From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2013
As indicated earlier tomorrow I shall be traveling home, Miruka village, Nyamira County in preparation of my beloved late mother Kristina Oding’s anniversary mass on December 12, 2013. I shall not have my Sunday homily on December 8, 2013, Second Sunday of Advent because I shall be co-celebrating at mass in Oriang Catholic Mission, Homa Bay Diocese.
My mother’s anniversary will be celebrated on the day Kenya shall be celebrating 50 years since independence. As Beatrice Wamuyu writes, Kenya is a melting pot of world cultures. It started interacting with other world cultures as early as 2000BC. The first Arabs landed at the Kenyan coast in about 100AD.
According to the 2009 census, there were 40,700 Kenyan Arabs, 46, 700 Kenyan Asians, 5,000 Kenyan Europeans and 2,400 Kenyan Europeans. Non-Kenyan Asians totaled 35,000, and there were 27,000 Europeans, 6,000 Americans, 112 Caribbeans and 719 Australians. There were almost 400,000 people from African nations living in Kenya, according to the census.
Foreign journalists covering for eastern Africa and beyond find Kenya haven place to report from. So when Kenya is celebrating 50 years of independence, it also celebrates the hospitality it renders to peoples of all walks of life. I am glad my mother’s anniversary falls on this day.
It will also be the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared Patroness of Latin America in 1910, and in 1945 Pope Pius XII declared Her to be the Empress of all the Americas.
She appeared to an Indian convert named Juan Diego on December 9, 1531. She left a marvelous portrait of herself on the mantle of Juan Diego. This miraculous image has proved to be ageless, and is kept in the shrine built in her honor, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
As Kenya celebrates 50 years of her independence, the Roman Catholic Church is reforming. In his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis not only intensifies his criticism of capitalism and the fact that money rules the world, but speaks out clearly in favor of church reform “at all levels.
He specifically advocates structural reforms — namely, decentralization toward local dioceses and communities, reform of the papal office, upgrading the laity and against excessive clericalism, in favor of a more effective presence of women in the church, above all in the decision-making bodies.
And he comes out equally clearly in favor of ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, especially with Judaism and Islam. The pope wants the church move forward and alive. He wants the church that practices mercy-the prefect appeals to God’s holiness and justice.
He wants the coming bishops’ synod on family matters in October 2014 to find practical solutions based on feedback from the laity — the prefect draws on traditionalist dogmatic arguments in order to be able to maintain the unmerciful status quo.
On Sunday, December 8, 2013 will be the second Sunday of Advent. Although Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is transferred from Sunday, December 8 to Monday, December 9, the obligation to attend Mass does not transfer.
On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX officially declared the Immaculate Conception a dogma of the Church, which means that all Christians are bound to accept it as true. This follows his decree in the Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus:
“We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.”
In other words, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception celebrates the saving work of God in preserving the Blessed Virgin Mary from the stain of original sin. Due to its solemnity and importance, is why it is transferred to the next day, Monday, December 9, 2013. It is so important to note that the obligation is not waived when it falls on Saturday or Monday.
In the United States and other countries, the bishops have received permission from the Vatican to abrogate (temporarily waive) the requirement for Catholics to attend Mass on certain Holy day of Obligation, when those Holy Days fall on either Saturday or Monday. Thus, in 2013, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is not a Holy Day of Obligation.
Even though in these USA, the Immaculate Conception is also their national patronal feast, the bishops conference usually waives obligations of Holy Days which are too close to a Sunday (which is always a day of Obligation).
The first reading is taken from Is 11:1-10. On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea. On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.
Second reading is from Rom 15:4-9. Brothers and sisters: Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I say that Christ became a minister of the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, to confirm the promises to the patriarchs, but so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: Therefore, I will praise you among the Gentiles and sing praises to your name.
The Gospel is from Mt 3:1-12. John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.
John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist.
His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves,
‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.
I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail omolo.ouko@gmail.com
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Twitter-@8000accomole
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