READINGS FOR THE 30TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C, SUNDAY, 23RD OCTOBER, 2022.
(WORLD MISSION SUNDAY AND AFRICAN CHAPLAINCY THANKSGIVING)
First Reading: Sirach 35: 12-14, 16-19
Psalm: 32
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 4: 6-8, 16-18
Gospel: Luke 18: 9-14
REFLECTION BY FR CORNELIUS NWAOGWUGWU, CM
KEY ELEMENTS TO MISSION
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today is the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C. Today also, we celebrate the World Mission Sunday and the African Chaplaincy Thanksgiving Day. We gather in the presence of God our Father who loves each one of us dearly. We are urged to participate in this Mass in such a way that we may become better able to live out the Father’s love for us in gratitude.
God is the centre of our mission. Our love for mission must be linked with faith, prayer, humility, gratitude and goodwill. In support of these key elements of mission, the Book of Ecclesiasticus, says: “The man who with his whole heart serves God will be accepted, his petitions will carry to the clouds. The humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds.” (Ecclesiasticus 35:12-14, 16-19). “The man who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18: 9-14) “The humble shall hear and be glad.” (Psalm 32). To be able to perceive God’s call for mission, it suffices to have a heart that is alert and open, filled with the light of faith and gratitude.
It is my great pleasure to welcome all of you to this Year’s African Chaplaincy Harvest Thanksgiving and celebration of Mission Sunday. Today, Sunday 23 October, 2022, the Church of Christ on Mission in the World celebrates World Mission Day. The theme of this year’s Mission Sunday is: “You shall be my witnesses.” (Acts 1:8).
In his message this year, Pope Francis “notes that more and more often, due to migration, the presence of the faithful of various nationalities enriches the face of parishes and makes them more universal, more Catholic; and consequently, he indicates that the pastoral care of migrants is a missionary activity not to be neglected.”
In the African Chaplaincy, we are working very hard and will continue to do our best to be visible in the expression of our Catholic faith. We will integrate ourselves into the Irish Church and society while retaining our African cultures and values.
We are called to join in proclaiming the reign of God, to bear witness by giving our time, talents, energy and creative gift of imagination to the work of God in the African Chaplaincy, the entire Church, and countries of origin.
In respect of this call, the Missionary Family of God of the African Chaplaincy in Dublin, celebrates Mission Sunday and Harvest Thanksgiving 2022 with joyful hope. We gather for a joyful celebration of the Holy Eucharist and reunite with friends and families at thanksgiving, expressing our commitment to Mission. The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.” (Psalm 126: 1-3). Indeed the Lord has done great things for us individually and collectively. Many good things have happened in our lives. We have experienced tremendous success in different facets of our lives, ranging from good health, academic success, business success, job opportunities, family blessings from God and family reunion, better housing and regularization of our stay in Ireland. We cannot but be joyful and thankful to God for everything he has done for us. We also give God the glory for keeping us safe through the challenging period of Covid. We thank God for everything in our lives and we pray the Lord to continue to bless us now and forever. Amen!
The Theme for this Year’s African Chaplaincy Thanksgiving is: “The joy of hope.” (Roman 15:13) It reads: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” As Catholics, this is our opportunity to bring all we have in thanksgiving; our annual way of saying thank you to our Lord for favours received. Giving to the Lord reveals gratitude and our belief that God is able to do much more than we could imagine.
The First Book of Chronicles 16:8 empowers us to: “Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, and make known his deeds among the people.” The Psalmist urges us: “to enter into God’s gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” (Psalm 100:4). In the same manner, Psalm 95:2-3 encourages us to “come before God with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all Gods.”
It is against this background that the Gospel of Luke 17:11-19 draws our attention to our need to thank God for favours received. After curing ten lepers, only one person returned to give thanks. Jesus Christ was challenged to ask, “Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God except this foreigner.” Out of genuine love, the Psalmist asked, “How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?” We Christians, ask, “How can we repay the Lord for all of his goodness to us?” Certainly, we can follow the example of the Psalmist who said: “I will lift up the cup of salvation.” I will “call upon the name of the Lord.” “I will fulfil my vows to the Lord.” (Psalm 116). Psalm 37 says “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” He is the living water, our river of life. He satisfies our desires in ways that this world never could offer. He gives us life and makes us produce good fruit. He satisfies our every need with good things. St. Francis of Assisi observed, “It is in giving that we receive.” The Lord says to us: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts to give you a joyful future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11). Hence, we cannot but be joyful and thankful to God for his goodness and everything He has done for us.
We are invited to joyfully offer our gifts to God from whom all blessings flow. Let this be our motivation for giving. When we are cheerful and generous in giving for our common good, certainly we are in for real blessings.
Once more, I say a sincere thank you for your kind and continued support to us in the African Community. I wish you all a peaceful and joyful celebration full of hope and God’s abundant blessings now and forever. Amen.
Rev. Fr. Cornelius Nwaogwugwu, CM.