Catholic Sunday Homily Ideas

First Sunday of Lent Year B

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:44:00 +0000

First Sunday of Lent Year B
Readings: Genesis 9:8-15; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-15

A time of fulfilment; a time of spiritual surgery; a time to turn around; a time to change; a time to be renewed by Christ. At the beginning of each Lenten Season, we are called to renew our response to God's covenant with us, the promise that God made with each of us at Baptism. Lent is meant to be a time for our spiritual surgery and tune up; a time of getting closer to the Lord. It is a time to prepare for what lies ahead. Noah's story in the first reading fits perfectly with this understanding of the Lenten season. The image of Noah building the ark and the deluge destroying humanity and all creation opens a window into the drama of human struggle with evil. The flood was the result of humankind's desire to seek security in pleasure and wickedness, despite God's warning. The people of Noah's time turned a deaf ear, and even laughed at Noah building the ark. Since they did not listen to God's invitation to conversion, God used a language people could understand best - a catastrophic deluge. The saving of Noah, his family and part of creation, points to God's salvation in Christ through the New Ark of the Covenant- the Church, in the waters of Baptism.

The Gospel continues with the same theme of repentance in the words of Jesus: "This is the time of fulfilment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel". Jesus had just returned from the wilderness where he had been fasting and in the end tempted by the devil and was able to overcome all those temptations. Jesus is convinced that it is possible to overcome temptations no matter how strong they might be; it is possible to turn away from sin and turn to God. By overcoming those temptations, Jesus gives us his own example of putting up a good fight. We too can face our temptations and put up a good fight. That is why Jesus makes such an urgent appeal. "This is the time of fulfilment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel." The time has come for us to make a decisive turn around, and to enter into right relationship with God. The idea of repentance in the Old Testament is summed up in the Greek term "metanoia", a turning way from sin and returning to right action. Jesus' call comes out of this background appealing for repentance and "a change of heart"; a total spiritual transformation. This is a call for a radical change in our way of seeing life and the world. It involves a total transformation and assuming a new perspective in life based on the values Jesus teaches. As we begin Lent, it is important that we sharpen our understanding of this wonderful season. Lent is a time of inner spiritual surgery, a time when we search deep within our souls and personality to see where and how we have offended God, in order to amend, to change and transform our lives in readiness for the Paschal mystery of Easter. Lent is a time we try to be what we should be (perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect), in order to set the world on fire through our witness of life. So what message do we take home this Sunday? 1) At the beginning of each Lenten season, we are called to take to heart the message of Jesus in today’s Gospel “Repent and believe in the Gospel”. 2) Lent is therefore a call for a radical change of heart in response to Jesus’ call for repentance and for spiritual transformation of our lives. 3) Lent is a decisive turn around in order to enter into a deeper relationship with God. In so doing we become one with God.

©2012 John S. Mbinda

Ash Wednesday Year ABC

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:24:00 +0000

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Ash Wednesday Year ABC
Readings: Joel 2:12-18; Ps 51:3-4,5-6,12-13,14&17; 2 Cor 5:20-6:2, Matt 6:1-6,16-18

We gather today to celebrate “Ash Wednesday,” the first of forty days of the Lenten Season that precedes Easter. The name “Ash Wednesday” simply comes from the fact that this first day of the 40 days of Lent is always on a Wednesday, and the symbol used to mark this day is a sign of the cross with ashes on our foreheads. Through the ritual of ashes that is symbolic of penance, we are reminded that we as sinners are but dust and ashes. The ashes also remind us that we are in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness; that we need to turn away from sin. Where did this practice come from? Church history tells us that the liturgical practice of applying ashes on one’s forehead at the beginning of the Lenten Season goes back as far as the eight century. This was accompanied by different forms of fasting, prayer, sacrifice, and almsgiving. The first clear evidence of Ash Wednesday is around 960 AD, and in the 12th century people began using palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday for ashes.

Originally, ashes were imposed only on public sinners. These were excluded from the Church from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday. During that 40-day period, they did public penance outside the community of faith; they could not be present for the Eucharist. On Holy Thursday, in a very moving ceremony, they were brought back into the Church, reconciled, and ritually forgiven by the bishop in a dramatic ceremony. As time went on, ordinary sinners asked for the ashes as a sign of their repentance. The ashes given today are a sign that we want to repent; we want to turn our lives around (conversion) in preparation for Easter. The scripture readings for Ash Wednesday highlight this call to conversion. The first reading from the prophet Joel is a clear call to return to the Lord "with fasting, and weeping and mourning." We return with trust because our God is "gracious and merciful...slow to anger, rich in kindness and relenting in punishment." The prophet Joel does not call only for individual conversion. His appeal is to the entire community. "Blow the trumpet in Zion, proclaim a fast, call an assembly; gather the people, notify the congregation; assemble the elders, gather the children and the infants at the breast." Imitating that biblical tradition and later penitents over the centuries, we all become a community of penitents seeking to grow closer to God through repentance and renewal. With a different tone, Paul appeals to us in the second reading to "be reconciled to God." He insists that "Now is a very acceptable time; now is the day of salvation." In other words, the time to return to the Lord is now, this holy season, this very day. The Gospel for Ash Wednesday gives us good advice on how we are to act during Lent. Jesus speaks of the three main disciplines of the season: almsgiving, prayer and fasting. All of these spiritual activities, Jesus teaches us, are to be done without any desire for recognition by others. There is a certain irony used the Gospel! We are told to wash our faces so that we do not appear to be doing penance. Yet on Ash Wednesday we go around with "dirt" on our foreheads! This is just another way of Jesus reminding us not to perform religious acts for public recognition. We don't wear the ashes to proclaim our holiness but to acknowledge publicly that we are indeed a community of sinners in need of repentance and God’s mercy. May Ash Wednesday be the beginning of our spiritual transformation and reconciliation with God. May our prayer, fasting and almsgiving be effective means of deepening our relationship with God during this season

©2012 John S. Mbinda

Seven Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:52:00 +0000

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Seven Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Readings: Is 43: 18-19, 21-22, 24-25; 2 Cor. 1:18-22; Mk 2:1-12

Exiled by spiritual paralysis and liberated by God’s healing power and forgiveness. Those phrases help to capture the central message of this Sunday. The readings focus attention on how sin leads to our own exile, and how God’s healing power and forgiveness in Christ restores us back through healing and forgiveness. In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah presents a vision of the Lord preparing to lead his people through a new exodus from the Babylonian captivity to the homeland. The prophecy is an indication of God’s power to forgive, even though the chosen people have been unfaithful. God continually removes their sins and forgets them. There is a link between this vision and the responsorial psalm that features the cry of a suffering person in need of healing. In Psalm 41, we find both a prayer of the repentant sinner and great hope in the Lord who will restore the suffering to health. The inherent relationship between sin and suffering cannot be ignored, yet in the second reading Paul assures us of God’s commitment to heal and to pardon us in Christ. This faithfulness of God must be matched by our own complete permanent yes to God after the example of Christ.

The mystery of God’s healing and forgiveness in Christ is clearly proclaimed in the Gospel, in the context of a moving drama of a miraculous healing of a paralyzed person. The paralytic who is at the centre of the story never says a word. We know nothing about him except two important facts. Jesus healed him physically and healed him spiritually. After recognizing the faith in those bringing the sick person on a stretcher through the roof, Jesus first deals with the sick person’s inner spiritual sickness. “Child, your sins are forgiven”, and as the people in the room were wondering about his claim to forgive sins, Jesus heals the paralytic, who to the amazement of everybody takes up his stretcher and walks away. Often times in many cultures physical illness is intertwined with the spiritual. The words of Jesus this Sunday “your sins are forgiven” touch us deeply. Often times spiritual healing leads to physical healing. We might not be paralysed physically but we suffer from our own self-exile and paralysis due to sin. Sin can be so overpowering that we feel incapable of any movement towards healing. We would like to rise and straighten our lives, but something holds us back. In such a condition, we argue with ourselves: “I certainly need to go to confession, but how?” I have destroyed my marriage; destroyed my family and ashamed myself and the family. I want forgiveness, but I don’t have the courage to get up. I probably will sin again because I cannot control my temptations. When one gets to that stage, one is obviously paralyzed by sin and needs healing just like the man in the Gospel. Our paralysis is less visible but just as real and it certainly turns us away from God. So what message do we take home this Sunday? 1) The readings this Sunday proclaim the joyful news of God’s healing power and forgiveness in Christ; 2) The miracle of healing the paralyzed person is much more a pointer to our own spiritual paralysis caused by sin; 3) Like the paralyzed man, we too are in need of being healed of our spiritual paralysis by Jesus, who is always ready to heal and to restore us from our own exile into freedom. I am Msgr. John Mbinda, St. John Apostle and Evangelist, Mililani, Hawaii. God bless you.

©2012 John S. Mbinda

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 06:08:00 +0000

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Readings: Lev 13:1-2, 44-46; 1 Cor. 10:31-11:1; Mk 1:40-45

This weekend on the eve of St. Valentine, we celebrate World Marriage Day. Ironically, the readings are not about marriage, but about the mystery of Christ a friend of outcasts, who does the impossible by touching the untouchable out of compassion and God’s loving care. One of the legends from the third century about St. Valentine says that he was a young priest who was martyred in Rome because the Emperor had issued a decree delaying marriage for young men in order to send then into the military. He argued that the unmarried ones proved to be better soldiers. St. Valentine defied the emperor’s order and out of compassion continued to perform marriages of young men and women and one day he was caught and martyred. What the saint was doing out of compassion was to bring about healing of the human heart that yearns for fulfilment. The Church celebrates marriage precisely in order to bring about that deeper healing that only the Sacrament of Marriage can bring about. Marriage is a communion of two persons, a man and a woman, whose love is configured to and shaped by, the very love and compassion Jesus reveals in the healing he performs in today’s Gospel.

Therefore the love that forms the communion between husband and wife is the same healing and compassionate love of Jesus who joins every couple together for the healing of their body and spirit. That is why we call marriage a sacrament. Marriage as a sacrament makes the love and compassion of Jesus Christ intimately present. Christian marriage is in fact a participation in God’s economy of healing love that comes from Jesus Christ in the sacrament of marriage. In married love, God’s grace continually bring about that mutual healing and compassion that Jesus proclaims in today’s Gospel. It is not just about healing of sickness, but about the healing of our human yearning for communion that is anticipated through the sacrament of marriage.

On this World Day of Marriage, the Church offers an opportunity to all married couples to strengthen their bond of communion in a society where marriage is under attack from all sides. Whatever it takes to strengthen your union with each other and with Christ, do it. The old saying of Father Patrick Payton is still valid as it was in the 1950s. “The family that prays together remains together.”

What message do we take home? 1) The central message of this Sunday is that Jesus out of compassion can touch us and heal and strengthen our life spiritually. 2) But like the leper in the Gospel we must go forward and ask Jesus to heal us. We must never be ashamed or in self-denial of our need for healing. 3) If ever we find our marriage on the rocks, we must never remain there but go forward seeking healing from Jesus, and he will once again pour our into your heart that love you so badly desire.

©2012 John S. Mbinda

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:58:00 +0000

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Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Readings: Job 7:1-4; 6-7; 1 Cor. 9:16-19, 22-23; Mk 1:29-39

Mystery of human suffering, brokenness, God’s compassion and healing are some of the words that help us capture the central message of this Sunday. The readings proclaim God’s healing power in Christ, who heals our brokenness and restore us to wholeness. The First Reading on the story of Job leads us to reflect on the drama and mystery of human suffering. It raises the question of suffering and its relationship to our faith and trust in a God who cares for all people. As this story unveils, we realize that human suffering and misery have always remained a mystery. During the past years of economic crisis, we have heard of many stories of people who have been affected so much that they preferred to leave this world. There are families that have lost everything and experienced one misfortune after another, just like Job. We have people in our families who have suffered enormously to extend that we ask: why does God allows such suffering. Job is an upright man, whose earthly goods, his wife, family and health are completely wiped away in a short time. It is not surprising that Job is depressed, confused and even questions God. He doubts the worth of living in his condition. Job like many people who have suffered enormously, sees no hope beyond this life, and thus wrestles with the meaning of human suffering. But in the face of all this, Job in the end remains faithful to God. In all his suffering, Job did not know that he was being tested by God to see if he would remain faithful. He did not know that Satan was challenging God regarding his loyalty. Here we have a lesson for each and every one of us. No matter what happens in life, we should always think positively in order to try to understand the grace of God at work in our lives. As Christians, we believe that God knows our suffering and cares for us.

The Gospel passage centres on healing by Jesus. It also reveals a sharp contrast between Job’s sorrowful, worrisome day and sleepless night; and Jesus’ day spent in doing good for others, concluding in a peaceful night and welcoming the dawn as it were absolved in prayer. Jesus starts the day at the home of Peter's mother-in-law who had fever and then continues healing the whole evening. The healing itself was not the main point. Rather it was a symbol, a sign of restoring people to health, to integrity of mind and body, so that they could enjoy the fullness of life as they serve God, which is a foretaste of the Kingdom of God. Thus, Jesus' teaching and healing, point to the Kingdom of God. At the end of the day's healing ministry, Jesus was tired. But we hear that early in the morning "he went off to a lonely place and prayed there". We are reminded of the temptation of keeping ourselves so busy that we neglect prayer in the end. We forget for whom we are working - God. Without prayer we would soon run out of steam, because that is where we must go to regain our daily energy. It is in prayer that we deepen our relationship with the Lord and focus more on the meaning and purpose of what we are doing. Early in the morning, we too must go off to a lonely place and pray. We must find quiet time to be alone with Christ, so that Christ may speak to us in the silent hours of the morning, and give us more energy to face the day. The central message may be summed up in three points. 1) The readings underline God’s healing power in Christ, who heals our brokenness and binds up our wounds; 2) Just as in all his suffering Job remained faithful to God, we too are challenged to remain faithful no matter what happens to us; despite our suffering or humiliation, knowing that Jesus will grasp our hand and lift us up. 3) The Gospel reminds us that having been healed of our brokenness, we too become instruments of healing for others. The Gospel therefore calls us to be instruments of healing, of God’s loving mercy and compassion in a broken world around us: in our own families and neighborhoods.

©2012 John S. Mbinda

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:43:00 +0000

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Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Readings: Deut 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 7:32-35; Mk 1:21-28

Credibility, teaching with authority and healing as a sign of the kingdom are some of the phrases that help to capture the message of this Sunday. The readings draw our attention to importance of credible witness from one's faith conviction. The bottom line is that if our words match the life we live, many people would be astonished by what we do and say, because the Spirit will be working in us. The main point in the first reading is to show that a prophet’s credibility comes directly from God. As we hear at the end of the reading, there were and still there are false prophets today, who presume to speak in the Lord's name or those who” speak in the name of other gods…", claiming to speak the truth, while at the same time embracing hostility and divisiveness. The response to the psalm calls us not to harden our hearts when we hear the Lord's voice. But we must be aware that society today may indeed present to us other "voices", and therefore the need to discern. In Paul's letter to the Corinthians, Paul counsels celibacy and virginity as a sign of the Kingdom in view of the Lord's second coming. His argument is based on the need to dedicate oneself totally to the Lord, because this world is passing away. While Paul does not devalue married life, he is convinced that nothing can outweigh the immanent second coming of the Lord. Living that kind of authentic life would give convincing witness.

In the Gospel of this Sunday, Jesus gives a concrete example of what it means to speak from one's faith conviction. Usually when people speak to us from memory we tend to pay little attention, but when they speak from their faith conviction; from the heart, we are deeply touched. That is the conviction with which Jesus speaks this Sunday. We hear in the Gospel that "the people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority”. Jesus needed no credentials. The source of his authority was his intimate relationship with the Father that evoked a sense of deep conviction behind his teaching. We also encounter the dramatic episode of chasing away an evil spirit from a person in the Synagogue. People watched spellbound as the evil spirit threw the person down and with a loud cry left the person. Why was Jesus able to perform such wonders and heal people of their sickness? Why did his teaching make such a deep impression? While the exorcism Jesus performed was dramatic, what really convinced the people more was his intimate relationship with the Father. He spoke from the heart. Whatever happened during those moments of teaching and healing, Jesus wanted to reveal the Kingdom of God so that people might experience life in its fullness. So what message do we draw from the readings? Three points sum up the message: 1) The readings challenge us to open our hearts so that the teaching of Jesus may transform our lives and his healing power may restore us to spiritual wellbeing; 2) The source of Jesus’ power to heal and authority to teach, was his intimate relationship with the Father. We too can give credible witness with authority. To do so, we need close relationship with the Father through prayer and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation; 3) The healing of the person with unclean spirit is a sign of the kingdom that Jesus still proclaims through the Church and through us even today. Miracles still do happen! The best proof is the power of God’s word that transforms us to live and to share our faith with conviction. Think about it. I am Msgr. John Mbinda, St. John Apostle and Evangelist, Mililani, Hawaii. God bless you.

©2012 John S. Mbinda

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 06:32:00 +0000

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Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Readings: Jonah 3:1-5,10; 1 Cor. 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20

Last Sunday we had two ‘come and see’ moments that lead to God’s call and our response in the call of Samuel and the first disciples of Jesus. This Sunday, the readings focus on how God’s call and our response to that call changes our lives and those of others. At first glance the readings may sound tame, but they will scratch us all because our commitment to Jesus Christ has consequences. The readings lead us to meet three central figures: Jesus, Jonah and Paul who have one thing in common. There is a certain urgency in the way they proclaim repentance, a change of heart that leads to witness. The first reading from the Book of Jonah contains a most engaging story on the Lord's determination to embrace all people in his plan of salvation. The Ninevites were a powerful, pagan nation and thus despised. One is not surprised that Jonah first resisted the Lord's call to go to preach repentance in Nineveh, but in the end goes reluctantly. Surprisingly, his mission encounters remarkable results. "Only forty days more and Nineveh is going to be destroyed", Jonah proclaimed. The people of Nineveh responded by believing in God, proclaiming a fast and repenting their sins. "And God relented". The lesson is clear. There are no limits to God's love in his plan of salvation.

In the Gospel passage, Jesus begins his public ministry and goes into Galilee proclaiming the Good News. He proclaims with decisive urgency that "the time has come, and the Kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent and believe the Good News". Jesus urges us to change our lives as a condition of being part of that Kingdom. The call of the first disciples: Simon and his brother Andrew, and then James and John: the sons of Zebedee, is part of that proclamation of the Kingdom. These first disciples were ordinary simple fishermen. But the tone of the invitation by Jesus simply attracted them. "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men". "And at once they left their nets and followed him". These disciples would never the same again. They made a radical decision to follow and witness Jesus Christ. While in Rome, I once bought a book by George Weigel entitled Letters to a Young Catholic. In that book, Weigel speaks about the young Polish priest, Fr Jerzy Popieluszko, beatified in June 2010. One sentence there caught my attention: Faith demands consequences. In his homilies, Blessed Popieluszko spoke about social injustice and became the “conscience of the people.” His faith conviction had consequences. On October 19, 1984, he was kidnaped and murdered at the age of 37. He embodied the truth and died for it. Within five years, the communist regime fell. Fr. Popieluszko had won the battle. Faith demands consequences. This week end we American Catholics remember the grim 39th anniversary of Roe vs Wade, the decision of the Supreme Court allowing abortion. Those who march this week end and protest throughout the country do so because like Blessed Popieluszko their faith has consequence; they embody the truth. They cannot sit back and while millions unborn babies die. The teaching of the Catholic Church is quite clear on this matter. Faith has consequences. Faith is dynamic. Faith is counter culture and therefore manifested in the integrity of men and women who exemplify who they are. So what message do we take home this Sunday? 1) Like the prophet Jonah, we are sent to the Nineveh of today to proclaim God’s mercy and repentance; 2) We have been called by Jesus like his disciples to follow him and not to follow the world; to change the world rather than being changed by the world. 3) Our faith has consequences and therefore we cannot sit back and keep silent while millions of unborn babies die. They have as much right to live just as you and I. Think about it.

©2012 John S. Mbinda

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:05:00 +0000

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Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
1 Samuel 3:3-10, 19; 1 Corinthians 6:13-15, 17-20; John 1:35-42

“Behold the Lamb of God.” “Rabbi, where are you staying?” “Come, and you will see.” This Sunday the readings focus our attention on moments when God calls us and our response to that call. In today’s First Reading we listen to how God calls the young Samuel, who experiences the call of God while asleep. God calls him three times that night, and each time he runs to his Master Eli without realizing that it was God who was calling him. Samuel is actually in profound conversation with God. When he is called again Samuel responds to God and offers himself saying, “Speak, for your servant is listening,” a sign of preparedness to serve.

In the Gospel, we read about the call of the first two disciples. The call starts with John the Baptist watching Jesus go by. John points out Jesus to two of his disciples, saying, “Behold the lamb of God.” Why does John the Baptist use this phrase? The title Lamb of God for Jesus appears only in the Gospel of John, with the initial proclamation: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" in John 1:29. This title reaffirms John 1:36, the text we have in this Sunday Gospel passage. The proclamation takes place in the presence of the first two disciples of Jesus, who immediately follow him. These two proclamations of Jesus as the Lamb of God are closely linked to the Baptist's other proclamation in John 1:34: "I have borne witness that this is the Son of God". At the baptism of Jesus, John witnessed the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus and the Father declaring Him to be His Son. Therefore John knew that Jesus was the Messiah that had been prophesied in the book of Isaiah 53:7, "He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth." In the Old Testament, the Israelites sacrificed lambs at the Passover feast (Ex. 12:21) and as offerings (Lev. 14:10-25). Jesus Christ is the Lamb that God would give as a sacrifice for the sins not only of Israel, but of the whole world (Is. 52:13-53:12). In that one masterful sentence, John summarizes the whole of God’s plan of salvation revealed throughout the Old Testament. John therefore uses the phrase “Behold the Lamb of God” to authenticate that revelation and give witness to it. This witness is so convincing that two of his disciples decide to follow Jesus. Then the conversation continues when Jesus looks back and sees the two disciples following him. “What are you looking for?” Their response was, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” They are so attracted to the person of Jesus that they want to be with him, and Jesus simply tells them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where Jesus was staying and stayed with him that day. What message do we take home this Sunday? 1) Like the young Samuel, you and I are called by God, but at times we need guidance to understand that call. 2) Like the first disciples of Jesus, we yearn for Jesus and suddenly someone points Jesus to us. We follow Him and discover how wonderful being with Him is. 3) Now that we have become His disciples, Jesus sends us to tell others about Him and to bring them to be his disciples too.

©2012 John S. Mbinda

The Epiphany of Our Lord Year B

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:02:00 +0000

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The Epiphany of Our Lord Year B
Readings: Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3,5-6; Mt 2:1-12

Appearance, manifestation, revelation of Christ to the nations. This Sunday we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. The word ‘epiphany’ comes from the Greek language “epiphaneia’ which means ‘appearance’, ‘showing forth’ or ‘manifestation’. So we could say that we celebrate the manifestation of the Lord. The feast of the Epiphany originated in the third century to commemorate the first appearance of Christ (the infant King) to the entire world as Saviour. The first reading from Isaiah speaks about light shining through the darkness and the clouds—a wonderful image of describing what epiphany is trying to tell us about our Lord. Our own darkness and the clouds of our lack of understanding so often make it difficult for us to recognize in daily life the presence of God, in the Lord Jesus, in the Church or in other people. Psalm 72 focuses on the nations coming to adore the Lord. “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you” and then speaks of kings from foreign lands bringing gifts to the Lord. The Psalm in a sense introduces the Gospel of today that recounts the story of the three wise kings from the East (also called the Magi), who represent all the nations. These Magi come as seekers of the source of the light. The star is only a guide for them. On finding the source, the infant king, they are overjoyed, they confess, worship him and offer him gifts. In the preface of the Epiphany, we get a sense of the mystery we celebrate. "Today you revealed in Christ your eternal plan of salvation and showed in him as the light of all peoples". The mystery of Christ's birth, the mystery of the Incarnation, is therefore made known to all people all over the world without exception. St. Paul in the second reading speaks about the inclusive nature of salvation in God’s plan.

The central message of the Epiphany is that Jesus is revealed to us as a light to the nations. The Magi go in search of this light guided by a star until they find the source of the light in Bethlehem. With them we too seek and recognise the child who is born to be our Saviour. Like them, we too pay homage to Christ and accept the light that Christ brings into our hearts. Since we are led to discover Christ, we are therefore called to go out and share with others the Good News revealed to us. Through our daily witness, in loving others, in forgiving them, in our faith and compassion, in our courage and perseverance, may we be like the star that guides them in their journey of faith, to seek and to discover Christ in their lives. The message we take home is two-fold: 1) We are invited today to recognize God's light, God's presence in our lives, and to let our hearts rejoice and overflow because we know that God is with us 2) Consequently, we are called to go out and share with others the Good News of Jesus Christ revealed to us; to share the light that Christ has given us.

©2012 John S. Mbinda

Solemnity of Mary Mother of God Year B

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:13:00 +0000

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Solemnity of Mary Mother of God Year B
Readings: Numbers 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21

Happy New Year! The beginning of a New Year is often related to New Years’ resolutions. I try to make one each year: always the same, “”to spend a moment of Scripture study and silent prayer each day, in order to grow into closer union with God.” That is why I want to tell you why as Christians we need a New Year's Resolution. We must set goals and make resolutions regarding our life, our work and our family relationships. At the end of each year, we usually review our lives of the past year and resolve what we will do the coming year. Most of the resolutions I have seen on TV and read in the press are not resolutions but only wishes. So what is the difference between wishes and resolutions? A wish identifies a goal one wants to reach; a resolution specifies the steps one will take to reach the goal. A wish is about where I want to be. A resolution is about the road I will take to reach my goal. Let me give some concrete examples. A wishful student says, “I want to pass my exams this year.” A resolved student says, “I will spend an extra hour of study every day in order to pass my exams.” A wishful person says, “I want to have more peace and love in my family this year.” A resolved person says, “I will spend more time with my family at table instead of rushing off to the TV or computer.” A wishful person says, “I want to live a life of closer union with God this year.” A resolved person says, “I will set aside 30 minutes everyday to pray and listen to God.” The difference between wishing and resolving boils down to the following question: Am I prepared to do what it takes to make my dreams come true? In other words, am I prepared to pay the cost? You are probably wondering what on earth a new year's resolution has to do with the solemnity we celebrate – Mary Mother of God! Is there a connection?

Let me try to show the connection. Mary Mother of God is the one person given to us by the Church as a model of a resolved and committed person. Mary was prepared to realize what God asked of her – to be the Mother of our Lord. She was prepared to pay the cost. We hear in the Gospel of today that she “treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart” (Lk. 2:19). We recall also that after the child Jesus was found in the temple, “His mother treasured all these things in her heart” (Lk. 2:51). Mary valued the word of God and treasured it. In other words, she made time to reflect, to meditate and to ponder on the word of God. Mary too had to struggle to cooperate with God's grace. She reflected on the word of God in order to discern what God was saying to her at every stage of her life. As we begin the New Year, let us pray that God may help us; that like Mary Mother of Christ, we too may be resolved to listen to God's word; discern God's will for us in 2012; and realize our resolve by living accordingly. Whatever situation we may find ourselves in the new year 2012: a family problem, a job loss, a disappointment, a broken relationship or a difficult decision to make – let us remember that God has a solution and a right answer, but only if we turn to God. Tell God about it in prayer, but also listen to what God tells you about your request. On this New Year, let us resolve to treasure God's word; let us resolve to ponder upon it in our hearts. That I believe will lead us to realize a new resolution on a new life of union with God. May God have pity on us for the wrongs of the past year 2011! May God bless us as we resolve to do better in 2012. Happy New Year! I am Msgr. John Mbinda, St. John Apostle and Evangelist, Mililani, Hawaii. God bless you.

©2012 John S. Mbinda

Mass at Midnight Year A, B, C

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 23:27:00 +0000

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Mass at Midnight Year A, B, C
Readings: Is 9:1-6 Tt 2:11-14 Lk 2:1-14

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord". On a small mountain village, the pastor invited two children to play the parts of St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary in the nativity story. The play was to take place after Midnight Mass. The scene was set to be in a cave behind the parish church. The original idea was to use a doll for the Baby Jesus, but the two children, Joe and Marie, searched for a real infant among the families in the parish. Since no parent wanted to give their baby, the two kids were so desperate, but never gave up. They end up praying to the Holy Family for help. The story comes to a climax when the Virgin Mary invisibly places the real Infant Jesus in Marie’s arms. No one in the village realizes what has happened, but a miracle of conversion takes place in the hearts of all present on that Christmas Night! As the Christmas Nativity play starts, parishioners are in tears with joy and so touched. Before that Christmas night, the kids just like the adults in the village had been mean to each other, with lots of fights in their homes and at school. That night all that changed. The kids who had been mean to each other become great friends and kind to each other. They changed because the Baby Jesus was not just a story, but real and born in their hearts that night. They had been disobedient and rude to their parents, but that night they felt so loved that they promised to be nice to their parents and to each other. The presence of the Baby Jesus had changed them all as they watched the Nativity play. They were changed because they realized that Christmas was not just about getting Christmas presents, but about Jesus being born in their hearts and the hearts of everyone.

The birth of the new child –the Son of God, born of Mary, miraculously transforms our darkness into light; our human brokenness into communion with God and with each other. Like the story on that mountain village parish, the event of the nativity transforms us miraculously into joyful sharing community. Christmas reconciles us with God who is no longer God up there, but God-with-us, Emmanuel. The miracle of Christmas is about God finally finding room in the inn, in our hearts where Jesus can be born; it is about opening our hearts so that Jesus can fill them with his life, peace and joy. Christmas is about being like the shepherds who open their hearts to the Good News proclaimed by the angel, and going with haste to share that good news. So what message do we take home this Christmas? 1) Like the shepherds, let us go to Bethlehem and see what has happened according to message of the Angel, who brings news of great joy. "Today a Savior has been born" to us. 2) Before the Nativity Scene, may we meditate with Mary and Joseph on the mystery of God’s presence, and express our joy in the words of the Angel: "Glory to God in the highest heaven and peace to people who enjoy his favor". 3) Christmas is about making room for Christ in our hearts; making room for all people into our lives, especially the less fortunate. 4) As we make room for Christ in our hearts, may Christ bring us great joy, peace and true happiness. Tonight dear friends, in order to be truly happy and joyful in this world, our happiness must be centered on the Nativity Scene of Bethlehem, in Christ Jesus. May this Christmas bring us true happiness, joy and peace. I wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2012.

©2011 John S. Mbinda

Fourth Sunday of Advent Year B

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:20:00 +0000

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Fourth Sunday of Advent Year B
Readings: 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8-11, 16; Rm 16:25-27; Lk 1:26-38

Mystery kept secret, revealed by an angel to Mary, who makes Christmas possible by her “yes”. Christmas is only a few days from now. The atmosphere of Christmas is around us as we listen to Christmas carols in the midst of intense preparation, looking forward to celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation in our families, with relatives and friends. It is the spirit of sharing at Christmas that matters most rather than the number of Christmas cards and gifts given or received. As we approach Christmas, the mystery of God sharing self with humanity, we are reminded of the millions in the world who will go to bed hungry on Christmas day, and we are challenged to share with others. On this final Sunday of Advent, we celebrate what Paul, in the second reading, calls the mystery of God's love kept secret for endless ages, but now revealed to us. The liturgy of the word this Sunday leads first to consider the key role of Mary in the work of our salvation. Mary makes Christmas possible. It is her ‘Yes’ that changes everything. With her acceptance, God enters in our midst. The Incarnation, the assumption of our human nature by God, begins at this moment. It is natural for us to focus rather on the birth of the child some nine months later for it was then that God could be seen, responded to and worshipped. It was at that moment that God began openly to “dwell among us.”

The Gospel therefore focuses our attention on the mystery of God's love that we celebrate this Sunday. This mystery is revealed through the message of an Angel to Mary. The liturgy of this Sunday becomes a great song of praise to the everlasting love of God revealed in Mary's yes that changes the course of human history. The key to understanding the message in the Gospel is found in the words of the Angel Gabriel to Mary: "Behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall name him Jesus". These words once spoken to Mary before that first Christmas are spoken to us today. The mystery of God's saving love, once hidden, is revealed to us too. Secondly as a worshipping community we celebrate God's faithful love for his people, as we find in the first reading from the Book of Samuel. Here David thinks of building a house for the Lord. Instead it is the Lord who promises to build a house for David, a house that will last for ever, which means that the Messiah is to be born in the line of David. All we need to do is to open ourselves to discover God’s presence. God is in our midst. A wise person in the village once went in search for God on the mountain. On his arrival there, he found an angel seated. The angel told him that God was not there for he had gone down to live among the people. What message do we take home this Sunday? 1) The readings challenge us to discover Christ in our midst, in our prayer, in our work by trying our best to do God’s will. 2) Our response, like that of Mary must be, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." 3) In the coming few days, if we want to discover Christ, we need not go to the mountain like the wise person. Christ is already in our midst. Christ is in the poor, the hungry and the less fortunate. There we will find him.

©2011 John S. Mbinda

Third Sunday of Advent Year B

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 00:13:00 +0000

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Third Sunday of Advent Year B
Readings: Is 61:1-2,10-11; 1 Thess 5:16-24; Jn 1:6-8,19-28

“Rejoice in the Lord always”. This Sunday we light the third candle of the Advent Wreath. Its desert rose colour signifies rejoicing. For that reason today is called Gaudete Sunday which means, “Rejoice!” I know some of you are saying, “Well, Father, I don’t feel all that joyful.” But we rejoice because the one who is to come is already with us. The entire liturgy creates an atmosphere of joy and we have reason to be joyful and to smile. The traditional antiphon or entrance hymn sets the theme. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near" (Phil 4:4-5). Let me start with a humorous story. There was once a preacher who was trying to teach his students how to harmonize their facial expressions with what they say. “When you speak of heaven,” he said, “let your face light up, let it spackle with a heavenly gleam, let your eyes shine with God’s glory. But when speak of Hell – well, then, your ordinary face will do.” I hope that my smile will match the joyful theme of this Sunday’s readings. Isaiah says: I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul. Paul in the Second Reading exhorts us to “Rejoice always.” The joy in question is not necessarily feeling good when things are going well. It is possible to feel a certain kind of joy even when things are going badly, and that is what we call joy in the Lord who strengthens us in our hope of salvation. In the opening prayer for this Sunday, we ask God that, as we look forward to the birth of Christ, we may experience the joy of salvation. The prophet Isaiah in the first reading tells us that he is sent by God to announce the joyful news of salvation to the people of Israel. He proclaims a message of salvation to a people in bondage. The familiar passage of Isaiah 61 is a clear reference to the Messiah, who is already present. "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favour from the Lord". In the Responsorial Psalm, we use the beautiful words of Mary in the Magnificat to express our joy as we, like Mary wait for the birth of our Saviour. "My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour".

This coming week, December 14, I complete forty three years as a priest. Over these 43 years, my joy in the priesthood has been very real, and I thank God for the gifts the Lord has given me to share with so many people in my ministry. In the second reading, Paul urges us to “Rejoice always” because we have already discovered God's saving action in Christ. Thus Paul invites us to rejoice at all times and to pray constantly, and for all things to give thanks to God. It might be difficult to find the realisation of this message of hope and joy in the broken world of today, where there is so much suffering. Like Isaiah, John the Baptist prophesies change for the better, because the one who is to come after him, Christ, is already here bringing good news to the poor. The message may be summed up as follows: 1) We are called upon to live as though the Lord was near; radiating the joy of our faith and hope in Christ who is already with us. 2) Our faith and hope in Christ move us to bring about the joy of Christ in our own lives. 3) That joy can be instrumental in transforming the world around us. All it takes is a smile that costs nothing, but radiates joy.

©2011 John S. Mbinda

Second Sunday of Advent Year B

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 07:24:00 +0000

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Second Sunday of Advent Year B
Readings: Is 40 1-5, 9-11; 2 Pt 3:8-14; Mk 1:1-8

Patience is an Advent virtue. This Sunday, the readings challenge us to wait for the Lord patiently. We could say that the readings draw our attention to the fact that God’s time is not our time. There is a story of a lucky man who struck a conversation with God! He asked God, "Lord, I have always wondered about your idea of time. What is a thousand years like for you?" God responded, "For me a thousand years is like a second." The man then asked, "What about money? What is a million dollars like for you?" And God answered, "For me a million dollars is like a penny." The man became eager and said, "Lord, could you give me just one penny?" God answered, "No problem, but you will have to wait for one second!" In the second reading, Peter's main point is patience. "With the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day." Patience means waiting, sacrificing some immediate satisfaction for the sake of a greater good. Impatience, on the other hand, is the unwillingness to wait, wanting it all right now. Consider the current financial crisis. How did we get the crisis? Part of the answer is that financial institutions in Wall Street, eager to make quick profits told the people that there was no need to wait; that they could have it all, now: a new home, a new SUV, everything you name it. No need to wait. Well, our impatience to have it all has finally caught up with us. This Sunday, the readings help us to realize that just as patience is an important virtue in the economic and financial situations, it is even more so for our spiritual journey. The prophet Isaiah in the first reading, after years in exile, prophecies a new dawn that is about to break in for God's people. The darkness of the Babylonian exile is about to end. The Lord will lead his people into freedom, but a messenger of the Lord is sent ahead to prepare a way for the Lord in the wilderness and to "make a straight highway for …God across the desert". These words refer to a call for a change of heart; for personal and communal transformation; they usher in an immanent liberation of God’s people.

In the Gospel, we hear that the inhabitants of Jerusalem went to John the Baptist to be baptized, and “they acknowledged their sins.” During this Advent season, we too are invited to examine our consciences in terms of patience. Almost every sin you can think of touches on our lack of patience. For example, stealing or cheating are also sins of impatience! Rather than working hard, a person grabs things or money from others or rather than working hard at school, a student cheats in the exams to get better grades. Patience is a very basic virtue that implies self-discipline, hard work and sacrifice. It is not easy to wait patiently, but in the end it brings results. This brings us to reflect on the Advent wreath which was actually invented originally as a symbol of teaching about patience. Each Sunday of Advent the candle lights increase by 25% until the last Sunday when all 4 candles are lit indicating the fullness of the true light at Christmas – the fifth candle. Advent therefore teaches us how to wait patiently for the fullness of the light, Jesus Christ. The message may be summed up as follows: 1) God’s time is not our time, and therefore the need to be patient. 2) The Lord’s delay in coming is meant to offers us an opportunity to accept God’s invitation to personal conversion. 3) Advent is not only a season of preparation, but also of practicing our patience; patience with each other at home, at school and at work, and by God’s grace to resist our impatience.

©2011 John S. Mbinda

First Sunday of Advent Year B

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 08:07:00 +0000

First Sunday of Advent Year B
Readings: Is 63:16-17, 19; 64:2-7; 1 Cor. 1:3-9; Mk 1:1-8

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An Advent people; watching, waiting, prepared to disarm the enemy! This Sunday we begin the new Liturgical Year with the First Sunday of Advent. Advent from the Latin root “advetus” means waiting. In Advent we wait for someone we love. We focus attention on waiting for the Lord, waiting for the coming of Jesus, who urges us to prepare ourselves because we do not know when he might come suddenly. Some years ago there was some breaking news on TV that to me seemed to be a wonderful example of being prepared. The news was about a man in Memphis, Tennessee who accidentally walked into a store during a robbery. The gunman pointed his pistol at him and ordered him to hand over his money. The man responded calmly, “Go ahead and shoot. I just had my daily Bible passage and said my prayers.” The robber was confused by that reaction, and the man walked away. I have to admit that I probably would have handed over my money, but I do admire that man’s courage – and above all his apparent readiness to meet the Lord. That is what Jesus tells us today. Be prepared. Be alert and watchful. The First Reading from Isaiah surprises us as it did to the Israelites by giving us a true diagnosis and leading us to the truth about ourselves: “Behold, you are angry, and we are sinful; all of us have become like unclean people, all our good deeds are like polluted rags.” (64:4-5). The prophet Isaiah therefore pleads with God to come back, but in actual fact it is the people who need to reform. This plea for help towards reform continues in the Responsorial Psalm. "Lord make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved". In the second reading, Paul thanks God for his blessings upon the Corinthians for their faith and hope in Christ.

In the Gospel from Mark, Jesus teaches us to be watchful; to be alert because we do not know when the time will come. In this passage, Jesus offers a brief parable to highlight the importance of being watchful, alert and vigilant for Christ's second coming. The parable is a brief story of a man who goes on a journey, after assigning tasks to his employees. He gives no indication on when he would come back. The point of the parable is that as followers of Christ we are called to be an Advent people; living in a state of readiness for the arrival of the Kingdom of God, for we do not know when the Lord will come. But it will be soon; soon in God’s time, not ours. Over the next four weeks towards Christmas, the readings will focus attention on spiritual preparation. Perhaps the best way to do that is to capture the sense of urgency in preparing for the Lord. One problem we have today is that we live in a culture whereby what matters is “feeling good about ourselves.” While there is nothing wrong with that, that approach is not adequate for us Christians. Rather, we need to be guided by Christ’s life and teaching. Jesus challenges us and leads us to examine our lives and to heed his call for watchfulness by making full use of this wonderful season of preparing and deepening our relationship with him through prayer and the sacrament of reconciliation. Like the story of the man in Memphis, we are called to stay ready to disarm the enemy, for we do not know when he might strike. Three points sum up the message of this Sunday. 1) During this season, we are challenged to enter more deeply into a journey of spiritual preparation. 2) As followers of Christ we are called to be an Advent people; living in a state of watchfulness and readiness for the arrival of the Kingdom of God. 3) As an Advent people, we continue getting ready spiritually to receive Christ in our hearts when he comes at Christmas. ©2011 John S. Mbinda

34th Sunday in Ordinary Time Christ the King Year A

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 07:35:00 +0000

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34th Sunday in Ordinary Time Christ the King Year A
Readings: Ez 34:11-12, 15-17; 1 Cor 15:20-26, 28; Matt 25:31-46

The king who welcomes and rewards those who show compassion to the less fortunate, but also a king who rejects and punishes those who show no concern or do nothing. On this last Sunday of the year, as we celebrate the feast of Christ the King, the theme of preparedness reaches a climax. The final judgement takes place on the basis of our compassion and care for others or the lack of it. The prophet Ezekiel in the First Reading uses the image of a shepherd to underline how much God loves and cares for his people with compassion and tenderness. Thus God assumes the role of shepherd for his sheep, finding the lost, gathering the scattered, healing the wounded and caring for all. God as Shepherd is also presented as Judge between one sheep and another, between rams and he-goats”, – a reference to separating the good from the bad. In the second reading, Paul portrays Jesus Christ as a powerful and awesome Lord and King. Yet we know that Jesus is the “King of Hearts” not “King of Clubs”. “In him shall all be brought to life.” Christ is presented as ruler to whom all power and authority must eventually give way. He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed will be death. Christ represents life, life in all its fullness. Christ’s purpose is to share that life with every single person. “For Just as in Adam all die, so too all in Christ all shall be brought to life”, having subjected all evil forces. The last enemy to be subjected is death.

The Gospel passage from Matthew 25 is referred by some scripture scholars as the “Ten Commandments of the New Testament”. The passage explains how our entire salvation in the end hinges on how we cared or did not care for the less fortunate. We are told how Jesus will come in glory, sit on the Throne where all the nations will be gathered. Then He will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep will be placed at His right and the goats at His left, which indicates the separation of the good and from the bad. That separation is done in a special way that surprises all. They discover their ignorance of the presence of Jesus in their brothers and sisters. Now they have even greater surprise when Jesus invites them into the kingdom or rejects them right at the door, for just as you did or did not do it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did or did not do it to me. The truth is that Jesus identifies with every person created in God’s image and likeness. We note that none of the things Jesus mentions are religious in nature; there is no direct mention of any commandments observed or violated; people are condemned not for doing anything that is morally wrong but inaction; for failure to show compassion. Whatever we do centres round Jesus because He is truly present in every person we meet. Today’s Gospel therefore echoes the eternal divine love and justice of Jesus Christ our King, who shows his compassion to those who have shown God’s mercy and compassion to their brothers and sisters. What message do we take home? 1) Jesus in the Gospel teaches us how his followers should live while on their earthly journey. 2) In response to that message we are challenged to show compassion and care to Christ’s less fortunate children, because at the final judgement, the criterion will be the very life and concern of Christ towards others and particularly the less fortunate whom we meet every day. 3) To put this message into practice, this coming season of Advent, one might choose a particular work of mercy, and do it out of Christian concern and solidarity. Concretely, one may visit the sick, the elderly, prisoners or volunteer to for one of the parish outreach ministries. There you will indeed meet Jesus Christ the King!

©2011 John S. Mbinda
Homily & Music

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Podcast Link 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A Readings: Pro 31:10-13,19-20,30-31; 1 Thess. 5:1-6; Matt. 25:14-30 Investing our talents, taking risks, commitments, and accountability are some of the phrases that help us to focus on the message of the readings this Sunday. The readings highlight fidelity to our commitments. Whether we speak of Baptism, a career, marriage, priestly or religious life, once we have made a commitment, we remain accountable. We have an obligation to faithfulness and growth in the life we assume. Fidelity to one’s commitment is illustrated in terms of wisdom personified as the perfect wife and mother in the first reading from the Book of Proverbs. The woman of worth mentioned here is the personification of Lady Wisdom, who in her ordinary ways performs with skill, integrity and commitment. Lady Wisdom serves her husband because “he has entrusted his heart to her”. She makes use of her skills as well as being mindful and generous to the poor and needy. She is praised, not because of her beauty or charm, but because of what she does, something that we can all imitate. In the second reading, Paul once again deals with the question of the second coming. He comforts the fears of those who dreaded the Day of the Lord by reminding them that the Lord’s second coming must not be an excuse for doing nothing under the pretext of waiting. Rather, we must continue working for the kingdom while waiting for the Lord. These last Sundays in the liturgical year purposely focus our attention on the end of times, final judgment and Christ’s second coming. The parable of the talents in the Gospel at first seems to underline fidelity and faithfulness. The two good and faithful servants are praised for their risk to invest the money given them wisely. The parable however goes on to underline the final judgment, when we will each be called to render an account of how we used or did not use the gifts God has given us. We will be called by the Lord to give an account of how we have made use of the grace, the talents, and the opportunities given us, to deepen our relationship with the Lord. The parable reminds us that there are those who use their time on earth wisely and invest their gifts and opportunities in spiritual growth. But there are also those who, like the person in the Gospel, do nothing with their gifts and talents. Let us focus for a moment on this last person. What exactly happened? Why did he choose to do nothing with his talent? In his own words he says, "I was afraid" of being punished by the hard master in the end. It was fear that led him not to do anything except foolishly hide the talent in the ground until the master returned. Fear could prevent us from making a step towards the Lord, towards a change of heart and conversion, keeping us away from multiplying the gifts given us by the Lord. None of us would want to wind up before Jesus like this fellow! So what message do we take home this Sunday? 1) The readings call us to be faithful to our commitments. That call is illustrated in terms of wisdom personified as the perfect wife and mother in the first reading from the Book of Proverbs. 2) Paul underlines that same message by urging us to live our baptismal commitment as children of the light and of the day by staying alert and ready. 3) The Gospel urges us to be bold and take risks, to be more creative in using our gifts and resources God has given us. ©2011 John S. Mbinda

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 07:14:00 +0000

Podcast Link 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
Readings: Wis 6:12-16; 1 Thess 4:13-18; Matt 25:1-13

Staying awake, preparedness, being vigilant and wise are the key words that lead us into the message of this Sunday. Over the next 3 Sundays, the readings will focus our attention on the final days marked by the second coming of Christ. This Sunday the readings underline the importance of preparedness to meet the Lord at all times. In the first reading, wisdom is described as the spirit which enables us to anticipate the unforeseen and to be prepared. We hear that “Wisdom is bright, and does not grow dim”. It is the fuel or the oil that keeps our lamps lit, in order to give witness wherever we are. Wisdom is used in contrast to foolishness which makes us sloppy and negligent in our Christian life. Wisdom on the other hand gives us a kind of a sixth sense in our faith and hope, in order to be alert and prepared. In the second reading, Paul deals with the question raised by the Christian Community in Thessalonika on what happens to those who die before the “second coming”. Paul assures them that because of Christ’s death and resurrection, all who die in Christ “God will bring them with him…Then we who are alive…will be caught up with them” on the last day. The alleluia verse before the Gospel continues the same theme of being prepared. “Stay awake and stand, because you do not know the hour when the Son of Man is coming”.

The parable of the ten bridesmaids is used as a concrete expression of wisdom that enables us to stay awake, vilgiant and prepared. There is a sharp contrast between the five wise bridesmaids, who take extra oil with them for their lamps, and the foolish ones, who only take their lamps, completely unaware of a possible delay. It can be quite easy for young bridesmaids to slip into foolishness as in the Gospel story. The main point of the parable is that through our baptism, we have received an invitation to the heavenly wedding banquet, but the arrival time of the bridegroom is hidden from us. But why the stress on oil? Some scripture scholars tell us that the oil stands for our good deeds that shine out like light for others to see. The Master of the house locks out those foolish bridesmaids because Jesus has already warned his disciples saying, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter…but only the one who does the will of my Father” (Matt 7:21). The parable is one of Jesus’ teaching about good and bad servants, and the two groups are people that we probably know too well. There are those folks who are always prepared come what may, and there are others who are never there or never on time! You meet them at school, at work, at the airport and at Church. As someone has said, they are the ones who will be late even for their own funeral! We notice that the Master does not send them to hell, but scolds them. Taken this way, the parable is an invitation to conversion. Be wise! Next time come with your own oil. Being wise in terms of Jesus means being vigilant for He will surely return and so we need to be ready. It is not a waste of time, but a time of patient waiting. So when Christ comes along with his bride the Church, he will go straight in with those prepared into the banquet hall, and the doors will be closed. So what message do we take home? 1) The first reading challenges us to be wise rather than being foolish in matters of faith and morals and thus be patiently prepared. 2) Paul in the Second Reading urges us to remain in readiness for the second coming, when all who died in Christ will rise with Him on the last day. 3) The Gospel passage is a challenge to conversion and transformation in readiness for Christ; it is a challenge to be wise; to remain truly faithful till the end, making the right choices; staying awake till the Lord comes.

©2011 John S. Mbinda

November 2: Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 07:29:00 +0000

November 2: Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
Readings: Wisdom3:1-9; Romans 5:3-9; John 6:37-40

On the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, we gather together not just to remember those who have died in the past, but to remember and celebrate the lives of concrete people who have been separated from us. Throughout this past month, our Book of Remembrance has gathered so many names that we want to remember in this Mass. The list does not limit God’s love and mercy. So these are not imaginary people, but real people from families that have been shattered by separation; families and spouses that are still grieving. We have all been through the pain of separation. We have all had to say goodbye to someone who has been very dear and very close to us. We all have had the experience of letting go of someone through death. It is never easy to let go of someone who is dear to you. You can never fill the void left by that person because that person is unique and only that person can fill that void.

This reality hit me recently as I was watching the 1993 movie "Shadowlands" starring Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger. It is a true story about an episode in the life of the great Christian writer C.S. Lewis. He was an outstanding and popular lecturer and had a lasting influence on his students. He was a bachelor for a long time but late in life he met an American lady whom he loved her. His life blossomed. He became more hopeful, more adventurous. His face became radiant and everyone around him realised that something good was happening in his life. However this lady was soon diagnosed with cancer and died at a young age. He married her before she died. The movie ends with this dramatic scene. His wife had a child from a previous marriage. After the funeral the young boy of about ten years of age is alone in the attic. C.S. Lewis sits down next to him. All the boy says "I miss her", and both start to cry as they hug each other. "I miss her." These are profound words which betray so much loneliness, so many shattered dreams and so much hurt and pain. How was he to cope with this reality? In 1940, C.S. Lewis wrote an excellent book entitled The Problem of Pain. In the preface he wrote, "Nor have I anything to offer my readers except my conviction that when pain is to be borne, a little courage helps more than much knowledge, a little human sympathy more than much courage, and the least tincture of the love of God more than all".

That courage and consolation of God’s love is found in today's Readings. In the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, we hear very comforting words that “the souls of the just are in the hand of God and no torment shall touch them.” Contrary to the wisdom of this world, those who have passed on are at peace, for the Lord has purified them like gold in a furnace and taken then to Himself. In the Gospel Jesus assures us that the will of the Father is to bring everyone who believes in hin into eternal life. It is because of our faith and hope in Christ who died and rose that our loved ones now rest in peace with him in heaven. On this day as we pray for your loved ones and all the faithful departed, let us pray that our faith and hope in the resurrection of Christ may continually be sustained. At this Mass we pray for all of them, that God may hasten their time to get to heaven. What is the message? 1) This commemoration gives the Church an opportunity to share in your grief and bereavement and to remember in a special way your loved ones. 2) We remember them in a special way through this Mass because they need our prayers and the Mass is the highest form of prayer we can ever offer. 3) Through our individual and collective faith; through this sacrifice of praise pleading for God’s mercy and love, may our loved ones and all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

©2011 John S. Mbinda

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 05:20:00 +0000

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31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
Mal 1:14-2:2,8-10; 1 Thess 2:7-9,13; Mt 23:1-12

Faithfulness to God’s covenant, honorary titles and humble service are some of the phrases that help us to capture the message of this Sunday. The readings invite us to a deeper awareness of the need for humble service and authentic Christian life. There is no room for arrogant leadership, idolatry and hypocrisy. In the first reading from the prophet Malachi, God gives the strongest warning to the religious leaders for their failure to be faithful to God’s covenant. They have not only been personally unfaithful, but they have also misled and misguided the people they were called to lead. As we listen to this passage, we realise how relevant it is even today. These strong words clearly accuse those who fail to live up to their responsibilities of Christian leadership. By contrast, in the Letter to the Thessalonians, Paul presents himself as a model of Christian leadership. He is eager not only to hand over the Good News to the people of Thessalonica, but also ready to hand over his life, a sign of total commitment. The passage is a reminder of how Paul worked tirelessly for the sole purpose of letting the Gospel message take root in the communities he founded.

In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus condemns the Pharisees for using the titles of rabbi, father and teacher. These were religious leaders who insisted on being addressed by their proper titles, such as Rabbi or Master. There are four reasons why this Gospel passage needs to be well understood. 1) Based on this passage, some Christians have taken it out of context and said that no one should be called father, not even the priests. 2) The reason why Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees is that while they sought to be called father, their actions fell short of coming close to what was expected of a spiritual father to the people. They simply did not deserve such a title. 3) Jesus argues that we have one Father, one God who created them us all. Therefore as followers Christ we belong to the one family of God who makes us one, for we have “one teacher”, and we “are all brothers” with “one Father” and one “master, the Christ”. 4) Jesus cautions his followers regarding the use such honorary titles: master, father, and teacher, because they can become symbols of idolatry. Let me explain. If I make a person more important than God, I am treating the person as an idol. To use Jesus' example, someone might be a good teacher. You feel like you could just sit and listen to him all day! But the question is: Does that teacher lead you to himself/herself or to something beyond? A good teacher does not make a student dependent. Rather, he or she teaches the student the best habits of learning, methods of inquiry, a sense of wonder and imagination. Those things can lead a student to a love of learning. The love of learning can eventually lead a person closer to God. What Jesus teaches about titles must not be taken literally, otherwise we will be unable to use the terms, doctor, master or teacher in ordinary usage of life. The main point Jesus makes is that we must not hide behind our titles, our clerical or religious garbs. Sure they are symbols of honour and respect, but those who bear these titles and symbols have the obligation for greater humility. They must never insist on them. Therefore Jesus cautions us on the misuse of titles for mere showing off and arrogance. That is why He repeats His teaching on humility: whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted. St Augustine captured this meaning in saying, there is something in humility that exalts the mind, and something in exaltation that abases it (cf. The City of God, 14.13). In a similar way St. Benedict speaks of “a ladder of humility” by which we descend by exaltation and ascend by humility (cf. Rule 7.7). So what message do we take home this Sunday? 1) In the first reading, God gives the strongest warning to religious leaders for their failure to be faithful to God’s covenant. 2) In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us to be aware that honorary titles such as master, father, and teacher can become symbols of idolatry and an obstacle to true humility. 3) The bottom line is that true holiness is found in humility rather than in titles or external symbols. Think about it!

©2011 John S. Mbinda

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 08:12:00 +0000

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30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
Readings: Ex 22:20-26; 1 Thess 1:5-10; Mt 22:34-40

Love of God and love of neighbor; a summary of all laws; all others flow from these. We recall that in the Gospel of last Sunday the Pharisees had a plan to trap Jesus on the question of paying or not paying taxes to Caesar. Their plan failed. In today’s Gospel the Pharisees come back for “round two” with yet another plan to trap Jesus. This time, their question is not even sincere. The question put forward by a scholar of the law is about the greatest commandment of the Jewish Law. It is important to know that the Pharisees categorized the Jewish code of law into 613 laws! Jesus' answer was based on the first five books of the Bible, and reduced the law into two great commandments. "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind", and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself". In this response we find a summary of Jesus’ central message in Matthew’s Gospel. The greatest commandment is love. The law of love is a summary of God’s plan of salvation. We need not worry like the Pharisees about which is the greatest commandment if we truly love God and our neighbor. But there is a radical element in Jesus’ teaching concerning the imperative to love one’s neighbor. While the Jewish understanding of love of neighbor was limited to Jewish brothers or sisters, Jesus added the aspect of compassion which extended that meaning beyond one’s nation to include everybody irrespective of religion, race, party affiliation and even across class boundaries, with no one seen as an insider or outsider. Jesus did not discard the other commandments, but said that all others flow from the law of love, which places demands on his followers. If anyone is hungry, then feed them; go help them. They deserve attention because that is biblical justice based on what Jesus teaches and what the Church teaches. Failure to love another person is failure to love Christ. To love another person as oneself is to love Christ. "Whatever you do to the least of my brothers you do unto me" (Mt. 25:31-46).

Against this background, we reflect on the first reading from the Book of Exodus, which recalls the old Jewish code of law for daily life. The passage tells us that strangers, orphans, widows and the poor in general are very special to God and thus must never be neglected or mistreated. It is the Lord who speaks in this passage in defense of these categories of people. We hear very harsh words regarding the way the Lord will deal with us if we neglect or mistreat them. As a worshipping community and as individual Christians, we are challenged this Sunday to take a hard look at the way we treat the poor, foreigners, people of another color, the disadvantaged, and those who are different from us in culture and values. We are challenged to evaluate the way we carry out our social ministry. Our attitude towards the poor and disadvantaged touches the very center of the Commandment of Love of God and neighbor. In the First Letter of John the Evangelist we are told that love of neighbor has to do with truthfulness. “If anyone says, ‘I love God’ but hates his brother, he is a liar, for whoever does not love the brother whom he sees cannot love God, whom he has not seen” (1 Jn. 4:20). So what message do we take home this Sunday? 1) The Authenticity of our faith, our love of God and our relationship with Christ is measured by the way we treat others; 2)We are challenged to take a hard look at the way we treat the poor, strangers, the oppressed, the disadvantaged, and those who are different from us because of their race, culture and values; 3) The Lord deals severely with our negative attitudes and actions towards others, particularly the poor, strangers, the disadvantaged and those different from us. The readings today challenge us to seek repentance and forgiveness for our negative attitudes towards others and the way we tend to treat them.

©2011 John S. Mbinda

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 07:35:00 +0000

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29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
Readings: Is 45:1,4-6; 1 Thess 1:1-5; Mt 22:15-21

Repaying to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God is the punch line that sums up the message of this Sunday. Taxation was controversial at the time of Jesus because the ruling government was a Roman colonial invader. Moreover, taxes had to be paid with an imperial denarius. That coin had an image of Tiberius Caesar on one side, and on the other side there was an image of the female goddess of Rome. Such images were considered idolatry according to Jewish Law. Even more sensitive were the words under Caesar’s image, “Tiberius Caesar, Son of the Divine Augustus.” Any debate on taxation was therefore delicate as it could be even today. The readings of this Sunday touch on the delicate relationship between Church and state; between Christian faithfulness to God and loyalty to one’s country. A good example of this is what we hear in the first reading from the prophet Isaiah. The context is that the Jews are in exile in Babylon. The Lord then speaks through Isaiah to Cyrus, King of Persia (modern Iran), who conquered Babylon in 539 B.C.. The King then allowed the Jews to return to their homeland in 537 B.C. He also gave state money from the royal treasury for the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple on Mt. Zion. The Jews quickly hailed King Cyrus II as the “anointed” in terms of being used by God to conquer the Babylonians. The first reading therefore reveals that at times, God may even use civil initiative to accomplish his own purpose. Isaiah uses the example of King Cyrus to illustrate this point. Isaiah shows that the king was ultimately subject to the hand of God in delivering Israel from the bondage of exile in Babylon, and restoring them to their homeland.

In the Gospel, Jesus is in the Temple. The Pharisees have plotted to trick him into saying something that would be treason against the Romans. So they send some spies, the Herodians, who had maintained loyalty to the Roman Empire, and therefore supported the payment of taxes to the Roman Emperor. The question is carefully crafted to solicit a positive or negative answer. Jesus knows the malice and hypocrisy of his questioners. In fact they are carrying coins bearing Caesar’s name and image. Jesus’ reply leads his opponents to entrap themselves. “Whose image is this and whose inscription?” “Caesar’s”, they replied. Then comes Jesus’ punch line. “Then, repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.” The response of Jesus has many implications for the Church today. Jesus does not commit himself to either side. Similarly the Church must never take sides, but has the role of guiding the faithful through formation, to know their rights, in order to fulfill their civic duties as informed loyal citizens, who give their witness to Jesus Christ. So what message do we take home this Sunday? 1) There is no conflict in being good Christians and loyal citizens. 2) As Christians we must be truthful and honest in all matters of civil life; it is dishonest and contradictory when one resists Federal taxes and then turns around to demand Federal services when disaster strikes! 3) The readings challenge us to render to God what belongs to God because we owe to God our being and all we have.

©2011 John S. Mbinda

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 06:48:00 +0000

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28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
Is 25:6-10; Phil 4:12-14,19-20; Mt 22:1-14

The kingdom of heaven, like a royal wedding banquet; those invited selfishly find excuses, and the king then invites all. Those phrases help us to focus on the central message of this Sunday. The readings speak about the Kingdom of heaven that is likened to an invitation to a wedding banquet. All three readings converge on that theme with Paul underlining God’s providence in the midst of life’s highs and lows, in good times and bad. The first reading from the Prophet Isaiah offers one of the most beautiful images of this Kingdom, described in terms of the Lord preparing a banquet on the mountain for all people. Isaiah uses very clear graphic description of the great banquet that the Lord will prepare for his people. There will be good food and fine wines; there will be neither mourning nor death for the Lord will destroy death forever. “The Lord will wipe away the tears from every face”. There will be exultation and rejoicing, because the lord “has saved us”. This is all placed in the future. Paul in the Second Reading speaks of God’s Divine Providence, showing how the Lord God provides for his people. That fits in with the theme in today’s First Reading, the Psalm and the Gospel. Paul had learned to be content with whatever he had. He had learned the secret of being well fed, referring to spiritual food. He found strength in the Lord Jesus. While Paul had to endure sufferings for a while, he was convinced of God’s grace that comes with such suffering. He endured all obstacles for the sake of spreading of the Gospel. In the familiar Psalm 23, the Lord prepares a banquet for us in the sight of our foes. This song of thanksgiving to the Lord is a prelude to the Eucharist we celebrate this Sunday. The word Eucharist comes from the Greek word eukaristia (εuχαριστία) which means “thanksgiving.”

In the Gospel, Jesus follows up last Sunday’s parable of the vineyard with another one with similar meaning, the Parable of the Wedding Feast. The parable is set in the present. The royal wedding banquet is ready and the king sends his servants twice to invite the guests, but those invited are not interested. The king is God. The son is Jesus Christ, and those invited in the first and second time are the people of Israel. The invited are too busy to accept because they are too selfishness with their free time. Their business is so important that they snob a royal invitation. All this is tantamount to rebellion; to disloyalty and we are told that the king dispatches troops to destroy those murderers and their city. But the king does not give up. He makes a final invitation to everyone his servants can find, an allusion to God's universal invitation to salvation. In the banquet hall, an image of the Church, everyone has a place - "the bad and the good". You and I have accepted God’s invitation to come to the wedding banquet, namely the Eucharistic celebration. However there is one main requirement. All must wear their best in order to participate in the royal banquet. The garments are provided freely through the Sacraments, particularly the Sacrament of reconciliation. God invites us out of a free act of kindness. What do we learn from the readings this Sunday? 1) The parable in the Gospel is a challenge to accept God’s invitation. The question is, are we too busy doing things that do not matter instead of accepting God’s invitation? 2) All are invited to the royal banquet at which there is free lunch, but the only condition is that we must wear the garment of grace provided through the sacraments. 3) We are challenged to accept God’s invitation or to reject it; to wear the wedding garment provided freely or not; to keep our wedding garments pure and spotless, always ready to enter the wedding banquet of Christ. The choice is yours.

©2011 John S. Mbinda
Homily & Music

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:43:00 +0000

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27th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
Readings: Is 5:1-7; Phil 4:6-9; Mat 21:33-43

Deception, infidelity, betrayal and failure to produce results are the phrases that help us to capture the message of this Sunday. The readings focus our attention on the Mystery of the Church as the vineyard of the Lord. In the Gospel, Jesus gives us another vineyard parable. In contrast to the past two Sundays, it has a terrible and a violent character. On one level we can say the parable has been fulfilled in Jesus' passion and death on the Cross, but it actually applies to every generation of Christians. Jesus prophesies the rise of servants who will rebel against the vineyard owner (God himself) and attempt to take it over by force for their own purposes. In the first reading, we listen to the song of Isaiah about a friend who had a vineyard. Isaiah uses poetic imagination to describe God’s disappointment with his vineyard, which is his Chosen People, Israel. Psalm 80 confirms this interpretation: “The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.” Instead of yielding the expected good grapes, Israel has yielded only sour grapes. Therefore God no longer protected the vineyard. The Northern Kingdom of Israel fell in 722 BC, about twenty years after Isaiah began his ministry. The southern kingdoms also fell after two centuries. The message of Isaiah is that the Lord looks for faithfulness to his Covenant, but only finds infidelity and betrayal. We can hardly listen to the prophesy of Isaiah without thinking about what is happening in many nations in the world today: rejection of Christian values, corruption in high places and partisan politics of deception for selfish reasons, leading to politically motivated economic crisis. On the Church level, we are reminded of what happens when those who serve take ministry as a personal possession or territory, thereby blocking even the owner from entering into the territory!

The similarity between the Gospel and the first reading is quite striking. Jesus builds the parable of the vineyard around the vineyard song of Isaiah. The parable begins with inclusion and ends with exclusion and replacement of workers because of infidelity, treason and failure to produce fruit. It is a powerful message from Jesus on the consequences of infidelity and betrayal. Just as in the case of the prophecy of Isaiah, one cannot read the Gospel of this Sunday without thinking of the root causes of the complicated economic and financial crisis currently facing the world today. The parable focuses on greed, reckless ambition, betrayal of public trust and incredible mismanagement. This crisis provides an opportunity to examine our own lives as Christians on how we are carrying out the trust placed upon us by Christ. By virtue of our Baptism we have been called by the Lord to be the new workers in the vineyard, namely the Church. We are expected to produce fruit at the proper time. To help us produce fruit, the Lord in his great kindness sends us teachers and prophets, who challenge and lead us to repent and so accept his gift of forgiveness. The message in the Gospel is clear. Today as in the past, the prophesy of Jesus in relation to the Church is fulfilled. There is no shortage of betrayal, corrupt officials and disloyal workers in the vineyard in God’s name! So what message do we take home? 1) Greed, scheming for quick profits and deception, were at the root cause of the betrayal and breach of trust by the tenants in the Gospel. The readings therefore invite us once more to become God’s faithful tenants of his vineyard. 2) We are challenged to change our perspectives on life and faith issues. Rather than focusing on selfish gains, we need to focus more on doing things that benefit others as well. 3) The readings appeal to us for change of heart, conversion and transformation so that we will be the faithful new workers in the vineyard of the Lord.

©2011 John S Mbinda

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

noreply@blogger.com (Msgr. John S. Mbinda) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:14:00 +0000

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26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
Readings: Ez 18:25-28; Phil 2:1-11; Mt 21:28-32

Transformation from wrong doing to faithfulness; from saying “no” to saying “yes”; from complacency to doing God’s will. Those phrases sum up best the message of this Sunday. The readings of this Sunday underline the true meaning of doing God's will. It means taking full responsibility when we are wrong or simply complacent and lazy, by asking for God's mercy and working for the Kingdom. In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel tells the Jews in exile that a virtuous person must remain obedient and faithful always. Likewise a wicked person always has the opportunity to turn back and receive forgiveness. If the righteous person sins he or she will be punished and if the wicked person repents will be rewarded. In todays Second Reading, we have one of the most beautiful passages about the mystery of God’s love through Christ in the entire Bible. St. Paul begins by telling the people to be kind, and loving, and merciful to each other. The Philippians and us of today are to put the interests of others first as Christ did. That is why Paul says that we should have the same attitude in life as Jesus had. Jesus was forever God, but he did not regard this as something to cling to. Instead He emptied Himself of his divinity. He became a human being. More than this, he became a slave for all of us. Jesus obeyed His Father for our sakes, even when this obedience led to His death on the Cross. Thus obedience to God means becoming like Christ who was divine, but did not consider himself to be equal to God. Rather out of obedience He humbled himself to the point of dying on the cross.

In the Gospel, Jesus speaks to the Chief priests and Elders. In his address to them, Jesus uses a very clear example in the parable of the two sons. The central point of the story is that we tend to share the attitude of the second son, who says "yes" and then does nothing. Jesus calls our attention to the danger of living a double life of disobedience, while giving the impression of being the best. Jesus challenges us to be transformed like the second son who says “no” and then undergoes conversion of heart that leads him to say “yes.” We know that faithfulness to Christ and to his message can only be expressed through a change of heart that leads to living out our faith. The chief priests and the elders who listen to Jesus spoke much about God and the observance of the Law, but only paid lip service. They could see the spirit of love, compassion, caring and forgiveness of Jesus, but that never led to any change of heart. Tax collectors and prostitutes on the other hand, were not keeping God’s Law. They had said “no” to God’s commandments. Upon meeting Jesus they experienced a radical transformation in their lives. They listened and responded positively. The chief priests and the elders are like the second son who said ‘Yes’, but disobeyed. We are called to be faithful to Jesus and say yes to him by listening to his word and obeying him. If we are to be filled with that same spirit that Jesus had we would have nothing to fear in our witness. That is the point of Jesus’ message. We are challenged to avoid cursing the darkness of injustice around us. We are invited rather to light candles of hope for so many voiceless poor people, who see no solution to their desperate ecomomic situation. In other words, we must not simply lament about the economy, unemployment, broken government systems or electoral mechanisms. We must say no in the ballot box next year to change the situation. So what message do we take home? 1) We are called to be faithful to Jesus by saying yes to him; by listening to his word and obeying him and his Church. If we are to be filled with that same spirit that Jesus had we would have nothing to fear in our witness. 2) Doing God's will might mean giving Christian witness in the ethical, social and civil field, in our proper roles as Christian citizens called by Christ to make a difference in civil society; 3) We must never pay lip service to our Constitutional right to vote; not to exercise that right is like cursing the darkness, instead of lighting a candle. May God give us the grace and the courage to do God’s will.

©2011 John S.Mbinda