From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste in images
SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2013
There will be no network where I will be for mass tomorrow so I have decided to send my homily in advance.
Tomorrow is Palm Sunday. It commemorates the triumphal entrance of Christ into Jerusalem. Jesus chose to ride a donkey when he entered Jerusalem instead of a horse which was usually ridden by Kings. He chose the donkey to demonstrate his humility and to fulfill a prophecy in Zechariah 9:9:
“The Coming of Zion’s King Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey”.
Jesus thought of people he served dearly than himself because he practiced humility (Phil. 2:3). Jesus did not only put the well-being of others ahead of their own well-being (Phil. 2:4) but also wanted us to be ministers and servants instead of kings and princes (Matthew 20:25-28).
In other wards, what Jesus wants from us is to be servants instead of masters (Matthew 23:10-12). Jesus was not hypocrite. He always practiced what he preached and preached what he practiced.
Jesus walked on this earth with no place to lay his head, he walked on foot hundreds of miles to preach the gospel, he ate what his disciples ate, he stood in the background, did not advertise himself, he placed other interests above his own, he wrapped a towel around his waist and washed his disciples feet.
Jesus was moved with compassion when he saw crowds of people who did not know God, he was moved with compassion over the plight of an adulterous woman, a widowed bereaved woman whose only son had died, a Samaritan immoral woman, Mary a demon possessed sinful woman, a lying thieving tax collector.
Jesus lived for others, not for himself or his comfort. Many times he was interrupted by crowds on his way to prayer and he took time to give them the good news. He taught his disciples that whoever wanted to be great must be the servant of all, if anyone wanted to be first he must be the slave of all.
Though the word of God gave him the right to be supported financially and fed through his ministry, he gave up this right and worked and toiled and even helped others with his sweat. Instead of walking on a red carpet he decided to walk on palm branches placed in his path, before his arrest on Holy Thursday and Crucifixion on Good Friday.
He gave an example of two men who went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other, for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:10-14)
And when the hour came for him to dine at table with his Apostles he took the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide among you”. And he took bread, he gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them saying, “This is my body given for you, do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:14-23).
It demonstrates that Eucharistic celebration is not only a symbol of unity but also as one people of God should divide the little things we have as a community justly. In other wards we should not allow the seeds of tribalism and nepotism to be planted in us.
When we come together to celebrate the Eucharist we express who we are as Church. The liturgy, especially the Eucharist, “is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives and manifest to others the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 2).
Pope John Paul II explains the Roman Catholic position regarding intercommunion in his encyclical letter on ecumenism, That All May Be One. He says that Vatican II’s Decree on Ecumenism (#22-23) “pointing out that the post-Reformation Communities lack that ‘fullness of unity with us which should flow from Baptism.
He observes that ‘especially because of the lack of the Sacrament of Orders they have not preserved the genuine and total reality of the Eucharistic mystery,’ even though ‘when they commemorate the Lord’s Death and Resurrection in the Holy Supper, they profess that it signifies life in communion with Christ and they await his coming in glory’ (#67).
We see these seeds of tribalism and nepotism planted among early Christians (Acts 6). “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food”.
So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. These good leaders destroyed these seeds of tribalism and nepotism what was being planted in the people.
Those who did not want these seeds of tribalism and nepotism destroyed accused Stephen of insulting other tribes and so they tried to kill him all the times he condemned leaders who only favoured their tribes and relatives when it came the time of distribution of common cake.
Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.
Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law.
They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Condolence message:
On behalf of News Dispatch and my own I would like to send my condolences to the priests, Christians, religious, family and relatives of Bishop Akio Johnson Mutek, Bishop of Torit following his death at the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi on Sunday night and was laid to rest on Friday March 22, 2013.
Mutek who was also my college mate at Fordham University in Bronx, New York was rushed to the hospital in Juba in Nairobi as a result of serious kidney complications. Mgr. Mutek was 55 years old and had undergone two kidney transplants in India.
Mgr. Mutek was ordained a priest on December 18, 1988, and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Torit on May 18, 1999. He was ordained a Bishop on August 15, 1999 and appointed Bishop of Torit on June 9, 2007. He worked closely with People for Peace in Africa, the organization I worked with for 13 years.
May Almighty God rest his soul into eternal peace-AMEN.
Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail omolo.ouko@gmail.com
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Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.
-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002