Third Sunday of Lent: on the Epistle

I would begin by re-telling a story which we may have read or heard before to explain the Pauline letter today (Third Sunday of Lent). The story is told of a unionist general in the American Civil War, General John Sedgwick. General Sedgwick was inspecting his troops during the Battle of the Wilderness. There was a low sand bank which the troops had built to protect them from enemy fire, but the general continued walking head high over the protective sand bank overlooking the enemy position. His officers suggested that this was unsafe and that he should duck while passing the sand bank. “Nonsense,” snapped the general. “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance...” Before he finished the sentence, the general fell to the ground, fatally wounded by an enemy bullet. This sad story shows us the tragedy of overconfidence in military matters. Overconfidence in spiritual matters is even more tragic. In today’s second reading Paul warns us against spiritual overconfidence or presumption.
Among the Christians of Corinth to whom Paul writes in the second reading, there were some who thought themselves to be men and women of strong and sure faith. These people threw caution to the wind and did things that scandalized the weaker members of the community. For example, they joined the pagans in their celebrations and ate meat sacrificed to idols. Their argument was that idols do not exist. Theologically they are right. They also argued that as free children of God they could eat any meat because all meat comes from God. Again they are right. But the fact of the matter is that, in the exercise of their liberty, they are scandalizing others and hurting them spiritually. This is because, as Paul explains, “It is not everyone, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled” (1 Cor 8:7). So Paul warn them to “take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Cor 8:9). Paul realizes that for a child of God “All things are lawful but not all things are beneficial” (1 Cor 6:12).
Like these super-Christians of Corinth, there are many Christians today who are so sure of their salvation that they become a source of scandal to their less advanced sisters and brothers in the faith. Such over-confidence is often found in Christians who are very close to the sacraments. You hear them say such things as “I am a fully baptized and confirmed Christian,” “I am born again in water and received the Holy Spirit,” “I am saved,” “I attend church services and receive holy communion regularly,” “I am a church member in good standing and I belong to so-and-so committee in my parish.” Paul is saying that even after we have attained such high standings in the church, we should still watch it, because we could still lose it.
To prove his point, Paul cites the case of their Hebrew ancestors on their way to the Promised Land. They had their baptism by passing through the waters of the Red Sea. They had their Eucharist by eating the “spiritual food” of the manna, and drinking the “spiritual drink” of the water from the rock. “Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness” (1 Cor 10:5). Even after one has become a full member of God’s covenant people, one could still lose that relationship by giving free rein to one’s cravings and desires. This is what happened to the Israelites in the desert. Paul does not want this to happens to the Christians in Corinth.
The people of God are a people of hope. We live in hope that salvation will be ours, just as God has promised us in Christ. Our salvation is a hope and not a reality that we possess already in such a way that it can no longer be taken from us. This should make us add some humility to our faith. It is this humility which makes us listen to the concerns of our sisters and brothers in the faith who do not enjoy the same strong faith or deep knowledge that we possess. In the end, what recommends us to God is not our deep knowledge or strong faith but our tender loving care for the least of our brothers and sisters.

FORTY (40) RULES FOR LIVING

1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
2. Memorize your favourite poem.
3. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
4. When you say, "I love you," mean it.
5. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
6. Never laugh at anyone's dreams.
7. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
8. Don't judge people by their relatives.
9. Talk slow but think quick.
10. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
11. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
12. Call your mom.
13. Say "Bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
14. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
15. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.
16. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
17. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
18. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
19. Marry someone you love to talk to. As you get older, conversational skills will be as important as any other.
20. Spend some time alone.
21. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
22. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
23. Read more books and watch less TV.
24. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll get to enjoy it a second time.
25. Trust in God but lock your car.
26. A loving atmosphere in your home is so important. Do all you can to create a tranquil harmonious home.
27. In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
28. Read between the lines.
29. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
30. Be gentle with the earth.
31. Pray -- there's immeasurable power in it.
32. Never interrupt when you are being flattered.
33. Mind your own business.
34. Don't trust a lover who doesn't close his/her eyes when you kiss them.
35. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
36. If you make a lot of money, put it to use helping others while you are living. That is wealth's greatest satisfaction.
37. Learn the rules then break some.
38. Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other.
39. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
40. Remember that your character is your destiny.

2ND SUNDAY OF LENT (EPISTLES)

The ancient Roman Empire established colonies in territories it had conquered as a way of maintaining its influence among them. At first these were simple garrisons where war veterans were settled. Later, entire cities of importance were declared Roman cities with its inhabitants enjoying full Roman citizenship. Such Roman citizens, although they never set foot in Rome, enjoyed equal rights and privileges with the citizens of Rome itself. In return they were expected to be subject to Rome and its laws. This way, the Roman way of life spread and permeated the provinces. The city of Philippi was one such Roman city. In fact, more than other Roman cities, the city of Philippi was designed to be a model Roman city, the city that would be an example to other cities of what it means to be Roman.
In today’s second reading from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, Paul uses this fact of living as Roman citizens in foreign lands, which was familiar to the Philippians, to teach them what it means to be a Christian in the world. Paul tells them that “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). By this Paul means that just as the Philippians were expected to live as Roman citizens in their native land of Macedonia, so are Christians expected to live as citizens of heaven in the various countries to which they belong. James Moffatt translates this statement in a very strikingly manner: “We are a colony of heaven.”
It is not very easy to live as a colony. There is always the danger to succumb to the pressure of the dominant culture surrounding the colony and forget the standards of the kingdom whose standards the colony is supposed to uphold. It is easier to go with the current than to swim against it. One needs to remind oneself constantly that one is a citizen another kingdom and try to conduct oneself accordingly. Paul’s letter to the Philippians tries to do just that: to remind them of who they really are as Christians and encourage them to “stand firm in the Lord” (4:1). The season of Lent is for us an annual reminder of who we are as Christians and an encouragement to stand firm.
What do we mean when we say that we are citizens of heaven? It means a lot. First it means that we see ourselves as citizens of heaven, subject to the laws of heaven before we see ourselves as citizens of a particular country and subjects of its laws. It means we do not allow the laws of our countries to override the laws of God. It means that we appreciate the unity of all Christians without borders. Just as the Roman citizens in Philippi were regarded as one with those in Rome, so should we all citizens of heaven live in unity and communion with one another. In the Middle Ages, the Christian church split virtually along national lines. As a result, some Christians began to see themselves more as citizens of certain national churches than as common citizens of heaven. When we begin again to see ourselves and other Christians as equal citizens of heaven, then we shall begin to overcome the scandal of the disunity of Christians
To live as citizens of heaven means to reject the standards of success of the world around us. The worldly standard of success can be summarized in four words: fortune, fame, power and pleasure. This is very different from the standard of success in the kingdom of heaven, which can be summarized as “no cross, no crown.” The two standards are so opposed to each other that Paul describes those who live by the world’s standards as “enemies of the cross of Christ ... whose minds are set on earthly things, whose god is the belly, whose glory is in their shame; and. whose end is destruction” (verses 18-19). This is not the way you and I want to go. So let us pray for a complete change of heart this Lenten season, so that we may turn our backs to the ways of the world and walk in the way that leads to heaven, our eternal home.

                                

2ND SUNDAY LENT

In 2 Kings 6 we are told the story of how the Syrian army moved in by night and surrounded a city in which Elisha the prophet of God was staying. Their aim was to capture Elisha because he was using his prophetic powers to render intelligence services to the king of Israel. Elisha's servant Gehazi woke up in the morning to discover that they had been caged in by enemy forces and was naturally overtaken by fear and doubt. How would the man of God pull through this? When Elisha saw how Gehazi was panicking he tried to calm him down by saying to him “Fear not, for those who are on our side are more than those on their side” (2 Kings 6:16). But who would believe that? So Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please, open his eyes that he may see” (verse 17). And God opened the eyes of Gehazi and he saw that all the surrounding mountainside was full of horses and chariots of fire forming a protective wall around Elisha. His fears were allayed. That day Elisha had an easy victory over his enemies.
Our Gospel today comes after the passage where Jesus had told his disciples that “The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Luke 9:22). This was no good news to the disciples who expected Jesus, as the Messiah, to confront and topple the Roman army of occupation and restore the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). Many of them would have begun to have second thoughts: Is Jesus really the expected Messiah? Is he really the Anointed of God who is to come? Should we go along with him to the showdown in Jerusalem or should we back off before it is too late? At this point Jesus must have felt very much like Elisha in front of his perplexed servant Gehazi. So Jesus decides to do pretty much what Elisha did.
So one fine morning, a few days after, Jesus invites the three leaders of the group of apostles, Peter, James and John, to go with him for a prayer session on the mountains. The mountain is a place of encounter with God. Moses encountered God on the mountain, and so did Elijah. On the mountain Jesus goes into prayer. And the eyes of the apostles, their spiritual eyes, were opened and they caught a glimpse of the true reality of Jesus that their physical eyes never saw. Then they saw that the whole heavenly court was on the side of Jesus. And they heard the voice of the invisible God, “This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him” (Luke 9:35). This was all the confirmation they needed. Jesus was indeed the expected one. Heaven itself has borne witness. Now they would listen to him and follow him all the way to the shameful suffering and death in Jerusalem. But no matter what happens they are now sure of one thing: God is on the side of Jesus; final victory will definitely be his.
How often do we experience the absurdities of life such that our minds are filled with doubt and we ask, “Where is God?” Think of people who have experienced the scandalous lives, the deep-rooted individualism and insensitivity of church people, and they ask, "How can God be in this place." Many of these end up giving up the faith. Think of people who are traumatized by their experience of social injustice and discrimination. They apply for a job and people who are less qualified than they get the job because they have the right connections or the right accent. They see people advancing in society through unfair means and they ask, “Where is God?” Or you may know someone undergoing personal and family crisis such as terminal illness, breakdown of relationship between husband and wife, between parent and child, between friends.
Don't we sometimes feel like the whole world is collapsing on our heads? At times like these we need to go up the mountain of prayer and ask God to open our eyes that we may see. When God grants us a glimpse of eternity then we shall realize that all our troubles in this life are short-lived. Then shall we have the courage to accept the apparently meaningless suffering of this life, knowing that through it all God is on our side. All it takes is a little glimpse of heaven to empower us to take up our daily crosses and follow Jesus, knowing that the cross of Lent is followed by the crown of Easter.

On the Gospel (First Sunday of Lent, C)

In the heat of the President Bill Clinton and Miss Monica Lewinsky affair, the head of a women's support group spoke on CNN. This is what she said, in essence: "Monica Lewinsky has done nothing wrong. In the world of corporate establishments and in the White House bureaucracy, women who want to advance must use everything at their disposal: power, connections and sex. If that is what she has done, we see absolutely nothing wrong with that." The name of the game is: use what you have to get what you want. I am sure you have heard that before. Many people indeed take it as their philosophy of life. In our Gospel reading today, however, Jesus shows us that the principle of using whatever you have to get whatever you want is not always right. In fact, when that principle is applied without putting God first, it becomes a philosophy of the world, the devil's own philosophy, a philosophy that should be rejected even as Jesus did.
Our Gospel today is on the Temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Three temptations are recounted: to change stone into bread, to fall down and worship the devil, and to jump down from the pinnacle of the Temple. In each of these three temptations what the devil is saying to Jesus is, "Come on, use what you have to get what you want." And in each case Jesus overcomes the temptation by replying, "No, we can only use godly means to satisfy our God-given needs or to pursue our goals in life."
In the first temptation, Jesus had fasted for forty days in the wilderness and at the end of it he was very hungry. The devil puts an idea into his head: "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread" (Luke 4:3). Notice that the first thing the devil does is sow a doubt in his mind: "if you are the Son of God." "Are you really sure God is with you?" The same thing happened in the garden of Eden. The first thing the Tempter said to Eve was, "Did God really say you should not eat of any fruit of the garden" (Genesis 3:1). Temptation always begins with a doubting thought. Did God really say this or is it one of those Sunday school fairy tales? Jesus overcame the temptations by refusing to entertain such doubts and by standing on the word of God.
Note, secondly, that people are tempted only with what they need or want. After his fasting Jesus needed to eat. So the devil tempted him with food. It is not a sin for Jesus to eat after fasting. The sin may lie in how the food is obtained. Should he follow the normal way of obtaining bread or should he take the shortcut suggested by the devil to obtain instant bread? Jesus refuses to take the devil's shortcut. The means we employ to satisfy our needs must be in accordance with the word of God. Feeding on God's word is ultimately more important than feeding on bread. "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone'" (verse 4).
In the second temptation the devil shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and promises to give him authority over them if only Jesus would worship him. Remember that Jesus was about to begin his public life and was looking for a way to get the whole world to know him and accept his message. Again the devil tempts him to use what he has (his heart, his soul) to get what he wants (the loyalty of the whole world). Again Jesus says no. The end does not justify the means. "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him'" (verse 8).
In the third temptation the devil asks Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple as a way to prove that he was the Son of God. Remember that the people were asking Jesus for a sign to prove that he was the Messiah. Jesus wanted to convince them that he was the one. But how do you do it! The devil suggested this sensational sky jump without a parachute. Again, use what you have to get what you want. Use your supernatural power to get the people to recognize you and believe in you as the Son of God, the Messiah. And again Jesus says no. The God of Jesus Christ is not a God of the sensational but a God who works through the ordinary, everyday things of life. "Do not put the Lord your God to the test" (verse 12).
So you see, unlike those friends of Monica who believe you can trade off everything you have to obtain what you want, Jesus shows us that we should never trade off our faith in God or our moral principles to obtain anything in this world, because faithfulness to God is more precious than anything in this world.

On the Epistles (first Sunday of Lent, C)

Nigeria is one of the African countries I so much love talking about. This is because, I pent six (6) years of my formative period there, studying in the major regions, North, West and in the East. A recent poll conducted for the BBC finds that Nigerians are the most religious people in the world. Nigerians receive this news with mixed feelings. “Yes, we are the most religious people in the world when it comes to church attendance, prayer and identifying ourselves as believers,” they say, “but why does our religiosity not translate itself into right conduct and fair business practice.” Nigeria, as you know, is said to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Is true religion only a matter of the heart and of the lips? This is the question that comes to mind as we hear Paul’s words to the Romans in today’s second reading: “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Is true Christianity, then, simply a matter of believing in the heart and confessing with the lips? Are the hands and feet not involved? Does it matter how we lead our lives so long as we believe in our heart and confess with our lips? What is Paul teaching us here?
To rightly understand what Paul is saying and what this means in our daily lives we need to see it in the context of the early Christians in Rome. The Roman church was a severely persecuted church. Christians were persecuted not for what they said and did but for what they refused to say and do. You see, starting from the time of Julius Caesar, the Roman Emperor had adopted a divine status. At his death the emperor was deified and proclaimed to be a god, while his living successor was declared to be the son of a god (divi filius). Sacrifices and incense were offered in public worship to the emperor gods. They were invoked and addressed as “lord” (dominus).
But the early Christians believed that the only person to have walked this earth who deserved to be addressed and worshipped as God is none other than Jesus Christ. They, therefore, transferred to Jesus the title and the homage that emperor worshippers has conferred on the emperor. They called Jesus the true Son of God and addressed him as Lord while refusing to recognize the divine status of the emperors, even under threat of death. Of course some of them, out of fear of death, would deny their Christian faith and confess Caesar to be the Lord. Paul is not happy with that. In today’s reading he encourages them to remain strong in their faith in the Resurrected One and to confess him as Lord even if that would cost them their lives, for that is the way to attain salvation.
“For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved” (10:10). By secretly believing in Jesus in the privacy of their hearts, Christians are justified. This is not enough, however. Ultimate and final salvation comes only when one has the courage on one’s conviction to openly confess Christ as Lord with one’s lips. Against this background we can see that Paul is not telling them that believing in Christ in the heart alone is all that saves the Christian. Far from that, he is encouraging them to translate their faith into concrete and public action, even if that action is only to declare publicly that Jesus is the Lord. For that was the challenge of the faith in those days
What is the challenge of the faith in our own day? The tendency to regard the Christian faith as a private matter is still a concern for us today. In many places it is not politically correct to identify ourselves as Christians either as individuals or as communities. France has banned the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols in schools. The United States frowns at the public display of Christian symbols on government property, like the Ten Commandments monument in a Kentucky courthouse. In places like Nigeria where public display of religion is allowed, people display it but fail to follow through with the implication of faith in their day to day lives. Paul urges us today to think the thought (in out hearts), to talk the talk (with our lips) and to walk the walk ( in our actions).

ASH WEDNESDAY

A story has it that Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Empire, once captured a prince and his family. When they were brought before him, Cyrus asked the captured prince, “What will you give me if I release you?”
“The half of my wealth,” was his reply.
“And if I release your children?”
“Everything I possess.”
“And if I release your wife?”
“Your Majesty, I will give myself.”
Cyrus was so moved by his devotion that he freed them all. As they returned home, the prince said to his wife, “Wasn’t Cyrus a handsome man!” With a look of deep love for her husband, she said to him, “I didn’t notice. I could only keep my eyes on you—the one who was willing to give himself for me.” Lent is here again beginning today with the ‘Ash Wednesday’ celebration, and it is the time for us to remember Jesus, the one who was willing to give his life for us and the manner in which he did, in fact, give his life for us. The Lord makes an invitation to us in every urgent term. ‘Come back to me with your whole heart, fasting, weeping and mourning.’’ In our days it seems that weeping and mourning are easier, for we just are passive when they occur. Fasting is sacrificing that one would prefer in order to help those in need. But indeed, its power is in its ability to help us “come back to the Lord” like the call in the first reading. Through fasting, we are able to say to things, “you cannot possess me; my happiness does not depend on you.” And while we engage in this, we are encouraged in the Gospel to do all in humility. The most important thing in this season apart from the three acts outlined by the church (fasting, Prayer and alms giving), we can also make much effort to fast from SIN. The call from God is still on “Come to me”, and he says to us, “though your sins be as scarlet, I shall make them white as the snow”. May God grant us a grace-filled Lenten Season.