THIRTY-FOURTH SUNDAY (CHRIST THE KING) YEAR B, 2024 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

Daniel 7:13-14; Psalm 93:1-2,5; Revelation 1:5-8; John 18:33-37

This Sunday is the last Sunday of the Church’s year. Next Sunday begins the Advent Season.

The feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925, not long after the end of the First World War. The pope established the feast as a statement of faith against the prevailing ideologies of communism and secularism at that time. The two ideologies attempted to exclude faith, religion, and God from humanity. This feast is even more relevant to us now that we face many anti-Christian and anti-Catholic ideologies and all manner of opposition to Christianity and persecution of Christians. By celebrating this feast, we are upholding the teachings of the Scripture and the teachings of the Church; and continue to proclaim Jesus Christ as our leader and king.

Today’s second reading testifies the kingship of Jesus: “… the ruler of the kings of the earth … the Alpha and the Omega, … the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty” (Revelation 1:5-8).

Jesus’ disciples never understood his kingship. On Jesus’ last day with them, they still asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). In today’s gospel, Jesus declares that his kingdom does not belong to this world (John 18:36). Jesus is not a political king but a spiritual king. 

Although Jesus is a spiritual king, Christianity has a universal influence on world’s civilization, discoveries, philosophy, theology, geography, history, literature, science, medicine, and development more than any religion. The birth of Jesus brought about the categorization of world history to “Before Christ” (BC) and Anno Domini (AD) meaning, “In the year of the Lord” or “After Christ.”  From a few followers in Judea, Christianity has spread to every part of the world. Out of the world’s population of 8.1 billion in 2024, the Christians’ population is 2.4 billion, one-third of the world’s population and the world’s largest religion. This is a fulfillment of Daniel prophecy in the first reading, “He received dominion, splendor, and kingship; all nations, peoples and tongues will serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, his kingship, one that shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:14). As Zechariah (9:10) prophesies, “His empire shall stretch from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth.” We are not surprised, therefore, why the Catholic Church is in the remotest corners of the world.

The kingship of Jesus is a model for rulers and leaders. Zechariah prophesies (9:9), “Behold: your king is coming to you, a just savior is he, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Jesus says, “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (Matthew 11:29). His kingship is in his compassionate heart. He did most of his miracles out of compassion. His kinship is in his laying down his life for us (1 John 3:16). Compare Jesus’ kingship with that of our rulers and leaders! Do Christian rulers and leaders make any difference? Compare Jesus’ kingship with how we make our authority felt in our various responsibilities! Are we just? Are we gentle and humble? Are we compassionate? Do we make sacrifices? Do we lay down our lives?

Christianity is under attack from those who propagate or impose or enforce anti-Christian and anti-Catholic ideologies and policies. The effects of these attacks and pressures can be seen in the reduced number of churchgoers and the number of practicing Christians. We are aware of the closure of Catholic schools and churches. There is also so much persecution of Christians in many parts of the world. However, our faith rests on Jesus’ words that the gates of hell shall not prevail against his Church (Matthew 16:18). 

Jesus says in Luke 12:49, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing. If Christians have the same level of passion seen in the entertainment world, business world, sports, science, technology, and so on, the earth would be on fire with the Good News! 

Jesus is our King; therefore, we are children of the Kingdom. Jesus confers the authority of his spiritual kingship upon us by proclaiming in Mark 16:17-18, “These signs will accompany those who believe in my name: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 

It is with this spiritual authority that we can witness Jesus to the world. Jesus can only rule the universe through us if we take up this authority and use it. It is with this authority that we preach the Good News, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, visit prisoners, and drive out demons. 

Very importantly, through the celebration of today’s feast, we pray that may allow Jesus Christ to rule and reign over our hearts, our lives, homes, church, businesses, work places, environments, communities, our country, and our world. We pray that we become true children of his kingdom and his ambassadors who are empowered by the kingship authority he confers on us.  We pray for the rekindling of Jesus’ Spirit and fire in us so that we may blaze and set the earth on fire with the Good News. Amen.

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B, 2024 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

 Daniel 12:1-3; Psalm 16:5, 8-11; Hebrews 10:11-14, 18; Mark 13:24-32

We are coming to the end of the Church’s Liturgical Year. The Church’s Liturgical Year ends with the week of Christ the King (Thirty-Fourth Sunday), after which the Advent Season begins.

Today’s readings invite us to reflect on death and its reality. It is a reality we all must accept. Ecclesiastes 3:2 says, “There is a time for everything, … a time to be born and a time to die.”  Therefore, we are invited to prepare ourselves spiritually and physically. Jesus says in the gospel, “But that day or the hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32). Two things we know with absolute certainty are that we came into the world on a certain day, and we will depart the world on a certain day.

When we talk about the end of the world, do we mean that there will be such a time when the world will come to an end? The world has existed for over 4.54 billion years. It is, rather, more helpful if we pay attention to the end of our individual world (end of life), which occurs every day, than follow the line of thought of apocalyptic preachers who preach about the imminent end of the physical world.

There are two important ways of preparing for the end of life. They are physical preparation and spiritual preparation.

Physical preparation means putting in place a clear Will or Testament to prevent any form of misinterpretation and disagreement when one dies. Doing this, where possible or necessary, in a legal way to grant the document legal authenticity is important. Are there retirement arrangements, insurance contracts, and other businesses that need to be made and secured? These, and many more, need to be done while the individual is hale and hearty to prevent unnecessary wrangling over the deceased’s Will, property, and intentions.

Spiritual preparation means to live a life here on earth that will lead us to everlasting life. The first reading and the gospel tell us that at the end of life, “Some will live forever, others shall be in an everlasting horror and disgrace” (Daniel 12:2). “And he will send out his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky” (Mark 13:27). A sure way to be one of the elects (saints) and live forever in the presence of God is to live a good Christian life while in the mortal body.  For those who spiritually prepare themselves for death, the Preface 1 of the Mass of the Dead promises, “Indeed, for your faithful, Lord, life is changed not ended, and, when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven.”

There are people who do not believe that there is any form of life after physical death and do not believe in the existence of heaven and hell. About such people, Jesus says, “Hypocrites! You interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t interpret the present time?” (Luke 12:56). Every people and every culture have some form of punishment or another for those who commit offense and good reward for good work. How then does anyone deny any form of punishment or good reward in the afterlife? In addition to the teaching of the Bible about hell, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “The chief punishment of hell is the eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs” (CCC 1035).

For us believers, let us live our lives in joyful hope for the coming of our savior Jesus Christ who promises us in John 14:1-3, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.” St. Paul, also, encourages us, “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him; this God has revealed to us through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

Whether God grants us a long life or a short life, may he grant us the grace of a happy death by which death has no sting and no victory over us (1 Corinthians 15:55). At the hour of our death, may he call us and bid us come to him, that with his saints we may praise him, forever and ever. (Anima Christi). May St. Joseph, patron of a happy death, pray for us. Amen.

THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B, 2024 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

1 Kings 17:10-16; Psalm 146:7-10; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44

1 Kings 16:29-33 summarized the disastrous reign of King Ahab. For that reason, Elijah prophesied, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, during these years there shall be no dew or rain except by my word” (1 Kings 17:1). One may ask why this prophecy which would bring suffering to the people. The lesson is that when bad leaders are allowed into power or allowed to stay in power, the people suffer.

Under God’s direction, Elijah went to Jordan. When the drought became severe in Jordan, God sent him to Sidon. As we read in the first reading, it was in Zarephath, Sidon, that Elijah met the widow and asked her for something to eat. The widow made it clear to Elijah how bad the situation was, “As the Lord, your God, lives, I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar and a little oil in my jug. Just now I was collecting a few sticks, to go in and prepare something for myself and my son; when we have eaten it, we shall die.” Then, Elijah assured her, “Do not be afraid. … For the Lord, the God of Israel, says: The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth.” It came to pass as Elijah prophesied (1 Kings 17:13-16).

The first reading brings to mind Jesus’ words in Luke 4:25-26, “I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.” It is noteworthy that the widow who showed Elijah great generosity and trust was not an Israelite but a Canaanite. I am sure that there were families in Israel and in Sidon who were not impoverished and could have taken good care of Elijah. Yet, God chose to send Elijah to the poor widow. This means that God can use anyone for his good plan. Let us not have excuses when God wants to use us.

In many ways, God sends ‘Elijah’ to us. Do we share the little we have with the ‘Elijah,’ or do we drive the ‘Elijah’ away?

In the gospel, Jesus says about the widow, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood” (Mark 12:43-44).

The generosity of the two poor widows are perfect examples of sacrifice and faith. Both widows, generously, gave from their whole livelihood. There are many testimonies of multiplication of ‘flour’ and multiplication of ‘oil’ after sharing with the needy and after giving for God’s work. Jesus says in Luke 6:38, “Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap.” We often say, “Givers never lack.”

The widows teach us that the little we have and sincerely able to give is mighty in the eyes of God. Therefore, let us not hold back the little we can afford to give. Have faith in God that your jar of flour shall not go empty, nor your jug of oil run dry.

It is not only material possessions that we are invited to share with one another. We are, also, invited to, generously, share our talents, ideas, knowledge, time, understanding, care, cooperation, assistance, presence, and services.

Finally, St. Paul encourages us the best way to give, “Consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do … without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). St. Paul, further, advises us, “Do everything without grumbling or questioning …” (Philippians 2:14).

There are some public donations in which the information or some information about the donations can be made public, if the giver chooses. There is nothing wrong with that. However, Jesus cautions us, “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you” (Matthew 6:1-4).

Blessed are they who sacrifice to give for the work of God and for the wellbeing of the needy; they will receive from God; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing will be poured into their lap. Their jar of flour shall not go empty, nor their jug of oil run dry. Amen.

THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B, 2024 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

Deuteronomy 6:2-6; Psalm 18:2-4, 47, 51; Hebrews 7:23-28; Mark 12:28-34

The Book Deuteronomy contains laws and exhortations Moses gave to the Israelites that would guide them when they arrived at the Promised Land. Today’s first reading contains the central statement of belief of the Jewish people known as Shema Israel. “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Moses went further to instruct, “Keep repeating them to your children. Recite them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:7).

The Hebrew word ‘Shema’ means listen or hear or pay attention or focus on or respond to what you hear. You call me ‘Father.’ Yes, I am your spiritual father. You are my spiritual children. Therefore, whether you like it or not, I will not stop repeating to you, continually, the word of God with my whole heart, and my whole being, and my whole strength. I recite it to myself continually; whether I like it or not. So, do the same to yourself and to your children, whether you like it or not and whether they like it or not. That is the command!

At the time of Jesus, some teachers and interpreters of the law emphasized that the more burnt offerings and sacrifices the people offered, and the more tithes the people paid, the closer they were to God. The scribe, an interpreter of the law, most likely wanted to know Jesus’ opinion. Jesus replied by quoting the Shema Israel and added Leviticus 19:19, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The amazed scribe acknowledged that to love God and to love one’s neighbor as oneself are “worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” We recall that Jesus, in Luke 11:12, condemned the Pharisees, “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and love of God.” Even now, does Jesus not condemn prosperity preachers whose priority is on their congregation’s paying of tithes over and above love of God and love of neighbor?

Love of God and love of neighbor are like the two hinges of a door. One of the hinges is love of God, and the other hinge is love of neighbor. If any of the hinges is absent, the door seizes to function. 1 John 4:19-21 says, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

At creation, God said, “Let us create man in our image, in the likeness of ourselves…” (Genesis 1:26). We share in God’s divine nature. Therefore, we have done to God what we have done to others since each of us is God’s image. In Matthew 25:40 Jesus teaches, “In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.” In Acts 9:4-5, Jesus asked Saul, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul asked Jesus, “Who are you, Lord?” Jesus replied, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Jesus did not ask Saul why he was persecuting the Christians, but “Why are you persecuting me?”

We can see the power of love of neighbor in the following texts: “Above all, let your love for one another be intense (strong), because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). “We are aware that we have passed over from death to life because we love our brother. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer…” (1 John 3:14-15). “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18).  “And now, these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

The word ‘love’ is the most used and abused word. All kinds of evil, atrocities, senseless things, and bad decisions are committed in the name of love.  But there is such a thing as genuine love, which is why St. Paul tells us, “Let love be genuine…” (Romans 12:9). Jesus teaches us what genuine love is where he says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…” (John 3:16). “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John15:13).

The kinds of genuine love we must pursue: (1) Sacrificial love, which is a total self-giving that sometimes culminates to ultimate sacrifice. Doing good to those who hate us is a type of sacrificial love. (2) Unconditional love, which is a selfless act of love that does not require anything in return. (3) Altruistic love is a kind of love that involves taking helpful actions to support and benefit others, often at one’s expense. Whatever anyone calls love or does in the name of love, which does not fall within these three kinds, is counterfeit love! One may ask about reciprocal love. Reciprocal love, which is love in return for love, has a selfish undercurrent.

I would like to conclude with this story: A boy was asked to donate blood to his sister so that his sister would not die. After donating the blood, the boy asked his dad, “When am I going to die.” The boy had thought that for him to donate blood to the sister so that she might not die would result to his own death. Yet, he did not object when the request was made of him. St. Ignatius prayed, “To give without counting the cost.” This boy teaches us the meaning of the prayer.

COMMEMORATION OF ALL SOULS, 2024 BY FR. MARTIN EKE, MSP

Wisdom 3:1-9; Psalm 23:1-6; Romans 5:5-11; John 6:37-40

We celebrated the Church Triumphant (All Saints) yesterday. Today, we pray for the Church Suffering, the departed souls in Purgatory. The Catholic Church teaches that we assist the souls of the dead who are in the condition of purification in Purgatory by offering Eucharistic sacrifice for them, and undertake almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance on their behalf (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1032). Today’s celebration enables us to pray for countless departed souls that Masses are not requested or offered for.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (CCC 1030). “The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned” (CCC 1031).

Communion with the departed is a common practice in many cultures. Praying for the departed existed in the Jewish belief far before Christianity. We read in 2 Maccabees 12:43-46, “Judas then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, in as much as he had the resurrection in mind; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. …Thus, he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin.”

Indications of the existence of Purgatory are, also, found in the New Testament. For instance, we read in Revelation 21:22, “I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb. The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb. ... Nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who does abominable things or tells lies. Only those who will enter whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” At our death, none of us is clean and worthy to enter the “City of the Lord God Almighty.” “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Each soul, therefore, goes through a purification before entering the glory of God. The location of Purgatory and the duration that souls spend in Purgatory are beyond human knowledge since it is a mystical reality.

The notion of purgatory was not alien to many ancient cultures. I come from Mbaise, the part of Igboland of Nigeria, where before Christianity, the traditional seventh month (Onwa Asaa), which is coincidentally the month of November, was dedicated to celebrating the dead. Throughout the month, certain ceremonies were for releasing souls from whatever might have withheld them from joining the ancestral realm to transmute and join them. When the Catholic missionaries taught the people about purgatory, it was not difficult for many of them to connect and understand.

Originally, Halloween celebration was a feast of holy souls. The word ‘Halloween’ is derived from ‘All Hallowed (Holy) Souls’ Eve.’ Remembrance of the dead was celebrated on the eve of All Saints. Nowadays, Halloween is mostly celebrated in a secularly non-Christian way.

As Christians, we are a people of hope. Therefore, today’s celebration is a celebration of hope; that, indeed, God’s love is everlasting, even, in the afterlife. The first reading guarantees that by God’s grace and mercy, the faithful shall be purified, and they shall abide with God in love (Wisdom 3:9). St. Paul assures us in the second reading that “Hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5).

In our celebration, we believe in the fulfilment of the words of Jesus in today’s gospel, “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day” (John 6:37-39).

Let us pray:  Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let your perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.