Fr. Augustine Inwang, MSP - Homily for the Third Sunday of Lent Year C - March 20, 2022

                                      Readings: Ex. 3:1-8; 1Cor. 10:1-6; Lk 13:1-9 

Repent or Perish

1.      There is a story told about a man named Bill. He was a prominent contractor. In time, the pressure of his business caused him to turn to alcohol. Before long, he separated from his family, and his business went bankrupt. One day Bill was walking down the street. He happened to look down. There, on the sidewalk, was a bent rusty nail. Bill thought to himself, that nail is a perfect picture of me. I'm rusty and bent out of shape too. I'm good for nothing but to be thrown away, just as that nail is. Bill stooped down, picked up the nail, and put it in his pocket. When he got home, he took a hammer and began to pound it straight. Then he took some sandpaper and removed the rust from it. Next, Bill placed the nail alongside a new one. He could hardly tell the difference between the two.

 

2.      A thought flashed through Bill's mind. His life could be straightened out and sanded clean again just as the nail was. But it wouldn't be easy! Could he take the hard blows and sanding? He decided to try. Today Bill is reunited with his family, and he is back in the construction business. He owes everything to that old rusty, bent nail that he found on the sidewalk at just the right time in his life. To this day, he keeps the restored nail in his wallet. (From Sunday Homilies by Mark Link, SJ). Today's liturgy reminds us that our God is a God who gives a second chance to his children. In the revelation of his name to Moses, he assured the children of Israel that He is God of the living; he is always present and accessible to his people. He is "The Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity" (Ex. 34:5-7). In the first reading, God revealed his name as 'Yahweh,' translated as I am who am, "This is my name forever, thus am I to be remembered through all generations." According to the Psalmist "The Lord is kind and merciful." God, the great I am, is a merciful God. He loves us so much that he doesn't judge us as we deserve but gives us a second chance when we mess up to come back to our senses and return to him.

 

3.      Jesus encourages us in the gospel to make use of the many opportunities God has given us to change our minds. Those who died in tragic circumstances were not worse sinners. Their death should help us repent and believe the gospel. That was what we promised on the day of Baptism: to reject Satan and all his works and to believe in God. Through the natural and political disasters of His time, Jesus illustrates the fragility of life and calls for a life of repentance. He uses the gardener to highlight God's patience and offers us precious opportunities to be saved. "Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not, you can cut it down." (Lk. 13:8). The call to repentance is not merely for us to turn away from our sinful ways but also to produce the fruits of good living and be holy. God's mercy is infinite, but we are finite beings. We do not have eternity to change our minds. "If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts." (Ps. 95:7-11). If we don't bear fruit, listen to what may happen: "For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but found none So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?" (Lk. 13:7). The unproductive fig tree was exhausting the soil and depriving productive trees of nourishment. It should be cut down so that others may be enriched as they were nourishing the people's lives. If we are not nurturing the lives of others, we are draining them. If we are not adding, we are taking from them. We must decide whether to be givers or takers.

 

4.      Repentance means a change of heart, a change of attitude, and a change of mind. We can change our minds in both small and big things. We can change from being inactive to being active, from not praying to pray, from being uncharitable to being charitable, from being sinful to sinless, from being unmerciful to merciful, from not attending Mass regularly to finding a reason to always come to Mass; from not bringing your children and grandchildren to church to making sure they are here with you. Lent is not only about receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday and Palms on Palm Sunday. It is not only about fasting and abstaining from meat and eating fish on Friday. It is all that and more. It gives us a golden opportunity to change our minds. 

 

5.      At one point in our lives, we were like the fig tree. We were in danger of being ejected and rejected as useless. But God's mercy, the Great 'I am' took pity on us and gave us a second chance. Like Bill, we must be grateful to God for our second chance. Let us receive God's mercy and stop complaining about the misfortunes of our lives, for Christ made it clear that accidents and sickness are not punishment for sins but a great opportunity to repent and change our minds. As God gives us a second chance, we must also give a second chance to people around us and help them grow in love, hope, and trust. May we see the bigger picture of God's plan in our lives and worship him in spirit and truth! Amen.

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

 

Fr. Martin Eke, MSP - Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent Year C - March 13, 2022

 Homily of Second Sunday of Lent Year C, 2022

Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18; Psalm 27:7-9, 13-14; Philippians 3:17-41; Luke 9:28-36

In some ancient cultures, including the Aramean culture where Abram belonged, when two parties or individuals made a covenant, they cut an animal into half, arranged the halves on two sides, and the parties or the individuals who made the covenant passed through between the animal parts. This ritual sealed the covenant. Passing through between the animal parts arranged on two sides was a way of swearing that what happened to the animal might happen to anyone who went against the covenant (Jeremiah 34:18). This ritual seems, partly, to be what is described in the first reading. “Abram brought [God] all these, split them in two, placed each half opposite the other…When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking fire pot and flaming torch, which passed between those pieces. It was on that occasion that the Lord made a covenant with Abram…” The smoking fire pot and flaming torch which passed between the animal parts can be said to represent God’s divine presence. We can, also, assume that Abram might have passed through between the animal parts before the trance fell upon him.

The first reading is not a study of ancient Aramean’s way of making a covenant. It is a reminder of our various covenants with God. For instance, in baptismal covenant, we are initiated as followers of Christ. But many times, we fall short of our baptismal promises: to renounce sin, evil and Satan; and to believe in God, in Jesus, and in the Holy Spirit. We are, therefore, called during the holy season of Lent, to renew our baptismal covenant with God.

Very importantly also, the Lenten season draws us deep into the mystery of Christ’s passion and death. Christ’s passion and death is beautifully demonstrated by the Stations of the Cross which we are encouraged to attend during the Lenten season. Abram sacrificed animals, but Jesus sacrificed himself. His blood he shed on the cross is of eternal covenant for the forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 13:20). It is wonderful to behold heroic sacrifices of people who help others. What sacrifice can I make for the sake of others?

In the gospel, while Jesus was on the mountain and praying, “his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white.” In the church building where we are gathered is our own mountain; let us pray for our own transfiguration, that we may also dazzle. May we transfigure in such a way that whatever holds us spiritually or physically from dazzling be removed; and our faces be radiant (Psalm 34:5).

May I invite us to pray this Litany of Transfiguration:

We pray to transfigure from sin to repentance, from weakness to strength,

from fear to courage; from bad health to good health,

from ugliness to beauty, from disappointment to satisfaction,

from failure to success, from sorrow to joy,

from disharmony to harmony, from enmity to friendliness,

from lack of faith to strong faith, from inactivity to activity,

from apathy to action, from condemnation to blessing,

from darkness to light, from blindness to sight,

from stagnancy to freshness, from dryness to fruitfulness,

from emptiness to fullness, from crises to peace,

from hate to love, from jealousy to admiration,

from unforgiveness to reconciliation, from exclusion to inclusion,

from defeat to victory, from shame to honor,

from hidden to revealed, from ignorance to knowledge,

from poverty to riches, from losing to finding,

from destruction to restoration, from anger to calmness,

from bondage to freedom, from problem to solution,

from injustice to justice, from misfortune to fortune,

from despair to confidence, from fall to rise,

from danger to safety, from defenseless to protected,

from mourning to gladness, from incompletion to completion,

from lies to truth, from foolishness to wisdom,

from pride to humility, from disobedience to obedience,

from disagreement to agreement, from loss to profit,

from decrease to increase, from low to high,

from sealed to unseal, from closed to open,

from death to life, from helplessness to miracle. (You may add your own prayer.)

In today’s gospel, “from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my chosen Son; listen to him”’ (Luke 9:35). Jesus confirms the transformative power of his words in Matthew 7:24-25, “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.” Jesus also says, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63).

O Lord, may we be listeners and doers of your words. Amen. That is the greatest transfiguration!

Fr. Martin Eke, MSP

Fr. Augustine Inwang, MSP - Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent Year C - March 13, 2022

 Readings: Gn. 15:5-12, 17-18; Phil 3:20-4:1; Lk 9:28-36

 

“Lord, It Is Good for Us to Be Here.”

1.      In the first reading, God took the initiative and entered into a covenant with Abram. He put his life on the line and promised to make Abram’s descendants as many as the stars in the sky. Though old, and the fulfillment of the promise was not yet in sight, Abram put his faith in God. He believed that God would be faithful to his promises. In the Gospel, Jesus was transfigured on the mountain during prayer. He, like God, put his life on the line to save his people. His transfiguration is indicative of our new life with God. Just as God promised the children of Israel a land flowing with milk and honey, Jesus, the new Adam, will lead us to a life of everlasting happiness in heaven. At the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah conversed with Jesus about his impending death to save humanity. Through his death and resurrection, our lives will be transformed. Our pain will give way to joy, death to life, and Christ will reign in us forever. 

 

2.      But we must first do what Christ did. His transfiguration was only possible after prayer. To pray is to change, and to change more and be transfigured is to have prayed much. We pray by lifting our minds and hearts to God, praising, and adoring Him always. At prayer, we ask for God’s mercy and love and forgiveness for our sins. We pray because we want to be in communion with God. If we do not communicate with God, we would be “running well but off the road.” It is only during prayer that God enters into a covenant of love with us, changes our appearances, and clothes us in a dazzling white garment. It prepares us to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.

 

3.      We listen to Jesus when we pray. “Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” God, the father, invites us to listen to Jesus. And this is what he wants us to do: “You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8). Jesus asks us to forgive injuries done to us, love our enemies, and do good to those who hate us. He wants us to give to everyone who asks of us and calls on us to do to others as we would have them do to us. Christ urges us to stop judging and condemning others. He wants us to share what we have with others and treat everyone unconditionally as God treats us. (Lk. 6:27-42) We can only do these if we pray. Prayer brings us to the presence of God and effects a change in our lives. When we sit in prayer, God changes our appearances and our relationships. He makes it possible to forgive hurts done to us. It provokes holy thoughts and enables us to say with Peter, “Lord, it is good for us to be here.” The ‘here’ Peter longed for is to be at home with God. Jesus will change and transform our lives and make them like his in glory. May it be so now and always! Amen.

 

                                      Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

 

Fr. Augustine Inwang, MSP - Homily for the First Sunday of Lent Year C - March 6, 2022

Readings: Dt. 26:4-10; Rom 10:8-13; Lk 4:1-13

 

Temptation Builds Character

1.      Wole Soyinka, a Nigerian Noble Laureate, was asked about his new year's resolution. He said he would spend more time with himself, taking long walks in the fields, admiring nature more, and spending less time with human beings. He said that the more time he spent with human beings, the less he felt like a man. Many men and women through the ages have felt that way too. There is a desire in our hearts to make the journey inward to discover who we are. We often find frightening things about ourselves in the journey inwards. Temptations abound. Today Jesus begins his inward journey to discover himself and his mission. He had just received Baptism in the Jordan and was basking in the overwhelming love of his Father. "After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." (Matt.3:16-17). 

 

2.      The first Sunday of Lent presents us with the temptation of Jesus. "Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil." (Matt. 4:1) Our life is full of ups and downs; sometimes, we are on top of the world; other times, we are down at the bottom. At times we experience consolation during prayer; other times, we experience desolation. The Christian life is anything but static. Many saints experienced the dark night of the soul during their encounter with God. At times we feel that God is at our corner, answering every request. At those times, the sky is the limit to what we can do. Other times God seems so far away that we feel we are toiling in vain; nothing seems to go our way; our desert feels so dry, and our prayer so meaningless. We fall into temptation easily when we experience desolation. The devil tempted Jesus to use his power to turn stones into bread. He was hungry. He was enticed to worship Satan to acquire wealth. And finally, he was to demonstrate his miraculous powers to be praised by all. These temptations were to make Jesus powerful and bring glory to himself. But Jesus trusted his Father and shamed the devil. He showed the devil that all power belonged to God. He came to do the will of his Father, not his own will.

  

3.      The devil always gets us at our weakest point: when we are sick, hungry, jobless, impoverished, or desperate for friendship. Jesus teaches us that we can only stand up to Satan by being submissive to God. We must be steadfast in good times and in bad because St. Paul tells us that, "All things work for the good of those who love the Lord, nothing can separate us from the love of God." (Rom 8:28, 31). When we experience desolation, God takes us by the hand and leads us on. Therefore, we must be prayerful. Reading and knowing the bible will assist us in understanding what to say to the devil. Remember: tough times do not last, but tough people do.   

 

4.      Lent rests on a three-legged stool of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Fasting and almsgiving fortify us spiritually to fight against the devil. Christ went into the desert to fast and pray for strength to combat the powers of this world. St. Paul reminds us that "Our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens." (Eph. 6:12-13). Therefore, we must go into the desert with Jesus during the 40 days of Lent. Let us pray with him for the power to stand up to the machinery of the devil. As Christ surrendered to the will of God and fortified himself with God's word, so must we. With prayer and the word of God on his lips, He countered Satan: "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God; and again, it is written, "You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test." And finally, "Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve" (Mt. 4:4,7,10). We often give in to temptation because we do not know how to fortify ourselves. Lent gives us that golden opportunity to do battle with the devil. We must give alms, fast, and pray if we are to face the temptations of our lives. Temptation builds character and makes us stronger. May we learn to be humble, forgiving, compassionate, and merciful. May God help us enter into this season of grace with commitment and the desire to change. Please read Psalm 51 as you pray for strength this week. Be blessed now and always. Amen.

 

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

Fr. Martin Eke, MSP - Homily for the First Sunday of Lent Year C - March 6, 2022

Homily of First of Lent Year C, 2022

Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Psalm 1-2, 10-13; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13

Moses did not reach the Promised Land. However, he set for the Israelites laws and directives they were to keep in the Promised Land that would guide their relationship with God and with one another. The first reading was a pronouncement to be made during the feast of harvest thanksgiving. The pronouncement summaries Israel’s history and journey with God, from their ancestors to their settling in the Promised Land. The offering of the first fruits from one’s farm and the pronouncement were an expression of gratitude to God for his blessings. The reading encourages us to be grateful to God for his love and mercy, and to express our gratitude practically by offering to the Church of God from the blessings we have received.

On offering to the Church Sirach 35:6-13 says, “Do not appear before the Lord empty-handed, for all that you offer is in fulfillment of the precepts. The offering of the just enriches the altar: a sweet odor before the Most High. The sacrifice of the just is accepted, never to be forgotten. With a generous spirit pay homage to the Lord, and do not spare your freewill gifts. With each contribution show a cheerful countenance and pay your tithes in a spirit of joy. Give to the Most High as he has given to you, generously, according to your means. For he is a God who always repays and will give back to you sevenfold.” The Church uses the offering to serve humanity, carry out the work of evangelization, and build up God’s kingdom here on earth.

The devil does not want us to have a good relationship with God. He comes with all kinds of temptations to draws us away from God. The gospel story of the temptation of Jesus by the devil shows us some of the subtle ways the devil tempts us. The first temptation shows us that the devil tempts through our needs. The temptation shows how the devil tempts us to get what we want through improper means (turn stone to bread). The second temptation shows us that the devil tempts us to worship the things of this world and derive power and fame from them rather than from God (“I shall give you all this power and glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish”). The third temptation shows how the devil tempts us to engage in harmful and dangerous ambitious activities and expecting God to save us (throw yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple and expecting angels to catch you).

The three temptations can be summarized as ungodly quest for wealth, power, and miracle. Jesus teaches us that when we put God aside and pursue wealth, power, and miracle, we become tools of the devil.

If the devil tempted Jesus who is God, he will tempt us more who are mere human beings. In the Book of Job, “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you been?’ Then the Satan answered …  ‘Roaming the earth and patrolling it”’ (Job 2:2). This is why 1 John 5:19 warns, “We know that we are children of God, [but] the whole world is under the control [constant attack] of the evil one.” 1 Peter 5:8-9 also warns, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith…” St. Augustine encourages us where he writes, “Our pilgrim life here on earth cannot be without temptation, for it is through temptation that we make progress, and it is only by being tempted that we come to know ourselves.” The following words from the second reading are very encouraging, “No one who believes in [Jesus] will be put to shame… For every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:11, 13). Hebrews 2:18 assures us, “Because he himself was tempted through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”  It is by the power of his name that we triumph over every temptation as he himself did.

The power of the evil one is the power we give to him. Listen to this parable:

“A donkey was tied to a tree. A demon came and released it. The donkey entered a farmer’s field and began destroying his crop. The farmer’s wife saw the donkey, got angry and shot the donkey with her rifle and killed it. The donkey’s owner saw the dead donkey, got angry and fired at the woman with his rifle and killed her. When the farmer saw his dead wife, he killed the donkey’s owner. The donkey’s owner sons seeing their father dead burned the farmer’s field. The farmer in retaliation killed them. When the demon was asked what he has done, he said: ‘I did nothing, I only released the donkey.’ Do you get it? The devil doesn’t have power to do much, except to release the donkey, and we do the rest.”

I wish you a spirit-filled Lenten Season.

Fr. Martin Eke, MSP

Fr. Martin Eke, MSP - Homily for the Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C - February 27, 2022

Homily of Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 2022

Sirach 27:4-7; Psalm 92:2-3, 13-16; 1 Corinthians 15:54-58; Luke 6:39-45.

The first and second readings have words of encouragement for us. The first reading says, “As the test of what the potter molds is in the furnace, so in tribulation is the test of the just.” In the second reading St. Paul says, “Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. Jesus says, “Blessed is the one who does not lose faith in me” (Luke 7:21). Those who hold onto God, blessings come after tribulations.

This is the last Sunday before Lent. The readings invite us to proceed into the Lenten season with a contrite heart. The heart is described as the center of vitality of our spiritual and physical body. What is stored in the heart pilots our spiritual and physical behavior. The first reading says, “The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had; so too does one’s speech disclose the bent of one’s mind” (Sirach 27:6). Jesus says in today’s gospel, “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of store of evil produces evil; from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). Therefore, what we feed the heart with and what we store in our heart matters. What we feed our heart with and what we store in our heart reflect not only in what our mouth speaks but also in our behavior. That is why St. Paul instructs us to fill our hearts with whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, and whatever admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).

Whereby a person who feeds his or her heart with dirty, filthy, violent, fake, false, and ungodly materials, reflects in the person’s behavior. Whatever is stored in the heart either sanctifies or defiles the soul and the body. Whatever occupies the depth of a person’s heart is what the person projects outside of himself or herself. It is what we have that we give. As quoted earlier, “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of the store of evil produces evil; from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).

In the Gospel Jesus tells us, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye, when you do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?’” By this statement, Jesus invites us to look inward ourselves more than the attention we pay on the faults and sins of others. We should rather become our own accusers (Proverb 18:17), rather than accusers of our brothers and sisters (Revelation 12:10).  An African adage says, “When we point one accusing finger at someone, the other fingers point at us and accuse us.” St. Paul cautions us, “Therefore, you are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment. For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very same things” (Romans 2:1). Last Sunday, Jesus instructed us, “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned” (Luke 6:37).

An ancient Greek saying advises, “Man [woman], know thyself.” Self-knowledge helps us to recognize and acknowledge God’s grace in our life and be able to have more understanding of others, show empathy to them, and be less judgmental to them. A religious man who saw a man being led to the gallows wept in empathy, "There but for the grace of God, go I." Does this religious man’s expression challenge us about how we perceive and judge others?

May the Spirit of God lead us through a fruitful Lenten season. We pray:

“Grant to us, O Lord, a heart renewed; recreate in us your own Spirit, Lord!”

Amen.

Fr. Martin Eke, MSP

Fr. Martin Eke, MSP - Homily for the Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C - February 20, 2022

Homily of Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 2022

 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23; Psalm 103:1-4, 8, 10, 12-13; 1 Corinthians 15:45-49; Like 6:27-38

 God sent Saul, the king of Israel, on a mission “to put the sinful Amalekites under a ban of destruction; [to] fight against them until you have exterminated them.” But Saul disobeyed the Lord. He took the king captive and “pounced on the spoil.” When Samuel confronted Saul, he gave his excuse, “from the spoil the army took sheep and oxen, the best of what had been banned, to sacrifice to the Lord” (1 Samuel 15:14-20). This is a good example of, “never accept responsibility” “make excuses,” “find someone to blame.”

Samuel announced to Saul, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to the Lord’s command? Obedience is better than sacrifice, to listen, better than the fat of rams. For a sin of divination is rebellion, and arrogance, the crime of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord in turn has rejected you as king” (1 Samuel 15:22-23).

When Saul realized that God had chosen David to succeed him, he was very envious; he made eleven attempts, according the First Book of Samuel, to kill David:

- Saul attempted to kill David with a spear (1 Sam. 18:11); - Saul plotted so that the Philistines kill David (1 Sam. 18:17, 21); - Saul ordered his servants to kill David (1 Sam. 19:1); - Saul attempted to kill David with a spear (1 Sam. 19:10); - Saul sent messengers to kill David (1 Sam. 19:11); - Saul sent messengers to bring David back so he can kill David (1 Sam. 19:15); - Saul sent messengers to kill David (1 Sam. 19:20); - Saul sent messengers again to kill David (1 Sam. 19:21); - Saul went himself in an attempt to kill David (1 Sam. 19:22); - Saul pursued David to kill him (1 Sam. 23:15); - Saul pursued David to kill him (1 Sam. 26:2).

The eleventh attempt is as we read in the first reading, “Saul went down to the desert of Ziph with three thousand men … to search for David.” We can see how desperate Saul was. The reading informs us how David had the opportunity to revenge against Saul but chose to spare Saul’s life. At that time when the law was, “eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Exodus 21:24), David stood out in showing mercy and forgiveness to Saul who made eleven attempts on his life.

David is a perfect example of Jesus’ teaching in today’s gospel: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic…” (Luke 6:27-29).

This teaching of Jesus is very radical. It is typical of human nature to do good to those who are good to us, and to punish those who treat us badly. David and Jesus teach us today that this must not be so.

This teaching of Jesus is a difficult teaching to accept especially for those who are in pain and grieving due to wickedness of human beings, and where the enemies are unrelenting. Jesus is saying, “Do not revenge.” “Do not retaliate.” “Do not repay anyone evil for evil… for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord”’ (Romans 12:17).  We pray for God’s protection, healing, and intervention.

One can only but lament that the cause of suffering, poverty, violence, war, destruction of life and property, injustice, corruption, and other evils is because the Golden Rule (Luke 6:31), “Do to others as you would have them do to you,” in today’s gospel is neglected. Rather, what happens many times and in many places is that people do to others as they would not have others do to them. Unfortunately, the culture of “might is right” has continued to rule our society and our world. The sad histories of domination, conquest and occupation, slavery, ethnic cleansing, holocaust, massacre, colonization, underdevelopment, apartheid, segregation, discrimination, and so on are expressions of the rejection of the Golden Rule.

Since it is in the nature of human beings to violate the Golden Rule, it is, therefore, important that defenseless citizens must be protected by the leadership and the law. Sadly, in many places, either the leadership is the violator of the law, or the apparatus to protect defenseless citizens does not exist or does not function; thereby, abandoning defenseless citizens in the hands of those who kill and plunder. We pray for the radical transformation of leaderships and the radical transformation of the apparatus of protecting defenseless citizens.

We pray for a life of love, forgiveness, and not seeking revenge (like David); and not to be like King Saul who was possessed by envious and murderous spirits. Amen.

Fr. Martin Eke, MSP