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

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)

THE “AMAZIAHS” AND THE “AMOS’” OF THE PROPHETIC MINISTRY Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B). Rev. Fr. Boniface Nkem Anusiem PhD

From a very tender age as a junior seminarian, I became
accustomed to the saying: “Many are called but few are
chosen”. Back then I wondered in my little mind if I will be
among those that will be chosen. Then I will start counting
the big boys in my class as those who will be chosen first
because of their sizes. I would often tell myself that I had
to buckle up and grow fast (I was small then) to be among
the “big ones” to be chosen. It was later that I learnt that it
was not all about size or even personal effort; but the
grace of God understandable as unmerited favour.
Today we have interesting prophetic episodes both in the
First Reading (Amos 7:12-15) and in the Gospel Reading
(Mark 6:7-13). In the first reading, we are presented with
the verbal attack on Amos by the priest at Bethel called
Amaziah. Amos’ oracle indicated an impending disaster
that will befall the King and the people in form of exile due
to their dissociation from God. Amaziah who was more of
a political priest accosted the prophet Amos and asked him
to leave the land of Israel to Judah and earn his bread as a
prophet there.
From the scenario, it is clear to us that religion at that
moment was commercial and political enterprise.
Amaziah’s position as the (chief) priest at Bethel could
have been at the instance of the political scheme of king
Jeroboam who must have brought in people who will tell
him what he wants to hear. One can then imagine what the
prophecy of Amos portends. From Amaziah we understand
that Bethel (house of God; the site of Jacob’s dream
(Gen.28:18-19)) was now seen as royal sanctuary and
national temple. The people at the time were seeing the
worship of God as a mere religious observance not as a
spiritual activity.
There is a difference between religious observance and
spiritual practice. It is in this sense that one can be
religious without being spiritual. Religious observance
includes, though not restricted to conventions like strict
attention to time, context, rubrics, and other religious
rituals that are external to the religion in question. On the
other hand worship as a spiritual activity has to do with an
inner disposition which connects the worshipper with the
object of worship (Jn. 4:24). In spiritual worship of God we
talk about faith, hope and love (1 Cor. 13:13).
During this time the people were deeply preoccupied with
religious observances and not with spiritual practices of
their religion. Their worship was based on the external
ritual obligations without a corresponding internal spiritual
interface. Worship for them was at the service of royalty
not divinity. It was more of a national affair than personal
commitment. This is still very valid in our contemporary
human society where people go to Church because it is
Sunday and they have to carry out that religious obligation.
People go to Church because others are going; some go to
Church because they don’t want to be alone in the house.
The question is how many are motivated by faith, love and
their hope in God?
From the point of view of Amaziah the priest the prophetic
ministry ought to be a commercial activity. That was why
he asked Amos to leave the land of Israel to Judah and
earn his living as a prophet from that region. From the
words of Amaziah, he was not concerned about the
prophetic message. He was more concerned about how
Amos and his message would affect his business in Bethel.
We see the above situation taking place in our day with so
much commercialization going on with the message of
God. People are asked to pay consultation fee before they
could see a man of God. They are still required to pay
sometimes heavily before they can be prayed for. These
are the Amaziahs of our time. And they can go to any
length to fight a perceived competitor or rival. Amos was of
a different stock. He was called from the work of
shepherding to become a mouthpiece of God. He had the
mission of delivering the word of God as it is.
In the gospel today, Jesus SUMMONED the Twelve and
began to send them out in PAIRS. He gave them
AUTHORITY over unclean spirits. He further instructed
them to take NOTHING for the journey except a STAFF, no
BREAD, no HAVERSACK. They were to wear SANDALS but no
spare TUNIC. They should stay wherever they are
welcomed. They should preach REPENTANCE, cast out
devils and anoint the SICK.
Before going into the explications I wish to call back what
happened to me as a seminarian; I true confession really. I
was posted on apostolic work to a certain popular town.
My mates congratulated me on what everyone perceived
to be a good posting. I was convinced that I was going to
have a good time so I got a big bag and packed all the
things I felt I would need: electric iron, electric boiler,
clippers, a transistor radio and other things. After packing,
I had a big bag and another hand luggage. On reaching the
parish I met other seminarians posted to the same parish,
we were five in number. I also saw people from the out
stations that came along to pick us. Some of them came
with cars, others with motorcycles and one person with a
bicycle. The Parish priest wanted to be fair enough so he
asked us to pick from folded papers where each will be
going. I was the last to pick and opening the paper I saw
myself picking the least Out Station and being carried by
the man with the bicycle to a remote village without signs
of civilization. Consequently my electrical and electronic
appliances became useless. They actually occupied spaces
for nothing.
Let us go back to the gospel. We are told that Jesus
SUMMONED the Twelve. This means that he called them
out from the rest of the disciples for a brief apostolic work.
They were chosen from the lot to set afire what they had
learned from the master so far. It is actually the Lord who
calls, he also chooses. The letter to the Hebrew says that
no one takes the honour upon oneself each is called as
Aaron was called (Heb.5:4). From our contemporary day
and age we experience a situation wherein we make a
harvest of apostles, pastors, evangelists, prophets,
prophetesses etc. We see such people claiming to have
heard God calling and sending them to some mission. Of
course for most people like Amaziah it is all about earning
bread!
The Lord sent them out in PAIRS. This has a physical and
spiritual denotation. Physically there is need for fellowship
in the ministry. This later turned into the concept of
community in the early Church. Spiritually it assures us of
God’s abiding presence; hence we are not alone. Our Lord
did say when two or more are gathered in my name, I am
in their midst (Matt.18:20 ).They were given AUTHORITY not
just power. Authority is not something that anybody can
get anyhow. People acquire powers in various ways but
authority is far-fetched. Powers fail and fade but authority
subsists and even survives one who holds it for instance
the authority of the papacy. A further instruction was for
them to take a Staff which ascertains the fact that they
have authority given to them.
They were asked to take NOTHING for the journey! Why?
The simple answer is that they have EVERYTHING. Yes
whoever has God has everything. God is not only their
provider He is also their provision. God will definitely
orchestrate assistance for them wherever they go. Often
God plants Samaritans for us in the various routes we go.
We remember that God asked ravens to feed Elijah during
the famine in the land of Israel (1ST king 17:4).
For the journey they were asked to wear Sandals. This
needs to be understood as standing for the spreading
goodnews of peace (Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:15 & Eph.6:15).
Furthermore they were asked not to be moving around in
search of comfort. This means that they should accept any
situation that presents itself as part of their mission. This
has been overlooked in our day wherein some people are
looking for financially greener pastures overlooking the
spiritually needful pastures. Everyone wants to be located
among the rich and wealthy. We often forget that the poor
people also have souls that should be saved.
Finally they were asked to preach REPENTANCE.
Repentance here entails denouncing evil and sin and
accepting God. Accepting God also entails knowing Him.
This knowledge leads us to faith, love and hope. In our day
the preaching is overly based on prosperity. Some
preachers paint the picture of a world without the poor or
needy. A world where you get whatever you want and
anytime; indeed an Eldorado! Our Lord actually said that
the poor will be with us always.
Today we are called upon receive the word of truth in our
lives and not to replicate Amaziah. We are called upon to
worship God in spirit and not like a mere religious
obligation. We are called upon to reflect the missionary
script given by our Lord Jesus to the apostles. Among other
things we should know that if God has called, chosen and
sent us, He will also provide for us. Thus there will be no
need for struggling over material remunerations; they are
distractions from the main purpose of our ministry as
ordained priests and our vocation generally as Christians.
There is also need to fight the Amaziah in us. This Amaziah
comes in various shapes and shades. It stands for jealousy
which is one of the viral attacks we face in our vocation.
We should be able to accept the fact that we are differently
gifted and should also appreciate and encourage one
another.
Amaziah also stands for materialism that is rocking the
foundation of our ministry. Many are today more
conscious of what will come to them than what will be
gainful in the life of the people they minister to. This is the
trend of our day and age where men of God live in
mansions and drive exotic cars while the members of the
church may not afford one modest meal. Yet they are
persuaded to donate their last saving with the promise that
God will make them suddenly rich.
There is need for us to exterminate those destructive
Amaziahs of selfishness and materialism in the ministry
and incorporate the Amos’ that represents true mission as
set out by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Have a wonderful Sunday and a blessed week ahead.
Fr. Bonnie
(fatherbonny@hotmail.com).