EASTER SUNDAY YEAR B, 2024 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

Acts 10:3, 37-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23; 1 Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9 

The celebration of the resurrection of the Lord is the greatest Christian celebration because it is a victory over death and the accomplishment of the salvation of humanity. The Easter date is not set as that of Christmas. It was in 325 AD, during the Council of Nicaea that it was established that Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon, which usually occurs on or after March 21st.  Therefore, Easter is celebrated between March 22nd and April 25th.  Easter is celebrated for 50 days (Eastertide), from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday.

At Jesus’ crucifixion and death, his mission appeared to have ended up in a failure. But as we read in the gospel of today, “On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb” (John 20:1). An angel of the Lord removed the stone that sealed Jesus’ tomb (Matthew 28:2). Jesus was freed from the darkness of the tomb. Jesus’ mission came alive again with an explosion. From a few followers in Israel, Christianity became a world religion that has influenced every aspect of human existence. At the moment, out of about 8.1 billion of the world population, Christians are about 2.4 billion, which is about 31% of the world population.

St. Peter explains what Easter means, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). St. Paul tells us that Christianity is what it is because of the event of the resurrection. He writes in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “And if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching, empty too your faith." 

St. Paul tells us in the second reading that the Easter event makes us people who are raised with Christ (Colossians 3:1). Jesus is no longer in the tomb. Let us not remain in the tomb of sin and sorrow. May the angel who removed the stone over the tomb of Jesus visit us and remove every spiritual or physical stone that prevents us from being raised with Christ. May our crosses and pains never be in vain. Amen. 

St. Paul encourages us to be transformed by the Easter event to become a people who “think of what is above, not of what is on earth” (Colossians 3:3). This means that we think and act according to what is pleasing to God, as St. Paul states in Philippians 4:8, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

St. Paul instructs us in the second reading to hide our life with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). In this world of violence, trials, and temptations, we must hide our life with Christ in God. To be guided, protected, and defended from the onslaught of this world, the Evil One and his agents, we must hide our life with Christ in God. 

Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have become what St. Augustine calls “Easter people.” He says, “We are Easter people, and Alleluia is our song.” Pope St. John Paul II adds, “The joy of Easter should not be a shallow joy, but rather a joy that comes from faith, that grows through unselfish love, that respects the fundamental duty of love of neighbor, without which it would be unbecoming to speak of Joy. … An Easter person constantly reflects and asks himself or herself two important questions, ‘How can I become Jesus to my neighbor?’ and ‘How can others see Jesus in Me?”’

Jesus’ resurrection followed his passion, cross, crucifixion, and death. Therefore, the resurrection story is a story of hope. We are not to give up in times of passions, crosses, crucifixions, and deaths but to look forward to resurrection and glory that follow. May our thorns change to crowns. May the light of Christ which we celebrated during the Holy Saturday ceremonies light our way and dispel every force of darkness.

We pray with St. Paul, may the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead give life to our mortal bodies also (Romans 8:11). Amen.

Happy and Spirit-filled Easter to you all!

HOLY SATURDAY YEAR B, 2024 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

Holy Saturday Easter Vigil concludes the Triduum, the Sacred Paschal Mystery celebration, which began on Holy Thursday.

Before the advent of electricity, gas lights, kerosene lights, flash lights, and so on, people who kept vigil made fire with dry branches of trees, sat around it, and told stories. We do the same while keeping vigil for the Lord’s resurrection. We started with the ceremony of lighting the Holy Fire. The Holy Fire commemorates God’s creation of light on the earth, which was without form or shape and enveloped in darkness. “Then God said: ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good. God then separated light from darkness” (Genesis 1:2-5). We pray that the Holy Fire burns and purifies our hearts and makes us new. May the Holy Fire burn in our dark world and dispel all forces of darkness. We cast our afflictions into the Holy Fire. May we be freed from them. Amen.

Moments ago, we processed into the church building with lighted candles behind the Paschal Candle. The Paschal Candle is an image of the Risen Christ’s triumph over death. It is a symbol of hope and new life. Following the Paschal Candle into the church building is a powerful symbol that we are followers of the Risen Lord who assures us, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). May the light of Christ light our way to triumph over sin and sorrow. Amen.

Let us recall a few lines in the Exultet:

“This is the night that with a pillar of fire banished the darkness of sin.”

“This is the night that even now, throughout the world, sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices and from the gloom of sin, leading them to grace and joining them to his holy ones.”

“This is the night, when Christ broke the prison-bars of death and rose victorious from the underworld.”

The sanctifying power of this night dispels wickedness, washes faults away, restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners, drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.” 

The Old and New Testament readings we have read remind us of our salvation history which goes back to the creation of the world, the fall of Adam and Eve due to disobedience, the journey of God’s Chosen people, the prophecies about Jesus, his coming, his passion, his death and, now, his resurrection.

Soon, in this celebration, we will renew our baptismal promises in which we will renounce Satan and all his works. All these make us partakers in the Sacred Pascal Mystery. These deep and profound spiritual expressions are for our transformation. May our Lenten journey, the Triduum, and the Easter celebrations transform us. Amen.

Our world is enveloped in darkness of corruption, wars, violence, death, refugee crises, bad governments, insecurity, fear, poverty, sickness, suffering, godlessness, human made and natural disasters, and so on. 1 John 5:19 expresses the world's situation, “We know that we belong to God, [but] the whole world is under the power of the evil one.” However, Jesus assures us, “But take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). He says, “because I live and you will live” (John 14:19). Joyfully, we exclaim with St. Paul, “Thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Our celebration continues in the morning when we gather again to celebrate the Risen Lord.

Happy Easter!

GOOD FRIDAY YEAR B, 2024 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42

The 40 days of the Lenten season reaches its climax today, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion. Today has been a day of fasting, abstinence, prayer, and meditation on the agony and death of Jesus.

What is good about Good Friday when it was such a gloomy day that the innocent Son of God, Jesus Christ, was tortured and brutally executed by his crucifixion on the Cross? It is called ‘good’ because Jesus’ passion, crucifixion, and death are for our salvation and, therefore, for our good. The goodness of Good Friday is expressed in 2 Timothy 1:10, “… our savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality…”

Good Friday is the only day of the year the Catholic Church does not celebrate the Eucharist. This is because Good Friday’s ceremony is a commemoration of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which is the meaning of the Eucharistic celebration.

Why did Jesus have to suffer gruesomely to accomplish our salvation? Could not our salvation be achieved by some other way? Jesus’ passion, crucifixion, and death is God’s plan for humanity’s salvation. God’s plan for humanity’s salvation is a mystery beyond human’s full comprehension and clear explanation. The psalmist says, “Our God is in heaven and does whatever he wills” (Psalm 113:3). Jesus, in his humanity, did not, even, fully grasp the meaning of what he was going through. He prayed in Gethsemane, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). And cried out while hanging on the Cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). But later, in his divinity, he cautioned the two men on their way to Emmaus, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:25-26).

When you do not understand your cross and you ask, "Why me?" Jesus went through such an experience. May be, we will understand someday. May be, we will never understand. All is in God’s hands! There is power and freedom in trusting all things in God’s hand. Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord; the Lord will be their trust. They are like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: It does not fear heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; in the year of drought it shows no distress, but still produces fruit.”

Many times, we condemn those God used to bring to fulfilment of the prophecy about our salvation; such as Judas who betrayed him; the soldiers who arrested him, tortured him, and crucified him; the disciples who deserted him; the chief priests and the people who accused him falsely and insisted that he must die; Pilate who sentenced him to death and so on. How could our salvation have been possible without all these people? Every one of them played a role in God’s salvation plan for us. God uses what we consider unfavorable for our good. Also, let us not be quick to condemn others, especially when we do not have all the information.

One of the lessons of Jesus’ passion, crucifixion, death, and resurrection is that our difficulties and sufferings may be God’s plan for something good and great to come our way. We hear it often said that stumbling blocks are stepping stones to success. Let us view our stumbling blocks with the eyes of faith so that we may see God’s hand. The goodness of Good Friday is that the death and burial of Jesus are not the end of the story. His resurrection is. Therefore, let us pray and look forward to our own resurrection story.

We identify with the Passion of Christ as we all carry our various crosses. Some of us have fallen several times under the weight of our crosses. Some of us are praying that our crosses be removed. Some of us are feeling as if we are hanging and abandoned on the cross. Some of us are feeling like being offered vinegar to drink for our thirst. As we venerate the crucifix, we pray with Jesus, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

God did not abandon the Israelites when they sinned and were attacked by ferocious snakes. He directed Moses to mold a bronze serpent and place it on a pole, so that “anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed” (Numbers 21:9). If the bronze serpent gave healing, how much more we will receive healing by venerating the crucifix. Jesus promises us, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (John12:32). “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day” (John 6:40). 

The message of the cross means nothing to a lot of people, but to us, it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). As we venerate the crucifix today, may we experience the saving and healing power of God. Amen.

HOLY THURSDAY, 2024 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14; Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-15

Holy Thursday begins the three days of liturgical celebrations, which re-enact the last three days of Jesus' earthly life: the events of his passion, his crucifixion, his death, his burial, and his resurrection. The three days of liturgical celebrations are called the Sacred Paschal Triduum. Triduum is a word formed from two Latin words: 'tri' meaning three and 'dies' meaning day. 

Holy Week Wednesday is sometimes called Spy Wednesday. It is so called because Judas Iscariot had become a spy for the chief priests. He had received thirty pieces of silver from them and was seeking an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them (Matthew 26:14-16).

Two major events took place on Holy Thursday:

First event: During the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Catholics believe that Jesus celebrated the first Holy Mass on Holy Thursday. We read in the second reading, “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me’” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). By Jesus’ proclamation, “This is my body,” “This is my blood,” Catholics believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament because Jesus did not say, “This is a symbol of my body,” or “This is a symbol of my blood.”

The Holy Mass is, also, the highest prayer of the Catholic Church. 'Lumen Gentium' (No. 11) of Vatican II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church teach that the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life” (No. 1324); and “The Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith” (1327). 

Second event: On Holy Thursday, Jesus instituted the ministerial priesthood. The two actions of Jesus through which he instituted the apostles as priests are: (1) He commanded them, “Do this in remembrance of me.” (2) He commanded them, “You call me teacher and master, and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do” (John 13:13). We are “priestly people” (1 Peter 2:9) as we partake in the celebration of the Eucharist.

The priest used to end the Eucharistic celebration with the Latin words, 'Ite missa est,' translated, “Go, it is the dismissal.” A more meaningful translation of 'Ite missa est is,' “Go, you are sent on mission,” the mission of witnessing what has been celebrated. For short, Catholics call the Eucharistic celebration ‘Mass,’ derived from the Latin word 'missa.'

Each time, after the Eucharistic celebration, we are commissioned to go and wash each other’s feet. We are called to wash real dirty feet. The dirtier the feet we wash, the deeper our relationship with God.

Holy Thursday is also called Maundy Thursday, which can be translated as Command Thursday or Mandate Thursday. The word 'Maundy' is derived from the Latin word 'Mandatum', meaning mandate. Jesus commanded the apostles, “Do this in remembrance of me;” “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

The first reading narrates the feast of the first Passover, which symbolizes the spiritual food for the Israelites’ journey to the Promised Land. The Eucharist is our spiritual food for our journey of faith and our journey to eternal life. Jesus says, “My flesh is real food, and my body is real drink” (John 6:55).

God commanded the Israelites to put the blood of the lamb on the lintel of every house in order to be saved from the angel of death. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and has purchased us by his blood. St. Paul writes, “In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7). In prayer, we surrender ourselves, our sins, and our sorrows to the redemptive power of the precious Blood of Jesus Christ.

PALM SUNDAY YEAR B, 2024 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

Mark 11:1-10; Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24; Philippians 2:6-11; Mark 1-15:47

Today, Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, is the sixth and last Sunday of Lent. It commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, days before he was crucified. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the Holy Week. The gospel’s passion narrative invites us to participate in the mystery of Jesus’ passion journey.

Almost all Jewish prophets prophesied the coming of the messiah who would redeem Israel from her oppressors. At the time of Jesus, Israel was governed by the Romans. Jesus’ disciples were convinced that Jesus was a political messiah who would lead a rebellion against the Roman colonial rule and drive out the Romans. Therefore, on arriving in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, he was given a rousing and heroic welcome. “Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. Those preceding him as well as those following kept crying out: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come! Hosanna in the highest!’” (Mark 11:8-10). One of the meanings of the Hebrew word ‘hosanna’ is ‘save.’ The people cried to Jesus to save them from their colonial masters. We are doing the same. We are crying to Jesus to save us from our afflictions and whatever that has ‘colonized’ us physically and spiritually.

John 12:13 writes, “They took palm branches and went out to meet him and cried out.” It is from this line that this Sunday is named “Palm Sunday.” At the time of Jesus, for the Jewish people, palm branches were considered as symbols of victory and triumph. Unknowingly, the crowds proclaimed Jesus as the savior of the world who was to triumph and become victorious over death.

I do not think that the people would have cried to Jesus to save them if they knew that he was not a political messiah. A few days later, the people shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Could it be that the people were frustrated and disappointed that Jesus did not fulfill their expectation? If Jesus had led a successful rebellion against the Romans, would the people have cried “Crucify him! Crucify him!?” I do not think so. Do we do like those people? We get very disappointed, frustrated, and upset when our expectations are not met. Then, we become aggressive and destructive.

As we read in the gospel, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a colt (a young donkey). Jesus chose to enter Jerusalem on a donkey, which was, at that time, the means of transportation for the poor; instead of a horse, which was the means of transportation for the rich, the high and the mighty. By riding a donkey, a beast of burden, Jesus makes himself our ‘beast of burden’ thereby fulfilling Isaiah 53:4, “He took up our pain and bore our suffering.” Like the donkey, Jesus carries our pains and sufferings.

By riding a donkey, Jesus identifies himself with the poor and the lowly, and he teaches us to do the same. He wants us to identify with the burdened, the needy, the sick, and the suffering. By riding a donkey, Jesus teaches us the importance of detachment and humility. In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says, “Learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart.”  

St. Andrew of Crete writes, “Let us imitate those who have gone out to meet him, not scattering olive branches or garments or palms in his path, but spreading ourselves before him as best as we can with humility of soul and upright purpose … It is ourselves that we must spread under Christ’s feet…”

In some cultures, in times of crisis or misunderstanding, carrying palm leaves or presenting palm leaves is a gesture of peace and reconciliation. Today, the Church gives us palm leaves, a symbol of peace and reconciliation, to take to our homes and places. Let us share the message of peace and reconciliation with one another. You may take a palm leaf from this Mass to someone as a gesture of peace and reconciliation.

Today’s celebration becomes even more meaningful if Jesus makes a triumphal entry into our lives and grants us peace and victory over evil. Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me” (Revelations 3:20).

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR B, 2024 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51:3-4, 12-15; Hebrews 5:7-9; John 12:20-23

Jeremiah was sent by God to prophesy to the Jews at a time when political and religious leaders offended God so much. There was a lot of corruption and injustice in the land. The political and religious leaders did not care nor believed that corruption and injustice could make them lose favor with God and bring destruction to their land. They prided themselves on the Temple of Jerusalem and God’s covenant with their fathers Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. The old covenant was sealed with animal sacrifices and animal blood. For instance, in Exodus 24:8, “Then Moses took the blood and splashed it on the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you ...’”

Jeremiah prophesied to them that the temple would be destroyed and the old covenant would no longer hold. He prophesied the nature of the new covenant as we see in the first reading, “But this is a covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 13:33). The new covenant was no longer going to be sealed with animal sacrifices and animal blood, and the law written on scrolls and tablets of stone; but it would be sealed with the Blood of the Lamb, and the law written on the hearts of men and women. The Book of Hebrews calls Jesus “the mediator of a new covenant” (Hebrews 9:15).  

Each of us is invited to a spiritual checkup during this Lenten season to examine the state of our covenant with God. God says, “I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” How does this apply to me? Regularly, God tries to place his law within me and tries to write it on my heart. How recipient am I? Do I do away with it, and place something else within me, and write something else on my heart?

Someone says, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” This is to say that what we consume is what we become. Ordinarily, if we eat healthy food, we become healthy. If we eat junk food, our health becomes junky. Those who accept God’s law and retain it in their hearts and put it to practice are children of the new covenant. Those who consume worldly things become children of the world. Worst still, those who consume bedeviled things become children of the devil and tools of the devil.

In today’s gospel, Jesus invites us to renew ourselves by dying to our sinful selves. He says, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life” (John 12:24-25). Jesus further assures us, “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me” (John 12:26).

Further in today’s gospel, Jesus says, “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (John 12:32). His passion, crucifixion, death, and glorification made him the mediator of the new covenant and “the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (Hebrews 5:9). As he draws us to himself, let nothing pull us away from him.

“What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? … No, in all these things, we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35, 37-39). Amen.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR B, 2024 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

 2 Chronicles 36:14-16; 19-23; Psalm 137:1-6; Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:14-21

The Fourth Sunday of Lent is called 'Laetare' Sunday. 'Laetare' is a Latin word that means ‘Rejoice.’ Amid our Lenten penance, Laetare Sunday puts us in hopeful expectation of the Easter joy. Today’s Mass entrance antiphon is, “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who were in mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast” (Isaiah 66:10-11).

The first reading is what happened to the people of Israel when they turned away from God and continued to sin. “All the princes of Judah, the priests, and the people added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the Lord’s temple…The Lord … sent messengers to them … But they mocked the messengers of God, despised their warnings, and scoffed at his prophets …” They moved away from God and fell into the hands of their enemies who conquered them. “Their enemies burned down the house of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, set all the palaces afire, and destroyed all its precious objects. Those who escaped the sword were carried captive to Babylon …” This is a story of sin and the consequence of refusal to repent.

The consequence of the rejection of God by the people of Israel happens to anyone and any people who turn away from God and turn to evil. This explains the reasons for so much disintegration in our homes, society, and world. Underdevelopment, poverty, hunger, sickness, hardship, migration, and so on are consequences of the sins of the ‘princes’ (rulers), the priests (religious leaders), and the people. God has not designed or ascribed impoverishment and suffering to any group of people or any part of the world. The Book of Wisdom 1:12-16 says, “… God did not make death nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being, and the creatures of the world are wholesome. … It was the wicked who, with hands and words, invited death ….”

God admonishes us through Prophet Ezekiel, “I do not want the wicked to die but rather that they turn from their evil ways and live” (Ezekiel 33:11). And in 2 Chronicles 7:14 God says, “And my people who bear my name humble themselves, and pray and look for me, and turn from their wicked ways, then I myself will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and restore their land.”

The first reading tells us that after seventy years, the Persians conquered the Babylonian Empire, and surprisingly, King Cyrus of Persia released the people of Israel to return to their land. Jesus is the new King Cyrus, who has redeemed us and sets us free from captivity and enslavement caused by sin and evil. In this fourth week of Lent, we are invited to examine ourselves to see if we are held captive and enslaved either by sin or weakness or concerns of life; and turn to Jesus to free and liberate us. He tells us to prefer him, the Light, instead of darkness. He says, “And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works are evil” (John 3:19). It must not be so with us.

St. Paul in the second reading says, “God who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us [his handiwork], even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ…” (Ephesians 2:4). Jesus says in today’s gospel, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17).

In today’s gospel, Nicodemus has something to teach us. He was a Jewish leader, but his desire for the Light kept him restless and sleepless. Who knows how long he was in this state? On that particular night, he could no longer hold back or even wait for daybreak. While others were sleeping and may be some others were having good times, he went in search of the Light. He found the Light and became part of our salvation story. Later in John 7:51, as a changed man, he reminded other Jewish leaders who wanted Jesus arrested of their law, “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?” He helped Joseph of Arimathea to bury Jesus. He brought a costly mixture of myrrh and aloes that weighed about 100 pounds (45kg), which was used to prepare Jesus’ body for burial (John 19:39-40).

What keeps me restless and sleepless? Is the desire for the Light part of it, or is it completely the concerns of life, or is it the desire to sin? Like Nicodemus, can I be a voice of truth in times of falsehood?

Jesus welcomed Nicodemus when he came to him at night. This means that Jesus is ever-ready waiting to welcome us.

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR B, 2024 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

 Exodus 20:1-17; Psalm 19:8-11; 1 Corinthians 1:22-25; John 2:13-25

We are mid-way in the Lenten season. The cross above helps us to evaluate how the Lenten journey is progressing.

In the first reading, from the Book of Exodus, the Israelites had left Egypt and were no longer under Pharaoh and the laws of Egypt. God did not leave them without guiding principles. The commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) were to guide the Israelites’ relationship with God and their relationship with one another.

The Ten Commandments are summarized as follows:

“1. I am the Lord your God; you shall not have any gods before me. 2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. 3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day. 4. Honor your father and your mother. 5. You shall not kill. 6. You shall not commit adultery. 7. You shall not steal. 8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. 10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.”

The first three commandments guide relationships with God, while the other seven guide relationships with fellow human beings. God’s commandments are enough to guide every person, every institution, every organization, every nation, and our world. Our problem, as Jesus points out, is that human beings abandon God’s commandments and cling to human traditions (Mark 7:8). While all human traditions (constitutions, laws, canons, ordinances, etc.) are imperfect, the psalmist testifies, “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye” (Psalm 19:8-9). Wherever God’s commandments are not kept, the opposite becomes the case: disturbance of soul, folly, conflict, and blindness.

As we journey through the Lenten season, God draws our attention, again, to his commandments which are one of the Church’s teachings given to us when we reach the age of reasoning to guide our spiritual and moral development. Today, God invites us to remember our very beginning that we may have forgotten, we may have neglected, and we may have fallen short. Is my life still guided by God’s commandments? Which of them do I need to work on during this Lenten season?

Today’s gospel tells us how the temple area, which was supposed to be a holy ground and serene place of prayer, was turned into a marketplace. Those who came for the feast of Passover were required to pay temple tax for the upkeep of the temple. Since the Roman and Greek coins had images of their gods and their emperors stamped on them and therefore were regarded as pagan coins which could not be used to pay the temple tax, money-changers stayed in the temple area and exchanged the pagan coins for Jewish coins. The money-changers cheated the people by offering them a very low exchange rate. Also, sacrificial animals were not to be brought from outside but must be bought from the sellers in the temple area. The sellers sold the animals at exorbitant prices. It was because of these corrupt practices in the name of God that Jesus “made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, ‘Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace’” (John 2:15-16).

Unfortunately, there are churches, religious houses, religious grounds, and their leaders who commit the sin of turning places of worship into business centers and market places. They extort, cheat, and steal in the name of God. They stand condemned by Jesus’ words and actions in today’s gospel.

In today’s gospel, while Jesus speaks of his body as the temple, the Jews speak of the physical temple building. As followers of Jesus, St. Paul asks us, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19). During this Lenten season, let us present our bodies to Jesus to cleanse us as he cleansed the temple area that we may be a renewed dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. May he cleanse us physically and spiritually. Amen.

We conclude with the song, “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus” by Robert Lowry (1876).

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR B, 2024 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

Genesis 22:1-2, 9, 10-13, 15-18; Psalm 116:10, 15-19, Romans 8:31-34; Mark 9:2-10

The first reading is about Abraham. A brief background of him may be helpful. Abraham was called by God to leave his native land for the land God was to show him. Abraham, although 75 years old, obeyed God and left his father’s house, his relatives, and his land and “went as the Lord directed him” (Genesis 12:1, 4).

Abraham was a hundred years old, and Sarah was ninety years old when Isaac was born (Genesis 17:17). “With human being, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible” (Luke 19:26). God makes grass grow upon mountains! (Psalm 147:8). In today’s first reading, God commanded Abraham, “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There offer him up as a burnt offering …” (Genesis 22:2). What a command! Go and sacrifice the child Abraham and Sarah desired and prayed for all their life! Go and sacrifice the child born at an advanced age with no possibility of having another child! Abraham obeyed. He set out with his servants and Isaac.

As they were on their way, Isaac asked Abraham a heart-wrenching question: “The fire and wood are here, where is the lamb for the sacrifice” (Genesis 22:7). This question could have made Abraham change his mind from offering his son as a burnt sacrifice. But Abraham, being a man of obedience and a man of faith, replied, “God himself will provide the lamb for the sacrifice” (Genesis 22:8). This was a prophecy because God provided a ram, not just a lamb, which Abraham sacrificed instead of his son Isaac (Genesis 22:13). For this reason, “Abraham named that place Yahweh-yireh” meaning, “God-the-Provider” (Genesis 22:14). For being obedient to his command, God promised numerous blessings to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 22:18). God’s providence and blessings accompany obedience to him and faith in him. 

Abraham, also, made a prophetic utterance to his servants who accompanied him. When they neared the place of the sacrifice, he said to them, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship, and then we will come back to you” (Genesis 22:5). How did Abraham know that God was going to provide the animal for the sacrifice and that Isaac and he were only going to worship and come back? It came to pass as Abraham had foretold. After Abraham sacrificed the ram, he and Isaac came back to the servants, and they returned home. What a display of obedience and faith!

Because Abraham was obedient to God and had faith in God, all his utterances on the journey became prophetic. There is power and reward in obedience and faith. James 2:23 says about Abraham, “Abraham believed in God, so he was considered a righteous person and was called a friend of God.” Obedience to God and faith in God make us friends of God. Abraham’s relationship with God is an encouragement to us in our faith journey and in our relationship with God. Our reward is great if we obey God and have faith in him. We will be his friends; he will bless us; he will provide for us.

Abraham’s words, “God himself will provide the lamb for the sacrifice,” was, also, a prophecy about Jesus Christ. John the Baptist revealed him, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). St. Paul says in the second reading, “He did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all…” (Romans 8:32). The ram was sacrificed in order to spare Isaac. In the same way, Jesus, the Lamb of God, was sacrificed in order to spare us. Abraham sacrificed the ram. Jesus sacrificed himself. What is our sacrifice during this Lenten season? 

When Jesus transfigured, as we read in today’s gospel, his clothes became dazzling white. The Lenten season is a season of grace and a season of transfiguration. We pray that as we journey through the Lenten season, we may transfigure from disobedience to obedience, from hate to love, from weak faith or lack of faith to strong faith, from heart of stone to heart of flesh, from indifference to the word of God to listening, from being far from God to being close to him, from sin to repentance, and from gloom and despair to dazzling beauty. God instructs us today, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him” (Mark 9:7). His words “are spirit and they are life” (John 6:64). He is the One who takes away our sins and sorrows and helps us to transfigure.

Let us present to God all dark clouds that hide our beauty. May God’s light with its dazzling effect shine upon us and dispel every dark cloud. Through the graces of the Lenten season, may we experience physical and spiritual transfiguration. Amen.