Homilies

ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL DEVOUR ME

Among the Jews, the Temple was a sacred institution. Not only did it provide them physical space to offer worship and sacrifices, but it also symbolized the very spiritual presence of God. For a Jew, as long as the Temple stood, God was present. The building came to be a clear sign that God had not abandoned his people, despite their iniquities and weaknesses. The Temple therefore occupied a very central place in the Jewish religion. That is why Jesus was so upset when he found people using the Temple for business purposes rather than for religious purposes.

As we see in today’s gospel, Jesus’ action of cleansing the Temple by chasing away all those selling and buying in it is very prophetic. Jesus is pained to see a good structure being misused. And therefore in that state, he does something that is very dangerous to his person. He chases away all those money-changers and sellers from the Temple. This excites their anger and they plot to get rid of him. But what gave Jesus the courage to do what no fearful person could do?

“Zeal for your house will devour me,” are the Old Testament words that came to the minds of the disciples after seeing Jesus in action. Here is someone who is so passionate about the truth, justice, and fairness and right-conduct such that he is ready to challenge the religious leaders of his time in order to promote these values. Here is someone who is ready to die for his values. And so, in Nyanja it is said: “Walila nvula, walila matope” (If you cry for rains, be ready to step in mad). That is, being a Christian entails accepting to bare all the accompanying consequences including death. Recall the words of a great African-American human rights activist, Martin Luther King, Junior, that, “Whoever has not discovered something they are ready to die for, that one has not yet started living!” Have you and I discovered something for which we are ready to die for?

During this election year in Zambia, many things are bound to happen. For example, all the aspiring candidates for all the different political parties will come to us with wonderful promises about things they intend to do. This is a good and important thing as it provides us all with an opportunity to hear what our leaders have to offer if elected. But, from our previous experience, we all know that some of the candidates would resort to character assassination and mudslinging during these campaigns. This is a clear case of using a good thing -- campaign, for selfish reasons -- winning undeservingly.

Jesus is today looking for men and women of integrity who are willing and ready to serve, are courageous, committed and ready to stand up to challenge evil practices, no matter the cost. These values can be helpful in our evaluation of aspiring candidates. Really, they will serve as a yardstick for doing away with those leaders who take pride only in having the best “vocabulary” of insults. In this way, we shall cleanse the temple of our electoral system and the electoral campaigns. It is helpful to remember the wise words of the Catholic Bishops prior to the 1996 elections: “We therefore urge all Christians to ensure that political parties keep to pertinent issues, for example, service to the poor, social welfare, agricultural policy or economic recovery, during their campaign. Those who campaign outside these issues – people only interested in insulting their opponents – are not promoting peaceful elections, and should not be voted for.”

Moreover, another institution that maybe in need of some cleansing during this year’s elections is Parliament. We all know how important this arm of government is in as far as promotion of democratic principles and good governance is concerned. An election is a chance for us to do some house sweeping, if that is necessary! So we can ask ourselves questions like: How have our elected leaders performed during the last five years? Have they really and truly represented the will of the people who sent them to Parliament? Have they visited us in our local communities? These questions form part of a yardstick in our evaluation of aspiring candidates. An election is a timely reminder to all who aspire for public office in this country that they will always be held accountable by us the people for their actions and decisions while in office, whether as President, Member of Parliament or Ward Councillor.

Easter is fast approaching – only four weeks away. Let us continue to pray that this Lenten season of grace will be for us a time to see what needs to be cleansed both as individuals as well as a nation. We pray that the same zeal that led Jesus to the cross and beyond may also fill our hearts and enable us to seek justice and fairness in this year’s elections regardless of the cost to ourselves. And so, make our own these words: “Zeal for your house will devour me!”

Questions for reflection and sharing in Small Christian Communities

Sketch

Have two aspiring candidates for positions of leadership (e.g., Church council, ward councillors). The first candidate to use campaign rallies to attack, bribe, insult and disparage the personalities of the other contesters and not talking anything about issues affecting people. The second candidate to use campaign rallies to address developmental issues affecting the people in that ward.

Community Prayers