The Porta Fidei (Acts 14:27)
Homily Fifth Sunday of Easter Year C: Fr. Michael Ufok
Udoekpo
·
Acts 14:21-27;
·
Ps 145:8-13;
·
Rev 21:1-5a
·
John 13:31-33a,
34-35
On this fifth Sunday of Easter, we celebrate the Love of
Christ. And this love of Christ, in the light of today’s readings, particularly
the first reading, is the entrance, the door that leads to faith, porta fidei
(door of faith for the Gentiles) that Paul talks about in the first reading,
Acts of the Apostles 14:27. Consider yourself coming into this church, into
this chapel; you came in through that door. There might be other doors, here
and there. Our Christian faith is like our journey into this church, having to
pass through those doors. Christ's love or our love for Christ, even in moment
of persecutions, is truly that important door of faith that leads us to
Christ, to our destination, which is eternal life. Caritas Christi
urget nos- the love of Christ must be that which impels us.
The Gospel of John that we read these Sundays reminds us
of the mission of Christ, the teacher of this love. The mission of Christ
originate from His Father. He is God’s self-revelation. In John 1:14 God became
flesh in Christ (carum factum est John 1:14) in order to walk with, to
bless us, to teach us how to love, and to draw us to himself.
Christ teaches us by his life style and through his
selfless mission, the love he loves everyone with, the signs and miracles
he works. Think of his changing of water into wine in Cana in Galilee (John 2),
his teachings to Nichodemus, that unless one is born again he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God (John 3). What about the significance of his encounter with
the Samaritan woman (John 4), the cure on the Sabbath at Bethesda (John 5), the
multiplication of loaves (John 6), his walking on the Sea (John 6:16ff), his
forgiveness to sinners (John 8), his healing of the man born blind (John 9),
the raising of Lazarus from the death (John 11) and his consolation ministries to
the grieved, like Martha and Mary.
But before leaving to embrace his Glory on the cross (John
18-19:42), Christ, in today’s Gospel bequeaths his disciple the summary of
his mission. He washes the feet of his disciples and gives them a new
commandment (“behold I make all things new” Rev 21:5a) “to love one another”
(John 13:34). He meant to remind his disciples that as he was leaving, this is
the new way they should continue to make his values and teachings
present to our neighbors at all times. This is how the world and the society
will know that we are Christ’s disciples.
There are many ways to make this known depending on
who we are, where we are and what we are doing. In the case of Paul and
Barnabas they were not discouraged that Christ was no longer physically there.
In spite of the rejection and persecution they encountered in their first
missionary journey they persevered with love and endurance. They spread the
gospels to several nations and cities including Pisidia, Pamphylia, Attalia,
Perga, Lystra, Iconium and Antioch. At Antioch he re-gathered the church and
explained to them his experience of his missionary journeys, which he saw as
God opening the door of faith to all nations, men, women and children.
Each of us, the entire church must find new ways to
re-evangelize and encourage ourselves, our brothers and sister to embrace or
persevere in that faith, with love and endurance.[ For our students here, the
Semester coming to an end, I can imagine the anxiety surrounding our
examination and promotions to various levels and orders in the formation
process.] For our parents and friends, there are also moments I believe you
feel a little tired on the journey. In each of these moments we want
to borrow a leaf from Paul and Barnabas, and see the endurance we endure,
the love we love as opportunities to strengthen our faith, and moments to
open the door of faith to our neighbors.
Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI in his Porta Fidei
(the door of faith)[ of this Year of faith] recommends the need for us to reach
out to the world with the content of the Sacred Scriptures and the teachings of
the church expressed in the Catechism and in the documents of the Vatican II.
Pope Francis builds on this- on his dramatic
reaching out to the poor, the needy, the prisoners, the aged the less
privilege, which is an expression of the new way of love that Christ handed his
disciples in today’s Gospels. Reaching out to the poor, praying for our
neighbors (the Bostonians, the Texians, those in war torn areas, facing the
threats of terrorism (in northern Nigeria etc) and the sufferings everywhere),
visiting the sick, the home bounds, those in hospice and hospitals, reaching
out to our neighbors even within the same house, the same complex, the same
roof, the same family, the same institution, the same factory, requires
selflessness and letting go of ourselves. Love is that door of faith that
leads us and our neighbors to Christ.
Reflection Questions
1.
What are the doors
of faith in our Christian journeys?
2.
Do we love as
Christ has first loved us?
3.
What prevents us
from reaching out pastorally to the poor and those on the margins?
Christ, the New Door of faith, hope, mercy
and love
Homily Fifth Sunday of Easter Year C: Fr.
Michael Ufok Udoekpo
·
Acts 14:21-27;
·
Ps 145:8-13;
·
Rev 21:1-5a
·
John 13:31-33a, 34-35
When we build new homes or houses we open
new doors through which we walk into our rooms. Coming into the church/chapel
on this 5th Sunday of Easter we walked or came in through those
doors. Our Christian journeys (especially in this Year of Mercy), as priests,
religious, lay men and women requires that we walk through the new doors of
Christ with faith, new zeal, hope, mercy and love, emphasized in today’s
Bible Lessons.
In the older dispensation the chosen
people had different ways of relating with God expressed not only in the 10
commandments but also in in their holiness code. But in Christ, the New
Moses, this has been summarized in the new commandments of love and service
exemplified throughout his mission of healing signs, forgiveness, provision of
food for thousands of hungry people, reaching to people of all walks of life
(the Samaritan woman), prisoners, sinners, raising the death like Lazarus, and
in washing the feet of his disciples (John 13).
Even to the sufferings, the dying and
the oppressed of today’s 2nd reading (Rev 21:1-5a), he assures them
the same love. He assures then new heavens and hopes. Christ will “wipe every
tear from their eyes and there shall be no more death, or mourning, wailing of
pain, for the old order has passed away.”
Paul and Barnabas realized this- that
Christ is the new order and door of faith, hope, love, and mercy,
throughout their missionary journeys. No wonder in in today’s 1st
reading (Acts 14:21-27) Barnabas and Paul allow God to use them to open new
doors of faith to the Gentiles.
It is true that we live in a
challenging time of materialism, terrorism, acts of revenge and war mongering.
Yet the readings of today impress on us to seek new ways of reconciliation,
cherishing forgiveness, mercy, hope, service, and love of ones’ neighbors,
especially the poor and voiceless, through the examples of Christ.
Like Paul and Barnabas we are also called or challenged today to seek new ways
of inviting our brothers and sisters to embrace or persevere in their received
faith in Christ. Together we are to walk through that door of
renewed faith, new commandment love, hope and mercy, especially
in this Year of Mercy.
Reflection Questions
1.
What are the doors
of faith in our Christian journeys?
2.
Do we love as
Christ has first loved us?
3.
What prevents us
from reaching out pastorally to the poor and those on the margins?
