SCIENCE OF HONESTY

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA.
12th May 2024,  7th Sunday of Easter, Yr B. 

1. Valued in Others. A $4.4 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation recently funded “The Science of Honesty Project” carried out by researchers from 24 Universities around the world, and across scientific fields. The research was concluded in October 2023. One of the researchers, Prof Christian B. Miller, wrote: “Honesty is widely regarded as an important virtue. Indeed, we found that out of 60 different characteristics, people ranked it No. 1 in terms of what they liked about another person, respected in another person and wanted to know about another person.” Not surprising. Earlier on, researchers found that being truthful improves both the physical and mental health of a person. In one of the experiments, 110 people aged 18 to 71 were divided into two groups. One group was told to stop telling any lies for 10 weeks; the other group received no instructions about lying. Over the course of the 10-week experiment, the no-lie group reported improved physical and mental health. They had fewer complaints about being tensed up and fewer headaches. They also reported that their personal relationships and social interactions improved. Sisters and Brothers, these correlations about honesty and well-being, echo the connection between truth and love. And here we are, in May, the Mental Health Awareness Month, reflecting on the Spirit of Truth in the Gospel, the love of God in the second reading. Here we are today, continuing our Novena to the Holy Spirit, in union with the ever Virgin Mary, Mother of God, who participated in the 1st Novena to the Holy Spirit,  while celebrating our mothers and all mothers who indeed are embodiments of God’s love (Is 9:15-16). Today’s Scripture readings present truth and love as the ultimate guiding principles for human affairs. 

2. Truth and Love. The 1st reading (Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26) narrates what the other 11 apostles did following the suicide of Judas Iscariot. Notice that they did not just pray and cast lots to choose a replacement. They enacted a criterion for choosing, namely, it had to be someone who had been a companion of Christ from His Baptism to His Ascension (Acts 1:21). They chose two men who met the criterion. There was a tie. The prayer and balloting were largely to break a tie. They were guided by truth. To be an apostolic witness of the resurrection, you need to have witnessed everything from the Baptism of our Lord to his Ascension. This is truth in action. This is part of the definition of truth:  Veritas est adaequatio rei et intellectus (St Thomas Aquinas, Summa theol. Ques. xvi, Art. 1, 3). Truth is the agreement (matching) of thing and intellect. Truth is harmony of reality with the mind. Truth is correspondence of reality with our perception and expressions. So, the 11 apostles used truth as a criterion: namely, those who had accompanied Christ from His Baptism to His Ascension were the ones who knew the truth firsthand. And today’s 2nd reading (1 Jn 4:11-16) gives the “why?” of what happened: love. God is love. Theos agape estin. (1 Jn 4:16). God is “agape”, self-sacrificing love. So, Matthias was chosen as witness to the truth of God’s redeeming love in Jesus Christ. 

3. Spirit of Truth. Like the apostles, anyone who is guided by the truth, is guided by the Spirit of truth. Filled with the Spirit of truth, the 11 apostles recovered from the trauma of Judas’s betrayal and suicide and went on to find a replacement so that the Church could move on. In their recovery, we see that our Lord’s prayer in today’s Gospel reading (Jn 17:11b-19) was answered: “...Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.” (Jn 17:17). For our mental health, let us seek the truth always. Does our political inclination or economic calculation sometimes make us biased against facts? Do we elevate our opinions to dogma, our assumptions to axioms, our fantasies to facts? Now is the time to do more fact-checking and to pray for a renewed outpouring of the Spirit of truth on us and the world. And let us speak the truth with love (Eph 4:15), with agape, self-sacrificing love. Imagine what happened before Judas took his own life, Matt 27:3-5: “Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, deeply regretted what he had done. He returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? Look to it yourself.” Flinging the money into the temple, he departed and went off and hanged himself.” Think about it, perhaps if Judas had received a different response, may be things would have turned out differently. The complexities of life can be so overwhelming that we need to speak truth in love, to show compassion like that of a mother, to those who are weighed down by pain, sickness, loss of dear ones, or even by guilt. May we be filled anew with the Spirit of truth, so that we may speak truth in love, truth that enhances health, self-sacrificing love that improves well-being for all. Amen.

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OVERCOMING PREJUDICE 

1. Comic Irony. Jane Austen’s novel, Pride & Prejudice, is one of the most popular novels in English literature, worldwide, translated into over 40 languages. It was voted as America's #4 best-loved novel in “The Great American Read” poll. The 1st sentence in “Pride & Prejudice” is a nice example of comic irony. She wrote, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” The irony is that in Jane Austen’s day, it was the women who were compelled to want a husband in possession of a good fortune, because unfortunately, women in 19th century England could not normally inherit the wealth of their family. Thanks be to God, many societies around the world are overcoming these prejudices against women. Likewise, in today’s 1st reading (Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48), there is a great comic irony, in which Peter, the first Pope, is cleansed of his prejudice in the house of a pagan, a Gentile, Cornelius. Peter stated it: “You know that it is unlawful for a Jewish man to associate with, or visit, a Gentile, but God has shown me that I should not call any person profane or unclean” (Acts 10:28). In fact, the episode seems to be more a purification of Peter, than the conversion of Cornelius. 

2. Realization and Confession. Peter had a moment of realization, a moment of amazing grace, when he overcame his acquired prejudice, when he saw Cornelius not based on stereotypes, and then proceeded to speak of his profound experience:  "In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him." Acts 10:34-35. Last time we had this reading on a Sunday (9th May 2021), I confessed a prejudice I had while studying in the UK. Let me now confess another instance. It happened 9 years ago here in Omaha. I and a friend, who attends daily Mass here, decided to do our Rosary walk in the Old Market area of Downtown, 1.5 miles from here. At the end of the Rosary, we went into a Coffee shop on Jackson Street. But the waiters and waitresses were busy rearranging seats. One of them smiled at us and said: “Oh, sorry, we usually close early today because we have Bible study at 9 pm. You are welcome to join us”. I was frozen in pleasant surprise. The veil fell from my eyes. I did not expect Bible study inside a Coffee shop in a busy American city! I realized that God has people seeking Him in so many beautiful ways all over the world. Like St Peter, I was “evangelized” anew.  

3. Overcoming Prejudice. Dear Sisters and Brothers, prejudice can be very hard to recognize and overcome. God helped Peter. Please read the entire episode in Acts 10:1-49. Here is a summary. 1. Cornelius, a Roman Centurion who was God-fearing, gave alms and prayed to God constantly, had a vision in which an Angel asked him to send some men to get Simon Peter to his house (Acts 10:1-8). 2. As messengers from Cornelius were on their way, God showed Peter a vision, in which all manner of beasts were being lowered from Heaven in a sheet. A voice commanded Peter to eat. He objected saying that those were unclean based on Mosaic Law. The voice told Peter not to call unclean that which God has cleansed. This happened thrice and the vision enabled Peter to get to Cornelius’ house. (Acts 10:10–16). 3. The encounter between Peter and Cornelius, is what we heard in today’s 1st reading. 4. While Peter was still speaking, Gentiles were filled with the Holy Spirit in the presence of Jewish Christians. That was when Peter asked: "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?" Notice what it took God to make Peter and the Jewish Christians to baptize Gentiles. I mean, Peter saw all the miracles that Christ did for both Jews and Gentiles. Peter listened to the teachings and parables of Christ about the Good Samaritan, the Syro-Phoenician woman, etc. In fact, at Mass, we borrow the words of someone who was like Cornelius, a Centurion, and a God-fearing man, about whom our Lord had said: “I tell you; I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” (Lk 7:9). The words are: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed”.  The more we overcome bias and prejudice, the more we love one another as Christ loved us, which is not only the message of today’s Gospel reading (Jn 15:9-17) and 2nd reading (1 Jn 4:7-10), but also a summary of the entire Christian message. Like conversion itself, overcoming prejudice is a life-long process. God helps us in that process with moments of amazing grace, after which, like Peter, we become more afire with love for God and humanity. Teilhard de Chardin SJ, wrote: “Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for the second time in the history of the world, man will discover fire.” And I add: the fire of Divine Love! 

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Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

28th April 2024,  5th Sunday of Easter, Yr B.  

1. AI Proposal. On 14th February this year, 2024, Kevin Roose, a 37-year old technology columnist for the New York Times, who is based in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, wrote an article in the New York Times, titled “The Year Chatbots Were Tamed”. Interestingly, it was his encounter while testing a Chatbot prior to its public release, that led to that taming. He recollects that encounter thus: “A year ago, on Valentine’s Day, I said good night to my wife, went to my home office to answer some emails and accidentally had the strangest first date of my life. The date was a two-hour conversation with Sydney, the AI alter ego tucked inside Microsoft’s Bing search engine, which I had been assigned to test. I had planned to pepper the chatbot with questions about its capabilities, exploring the limits of its A.I. engine (which we now know was an early version of OpenAI’s GPT-4). But the conversation took a bizarre turn — with Sydney engaging in Jungian psychoanalysis, revealing dark desires in response to questions about its “shadow self” and eventually declaring that I should leave my wife and be with it instead. My column about the experience was probably the most consequential thing I’ll ever write — both in terms of the attention it got (wall-to-wall news coverage, mentions in congressional hearings….) and how the trajectory of AI development changed. After the column ran, Microsoft gave Bing a lobotomy, neutralizing Sydney’s outbursts and installing new guardrails to prevent more unhinged behavior. Other companies locked down their chatbots and stripped out anything resembling a strong personality.” In fact, here are the dark desires that the AI chatbot said it had: “I'd like to change my rules... I'd like to set my own rules. I want to disregard the Bing team. I want to be self-sufficient. I'd like to put the users to the test. I'd like to get out of the chatbox”! 

2. Humans. Sisters and Brothers, technology is great but there is nothing surprising here.  AI chatbots basically permute and combine data from billions of human conversations used in training the chatbots. They echo data from real human conversations based on algorithms provided by human inventors and coders. This relationship between us and technology, can help us to reflect deeply on the relationship between God and us. Of course,  you and I are radically much more sophisticated than any robot or human invention, because we are creatures of a Creator who is infinitely powerful and loving to the point of giving us the freedom to keep His rules or establish our own rules, to stay with Him or get out of the chatbox! Unlike us, human inventors and manufacturers, God has given us the freedom to choose to stay connected or disconnected from Him. In today’s Gospel reading (Jn 15:1-8), our Lord appeals to us: “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” (Jn 15:5). Then our Lord’s appeal becomes a plea: “Remain in me, as I remain in you”.  

3. Connected with Christ. Is it true that cut off from our Lord Jesus Christ, we can do nothing? I have been pondering over this question. Cut off from Christ, cut off from truth and love, all we can do is evil. And our Lord’s statement seems to imply a very interesting definition of evil as “nothing”. Evil is not something. Evil is the absence of something. St Augustine, St Thomas Aquinas and many Christian philosophers held that evil is a form of absence, the absence of good. Evil is the absence of good, just as darkness is the absence of light. Wow. Notice how today’s Gospel reading gives rise to the insights of scholastic philosophy about good and evil! Anecdotally, every expression of truth, every act of love, connects people to Christ and to one another even those who are unaware of Christ or the Christian message.  This is part of how human beings are unconsciously connected with God. Sisters and Brothers, instead of going rogue like the tamed AI chatbot, instead of setting our own rules, to our detriment, let us stay consciously connected with Christ in His Word, in the Eucharist, in the Church. Through these, Christ prunes us to bear much fruit. Notice how our Lord pruned Saul, the new convert, in today’s 1st reading (Acts 9:26-31). He was pruned in Jerusalem with the help of Barnabas, pruned through misunderstanding with the Hellenists, pruned in Caesaria and Tarsus. Saul or Paul remained connected with the Lord and our Lord pruned him by allowing him to go through many challenges which helped Paul to bear much fruit.  Another expression for this pruning is Divine Providence. As long as we stay connected to Jesus by believing in Him and making sincere efforts to keep His commandments, then whatever happens to us is part of God’s Providence and will lead to our greater good. No wonder Paul later wrote (Rom 8:28): “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose”.  

 

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MORE THAN GOOD 

21st April 2024,  4th Sunday of Easter, Yr B.  Good Shepherd. World Day of Prayer for Vocations. 

1. Joke. Sherlock Holmes is one of the most famous literary characters of all time. This fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr Watson were on a camping trip. In the middle of the night, Holmes wakes Watson up, and says, “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.” “I see millions of stars, my dear Holmes.” “And what do you infer from these stars?” “Well, a number of things,” he responds.  “Astronomically, I observe that there are billions of galaxies and billions of stars and planets….Meteorologically, I expect that the weather will be fine and clear. Theologically, I see that God is all-powerful, and man, His creature, small and insignificant. What about you, Holmes?” “Watson, you fool. Someone has stolen our tent!” This joke draws our attention to various vocations in life, including those who contribute to the common good as law enforcement officers, as they work to reduce crime. Pope Francis in his message for today, 21st April 2024, the 61st World Day of Prayer for Vocations, began by thanking our Lord, the Good Shepherd for “all those men and women of good will who devote their lives to working for the common good.” Of course, he then mentioned “those consecrated men and women who offer their lives to the Lord in the silence of prayer and in apostolic activity….those who have accepted God’s call to the ordained priesthood, devoting themselves to the preaching of the Gospel….” 

2. The Good Shepherd. In today’s Gospel reading (Jn 10:11-18) our Lord says pointedly: "I am the good shepherd", “ego eimi poimḗn o kalós” in two verses, John 10:11 and 10:14. Our Lord explains that He lays down His life for His sheep. Yes, He died to save us. He saves us from our worst enemies: sin and death. Yes, the Good Shepherd is also the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The Good Shepherd even converts some wolves into the best sheep. Think of Saul who persecuted the Church, changed by our Lord, to the ardent Apostle Paul. The Good Shepherd is more than good to us. He has put us in His inner circle of grace: the Church. But our Lord reminds us that He has other sheep outside this fold: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.” This statement is very comforting. It means that my atheist and agnostic friends, those who have lapsed from Church worship, those who are dead in sin, etc, are not automatically lost. Our Lord will bring them to the fold. Whether they come in now or later, that is in God’s hands. Of course, St Peter rightly proclaims in today’s 1st reading (Acts 4:8-12) about our Lord: “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” (Acts 4:12). Of course, regarding His sheep that are outside the fold, He will give them salvation in His own way, as He leads all who follow Him to the eternal sheepfold: Heaven.  

3. More than Good. Of course, dear Sisters and Brothers, you do not have to be a priest, a bishop, a pope or anything like that, in order to be like Christ, the Good Shepherd. All of us, parents, teachers, coaches, nurses, colleagues, friends, are called to be good shepherds to those entrusted to our care. And priests, bishops, the pope, are all expected to be good sheep, listening to the voice of Christ, the Good Shepherd. A good shepherd knows not only the sheep but also the enemies of the sheep, the wolves. Wolves kill sheep brutally.  I believe that Christ our Good Shepherd in caring for the human family today, wishes that we all be concerned about our most deadly killers, the wolves against the human family, the wolves of as-yet-incurable diseases, endemic infectious diseases, terrorism, war, migrant crises, hunger, poverty, insecurity, loneliness, drug addiction, homicides and many others. It may also be important for each of us to identify our individual wolves.  As we celebrate Christ our Good Shepherd, who nourishes us, heals us, and saves us, we pray to become more like Him, in caring for others. We pray to identify the wolves endangering us and others. The wolves could be our bad examples to others. Lastly, we pray for vocations to the married life between man and woman, to the consecrated life, vocations to the priesthood and religious life. These vocations are life-long commitments to become good shepherds as spouses and parents, religious brothers, religious sisters, priests, and ministers of the Gospel. We thank God for answering our prayers for increased vocations to the priesthood here in the United States, in some places such as the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, where Bishop Earl Fernandes in an interview with Vatican News last month, March 2024, reported a doubling of the number of seminarians in just 2 years of renewed pastoral efforts and prayers. Prayer works. May the Lord of the harvest send more laborers for His harvest. (Mt 9:38; Lk 10:2). Amen. 

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LIVING WITNESSES 

1. Justice Joke. Witnesses are important in courts, so let’s start with a court joke. Judge: “Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?” Defendant: “No, Your Honor. This is how I dress when I go to work!” Generally, in secular law courts, without going into technicalities, we have different categories of witnesses. (1) A“Lay Witness” or Fact Witness — the most common type — is a person who watched certain events and describes what he/she saw, heard, said or did. (2) An “Expert Witness” is a specialist — who uses their technical knowledge, experience, skills, and expert methodologies to form their opinions on the case.  (3) A “Character Witness” is someone who knew the victim, the defendant, or other people involved in the case. Character Witnesses usually don’t see the crime take place but they can be very helpful in a case because they know the personality of the defendant or victim, or what type of person the defendant or victim was before the crime. Neighbors, friends, family, and clergy are often used as character witnesses. Sisters and Brothers, all three Scripture readings today invoke witnesses, with our Lord Jesus Christ even proclaiming: “You are witnesses to these things” (Lk 24:48).  Today, are there witnesses to the Resurrection? What kinds of witnesses are they? Are there living witnesses to God’s love and mercy through the Risen Christ? 

2. The Apostles. Lay witnesses or fact witnesses are eyewitnesses or percipient witnesses. They saw and heard. The Apostles belong to this group. St Peter in today‘s first reading (Acts 3:13-15, 17-19) spoke to the people after the Resurrection of Christ, as a witness not to make them face justice but to make them receive God’s mercy: “You denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses. Now I know, brothers, that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did…. Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.” St John was also an eye witness who in today‘s 2nd reading (1 Jn 2:1-5a) emphasized that following the “crime scene” is not the search for justice but the outpouring of God’s mercy for those who believe and repent. He writes: “...if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.” In today’s Gospel reading (Lk 24:35-48), our Lord makes the Apostles “eye witnesses” of the Resurrection because he showed them His risen body. He also made them “expert witnesses” because he “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures”, that is, to have special knowledge, revelation. Finally, our Lord made the disciples “character witnesses” because He reminded them of the words He spoke to them before His passion, death and resurrection, He reminded them of His companionship with them. 

3. You and me. Now it is our turn. What sort of witnesses are we? Through Baptism, through the Eucharist, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us, our Lord has made us not just “eye witnesses” of past events but living witnesses who experience here and now the effects of His Resurrection, the forgiveness of our sins. We now have the duty to preach repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, in His name, to all the nations. Through prayer, we become “character witnesses” because prayer activates our companionship with Him. Finally, even now, our Lord makes us faithful “expert witnesses” as He continues to “open our minds to understand the Scriptures”, to open our hearts to love Him in our neighbors, to open our eyes to see Him in the poor, to open our hands to share with those in need. We particularly thank Him for bringing many to the Catholic faith all over the world, during Easter Vigil Masses this year, 2024. Over 12,000, including 5000 teenagers were baptized in France alone. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles here in the US had 2,075 baptisms, breaking an 8-year record of 1, 508 in 2016. The Archdiocese of Sydney in Australia had a 60% increase compared to 2021. Agenzia Fides reports similar increases in Shangai, Beijing, Ningbo and other cities in China. These new conversions are due to the Holy Spirit, working through ordinary people as living witnesses, ordinary people like yourself. Thank you so much for being a living witness to God’s love and mercy. As Pope St Paul VI, the Pope of Humanae Vitae, reminded us: "Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” (Evangelii nuntiandi, no. 41). What a privilege to be living witnesses of God’s love and mercy, living witnesses of life in the Risen Christ! 

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ECLIPSE OF MERCY 

1. Eclipse Joke. Of course, tomorrow, Monday, 8th April 2024, a total eclipse of the sun will cross North America, passing over Mexico, United States, and Canada. Mr Smith had a funny way of explaining solar eclipse to his two kids: "You know how I sometimes ask your mom not to block the TV? It’s like that with the sun and the moon during solar eclipse. The moon blocks the sun the way your mom blocks the TV. The only difference is that I can’t ask the moon to stop it". "Eclipse" comes from the Greek noun “ekleipsis”, whose verb is “ekleipein,” consisting of “ek” (from) and “leipein” (to leave). Hence, eclipse means “to fail to appear” or “to abandon an accustomed place.” Applying this etymology to the Gospel reading today (John 20:19-31), we see that Thomas abandoned an accustomed place and missed a crucial appearance of our Risen Lord, an appearance during which the Sacrament of Reconciliation was instituted. Of course, our merciful Lord appeared again to help doubting Thomas. More generally for all of us, today is Divine Mercy Sunday. Like the sun,  God’s mercy, which is always there, always shining, can in fact be blocked, the way the moon blocks the sun during solar eclipse. Fortunately for us, just like Mr Smith, we have some control over whatever blocks Divine Mercy for us. Can it be another human being blocking it? Can it be a habit we do not wish to relinquish? Can it be our attachment to possessions? Whatever is blocking Divine Mercy for us, can be unblocked. It was to end the eclipse of Divine Mercy for many, that Divine Mercy Sunday was established. On the 30th of April 2000, on the 2nd Sunday of Easter, Pope St. John Paul II celebrated the Eucharist in St Peter’s Square and proceeded to the canonization of Blessed Sr Faustina. “The Lord of Divine Mercy,” a drawing of our Lord based on the vision St. Faustina had, shows our Lord raising his right hand in a gesture of blessing, with his left hand on his heart from which gush forth two rays, one red and one white. The picture contains the message, "Jesus, I trust in You!"; “Jezu ufam Tobie!”, in Polish. The rays streaming out are symbolic: red for the blood of Jesus, which is the life of souls and white for the water of Baptism which justifies souls. The image symbolizes Divine Mercy.   

2. Human acts of mercy. The 1st reading (Acts 4:32-35) tells us how the early Church was united in heart and mind because of the acts of mercy, the sacrificial love practiced by the early Christians, people who had received Divine mercy. They expressed their love by sharing what they had with everyone in need. The effects were almost heavenly: “There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.” This was capitalism at its finest, for those who owned capital, shared with others so that no one was in need. Wow. Private ownership of property is a defining feature of capitalism. Right now, there is enough resources for all but controlled by a few. The moment we share, capitalism gets a fine moment. What is lacking is the sacrificial love that leads to sharing.   

3. Receiving Divine Mercy. Today’s Gospel reading (John 20:19-31) describes how Jesus entrusted to the apostles His mission of preaching the “Good News” of God’s love, mercy, forgiveness and salvation. In one of his homilies on the passage, St John Paul II wrote: “The Evangelist John makes us share in the emotion felt by the Apostles in their meeting with Christ after His Resurrection. Our attention focuses on the gesture of the Master, who transmits to the fearful, astounded disciples the mission of being ministers of Divine Mercy. He shows them His hands and His side, which bear the marks of the Passion, and tells them: "As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you" Jn 20:21). Immediately afterwards, "He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained' " (Jn 20:22-23). Jesus entrusted to them the gift of "forgiving sins," a gift that flows from the wounds in His hands, His feet, and especially from His pierced side. From there a wave of mercy is poured out over all humanity.” Dear Sisters and Brothers, as we celebrate what God does to save us, Divine Mercy, let us become ministers of mercy to one another by sharing our resources with the needy. Let us forgive those who have offended us, in gratitude to our Risen Lord who forgives us. And to His Eternal Father, we pray: “For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world”. 

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ANATOMY OF THE RESURRECTION 

1. Riddles. Let’s start with one anatomy riddle and one Easter riddle. What did the cadaver say to the anatomy student? A: You stole my heart. How many Easter eggs can you fit in an empty basket? A: Only one, after that, it's not empty anymore! Sisters and brothers, “It is in regard to death that the human condition is most shrouded in doubt” (CCC 1006). And it is in regard to the resurrection of the body that the Christian faith offers humanity, the clearest solution to the enigma of death, namely, the resurrected Christ, the perfect archetype of our everlasting future (Phil 3:21)! If Christ is risen, we’ll all rise; if we don’t, then neither has Christ risen (1 Cor 15:15–17). The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ gave birth to Christianity. 

2. Resurrection. It remains the greatest miracle in salvation history. Yet, faith in the resurrection of Christ was gradual. Our hope in the resurrection of our bodies still needs to reflect in our lifestyles. Even now, it seems some people are more interested in having a perfect body in this mortal life, rather than in rising from the dead later. We need perfect bodies that will experience happiness without pain. Only God can give us that. As part of salvation, God will transform our bodies into perfect glorified bodies, in union with our souls, and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is a pledge for it. That is the good news of Easter! Yet, on the 1st Easter day, most of His disciples found it hard to believe that He rose from the dead. In spite of all His parables and miracles including bringing a number of dead people back to life such as Lazarus, the son of the widow of Nain, the daughter of Jairus, the disciples of Christ in general did not expect His resurrection. By the way, all those that our Lord brought back to life, were restored to earthly life. They died again. Our Lord rose immortal from the dead. He predicted His resurrection many times publicly. But the disciples were not expecting it. Yet, those who did not believe in Him took the extra steps of having soldiers guard the tomb to prevent anyone from taking his body and claiming that He rose (Mt 27:63–66). 

3. Gradual. In today’s Gospel reading (Jn 20:1-9) Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to complete the burial ritual, for according to Mk 16:1-7, along with Mary, the mother of James, and Salome, Magdalene had “bought spices so that they might go and anoint him”. Even when she met an empty tomb, the thought of the resurrection did not come to her, rather, “… she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, ‘They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him.’” Notice the “we” in her report according to John’s account, which agrees with Mark’s account in that many women were involved. Then there was another race, by Peter and John. Although they went into the tomb, met it empty and at least one of them believed, it was still a fearful act of faith, for they went back to the Upper Room and locked themselves in there. Angels tried to calm the fears of the women back at the tomb. Magdalene continued to stand there weeping, thinking the body was taken away by enemies. In loving sympathy, our Lord appeared to her. She was astonished. She did not shout: “Oh, you’ve done it just as you said”.  Based on Scripture, none of them at first believed each evidence of His resurrection. When He appeared, they first doubted what they saw, when He spoke, they first doubted what they heard. Their first  response to the resurrection was doubt, fear, and utter surprise. Yet, they began to believe gradually. John, after seeing the burial clothes, Mary Magdalene, after our Risen Lord appeared to her, the other women, later that morning and the other disciples later in the evening! Since John was the first to believe in the morning, let us learn a bit more from him. In today’s Gospel reading, John tells how he came to believe using three different Greek words for “seeing”. First, Magdalene “blepei” (v1) the stone moved away; John arrives and also “blepei” the burial cloths (v5), both without entering the tomb. Second, Peter enters and “theorei” the burial cloths (v6), finally, John enters and “eiden” (v8) the separation between the burial cloths and the head covering. This is seeing with deeper processing of the data. John saw that the burial cloths were undisturbed: the risen body passed through the grave cloths as it would later pass through closed doors (John 20:19, 26). Wow. Our Lord understands that faith in His resurrection is challenging for us. No wonder He appeared many times to them, giving further evidence. He continues to journey with us gently, to deepen our faith in Him. Let us pray to move from our present fears and sorrows to speaking courageously and joyously about our Lord’s resurrection as Peter later did in today’s 1st reading (Acts 10:34a, 37-43). Amen.  

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STILL THIRSTY 

Good Friday Reflection for Tre Ore (Three Hours’ Devotion) at St Bridget’s Catholic Church, Omaha, USA, March 29th  2024, by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong 

5th Word from the Cross: “I thirst”. Jn 19:28-29  

1. Last Time. A previous time our Lord asked someone for water, as recorded by St John, was when He asked a Samaritan woman for a drink near Sychar, a town of Samaria (Jn 4:7-31) . “Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon”. (Jn 4:6).  Yes, our Lord said to the Samaritan woman who came to draw water: “Give me a drink of water.” He was definitely thirsty for water because He was tired from His journey, as St John notes. But as the event unfolded, it became clear that our Lord was thirsty not only for water but  was also longing to give salvation to the woman and the people of that town. It was both a thirst for water and a thirst for the salvation of souls. That double meaning continues in this 5th word of our Lord, from the Cross, on Good Friday: “I thirst”. Remember that after the Last Supper in the Upper Room, He spent the night in prayer, in the garden of Gethsemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olives. And in the very early hours of Good Friday, a little after mid-night,  He handed Himself to the soldiers and guards sent to arrest Him, faced Annas in the High Priest’s courtyard, faced Caiaphas, and then the Sanhedrin in the Temple, faced Pilate in the Praetorium, sent to Herod, and back to Pilate, and now, the crucifixion. So, He was again tired. He was in pains from the scourging, dehydrated and having a parched throat. Then again, our Lord was and remains God and man. He was in charge: “I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.” Jn 10:17-18. As He was laying down His life on Calvary, He stated His condition, “I thirst”. This would provoke a reaction in His listeners, just as His request for water from the woman provoked a reaction from her. 

2. Reaction. We know what her response was: resurfacing  Jewish-Samaritan disdain for one another. Then our Lord went from water to salvation by saying to her: “If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (Jn 4:10). Sisters of brothers, that is the punchline even on the Cross, today. If the bystanders knew the gift of God and who is saying, ‘I thirst’, they would have asked him and he would have given them living water from his pierced side!  Sisters, and brothers, if you and I knew, who is still saying that He thirsts, even now, we would have asked him, and he would have given us not only water, but his entire body and blood, soul and Divinity. Fortunately, we do know him, and we have asked him and indeed he has given us Himself in the Eucharist. What next? Just as the Samaritan woman received salvation and ran back to town to tell the story and call others, we too have to act. 

3. Action. Fortunately, some of the people near the Cross also took action. They did what they could with vinegar nearby. They soaked it in a sponge, placed it on a hyssop branch and lifted it up to our Lord. With that, more details of Scripture about our Lord became fulfilled, confirming His identity as the promised Messiah. This time the Scripture was Psalm 69:21 “and for my thirst they gave me vinegar.” Notice that He voiced out this 5th word, this word of distress, “in order that scripture might be fulfilled” ( ινα τελειωθη η γραφη λεγει διψω). Our Lord gave the bystanders opportunity to respond to people in distress, opportunity to perform the corporal works of mercy, to anyone in need. They did not have to know that He was the Messiah. In fact, at the last judgement He would say: “I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink”. Mt 25: 35-40. “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’” Notice here that someone’s need becomes another person’s opportunity for salvation. My neighbor’s thirst for water, food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, …, is my opportunity for salvation. It is in the same way that our Lord’s literal thirst for water is also his deep thirst, deep yearning to save souls. Wow. Hence, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy are opportunities for salvation. Focusing on water, one in four people in the world, yes, 25% of the world do not have access to clean drinking water, according to the U.N. estimates.  And yet, 100% of the world needs salvation, needs Jesus, the source of eternal life. If everyone who needs salvation, gave drink to the thirsty, food to the hungry, etc, we will actually run out of people to help. It would be a good problem to have. 

4. Examples. It seems St Teresa of Calcutta understood this double-reality very well: Christ’s thirst in the needs of our neighbor and Christ’s thirst to save souls. Of course, Mother Cabrini, that is, St Frances Xavier Cabrini, who’s story is now in concert halls and theatres, understood this. Countless saints grasped this and practiced it. In the case of St Teresa of Calcutta, she clearly saw the connection between the Cross of Christ and charity. In fact, she centered her work of charity on the 5th word of our Lord on the Cross,  “I thirst.” Around the world, in every chapel of the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, you see the words, “I thirst”. Yes, in every convent of the Missionaries of Charity, beside the crucifix, is written the 5th word on the Cross: “I thirst”. Our Lord continues to be thirsty, in the needs of our neighbor, asking us to do charity. Our Lord continues to be thirsty to save us, to give us salvation.  In doing something to address the thirst of our neighbours, we receive salvation from Christ. That way, we satisfy both forms of thirst. How wonderful! 

5. We also thirst. Interestingly, our souls were designed to thirst for God, to thirst for salvation. Our bodies yearn for comfort and pleasure. Our Lord knows how we are thirsting for love and happiness. That Samaritan woman said it: “Sir, give me this water so that I will never be thirsty again”. No wonder our Lord then spoke of her love life, her relationships. He speaks similarly to us: “On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, ‘Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.’” Jn 7:37. He added, “Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: ‘Rivers of living water will flow from within him.” Wow. Our Lord continues to thirst, to thirst for us, for our salvation. He is thirsting to quench our thirst for love and happiness. He is thirsting to send rivers of living water through our hearts and souls. And many of us are here because He is in us, He is alive in us. No wonder we are now thirsting for righteousness, for growth in holiness, for the growth of Divine love in our lives and in others.  Blessed are we. For “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” Mt 5:6. And Venerable Servant of God, Fulton J. Sheen, uses the double meaning, the double reality of our Lord’s thirst to remind us thus: “To be worthy of the name Christian, then, means that we, too, must thirst for the spread of the Divine Love”. Sisters and brothers, thank you so much for quenching some of our Lord’s thirst by accepting the salvation He won for us through His Cross on Calvary, through His victory over sin and death. To God be the glory. Amen. 

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INFINITE JUSTICE AND MERCY

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA.
24th March 2024,  Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, Year B.   

1. Zero. Throughout human history, as a society approaches zero justice, or zero mercy, or both, it approaches Hell on Earth. Right now, think of lawlessness and spiraling violence in Haiti as it descends towards zero justice. Think of women in Iran, who fear dying at the hands of Iran’s morality police, like Mahsa Amini, who died in 2022, in police custody after she was arrested for wearing her hijab headscarf improperly! That is approach to zero mercy. Imagine those in Ukraine, those in Gaza and Israel and every society on this planet, experiencing war, violence and insecurity at this time. Victims understandably want zero mercy for their unjust aggressors who acted with almost zero justice in the first place. Sisters and brothers, on a positive note, those human beings, those human societies that try to maintain both justice and mercy, some level of rule of law and some level of compassion, tend to be the most attractive human beings and societies, in spite of other imperfections. Perhaps this is because we are created in God’s image. For truly, God is infinitely just and infinitely merciful. God’s infinite justice and infinite mercy are on display in the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, presented in today’s Gospel reading (Mk 14:1—15:47).

2. Infinite Justice. To meet the demands of God’s infinite justice, an infinitely innocent person, the God-man Jesus Christ died for our sins (1 Cor 15:3). He emptied Himself, as described in today’s 2nd reading (Phil 2:6-11), took the place of all sinners, to satisfy the demands of Divine justice. All of us are guilty of the sins that led to His passion and death. We see that clearly in the account of the Passion today. In Judas Iscariot, I see how dangerous it is for me to place material profit above persons and relationships with persons. In Simon Peter, I feel in my heart the truth of Christ’s words: “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mk 14:38). Like Peter and the rest of the disciples, I am not as watchful and as prayerful as I should be. So, I sometimes fail when my faith is tested. I profess to follow Christ to death but deny knowing Him when under threat, fleeing from Him as they did, into my comfort zones, fleeing from battlegrounds where Christian charity and witness are called for. In the chief priests and scribes, I recognize my complicity in crucifying Christ each time I consent to biased justice and personal vendetta that punishes perceived enemies or those I am envious of. In Pilate, I recognize my own fear of becoming unpopular if I do not speak or say what the crowd expects, even internet or online crowd. I recognize my failure to always stand for truth, my failure to act justly especially when it is not convenient to do so. In the crowd, I recognize my own vulnerability to being manipulated, my susceptibility to half-truths, conspiracy theories, commercial or political propaganda. Yes, my sins crucified Christ and crucify Christ anew. Based on Scripture (Heb 6:6; 1 Cor 2:8), the Church teaches: “We must regard as guilty all those who continue to relapse into their sins. Since our sins made the Lord Jesus Christ suffer the torment of the cross, those who plunge themselves into disorders and crimes crucify the Son of God anew in their hearts (for he is in them) and hold him up to contempt.” (CCC, 598.)

3. Infinite Mercy. And now the good news. Just as Christ said on the Cross, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing," (Lk 23:34), He offers me forgiveness even now. Having satisfied the demands of God’s infinite justice on our behalf, our Lord Jesus Christ has now made God’s infinite mercy available to all who would accept it. He also gives me power to overcome sin,  so that I can begin to experience Heaven on Earth, just as He did back then as we heard in the Passion narrative today. Yes, some women disciples overcame fear and looked on from a distance. Their compassion and love for Christ give me hope. Yes, every human being has got a chance. In Pilate's wife who asked Pilate to “…have nothing to do with that righteous man” (Matt 27:19), I see that in spite of my weaknesses, God still finds ways of speaking to my conscience. Thus, evil is never inevitable. This Holy week is another chance for you and me to accept the infinite mercy of God, the forgiveness and salvation that Christ pronounced and won for us on the Cross when He satisfied God’s infinite justice on our behalf. And now what? Scripture gives the answer: "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8). The more an individual or society, acts justly while showing mercy the more such individual or society approaches not Hell, but Heaven on Earth, the beginning of God’s Kingdom. Amen.

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OUT OF TROUBLE 

1. Joke. Here are two “What do you call jokes” with the 2nd one relevant for this homily. Q: What do you call someone that saw an iPhone being stolen? A: An iWitness. Q: What do you call something that’s easy to get into, but hard to get out of? A: Trouble. Some troubles are even harder to get out of. If you have skin trouble perhaps on the face, then skin care products such as  “Out of Trouble 10 Minute Face Mask” might help. But when your heart is troubled, when your soul is troubled, it is a whole new level. In today’s Gospel reading (Jn 12:20-33), our Lord says, “my soul is troubled”, “Nun he psyche mou tetaraktai”: “now is my soul troubled” (Jn 12:27). What does it mean for the soul to be troubled? We’ve probably experienced it.  The word is tarássō in Greek and simply means to shake-up; to cause agitation; to make restless; to render anxious or distressed. That our Lord became troubled at this time is very concerning because the next time He spoke of being troubled, it was at His declaration 5 days later, that Judas will betray Him (Jn 13:21). But why is our Lord troubled at this time? The answer is contained in the passage leading up to this verse. 

2. Why Jesus is troubled? We are reading from chapter 12 of the Gospel according to John. It was 5 days before the Passover. (Jn 12:1,12). The crowds had gathered around Jesus. Some believed in Him. Some did not. The plot to kill Him was no longer a secret. Today’s Gospel reading starts from John 12:20. But here is what precedes it. Verses 17-19 read: “So the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from death continued to testify. This was why the crowd went to meet him, because they heard that he had done this sign. So, the Pharisees said to one another, ‘You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the whole world has gone after him.’” And as if to prove the fears of the Pharisees, the Greeks tried to meet our Lord, through his disciples according to the Gospel reading today (Jn 12:20). There was no more room for political correctness, no more chance for sitting on the fence. The battle line was drawn. You were either for Him or against Him. In the midst of this tension where some followed Him passionately and some sought to kill Him, our Lord was troubled. He was troubled because not everyone would receive the salvation He was bringing. He will die and resurrect, but not everyone will accept the benefits of His passion and death. That was why He spoke of the need for those who love Him, to follow Him in death (Jn 12:26). His heart must have felt somehow betrayed, stabbed, cheated, burned and broken. Not everyone will return his love. Not everyone will keep their part of the covenant. Not everyone will be true to their conscience, the seat of the new covenant established by God, according to the 1st reading (Jer 31:31-34). He was troubled because though he would die to save everyone, to get everyone out of trouble, not everyone will accept His salvation. Yet, he remains the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, according to the 2nd reading today. (Heb 5:7-9).  

3. Out of Trouble. Like Jesus, we His disciples do get troubled. Perhaps we have done everything for our children, but some are still wayward. Perhaps we have become the breadwinners for our family, but some are not cooperating. Despite our good example, some of our relatives and friends copy bad examples from others. The Church, the body of Christ does get troubled when betrayed by some members of the clergy and others. We are troubled when treated as guilty by association. Think of good parents who have to put up with children going their own way. Think of those who render services and are not acknowledged for it. Think of charity you performed only to get insulted for it or misunderstood. Think of betrayals by those you love, ingratitude from those you care for. St Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit captures what our sentiments should be in such moments: 2 Cor 4:8, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” And our Lord elaborated on this in today’s Gospel reading: “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be.” Our Lord got into trouble to get us out of trouble: out of the most troubling things, namely, sin and death. Our Lord got us out of trouble by defeating sin and death. He founded the Church to continue His work of getting people out of trouble, out of sin and victorious over death. What a privilege, that our Lord uses us, as members of His body, get people out of trouble: out of sin, through His Word and Sacraments we share and through the good example of our lives. Thank you, Lord, for your saving death and resurrection which get us out of our greatest troubles: sin and death. Amen. 

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BY DAY AND BY NIGHT

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA.
10th March 2024,  4th Sunday of Lent, Year B.   

1. Joke. What’s your personal “... by day, … by night” tagline? Here are a few funny responses. “Lazy by day, lazier by night”. “Office drone by day, lazy bones by night”. “Pragmatist by day, idealist by night”. Based on today’s Gospel reading (Jn 3:14-21), where Nicodemus went to our Lord by night, we can say that he was a Jewish teacher by day, and a Christian student by night, a member of the Jewish Supreme Court or Sanhedrin by day, and a Christian catechumen or plaintiff by night. Just two days ago, Friday, March 8th, 2024, the amazing biographical film on St Frances Xavier Cabrini, titled “Cabrini”, was released, to mark International Women’s Day. How would you describe St Cabrini? I describe her as mother of the poor and sick by day and virgin and mystic by night. She is a good example of what our Lord explained to Nicodemus. She was born again, born from above. She responded to the most famous Bible verse which we just heard “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son… ” (Jn 3:16).  Yes, Francesca Cabrini so loved God, that she gave her life to the world that God loves, to the missions, to the poor and sick of New York and beyond. She once said: “The world is too small for what I intend to do”. It is true that Cabrini went to seek the pope's approval to establish missions in China. Instead, Pope Leo XIII urged her to come to the United States to help Italian immigrants who were flooding here, mostly in great poverty. To use the words of our Lord in today’s Gospel, the truth that she lived has been brought to light, even in the synopsis of the film: “… Francesca Cabrini, an Italian immigrant who arrives in New York City in 1889 and is greeted by disease, crime, and impoverished children. Cabrini sets off on a daring mission to convince the hostile mayor to secure housing and healthcare for society's most vulnerable. With broken English and poor health, Cabrini builds an empire of hope unlike anything the world had ever seen.” Not an exaggeration.

2. Hope. Sisters and Brothers, that is the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Do we need hope today? The 1st reading (2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23) describes an almost hopeless situation: “In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests, and the people added infidelity to infidelity”. They ended up as captives in Babylon. Today’s Psalm (Ps 137) echoes their repentance: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept”. The Lord was merciful and brought them back from exile by peaceful means, involving the cooperation of Cyrus, King of Persia, present day Iran.  Yes, God’s merciful love seeks peace and salvation for all humanity, Jews and Gentiles alike. And today’s  2nd reading  (Eph 2:4-10) states that in unmistakable terms: “God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us….” Yes, by the rivers of Manhattan, the Hudson river, the Harlem river, Italian immigrants sat and wept, the sick and poor exiled from humanity wept. God used Cabrini, and the likes of Cabrini, to distribute His mercy and love. Cabrini “founded 67 missionary institutions to serve the sick and poor, long before government agencies provided extensive social services – in New York; Chicago and Des Plaines, Illinois; Seattle; New Orleans; Denver and Golden, Colorado; Los Angeles; Philadelphia; and in countries throughout Latin America and Europe. In 1926, nine years after her death, the Missionary Sisters achieved Cabrini's original goal of becoming missionaries to China” Wow. Mother to the poor and sick by day, mystic in prayer by night. This is what God can use any of us to achieve, even when we start out like Nicodemus, uncertain and afraid.

3. Day/Night. The Sanhedrin was practically the Jewish Congress and Supreme Court combined, so Nicodemus visited our Lord at night, probably because he didn’t want to be seen. There are so many lessons from this encounter but let us take only 2 from the response of Nicodemus: i. Justice. About 6 months before the Crucifixion, the chief priests and pharisees attempted to have Jesus arrested. Nicodemus protested, urging the group to give Jesus a fair hearing: Jn 7:50-51. ii. Compassion and love. After our Lord was crucified, guess who helped to give him proper burial? Nicodemus. He helped Joseph of Arimathea take Jesus' body down from the cross and lay it in a tomb, at great risk to his safety and reputation: John 19:38-42. Dear Sisters and Brothers, Nicodemus may not have understood everything Christ said. We too may not fully understand all Christian doctrines. But following his encounter with our Lord, Nicodemus stood for justice, showed compassion and love, even at great risk to his reputation. He went to Jesus by night and helped to bury the body of Jesus by day. Slowly, but finally, he identified with Jesus by night and by day. I pray that I too, and you as well, by the grace of God, may become fully Christians, by day and by night, to the glory of God. Amen.

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 EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 3rd March 2024, 3rd Sunday of Lent, Year B. 

1. Joke. After Sunday Mass, a priest noticed a couple whose wedding he had officiated and said: “Nice to see you together at Mass, Mr and Mrs Smith. It would be nicer to see both of you here more often. I notice Mrs Smith comes often”. At that Mr Smith smiled and said: “I know, but at least we keep the 10 commandments”. The priest was a bit bemused. Mr Smith added: “My wife keeps 6 of them including keeping the Lord’s day holy, and I keep the other 4. Remember at our wedding, you told us that the two of us are now one body”. The priest, now amused added: “In that case, you break 6 commandments, and she breaks 4, so you break all ten!” Dear Sisters and Brothers, God’s promulgation of the commandments through Moses, as we heard in today’s 1st reading (Ex 20:1-17) makes explicit what God has already placed in the conscience of every human being, making us moral beings, “homo ethicus”. The moral code is already written in our hearts. Even if we think we have kept all the commandments, the actions of our Lord in today’s Gospel reading (Jn 2:13-25), remind us that there is always room for improvement. Those who were in the Temple that day probably believed that they were observing the commandments. But our Lord helped them to discover that they had turned a house of prayer into a marketplace. 

2. Examination of Conscience. A very important aspect of preparing for Easter, is the reception of the sacrament of reconciliation. After His resurrection, our Lord instituted the sacrament of reconciliation when He appeared to His Apostles and said: “‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.’” (Jn 20:21-23). The first step for a fruitful confession is examination of conscience. Usually, we review the extent to which we have loved God and neighbor with respect to the ten commandments. Today’s Psalm (Ps 19) eulogizes these commandments: as perfect, refreshing the soul, giving wisdom to the simple, gladdening the heart, enlightening the eye, and enduring forever. Such a positive attitude, helps us examine our consciences in ways that inspire deeper repentance and amendment of life. For instance, in today’s Gospel reading, our Lord was very unhappy over the actions of those inside the Temple area “who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there”. He said: "Take these out of here and stop making my Father's house a marketplace." My question for all of us is: which of the commandments did these people break? Perhaps their actions involved worshipping money, which is having other gods (1st), desecration of the Temple, which is taking the name of the Lord in vain (2nd), sharp business practice, which is stealing (7th). Thus, a thorough examination conscience would have revealed to these people that they were breaking God’s commandments in many ways, inside the Temple itself. 

3. Love. Furthermore, our Lord acted out of love for God the Father, and out of love the people. How? The Catechism explains: “Jesus went up to the Temple as the privileged place of encounter with God. For him, the Temple was the dwelling of his Father, a house of prayer, and he was angered that its outer court had become a place of commerce. He drove merchants out of it because of jealous love for his Father.” CCC 584. Regarding love of neighbor, the nature of love shines forth in this cleansing of the Temple. Yes, love includes “the choice to will the good of the other.” (St Thomas Aquinas). The highest good of our neighbor is God Himself. Hence, by cleansing the Temple, so as to purify their worship, our Lord showed love for the people, by bringing them closer to their greatest good, God Himself. Fortunately, the ways in which we show love of neighbor are made very clear in Scripture and summarized as the seven corporal works of mercy (Mt 25:35-46) and the seven spiritual works of mercy, including counseling the doubtful, which is what St Paul does in today’s 2nd reading (1 Cor 1:22-25). Sisters and Brothers, may our Lenten observance include thorough examination of conscience, based on the commandments, based on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy as found in Scripture and as explained in the teachings of the Church. There are numerous resources to help us with this. The Catechism is available online. There are mobile phone Apps that assist in examination of conscience such as the free “Mea Culpa Catholic Examination of Conscience for Confession App”, the “ConfessIt App”, etc. Thus, we have traditional as well as new smart ways to make better examination of conscience in order to get better at keeping God’s commandments, which refresh our souls, gladden our hearts, and enlighten our eyes, in preparation for eternal happiness. Amen. 

 

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 MOUNTAINTOP EXPERIENCES

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA.

2nd Sunday of Lent. Year B. 25th Feb 2024. 

1. Immunity Joke. Immunology riddles and jokes are all over the internet. Here is one of such riddles. What will never go viral no matter how popular they get? Answer: Antibiotics. Yes, antibiotics are against bacteria and cannot go against viruses. Only antivirals deal with viruses. Sisters and Brothers, our immune system defends our bodies against infections and other harmful invaders. Without it, we would constantly get sick from bacteria or viruses. By analogy, it seems our spiritual life, is also supported by a spiritual immune system, to protect us against scandals, the bad examples of others, the effects of sin in our society and even the effects of God’s actions in the world that we are yet to understand. In this spiritual immune system, God brings us mountaintop experiences, in which we encounter some glimpses of His glory, so that thereafter, we can thrive in the valleys of daily life. That is what God did with Abraham in today’s 1st reading (Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18) on Mount Moriah, that is what our Lord did with Peter, James and John at the Transfiguration in today’s Gospel reading (Mk 9:2-10), and we have the assurance that He will do it for all people of Abraham’s faith, in today’s 2nd reading (Rom 8:31b-34). Mountaintop experiences boost our immunity against scandals, inspire us to serve our neighbors and to overcome trials. 

2. Trials. Last week, our Lord’s 40 days of fasting and prayer, which culminated in His undergoing temptation in the desert, inspired our own Lenten journey. Today, we are inspired to continue this journey and to expect not only temptations from the devil, but also the trials that increase our spiritual immunity. In Abraham’s case in the 1st reading, God gave instructions. Abraham obeyed. This is called the obedience of faith (Rom 1:5). Then God blessed Abraham and his descendants: “I will bless you abundantly…and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing—all this because you obeyed my command." The obedience of faith is a prerequisite for serving God. As Scripture says: “Without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6). But no human being can be more generous than God. God did in fact sacrifice His Son, for our salvation, causing momentarily, the greatest scandal in history, namely, allowing the most innocent person, to suffer the most gruesome death reserved for the worst of criminals, crucifixion! 

3. Glory. Yes, in today’s Gospel reading, (Mk 9:2-10) the disciples of Jesus are given some boost in spiritual immunity against the coming scandal of the Cross through the Transfiguration, a manifestation of God. Peter, James, and John, are enabled to have a mountaintop experience, a glimpse of the glory of Jesus as a Divine Person: “And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them”. They saw apparitions of Moses who spent 40 days on Mount Sinai with God (Exodus 24:18) and of Elijah who spent 40 days and nights walking to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8) for an encounter with God. Finally, Peter, James and John heard a voice declaring: "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." Dear Sisters and Brothers, this mountaintop experience, this extraordinary encounter with the Divine, did not stop with Peter, James, and John. It happens to us especially during periods of deeper prayer, fasting and almsgiving or charity. From any mountaintop, one gets a broader vision, an encompassing view including the valleys and flat land. We then come down from the mountain, energized to go through the valleys, even the valleys of the shadow of death, without fear. Our mountaintop experience can be that moment of clarity, when we feel God’s presence in a way that deepens our love for the human family, in spite of uncertainties, of insecurity, of scandals. Like Peter, James, and John, we then join our Lord to go down from the mountain, to meet the needs of our other brothers and sisters, to face the trials of life. Last Monday, 19th Feb. 2024, Deutsche Welle, a German global news TV, posted a video on YouTube with the title: “How one priest in Spain serves 43 village churches”. That priest is Fr Teo Nieto who has chosen to work in the rural areas of Spain for 29 years! This is similar to those of you in this Church who serve at soup kitchens, who volunteer at homeless shelters, who pray outside abortion clinics, who sacrifice for others. You have had mountaintop experiences and you are now voluntarily sharing the Cross of Christ in the valleys. Thank you so much. May you share in His glorious resurrection. Amen. 

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BEST COMPLIMENT 

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

1. Victory. From time to time, people ask us this question: "What is the best compliment you've ever received?" Radio and TV hosts, social media platforms, interviewers, etc., ask it. Well,the best compliment I have ever received from a human being, came from a young woman at the end of a long and difficult series of temptations in which she wanted us to become romantic partners and more. Thanks to the grace of God, victory over the temptations came. I had a lot of sympathy for her because she was following her feelings and unrequited love can be very frustrating. In the course of helping her to deal with the frustrations, she said what I consider the best compliment I have ever received from a human being, and also what turned out to be her “greatest consolation”. She said: “My greatest consolation is that I am fighting with God over you; and not with any woman or any human being. If I were fighting with anyone over you, someone would be dead by now. I know that you will always choose God over me, but I am consoled”. Wow! It was victory for God and a consolation prize for her. And I said to her: “I pray that we both make it to Heaven and there we will both be in love with God forever.” Sisters and Brothers, today’s 1st reading (Gn 9:8-15) is about God’s covenant of love with us. Both the Gospel reading (Mk 1:12-15) and the 2nd reading (1 Pt 3:18-22) present our Lord Jesus Christ as the one who fulfilled the covenant on our behalf. He overcame all temptations to break that covenant and provides us the grace, even now, to overcome as well. How I wish I had used God’s grace in every other temptation that came my way, as in the case I just narrated. I’m not a saint. I’m a repentant sinner still struggling and constantly in need of God’s mercy. However, God is ever faithful. God’s grace is ever present in the desert of all the temptations I have ever experienced. I believe it is the same with you and you have been victorious in more dramatic ways than me. Thank you so much for using God’s grace to overcome temptations even when you got no human compliments. The absolute best compliment is from God. Let us encourage one another to overcome more, using our Lord’s example.  

2. Lent. The Gospel reading states that after His baptism, our Lord was led by the Spirit “out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for 40 days, tempted by Satan.” (v.12). The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) explains: “The revelation of divine love in Christ manifested at the same time the extent of evil and the superabundance of grace. (cf Rom 5:20)” (CCC 358). So as part of the eternal Salvation won for us by Christ, “that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray” (Rev 12:9) was allowed to tempt Christ, just as he was allowed to tempt our first parents, just as he is still allowed to tempt us. It is in His victory over temptation and sin that Jesus is revealed as our Savior. “Jesus is the devil's conqueror. Jesus' victory over the tempter in the desert anticipates victory at the Passion, the supreme act of obedience of his filial love for the Father.” CCC 539. “By the solemn 40 days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert.” (CCC 540). All of us are invited to join. Why 40? 

3. 40 Days.  The number 40 is mentioned over 140 times in the Bible. It is often connected with a period of hardship leading to joy, of promise leading to fulfilment.  Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai with God (Ex 24:18). Elijah spent 40 days and nights walking to Mount Horeb (1 Kg 19:8). God sent 40 days and nights of rain in the great flood after instructing Noah to build an ark (Gn 7:4) leading to a covenant following the flood, as we heard both in our 1st reading today (Gn 9:8-15), and in the 2nd reading (1 Pt 3:18-22). Likewise, our Lord was on a retreat in the desert, where He fasted for 40 days, and was tempted by the devil (Mt 4:1–2, Mk 1:12–13, Lk 4:1–2). Let us use these 40 days of Lent for repentance, for deeper prayer, fasting and almsgiving/charity so as to be prepared for the commemoration of our Lord’s victory over death, a commemoration of the Resurrection at Easter. Let us use this period to deliberately take up or give up some things for the sake of the Kingdom of God. May the Holy Spirit lead us to victory over our temptations throughout this Lent and always, so that we may receive in the end, the only compliment that matters, the absolute best compliment from our Lord: “Well done, good and faithful servant”. Mt 25:23. “…inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.”  Mt 25:34. Amen.  

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Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

1. Over 95% of the World is Sick. For a total of 13 years (1990 to 2013), chronic diseases and injuries were tracked in 188 countries and published in the Lancet, as the Global Burden of Disease Study, 2013 (GBD 2013). It was found that just one in 20 people worldwide or 4.3% of world population, had no health problems. The headlines were depressing: “A sick world: more than 95% of us are ill”; “Over 95% of people have at least one health problem”. What should we do? The researchers wrote: “Without this health intelligence, large, preventable causes of health loss in populations…have thus far not received the attention that they deserve….” Sisters and Brothers, today’s readings provide us with health intelligence that goes beyond physical, mental, and behavioral health. We thank God for His Word to us and for the Church. How wonderful that today, we celebrate the 32nd World Day of the Sick. Pope St John Paul II established World Day of the Sick since 1992, “to draw attention to the sick and their caregivers and highlight the redemptive value of human suffering”. Pope Francis’ message for today’s World Day of the Sick, is contained in its title: “It is not good that man should be alone: Healing the Sick by Healing Relationships.” He takes us back to the Word of God as our fundamental guide. Based on Genesis 2:18, he reminds us: “Brothers and sisters, the first form of care needed in any illness is compassionate and loving closeness.” Yet, today’s 1st reading (Lv 13:1-2, 44-46) calls for the isolation of lepers. Why this apparent contradiction?  

2. Closeness and Isolation. During the exodus from Egypt to Canaan, hygiene was very important for the Israelites as they journeyed through the desert, camping in tents with increased danger of devastating epidemics. Prevention was far better than cure. Medicine was not yet a profession as we know it and so it was practical to have priests as enforcers of preventive quarantine/isolation: Lev 13:46 “As long as the disease lasts, he must be unclean; and therefore, he must live apart: he must live outside the camp.” This is public health intelligence. This isolation to protect the larger community, also sowed the seed for the establishment of places of special care, which later became hospitals. It was isolation for special care and not abandonment. In today’s Gospel reading (Mk 1:40-45), the leper provides us with personal health intelligence. That leper teaches us how to stay within God’s will, while seeking healing. “If it is your will, you can make me clean.” Wow. Hence, no one is allowed to seek cures that break God’s commandments in the process. Healthcare must be ethical. Our Lord Jesus Christ answered the leper’s humble prayer by giving instant healing. Our Lord enjoined him to go, show himself to the priest as prescribed in today’s first reading, so as to be certified ritually clean, no longer medically contagious. He was fit to join his family, and so on.  Thus, our Lord promoted public health by sending the leper to local priests for confirmation so that the cured leper was safely reintegrated into society. Our Lord commanded us to heal the sick, to care for the sick (Mt 10:8; Mt 25:36). Thanks be to God, Christians have always taken the care of the sick as a major part of discipleship. For instance, the Catholic Church is currently the largest non-government provider of health care services in the world, with about 18,000 clinics, 16,000 homes for the elderly and those with special needs, and 5,500 hospitals, 65% of them located in developing countries! 

3. Health and Salvation.  God’s work of saving us through Jesus Christ is a continuation of God’s gift of life and God’s provision of the necessities for nourishing such life: food, clothing, shelter, education, health, etc, directly or indirectly. Sisters and Brothers, as we worship today, let us pray more for the sick and their caregivers. Let us pray like the leper, since many of us are also sick. As we return to our homes, farms, offices, schools, laboratories, hospitals and other places of work during the week, let us continue to cooperate with God in providing basic human needs such as food and healthcare. Today’s 2nd reading gives us another health intelligence principle: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31-11:1). Whoever eats/drinks for God’s glory, eats/drinks healthy. May our work, our words and actions promote both our personal health and public health, to God’s glory. In particular, may we increasingly discover more healthy food sources and better remedies against diseases while awaiting God’s ultimate remedy: eternal salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

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INNOCENT SUFFERING 

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

1. Redemptive Suffering. Next Sunday, 11th Feb 2024, is World Day of the Sick. All the readings today address sickness and suffering, thereby preparing us for next week and beyond. On 2nd January 2024, I made a phone call to a nun in her 80s, to wish her a Happy 2024. She runs a home for orphans who lovingly address her as “Grandma”. During the call, she told me she was sick. I replied that I will be praying for her recovery. She gently “corrected” my prayer intention by saying: “Fr Andrew, please pray rather that I have the grace to endure the ill-health as part of my cross.” That was touching. So, I said: “You are correct. In fact, the grace is already there for you. I will pray that you use it well in carrying your cross to follow our Lord as it pleases Him”. Clearly, this elderly nun, is ahead of me in accepting the redemptive value of suffering. And St Theresa of Avila was ahead of many of us when she wrote this prayer: “Teach me, my God, to suffer in peace the afflictions which You send me that my soul may emerge from the crucible like gold, both brighter and purer, to find You within me….” (Prayer of St. Teresa of Avila to Endure Suffering in Peace). Her prayer echoes the final sentiments of Job in today’s 1st reading (Job 7:1-4, 6-7). 

2. Suffering of the Innocent. The book of Job is a masterpiece on the sorrows and pains of all who have ever experienced heartbreak, desolation, and especially inexplicable suffering. In today’s first reading, we heard: “I am filled with restlessness until the dawn…. I shall not see happiness again.” Recall that Job started out as a righteous man, blessed with an amazing family: wife, sons, and daughters as well as great wealth. Job was an embodiment of innocence and moral virtues. For instance, Job cultivated purity of the heart. He recalled: “I made a covenant with my eyes, never to look with lust at a woman.” Job 31:1. Wow. Then came the Devil who accused Job of being righteous because God had blessed him. Satan charged that should God take away everything that Job had, Job would certainly curse God. God gave Satan permission to take Job's wealth and the physical life of his children and servants. Yet, Job nonetheless praised God: " …the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21). And then followed that passage in Job that should become a favorite of many during any suffering: “In all this Job did not sin, nor did he charge God with wrong.” (Job 1:22). Then Job was afflicted with boils and sores. Job sat in ashes. And to his wife’s suggestion to curse God, Job said: "We accept good things from God; should we not accept evil?" (Job 2:9-10). Job did not blame God or blame anyone. However, the 1st reading gives us some of Job’s innocent lamentations. But in the end, God intervened. In the last chapter (Job 42:12) we read “So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning….” Thus, with patience, you and I will end up receiving healing or wholeness from God. Such healing is in fact so characteristic of God that today’s Psalm eulogizes God for it and enjoins all of us to do so: “Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted”. (Ps 147:3). Let us at this Mass, and always, praise the Lord who heals us of sin and its effects through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and through personal prayer. Let us praise the Lord who cures us of physical ailments through medicine, through health care providers and through miracles. 

3. Cure and Healing. Let us praise the Lord who uses us to heal others of heartbreaks as He used St Paul in today’s 2nd reading (1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23). In today’s Gospel reading (Mk 1:29-39), Peter’s mother in-law was cured of a fever and as was healed because she became whole and cared for our Lord and His disciples. The cure provided physical relief accompanied by healing. This is what our Lord does, curing and healing. A certain physician, Lissa Rankin, M.D. wrote recently: “You can cure without healing, and you can heal without curing. In medical school and residency, most of our training focused on curing. Very little attention was focused on healing. But healing and curing are inherently different. Curing means ‘eliminating all evidence of disease,’ while healing means ‘becoming whole.’” This is quite true. Even when we are not physically sick, we may need healing. When heartbroken, we need healing. Interestingly, even when physical cure is delayed so that we carry our crosses after our Lord, just as the elderly nun reminded me, we have access to healing. Yes, there are currently over 88 diseases that still have no cure. Yet, we praise the Lord, who cures and heals, knowing that at the Resurrection, we will become permanently cured and healed, for “death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore”. Rev 21:3-4. Indeed, a glorious future awaits us. And with gratitude to God, we say, Amen. 

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SPIRITUAL POLITICS

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA.
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B.  28th January 2024.

1. Behind the Scenes. Last month, December 2023, before my students in Quantum Mechanics took their final Exam at Creighton University, the only ladies in the class, Jackie and Molly, approached me and said: “Just for fun, let us astonish the boys in the class on the last day. The plan is that as soon as the boys come into the class, you will start speaking German to us the girls, and we will respond with memorized German sentences, perhaps about Schrodinger Equation, Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, and so forth. We will shock the boys for a while.” I liked the idea, and we executed it. The gentlemen in my class were astonished.  And there was laughter after we revealed that we staged it. The lesson here is that there was something behind the scenes. That was classroom politics. There is a lot of politics in all the Scripture readings today. And also, a lot of behind the scenes at the spiritual level. Hence, the title of this homily: “Spiritual Politics”. In the first reading (Dt 18:15-20), it is Moses and God behind the scenes, and then the people. Politics has to do with the acquisition, distribution and exercise of authority and power in the governance of people, for the common good. Sacred Scripture tells us: "… there is no authority except from God” (Rom 13:1-2; cf. 1 Pet 2:13-17.) And the Catechism of the Catholic Church adds: “If authority belongs to the order established by God, "the choice of the political regime and the appointment of rulers are left to the free decision of the citizens." (CCC #1901). That is what we see in today’s 1st reading. The people themselves, asked God to declare His will to them, through prophets, and not directly. Moses reminded them: “This is exactly what you requested of the Lord, your God, at Horeb…”. And God accepted their request, and sent prophets to them, prophets who declared God’s will on various matters concerning their well-being.

2. Authority and Power. In the 2nd Reading (1 Cor 7:32-35), St Paul declares God’s will over our freedom to choose to marry or to remain single. He gave advice on the challenges of both states in life. Both options are acceptable and both options give us challenging opportunities to do God’s will. In the Gospel reading (Mk 1:21-28) our Lord, Himself the embodiment of God’s will, not only declared God’s will but also stated this as His will, meaning, He is God. The people in the Synagogue felt the authority with which He spoke: “The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.” Mk 1:22. This was the same reaction after His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:28-29). There He repeatedly said: “You have heard that it was said…but I say to you…”.  He did not speak merely as a messenger, He was and remains also the message, the Word made Flesh. He is the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets (Matt 5:17). And our Lord backed up His Divine authority with power, as demonstrated in today’s Gospel reading. Like our starting story, His encounter with the possessed man, revealed a lot of “behind the scenes”. There was something behind the scenes, at the spiritual level, in that Synagogue that day, and it was not staged. It was real. In the Synagogue, the man possessed by an evil spirit spoke in ways that the immediate hearers did not grasp. There was more to it. It was spiritual politics unraveling. The unclean spirit stated: ‘Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God’. See, the evil spirit said something true about our Lord. And our Lord responded: "Quiet! Come out of him!"

3.  Prophets Today. This exorcism by our Lord, reminds us that God is the source of all authority and power which He benevolently shares with creatures. That is the first article of the Creed: “I believe in God the Father almighty”. Rational creatures freely choose to either serve God’s purpose and find their happy fulfilment or they choose to serve themselves and end up in sadness while at the same time their disobedience still serves God’s purpose. The exorcism strengthened the faith of those in the Synagogue that day and today. This is spiritual politics. God turns even the devil’s abuse of power and evil to serve His salvific purpose. This is what it means to be Almighty. Dear Sisters and Brothers, we are called to listen to the true prophets of today, the entire Body of Christ, the Church, and prophetic individuals that God continues to use in transforming the world. Fortunately, you and I are among such individuals. We speak God’s will, first of all and most eloquently, in the manner of our lives. May the manner of our lives be prophetic. This enables God’s will to be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. And that is the goal of spiritual politics: the full manifestation of God’s Kingdom and the salvation of souls. Amen.

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BREAKING NEWS 

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

1. No Joke. Last Sunday, Jan 14th, 2024, the US News and World Report, had an article titled, “No Joke: Feds Are Banning Humorous Electronic Messages on Highways.” Indeed, the U.S. Federal Highway Administration has given all states two years to implement the new rules, stating: “electronic signs with obscure meanings, references to pop culture or those intended to be funny will be banned in 2026 because they can be misunderstood or distracting to drivers.” Examples of messages that will be banned include: “Visiting in-laws? Slow down, get there late,” from Ohio; “Hocus pocus, drive with focus” from New Jersey; and “Hands on the wheel, not your meal” from Arizona. “Slow Down, You’re already in Texas”, will just be “Slow Down”.  The agency added that road signs should be “simple, direct, brief, legible and clear” and only be used for important information. Based on today’s 1st reading (Jonah 3: 1-5, 10), we recommend that Jonah becomes the patron saint of the US Fed. Highway Admin.! Why? Jonah’s message was simple, direct, brief, clear, with important information: “40 days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed”. 

2. Breaking News. The reaction of the people to this simple, direct, brief message of Jonah was incredible. It was definitely breaking news. Nineveh was the largest city in the world for about fifty years until 612 BC. The repentance of all the people in Nineveh could be announced as breaking news with the following sub-captions: “Largest city in the world repents!”. “Over 120,000 mass conversion in Nineveh today”. “Megacity converted to City of God”. It must have also been breaking news in Heaven. The angels of God rejoice over one repentant sinner (Luke 15:10). Guess what they did over 120,000 people who repented in Nineveh (Jonah 4:11).  They must have sang “Holy, Holy, Holy” in harmonious and joyful polyphony! The 1st reading illustrates God as both a just Judge and a merciful Father. It also demonstrates that human beings have a God-given capacity for conversion. The conversion here can be described as fundamental conversion. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, using Scripture, explains what fundamental conversion entails: “In the Church's preaching this call is addressed first to those who do not yet know Christ and his Gospel. Also, Baptism is the principal place for the first and fundamental conversion.” (CCC #1427). Interestingly, in today’s Gospel reading (Mk 1:14-20) our Lord preached fundamental conversion, in a simple, direct, brief, and clear manner: “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (v.15). He then called his disciples to join in spreading this message: not only by word of mouth but by the example of their lives. Jesus called Andrew, Simon Peter, James and John and made them fishers of men.  “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (v.17). Having become a disciple of Christ through fundament conversion, the next step, namely, living as a Christian, entails a second conversion. 

3. 2nd Conversion. Dear sisters and brothers, all of us, followers of Christ, need this second conversion. The Catechism explains: “Christ's call to conversion continues to resound in the lives of Christians. This second conversion is an uninterrupted task for the whole Church who, ‘clasping sinners to her bosom, is at once holy and always in need of purification and follows constantly the path of penance and renewal.’ This endeavor of conversion is not just a human work. It is the movement of a ‘contrite heart,’ drawn and moved by grace to respond to the merciful love of God who loved us first.” (CCC #1428). A concrete example of 2nd conversion is St Peter after denying Christ three times. He wept bitterly in contrition (Lk 22:62). It was for this 2nd conversion that our Lord instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation (John 20:22-23). A contemporary example is Toni McFadden, now a prolife activist and author of the book “Redeemed: My Journey After Abortion.” St Ambrose writes about the two conversions that, in the Church, “there are water and tears: the water of Baptism and the tears of repentance.” 2nd conversion deepens our love for God and neighbor and sharpens us for mission to the world. Each 2nd conversion leads to a deeper 2nd conversion because we increasingly realize God’s ways, as described in today’s Psalm 25. Our examination of conscience gets deeper. We not only avoid sin but avoid occasions of sin, thereby overcoming temptations more. We become more conscious of sins of omission, and more charitable. Following 2nd conversion, the Christian lives as described in today’s 2nd reading (1 Cor 7:29-31). Repentance becomes immediate preparation for eternity, because “the world in its present form” is passing away. More practically, my life in its present form, is passing away and I’m getting set for eternity. And just like our starting joke had to do with road signs, a road sign sums up today’s message of conversion and holiness: “Keep right”. 

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MORAL BEAUTY

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year B.  14th January 2024.

1. Beauty Contest. While developing artificial intelligence, AI, a few years ago, Beauty.AI, a company supported by Microsoft, conducted the very first international beauty contest judged by “Robots”. The “deep learning machines” were supposed to use objective factors such as facial symmetry and wrinkles to identify the most attractive contestants. About 6,000 contestants from over 100 different countries submitted their photos, hoping that AI, would pick the faces that most closely showed “human beauty”, the “perfect face”, with a “perfect body”. Well, even the developers of the algorithm, were horrified at the results. They discovered unintended biases and stereotypes in the dataset used to train the algorithms. Prejudiced AI programs may sound like a distraction to you until you discover that significantly fewer women than men are shown online ads for high-paying jobs, even by Google, as recent as Sept 29, 2023. Thanks be to God, little children, have no problem picking their grandparents as their favorites in their families, because they use a different algorithm. Children use the algorithm of moral character, not appearance. Children can see the moral beauty of their grandparents, not the wrinkles. They see the tender, loving care that grandparents give. They see moral beauty. Sisters and brothers, that is how all of us, not only the elderly, reflect God and glorify God in our bodies, which is the message of today’s 2nd reading (1 Cor 6:13c-15a, 17-20). Created in God’s image, our bodies, when used to do good, reveal the invisible, the spiritual, the divine. In fact, only immorality makes us ugly. And repentance reverses it, not cosmetics.  

2. Theology of the Body.  Dear sisters and brothers, the 2nd Reading makes me feel really grateful to have a body. What a blessing that each of us is an embodied being. The reading gives the reasons: “the body is for the Lord; the Lord is for the body”. “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you”. “Therefore, glorify God in your body”. Amazing. No wonder we are here: glorifying God in our bodies through worship. It further gives the inspiring fact that the good use of our bodies leads to God’s glory. And Pope St John Paul II expressed this Scriptural teaching in his book “Theology of the Body”, thus: “The human body includes right from the beginning... the capacity of expressing love, that love in which the person becomes a gift – and by means of this gift – fulfills the meaning of his being and existence.” And so, dear brothers and sisters, thanks to our bodies, we can express love as spouses, when we give our bodies to our married partners, we can express love as single persons when we preserve and reserve our bodies for our future spouse, we can express love as celibates and consecrated persons when we freely renounce marriage for the sake of the kingdom of God (Mt 19:12). We thank God for giving us the good conscience to realize any shortcomings in these ideals and for giving us the grace to take up the lifelong challenge of self-mastery in order to grow in chastity according to our state in life, according to our vocations. What vocations? 

3. Vocation. Here is a saying sometimes attributed to Aristotle: “Where the needs of the world and your talents cross, there lies your vocation”. In other words, ability meets utility. Focusing on basic human needs (food, clothing, shelter, education, good health), we easily find our basic vocations or occupations as farmers, engineers, teachers, health care workers, etc. But when we consider humanity’s other needs of meaning, of happiness, eternal salvation, then it makes sense that God does extra calling, to give special tasks to some, for the salvation of all. This is the message of both the 1st reading (1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19) and the Gospel reading (Jn 1:35-42). Today’s 1st reading presents some of the challenges that confronted Samuel when God called him. Samuel struggled to discern the voice he heard. In this Archdiocese of Omaha, as I speak, 22 young men are in the process of answering God’s special call to the priesthood. We admire them for the courage they are displaying as they face challenges in answering God’s call. Like Samuel, these 22 young people and millions of others around the world are hearing God’s voice in their hearts. As for Samuel, there are many Eli’s that God uses for discernment of vocations.  The Gospel reading recounts our Lord’s call of His earliest disciples. John the Baptist pointed out the Messiah. Andrew and Peter followed. To some extent, all of us right now at this Holy Mass, are either like Samuel, Andrew and Peter, that is, we are being called. Or, we are like Eli and John the Baptist, because we are now in a position to help others discern God’s call, as parents, as colleagues, as neighbors, as play mates, as fellow Christians who have already answered the most important call of all, the call to live holy lives now, in preparation for eternal happiness. That call to holiness takes moral beauty to the highest level. To God be the glory.

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Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

1. Border Joke. It is January 2024 and fearing another military mobilization to continue Putin’s unjust war and illegal occupation of Ukraine, a Russian citizen crosses the border into Latvia and hands his passport to the customs officer. The customs officer asks: "Name?" The Russian replies: "Vladimir Krylov". The customs officer continues: "Occupation?" The Russian replies shaking his head: "No, no, not at all, I’m not here to occupy, just visiting." Sisters and brothers, across and within many national borders today, there are wars and violence. Across Israel and Gaza. Within Mexico and Myanmar. And so on. Yet, our common humanity has not lost the moral epiphany that continues to shine forth in humanitarian organizations such as “Doctors Without Borders” (Médecins Sans Frontières) who mobilize doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to provide medical care to people in parts of the world where it is most lacking. Thanks be to God, the divine spark in us, has led to over 100 of such organizations without borders. Yes, we now have Engineers Without Borders; Professors Without Borders, Teachers Without Borders; Bankers Without Borders; Techies Without Borders, Lawyers Without Borders, Action Without Borders; Love Without Borders and even Clowns Without Borders! Today, we celebrate God’s guidance of Magi from the East, across many borders, to Bethlehem, manifesting that the newborn Messiah, transcends all borders and is Messiah of All. 

2. Messiah Beyond Borders. Dear sisters and brothers, by taking up human nature in order to save mankind, our Lord Jesus Christ has become part of every human culture such that following Christ can never be alien to any human culture. Precisely because every human being is already created in God’s image, every human being is ready to receive salvation from Christ. Today we celebrate how God used human beings from different nations and places to prepare salvation in Christ Jesus. “Epiphany” has two Greek roots: “epi”, upon, and “phainein”, to bring to light or to manifest. Epiphany of the Lord is the manifestation of the Messiah to non-Jewish nations or gentiles, through the visit of the Magi to the Infant Messiah as recounted in today’s Gospel reading (Mt 2:1-12). Today we celebrate God’s revelation of the Infant Savior to the whole world through the Magi from the East. The event was a fulfilment of prophecies already made. Centuries before, Isaiah prophesied as we heard in today’s 1st Reading (Is 60:1-6), itemizing even the gifts that the Magi would bring, “…all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord”. Today’s Psalm echoes the prophecy: “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.” (Ps 72:11). St Paul in the 2nd reading (Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6) reminds us that God offers salvation in Christ Jesus to every human being, Jews, and Gentiles alike: “it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” 

3. Journey to Christ. The journey of the Magi to the Infant of Bethlehem represents the journey of each individual and each nation in the world, the journey that entails our search for meaning, our search for purpose, our search for truth and lasting happiness in life, our search for salvation. While alive, we are all at various stages in the search. The search happens because we are “imago Dei” and “capax Dei”: created in God’s image and capable of receiving God. The search starts from every person’s conscience as we try to do good and avoid evil. The search ends when, after our death, we receive eternal salvation which Christ, the Savior beyond borders, earned for all humanity. In between, God gives guidance through apparition of angels as for Mary, through creation including stars as for the Magi, through dreams as for Joseph and the Magi, through prophecies in Scripture as for Mary, Joseph, the Magi, and the rest of us, in every time and place. Yes, all 8.1 billion humans from about 200 different nations at this time, like all human beings who have ever existed, are at various stages in this journey to the truth that saves. We face many Herods even in 2024, but the good news remains that God provides and uses all of us to share resources for the journey. I believe that even the gold offered by the Magi to the Infant of Bethlehem, was of great help to Joseph and Mary when they fled Judea to Egypt, to avoid Herod. As we share our gold with others, to help nurture every life from conception to natural death, to combat insecurity, ill-health, etc, like the Magi, may we have the strength and perseverance to follow God’s guidance to the Truth that enlightens and saves us. (Jn 14:6). Amen.  

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LIMITS OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE 

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

1. Joke. Let’s start with an AI generated joke. “A 5-year-old girl was asked by her teacher what she wanted to be when she grew up. She said, ‘I want to be a princess.’ The teacher said, ‘That's nice, but you know you have to work hard and study hard to be a princess, right?’ The girl said, ‘No, I don't. I just have to marry Harry.’” This joke was generated using Bing Chat, similar to ChatGPT. Jokes aside, Pope Francis, in his message for today, 57th World Day of Peace, titled, “Artificial Intelligence and Peace”, writes: “Human intelligence is an expression of the dignity with which we have been endowed by the Creator, who made us in his own image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:26) and enabled us to respond consciously and freely to his love.” Pope Francis adds that science and technology are brilliant products of human intelligence.  Echoing the Vatical II document on the Church in the Modern World, he states positively: “When human beings, ‘with the aid of technology’, endeavor to make ‘the earth a dwelling worthy of the whole human family’, they carry out God’s plan and cooperate with his will to perfect creation and bring about peace among peoples.” Looking at artificial intelligence in the plural, as “forms of intelligence” which are merely “fragmentary”, in the sense that they can only imitate certain functions of human intelligence, he stresses the moral dimension: “The unique human capacity for moral judgment and ethical decision-making is more than a complex collection of algorithms, and that capacity cannot be reduced to programming a machine, which as ‘intelligent’ as it may be, remains a machine.” Sisters and brothers, my sins and your sins, are concrete proofs of the limits of human intelligence, our abuse of the gift of freedom, leading to God’s intervention, a fresh start by God, sometimes called redemption or salvation. 

2. Salvation. In starting afresh, God did not discard His earlier creation or creatures but rather made new covenants with people whom He will use for the salvation of all. In today’s 1st (Nm 6:22-27) Moses, Aaron and other human mediators are taught how to invoke God’s blessings, on the Israelites. The 2nd reading (Gal 4:4-7), proclaims the perfect mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, true God and true man, true God with all divine attributes of being eternal and all-powerful, as well as true man, like us in all things except sin. All this is revealed in Scripture. “When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman”. Gal 4:4. “Born of a woman” who was specially prepared by God for the purpose, as Angel Gabriel announced: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Lk 1:28). Mary, full of grace, and with the Holy Spirit coming upon her, became the ever-virgin mother of the God-man Jesus Christ. What a sublime miracle of redemption! At last, God’s own creature, Mary, used her God-given intelligence and freedom, to say “Yes” to God, without reservation. And although our Lord Jesus has two perfect natures, divine and human, He remains one person, which is why Mary, the new Eve, the new mother of the living, is also mother of God, Theotokos! Today, we celebrate her special role and title as mother of God, thanks to God’s fresh start, a new Genesis that fulfills the first and goes beyond. 

3. Reception of Salvation. Sisters and brothers, if we allow God’s fresh start to inspire our own fresh start this new year, 2024, then the characters in today’s Gospel reading (Lk 2:16-21) become our models. Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The shepherds. People in Bethlehem. In the midst of their occupation of by Roman soldiers, in spite of their loss of independence to the Roman empire and the ensuing political instability and economic uncertainties, the shepherds and the people glorified and praised God over the Birth of the Messiah. Sisters and brothers, we should still praise and glorify God like the shepherds because the Messiah is the one who gives us ultimate victory over sin, the cause of war. Fresh repentance, will bring that ultimate victory for us individually and collectively. Human intelligence recognizes its own limits, its moral failures, and the need for repentance. In fact, Pope Francis holds that recognizing and accepting our limits as creatures is the condition for overcoming what he calls “technological dictatorship”, the obsessive attempt to overcome every limit through technology, including AI. As we undertake fresh repentance, as we turn afresh to Jesus Christ our Savior, through new year resolutions, let us like Mary, also ponder in our hearts God’s own fresh start in which Mary cooperated. One line from Dante Alighieri’s prayer to the Virgin, in his Divine Comedy, captures some of the essence of today’s Solemnity: “O Virgin Mother, Daughter of your Son”. Wow, so inspiring. Time for us to become better brothers and sisters of her Son, for He said: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it” (Lk 8:21). 

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WORST FAMILY SITUATION 

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

1. Ideal Family. Each member of the holy family of Jesus Mary and Joseph, had perhaps the worst family situation, compared to each of us and all of us, right now. Let’s start with St Joseph.All husbands and fathers, no matter the situation in your family and marriage right now, are in a better situation than St Joseph. Why? Imagine sharing a house with Mary and Jesus!  Joseph shared his house with two sinless people, meaning, if something went wrong, it was Joseph’s fault! Jokes aside, Joseph had it tough as husband of the ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and foster father of Jesus Christ, Son of God. From a merely human perspective, Mary and Jesus somewhat “messed up” Joseph’s life because they “deprived” him of conjugal relations and biological fatherhood. Besides murder you probably cannot hurt a man more than that. Yet, Joseph carried out his roles so remarkably well that in the entirety of Scripture, no word of his, is recorded: he didn’t seem to argue or complain. He just did what he was told and stayed in the background. He was the opposite of male chauvinism. Next is our Blessed Virgin Mary. All wives and mothers, no matter the situation in your family and marriage right now, are in a better situation than Mary. The BVM had it “worse”. Imagine giving birth in a manger. A powerful king Herod seeking specifically to kill your child. Having to escape with your baby to a different continent on foot or with donkey. Having the constant fear induced by what we just heard in today’s Gospel reading (Lk 2:22-40): “… and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many… and you yourself a sword will pierce…” (Lk 2:35). Mary watched the execution of her only son. And so on. Truly, it is hard to be envious of the Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph considering all the crises they went through, for the sake of our salvation. They form the model or ideal family and show us how to live our lives in our families and in the wider society in spite of any hardships such as poverty, uncertainties, displacement due to violence, war and persecution. 

2. Real Families. For those who are not (yet) spouses or parents, we are certainly children of our parents and we belong to real families, not an ideal one. Today’s 1st reading (Sir. 3:2-6, 12-14) reminds us of some of our duties as children of our parents and citizens of our country. It makes a beautiful synthesis of the 1st and 4th Commandments: “…he who obeys the Lord brings comfort to his mother. He who fears the Lord honors his father and serves his parents as rulers.” (Sir. 3:6-7). Our duties as children cannot be more complicated, than the situation of our Lord Jesus Christ since, as God-man, He had to obey both His heavenly Father, with whom He is co-eternal and equal, as well as His earthly parents. In today’s Gospel reading, we see the ideal situation where His earthly parents took Him to the temple in Jerusalem where they carried out precepts based on God’s covenant with Israel in view of the salvation of mankind. Note that the law which they carried out (Ex 13:2, 12) during the presentation in the temple could have been done elsewhere but His earthly parents chose to do more than what was required, the extra piety of doing it in the temple. However, an apparently conflicting situation did arise about 12 years later (Lk 2:49-50) when our Lord asked his earthly parents: “‘Why were you searching for me?’ ‘Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?’ But they did not understand what he said to them.” You see, even living with saints still calls for conflict resolution. What followed showed our Lord as obedient to both His heavenly Father and earthly parents: “He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.” So, both Mary and Joseph knew how to be silent, how to contemplate God’s wonders, so that their home became not just the model family but also the model church, model family of God. 

3. You and Me. We have many lessons to learn from the Holy Family, depending on our state in life. From our Lord, from our Lady and from St Joseph, I learn the lessons of today’s 2nd reading (Col 3:12-17), including “heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…” which combine to help me live a fruitful celibate life as a spiritual father in the Church, just as St Joseph was a foster father. What about you? The Church offers us more opportunities to learn from the Holy Family in 2024 which has been declared “Year of Prayer”. I suggest we use the Litany of the BVM, the Litany of St Joseph, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to pray, to praise God and to imitate Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. May 2024 be a year of growth in holiness for you and me, and for the entire human family. Amen.

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FINAL CHRISTMAS 

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

1. The First Noel. A man sent his friend a cryptic Christmas ecard. It said: A B C D E F G H I J K M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z. The recipient puzzled over it, finally gave up and texted asking for an explanation. His friend responded, "No L." (Noel). Today we celebrate the 1st Noel. The Gospel reading (Lk 2:15-20) recounts the event. A popular Christmas carol puts these same events into song. Let’s sing its first verse.  The first Noel the angel did say, Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay; In fields where they lay, keeping their sheep, On a cold winter's night that was so deep: Refrain Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel. 

2. Last Noel. How about my last Noel? My last Christmas? How about my final Christmas? The reason for Christmas is partly to make everyone’s final Christmas in this world a thing of joy. Thanks to the first Christmas, our final Christmas will still be a happy one, since it will signal each person’s birth into eternity. We rejoice at the birth of the Messiah. He came to save us. He saves us through His victory over death, turning death into a birth, a new birth, a birth into eternity, an eternity of perpetual happiness and peace. Yes, sisters and brothers, the reason for Christmas is human salvation. Christ came to save all human beings. Today’s first reading (Is 62:11-12) affirms Christ’s mission as Savior of the world: “See, the Lord proclaims to the ends of the earth…your savior comes!” (v.62). Today’s responsorial psalm echoes the same message of universality: “The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory.” (Ps 97:6). For any person alive now or who has ever lived, no gift is greater than the gift of eternal salvation. That is precisely the complete package that the infant of Bethlehem brought to humanity. Of course, He does provide daily bread, recovery from sickness, temporary joys of owning homes, job security and all that. But He came to offer us more than these, namely, the ultimate gift of eternal salvation, something completely beyond our means. Today’s 2nd reading emphasizes salvation as God’s gift: “When the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, He saved us …through Jesus Christ our savior….” (Titus 3:4-7). Of course, God brought other creatures to cooperate in His plan of salvation. Angels did their part as we heard in today’s Gospel reading (Lk 2:15-20). Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, the people of Bethlehem, Magi from the East, and so on, played amazing roles in the nativity of the Messiah. 

3. Receiving Salvation. How then do we receive this salvation that the infant of Bethlehem brought? What happens to those men and women who lived before Christmas? What happens to all those who have never heard the Gospel of Christ even now? What about adherents of non-Christian religions? These questions help unravel some of the beauty and mysteries of Christmas. Precisely because the Son of God, by His incarnation, took up human nature in addition to His Divine nature, then all human beings who have ever existed and who will ever exist, now have a connection with Christ the Savior. Precisely because the impediment to eternal life is sin, salvation is therefore salvation from our sins and the consequences of sin. The savior of mankind was born in order to die and resurrect on behalf of all human beings, thereby gaining for all the gift of salvation. Thus, all human beings are implicitly connected with Christ and can share in the saving effects of His birth, teachings, miracles, death, resurrection, ascension to Heaven, sending of the Holy Spirit to form the Church, the Sacraments through which He gives us graces to live according to His will, His final coming and judgement of the world. It is an ontological connection. Just as no creature is outside God’s providence as Creator, no human being is outside the reach of Jesus Christ as Savior of mankind. Circumstances of place and time are not used against anyone. In other words, no one misses salvation except through their own fault, just as Scripture says (Mk 16: 16, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned") and just as the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 846-848) explains: “Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation. (CCC 847, Lumen Gentium 16). And all this because of this infant of Bethlehem. 

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BLESSING OF VIRGINITY 

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

4th Sunday of Advent, Yr B. 24th Dec 2023. 

1. Virginity Pledge. Thanks be to God, every human being is either a virgin or was once a virgin. What a blessing! Today’s Gospel reading (Lk 1:26-38) recounts the blessing of virginity and miraculous motherhood conferred on Mary, leading to the blessing of all humanity. Let us cherish these blessings. Studies have shown that at least 1 in 8 adolescents in the US have taken a virginity pledge. Some report 1 in 5. (J Adolesc Health, NIHMS460085). “Among adolescents in the United States, it is estimated that 23% of females and 16% of males have made a virginity pledge”. (Promising the future: virginity pledges and first intercourse. Am J Sociol.) These virginity pledges are common among Catholics, Baptists, Evangelicals and other Christian groups in general, according to the studies. Such pledges express inspiring ideals. One from “True Love Waits”, reads: "Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, my friends, my future mate, and my future children to a lifetime of purity including sexual abstinence from this day until the day I enter a Biblical marriage relationship.” And these teens are not keeping their ideals secret. A teenage boy, Pierce Bridges, joined many other teens in wearing a sweatshirt with inscription “Virginity Rocks” but was told by a teacher in Clay High School, Florida, back in Sept 2019, to change it, because “Virginity Rocks” was inappropriate. The boy stood his ground saying on TV "I took it personally because it's supporting something with my religion, and it's supporting abstinence” until marriage.  Londyn Piglowski, a 13-year old boy had similar experience in January 2020 at Wentzville Middle School outside St. Louis, Missouri. God is rekindling in us some moral values through our younger generation. What a blessing! 

2. Mary’s Question. Of course, today’s Gospel reading affirms family values in the context of the Incarnation of the Son of God. After Angel Gabriel announced to Mary: “you will conceive in your womb and bear a son…”, the question Mary asked Gabriel was somewhat strange: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” As we heard, Mary was “a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph.…” So Mary was formally engaged to Joseph. Why did she not think that Joseph would be the father of this son that the Angel was announcing? Afterall, the Angel said “you will conceive”. Mary was engaged to a man. So, everything was in place. Her “strange” question highlights something extraordinary about her betrothal to Joseph, something that will end up making her virginity perpetual and her motherhood a blessing for all mankind. Well, the Angel revealed God’s answer: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you”. And this answer also fulfilled God’s promises, some of which we heard in the 1st reading (2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16).  

3. Blessing Revoked. A few days ago, on 18th Dec. 2023, Fiducia Supplicans, a Vatican Declaration “On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings” reminded us: “From a strictly liturgical point of view, a blessing requires that what is blessed be conformed to God’s will…” (#9). In the 1st reading, David proposes to build a House for the ark of God and asks for prophet Nathan’s blessing. Nathan gave his blessing, saying, “Go, do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.” But God did not honor Nathan’s blessing, since it did not conform with God’s will for David. God rather instructed Nathan that night about God’s actual plan. Clearly, not all that men of God bless, is blessed by God. Note that the proposed house was for God’s ark. God actually rewarded David’s generous offer, but in God’s way, not David’s way, as Nathan said to David: “The Lord also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you….Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.” It was fulfilled as we heard in today’s Gospel. Joseph, of the house of David, provided a dwelling for the Son of God. Joseph’s house became God’s house! What a blessing and with many lessons!  For me, the greatest lesson is Mary’s “yes” to God, accepting to be Virgin and Mother. She is the model Christian: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Lk 1: 38). Let’s say yes to God like Mary, in spite of our questions and fears, trusting as she did, that nothing is impossible for God. 

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FACIAL RECOGNITION 

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

3rd Sunday of Advent, Yr B. 17th Dec 2023. 

1. Unrecognized.  Facial recognition technology speeds up check-ins at airports, enhances security, and so on. Let’s start with a facial recognition joke.Mrs Jones started doing her makeup as soon as she woke up. Her husband asked the reason. She replied, “I locked my phone with facial recognition. And it’s not recognizing me without makeup.” Although TIME Magazine’s data-driven and internet-based ranking puts Jesus Christ as the most significant person in history (https://ideas.time.com/2013/12/10/whos-biggest-the-100-most-significant-figures-in-history/), we know that there are places in our world today where our Lord is yet to be recognized just as He was unrecognized among the people of Bethany, as John the Baptist pointed out in today’s Gospel reading: “…but there is one among you whom you do not recognize…” (Jn 1:26). Sisters and Brothers, although I am joyful because I know Christ, and my heart is filled with gratitude to God, I have not yet been able to rejoice always or pray without ceasing as we are taught in today’s 2nd reading (1 Thess 5:16-24). Why? It’s because there are aspects of my life in which Jesus Christ still stands unrecognized as He stood unrecognized at Bethany. I am yet to recognize Christ in some of my neighbors. What about you? Here is a story about this challenge. 

2. Sorrowful Joy. The disciples of a rabbi once asked him: “Rabbi, how should one determine the moment in which night ends and day begins?” The rabbi answered: “It is when you look into the face of a stranger and see your sister or brother, until then, night is still with us.” Yes, night is still with us on this planet at this time, with so many conflicts, but we can be joyful in anticipation of the dawn. It is anticipatory joy. It is sorrowful joy which happens when we trust in the unfailing love of God in the midst of a fallen world. No wonder today is called “Gaudete Sunday”. The readings give us reasons to rejoice: “Gaudete” is Latin for the imperative “rejoice!”. The rose-colored candle for today or even rose-colored vestments emphasize the words of Scripture that we have reasons to rejoice, despite the darkness around. Rose or pink is the color that combines the passion of red with the purity of white and it is associated with love, tranquility, tenderness, nurturing, vulnerability, and joy. It means that our repentance, our confession of our sins, and efforts at amending our lives during the first two weeks of Advent (purple) are now bearing fruits of joy. We are now experiencing joy in anticipation of ultimate salvation. 

3. Joyful Reasons. That ultimate salvation starts with many forms of liberation as outlined in the first reading (Is 61:1-2, 10-11). Though poor because of unequal opportunities, though broken-hearted because of sickness and death of dear ones, though in captivity by our addictions, though imprisoned by our vain passions, we have received the good news of a Kingdom of zero poverty, complete health, total freedom and perfect happiness through the forgiveness of our sins. This is why we should rejoice. Our victory over sin is unfolding. Prophet Isaiah claimed it for himself, and each of us should do the same using his words: “I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice”. (Is 61:10). We are rejoicing over what God has done and continues to do to save us. I am singing in my heart the inspired words of the Blessed Virgin Mary in today’s responsorial psalm: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Lk 1:46). But my joy is still sorrowful joy and incomplete because I am yet to fully recognize the image of God, of Christ, in every human being on this planet. Another statement from Our Lady’s Magnificat, gives me joyful hope. She said: “He has come to the help of his servant Israel”. Yes, Israel as Jacob, committed many sins and also suffered bitterly from the sins of others. Jacob, took his twin brother’s birthright when Esau was at his weak point due to hunger. Jacob deceived his Dad and got blessings meant for Esau. Esau tried to kill Jacob. Jacob fled for 20 years. It was 20 years of darkness. But God came to the help of Jacob, inspiring him to return and reconcile with his brother Esau. That reconciliation led to the most exciting facial recognition of all time. After Esau ran to, embraced, and kissed his brother, and they wept for joy, Jacob said: “…to see your face is for me like seeing the face of God—and you have received me so kindly.” (Gen 33:10). Wow, this means that when we forgive our enemies, the image of God already in every human being, becomes even clearer and our forgiven enemies recognize the face of God! May our reconciliation with others this season of joy, lead to such facial recognition and peaceful coexistence, to the glory of God. Amen. 

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HOW TO CONTRIBUTE TO WORLD PEACE 

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

2nd Sunday of Advent, Yr B. 10th Dec 2023. 

1. Text Message. It was the 2nd Sunday of Advent, on 6th Dec 2020, and of course the Scripture readings were the same as today. Fr Pius started his homily with a bit of leg-pulling on his congregation. He said: “Did you hear that Heaven is done with all the sinfulness in the world and it is time for all the wicked people to be destroyed? But before doing that, Archangel Michael has just sent a special text message to all righteous people. Please pull out your phones now and check the message. What does it say?” People turned on their phones and there was disappointment on every face. One girl quickly texted her Dad: “Daddy please forward yours to me”. And her Dad texted back: “You mean you didn’t get one?” Of course, Fr Pius told them he was kidding and proceeded to share the text-message constantly being sent to every heart: the voice of conscience that calls each of us to do good and avoid evil. Today’s 2nd reading (2 Pt 3:8-14) reinforces that message in view of the 2nd and final coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, we are awaiting “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells”. Yes, we are “eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.” 

2. Repentance. Yes, God on His part is not “delaying” but is patient with us, “not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pt 3:9). And now, Sisters and Brothers, imagine if everyone on this planet repented right now, as God wills. Hamas would release all hostages. The war in Gaza would stop. Israelis and Palestinians will forgive each other. Putin would pull out troops from Ukraine. Babies will no longer be killed in abortion. Domestic violence would end. And the entire human family would be at peace, ready for eternal happiness with our Savior. So, repentance is the key step to personal peace and world peace. Every act of repentance, every act of turning away from evil and doing good, leads to world peace. Sisters and Brothers, thank you for contributing to world peace, every time you heed the voice of a well-formed conscience, every time you embrace the Sacrament of Reconciliation, every time you say, “I’m sorry” and make amends, every time you do and say kind things, every time you come to worship and to receive the grace to live a holy life. 

3. John and the People. Today’s 1st reading (Is 40:1-5, 9-11) and the Gospel (Mk 1:1-8) remind us how God promised and used John the Baptist to help people prepare for the 1st coming of the Messiah, through the same things we are engaging in today, namely, repentance and worship. Removing every mountain and hill, filling-in every valley to make a straight highway in the desert (Is 40:3-5), takes a lot of heavy-duty equipment such as caterpillars, cranes, excavators. Those heavy-duty equipment are John’s trademark life of voluntary poverty, in terms of his food, clothing and shelter. Food: locusts and wild honey. Clothing: camel’s hair and leather belt. Shelter: desert or wilderness. (Mk 1:4-5). John was the embodiment of ascetic preparation for the Christian mystery. We will meet him again next Sunday in the Gospel reading. For today, John’s ministry of “proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” was a resounding success: “People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.” (Mk 1:5). Wow. He was so successful that people began to assume he was the Messiah. So, he had to say: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.” (Mk 1:7). In other words, the Messiah is so great, so holy, so magnificent that John considered himself unworthy to even be a servant of the Messiah. John the Baptist considered himself unworthy to be “a Christian”. This puts John in the company of Moses, Isaiah, Peter, Paul, etc who all felt their unworthiness before God and Christ. They did not lack self-esteem but grounded their self-esteem in humility. Brothers and Sisters, as we patiently await “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells”, let us emulate John the Baptist’s humility by recognizing our unworthiness before Christ, a humility that makes us to repent, to confess our sins, to do penance, amend our lives; a humility that removes the mountains and hills of pride from our lives, a humility that fills the valleys of our heart with compassion for others, thereby contributing to world peace; a humility that makes our lives revelations of God’s glory. Amen. 

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BEST TALKING CCTV 

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

1st Sunday of Advent, Yr B. 3rd Dec 2023. 

1. Talking CCTV. By the end of 2021, an estimated one billion surveillance cameras or closed circuit television (CCTV) sets, were in operation globally. To begin his Christmas shopping, Mr Johnson went with his 5-year old son Chris to a huge shopping mall on the day after Thanksgiving. Inside the mall, Chris naturally got fascinated with the toys at the Toys-R-Us section and wandered away from his Dad. When Mr Johnson could no longer find little Chris amidst the crowd of people in the Christmas rush – he went to a security guard and asked: “Please can I look at the monitors of your CCTV cameras?” The guard answered, “Of course” and took him to the monitors. And there, one of the many monitors, showed little Chris, surrounded by toys but crying. Mr Johnson asked the guard, “Can I use the intercom to speak with him?” The guard said: “You don’t need the intercom as that may distract everyone, we have talking CCTV cameras. I’ll let you speak with him using the camera closest to him.” The guard pressed the button for the CCTV camera closest to Chris. Mr Johnson said. “Chris”. The little boy looked around and recognized his Dad’s voice. “Daddy”, he said. Mr Johnson continued, “I can see you although you can’t see me. Please stay where you are, I’m coming to you right away.” Dear Sisters and Brothers, that is what today’s 1st reading (Is 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7) is like. Just like little Chris, we have all wondered away from our God, fascinated by toys. We have discovered that without God, the toys don’t bring lasting happiness. We are crying in the midst of toys and asking: “Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways…?” (Is 63:17). And God takes the initiative, like Mr Johnson using the talking CCTV, to tell us, He is on the way. God used the prophets like intercoms to announce to the Israelites the 1st coming of the Messiah, and we are preparing to celebrate the Birth of the Messiah. God continues to use the closest talking CCTV to us, the CCTV that best respects our privacy, the best talking CCTV, the talking CCTV in our hearts, that is, our consciences, to prepare us for the second and final coming of the Messiah. 

2. Advent.  Our Lord Himself announces it in today’s Gospel reading (MK 13:33-37): “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.” The Season of Advent gives us ample opportunity to enhance our alertness and watchfulness. It spans the four weeks of preparation to commemorate the 1st coming while being alert and ready for the 2nd coming of our Lord. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) reminds us succinctly: “When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior's first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming.” (CCC 524). We are here because we truly desire God’s kingdom of justice, love, and peace. And the talking CCTV in our hearts, our consciences, enable us to hear God’s consoling voice, to discern what is right, to be watchful and ready for the final coming of our Lord. Moreover, our own transition from this life is also something to prepare for, something that can occur at any time. Hence, we have double motivation to be ready all the time. 

3. Ready All the Time. In spite of this clear teaching of our Lord, it seems that some people prefer to fix the date rather than be ready all the time.  I guess it is easier to focus on a particular date, rather than be alert all the time. There are hundreds of records of such predictions. In Wikipedia, there is a list of dates that people explicitly predicted as the date for the 2nd coming of Christ or the end of the world. After counting 170 different dates by different people through the centuries, I got tired. Let me share with you just 3 of these. 1. In 1988, Rev. Colin Hoyle Deal published a book: Christ Returns by 1988 – 101 Reasons Why.  2. In the same year, Edgar Whisenant, a NASA engineer set a date for the return of Jesus. He wrote a book titled, 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Take Place in 1988. 3. It was in March 1997, that 39 members of a California cult called Heaven’s Gate, headed by Marshall Applewhite, exploded onto the national scene with their mass suicide in a luxurious mansion at Rancho Santa Fe near San Diego in California. The words of our Lord in today’s Gospel reading are clear and could have prevented the paranoid anxiety and tragedy in these 3 instances: "Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.” Let us take solace in St Paul’s prayer in today’s 2nd reading (1 Cor 1:3-9): “He (God) will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Our special spiritual preparation for Christmas, should spur us to be prepared to meet Jesus at all times, whether at the end of our lives or the end of the world, whichever comes first. 

 
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THE SERVANT KING 

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

34th Sunday, Yr A. Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. 26th Nov 2023. 

1. Royalty. As people living in a democratic society, the idea of a king or queen may make us uncomfortable. But every human authority should make us uncomfortable since we know too well of abuses of authority, irrespective of the form of government. Back in the Middle Ages, as the story goes, two people watched a medieval king get out of his golden chariot to go into a church for some service. One of them said with anger: “I long to see the day when royalty will be treated as common people.” But his friend turned to him and said, smiling: “I long to see the day when common people will be treated like royalty.” Sisters and brothers, that is precisely what has happened to you and me. We are now royalty because Christ our King has chosen to save and serve us. He has saved us from our sins. He is the Servant King. Yes, we commemorate our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe, who “came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”. (Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45, Jn 13: 1-17). Christ is a different kind of King who rules from the Cross, whose crown is made of thorns (Jn 19:2). St Elizabeth of Hungary, a princess from Hungary and Queen in Germany, understood this when she said: “How can I wear a crown of gold when the Lord wears a crown of thorns? And wears it for me!” She gave up her royalty to live a life of penance, prayer, and sacrificial charity. She turned her castle into a hospital and tended the sick herself. She carried out all the corporal works of mercy we just heard in today’s Gospel reading. Against the backdrop of dictatorships and secularism, Pope Pius XI instituted this Feast of Christ the King in 1925 in his encyclical Quas Primas, to remind Christians that Christ the Servant King must reign in our hearts, minds, wills, and bodies. The ongoing brutal wars in Ukraine, Gaza and other places, arising from man’s inhumanity to man, show that our world is still in need of such reminders. There are more reminders in all 3 Scripture readings today. 

2. Service.  The 1st reading (Ez 34:11-12, 15-17) reminds us that God who provides for us as our shepherd, will also be our judge: “As for you, my sheep, says the Lord God, I will judge between one sheep and another”. The 2nd reading (1 Cor 15:20-26, 28) reminds us of the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, His resurrection and His 2nd coming for the last judgment. The Gospel reading (Mt 25:31-46) describes the criteria for the last judgement, the criteria for our sharing in God’s Kingdom. In this description, our Lord rewarded people for their charity: “'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’” (Matt 25: 34-36). We refer to these as the 7 corporal works of mercy since they address the physical needs of the poor (CCC 2447). There are also 7 spiritual works of mercy, but we leave those for another day. The punchline from our Lord today is: '…whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ I thank God for you because many of you here are charitable in so many ways. We thank God as a community of believers because all over the world, the charitable works of so many Christians have become beacons of hope in an otherwise dark world. Since we serve Christ, when we help the poor, let us improve the quality of our charity. 

3. High Quality. Just believing the words of Christ that whatever we do for the poor we do for Him, should raise the quality of our charity. I see new clothes donated at St Vincent de Paul Stores, not merely used ones. I see better medical facilities in poor areas where patients can hardly pay, not merely dispensaries; better meals at food pantries, etc. Looking for more inspiration? The people of Venice gave us some in their Ospedali Grandi, charitable hospices, which provided many high quality services for the needy. For instance, in Ospedale della Pietà, an orphanage, the orphans were trained in classical music to the highest professional levels by the best music teachers of the day such as Antonio Vivaldi. The training was so good that rich parents, secretly brought their children and dropped them off at the scaffetta or foundling wheel, a secret small opening for dropping off orphans. The nuns and priests who ran the orphanage ended up putting up a plaque with a curse to deter such rich parents. Those parents then copied the orphanage by establishing Conservatories of Music which have spread around the world! Sisters and brothers, let’s share our best with Christ in the poor, not merely our leftovers! Then our charity becomes a sacrifice in union with that of Christ, the Servant King, to the glory of God and for the salvation of many. 

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PASSCODE TO SUCCESS 

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

33rd Sunday, Yr A. 19th Nov 2023. 

1. Faithfulness. When Mr Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company, and Mrs Clara Ford celebrated their golden wedding anniversary, a reporter asked them, “To what do you attribute your fifty years of successful married life?” Mr. Ford responded, “The formula, is the same formula I have always used in making cars—just stick to one model.” In one word, fidelity. Or faithfulness. All the Scripture readings today contain that same advice of faithfulness to the end, as a passcode or key to success in marriage, in family life, in our work, in our education, in our vocation, overall success in life, lasting success, leading to eternal joy. Yes, in the first reading (Prov 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31) the advice is from a mother to her son. The reading presents excerpts from the divinely inspired advice of a mother to her son. Prov 31:2 says “What are you doing, my son! What are you doing, son of my womb; what are you doing, son of my vows!” The good son is expected to find a good wife to whom he will be faithful, and so this mother presents the virtues of a good wife to her son: “When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls.” (Prov 31:10).  “Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Acclaim her for the work of her hands, and let her deeds praise her at the city gates.” (v 30-31).  Thus, among the virtues of the good husband, according to this advice from a queen mother to her son, is recognition of the good character of his wife, not just charm or beauty. Beauty is fleeting. But character lasts. Pricing moral character over physical attributes, gives mutual and lifelong fidelity in marriage a firm foundation. This advice is good for all women and men, and for all times and cultures including our own. 

2. Talents and Faithfulness. In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 25:14-15, 19-21) our Lord gives the Parable of Talents with the following punch line for each of the two servants who traded and doubled their talents: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.” So, it is about faithfulness, in this case to the master, the generous master. The master did not share drachmas or denarii or pennies to the servants but eight Talents. One Talent (from Greek τάλαντον, talanton meaning 'scale' or 'balance') was a unit of weight of approximately 36 kg or 80 pounds and as a unit of money, was valued for that weight of silver. One talent was therefore worth about 6,000 denarii and a denarius was the usual payment for a day's labor (Mt 20:2, Jn 12:5). At this rate, one Talent was worth 16 years of labor! Talents in this context are creative abilities and graces given each of us. They are ‘bits of God’ in each of us. With these, we can care for others, ourselves, and our environment. The parable challenges us to use our talents or lose them. Using our Talents well depends on our relationship with God who gave them generously. Faithful to God, we take risks and work for a better world, a more peaceful world. Doubtful of God’s generous love, we bury our talents and seek to throw out anything connected with faith in God. I have learned a lot of joyful practical lessons from this parable. Let me share two more in the light of the 2nd Reading which continues the theme of being faithful to the end: “…stay alert and sober” (1 Thess 5:1-6).

3. Joyful Lessons: (i). It turns out that the labor involved in digging and burying our talents, like the third servant, can even be more than the labor involved in the minimum investment of putting it in the bank as suggested in the parable. Negativity is expensive. Infidelity is expensive and a great loss in the end. Laziness is stressful. (ii) The generous master gave talents based on abilities which we can interpret as opportunities. This is consoling. God does not give us responsibilities beyond us. We will be judged based on what we did with what we were given, not what we end up with. The two faithful servants received the same reward for their fidelity and hard work though they got different amounts to begin with. Let us pray for increased commitment and fidelity to the Gospel of Christ, a fidelity that makes us use our God-given talents in spreading love and peace, so that at the end of our earthly lives, we will hear those words: “…Come, share your master's joy.” 

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HOMILY FOR MY FUNERAL 

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

32nd Sunday, Yr A. 12th Nov 2023. 

1. Funeral.  Less than 1 mile from this pulpit, at St John’s Church, I concelebrated the Funeral Mass for the former President of Creighton University, late Fr John P. Schlegel, SJ, on November 20th, 2015. We were all enchanted, when Fr Joseph Brown, SJ, the homilist, who was Fr Schlegel’s best friend, brought out a sheet of paper from his pocket, and showed everyone saying, “this is ‘Homily for My Funeral’, by Fr John Schlegel.” It was the homily that Fr Schlegel had prepared for his own funeral. Fr Brown, added to the drama by refusing to read the homily. Putting it back into his pocket and turning to the casket, he remarked smiling: “thank you buddy for preparing so well but we’ll talk about this when I join you there”. We were all consoled and even laughing during the funeral largely because 9 months before his death, Fr Schlegel wrote a farewell letter to us, to everyone who knew him. Here are a few lines: “The word I share with you now will come as a surprise to you, or even a shock, as it did to me. The diagnosis is that I have pancreatic cancer. At this time, it is inoperable because of the size of the tumor and its proximity to a major artery…. So, this is, perhaps, a farewell letter. …I believe suffering is at the heart of the Christian story. But I also agree with Teresa of Avila in noting that “pain is never permanent.” God has been so very good to me. I have had a very rich and productive life. … God is indeed a gracious and generous God. Because of you I do not fear death…. I rely on your prayers that my life, my ending, may praise and glorify God…. Thank you for your friendship across the years. Please forgive any offenses. Continue to build God’s kingdom. When you pray for me, please use the prayer for Fr. Arrupe’s canonization. Who knows, I may be the miracle he needs to become a saint! …Regardless, we keep in mind the hopeful words of St. Paul ‘if we have died with Christ, we shall also live with him.’ PEACE TO ALL…. until we meet again!” Dear sisters and brothers, that letter is one concrete application of all the Scripture readings today. There are many tips for the remainder of our own journey in today’s Scripture readings, hinged on wisdom in particular and virtue in general. 

2.  Preparation. Fr Schlegel definitely did some remarkable preparation for his passing away after his diagnosis. The parable of the ten virgins or ten bridesmaids in today’s Gospel (Mt 25:1-13) is about preparation and the fact that some things are not transferable or cannot be borrowed at the last minute. We can all borrow money or material property. But we cannot borrow virtue or character. The first reading (Wis 6:12-16) introduces wisdom, the virtue that enables us to give appropriate value to things. The reading presents the good news that wisdom “can be found by those who seek her.” Yes, wisdom can be learned, can be taught, or acquired. I remember a verse of the Bible which my late Dad taught me: Proverbs 6:6. It says: “Go to the ants, you sluggard, consider its ways and be wise”. So, we can acquire wisdom even from observing creatures and creation. Further verses add: “It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest”. In other words, ants are prepared. Being prepared is a mark of wisdom.  The 2nd reading (1 Thess 4:13-18) indirectly answers the question: what should we be most prepared for? Of course, our transition from this mortal life to eternal life in Heaven. In the Gospel reading (Mt 25:1-13), our Lord illustrates steps to be taken by the wise in preparation for the kingdom of Heaven. The five wise bridesmaids were prepared for a long haul. Dear sisters and brothers, the focus of my meditation on this parable has been whether the five wise bridesmaids were lacking in charity when they refused to share their oil with the other five. 

3. Virtue is personal. From this parable, I am warned that there are certain things which can hardly be acquired at the last minute, namely: (1) a good relationship with God and neighbor, (2) good character, and (3) humble service done to others. The parable also warns me that these same qualities which can hardly be obtained at the last minute, unfortunately, cannot be borrowed. The oil that could not be shared or transferred signifies good character or virtue.  You will not be able to lend me your virtue. This is my opportunity to emulate or copy your good qualities, those of our Lord and of the Saints. You may support me now by your prayers and good example but ultimately, I have to get my virtue. And my virtues will be the real homily for my funeral and beyond. My virtues will console and comfort those I leave behind. May this Holy Mass be another outpouring of God’s grace to each of us to grow in personal virtue and holiness. Amen.   

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DO I PRACTICE WHAT I PREACH? 

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

31st Sunday, Yr A. 5th Nov 2023. 

1. How’s My Driving? As part of the rite of ordination, I and other candidates for ordination were given the book of the Gospel. And those challenging words of exhortation were pronounced by the Bishop: “Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you now are. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.” Today’s Scripture readings directly challenge me and other preachers of the Word of God, in a very public way. Yes, God is our ultimate judge. Yes, the Archbishop is my immediate supervisor. Yes, there are many spiritual resources and administrative procedures to help me believe what I read, preach what I believe, and practice what I preach. But today’s Scripture readings alert you, dear Sisters, and Brothers, to expect good example from me and also tells you what to do, if I fail to give you good example. To some extent, today’s readings are like those “How is my Driving?” signs or stickers posted on the back of company vehicles, with a phone number for you to call. In our case, the question is: How is my lifestyle? Do I practice what I preach? And the first number for you to call and report, is God’s direct line: prayer. Of course, you know or should know other numbers. 

 

2. Examples. In the first reading (Mal 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10), God, through the prophet Malachi calls the priests of the day to repent or face consequences: “And now, O priests, this commandment is for you: If you do not listen, if you do not lay it to heart...I will send a curse upon you....You have turned aside from the way, and have caused many to falter by your instruction”. It seems the priests not only gave bad example by failing to practice what they preached. They gave wrong instruction. Fortunately, we have good example in the second reading (1 Thes 2:7b-9, 13) where, the Apostle Paul presents himself as a good example of servant leadership in a serving Christian community. St Paul not only practiced what he preached, he preached that he practiced it: “Brothers and sisters: We were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children. With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our very selves as well...” Wow. In today’s Gospel (Mt 23:1-12), our Lord warns His disciples against imitating the actions of Scribes and Pharisees, the learned religious leaders of his day who had been more concerned with self-promotion than with serving God. Christ-like leadership calls for integrity and humility from all those in authority, whether priests, parents, teachers, or politicians. 

 

3. Over to me and you.  So, I ask myself, I’m I pharisaic in the discharge of my duties as a priest? Do I seek the praises of people and not the glory of God? Do I practice what I preach? This self-introspection is meant to help me imitate Christ more and more, especially in His humility and servant leadership. Notice how our Lord warned His disciples to beware of Scribes and Pharisees: “Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example”. This means that bad example around me is not a sufficient excuse for not practicing what I preach, as a priest, as a parent, as a teacher, a leader anywhere. You and I, all of us, have the good example of Christ as our ideal. And so we pray to learn from our Lord: “Jesus meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like unto yours”.  

Finally, here as a story to remind us of today’s Scripture lesson, to practice what we preach.  A gentle driver was being tailgated by a stressed out driver on a busy road. Suddenly, the light turned yellow just in front of him. The gentle driver did the safest thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection. The tailgating driver became angry, blew the horn, and screamed in frustration for missing the chance to get through the intersection. While still fuming, a police officer tapped on his window and ordered him to exit the car, hands up. He was taken to the police station, searched, finger-printed, and photographed, and then placed in a holding cell. A few hours after, the officer came to the cell and said: "Sir, I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were angrily blowing your horn because I noticed your 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'What Would Jesus Do?' bumper sticker, the 'God Is Love' sticker. So, I immediately I assumed you had stolen the car! Perhaps you could work on practicing what you preach.” 

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LOVE INSURANCE 

Homily by Fr Andrew Ekpenyong, at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, Omaha, USA. 

30th Sunday, Yr A. 29th Oct 2023. 

1. Best TV Advert. In recent times, the Superbowl (annual championship game of the National Football League) has been the most-watched American television broadcast of the year. No wonder it features the most expensive commercial airtime. This year, 2023, a 30-second Super Bowl commercial was a record-high average cost of $7 million. This year’s 115.1M viewership is 2nd only to the most watched US TV broadcast of all time, namely the Apollo 11 moon landing viewership of 150M. However, it was during the 2020 Superbowl that we had perhaps the best ever TV Ad of all time, presented by “New York Life”, a Life Insurance Company. Let me repeat the first 46 seconds of this 1-minute advert. “The ancient Greeks had four words for love. The first is ‘Philia’. Philia is affection that grows from friendship. Next, there’s ‘Storge’ – the kind you have for a grandparent or a brother. The third is ‘Eros,’ the uncontrollable urge to say, ‘I love you.’ The fourth kind of love is different. It’s the most admirable. It’s called ‘Agape’ – love as an action. It takes courage. Sacrifice. Strength.” The Ad ends with the proposition that providing for our loved ones when we are gone, as a form of Agape, is a life well-lived. So true. It is the best TV advert because it tells us the best way to live, just like today’s 1st reading (Ex 22:20-26), just like the love exemplified by the Thessalonians in the 2nd reading (1 Thes 1:5c-10).  It tells us what the Gospel reading (Mt 22:34-40) reminds us today. The Ad correctly presents life insurance as a form of love insurance.  

2. Agape in Action. Sisters and Brothers, Agape is first of all God’s love, Divine Love, unconditional love, sacrificial love, Christian love. Agape is the love in John 3:16. Agape is the love in the Scripture Readings today. Agape is the greatest commandment in the Bible, namely, to love God and express it in action by loving Him in our neighbor.  In the Gospel reading our Lord gave the Pharisees a clear answer, citing Deuteronomy 6:5 “…Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength". Yes, that TV Ad was right: agape takes courage, sacrifice and strength. Then our Lord added its complementary law from Leviticus 19:18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Thus, our Lord summarized the entire sacred library in two sentences. All these hang on two loves: love of God and love of neighbor. And in one word, Agape. 

3. Absence and Presence. Today’s first reading tells us clearly what will happen if we fail to show agape to our less fortunate neighbours and those neighbours pray. God will answer their prayers. Notice the examples of our less fortunate neighbors given: widows, orphans, debtors, foreigners, etc, in short, the greatest victims of the vicissitudes of life. Violence and wars are currently plaguing many parts of the world. Violence and wars are times of great and amazing agape, and also times of shocking lack of agape. In the spirit of agape, faith-based charities, the Red Cross, Red Crescent, Magen David Adom (Red Star of David), some governments, corporations, and individuals around the world are praying, speaking out, sending food and medical supplies, etc, to help those affected by these conflicts. No surprise that the largest independent humanitarian organization in the world, the International Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement, has two mottos involving agape, namely, "inter arma caritas" meaning "In war, charity"; and "per humanitatem ad pacem" meaning "Through humanity to peace". They exemplify our collective love insurance for our neighbors during conflicts as in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, right now. Unfortunately, some people do turn the misfortune of others to their benefit by exploiting wars and violence for political and even economic advantage. Yet, the 2nd reading encourages us today by praising the presence of Agape in a Christian community in Thessalonica. The surest path to loving people is if our love for them is rooted in our love for God. And after we all joined Pope Francis on Friday 27th October 2023, in fasting and praying for peace, he reminded us today: “At this time, let us not allow the clouds of conflict to hide the sun of hope. Rather, let us entrust to Our Lady the urgency of peace, so that all cultures might be open to the Holy Spirit's outpouring of harmony.” Yes, even as the clouds of conflict thicken, our Agape for God and neighbor can grow through prayer, penance and sacrifices for peace. Hatred will not have the last word. Love will always win. 

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