THE ROCK OF PRAYER

(Reflection for the 29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C. Ex 17:8-13; 2Tim 3:14-4:2; Lk 18:1-8)

This Sunday’s readings encourage us to persevere in prayer. As we scroll through the readings in a prayerful silence, we get more acquainted with the dynamics of consistent prayer. We learn through the experience of the Israelites that life situations are not to be faced with only human strength or calculations. The power of God, working though our consistent prayers, is our strength. 

Israel was under attack by the Amalekites. “We wrestle against principalities and powers, that is why you must put on the armour of God” (Eph 6:12-13). Joshua went with human strength to confront the situation, while Moses climbed the hill of prayer with the staff of God in his hand, accompanied by Aaron the priest and Hur. “As long as Moses had his hands raised, Israel had advantage; when he let his arms fall, the advantage went to Amalek” (Ex 17:11). Prayer can turn situations around and put us at a gracious position. The force of prayer is always at the background while we take up our daily responsibilities and challenges. 

But Moses hand grew heavy! Here we see the pain, the struggle with prayer. There is always a temptation not to pray. We have to hold our prayer hands against natural inclinations, feelings, mood swings that make it difficult for us to pray. Like Moses, we need support.

Aaron and Hur—the praying community supports us in prayer. Though we pray privately, we still need the companion of the Church i.e. the priests and our brothers and sisters in faith. That is why the Church encourages us to join pious groups and attend Mass regularly. We are equally supported in prayer by the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Angels and Saints in Heaven. In fact, the Holy Spirit comes to our aid in prayer (Rm 8:26).

In addition, they took a stone and put it under him and on this he sat. The stone represents the Word and the Sacraments—solid rocks of faith—on which we rest on to be praying continually. They give us steady support. No matter how our praying hands may grow weary, distracted, procrastinating, etc, if we rest them on the rocks of the Word of God and the Sacraments of the Church, they will remain raised up to God. These are solid foundations of faith that transcend individual belief and private prayers; they do not fail. Their validity is not based on any private person’s faith or disposition. Instead, they are founded and rooted in Christ Jesus as the Head of the Body, the Church. 

Therefore, in the Word and Sacraments, we rely on Jesus, the Solid Rock of our Faith, the Rock of Ages. He is the Cornerstone of our lives and prayers. He is the real Rock that produces the living water that quenches our thirst forever (cf. Num 20:11). Jesus is “Our Mediator, whose blood bleeds more insistently than Abel’s (Heb 12:24). His eternal sacrifice is the highest and most consistent prayer. Hence, the Eucharist becomes our highest form of prayer and worship, in which we participate in the prayer of Jesus. How can our prayer fail when we pray with Jesus? 

This is the strong advice St Paul gives in the second reading, “All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be upright. This is how someone dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17). The Bible remains our foremost prayer book. It’s an unfailing guide to prayer. Like a rock, it sustains and revives prayer life.  The Bible helps us to keep to keep to what we were taught and know to be true, following the Sacred Tradition of the Church. Adulterated faith will definitely frustrate our prayer life. 

Perseverance in prayer takes courage. This is obvious in the parable of the persistent Widow and the unjust Judge. Helpless and in need, she summoned courage and went to this judge, and continually for a very long time. The power of the poor widow’s perseverance summoned the Judge to judgement and sentenced him to grant the woman’s request. 

Jesus promises us that God answers His elect who persevere in calling on Him—though He delays, He will see justice done to them speedily. He answers speedily because God is just, and He answers according to what each deserves and at the right time. Once the time is ripe, He does not delay. “But when the Son of man comes, will He find any faith on earth?” (Lk 18:8). When God comes to deliver answers to our prayers, will He still find an active faith ready to receive it? 

New Churches, prayer groups, new spiritualities, etc are emerging every day. These are signs of a faithless generation. The current ideology that we hold on to our creed and also believe in its seeming alternative is a disaster to faith and prayer. Such confusion is a sign that we have not rested our praying hands on Christ the Rock but on ourselves and our problems. Let us learn from Jesus and rest on Him as our Rock of prayer just as Moses rested on the rock. God will answer us speedily. 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Cathedral of 12 Apostles,

Garki, Abuja.

16 October, 2016.

THE SAVING GRATITUDE

(Reflection for the 28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C 2kg 5:14-17; Ps 98, 2 Tim 2:8-13; Lk 17:11-19)

The readings of today talk about healing and gratitude. First Naaman, the Syrian, plunged 7 times into the river Jordan at the words of Elisha and he was cleansed of Leprosy. They Syrian army commander was full of appreciation for what God did for him through the prophet. He testified to the greatness of God, “Now I know that there is no God anywhere on earth except in Israel” (2kg 5:17). He presented gifts to Elisha, who refused to accept. Finally, Naaman pledged his life to worship God, “For I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the Lord” (2kg 5:17).Naaman’s experience reminds us of our baptismal cleansing and the gratitude with which we should offer our lives God. 

A similar story of healing appears in the Gospel of today. Ten lepers met Jesus on his way. They raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” Imagine the chorus of their cry. That is the commotion of the ostracized humanity, who are outside the community of the common good. And the yearning of a lonely heart, infected by sin, and cast down from the mountain of grace. Their cry caught the attention of the compassionate Jesus. However loud their cry might be, it remains human. The ten got their healing, which ought to be a symbolic gesture to draw them to a new yearning, rooted in faith, not in their human need. 

Another loud cry resounded. The Samaritan came back, praising God at the top of his voice “and threw himself prostrate at the feet of Jesus and thanked him” (Lk 17:16). The healing evoked another level of faith in him. Like Naaman, he began to testify to the greatness of God, and offered his life to Jesus. By showing gratitude, he went beyond getting what he wanted to accepting the giver of the gift. 

Gratitude singles us out from the common, natural and selfish sentiment and positions us in a unilateral relationship, forming a renewed sense of communion. It brings gladness both to the receiver and the giver of the gift. Appreciating one another builds up confidence, and enhances charity. It uplifts human dignity! Sometimes we take it for granted that we deserve what we receive from one another, even from God. That is why this attitude can sometimes be scarce in the family.  Gratitude requires going out of ourselves and recognizing the sacrifice that brought us the goodness we received. 

That is why the second reminds us never to forget the sacrifice of Jesus: “Beloved, remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead.” We should die with him so as to live and reign with him, for he will never deny us and he is faithful. Therefore, the Holy Catholic Church offers this thanksgiving sacrifice, the Eucharist. In the Eucharist we remember and recognize the sacrifice that cleansed our leprosy! In it we pledge our lives to Jesus as Naaman did, bearing witness and praising God with our voices like the Samaritan. We say thank you Jesus as we enter communion with him. In the Eucharist we have the pledge of his constant presence. 

Gratitude is intrinsic to our faith. Yes, faith itself is a gift, and those who receive it are grateful. Without gratitude there is no joy. Without joy there is no love. Therefore, gratitude shines out where love exists. That is why the Eucharist is thanksgiving par excellence. We always receive Jesus with a grateful heart. And He continues to whisper to us, “Stand up and go, your faith has saved you” (Lk 17:19).

Fr Jude Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Cathedral of 12 Apostles

Garki, Abuja.

October 9, 2016.

THE SAVING GRATITUDE

(Based on Lk 17:11-19)

The Samaritan leper hopped back to base

With an attitude of gratitude

Thank you Jesus!

His voice so loud and dear

A joy fresh and strong like new wine

The outburst of love newly found

His return became a new turn

 From colony to communion

This Gentile, no more a foreigner

Faith, strong as death, is the harbinger

Gratitude is the dance of the believer

And a life for the saved

“Go, your faith has saved you”

Your gratitude rolls high to the altitude

Of a joy on the roll from love unquenched

In the Mary’s Magnificat still fresh

                                                                            ---Fr Jude Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

                                                                                                      Sunday October 9, 2016.

The Dawn of Mystery

Welcome to part 2 of my reflection on the silent side of human relationship. You may find this inspiring and educative. Your inputs are highly welcome, comment. If you have not read the part 1, I strongly recommend that you go through it first.This will help you to appreciate this second part more. kindly copy the link below and paste in your url
https://nwachinwe.blogspot.com.ng/2016/06/silence-in-relationship.html#links

PART II

The Dawn of Mystery

By recognizing the recollection of the heart—silence—as a necessary ingredient for a healthy interpersonal relationship, we thereby acknowledge that human friendship is transcendental i.e. it is surrounded by a cloud of mystery. Though we determine our words and gestures, much of what transpires in silence often reveal itself. That is why it is sometimes said that love is a discovery. It simply happens. The condition for choosing our friends is both in us and outside of us. Silence, in a way, becomes the pathway through the unknown, the mystery to the known—to that determined by experience. In other words, those aspects of our relationships which seem to be outside our control are intermingled with our conscious expressions though silence. Hence, silence becomes a sort of platform in which our deliberate acts of love interact with that force of love, which breaks in by itself. Love often dawns on us. As the relationship unfolds, true love comes as a discovery! A relationship that is totally “calculative” cannot be life-giving and enjoyable but burdensome. 

That which is given in silence—which is not within our immediate conscious expression but “breaks in” to form the heart in love, represents the mystery of human relationship. Yes, there is a transcendental dimension to our human relations. That is why discussions about human relationship cannot be exhausted but it remains open-ended. 

Having identified the “mystery” dimension of human relationship as revealed by silence, we now examine how it affects the quality of our relationships. Of course, there is no doubt that only enduring qualities can form and sustain a healthy relationship. What is it that makes two people feel connected to each other? Can something less human have such a biding force over two people? Where such is the case, then someone has lost his freedom! This is something to think about to avoid the imminent relationship disaster. Silence tells us that we should look out for “mystery qualities” (virtues). These must exist as necessary ingredient or felt as biding force in the relationship. 

But since it is still a “human” affair to which the mystery is felt as a background force, these biding transcendental qualities must be served on the platter of human weakness. They must exist side by side a prominent human weakness, which tends to, but cannot overshadow them. The mystery breaks in, silence speaks and virtue strives in the midst of the pain of being human. The survival of the mystery quality remains the life-line of a healthy relationship. That which is merely human, which is “verbal”, is given meaning and durability by that which is transcendental and silent. There is always something unspoken which keeps us in touch with our friends! A good friend knows your strength and weakness.  While he feels the pinch of your weakness, your virtuous side carries him on and sustains the friendship. One who accepts only your good side is not a friend yet. And one who fuels your weakness is equally not there yet. So human relationship becomes a meeting point, where “mystery and nature”, “strength and weakness”, “silence and words”, are intermingled.  You cannot know everything about your friend. But you will always know enough to embrace the “unknown” about him as it unfolds. That is why it is sometimes said that to love is a risk. 

Life is dynamic. Human relationship can either grow or shrink. That which is given in silence—the transcendental—does not unfold at once. The acceptance of the virtuous qualities, as mixed with human weakness, goes through a process. Therefore, “time” is an essential quality in building a healthy relationship. Time works with silence to gradually make the connection that forms bidding relationship. But, how much time can one give? Enough time to allow the mystery qualities to sink and overpower the prominent weaknesses. 

Therefore, the sound of silence reveals that one has to develop the appropriate disposition or capability before entering into a relationship. Sometimes circumstances, such as breakups, etc, force this “training” on us. But it would be more appropriate if we were to acquire it in a more positive way. The building up of our inherent capacity for interpersonal relationship becomes necessary since there is a mystery dimension to it, which is given or revealed in silence. Above all, this capacity is enhanced when we constantly open up ourselves to that which is transcendental and to the silence within. Ability to relate to mystery in general and to our inner self is a sure foundation for building the edifice of a healthy and lasting relationship. First of all, this can be achieved through active faith, where the human person enters into relationship with the Ultimate Mystery, God Himself. This is where we receive the basic training and disposition for a healthy and lasting relationship. Secondly, the mind can be thus trained by inclining it to transcendence through study and reflection. Once the mind acquires such orientation, it can now embrace the mystery dimension of human relationship.

Fr Jude Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Memorial of St Gregory the Great

September 3, 2016

Benin City, Nigeria.