of Exodus (22:20-26) was first addressed to, must have been struggling with this same very tension.  How should we worship God? How should I remain holy, since the Lord our God is holy (Lev 19:2)? Are animal sacrifices, burnt offerings, pilgrimages to shrines enough (Amos 5, Hos 6)?  Based on this first reading, the answer seems to be no. Worship of God, holiness of life, justice can as well be expressed by not molesting foreigners, and by not oppressing the widows and the orphans, and by refraining from extortion, all in the name of giving loans to the poor

This is also at the heart of our daily experiences today in the Church and even in the society as a whole. How to interpret or live the relationship between these two commandments is a burning issue today. Some of us today will interpret or measure our holiness of life on the parameter of how much volume of prayer we have said or how many decades of rosary we prayed yesterday, or even by how many times we have gone to confession or received Holy Communion in a year. Or how well ironed is our robe!  Based on Jesus response to the Pharisees, that takes us back to the Pentateuch and the Prophets these are important. But we must balance this up with the message of the first reading, reaching out to our neighbors, especially the poor, orphans, widows, the voiceless and the immigrants of our times. We ought to respect one another, pray for one another, those in war torn area, and practically help the sick and the needy.

 The point here is that, the two loves are important. This is what Pope Francis so far has spent his papacy emphasizing; reaching out to those in the margins; spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, socially, economically, politically, and physically, where we can.

Many of us also do this everyday. We pray. We also support charitable organizations, catholic charity, saint Vincent the Paul' society, visit to the sick and the elderly, good working relationship with fellow workers, being kind and reaching out to our friends and people around us with positive gestures and healthy eye contacts. We must keep this up or continue to improve on them!

 People, who pretend to be Christians, or seek God while they have no sincere political, medical, educational, social, economic and spiritual interests or well-beings of their neighbors of all colors, genders and cultures, at heart, are hypocrites. They will not find the God of the Bible and of the Law and the Prophets.

 

Homily (2) 29th Sunday Year A: Fr. Michael Ufok Udoekpo

Homily (2) 29^th Sunday Year A: Fr. Michael Ufok Udoekpo

Readings: Isa 45:1.4-6; Ps 96:1,3,4-5.7-11; 1 Thes 1:1-5b and Matt 22:15-21

 

 We are God’s Instruments for Evangelization!

 

 Today we celebrate the Laity and the Mission Sunday, whose roles and duties are well spelt out in the various documents of the Vatican II. But the readings of today, embolden us  and shed light on the significance of this celebration. In our various capacities we have a role to play in building the society making it  a joyful and  a peaceful place for all.   We have a share in this mission of evangelization, since the Church and her mission belongs to all of us. And God is never tired of reminding us of these responsibilities, whether you are in the government, in the factory, in the cathedral, in the seminary, in the family, in the hospital or in the sick bed. We are all called to bear witness!

 

In the first reading of today Cyrus of Persia was a pagan king, a civil ruler, who had not received “baptism” nor “Holy Communion,” if I may say so! He was not a priest or deacon. But God surprisingly uses him as his instrument to free Israel, to save his people. Through Cyrus, the exiled, the chosen people of God were allowed in company of Ezra and Nehemiah to return to the holy land, to rebuild their home, their economy, their city and the temple once destroyed.

 

This is who God is. He can use any of us for spiritual, cultural and civil duties, for the common good. Our dispositions are also needed! Before Cyrus, God used Abraham, Moses, the Judges, Saul, David and many of Israel’ prophets, and Paul who were not initially perfect. Think of the various roles of these people in in our faith history! Some of them were used as leaders, warriors, preachers, intercessors, community organizers and consciences of their communities!

 

Take Paul for example. The same Paul that was initially a persecutor of the faith,  experienced rejection and persecution himself, in his missionary journeys, is the one preaching faith, hope and love in Thessalonica today. Today, Paul is grateful to God for the growth of the mission that came to be as a result of the labor of love and endurance of the hope of every member of the Church.  He addresses everyone, as “Brothers and sisters.” Paul says “all of you” not “some of you.” He sees everyone as agents of evangelization and instruments of the Holy Spirit to bring order, truth, justice, peace, solidarity, freedom, good health and stability to the world.

 

This is the vision of Christ in today’ Gospel (Matt 22:15-21). Confronted and tested in Jerusalem by the usual enemies, the Pharisees and the Sadducees on civil duties and responsibilities. Christ passed the test! He gave a good and responsible answer, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar,” and “give to God what belongs to God.” Could this also be referring to the separation of the Church and secular politics?  What about orderliness in nature? Putting things in place?What about an attempt to secularize the sacred? What about our civil responsibilities?

 

 If God could use Cyrus, to save Israel, there is nothing wrong with paying our taxes. There is nothing wrong with carrying out our civil duties, stopping at the red lights, on the street, so as not to harm others or ourselves. There is nothing wrong with praying for peace in our society, for praying for our presidents, our senators and our representatives in the government- to make good choices and decisions for the common good.  Division of labor, for the common good! Just as we need good priests, religious, and preachers of the words, parents, children, grandpa, grandma, grandchildren, we need good men and women, good lay people, in the government. We need God fearing leaders who lead and serve the citizens and the nation, not their pockets, in the temporal world.

 

The point is that, wherever God choses to place us, is our place for mission, an opportunity to honor God, and to show solidarity  with humanity  and families of nations, in faith, hope, love, peace and justice!

 

 

 

 

Homily (2) 28th Sunday Year A: Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily (2) 28^th Sunday Year A: Michael U. Udoekpo

 Readings: Isa 25: 6-10a; Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5-6; Phil 4:12-14, 19-20 and Matt 22:1-14

My Shepherd is the Lord,

Today we gather to celebrate and renew our trust, our power of positive thinking and our readiness in the Divine King and Shepherd, whose protecting, caring and feeding imageries run through the readings of today.  As the Lord protects, cares and feeds us, he invites us to imitate him by doing likewise to our neighbors.

In the first reading, the Good Shepherd addresses words of hope to the frightened community of Israel through the mouth of his Prophet, Isaiah. Even though the enemies will momentarily overrun and humiliate Israel, and perhaps destroy the temple, the Lord will surely be at the mercy of the remnant, who put their covenantal trust in Him. The "will" here points to the future hope. God’s time is the best. At his appointed time, the Lord will destroy the veil that veils all peoples. The veils of sadness and hopelessness. The veils of frustrations and rivalries.  He will wipe away the tears of sorrow, humiliation and illnesses from the faces of those who put their trust in Him. He will rebuild the mountain once destroyed, restore and provide food for those once starved. He will invite to a banquet those once ignored.

It is this hope, this trust, this call for endurance that Paul  re-emphasis to the Church Philippians in the Second Reading. Paul knows how to manage in all circumstances, in his missionary travels, in his trials, in his rejections, in his poverty and needs. In bad times and in good times. He knows the secret of being well fed as well as how to endure hunger. For him, “he can do all things in Christ who strengthen him.” 

It is this spirit of trust and garment of readiness that the Good Shepherd expects  in those invited to the wedding feast, the banquet of today’s Gospel's parable (Matt 22:1-14). In this parable some of the invitees ignored the king. Some refuse to come, while some invented all kinds of excuses to justify their absence. Even some who were not interested in responding killed the servant messengers- of the king; while among those who responded, one had no wedding garments. Perhaps, he took the banquet  for granted. Of course, with the directives of the king, the shepherd, he was bound hands and feet and thrown into the darkness for wailing and gridding of teeth. 

 Be it in this Gospel parable, provider of the banquets  or in the shepherd metaphors of  these other readings, God treats us as a traditional near eastern good shepherds would treat their sheep. They provide food, and water for them. Sometimes they have to search for their foods. They protect them from wolves. Put a fence around them. These flocks trust their shepherds and listen to them, though instinctually. 

 Today we are faced with all types of challenges such as poverty, Ebola and HIV threats, war and terrorism, especially from Boko Haram and ISIS. We have also issues of climate change, economic disparities, political and racial tensions in sections of our societies. 

 Thank God we are blessed not only with instinct, but with higher reason and faith. We have every reason to make  necessary good choices in our lives. Even though the road or path to good choices may be rough,  with the lessons and experiences of the biblical exodus, the covenant relationship, the land, and the process of settlement, God is constantly watching over us. He is constantly cooking for us. All he wants from us is that spirit of a positive  and imitative response. He wants us to be ready with the right garments of  love,  faith and trust in his eternal banquet of Love, and in his everlasting feasts of Peace, Mercy and Care. He wants us to be convinced that we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us (Phil 4:12-14), and that the Lord is our Shepherd there is nothing we shall want (Ps, 23, Jer 23, Eze 34; John 10).

Homily (2) Twenty-Seven Sunday Year A: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily (2) Twenty-Seven Sunday Year A: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Isaiah 5:1-7; Ps 80:9,12-16,19-20; Phil 4:6-9 and Matt 21:33-43

The Vineyard of the Lord

In the Gospel reading of today (Matt 21:33-43), Jesus, obviously is in Jerusalem. He is on his way to the cross. He teaches everyone on the way, especially the elites, the scribes and the Pharisees. His subject is that each of us have been planted as a vineyard by God our maker, to bear good and lasting fruits of justice, peace, love, respect for life and the human dignity. What is so exciting about today’s readings for me, is also that Jesus carries out his teaching, allegorically, with reference to Jerusalem, the tenants, religious authorities, the prophets, and about himself, using the imagery or the parable of the vineyard. Each of us, the church as a whole and as individual members, as well as civil authorities and citizens of all nations can relate to this parable.

From the parabolic mouth of Jesus, a man planted a vineyard and leased it to tenants. When harvest time he sent successive contingents of his servants to collect the produce. On each occasion they were maltreated, insulted, rejected, beaten and stoned. The landowner finally sent his beloved son for the same mission, at least with the hope that they would respect his son. He was not respected, either. The tenants failed the test for respect. They stoned the landowner’s son, threw him outside the vineyard to die.  Of course, the scribes and the Pharisees naturally would expect the landowner to judge, punish or kill off these wicked tenants and replace them with fruits bearing tenants.

Hearing from the melody of the Psalmist (Ps 80), and particularly from the Song of the Vineyard, in Isaiah 5:1-7, I want to believe that Jesus’ audience were familiar with this sort of parables. Isaiah in the mid-8^th century used this parable. He likens ungrateful and unresponsive Israel to a carefully tended but inexplicable unfruitful vineyard of wild grapes. Many of Israel prophets, before Jesus( Hos 10:1; Jer 2:21; 5:10) have also expressed disappointment on the failure of Israel, Judah, Jerusalem, the tenants, the authorities, civil and religious to bear the fruits expected of them or at least to imitate the true vine, namely Jesus ( John 15:1-10).

Every blessed day nations and institutions of the earth, their leaders and subjects are faced with choices and decisions to make. The Catholic Church, other churches and religious groups are faced with responsibilities, so also her leaders and members. Today these choices may touch issues of war and peace, ISIS and terrorism, sexuality, marriage, family value, health, Ebola, HIV, poverty and wealth, climate change, deforestation and preservation of forest, social justice, life and the dignity of the human person and their fundamental human right. What would Jesus have done in these circumstances? Do we strive in our various capacities to bear fruits expected us?

While in Philippi Saint Paul must have been wrestling with the same issue, the need to realize that each of us, including all preachers are chosen by God, planted by God to bear good fruits.

Like Prophet Isaiah and Jesus, Paul seems to have put all of us on the spot( the poor, rich, preachers, pastors, politicians, civil, ecclesiastical authorities, priests and religious, clergies, social and factory workers, students, teachers, professors, moms, dads, grandpa, grandma, friends, partners and companions, etc) to draw conclusions for ourselves, on what are expected of us in the Lord's vineyards and as the Lord's vineyards.  Paul exhorts us;

 

“...Brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever, is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you,” (Phil 4:6-9).