THOSE WHO EXALT THEMSELVES WILL BE HUMBLED

XXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Hebrews 12:18-19,22-24

The Old and the New Testaments

The second reading, from the letter to the Hebrews, makes a comparison between the Old and the New Covenants. We cannot forget that the Christian Bible is made up of the Old and the New Testaments, and we do not put them on an equal footing. The New supersedes the Old, bringing fulfilment to it. According to Paul, “the law is become our tutor to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now faith that is come, we are no longer under a tutor.” (Gal 3:24-25)

According to the letter to the Hebrews, in the Old Testament, people experienced the terrifying holiness of God, in such a way that everybody was afraid of coming close.

“You shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Be careful not to go up the mountain or to touch the edge of it. Any who touch the mountain shall be put to death.” (Ex 19:12)

Nobody could see the face of God and live (Ex 33:20). In the New Testament, people make the experience of God in a totally different way:

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” (Heb 12:22-24)

In Jesus, God is God with us, and we come close to him, because he is ready to be touched by our sufferings, giving a listening heart to our cries. In Jesus Christ, we are accepted as children, and we can approach God with confidence, not being afraid of calling him father (Ro 8:15).

The Bible and the Quran

As we compare the Old and the New Testament and see the differences, we can as well compare the Holy Scriptures with the Quran. Hearing daily news about violence committed in the name of Islam, some wish to compare the violence in the Bible with the violence in the Quran, claiming that one is not different from the other, even though there are no Christians who have ever justified violence committed among themselves or against others with the teachings of Jesus. 

Christians read the Scriptures as the word of God, and Muslims also consider the Quran as the word of God. However, for Christians, the Bible is not the word of God in the way the Quran is the word of God for the Muslims.

They consider Quran as the exact word of God dictated to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel. So the Quran is the eternal word of God transmitted exactly as it is written in heaven before the beginning of times. In the Quran, there are no human writers involved and no human being had the opportunity of using his personal skills in writting whatever is there. The Quran is just one book, an eternal book, which has not undergone any change - that is the Muslims’ belief, even though it can be historically proved that the book has undergone several changes.

The Bible is not one book; instead, it is made up of many books, written by different people at very different times and circumstances and in many different forms and styles. For us the Bible is the word of God in human words, with the writers of the books playing a major role in transmitting God’s message. We believe that reading the Bible, we can hear God addressing himself to us, wiling to have a personal relationship with us, and that does not imply that each and every word was pronounced by God. That’s why we study and examine the books of the Bible as we do to any other book.

In the Bible, we find a God who reveals himself through human history, in such a way that in the Bible we find the history of a nation with all the conflicts which a nation is involved in. The revelation of God in the Bible is a process, and a very long process. God was not afraid or ashamed of coming close to man and get involved in their history. God came down to the level of the people, in order to lift them to the dignity of his glory. We are not surprised to find the culture of the people of Israel and of the neighbouring nations in the Bible. 

In the Bible, we find the history of salvation, in which God walks along the people of Israel, preparing the coming of the Messiah. It is Jesus Christ who comes to reveal the mystery of God’s love. 

In the New Testament, we do not find violence, but the violence suffered by Jesus and by the first Christians. Jesus did not inflict violence, he suffered violence. And the same happened with the followers of Jesus Christ, who suffered persecution, and still do in many places. Jesus taught his disciples to love their enemies and to answer evil with good (Mt 5:44).

It was very different with Muhammad, the founder of Islam. In Mecca, he started in a humble way, achieving nothing. Then, after moving to Medina, he became the ruler of the city and imposed himself through the sword, creating an empire. In Islam, religion and state are the two sides of the same coin. Muhammad started a religion and an empire, spreading Islam with the sword in the hand. Christ died on the cross, forgiving those who crucified him.

Pride is like a sickness without cure

The Gospel tells us not to fight for the first places. The true follower of Jesus is not after power and glory, the passing glory of this world, but he walks on the path of humility, so that he may be at the service of others. paying attention to the poor, and using the riches he has to help those who cannot pay back. 

The book of Ecclesiasticus tells us:

There is no cure for the proud man’s malady,

  since an evil growth has taken root in him. (Ecc 3:28)

HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT YOU ARE CHILDREN OF GOD?

XXI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 13:22-30

In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah presents the universal dimension of God’s plan of salvation. The prophets were indeed open minded people, who presented a vision not only for the people of Israel but for all peoples of the world. “I am coming to gather the nations of every language.” “And of some of them I will make priests and Levites, says the Lord.” (Is 66:18-21).

The people of Israel played an important role in the preparation of the coming of the Messiah, but when he came, he came for the salvation of the world. The Good News is offered to all, and all are invited to accept God’s love, revealed in Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus Christ went far beyond all that the prophets had announced. As Christians, walking on the footsteps of Jesus Christ, we must announce the Good News to the nations and call all of them to proclaim the glory of the Lord.

Connected with the issue of salvation, we find in this Sunday’s gospel, a question that we ask many times: How many will be saved? Everybody will be saved, or only a few will be saved? Instead of giving an answer to this question, the Gospel puts forward a warning: We should not take it for granted, for salvation will not come the easy way. “Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.” (Lk 13:24). 

We must work hard and be persistent. We should never think that God does not mind whatever we do or that he will let everything pass no matter what. In fact, our God is demanding. Already in the Old Testament, the people of Israel were given the commandment: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy (Lev 19:2). To enter the Kingdom of God, it is not enough to say: Lord, Lord. It is not enough to say: I believe. It is not enough to be always in church, or to meet regularly in two or three associations. We must be serious in our commitment, or we are deceiving ourselves. Otherwise, on the day of judgement, the Lord may tell us: “I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked men!” (Lk 13:27).

This does not mean that we should live in fear or that we should never despair of salvation. Our God is not a capricious God, like Allah, the God of Islam, who can change his mind as he pleases and turn against us at the last moment. We should never forget that our God is our Father, who loves us dearly. And the letter to the Hebrews reminds us of that:

“Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons?” (Heb 12:5).

But as a father, he may reprehend and even punish us, so that we repent and turn away from evil. Our modern society does everything possible to diminish and soothe pain at all costs, while imposing pain on the feeblest of society. In the traditional society, during the initiation period, they imposed suffering and pain on the young ones, as a training for the life of adult, when they will face difficulties of all kinds. Things have changed a lot, and the children are given total freedom of saying and doing whatever they like, as if there are no barriers that one should not cross, without putting our lives or the lives of others in danger. The ones who have an easy life are less prepared to deal with the harshness of life than those who from childhood had to struggle in order to overcome many difficulties and live. Since childhood, one needs to learn about the responsibilities which must be met, knowing that the others are not to be put at our service; in fact we must take into account their rights and their needs. We do not live alone, and the others cannot be used to satisfy our desires. We need to become adults. If in our attitude towards life and towards the others we behave like children, it will be difficult to grow and become adults in faith.

LET US NOT LOSE SIGHT OF JESUS

XX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 12:49-53

In his gospel, Luke presents the birth of Jesus as the birth of the Prince of peace, so that even the angels came to sing: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours.” (Lk 2:14). But this Sunday’s gospel speaks of strife and division, of distress and of judgement.

We may be surprised at hearing Jesus say that he does not bring peace, but division (or the sword, according to Matthew 10:34). Is Jesus a violent prophet like Muhammad, who conquered by the sword? Is Jesus giving permission or opening the way to justify violence and war in his name? Far from it. When Peter used the sword, he scolded him, saying: “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” (Mt  26:52). Jesus did not preach violence; instead he himself was going to be baptised in suffering. When he said: “I have a baptism with which to be baptised, and what stress I am under until it is completed!” (Lk 12:50), Jesus was speaking about the baptism of his passion and death. On one hand, he approached it in great distress,; on the other, he desired to see it through, thus carrying out his mission.

According to John the Baptist, the Messiah would baptise with the Holy Spirit and with fire, and “the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire”, while gathering “his wheat into the granary” (Mt 3:11-12). Jesus came to bring the fire of judgement, but this fire is not yet kindled, because the time for judgement has not arrived yet. And before it arrives, Jesus has to go through his passion and he himself will become a cause of division, because before him people will have to decide and choose the way of light and life or the way of darkness and death.

When Jesus was presented in the Temple, Simeon came and pronounced this prophetic words:

“This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed” (Lk 2:34-35).

Jesus suffered opposition even from his own relatives, who thought that he was mad (Mk 3:21), but he was opposed mainly by the religious leadership, who had him crucified. When and where Jesus’ message is proclaimed, it will be met either with opposition or with acceptance and belief. By following of Jesus, his disciples will be set apart, and they may be excluded, persecuted and killed. At the name of Jesus, many fall, while many others rise, and the inner thoughts of people are revealed.

In this modern (or postmodern) society in which we live, the politically correct is to exclude Jesus Christ from the public life. For many, it is anathema to show publicly any sign of belief, and so they have taken away the crosses from the schools and forbid any show of Christian practice in public places. On the other side, in the name of tolerance and of freedom of expression, Muslims are allowed all that Christians are forbidden.

Before Jesus, we have to choose, but the choices that we make are going to divide us, and that may happen even within our family. For instance, if one muslim converts to Christianity, he will be considered an outcast in his community and he may be killed by his own family. 

The letter to the Hebrews advises us not to loose sight of Jesus, because he is the one who leads us and brings us to perfection. We must remain steadfast in our decision to follow him, “running steadily in the race we have started”. And for that, we must be ready to “throw off everything that hinders us, especially the sin that clings so easily” to us ((Heb 12:1-2). Jesus is our role model, and following behind him, we must imitate him in carrying the cross that leads us to resurrection and life.

IN THE ELECTIONS, VOTE THINKING OF PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT

Tomorrow, the people of Zambia will vote in general elections. We pray for peace and development. Remember that nobody has the right to provoke violence and bring chaos in our peaceful country.  Now you can read the article I wrote in Icibemba for Icengelo.

NATUSALE ABA KUTEKA ICALO MU KUTONTONKANYA PA BUYANTANSHI NE CIBOTE

By Fr. José dos Santos Guedes

Muli uno mweshi, pa bantu bonse abaiminina, kukaba ukusala umo wa kuteka calo, kabili kukaba ukusala bashicilye aba kupanga amafunde ya calo. Takwaba nangu umo uwasalilwa libela, iyoo; kabili pali abo bonse takwaba nangu umo uwasubwa, atemwa uwasalwa nangu uwasontwa kuli Lesa. Abantu, mu kupingula kwabo na mu kumona uusekesha imitima yabo  e bakasala uwa kubateka.

Ukulwila ubutungulushi bwa calo

Muli ino nshita, bonse abaiminina ukusalwa, balwila imitima na mano ya bantu, pakuti babasale. Mu kulwila ukusalwa, kuli ababomfya inshila ishili shonse pa kunasha imitima ya bantu. Pakuti basalwe, bambi bafisa imisango yabo no kwesha ukulanga abanabo nga balwani ba calo. Mu milandile yabo, bailanga ukuba abakaele, abasuma, lintu abanabo baba ne misango yonse ibi. Kuti babomfya umusalula no bufi; kabili bambi balwisha abanabo na maka, icakuti bamo bacenekwa. Abacite fi balaba ukuti ulubuli luleta ulubuli, lupwisha icibote, no kuleta kuti lwaleta inkondo.

Bonse abaiminina ukusalwa balwila ififulo, balwila amaka ya kuteka, balwila no bucindami bwa bufumu. Bonse fye balefwaya ukwitwa  ati: “Bashimucindikwa”. Lelo abantu e balingile ukumona ku micitile yabo  nga cakuti, pa nshita imo ine, bakwata umutima wa kuipelesha mu kubombela icalo. Ifilayo fyabo te fya kucetekela iyoo, pantu twalishininkisha ukuti, pa kusekesha abantu, bonse batemwa ukulaya ifyo baishiba ukuti bakafilwa ukufikisha. Kuti cayafya ukucetekela abantu abapilibukila umwapupila umwela: lelo baba mu cilonganino cimo, mailo muli cimbi, bulya bushiku nakabili muli cimbi, kwati tabaikwatila amano na mafunde pa mulandu wa mitekele ya calo, lelo bafwaisha fye icifulo umwa kulilamo.

Muli shino nshiku, mu masocial media mwaingile insoselo ya kususha no kweba abanabo ukuti tapali ifyo babomba kabili takwakabe ifyo bakabomba. Lelo kuti twalubulwisha shani abashipelwe umulimo wa kubomba? Kuti twabeba shani “Sonta apo wabomba”, lintu twabakenye ukubomba? Abo twasalile ebo tulingile ukwipusha ati: Sonta, tumone ifyo wabomba; tushininkishe nga wabomba ukulingana no mulimo twakupele ukubomba. Kuli ipinda lya Cibemba icilanda aciti: Umulimo bashikupele, icilambu lupi. Abo tushasalile ukubomba, teti babombe, no kulubulwisha teti tubalubulwishe nakalya. Lelo abapelwe umulimo wa kusunga ifyuma fya calo no kuleta ubuyantanshi mu calo ebo tulingile ukushininkisha nga babombele nangu iyoo.

Ukupokelela imisalile ya bantu

Teti tumone abanensu ababa mu filonganino fimbi nga balwani besu nangu nga balwani ba calo iyoo. Bonse abaiminina ukusalwa baba abena Zambia, kabili bonse basakamana icalo, balefwaya no buyantanshi bwa calo. Ukupusana ukwabako kuli fye pa nshila isha kuletelamo ubuyantanshi, epela. Nga balefwaya ukuleta inshila iyaibela, tacilepilibula ukuti basangukila icalo iyoo. Umuntu kuti twamwita fye umusangu wa calo nga aleumfwana na ba kunse ya calo pa konaula icalo. Mu cishinka, icalo tacikabila ifilonganino ifilwila fye ntungulushi sha fiko; lelo cilakabila ifilonganino ifyaiminina amano, amapange ne nshila ifyaibela fya kuletelamo ubuyantanshi mu calo. Pali ishi nshila ishapusana pusana abantu e bengasala iyo batemwisha, nangu iyo bamona ukubawamina no kuwamina icalo. Abena filonganino balingile ukulondolola ubutantiko bwa mapange yabo, lelo bali no kuleka ukuti, mu buntungwa bwabo, abantu basale ico balefwaya ukusala. Kabili icintu bwingi nga casala, bonse balingile ukusuminisha imisalile ya bantu. Abakana ukupokelela imisalile ya bantu, bakaleta ubonaushi mu calo, kabili bakapilibula icalo ca buntungwa mu calo ca mutitikisha no lufyengo.

Ukubomfya ishina lyakwa Lesa ne lya Eklesia

Mu kulwila ubutungulushi mu calo, teti tuyumfwe ukuti Lesa awaila ulubali lwesu, lintu Shetani aba ku lubali lwa banensu, pantu Lesa ni Lesa wa bonse no kusakamana asakamana bonse no kufwaya alefwaya ukumona muli bonse imicitile ya bulungi no mulungikila. Takwaba uo Lesa asala, pantu te Lesa ukasala iyoo; abantu e bakasala. Imisalile yakwa Lesa ikapitila mu misalile ya bantu. Twilabomfya Lesa pa kuitulungika nangu ukutupokolola no kunasha abantu, pakuti batusale, pantu mu kucite fi, tulecita umusalula kuli Lesa. Kabili twilabomfya Ulukuta lwakwa Lesa mu kulwila ubutungulushi bwa calo, iyoo; kabili takwaba icilonganino ca kulwila ubutungulushi icingailumbanya aciti cina Kristu, pantu mu filonganino fyonse abena Kristu e bafula. Eklesia - ukucilapo Eklesia Katolika - talwila ubutungulushi bwa calo. Takwaba shikofu nangu umupatili uwaiminina ukusalwa iyoo. Mu Eklesia, tulabilikisha Ishiwi lyakwa Lesa kuli bonse abasumina, kabili kuli bonse ababa ne cumfwilo kuli Lesa, uutwita ifwe bonse ukubombela icibote mu kukwata imisango ya cishinka, ya bulungi no mulinganya; e pa kuleta ubuyantanshi mu calo ubwa kuwamina bonse, ukucilapo abapina na batitikishiwa.

Mu bushiku bwa kusala, bonse balingile ukusunga icibote, mu kukonka amafunde ya misalile na mu kulanga umucinshi kuli bonse. Kwilaba nangu umo wa kubomfya icintinya mu kusenda ifyanso. Abacite fi kuti babapenda nga balwani ba calo, no kukaka balingile ukubakaka. Kabili cila umo akaconge akapepala ka misalile mu kukonka umutima wakwe na mano yakwe, apabula umwenso, pantu imisalile yakwe ikaba ya nkama. Nga mwapokele fimo, bupe bamupele fye; lelo teti bashite amano yenu no kusala kwena ne ca bupe ca fye. Mukonke fye bumutima-kayebele bwenu, epela.

Mu kulangulukila abalanda

Mu kusunga umwaka wa Jubilee ya luse, ifwe, fwe bena Kristu, tulingile ukukwata imisango ya cibote no kukwata umutima wa kulangulukila bonse abalecula mu calo, pamo nga babula incito na bacula ku nsala. Imitekele ya calo ilingile ukuwamina abapina ukucilapo. Ninshi pa kusala, tulingile ukusala uwaba no mutima ku balanda, kabili uwaishiba ukusanga inshila sha kufushishamo ubunonshi bwa calo, pantu mu calo icabula ifyuma abapina e bacula ukucilapo.

Kuti cawama ukusalika no mushikakulo 72:

Wingapela imfumu (kateka)

Amano ya kupingula nga iwe,

We Lesa,

No bulungami bobe ku mwana wa mfumu.

Pakuti akalepingula abantu bobe mu bulungami,

No kupingula abalanda mu mulinganya.

(..)

Akalapokololako abalanda pakati ka bantu,

No kupususha abana ba balanda,

Elyo no kukanda abalebacusha. (Mush 72:1-2,4).

Lesa apale icalo cesu, apele na bena Zambia bonse amano ya kusala bwino, kabili apêle umutima wa kusumina no kupokelela imisalile ya cintu bwingi.

STAND READY TO SERVE FAITHFULLY

XIX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 12:32-48

Zambia is facing crucial times, and this week, during election day, the Zambian people are at cross roads, having to make a choice and decide which direction to take. As Christians, we should never loose sight of our guiding values, and this Sunday readings can inspire us, showing us the basic attitudes that make the difference. 

Although Jesus is speaking about the servants of the Kingdom of God, we must remember that he taught us to pray for the Kingdom to come, so that our world is transformed and we become a new creation in Jesus.

• Reassuring us, Jesus said: “There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.” When fear invades our hearts, we may try to hide or sit still. We would like to disappear, as if we were not there. We cannot stand up and do what needs to be done. And we dream about the past and the good old days. Or we may trust any false hope, with the conviction that it will deliver us. Jesus advises us not to be afraid. We may look forward with confidence, because God has chosen us to be his people.
• Jesus advises us to make the right choice: “Get yourselves purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail you, in heaven where no thief can reach it and no moth destroy it.” The wealth of this world cannot satisfy our hearts. The Nation needs that we produce wealth to bring development and to care for the wellbeing of the people. But if we enter the way of exploitation, in which a few get rich by trampling on the rights of the majority, then we will have  a divided and oppressed society, in which the seeds of revolt will germinate and bring violence and suffering. We do not need leaders that only care about themselves, and who have no other principle than their own selfishness. We must put our treasures in heaven, and we do so when our hearts are full of compassion for the weak, the poor and the suffering.
• “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” We must question ourselves about our values, the values that guide our lives and give meaning to them. It is very dangerous to choose people who have no values; those who are spineless and  who change and calculate their moves according the conveniences of the moment.
• Then Jesus advises us to be “dressed for action”, to be on the alert and to “stand ready”. At any time, we may be called to account. Many times, our leaders behave as if they have all time of the world and as if nobody has the right to ever question them. However, the time of reckoning will come. As in the statue that Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream, all leaders have clay feet (Dan 2:33), which at any time may bring their destruction. 
• “He will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them”. This is indeed an extraordinary promise. The servants who are found to be faithful will be given a great reward: the master himself will serve them at hi own table. This is Jesus’ promise to all his faithful servants. It is a promise of recognition for the hard work of his servants. There is no need of “sontapo”. People have eyes to see.
• “The faithful and wise steward” will be put in charge of everything, because he was found trustworthy. Who is really faithful and wise, so that he can be entrusted with the stewardship of the country?
• There is always the danger of abuse. There are some who misuse the power entrusted to them and become oppressors. Such a situation will not last forever. When the master finds out such behaviour in a steward, he “will cut him off”.
• Jesus gives us a final warning: the more we are entrusted with, the more will be expected of us.

Let us pray for Zambia, for peaceful elections and may everybody listen to the voice of the people and accept their choice.