THE DAYS ARE COMING...

I SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Jeremiah 33:14-16

“See, the days are coming”!

In Bemba, a similar statement - “Mukacimona!” You will see it! - is taken as a curse, and as such it brings fear, leaving the ones to whom it is addressed very worried. You will see it falling upon you, that is evil days full of suffering are coming to you.

However, in the mouth of Jeremiah, “the days are coming” is a pronouncement of the Lord and it refers to the day of salvation, “when I am going to fulfil the promise I made”. It is not the threat of a curse, but the message of hope, proclaiming that liberation is at hand. There will be “justice and righteousness in the land” and our land will be called “The-Lord-our-integrity” or “The-Lord-is-our-righteousness”. (Jr 33:14-16).

And this is the message of Advent, a message of hope. We are not under a curse, but a promise - the promise of life and salvation. Surely, that day will be a terrible day for the ones who refused to prepared themselves and to welcome the offer of salvation. Jesus advises us to “stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.” 

“Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.”

We must live in a state of alertness. It is interesting that in the world, mainly in Europe, because of the threat of terrorist attacks, people are called upon to be in constant alert. They may strike anywhere and at any time. Our alertness means to be always prepared to answer the call of the Lord. And Jesus tells us very clearly what he means, when he calls us to be prepared:

“Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap.”

In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul gives us a similar advice

“we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: the life that God wants”.

Nowadays, from everywhere, we receive conflicting messages. On one hand, in the capitalist and competitive society in which we live, people are called to excel, fighting always for the first place. For many people, this is an impossible task and the struggle to carry it out destroys them. On the other hand, people are called to enjoy life and to take it easy, going through all kinds of satisfying experiences. However, easy life leads nowhere; in fact, most of the times, it leads to emptiness and even despair.

Paul reminds us that our life is a journey in which we struggle daily to move forward. We must make an effort to make more and more progress to live as God wants us to live. In the end, God will grants us the fullness of joy, peace and love.

May the Spirit of wisdom and love guide us and strengthen us, so that we “may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with all his saints.” (1 Thes 3:12-4:2).

CHRIST, THE KING

XXXIV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: Rev 1:5-8

In the book of Daniel, we are presented with the Son of Man, an heavenly figure, “coming on the clouds of heaven” and on whom “was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship, and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.” (Dan 7:13-14).

Who is this Son of Man? As the son of man, he is a human being, but he is the Son, and so divine. Being divine, he is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and he will be recognised and obeyed by all.

Jesus presented himself as the Son of Man, and the expression appears time and again in the Gospels.

“For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done.” (Mt 16:27)

“When the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Mt 19:28)

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.” (Mt 25:31)

The book of Revelation, addressing the Church (represented in the seven churches), proclaims this same belief:

“Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Rev 1:5-6)

However, as we proclaim and celebrate Jesus’ Lordship, we should not fall into the mistake of misunderstanding his power and his ruling. He did not come to be a king of this world, be it a dictatorial and totalitarian ruler or a most complacent and benevolent one. He totally rejected political power, and when people tried to make him a king, he went into hiding. To Pilate, he made it very clear that there was nothing to fear about his political ambitions, because he had none. His kingdom is not of this world. He came to bear witness to the truth, and his servants are those who search for the truth and listen to his voice (see Jn 18:33-37).

As we celebrate Jesus Christ the King, we may have a look at what is happening in our world. In the name of a god and guided by the example of a prophet, there are people who are ready to kill in the most barbaric manner. As I am writing, the breaking news are of an attack to a hotel in Bamako, Mali. Before that, were the killings in Paris, and still before, the downing of a Russian airliner - and all  these crimes were committed in the name of the Islamic State, which wants to conquer the world and impose Sharia law on all.

There are many people who try to explain this violence by saying that it is the fruit of a radical ideology that has nothing to do with Islam, claiming that Islam is a religion of peace. Indeed, most of the Muslims are peaceful people, but the seeds of violence are in their role model and in the word that he proclaimed. When the Christians involve themselves in violence, they abandon their role model Jesus Christ, turning their backs on him. Instead, when Muslims practice violence in the name of their faith, they are being true followers of their founder. 

When John and James asked for positions of power, Jesus taught them and all the Apostles the following lesson: 

“You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mk 10:42-45)

That’s why when Peter tried to use the sword, Jesus rebuked him:

“Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Mt 26:52)

Jesus was a man of peace, who ended up crucified, because of his faithfulness to the Father’s will.

On the contrary, Muhammad was a man of war. He himself took part in 27 expeditions of war, and ordered 73 more (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_expeditions_of_Muhammad). He imposed his religion by the sword. He was not only the founder of a religion, but the founder of an empire as well. And empires are built with the sword.

The Christian martyrs were and are non-violent people who suffered torture and death because of their faith in Jesus Christ. The Muslim martyrs are violent people who die fighting (or even commit suicide) to defeat the infidels (the unbelievers).

We want to be servants of Jesus Christ, who proclaims blessed those who work for peace and those who are mercyful as the Father is merciful (Mt 5:9; Lk 6:36).

THE SON OF MAN WILL GATHER HIS ELECT

XXXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Daniel 12:1-3 

As the liturgical year approaches its end, we are called to reflect on the end of times, because there will be an end to the world. It is interesting that even science speaks of the end of the world and presents different scenarios of how it will happen. Some Christians make this the centre of their spirituality and live in the expectancy of the end of the world in their life time. Some false prophets even announce the year when it will happen, forgetting Jesus’ warning, when he told his disciples: “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mk 13:32).

According to the book Daniel and according to Jesus’ words, the end of times will be a time of anguish and great distress, a time of tribulation and suffering. That time will be dominated by the coming of the Son of Man, and he will come “with great power and glory” (Mk 13:26). Nobody will miss his coming. According to Daniel, that will be the time for the resurrection, when “those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Dan 12:2). It will be a time for judgement, when people will be divided in two groups, the ones who enjoy eternal life and the ones who suffer eternal contempt.

In Mark, Jesus tells us that the Son of Man will send his angels to “gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.” (Mk 13:27).

There are some Christians who let their imagination go wild and believe strange things about the end of the world. However, what the Holy Scriptures teach can be presented in a few and straightforward statements:

• The world will come to an end, but only the Father knows when;
• There will be a time of tribulation, and then our faith will be tested;
• Christ will come in his glory as the King of kings. It will be his second coming;
• The dead will wake up. It will be the time of the resurrection;
• It will be a time of judgement;
• The elect will share in the glory of Christ. 

Jesus uses his words about the end of times to present us with a call for alertness and readiness. We do not know the time and the hour when we will be called, and so we must be always ready, that is we must always walk in the company of Jesus, allowing him to guide us by the hand. We cannot presume that we are already saved, because until the last moment  we run the risk of falling aside and of turning our backs on Jesus. That’s why we must pray daily, asking the Lord to keep us faithful to the end.

GOD CANNOT BE BRIBED

XXXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 12:38-44

Today’s world is ruled by those who have plenty of money and make more money. The higher your profits are, the greater your power is. In the capitalist system that has taken over the world, the big companies must maximize their profits or they will they lose the confidence of the investors and risk be wiped out. The markets rule the world, and we speak of the markets as if they were personal powers able to make decisions. But the markets are just people buying and selling, most of the times manipulating prices and the supply of money. 

The capitalist economy is an economy dominated by greed, without consideration or respect for any other values. And when greed invades our hearts, setting therein its throne, mercy and compassion are thrown out. As a result, the poor are exploited and oppressed. Greed is never satisfied, and grabs everything that is within its reach, taking over the hearts of people and dominating all institutions. Even the Church is not free from its filthy dominion and exploitation. Jesus reproached the Pharisees for exploiting the poor for whom they prayed.

Since old times, many people have tried to buy their way out to salvation with money. However, salvation cannot be bought with money, since God cannot be bribed into favouring us. There is no way we can use the money of corruption to enter heaven. In fact, God has no need for our money or for the goods we buy with our money.

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus makes it very clear that God does look at the amount of money that we offer, but at the attitude of our hearts. And he presented the widows’ offering as an example to his disciples. In terms of numbers, she gave so little that it would not make any difference in the income of the Temple, but she gave everything she had, and so she gave herself wholly, heart and soul, without reserves. She offered her life totally to God. Her offering was a sign of her trust in God; she put herself in his hands, knowing that God will not abandon her. This kind of faith is found only in those who know the futility of relying upon the things of this world. 

Money, no matter how important it may be, is never enough to sustain any relationship, be it with God or with those who are most close to us. In fact, it easily destroys relationships, because the love of money does not leave space in our hearts to love the others, but leads instead to use and abuse them.

LET US SING THE SONG OF VICTORY WITH ALL THE SAINTS

THE SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS - Apocalypse 7:2-4,9-14

We start the month of November with two great feasts, remembering and celebrating those who have gone before us. On the first of November, we give thanks and praise to God, for all who already share in his glory. On the second, praying for All Souls, we are made aware that salvation is always a gift of God’s mercy and love. By ourselves, we are sinful people, and can never achieve total holiness, ready to enter God’s kingdom. That’s why we entrust our dead to the mercy of God. 

Throughout the year, we dedicate a special day to special saints, who are presented to us by the Church as role models in the discipleship of Jesus Christ. They were sinners like all of us, but by God’s grace they lived their lives guided by the Spirit, thus being transformed in the image of Jesus Christ.

All of us are called to be saints. This call was already presented to the people of Israel:  

“You shall be holy, 

for I the Lord your God am holy.” (Lev 19:2)

The same call was repeated by Jesus:

“Be perfect, therefore, 

as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5:48)

This call is like a commandment, and we may say that it is an impossible commandment, because it is one which we will never be able to fulfil on our own. And that is so because to be perfect like the Father is far beyond our power, no matter how much we try. But the command stands, to remind us that, in the end, that perfection will be bestowed on us, as we will be made a new creation in the image of Jesus Christ. For that perfection, Jesus is the way, the only way that will take us to the Father. We must become disciples of Jesus Christ, learning from him and following in his footsteps. To be saints, each one of us has to make a daily effort to be more like Jesus, knowing that he is the one taking us by the hand and opening the gates of heaven for us.

We may ask: Who are those saints we are celebrating today? They are all those whose names we don’t know, the myriads upon myriads that have been forgotten, but are in the presence of God, rejoicing in his love and his glory. According to the parable of the last judgement, Jesus will use only one rule to judge humanity, the rule of mercy and compassion, that is we will be judged by the care and concern for the ones we meet in our daily lives (Mt 25:31ff). All those who have shown care and concern for the others will be welcome in his kingdom. The gates of heaven will be open to those who opened their hearts to others.

The book of Revelation describes the great gathering of all those who are saved for the song of victory:

“I saw a huge number, 

impossible to count, 

of people from every nation, 

race, tribe and language; 

they were standing in front of the throne 

and in front of the Lamb, 

dressed in white robes 

and holding palms in their hands.

They shouted aloud, 

“Victory to our God, 

who sits on the throne, 

and to the Lamb!” 

And all the angels who were standing 

in a circle round the throne, 

surrounding the elders 

and the four animals, 

prostrated themselves before the throne, 

and touched the ground with their foreheads, worshipping God with these words, 

“Amen. Praise and glory 

and wisdom and thanksgiving 

and honour and power 

and strength to our God 

for ever and ever. Amen.” (Rev 7:9-12)

In our liturgy, we join this immense crowd and sing together with them the praises of God. We are part of that crowd, still walking here on earth until we will join them in heaven. With All the Saints we sing the song of victory: Amen! Alleluia!

A MESSAGE OF HOPE

XXX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Jeremiah 31:7-9

Zambia is celebrating her independence under a very cloudy climate, going through a big economic crisis that forces her people to question themselves about the future of the Nation.The celebration of the independence must be an occasion for Zambia to affirm herself and for her people to prepare the future, while remembering the past. A Nation is never truly independent, and so the struggle for independence must be an ongoing struggle, in which people fight for and affirm their autonomy, knowing that the future of the country is in their hands.

It is easy to despair in difficult times, as it is easy as well to become totally dependent, crying to God and expecting him to solve all our problems. Prayer and fasting will not solve any of our economic problems. Certainly we should cry out to God, as the people of Israel did, when oppressed by the Egyptians. But the true aim of our prayer and our fasting is to establish a deep relationship with God, in which we listen to his word and open our hearts to his Spirit; and that relationship will lead us to commit ourselves to concerted and responsible action for the good of the country. Prayer and fasting, if they are true, exclude attitudes of selfishness and bring attitudes of service. Once we open our hearts to God, he will send us back to the reality of our daily lives and his Spirit will lead us in a careful  examination of the causes of the crisis and of our failures.  Without doing that, we cannot find solutions, and the situation will deteriorate even further, leading people to loose all confidence in the ones they chose to guide them.

Throughout history, the people of Israel passed through big crises that endangered the very existence of their nation. It was during such a crisis that Jeremiah was called to be a prophet. During most of his prophetic ministry, Jeremiah was a prophet of doom, announcing the destruction of the Temple and of the Nation, unless the people repented and turned back to God. Jeremiah himself resented this role entrusted to him by the Lord and he complained to God:

“I have become a laughingstock all day long;

everyone mocks me.

For whenever I speak, I must cry out,

I must shout, “Violence and destruction!”

For the word of the Lord has become for me

a reproach and derision all day long.

If I say, “I will not mention him,

or speak any more in his name,”

then within me there is something like a burning fire

shut up in my bones;

I am weary with holding it in,

and I cannot.” (Jer 20:7-9).

However, as the Babylonian army approached, his message became a message of hope. The Lord promises to bring back his people scattered through the nations:

“With weeping they shall come,

and with consolations I will lead them back,

I will let them walk by brooks of water,

in a straight path in which they shall not stumble;

for I have become a father to Israel” (Jer 31:9).

The experience the people of Israel went through repeats itself in the life of the Church as the people of God in pilgrimage to the promised land. Like them, we have been unfaithful to the Lord, as we transform passing vanities into the values that guide ours lives. The reproach that Jeremiah pronounced against the people of Israel can be applied to us:

“for my people have committed two evils:

they have forsaken me,

the fountain of living water,

and dug out cisterns for themselves,

cracked cisterns

that can hold no water (Jer 2:13).

The Europeans nations, in spite of all their wealth, leave a feeling of emptiness. It is a doomed society that rejects life and walks at a fast pace towards self-destruction. Here, in Zambia, with a deep economic crisis, people are uncertain about the future and don’t know where to turn to. It is in a situation like this that we need a message of hope. If we are open to the Lord and allow ourselves to be challenge by him, new horizons will open for us and we will realise that the Lord protects and defends us. He welcomes us with open arms, because he is our Father, who has never stopped loving us.

JESUS IS THE HIGH PRIEST

XXIX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Hebrews 4:14-16

In the letter to the Hebrews, Jesus is called “the supreme High Priest who has gone through to the highest heaven” (Heb 4:14). The High Priest of Old could not approach or enter anyhow the Most Holy Place. It was the role of the High Priest to offer sacrifice and to ask for atonement for the whole community. He was supposed to be a bridge between God and his people. Jesus Christ as the High Priest supersedes in all ways the priesthood of the Old Testament.

Some people may think that priesthood has to do with magic, but far from it. The priest establishes the link with God, offering worship and sacrifice in the name of the people and kneeling or bowing before God with confidence in his mercy and atoning for the sins of the community. As the High Priest, Jesus entered once for all into the most holy place, opening the gates of heaven for us, and offering himself in sacrifice, a sacrifice of reconciliation and peace, of thanksgiving and praise.

In the first reading of this Sunday’s liturgy, the prophet Isaiah tells us that “he offers his life in atonement”, and “By his sufferings shall my servant justify many, taking their faults on himself. (Is 53:10-11). Jesus’ priesthood is one of service. Indeed, “the Son of Man himself did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk 10:45).

In the Old Testament, the position of High Priest became very powerful, with a big influence in political matters. In Jesus’ condemnation to death, the High Priest Caiaphas played a leading role. However, the gospel comes to put it very clear that Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve, and he offered his life in sacrifice for his people. Jesus is at the same time the priest who offers the perfect sacrifice, and that perfect sacrifice. Jesus offered his life in sacrifice once for all, so that there is no need of other sacrifices. All sacrifices that we may offer are only possible when offered in communion with the sacrifice of Christ. We do not offer other sacrifice to God, but His sacrifice, the only sacrifice that his pleasing to God.