Homily Holy Saturday (Easter Vigil Year ABC): Fr. Michael UfokUdoekpo

Homily Holy Saturday (Easter Vigil Year ABC): Fr. Michael UfokUdoekpo

 ·         (1)Gen1:1–2:2 or 1:1,26-31a; Ps 104:1-2,5-6,10-14,24,35or Ps 33:4-7,12-13,20-22;

·         (2) Gen 22:1-18 or22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18; Ps 16:5, 8, 9-11
·         (3) Exod 14:15–15:1; Ps Exod 15:1-6, 17-18;
·         (4) Isa 54:5-14;Ps 30:2,4-6,11-13;
·         (5) Isa55:1-11; Ps 12:2-3,4-6;
·         (6) Bar 3:9-15,32–4:4; Ps 19:8-11;
·         (7)Ezek 36:16-17a, 18-28;Ps[a] 42:3,5;43:3-4;[b] Isa 12:2-3,4bcd,5-6[c]Ps 51:12-13,14-15,18-19;
·         (8) Rom 6:3-11; Ps 118:1-2,16-17,22-23;
·         (9)Gospel [Year a] Matt 28:1-10; [Year b] Mark 16:1-7; [Year c] Luke 24:1-12.

  Joy in the Risen Lord!

 In tonight’s liturgy the Church assembles around the tomb of Jesus with songs, prayers, and scripture sharing while awaiting his resurrection. Even though the gathering is a bit long, it is a 4 level joyful celebration of: the joyful song of exulted with lighted candles symbolism Christ as the light of the world, the liturgy of the word, baptism and renewal of promises. Finally, of the Holy Eucharist.

 Through the scripture we share again and relive through the history of our salvation, the covenant, beginning from creation, through Abraham to events of Christ, particularly his resurrection from the dead, which we gather tonight to celebrate!

Wonderful and spiritually rich scripture passages. In Genesis creation stories and in the Psalms God creates lovingly, he orders, he gives names, he shows mercy, he is kind, and he also forgives. In spite of the generation of our first parents, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah God calls and establishes a covenant with Abraham, who in scriptures tonight, is also willing to sacrifice, go through trials and  give back to God all that God had given him, including his only son Isaac (Gen 22:1-18). What are you willing to give back to God to make your relationship with God work? Faith, hope, love, faithfulness, charity to the poor and the needy or sharing the faith story to others?

 Israel’s story is our story. Through these stories we are reminded that our lives, Israel’s lives belong to God. He alone can use can write even on a crooked line! This is true in the events of their various exiles. God alone can hardens Pharaoh’s heart and works through the signs of he10 plagues, uses Assyria and the Babylonians as his instruments. God  judges, punishes, rewards, exhorts, in order to save Israel, as expressed in various prophecies and prophetic passages read tonight, particularly the prophecies of Isaiah, Ezekiel and Baruch.

 What Israel’s prophets long foretold: life, hope, freedom, salvation, new life is fulfilled tonight in the resurrection of Christ, witnessed by Paul in Roman 6:3-11. Instructing his Roman Community Paul says, “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ (as will be done tonight) were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.”

 The baptismal rites and renewal which we celebrate tonight speaks to this Pauline passage and points to the tomb and resurrection of Christ which we awaits this holy night. It is night we lay down our fears, sorrows, uncertainties, frustrations and anxieties of the Good Friday,  at the empty tomb and go out to spread the joy of the glorious resurrection.

Imagine what the initial experience of the empty tomb must have been like for the early Apostles. I guess, refreshing and amazing to those women, particularly to Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James and to others who accompanied them. It must have been amazing to Peter and to the rest of the eleven as well.

 If you were there in the early days what would it feel like? How do you feel tonight? An amazing God! With the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, everything is possible! Creation is possible. The orderliness of creation is possible. The hardening of pharaoh’s heart is possible. The Crossing of the red sea without been hurt is possible. Raising Jesus from the tomb is possible. Healing is possible! Success in life is possible! Passing that examination is possible. True reconciliation is possible! Transformation is possible!

 For those corrupt capitals good socio-political structure is possible! Reaching out to the poor, the aged, and the needy, as stressed by Pope Francis, more than before is possible! Justice is possible!

 As we gather around Christ’s empty tomb this holy night may we be reassured of the hope, the transformation, and the new life that the light of the resurrection of Christ brings us.  May we be reassured of his presence in our homes, families, churches, offices, journeys, and work places?  As we pray for our brothers and sisters, victims of terrorism d around the globe, may we continue to trust in his protective care? May we as baptized and believers be joyful and be reassured of eternal life in heaven after our pilgrimage here on earth!

 

Reflection Questions:

1.    What gives you joy!

2.    What aspect of today’s scripture reading or levels of celebration impact you most?

3.    What is the meaning of the resurrection for you and how do you share this with member of your faith community?

 

 

Homily for Good Friday Year ABC: Fr. Michael Ufok Udoekpo

Homily for Good Friday Year ABC: Fr. Michael Ufok Udoekpo

·         Isa 52: 13-53:12;Ps 31:2,6,12-13,15-17,25

·         Heb 4:14-16;5:7-9;John 18:1-19:42

The Glory of the Cross and the Goodness of Good the Friday!

On Palm Sunday we witnessed Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. That triumphant journey culminates in today’s events: the glory of the cross and the goodness of Good Friday. This makes us wonder what is really glorious, good, or redemptive about the cross we venerate on Good Friday!{goodness...}

Or, what is really good about Good Friday? What is good about the red vestment priest wear today? What is good about our altars left bare today, undecorated? I guess it’s the love that Christ loved us to the end, no matter the affliction; those sufferings and mockeries he endured on the stations of cross- since God his Father watches over him.

He said many prayers from that cross. One of them is "into your hands Lord I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46). We see the goodness of Good Friday in this prayer. In it Christ teaches us how to rely totally on God in moments of trials. God can always, ironically turn things around in our lives no matter how worst we might think our condition is.

The goodness of Good Friday ( the sorrowful mysteries) is also revealed in the 1^st reading (Isa 52:13-53:12), the 4^th Song of the Suffering Servant of God. Even though the servant was spurned, beaten, insulted, rejected he did not open his mouth. It was our infirmities and sufferings that he endured. He was pierced for our offenses and crushed for our sins. On Good Friday Christ takes away our sins!

The preacher in the  2^nd reading, the Letter to the Hebrews, is aware of this when he preaches “in the days when Christ was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death. Prayers like Psalm 22 " My God my God why have you abandon me." Prayers like today's responsorial Psalm 31 "into your hands Lord, I commend my spirit." And he was heard because of his reverence. Son though he was he learned obedience from what he suffered, and when he was made perfect, when he was raised from the dead, he became source of eternal salvation.

This is why Good Friday is good. In SalusCruce (In the cross we venerate today is our salvation- cf. lives of the saints). On the cross Christ teaches us how to love,. On the cross Christ teaches us  how to hope. On the cross Christ teaches us  how to endure our personal crosses (poverty, loneliness, illnesses ,loss of our loved ones, etc.),. On the cross Christ teaches us how to forgive and how to take charge in whatever we do  to the end- be it in our marriages, family responsibilities, our studies, work, priestly or religious life. We are to take charge and endure to the end, as exemplified in John's passion narrative.

In that long passion narrative from the Gospel of John, which is full of irony, Jesus is in charge. Jesus is in control. He is in the driver's seat. He tells Judas Iscariot to do quickly what he came to do. He makes it clear to Pilate that he has no authority over him. And finally Jesus dies kingly and triumphantly. On his cross is inscribed in different languages(Hebrew, Greek and Latin), "Jesus the King of the Jews," to make today a universal and salvific Good Friday. And Christ the savior of the world!

 As a believer, faithlessness, hatred, despair, violent, mockery, insult, jealousy, attitude of indifference in the face of injustice, neglect of the poor should not have authority over us. But rather, love, faith, hope, justice and endurance that Christ has taught us today, in the face of our life’s challenges and vicissitudes.

Reflection Questions

1.    What would you identify as your crosses and how do you handle them in the light of today’s readings?

2.    How do you feel when you are unjustly or falsely accused in the light of the suffering servant of YHWH of today’s readings

3.    What does the crucifixes in your homes or churches reminds you of?

4.    What do you say to a member of you faith community that has just been mocked, betrayed and unjustly violated?

5.    Christ bore our sorrows and sins. In what ways have you bore the pains of your next door neighbor, or family member?

 

 

 

Homily Mass of the Last Super Year ABC: Fr. Michael Ufok Udoekpo

Homily Mass of the Last Super Year ABC: Fr. Michael Ufok Udoekpo

·         Exod 12:1-8, 11-14;

·          Ps 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18;

·         1 Cor 11:23-26

·         John 13:1-15

 Christ, Eucharist, Love and Service (CELS)

 As highlighted in the scripture, tonight we celebrate three significant gifts:  the gifts of the Lord’s Super/the Holy Eucharist, the gift of the priesthood and the gift of Christ’s redeeming love and service to one another, to the extent of washing  their feet.  These three gifts of course, are interconnected!

First of all, the gift of the Holy Eucharist of which institution we reenact today is nothing else, but a banquet of love, a shared meal of gratitude and service.  In today’s Gospel, it was within this context of the shared meal, the new Passover, that Jesus washes the feet of his disciples, teaching us to do the same to one another.

 Of course this tradition of washing someone’s’ feet enacted by Christ in today’s Gospel is also found in Genesis 18 when Abraham the father of our faith washes the feet of his visitors in Mamre. It is one of the most symbolic and humble services to one another that one could think of.

In the second reading Paul is aware of Jesus’s traditions of love, unity of service, of the new Passover which is unconnected with providing for the poor and the needy. Addressing as seemingly divided and quarrelling the Corinthian Community he says,

 “ I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took break, and after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “this is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” With the cup Christ said, “this is cup is the new Covenant in my blood, do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me (1 Cor 11:23-26).”

 The Eucharis is nothing else, but the cup unity and the bread of life.  By washing the feet of his disciple within the context of the Eucharist Jesus shows the depth of his love, a love leading to the cross. He teaches his disciples, and all of us today, especially in a divided and broken world a new way of sacrificial Love, a new way of service and friendship. Not a new way of “eye service.” He teaches us a new way of self-transcendence not a new way of self- aggrandizement. He teaches us a new way to serve not a new way to be served; a new way of humble friendship with all including the poor, the prisoners and the marginalized. 

 By washing his disciples feet Jesus overcome by love the inequality that existed by nature between himself and those whom he had chosen as friends. I always believe that how we treat one another publicly or in private is the true measure of the condition of our interior life, especially of our life of prayer.

 As we celebrate this Last Super, sharing in the bread and wine of the new covenant of love, gratitude and selfless service- Christ, and ready to adore him at that Altar of Repose in that garden, let us know that Christ sees us, he loves us and recognizes us. He sees the rich, the poor and the downtrodden.  Let us know that having been washed clean, we have been given the spiritual capacity and blessed with the divine strength of his examples (John 13:12-15) to joyfully love and gratefully serve one another as Christ has first loved and served us. To wash one another’s feet as he has first washed us.

Reflection Questions:

1.    Could you think of the times you have gone out of your way to serve your neighbor, visitors, strangers, or to wash his or her feet?

2.    When you receive the Eucharist do you have a sense of spiritual communion with Christ and members of your faith community?

3.    How often do you try to explain the meaning of the Holy Eucharist and its relationship with love and service to members of family and faith community?

 

Homily Palm Sunday ABC: Michael Ufok Udoekpo

Homily  Palm Sunday ABC: Michael Ufok Udoekpo

 Processional Readings ABC:

·         Matthew 21:1-11;

·          Mark 11:1-10

·          Luke 19:28-40.

Christ’s Humble Entrance into Jerusalem,

Every year the Church celebrates Palm Sunday which ends the Lenten Season and marks the beginning of the most Holy week in our Christian Liturgy.  It is a week our savior will be exalted on the Cross. It is a week of that hour of glory come to fulfillment. This  is the week Christ, our Lord and Savior will be betrayed, falsely accused, plotted against (John 11:45-53), arrested (Matt 26:47-56), interrogated by Annas, Caiaphas, and the Sanhedrin ( Matt 26:57-58), tried by Pilate ( Matt 27:1-14), denied by Peter (Matt 26:59-66), mocked and executed in a Roman way ( Matt 27:15-56).  It is a week Christ will draw all people to himself, Jews and the Gentiles, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea (John 12:32). It is a Holy and Salvific Week for us; a week of grace; a week of victory over death and injustice, lies and hatred; a week we see new life in the death of Christ. It is a teaching week for our religious communities, families and homes.

 It is a week we also learn to resist evil not with violence, not by chopping off “Malchus’ ear,” but with prayer, endurance and through peaceful process of dialogue and reconciliation. A week we learn not to act like Pilate, remaining indifferent to truth nor being in a hurry to condemn our neighbors, brothers and sisters, friends and children. It is a week each of us is invited to the foot of the Cross, a week Mary will be handed over to us the faithful disciples of Christ (John 19:25ff). Our nations in unnecessary political divides can also learn from this week.

Usually before the principal Mass our palms which will be turned into ashes for “renewal” next year are blessed. A moment from now we shall reenact the Gospel story we have just heard from Matthew 21:1-11. Like those ordinary people, those pilgrims in the street of Jerusalem (those men, women and children) who gave Christ a royal welcome to Jerusalem for his paschal mystery we are also prepared in our pilgrimage  to embrace Christ with enthusiasm, to welcome him into our lives in the Eucharist we are about to celebrate today. Through the  “Hosanna” (Psalm 118:26; Mk 11:1-10 and Luke 19:28-40) we sing we shall be inviting Christ, Son of David, the King of Israel to “save” us, to come into our lives, into our homes, offices, parish communities and families.

Again from that Gospel (s) Reading (s), He is a humble King, a King of Peace, riding on a donkey instead of a horse. Remember at the time of David and Prophet Zechariah (cf 9:9) the donkey had been a sign of kingship, but later an animal for the poor, while the horses came to represent the might of the mighty. Christ today presents us the image of a King of peace arriving Jerusalem on a donkey not on a bullet and nuclear proof presidential Limousine.

With this we are reminded not only of Christ’s humility, his identification with the poor, but also his fearlessness, his prophetic courage to conquer death even death on a cross.

Let us now with enthusiasm go forth in peace, praising Jesus our Messiah, and welcoming him to the holy city of the Jerusalem!

 

 Homily Palm Sunday Years ABC: Michael Ufok Udoekpo

·         Isa 50:4-7;

·         Ps 22:8-9, 17-18,19-20,23-24;

·         Phil 2: 6-11

·         (A) Matt 26:14–27:66

·          (B) Mk 14:1–15:47

·         (C) and Luke 22: 14–23:56

Christ’s Victory over Death

Today begins our Holy Week, the Passion Week, and the most Sacred Week of our Liturgical Seasons. It is marked with the blessing of our palms and solemn procession into the church with songs of “Hosanna to the Son of David…! This marks Jesus arrival in the city of Jerusalem, where he began his ministry. From this joyful entry of Palm Sunday, things would change quickly from Hosanna to crucify him!  Not an empty change. But a change for hope, endurance and faith that leads to life eternal on Easter Sunday!

This is true from the readings, especially from the passion narrative, just read (this year from Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Clearly, Jesus is the center of focus in that long passion narrative. What have you learned? What have you heard? What does the narrative say to you? Endurance, peace, hope, forgiveness, human brutality, or rush to judgment or what?

 As we read and listen to this passion story Christ is  betrayed, falsely accused, plotted against (John 11:45-53), arrested (Matt 26:47-56), interrogated by Annas, Caiaphas, and the Sanhedrin ( Matt 26:57-58), tried by Pilate ( Matt 27:1-14), denied by Peter (Matt 26:59-66), mocked and executed in a Roman way ( Matt 27:15-56).

How do you feel when someone betrays you or accused you falsely? This is what Christ had to go through so that we could learn a lesson that evil could be resisted without violence, but with hope and prayers and dialogue. With this passion, we learn that this week is a week we learn from Christ’s event the danger of indifference displayed by Pilate and of the rush to condemn one another without facts and evidence.

Even as a nation, parish, faith community and family, we can in this week also learn from Jesus how to love, how to suffer and how to endure persecution and injustices. Of course how to “sing” the song of the suffering servant of God. As a nation, city, county, diocese, parish and family we can learn once again from Christ, the power of love, the spirit of forgiveness and the place of suffering. The role of the suffering servants and of the cross in our lives!

This role of the suffering servant was long foretold in today’s first reading, Deutero- Isaiah (Isa 50:4-7).  In it, the Lord gives the servant a well-trained tongue that he might know how to speak to the weary, the weak, the poor and the powerless. The Suffering servant is skillful and knows how to endure. He is humble and gets up when he is down. He does not complain unnecessarily, handles insults, beatings, mockery, and spitting with patience, wisdom and grace and humility.

This is why St. Paul sings of him in the 2^nd reading that, “Christ Jesus though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God, something to be grasped…he became obedient to death, death on a cross” (Phil 2:6-11).

 For us today, it could be challenging to imitate Christ, the suffering servant, in his journeys to the cross, in his suffering, in his endurance, in his handling of Pilates and his would be assassins, in his forgiveness of his enemies, in his love without limit, in his patience, humility and generosity!

This is the mystery. With God everything is possible. The tomb would never be the end. When we encounter frustrations, brokenness, injustices, persecution, bullying, racism, discrimination, nepotism, unimaginable difficulties, acute challenges and set-backs today, I suggest let us turn to the nearest crucifix, and realize that in our sufferings we are not alone. The Christ of the Palm Sunday is with us. The Christ of the Good Friday is with us. The Christ of the Easter Sunday continues to be with those who hope and trust in him!

Reflection Questions:

1.    How do you feel when deep within you... you know you are falsely and unjustly accused and how do you handle it?

2.    How do you relate or encourage members of your faith community to relate to the Ebed YHWH- the Suffering Servant of the 2^nd reading (Isa 50:4-7) and who do you think is the suffering Servant?

3.    What are the crosses in your life and how often do you turn towards the nearest crucifix with you pains and sufferings?

4.    Have you ever been betrayed, feel betrayed? With today’s passion narrative or bible readings can you come to a conclusion that you are not alone, that Christ is with your, He is the Way, the Life, and the Truth?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homily Fifth Sunday of Lent Year A: Fr. Michael Ufok Udoekpo

Homily Fifth Sunday of Lent Year A: Fr. Michael Ufok Udoekpo

·         Ezek 37:12-14;
·         Ps 130:1-8;
·          Rom 8:8-11
·         John 11:1-45

Christ, the Restorer of Life

Fifth Sunday of Lent’s Liturgy marks the end of the Lenten Season and introduces us into the Passion Week. It is the most Sacred Week during which the Church invites us to re-contemplate the meaning of suffering, death and resurrection of Christ.  In his trials, in his suffering, in his death there is hope for resurrection. The tomb, the grave as will be re-enacted during the Holy Week will never be the final destination of Christ – rather the resurrection and ascension. This is true in today’ scripture readings which emphasize Christ as the source, restorer or giver of life.  And reminds us to keep our faith, persevere and be hopeful in moments of trials and seeming disappointments! 

In the first reading, Ezekiel, the priest, a prophet of exile sees in a vision, dry bones of the dead scattered in a field. Dramatically the spirit of God unites together the scattered bones, binds them together with sinews, covers them with skin, and finally infuses them with divine breath to bring them to life. What a message of hope that Ezekiel brings:O my people, Ezekiel says:
 “I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your grave and have you rise from them, O my people. I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land…” (Ezek 37:12-14).

Ezekiel’s vision and parable of the dry bones is  a message of hope and optimism to the house of Israel and Judah. In spite of their past challenges and difficulties of all kind, they shall be restored as one people (Ezek 37:24-25), its leadership and covenant shall be reestablished and the spirit of the Lord and of justice shall be restored in Israel (vv.26-27).

In our Christian tradition we are that new and renewed Israel. In spite of who we are, the dryness we may have experience; and sinners who have dug themselves into graves of sins, people who forgets, who makes mistakes, who breaks the laws and the covenant, God who is full of kindness, compassion and mercy still loves us.  As the Psalmist would put it, “With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption” (Ps 130:7).

What are your "graves," "tombs" concerns, disappointments, issues, problems, rifts, weaknesses, bad and unconscious habits, and quarrels, ingratitude, negativity, social, political and economic challenges that you, or we or our institutions have dug themselves in? Any hope? How do relate to Ezekiel Vision of the Dry Bones?

St. Paul, while preaching to the Romans, especially those who were dead in sins, in today’s second reading (Rom 8:8-11) shows us how to relate to Ezekiel’s metaphorical vision of the dry bones.

For Paul those who were in the flesh, in the Church of Rome of his time, that is, those who were anti- God values, selfish, lawless, corrupt, and stuck to old sinful ways of life, or in the shackles of the past shall be brought to new life through the spirit of God.

It is this spirit of God that raises Christ from the dead on Easter Sunday. It is this spirit of God that raises Lazarus from dead in today’s Gospel reading (John 11:1-45), which is very ironic too like the prophecy of Ezekiel of the vision of the dry bones. In any given instances that we are down we can always be up, and be hopeful, and learn from the Israelites who were once down in the grave  of exiles, and for a very long time, in Babylon,… before freedom, before they returned, before they were raised up by the Lord (Ezek 37). We can always learn from Martha and Mary too, in the Gospel, who were mournful, sorrowful for days because of the loss of their brother Lazarus. They must have been frustrated for a while, because it took Jesus two days to respond to the illness of Lazarus. Truly God’s ways are not our ways. God knows and works by his “hours” and time. He knows when to change water into wine. He knows when to heal the royal official son. God has his own clock and watch different from ours. This is the hour of the cross.  The hour of the Cross is the hour of the Father’s true glory, the hour of Jesus’ true glory.

God knows when to say to us, as he did to Lazarus, “Lazarus come out!” Like Martha, in our moments of frustrations and hardships, which could come in different forms, we might be saying, “Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died.”  Of course, “Lazarus their brother will rise and live.” Like Martha and Mary after our doubts and frustration we want to return to that faith in Jesus who is the life and the resurrection. And know that those who believe even though they die will live and everyone who lives and believes in Christ will never die (John 11:25-26).

Let us pray at this Mass that, the Spirit of one who raised Jesus and Lazarus from the dead, and restored life to the dry bones of the exiled Israel in the prophecy of Ezekiel, may accompany us daily (Rom 8:8-11) in our faith pilgrimage.  And may we always imitate Mary’s and Martha’s faith in Christ the Giver of Life Eternal, by the way we respond to life’ crises including, illness and even the loss of our loved ones.

Reflection Questions:
1.    What are your “ graves” “tombs” concerns, defeatisms,  shackles of the past, doubts, disappointments, issues, problems, rifts, weaknesses, bad and unconscious habits, and quarrels, ingratitude, negativity, social, political and economic challenges that you, or we or our institutions have dug ourselves or  themselves in? Any hope?

 2.     How would you relate to Ezekiel’s Vision of the Dry Bones? Or encourage others in your faith community to respond?

3.    Can we identify ourselves with Martha and Mary of today’s Gospel and how?  And what entombs you or your hearts?

4.    Do you believe that in the Lord there is Mercy?

 

 

Homily Fourth Sunday of Lent Year A: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily Fourth Sunday of Lent Year A: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

·         1 Sam 16: 1b, 6-7, 10-13a;
·         Ps 23: 1-3a, 3b-6;
·          Eph 5:8-14
·         John 9:1-41

Christ Looks Deeply Into Our Hearts

 Today we celebrates  our trust in God’s healing light, and hope in his boundless love for us not measured by appearances! God in today's readings gives us the vision of light, cures our blindness (which could come in different forms) and looks into the hearts of each and every one of us. He is the ideal shepherd (Ps23, Jer 23, and Ezekiel 34 and John 10). He loves us where ever we are. He cares for us and does not judge us from appearances. He shines his light and scrutinizes from within! Today’s scriptures substantiate this divine attitude toward us, especially the catechumens who are to be admitted to the Sacrament of Christian Initiation, and those that the society considers weak or the improbable, but fortunately and consistently uplifted by the ministry and preaching of Pope Francis.

 In today’s first reading God chooses shepherd David, the youngest son of Jesse to replace Saul as the new King of Israel (1 Sam 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a) to the amazement of everyone. He does this irrespective of other seven sons of Jesse, presented to Samuel for anointing.  This story illustrates God’s choice of improbable savior. It shows that God can write on a crooked line. The same young David would defeat the gigantic Goliath in a battle (1 Sam17). This is how God works. In many other places in the bible we have seen God chose Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Rehab the prostitute, Israel’s Judges, the prophets, prophetess and priests, our Mother Mary, and of course David, irrespective of their human weaknesses or lowliness to work his marvelous. Some of them like Isaiah would argue, “O God I am a man of unclean lips” or like Jeremiah, “I am too young.” Or like Mary, “how can this be since I am a virgin.” It goes back to the reading of today. God does not see as human being sees. Human being sees the appearance, but God looks and shines his light of love and forgiveness into the heart of each and every one of us. Even though David on the long run would have his own trials, but God would insist and establish for him an everlasting dynasty-- in Christ! Are we convinced that God sees through our hearts and choses us in spite of who were are?

Similarly, in the Gospel reading of today, Christ’s healing of the blind beggar (John 9:1-41) receives mixed reactions as David’s choice was. It is viewed differently and humanly by everyone, the passers-by, including the Pharisees who so much depended on external appearances and judgments.  For them Christ was not from God, because it was an abomination to heal and to perform charitable works on the Sabbath. There were also those who disbelieve that the man was born blind, in the first place (v.18). Christ must have been “faking the miracle.”

They did not believe in Christ. Disbelieve itself is a form of spiritual blindness. The more reason they went to confront the parents of the healed man in order confirm how their son’s healing came about. Out of fear they couldn’t testify much to the healing mercy of Christ. They simply said to the Pharisees “my son is of age ask him, how he got his sight.” Apart from disbelieve, sometimes fear and lack of spiritual courage can also blind us or deny us of an opportunity to speak or witness the truth. Each of us are called to go out to the whole world and witness the Gospel!

 Beside the image of David, we are invited to turn to the blind man as our model of faith. Or relate to his experience of encounter with the Lord, the Light of the world. We have to do this recognizing that we  do have our own blindness and weaknesses (which could be indifference to the plights of our neighbors, irresponsibility to our duties, arrogance, laziness, selfishness, tribalism, parochialism, lack of creativity, racism and jealousy...).

 In the case of the healed beggar, even though he is thrown out of the synagogue, persecuted, denied and rejected by family members and close neighbors (vv. 8-34), the cured man once again was found by Jesus, the Son of Man, whom he completely trusts and believes in (vv.35-36).  He worships Christ, who reassures him that, he” came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see and those who see might become blind” (v. 39).

 With this Christ like God his father who appointed David king of Israel, is drawing a contrast between human sight and God sights. He is drawing contrast between the blind man who responded in faith to the light of vision brought him by Christ, and the Pharisees who claim to see, but disbelieve in the works of Christ. Human fear and faithlessness displayed by the parents of the blind and the Pharisees, can blind us from the light of Christ.  They are “fruitless works of darkness,” according to Saint Paul (Eph 5:8-14).

The light of Christ penetrates the hearts of each of us, in every land, culture and nation. It goes deeper than appearances. It knocks off the barriers of division, jealousy, racism and blindness of injustices in our broken world. It shepherds us (Ps 23) and brings us hope.  As we make progress in our Lenten discipline may we continue to trust in God’s healing light, and hope in his boundless love for us, that surpasses mere appearances!

Reflection Questions:

1.    Are you convinced that God’s love for us is not limited to our appearances; but shines through the darkness of our hearts?

2.    How can you relate to the story of the election of David, king of Israel, as against his other handsome brothers? And to what extent do you  share this story with members of your faith community with different social/political ideologies and agenda?

3.    In the light of the story of the healing of the blind man in John 9 what would you identify as your personal, or community’s blindness? Do you trust in God’s healing light and encourage others in your families, places of work and communities to do so?