Saturday, June 13, 2020

Eucharistic Nourishment, Peace, Love, and Unity (A), Homily - Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Year A 2020


Homily for Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Year A-2020
Eucharistic Nourishment, Peace, Love, and Unity (A)
Fr. Udoekpo, Michael

v  Deut 8:2-3,14b-16a, 
v  Ps 147:12-15, 19-20
v  1 Cor 10:16-17
v  John 6:51-58

After Pentecost, the church is blessed with three successive solemnities: the Holy Trinity, the Corpus Christi, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Today we celebrate the second one: the most holy Body and Blood of Christ. This celebration dates back to the time of Pope Urban IV in 1264. Every Mass is a remembrance of God’s goodness and love upon us. It is a sacrifice in the sense that Jesus died for us on the cross to bring us salvation. In every Mass we are not only praising or thanking God, but we share in Jesus’ mission of salvation. We give, we sacrifice, we unite, we receive, we pray (especially for an end to corona virus etc…) we become healed, and we experience spiritual nourishment.

But the uniqueness of today’s feast also lies in the processional nature of the celebration. In some locations, depending on the particular pastoral setting, Jesus, who is present in the Holy Eucharist, is being carried in a joyful procession through the town or village after Mass. We are reminded today that Christ travels with us on our faith journeys. Christ loves all of us. Christ is there for us. He will always be present with us: the rich and the poor, men, women, and children, and for ordinary people in towns and villages.

We see this in today’s first reading, when Moses reminded those traveling to the promised land of the goodness and blessings of the Lord. He set them free from Pharaoh’s tyranny. He provided, water, food, and manna for them in the desert when they were starving and thirsty (Deut 8:2-3, 14b-16a). The only thing God expected of them, and continue to expect of us (especially in this time of pandemic), is for us to keep his commandments, trust in him, and love our neighbors as God first loved us.

In other words, this Mass teaches us not to be selfish, but to be united in the generosity of Christ like love. I grew up in a family of more than six children, with many nieces and nephews. Meal times were always very important. We ate together (of course, there was no corona virus pandemic then), shared jokes, and felt the love and support of our family members.

Under normal circumstances, I am very glad this is still going on today in most of our homes (regardless of the pandemic or when the pandemic permits). When family and friends get together, business and ministry groups meet, or when celebrations are held, it usually involves food, snacks, coffee, and drinks. When he established Mass, Jesus himself knew the importance of communal meals, which encourage love, peace, and unity.

Paul says today to a divided church, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor 10:16-17).

With the blessings of a priest, the bread and wine becomes the body and blood of Christ. We too are changed at every Mass. And in receiving the precious body and blood of Christ, we are transforming into the likeness of Jesus Christ, who said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever” (John 6:51).

We pray that our daily experiences of Christ’s loving presence in the church and in the Holy Eucharist may constantly bring us and our neighbor’s blessings of hope, love, peace, and unity, as we continue to pray for an end to this pandemic.

Reflection Questions:
1. What have you learned from today’s readings and liturgy?
2. In spite of the challenges of this pandemic, do you continue to see yourself as the body of Christ, the church family?
3. How often do you make an effort to promote peace, love, and unity or speak out against racism, violence, or any form of injustices in your community?
4. In what ways do you show your awareness that God does accompany you on your journey?



Friday, June 5, 2020

A God Who Reaches Out to Us, of all Races in Love, Homily for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Year A(2020)


The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity- Homily
A God Who Reaches Out to Us ,Of all Races in Love (A)
Fr. Udoekpo, Michael Ufok

v  Exod 34:4b-6, 8-9
v  Dan 3:52-55
v  2 Cor 13:11-13
v  John 3:16-18

After Pentecost, three solemnities are celebrated in quick succession: the Holy Trinity, the Body of Christ, and the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, three Persons in one God—which we celebrate today—is the central mystery of our Christian faith. This happens also to be the day or week some are celebrating Father’s Day, in different parts of the world.

However, explaining this mystery can be very challenging to preachers—and indeed to all of us as Christians. Sometimes this difficulty can lead preachers to digress into endless stories or to simply go back to the notes they took in their theology class on the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. But keeping to the boundaries of today’s Scripture readings, what we celebrate today is the mystery of love, hope, unity, peace, the power of forgiveness, and revelation of God’s love and mercy(even as we wrestle with ongoing threats of covid-19 and search for justice, peace and oneness of every human race in the world, irrespective of color and gender).

In the first reading, the triune God, with Moses’ intercession, reaches out in love to the sinful Israelites, who had committed idolatry. In his nature, God is slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity (Exod 34:4b-6, 8-9; Jonah, Ps 85). The goal of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is always to love and to unite us instead of scattering us. It is this communion and oneness that Christ has always taught us in his deep relationship with the Father.

In John 1:1 we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And in John 1:14 we are told that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. This is a God who, out of pure love, comes down in the person of Christ to dwell with us. In the completion of his ministry, which Christ carried out in total communion with the Father, he sent us the Holy Spirit that was with him in the beginning of his ministry: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” (Luke 4:18). This is a Spirit of peace and love.

The peace of this Spirit is the same peace of the triune God that Paul refers to in today’s second reading. He says, “Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace” (2 Cor 13:11). This is what we are celebrating today: how more than one person can live in peace. We are celebrating the triune God, who reaches out to us in peace and oneness and mercy.

Scripture contains no suggestions that God the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit went to court, quarreled, or disliked or discriminate against each other. Rather, as often quoted by most of us,  “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. . . in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17).

There are many blessings of love that God has blessed us (and our fathers) with: our lives, family, and roofs over our head, etc. There are also many challenges facing us (them): challenges in the management of anger, peace, love, and family unity. Today’s celebration challenges us to unite, to welcome everyone, black, brown, white, in fact, irrespective of color and gender. We are called, especially in this most challenging times of coronavirus and unrest of different kinds in different parts of the world, to love as God has first loved us. As a world that is socially, spiritually, economically, morally, culturally and politically broken let us pray at this Mass that as three persons are united in one God, we may always as a church and family strive for oneness and unity, with the grace of Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Reflection Questions
1. What lessons have you drawn from today’s readings?
2. How often do you promote unity, justice and peace in your community?
3. What are the obstacles to justice, peace, dialogue and faith in your life?