Homilies

THE TIME HAS COME

Imagine a man going to the hospital because he has a fever. He complains that he has been taking some painkillers but the problem does not seem to be going away. The doctor then suggests that time has come for him to be tested for malaria parasites. The man refuses because, according to him, blood is so sacred that it should not be used for carrying out tests. What would you think of such a man? He really missed the right time for help!

Today is the first Sunday of Lent, a season that lasts for about forty days. This is a time when we should intensify our efforts of fasting, praying and almsgiving. All this is offered to us as a path to true repentance. Jesus in the gospel of today is saying to you and me, “The time has come!” For as long as we live, there is always time for us to repent and believe the Good News. But, Lent is a special time when the whole Church unites its efforts and prayers for true repentance. 

As we begin the blessed season of lent, Jesus invites us to journey with him into the desert. This can be a frightening invitation! Those of you who have been to the Western Province know that in the desert, one is usually without those ordinary supports to human life. In a very real sense, the desert screams of vulnerability, dependence and simplicity. Why on earth then would one want to have a desert experience? Why make oneself vulnerable, dependent and simple?

Jesus answers this question in today’s gospel: “The time has come and the Kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent and believe the Good News.” Those in business, for example marketeers, will tell you that timing is everything. Some people, with all the money required to set up successful businesses, have failed to make it due to lack of a good sense of timing. Indeed, the time may have come, but time for what? Jesus tells us, “The Kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent and believe the Good News.”

To start with, Lent is a time when we prepare to celebrate the great love of God made manifest in the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And how do we prepare for such a great occasion? “Repent and believe the Good News”, Jesus tells us. This is an invitation for us to change our ways and align ourselves more with the Good News that is Jesus himself. As one Bemba proverb urges, “Ukwali nsoke, takwafile muntu,” literally translated warnings prevent avoidable deaths. It therefore pays to heed to some one’s advice. The time has come for us to examine our relationships with one another and recommit ourselves to promoting greater justice, peace, love, and mutual respect.

For us in Zambia, the time has come, once again, when we have to choose our leaders. For this year 2006, is a time when we will have the presidential, parliamentary and local government elections. How fitting that this first Sunday of Lent, Jesus reminds you and me that this year and all that is to happen is a gift from God that must not be squandered. And we all know that with an opportunity also come a number of temptations. These temptations could be taking for granted the ordinariness of this year and thereby miss the preciousness of the opportunities that come our way in elections in Zambia.

The time has come for us to choose leaders who will be able to offer a selfless and responsible leadership to our country. But such a leadership can only be chosen if all of us who registered to vote will do the responsible thing by actually casting our vote when the time comes. A responsible and selfless leadership can only be a product of our responsible and selfless efforts as a people. This is why, as far back as 1978, the Catholic Bishops in their statement prior to the general elections of that year said clearly: ‘We urge all our people to make full use of their right to vote and consider it a Christian responsibility to do so”. By doing so, Christians participate in the establishment of a good government that serves everyone.

Sometimes we Christians maybe overly criticize those in leadership, because we might believe this is in keeping with our prophetic calling. But, when time comes for us to vote for the kind of leaders that we want, we shun away from participating in voting because we do not regard this as a Christian responsibility. We act much like the man we talked about earlier on who complains of a fever but does not want to be tested for malaria parasites! It is not enough to treat the symptoms, we have to go to the root cause of the problem. An election is one such opportunity for us. Let us vote for individuals who will lead the country towards development, justice and peace for every woman, man and child. It is our prayer that we will all take this responsibility seriously, remembering, “The time has come!”

Questions for reflection and sharing in Small Christian Communities

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Have a man accompanied by a friend or wife visit a local clinic. At the clinic, the man complains of cold fever, headache, nausea, drowsy and pains in the joints. The medical personnel during diagnosis (examinations) suggest that the man should be tested for malaria parasites in the laboratory. The man refuses and leaves the clinic.

Community Prayers

• Lord, help us to see the needs of our neighbours. Lord, hear our prayer! Lord graciously hear us!
• Lord, we pray for the spirit to recommit ourselves to promoting greater justice, peace, love, and mutual respect in our communities. Lord, hear our prayer! Lord graciously hear us!
• Lord, as we begin this time of lent, we pray that we may accept your invitation to repent and align ourselves more with the good news. Lord, hear our prayer! Lord graciously hear us!