Behold The Prince Of Peace Comes in Glory and Majesty!

Readings: (1st: Ish 2, 1-5; Ps: 121, 1-2.4-9; 2nd: Rom 13, 11-14; Gos: Mtt 24, 37-44)           

This brief reflection was written by Rev. Fr. Njoku Canice Chukwuemeka, C.S.Sp. He is a Catholic Priest and a Member of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers and Brothers (Spiritans), Province of Nigeria South East. He is currently the Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church Woliwo Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria. For more details and comments contact him on: canice_c_njoku@yahoo.com, canicechukwuemeka@gmail.com.

One of humankind’s natural desires especially at the individual and family levels is to live a peaceful and peaceable life with oneself, with others, and with one’s environment. Unfortunately, rather than achieve peace, wars, fears, anxiety and hatred continue to wield the upper hand. It is this peace that we pray for and expect Jesus to bring to our world this season of Advent! The term Advent comes from two Latin words Ad-ventus, which simply means “to arrive”or Ad-venire, i.e. “to come.” For us Christians and Catholics in particular, it means expecting the Lord’s coming. Advent marks the beginning of the Church’s liturgical calendar. It is a four-week preparation period leading up to Christmas. So John the Baptist’s message: “a voice of one calling in the desert, prepare a way for the Lord …” (Mk 1, 3), echoes loudly to us this season.

A couple of weeks ago, I paid a visit to the child of a family friend in a boarding school during their monthly visiting day. On entering the school, behold there was a mammoth crowd of well dressed and prepared students waiting for their visitors. Each car that pulled into the compound was a source of great joy to a particular student who had waited patiently for that very moment to come. However, I noticed a certain student who told me her name was Ndidiamaka (literally Patience is good). She was looking very sad and forlorn having ran out of patience, and almost given up hope that her parents would not visit her again that day as was the case during the two previous visiting days. I was still encouraging her not to lose hope, when eventually a car pulled in. Before I knew it, she recognized it, jumped up and went into a kind of frenzy shouting: “Here they are! Here they are!! My parents have made it today!!!”  She did not even excuse me or mind the crowd, but in a jiffy she dashed to the car beaming with smiles and relieved of all the stress and pains of having to wait too long.  I saw peace over taking the chaos and anxiety that enveloped her a while ago. As I watched her rejoice, my own joy knew no bound and immediately, I remembered the scriptural passage which says: “For surely there is an end; and your expectation shall not be cut off.” (Prov 23, 18) This is what Advent is all about, a time of great preparation, waiting, hope and patience which would eventually culminate in the great joy and peace.

On this first Sunday of Advent, the church enjoins us her faithful to rejoice because that night of long pilgrimage to God’s eternal city of peace will soon be over. The reign of peace is dawning. Therefore, we must wake up and stand ready to usher Christ into our lives, families and nations. In the word of Isaiah in the first reading, “we see the mountain of the temple of the Lord,” already etched against the Eastern sky. The prophet lifts up our spirits with his vision of the imminent peace orchestrated by the coming of our Messiah whom we earnestly expect. The Messiah whom we expect this season comes to us with an “over dose of peace” contrary to the war-lord-leaders that frequently besiege our nations. His reign shall be that of peace and love. Even though “he will wield authority,” he will not be a despot, a tyrant, a dictator or a military nonentity who will feed fat on the “flesh” and resources of his people. In light of this, Isaiah gives us a very cogent reason to rejoice as we prepare the way to usher in the reign and kingdom of peace: “He will wield authority over nations…These will hammer their swords into ploughshares, their spares into sickles. Nations will not lift sword against nations. There will be no more training for war.” He envisions that when Christ comes, he shall be fully equipped with peace. His coming promises to transform our culture of war into that of peace, because he is the Prince of Peace. It is quite unfortunate that this same verse (Ish 2, 4) despite adorning the walls of United Nations building in London has not helped to achieve the much desired peace our world needs. The reason is quite simple, “International Morality,” in the words of Bob Nester Marley of the blessed memory, without spirituality is bound to fail. It is only the reign of this much expected Messiah that can bring lasting and soothing peace. This is why we are called upon this wonderful season of Advent to prepare ourselves to encounter the Prince of Peace. We are called to equip and purify ourselves spiritually in other to be worthy to climb the mountain of the temple of the Lord.

This season we must rejoice because we shall definitely have an encounter with peace. About a week ago I was in the company of priests from the Archdiocese where I work who went on pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoir to mark the end of the year of faith. Seeing the beauty, magnificence and elegance of this basilica one of us joyfully exclaimed in an overwhelming amazement: “Oh my God! This is what the Psalmist actually means when he says, ‘I rejoiced when I heard them say let us go to God’s House!’” He was lost in Joy, because what he saw met his expectation for travelling hundreds of miles to behold this wonderful edifice and house of God. He wished like the members of Jesus’ inner circle on the mount of transfiguration that we remained forever in Yamoussoukro. Brethren, our expectation will bring us joy when we encounter the Prince of Peace.

To usher in this reign of peace successfully, both the second reading and gospel of today are in accord about what we must do. While Paul, echoes loudly to us the closeness of our Saviour the Prince of Peace: “Our salvation is even nearer than He was when we were converted”; the gospel succinctly and imperatively admonishes us to: “Stay awake!” Paul indirectly answers the question, what must we do to be partakers in the peace that Christ brings this season? My dear, we need not obey the adage that says: “If you want peace, prepare for war,” before we can get a feel of this culture and kingdom of peace that Christ brings. No! That will not suffice at all. Instead, Paul reminds us that: “The TIME has come.” The time he means here is not the earthly time (chronos), but God’s time (kairos). It is the appointed time when God chooses to save his own people and to restore peace to all troubled hearts, families, businesses, nations, etcetera. Since it is God’s time, we must heed the call of today’s gospel: “Therefore, you must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” This season is no time for singing, “pass me not o gentle savior” with both our physical eyes and the eyes of our minds closed. They must be wide awake and open in preparation to behold the Prince of Peace. Also, we must eschew during this season all that militate against peace and are capable if undermining our encounter with Christ when he comes. Paul advices us thus: “Let us live decently as people do in day time; no orgies, no promiscuity or licentiousness, and no warring or jealousy. Let your amour be the Lord Jesus Christ,” the Prince of Peace!

Finally, it is very important to note that this is a season of great awakening, preparation and waiting which will definitely culminate to an outburst of great JOY and PEACE. It is most importantly, a season of prayer when all Christians must hearken to the prayer – invitation of the Psalmist: “For the peace of Jerusalem (your nation, country, family, business, endeavors in life etcetera) pray! Peace be to your homes! May peace reign in your walls, in your palaces peace!”

Peace be with you all!

Maranatha!!

Rejoice: Christ King Of The Universe Reigns!

Readings: (1st: 2Sam 5, 1-3; Ps: 121, 1-5; 2nd: Col 1, 12-20; Gos: Luke 22, 35-43)           

This brief reflection was written by Rev. Fr. Njoku Canice Chukwuemeka, C.S.Sp. He is a Catholic Priest and a Member of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers and Brothers (Spiritans), Province of Nigeria South East. He is currently the Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church Woliwo Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria. For more details and comments contact him on: canice_c_njoku@yahoo.com, canicechukwuemeka@gmail.com.

Today, the last Sunday of ordinary time the Church in a special way invites us to celebrate Jesus Christ our anointed king who overcame suffering and death, and so brought us out of darkness into his kingdom of light. On 7^th July 2009, during the funeral of Michael Jackson, the presiding pastor said: “Behold the king of pop ready to face the King of the world.” Today (34^th Sunday), the entire world stands still and bows to the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Rev 17, 14), and the Holy Mother Church celebrates the feast of Christ the King and Sovereign ruler of the Universe (Dan 7, 14). Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in 1925 in response to growing nationalism and secularism. In initiating this feast, the Church wanted to take our worship of Jesus from the privacy of our hearts and to proudly proclaim his public reign as well. The title of the feast was “Jesu Christi Regis” (Our Lord Jesus Christ the King). Again, in his 1969 motu proprio Mysterii Paschalis, Pope Paul VI gave the celebration a new title: “Iesu Christi universorum Regis” (Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe). He also gave it a new date: the last Sunday in the liturgical year and assigned to it the highest rank, that of “Solemnity.”

Many of us today will no doubt join the procession singing and jubilating without actually allowing Jesus Christ to rule over our lives or, knowing what the reason for the procession is all about. It would be an exercise in futility unless we understand what we celebrate and give Christ the chance to reign not only in our lives, families, businesses, and situations, but also in our entire world. Some students were protesting in a certain university shouting: “we no go gree o, we no go gree!”(Meaning, we will not agree) A lecturer driving past decided to find out what was happening. He called one of the protesters and asked: “what are you not agreeing about?” The first response was, “I do not know o!” He asked the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th protester and got the same answer: “I do not know o!” What a pity and shame, they have joined the protesting crowd to protest for what they know nothing about. Today, let us not be like these ignorant fools staking their lives for nothing. Let us not just join the procession without making Christ the King of our lives, families, nation and our world at large. We must endeavor to know the meaning, and appreciate the importance of what we are celebrating today.

In the first reading of today, the entire Israelites united in making David King. The reason is simple. They saw in him the spark of God and a worthy servant-shepherd. We should note that he did not impose himself on them or buy them over with whatever it may cost, or rigged any one out in order to lord it over his people. Instead, he was genuinely and universally acclaimed their king as we acclaim Christ today. He did not take the honour upon himself, as we are told: “No one takes this honour unto himself”. If we humble ourselves God will exult us our people will bear the testimony joyfully. If we do otherwise, they will certainly reject us. In the second reading, Paul reminds us of a fact that should make us beam with joy and that is that God: “has created a place for us in the kingdom of the son that he loves.” What more do we need! Let us rejoice with our Lord this day because we have a share in both his reign and kingdom. This calls for jubilation. So as we march out today “to make known the glorious splendor of the Jesus’ reign”, let us know that we are proclaiming our own reign as well over the world, the devil and all that weighs us down.

In today’s gospel Pilate and the Jews, like these foolish students connived to castigate their King without knowing what they were doing. Rather than accepting the reality on ground they hardened their hearts towards their king’s call to share in his kingdom. Our marching out today is not mockery as the Jews did in the time of Christ or blasphemy as the unrepentant criminal did. Rather, it is to exalt the Lord our king and ask him like the “humble” and “repentant good thief” to remember us in his kingdom. Certainly he will say to us today: “I promise, today you will be with me in paradise.” Like the Jews most of us are blindfolded and carried away by what we see in this present world. These people are the modern day materialists who simply believe that everything ends here on earth. This is a grave mistake because, the kingdom of this world will pass away but that where Christ will reign eternally will not pass away. Although Christ is the King of the entire world, today we are reminded that when this world has passed away, he will continue to reign in his eternal kingdom in heaven. Christ is and should be a role model to all kings, rulers, decision makers and leaders. He cares, loves and lives in peace with his people. He does not rule with iron fists, military might, or financial strength, but is a good Shepherd. He is a just judge, a compassionate and forgiving King. He is the only king who treats us as his brothers and sisters, friends, relatives and allows us to share in his kingly nature (Rev 1, 6; ITh. 2, 12). He is ever ready, close, and no special protocols are required to reach him. What king, ruler or leader of our world can match our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe?  None! Brethren, let us therefore celebrate because: “The Lamb who was slain is worthy to receive strength and divinity, wisdom and power and honour, to him be glory.” Amen!

Peace be with you!!

Maranatha!!!

The Triumph of God’s Elect: Endurance & Hard Work!

Readings: (1st: Mal 3, 19-20; Ps: 97, 5-7; 2nd: 2Thes 3, 7-12; Gos: Luke 21, 5-19)           

This brief reflection was written by Rev. Fr. Njoku Canice Chukwuemeka, C.S.Sp. He is a Catholic Priest and a Member of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers and Brothers (Spiritans), Province of Nigeria South East. He is currently the Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church Woliwo Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria. For more details and comments contact him on: canice_c_njoku@yahoo.com, canicechukwuemeka@gmail.com.

With just one week left to come to the end of the Church’s liturgical calendar, (Year C), and about six weeks to draw the curtains of 2013, the Holy Mother Church in her protective prowess encourages us to patiently hold on till the end. The weapons she places at our disposal to help us triumph include amongst others: Endurance and Hard Work! According to Gautama Siddhartha, (563-483 B.C.), “Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes”. Therefore, we must not give up. Instead, we must continue to endure until we triumph over all the enemies and evil that afflicts us. The Church teaches us today that Christ will come to bring all that is evil to nothing. He continues to strengthen our ability to endure daily through the Eucharist. Hence, the She says to all of us today: Feras, non culpes, quod mutari non potest (you should endure, not blame, what cannot be changed)!

In 1912, a young man named Douglas Mawson got into trouble in the Antarctic, when a member of his three-man sledging team fell into a crevasse with most of their rations. He and the other man, Mertz, were forced to eat their dogs, ingesting toxic levels of vitamin A. Mertz went mad and died; only Mawson made it, driven on by the desire to propose to his girlfriend.  Also, during World War II a pilot named William Ash was shot down and sent to a Prisoners’ of War (POW) camp. This place was hell! But after months of agony he managed to escape, and was sheltered by nuns. However, he went mad with fever and walked straight into a Gestapo head quarter. He was skinned, soaked in brine, his fingernails were pulled off, but he still never spoke of, or betrayed the nuns who sheltered him. He knew full well that doing so will land the nuns into trouble and probably cost them their lives. These are true life stories of people who endured till the end.

In today’s first reading, Malachi announces the coming of the day of the Lord. He paints two pictures: the fate of the evil doer, and the triumph of the righteous who endures till the end. This short reading simply serves as an encouragement to us to continue our good work in patient righteousness and endurance. In order words, it teaches that to persist in good works till the end, one must endure all forms of trials and difficulties as the saints did because: “All these call for patience, endurance and faithfulness” (Rev 13, 10). Today’s first reading ends with a promise: “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will shine out with healing in its rays.” This should be our motivator! This healing that the prophet spoke of is the reward for our endurance. Endurance moves a child of God to continue to work hard without looking back. It eschews laziness, and helps us to overcome sloth. It is endurance that helps us persevere in doing good at all times. It keeps us going when physical strength fails us and, it perpetuates our quest for righteousness.

In the second reading, Paul encouraged us to work hard to earn both our earthly and heavenly living. Good work is a product of endurance; it yields good and enduring fruits as well. Good work makes a good Christian. Therefore one must persevere in it until it begins to yield good fruits. We recognize the fact that there is gross unemployment all over the world and the efforts young people are making to get jobs. Those making these efforts are not in any way lazy. The Church does not in any way encourage laziness of any sort (even though she recognizes Jesus Christ in the poor). This is why one of the seven capital sins according to the church is Sloth (reluctance to work or shear laziness). Thomas Aquinas said: “Sloth is “sluggishness of the mind which neglects to begin good…it is evil in its effect, if it so oppresses man as to draw him away entirely from good deeds” (Summa Theologae 2, 35, ad 1). It is quite unfortunate that some Christians have given up the hope of working hard and can no longer endure hard times which do not last. Instead, they have become “corporate beggars”, thieves, and habitual liars just to attract sympathy from people. Instead of making efforts to lay their hands on something that will keep them going till “the healing sun of God” shines on them, they prefer going begging. What a shame! This is what Paul decries in today’s reading: “Now we hear that some of you are living in idleness, doing no work themselves but interfering with anyone else’s.” A lazy Christian yields easily to all sorts of vices and does not believe in “working out one’s salvation with fear and trembling.” If we are to triumph over the devil, we must work hard and endure the pains of good work.

In the gospel, Jesus warns us of the imminent tough times ahead. One of the most important thing we must take hold of in this gospel is that none of; our beautiful cities, road networks, automobiles, houses, cloths and, in fact anything man-made will endure forever. Even human beings will one day perish and be gone. However, with endurance in our sufferings and persecutions, we shall win ourselves immortality before Christ as he says to us today: “Your endurance will win you your lives.” The Lord encourages us to persevere in righteousness and endure in hard work. Furthermore, in warning that in spite of the elegance of the temple that it will be destroyed, Jesus warns us not to hold on tenaciously to anything of this world to the detriment of forgetting God because the only things that will endure are faith, hope, and trust in God which are manifested through charity – the love of God, as well as the love of neighbor. So, rather than fix our gaze on the glory of this world, we must keep all our eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith (Heb12, 2).

Finally, enduring spirit comes from God who knows what we go through all our life. It is a gift he bestows on those who love him in order to help them overcome the difficulties of life. This is why Paul tells us that “you are being strengthened with all powers according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience…” (Col 1, 11). The situation we are in, in this present world, in our offices, our homes, schools, etcetera, might be very tough, it might even question our faith in Jesus Christ, yet if we endure, we shall have every course to smile at the end as Jesus assures us today: “Your endurance will win you your lives.” As solders of Christ, what proves our capability is the extent to which we can endure for the sake of Christ. That is, our ability to say: I will not cheat, I will not steal, I will not kill, and I will not get involved in any wrong business or shady deal for the sake of Christ etcetera. In light of this, Paul urges us once again: “endure hardship like us, like a good soldier of Christ” (2Tim 2, 3), and Hebrew insists: “Endure hardship as discipline, God is treating you as a son” (Heb 12, 7). Like William Faulkner (1897–1962): “I believe that man will not merely endure. He will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion, sacrifice and endurance.”

Peace be with you all!

Maranatha!!

Standing On The Promises of Christ: Our Hope Raiser!

Readings: (1st: Macc 7, 1-14; Ps: 16 1. 5-15; 2nd: 2Thes 2, 16-5, 3; Gos: Luke 20, 27-38)           

This brief reflection was written by Rev. Fr. Njoku Canice Chukwuemeka, C.S.Sp. He is a Catholic Priest and a Member of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers and Brothers (Spiritans), Province of Nigeria South East. He is currently the Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church Woliwo Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria. For more details and comments contact him on: canice_c_njoku@yahoo.com, canicechukwuemeka@gmail.com.

While reflecting on today’s readings, I remembered and sang this wonderful hymn composed by Russell K. Carter, in 1886: “Standing on the promises of Christ my King, through eternal ages let His praises ring. Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, standing on the promises of God: Standing, standing… I’m standing on the promises of God!  A glance at the readings of this Sunday will certainly reveal to one that the Church in her wisdom wishes to admonish us and also strengthen our grip on this very important theological virtue – HOPE. She teaches that no matter how cruel the world may treat us, we can always rejoice in the glorious future promised us by Christ, when we will be filled with the vision of God’s glory. She says to us today: Tolerandum et sperandum (We must endure and hope)!

“Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit”(CCC1817, p.401). A saying goes thus: As long as there is life there is hope!” As true as this might possibly seem, it is rather sad, but suffices to note that though some are living physically, they have lost the hope of this earth as well as that of eternal glory. Therefore, it could better be said that: “As long as there is hope, there is both physical and spiritual life. This is because, it is hope that sustains and urges one to live on no matter how tough life is, as it is written. “…We have this hope as an encounter for the soul, firm and secure” (Heb 6, 19). What keeps us going is the hope that one day our lives would be better, that “we shall see God face to face” (Rev 22, 4), that our mortal natures would be transformed into immortality, and that the fullness of life itself is in the eternal kingdom of God.

Ikedi loved noodles so much that on Monday mornings his mother usually prepares it for him to take to school for his lunch. However, one Monday, it happened that none was available in the house because his mother forgot to buy some during her weekend shopping. Ikedi went to school refusing to take along with him any other type of food. So, his mother made him a promise that she would prepare noodles for him before he comes back from school. During lunch at school, some of Ikedi’s colleagues who noticed that he did not come with any food persuaded him to eat with them but he refused by telling them that: “Mummy has promised to prepare my noodles before I get home, and I know she will not disappoint me.” Even though he was greatly famished, he endured it until school was over around 4.00pm. The hope he had in the promise of his mother sustained him till he returned home. Of course, his mother kept to her promise. This is what hope does. It is a silent and constant prayer!

As pathetic as the story of the seven brothers in today’s first reading appears, it is a typical example of how hope can sustain us, both in this life and beyond. These seven brothers faced persecution courageously and resiliently because of the hope they had in God’s promise of Eternal Life. “It was heaven that gave me these limbs; for the sake of His law, I disdain them; from him I hope to receive them again”, one of them said courageously. Hope strengthens our fortitude, keeps us praying, and also, fortifies our faith in God. This is why the Church refers to it as a theological virtue because, it “adapts man’s faculties for participation in the divine nature” of God (CCC 1812 p.420). The lesson we must learn from this heroic act is that we must not be afraid of persecutions, hardships or even physical death. Rather, we should let the hope we have in the Eternal Kingdom sustain us in our difficulties, since we have a sure hope in the promises of Christ our Saviour. A couple of weeks ago an international news media broadcast a gory picture of some dead Syrian Christians who accepted the option of being hanged on a tree instead of renouncing their faith and becoming Muslims. They died because of the hope they had in eternal life just as the seven brothers who insisted that: “Ours is the better choice to meet our death at men’s hand, yet we rely on God’s promise that we shall be raised up by Him…” Due to fear of death some of us get ourselves involved in all manners of “rubbish” like: witchcraft, wearing of charms, divination, sorcery, cultism, gangsterism, apostasy, embezzlement, frauds, and devilish covenants just to sustain this mortal life. The fear of physical death has robbed many Christians of the hope of life eternal. Though some of us claim to be Christians but practically speaking, we are no better than “Hardcore Humanists” and Materialists. The church bids us today: “Let us hold on unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Heb 10, 23). The virtue of hope: “responds to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man. It takes up the hope that inspires men’s activities and purifies them so as to order them to the kingdom of heaven. It keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment …” (CCC 1818, p.401).

In the second reading of today, Paul prays God who equips with comfort and sure hope to strengthen us in everything that is good. Paul wrote to a people like us today, who due to sufferings, persecutions, and hardship of all sorts longed for the immediate return of the Lord. In order words, it was a Church like ours overwhelmed by their hardship and so got entrenched in the strong belief that the day of the Lord’s coming will release them from their present predicaments. So Paul writes to them as he does to us today pointing out that before Christ returns, evil and wickedness will reach its apogee under the leadership of the mysterious figure called the “The Wicked One.” This is why he prays that our hope does not fail us, rather, that it should sustain us till the end. Hence he reminds and prays for us that: “…But the Lord is faithful and will give you strength and guard you from the evil one…May the Lord turn your hearts towards the love and fortitude of Christ.”

Finally, today’s Gospel is equally a “Hope raiser” in that Jesus dislodged and flawed the plots of the crafty Sadducees who wished to destroy the foundation of our faith in Christ – The hope of resurrection! This is why Paul insisted that: “If our hope in Christ is good for this life only, and no more, then we deserve more pity than anyone else in the entire world (I Cor 15, 19). The concern and fictitious story told by the Sadducees in order to trap Jesus is as good as the ugly situations of life that deceive and lead us into despair, and finally into being afraid of death, thus leading us to seek protection in the things of this world alone rather than in God. It is the same lie that the “Wicked One” poses to us that everything is all about this life. Unfortunately, many of us are deceived into believing this by making pacts with the devil. Today, the Church beckons us to hold on tenaciously to the promises of God, in joyful hope for their fulfillment. Let us then pray to God as the Psalmist today: “Guard me Lord as the apple of your eye. Hide me in the shadow of your wings. As for me, in my justice I shall awake, with the sight of your glory!

Peace be with you all!!                    

Maranatha!!!