1^st Sunday of Advent, Year A: 2004

What did you dream about last night? I don’t know if you can remember. It may have been a pleasant dream or an unpleasant one. But on awakening you came to the stark truth that real life is different from a dream. You can get the same feeling if you travel for a time, as I just did to the U.S. When you come home it is like waking from a dream.

Our present life is like a dream compared to the life to come. Although this life is real, one day we will wake up to a totally different kind of reality.

It is not wrong to have a dreamland experience. The only problem is when we take it as the sole reality which can never be shaken.

That is how many people live. Money is their god, and they spend all their time and energy on amassing it. They want it to pursue power and pleasure and are ready to trample on anyone to get their way.

That is how it was in the days of Noah until the flood swept them away, sparing only those who entered the ark with Noah. This ship carried them safely to a fresh and cleansed land. This ship, in the New Testament, is the Church, and it is piloted by Jesus Christ himself. When he comes again as judge, he will find one woman on board the ship, another left behind, one man taken aboard, another left behind.

There is a TV channel that shows rescue operations from floods. You can see people on the roofs of their houses or on tree tops with violent water rushing underneath them, until a helicopter comes and lets down a rope to pull them up. This is a good image of the rapture from sin. If we don’t experience a rapture from sin, we cannot expect any rapture into God’s heavenly kingdom. The rapture from sin is both a death to all selfishness and wickedness and a rising to a life of grace. The second rapture, into God’s kingdom, entails death for the body, while the soul comes before God until the resurrection.

Jesus asks us to stay awake. This dreamland of ours is not secure. The devil is there ready to penetrate our defenses wherever he finds an opening. And we have no defense against the Son of Man when he comes as judge, probing every recess and corner of our life history.

We are now in the night’s dreamland. But Paul tells us to be awake and “live decently as people do in daytime”. Our security is to stay with Christ in the ship of his Church. There he is our guard against falling overboard into the waves of doctrinal error and moral perversion. In the Church he is our escort to our eternal homeland.

In the dreamland of this life, may the Lord keep us awake to where we are going, and save us from the coma of seeing nothing beyond this life.

1^st Sunday of Advent, Year A: 2004b

Confinement is one of the most painful things a person can endure: to be confined in a prison cell or to a hospital bed. For it is in our nature to be on the move. Look at the streets of Ibadan in the morning—millions of people moving millions of directions to millions of occupations. But what goal is all this motion heading to? One day we will all be stopped in our tracks and have to face the Lord. If we have grasped the Lord by faith, hope and love, and let him pilot all our actions, we can be sure that when we say goodby to this life we will have a safe and comfortable flight to our heavenly destination. But if we have made any earthly thing our principal objective in life, we will find ourselves stranded, like refuse waiting to be carried away and burned.

Advent, which means "the coming" of the Lord, is a call to focus on the goal of our life, to reexamine all our lives' movements, to correct what is deviating from that goal, and to throw all our energy into those movements that lead us to our goal.

When the Lord comes, he will find some people asleep. What kind of sleep? Not our nightly sleep which we all need, but the sleep of indifference, lack of initiative, lack of ambition, laziness, both in devotion to God and the service of our neighbour. He will ask what have we made of our lives, what have we accomplished, what kind of people have we become, how have we made use of our talents and the opportunities that came our way.

He will hear all kinds of excuses: I didn't have enough money; people were blocking my way; I was tired; etc.—Sorry, sleep on, take your rest. You will be left behind when he escorts his chosen ones into his kingdom.

When the Lord comes, he will find other people busy not in daylight activity, but in the undercover activity of the night. Apart from robbery, theft and cheating, Paul mentions drunken orgies, promiscuity, licentiousness, wrangling and jealousy.

These people were not resting. They were very active, but in a way hostile to God, neighbour and self. They use any means to pursue worldly ambitions, like political power and wealth, and damn the consequences to everyone else.—Sorry, you went for the gold and got it. In the process you left your soul and a trail of ruin behind. You will be left behind when he escorts his chosen ones into his kingdom.

When the Lord come, he will find finally other people who have been very busy about the business of their heavenly Father. They lived a blameless life and used all their energy and resources to serve God and the human community. He will praise them for this. But they will protest: "We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty" (Lk 17:10). But he will insist that, since he found then awake when he came, he will "tie his belt, sit them down at table, and wait upon them" (Lk 12:37).

These are the people truly on the move, focussing on their divine goal and racing towards it with all their might. The first group, however, shall sleep on, locked in their stupor. The second group will be locked to the gold they gained and held onto at such a cost—both groups sitting in the pain of eternal confinement, never to come out.

1^st Sunday of Advent, Year A: 2007

Only 1 in 30(?) JAMB applicants ever makes it to the university. Of those who make it, a fair number fall out before they reach the end of their course.

The odds are better in getting into the Kingdom of God. One out of two is taken aboard Noe's ship, which is the Church. But then some of these fall out before the ship touches ground on Mount Ararat, which stands for our heavenly homeland. Unlike JAMB, there is no cut-off for applicants to enter the life of grace in the Church. Better than in any university, there is every divine provision to help you reach your eternal goal.

But some never accept God's call; others accept, but later decide to fall out.

The stakes are high. Although a small percentage of people die by drowning, the rolling flood of death has wiped out generation after generation of the entire earth's population and is still rolling over our generation until it reaches us and carries us away too.

That is physical death. Physical death freezes us for eternity in whatever condition of spiritual life or death we find ourselves. Many people are in tip-top physical shape, but are spiritually dead, whereas there are many invalids who are spiritually very much alive.

The distance in value between physical and spiritual life is infinite. That is why convinced saints and martyrs have stated that they would rather die a thousand or more physical deaths rather than lose their spiritual life by one mortal sin.

In baptism we put on Christ, became parts of his body and began to live his life. It is a life where we must constantly go forward and constantly grow stronger, so that we can withstand temptation of any sort. The devil and his fellow armed-robbers are looking for any opportunity to break in and take over. They cannot do so unless we allow them, by neglecting prayer, the sacraments and dedication to our responsibilities.

The Lord has come and taken us aboard the ship of his Church. Let us use all he has provided for us there to grow healthy and strong to withstand evil temptation from any quarter and to be alert and awake to the Lord already present within us, who is coming daily to brighten his presence in us and present us at last to his heavenly Father.

1^st Sunday of Advent, Year A: 2010 (2004b redone)

Confined to bed, confined in prison. —Who wants that? It is our nature to be on the move. See Ibadan in the morning—millions of people, moving millions of directions, to millions of occupations.

Where is all this motion heading to? One day we will stop in our tracks, and face the Lord. Like Noah, he will say, "Come aboard, to the heavenly kingdom."

If we have believed in him, hoped in him, loved him, allowed him to guide our actions, we can be sure of a smooth flight, to our heavenly destination. But if we have focused on the world, and loved it above the Lord, we will be stranded, waiting like refuse to be collected and burned.

Advent means "the coming" of the Lord. It is a wake-up call, to us all: Focus on your life's goal. Reexamine all your lives' movements. Correct what deviates from that goal. Work with all your energy, doing what leads you to that goal.

When the Lord comes, he will meet three kinds of people.

The first are asleep. What kind of sleep? Not the nightly sleep we all need, but the sleep of indifference, lack of initiative, lack of ambition, laziness, both in devotion to God and the service of our neighbour. He will ask what have we made of our lives, what have we accomplished, what kind of people have we become, how have we made use of our talents, and the opportunities that came our way.

He will hear all kinds of excuses: I didn't have enough money; people were blocking my way; I was tired; etc.—Sorry, he will tell them, sleep on, take your rest. When I call my chosen ones, and escort them into my kingdom, you will be left behind.

The Lord with meet a second group. These are awake and busy, not in daylight activity, but in undercover activity of the night. Apart from robbery, theft and cheating, Paul mentions drunken orgies, promiscuity, licentiousness, wrangling and jealousy.

These people are not resting. They are very active, in hostity to God, neighbour and self. They use any means to pursue worldly ambitions, political power and wealth, damning the consequences to everyone else. —Sorry, he will tell them, you went for the gold and got it. In the process, you left your soul and a trail of ruin behind. When I call my chosen ones, and escort them into my kingdom, you will be left behind.

The Lord will meet a third group. These are busy, with the business of their heavenly Father. They live a blameless life and use all their energy and resources to serve God and the human community. He will praise them for this. They will protest: "We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty" (Lk 17:10). But he will insist that, since he found then awake when he came, he will "tie his belt, sit them down at table, and wait upon them" (Lk 12:37).

These are the people truly on the move, focussing on their divine goal, and racing towards it with all their might.

The first group, however, shall sleep on, locked in their stupor. The second group will be locked to the gold they gained at such a cost—both groups sitting in eternal confinement, never to come out. Only the third group, by their endurance, will enter the freedom of eternal joy.

2^nd Sunday of Advent, Year A: 2004

Who among us has never suffered injustice? Someone stole your money or property. Someone punished you for a wrong you never did. Someone cheated and got a position that should have gone to you. Someone blocked your chances because you don’t come from the right place. People told lies about you. You sit in a dark house because someone vandalized NEPA. We can go on and on. In spite of many good breaks, oppression has weighed on us right from our youth.

Jesus came to set things right. The mountains must come down. The valleys must be filled. The oppressed poor must be rescued. God is wonderful. His love will see that justice is done.

Because all of us have suffered injustice in one form or another repeatedly, we can easily identify with the oppressed poor that Jesus came to rescue. But John the Baptist confronts the oppressors and calls them to repent and confess their sins. He conducted an examination of conscience, as Luke reports, to help them see where they had gone wrong.

So while we are waiting for deliverance, the questions flash at us: “Have you cheated anyone?” “Are you in possession of looted money or goods?” “Have you spread false reports or gossiped about your neighbour?” “Have you dangled the prospect of marriage before someone in order to exploit the person sexually?” “Have you neglected your duties as parents, students or workers, or wasted the opportunities given to you to accomplish something worthwhile?” In a word, “Are you guilty of injustice?”

The axe is at the root of the tree. The tree with bad fruit or no fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. That should send many of us scampering to the confessional.

He is coming! When? To the extent that you have turned from sin and are doing something good with your lives, he has already come. Justice is flourishing and the world is a better place for it. But to the extent that we are surrounded by injustice and we suffer from it, he is yet to come.

Why is he taking time, while we are swimming in an evil world? The question is tantamount to asking Jesus why he would not come down from the cross. To do good when it is easy and costs us nothing requires little love. To do good when it costs us our comfort, our health, our wealth and our lives requires much love. God wants to fill his kingdom with people not just of pass level, but also with people of Olympic quality and performance.

He is coming at the end of the world which we cannot predict. But the end of our personal lives we can predict within a certain range, and it is not far away.

In the meantime, let our Lord and Master never catch us messing up our own lives and the lives of others, but let him find us persevering in the love of God and neighbour, undampened by the madness around us.

2^nd Sunday of Advent, Year A: 2010

From the desert, John's voice rings out: "The kingdom of heaven is at your doorstep." -What does he mean by that? Why should I be concerned? Why is he shouting from the desert?

How many get the point? -The king of heaven, the creator of all, has come. Repent. Prepare for his entrance.

John's voice rings everywhere, but we hear it in the desert, not in the city noise.

What is the city noise? It is the rumble of our hearts, busy about ourselves, our own satisfactions, our own ambitions.

What is the desert? It is a quiet heart, tuned to God's voice, wrapt in his peace, and undisturbed by selfish love, unruffled by earthly disappointments.

In the desert, John fed on honey and wild locusts. These are foretypes of Jesus' teaching, and of Jesus' body and blood, both sweet and nutritious -our food in the desert.

Advent is a time to come into the desert, into the solitude of our soul. It is a time to cleanse our thoughts, our feelings, a time to put peace in our hearts, to dispose ourselves to listen to God.

In that desert, God's voice is loud and clear. Why is God's voice clear in our hearts? Many people go to the desert, go to the mountains, go to the seashore, and claim to hear him, but they only hear distant echos, not his very voice.

He speaks to us, from the depths of our hearts, because the Maker of all came to us as a tiny baby. He lived among us, he died for us, planted himself in our hearts at Baptism, with the Father the Holy Spirit. That is baptism in fire, the fire of God's love driving us, the fire Jesus came to cast on earth, the fire that still burns in the Church.

In all human history, in the whole history of religion, there has been no similar event, never a story like it. It has attracted billions of people, transformed their lives, changed hatred into love, war into peace, grabbing money into sharing it. People eagerly lay down their lives, for their Faith, for love of God and neighbour.

But, you remind me, billions more reject Christ, and all he stands for. They steal, rob, injure, exploit, oppress, kill, and do not care.

Yet, John reminds us, the axe is poised, against the root of the tree, ready to cut it down. Christ himself has his finger on the button, to turn on the thresher, and sift the wheat from the chaf, to store the wheat, and burn the chaf.

Prepare the way of the Lord. He has already come into this world. He has already come to us by Baptism. May he come now, to enliven our faith, enflame our love, and ready us for his final coming, to take us to himself.

3^rd Sunday of Advent: Year A: 2004

Is it a good employer or business partner you are waiting for, or are you looking beyond to another person to fix your life? Is it a good marriage partner you are waiting for, or are you looking beyond for another person to fix your life? Is Jesus that other person, or are you looking for someone else?

Jesus’ name is shouted loud and firmly up and down this country. But there are those who would sow doubts in your minds. Why am I suffering one disappointment after another: “There is trouble in the city, danger at the door, poverty a-plenty, hearts gone wild with war. The dreams of men are empty, their cup of sorrow full.”

Jesus assures us that in all this trouble, even while John the Baptist is in prison, there is good news: The blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, as Isaiah had predicted. Moreover, –what Isaiah did not predict– the lepers are cleansed, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor. How is that? Count your blessings. Can you see, walk, hear? I thank God I can walk again after an accident smashed my knee, and I can see again after a cataract operation. What of your spiritual eyes and ears? These are much greater gifts from God, and are connected with rising from the leprosy of sin to a new life of grace where we can hear our Lord speaking to us through the Church and in our hearts.

But you are still battered like Job with so many troubles! So was John the Baptist as he languished in prison awaiting his execution. In spite of this, he was not a reed swaying in the breeze of every threat and promise, but stood firm like an iroko tree. He sent his disciples to query Jesus, not because he had doubts after proclaiming him the Lamb of God, but to let his disciples discover that Jesus was the one they should be migrating to.

“Blessed is the man who does not lose faith in me.” We need patient perseverance, as James tells us today, like the farmer working the ground until the harvest comes. If we don’t keep our sights on Jesus’s coming, we will degenerate into quarreling and fighting among ourselves about trivial things that are not important for our salvation.

In the day-to-day challenges that beset us, let us stand firm like John the Baptist, a towering iroko tree with our sights on Jesus.

3^rd Sunday of Advent: Year A: 2007

With a smile, the CEO picked up his fat salary envelope, adjusted his agbada, and phoned his driver to get the jeep ready to carry him home. As he stepped out of his office, he passed an applicant sitting with a forlorn look on his face, because he had just been refused a job. Maybe he was not qualified. Or maybe he was more qualified than te CEO himself, who got his position by influence or fraud.

Of all the great people of the Old Testament, John the Baptist is the greatest. But compared to the least in the New Testament Kingdom of Heaven, he is like the disappointed job applicant.

John the Baptist was certainly holier than most of us in this church today, but we enjoy far more privileges than he ever had. We enjoy the uninterrupted presence of Jesus in our midst acting through the sacraments, especially that of his body and blood. John the Baptist never had the privilege of assisting at the death of Christ or of attending Mass and receiving Communion.

And yet look at him. He was a powerful preacher who lived what he preached. He preached the imminent coming of the Messiah, and pointed him out in Jesus. Yet he was never permitted to walk as a disciple of Jesus. Therefore, while Jesus and his disciples feasted, John, the Bridegroom's assistant, could only stand at a distance, fasting, while he sent his own disciples after Jesus to learn about him and become his disciples.

John had it rough in playing his role of ushering in the Kingdom of Heaven. We have it easy, and enjoy the fruits of the Kingdom. With eyes and ears open, we take in all its beauty. With nothing to hamper our mobility, we walk up to receive the sacraments of the Church.

Some non-Catholics pass by the church, totally ignorant of the mysteries celebrated within. Others may peep in and even wish they could fully understand and take part in the blessings.

That is the beginning of wisdom. God is not jealous of his blessings, and there is no quota for those enlisting in his Kingdom.

This wonder-son, the angel informed Joseph, is the child Joseph’s fiancee Mary was carrying. Even the Qur’ân was forced to comment: “We made Mary and her Son a sign for all the world” (21:91). Mary and Jesus are a single sign, because Mary’s whole life of grace is a sharing in the divine life of her Son. As Jesus was “full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14), so he wants us, like Mary, to be full of his grace and truth, and thereby be signs sent to show others the goodness God shares with us in his Son.

Paul’s conversion experience introduced him to the mystery of Christ, which thoroughly transformed him. This is what drove him to make Christ known everywhere in the world that he knew. God has likewise let his light shine on us. May it radiate brilliantly throughout our journey to the Father.

4th Sunday of Advent, Year A: 2007

The Annunciation according to Prosperity World TV: "Season's greetings! Peace and joy!—because FatherChristmas is around with chocolate and wine, chicken to dine, clothes so fine, no standing in line, all will be mine."

What does this mean, but "Chop and choke on the pleasures of this life." How different was the Angel's Annunciation to Mary: "Don't be afraid, say "Yes" to the breath of the Holy Spirit, and receive God's eternal Word in your womb." Likewise how different was the Angel's Annunciation to Joseph, and how different is the Gospel Annunciation of the Church to us: "Do not reach forthe goods that are beneath you, but welcome the gifts that come down from heaven."

Joseph's wedding plans were on course until he ran into a problem. He discovered that Mary, his fiancée, was pregnant. But God did not abandon him in his quandry. Like Mary, he received his own angelic annunciation.

The first thing the Angel did was to dispel his worry: The child that Mary conceived is the work of the Holy Spirit. That was the Angel's parting message to Mary, when she asked how it would be possible for her, a virgin, to conceive a child.

Joseph's immediate problem was now solved. He would go ahead and take Mary as his wife, but the relationship would be elevated to a new divine purpose. That is what the Angel explained next, repeating the same two points he had told Mary.

The first was the name he should give the child. It is a duty of parents to give each of their children a name, and it is the right of each child to receive that name. Even when parents abort a child and then repent, they still have obligations to that child, whose soul is with God. The first is to give it a name. The second is to ask the child's forgiveness for the crime of murder commited against it.

The names people give their children usually have a meaning, sometimes trivial, like a tennis player called "Candy", sometimes profound. The name "Jesus" points to the centre of God's master plan for the universe. He created the universe with mankind at its apex, mankind earmarked for glory, but consisting of men and women who could, would and did sin, wrecking their chances of glory. God himself came down to remedy the situation, to save people from their sins and put them once more on the path to glory. That is the meaning of "Jesus", "the one who would save his people from their sins".

The second point, therefore, is that this Jesus is Emmanuel, God himself with us. And, as explained to Mary, "he will be great and will be called Son of the Most High... His kingdom will have no end." God himself become man, he is the Alpha and Omega of history, with it all laid out from beginning to end according to the divine master plan.

Joseph at first dreamt of carrying on God's creation by having children in a normal marriage with Mary. This dream was rudely shaken by his learning of her preganancy. God repleaced his first dream with another dream sent through an angel. According to this dream, Joseph would not be God's instrument of creation by having children of his own, but he would be the instrument of God's re-creation by being the foster father of the Saviour of mankind.

Prosperity World TV lures you with the dream of riches, pleasure and children, with no thought of anything else. But the angelic annunciations to Mary and to Joseph offer you another dream, a real one:

• the dream of a child born for you,
• a friend who died for you,
• who made himself food and frink for you,
• who day and night stands on guard for you,
• who throught the maze of life is a guide for you,
• until he confers on your eternal reward on you.

Christmas Midnight: 2005

The Lord is coming on time, not a minute too late or a minute too early. Who can say, "I have finished all my preparations: sweeping, washing, ironing, painting; I've been to confession, did my penance, said all my prayers; I can sit back and wait for him to come"? For most of us there are loose ends in our lives we have not yet tidied up or put in order. And yet he comes, ready or not.

At Jesus' first coming in his human birth, who was ready for him? Mary, Joseph, a few shepherds. They were the only ones on hand to receive and welcome him that night. Shortly after, the Magi came, and Anna and Simeon welcomed the child Jesus presented in the Temple. But generally it was true that "he came among his own and his own received him not" (Jn 1:11). They were expecting a Messiah of a different sort, at another time and place. They were not ready to receive him at all.

When Jesus comes again finally, some will be ready to receive him, others not at all.

In the meantime, over the years Jesus comes in grace, especially at privileged moments such as Christmas and other feasts of the Church. In Jesus' public life many people did receive him, especially those struggling to free themselves from sin. The same is true of millions of people from that time until now. On the other hand, countless more are not ready to receive him at all.

Between those who are fully ready to receive him and those who will not receive him at all, others, maybe like most of us, are just half ready. It took all day to put this sanctuary and church in beautiful order for tonight's Mass. Likewise, there is much we have to do to put our lives in order.

The basic fact of Christmas is that Jesus meets us in a state of imperfect preparation. There was no 5 star hotel awaiting him when he was born in Bethlehem, just an animal shed. So too, he meets us struggling to be good, but still falling short of the mark. It's like my playing the keyboard in last Sunday's Dominican concert. I am not a professional musician; my performance was reasonably good, but not professionally perfect.

"Just as I am you come to me..." Jesus comes to us as we are, in the condition we find ourselves in. He does not leave us as we are, in our imperfect condition, but lifts us up gradually but surely to a better condition. He is the doctor who comes to help the sick. He accompanies us and assists us in our struggle to be better, to be fully prepared and transformed in his image when he comes to take us to himself.

It's always a shock to see a visitor we have been expecting arrive before we are fully ready for him. That is what the shepherds felt when the angels appeared to them. They had to be told, "Do not be afraid; go and find the baby lying in the manger." You can never be ready enough for him. But he is the Saviour, Christ the Lord. He will make good all that you are lacking.

Then over the mountain suddenly come the beautiful feet of the preacher of good news, that your King, your God, at last has come, and you can see him face to face. Ruined Jerusalem, rejoice now, since you have seen the salvation of your God!

Who brought this good news? Today’s passage of Isaiah 52 speaks of a man-messenger. That could refer to John the Baptist, or possibly the angels in heaven appearing to the shepherds. But Isaiah 40:9 has a woman, when it says: “Go up on a high mountain, messenger of Zion. Shout as loud as you can, messenger of Jerusalem! Shout fearlessly, say to the towns of Judah, ‘Here is our God.’” Throughout this verse the Hebrew has a feminine messenger. That could only fit Mary. Carrying the good news in her womb, she first went through the hills of Judah to announce it to Elizabeth, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy. She then went to Bethlehem, where she gave birth to Jesus in a goat house, typifying the misery of poor, wrecked people. There Mary presented not news about Jesus, the Saviour, but Jesus himself to every abandoned and aborted baby that would come into the world.

The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. In doing so, he made himself very low for our sake. But now he is exalted far above the angels who sang at his coming. He did this to meet us in whatever misery or mess our lives happen to be in, to lift us up with him and give us power to become children of God, receiving grace after grace from his fullness.

Many people did not accept Jesus, from the accommodation master in Bethlehem to Herod and many more opponents. But others did accept him, and became his messengers to all they met.

Abandoned baby, don’t give up! Your Saviour is here to pick you up and hug you, so that you can tell everyone of his mercy and goodness.

Christmas Meditation 2007

They laid him in a manger—as later they laid him in a tomb,
vulnerable, from the beginningto the end of his life.
Though of the stature of God, he emptied himself,
was obedient unto death, on a cross.
All this for what purpose?
As his name, Jesus, indicates, to save his people from their sins.
Sin is advertized and committed all around us,
acts chosen out of malice or weakness that snuff out grace
and inflict severe harm on self and others.
Christ's dazzling victory over sin
in the many people cruising in his grace
is worth celebrating.
It is a joy to see it especially in the many confessions I hear,
where people tune up their life in Christ or are restored to it.

Holy Family, Year A: 2004

I had a scarry experience when I was a small child. I was in the car with my auntie going down a hill in the rain when the car skidded and swung around. As soon as the danger started, my auntie shouted “Jesus, Mary and Joseph!” Nothing happened to us or to the car, and I remembered her prayer.

When we think of the Holy Family, we may think how beautiful was the home life of the three: their love, dutifulness, care, trust in God while Herod was hunting the child Jesus, the obedience and respect Jesus showed Mary and Joseph etc. We may think all that is quite far from the life of our families. How can we ever live like that? I think back on my own life and realize how difficult it would have been for my parents to raise their family without the help of my uncles and aunts who were always at our side. So also, the Holy Family is not merely a faraway model, but Jesus, Mary & Joseph are part of our own family and are there to help us.

In the Holy Family, Jesus respected his Father and Mother, as the first reading says. But, you may say, our children won’t listen to us; they talk back and won’t take any correction. What can I do? — Jesus, Mary and Joseph, step in and help us to train our children well!

In the Holy Family, Jesus took care of Joseph in his old age and death, and looked after his Mother Mary by bequeathing her to John. But in my family, the children have married and left us; they never come to see us and don’t help us in our need. — Jesus, Mary and Joseph, look after us, and change the hearts of our children!

In the Holy Family, there was “compassion, kindness, humility, patience, and love. But in my family, everyone runs away from household responsibilities; they are all fighting with one another and have no regard for one another’s needs. — Jesus, Mary and Joseph, step in and take control of my family; convert the hearts of each and every one of us!

The Holy Family regularly sang psalms and hymns to God. But in my family, they are screaming at the top of their voices to one another. — Jesus, Mary and Joseph, turn us around, put sweetness where there is bitterness, and turn harsh tones into soft ones!

In the Holy Family, the parents did not provoke Jesus or drive him into frustration. But in my family, my Mother is always out; my Father is drunk or with other women and does not pay for our feeding. — Jesus, Mary and Joseph, stand in the place of my parents. Look after us children, and make my parents awaken to their responsibilities!

The family that prays with the Holy Family will itself grow holy and will be a blessing to all around them. At the end, the Holy Family will assist them in their dying and escort them to eternal life.

Holy Family, Year A: 2007

If you want to know why a family is doing well or doing poorly, a good place to start is with the daddy. So in the Holy Family, the Gospel shows us that Joseph played a key role.

As a youth, Joseph learned carpentry, probably from his father Jacob, or his grandfather Mathan. Also, with a fairly good religious education, he probably had a good knowledge of the Jewish scriptures. As for character, the Gospel describes him as "just", meaning an all-around good person.

As he matured, he got to know of Mary and took an interest in her. They met and decided to get married, going through a betrothal ceremony between the two families.

We heard last Sunday how his marriage plans nearly crashed, until an angel explained to him the origin of Mary's pregnancy and that he should go ahead with the marriage. He would not be a physical father, but a spiritual father to all those saved by Mary's divine son, Jesus.

If getting married to Maryh demanded of Joseph heroic generosity, his familh responsibilities were no less demanding. As a father, he had to provide for Mary and her child and protect them.

The first crisis came from the Roman edict demanding everyone to register in his home town. It was harsh on Mary to have to travel on foot or on a donkey during an advanced stage of pregnancy. Joseph was there to assist her, and probably waited on her at every rest stop.

On reaching Bethlehem, Joseph's home town, we might have thought they would have relations to stay with. That was not the case, maybe because Joseph and his father were long gone from there. Public accommodation was all taken up, maybe because with Mary's slow pace of travelling they arrived late. But Joseph was resourceful and found an animal shed where they could be protected from the elements.

By the time the Magi or wise men came, Joseph, with his earnings as a carpenter, had secured a house, as Matthew tells us. Then, taking the angel's warning of Herod's plan to assassinate the child, he took Mary and Jesus, abandoned the house, and fled to Egypt. As a tradesman, he could support them there until Herod died.

On returning, he learned that Archelaus, who was no better than his father Herod, had taken over. Therefore he fled again outside the territory of Judaea to Galilee, and settled in Nazareth. There he supervised Jesus' education, whose brilliance was demonstrated at the age of 12, when they went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. On his part, Jesus was subject to him and Mary, and probably assisted him as a carpenter's apprentice.

Joseph was decidedly a man of action, action inspired by his attentiveness to God and willingness to obey him, action also inspired by his love of God enveloping his love of Mary and Jesus, and his determination to do take every step that was required to assure their safety and provide what they needed.

A family that had Jesus and Mary as members was bound to be holy. But they played as a team, and in that family, Joseph played the lead role, and played it superbly well. Why not invite them to be members of our own families?

Holy Family, Year A: 2010

I had a scarry experience as a child. I was in the car with my auntie. It was raining. Going down a hill, the car skidded and swung. My auntie shouted "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" Nothing happened to us, or the car, and I remembered her prayer.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the Holy Family&8212;they are our model, and our help in need.

What a beautiful home: with Mary's love, dutifulness and care, Joseph's trust in God, while Herod hunted the child, Jesus' obedience and respect. They did well, but did not have it easy.

Is it easy for us? Most of us have more comforts, more security, than the Holy Family. Do we have their goodness, their happiness? If we fall short, they are not there to blame us, but to help us.

In the Holy Family, Jesus respected his Father and Mother, as the first reading says. But, some of you say, our children won't listen to us; they talk back, and won't take correction. What can I do? &8212; Jesus, Mary and Joseph, step in and help us to train our children well!

In the Holy Family, Jesus took care of Joseph - in old age and death, and looked after his Mother Mary, by bequeathing her to John. But in my family, some of you say, the children have married and left us; they never come to see us, and don't help us in our need. &8212; Jesus, Mary and Joseph, look after us, and change the hearts of our children!

In the Holy Family, there was "compassion, kindness, humility, patience, and love. But in my family, someof you say, everyone dodges household responsibilities; they fight with one another, and have no regard for other's needs. &8212; Jesus, Mary and Joseph, step in, take control of my family; convert the hearts of each of us!

The Holy Family - sang psalms and hymns to God. But in my family, some of you say, they are screaming at one another, the top of their voices. &8212; Jesus, Mary and Joseph, turn us around, put sweetness where there is bitterness, turn harsh tones into soft ones!

In the Holy Family, the parents did not provoke Jesus, or drive him into frustration. But in my family, some of your say, my Mother is always out; my Father is drunk, or with other women, and does't pay for our feeding. &8212; Jesus, Mary and Joseph, look after us children, stand in the place of our parents, waken them to their responsibilities!

We can't go it alone. For peace and happiness in the home, call on the Holy Family to assist. Jesus, Mary and Joseph - are not a distant model, but part of our own family, and are there to help.

We need human help as well. You may not be perfect, but other families need your help, your advice, your comfort. I think back on my own life, and realize that, without my uncles and aunts&8212;who were always at our side&8212;my parents could never cope.

The family that prays with the Holy Family - will grow holy, and will bring blessings to all around. At the end, the Holy Family will assist them in their dying and escort them to eternal life.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us: now, and at the hour of our death.

Mary, Mother of God, 1 January: 2005

“I was trying to avoid pregnancy, but by accident I conceived.” – We frequently hear this, but we reject the explanation, because conception is the result of a deliberate action which is ordered by nature and God for the very purpose of conceiving a child.

In the same way, Mary did not just happen to give birth to Jesus, but she had to make a deliberate choice. Blessed is she who believed in the word of God spoken to her through Gabriel. She articulated her belief by saying “Let it be done to me according to your word.”

Your word! God’s word was active in Mary right from the start, by seeing that she was immaculately conceived, without any stain of original sin.

Mary also absorbed God’s word as a child when she studied the Old Testament Scriptures, which told how God was planning to save his people through a wondrous suffering but triumphant Messiah.

God’s word, which Mary learned from Scripture, filled her mind and heart with hope and love, so as to carry her through the tasks of daily life and all the joys and sorrows a girl of her age might meet.

Mary’s strong and willing faith prepared her for Gabriel’s visit, and she wasted no time in accepting God’s invitation to become his Mother. The title “Mother of God”, shocking as it is to non-believers, can only be denied by saying that Jesus is not God. Once we accept him as the divine Word of God, the second person of the Trinity become man, automatically we must accept Mary as Mother of God.

From the time Mary conceived Jesus in her womb, the word of God for her was no longer merely God’s scriptural revelation cherished in her heart and mind, but the very person of her Son, the Word made flesh. She then became God’s messenger, carrying him for a dramatic meeting with Elizabeth and, after Jesus’ birth, presenting him to a stream of heavenly directed visitors: the shepherds representing the Jews, and the Magi representing the Gentiles. Mary was with him in the Presentation in the Temple, in the flight into Egypt, and in his growing up at Nazareth. She followed him at a distance in his public life of preaching, and was there at his side as he hung on the cross. There her motherhood was expanded, and she became the mother of John and of the whole Church. For, if we have become adopted sons of God, we are also, like John, adopted sons of Mary.

The death of Christ was a painful separation for Mary, but her faith, which was rock solid at Calvary, was also rock solid while awaiting his promised resurrection. Her faith was also rock solid as she accompanied the Apostles in waiting for the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

At last, the word of God was addressed to her again, to leave this life by dying, and then to be carried as part of the First Resurrection (Rev 20:5-6) to her place at Jesus’ side in glory.

It was not by accident that Mary conceived. She made a choice accepting to become not merely the biological mother of Jesus, but his true parent, his mother for all that he is, and therefore the Mother of God.

Epiphany, Years A-C: 2005

NEPA goes off, the sun goes down, and people begin to light candles just to avoid stumbling. “The night is coming when no one can work” (Jn 9:4). Later in the night NEPA suddenly returns. A cheer goes up as everyone emerges from the idleness the darkness had forced them into.

Jerusalem, your light has come!

Yes, the birth of Christ was a mighty burst of light, an Epiphany. It shone not only in Jerusalem, but also over far-away lands. It was the true light, enlightening everyone who comes into the world.

Yes, as the Church teaches, God gives every human being—Christian and non-Christian—the enlightenment and grace necessary to see and accept in some general or confused way, by star-light, the redemption he offers us in Jesus Christ. That inner enlightenment, sufficient as it is for salvation, should normally mature, if not impeded, into full sun-light of Catholic faith.

Besides the inner enlightenment of grace, God sends outward signs, as he did in the wondrous star the Magi saw. It was visible to countless numbers of people, but only a few wise men could interpret its meaning. Later Jesus sent his Apostles and their successors throughout the world with a clear message people could easily understand.

The original burst of light from Christ’s birth keeps shining, even though not everyone welcomes the Gospel. It beams on us outwardly, through the preaching of the Church. It beams on us inwardly through God’s gifts of faith, understanding, knowledge and wisdom.

Let us, who have the full sunlight of the Catholic Faith, never have outage or disconnection, but walk constantly in the light, as children of the light, until we reach Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the eternal home.

Epiphany, Years A-C: 2006

Many people complain that they don't experience the full joy of Christmas. Not to have had turkey may be one reason, but a more serious reason is not to have seen Jesus and know the peace of his coming.

Seek, and you shall find. That is what the Magi did. Forget about "wise men" or whatever other translation you have. Magi is the proper name for a member of the Magian or Zoroastrian religion in Persia, in modern Iran.

The Magi saw a star. Forget about attempts to explain how a real star could lead them. A visionary star is enough. And that vision would be worthless if the Magi did not also have an inner revelation of the heavenly king the star was pointing to. The Magi followed the star to Jerusalem, a distance of about 1,000 kilometres. When they got there their vision of the star was suspended, so as to force them to make inquiries, "Where is the infant king of the Jews?" And the story of the star vision spread through Jerusalem.

Herod, an outsider who had grabbed the throne, felt threatened at the news of a new king born to succeed him, one who was not his own child, but the Christ, a descendant of David. He too made inquiries of the chief priests and scribes: "Where would the Christ be born?" And they told him "in Bethlehem."

Herod now knew the place, but did not know the time of Christ's birth. He called the Magi to make another inquiry, "Exactly when did the star appear?" They must have told him, but he asked them to go and identify the child and report back to him.

The Magi left and the star vision resumed, leading them straight to the house where Jesus was. In Jerusalem the Magi had inquired about where to find him. Herod had inquired of the priests and scribes and of the Magi themselves. Now, after locating the house, no more inquiry was necessary. They went in and saw the child with their own eyes. There was no crown, no corral beads, no other trappings to impress on them that this was a king. An inner divine revelation told them who this destitute child was.

Their gifts declare their faith in who he was: gold for a king, incense for a priest, the burial spice myrrh for his sacred passion. The gifts also pointed to the character of the Magi: gold for their wisdom and attentiveness to God, incense for their devout prayer, and myrrh for their self-discipline and mortification, especially in undergoing the rigours of a long journey.

The Lord had guided hem to Jesus by an inner revelation and the vision of a star. Now, by warning in a dream, he guided them back by another road where they would not have to meet Herod.

The Magi had sought for Jesus and had found him. If we are looking for him, and not for turkey, we need no star or special revelation to tell us where to find him. Our Faith tells us that we can find him present chiefly at the celebration of the Eucharist; we can also find him in every person who has the life of grace in his soul; and if it is difficult to test holiness, we can be sure to find him in the needy, who are more easy to recognize. It remains for us to do him homage, and offer him the gold of our focusing on his divine power and love, the incense of our earnest prayer, and the myrrh of a disciplined life, and the joy of Christmas, Christ's abundant and overflowing peace, will unfailingly be ours.

Epiphany, Years A-C: 2008

Where there is light there is heat. "I have come," said Jesus, "to cast fire on the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already" (Lk 12:49). "Rise, Jerusalem, shine, for your light has come" (Is 60:1). Where did it shine?

There was the light of God's glory when the angels broke the news of Christ's birth to the shepherds. It set their hearts on fire, and they rushed to see the child in Bethlehem. Seeing him made their hearts burn all the more intensely, and they went away glorifying and praising God.

There was the light of a miraculous star that revealed to the Magi the birth of the king of the Jews. It set their hearts on fire to make the long and risky journey from Teheran to Jerusalem and then Bethlehem. When they found the child with his mother Mary, their hearts burned all the more intensely, and they were filled with delight.

What can I do for the Lord for all he has done for me?—the shepherds and Magi must have wondered. We do not hear that the shepherds brought any gifts, but at least they went away spreading the good news. Maybe they were also helpful in getting the Holy Family out of the shed where Christ was born into the house where the Magi found them.

The Magi came prepared with gifts—gifts with a meaning for both Christ, the recipient, and for themselves, the donors.

• Gold, the most prized of all metals, is meant for a king, in this case for the divine king of kings.
  In the donors, gold represents a noble soul, one endowed with wisdom and purified by the love of God.
• Incense, which priests burn to honour God, was a fitting gift to Jesus, who is both high priest and God.
  Incense, in the donor, represents devout prayer.
• Myrrh is a burial spice, and it represents the suffering and death of Christ.
  In the donor, it represents self-discipline and sharing in Christ's sufferings. The Magi did so on their long tiring journey and in risking the wrath of Herod.

The shepherds and the Magi were the first to be evangelized from the Jews and from the Gentiles. They prepared the ground for the full rising of the Sun of Justice, Jesus, after 30 years of incubation in Nazareth and 3 years of preaching to the Jews. Then his death, resurrection and ascension brought fire from heaven on Pentecost.

His disciples relayed the Gospel torch to the whole earth, where it continues to burn unadulterated wherever the Catholic Church is found.

May it continue to burn in us, purifying our hearts, and may others catch the living flame.

Epiphany, Years A-C: 2011

Starlight turned into sunlight, when the Magi found Christ. "From on high, the rising Sun has visited us," sang Zechariah (Lk 1:78).

We know Christ. He dwells in us by grace. We receive him in the Eucharist. But we know him, not by sight, but by faith. Sometimes problems beset us. The light of Christ, once so clear, then seems like starlight, or like total darkness.

The Magi followed starlight to Jerusalem. Then it disappeared. But God was still guiding them, secretly, as they entered Herod's den. They inquired: "Where is the newborn king of the Jews?" Herod called his wise men, and learned from them: He should be in Bethlehem of Judea.

Herod repressed his panic, and devised a wicked plot. He would dupe the Magi, to betray Jesus, so he could kill him. He gave them instructions, and sent them on their way.

Freed from Herod's darkness, the Magi saw the star again. It led them to Bethlehem, right to Jesus' accommodation. By then, the Holy Family had left the manger, and moved into a house.

The Magi saw the Light of the world. They were overjoyed. They dropped down and adored him, then offered him gifts: the gold of a pure heart, the incense of constant prayer, the myrrh of patient endurance.

When they came out, the sunlight of faith was planted in their hearts. The star was no longer needed. They knew the way back. Moreover, now God directed them from within, and warned them not to return to Herod.

Back home, no doubt they met other problems, other trials. The sunlight in their hearts, they might think, was shaded, or buried, hardly detectable.

We meet problems. Don't we feel the same? It may be a career, a vocation, a programme to decide upon. Or someone does something, and we must react. Or it may be a disappointment to endure, and look for a way out.

But God has not abandoned us. His light may not dispel all darkness, but it points the way ahead, like a laser beam. We see the way to go, through darkness on every side.

You may answer: "I don't see visions, I don't dream dreams. How does he guide me?" Some people immediately run to their pastor, or prophet, looking for an oracle from heaven. That is the wrong way.

God guides us in several ways:

First of all, there are the commandments, and Church teaching, along with our own conscience. We know what is right and what is wrong, what is sin and what is not sin. Follow that guidance, and you will not fall into a pit. That is God's first way of guiding us.

Secondly, there are wise people we can consult. We know right and wrong, but some situations confront us, that we don't know how to handle. We can inquire, like the Magi, and get answers from experienced people. That is the second way God guides us.

Thirdly, we should pray. Here he perfects his enlightenment. His light shines through our understanding, through the teaching of the Church, through the advice of others. In prayer he collates all that, focuses it, and gives it a finishing touch.

We are privileged to have the light of Christ. Last month, in Iran, I met some real Magi. They still pray to Ahura Mazda, as did the biblical Darius and Cyrus 3,000 years ago. Their starlight has not yet led them to Christ.

We pray that they, and all sincere non-Catholics, may discover Christ's light in the Church. We also pray for the non-sincere. May Christ's light burst on Boko Haram, on kidnappers, on assassins, on corrupt officials at every level. May Christ's light shine in our hearts, now and always.

Epiphany, Years A-C: 2012

If you want to travel, three things are necessary: (1) You must have a reason for travelling. (2) It must outweigh - the difficulties on the way. (3) You must know the road.

The Magi had a reason for travelling. It outweighed the difficulties; it made them shrink to nothing. What was their reason? "No one comes to me, unless the Father draws him" (Jn 6:34). The star reflected the newborn king. "In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col 2:3). This stirred the Magi's desire, to sell all they had, and find this treasure. "Come to me, all you who are burdened" (Mt 11:28).

The Magi lived in Iran. They may have been kings, or satraps of local governments. They were wise, in their own religion. That was Zoroastrianism, which dates from the 6th century B.C. Its devotees included kings Cyrus and Darius, mentioned often in the Old Testament. Their religion continues to this day. I met some Magi recently in Tehran.

The light of Christ, shining at his birth, motivated the Magi to travel. As Isaiah lets us suppose, they mounted their camels. How would they find the new-born king? The star, reflecting Christ, showed the way. "I am the way, the truth and the life" (Jn 14:6). "He who sees me, sees the Father" (Jn 14:9).

Last week I went for a funeral near Orlu. As we got near, even with a phone, we made one wrong turn after another. In the U.S., cars have a global positioning device. You type in your destination, and it speaks to you: "Take the next turn to the right, continue 3 miles" etc., until you are at your destination. That is how the star acted with the Magi.

Let's not suppose their trip was easy. They had left their home country. They would meet rough roads, police checks, go-slows, with no siren to clear the way. They did not give up, or turn back, as we might do, if we are not jammed from behind. They continued, following the star, until they got to Jerusalem.

At that point, the light of the star stopped. It gave way to a brighter light, God's revelation in the prophets. The priests and scholars grasped the point. The new-born child was not just any king; he was the Messiah. They pinpointed the passage, in Micah 5:1. Bethlehem is the place of his birth, only 9 kilometers to the south of Jerusalem.

The Magi, after disturbance from Herod, set out. The star took over again, and led them to Light itself, "God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God... through whom all things were made."

"And they did him homage" —more precisely, according to the Greek, "they knelt before him." The earlier Syriac has: "They fell down and worshiped him." The word for worship is sujada, the same word Muslims use for putting their foreheads to the ground.

Then they opened their treasures: gold from a pure heart, for Christ the King; incense from constant prayer, for Chrst the High-Priest; myrrh frrom patient endurance, for Christ the Sacrifice.

They offered him these treasures, a token exchange, for the Treasure they received. They went back home, but did not leave Jesus behind. Christ himself, residing with Mary and Joseph, took up residence in their hearts. On their return journey, they had no need of a star. Christ was with them; he was their guide.

The Magis' journey paid off handsomely. May our own life-journey do likewise.

Baptism of the Lord, Year A: 2005

It is really puzzling to most people why Jesus should have gone to be baptized by John. John himself was shocked and could not understand it.

The same John helped to supply the answer when he said (Jn 1:29) “See the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” Jesus, God and man, stepped into the water. As man, he carried the burden of all our sins and dipped the whole of sinful humanity into the water. That is why he asked John to baptize him. John immersed him, but Jesus, as God, sanctified the water and gave it the power to wash away our sins in the sacrament of Christian baptism.

God himself hinted at the answer after declaring Jesus his beloved Son. The Spirit descended in the form of a dove. Where have we seen that before? When the flood water seemed to be subsiding, Noah released a dove, that came back with an olive twig to show that fresh life had come to the earth after a sinful generation had been washed away. In baptism, the water does not drown us, but drowns our sins; then the Spirit descends on us and we come out of the water as new-born children of God.

Jesus leads us through the water of baptism just as, in the Exodus, a column of fire led the people into the Reed Sea and onto the other side, while the water drowned the enemy pursuing them. Jesus, by baptizing us with the Holy Spirit and fire, drowns our sins and leads us through the water to a place of safety with him.

So why did Jesus undergo baptism? — For the same reason that he became man, to raise us up from sin to share his own divine life.

At his birth on Christmas, as Psalm 96 says, “the heavens rejoiced and the earth was glad”; at his baptism “the sea thundered with all that it contains.”

At his birth we see God as a baby sharing our frailty; at his baptism we see a perfect man, the model of our Christian adulthood and maturity.

At his birth, the star showed the Magi heaven on earth, earth in heaven, man in God, God in man, the one whom the whole universe cannot contain now enclosed in a tiny body. At his baptism, the Father’s voice was heard over the waters (cf. Ps 29): “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” the first-born of many sons, in whom he also wants to be well pleased. The Spirit, as a dove, comes down not with olive-oil leaves, but with the refined oil of the Father’s anointing, the anointing that accompanies every Christian baptism.

At his birth, the holy innocent children shed their blood for Christ. At his baptism, John was not allowed to be baptized in water by Jesus, but he was allowed later to be baptized in his own blood for Jesus.

On this day that closes the Christmas season, let us join those who recognized the infant Jesus for what he truly is, who worshipped him and risked or laid down their lives for him. Let us also thank God for our baptism into the Church, constantly renewing ourselves in the Spirit and ready, like John, to lay down our lives for Jesus’ sake.

Baptism of the Lord, Year A: 2008

Deep down, we all have a hunger for God. But most of mankind might says with Isaiah, "You are a hidden God" (45:15). Others would add, "if you are there at all". In contrast to these agnostics, Muslims believe that God revealed to them many duties and restrictions, but never revealed himself.

But, for us, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory as of the only-begotten Son of God" (Jn 1:14).

Guided by angel voices, the shepherds recognized him in the micro-flesh of a child. The Magi did him homage a year or so later, guided by a star. John, while still in Elizabeth's womb, jumped with joy at his presence in the womb of Mary. Once more with joy, he pointed him out on the bank of the Jordan as the Lamb of God. This time, the Father and the Spirit corroborated his testimony: the Spirit in the appearance of a dove, and the Father in a voice endorsing Jesus as his beloved Son.

Here was the Son of God, now a man in full maturity, poised to command faith in himself no longer by heavenly signs and voices, but by the miracles he himself worked, starting by changing water into wine at Cana.

He came for us, entering the water of the Jordan to inaugurate the washing away of the sins of mankind. Why wash away sins? —So that the Church, in all its members, might be a fitting bride of Christ. The remainder of his teaching and acts, culminating in his death and resurrection, had the one purpose of drawing us to himself, transforming us in his image, and making us confidants of his Father.

So, our God is no longer hidden, even though the troubles of the world about us make us sometimes join Jesus on the cross in praying Psalm 22: "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"

Yes, Isaiah's vision has come to realization, "Rise, [Lady], and shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has dawned on you. For darkness covered the earth, and gloom all peoples. But on you Yahweh has risen, and his glory over you has become manifest" (60:1-2).

Baptism of the Lord, Year A: 2009

Psalm 94 opens with a desperate cry: "Let the God of vengeance, Yahweh, * let the God of vengeance show himself!" Show himself—that is the meaning of "Epiphany".

The first Epiphany was to the shepherds, the second to the wise men, this one to John the Baptist and the whole people. In the first angels were heard, in the second a star was seen, in the third the Spirit was seen coming upon him in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father was heard.

The first two epiphanies were preview clips of the third, when his full humanity and full divinity went on display. This display lasted three years, as Jesus "went about doing good and curing all who had fallen under the power of the devil" (Acts 10:38), culminating in his death and resurrection, when, at Pentecost, he became fully the "light of the nations".

John was baptizing to help people clear their debt of sin. Jesus stepped into the water carrying the sins of the world; that is why he asked John to baptize him. John poured the water, but Jesus gave it the power to wash away our sins in baptism and give us new birth the Church.

Christmas and Epiphany celebrate Jesus' coming in human form. His Baptism celebrates his coming in sacramental form. At his birth Mary cuddled him and spoke words of endearment; at his Baptism his heavenly Father declared how much he was pleased with him. At his birth Mary presented him to the shepherds and the Magi for adoration; at his Baptism his heavenly Father presented him for adoration to the world at large.

Long ago, as the Israelites fled Egypt, the Lord guided them through the Reed Sea by a column of fire, while the water drowned the enemy pursuing them. Now in the waters of baptism Jesus is the column of fire leading us to the safety of his presence, leaving our sins drowned behind us.

The column of fire was an outward epiphany of the Lord at work to save his people, foreshadowing the future dramatic work of Jesus. At his birth angels appeared to the shepherds and the star to the Magi, and at his Baptism the Spirit appeared in the form of a dove and the Father's voice was heard. All these were outward epiphanies.

But in Baptism there is an inward epiphany. The Lord "shines in our hearts to enlighten us with the knowledge of God's glory, the glory on the face of Christ," as Pauls says in 2 Cor 4:6. Baptism puts us through the death of Christ and gives us a spiritual taste of his resurrection. That is the solid initiation that steadies us when the angels are no longer heard and the star is covered by the clouds—the trials of life—until we join him in the final Epiphany and see him face to face.

"Let the God of vengeance, Yahweh, * let the God of vengeance show himself!"

Baptism of the Lord, Year A: 2011

John was shocked, when Jesus requested baptism. People are still shocked. If Jesus had no sin, why should he take John's baptism?

He did so, to institute a new baptism. John had prophesied this, but failed to see it now fulfilled.

What was John's prophecy?: "He will baptize you with water and fire" (Mt 3:11) —water, to remove Satan, sin and death; fire, to give the Spirit, grace and life.

John might have understood Jesus' intent, if he connected this statement with another: "Look, there is the lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world" (Jn 1:29). Take that with Isaiah: "He bore the sin of many (53:12), bearing their guilt" (53:11).

John resisted Jesus' request, but yielded at his insistence. He would understand, once Jesus came out of the water.

Jesus, carrying the sin of the world, entered the water. He dipped the world's sin in the water, and empowered it to take away sin, when anyone baptizes. Here is the water of baptism —driving away Satan, sin and death.

Jesus came out of the water. The Holy Spirit descended, in the form of a dove. The Father's voice resounded: "My dear son, I am pleased with you." Here is the fire of baptism—conferring the Spirit, grace and life, by the formula: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

This event is another epiphany. Jesus showed himself as a mature man, ready to transmit life.

But he was not to be an earthly father, having children of his own. He was the new baptist, full of grace and truth. He would transmit spiritual life, and make children born "not from blood, nor the will of flesh, nor the will of man, but from God" (Jn 1:13).

So Jesus, son of the Father by his divine nature, never called himself father, but made us children of his own Father. By sanctifying grace, he gave us a "share in the divine nature" (2 Pt 1:4).

The baptism of Jesus is an epiphany, manifesting his divine nature, shining in perfect manhood.

"For us men, and for our salvation, he came down from heaven." He came to incorporate us, by grace, in his body, the Church. The Holy Spirit that descended on him, has descended on us. The Father's voice, "This is my beloved son," likewise addresses us: You are my beloved children.

The Church is not sterile. We say "holy Mother, the Church", because she gives birth. She preaches repentance, baptizes, instructs, nourishes with the Eucharist, and leads her children to Christian adulthood.

Like the Church, every Christian has a double role. The first is to receive—to receive life from the Church, and grow in that life, to maturity.

The second is to give—to transmit divine life to others, and to nourish that life. Parents are children's chief evangelists. Everything we say or do, even little things, has impact. It either draws people to Christ, or repels them.

Jesus underwent baptism - to institute baptism, a baptism that washes away sin, and fires us with his Spirit.

May our baptismal life bear fruit, for ourselves, and for others.

1^st Sunday of Lent, Year A: 2005

A man finds a good job for his son, but the son is led astray by co-workers, they embezzle money, get caught, and the boy is sacked. Will the father be eager to help the son find another job? Our earthly father, maybe not, but our heavenly Father, certainly yes.

Adam listened to Satan’s suggestion to his wife and stole from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He was caught and thrown out of God’s estate, himself, his wife and all their descendants. But God promised to send a descendant of the woman to crush the head of Satan and bring the race of Adam back to something even better than the estate which Adam farmed.

The new Adam had first to do battle with Satan. Satan is a crafty character, and he succeeded in checkmating Adam. How did he do that? – By dangling before him first some good fruit to eat, secondly the prospect of becoming a god himself, thirdly the secret of how to remote-control all the good and evil in the world, so as to guarantee his prosperity.

Jesus prepared to meet Satan by 40 days of prayer and fasting. Of course he was hungry afterwards and physically weakened, but he was spiritually strengthened. Satan tried his dangling act all over in an attempt to bring down the second Adam and at the same time discover his real identity: “Before we talk business, sit down and have a bite to eat. So you are the Son of God? All you have to do is turn these stones into bread.” — But, Satan, who are you to instruct the Son of God how, when and what to eat, as you instructed Adam to pick the forbidden fruit? And is eating food the most important thing in life? I am not interested in your proposal!

Satan didn’t get his answer, but was not put off. He stood Jesus on the pinnacle of the Temple Herod built and said: “As Son of God, it should be quite simple for you to sky dive down to the crowd below, with angels as your parachute. Once the people see that, you can cash in on your popularity rating and become king, president, emperor or whatever you want.” — No use, Satan, you lift people up to think that they are gods, so that you can crash them down to ruin. When I go up it is to be close with God and receive praise from him; I don’t come down again to gain praise from men. Do not joke with the Lord your God.

Again Satan could not figure out Jesus’ identity, but persisted in trying to bring him down. From his mountain observatory he showed him detailed satellite images of Manhattan, Victoria Island, Lekki Beach, New Bodija, every posh site on the earth. “All this is your jackpot if you simply do me homage.” — Satan, you must be crazy. You are trying to lure by means of earthly kingdoms the one who said “My kingdom is not of this world,” and who promised to deliver his disciples the kingdom of heaven, since they have chosen to worship the Lord God and serve him alone.

Throughout the interview, Satan was not sure who Jesus really was. But after his abrupt dismissal he could have a good guess: “This Adam is not like the first one I easily defeated. He is stronger than any man I have ever dealt with. And now, see angels coming to look after him. Probably he really is the Son of God!”

Seeing that the whole human race lay at the mercy of Satan’s tyranny, and seeing our lives fractured or sick in so many ways because of sin, the Father did not want to leave us that way. He sent his Son to defeat that prince of this world. Round one was the temptation in the desert. Round two was Jesus’ death on the cross, where Jesus dealt Satan a knock-out blow.

But Satan still tries to defeat the followers of Christ. Jesus is asking us to accompany him out to the desert during this Lent to attack Satan and defeat any lingering power he has over our lives. Let us go with him, accomplish our objective, and recover our standing in the Father’s employ as children of his Church and his kingdom.

1^st Sunday of Lent, Year A: 2008

Leave that TV.—Come away for 40 days and pray. Leave that pepe soup.—Come away for 40 days and fast. Leave that money you were saving for new jeans.—Come away for 40 days and share that with the needy.

It is hard to break away. But follow Jesus into the desert and see how you too can wax strong to resist any attempt of the devil to pull you down.

Jesus needed no strengthening, but he spent 40 days training in the desert to show us how to become spiritually strong. His battle with the devil demonstrated the strength he meant us to have in a world full of enticements to go astray.

Mr. Jesus, what are you doing out here in this wasteland without the bare necessitiess of life? You look emaciated and famished. Some people have observed your extraordinary character and have been calling you "son of God". If that is what you are, you must have power to work wonders. Why not order these stones to turn into bread, so you can satisfy your hunger.

Mr. Devil, bread is not the only or main thing that nourishes a man, but each and every word that comes from the mouth of God.

OK, Mr. Jesus, let's turn to the word of God. You know that just listening to it is not enough. You must put it into practice. Now Psalm 91 says, "He has commanded his angels to look after you. They will lift you up with their hands to keep your feet from striking a rock." Here we are on top of the Temple tower. Put God's word into practice. Jump down and let his angels carry you gently to the ground.

Mr. Devil, don't you know that it is also written in Deuteronomy 6, "Do not tempt the Lord your God."

OK, then, Mr. Jesus. Let's not disturb God. We know he has other things to do than to be working miracles at random. He expects us to help ourselves. Here from this satellite you can see the whole map of the earth, kingdom after kingdom. Now God has never stopped me from using my power to manipulate politics. See how I managed Nigeria's last election to suit my agenda. If Adedibu thinks he is powerful, he is nothing in comparison with me. I can put anyone I choose into any political office whatsoever. Now let's make a deal. You just kneel down and promise to be loyal to me, and all these kingdoms will be yours.

Mr. Devil, I have had enough of you. Don't disturb me any more, for it is also written in Deuteronomy 6, "Worship God and serve him alone."

By winning this battle, Jesus showed us how to put the devil in his place.

Our 40 days' of extra fasting is to help us appreciate the Word of God, Jesus himself, who nourishes us when we receive him by our mouth in Communion, by our minds in faith, and by our hearts in love.

Our 40 days of extra prayer is to help us attune our minds and hearts to him, so that we do not try to drag him into giving us things that are not good for us, but let him guide us to success in the vocation he calls us to live.

Our 40 days of being extra generous to others is to help us to put God first in our lives and put our loyalty to him before all other loyalties.

When we see what we have gained from this exercise, we will not miss that TV show, that pepe soup, or that money we were saving for jeans.

1^st Sunday of Lent, Year A: 2011

The night was peaceful. Candles were burning. Everyone was singing: "Christ has risen." My heart was full of joy.

Not long after, the sun was beating, traffic was go-slow, horns were blaring, I was sweating. "Lord, get me out of here."

Throughout Lent, the Church has one cry: "Save me, God. Lord help me now."

In our spiritual life, there are moments of light, when the heavens are open, as at the baptism of Jesus. More often, we go by faith, in the dark. Why these movements of lust, these stirrings of anger, this depression at things gone wrong? Why temptation? Why this battle with the world, the flesh and the devil?

The chief adversary, the devil, Jesus confronted in the desert. He prepared for 40 days, praying and fasting. Of course, this left him hungry and weak, but spiritually strong. Satan recognized a spiritual giant. Whis is this man, he wondered. I must bring him down.

Satan made his move. "Let's talk business, but first sit down, have a bite to eat. Are you a Son of God? Then turn these stones into bread." — But, Satan, are you to tell me what to eat, as you instructed Adam - to eat forbidden fruit? I have a better food, to do the will of my Father. He provides my daily bread, but bodily desires will not be my master.

Satan was not put off. He stood Jesus on the Temple pinnacle, and said: "Here is a golden opportunity. As Son of God, sky dive to the crowd below, with angels as your parachute. Once people see that, they will make you king, president, emperor, or whatever you want." — No use, Satan, you lift people up to delude them, make them think they are gods, so that you can bring them down, make them crash into ruin. I go up to be close with God, and receive praise from him; I don't dive down - to gain praise from men. Do not joke - with the Lord your God.

Satan was puzzled. Who is this man? At all costs, I must bring him down. So he tried again. From his observatory, he showed him images of Manhattan, Victoria Island, Lekki Beach, New Bodija, every posh site on the earth. "All this is your jackpot, if you simply do me homage." —Satan, your powerpoint presentation was excellent. But you only showed me earthly kingdoms. Did you never hear me say: "My kingdom is not of this world"? Did you never hear me promise, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven"? My followers worship the Lord God, and serve him alone.

Throughout the interview, Satan was not sure who Jesus really was. After his abrupt dismissal, he could have a good guess: "This man is not like Adam. Adam I easily defeated. I have temped all his descendants. Never have I met a man so strong. And now, see angels looking after him. Probably, he really is the Son of God!"

Satan continues to tempt us, but his job is easy. We are weak; and pleasure, money and power are there to entice us. Where this doesn't work, where Satan finds resistance, he just adds a persuasive word. For most people, that is enough. They give in, and fall.

But for anyone focused on Christ, Satan's words are in vain. Christ not only set an example; his resistance to Satan is a grace. His victory gives us power to resist.

2^nd Sunday of Lent, Year A: 2008

Look in the mirror. Are you satisfied with the way you look? What about that pimple or wrinkle in your face? What about that tummy fat? Maybe some cream would help, maybe plastic surgery. Think of Stella Obasanjo.

Is it worth the effort? Most of us take our looks as a lost cause or useless cause, and concentrate on more important things. But we cannot be indifferent to the way we look before God. He sees us as we are and judges us accordingly. Christ's transfiguration showed Peter, James and John how glorious Jesus looked in the sight of his heavenly Father, and how we also can and should look in God's sight. All the light and brilliance that Peter, James and John witnessed in Jesus was merely an outward visible sign of Christ's inner spiritual beauty, the beauty of God himself, which is invisible to bodily eyes.

Similarly, the beauty of a baptized person, which we expect to grow, flourish, blossom and bear fruit in abundance, cannot be directly seen. It is the hidden life of sanctifying grace which you cannot observe directly, even in yourself, but you can only see its outward manifestations, not in physical beauty, but in good actions. Someone can be in a wretched physical shape and still be a winner in God's beauty contest.

If we ourselves are not transfigured inwardly by a life of grace, we are no more capable than a dog of hosting the Trinity and becoming a temple of God. God cannot come into our lives and make us his friends without transforming us foundationally by sanctifying grace and dynamically by the power of faith, hope and love. If God did not programme us in this way, he would be altogether out of our range, with no interface between him and us.

For all our outward accomplishments, for all the Mount Tabor manifestations of Jesus we may sometimes experience, our relationship with God is basically a deep inner secret. To be in contact with him, we don't need to see visions, hear voices, shout, shake and roll on the floor. But in our plain every-day life, whether we are crying or laughing, he is always and everywhere beckoning us: Believe in me. Trust me. Love me. When we respond positively, then, as Paul says (2 Cor 3:18), "with our unveiled faces like mirrors reflecting the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed into the image that we reflect in brighter and brighter glory; this is the working of the Lord who is the Spirit."

That is how God overhauls us spritually, repairing the blemishes left by our sins and making us shine with intense inner faith, hope and love. That makes a difference in our outward observable behaviour. But our inner life of grace is beyond human observation in this life. Only in the life of the resurrection will it shine for all to see.

In the meantime, if we take a good look in the mirror of our conscience, we will still find plenty of flaws that require attention. Lent is a time not only to campaign against these faults, but also a time to allow God to work on us, especially in the confessional. There he brings out his own anointing creams and plastic surgery to get rid of those character wrinkles and pimples and excess fat, and make us beautiful in his own image.

2^nd Sunday of Lent, Year A: 2011

Without the cross, there is no crown. I want to turn that around. Without a crown, the cross makes no sense.

From the Sermon on the Mount, to the event of the Transfiguration, Jesus preached the cross: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are you when they insult you, persecute you, and accuse you of every evil... So they treated the prophets before you." In each beatitude there is a cross, there is a crown.

Now a greater cross is looming: Jesus' own brutal death, the pattern for our own death. "Take up your cross and follow me." To die as he died? The strongest hero would run away —unless... unless he saw the crown in the cross, saw life in death, saw glory in the shame and humiliation.

For Peter, James and John, Jesus' transfiguration gave them that glimpse. John could then say: "The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. We saw his glory, his glory as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth" (Jn 1:14).

All the disciples saw his glory. His signs, the miracles he worked, overwhelmed them. So Peter once said: "Depart from me, I am a sinful man" (Lk 5:8). At times in our own lives, we too see his glory, in certain events or experiences. We realize then that he loves us.

But most of the time, his glory is invisible. We see it through the eyes of faith. We may think he has stopped loving us. But that is when he loves us more.

Jesus' human mind always saw the Father, just like the saints in heaven. This gave him perfect joy and happiness. Normally, this joy should overflow, making him shine not just once, as in the Transfiguration, but always. But divine wisdom blocked this overflow, allowing him to look down as well, to see and experience our misery, our hunger, our thirst, our pain, and even experience death. While still seeing the Father, he could cry out, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"

The more we identify with his suffering, joining our meagre sufferings to his, the more we share his joy of spirit. He calls us: Believe in me, find me, the way the truth and the life, be with me, and like me. That made Paul say:

• "Be imitators of me as I am of Christ" (1 Cor 11:1)
• "All of us, with our unveiled faces like mirrors, reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the image, that we reflect in brighter and brighter glory" (2 Cor 3:18).
• "I am alive; yet it is no longer I, but Christ living in me" (Gal 2:20).

Lent is a time for change, from living for ourselves - to living for Christ, from offending others to helping others, from envy of their success to praising their efforts, from welcoming lust to running from it, from yielding to pressure of friends - and complying with the devil's rules, to standing firm - and insisting on God's rules.

Lent is a time to look at Christ, to embrace his cross, to tap its power, that defeated death. It's a time to let him change us, refurbish us, intensify his grace in us, the grace that makes us his image, and entitles us to glory. Lent is a time to grasp the cross, and through it the crown.

3^rd Sunday of Lent, Year A: 2005

How pure is “pure water”? I hesitate to drink from a nylon bag. But when people are desperate, as after the tsunami disaster, they drink from any gutter, and get cholera as a result. I mostly use water from a borehole. It is pure, but hard with lime and other chemicals. The soft pure water of Erin-Ijesha is heavenly ale to drink and refreshing to bathe in. A drink of cold clear water is what anyone is expected to offer a guest on arrival.

On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus arrived both thirsty and hungry. He asked the woman at the well for a drink, and used her objection to offer her better water than what she had. The woman knew the value of bubbling spring water, which she thought Jesus was offering her. But she soon grasped the spiritual meaning towards which he was lifting her mind, and his narration of her secret marital situation led her, after a few more steps, to recognize that sitting here before her was the Messiah himself.

It seems Jesus never got the drink he asked for. The woman was so excited to receive her spiritual drink of the Spirit that she ran off to tell everyone in town. Her faith was the result Jesus was really thirsting for, and he got it. In the meantime food arrived, which Jesus had sent his disciples to bring. It seems he had no chance to taste this food either, because he saw another food coming, a chance to do his Father’s will and bring his Father’s work to perfection. The crowds of people from the town on their way towards him were the harvest he so eagerly called his apostles to gather. That was the object of his hunger.

If we live in the world of faith, we have the pure water and the tasty food of the Spirit to enjoy: prayer, the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and community with other people of faith. But staying on that level is not always that easy. The Israelites slipped down to the muddy waters of unbelief when they became so concerned about finding ordinary water that they revolted against Moses. Our faith gets tested in times of difficulty. And difficulties we will certainly meet if we are following Jesus on the road to Jerusalem. Sometimes our biggest hopes can be dashed and we have to start all over again at point zero. Do we still have faith in God in such occasions to pick up and go on?

Faith, Paul tells us, leads us to rejoice not only in good times and in the hope of glory to come but also in difficulties and trials, since these make us practice firm endurance, and that builds our hope of reaching the goal of accomplishing the work God has given us to do in life.

Christ, who died for us when we were undeserving sinners, will see that we succeed in living like Christ, dying like Christ, and drinking the waters of everlasting life with him.

3^rd Sunday of Lent, Year A: 2008

Did you ever ask yourself: At the Last Supper, did Jesus receive communion? The answer is Yes, because he did not ask others to do what he did not do himself, just as he underwent baptism beore requiring it of others. The point to conclude is that his food is our food, and his drink is our drink.

Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for water to drink, leading her to ask from him his own wonder-water that is life itself and gushes up now in the activities of grace, and later in the glory of eternal life. In John 7:39 Jesus explains that this gushing water stands for the Holy Spirit whom those who believe in him would receive.

Being one in substance with Jesus, the Spirit was implanted in him like a spring ever flowing and imbuing him with power, wisdom and goodness. That was Jesus' drink, quite apart from and far surpassing earthly water.

The same Holy Spirit has been planted in us by baptism, and his ever flowing action is our drink, imbuing us likewise with moral strength, widsom and goodness.

As Jesus continued his conversation with the Samaritan woman, words of wisdom poured out, exposing the secrets of her life so that she could recognize the secret of his life, that the one speaking to her was the Messiah.

As she dropped her bucket and ran to bring the town out to meet him, Jesus's disciples brought him food. Just as the drink he lived by and lived for was not ordinary drink, so the food he lived by and lived for was not what the disciples carried in their basket, for his food was to do his Father's will and complete his work.

The work at hand that moment was to harvest into the Kingdom of God the crowd of people coming towards him from the town. They were probably dressed in white, looking like a field of ripe grain. The grain had been planted by Jesus' words to the woman, and was ripe already, four months before a normal harvest, under the action of Christ, the "Sun of Justice" (Mal 4:2).

Jesus had planted. He sent his disciples out to reap where they had not sown, first right there in Samaria, and later throughout the rest of the world until the end of time. The planter and the reapers were to be of one mind and rejoice together in the same divine project. Their food was the same: to do the will of the Father and complete the work of building up his Kingdom.

When the townspeople came out, they came face to face with Jesus and heard his words with their own ears. Their minds were opened and they and recognized that his words sprung from the truth of God himself, and that he was the Saviour of the world. They became disciples, and they too began to drink of the Holy Spirit and eat the food of working in the service of the Kingdom of God, as newcomers to the Faith continue to do up to now.

May Christ's words penetrate our minds and capture our hearts, so that his drink, the life-giving Holy Spirit, and his food, zeal for the work his Father gave him, become our own preferred drink and our own preferred food.

3^rd Sunday of Lent, Year A: 2011

The water of eternal life, the water of grace—where do we find it? Coming from the clouds above, or flowing from the earth below—as rain water, or well water. How do we find it? —By stretching our arms to heaven, or by probing the depths of our soul?

As Jesus showed the Samaratan woman, the water comes from below, from the bottom of the well, from the depths of our soul. There, and not in the sky above, do we connect with God, and tap the water of grace.

Coming to Sychar, the disciples went off to market, leaving Jesus alone at the well. Along came the Samaritan woman. She came for water in the well. Jesus came for water in her soul. He drilled her by his queries, and found no water. He found blockage, in her present boy-friend, and her five exes.

That required further drilling, till he reached the bottom. That's when she learned his identity. The Messiah was speaking to her. Right away, she believed, repented; the water of grace started flowing, and overflowing. She had to share it, so ran off to tell her townspeople.

In an instant, from an unbelieving sinner, the woman became an apostle of Christ. To understand what happened, let's take it in slow motion. God's water, his grace, never runs dry, as does Ibadan water supply, or NEPA. He is always there for us. But we are in control of the valve. Our choice lets the water in, or disconnects it.

Where is the intake valve? —Not in our senses, or feelings, or even intellect, or will, but in our soul itself, our very being. There sanctifying grace enters, transforms us, and makes us children of God. That is the bottom of the well. From there it flows into our intellect, giving us faith and prudence, into our will, giving us hope and love, and into our feelings, giving us fortitude and temperance —all the virtues that make you perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect, the virtues that make you trustworthy, lovable, admirable.

We can open the valve fully, and let God take complete charge, or reduce it by venial sin, or turn it off by mortal sin.

Many women, as well as many men, are like the Samaritan woman. They have wells and can draw water. They have investments and can draw dividends. They have cash cards and can draw money. But their soul is empty and dry. The valve of divine grace is off. So they have no goodness to draw, for themselves or for others. They have fair-weather friends, but none for stormy weather.

We pray for such people, that God may touch their souls.

But Jesus showed us an additional method. Strike up a conversation with them, as he did with the Samaritan woman. The disciples were astounded—Jesus, talking with a strange woman, one to one! When she gathered her townspeople, Jesus told them to do as he did. The harvest is ripe. Go and reap. See the crowd coming. Go and talk with them.

I was in Abuja last week. A woman came up and asked, "Are you Fr. Kenny?" I said "Yes". She knew me as a UI student. That was 30 years ago. Somewhere along the line, she had dropped out of the Catholic Church. We had a long conversation.

If our valve of grace is open, the water is always flowing, our spirits are fresh and green. The only thirst we have - is for the vision of God, in the next life.

Our prayer is not clamouring to heaven, but entering within, to the Trinity dwelling in us. There is the Lord our shepherd, where we shall not want. Near restful waters he leads us, to revive our drooping spirits.

4^th Sunday of Lent, Year A: 2005

How well are my children doing? How do I solve this problem? So many questions! Why ask me? You have eyes to see. Maybe you need better light or a little explanation or to have some things pointed out. In the end, there is nothing like seeing things for yourself.

The man born blind had defective eyes. Once Jesus corrected them, he saw plainly. But he saw more than the eye sees. He saw that his new ability to see could not come from any natural healing or medical treatment, but had to come from divine intervention, and that this miraculous gift of sight came through Jesus.

With this certainty, the man quickly and bravely brushed aside the objections of the Pharisees. This man must be from God, but exactly what is he? A prophet or more than a prophet? Jesus simply said, “I am the Son of Man.”

The man born blind could recognize right away the reference to Daniel 7 (13-14): “I saw coming on the clouds of heaven as it were a son of man... On him was conferred rule, honour and kingship... His rule is an everlasting rule which will never pass away, and his kingship will never come to an end.”

The man born blind immediately recognized that before him was certainly a son of man, certainly the son of man described by Daniel, and more than that, he was the divine Lord. So he went down on his knees before him.

Commenting on this, Jesus further asserted his divine authority to give the blind sight and make clear the blindness of those who repudiated Christ in spite of the divine evidence showing who he was: Son of God and Son of Man, the anointed Messiah foreshadowed by David, whose throne God assured would be everlasting.

By our Catholic faith, we are the ones:

1. whose eyes are opened —by the living faith we received at baptism.
2. and are made children of the light, which penetrates our minds and hearts and all our being.
3. so as to shine with goodness —by letting others share in our goodness,
4. with right living — by leading a blameless life,
5. and with truth — in all that we say or promise, and in our sharing our faith with others.

If we have compromised the light —a situation that this season of Lent addresses— and have been walking

1. in the darkness of mortal sin
2. or in the shadows of venial sin,
3. let us wake up, rise from the dead darkness or the shadows,
4. and Christ will shine on us.

4^th Sunday of Lent, Year A: 2011

As along as I have been around U.I.—and that's a long time—I have known blind students, and with them devoted helpers. What they lacked in eyesight, they made up for in mind-sight. They did well in their studies. Besides that, many of them had spiritual insight. They lived their Faith. Spiritual insight—that is Jesus' greatest gift. It it is a light, to guide our thinking, our feelings, and our actions.

The blind man asked Jesus for sight. He was not blind mentally. His answers showed high intelligence. He lacked two things: bodily vision, and spiritual vision. Jesus worked a double miracle, opening his eyes to the light, and his spirit to faith.

Spiritual blindness is a terrible curse, the worst disease anyone can have. That comes from mortal sin.

But there is also partial blindness. Some people have faulty vision. They need glasses to read, or to drive. Then there are the legally blind. They can see a little, but need help to get around. It's like that with spiritual vision. Some see well, others not so clearly.

What is spiritual vision? —It includes knowing our Faith. Can you pass a catechism test, or a theology exam?

But spiritual vision goes beyond that. Hebrews, chapter 5, exhorts: Milk, that is, basic catechism, is for babies. Move beyond that to solid food, the ability to discern right from wrong. Move to vision that is pure, honest, just, and peaceful.

Some people have impure vision. A man sees a lady. She may be brilliant, competent, a good Christian. But he sees only one thing: a potential bed companion. If a man has pure vision, he may notice that, but will keep his balance, and not give into temptation.

Some people have dishonest vision. Here is money within reach. Ownership considerations? —He blocks them out. He sees only one thing: Is anyone looking?

Some people have unjust vision. That man voted against me. He must be an evil man. See his glaring faults. He has no redeeming virtues. All the good he did was a sham, just to gain popularity. He is good for nothing. Unjust vision excludes fair judgment.

Some people have volcanic vision. They see a wrong, and erupt in shouting and quarreling. They shake everything in sight, and cannot see straight, speak straight or act straight. Volcanic vision destroys peace.

Some people have coward's vision. All they see is danger. They won't make a move, unless they know it is safe. They can't say no, they cannot challenge anything, because they sees reprisal coming. Fear constricts their vision, and they can't see opportunity.

So spiritual vision includes a clear conscience, one which discerns right from wrong, rejects the wrong and chooses the right.

But spiritual vision goes beyond that. It gives us, as Paul says, "strength to grasp the breadth, the length, the height and depth of Christ's love, to know Christ's love, which surpasses understanding" (Eph 3:19). How do we get that vision? —By spending time with Christ, and surrendering completely to him, and all he asks of us.

Spiritual vision has still a deeper level, that of the martyrs. Martyrs share the vision of Christ, who saw no greater love, than to die for his friends, for us. Even if we don't die as martyrs, Jesus calls us to be ready, to take up our own cross, and follow him.

We pity blind students. But we should pity ourselves more, if our spiritual vision is gone, or impaired. Lent is the time for a check-up, to visit Jesus, our eye-doctor, and get treatment. He is there in the confessional. He is there in Communion, and when we pray. Let him heal us, so that we can live our Faith.

5^th Sunday of Lent, Year A: 2005

God did not consult us when he brought us into this world, and he does not consult us when he takes us out of this world, but he does give us a say in what type of resurrection we are to have, whether it is really to be for glory, as every funeral notice makes bold to claim, or whether it is for condemnation, as is often the case.

Lazarus of Bethany was more fortunate than Lazarus the beggar, because he had two loving sisters who were very troubled over his sickness and later death, and called Jesus to come and do something about it. Jesus took his time, and then went into the danger zone where enemies were waiting to kill him. He defied the danger because there was still enough daytime of divine protection for him to go on working. The night would come later when his enemies would have their best of him.

Jesus arrived too late for Martha and Mary. They both complained that had Jesus come on time, their brother would not have died. — “Your brother will rise again.” — “I know he will rise on the last day.” — “I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

All the visitors followed Mary to the tomb. Jesus, showing his full humanity, wept and sighed and prayed to his Father, so that all could know that the miracle about to happen was from God. He cried with a loud voice, like the trumpet at the last day, “Lazarus, come out!” Lazarus did, and many believed in Jesus.

Lazarus in the tomb represents the status of a sinner. A sinner begins his first day in the tomb the moment he deliberately entertains the thought of sin. He has spent a second day when he gives consent to the sin. He spends a third day when he commits the sin by action. The fourth day is when the sinful action becomes an ingrained habit. Then he stinks thoroughly.

A sinner cannot come out of the tomb unless the Lord calls him by the grace of repentance. Then he stands up and takes a few steps. But he cannot go far, because he is bound by his guilt. The Lord then orders his priests to unbind him. “Whatever you loose on earth is loosed in heaven.” They do so, and he walks away freely in the land of the living.

If, like Mary, Martha and Lazarus, having put away serious sin, we learn to believe in Jesus and keep to his words, he comes to us and dwells in us. We shall surely die to this mortal life, as he did, but he will also just as surely raise us up to live with him forever.

5^th Sunday of Lent, Year A: 2011

"Lazarus, come forth!" —Do the dead have ears to hear? Last week's gospel was about sight: physical sight and spiritual sight. Likewise, there is physical hearing and spiritual hearing. Lazarus' spirit heard the Lord. Life commanded; death obeyed. The stinking corpse became a healthy body, reanimated by Lazarus' spirit.

When Lazarus fell sick, Jesus was absent. In Jerusalem, his opponents wanted to stone him; so he moved across the Jordan, to the locality of John's baptizing. Mary and Martha sent him a message: "Lord, the one you love is down."

That was a prayer of great faith, like Mary's prayer, "They have no wine." From a close friend, you do not beg. You take what you need, or tell him your problem. A child doesn't ask mother for food; if food isn't ready, he just says, "I am hungry."

Jesus knew his own time was coming, his time to taste death. He, the light of the world, life itself, would lie dead in a dark tomb, and rise after three days. That event, Jesus knew, would traumatize his disciples. To strengthen their faith, he gave them a preview, in the death and raising of Lazarus.

He had a plan, and acted accordingly. First, he delayed until Lazarus died. Then he instructed his disciples: He, the light of the world, would temporarily give way to night, the night of his death. Before that, he must work. He would awaken the sleeping Lazarus. The disciples breathed a sigh of relief. Jesus then shocked them: "Lazarus has died." I am going to him, in Judaea, where they want to kill me. Thomas, now full of faith, burst out: "Let's go with him, and die with him." That was the response Jesus waited for.

He is waiting for our own response. Will we die with him? Dying with him is twofold: negatively, dying to sin; positively, loving him fully, giving our all, unto death.

Next, in Bethany, he instructed Martha: "I am the resurrection and the life. Believe in me. Even if you die, you will live. Believe in me, and you will not die finish. Do you believe that?" "Yes I do," Mary replied, "You are the Son of God, come into the world." That was the reply Jesus waited for.

What is our own reply? When things fall apart, when tsunamis hit us, do we still believe, like Job? Or are we like the mountain climber? He fell and got caught on a tree. He shouted to heaven, "Save me, God." God answered, "Just cut the rope, and you will be OK." The man shouted again, "Is there anyone else up there?" Jesus instructed Mary by action: Bring me to the tomb. This was the decisive moment. He made sure many witnesses were present. "Roll back the stone." — "Father, this is for the crowd here present, that they may believe you sent me." — "Lazarus, come forth."

All around us there is death: sin plus physical death. There are killings, corruption, exploitation, neglect, rigging —you name it. In the midst of it all, concentrated in the Church, stands Life. He is calling the dead to come forth. He calls the perpetrators: Leave your crimes, come to my life of grace. He calls the victims: Don't fear those who kill the body; work for justice; your reward will be great, in everlasting life.

"Come forth!" —Many do not listen. They will rise one day, but in shame.

Others, like Thomas, Martha and Mary, have ears. They do listen. They believe. They rise to the heights of grace, and one day to the heights of glory.

6^th Sunday of Lent, Year A: 2005

He was born for this; this is why he came into the world. From his infancy he was the non-resisting disciple pursued by Herod. His adulthood was geared towards Jerusalem, to accept death, death on a cross:

When the day came, his disciples arranged the room for the Passover meal.

They entered with Jesus and began the first celebration of the Eucharist and the last time Jesus would taste wine on this earth, closing with a prediction of Peter’s fall.

Then in Gethsemane came the solitary prayer of agony,

The sudden appearance of the Betrayer with the Temple soldiers sent the disciples running away.

In the trial before Caiphas Jesus affirmed he was the Son of God and Son of Man foretold by Daniel; so they condemned him.

In the meantime Peter denied Jesus and went out to weep bitterly.

This was parallelled by Judas’ remorse and suicide.

Parallelling the trial before Caiphas, came the trial before Pilate, where Jesus affirmed he was the King of the Jews; Pilate however released Barabbas and, like Caiphas, condemned Jesus.

The scourging and crucifixion completed the action begun with the arrest of Jesus.

His dying on the cross reflected the desolation of the agony in the garden.

The tearing of the veil of the Temple, symbol of the Old Covenant, is tied with the institution of the Eucharist and the blood of the new and everlasting covenant, while the centurion bore the witness that Peter had promised but failed to deliver.

The burial of Jesus is the conclusion of the story that began with the preparation for the Passover meal.

This is the story of the humbling of Jesus to accepting death on a cross. “But God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names, so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld should bend the knee at the name of Jesus, and every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

6^th Sunday of Lent, Year A: 2011

The court deprived Jesus of innocence. The executioners deprived him of life.

Or did they? No. Jesus explains why: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." Man's way must yield to God's way, a wrong verdict to the truth, death to life.

Peter followed man's way. He swiped an ear off Malchus. He followed Jesus to the highpriest's house, and there denied him three times. Yet God's way prevailed. As Matthew tells us, "Peter went out and wept bitterly." His rehabilitation came in Galilee, after the Resurrection. Jesus asked him three times, "Do you love me?" Three times he answered, "Lord, you know I love you."

A wrong verdict must yield to the truth. Look at Jesus trial. Pilate interviewed him, and said to the crowd: "I find no case against him." Pilate never pronounced him guilty. He simply yielded to the mob, and handed him over. To this day, the world holds him innocent. A Muslim commentator, from this campus, wrote: "Prophet `Isa (Jesus) was declaimed as the enemy of the state just because he stood against corruption; he was declared persona non grata just because he preferred the plenitude, not of this world, as is the fad nowadays, but of the hereafter."

Death must yield to life. Jesus died on the cross. But death could not hold him down, because he is Life itself. As his humanity suffered destruction, his divinity stood untouched, ready to raise his humanity, not to a mortal life, but a life that knows no pain, no sickness, no death, no end.

Who were the protagonists in this drama? At the bottom lies all humanity, laid low by Adam's sin and, over the centuries, fallen among robbers.

Secondly, there are the robbers themselves, wrecking havoc everywhere, in every way, up to today. These are the ones who crucified Jesus. Pilate and the mob were only their agents.

At centre stage, there is Jesus himself, at the receiving end. All evil-doing, from all time, fell on him. He bore the sins of the world. He underwent death willingly, and for a purpose: to raise up fallen mankind, to make us all children of God, strong, capable of facing difficulties, including wrong verdicts and murder.

Will that deprive us of innocence, and life? No, because we belong to Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Good Friday: 2004

Because Jesus is really a man, he really died. Because he is really God, he rose from death.

As a human event, Jesus’ death was a tragedy, a cruel murder of a good and great man, and it should make us want to wail and moan.

We may also feel outrage at those who killed him, until we realize that he freely laid down his life in obedience to his Father, taking the punishment our sins deserved. Then our outrage turns to self-accusation and remorse.

Then if we look deeper at the mystery of this event, we see in the blood flowing from his body the divine medicine to heal us from all the wounds of sin. That is why he went to death, to bring us to life.

Because Jesus is man, his suffering and death took a few short hours and is past. Because he is God, his suffering and death touch everyone through all time and space. They touch each of us individually, you and me, at every moment of our lives, especially in the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation and the Eucharist.

For that reason, we do not cry at Jesus’ death, nor do we feel outrage, nor do we sit in remorse like Judas, but we rise up to thank, praise and honour him for what he has done for all of us:

Glory be to Jesus, who in bitter pain / poured for me the life blood, from his sacred veins.

Besides praising and cheering for Jesus, there is one more step he expects of us. That is to “go and die with him” (John 11:16). From St. Stephen onwards to our own day, Christians have shed their blood for Christ. Others, who have not had that opportunity, have shed their tears and sweat in another kind of martyrdom. What is clear is that if we do not die to ourselves and are not prepared to lay down our lives for Christ and his Church, we are not really his disciples. So let us not run away, but take up our cross and hang on it by his side. That is the way we can be united with him and be with him in Paradise.

Because the cross is so central, and there is no Christianity without it, we honour the cross as the principal sign of Christ and of the Church. We open all our prayers with the sign of the cross. We bless ourselves with it in times of temptation and danger, and any time we are starting on a journey, starting a class or meeting, or beginning anything new. Therefore today we will come up to honour the cross. It is our tangible way of honouring the suffering and death of Jesus that are always active in our lives.

O beautiful & radiant tree, adorned with brilliant royal red selected for the noble task of touching Jesus’ sacred limbs!	O blessed branches on which hung the ransom price for all mankind His body weight you held aloft to snatch us from the devil’s mouth.
O cross of Christ, our only hope, * in this most sacred Passion time forgive our sins and give us strength * to cherish you and grow in grace

Good Friday: 2005

Some days ago, in Edo State, a danfo driver refused to give the police the customary 20 and sped on. The police chased, shot at the danfo’s tires and sent it crashing into the bush, killing and injuring the passengers. The police van also crashed. A crowd gathered, caught some of the policemen and were ready to necklace them for demanding bribe and attacking innocent people. Justice must be done!

Jesus too, though innocent, was murdered. Who was to blame? Who should be necklaced for this crime? Pilate? Jesus’ countrymen who demanded his death? No one took action against Pilate or the Jewish fanatics. Peter drew his sword to prevent it happening, but Jesus stopped him. Our outrage runs out of steam when we realize that he freely and determinedly laid down his life in obedience to his Father, taking the punishment our sins deserved.

Then our outrage turns to self-accusation and remorse. It was by our sins that we, you and I, brought on his death. Why did we do it? Why did we offend God? Both Peter and Judas realized their part in Jesus’ suffering, and both went out and wept. Only Peter could not forget the love that Jesus had shown him, and so retained hope of eventual forgiveness, whereas Judas despaired and committed suicide.

Yes, we can turn back and be forgiven. We can stand at the cross with Mary and John and drink freely from the love and divine power pouring out of the side of Jesus. Jesus could really suffer death because he is really a man, but because he is also really God he could rise from death. And because he is really God, God’s loving power is active in him without restriction, to heal us from sin and all the wounds of sin and put us on our feet in the way of holiness. That is why he went to death, to bring us life.

Because Jesus is man, his suffering and death took a few short hours and is past. Because he is God, his suffering and death touch everyone through all time and space. They touch each of us individually, you and me, at every moment of our lives, especially in the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation and the Eucharist.

For that reason, we do not cry at Jesus’ death, nor do we feel outrage, nor do we sit in remorse like Judas, but we rise up to thank, praise and honour him for what he has done for all of us:

Glory be to Jesus, who in bitter pain / poured for me the life blood, from his sacred veins.

Besides praising and cheering for Jesus, there is one more step he expects of us. That is to “go and die with him” (John 11:16). From St. Stephen onwards to our own day, Christians have shed their blood for Christ. Others, who have not had that opportunity, have shed their tears and sweat in another kind of martyrdom. What is clear is that if we do not die to ourselves and are not prepared to lay down our lives for Christ and his Church, we are not really his disciples. So let us not run away, but take up our cross and hang on it by his side. That is the way we can be united with him and be with him in Paradise.

Because the cross is so central, and there is no Christianity without it, we honour the cross as the principal sign of Christ and of the Church. We open all our prayers with the sign of the cross. We bless ourselves with it in times of temptation and danger, and any time we are starting on a journey, starting a class or meeting, or beginning anything new. Therefore today we will come up to honour the cross. It is our tangible way of honouring the suffering and death of Jesus that are always active in our lives. And it is a tangible way of drawing upon us the power of the cross which is Jesus crucified.

Touch his cross with faith, and receive his body in Communion with faith. He will touch you in ways that will surprise you.

O beautiful & radiant tree, adorned with brilliant royal red selected for the noble task of touching Jesus’ sacred limbs!	O blessed branches on which hung the ransom price for all mankind His body weight you held aloft to snatch us from the devil’s mouth.
O cross of Christ, our only hope, * in this most sacred Passion time forgive our sins and give us strength * to cherish you and grow in grace

Good Friday: 2007

How low can God stoop to lift us up to himself?

He came down to Adam and Eve and moved through the garden to to and talk with them (Gen 3:8). He spoke to their son Cain, to Abraham, Moses and a host of prophets. God was coming low to speak with them.

At last he spoke through his Son, his eternal Word, made flesh from the Virgin Mary. There he lay, a helpless baby, that had to flee with his parents to Egypt while Herod raged and killed every baby boy that could possibly claim his throne. Here God was coming much lower.

His was a simple, poor life, hidden for thirty years. When the time came for him to appear in public, his words electrified his hearers. However lowly and wretched their condition, he showed them how thye could become intimate friends with God himself. His miracles backed up his words and raised the hopes of thousands.

At the same time his popularity stirred up envy among some politically ambitious people. Not only did he outshine them in goodness, but he offered plenty of evidence that he not only spoke for God as a messenger, but he was the very message of God, God's Word, the fulness of God himeself.

With supreme wisdom and supreme courage he persisted in his witness to the truth of what he was and the salvation he offered his hearers and the whole of mankind. The opposition could do nothing as long as his hour had not yet come.

Then, on that Holy Thursday evening, his hour struck. After sharing for the first time his real body and blood with his disciples, he entered the garden of Gethsemane and his agony began. In his solitary prayer he experience all that lay ahead, and concluded, "Father, not my will but yours be done."

The action moved fast: The betrayer stings him, the disciples vanish, Peter denies him, his captors mock, beat and condemn him. They send him on a death march to Calvary. They strip him and crucify him. They continue mocking him until he gives up his spirit. He is lowered from the cross, lowered to the grave.

How low can God stoop to lift us up?

How low are we? No matter how far down we are with disappointments, oppression or sin, his arms reach under us to lift us up. The victory of the cross is to pull us from sin, stabilize us in virtue, give us peace of conscience, and fill our hearts with God's love and joy. With that we can face any other difficulty of life, as Paul explains (2 Cor 4:8-11):

We are subjected to every kind of hardship, but never distressed; we see no way out but we never despair; we are pursued but never cut off; knocked down, but still have some life in us; always we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible in our body. Indeed, while we are still alive, we are continually being handed over to death, for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible in our mortal flesh.

Yes, God stooped down, to death on a cross, and by his wounds we are healed.

Easter Vigil: 2005

Have you ever entered the mortuary at UCH or at Anatomy here on campus? I have been in both, but they are not places I relish going near, much less entering. At UCH, when the airconditioning is off there is the smell of rot mixed with formaldehyde, a sickening stench that locks in your memory.

From the time Jesus died to the time the women came to the tomb, 39 hours had passed, enough time for rot to set in. Yet the women eagerly rushed to the tomb, a dark, a spooky, a smelly place. What motivated them? The body of someone they loved was there. That is the same reason anyone would dare enter the mortuary at UCH or Anatomy.

The women also had to face a guard of soldiers, who could quite easily lay them out dead in the tomb if they did not observe protocol and settle them.

The women were brave. Maybe they had heard Thomas’ brave statement much earlier, “Let us go to Jerusalem and die with him.”

Let us enter the tomb. We came here in the night to reenact a visit to Jesus’ cadaver, the victim of a ritual murder. It should be fearsome, scary. Is it because we already know the happy ending that we go in dancing as if we are not in the presence of death with the murderers still at large?

The call is still there, beckoning us with necessity: Die and be buried with Jesus! How? By death to sin, by a never-never return to any sin that cuts us off from God.

The women who set out in the morning had already died in spirit with Jesus and were thoroughly buried with him. That prepared them to meet the unexpected. The guards were knocked out, and an angel was there to announce: “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said he would.” — “You will see him in Galilee.” — But the women did not have to go to Galilee. They saw Jesus then and there.

The whole experience was a shock for the women. The one constant factor was their love for Jesus. But sorrow turned to joy, despondency catapulted into hope, a confused uncertain faith solidified into an unshakable profession of Jesus’ resurrection, fear of God’s display of power fell into a confident rush to Jesus’ feet, so that they could be charged with his resurrection power.

It was a transformation. Whatever their past — and Mary Magdalene certainly had a past! — they were now alive to God in a new, stable and permanent way. In going to the Apostles, they became missionaries to the missionaries. When they touched the feet of Christ with faith, they were imbued with the power of grace to please God perfectly in everything they did, as we can be if we touched the cross with deep faith on Good Friday, or if we renew our Baptism with deep faith in tonight’s liturgy. Where sin abounded, grace abounds. O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer. “Ile oba to jo, ewa lo bu kun.”

Their life of grace would accompany them to their dying days. But their death was not their end. Having been touched by Christ, death could have no permanent hold on them and, like Christ, they would arise.

We too, by keeping our eyes on Christ in his suffering, death and resurrection, can live holy and spotless lives, and be sure of our own resurrection to glory where we will be with him forever.

2^nd Sunday of Easter, Year A: 2005

How do you recognize a true believer? He is totally committed to what he believes in. He is ready to sacrifice all he has and his very life for the sake of what he believes in. He is so convinced that nothing you say to challenge his belief will shake him from it or raise any doubts in his mind.

Where can you find a true believer? Sometimes you can find it in a man and a lady who want to get married. They adore one another so thoroughly that they can see no fault in the other. Maybe only after they get married do they realize that they need to believe in an outside party, God, to shore up their fidelity to one another.

The more experience you have of the world, the more convinced you are that you cannot put absolute faith in any man. The political messiahs deceive you. The pop-stars, like Michael Jackson, can dazzle people with their singing, but not with their lives. Football or sport heros dazzle you during the game, but that is all. A Pentecostal pastor can command his devotees to blindly carry out any instruction, until one day his followers realize that there are flaws in his own life and teaching.

Maybe the person who commands the greatest faith in the world today is our Holy Father the Pope. That is because he is the Vicar of Christ, and is there to speak in his name.

Most of the heroes in our life, whether pop-stars, football players, the Pope, or anyone else – we have never met personally. At most we have seen them at a distance or seen them on television. Jesus Christ also we have never seen. But those he sent out to preach in his name from the time of his Resurrection to the end of the world, not only brought us news about him, but put us into contact with him. He breathed his Spirit into them so that they could provide us with the Mass and sacraments. These are not simply occasions of meeting Jesus, but they establish or strengthen Jesus’ presence within our souls. So we don’t have to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to meet him, or stay home and watch him on television. He is right there within us, NEPA or no NEPA, water or no water, money or no money, as long as we don’t drive him out by mortal sin.

What was Jesus offering his disciples when he said “Peace be with you”? Peace here is the calm security that comes from having Jesus himself and the Trinity dwell within us. Storms of temptation or persecution may shake us, but with him there we will weather any storm.

There are true believers in many cults or false prophets. We pity them for believing so easily and uncritically in a delusion that does not save them or uplift their lives, and for spending themselves without reserve in supporting and propagating their error.

But when we have the Truth itself made man, who suffered, died and rose to offer us an everlasting share in his own life, what is our reaction? Do I reject the offer, as so many do and miss out on the promises? Or do I accept half-heartedly, combining my faith with a life style that clashes with it? Or am I ready to sign on as a true believer, with all that I have and all that I am? “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

2^nd Sunday of Easter, Year A: 2011

"Peace be with you" — In Hebrew: "Shalom la-kem" — In Arabic: "As-salamu `alay-kum."

Peace is Jesus' Easter gift to us, a gift to receive, a gift to share.

What is peace? For most, it is the absence of its opposite: war, riots, insecurity, which the northern states just witnessed.

Peace has a deeper meaning. St. Augustine defined peace as "the tranquillity of order". Where there is order, there is peace. Where there is disorder, there is no peace.

Are we at peace with ourselves? Are we torn in opposite directions, as our emotions revolt against reason? Are we impatient, because what we want, we don't have yet? That is disorder; that is lack of inner peace. You want that position. Keep working. God's time, God's opportunities are best.

Are we at peace with God? Or does our conscience trouble us, over some wrong we did? That is disorder, and lack of spiritual peace.

Are we at peace with our neighbour? Paul tells us: "If at all possible on your part, be at peace with all men" (Rom 12:18). If others wrong us, we are not at peace, but it is not our fault. If we wronged them, and have not corrected that wrong, we are at fault.

Jesus said at the last supper: "Peace I leave you, my peace I give you" (Jn 14:27). He went on to say: "Remain in my love... and your joy will be full" (Jn 15:9,11). In that case, you will be at peace with yourselves, with God, and with one another.

But, he said, "the world will hate you" (Jn 15:18-19). "You will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice." But, he promised, "your sorrow will turn to joy" (Jn 16:20). "And that joy no one can take from you" (Jn 16:22).

Jesus concludes: "I have said this, that you may have peace in me. You have trouble in the world. But be courageous, I have overcome the world" (Jn 16:33).

Jesus not only gives us peace, he expects us to share it. "Blessed are the peacemakers" (Mt 5:9). And in the Church, he designated conveyors of his peace. Sending the apostles, he told them: "As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let you peace come upon it, if not, let your peace return to you" (Mt 10:12-13).

How would the apostles offer peace? Jesus explains: "Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven." Forgiving sins restores us to God's peace.

Not everyone will receive peace. That is the meaning of: "Whose sins you retain, they are retained." The Church offers peace, but the response is: "Back to sender."

Speaking to Thomas, Jesus tells everybody: "Do not be an unbeliever, but a believer" —a believer not merely in Jesus, "my Lord and my God," but also that he forgives, and offers his peace, through the Church, in this day and age. The confessional is there, offering peace. Don't tell Jesus: "Back to sender."

Where there is love of God, there are peace and joy. So Paul tells us: "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, Rejoice... The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:4, 7).

As-salamu `alay-kum. Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.

3^rd Sunday of Easter, Year A: 2011

"We were hoping he would redeem Israel" —These are words of stakeholders, perpelexed, distraught, not knowing where to turn, but needing to turn somewhere. They headed for Emmaus.

"It is already three days" —a long time, if you are waiting for election results, a long time, if you are in the airport, waiting for your flight.

"But some women" —They had gone to the tomb—love brought them there. They found it empty—love drove them to tears. Where is he? What has happened? What is going on?

Jesus himself stepped in, to calm their anxiety and stabilize their faith: "Mary!" "Rabbuni—My Lord!"

The women's anxiety lasted three days, from the cross to Easter morning. The disciples' anxiety lasted three days, from the women's report till reaching Emmaus.

As back in Galilee, when the sea was so rough, and all seemed lost, so now, Jesus was asleep, deep in their hearts. As then, so now, he calmed their troubled hearts. He showed himself, confirming his presence, even when they don't see him.

Jesus shows himself in different ways. Mary Magdalene was attuned to his voice, attuned to his heart. All he did was call her name, and it was instant recognition.

As for the two disciples, they were attuned to Scripture. So Jesus discussed Scripture with them, leading them step by step, heart-beat by heart-beat, till they saw him break bread. Then and there: recognition and joy.

In our own life history, Jesus takes us as we are. Growing up, we may take him for granted, until we meet some crisis. Then doubt, confusion and anxiety take over. We wonder, we pray. Then he steps in, says or does something we understand, and let's us recognize him. He stabilizes our faith, banishes worry, and strengthens us to face any problem. Like the apostles in Acts 5:41, we may have to suffer for Christ. Like them, we will count it an honour.

We have our needs, and we should pray for them. But Jesus' presence, and our faith, banish panic. We don't need to shout, or shake heaven, just state our need. Our prayer, then, is not "HEAL me, HEAL me!", but Mary and Martha's words: "The one whom you love is sick." At the Cana wedding, it was not "For heaven's sake, DO something!", but "They ran out of wine." The Lord will take care of us, the way he knows best.

When we love Christ, life and death become equal. Paul said, "For me, life is Christ, death is gain... To depart this life and be with Christ is far better... but to remain is more necessary for your sake" (Phil 1:21-24). Paul's concern was Christ's concern. That was to redeem Israel, and all mankind—just what the two disciples were hoping for.

That is Jesus' work, every day, every hour, most of all in the Eucharist, the breaking of the bread.

4^th Sunday of Easter, Year A: 2005

We have one chief shepherd-pastor, Jesus Christ, and many other shepherd-pastors who represent him in the Church. We have one gateway to the Father, Jesus Christ, but no member of the Church who can be called “gateway to the Father”.

Jesus could spend the night alone with his Father without abandoning the people he came to save. And he could preach to the crowds in the daytime and be pressed on every side without abandoning communion with his Father. His union with the divine nature was the gateway which made smooth and easy the transition from God to men and from men to God. As he had no problem coming down from heaven, so he had no problem going up.

He is the mediator, the gateway, for everyone, from the people who lived on this earth 5 million years ago or more to the last person to be born at the end of this age, from the Catholics of Ibadan to the Muslims of Mecca and beyond, to the Hindus of India, to the Bhuddists of Japan, to the Communists of China. For all of them, all roads to heaven converge in Jesus, the one and only entry point and gateway to the Father.

In our society we have parents who try to provide for their children, and we have armed robbers and people in authority who try to rob them of their birthright. We have those, like our late Pope, who preach the truth, guiding people to please God with the highest demands of holiness, and those who mix their preaching with error or nonsense that settles for an easier way, depriving people from developing as they should and pleasing God as they ought. We have those, like our late Pope, who remind everyone in the world that, as children of the one God, they should respect and love one another, and we have those who make a profit by manipulating people to violence.

Jesus is our chief shepherd in several ways: First, he is the risen Lord who has overcome death. By the Eucharist, he nourishes our union with him and assures us that we will not be lost but share his risen life in the end. Secondly, he teaches us through the Gospel and the preaching of the Church what is our calling in this life, and what to do or not do in order to get there. Thirdly, he gave us the example of his own innocent life, particularly in suffering insults, torture and death without any hint of retaliation.

That is why, if we have gone astray, we should come back to the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls, our Gateway to eternal life.

4^th Sunday of Easter, Year A: 2011

I was on my way to Benin, a friend told me. Local Government boys stopped me with nails, demanded money. It was late. I was hungry and thirsty.

The story tells Nigerians' common plight —lack of security, lack of basic needs. It also depicts spiritual malaise —bondage under erroneous teachers, privation of the bread of life.

The Lord is our shepherd. We are his people, the flock he shepherds. He pastures us by day, and encloses us by night.

Robbers jump the fence, to snatch, kill and eat. Who are they? —They are those who scandalize, lead the little ones astray. How?

—By erroneous teaching. Like the serpent tempting Eve, "Come," they say, "listen to our prophet, our pastor, your eyes will be opened, you will see miracles, power."

—Again by bad example. "Come, let's share this money." "Come, let's share pornography. I can cure your virginity, show you how to have fun."

Some, like Eve, pluck the forbidden fruit, the fictitious fruit, sweet to lick, but poisonous to swallow. But by and large, the sheep pay no attention. They know the voice of their shepherd., the gateman, who leads them in and out.

Apart from the gateman, there is the gate. What is the difference? —A gateman is an employee. The gate represents the master, the owner of the house, the owner of the sheep.

Jesus calls himself the gate, not the gateman. All enter life through him, and find pasture and security.

Who are the gatemen? —They are the apostles, and priests who share their mandate. Jesus told Peter: "I give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven" —to open and shut, to loose and to bind, to distribute the bread, the Eucharist, that Jesus multiplies.

The gatemen are in need of your prayers. They battle temptation, opposition, and discouragement. They rely on the Lord, to supply for their inadequacies, and to bless their labour with success.

There are many gatemen, but one gate, just as there is one flock, one Church. The sheep know their gateman, their parish priest or bishop or pope, and he knows them, but there is one chief pastor, Jesus himself.

He looks after us spiritually and materially. Not one hair falls from our head, without our heavenly Father knowing it.

He will see us through roadblocks, the Local Government extortioners, and not let us die of deprivation.

5^th Sunday of Easter, Year A: 2005

It was a sad experience to see Pope John Paul II first dying and then dead and put in a grave. At present I feel the same way about my senior brother who is dying of cancer.

The disciples too were troubled when Jesus said he was going away. How was that? By his death, and after his Resurrection by his ascending to the Father.

But Jesus softened the pain of separation and told his disciples and us not to be troubled, because he was going to prepare a place for us and come again to take us with him to the Father’s house. How and when will that be? By our own death and resurrection, of course. Then we will rejoin not only Jesus and the Trinity, but also all those who have gone before us to our Father’s house.

Thomas’ perplexity about both Jesus’ destination and the way we are to get where he was going elicited Jesus’ famous declaration: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”

He is the way because he is the Word of God made man and our brother in every way. So he can connect with us and draw us after him the way he has gone.

He is the Truth and the Life because he, with the Father and the Spirit, is God, the goal of our journey.

To see him as mere man is not to see the Father, but to admit the miraculous works he did and believe in him is to open our eyes to his divine nature.

He is in the Father and the Father is in him. In the same way we are to be in him as the vine, and we are to be in him as the branches. In him we are to do greater works than he did? How is that possible? What were the works he did? They were, notably, healing the sick and raising the dead. But Peter tells us that, joined to Christ, we have become a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God, and we are living stones making a spiritual house.

Now, what is greater, to heal the sick and raise the dead, or to make an offering to God of our very selves, cleansed of sin and shining with every virtuous quality and goodness. Spiritual conversion and goodness is greater than physical well-being, such as physical healing.

Of course, Jesus raised people spiritually as well as physically, but physical miracles are more obvious to everybody, and those are the ones that he used to show that he came from the Father. Spiritual healing is less evident to the eyes of a crowd, but more important in itself, and that is the greater work Jesus said we are to do. And that the Church does every time it conducts baptism or forgives sin.

Our risen Lord is constantly calling more people to conversion and is constantly increasing the membership of his Church. Besides the spiritual sacrifice of a blameless life, let us offer ourselves as his instruments in assisting the spread of the Church, as the first seven deacons, whose choice we heard in the first reading, did.

Yes, Jesus has gone from us, as far as his visible appearance is concerned, but he is present in a more powerful way in the souls of every person in the state of grace, and in the Church as a whole, with its saving sacramental mysteries. He will, on the day appointed, bring us to the home of our Father.

6^th Sunday of Easter, Year A: 2005

If it is hard to lose a brother, it is harder to lose a father. Jesus is more than a brother, more than a father. At the very centre of today’s gospel we find his words, “I will not leave you orphans.” Positively put, that means he will leave us in one way, but will stay with us in another real way. How?

He can no longer be pinpointed palpably and visibly in any geographical location. Therefore the world cannot recognize or find him, as is stated before and after the words “I will not leave you orphans”.

But we can know him and contact him. That is through the Paraclete he gave us, which is a Trinitarian gift. The Spirit comes to be with us and in us; so also do the Son and the Father, as seen in the verses introducing and concluding the statements that the world cannot comprehend this.

Christ’s making his home in us, with the whole Trinity, is superior to his physical presence during his earthly life. We don’t have travel to the Holy Land and stand in line to see him for a brief moment, but he is fully available at all times and anywhere for everyone.

There are certain resemblances between this universal presence and the Internet. As on the Internet, anyone anywhere can reach him, but unlike the Internet he can give each person full and undivided attention. Like the Internet, we have to be equipped and configured in order to contact him. Sanctifying grace and the gifts of faith, hope and charity are the connecting mechanism.

Once our connection with him is established, how do we make use of it? The opening and closing verses of today’s gospel tell us: We are love him and keep his commandments. That meas avoiding sins against God, our neighbour or ourselves, and also doing the good expected of us for his sake.

That is what Philip was doing in Samaria, as the 1^st reading describes. his preaching ther found a response and this was a cause of joy. Peter tells us to be ready to explain to others why we have hope — hope in the life to come, and hope to complete satisfactorily the work he gave us to do in our lifetime. Peter also tells us to be ready to handle opposition and disappointments along the way. Life is not a joy ride, but a struggle we joyfully undertake.

The central secret of our strength is the real presence of the Trinity within us.

7th Sunday of Easter, Year A: 2005

When Jesus came into this world he did not abandon his heavenly Father. When he left this world to go back to the Father, he did not abandon his followers. His coming was wondrous and could be frightening, but he made a soft landing as a vulnerable baby in a stable. His going was also wondrous and could be a traumatic loss to his followers, but he softened his departure by a warm farewell speech assuring them that they would be better off without his visible presence because he would be present to them more powerfully in a spiritual way, a way much more powerful than Emma Lou Harris’ departed bride was to the husband she left on earth.

Jesus’ going to the Father was bringing his humanity to its final state of glory, to share in the divine glory Jesus had from eternity. That is our destiny too, because we belong to him as he belongs to the Father, and he is glorified in us by the gift of eternal life. Eternal life is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent. That goes beyond knowing God’s existence by reason. It is a revelation of God himself in his inner nature, and a communion with the Trinity.

In his humanity Jesus prayed for us, for our preservation from evil and that we may accomplish the work he gave us to do, since he sends us as the Father sent him.

In practical terms, this means gathering in prayer, as the first reading tells how the disciples and Mary prayed together in anticipation of the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost. It also means action in the world, where we will meet suffering for what we stand for, as Peter warns us.

Today we pray for closer union with Christ and greater strength and wisdom in facing our life’s mission, until the day his glory is revealed to us and our joy is complete.

Pentecost, Years A-C: 2003/ revised 2009

What do we expect of the Holy Spirit? The Sequence states it:

• Come, Holy Spirit, send from heaven the ray of your light — Take away the blindness of unbelief, from those who do not know Christ, who do not know his Church, from ourselves when we doubt God's word, his presence, his love for us.
• Come, father of the poor — We have spiritual needs—Come and enrich us. We have material needs—Come, look after us.
• Come, giver of gifts — Paul lists them (1 Cor 12): "to speak with wisdom, to speak with knowledge, to act with faith, to heal, to work miracles, to prophesy, to discern spirits, to speak in different tongues, to interpret tongues." Above them all is love.
• Come, light of hearts — We study, we ponder the mysteries of faith. In your light they make sense. We try our best in the classroom, in our research. Come, crown our efforts. Should I marry this person; should I take this job; should I travel to that place? We reflect, we consult. You—help us to decide rightly.
• The best Consoler, sweet Guest of the soul, sweet Refreshment — Disappointments batter us. I lost my job. My pension never came. My landlord wants to evict me. But you are here in my soul. Console me, mend my wounds, provide the solution. You are my friend, whose company I enjoy. Speak to me, and I am refreshed. Talk with me, and I am a new person.
• In labour Rest — It took years of sweat to get this job. Now it overwhelms me. "Come to me, you who labour, and find rest." So I will not give up. Work alongside me, work within me. There I find rest.
• In heat you cool us — I have borne the heat of the day, I've not had a moment's rest. Why not sit in the shade, have a cool drink? But man doesn't live by shade and drink alone. Holy Spirit, cool my spirit, calm my agitation, dampen my anger and annoyance.
• Our solace when we weep — I shed tears when my friend died. So did Jesus. People were there to sympathize. Supreme consoler, be with me in bereavement. Gladden me with your friendship, with the hope of joining you, and all the faithful departed, in everlasting joy.
• O most blessed light, fill the heart depths of your faithful — Yes, our hearts are open. Fill us with light. You are most welcome.
• Without your divine work man has nothing of value, nothing unstained — Our world is corrupt. But there are islands of goodness, people who care, some Catholics, some Protestants, some Muslims. All that is your doing. Thank you. Convert the remaining, we pray.
• Wash what is dirty — Forgive our sins, remove the urge to repeat them, repair the damage they caused to others, the wreckage they left in our lives.
• Water what is dry — You planted us in the house of the Lord, you expect to harvest fruit. Let us not dry up and wither. We turn to you, to drink the water of your grace.
• Heal what is wounded — Wounds of sin linger on, even after forgiveness. Holy Spirit, heal us. You can do that with one touch. Or you may want me to struggle for some time, for my own good. In any case, "Lord, come quickly."
• Bend what is stiff — With my leg three months in a cast, I learned what a stiff limb is. When I do not want to change, from bad to good, from good to better, to serve you in a new way—bend my stiffness, loosen my limbs, let me dance like an Olympic star, like an angel.
• Warm what is cold — Our love for God may be cold. Maybe I cold-shoulder my neighbour. Enkindle in us the fire of your love, make us no longer lukewarm, but burning with divine love, frozen only towards sin and temptation.
• Guide what is astray — Yes, bring us back, Lord our Saviour.
• Give your faithful who trust in you the sacred seven gifts. —the gifts that allow love to rule our lives, the gifts Isaiah (11) listed:
  • wisdom—to understanding the things of God,
  • insight—to understand the value of things on earth,
  • counsel—to make the right decisions in our lives,
  • power—to be brave when a task scares us, to face disapproval when doing what is right,
  • knowledge—of our talents and limitations, so as to do our best, and trust in God for the rest,
  • fear of the Lord—to resist the sinful attractions of the world and the flesh,
  • respect for God—to give him his due worship, and give everyone his due.
• Give us the reward for virtue. — the reward of your companionship, perseverance to the end, a happy death, and eternal joy.
• Amen. Halleluia!

Pentecost, Years A-C: 2004

Who is a really Spirit-filled Christian?

I was watching a film on the Magun channel about a woman who had become a witch and was about to kill another woman she hated. At that moment a pastor arrived on the scene with a team of prayer warriors who started shouting “Holy Ghost fire” at the witch until the witch fell on the ground and flew away in the shape of a crow.

This very fanciful film was trying to show that the pastor and his team were really filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. But what does Jesus say? He says (Mt 7:22-23): “Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not drive out demons in your name? Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, all evil doers!”

Who then are the real Spirit-filled Christians, the ones Jesus recognizes and loves? Jesus gave the answer (Jn 14:23) when he said, “If anyone loves me he will keep my word and I will love him and we shall come to him and make our home with him.” There we have the crux of the answer: We must love him and keep his word. But there are many degrees in loving God, as many saints of the Church teach us (See St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzia, in Arintero, Las escalas de amor, p. 138 ff.):

1.         Active love. Those with active love serve God while the sun shines, but at the least trouble they get frustrated, sad and sometimes give up serving God, because they love God only to the extent that He suits them and their agenda.

2.         Impatient love. Those with impatient love are eager to use all their energy to serve God, but they envy those who have received greater graces than themselves, they despise those who have not received the gifts of the Spirit that they have received. They are obsessed with which level of spiritual perfection they have attained, and what progress they are making. Such people remain imperfect and cannot score high in the practice of any virtue.

3.         Peaceful love. Those with peaceful love are resigned to all that God allows to happen, pleasant or unpleasant. They are not worrying about going to heaven, or which gifts God has given them. They are not trying to find out which degree of perfection they have attained, but their focus is entirely on the glory of God. They are happy to see that there are some people more perfect than themselves and who love God more than they do. They are only sad that some people don’t love God or love him less than they do. Their only concern is that God be honoured and his kingdom come and that they play their own part in God’s programme. It makes no difference to them whether about which role, major or minor, God gives them to play in his programme.

4.         Restful love. Those with restful love may be battling with many problems around them, but in the midst of them they peacefully contemplate God’s infinite goodness. Comparing God’s infinite goodness to their own lowliness, they realize that they can do no good by themselves; so they allow God to do many wonderful things through them, and he does so.

5.         A martyr’s love. “I live; yet it is no longer I, but Christ living in me” (Gal 2:20). “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:3). Those who have a martyr’s love are immersed in God. It makes no difference to them whether God brings them out to shine or leaves them in a dark cupboard, whether people appreciate them and canonize them as saints or curse them as devils. Such people are so strong and bold that they would face bombs and bullets or the worst torture for Christ’s sake. This is the kind and level of love that has given the Church so many martyrs. This is the perfect love that Jesus commanded us to have when he said, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48).

People who have this kind of love are the real Spirit-filled Christians. May we move forward step by step towards this perfect love. It is a super-human task, but we have super-human means, the Spirit of Jesus living in us and lifting us to God’s heights.

Pentecost, Years A-C: 2005

How would you feel if you were dropped off at a motor park or an airport to go some place you never were before, where you don’t know anybody and you don’t have plenty of money?

The disciples of Jesus felt that way when he ascended to his Father. He had told them to go to the whole world to preach and baptize, but they were unequal to the task. All they could do was to gather and pray and wait for the Advocate-Spirit Jesus had promised.

Once the Spirit came, the disciples were transformed. Before, they were boastful but timid in the face of danger, as Peter was before the little girl who identified him as a follower of Jesus. But afterwards they were courageous to the point of laying down their lives for Jesus.

Before, they were dense and dull in their understanding, imagining that Jesus was going to establish an earthly kingdom. But afterwards they understood the whole deep meaning of Jesus’ coming into this world, and were able to preach and defend it and convert millions of people.

The Holy Spirit is the cutting edge of the Trinity. What he did for the first followers of Jesus he repeats throughout the history of the Church. The story of the first disciples is our story. However intimidating and daunting our own task may be, he is there to see us through. However isolated and abandoned we may feel, he is our companion and guide, to lead us to everlasting life.

Pentecost, Years A-C: 2006

If we have received the Holy Spirit through Baptism and Confirmation, it follows that we should be spiritual people. But if I ask you, "Are you spiritual?" I do not know who would say yes without some qualification: "I am a spiritual person, but I certainly am not perfect. I do commit some sins, although I confess them and struggle to do better."—What does it mean to be spiritual? And how do we become spiritual?

There are certain ways of being spiritual, certain spiritualites, that we meet but should run away from. One is abandoning our family, job and study responsibilities to spend all our time in prayer and spiritual exercises. That is a problem unless we belong to some monastery where that is the rule.

Another bad kind of spirituality is the double life of those who clap and shout in church and boast of speaking in tongues and miracle success, but outside church do not mind cheating their wives or cheating in business. They say "Let the spirit go its own way, and the flesh go its own way; the flesh cannot touch the spirit and its faith in Jesus." So what is basic to being spiritual, and Spirit-filled?

One definite condition is to keep the commandments. The Holy Spirit came in tongues of fire, and the fire of divine love is what he plants in our hearts, and that makes keeping the commandments easy.

Secondly, we use the gifts that God has given us for his service and the service of our neighbour. Whatever we find ourselves good at: sports, business, technical know-how, ability to persuade and relate well with people, all this the Holy Spirit can use, uplift and turn into an effective instrument of his drawing others to himself. In fact many of us are so over-loaded with talent that we cannot use them all. We have to pick and choose what is best for our main work in life and what we may draw on whenever the need arises.

If we do that, we are spiritual, even if not perfect. Sometimes we do feel close to God, but most of the time we may not seem to pray very well. That can happen because we are tired and run down, or because we have too many things on our mind that we have to attend to. But we continue to struggle and pray from the depth of our need. That is being spiritual.

Sometimes we do good to our neighbour and we see good results, but more often what we do is not appreciated, or we do not perform as well as we would like to. We continue to struggle to do our best under the constraints and limitations and do the best we can. That is being spiritual.

Sometimes we bravely put up with annoyances and difficulties, but more often we may feel discouraged and think that God has forgotten about us. Yet we pick up our strength, go over or around the obstacles and carry on relying on God's assistance. That is being spiritual. We are spiritual because the Holy Spirit dwells in us. He dwells in us because Jesus died to take away our sins and rose to plant divine life in us, to make us the dwelling place of the Spirit together with the Father and the Son. Our point of contact with them is our faith, hope and love. That contact takes place not just on the level of our minds, but also on the physical level of the sacraments where Jesus' touches us through words we can hear and signs we can see. And that touch gives us the divine power to move on.

That may leave us walking through a vale of tears and the shadow of death, but there, as when Jesus cried out, "My Father, why have you abandoned me," the Holy Spirit is most powerfully at work. Then we are the most spiritual.

Pentecost, Years A-C: 2007

Wind, thunder, lightning and flames—all the makings of a storm, except rain. Rain did fall on Pentecost morning, not on the ground, but in the hearts of the Apostles. They were drenched with the inner grace of the Holy Spirit, while outward signs demonstrated his presence and action.

Jesus Christ appeared in the flesh which was a part of himself. The Holy Spirit appeared in several signs which were not part of himself.

The first of these was wind, as there is a single Hebrew word for "wind" and "spirit": Ru. We hear of this first in Genesis 1:2: "A wind from God (or "spirit of God") was sweeping over the waters." It was poised to create conditions for life.

A personal form of wind is "breath": Yahweh God fashioned man from the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being (Gen 2:7). The same living man God commanded to "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it" (Gen 1:28). Adam and Eve were to transmit God's gift of life to their descendants.

Jesus appeared to the Apostles, breathed on them, and told them to receive the Holy Spirit, specifically to forgive sins. Death to sin, we know, is birth or re-birth to the supernatural life of grace. It is the stepstone to the peace that our Lord bequeathed to his Apostles.

As Adam and Eve transmitted human life to their descendants, so the Apostles who were given the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit transmitted this power to their successors, up to today. Peace is designated by another manifestation of the Holy Spirit, the dove that appeared at Jesus' Baptism, echoing the dove that brought Noah the good news that the flood had ended. Jesus' peace is not the prosperity the world offers, but an unruffled rest in the Lord, even when the world may be raging against us.

That takes courage, a courage founded in a determined love. This inner grace of the Spirit was manifested in the tongues of fire resting on the heads of the Apostles. John the Baptist promised that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Mt 3:11), and Jesus said, "I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already" (Lk 12:49). We see the these words fulfilled for a start when the disciples at Emmaus said, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the road?" (Lk 24:32).

The Holy Spirit manifests himself to us, not normally in wind, thunder, fire or a dove, but under sacramental signs. We baptise in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In Confirmation we say, "Receive the Holy Spirit." In the Eucharist we say, "Let your Holy Spirit come down upon these gifts." In forgiving sins we recall, "You sent your Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins." The Holy Spirit, acting together with the Father and the Son, gives efficacy to all the Sacraments. These are the visible and ordinary manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the daily life of the Church.

Yes, the Holy Spirit manifests himself in outward signs that confer inner grace and make the water of eternal life spring up within us.

Then the fruits of the Spirit appear in our lives—joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23),—for our own benefit and the good of the whole Church.

As symbolized by the great wind and tongues of flame, may the Holy Spirit rain into our hearts today a more vibrant life, a more secure peace, a more resolute love

Pentecost, Years A-C: 2010

Is it a ghost? Don't deceive me! But it is really Jesus, sending the Spirit of truth, that we may worship in spirit and truth.

We worship in spirit, moved by the mighty wind, and the tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit driving us inwardly. We worship in truth, moved by the true Spirit, in the true way.

In our Christian life, the Holy Spirit is the driving force. He directs our energy, motivates us, enables us to overcome obstacles, and pushes us to serve God generously. Many people spend energy on good projects. The Lord may bless them with success, or sometimes, for their own good, he lets success elude them.

Others spend energy on evil, useless or flawed projects. They have zeal, but not in accord with truth, and they waste their energy. Look at Paul, how zealously he persecuted Christians. His conversion turned that energy to good. The Holy Spirit never let him down.

We see people stress themselves, to get rich, to get political office. And we see zealots, campaigning for abortion, spreading Islam, spreading Pentecostalism. They spare no energy, they do anything to convince you. As for truth, they have missed the way.

The disciples had locked themselves in, huddled in fear. Then entered Jesus. They had no doubt. It was he himself, "the way, the truth and the life". He said "Peace". That was a greeting, a wish, an infallible command: Let there be peace, and there was peace. Fear of the Jews vanished.

That is the first work of the Spirit, to quell obstacles to loving God, like fear, anger, grudges, greed, lust.

Next, Jesus showed them his hands and side, the marks of his suffering for them, signs of his love and forgiveness. For, when he was arrested, hadn't they run away? They felt ashamed, like Adam and Eve, hiding from God in the garden, because they were naked, because they had sinned. Jesus again pronounced "Peace". Their shame, their hesitancy, turned into joy. They were now at ease.

That is the second work of the Spirit, to extend forgiveness, through Christ's pronouncement of peace. That he continues to do, in the sacrament of reconciliation: "Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace."

Many people stop there. Their sins are forgiven. They have peace and joy, they are in communion with Christ. They feel at home with him, and are content.

But Jesus pressed on: "As my Father sent me, so I send you." He had a job for them, a difficult job, in the rough world, where they would meet opposition, hatred, and eventually death. For this work, they needed special grace. He ordained them: "Receive the Holy Spirit." They too would forgive sins.

Jesus put no restriction. This mission was for all time, and for the whole world. After Jesus' baptism in the Jordan, the Spirit drove him into the desert. In the same way, the Spirit drove the apostles, and their successors, to the ends of the earth, bearing the peace of Christ. "How beautiful are the feet - of the bringer of good news, the announcer of peace" (Is 52:7).

This is the third work of the Spirit. He stirs us from our comfort, and drives us into action, assigning us a job - in the kingdom of God. That is not for the faint-hearted.

It will cost us, but we can't go wrong. The Spirit of truth - is the one driving us. He does not deceive. He does not disappoint.

Pentecost, Years A-C: 2010

"That's beautiful." —How often we hear that, about a job well done, or a gift we appreciate. Of God's own work, Psalm 85 says: "Justice will march before him; * beauty will follow in his steps" (85:14). Justice and beauty —the Holy Spirit gives us them both.

Justice is order in human affairs. It comes from our choices, which only God sees, but we can measure its effects —such as, I paid my bill. Beauty is order that the eye sees, like a painting, or the ear hears, like good music. It reflects the spirit of the artist, which we do not see. God is the artist of natural beauty, the beauty that we do not make, but find.

In the beginning, God —The Father and the Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit— embarked upon creation. At first there was no sky, land and sea, but only, in the words of Genesis (1:2), "tohu wa-bohu", which I take as chaotic slush. "Darkness covered the depth, and the Spirit of God hovered over the water".

On this primal mess, the Spirit of God set to work, separating earth from the sky, land from the sea. He then filled this structure, the sky with sun, moon and stars, the air with birds, the sea with fish, and the land with animals, and lastly man. The Spirit fashioned diversity in unity, and harmony in innocent autonomy.

After each step, he looked at what he made, and clapped for himself: It was good. It was beautiful.

He counted on Adam to clap for him. But something went wrong. Adam went his own way. He listened to the Tempter: Why should you be less than God, Master of good and evil? He ate the fruit, and found himself less than man, prey to fatigue, prey to disease, prey to feeble understanding, prey to mood-swings. Where God created order, man created disorder.

But, says the Easter Exultet, "O happy fault!" —a fault that begged for a bail-out, a recreation that surpassed the original creation.

The Word became flesh, "to gather into one the scattered children of God" (Jn 11:52). "To those who received him, he gave power to become children of God" (Jn 1:12).

That raises a question: Are we better off, as practising Catholics, than Adam and Eve before they sinned? Theirs was a paradise —all the comforts of life, none of the pains; besides, they were in the state of grace. Yet they lacked one thing, the challenge to spiritual greatness. They never heard the call: "If you want to be perfect, sell all, give to the poor, and come, follow me" (Mt 19:21). Theirs was a holiness of mediocrity.

Jesus came to a world of crime, corruption and death. He went through hell and died, "so that they might have life and have it more abundantly" (Jn 10:10). We hear the call: "Take up your cross daily, and follow me" (Lk 9:23). Ours is a call to heroism, in a world of sin. If there were no sinners, there would be no saints.

Saints—not by ourselves, but by the grace of Christ, working through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak different languages as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim" (Acts 2:4). That was to unite us in one faith, one love of God and one another, without suppressing our languages, our cultures, our individuality.

Later, when the Corinthians abused this gift, Paul warned: "God is a God not of disorder but of peace" (1 Cor 14:33). And what is peace? —It is the "tranquillity of order". "All things should be done decently and in order" (1 Cor 14:40).

From the Holy Spirit, the Church receives not only sanctification, peace and order, but also the power to forgive sin, and, in the Eucharist, to nourish holiness without limit.

If God saw what he created, and was proud of his work, how much more proud is he, at the sight of his recreation, and the continuing work of his Spirit. When we observe it, we have every reason to say, "That's beautiful."

Trinity, Year A: 2005

A young man asking to marry your daughter may appear very fine and impressive in every way, but you will not agree until you meet his parents and their family. Only when you see him in that context can you say that you really know him.

God has shown himself to the whole world as a wise creator who has endowed the human race with countless material and mental resources and enabled them to develop these so as to lead a good life in accord with his will. This is the way God revealed himself to Moses, “a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness and faithfulness.” But this is still like knowing a fine young man without knowing his family, or like knowing someone as an official in his office and not as a friend at home.

God send his Son precisely to introduce us to his inner home life, because eternal life consists in knowing the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Seeing the Trinity is reserved for the next life, but we know the Trinity by faith now and we relate with the divine persons in our every action, if we do everything for God’s honour and glory.

Because the three related persons are one in being, they mirror one another perfectly, they operate in our souls as one, and we know and love them as one. Yet a human nature was joined distinctly to the Son. His humanity is the bridge between the Trinity and the human race. As we become members of his body, we become part of the Trinity’s extended family.

It is only by knowing one another as members of God’s family that we can know them for what they are really worth. It is in that family context that Paul tells us to remain united and at peace, helping one another. It is to this family that Paul says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

Trinity, Year A: 2011

A man came up and began talking. He looked familiar, but I could not place him. It took ten minutes for me to recognize him.

God is like that. He talks and talks, does one thing after another. Many are slow to recognize him.

The sun rises, the rain falls. From Adam and Eve, people were born, grew up, and explored their surroundings. They recognized their Creator —dimly. A spirit world intervened, with mist and fog to cloud the picture.

Then God spoke directly, to Abraham, to Moses, and the prophets, and revealed himself as Father. The Son and the Spirit were in the background, very much at work, biding the time of their own revelation.

Through many cycles of sin and repentance, punishment and blessings, the Father shaped his people, preparing for the revelation of the Son.

Gabriel announced him to Mary, the angels announced him to the shepherds, the star to the Magi. The Son had arrived, the eternal Word made flesh.

He dwelt among us, he suffered for us. In a short space of time, in a narrow patch of land, the Son of God altered all human history. The blood he shed would touch everyone, from Adam to the last person on earth. How?

Again and again, Jesus warned he would depart. His disciples would see him no more. But, in a new way, he would remain with them. He would send his Spirit, to extend his presence to everyone, in every place and every time. Through the Holy Spirit, he shaped a new body, the Church, which he heads, and feeds with his Eucharistic body.

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, distinct and equal persons, yet one in substance, work as one, in creating, saving, sanctifying. They revealed themselves gradually. First, in the forferont, appeared the Father, then the Son, lastly the Holy Spirit.

Jesus, as we know, is the way, the truth and the life. His humanity, joined to the person of the Word, is the instrument of the triune God, in all that he does. Through Jesus, we came to know the Trinity. We recognize the three persons in God. We are blessed to share their friendship, to be part of their family, and hope one day to see them, face to face.

Non-Christians know God only dimly. The Trinity is hidden from them. Yet he talks with them, and walks with them. May they, like the disciples at Emmaus, come to recognize him distinctly, three persons in one God.

Corpus Christi, Year A: 2005

There are three Blessed Sacrament processions we take part in during our lives.

The first, that of Holy Thursday, introduces and honours the death of Christ. The second, that of Corpus Christi, as Pope Benedict pointed out, honours the resurrected Christ, coming right after the Easter Season. The third and final procession we must take part in is our procession into the presence of Christ in glory, as we go from this life to the house of our Father.

All three processions coalesce in the Mass. There the suffering and death of Christ are remembered and brought before us, to make us dead to sin. The Mass also recalls the resurrection of Christ, and that fills the mind with grace. And the Mass looks forward to when Christ will come again; and so it is a pledge of eternal glory.

In the Mass we are put in contact with the life of Christ, the source of our own life. As Christ draws life from the Father, so we draw life from him by eating his body and drinking his blood in Communion. This life gives us eternal life, which is completed and crowned when he raises us up on the last day.

In receiving Communion, we do not, after the manner of earthly food, change Jesus’ flesh and blood into our own flesh and blood, but we are absorbed and transformed by him into his own body, being made part of the Church. There we are united with Christ our head and with all who receive Communion with us. Unity implies peace, and that is why we exchange the sign of peace before Communion.

So we adore and we receive the real body and blood of Christ. This sacrament unites us with his death, resurrection and eternal glory, and this sacrament sanctifies, accompanies and assures us in our own dying, resurrection and eternal glory.

Corpus Christi, Year A: 2011

Nearly all of you, I suppose, have eaten meat. How many of you have had blood soup, or blood sausage? Not many, I suppose. Blood is popular in Polish cooking, but most people, including Jews, Muslims, and I think most of you, run away from blood.

"Unless you eat my flesh, and drink my blood..." —For the Jews, eating Jesus' flesh was bad enough, even in the form of bread. But drinking his blood was an abomination. Blood, even animal blood, was forbidden, sacred. Why? Because it epitomized life, and life belonged to God.

That is the very reason Jesus told us to drink his blood —that his life might become our life.

The shock would have been less, if Jesus had simply said: "I will remain with you forever, under the form of bread," with no reference to death, or blood. But he refused to overlook his death. He refused to say, "This is my body" —full stop, but said: "This is my body, which will be given up for you," given up to crucifixion, death. Likewise: "This is my blood —which will be shed for you."

In the Eucharist we commune, not simply with Jesus, but with Jesus' death. His body, battered then, becomes our food now. His blood, shed then, becomes our drink now. We partake in his sacrifice, as we partake in everything he did, from his conception to his resurrection. Everything he did was a saving action, but particularly his death.

His blood, shed on the cross, epitomizes life, not mere animal life, or human life, but divine life. For his life to become our life, a transfusion was necessary. When you donate blood, they put a needle in your arm, and draw your blood into a sack. So to give us divine life, Jesus shed his blood.

In his crucifixion, the blood ran on the ground. But from his side, the flow never stops. From his pierced side, we read, out came water and blood, water in baptism, blood in the Eucharist.

As we receive him, Jesus is whole and entire, risen and alive. Yet in the Eucharist, his earthly life still radiates. His bygone bitter passion - is still active. His death still restores our life.

Maybe we look for peace, to meet God in calmness, in mystical, tranquil union, with no disturbance. But that was not Jesus' life. It was full of disturbance, persecution, harassment. That is the stuff of redemption, what Jesus used to save us.

In the Eucharist, we commune with Jesus' crucifixion. His sufferings become ours, and our sufferings become his. His strength becomes our life. His death becomes our resurrection.

In the Eucharist, we commune with the whole Church, Jesus' body, which continues to suffer, die and rise.

In the Eucharist, we commune with Jesus in glory, together with all the saints. Where they have gone, we set our hearts on going.

We will get there, through the power of the Eucharist. There we receive life, in his body battered for us, in his blood shed for us.

2^nd Sunday, Year A: 2005

Whether it is Christmas or Easter, Monday or Tuesday, Ibadan or Lagos, Hong Kong or New York, in every Mass before communion we hear, “This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” I have a book out called “101 titles of Jesus found in the Bible” —“Lion of Judah”, “Star of David,” “Mediator,” “Corner Stone,” “Good Shepherd” etc. etc. Why is the title “Lamb of God” so prominent?

The title “Lamb of God” goes back to the yearly sacrifice of the Passover Lamb, first sacrificed in Egypt so that the angel would spare the Israelites’ first born, when he saw the blood of the Lamb on their doors. Jesus is the final Passover lamb, slain on the cross and offered to us as food and drink under the forms of bread and wine.

John the Baptist was alluding also to Isaiah 53, which prophesises the “man of sorrows, familiar with suffering” who was carrying our sufferings, our sorrows, our guilt, that we may be healed, reconciled, justified.

Jesus is finally the Lamb of the Apocalypse who, before God’s throne, opens the seven seals to bring about the final acts of God’s judgement on the world. People of every nation, race, language and tribe follow him, singing the hymn of the Lamb, as they join the wedding feast where the Church made perfect becomes his bride in the heavenly Jerusalem, where the Lamb is the light, taking the place of the sun and moon.

John the Baptist declared that Jesus surpasses him because he existed before him. We know from Luke that Elizabeth conceived John six months before Mary conceived Jesus. So this statement cannot refer to seniority in age, but refers to Jesus divine pre-existence —“In the beginning was the Word.”

John was baptizing under divine inspiration for the purpose of revealing this Lamb of God to Israel. He was told the sign to look for — the Spirit descending on Jesus in the form of a dove. John saw this and bore witness to Jesus as the “Chosen One of God.”

Jesus is not just “the Lamb of God”, full stop, but “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” This echos today’s first reading, that Jesus came not only for the Jews, but also to be “the light of all nations”, as the Samaritans later exclaimed, “We know that he is indeed the Saviour of the world” (Jn 4:42).

Lamb of God, we belong to you, we follow you, we praise you, we give you thanks for your great glory. Lead us, guard us, enlighten us, feed us with your own body and blood, escort us to be with you in the heavenly Jerusalem.

2^nd Sunday, Year A: 2008

I once wrote a booklet on the titles of Jesus, 99 of them, and "Lamb of God" is one of his prominent titles. What is the meaning of this title, which does not appear anywhere in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament only in John's Gospel and his Book of Revelation?

For John the Baptist, this title summed up everything he believed about Christ.

A lamb was the ordinary and preferred animal for Jewish sacrifice, especially to purify from sin. At the first Passover meal, a lamb's blood was smeared on the doors of Jewish houses in Egypt to spare them when the angel came to kill the first born of every family in the land.

In Isaiah 53, instead of a lamb, we meet the innocent suffering servant who takes our sins on himself and is led to be slaughtered like a lamb, silent without a shout or a scream. Isaiah's description of the suffering servant is the real background to John the Baptist's description of Jesus.

First, Jesus is called a "lamb"—destined for sacrifice.

Then he is called "Lamb of God"—God provided this Lamb to spare our lives, as he provided an animal for Abraham to sacrifice in place of his son Isaac.

He is also called the "Lamb of God" because as a man he is dedicated to God, and by his divine nature he is God.

He is finally the lamb sacrificed for a purpose—to take away sin. John said "sin", and not "sins", meaning every kind of sin, and all sins that their owners allow him to remove.

John did not stop at saying that this Lamb takes away sin, but added "the sin of the world". This echos today's first reading, that Jesus came not only for the Jews, but also to be "the light of all nations", as the Samaritans later exclaimed, "We know that he is indeed the Saviour of the world" (Jn 4:42).

This "Lamb", John the Baptist says, is a "man", fully mature, fully human. He came after him, both in birth and in ministry, but Jesus existed before him, both in divine dignity and by divine eternity. That is why John concluded with the words, "I witness that he is the Son of God".

How did John the Baptist know all this? First of all, by direct revelation, just as he recognized Jesus when Mary visited Elizabeth and both of them were in their mothers' wombs. Secondly, he saw the heavenly sign of the Holy Spirit coming down under the appearance of a dove and heard the Father's words.

John the Baptist therefore deferred to Jesus, and declared that the whole purpose of his baptism ministry was to make Jesus known to Israel. Once he identified him, he urged his own disciples to follow Jesus.

John's happiness would be full when, as the Apocalypse says, people of every nation, race, language and tribe follow the Lamb, singing his hymn at the heavenly wedding feast. There the Lamb is the light, taking the place of the sun and moon. There the Church made perfect celebrates her status as the bride of the Lamb in the heavenly Jerusalem.

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us, give us peace.

2^nd Sunday, Year A: 2011

To take away the sins of the world—that is what Jesus came to to. Quite a job! Does he really do so? And how?

Sin is all around us. There is no argument about that. Sin is also within us. Maybe we don't think so, but John (1:8) tells us, "If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves." Maybe we don't have mortal sin—and we should never have mortal sin—but from venial sin, slight ones, no one is exempt.

Venial sins are easily repaired. Your conscience disturbs you - how you talked to that person. You are not dead in sin, but you repent. You can receive Communion. And the next time you say better words. Your focus should be, not on how you fail, but on the good you can do, how you can grow in love, of God and neighbour.

What of mortal sin? That is Jesus' main target. He came to replace mortal sin with grace, death with life. Jesus inaugurated baptism - to put us on the track of grace, in the race to glory.

Many never enter this path, not even by desire. Many enter, but, along the way, either crash, by abandoning their faith, or or break down, by mortal sin.

All is not lost. Jesus inaugurated priestly absolution: "Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven."

How does that work? Should Archbishop Onayean get on Abuja radio, and announce general amnesty: "All Nigerians, I absolve you of all your sins!"? —No. What is required?

• First of all, faith in Jesus, who works through the Church, in the sacrament of reconciliation.
• Secondly, repentance for the sin committed.
• Thirdly, a firm purpose of amendment—not to go back to that sin.
• Fourthly, confession of the sin to a priest, and reception of absolution.
• Fifthly, a penance, to compensate for the harm done, both to oneself and to neighbour, including restitution.

So the sacrament of absolution effects a change: extrication from sin, and a reset on the path of grace. It puts the sinner back on track, on the track of grace, heading for glory. Jesus works through the sacraments. But he first works on the heart, moving sinners to repent, moving them to approach the sacraments. He also keeps people on track, keeps them in the state of grace, and preserves them from mortal sin. All this is his work.

But then, why is sin so prevalent? Why so many crimes, atrocities, massive embezzlements? Why does Jesus not touch all sinners, and move them to repent?

Sin, let us remember, is an act of free will. If someone chooses to sin, God owes him nothing. The grace of repentance, he gives to those he chooses. What purpose does this inequality serve, when some remain sinners, and others repent?

Look back. If Adam had not sinned, Jesus could just as well - have stayed in heaven, and never become man. If Judas had not betrayed him, Jesus could have escaped crucifixion. God allows sin to highlight virtue. If you want good crops, you need manure. The presence of evil provokes heroism. If there were no sinners, there would be no saints, just mediocre Christians.

Jesus has brought billions to eternal glory. Billions more, he has put on track to glory. Some get a pass mark, others first class. His mission is a success.

He is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.

3^rd Sunday, Year A: 2005

In the darkness of Galilee a great light appeared — It was Jesus, the light of the world. “God is light and there is no shadow of darkness in him” (1 Jn 1:5). Because Jesus is a divine person, he is light itself.

What kind of light? We know sunlight, moonlight, NEPA light, candle light, torch light etc. All these light sources make the world around us visible to our eyes.

But then there are the eyes of the mind. When we learn something, we say our minds are enlightened. In that sense, light is the same as truth. God is truth itself, and similarly Jesus declared himself “the way, the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6).

At the beginning of creation, when God said “Let there be light,” he was creating something distinct from himself which was nothing if not a limited likeness of his own unlimited light, just as everything that exists is a limited likeness of the unlimited being of God.

We rejoice to have physical light — to be able to flip a switch at night and see the light bulb go on. We also rejoice when we make a break-through in learning something important. For example, I was so happy this month to learn how to print a text in mirror, so that it can serve as film in printing and save a lot of printing cost. The greatest rejoicing comes from knowing God, the primordial light and truth. Nothing can be brighter than this light, and we see it in various ways:

1. We see God’s light most perfectly in the beatific vision in the life of the resurrection.
2.          To a lesser degree God’s light enlightens us in this life through faith. Faith is a gift that can grow and be enhanced by the gifts of understanding and wisdom, both what God gives us by his inspiration and what we learn by studying our faith. Paul prays, “May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you” (Eph 1:18).
3. The electric line that keeps your lights burning is the same line that heats your electric kettle. When God’s light touches our minds he enlightens us. When it touches our hearts and desires it warms them to love God and prefer him to every other thing.
4. We read in Malachi (3:20) that “the Sun of Justice will arise with healing in its rays.” This was fulfilled in Jesus as he went about curing all kinds of diseases and sickness, and he is there to heal the wounds of our souls and bodies.

This divine light is meant to penetrate us through and through. Jesus told us, “While you still have the light, believe in the light so that you may become children of light” (Jn 12:36). Again he said, “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14), since “if we live in the light, just as he is in the light, we share each other’s lives and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn 1:7).

We are also meant to share this light with others. In today’s gospel Jesus chose Peter and Andrew, James and John, to be agents of his light to the world.

May God fill us with his light and may it shine brightly in us.

3^rd Sunday, Year A: 2008

There are people who wander from place to place looking for spiritual satisfaction. Andrew and Peter were like that . In their search, as the Gospel according to John tells us, they were fortunate enough to meet John the Baptist. He directed them to Jesus, the Lamb of God.

Many people are searchers, but few are finders. In the Catholic Church, where Jesus is to be found, what are we, searchers or finders?

As for Andrew and Peter, in spite of the impression that Jesus made on them after John the Baptist's introduction, in Matthew we find them back in Galilee working in their father's fishing business. They had found the one who could satisfy all their longings, but dared not leave their father to join his company without an invitation.

Their aspirations were realized when Jesus himself came to them at the lakeshore and called them. They did not have to think it over, consult others and come back with an answer later. Their minds were already made up. Immediately, without hesitation, they dropped all and followed him.

Andrew and Peter, then James and John, joined Jesus at the ground-floor of his public ministry. Jesus took the lead and they would follow, sent by him to carry his presence and power to the whole world.

Jesus opened his preaching with a simple message: "Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near." The kingdom of heaven is near—That means God is available, within reach. He is there in the person of his Word made flesh. He is the one who can satisfy us so completely that no other success or failure would disturb us.

But how do we grasp his hand as he reaches out to us? There are many who reach out to the Lord for one blessing or another, or bang on his door for one miracle or another. But there is one essential condition to getting the ear of the Lord or getting any favour from him. And that is repentance—"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Two days ago we celebrated the momentous conversion of St. Paul. Conversion was for him, as it is for all of us, the fullness of repentance. It is a simultaneous turning of our hearts to God and a repudiation of everything opposed to him. It is putting God first in our lives and everything else underneath him. It is putting ourselves in a position of union with him, so that his interests are our interests as our interests are his, and his business is our business as our business is his. Repentance, then, puts us in possession of God and God in possession of us.

Repentance, moreover, is living the Mass—dying to sin with Jesus on the cross, offering our obedience with his obedience to the Father, and receiving through his body and blood all the blessings we are capable of absorbing.

Repentance, in other words, makes us finders of the kingdom of God, not seekers.

3^rd Sunday, Year A: 2011

Do we switch on lights, while the sun is shining? "People sitting in darkenss - saw a great light." That was Jesus, "the light of the world" (Jn 9:5), beginning his public ministry. Yet his first act - was to choose apostles. He had taught them, in the sermon on the Mount, "You are the light of the world" (Mt 5:14).

Christ chose to enlighten the world, not alone, without assistance, but through all of us, who have received his light. So he told us: "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds, and glorify your Father" (Mt 5:16). All of us have different roles, in bringing Jesus' light - to the ends of the earth, to the end of time, inviting all to become children of light.

The Apostles' mission was special. Paul comments: "The Lord commanded us [to preach] when he said: I have made you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.'"

Today we hear Jesus call Peter, Andrew, James and John. He would call others, until he got twelve. These were the equivalent of bishops, who share their work with priests and deacons. Peter, we know, was the first Pope. He, James and John - were Jesus' inner circle, who witnessed the Transfiguration. You might say they were like Cardinals. Then there was a band of disciples, seventy-two in number, who might be like our catechists.

What kind of people were the Apostles? There were four fishermen, one tax collector, seven others of unknown profession. Some of them, at least, had a good education. The gospel, written by John, the fisherman, is a literary masterpiece.

When Jesus called them, they were not saints. Apart from Judas, the traitor, others argued on the road, which of them is the greatest (Mk 9:34). Peter denied Jesus, when a little girl pointed him out.

Today, admission to the priesthood is rigorous, and when it comes to clergy misbehaviour, one strike and you are out. As a vocation director, by today's standards, Jesus would score low. But he knew what he was doing, and turned raw recruits into saints.

Christ acts on everyone everywhere, through his grace. But some of his acts, like the Eucharist, he will do only through a priest.

Priests are average people. They have their strengths; they have their weaknesses. When they function, they do not take the centre stage, but stand back and let Christ work. At Mass, the priest is not a showman, not even the celebrant, but he wears the mask of Christ, who is the real celebrant.

As Jesus called the Apostles, so he calls priests. "You did not choose me, but I chose you" (Jn 15:16). Many apply to be priests, but no one has a vocation, until the Church calls him.

God has blessed us with priests. When I arrived, 47 years ago, there was only a handful of Nigerian priests. Now they number in the thousands, and serve as missionaries in other countries.

Under the leadership of our priests, Christ's light shines through us. Upon a people sitting in darkness, corruption, and violence, upon the people around us, a great light is shining.

4^th Sunday, Year A: 2005

“Let me escape from the crowds,” Jesus often resolved. Where did he go? Any one of three places: onto a boat across the water, or off to the desert, or up a mountain top. There he would pray and commune with his Father. Today he went up a hill that was not so high and he allowed the crowds to follow him. They climbed up to hear a lofty heavenly message. Jesus sat down to adapt to their mentality and condition, just as he had become man to meet us where we are. And he taught them what makes for true happiness: