HOMILY FOR THE 31ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR (B).

WHEN IS LOVE REALLY LOVE?


Rev. Fr. Boniface Nkem Anusiem PhD.

Have you experienced love before? What does it seem to love or to be loved? Is there fake and real love? What is love? Where is love? How is love? Is love what we feel; that is affection? Remember that feelings fade but love never dies (1 Cor.13:8). Is love equivalent to likeness? Remember likes often turn to dislikes! What actually is love and when is love real? Let us reflect on these and more issues connected with love.

On the 14th of April 1912, the greatest maritime tragedy in sailing history occurred with the R.M.S Titanic. The sea vessel was the largest at the time with state of the art accompaniments which included aboard gymnasium, swimming pool, restaurants and park. The passengers in the epoch-making voyage were the exclusively rich at the time who wanted to be reckoned with the first voyage of one of the best from White Star Line. There were also few poor and lucky folks who were emigrants to North America who got free tickets. In all, there were more than 2,224 passengers on board.

With sixteen watertight compartments in a 1/6 mile long hull, the captain Edward John Smith made a pre-voyage boast that “not even God could sink the Ship”.(Of course God does not sink ships he rather saves them). The Titanic left Southampton to New York for her first sail on the historic 10th of April 1912.

While screen playing the story as a movie, James Cameron created two characters that made the movie “Titanic” to get universal acclaim. Hence as the Ship began her journey, fate brought about the meeting of two young people who later became love birds. Rose was of the super-rich class and was by family arrangement to marry a man from another rich family while Jack was one of the poor lucky emigrants heading to North America to search for better living. As the interaction between Rose and Jack grew, they came to connect and eventually fell in love.

An hour before midnight on the 14th of April 1912, amidst a starry moonless night, the Titanic collided with an iceberg which the crew noticed late in the midst of late night merriment. The formidable Ship broke into severally pieces while letting in the freezing North Atlantic Ocean water to engulf the Vessel. Unfortunately, rescue came a bit late and there were few lifeboats. Those in the first class were evacuated first which would have made it possible for Kate to have the option to escape death leaving Jack behind but she could not. She preferred to go through it all with Jack.

They struggled together to survive the raging freezing ocean water. At last there was just a platform left for them to hold unto. Rose clung unto it on top while Jack had his entire body inside the grisly cold water. He kept on encouraging Rose to hold and never to give up. Before a rescue could come, Jack was entirely frozen and died. Rose was eventually rescued!
While recounting what happened that eventful night after many years as an old woman, Rose said that she could only remember that a young man, out of love that she could not describe, gave up his life so that she could live. If we are asked to describe in one word what Jack did for Rose, the most fitting word would be sacrifice! The word sacrifice itself has a lot to do with love. To love one must let go something that is precious and that entails making a sacrifice. So to define love we must keep our eyes on sacrifice.

In the First Reading today (Deut.6:2-4), we are presented with the instructions given by God to the Israelites. Among other things God said: “Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your might”.
If we examine the above instruction very closely, we will discover some pertinent points. First and foremost it was a command. Some translations would say: “You MUST love the Lord your God…” To show the seriousness of the instruction it began by summoning them to HEAR; to pay attention; to LISTEN. Furthermore, this love of God is to be done with the fullness of three important personal effects:

1) With all your heart: The heart is mentioned up to a thousand times in the whole of the bible. In Hebrew it is known as lebab and in Greek it is known as kardia. The heart is the seat of physical, emotional, and moral activities. In fact people are known to be good or bad from the point of view of their hearts. In the gospel of Matthew (15:18-20) our Lord Jesus Christ mentioned that it is not what goes into someone that defiles the person but what goes from inside; that is from the heart. It is from there that all evil proceeds. Loving God with all our hearts means that we allow our hearts to be God-full, leaving no space for any other thing. It means giving God our hearts

2) With all your soul. The soul is the most important aspect of the human person that survives after the death of the body. It is often used interchangeably with life. In Genesis (2:7) we are told that God breathed on man after making him from the dust of the earth and he became a living soul. Our soul represents everything about us. Without the soul we are no more. To love God with all our soul means submitting our entire being to God.


3) With all our might: Might has a lot to do with strength; not just physical strength but also spiritual strength. In the book of Judges (6:12) Gideon was greeted as “mighty man of valour”. In Ephesians (6:10) Paul advised saying: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might”. Loving God with all our might means channelling all our physical and spiritual strength to God.

From what we have above, we can clearly see that loving God with all our heart, soul and might means sacrificing everything about us to God. A practical example of giving all these to God was the action of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Dan.3:1ff). For the sake of their love for God, they were ready to lose everything including their lives however, God gave them back what they offered and even more.
In the Gospel Reading today (Mark 12:28-34) we discover that the instruction about love continued. One of the Scribes came to our Lord Jesus Christ and wanted to know which of the commandments could be the first. That is the most important of all. The man could be representing the men and women of his time (and of our time too) who were (are) confused as to what could be the most important of the commandments.

The Scribe who came to Jesus Christ wanted him to give preference to one of the commandments over and above others. May be as a Scribe he had been confronted with the same question or he wanted to size the opinion of our Lord to know the extent he knew the law. In whichever way, the response our Lord gave was indeed very remarkable. He quoted for him the passage we examined in the First Reading (Deut.6:2-4) about loving God and concluded with a passage in Leviticus (19:18) which says: “Love your neighbours as yourself”. In essence our Lord is of the view that the greatest commandment is the commandment of LOVE.
From what we have above, our Lord Jesus Christ gave us the two dimensional expression of love: to God and to our fellow human beings. In any case, it will be pertinent to examine how we can achieve these. The love of God is not achieved by saying it: “I love God”. It begins first from knowledge of God. The book of Hosea (4:6) says that “My people perish for lack of knowledge!” It is very clear and indisputable that you cannot love what you do not know! That could be fantasy, lust or infatuation. From knowledge and communication, you connect. That is the due process to love. Love seeks to express itself in selfless giving; an example is what our Lord Jesus Christ did for us. A selfish person cannot love effectively because his/her self-interest will always block the way to reaching out to others.

Love strictly seen is the seed of every good thing. Love is the reason why Jesus Christ came into the world (Jn 3:16), love is the reason why he preached and worked miracles (Matt. 9:36; Mark 6:34). Love is the reason why he went to the cross to die (Rom 5:8). Love is the reason for our salvation. Love answers all questions! Love is the only thing that can decide our fate after leaving this world. Love is a seed which every right thinking Christian must always sow.
Part of the reason why love as a phenomenon seems to be hard to define is that it is another name for God and God is not easy to define or describe. 1 John 4:8 tells us that “whoever does not love does not know God for God is love”. No wonder then St. Paul (1 Cor. 13:7) said that love conquers all things; this means that everything is subject to love which is God.

To love is not optional as most of us think. It is a commandment which carries a lot of consequences. In John (13:34) our Lord Jesus Christ said: “I give you a new commandment Love one another as I have loved you”. It also identifies who we are: “If you love one another everyone will know that you are my disciple” (John 13:35). Love is not based on conditions or conveniences. For some people their love is seasonal: the season of abundance; when things are going fine. The litmus test for love are critical times like the one Rose and Jack experienced at the Titanic tragedy and the love Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had for God to the extent of marching into to the burning furnace.
Today our Lord Jesus Christ has given us the assignment to examine our love quotient. Do we love just by words of mouth, just by flowers, paintings, writings, messages and others materials gifts or do we practice and actualize love by our selflessness! Love is really love when it is selfless and sacrificial!

Happy Sunday and blessed week ahead!

Fr. Bonnie
(fatherbonny@hotmail.com).

IS HEAVEN REALLY REAL?”

HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS Rev. Fr. Boniface Nkem Anusiem PhD

Is there really heaven; the perfect place of eternal happiness? What is life like in heaven from dawn to dusk? How large is the place and how many (many) mansions are really there as our Lord mentioned in the Gospel of John (14:2-3)? Do people there do sports and play games? What do people there eat? People say that those in heaven keep singing and praising God will they not get tired and bored? These and similar imaginative questions have being asked by many and of course some imaginative answers have also being given because nobody on earth can claim to have comprehensive knowledge about heaven.

It will be fitting today to ask ourselves what we think about heaven, the place every well-meaning Christian should be aspiring to go after the short time we have on this earth. As a child, I had the idea of heaven as a place you don’t have to run errands for anyone or be flogged by any teacher; a place you can eat anything you want just by mentioning it. Excuse my little imaginative mind, I was looking for remedy from errands and punishments. For us today, we can rethink heaven by asking some pertinent questions like: “If I die now will I be qualified to be in heaven?” May be, we first have to establish that there are reasons to believe that heaven is real.

Our conviction about a place of eternal bliss after our sojourn here on earth is based on numerous biblical confirmations. During the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord Jesus Christ among other things said: “blessed are the poor in Spirit for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them” (Matt. 5:3); he also said: “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). Furthermore in the gospel of John (14:2) our Lord said: “In my father’s house there are many mansions if it were not so I would have to you. I am going to prepare a place for you!”
In his letter to the Corinthians (1Cor 2:9) St. Paul said: “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither has it entered into any mind what God has prepared for those who love him!” He also said that we have a better place after the destruction of this our earthly dwelling place. (2 Cor: 5:1). St. Paul did not stop at these, we went further in his letter to the Philippians (3:20-21) to state: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself”.

We have another confirmation from the vision of St. John in the book of Revelation (7:9ff). Here, we have the whole scenario or if you like, the eternal picturesque of heaven. In his account, John looked up and saw a huge number of people impossible to count standing before the throne of the lamb with palms in their hands. To confirm what he saw, John asked “who are these?” and he was told they are people who have been through great persecution and they have washed their robes in the blood of the lamb. It is worth noting that the robes washed in the blood became dazzlingly white not red. This is an indication that the people in question soaked themselves not just in physical blood, but in purifying blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sainthood is a facility that is open for all of us. This facility continues to be open for you and for me insofar as we are alive. For us to achieve sainthood, which is the end product of our pilgrimage on earth, we need to know:

1)       Where we came from: (We came from God our Creator).

2)       Who we are: (We are Children of God).

3)       Where we are going to: (We are citizens of heaven).

“How can we get to our destination?” This is a question that each and every Christian should be asking himself or herself daily. On this, God did not leave us clueless. From the beatitudes, we are presented with values that will aid us to attain eternity. The beatitudes we heard today from the Gospel of Matthew (5:1-12) are not merely “dos” and “don’ts”. They rather are expressive of core values that will make our journey back to God possible:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This means that blessed are people who depend on God always to get their way for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
This means that blessed are people who are sad for the loss of good values for they shall be comforted by God Himself.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
This means that blessed are those who are truly humble in heart for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
This means that blessed are those who are truly and deeply desirous of God and things of God for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

This means that blessed are the people who show mercy to others by bearing with them and forgiving them, for they shall have the same treatment from God.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

This means blessed are the people who do not
harbour evil in their hearts for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
This means that blessed are people who keep or create peace, for they shall be called sons (and daughters) of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This means that blessed are people who are hurt in any way because of their good deeds and morals, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
We have all it takes to make heaven and thus be numbered among the saints. We have the word of God which is read and explained to us on daily basis, we have the sacraments especially the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and reconciliation very much available to us. Just as heaven is real so is hell also real. We make heaven starting from the things we do here on earth and the same is applicable to hell. “What will it then profit us if after the challenges of live and the attendant undulations we still suffer the loss of our souls in hell?” (Mark 8:36) There is no better time for us to prepare for heaven than now.

Today we are celebrating the joy of our brothers and sisters who ran the race and won the prize of glory. Today, we are also celebrating the glory of heaven; the place we need to be. We are challenged to follow the path that will lead us to heaven.

Fr. Bonnie.
fatherbonny@hotmail.com

Christ Destroyed Our Death

DEATH is a separation. Once the spirit, which is life, departs from a human being, the person dies and the fleshly toga dismembers into morass of earthy dust. In man, the physical death is brought about by the separation of the human spirit from the flesh (soul and body). Death is the inglorious wages of sin.
The spiritual death is human separation from the Lord, his Creator. The spiritual death, called the second death, will manifest fully in the hell fire. Death was occasioned by the first human couple’s sin.
As a result of joint human fall in the first Adam, when he sinned in the Garden of Eden, death proliferated to all humans. ‘But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear’ (Is.59: 2; Gen.3: 5-7)
The devil had power over death through sin, so the Lord Jesus accepted death to destroy death and the devil. In His death on the tree of Calvary, Christ tasted death for all humans. ‘But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man’ (Heb.2: 9).
On the cross of Calvary, Christ, Who knew no sin, became the Second and the Last Adam. His death became a joint death for the entire human race. ‘And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost’ (Lk.23: 46). So by His overcoming death by His death and resurrection, all human beings in Him became free ALSO from death.
Since Christ came and died hanging on the cross, death is no more for everybody. The Great Saviour has delivered us from this body of death. ‘O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord…’ (Rom.7: 24, 25).
In Christ, the bondage of fear of death gave way to freedom. A liberty that will even make us to taunt death and scoff at it in the end… ‘O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?’ (1Cor.15: 55).
All saints despise death at baptism, and like Christ, will be changed and transported to be with the Lord, forever. That day, the Word of God by the Psalmist comes to fulfilment: ‘I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord’ (Ps. 118:17).
The punitive judgment of the saints’ sin and death laid upon the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of His death is everlasting. In the Lord Jesus, we passed over death to victory. For all that accept Christ Jesus, the physical death ceases to be punitive wages of death, but a sleep of rest awaiting the trumpet of God to usher one into glory.
Death commits mortals to dust, but the Almighty God has judged it. And death itself shall eternally ‘die the second death’. That day, death would hastily release ALL of Adam’s progeny in its custody, yet will he be hauled into fire.





•Pastor Julian Ejikeme Okechukwu of Christ Manifest Ministries writes from Lagos. +2348034046895; christmanifest@gmail.com

Virgin Mary Appeared In Mexico

‘Virgin Mary’ has reportedly appeared on the freshly-painted living room wall of a family in Coahuila, Mexico.

The image appeared on a freshly painted wall.
Devout Catholics have been flocking to the family’s home, amid claims that the image bears a resemblance to the Virgin of Guadalupe, an iconic picture housed in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Mexico City, Mexico.
The basilica holds the record of the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world, and the world’s third most-visited sacred landmark.

Mirror UK reports that the image appeared in the home of Luis Alberto Montelongo Reyes, in the Loma Linda area of Saltillo, a town in Coahuila city.

Many said they could feel the holy presence as they entered the house situated at the Loma Linda of Saltillo

Witnesses claim that the silhouette of a woman, said to be the Virgin of Guadalupe (Virgin Mary) appeared after the wall had been painted bright orange.

Residents within the impoverished district believe it is a “miracle” and a sign from God their poverty will be alleviated.

Many of those who visited could be seen lighting candles and stroking the image, asking for benediction and hoping for a blessing.
Lupita Trevino who visited the site said that as soon as she entered the house she felt a shiver through her body, adding that afterwards she turned up to pray for help with dealing with the pain of a bad back.

The image was said to bear a resemblance to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Lupita said: “When I saw her on the wall I felt very emotional. I wanted to shout but I contained myself.
“I have always been a believer of the Virgin and now that she is here in our neighbourhood, she gives us hope that things can get better.”

Mr Montelongo, the householder, said he had an open door policy which entails that anyone could come to see the image.
He stressed that for him, the rare occurrence was a blessing from God.
Meanwhile, Christians have been flocking to a village where a clergyman allegedly photographed an unusual phenomenon having a strong semblance to the silhouette of the mother of God flying above a forest
which was being devastated by fire.

LEARNING THE STEPS TO GREATNESS HOMILY FOR THE 29TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR (B)

Rev. Fr. Boniface Nkem Anusiem PhD

Once upon a time, a man promised his children who were in primary school that he would buy a bicycle for any of them that would take the first position in their respective classes. The children were excited and they worked had to get at the prize. By the end of the term, they brought their results home. The eldest child and also the only son, who happened to be in a different primary school from others came home with a result indicating a first position!
The result was amazing and at the same time very incredible. This was because the boy in question never came close to the 20 position in the class of 30 children. His father looked at the result closely to see if it bore his name and it was really his name and the position was “1 position”. The man was very glad but doubtful at the same time. He didn’t want to fail in his promise but at the same time he wanted to be sure that his son really came first in the class. He decided to take the boy to the shop to buy a bicycle for him but silently decided to stop at his son’s teacher’s house to ascertain the credibility of the result.
On reaching the teacher’s house, they met him while he was preparing to embark on a journey. The boy’s father was about to say something when the teacher started scolding the little boy for his poor performance of 21 out of 30. The man was shocked! He brought out the result he was holding and handed it over to the teacher. The teacher was shocked too and after a careful examination he discovered that the little boy “doctored” his result by carefully removing the “2” and leaving 1 . What he however failed to do was to change the teacher’s remark which his father did not notice because of his level of literacy and which read “very weak pass work hard to improve!”
The desire to be great seems to be a very central factor in human life. A careful reading of the world history will show that it has being all about the struggle for power, influence, position, supremacy and greatness. From the First World War to the uprising in various nations of the world, the story is the same; the struggle to be and remain in power. Have you ever wondered why some people, tribes and nations of the world attach “Great” to their names? The likes of Alexander the Great, Great Britain, Great Roman Empire, Great Wall of China, etc. The simple answer is that they intend to create standards; an effort to establish inequality, the desire to create superiority as opposed to inferiority. This seems to run throughout the whole gamut of human life, among plants some are more outstanding than others in size, beauty and utility; among animals there is a continuous quest for superiority, and among human beings the discussion continues. Even in the spiritual realm, there are also comparative and superlative attributes for instance God is the Greatest.
The desire to be great starts with us as little children when we engage ourselves in little competitions to know who gets the first position. It could be in race, recitations, dancing and a lot more. In fact, you can only reckon any of your playmates to be greater than you after series of competitions. We grow with this disposition as we mature. Sometimes we focus on competing with others and end up wasting our lives and losing our God-given destiny.
It may not be too surprising for us to discover that the two famous brothers, James and John came to Jesus Christ to make a request. They actually came to our Lord to lobby for positions at his right hand and his left hand in his GLORY . This means that they were sure of a glorious moment. There is a clear indication here that the apostles still didn’t fully understand the identity and mission of Jesus Christ. They were still assuming him to be a political messiah; a worldly king. We remember that this contention for first position and greatness began in Mark (9:33-37) when they were arguing among themselves as to who was the greatest. Jesus did settle the situation for them, but the re-occurrence of this ultimate search for foremost positions by James and John showed that the quest for greatness did not end after our Lord’s instructions.
The two brothers were ambitious and one could admire them for that. But in their quest they were focused on the glory and not the path that would lead to the glory. It was on account of this oversight that our Lord asked them if they will be able to drink the cup he would drink, namely suffering. Their ambition to get to the glorious realm was so strong that they did not express any fear of drinking the cup. They were sure that the cup will come and pass (and may not be as painful as that) but the glory will be established thereafter.
The request that James and John made was a very outstanding and specific one: to sit at the right hand and the left hand of our Lord Jesus Christ in his glory. From their request we can see that they intended to lead the parade. From their request they wanted to make the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ a family affair of the “Zebedees” From their request we deduce selfishness and exclusion. I wonder the position they intended for Mary the Mother of the Lord.
The two brothers were really very ambitious like most people in our contemporary human society where people get into positions based on who-knows-who syndrome. The two brothers wanted to act fast before the rest would out-do them. It may be wrong to assume that they were the only people among the apostles that desired to take important positions in the would-be kingdom of Jesus Christ. Rather they were bold enough to declare their intentions.
The answer our Lord Jesus Christ gave to the two brothers showed that there are ideal steps to greatness. In our technology driven human society, computers and other devices give us shortcuts as options in some operating systems. Consequently most of us have pushed that idea of shortcut to other spheres of life. Today people want to get rich without working for it. People want to rise to great heights without the drudgery of climbing a ladder, people want to get into the Promised Land without passing through the desert, and people want to wear the crown without carrying the cross. Mahatma Gandhi summarized these dispositions in his seven deadly sins of the modern world:
Wealth without Work.
Pleasure without Conscience.
Science without Humanity.
Knowledge without Character.
Politics without Principle.
Commerce without Morality.
Religion without Sacrifice.
It is good to be ambitious but only if our ambition is on eternal values (Matt.6:33; 11:12). Furthermore our ambition must go through some defined step. Human life itself is a product of some defined biological and physiological process. Before conception there is fertilization and before birth there is conception. Before walking, a child must learn how to stand. The same thing is applicable to greatness. One must necessarily pass through some corridors which may not really be all sweet and rosy.
From the Gospel Reading, James and John intended to place themselves where their egos suggested to them. It happens that often we tend to do the things that are reserved for God alone; we tend to take up God’s tasks. God is the person who can appoint us to places where He has divinely willed for us. When in Jeremiah (29: 11) we are told that “God has a plan for us” it means that He has designed a position for us where His plans for us will be realized. Often we can only reach the place God has appointed for us through series of disappointments that would lead us to the appointments.
The First Reading from Isaiah (53:10-11) tells us that it is the will of God that his servant be bruised; experience grief and suffering as the steps that will lead to the salvation of all. If you examine the bible very well, you will discover that God’s appointment to positions of greatness would always follow some steps that may not really appear palatable. Abraham’s rise to the status of father of a great nation took great route spanning up to twenty-five years (Gen.12:2). Joseph’s appointment to greatness came after series of disappointments that started with his brothers (Gen. 37:18).The Promised Land was realized after a long walk of forty years in the desert (Joshua 5:6). After being anointed king, David had to pass through a period of fighting with Goliath and out-doing Saul before he could sit on the throne (1 Sam. 17:45; 19:10). To redeem us our Lord Jesus had to follow the rigorous steps of passion and death.
Wherever you will be in life has been designed by God. If you are connected with him in faith and obedience you will rise to your position. It does not really matter how long it takes you or how tough the road is (the steps to greatness); the point is that you will get there. Many people are not successful in life because they gave themselves positions that God never intended for them. Some people are in the wrong places in life and if you are in the wrong place it will all be wrong for you. To get to the right place, follow God, it may not be an easy road but you will get to your rightful place after all.
I wish you a blessed Sunday and happy week ahead.

Fr. Bonnie
(fatherbonny@hotmail.com)

Scripture Reflection: Who is my Neighbor?

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.

“Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and,

‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

The Good Samaritan is a story we all probably know well. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus uses this story to teach us that it is our duty to look after the welfare of all those we encounter, regardless
of social status, ethnicity, or religion. We are called to care for the stranger. This is a message that we understand and strive to live out daily. But isn’t it interesting that this man, an expert in religious law, even asks Jesus this seemingly obvious question -

“Who is my neighbor?”

Our faith, and our community living experiences in particular, train us to look beyond borders and see all people as our neighbors. We understand that our well-being is hinged on their well-being. “Who is my neighbor” is probably not a question we often ask ourselves because we have learned to think globally. However, lately I’ve
noticed that I really can relate to the man who asks Jesus this question. I know the correct answer to the question, but I don’t actually know who my neighbors are.

A few weeks ago I was having a discussion about life in Washington, D.C. Around here, most conversations between new acquaintances start off with the question “Where are you from?”
After chatting about growing up in the Mid West, I made the statement that is often heard around this city – “No one is really from D.C.” Many of the young adults working for non-profits or politicians on Capitol Hill are new to the city, and only stick around for a few years. Now that I’ve lived here for more than six years, I often feel like a veteran.

A couple days later I found myself walking through my own neighborhood, trailing a few strides behind an elderly man that I didn’t recognize. The man warmly greeted by name the five or six people who walked past him during that two block stretch. Clearly, he was not new in town. More likely, he was right at home and it
was me who was the stranger. The earlier conversation popped back into my head, and I was immediately ashamed of my statement “no one is from D.C.” I live amongst people who have called this place their home for their entire lives – far longer than my six years here. How did I not
notice this before? Whenever I was asked about my neighborhood, I would talk about the socioeconomic status of the people I lived near. I would say that the majority of my neighbors seem to be working class African Americans, living right around the poverty line. I would give this generic answer, unable to articulate any
personal stories, because I knew none to share.
This experience made me aware that the community I had created for myself was limited and restricted. I had constructed a false
reality – one that was comprised of people just like me. It’s not that I had been a bad neighbor - I was considerate, I listened to music at a reasonable volume, I didn't litter, I smiled when I passed people on the street, but I hadn't entered into the lives of the people living right next to me. I didn’t know who my neighbors are, and therefore I didn’t know how I could best serve them. Like the priest and the Levite, I was walking past people every day without really seeing them. What was I doing to cause this disconnection? Well, I partly blame my iPhone. Since I don’t have a car, I get everywhere I need to go either by walking or taking public transportation. Normally, this would be an opportunity to build community, but I was choosing to use that time to catch up on my favorite radio programs, listen to Pandora, and make phone calls to friends and family. I rarely left home without my earbuds in, and as a result, I walked in a bubble of disconnection. There was no way I could build real relationships while isolating myself in that way.

I’m challenged by Jesus’ teachings about the Good Samaritan. He asks us to be a people who not only know the right answers, but live them out as well. We are called to be people who see those who are suffering as their neighbors, and have the courage to cross the street to help them. If I seek to serve my neighbors, I first need to learn to see them. From now on I’m going to put away my iPhone, walk a little slower, and hopefully this will be the first step in becoming a more loving neighbor to those who live right next door.

HOMILY FOR THE 28TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR (B)

THE TRUE MEASURE OF WEALTH

Rev. Fr. Boniface Nkem Anusiem PhD

How do we measure true wealth? Could it be by the number of investments one is able to make or by the number of digits in one’s local and foreign accounts? Could it be in terms of the number of structures or vehicles one is able to gather and keep? Can we measure wealth in terms of the number of friends and acquaintances one has acquired? Can we measure wealth in terms of the quantity of food we have in our houses (cooked and uncooked)? If all these are indicative of true wealth, then the poor are indeed cursed here and hereafter! Beyond all these join me as we search for the true measure of wealth.
In the gospel reading today (Mark 10:17-30) we have an interesting encounter between our Lord Jesus Christ and a man who was referred to as a rich man. (Luke 18:18 would add RULER to that designation). From the Gospel Reading we are told that the man ran up to Jesus while he was setting out on a journey, knelt before him and put this question before him: “Good master what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
After instructing the man not to refer to him (Jesus) as good, our Lord reminded him that he should keep the known commandments and the man agreed that he was doing so since his earliest years. Then Jesus looked at him and LOVED him and then said to him: “there is one thing you lack. Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Upon hearing this, the man’s face felled and he went away sad because he was a man of GREAT WEALTH. He believed that his wealth was his security and he didn’t want to part with it.
There is need for us to examine this encounter very closely. We are told that the rich man in question ran to Jesus. This is a typical indication of the urgency in the man’s desire to meet up with Jesus while he was setting out on a journey. This is a lesson for us too. We need to approach God and with a committed urgency. Our Lord could stop his journey to give attention to this man who came kneeling before him in humility not minding the fact that he was a man of great wealth. We are told that those who search for the Lord will find him; especially those who do so in humility (Deut.4:29). The Lord will always attend to us when we run up to him not minding other preoccupations.
Coming to Jesus the rich man started by calling him good master. At this, Jesus directed his attention to God who alone is good. What Jesus did was to make the man understand that the inquiry he was making was not from the usual masters of their time, but from God who is infinitely good. He wanted to let the man to know that only God is capable of giving the good answer to his good question not man.
The man’s question was what he could do to inherit eternal life. The man knew that there is life after this earthly life which is eternal. He had inherited material wealth and material life in this world but he was still desirous of inheriting eternal life. That was a very positive and commendable desire. Jesus pointed out the conventional commandments and the man asserted that he had kept all of them. And our Lord looked at him and loved him. It is interesting that Jesus loved him. He loved his heart not his face, he loved the worth of his soul and not the weight of his wealth; he loved his earnest desire to inherit eternal life. With that same look our Lord discovered that the man was lacking something in his life. He had done all things well except one thing; charity to the poor. Jesus told him to sell everything he had and give the money to the poor and thus gain eternal treasure in heaven and then follow him.
Going back to the man, his face felled at the words of our Lord that he should sell everything and follow him. This confirms the fact that the man had a deep seated attachment to his wealth. In fact, from his reaction, he could not do without those material possessions. Though he was a good man in observing the laws, he was bad in terms of the practice of charity. His treasure was on his wealth and that was where his mind was. The man had faith but no good work to show (Jas.2:17). He received so much but refused to give anything.
The rich man not only walked away from Jesus Christ, he walked away from performing charity, he walked away from the vocation to be a disciple and he finally walked away from eternal life. When the man had gone Jesus told his disciples that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle (a small city gate which a camel can enter by kneeling and without load) than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. The disciples were amazed at what Jesus Christ said because the conventional assumption at the time was that wealth is a blessing from God indicating righteousness (See Psalm 37:25).
Seeing how surprised they were and their question: “who can be saved?” He told them that with God all things are possible but not with men. This fact is very true because with God a carpenter can become a captain, with God a bus conductor can become a contractor, with God a driver can become a director, with God a maid can become a madam, with God a beggar man can become suddenly bigger man (Sirach 11:21). Peter came up to inquire about what would be the fate of those who left everything and followed him and he was assured by the Lord that the reward will be full that is hundred fold.
We resemble the rich man in many ways. In fact his name was not given so that we can insert our names. Sometimes we feel that we have done everything well and that we are qualified to go to heaven. Sometimes we assume that being a member of this or that religion, church, denomination or group would qualify to adopt eternal life for us hereafter. Often we pick and choose the commandments that we feel that are more important to our lives not knowing that they are all equally important and needful in our lives.
Oftentimes we are so comfortable with our material possessions that we walk away from the face of the Lord. We are often overwhelmed by our material wealth that we neither hear nor see the Lord calling us to follow him. We are often blinded by material wealth that we do not see the poor and needy around us. It takes divine direction to see, appreciate and give a hand to the poor.
A story was told about a priest who brought food for a family known to be so dejected and poor in his parish. After receiving the food from the priest, the mother of the family divided the food into two equal parts and walked away from the house with one portion! The priest was wondering where she went and instantly she came back. When the priest inquired to know where she went with one portion of the food, the woman responded: “there is a family living down the street and I thought we could share the food with them because they are as well starving like us!” The priest could not utter a word as he was overwhelmed by such act of selflessness in the midst of poverty. Nobody is too poor that he or she cannot give. You are better than someone (be kind enough to give). Someone could also be better than you (be humble).
Around the world, about 850 million people go to bed hungry. This actually happens every day yet many of us throw food away into the trash every hour. The wealth in the world generally can make each and every one of us comfortable and happy. The problem is that those who are custodians of such wealth are not ready to share.
Currently, in many countries in North Africa, many people are moving away from their homelands and attempting to migrate to other places due to difficulties of war, restiveness and hunger. In the face of such dehumanizing conditions, most wealthy nations close their boarders in order to prevent their homeless and helpless neighbours from coming into their territories. This is nothing different from the action of the rich man who was unaffected by the situation of the helpless and poor.
How often do many rich people ignore the cry and plight of the poor among us and focus on their personal interests and comforts. It takes the wisdom, Knowledge and understanding that comes from God (as the first reading showed) for us to see, appreciate and assist the poor and thus be acceptable to God (Matt. 25:31ff).
From our reflection so far, we can establish and rightly too that the true measure of wealth lies in our ability to use what God has given to us to add value to the lives of others. The true measure of wealth lies in our charity to others, it lies in our selflessness, the true measure of wealth lies in our love for others. St. Paul did say that we should owe nobody anything but love (Romans 13:8). We basically own nothing; everything belongs to God. At death we lose everything apart from our souls which is the real us that survives to either eternal bliss or to eternal damnation.
May the word of God which is alive and active direct the course of our lives to be able to appreciate and assist the poor among us. The really rich person is one who is wise enough to be God’s hands towards the poor. Today we are called to rewrite the story of the rich man by giving. God actually wants us to give all by giving ourselves to him. That is why we sing: “My life time I will give God my life time. If I give God my life time, he will take care of me…he will never never let me down… I will give God my life time!
Happy Sunday and do have a wonderful week ahead.

Fr. Bonnie
(fatherbonny@hotmail.com)

Listen to your guardian angel's advice - he is God’s messenger, Pope Francis says

Each of us has a Guardian Angel who, acting on behalf of God, advises us and protects us from evil, if we only listen to him, Pope Francis said during his homily at Mass on Friday.

“May we ask the Lord for the grace of this meekness, to listen to the voice of this companion, to this ambassador from God who accompanies us in His name and may we be supported by his help,”

the Pope said Oct. 2 during his celebration of Mass for the feast of the Guardian Angels, Vatican Radio reported.

He explained that when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, God could have left them to fend for themselves. But instead, as an act of love and mercy, the Lord sent with them an angel to guide and protect them.

The same is true for us today, Pope Francis said. Even when we feel alone or think that we can “hide so many things from God,” our Guardian Angels are by our sides, guiding us and trying to
show us the right path. “It’s like having God’s ambassador with us. And the Lord advises us: ‘Respect his presence!’ And when we, for example, commit a sin and believe that we’re on our own: No, (the Guardian Angel) is there,” he said.

   Although we cannot see our angels, we can listen to them and heed their advice, the Pope continued. “Show respect for (the angel’s) presence. Listen to his voice because he gives us advice. When we hear that inspiration: ‘But do
this … this is better … we should not do that.’
Listen! Do not go against him.”

In Mt. 18:1-5, 10, Jesus tells his disciples they must become like little children in order to enter heaven. In the same way, we must be childlike in our humility and meekness before our Guardian Angels, Pope Francis said.

“The Christian must be meek when it comes to the Holy Spirit. Meekness towards the Holy Spirit begins with this yielding to the advice given by this companion on our journey.”

He closed by saying that we must “ask the Lord for the grace of this meekness, to listen to the voice of this companion” who is a sign of God’s love for us.

“(I)n this Mass where we praise the Lord, let us remember how good our Lord is, who straight after we lost His friendship, did not leave us alone, did not abandon us.”