Homily Thirty-Third Sunday of Year C: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily Thirty-Third Sunday of Year C: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

·         Mal 3:19-20a;

·          Ps 98: 5-9;

·         2 Thess 3:7-12

·         Luke 21:5-19

God Comes to Rule the Earth with Justice (Ps 98:9)

 

The readings of today, including that responsorial Psalm (God comes to rule the earth with justice), offer us a sense of hope and perseverance in our life journeys as Christians and believers. Also prayer, orderliness, simple life style, faith, trusts in God, perseverance in justice and righteousness are true sources and signs of security, for a prosperous future and joy even in the face of persecution and seeming hopelessness. Sometimes each of us do experience moment of emptiness! Scripture offers us hope and lessons!

 

In today’s first reading, the returnees from exile, the golah, the Israelite community optimistically sought for these sources of security in the New Jerusalem they had return to rebuild. But what they saw was still a deeply divided community and corrupt officials. They encountered resistance from “the people of the land” those who had not experienced exile and foreigners who had infiltrated the vacuum created by the exiled! The returnees saw a community plagued with rift, social injustice and disorderliness. Power politics, despair and hopeless had also taken root. Many of the post-exilic prophets Haggai, Zechariah, Trito-Isaiah (56–66) and today’s Malachi were called to address hope to the hopeless of the New Jerusalem and heal their wounds injustices, laziness, corruption and idolatries that are still there in our societies today!

 

Some of these prophets were even critical of the Temple and the priests since there was absence of proper worship that takes cognizance of people’s daily living conditions.  There were also lingering problems that Ezra- Nehemiah had face. The problem of who should be included in the New Jerusalem: foreigners, everyone or a selected few or what the new community should look like? Tithes and offerings were abused while justice and righteousness were nowhere to be fully found in this newly reconstructed Jerusalem Temple areas.  Malachi in particular preaches hope and perseverance to the disillusioned members of this divided community, especially to those who trust in the Lord. For such people, “…there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays” (Mal 3:20).

 

These rays, after many years, would come to a fulfilment in the person of Christ of today’s Gospel,  who dies on the Cross in Jerusalem (Luke 21:5-19). Christ's message in today’s Gospel remains vital because he knew, that with his death on the cross, his disciples and many of us would face persecutions, hardships, trials, divisions, confusions, uncertainties, temptations and contradictions, as it was in the community of Prophet Malachi. But just as Malachi, God's messenger assured Israel of the help of the sun of justice, the Lukan Jesus assures his followers of  the God’s assistance,  and the grace to persevere in moments of trials and persecutions, and the hope  of the resurrection!

 

Each of us in our ways at different times , cultures and nations, may have had our own moments of trials, fears, temptation, despair, frustration, tragedy, loss of our loved ones, hurricane tsunami, sandy, typhoon, violent cause by war,  terrorism and inordinate use of guns and divisiveness in politics. Many have also experienced poverty, hunger, illnesses, racism, ignorance, lack of proper education and functional or stable government, discrimination, joblessness and hopelessness.

 

In such moments what do we do?  Where and to whom do we go? Yes, to Christ the New Temple! Trusting in God enables each of us handle hardships, disappointments and difficulties with a discerning spirit of perseverance, knowing that, Christ, the sun of righteousness is constantly watching and shinning over us.

 

 

Homily Thirty-Second Sunday of Year C: Fr. Michael Udoekpo

Homily Thirty-Second of Year C: Fr. Michael Udoekpo

·           2 Mac 7:1-2,9-14;

·          Ps 17:1.5-6,8,15;

·         2 Thess 2:16–3:5

·         Luke 27:27-38

  The King of Life and the Lord of the Resurrection

 Today we celebrate the King of Life and the Lord of the Resurrection. What a, powerful message of hope. There is life after death. There is a great joy that awaits believers who may have to suffer temporally. Jesus gives us this example.  Even though Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem to die for us (Luke 9:51–19), his tomb was never going to be his final destination. This call to hope and faith of a believer, in the Lord of the resurrection is at the core of today’s scripture readings.
 

 In the first reading when the faith of the Jewish people, God’s children was under threat, in the 2^nd Maccabees era, around 180 BC it was important that they be reminded that their God who had once spoke to Moses face to face, the God of their father, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exod 3:14-15) was not only alive, but was still with them. Even when they were being persecuted, tortured and killed because of their faithfulness and obedience to the Law (Torah) all hope was not lost.

A good example is in the moving story of a mother, a family woman and her seven sons  of the Second Maccabees.  They not only remained defiance to an earthly and faithless king, but gave up their lives for the sake of their beliefs, convictions, and faith in God and hope in the Lord and the King of the resurrection.  Can this faith speak to us when we are confronted with modern challenges?

 

 Of course, this faith spoke to Saint Paul during his trials and missionary journeys. From his personal  faith and encounter and trials, Paul preached faith and hope to his persecuted, worried and despaired Thessalonians church community.  To the troubled Thessalonians, Paul wrote, “may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word… the Lord is faithful he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one” (2 Thess 2:16–3:5).
 

  God is the source of our strengths . Evil ones, evil things, teachings, and temptations, frustrations, disappointments, threats and uncertainties can come  our ways, as followers of Christ. What is important is our awareness of this  and be able to learn and imitate the Maccabean family and Saint Paul, and apostle of Christ Jesus.
 

 Christ himself was confronted multiple times in the course of his ministry, the ultimate one been his journey to the cross. In the Gospel reading of today Jesus is confronted with a funny question he Sadducees (Luke 20:27-38). First of all, they did not believe in the resurrection yet had the audacity to dishonestly ask Jesus if Mosaic levirate marriage will be practiced in heaven, in the resurrection! But the point of Jesus’ brilliantly and divinely amazing soothing response to the Sadducees' mischievousness is what we celebrate today- Our God is a living God. He is not a God of the dead! He is the King of life and the Lord of the Resurrection.
 

 In moments of crises, persecutions, modern mischievousness, hatreds, wars and terrorism, illnesses and economic hardships we do not wish to abandon our faith. And may the faith and hope exemplified in today’s scriptures speak to us, friends, colleagues, family members  and our society. We mean that faith, that hope in Christ, who is our life, the King of life, and the Lord of the resurrection whom we are all invited to embrace.

 

Homily Thirty-First Sunday of Year C: Fr. Michael Udoekpo

Homily Thirty-First Sunday of Year C: Fr. Michael Udoekpo

·         Wis 11:22–12:2

·         Ps 145:1-2,8-9,10-11,13-14

·         2 Thes 1:11–2:2

·         Luke 19:1-10

Everyone who believes in Him shall be saved

The Alleluia verse of today, “God so loved the world that he gave his only, Son, so that everyone who believes in him might be saved” (John 3:16) captures the central theme of today’s Bible lesson: namely, that our God is merciful God , a loving and forgiving God to everyone. Everyone here, reference the Jews in diaspora  of today’s the 1^st reading, book of Wisdom,  as well as the Gentiles of the Thessalonians Community of Saint Paul, in the 2^nd reading, or the likes of Zacchaeus, in today’s Gospel of Luke, and beyond. In other words, God cares, God loves, and God looks after each and every one of us, no matter what, and beyond all boundaries and cultures. 

In history, this has been the nature of God (Exod 34:6-7); a merciful God, a theme that Pope Francis runs home with throughout his papacy. God is the ereke payim. He is steadfast in love, gracious and full of mercy and kindness. This theme is also rendered into music by the Psalmist today(Psalm 145).  This  merciful God frees Israel from the hands of Pharaohs. He forgives them when they fashioned golden calf for themselves as their gods. When they were in diaspora, in various exiles, he brought them back. When they were discouraged,  and were tempted to worship other gods, belonging to other cultures, like the Greek culture during the time Hellenism, noted in today’s 1^st reading, the Book of Wisdom, God pitied, warned, encouraged, rebuked, judged, forgave and still loved Israel. He overlooked their sins, so that they may repent and return to him. He empowered, and exhorted them through his messengers, the prophets and Apostles of the Gentiles, as is the case in today’s 2^nd reading- St Paul encouraging the discouraged Church in Thessalonica.

Whenever you are discouraged for one reason or the other, nasty and uncertain politics, poor economics or personal mistakes, know that, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. God is watching over you. Think of Peter who once denied Christ. Things were turned around. What about the doubting Thomas? He acknowledged his unbelief and became a believer. What about the supposedly episode of the woman caught in adultery? What about the man born blind? This is who God is ,as manifested in Christ, of today’s Gospel of Luke 19:1-10, the savior of the(soter tou cosmou), the Son of Man who came to seek and save what was lost and to heal the unhealthy!

What a faith story! In today’s Gospel as he was passing through Jericho conquered for Joshua and his generation  by God himself in  Joshua 6, Jesus, 'the Joshua" of the NT, asks Zacchaeus ,a rich tax collector, thought by some to be a sinner to come down from the tree. Christ forgives the repentant and restituted Zacchaeus, dines with him and blesses him. If the restituted Zacchaeus could be saved to the grumbling of those who thought they were holier, than Zacchaeus, any of us could be saved, provided we acknowledge our sins, as well as our Lord  Jesus as our God and savior.

 At this Mass may we return to God in humble prayer; ask for forgiveness and blessings upon us, nations and upon our families, the church, especially in this Year of Mercy. And may we also strive to make use of the different ways the Church has provided us for repentance, especially the sacrament of penance and anointing of the sick. And as the Lord  continues to be compassionate and merciful to us, may we, wherever we are readily share the Lord’s compassion, love and mercy with our neighbors, “for God so love the world that he sent his only beloved Son, that whoever believes in him, might be saved!.

Homily 30th Sunday of Year C: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily 30^th Sunday of Year C: Fr.    Michael U. Udoekpo

·         Sir 35:12-14,16-18;

·         Ps 34:2-3,17-19,23;

·         2 Tim 4:6-8,16-18

·          Luke 18:9-14

Trusting Humility and Willing Service to God and Neighbors

In today’s Gospel of Luke chapter 18, our Lord continues his journey to Jerusalem in order to die for us. On this journey, began in Luke 9:51, he teaches, heals and forgives sins.  Today in particular, he uses the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector to teach us trusting humility, self-surrendering like St. Paul, in the 2^nd reading, and willing services to our neighbors, particularly to the poor and to the lowly.

 

From this Gospel (Luke 18:9-14), and historically speaking, we know the Pharisees were those that Jesus had to face throughout his ministry. The Pharisees were those who kept the law, or at least thought they kept the law, while the tax collectors however were engaged in a profession that some thought extortion and dishonesty might slip in. The differences between the two as the went up to pray in the temple area is that the former(the Pharisees) thought he had everything and claim to be righteous; while the tax collector(the  later) had a sense of unworthiness, humility and needs for God’s grace.

 

In this gospel parable the behavior of the Pharisees represents pride, arrogance and self-justification, especially when he says, “I thank you God I am not like the rest of humanity- greedy, dishonest, adulterous, and even like this tax collector… I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes…. The Pharisee thought that God is a company manager one could bribe or go to work for, a prevalent in our society today- the corruption and the “pay-to-play.”   But how many times do we not ourselves think that we have it all, or tends to behave like this Pharisee?

 

Truly, as believers, what the Lord expects of us in our relationship with him is nothing else than the spirit of prayer, humility, and total surrendering to God in good times and in bad times. This attitude of humble prayer and total surrender to God is what Psalm 34, and Ben Sira of the 2^nd century BC, emphasize in that 1^st reading.  To the poor, the oppressed, the humble, those who surrender themselves to him, the orphans, widows, and the marginalized in the exile, the Lord hears their cry (Ps 34).

 Another good example on one who was once a sinner, but later decides to surrender himself to God is Saint Paul of today’s 2^nd reading. He was once a persecutor of the faith, but later reverses his life style and won the crown of Glory, by serving the poor, pouring his life like a libation, for the sake of the gospel!  In fact, being a new creation in Christ or getting to wear that crown of glory and righteousness, Paul says, demands that every Christian, all of us, reverses our natural tendencies (2 Tim 4:6-6, 16-18); to dominate, keep for oneself, control next door neighbor, follow the money, follow the politics, embrace false sense of security, neglect the truth, discriminate against our neighbors, especially those who do not look or speak like us, claim self-righteousness, like the Pharisees of today’s gospel parable, or pretend to be self-sufficient to the neglect of the poor!

 

No, the Lord invites us today to rethink and rearrange our priorities. We can do this in many ways, especially by imitating the humility and total self- surrendering of the tax collector of today’s gospel,  and that of St. Paul and others, who poured their lives as a libation, by prayerfully trusting in God's saving grace in their relationship with God and with their neighbors.

 

 

Homily 29th Sunday Year C:Fr. Michael Udoekpo

Homily 29^th Sunday Year C: Fr. Michael Udoekpo

·         Exod 17:18-13;

·          Ps 121:1-8;

·         2 Tim 3:14–4:2

·         Luke 18:1-8

The Staff of God is with Us

God is with us in our life’s journeys, in many ways. In the prayer we consistently pray; in the staff (matah) our leaders consistently raised, as they lead us. God is with us in the bread and wine we share. God is with us in the Word of God, the scripture we read, hear, preach, meditate upon, and share (2 Tim 3:14–4:2), day in day out.

 

In the first reading of today (Exod 17:8-13) as the Israelite were physically battling their way to the promise land, God was spiritually fighting for them, against the  Amelekites in   Raphidim.  An interesting saving story! While Joshua physically led the charge, Moses stood on the top of the mountain with the symbolic staff of God, in a raising posture, supported by Aaron and Hur. By the way, a Staff in this context as we say in the crossing of the read sea (Exod 15), is a symbol of God’s saving power, God’s presence, his love, his sovereignty, and saving power. What a divine drama here. In this battle, as long as Moses raises the staff, and of course with the support of others, Aaron and Hur, the Israelite prevails in the battle. Each time Moses lowers his hands perhaps because of human fatigue, the Amelekites prevails.  One of the lessons here is that we can only prevails in whatever we do when we call upon the name of the Lord; when we not only trust in God and pray to him, but when we do it selflessly, supporting one another.

 

  We learn this also from Jesus. In Jesus’s days, as he set out on his missionary journeys to Jerusalem, he taught his disciples many things (Luke 9:51), especially charity, modesty, forgiveness, inclusiveness, and prayer (Luke 11) which must be done persistently as highlighted in today’s gospel parable of a poor widow who persistently ask the unjust judge for justice (Luke 18:1-8).

 But how do we pray? What tools do we use in prayer? For Paul’s 2 Letter to Timothy, scripture, the Bible, the Word of God, the passages of the Bible, the Psalms, like today’s Psalm, “Our Help is in the name of the Lord” (Ps 121), the teachings of the Torah, the messages of the Prophets, the gospels, the Pauline Writings, the Letters, the Epistles, are useful instruments for Christian prayer. This is why  Paul says, to Timothy, “all scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (cf. 1 Pet 1:25; 2 Pet 1:19-21; Isa 40:8 and Verbum Domini, n.1).

  Granted that we do have our own religious, and socio-political challenges and battle to win: the poverty, the corruption in nation’s capitals, the illnesses, the threats of war and terrorism; Prayer, rooted in knowledge of the scriptures, is the key. Prayer for one’s self and one’s neighbors. Trusting in God’s presence through the staff of our leaders is another key. And this trust as, Paul charges, must be consistent- inspiring us to imitate not only Moses, but the poor widow of the gospel. If the unjust judge in the gospel could listen to the persistent widow, and blessed Israel through Moses’ persistent staffing, our God who is just and righteous, certainly, would listen to each and every one us, whenever we persistently lead with the fear of the Lord, and truly call upon him in prayers! The Staff of God is with Us!

 

 

Homily for 28th Sunday Year C: Fr. Michael Udoekpo

Homily for 28^th Sunday Year C: Fr. Michael Udoekpo

·         2 Kings 5:14-17
·         Ps 98:1-4
·         2 Tim 2:8-13
·         Luke 17:11-19

The Saving Power of God is Universal

Today’s readings reveal to us that the saving power God is universal. It reaches to everyone: men, women and children of all nations, cultures, and walks of life; lepers and non-lepers, prisoners and non-prisoners, the rich and to the poor. God’s mercy has no limitation. It has no boundary. It cannot be put in chain, says St. Paul. We must therefore, be thankful to God.

In the 1^st reading of today (2 Kgs 5:14-17) Naaman, a military commander of a foreign origin, from Damascus is healed of his leprosy, through the intercession of Prophet Elisha. In this story, after his healing, you notice Naaman returned, stood before Elisha and thanking God and acknowledged the God of Israel as the ruler of all, and  the sovereign of all creations and nations. Naaman, says, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.”

What sustains Paul in his missionary journeys, as indicated in the 2nd reading, his 2 Letter to Timothy, perhaps from prison, was his courage, faith, firmness, and steadfastness in the Gospel Christ. It is this call to faithfulness, and steadfastness the Paul recommends to Timothy, and of course, to us, in spite of  the sufferings and all kinds adverse difficulties we may encounter. In the case of Paul, even though he was in prison, in chain, Paul  made sure that, the word of God  was not in chain

Remember, 'prisonness" or “illnesses” are not limited to bodily diseases like leprosy or confinement in a particular location. Fear, terrorism, and all forms social and political leprosies and imprisonment do exist in societies and roam our streets today. Some of them  can come in form of natural disasters; earthquakes and hurricanes. Or lack of educational facilities for our children. We must not allow these modern ills to imprison the Word of God. Or blind us of the wonders of the Lord. But, like Paul, a for prosecutor of Christians,  and Naaman the foreign leper, we must be on our toes, dispose ourselves for God’s grace and be grateful for what God does for us, daily.

In today’s Gospel of Luke 17 several lepers, in fact, ten of them, were also healed. They disposed themselves for God’s healing mercy and saving power. Among them was a Samaritan leper, another foreigner, like the Naaman of the first reading. Interestingly, the cleansed Samaritan is the only one among the ten who returned with gratitude to God.

What a good example to those of us that God has blessed everyday: the gift of life; the gift of our families, vocations, children, grandchildren, jobs, educations, affordable health care, security. In fact, whatever the circumstances we find ourselves perseverance, taught us, by Paul is important. We must remain grateful to God, and of course, reach out to others; and share the goodness of the Lord with our neighbors. For God’s saving power and mercy, especially, in this Year of Mercy, is Universal. It is sufficient unto the Jews and to the Gentiles, to the “Naamans” and to the “Samaritans,” of all nations and cultures.

 

Homily [2] 27th Sunday of Year C: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily [2] 27^th Sunday of Year C: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

·         Hab 1:2-3;2:2-4;

·         Ps 95:1-2,6-9;

·         2 Tim 1:6-8,13-14

·          Luke 17:5-10

The Righteous shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4)

The importance of faith, a supernatural gift from God, which enables us to believe him and in the teachings of the Church, is central in today’s readings. How do we remain faithful, trusting(emunah) in  God’s plans, and  believing in him, in the midst of hardship, threats, terrorism, war, joblessness, lack of shelter, lack of food, frustration, poverty, illnesses, temptations social injustices, prevalent in our world today.  For Habakkuk, the righteous, people, like Abraham and his descendants, Noah, Joseph etc, no matter what, shall live by faith. We are all Abraham's descendants, invited to share in this righteousness ,despite our personal stories. Yes, we do have our stories when we feel God is not listening to us,  when we feel God is not acting fast to assist us in our troubles, in our needs, in our lacks, in our oppressions, and in our deprivations!

 Habakkuk of today’s 1^st reading must have felt this way. In the midst of sufferings, deprivations, threats of wars, the Babylonian armies, hunger, deprivation of his people Habakkuk says to God, “O Lord I cry for help, but you are not listening. Actually, God was listening. It will only take faith, patience, and humility, righteousness to realize that God listens to us in a divine, and in mysterious ways! As was the case with Joseph and Mary, during her mysterious pregnancy, God spoke to Habakkuk in a vision, in a dream.  In Habakkuk chapter 2 God proves that he was listening to  Habakkuk's  cry, prayer, lamentation, and to the plight of his people. The Babylonians will not reign forever. They will eventually be defeated!

In the 2^nd reading, Paul also realize that it was nothing else, but the gift of faith from Christ Jesus that enabled him to move without shame from being a persecutor to becoming a believer. It was the same faith, steadfastness  for his love of the Gospel that sustained his confidence, trust, endurance, courage, strength and self-control to proudly bear his sufferings and hardships, including imprisonment throughout  the duration of his missionary journeys!  How many times was Paul not beaten, mocked, tried and imprisoned ? With faith, we can bear our temporary sufferings, and carry our crosses, daily, to follow Christ!

And this is what Christ expects of his disciples in today’s Gospels. When the Apostles asks the Lord to increase their faith. Jesus says, yes, surely, if you have faith, even as little as the size of the mustard seed, everything is possible. With faith, you could say to that deep rooted mulberry tree be uprooted and be planted in the sea, and it will obey you.

It is all about faith, trusting in God in the face of dangers, in the face of terrorism today, in the face uncertainties, poverty, inequalities in our society; in the face of illnesses, and in the face of the loss of our loved ones. Sometimes, it is easily said, that done. Let us like Christ’s disciples, ask the Lord at this Mass, to “increase our faith,” and bless us with the steadfastness (emunah) of Habakkuk.