MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU

MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD - Numbers 6:22-27

We begin the New Year in the company of Mary of Nazareth, the mother of Jesus, the Messiah. Today, we acclaim her as the Mother of God or Theotokos. We may find such a title very strange, but it was adopted in the ecumenical council of Ephesus (in 431), as a proclamation of faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. By calling Mary Mother o God, we say that her son, Jesus, is divine, or that the son born of her is God who came to be with us. He is Immanuel, that is, God with us (Mt 1:23). In no way do we mean that the Son of God was generated by Mary, but through her, He assumed a human body for him to live with us. By God’s favour and choice, Mary played an important role in the fulfilment of God’s plan of salvation. The gospel of John presents Mary at the beginning and the end of Jesus’ ministry. Before dying, Jesus entrusted her to his beloved disciple, who cared for her as his mother. Each one of us is called to be that beloved disciple. Like him, we must welcome Mary in our homes, being sure that she will pay attention to our shortcomings and then she will take them to Jesus for him to transform our sadness and suffering into happiness and wholeness.

We address Mary, as the Mother of God and ask for her intercession so that we may find peace. Indeed, as we enter the new year, we are called to pray for peace, so that we may give praise and glory to God. Every year, on the first day of the year, the whole Church prays for peace. With Europe at war, a war that is in danger of escalating, we must kneel and recognise that “no one can be saved alone”. Peace is only possible when everybody is ready to work for peace, giving the best of themselves and accepting the contribution of others.  asking for God’s blessings. We must recognise that God has made us his children. Through the spirit that He has poured on us, we can address Him saying: “Abba, Father” (Gal 4:4-7). We are not slaves, but children and we must live according to our dignity as children. We may apply the Bemba proverb: Cimumbwa pala noko pala wiso ukuwama. You creature, be like your mother, be like your father, how that is good.

At the beginning of the year, the Church presents us with God’s blessings, as it is given in the book of Numbers:

The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Say this to Aaron and his sons: “This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.”

With the Virgin Mary, let us ask for God’s blessings, so that we may work for peace.

CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT JESUS, THE CHRIST

CHRISTMAS - Isaiah 9:1-7

As we celebrate Christmas, we may ask ourselves what are we celebrating? It sounds like an absurd question, since the word Christmas refers to Christ. However, looking at the celebrations of the season around us, we are bombarded with images of Father Christmas, trying to entice us to buy all kinds of gifts. Christmas has become a highly profitable season for all the big shopping centres. And we may get the false impression that everything is about children, while, in reality, it is about profit. And we lose sight of the one we are celebrating, Jesus Christ. Christmas is about Jesus, the Christ, and nothing else. And we should not be distracted from that. At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, who is proclaimed as the Saviour of the world.

The great feast of Christmas represents an effort of inculturation. It falls on the winter solstice, which happened on 25 December in the Julian calendar. The solstice was celebrated in many cultures, being considered a time of renewal of life, as the days begin to grow in the northern hemisphere. And people celebrated and welcomed the light that makes possible life. And Jesus came as the Light of the world (Jn 8:12). Isaiah had announced such a time of blissfulness:

The people that walked in darkness

has seen a great light;

on those who live in a land of deep shadow

a light has shone. (Is 9:2)

We must rejoice and give praise to God because he has look upon us with compassion and, in order to set us free, he sent his Son, who, becoming a human being like us, open the way for us to become divine in Him. Indeed, a child for us is born:

For there is a child born for us,

a son given to us

and dominion is laid on his shoulders;

and this is the name they give him:

Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God,

Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace. (Is 9:6)

He came as the Prince of peace, opening the way of reconciliation with God and with one another. That’s why we sing with the angels:

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and peace to men who enjoy his favour.” (Lk 2:14).

And those who enjoy his favour are all those who give glory to God and become themselves a manifestation of God’s glory. According to John:

“to all who did accept him

he gave power to become children of God”.

Let us welcome the Child Jesus in our hearts, our homes and our communities, for us to become like Him children of God.

Let’s go to Bethlehem and greet the great King born for us. Bane, imeni!

HE IS IMMANUEL, THAT IS “GOD-IS-WITH-US”

IV SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Romans 1:1-7

Paul begins his letter to the Romans by presenting himself with three titles: “servant of Christ Jesus”, “called to be an apostle”, and “chosen to preach the Good News”. So he is a servant, an apostle and a preacher. What is he preaching? What is the Good News that he proclaims? The Good News announced by Paul is about the Son of God, that is Jesus Christ, who, according to human nature, is a descendant of David and, according to the Spirit, is the Son of God, which is testified by his resurrection. It is through Jesus Christ that Paul received his apostolic mission to lead all nations to obedience to Jesus Christ. All of us are called to be saints.

Jesus Christ, the Saviour, is the Son of God. He is Immanuel, that is “God-is-with-us”, He came to fulfil the promise made in Prophet Isaiah and that fulfilment is presented in the Gospel. In this Sunday’s gospel, our eyes are turned to Joseph, who was engaged to Mary of Nazareth. The passage presents a catechetical lesson about the incarnation of the Son of God, leaving it clear that Jesus is that Son. Through Joseph, he belongs to the family of David, but he is generated through the power of God. Like the first Adam, this second one is a fruit of the Spirit. With Adam, God used the dust of the ground, with Jesus, God used the womb of Mary to bring forth the Saviour. 

We must look at Joseph and learn from him. He was honest and sincere, more preoccupied with his fiancé’s good than with his honour. Being pure of heart, God became his refuge, protecting him and entrusting to him the guardianship of Jesus, the Son of God.

LIKE JOHN THE BAPTIST, WE MUST LOOK FOR THE TRUTH

III SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Matthew 11:2-11

John the Baptist is one of the dominant figures in Advent. He gathered some disciples and initiated a movement that lasted beyond his life. In Ephesus, Paul met a group of John’s disciples who had received his baptism (Ep 19:1-3). Jesus was influenced by John and his movement. Jesus went to him to be baptised and then made an experience in the desert, maybe attracted by  John’s lifestyle. However, Jesus parted ways with John. He did not remain in the desert but chose to travel up and down towns and villages, mixing with people and proclaiming the great good news of God’s time of salvation. If we look at John and Jesus side by side, we can find big differences between them. John abandoned city life and went into the desert. Jesus, after a short experience in the desert, made Capernaum his headquarters. John was harsh with himself and lived a frugal life. Jesus dressed in a special tunic (Jn 19:1) and ate whatever people offered him. John preached about the impending judgement and punishment of the corrupt society that he had abandoned. Jesus witnessed God’s love, compassion and mercy for downtrodden people who cried out for deliverance. 

John was aware of his mission which he tried to fulfil with earnestness. He was a voice calling on people to prepare a way for the Lord and to be ready to welcome him. He expected the Messiah to come with power to cleanse the world of all evil. With an axe in his hands he would cut down the trees that bear no fruit and burn the chaff with “unquenchable fire.” (Mt 3:12). However, Jesus was not doing that and John was disappointed and his mind was full of misgivings. Maybe he was mistaken! And he decided to send his disciples to Jesus with a straightforward question: “Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else?” Jesus did not answer yes or no, but presented the great signs of the fulfilment of the great Promise of salvation:

“Go back and tell John what you hear and see; the blind see again, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor; and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.”

Jesus is indeed the Messiah. God’s justice is brought about by his gentleness and compassion. God is merciful and he calls on us to be merciful as well.

After the return of John’s disciples, Jesus made an appraisal of John:

“‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No? Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Oh no, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces. Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet”.

John was indeed a truthful and honest man that always spoke what he thought to be true. He would not be swayed around by anybody and would remain faithful to the end. That’s why he is much more than a prophet. However, even a prophet must go on searching for the truth and paying attention to the signs through which God speaks to us. God reveals himself to those who persevere in knocking on his door until it opens.

REPENT, FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS CLOSE AT HAND

II SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Matthew 3:1-12

We may say that Advent is dominated by three extraordinary figures: Isaiah, John the Baptist and Mary of Nazareth. In Isaiah, we hear God’s Promise of salvation that fills us with hope and directs our sight towards a future of freedom, justice and peace, because the Lord of history will intervene in our favour. That future, the fulfilment of which is already beginning, seems like a dream that can be made a reality only by God’s merciful love and power. We pray and hope that Isaiah’s vision may come to be true:

The wolf lives with the lamb,

the panther lies down with the kid,

calf and lion feed together,

with a little boy to lead them.

The cow and the bear make friends,

their young lie down together.

The lion eats straw like the ox.

The infant plays over the cobra’s hole;

into the viper’s lair

the young child puts his hand.

They do no hurt, no harm,

on all my holy mountain,

for the country is filled with the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters swell the sea. (Is 11:6-9).

John was the last of the prophets, greater than a prophet (Lk 7:26). He is presented as the one who came to fulfil Isaiah’s prophecy:

A voice cries in the wilderness:

Prepare a way for the Lord,

make his paths straight.

John was “a voice” at the service of the great message of salvation. Sent to announce the coming of the Messiah, he made his proclamation clear: “‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.” Like those who heard him for the first time, we are invited to repent and that must be done with urgency.

We must repent because we have gone astray. Thus, confessing our sins, we must change direction and turn to the Lord. John’s way of life was a protest against the values of most of the people in Judah. He abandoned city life and went into the desert, where he survived on a very frugal diet. People went there and listened to him. With John, Jerusalem and the Temple are no more the points of reference. To encounter the Lord and recognise Him as our refuge and salvation, people abandoned their city comfort and experienced the harshness of the desert, which made them aware of the need for conversion. To the Pharisees and the Sadducees, John did not mince his words: “‘Brood of vipers, who warned you to fly from the retribution that is coming?” We must produce fruits of repentance to escape the harsh punishment that is coming for all those who do not change their ways.

Let us pray with the psalm 72:

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

O God, give your judgement to the king,

  to a king’s son your justice,

that he may judge your people in justice

  and your poor in right judgement.

In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails.

In his days justice shall flourish

  and peace till the moon fails.

He shall rule from sea to sea,

  from the Great River to earth’s bounds.

PUT ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

I SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Mt 24:37-44

The Lord is coming! His advent - arrival - is at hand. From the beginning of the Church, all Christians look forward to his coming. And we must prepare to welcome him. We may miss his arrival and ignore him. I remember a sketch repeated many times by the youths in Lubengele Parish: Someone was told that God would visit him. And he decided to give God a great welcome: he cleaned the house and embellished it with the best he had for the greatest and most noble guest that he could receive. As he was waiting, a poor old man with his clothes in tatters knocked at the door. However, he had no time for him and threw him out with insults. He was waiting for God and had no time to be concerned with anything else. Next, a drunkard came looking for a place where to sit and recover from the hangover. He pleaded insistently, but to no avail. He could not stand such a nuisance. His heart and his mind were concentrated on God who was coming. A while later, a young man who had become a human wreck due to drug abuse knocked at the door. From inside, the owner shouted angrily at him. What a shame! Nobody could go inside and dirty the house that he prepared for God. He waited and waited for God, who seemed to be late, and he was getting tired of so much waiting. In the end, he complained. God did not keep his word. How can he be trusted? However, God could not understand his complaint. He had come, more than once, but he was never allowed in. He was the poor old man, the drunkard and the drug user. He pleaded to come in, only to be thrown out. 

The Lord will come at the end of time… And he is coming time and again. However, we are distracted by so many things that we don’t pay attention to him. Jesus warns us: “‘So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming.” And he repeats his warning: ”Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Saint Paul also reminds us that “the time has come”: “Let us live decently as people do in the daytime: no drunken orgies, no promiscuity or licentiousness, and no wrangling or jealousy. Let your armour be the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ro 13:11-14)

THE FIRST-BORN OF ALL CREATION

XXXIV SUNDAY - CHRIST THE KING — Luke 23:35-43

Through Isaiah, God addresses his people saying: 

“… my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” (Is 55:8)

They are not only different but, many times, they seem to go in the opposite direction. For instance, we think of kingship as an instance of power in which the one proclaimed king imposes himself, becoming the undisputed overlord of everything and everybody. His decisions are final and unquestionable, demanding total obedience. Before such a king, we must prostrate ourselves in fear. It was so with Herod the king, Caesar the emperor and many other rulers who exercised power over the nations. Jesus refused to walk that road and went into hiding when people tried to proclaim him king (Jn 6:15). Arrested and accused before Pilate of being a pretender to the throne of David, Jesus answered in bewilderment: “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” (Jn 18:34). Upon insistence from Pilate, Jesus reassured him that he had nothing to fear because his kingdom is not from the world. His kingdom is about the truth and he came “to bear witness to the truth” (Jn 18:37). Jesus' kingship has to do with truth, love and service. He gave a commandment to all those who desire to belong to his kingdom: “you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. … people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.” (Jn 13:34-35). Being divine, he put aside his glory as the Son of God and humbled himself to become one like us, suffering violence and oppression and dying on the cross to liberate us from the slavery of sin. With a crown of thorns on his head and a cross as his throne, Jesus is proclaimed king. What a contradiction! How can a cross become a throne? However, Jesus himself had told his disciples: “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” (Jn 3:14-15). As king, with the cross as his throne, Jesus is the giver of eternal life. It is through Him that everything is reconciled:

“everything in heaven and everything on earth,

when he made peace

by his death on the cross.” (Col 1:20).

Jesus Christ, as King of the universe, is the image of God:

“He is the image of the unseen God

and the first-born of all creation,

for in him were created

all things in heaven and on earth.” (Col 1:15-16).

With songs of praise, let us sing to him and pledge to serve Him and to live by his Law: Love one another as I loved you.

YOUR ENDURANCE WILL WIN YOU YOUR LIVES

XXXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 21:5-19

Through generations, there have been times when the expectancy of the end of the world has become prevalent, dominating the thought and the behaviour of people. The first generation of Christians went through such an experience, with their hearts on fire as they waited for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ for a final judgement, as He establishes his kingdom. A good number of Thessalonians became so caught up in such thinking that they stopped working and Paul had to give them a stern warning. We are living in similar times. Groups are announcing that the end of time is being ushered in. We are before an eminent cataclysm, due to ecological mismanagement. We are the only ones to blame for such a catastrophe. Henceforth, radical change is demanded and even imposed in an attempt to prevent the earth from changing.

This Sunday’s gospel helps to reflect upon the eschatological times, that is the end of times. The passage (Lk 21:5-19) begins with the announcement of the destruction of the temple. Where there is order and beauty, there will be chaos, violence and death. Jesus makes it clear that no human institution, even the most sacred one, can take the place of God. The Temple had become like an idol, a substitute for God, giving everybody a false sense of security. However, it will fall like an idol, unable to protect itself or anybody else. To the announcement of the destruction of the Temple, Jesus adds a warning. We must be on the alert not to follow false prophets or believe anyone who claims to be the Messiah. Indeed, there have been so many false messiahs, pointing a way for salvation.

Before wars, earthquakes, plagues and famine, many people think that the end of the world is at hand. Jesus tells us that it is not so: “do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon.” Time after time and generation after generation, humanity is confronted with all kinds of troubles: wars, pandemics, and cataclysms. The earth itself has gone through so many changes that we cannot expect to live on a changeless earth.

According to Jesus, his disciples must be sure that, while still on earth, they are going to be confronted with persecution. And that gives us the “opportunity to bear witness” to Jesus Christ. He will be with us and strengthen us to remain steadfast and faithful to him. Jesus does not hide what is in waiting for us: “You will be hated by all men on account of my name”. To remain faithful, we need resilience, sure that “Your endurance will win you your lives.”

HE IS THE GOD OF THE LIVING

XXXI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 20:27-38

The first reading, taken from 2 Maccabees 7:1-2,9-14, tells the story of seven brothers who suffered torture and death for their faithfulness to the faith. Encouraged by their mother, they showed extraordinary courage, defying the orders of the king who tried to force the whole people to adopt the religion and the customs of the Greeks. The persecution of the Jews who remained faithful to their faith and their traditions provoked the revolt of the Maccabees, who, after a prolonged war, managed to become independent. The story of the seven brothers presented an extraordinary example of heroism and they became role models for many who chose faithfulness to betrayal. Their suffering and death were proclamations of faith. Truly they are martyrs because their death is a witness to the living God who is the Lord of the living and the dead. In their faith in the resurrection, they found the strength to withstand all the social and political pressure.

The clear belief in the resurrection expressed in the story of the seven brothers was something new among the Jews. Nowhere in the books of Moses - the Torah - can we find an affirmation of the resurrection. The belief in the resurrection started to take hold, only after the exile, under the influence of the Persians, and a deeper reflection on Yahweh as the God of the living. During Jesus’ time, most of the population accepted this belief, even though it was not accepted by important sectors of society. In today’s gospel, we discover that the important and powerful group of the Sadducees, composed mainly of the most important priestly families, did not believe in the resurrection, since it was not part of the beliefs taught by Moses in the Torah. They went to Jesus with a made-up story of a woman who was married to seven brothers. With that story, they wanted to have a good laugh at Jesus. However, Jesus frustrated their intent with two main ideas about the resurrection. First, Jesus clarified the concept of resurrection, which is not a revivification, like the one he did with Lazarus. It is not a coming back to the same kind of earthly life. The resurrection is the life of the children of God, a new kind of life in which the glory of God is present. In God’s presence, they will become like angels. Paul would write that our bodies will become like the glorious body of Jesus Christ (Phil 3:21). Then, referring to the teachings of Moses, as the Sadducees did before, Jesus says that even Moses had glimpsed the reality of the resurrection when he refers to God as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, meaning that they are alive in God. “Now he is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all men are in fact alive.”

We must not forget that our faith in the resurrection both of Jesus Christ and ours in Jesus is the nucleus of our Christian faith. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Jesus did not rise from the dead as well. “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Co 15:14).

JESUS CAME TO SEEK OUT AND SAVE WHAT WAS LOST

XXXI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 19:1-10

The first reading of this Sunday’s liturgy, taken from the Book of Wisdom, motivates us to approach God with trust and confidence. In no way can we compare ourselves with God. Who are we if even the universe is but a “grain of dust” or “a drop of morning dew”? However, the author of Wisdom is convicted that the Lord is the lover of life. He is not intent on destruction and condemnation; on the contrary, He is “merciful to all, ”because He loves all that exists. God is patient with us and overlooks our “sins so that we can repent”.

“Little by little, therefore, you correct those who offend,

you admonish and remind them of how they have sinned,

so that they may abstain from evil and trust in you, Lord.” ( Wis 11:22 - 12:2)

The readiness of God to wait patiently and gives us time to repent is seen clearly in the way Jesus approached Zacchaeus. a senior tax collector. Despite his wealth, Zacchaeus was an unhappy man whose heart could not find peace. He was looking for something else, searching for a way out that might lead him to find true rest. “He was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was” and he went the extra mile to achieve that desire, which was much deeper than simple curiosity. Being rejected by people, he was aware that there was something (or maybe a lot) wrong with his life. He felt the need to straighten up his life and he was searching for a way to achieve that. In Jesus, he found a way which went beyond whatever he could dream of. Jesus noticed his effort, the sign of a deep desire for salvation and he made an explicit invitation to accept the redemption offered to him. And in happiness, Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus into his house with a clear purpose of repentance and conversion. The passage ends with Jesus’ statement:

“Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.”

We may never lose hope of salvation, no matter how big our sin is because Jesus Christ came “to seek out and save what was lost”.  

.

THE HUMBLE MAN’S PRAYER PIERCES THE CLOUDS

XXX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 18:9-14

Like some other parables, the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (tax collector) was aimed at a concrete situation as a critique of a common attitude among a group of people. In this case, the parable was addressed “to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else”. This parable is a call to look at our attitude towards God. Do I behave like the Pharisee or am I in the same situation as the Publican?

Putting them side by side and paying attention to their demeanour, we will get a poor impression of the Pharisee who is proud and boasts of his righteousness before God.  He complies with all the laws and regulations. Before him, one feels out of place. He judges and condemns others, and separates himself from them with contempt. We get the impression that he approaches God to claim his reward, a reward to which he earned a right. He praises himself instead of praising God.  He does not need others and we may doubt if he needs God. Being so full of himself, there is no space left for others and God. The Publican has nothing to boast about. He is considered a sinner and despised as a traitor. Collecting taxes for the Roman emperor, he collaborates with the oppression of a foreign power.  He gets rich at the expense of the people. The Pharisee and the Publican are situated on two extremes of society. The first separates himself from the multitude of sinners to keep his purity and righteousness. The second is ostracised by the majority of the people. Living in a situation of impurity, he cannot enter the temple and so he “stood some distance away”. In his prayer, he is sincere and truthful, presenting his soul before God with confidence in his mercy and compassion. He knows that he does not deserve a place in God’s house. He recognises his sin and pleads for mercy: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” He is well aware that his salvation is dependent on God. And God had mercy on him.

In the Catholic Church, this Sunday is Mission Sunday - dedicated to the missionary dimension of the Church. The Pope calls on us to reflect on the theme: You will be my witnesses to the end of the world (Act 1:8). Let us give witness to Jesus Christ in whom we find life and salvation.

MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD

XXIX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 18:1-8

Psalm 121 gives us the theme for this Sunday’s liturgy:

I lift up my eyes to the mountains;

  from where shall come my help?

My help shall come from the Lord

  who made heaven and earth.

May he never allow you to stumble!

  Let him sleep not, your guard.

No, he sleeps not nor slumbers,

  Israel’s guard.

The Lord will guard you from evil,

  he will guard your soul.

The Lord will guard your going and coming

  both now and for ever.

Indeed, my help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. From whom else would it come? Only the Lord can keep me from evil, because he makes me company throughout my life, “in my going and coming both now and for ever”. In Him, we can put our trust and we can always approach Him with confidence. This psalm is like a profession of faith of the believer who entrusts himself to the Lord.

In this Sunday’s liturgy, we are given two examples of prayer as an insistent plea. During their long journey through the desert, the people of Israel were attacked by the Amalekites. The Israelites were forced to go to war to safeguard their very existence. However, on their own, they would have failed. They needed the intervention of a higher power. And Moses went to the hilltop and prayed with raised arms. We may be surprised to find God intervening in human battles. How can be God associated with violence, even in a war that may be considered legitimate? The Bible helps us to discover a God always present in the middle of people going with them through all pleasant and unpleasant moments of life. Only those who choose to ignore history may be surprised. Human history is full of violence, with nations against nations. We may think evil of all those who preceded us, thus condemning them. In our self-righteousness, we want to throw the past into the dustbin of forgetfulness. However, we are as much prone to violence and war as they were. And when war comes, we need the presence of God in our midst, to find the hope that will lead us to peace again.

Moses with raised arms on the top of the hill stands as a model of insistent prayer for the sake of his people. In the gospel, Jesus presents a widow who doesn’t get tired of pleading for justice before a corrupt judge, forcing him to attend to her. We must do the same with God, being certain that God will not delay in doing justice “to his chosen who cry to him day and night”.

Let us pray at all times, pleading for peace and justice.

JESUS, TAKE PITY ON US

XXVIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 17:11-19

In this Sunday’s liturgy, we are presented two cases of leprosy who look for and find healing. In 2 Kings 5, we have the healing of Naaman, a Syrian general who came to the prophet Elisha for help. In the gospel, a group of ten lepers is healed by Jesus.

Sickness, even the most hideous, can affect everybody rich and poor alike. However, Naaman kept his status, despite his sickness. In the past, leprosy was a terrible sickness. Being contagious and incurable, it led to exclusion. The leper was thrown out of the community and had to live as an outcast. It was as if he was already living in hell, being punished by the wrath of God because of sin. The leper was excluded in order to protect the other members of the community. 

In both stories, there is a ray of hope, pointing to the possibility of healing. For Naaman, the hope was rekindled by a servant girl who had been taken prisoner during an incursion into Israel. The slave gave a light of hope to the free and mighty. For the ten lepers, the encounter with Jesus filled them with hope and they cried out: “Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.”

With them, we have learnt to call on the name of Jesus. His name is the most powerful name. It is only through him that we may receive salvation: 

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Act 4:12).

The leprosy of the body is a sign of a more dangerous leprosy, the one of the soul. By our choice, we live like outcasts, far away from the Lord. And we need to meet Jesus and plead with him: “Take pity on us”. The leprosy of sin affect us as a community, and we need salvation as a community. There were ten lepers who came to Jesus. Ten is the minimum required to establish a jewish community and set up a synagogue. Thus, the number ten symbolises the community or the people of God. We are saved in community. We are called to become one body in Christ.

Salvation comes always as a gift. We may prepare ourselves for it and entreat the Lord to take pity on us, but we cannot force it upon God. The healing of Naaman makes it clear that he was made whole by the grace of God. And that grace must be recognised with thanksgiving. Naaman gave thanks and believed that Yahweh is the only God who must be worshipped. In the story of the ten lepers, we discover that only one out of ten came back to give thanks to Jesus. In Bemba (a Zambian language) there is a proverb which speaks about the callousness of those who do not give thanks: Uushitasha, mwana wa ndoshi (the one who doesn’t give thanks is a child of a witch).

The one who recognised God’s favour in his life is the one who has faith, the faith which makes possible salvation. The others were healed of a sickness of the body, but remained contaminated by sin, as outcasts from God’s presence and love.

The two episodes of healing leave us surprised because they stress the healing of foreigners who were even considered as enemies of the people of God. However, being able to accept God’s presence in their lives, they received mercy. 

Let us ask the Lord: Jesus, take pity on us.

THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL LIVE BY HIS FAITH

XXVII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 17:5-10

There is plenty of evil in the world. Indeed, there is so much oppression and exploitation. Everywhere we can see injustice and tyranny. The poor and the weak are crushed. “Outrage and violence, this is all I see, all is contention, and discord flourishes.” (Hab 1:3). It is as if the violent has taken over the world. In all this, we may ask: Where is God? Why does He not care? We are not alone in asking such a question. Prophet Habakkuk asks the same: 

“How long, O Lord, am I to cry for help

while you will not listen;

to cry ‘Oppression!’ in your ear

and you will not save?” (Hab 1:2).

Habakkuk presents God’s answer: At the right time, God will put things straight.

“if it comes slowly, wait,

for come it will, without fail.” (Hab 2:3).

And a final assurance is given: “the righteous shall live by his faith”. The righteous is the one who has no part in the injustice and violence that brings suffering upon the common people; the one who stays away from evil, because he chose to walk along the straight path - the set before us by God. Faith is the acceptance of the Covenant and the decision to live by it, making God the centre of his life and the point of reference for all his actions.

In the Gospel, the disciples asked Jesus: “Increase our faith.” That is a request which we must make as well. We need to ask the Lord to increase and strengthen our commitment and faithfulness to the Covenant or the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ answer indicates that God is ready to keep his commitment to us and grant our requests, even when they seem to be whimsical. God is always faithful to us and he demands also our faithfulness towards him. Faith implies service and obedience.

True faith is manifested in a pattern of behaviour or a way of life, as Paul told Timothy:

“Keep as your pattern the sound teaching you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim 1:13).

Let us live in faithfulness to the Lord.

IT IS THE LORD WHO GIVES BREAD TO THE HUNGRY

XXVI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 16:19-31

This Sunday, with the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, we are confronted with the realities of poverty and wealth and forced to think about the value (or lack of value) of the riches of this world. The wealthy man enjoys life, spending his time feasting “magnificently every day”. We may ask what is the purpose of his life? He is a useless man and his life serves no purpose. Others worked for him to keep his lavish lifestyle. Despite all his merriment, he left this world empty-handed. That’s why he does not deserve to have a name.  It is as if he is nobody, despite all his wealth. Outside the rich man’s house, at his gate, there laid Lazarus, who was poor, sick and starving. Nobody pitied him but the dogs who seemed more friendly than the humans that surrounded him. The rich and the poor lived side by side, separated just by a gate, which enclosed the rich within his palace, stopping the cries of the poor from reaching his ears.

We may be puzzled by the parable. We don’t know anything about the behaviour of both the rich and the poor. It seems that it didn’t matter. The poor Lazarus was welcomed to a place of blissfulness because he had suffered beyond any reasonable measure in this world. And the rich man was thrown into a place of punishment because he had had more than his share of happiness in this world. 

This parable is a graphic representation of the beatitudes in the Gospel of Luke:

Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. (Lk 6:20, 24).

Indeed, we “cannot serve God and money.” (Lk 16:13).

And the parable ends with the dialogue between the rich man and Abraham, in which we are told that the only to avoid ending our life in a place of torment is to listen to the Word of God that we find in the Scriptures (Moses and the prophets). Only the word of God may convince us of sin and lead us to repentance and conversion. The wealth which is not put at the service of others will never be a source of happiness. 

TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF GOD’S GIFTS

XXV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke  16:1-13

Last week, we heard the parable of the father with two sons, commonly known as the parable of the prodigal son,  and we may have remained with the impression that, no matter what we do, God will accept us. Being merciful, God will never be hard on us. 

In this week’s gospel, we hear the parable of the unfaithful manager (steward), which comes immediately after the parable of the prodigal son, providing us with its counterpoint. While the parable of the father with two sons puts stress on God’s initiative and boundless mercy, the parable of the unfaithful manager puts stress on the attitudes we must take before God and before others.

Like the younger son, the manager squandered the wealth that did not belong to him. Indeed, God has entrusted us with so many goods. He is the rich man, who has called us to be his stewards here on earth and we should examine ourselves and our stewardship. Have we not been wasting the goods entrusted to us? Like the manager, we shall be called to account. 

When confronted with his careless and wasteful management, the unfaithful servant decided to make a U-turn and change course. He had to live life differently, changing the way he related to others and the way he lived. Despite being dishonest, he is called wise and shrewd, because he had a good sense of converting. Like him, we also deviate from the straight path and go astray. Thus, we must learn with him to change our behaviour, getting friends with the tainted money. making sure that “they will welcome you into the tents of eternity.”

Jesus invites us to deal with the goods of this world in a manner completely different from the one used by those who put their heart and their trust in money. Money cannot be our god; it only leads to exploitation and oppression. We cannot serve both God and money. And only God is the source of life.

A LOVING AND MERCIFUL GOD

XXIV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 15:1-32

In the first reading, taken from the book of Exodus 32:7-11,13-14, we are told about God’s reaction to the apostasy of the People of Israel. To be like the other nations, they wanted a god that looked like them, made in their own image; one that they could control and that would allow their human vices. The golden calf was the image of a god made by their own hands. By that, they rejected the living God who had called them to enter into a relationship of love with him. They broke the covenant and proved to be unfaithful to the God who had set them free. Before such betrayal, God became very angry and, in his wrath, He wanted to annihilate the people of Israel, who did not deserve His friendship and love.  Then, “Moses pleaded with the Lord his God.” and, through his intercession, God “relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.”

In the gospel, we hear the story of a father with two children. The younger one, who stands for most of us, turned his back on the father. We are no different from the people of Israel. To God’s love, we respond with unfaithfulness and disdain. However, in the father, Jesus presents a merciful God who cannot forget us, being always ready to accept us back. In the end, the elder son, who seemed to be faithful, turned out to be full of himself, leaving no space for God and the others. All of us are sinners who turn our backs on God or have no place for him in our lives. All of us need intercessors who plead for us before God. Moses, like Abraham before him, is a model of intercessor. He prayed earnestly for his people. We must do the same, praying for humanity: May God be merciful to us. And we should never forget that Jesus is the great intercessor. Jesus is the one who reconciles us with the Father, opening the gates of heaven for us and inviting us to sit at God’s table in his kingdom. For that, we must do like the younger son who recognised his sin and foolishness and went back to ask for forgiveness.

BEING A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST

XXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 14:25-33

We may ask ourselves: What do we need to be Jesus’ disciples? We may be in for a big surprise if we think that it is an easy thing to achieve. In fact, in this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus puts forward some radical demands for all those who want to be his disciples.

To help us understand his demands, Jesus presents examples of two undertakings: to build a tower and to go to war. For someone to build a tower, he has to make a plan and then have enough money to complete the project. Otherwise, the project will be no more than something I dream about.  The one who starts and doesn’t finish will become the laughing stock of the village. It is pointless to dream of becoming Jesus’ disciple if I am not prepared to make the needed sacrifices to be a true disciple.

About the war, Jesus uses common sense in the piece of advice that he gives. To go to war, one must prepare and plan. In case one sees that it is impossible to win the war, then it is better to negotiate and look for peace. It is senseless, as we see in the war in Ukraine, to go on fighting and sending ill-prepared soldiers to the front just to be killed. It is very hard to understand how the so-called West incites the Ukrainians to go on fighting, thus leading to the destruction of a nation, instead of facilitating negotiations and looking for possible ways of peace. They speak and act in the name of “our common values”, and we remain in the dark about those values. Better to negotiate for peace - that is Jesus’ advice.

As for becoming Jesus’ disciples, we must come to terms with God. There is no way we can fight him. We must have the common sense of following the path of reconciliation. And this reconciliation is done in Jesus Christ.

And addressing his disciples, Jesus told them: 

“If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

We may be surprised by the word hate, which represents a typical Semitic hyperbole and means to love less. In another passage, Jesus speaks of the respect due to the parents (Mk 7:10) and he reminds his audience that such respect is one of the commandments of God. However, the parents, the brothers and sisters, the children, the wife or the husband can’t be an obstacle to becoming Jesus’ disciples. For the true disciple, Jesus has the first place in his heart and his life. The true disciple must be ready to lose his life for Jesus. He must be ready to carry the cross like Jesus.

May the Lord give us the resolve to leave everything behind us to follow Jesus.

BE GENTLE AND HUMBLE

XXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 14:1,7-14

Jesus was invited by one of the leading Pharisees with one purpose in mind: “they watched him closely”. Similarly, Jesus looked intently at everything around him and “noticed how they picked the places of honour.” Such an incident led Jesus to teach a lesson about humility. The eagerness to get honours and to occupy the top places may lead us to public humiliation. Moved by a bit of self-respect, we must show some restraint and be truthful about ourselves, aware of our shortcomings and recognise others’ value. When moved by pride, we put ourselves in the centre and on top of everything, despising everybody else and putting them at our service. Jesus advises the guests to have some basic good manners. And Jesus concludes the parable about the guests fighting for the best places with a saying that sets the pattern of behaviour for his disciples: “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus accepted the invitation of the Pharisee, even though he did not approve of such banquets, which were a pure waste of money. It would be better to think of the poor: “when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.”

In connection with the gospel, the first reading of this Sunday’s liturgy (Sir 3:19-21) advises us about the greatness of being gentle and humble:

My son, be gentle in carrying out your business,

  and you will be better loved than a lavish giver.

The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly,

  and then you will find favour with the Lord;

for great though the power of the Lord is,

  he accepts the homage of the humble.