Beloved in Christ,
 
"But he was speaking about the temple of his body" (Jn 2: 21). Jesus cleanses the temple in the gospel of today's mass. For the Jews, the temple was the dwelling place for God, where worship of God takes place. The worship in the temple involves the sacrifice of animals in the temple. Sacrificial necessity makes a case for providing animals for sale in designated areas in the temple. Money changers have, however, compromised the purpose of animal markets. The disregard for God and the sacred space is why Jesus, in anger, turns their table and drives them out. The action of Jesus may appear geared towards renewal or reform of the temple worship, but it is deeper than that. There is an underlying meaning here to the action of Jesus. 
 
The disciples of Jesus account for Jesus' aggressive action by seeing him fulfilling the words of the Scriptures that "zeal for your house will consume me" (Ps 69: 10). Jesus wants priority for the true worship of his Father restored. To do this, he refers to himself as the new and definitive place of God's dwelling and worship. In other words, Jesus is the new temple where God's presence is made available. The body of Jesus is the new sanctuary that supplants the old temple. In Jesus is located and indeed is the presence of God. The cleansing of the temple leads to the establishment of a perfect worship of God, which flows from giving primary obligation to God as reflected in the topmost commandments of the Decalogue given to Moses in the first reading from Exodus 20: 1-12. We must bring the same zeal that Jesus had for the proper worship of God to how we prioritize the worship of God in Church and particularly at Mass. 
 
The Mass, the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, is the pre-eminent form of worship. In the Eucharistic sacrifice, Jesus "Christ crucified" (1 Cor 1: 23) is the focus of worship. Jesus Christ, our incarnate God, the one who offers the sacrifice and the one who is the sacrifice, is the focus of prayer at mass. All the properties or attributes of the Old Testament temple as the location for divine presence and encounter give way to Christ, the new temple.
 
The temple cleansing provides us direct access to God because Jesus' body is the new temple. We now have the opportunity for a direct and close relationship with the divine, with the body of Christ. Reflect on these questions: Are we consumed by zeal for the new temple, the body of Christ? How may we give expression to the passion for the worship of God? Should we prioritize offering a sacrifice of praise to Jesus this week at our parish's monthly Eucharistic Adoration on Monday at 6 p.m. and walking the Via Crucis with Jesus at the Stations of the Cross on Friday at 7 p.m.? 
 
In Christ,
 
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
 

 Beloved in Christ,
 
"This is my beloved Son, listen to him" (Mt 17: 5). What does it mean and cost to listen to Jesus, God's beloved son? To obey Jesus's instruction is to deny oneself, take up the cross and follow him ( See Mk 9: 34). Abraham, our father in faith, did this when he obeyed God's commandment by not withholding his beloved son, his only one, Isaac, as a holocaust to God (Gen 22: 12). Abraham's offering of his son to God as a sacrifice is, in this sense, a prefigure of God "who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all" (Rom 8: 32). God clearly shows he knows what sacrifice and suffering entail through his act of giving Jesus up for our redemption. We must listen to God and obey his commandments even if it bring about affliction and suffering. God never abandons us in our suffering; he provides us strength and hope.
 
The story of the transfiguration of Jesus on the holy Mt. Tabor is God's remedy to the Christian experience of suffering. The revelation of divine glory in the transfiguration of Jesus will come to the aid of the apostles when they see Jesus go through his passion and when they, too, encounter suffering in the world when they listen to and obey Jesus' teachings. This event on the mountain points to a central truth of our Christian faith- that the cross is the key to heavenly glory. The cross eventually leads to the resurrection. Without the cross, there is no resurrection. We should never forget that our sufferings and afflictions are not the end of the story. When we continue to listen to and obey God's commandments, we should always trust that God will not abandon us, even if we feel that way in real-time. God will always point to the transfiguration of his Son as the definite end of our prayerful walk with Jesus, the denial of self, picking up our cross and following him.
 
One of the most instructive pious devotions in Lent that captures the spirit of Jesus' passion is the Stations of the Cross. The Via Crucis or Via Dolorosa, the way of the cross or way of sorrows/suffering, is an effective and impactful way of contemplating the suffering of Christ and a way of drawing inspiration and strength to endure our suffering as we strive to live our life in obedience to the Gospel of Christ.


I strongly encourage everyone to make it a priority during Lent to attend the parish's stations of the cross every Friday at 7 p.m. after we are done eating our Lenten fish fry dinner. Jesus invites us to pick up our cross and follow him; let us listen to him!
 
In Christ,
 
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP 
 

 Beloved in Christ,
 
Jesus "was tempted by Satan" (Mk 1: 13). After John baptized him in the Jordan, the Spirit led Jesus to the desert, where he remained for forty days, praying and fasting. In the footsteps of Jesus, we are on a journey of forty days of Lent, observed in fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. It is a time of repentance and renewal. In the course of our spiritual exercises and throughout our post-baptismal life, we shall be tempted by Satan. Temptation comes from the enticement by Satan to go against the will of God by following our selfish desires. Temptation is a battle against Satan, the world, and the flesh. Why are we tempted? What should we do to fight the temptation to sin? We can draw answers to these questions from the example of the temptation of Jesus in the desert.
 
Why was Jesus tempted? St. Thomas Aquinas offers insights into why Christ needed to be tempted by Satan:
 
First, Jesus allowed himself to be tempted so that He might assist us against our own temptations. St. Gregory says that Jesus endured temptation to overcome our temptations by His own, "in the same way that He had come to overcome our death by His death." 
 
Second, Jesus willed to be tempted to warn us that no one should think themself safe and free from temptation. As we see that it was after his baptism that he was tempted, we should expect to be a subject of the devil's temptation once we choose to walk the path of holiness. Anyone who embarks on a path of holiness should prepare their souls for temptation (Eccl. 2:1). 
 
Third, Jesus' temptation offers us an example of how we should overcome the devil's temptations. Christ teaches us by his temptation the help and example of winning the battle against temptation to sin. 
 
Fourth, Christ's temptation strengthens our minds with confidence in His mercy. As one who has been tempted, he knows our experience of weakness in the face of temptation, and as a result, he would have compassion on our infirmities (see Heb. 4: 15).
 
Lent, a time of spiritual reawakening or renewal, will be full of temptations to sin. If we are striving for growth in holiness, the devil will tempt us throughout our lifetime. We should not be discouraged because we have Jesus's example to guide us to victories over temptation. Let us observe the Lenten discipline of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and we shall experience a surge of renewal in the Spirit.
 
Just so you know, Thursday, February 22, is the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle, our parish patron saint. Please prioritize attending mass and adoration at 6 p.m. to celebrate and seek St. Peter's intercession. Our Church and the world need his intercession more than ever.
 
Happy Presidents' Day!
 
In Christ,
 
Fr. Bernard Alayode Oniwe, OP
 

​Beloved in Christ,

Jesus cleanses us. In this Sunday's gospel reading from Mark, a man with leprosy, a ritually unclean man, approached Jesus, knelt before him, and begged him, "If you will it, you can make me clean" (1:40). This request has more profound layers of meaning. In the Jewish religion, being found with blemished skin is linked to punishment for disobedience. The consequence of disobedience, of sin, is exclusion from communal ritual worship and separation from family and friends. It is required by law for the unclean person to indicate their unclean inner state outwardly by wearing a rent garment, shaved head, and a bell (signs of mourning and penance) to warn people of their presence because coming into physical contact with them will make others unclean as well. They were, more or less, the living dead. That is the state of anyone in a state of sin.

What was Jesus' response to the prayer of faith made by the leper? Mercy. "Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him and said 'I will it; be made clean" (1: 41). Jesus took upon himself the uncleanness of the man, and Jesus healed him through his touch and words. Jesus made him ritually fit for worship again by cleansing him of the stain of sin. By this act of touching and cleansing, Jesus showed us that he is a divine person, more than a prophet like Elisha, who healed the leprosy of Naaman. What Jesus did and how he did it brings to mind God's creative word in the creation story- "Let there be." Jesus has the power to will, and he "wills" the cleansing of this man from within of his sin as well as his exterior ugly sight. Only God can do this- the power to cleanse the stain of sin on the soul.

This divine cleansing occurs in the Sacrament of Penance or Confession. The penitent approaches the priest with a contrite heart for sins committed and, kneeling on the kneeler, asks Jesus through the priest to cleanse them of leprosy of sin. The priest stretches his hand over the penitent and pronounces words of absolution, which cleanses the soul of all confessed sins. Every penitent sinner is like the man with leprosy who comes to Jesus to beg for healing. It is the responsibility and free will of the penitent to go to Jesus. It is clear that Jesus is full of mercy and compassion for a repentant sinner who comes to him to beg for healing and would generously cleanse the one who begs for his healing grace. Jesus will never deny a blessing of healing for any repentant sinner who seeks to obey God's will. Jesus never turns away any form of a sinner. All types of sinners are welcome to approach Jesus for his gracious mercy.

What stops me from asking Jesus for his healing and cleansing? How am I taking responsibility for any devious acts against God's commandments of which I am a free agent? What sinful habits do I need to bring to Jesus, saying, "You can make me clean? The season of Lent kicks off on Wednesday. It is a long forty days of self-examination to identify any leprosy of the soul that separates us from union with Jesus and worthy participation in His Body and Blood, and going to him in confession to beg for his cleansing. He wills to cleanse us of sin, but we must repent and ask for his healing grace.

This is just a fraternal reminder that Lent starts this Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is a day of universal fasting and abstinence in the Church. We have three masses with the imposition of ashes; please take a look at the bulletin for details. Remember to fast, abstain from meat, and pray intensely on Wednesday. May God see signs of our repentance and cleanse us of all sins.

On this Sunday, World Day of the Sick and World Day of Marriage, I impose Jesus' healing grace on all the sick and His divine love on all married couples, respectively, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In Christ,
Fr. Alayode Bernard Oniwe, OP
 

​Beloved in Christ,
 
This Sunday, we read in the Gospel of Mark that Jesus "went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons" (1:39). As we also learned from earlier verses in the designated section from the first chapter of Mark, Jesus supports his preaching and healing by a life of prayer: "In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed" (1: 35). In short, the rhythm of life that Jesus lived, as he moved from the synagogue to Simon's house, revolves around preaching, healing and prayer. Jesus fulfilled his messianic promises by carrying out these life-giving divine acts. 
 
The resolution to the problem raised by Job in the first reading lies in the Messianic acts of Jesus. Job portrayed a sinister view of human life in his verses (7: 1-4. 6-7). The sad tone of Job's vision of human existence in the verses creates a somber mood that is upsetting to his readers: a restless life lacking hope, joy, and happiness, a transient and listless human existence. This tragic experience is true of life before Christ came into the picture. With the arrival of Christ and through his preaching, healing, and prayer, He transforms the sad condition of the human lot described by Job. Jesus can heal us of physical and spiritual sickness because he is the Messiah. In the sacraments of healing (Confession, Anointing of the Sick, and the Eucharist), Jesus has the power to take us by the hand and lift us up as he did to Simon's mother-in-law (v. 31). Jesus wants to raise us up so that we may serve him and others as he did by replicating his way of preaching, healing and prayer. Jesus calls us to follow his example, to preach (as Paul says in 1 Cor. 9: 16-19), heal and pray.
 
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "In all of his life Jesus presents himself as our model. He is 'the perfect man', who invites us to become his disciples and follow him" (520). Jesus invites us to follow his example of spreading the Good News to all, to bring his healing presence of mercy and compassion to others, and to find time to pray not only with the community but alone in a quiet place where the Holy Spirit can renew us individually for the mission of preaching and healing.
 
We can only do what Jesus did, preaching and healing, if we find time to pray, as Jesus often did. In addition to joining others in the church to participate in the sacrifice of mass on Sundays and during the weekdays, do we find time and a deserted place to pray and meditate? Do we strive to pray the Sacred Scriptures daily through Lectio Divina? Do we step into the church (church on the hill and historic church are usually open from morning to afternoon, Monday to Friday) when the opportunity presents itself to visit our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament? Think and act on these things.
 
Our parish monthly Eucharistic Adoration is this Monday, February 5. Have you attended one before? It is usually an hour of worship in songs and silence. It might be an opportunity to renew your commitment to following Jesus in his preaching, healing, and prayer mission. Consider this thought, too.
 
Please note that Next Sunday, February 11, is designated World Day of the Sick and World Marriage Day. I invite you to come to mass with prayers in your hearts and lips for these categories of people in our church. We should pray for those suffering from illnesses and those who are married or preparing for marriage. Also, since next Sunday will be the last time the assembly sings alleluia until the Easter Vigil, let's enhance this joyful acclamation through hymns, psalms, and refrains.
 
In Christ,
 
Fr. Alayode Bernard Oniwe, OP