Saturday, November 27, 2010

HOMILY FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A

HOMILY FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A
Isaiah 2:1-5 /Psalm 122/ Romans 13:11-14/ Matthew 24:37-44
Luke 21:5-19

Agorsor Aaron Agbeshie

Theme: Be a true disciple of Jesus

Last Sunday brought the Liturgical Year to a close. Traditionally, the Gospel reading on the Feast of Christ the King and the First Sunday of Advent talk about the “Last Things”. Advent is both a beginning and an end, an alpha and omega of the Church’s year of grace. It is a season of longing expectation for the glorious Parousia in which we say “Come Lord Jesus.” Advent traditionally has two focuses:
• 1st Sunday of Advent to 16th December recalls the promise of a Messiah and at the same time focuses on the Second Coming of the Messiah to judge.
• 17th-24th December focuses on the First Coming of the Messiah, the fulfillment of the promise of this Messiah and the closest events before the coming of the Messiah.

In chapter one of the Prophet Isaiah, God laments over the waywardness of Israel when he says “Hear o Heavens and listen o earth, for the Lord has spoken: I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me…” (Isaiah 1:1a). It is against this backdrop that the First Reading of today is calling for a return to God who is the way, the truth and the life (Cf. John 14:6). It is calling on all of us to return to God so that he will teach us his ways so that we may walk in his path.

In the First Reading, the Prophet Isaiah gives the Israelites and for that matter all of us a message of hope; a message of salvation. It reminds that salvation is for all and Jesus is the fulfillment of the longing of humanity in which people of every race, language, culture and the like will be united in a common bond of love. “All the nations will stream to it; peoples without number will come to it…” (Isaiah 2:2-3).
Do we love Jesus? If we love him, then why are sad that he is coming?
The kind of kingdom the prophet envisages is a kingdom of peace; of love and understanding as symbolized in the following words “…These will hammer their swords into ploughshares, their spears into sickles. Nations will not lift sword against nation, there will be no more training for war…” (Isaiah 2:4). This is the kind of vision John saw “They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of living water and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 6: 16-17). It is a universal kingdom in which every body matters.
Clearly, it is this universalistic dimension of the Kingdom as described by Isaiah in the First Reading that Jesus reverts to in the Gospel Reading of today. Today we should note that the kingdom of salvation that Jesus establishes is something that grows, a mustard seed which becomes the greatest shrubs, a tree that all the birds of the air come to make a nest in it. I must emphasise that the Kingdom of God was an existing reality in Jesus’ First Advent (Incarnation); it is a present reality in his second coming in the Church’s Sacraments and Liturgy and in the Spirit’s presence in the Church; the Kingdom of God will reach full maturity in the events Parousia and judgment.
Jesus’ teaching about the “Last Things” can be reduced to three propositions: that he will certainly return, that we cannot possibly find out when and that therefore, we must be always ready for him. This is the same message we hear in the Gospel reading of today. “As in the days of Noah, so will the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37). Men were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away. What men were doing were not sinful but innocent daily occupations. Their fault was that they allowed themselves to become so engrossed in these otherwise occupations that they gave no thought to impending judgment. We are, therefore warned against that interest in secular business that would make us forget the judgment ahead of us.
We must be true disciples of Jesus. Indeed we are called to be “samples” of Jesus, replicating who Jesus is to the world.
We are called upon to be vigilant. In the Second Reading, Paul makes it clear what vigilance is all about. He says “It is now time to wake from sleep because our salvation is much closer than when we first accepted the Faith” (Romans 13:11). Paul calls all of us to appreciate the fact that since we have come out of night into day, each moment of our life must express the fact that we have entered into these last days. We live in the time between Christ’s first coming and his return; in the time between our baptism and our resurrection.
This is the time of the Church and the Sacraments. This is the time reserved as a testing time for believers, a time for moral effort, a time of watching and waiting. St. Paul puts this moral effort metaphorically as stripping and reclothing. We have to put on the new man, Christ himself.
Advent is a time of rousing. Man is shaken to the very depths, so that he may wake up to the truth of himself. The primary condition for a fruitful and rewarding Advent is renunciation and surrender. Man is called upon to let go of all his mistaken dreams, his arrogant behaviors and all his pretenses with which he hopes to deceive himself and others. If man fails to confront himself as regards his salvation, he will be taken over by events and anxiety and suffering may force him to deny Christ. Christ calls us to endurance because that is what will win us our salvation.
In sum, nobody is sad when his beloved is visiting him or her especially if that beloved has been long in coming. We become so anxious to get the best for our loved ones. We Christians claim we love Jesus but we are not happy he is coming, rather we are sad. A faithful Christian should be happy that Jesus is coming because he is always prepared.

HOMILY FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A

HOMILY FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A
Isaiah 2:1-5 /Psalm 122/ Romans 13:11-14/ Matthew 24:37-44
Luke 21:5-19

Agorsor Aaron Agbeshie

Theme: Be a true disciple of Jesus

Last Sunday brought the Liturgical Year to a close. Traditionally, the Gospel reading on the Feast of Christ the King and the First Sunday of Advent talk about the “Last Things”. Advent is both a beginning and an end, an alpha and omega of the Church’s year of grace. It is a season of longing expectation for the glorious Parousia in which we say “Come Lord Jesus.” Advent traditionally has two focuses:
• 1st Sunday of Advent to 16th December recalls the promise of a Messiah and at the same time focuses on the Second Coming of the Messiah to judge.
• 17th-24th December focuses on the First Coming of the Messiah, the fulfillment of the promise of this Messiah and the closest events before the coming of the Messiah.

In chapter one of the Prophet Isaiah, God laments over the waywardness of Israel when he says “Hear o Heavens and listen o earth, for the Lord has spoken: I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me…” (Isaiah 1:1a). It is against this backdrop that the First Reading of today is calling for a return to God who is the way, the truth and the life (Cf. John 14:6). It is calling on all of us to return to God so that he will teach us his ways so that we may walk in his path.

In the First Reading, the Prophet Isaiah gives the Israelites and for that matter all of us a message of hope; a message of salvation. It reminds that salvation is for all and Jesus is the fulfillment of the longing of humanity in which people of every race, language, culture and the like will be united in a common bond of love. “All the nations will stream to it; peoples without number will come to it…” (Isaiah 2:2-3).
Do we love Jesus? If we love him, then why are sad that he is coming?
The kind of kingdom the prophet envisages is a kingdom of peace; of love and understanding as symbolized in the following words “…These will hammer their swords into ploughshares, their spears into sickles. Nations will not lift sword against nation, there will be no more training for war…” (Isaiah 2:4). This is the kind of vision John saw “They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of living water and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 6: 16-17). It is a universal kingdom in which every body matters.
Clearly, it is this universalistic dimension of the Kingdom as described by Isaiah in the First Reading that Jesus reverts to in the Gospel Reading of today. Today we should note that the kingdom of salvation that Jesus establishes is something that grows, a mustard seed which becomes the greatest shrubs, a tree that all the birds of the air come to make a nest in it. I must emphasise that the Kingdom of God was an existing reality in Jesus’ First Advent (Incarnation); it is a present reality in his second coming in the Church’s Sacraments and Liturgy and in the Spirit’s presence in the Church; the Kingdom of God will reach full maturity in the events Parousia and judgment.
Jesus’ teaching about the “Last Things” can be reduced to three propositions: that he will certainly return, that we cannot possibly find out when and that therefore, we must be always ready for him. This is the same message we hear in the Gospel reading of today. “As in the days of Noah, so will the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37). Men were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away. What men were doing were not sinful but innocent daily occupations. Their fault was that they allowed themselves to become so engrossed in these otherwise occupations that they gave no thought to impending judgment. We are, therefore warned against that interest in secular business that would make us forget the judgment ahead of us.
We must be true disciples of Jesus. Indeed we are called to be “samples” of Jesus, replicating who Jesus is to the world.
We are called upon to be vigilant. In the Second Reading, Paul makes it clear what vigilance is all about. He says “It is now time to wake from sleep because our salvation is much closer than when we first accepted the Faith” (Romans 13:11). Paul calls all of us to appreciate the fact that since we have come out of night into day, each moment of our life must express the fact that we have entered into these last days. We live in the time between Christ’s first coming and his return; in the time between our baptism and our resurrection.
This is the time of the Church and the Sacraments. This is the time reserved as a testing time for believers, a time for moral effort, a time of watching and waiting. St. Paul puts this moral effort metaphorically as stripping and reclothing. We have to put on the new man, Christ himself.
Advent is a time of rousing. Man is shaken to the very depths, so that he may wake up to the truth of himself. The primary condition for a fruitful and rewarding Advent is renunciation and surrender. Man is called upon to let go of all his mistaken dreams, his arrogant behaviors and all his pretenses with which he hopes to deceive himself and others. If man fails to confront himself as regards his salvation, he will be taken over by events and anxiety and suffering may force him to deny Christ. Christ calls us to endurance because that is what will win us our salvation.
In sum, nobody is sad when his beloved is visiting him or her especially if that beloved has been long in coming. We become so anxious to get the best for our loved ones. We Christians claim we love Jesus but we are not happy he is coming, rather we are sad. A faithful Christian should be happy that Jesus is coming because he is always prepared.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Homily For The 33rd Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year C

Malachi 3:19-20 /Psalm 98/ 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12/
Luke 21:5-19

Agorsor Aaron Agbeshie

Theme: Your endurance brings salvation

The readings of today deal with the “last things” namely Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. Jesus describes the coming tribulation in four ways namely the destruction of the temple, the description of the age, the return of the Lord and the responsibilities of believers.
The prophet Malachi lived in Jerusalem after Israel’s exile in Babylon. For the Israelites, unlike their Babylonian counterparts, history is moving toward a goal determined by the Lord; towards the realization of the promises that the Lord had given his people about the eschatology and the Parousia.
What the prophet Malachi envisages namely the ‘Great Deliverance’ had been foreshadowed and exemplified by the deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt and would, therefore, be heralded by tribulations similar to the plagues that preceded the Exodus.
It is such tribulation that the prophet Malachi speaks of in the First Reading of today. “ The day comes, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble and the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings” (Malachi 4:1-2a). This means that whenever and however it may be, the Lord’s saving will will be carried out and this will mean vindication for the upright and judgment for the wicked. It also means that there will be new order of things.
It is this new order of things that Luke captures in the Gospel Reading of today. In their admiration of the beautiful things of this life, the disciples were disappointed at Jesus’s answer that such things will not stand the test of time.
One day a young boy called Nyamekye was walking along the Elmina beach. Suddenly, he found a bar of gold which has been watched ashore. He became so happy and said: “Now I never have to work again in my life”. But when he tried to sell it, the buyers put him off because the money they wanted to offer was not worth the gold. Several days later, Nyamekye found out that his life was in danger because the buyers wanted to kill him in order to possess the gold. He had to choose between the gold and his life. With the gold buyers looking on, he went to the beach, took his gold, and threw it into the sea as far as he could. The question is:
1
“What hold do our material possessions have on us? When wealth is lost, nothing is lost, when health is lost, something is lost, when character is lost, everything is lost”.
Instead of worrying about something we do not have control over namely the Parousia, let us rather focus on what preparation we are making to await the Messiah. The interesting thing is that even in our suffering, Jesus is asking us to bear witness to him and that is the only way we can win our salvation. Thus before Jesus comes “… Men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over to the synagogues and to imprisonment and bring you before kings and governors because of my name and that will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:12-13). Last week we learnt that as Christians, we are called to witness to the resurrection. Today, Jesus reminds that this witnessing entails suffering; it entails making a fundamental option for Jesus even if it means a detachment from family traditions or ties. This is because “You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends…” (Luke 21:16).
The decision to follow Jesus is personal and it demands a radical response. The story of the seven brothers and their mother in last week’s First Reading should spur us on.
This generation is an evil generation because it is a generation that looks for a sign. “ For the Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentile but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (I Corinthians 1:22-24). What are you looking for?
The faithful Christian is never surprised at the coming of the Lord. The emphasis in today’s Gospel is on Christian preparedness or watchfulness in the service of the Lord. To be watchful means to be vigilant. Jesus is by this urging us all to be vigilant, to resist evil and to overcome temptation especially the temptation to give up. The point is not that we should cut down our sleep, but that we should be careful to lead fully Christian lives, untainted as much as possible by the values and aspiration of the sinful world around us. It is a Christian who falls into sin, remains in sin, omits to pray and watch who will be surprised by the unexpected arrival of the Master. “You must also be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40).
St. Paul had had his share of trouble with false messiahs who said that the end of the world was imminent and so some Thessalonians have stop working in preparation for the Parousia. For Paul, the solution is that “If anyone who will not work, let him not eat “(2 Thessalonians 3:10). For some of us instead of working we find ourselves interfering with other people’s work. Our life must be productive otherwise it is not worth living. Man is by nature a ‘Homofaber’ (a worker). Homo faber suae quisque fortunae (“Every man is the artifex of his destiny”)
In sum, prediction about the Parousia is utterly impossible; indeed that impossibility is an essential part of the doctrine. Jesus’ teaching on the subject quite clearly consisted of three propositions: That he will certainly return; that we cannot possibly find out when; and that therefore, we must always be ready for him.
2
Homily For The 33rd Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year C

Malachi 3:19-20 /Psalm 98/ 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12/
Luke 21:5-19

Agorsor Aaron Agbeshie

Theme: Your endurance brings salvation

The readings of today deal with the “last things” namely Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. Jesus describes the coming tribulation in four ways namely the destruction of the temple, the description of the age, the return of the Lord and the responsibilities of believers.
The prophet Malachi lived in Jerusalem after Israel’s exile in Babylon. For the Israelites, unlike their Babylonian counterparts, history is moving toward a goal determined by the Lord; towards the realization of the promises that the Lord had given his people about the eschatology and the Parousia.
What the prophet Malachi envisages namely the ‘Great Deliverance’ had been foreshadowed and exemplified by the deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt and would, therefore, be heralded by tribulations similar to the plagues that preceded the Exodus.
It is such tribulation that the prophet Malachi speaks of in the First Reading of today. “ The day comes, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble and the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings” (Malachi 4:1-2a). This means that whenever and however it may be, the Lord’s saving will will be carried out and this will mean vindication for the upright and judgment for the wicked. It also means that there will be new order of things.
It is this new order of things that Luke captures in the Gospel Reading of today. In their admiration of the beautiful things of this life, the disciples were disappointed at Jesus’s answer that such things will not stand the test of time.
One day a young boy called Nyamekye was walking along the Elmina beach. Suddenly, he found a bar of gold which has been watched ashore. He became so happy and said: “Now I never have to work again in my life”. But when he tried to sell it, the buyers put him off because the money they wanted to offer was not worth the gold. Several days later, Nyamekye found out that his life was in danger because the buyers wanted to kill him in order to possess the gold. He had to choose between the gold and his life. With the gold buyers looking on, he went to the beach, took his gold, and threw it into the sea as far as he could. The question is:
1
“What hold do our material possessions have on us? When wealth is lost, nothing is lost, when health is lost, something is lost, when character is lost, everything is lost”.
Instead of worrying about something we do not have control over namely the Parousia, let us rather focus on what preparation we are making to await the Messiah. The interesting thing is that even in our suffering, Jesus is asking us to bear witness to him and that is the only way we can win our salvation. Thus before Jesus comes “… Men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over to the synagogues and to imprisonment and bring you before kings and governors because of my name and that will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:12-13). Last week we learnt that as Christians, we are called to witness to the resurrection. Today, Jesus reminds that this witnessing entails suffering; it entails making a fundamental option for Jesus even if it means a detachment from family traditions or ties. This is because “You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends…” (Luke 21:16).
The decision to follow Jesus is personal and it demands a radical response. The story of the seven brothers and their mother in last week’s First Reading should spur us on.
This generation is an evil generation because it is a generation that looks for a sign. “ For the Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentile but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (I Corinthians 1:22-24). What are you looking for?
The faithful Christian is never surprised at the coming of the Lord. The emphasis in today’s Gospel is on Christian preparedness or watchfulness in the service of the Lord. To be watchful means to be vigilant. Jesus is by this urging us all to be vigilant, to resist evil and to overcome temptation especially the temptation to give up. The point is not that we should cut down our sleep, but that we should be careful to lead fully Christian lives, untainted as much as possible by the values and aspiration of the sinful world around us. It is a Christian who falls into sin, remains in sin, omits to pray and watch who will be surprised by the unexpected arrival of the Master. “You must also be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40).
St. Paul had had his share of trouble with false messiahs who said that the end of the world was imminent and so some Thessalonians have stop working in preparation for the Parousia. For Paul, the solution is that “If anyone who will not work, let him not eat “(2 Thessalonians 3:10). For some of us instead of working we find ourselves interfering with other people’s work. Our life must be productive otherwise it is not worth living. Man is by nature a ‘Homofaber’ (a worker). Homo faber suae quisque fortunae (“Every man is the artifex of his destiny”)
In sum, prediction about the Parousia is utterly impossible; indeed that impossibility is an essential part of the doctrine. Jesus’ teaching on the subject quite clearly consisted of three propositions: That he will certainly return; that we cannot possibly find out when; and that therefore, we must always be ready for him.
2
Homily For The 32nd Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year C

2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14 /Psalm 17/ 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5/
Luke 20:1-27-38

Agorsor Aaron Agbeshie

Theme: live your Christian life with conviction

We are gradually drawing the Liturgical curtain to a close. The readings are reminding us about the Parousia or the second coming of Christ. We are called to persevere in our faith and hold on to what is good.


The First Reading of today invites us to live out our Christian faith with conviction. The story about the death of the seven brothers together with their mother brings out the cruelty with which people of old suffered in their desire to follow their conscience. Their crime was that they refuse to eat pork: “It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king under torture with whips and thongs to partake of unlawful swine’s flesh” (2 Maccabees 7:1).

They were ready to die for the faith of their ancestors. This is because they believed that God will rescue them on the last day. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it beautifully when it says: “God revealed the resurrection of the dead to his people progressively. Hope in the bodily resurrection of the dead established itself as a consequence intrinsic to faith in God as creator of the whole man, soul and body. The creator of heaven and earth is also the one who faithfully maintains his covenant with Abraham and his posterity. It was in this double perspective that faith in the resurrection came to be expressed. In their trials, the Maccabean martyrs Confessed: “… One cannot but choose to die at the hands of mortals and to cherish the hope that God gives of being raised again by him” ( Maccabees 7:14).

Like these brave characters in the First Reading, “Our influence is like a shadow; it may fall where we think we’ve never been. We also need to realize there are no “time-outs” or “vacations” we can take in keeping God’s commandments or being true to our conscience. Stay on track with what you know is right.” Indeed, the Truth is only one and these characters stood for the truth and they suffered martyrdom. They bore witness to the faith and so confirmed what Pope Paul VI once said “The world is in need of witnesses and not teachers. If they are teachers then they themselves must be witnesses.”


It is this faith in the resurrection that is captured in the Gospel Reading of today. The Sadducees posed a hypothetical question to Jesus as regards Jewish law of Levirate marriage. They accepted as Scripture only the five books of Moses and they did believe in Angels, Spirits or the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:8). They claimed that Moses did not write about any of these doctrines. The priestly party in Israel was composed of the Sadducees, which explains why the priests opposed the apostles’ preaching of the resurrection ( Acts 4:1-2) and why they wanted to kill Lazarus who was raised from the dead ( John 12:10-11).

To be a witness to Christ is to be a witness to his Resurrection. Indeed as St. Paul puts it succinctly: “If there is no resurrection of the dead then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain… if for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1Corinthians 15:13-14, 19).

“Indeed, they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection” (Luke 20:36). If they will be like angels, there comes the reason why they do not marry. In this dying world there must be marriage, in order to the filling up of the vacancies made by death; but, where there are no burials, there is no need of weddings. This crowns the comfort of that world that there is no more death there, which sullies all the beauty, and damps all the comforts, of this world.

While grappling with questions like these, we can draw insight, strength and encouragement from the stories of God's people through the ages who have dealt with similar issues. Today, our challenge may not be about dietary laws but about moral decadence, child abuse, parental irresponsibility, broken homes, and the like. We are called to live our faith in these challenging circumstances because with God all things are possible; we are called to focus on God as did the seven brothers and their mother.

What at all was their motivation for doing what they did? It calls for reflection. What is our motivation for being Christians? Is it to show off or it is a call to total faith in the person of Christ.

Those of us in positions of authority must be careful what they do. They should be careful not to assume the place of God in their dealings with their subordinates.


The remarkable story of the seven brothers and their mother can still provide inspiration for us today. Relying on God and drawing strength from the scriptures, the seven brothers and their mother prevailed against the King and his officials. They show us what it means to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). They demonstrate that faith can indeed move mountains and make all things possible (Matt. 17:20; 21:21-22).

In sum, as the Liturgical Year draws to a close, we are called to behold “ … Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8).
Homily For The 32nd Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year C

2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14 /Psalm 17/ 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5/
Luke 20:1-27-38

Agorsor Aaron Agbeshie

Theme: live your Christian life with conviction

We are gradually drawing the Liturgical curtain to a close. The readings are reminding us about the Parousia or the second coming of Christ. We are called to persevere in our faith and hold on to what is good.


The First Reading of today invites us to live out our Christian faith with conviction. The story about the death of the seven brothers together with their mother brings out the cruelty with which people of old suffered in their desire to follow their conscience. Their crime was that they refuse to eat pork: “It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king under torture with whips and thongs to partake of unlawful swine’s flesh” (2 Maccabees 7:1).

They were ready to die for the faith of their ancestors. This is because they believed that God will rescue them on the last day. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it beautifully when it says: “God revealed the resurrection of the dead to his people progressively. Hope in the bodily resurrection of the dead established itself as a consequence intrinsic to faith in God as creator of the whole man, soul and body. The creator of heaven and earth is also the one who faithfully maintains his covenant with Abraham and his posterity. It was in this double perspective that faith in the resurrection came to be expressed. In their trials, the Maccabean martyrs Confessed: “… One cannot but choose to die at the hands of mortals and to cherish the hope that God gives of being raised again by him” ( Maccabees 7:14).

Like these brave characters in the First Reading, “Our influence is like a shadow; it may fall where we think we’ve never been. We also need to realize there are no “time-outs” or “vacations” we can take in keeping God’s commandments or being true to our conscience. Stay on track with what you know is right.” Indeed, the Truth is only one and these characters stood for the truth and they suffered martyrdom. They bore witness to the faith and so confirmed what Pope Paul VI once said “The world is in need of witnesses and not teachers. If they are teachers then they themselves must be witnesses.”


It is this faith in the resurrection that is captured in the Gospel Reading of today. The Sadducees posed a hypothetical question to Jesus as regards Jewish law of Levirate marriage. They accepted as Scripture only the five books of Moses and they did believe in Angels, Spirits or the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:8). They claimed that Moses did not write about any of these doctrines. The priestly party in Israel was composed of the Sadducees, which explains why the priests opposed the apostles’ preaching of the resurrection ( Acts 4:1-2) and why they wanted to kill Lazarus who was raised from the dead ( John 12:10-11).

To be a witness to Christ is to be a witness to his Resurrection. Indeed as St. Paul puts it succinctly: “If there is no resurrection of the dead then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain… if for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1Corinthians 15:13-14, 19).

“Indeed, they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection” (Luke 20:36). If they will be like angels, there comes the reason why they do not marry. In this dying world there must be marriage, in order to the filling up of the vacancies made by death; but, where there are no burials, there is no need of weddings. This crowns the comfort of that world that there is no more death there, which sullies all the beauty, and damps all the comforts, of this world.

While grappling with questions like these, we can draw insight, strength and encouragement from the stories of God's people through the ages who have dealt with similar issues. Today, our challenge may not be about dietary laws but about moral decadence, child abuse, parental irresponsibility, broken homes, and the like. We are called to live our faith in these challenging circumstances because with God all things are possible; we are called to focus on God as did the seven brothers and their mother.

What at all was their motivation for doing what they did? It calls for reflection. What is our motivation for being Christians? Is it to show off or it is a call to total faith in the person of Christ.

Those of us in positions of authority must be careful what they do. They should be careful not to assume the place of God in their dealings with their subordinates.


The remarkable story of the seven brothers and their mother can still provide inspiration for us today. Relying on God and drawing strength from the scriptures, the seven brothers and their mother prevailed against the King and his officials. They show us what it means to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). They demonstrate that faith can indeed move mountains and make all things possible (Matt. 17:20; 21:21-22).

In sum, as the Liturgical Year draws to a close, we are called to behold “ … Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8).
Homily For The 31st Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year C Wisdom 11:22-12:2 /Psalm 145/ 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2/ Luke 19:1-10
AGORSOR AARON AGBESHIE
Theme: TO LIVE IS TO CHANGE

Our Liturgy for today draws our attention to the inexhaustible mercy of God. We are also called not to take the mercy of God for granted. We are again reminded that to God the whole world is like a grain of dust. Yet He loves all that exists, and comes to dwell with sinners.

In the First Reading, Wisdom reminds us of the nothingness of man before God. Yet, in our nothingness, God cares for us even when we stray. He says, “In your sight, Lord, the whole world is like a grain of dust like a drop of morning dew falling to the ground” (Wisdom 11:22). This means that perhaps God can do without us because if the whole world is like a dew before God then what about you and me? It is humbling to hear that even though we may appear to be insignificant before God, he cares for each and every one of us.

Wisdom says this about God “You spare all things because all things are yours, Lord, lover of life, you whose imperishable spirit is in all” (Wisdom 11:26-12:1). Indeed, God’s imperishable Spirit is in all things He has created and so he cannot hate what he has created. This is why God cannot afford to lose anyone. He desires that all of us should come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved. However, because of the free will God has given us, man sometimes chooses not to be saved. But even when we reject God, he does not reject us.

“ Therefore, you correct little by little those who trespass, and you remind and warn them of the things through which they sin, so that they may be freed from wickedness and put their trust in you, O Lord” ( Wisdom 12:2). These words are true for Zacchaeus in the Gospel reading of today. He experienced the inexhaustible mercy of God when he was privileged to encounter Jesus on the road to Jericho. Zacchaeus never called Jesus; he was only fascinated about the man Jesus and just wanted to see him. But Jesus who sees the heart of man saw that the man needed something more than just seeing him and so “When Jesus came to the place , he look up and said to him ‘ Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today” ( Luke 19:5).

I think that the humility of Zacchaeus drew Jesus’ attention to him for we are told that because he was too short in stature, “He ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way” (Luke 19:4). Can you imagine a rich chief tax collector climbing a tree just because he wanted to see a poor man? Indeed, the mercy of God is available to all to access but it demands of us a little bit of effort. For St. Augustine, when God decided to create us, He did not consult us but He cannot save us without our consent.


The preceeding verses were about the healing of the blind beggar. He called out to Jesus for help. In the case of Zacchaeus, Jesus takes the initiative to welcome him. In both cases, the crowd tried became an obstacle but they did not allow it to hinder them from seeing Jesus. Let us watch out for the “crowd” (the Pulling Down syndrome). A lot of people followed Jesus but it is only those who desire to encounter him who will see him. Our encounter with Jesus must be personal. The very moment we truly encounter Jesus, our unworthiness is laid bare and so for Jesus to go to the house of Zacchaeus was the realization of his undivulged dream. It meant that Zacchaeus wanted the opportunity to reform his life but perhaps because his fellow Jews have already condemned him, he saw in Jesus a man who came to seek the lost.

It is as if to say that in gratitude to God for mercy shown him, he said, “… Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much” (Luke 19:8). Do the scripture not say that this is necessary? “How hard it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God” (Luke 18:24-25). Riches are an obstacle and Zacchaeus removed that obstacle.

According to Abraham Marslow’ Hierarchy of needs, at the apex is ‘Self-actualisation.’ This was the level Zacchaeus had attained. He has all the luxuries the world gives but something precious was missing (Self- transcendence) in his life namely Jesus. That is why it is not surprising that rich and powerful as he was, he would climb a tree (something perhaps unheard off of someone of his status) to get what he wanted.

Our encounter with Jesus must necessarily cause us something we cherish so much. It must effect a desired transformation in our lives. This is because the very thing we so much cherish, is what the Lord is demanding of us. For Zacchaeus, he recognized it and gave it freely to Jesus. Do you know what the Lord is demanding of you?

In sum, it is said that to live is to change and to be holy is to have changed often. The only thing that is constant in this world is change. Change, we must otherwise we miss the opportunity to encounter Jesus as Zacchaeus did. We must always recognize that God’s love reaches us in different ways. Each one of us is the masterpiece of God’s creation. God loves us. If only we could spend some time in silent reflection each day listening to his voice speaking to us through people and events, what a different world it would make!
Homily For The 31st Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year C Wisdom 11:22-12:2 /Psalm 145/ 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2/ Luke 19:1-10
AGORSOR AARON AGBESHIE
Theme: TO LIVE IS TO CHANGE

Our Liturgy for today draws our attention to the inexhaustible mercy of God. We are also called not to take the mercy of God for granted. We are again reminded that to God the whole world is like a grain of dust. Yet He loves all that exists, and comes to dwell with sinners.

In the First Reading, Wisdom reminds us of the nothingness of man before God. Yet, in our nothingness, God cares for us even when we stray. He says, “In your sight, Lord, the whole world is like a grain of dust like a drop of morning dew falling to the ground” (Wisdom 11:22). This means that perhaps God can do without us because if the whole world is like a dew before God then what about you and me? It is humbling to hear that even though we may appear to be insignificant before God, he cares for each and every one of us.

Wisdom says this about God “You spare all things because all things are yours, Lord, lover of life, you whose imperishable spirit is in all” (Wisdom 11:26-12:1). Indeed, God’s imperishable Spirit is in all things He has created and so he cannot hate what he has created. This is why God cannot afford to lose anyone. He desires that all of us should come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved. However, because of the free will God has given us, man sometimes chooses not to be saved. But even when we reject God, he does not reject us.

“ Therefore, you correct little by little those who trespass, and you remind and warn them of the things through which they sin, so that they may be freed from wickedness and put their trust in you, O Lord” ( Wisdom 12:2). These words are true for Zacchaeus in the Gospel reading of today. He experienced the inexhaustible mercy of God when he was privileged to encounter Jesus on the road to Jericho. Zacchaeus never called Jesus; he was only fascinated about the man Jesus and just wanted to see him. But Jesus who sees the heart of man saw that the man needed something more than just seeing him and so “When Jesus came to the place , he look up and said to him ‘ Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today” ( Luke 19:5).

I think that the humility of Zacchaeus drew Jesus’ attention to him for we are told that because he was too short in stature, “He ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way” (Luke 19:4). Can you imagine a rich chief tax collector climbing a tree just because he wanted to see a poor man? Indeed, the mercy of God is available to all to access but it demands of us a little bit of effort. For St. Augustine, when God decided to create us, He did not consult us but He cannot save us without our consent.


The preceeding verses were about the healing of the blind beggar. He called out to Jesus for help. In the case of Zacchaeus, Jesus takes the initiative to welcome him. In both cases, the crowd tried became an obstacle but they did not allow it to hinder them from seeing Jesus. Let us watch out for the “crowd” (the Pulling Down syndrome). A lot of people followed Jesus but it is only those who desire to encounter him who will see him. Our encounter with Jesus must be personal. The very moment we truly encounter Jesus, our unworthiness is laid bare and so for Jesus to go to the house of Zacchaeus was the realization of his undivulged dream. It meant that Zacchaeus wanted the opportunity to reform his life but perhaps because his fellow Jews have already condemned him, he saw in Jesus a man who came to seek the lost.

It is as if to say that in gratitude to God for mercy shown him, he said, “… Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much” (Luke 19:8). Do the scripture not say that this is necessary? “How hard it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God” (Luke 18:24-25). Riches are an obstacle and Zacchaeus removed that obstacle.

According to Abraham Marslow’ Hierarchy of needs, at the apex is ‘Self-actualisation.’ This was the level Zacchaeus had attained. He has all the luxuries the world gives but something precious was missing (Self- transcendence) in his life namely Jesus. That is why it is not surprising that rich and powerful as he was, he would climb a tree (something perhaps unheard off of someone of his status) to get what he wanted.

Our encounter with Jesus must necessarily cause us something we cherish so much. It must effect a desired transformation in our lives. This is because the very thing we so much cherish, is what the Lord is demanding of us. For Zacchaeus, he recognized it and gave it freely to Jesus. Do you know what the Lord is demanding of you?

In sum, it is said that to live is to change and to be holy is to have changed often. The only thing that is constant in this world is change. Change, we must otherwise we miss the opportunity to encounter Jesus as Zacchaeus did. We must always recognize that God’s love reaches us in different ways. Each one of us is the masterpiece of God’s creation. God loves us. If only we could spend some time in silent reflection each day listening to his voice speaking to us through people and events, what a different world it would make!