5^th Sunday of Lent, Year B: Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: The Cross: gateway to success

Reading: Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 5:7-9; Jn 12:20-33

 

Dear brothers and sisters, God created every one of us for greatness, He destined us for glory in Christ Jesus, and has blessed us with the capacity to realize this project. In the Gospel reading of today, Jesus gave us an example of how to realize the plan of God for us. He teaches us how to handle or deal with the situations that confront us on our journey towards our God-destined glory, and also how to achieve other goals and objectives we have set for ourselves. The central message of his teaching in today’s gospel is that ‘nothing good comes easy’ and that ‘we should be ready to thread the paths of suffering and pain if we really want to reach our destined glory.’

Dear friends, as we approach the great Paschal events that gave us life, the church presents to us the real picture of these salvific events, that is, the way of the cross. She urges us not to be afraid to embrace suffering and pain on our journey towards our destined glory and towards eternity. Hence, we should be ready to walk on thorns and to wear crowns of thorns, to be despised, rejected, humiliated, and to lose our time and energy if our goals and objectives are to be realized.

In the first reading of today from the prophet Jeremiah, God made a plan for a permanent covenant with the people of Israel, a covenant that will not be written on tablets of stone, but in the hearts of the people. This new plan of God was set to be realized in and through Jesus. So, Jesus came into the world with the mission of establishing a new covenant between God and humanity, a mission of reconciling us with the Father and making the Word of God – God’s covenant – permanent in our midst. Thus, God’s project for Jesus was that of establishing a new covenant, a covenant that will be written in the hearts of human beings.

Dear friends, what Jesus passed through, the many hurdles he jumped, the problems he encountered on his journey towards the realization of the mission set for him by God is a good example for all of us who are marching towards our own God-destined missions and glories, and the many goals we have set for ourselves.

In the Gospel of today, Jesus plainly told us the path opened for him to realize his mission, the path that will lead him to the glory destined for him by God. He said: ‘the hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified… but unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone.’ Dear friends, the road that will lead him to glory required him to sacrifice his life on the cross. So, it was the path of suffering and shameful death on the cross that lay between Jesus and the glory destined for him by God. In the same way, dear friends, between us and the glory, the realization of the mission entrusted to us by God and our goals in life, there are many obstacles. Between us and the realization of the glories set for us by God, there are temptations, a difficult life of faith and currents against Christian morality. Between us and the glory destined for us by God, lies the challenge of saying ‘Yes’ when others are saying ‘No’, standing by the truth when the majority is saying the contrary, and giving out our time and treasures for the good of our neighbours and the society. Between you and the throne of glory which God has prepared for you lies the task of saying ‘No’ to the lure of sin, and enduring abandonment and criticisms from friends and relatives.

Christ did not abandon his mission – his journey to glory - at the sight of the magnitude of suffering that stood between him and the realization of that mission. He rather saw the cross as a bridge to his glory. Jesus stood firm on his way to his destined glory, even when God didn’t answer his prayers the way he requested them. The second reading said: “in his life on earth, Jesus made his prayers and requests with cries and tears to God, who could save him from death.” Of course, God did not grant his supplication the way he requested it. But then, he did not quit the mission entrusted to him. He learnt obedience through suffering. How many times have you quit a task because it was difficult and uncomfortable? How many times have you stopped a spiritual exercise because it was taking your time and causing you your friends? How many times have you cursed God because He didn’t answer your prayers the way you asked him? How many times have you denied your Christian faith because you want to avoid being mocked or criticized?

Dear friends, Jesus has given us an example to follow. Let us not quit the Christian life because of the sufferings and criticisms it brings to us. Let us not quit the race for our destined glory because of abandonment by friends and loved ones. Let us not quit our wonderful goals and objectives because the road to them is full of thorns and pains. Let us not stop praying, fasting and giving alms in this season of Lent because of the pains inherent in them. Let us take up our cross and march with Christ towards our own glory.

Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 Friday of 4^th Week of Lent

THEME: EVIL PLANS OF THE WICKED SHALL COME TO NOTHING.

Readings: Wisdom 2:1a,12-22; Jn 7:1-2,10,25-30

The first reading of today, from book of wisdom, beautifully illustrated what goes through the thoughts of the wicked when they plot evil against the just, how the artfully devise their schemes to entrap the good man because they believe that his existence deprives them of their means of livelihood and exposes their true selves.

But then, the most beautiful portion of this reading is the part that tells us that the plans of the wicked against the innocent come to nothing, that the wicked are always blinded by their wickedness to the point that they fail to realize the plans and purposes of God. God always beats them in their own game by turning their wicked plots against the innocent into stepping stones to greatness for the innocent.

One of the many examples of how God beats the wicked in their own games could be seen in how God turned the wicked plans conceived and executed by the Pharisees against Jesus into Jesus’ favour. Today’s gospel reading showed us some of the steps the Pharisees took to get rid of Jesus.

Dear friends, one of today’s lessons is a big call to those who spend their precious time plotting evil against others to realize that as long as God remains God, their plans against the innocent will come to nothing. That God will, in fact, turn their wicked plans and actions against the innocent into stepping stones to greatness for the innocent.

Then, another big lesson is that the innocent should remain steadfast in God when the wicked plot evil against them, trusting that God will always be on top of the situation, that He will turn everything into their favour. 

May everything work in your favour this Friday, Amen

Fr. Isaac Chima

 

 Thursday of 4^th Week of Lent: reflection

Theme: PRAY FOR YOUR ENEMIES

Reading: Ex 32:7-14

One of the practices that have almost become very common in many churches in Nigeria is offering of prayers for God to kill all perceived enemies. In fact, it has been observed that when many Christians gather for prayers, they spend more than 80% of their time throwing spiritual missiles to any direction they feel the houses of their enemies are located and imploring God to wipe those enemies away.

In one of the churches I know, a pastor told his members to come to church on a particular Sunday with knives and canes so that they will kill their enemies. On that day, as the members of that Church were brandishing their machetes and canes in the air, they were calling the names of those that hurt them, including landlords, friends and family members, inviting God to kill them all. That was happening even though those people and their pastor were aware that Jesus commanded His followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them.

Can we learn anything from Moses' action in today’s first reading? Did you notice that his action stands in total contrast to the unchristian actions of those Christians who invite God to kill their enemies? God had wanted to wipe away the Israelites because of their idolatrousness and, then, to preserve only Moses and his family and make of them a great nation. Many people would have pleaded with God to go ahead with such plan, considering it as a unique chance for their family alone to inherit the Promised Land. But Moses wouldn’t want such thing to happen; He didn’t want God’s wrath to fall on the people and wipe them away. Instead, he fell on his knees before God and pleaded for their forgiveness.

Dear friends, it is true that this world is full of people who treat others unjustly, people who make others shed tears day and night, and many people who derive joy seeing others suffer. It is, however, more true that praying for the death of such people is unchristian and a waste of time, because God wants them to repent and be saved. Therefore, dear friends, as difficult as it may be for us, let us use the hours we spend praying for the death of our enemies to rather pray that God will touch their hearts and change them, as Christ commanded us to do.  

May your Thursday be blessed.

Fr Isaac Chima

 Wednesday of 4^th Week of Lent: reflection

Theme: I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU

Reading: Is 49:8-15

Our God does not forget nor forsake us. He solidly stands by our side even in the darkest moments of our lives. In order to illustrate this unwavering love and support of God for us, the prophet Isaiah compared God's relationship with us to the strongest kind of love or bond that humans can ever imagine—a mother's love for a baby who is still sucking on her breasts. We are all aware of the unbreakable bond a mother has with a baby who is still sucking on her breast – a bond that makes it impossible for a mother to forget her baby even for a second. Then, to further demonstrate how impossible it is for God to forget us, the prophet Isaiah noted that even if in any case a mother forgets her baby (something which we consider humanly impossible), God will never forget us, his children.

It is true that difficult situations in life can make us feel less of God’s presence in our lives, as it happened to the Israelites in today’s first reading. However, the prophet Isaiah wants us to understand that in those dark moments of our lives that made us feel less of God’s presence, God was actually the reason why we pulled through; He carried us on the palm of His hands and supplied us with the grace to survive.

Thus, my dear friends, do not give up nor lose hope in God when difficulties, challenges, or tribulations come to you, for God works more than ever in your life at such times. Just hand over everything to Him in prayer, do the things you should do and leave the rest to Him; He will never forsake you.

May God carry you in the palm of His hands as you confront today’s challenges. Amen.

Fr Isaac Chima

 Tuesday of 4^th Week of Lent: reflection

THEME: JESUS: OUR FOUNTAIN OF LIFE AND HEALING

Readings: Ez 47: 1-9,12; Jn 5:1-16

In today’s gospel, Jesus healed a helpless sick man who was sick for 38 years. The man was lying down on one of the streets close to the pool of Bethzatha, with the hope of getting an opportunity to jump into the pool to get healed. But for many years, he lost all opportunities that came because all the times the waters of the pool were stirred by the angel, someone stronger than him always jumped into the pool before he could get close.

When you look at the sick man, you will see a man who suffered from missed opportunities in life because of physical and spiritual incapacities, a man who failed to grasp opportunities to be better in life because of life’s challenges. It was in his helpless situation that Jesus came to him and gave him that thing for which he had spent many years at the pool, that thing which other people who were stronger than him denied him for several years. Jesus told him: “do you want to be healed?”

By healing the sick man, Jesus demonstrated that he is the God who comes to the rescue of people who are less fortunate in life, those who lose out on opportunities to improve their lives due to circumstances beyond their control, as well as those who suffer denial of opportunities in the hands of those who are stronger than them.

In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel saw the water flowing from the temple and giving life to all creatures it came in contact with. Jesus is the temple from which living water flows into our lives and heals us of all infirmities, the fountain of water that can be accessed by both the strong and the weak, the privileged and the under privileged, the rich and the poor, the healthy and the sick. What, then, are you waiting for? He is telling you today: “if you want to be healed (spiritually and physically), come to me the fountain of life and the pool of healing.”

May your efforts this Tuesday be richly blessed. Amen

Fr Isaac Chima

 

Monday of 4^th Week of Lent: reflection

Theme: HIS WORD RECREATES AND RESTORES US

Readings: Is 65:17-21; Jn 4:43-54

When we accept the Word of God with absolute faith, it recreates us and frees us from everything that is working against our life.

In today's first reading, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah about creating a new heaven and a new earth where the failures of the past will not be counted, where the sound of weeping and distress will not be heard, and where premature death or unfulfilled life will be no more.

Then, in today’s gospel, John showed us Jesus fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah through the power of His Word and its acceptance with absolute faith. An official, whose son was sick and dying, approached Jesus for help. Jesus did not follow him home to heal his son by physical contact as the man requested and as Jesus had often done. This time, Jesus spoke His word from a distance and the man’s sick son was healed. Remarkable was the man’s absolute faith that Christ’s Words were enough to heal his son; he was not disappointed by his faith, for his son recovered at the very hour that those words left the mouth of Christ.

Dear friends, the word of God is powerful, alive and active; it is sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow (Heb 4:12). No aspect of our life is hidden from the power of God’s Word and no circumstance is beyond the recreating power of God’s Word. God speaks his Word to us every day when we pray to Him. Let us open ourselves to His powerful Word this Lent and accept it with absolute faith. It will recreate us, freeing us from all infirmities and restoring us to glory. 

May your new week be fruitful and blessed. Amen 

Fr Isaac Chima 

 4^th Sunday of Lent, Year B (LAETARE SUNDAY): Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: Rejoice, God loves us

Reading: 2Chro. 36:14-16,19-23; Eph. 2:4-10; Jn 3:14-21

Dear brothers and sisters, the fourth Sunday of Lent is called Laetare Sunday. “Laetare” is a Latin word, the singular imperative of laetari: "to rejoice". On this Sunday, the church invites us to rejoice. This call to rejoice is seen in the opening antiphon of today’s liturgy, drawn from the Prophet Isaiah 60:10-11. It says: “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who are mourning, exult and be satisfied.”  

The reason why we are invited to rejoice is because of what God has done for us in Christ. Saint Paul captured this in the second reading of today. He said: “He made us alive together with Christ, He saved us by grace, and raised us up with Him, and made us to sit in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Friends, through the death of Jesus, God gave us life. Hence, the church wants us to be joyful in anticipation of the great Paschal events that won salvation for us. The Paschal events are the demonstration of God’s love for us. So, we are to rejoice because God loves us. The Gospel and the second reading of this Sunday hinted on this love of God for us.

In the Gospel of today, Jesus told Nicodemus: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son.” For the sake of humanity, God offered his only Son to be sacrificed. Dear friends, this is the highest form of love. Our God is love indeed, and His love for humanity is constant, generous, and self-sacrificing. The unique feature or nature of this love of God towards humanity is that it is simply heroic. It is a gratuitous love, an unmerited love, we actually did nothing to deserve it. It is unlike the love of human beings that usually rests on the qualities of the object of love.

The today’s second reading gave a beautiful illustration of the unmerited love of God for humanity. It said: “God is rich in mercy, out of great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead though our sins, He made us alive together with Christ.” Dear friends, the love of God searches for us to give us life and blessings even when we have merited death and condemnation by our sins. The love of God refuses to see us as failures even when we have been written off and condemned by fellow human beings. The love of God keeps sustaining us in a world that is full of sorrow, pain and hate. The love of God always fills us with the hope of survival in this world of uncertainty.

Dear friends, to whom much is given, much is also expected. Love is not a one-way movement. For love to grow and bear fruit, it must be reciprocated, it must be appreciated. Hence, if God loves us this much, what should be our response? Having shown love to his disciples, Jesus said to them: “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Thus, the way to reciprocate the love of God is by loving our fellow human beings and by loving God also. Any form of oppression, hate, unnecessary anger, wickedness, injustice, lack of charity shown towards fellow beings is a betrayal of the love we receive from God. Any form of impurity, lack of faith, disrespect for holy things is against the love we should show God.

Jesus also expects us to reciprocate this love of God by loving the light and hating the works of darkness. But, unfortunately, we often spend our time loving the things of darkness and running away from the demands of the light of God. In today’s Gospel, Jesus said that the light has come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than the light. Are you among those who love the work of darkness and hate the light of God? Are you among those who support evil and clamp down on those who do good? Are you among those who condemn the voice of truth and praise those who lie? Are you among those who praise immoral standard as a model and, then, refer to holiness of life as non-progressive? Let us not love darkness; let us not hate God’s light, because there is a consequence for the betrayal of the love of God.

The first reading showed us how the people of Israel betrayed the gratuitous love of God for them by living sinful lives, by desecrating the holy places of worship, by despising the word of God and mocking the prophets, and by loving darkness instead of light. God punished them after a long run of patience. He allowed them to be conquered by their enemies and taken into slavery for many years in Babylon. Our God is a patient God, but He is also a God of Justice. He loves, He also punishes.

In fact, a good knowledge of the history of the people of Israel would show us that the Israelites were stripped of everything that made them a nation (the Temple, their King and their Land). And they were taken back empty handed to the land (Ur in Babylon) from which God called their ancestor, Abraham (Gen. 11:31). It was a return to square one. Non-repentance, arrogance in doing evil and betrayal of God’s love can reduce us to nothing, pulling us down from grace to grass.

The time of Lent offers us an ocean of God’s mercy, let us embrace it. This time, the church presents before us the greatest act of love - the death of Christ on the cross. Let us appreciate it by saying no to sin and by renewing our heart through the sacrament of reconciliation. We are also invited to appreciate this ultimate act of love by sacrificing our time, resources, and talents for the good of our neighbours and the entire society.

Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima