PALM SUNDAY

Reading for procession: Luke 19:28-40
Readings for the Mass: Isaiah 50:4-7; Phil 2:6-11. Luke 22:14-23:56

“First degree of humility is obedience without delay”
– St. Benedict

“Blessings on the king who comes in the name of the Lord” Luke 19:38

Dear Brothers and sisters,

Our first reflection on Palm Sunday is that this day ushers us into Holy week. And it introduces us to Holy week with a memorial of our Lord’s solemn entrance into Jerusalem. This solemn moment at the close of Christ’s earthly life shows that he went voluntarily to his death. He went to it with royal freedom and dignity.
Throughout his life he had waited for his “hour”. And during his public life he had referred to it so often. Yet he is crushed by the prospect of it all. It is an hour of triumph, when he will redeem mankind and seal with his own blood his love of man. Seen in this light Palm Sunday is a day of joy.
The second reflection on this day is that of Christ’s kingship. We celebrate the feast of Christ the king later in the year. But it was on Palm Sunday that for the first time Christ during his earthly life allowed royal homage to be paid.
They had tried to make him king; but his hour had not yet come, he dodged them. But a week before his death, not only did he let them have their way, he himself gave the instructions: “Bring a calf” He sat on it, he waved to the jubilant crowds. Humanly speaking the crowd was getting out of control, to the extent that some Pharisees asked the Lord, “Master, check your disciples” This time he does not check them. He does not disappear. He is king, and the world must accept and acclaim him as such, if the disciples do not pay his royal homage, then “the stones will cry out”.
At solemn Mass the faithful will repeat this drama. We shall make a procession with palm branches in our hands. Those branches are symbols, symbols of our loyalty to Christ our King. They are also symbols of our willingness to do Him homage. Of course we profess our faith in it, the king of kings, everyday. But today we are given an opportunity to do it publicly.
Third consideration: Palm Sunday brings us face to face with suffering. In the liturgy, soon after commemorating the solemn entrance into Jerusalem, soon after acclaiming Jesus as King. He is presented to us in his suffering. We are already now being prepared for Good Friday, prepared for Calvary.
We know what lip service is. We have people who keep on cheering crowds and cry “Hosannah Son of David”. But they will stop here. It’s the second group, the truly committed followers, who will follow him with their cross daily to Calvary.
We are remaining with one week towards Easter, we have finished five weeks are already gone. Looking back, you have to ask yourself what you have done with those five weeks. Have you said an extra prayer? How was your relation with your neighbour? Did you do an extra good act? Have you received the sacraments frequently and more fervently? What efforts have you made to amend your life? Have you reconciled with those with whom you were not friendly with? In summary you can answer this question. In all these five weeks have you made yourself a better Catholic?
We still have to do something. You have seen runners gain on those who were leading a minute or two before the end. Let’s make firm resolves for real spiritual renewal so that the celebration of Christ’s resurrection in the body may be an occasion for our spiritual resurrection.
Let us rejoice with the triumphant Christ at his solemn entrance and allow him entrance into our lives. Let us dedicate our lives to him as our supreme Lord, our saviour and our king. And let us take our cross daily and follow his footsteps.



“No one can rule except one who can be ruled”
Latin Proverb




--
Padre Joseph Nyamunga Mubiru
P.O.BOX 15318-00509
NAIROBI-KENYA
BLOG: http://nyamusus.blogspot.com
Mob. +254-722-585-329

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT - NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU, GO AWAY AND DON'T SIN ANY MORE

21/03/2010

NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU, GO AWAY AND DON'T SIN ANY MORE. (JOHN 8:11)

"The meaning of life is to see" - Hung-Neng

Dear Brethren,
1. When I find myself confronted with this particular reading from the Gospel of John, I have always tended to consider only one side of Christ, namely, his loving mercy. Here is a sinner, caught red-handed. And its not just sin, it is adultery. This among the Jews, as well as among many other peoples of the world, was hideous, punishable with death. This is a man condemning his fellow man. How much do we know our fellow man? Who are we to condemn her so severely that she should die? We ourselves have been guilty at one time or another. Who knows if among the people who were accusing this adulterous woman there were themselves guilty of adultery? We know the story of Susanna in the Old Testament. The people who wanted her to be stoned to death were the very one who wanted to lead her into sin. I heard of a gentleman who married several wives; one of the daughters found a man and went to live with him. That gentleman got into his car and followed his daughter and brought her back home. He would not condemn himself, but he would severely condemn his daughter.
2. Mark the difference between us and our Lord. Being all holy, we would naturally expect him to condemn sinners severely; we would expect him to uphold the Law of Moses. According to the law this woman must die. How can we imagine Jesus, justice itself, letting her go free?
And this is exactly what he did "neither do i condemn you, go away." Its possible for a Christian to fall into despair. Overwhelmed by his sins, so frequent and so grave, a Christian may say like Judas: "I have sinned" and give up hope! The man who despairs of forgiveness and salvation is the one who does not know Jesus, who is the friend of sinners. Forgiveness is within everyone's reach, only if he will place himself at the feet of Jesus the saviour.
"Go away and do not sin any more"
Here is a condition for our forgiveness. being a friend of sinners does not mean that Christ liked sin. He refused to condemn the sinner, but he condemned the sin. As for the sinner the saviour wants from her a firm purpose of amendment. I do remember reading a book where the writer described the depositions of some penitents. He said there are some who make a resolve not to sin until communion. So they struggle to keep themselves scrupulously pure in mind and heart until communion. After that they are not at all concerned! Christ does not say to the woman "keep away from sin for this week" but "go away and do not sin any more."
3. Now the second aspect contained in this story, and aspect I have often over-looked, is that of respect for human life. What is happening in the world? The number of people who are killed every night in our streets and country is astonishing. The bodies are found lying by the roadsides, forests, farms. If a person is caught still a tyre of a car he is likely to be dead. One day I happened to see a man being stoned to death with a tyre tired around his neck; most probably this was all he was trying to steal. I have no intention of pleading for thieves! But as human beings and above all Christian we are bound to respect human life. Today we have this whole circus about constitution and Abortion, we know what needs to be done, what is true but we are simply dragging our feet. In the first place keep yourself safe and you will not get tired into stupid discussion. I call them stupid because we have failed to reason properly. Parents’ severely punish-husbands beat wives.
The Jews had the law on their side, and Jesus does not question this. But human life is sacred, and the saviour would not let anyone touch it. We shall never feel secure in society until there is real conversion of mind and heart, a conversion which will include respect for man's life, however guilty he may be in our eyes. We pray for conversion, which includes confidence in saviour, to resolve not to sin, respect of life.
"Nothing is more expensive than a start" - Nietzsche

--
Padre Joseph Nyamunga Mubiru
P.O.BOX 15318-00509
NAIROBI-KENYA
BLOG: http://nyamusus.blogspot.com
Mob. +254-722-585-329

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT - WE ARE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST

First Reading: JOSHUA 5:9-10-12, Second Reading: 2COR 5:17-21. Gospel: LUKE 15:1-3, 11-32
"The God to whom little boys say their prayers has a face very like their mothers" -
James M. Barrie
WE ARE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST
Dear my beloved brothers and sisters,
1. Many offices in modern society are patterned on Roman system of government. The Romans conquered many territories and made them Roman provinces.
a) A province which is still considered dangerous and had troops stationed in it, was under the direct control of the Emperor. To this province he would send his ambassador, his own representative, to administer it on his behalf.
b) On the other hand, a province which was peaceful and needed no troops to maintain law and order was under the direct control of the senate. When the senate decided that a given province should come under its control, they sent ten envoys, who together with the general who led the army which conquered the territory, arranged the terms of peace and drew up a constitution for the New Province. these were men who were responsible for bringing more members into the family of the Roman Empire.
We have heard of ambassadors in the other contexts. Nations send official representatives to friendly countries. These men may not be known to many citizens, but they are in an official capacity. Then we have ambassadors who are unofficial. I hear leaders talk about sportsmen and women who go out for international games as our ambassadors and we expect them to spread our good name abroad, since often they are more spoken of than the official ambassadors.
In the Church of God the Bishops are the official ambassadors of Christ. But also the followers of Jesus, all of them without exception, are sent to bring to other men the offer, and the conditions of God by which they can become citizens of God's empire and members of his family.
2. What are the characteristics of a good ambassador?
a) In the first place, they are different from the people among whom they live. They fly their own flags. The American ambassador most likely does not drive a Rolls Royce, neither is the British ambassador likely to drive a Mercedes Benz. They love to preserve their identity in the midst of an alien people and an alien culture.
I think an ambassador, who would lose his identity and become one with the people of the country, would be betraying his own mission.
We Christians are ambassadors of Christ. we are citizens of heaven, and as such, we are strangers in this world. A man who is unwilling to be different in his outlook on life, in his hierarchy of values, in his behaviors, in his relationship with the men and women around him, in his attitude to the things of his life, a man who is merely a conformist in a permissive society, such a man cannot be genuine Christian.
b) An ambassador speaks for his own country. He conveys the message, the decisions, and the policies of the country he represents. Some of you are members of bodies which decide major issues in our country or day today you may be a medical man or woman and have to decide on an action of deep moral implication, will you be Christ's ambassador and speak for him? will you be the representative of the church and uphold her principles?
c) The honors of the country lies in its ambassador’s hands. The responsibility of an ambassador is to recommend his country to the people he is sent to. This is a privilege, and and at the same time grave responsibility. By our word and action we make the people around us think more or less of the Church of which we are members, and of the master whose ambassador we are.
Lastly there is a note of reconciliation. Lent is a time of reconciliation. There are many Catholics who no longer think of confession and communion as an obligation. indeed it should not be if only we knew who it is. But because of lack of appreciation, we need a push from mother Church.
The parable of the prodigal son is for us all, but particularly for one who rarely ever goes to confession and communion. An ambassador who is not of the mind of the nation is unthinkable. A Christian who is not reconciled to Christ and united with him, in communion is difficult to think of. Pray for light and courage, that we may faithfully fulfill our task as ambassadors for Christ.
"Its better for man to confess his sins than to harden his heart".
- Pope St. Clement I


Rev. Fr. Joseph Nyamunga Mubiru, SSA
P.O.BOX 15318 Code 00509,
LANGA'ATA-NAIROBI (E.A),
Office : +254-020-230-806
Cellphone:+254-722-585-329

THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR C: TURN OR BURN

Readings: Ex 3:1-8, 13-15; I Cor 10:1-6, 10-12; Lk 13:1-9

THEME: God whose name is Goodness, also has limit to his patience and hence waits for us to turn away from sin, lest we are burnt by our own evil.
"The favourite place of God is in the heart of man" - Yiddish Proverb
"The man who thinks he is safe must be careful that he does not fall" (1 Cor 10:12).
Dear beloved,
I write to you with love and thanksgiving to God for guiding and nourishing me spiritually through the past year. It was on the 28th February 2009 when I was ordained. May you keep me in your prayers to be a holy priest.
In this Sunday’s readings we are reminded of God's overall plan of salvation, this was conceived in God's mind ab initio and of course it is realized through constant daily conversion. The burning bush that was not burning was the beginning of that salvation history. The delivery of Israelites from slavery is a type of man's deliverance from the bondage of sin. God never turns a deaf ear of man's cries. Man has to seek the right disposition in order for him to act. The Israelites were conscious of their humiliating condition on the one side, and their utter helplessness; that is why they cried to Yahweh, their God. "And now", says the Lord, "the cry of the sons of Israel has come to me, and I have witnessed the way in which the Egyptians oppress them" (Ex 3:9)
Both as a community and as individuals, we must be conscious of our spiritual and moral miseries, and cry to the Lord for deliverance. We know that Salvation History begins with the choice of Abraham but the appearance of Moses gave yet greater assurance and hope to God's people. It is then that God revealed his name to them "I am who I am" a mysterious name, so profound that it apparently says nothing, and yet in a nut shell, says everything that could be said about God. It was through Moses that the steps God was taking to liberate his people became concrete to them. Moses was a type of Christ.
What is disappointing here is that being favoured by God is no guarantee of fidelity on the side of the person favoured. The Israelites were not blind to the favours from their Lord. They were witnesses to the wonders he did on their behalf. Moses was with them ands he never failed to plead to God on their behalf, as the passage says "they were all baptized into Moses, and all drank the same spiritual drink, from the rock that followed them as they went...". But they did not prove faithful to Yahweh: "Most of them failed to please God" (10:2-5).
We know that we are a continuation of the chosen people of God. We can know this by that deliverance that we confront daily in the happenings in our times. May be it was over-confidence that was the root-cause of the falls of the Israelites. We are subjected to various temptations, and if we are over-confident our falls will not be less grave than those of the Israelites.
Like them, we too are inclined to idolatry. The Israelites made a golden calf and said: "This is our god who brought us out of Egypt". We may not have golden calves for our gods. We may not have temples around our houses, dedicated to false gods, i do not think we offer sacrifices to trees, stones or big snakes, but if a man's god be that to which he gives all his time and thought and energy, then men still worship the works of their own hands.
Some of the Israelites fell into the sins of lust. So long as we live, our lower instincts will tend to overpower us. The difference between us and the Israelites is that the Israelites were punished on the spot, we are not. It would appear they were not given time for repentance. And what a mistake it would be on our part to abuse God's patience with us. If he doesn't punish us immediately, it is not that we may offend the entire move, but that we may make reparation. At times we seem to be consciously or unconsciously to be trying him, trading on his mercy, we seem to say to ourselves: "It will be alright, God will forgive". Yet there is a holiness which God demands of us, and there is a love which we must give to him.
Grumbling against God figured in the history of the chosen people. As long as things go to the way we want them there is no trouble. But as soon as adversity comes our way, then we begin to ask why god should allow such a thing to befall us. "The man who thinks is safe must be careful that he does not fall". Our Lord said to Peter: "watch and pray". It’s perhaps when we think ourselves strongest that we are weakest. The moment we stop being vigilant is when the enemy takes us unawares. Lent is time to review our watchfulness and ask for grace that we may never be taken unawares.
"The vocation of every man and woman is to serve other people" - Leo Tolstoy

--
Padre Joseph Nyamunga Mubiru
P.O.BOX 15318-00509
NAIROBI-KENYA
BLOG: http://nyamusus.blogspot.com
Mob. +254-722-585-329