SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

St John in his gospel mentions Mary, the mother of Jesus two times: at the marriage feast at Cana, the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus and at the crucifixion, the end of it. That could be a way of telling us that Mary did not only play the passive role of being the physical mother of Jesus; that she was also actively involved with Jesus in the work of our redemption. In today's gospel, we hear of the marriage feast at Cana. Mary, the mother of Jesus was invited, as well as Jesus himself and his disciples. As the wedding feast went on, the wine ran out. Mary went out of her way to intercede with Jesus and Jesus performed what John tells us was his very first miracle.

If this was Jesus' very first miracle, how then did Mary know that Jesus could do it? Good mothers know their children. They know the hidden talents and potentialities of their children. There are many young men and women who have gone on to accomplish great things in life because their mothers believed in them and encouraged them.

A more fascinating question arising from the story is this: Did Mary know all those thirty years she lived with Jesus that she was living with a wonder-worker and yet never she ask him to multiply her bread, turn the water on the dining table into wine, or double her money to make ends meet? How come she never asked Jesus to use his miraculous power to help her out but she was quick to ask him to use it and help others? Think of it. If you have a child who has a miraculous power to double money for other kids at school, won't you ask him to double yours at home too? After all, one would argue, charity begins at home. But for Mary and for Jesus the needs of others come first.

Take the case of Jesus. He knew he had this power to perform miracles. After his forty days fast in the desert he was hungry and the devil suggested it to him to turn some stones into bread and eat, but he did not do it. Yet he went out and multiplied bread for crowds of his followers. What are they telling us, Mary and Jesus, through their actions? They are telling us that God's gifts to individuals are not meant primarily for their or their families' benefit but for the service of others. That is what St Paul also tells us in the second reading when he enumerates the many different gifts of the Holy Spirit to different persons and adds that "to each person is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good," (1 Corinthians 12:6) not for personal profit.

Today, then, is a good day to ask ourselves: "What gifts has God given me? Am I using these gifts mainly for my own personal profit or for the service of others in the community?" We sometimes wonder why there are no more manifestations of the Holy Spirit like we read in the Bible. Maybe the reason is that we have grown more selfish. If we began using the little gifts we have for the common good -- like the gift of praying, singing, teaching, caring, sharing, encouraging, supporting, motivating, writing, etc. -- then these gifts will probably begin to grow and soon we will begin to see miracles. Concern for others is the beginning of miracles.

One of the latter day saints who worked astonishing miracles was my Patron, St Francis of Assisi. He was able to do so much because he gave himself completely to the service of God and the good of others. Let us, therefore, conclude with the famous prayer of St Francis:

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE (For Christian Unity)

The three tenors Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti were performing together in Los Angeles. A reporter asked them about rivalry among them, and they said there was none. But the reporter was not satisfied and kept coming back to the issue of rivalry among the three superstars. Then Domingo explained, “You have to put all of your concentration into opening your heart to the music. You can’t be rivals when you’re together making music. You can’t be rivals when you’re together making music.” As Christians are we called to be rivals or are we called to make music together?
This week we begin the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, more simply known as Christian Unity Week (January 18-25). That the different Christian churches together agree to set aside one week for intensive prayer and action in view of Christian unity shows that they all feel the need for more unity among believers in Christ. The World Christian Encyclopedia has documented 34,000 different Christian denominations. The figure keeps rising. Many Christian churches today spend much of their resources not in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth but in fighting and cannibalizing other Christian churches. To maintain their identity and show that they are distinct from other Christian churches, they emphasize their differences rather that the things they have in common. They fight each other and forget that as Christians we are called to make music together in the world. This is a misunderstanding of what Christianity is all about, as Paul tells us in the second reading.
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)
The varieties of gifts God gives to His daughters and sons for the common good, we have selfishly used as grounds for rivalry. As a parent, how do you feel when you bring home gifts for your children as a way of making the whole family happy, and they start a fight. Imagine then how God feels at the way His children are using His gifts as cause for sibling rivalry and violence. And God has a very large family with many, many children. The disunity and infighting among Christians is an abuse of God’s gifts. It is a scandal to the world. It is a sin for which we all need to repent.
Many people feel uneasy when they hear of Christian unity. They fear that Christian unity means putting everyone into the same mould, the same form of worship, the same way of serving God. No, Christian unity is not Christian uniformity. God gives His children varieties of gifts. Some are more intellectual and love to spend hours reading and reflecting of the Word of God, others are more charismatic and would rather sing praises, pray in tongues, shout alleluia and make a joyful noise to the Lord, and yet others are more service oriented and would rather spend their time helping the sick and feeding the hungry. Paul encourages us to engage in different services and ministries because we have different spiritual gifts. But he warns that we should not be so engrossed in the various works we do for the Lord, that we forget the one Lord of the work. In the various services we see diversity, in the one Lord we see unity. Christian unity, therefore, is a unity in diversity.
The disunity in Christianity is a scandal to the world that we are called to bring to God. It is a scandal that weakens the Christian message and witness. What moral right have we to ask the world to reconcile their differences when we as Christians cannot reconcile our own differences? Let us today ask God’s forgiveness for all of God’s children for the sin of disunity. Let us pray for Christian unity, and resolve to extend a hand of reconciliation and friendship to our estranged brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Lord, hear the prayers of your people and bring the hearts of believers together in your praise and in common sorrow for their sins. Heal all divisions among Christians that we may rejoice in the perfect unity of your Church and move together as one to eternal life in your kingdom. Amen.

THE FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD

The feast of the Baptism of the Lord always reminds me of my baptism 21 years ago (Easter 1992) in the Holy Church of St Anthony there in Nungua by Fr. Noom, SMA. I was fortunate to have had my baptism at the age of 8 and so I could remember most of the people who were baptised together with me, and some of the events. I thank God we have a Monk from this group and a good number of us are still Catholics and are doing so well. In Ghana the baptism of a child from a Christian/Catholic home is usually followed by a happy reception where children are sure to eat one thing, rice. As a result, the baptism dress is sometimes referred to as your rice dress. Thinking of baptism easily makes people think of rice, and I remember Mr Frank Eshun our catechist whom we cannot stop thanking, always telling us to dress in white garments, and also bringing rice, bread, Milo,… etc as offertory. And sometimes when you are talking of the rites of baptism, all they hear is the rice of baptism. Though the connection between baptism and rice is altogether accidental, one can utilise it as a memory aid for the meaning of baptism.

What does baptism mean? The meaning of baptism can be found in the four letters of the word RICE. “R” stands for Rebirth. In baptism we are born again by water and the Holy Spirit. We are cleansed from original sin and become sons and daughters of God in a special way. “I” stands for Initiation. At baptism we are initiated or admitted into full membership in the church, the community of the children of God in the world. “C” is for Consecration. In baptism we consecrate and dedicate ourselves to seek and to spread the kingdom of God. We commit ourselves to be servants of God, to do God’s will and serve God with our whole lives. And “E” is for Empowerment. At baptism the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and empowers us, equips us, gives us the moral strength to say no to evil and to live as God’s children that we have become.

These four effects of baptism can be divided into two categories, the passive effects (what we receive from God and the people of God), namely, rebirth, initiation, and empowerment; and the active effect (what we give to God and the people of God), namely, our commitment and dedication to a cause, to spread the kingdom of God. One problem people have with today’s gospel is to understand why Jesus needed to be baptized. An understanding of the “rice” of baptism as we have tried to explain can help.

Looking at the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan, we find that Jesus did not need a rebirth since he was from all eternity the only begotten child of God. He had no original sin to be cleansed from. Did Jesus need initiation? Yes. Being human, Jesus needed to associate and to identify with the community of men and women who were dedicated to promoting the cause of the kingdom of God. When it comes to serving God, no one is an island. We need to interact with other children of God. We need the community of faith just as Jesus did. We need the church. What about empowerment? The Holy Spirit, the power of the Most High, who descended on Jesus at his baptism strengthened and empowered him. It was at his baptism that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; [and] he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil” (Acts 10:37-38). And consecration? Baptism for Jesus was a moment of self-consecration, a moment of self-dedication. For him it was a commitment to do whatever was necessary to promote the cause of the kingdom of God on earth.

We read that soon after Jesus’ baptism, John was arrested and the Kingdom of God movement needed a new leadership. When Jesus heard it he went up and took on the task, in this way implementing the commitment he made at his baptism to promote the kingdom of God. We can see that for Jesus baptism was not just a question of what he could receive but very much a question of what he could contribute to the cause of the kingdom of God on earth. John F. Kennedy’s saying, “Ask not what your country can do for you, rather ask what you can do for your country” can also be applied to our relationship with God and the Church.

What are we doing, each one of us, to promote the kingdom of God? Are we ready to consecrate and dedicate ourselves wholly to the service of the kingdom of God just as Jesus did? If not, what are we doing to support those who have consecrated themselves to doing this work in the name of us all? Do you remember giving responds to these questions on the night/day of your baptism

Do you believe in God the Father, Almighty, creator of heaven and earth?
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?
This is our faith we all profess as Catholics, and so may God grant us a good heart and a strong will always to be faithful to this faith we profess-Amen.

LORD THAT I MAY SEE

John always got embarrassed and constantly yelled at his Mom in the public. His Mom had one eye and worked in John’s school as a cook, and took care of her only child. John’s classmates and other schoolmates had always teased him because of his mother’s condition. He was so embarrassed that he wanted so much to leave the house and go to somewhere far away because he does not want to have anything to do with his one-eyed Mom. Eventually he studied hard, got into the university, and graduated with a nice result. He got a good job and was well paid. Now he has a house of his own, married and got beautiful kids, but he never cared about the mother. After several years the Mom visited him, but because she looked older and still had one eye, John’s kids got scared. He shouted at his mother and sent her away. One day, John had invitation to attend an occasion in his former school, and he went. After the meeting, he wanted to visit the old shack they lived, but he was told that the mom died two days before he got there. He was given a letter that the mom wanted him to have. In the letter, the Mom wrote “My dear son, John, I wanted to see you but I was so sick, that I couldn’t get out of my bed. I am sorry for been an embarrassment to you all the time, even scaring your kids. However, when you were a child, you had an accident and lost one of your eyes. I could not bear to see my sweetest son live with one eye, so I offered you mine so that you can see a whole new life and new world which I cannot. Am glad you made it in life. Take care of that borrowed eye too and I promise, I will no longer be an embarrassment to you. Your mother.”

How would you feel after reading this letter, if you are John? The first reading and the Gospel of last Sunday presented Jesus, the Christ, as The Suffering Servant of God, who paid a worthy ransom for all human beings. He paid with his life save from the embarrassment due to our sinful nature; to save us from captivity and slavery of various kinds; and to open the eyes of our  minds to understand what an awesome plan God has for us. The Letter to the Hebrews urges us to approach the throne of grace with confidence bearing in mind that God is for us because he loves us infinitely. The prophet Jeremiah in today’s first reading looks at the situation of millions of God’s children dying of hunger and disease; he sees the plight of many jobless youths; millions of homeless children of God; he listens to the concerns of single parents and handicapped people; and he observes with sorrow millions who perish because of ignorance, and he prophesizes in the name of God and says “Shout with joy for Jacob (immigrants)… The Lord has saved his people. See I will comfort the blind and the lame as I lead them back.” This point to the scene in the Gospel: while Jesus, the redeemer of the world was leading people away from Jericho (the land of infidelity, idol worship and spiritual blindness) to Jerusalem (the city of peace, faith clinic and spiritual lime-light), he encountered a blind man, Bartimaeus.

The Gospel of today has four characters, and each has a message for us. We have Jesus, the Christ, the disciples of Jesus, a large crowd and Bartimaeus, the victim of darkness. Bartimaeus is sitting at a spot in between two great cities, Jericho and Jerusalem. This means that he sits in between life and death, between hope and despair, between peace and war, between joy and sorrow, between the mercy of God and self-condemnation, between progress and retrogress, and between courage to move on and frustration that could lead to suicide. He is also blind. This is a condition of uncertainty, confusion, depression, failure and all kinds of negative feelings and thoughts. But he has one decision to make, and he needs to make the right one. He has to choose either to allow the voice of the crowd that never show concern, the voice of bad economy, mistakes of the past and fear of the future to rule his present moment. But he makes the right decision, and that is never to give up in life no matter what. This blind man teaches us that God will stop at our spot; he can suspend every other thing lined up in his daily schedule just to listen to us and show us how powerful his love for us is.

The crowd is the second character. These are people who have nothing in common apart from following Jesus, each for his/her personal reasons. These kinds of people have no direction in life; they live for whatever the day brings; they are unreliable and blind spiritually, psychologically and socially. We cannot allow such people to intimidate us. But even in their confusion, God is leading them back to progress, joy, happiness and eternal life; God never abandons anyone, because life is important to him, and this is what Jesus is demonstrating in the Gospel. So Jesus, the Christ, is the third character.

They were the disciples who helped the blind man to stand on his feet, and brought him to the master. All of us Christians are called to be disciples of Jesus. We have the responsibility of carrying out the will of Jesus Christ for every human being. In order to do this well, we need to be good listeners to Jesus Christ, our master and not allow the noise of the crowd to influence us. We need to stay close to the master so that we can hear him and know what he demands of us in every situation. The second reading emphasizes this important aspect of the life of every baptized person. This is because our baptism makes us priests (to offer our lives daily as sacrifices in union with Jesus Christ), prophets (to discern the will of God and communicate it well to the people), and kings (so that we bring the true reign of God in our families and communities). Let us then not feel embarrassed like John but concerned like the Mom, and say “Lord that we may see.”

NEW YEAR RESOLUTION

The name "January" comes from the Roman god Janus, the god with two faces, one looking to the past and the other looking to the future. This is indeed a time to look back at the year that has just ended and to look forward to the new year ahead of us. How did I spend this one year of my life that has just passed? Did I use it to advance my goals and objectives in life? Did I use it to enhance the purpose of my existence? Could I have done better last year in the way I invested my time between the demands of work, family, friends and society, and the demands of my spiritual life? What things did I achieve last year and what did I fail to achieve? How can I consolidate the achievements of last year while reversing the failures and losses in this new year? Through soul searching questions like these we find that a review of the past year naturally leads to setting goals and resolutions for the new year.

There are people who tell you that there is no point making new year resolutions. Do not believe them. We must set goals and make resolutions as a necessary conclusion to our review of the past year. And we do need to review our lives from year to year because, as Socrates says, the unexamined life is not worth living.

Today's newspapers are full of individual and collective new year resolutions. Most of those, however, are not resolutions at all but only wishes. What is the difference between a resolution and a wish? A wish identifies a goal one wants to reach, a resolution specifies the steps one will take to reach it. A wish says this is where I want to be, a resolution says this is the road I will take, this is what I will do to get there. The wishful person says "I want to pass my exams this year" and the resolved person says "I will devote an extra hour to my studies everyday in order to pass my exams." The wishful person says "I will have more peace and love in my family this year" and the resolved person says "I will spend more time with my family at table instead of rushing off to the TV, so that we get to know and understand ourselves better." The wishful person says "I will live a life of union with God this year" and the resolved person says "I will set aside this time everyday to pray and hear God's word." The difference between wishing and resolving is: are we prepared to do what it takes to make our dreams come true, are we prepared to pay the price?

The gospel today presents Mary to us as a model of that new life in Christ that all of us wish for ourselves in the new year. There we see that Mary was prepared to do something to realize this goal. What did she do? We read that the shepherds, when they went to adore the Child Jesus in the manger, told all that the angels had said to them. "But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). Again after the boy Jesus was found in the Temple, we are told that "His mother treasured all these things in her heart" (Luke 2:51). Mary was a woman who valued the word of God, who treasured it and made time to meditate and ponder it. It is true that the holiness of Mary is attributed to the grace of God, but this should not make us forget that she needed to make an effort in order to cooperate with the grace of God. She pondered the word of God in order to discern what God was saying to her at every stage in her life as the handmaid of God.

The two examples above of Mary pondering the word of God, namely, after the visit of the shepherds and after the finding in the temple, show that Mary found the word of God both in divine revelation (the angels' words to the shepherds) and in her own experiences (her encounter with her son in the temple). Similarly God speaks to us today through divine revelation (e.g. the Bible, the teaching and preaching of the Church) as well as through our personal experiences, if only we made time to reflect on them as Mary did.

Whatever the situation in which we find ourselves - a hardship, a disappointment, a decision to make - God has a solution, an answer that is right for us. We tell God about it in prayer but we also listen to what God has to tell us about it. Prayer is a conversation with God but sometimes all we do is pick up the phone, read out the list of our problems to God and drop the phone without listening to hear what God has to say to us. Let us today resolve to listen more to the voice of God, to treasure God's word and ponder it in our hearts. Then shall we be able to realize our new year resolution of a new life in union with God.