MAY GOD KEEP US SOUND AND BLAMELESS FOR THE COMING OF JESUS CHRIST

III SUNDAY OF ADVENT: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

In this Sunday’s second reading, Paul points out what the attitude of a true Christian must be at all times, but specially during this Advent season.  Look at the seven points that he stresses:

1. “Rejoice always, 
2. pray without ceasing, 
3. give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 
4. Do not quench the Spirit. 
5. Do not despise the words of prophets, 
6. but test everything; 
7. hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

Rejoicing

Christmas is a joyful feast, in which the angels come to join us in singing to God, proclaiming his glory, which manifests itself in love. He so loved the world that he sent his only Son to bring life and salvation (Jn 3:16).

A Christian moves forward, always full of hope, knowing that he does not walk alone and that God is faithful to his promises. It is from the awareness of God’s faithful love that some people gets the strength and the courage to smile and to irradiate joy, while in deep suffering. By his joy, a Christian keeps the light of hope shining in this world covered in the darkness of despair.

Prayer and thanksgiving

The rejoicing is only possible through a deep experience of God, made in prayer. Paul advises us to live in an attitude of prayer, aware of being always in God’s presence, relating to him, in a relationship of love with him. And this prayer is done in thanksgiving, because all that we are and everything that we have is a gift of God’s love: the gift of life, of the world we live in, of the people who suround us. Many times, we behave as if we are the owners of our lives, of the world and of the people from whom we demand total service, but in fact we cannot lay claim on anything but our own shortcomings and failures. In an attitude of honesty, recognising the gifts received, we must “give thanks in all circunstances”. And most of all, we must give thanks for the gift of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, who shared our human condition so that in him we become children of God.

Guided by the Spirit of God

We cannot be honest with ourselves, with the others and with God, if we do not pay attention to the Holy Spirit, who guides us from within. “Do not quench the Spirit”, because he illumines us and enables us to see and understand the reality around us and makes it possible for us to discern the will of God. Without a listening heart to the Spirit, we become blind, unable to see the dangers that surround us or the possibilities which are open to us. 

The Spirit speaks in varied ways and mainly he speaks through other people, those who interpret the signs that come in our times and who are ready to to give voice to the challenges that we face. It is a sound advice that Paul gives us: “Do not despise the words of the prophets”.

Test everything

There is always the danger of confusing the evil spirit with the Holy Spirit, being led astray by him and thus separating ourselves from God and from the others. To avoid such a danger, Paul instructs us to test everything, keeping what is good and rejecting what is evil.

Paul’s prayer for us

Finally, Paul prayed for the Thessalonians, and we may use his prayer ifor us and for others. May indeed God keep us “sound and blameless” for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.”

THE VOICE OF CONSOLATION

II SUNDAY OF ADVENT: Mark 1:1-8

As we prepare for Christmas, we are confronted with the figure of John the Baptist standing tall before us, challenging with his strange behaviour and calling us with his blunt and straightforward speaking. People of all walks of life felt attracted to him, impressed by his word and recognising in him a sincere and truthful man who touches their profound inner desires for justice, peace and righteousness. He never claimed to be what he was not, and he went always straight to the point, putting his finger on the wounds that needed healing.

His message was a message of repentance and of change to people who were in need of purification and in search of a new way of life. John the Baptist lived as he preached, always faithful to the mission entrusted to him. He was the voice crying in the desert, calling for a change of heart. He came to prepare the coming of the Lord, and his message transmits the urgency of this preparation. We must be ready, because he is coming, and must welcome him with pure hearts, totally turned to God.

John’s call to repentance was accompanied of a baptism of repentance. This bath in water given by John, was much more than the ritual purification ordered in the Law of Moses for situations of impurity. John’s baptism implied a return to God, which demanded the acceptance of sinfulness by the confession of sins and led to new attitudes towards the others and new moral behaviour, concerned with truth and righteousness.

John was well aware that he was preparing the way for someone else, who is much greater than he is. He is baptising in water, but the Messiah who comes after him, will baptise with the Holy Spirit. 

John is the voice, announced by the Prophet Isaiah - a voice to bring consolation, proclaiming that our God is here, with us, and he is ready to redeem us.

BE ON YOUR GUARD!

I SUNDAY OF ADVENT: Mk 13:33-37

A time full of expectancy

This Sunday, we begin the season of Advent, so called  because we look forward to the one who is coming. It is a time full of expectancy, filled with hope.

In the Gospel, Jesus puts forward attitudes that go with the Advent season and which are essential in our lives and for our salvation.

We must live in an attitude of waiting. We do not belong to the present, but to the future. If we are satisfied with what we are and with what we have, we will be left behind, fallen by the wayside or lost in the wilderness, tired and exhausted.

We are waiting for something - indeed for someone, who will bring fulfilment to our lives. We do not wait in vain. We know that God is faithful and he will not go back on his word. We are sure that God’s Promise will be fulfilled. In our waiting there is no despair, but hope. We live our lives in hope, looking towards the future. The hope that fills our hearts gives us the strength to go on walking and to keep on struggling, sure that in the end we will be given the victory.

Be alert and vigilant

While we are waiting, we must remain vigilant, that is we must be on the alert. Jesus stresses this admonition, repeating his warning: “Stay awake! Be on your guard” (Mk 13:33-36). We must be aware of what is happening around us, and we must be able and prepared to react. If we fall asleep, then we will be caught unaware and dispossessed of whatever we have. This attitude of alertness is very important in the various areas of life. Important in our spiritual life and in our relationships, as it is important as well in scientific research, in business and in politics.

This call to vigilance is very different from the vigilante groups that we find in some political forces. Vigilantes try to force others to keep in line with their leaders, the authority or the law. And in doing that, they are ready to use violence on anyone who is seen as going astray. Jesus’ call to alertness and vigilance is a call to a personal attitude of responsiveness to God’s intervention in our lives.

We must be ready and prepared, so that when the Lord comes, he finds us  ready and prepared wot welcome him.

CHRIST THE KING: Mt 25:31-46

Lord of lords

We end the liturgical year with the feast of Christ the King, in which we proclaim Jesus as the Lord of lords and the King of kings, following the profession of faith of the letter to the Philippians:

“Therefore God also highly exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name

so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

 and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father”. (Ph 2:9-11)

Jesus’ kingdom is not an earthly kingdom, even though it is all embracing, since all tribes and nations will bend their knees in recognition of his sovereignty. In fact, during his life here on earth, he refused the throne and the power that goes with it, and he went into hiding, when he heard that people wanted to make him their king. When Pilate presented him with the accusation that he was called Messiah and King, he answered: “My kingdom is not from this world”.  And explaining, he went on to say: “I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” (Jn 18:36-37). Jesus is the king of all those who search for the truth, and the truth manifests itself in humility, kindness, peace and love. 

A king of peace

He came as king of peace, and his rule is completely different from that of the great and powerful kings of this world. They rule by force, oppression and violence. Jesus wants to be welcomed into our lives, uniting us to him with strings of love.

The charter of the Kingdom

Seated on the mountain, surrounded by his disciples, Jesus gave them the charter of his kingdom (Mt 5:1-12). In that charter, Jesus presents the guiding values, by which we must work for his kingdom to come and become a reality among us. His kingdom is a gift of God’s love and mercy, and we pray daily for its coming, with Jesus’ own words: “May your kingdom come!” (Mt 6:10). However, God wants our cooperation in the establishment of this kingdom, and our effort has to be guided by the charter of the Kingdom, the Beatitudes.

Last judgement

In the end, there will be reward or punishment, which will follow a final judgement, and in that judgement there will be only two possible outcomes: being given a place in God’s kingdom, or being permanently excluded from it.

This Sunday’s gospel presents the parable of the last judgement. From that judgement, there will be no appeal. It will be final and it will come at the end, but the outcome depends on what we do now. In the judgement, Christ will use only one rule and he will measure us against it. And this one rule will be applied to all, Christians or no Christians, believers or no believers. It is interesting that Jesus will not ask if we believed or not. And he will not ask if we were baptised or not, or if we were going to church or not. He will measure everybody against the rule of love, mercy and compassion. The ones found wanting, will be punished  by exclusion from his Kingdom. Confronted with so clear judgement, people will answer back that they do not remember to meet him or even to know him; but it does not matter. Whenever we are moved by compassion to do something in order to diminish and alleviate the pain  of the suffering ones, we are doing it to Jesus, and he will reward us for it. Whenever we are truly human, showing love and compassion, then we are welcoming God’s kingdom and living by its values. And Jesus will recognise us and give us a share in his Kingdom.

CALLED TO ACCOUNT FOR OUR ACTIONS

XXXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: Matthew 25:14-30

Look at life from different angles

The Scriptures and specially the Gospels help us (or even force us) to look at life from very different angles. Life is too complex to be described or defined in one sentence, and even less in one word. What we see depends on where we are standing, and it depends as well on our aspirations and desires or our concerns and sufferings. That’s why we may find world views that seem to be opposite or even to mutually exclude themselves.

The importance of faith for our salvation

The Holy Scriptures make it clear that we are saved by faith, meaning that we have no claims or rights over God. The life that we live is a gift that must be cherished with thanksgiving. And salvation as well is a gift bestowed on us by God’s mercy, which we must welcome and accept with confidence and total surrender to God. This may give us the idea that nothing else matters, but faith and that, if we believe with all our hearts, we are saved. However, other passages speak about attitudes, deeds and behaviour, which are essential to enter the Kingdom of God, telling us that we will be judged by our actions here on earth.

Called to account for what we did with what we were given

The parable of the talents, which is read in this Sunday’s liturgy brings it forth very plainly that we will be called to account for what we have done with what we were given. Each one of us has received a special gift that makes him special and different. And we can find different people with different abilities living in different situations that call for different actions. This difference of gifts and people brings about a great variety and richness, which always fills us with surprise. Indeed, our God is a God full of surprises, or as they say in Bemba, Shimwelenganya, that is a God full of imagination.

Initiative and creativity

We may find people who are jealous of the gifts received by others, instead of being thankful for their own gifts.  The parable of the talents makes it clear that we receive different gifts according to our different abilities. And God will not consider what we received, but the use we made of what we received. Initiative and creativity play an important role in what we may achieve, and each one on his own must do his best to excel. God looks at the effort and the struggle, not at the final result. There is a saying in Bemba that says: the trees fall to where they are bent. It is the sense of purpose and direction that is important. In the parable, the ones who worked hard and produced according to their ability were rewarded handsomely, while the lazy one was punished. We must add value to what we found or was given to us. If we only use and misuse what others left for us, we are good for nothing, and God will reject us, because we rejected ourselves.

The parable of the talents speaks about reward and punishment; and we will receive one or the other according to our actions.

WE ARE GOD’S TEMPLE

FEAST OF THE DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA - 1 Corinthians 3:9-11,16-17

The importance of the Temple

In the Old Testament, the Temple was highly revered, being the centre of all religious life, as it was seen as God’s dwelling among his people. The Psalms express very well the centrality of the Temple in the spiritual life of the people.

“One thing I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after:

to live in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to behold the beauty of the Lord,

and to inquire in his temple.” (Ps 27:4)

O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell,

and the place where your glory abides. (Ps 26:8)

To worship in spirit and truth

The early Christians had no temple and no churches. They celebrated the Eucharist in private houses (Act 2:v46) or in private spaces provided by people with bigger houses. Jesus had taught them that they should worship God “in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:24), and for such worship, temples and churches were of no importance. This was plainly confirmed with the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, which brought about the disappearance of the sacrifices and the priesthood of the Old Testament. The Christians had learnt with Jesus that wherever two or three are gathered in his name, he is there with them, making their coming together an act of worship to the Father.

Paul had stressed that we are “God’s building”, that is “God’s temple” (1 Co 3:9,16). And he emphasises the same idea again: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own.” (1 Co 6:19).

Peter expresses a similar idea, when he writes: “like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet 2:5).

The Lateran Basilica as the cathedral of Rome

However, as the communities grew, the need for public and larger meeting places was felt. And this became more and more so, when Christians were allowed to have a free expression of their faith. After Constantine granted the Christians freedom of worship, great numbers of people flocked to the Church and the  need for meeting places became urgent.

It was then that the Emperor Constantine gave the Lateran palace to the Pope. It was called basilica, meaning “royal palace”, and within it there was a big hall for big functions and big public audiences. The palace became the pope’s residence and the hall was transformed to become the cathedral of Rome, that is the church of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. It was called the Basilica of the Saviour, having been dedicated to Christ the Saviour. Later on, it was also dedicated to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist.

This basilica is commonly known as the Lateran Basilica. The name came from the Laterani family, a family of common people who reached high positions. In Nero’s time, one was accused of conspiracy against the emperor and the property was confiscated. The palace built on the Laterani’s land became into Constantine’s possession through his wife.

Being the cathedral of the Pope as Bishop of Rome and being as well the oldest in Rome, the Lateran Basilica is considered the mother and head of all churches. It was  sacked by the Vandals and nearly destroyed by an earthquake and twice burnt by fire, but it was always restored.

An assembly gathered in the name of Jesus Christ

Celebrating the feast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, we are celebrating the community who gathers in the name of Jesus Christ, receiving from him the living water that sustains us and takes us into the eternal life. This day reminds us that we are an Assembly (Ecclesia) of a multitude of peoples and nations united in Jesus Christ and with him worshiping the Father in spirit and in truth. And this is true of all our churches or assemblies, who have Christ as the Head and the High Priest that presides the celebration of God’s glory, singing the praises of his deeds of salvation. We are one body with Jesus Christ, and with him we offer ourselves in sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father.

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

ALL SOULS: Psalm 23

In Zambia, we are mourning President Michael Chilufya Sata. His body arrived from London this Saturday morning. It happens that, at the beginning of November, the Catholic Church celebrates two feasts that always move together: the feast of All Saints and the feast of All Souls. In them, we look back to the people who have gone before us and who have shown us the way. We reflect not only on death in general but on our dead, the ones we were connected with, who influenced our lives and became role models that we strive to imitate. We remember them and we celebrate them, because their way of life helps us to find meaning to our lives and our deaths.

It is interesting that faced with the death of their President, the Zambian people keep this time of mourning in an attitude of sorrow and of celebration as well. They celebrate the life of someone who by his persistence and endurance in the struggle for his political ideals became an example for so many others, so that they may have the courage to go ahead with their daily battles, never accepting defeat, until they reach their goals.

In the Catholic Church, we celebrate these two feasts with two basic attitudes: one of rejoicing and thanksgiving and the other of humbleness and trust in God’s mercy and compassion. Indeed, the feast of All Souls is a recognition of our sinfulness and a profession of faith that salvation is a gift. We are saved by grace, that’s is by God’s mercy and compassion. We may try hard to answer God’s call and to be his faithful servants, but we always fall far short of the fulness that only God can give. In the feast of All Souls, we entrust our departed brothers and sisters to God’s care and God’s mercy.

By celebrating the feasts of All Saints and All Souls, we proclaim that we form one community with all those who have preceded us. We are the body of Christ, and in Christ we live the communion of saints. Being one with them, we sing God’s praises and put ourselves in his arms that embrace us with love. As we remember all those who went before us, we may pray (or sing) the Psalm 23:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

 He makes me lie down in green pastures;

he leads me beside still waters;

 he restores my soul.

He leads me in right paths

for his name’s sake.

 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I fear no evil;

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff—

they comfort me. (Ps 23:1-4)