STS. CHARLES LWANGA & COMPANIONS: The Martyrs of Uganda
In 1886, barely a few years after Christianity had been introduced in Uganda, King Mwanga, fearing that Christianity would put an end to his lucrative slave trade, started a persecution; his first victims were the pages of his court, even some of his relatives among them, who had refused to submit to his perverse solicitations. Thirteen of the pages, headed by Charles Lwanga, were burned to death, Catholics and Protestants alike. They kept their promise “not to stop praying as long as we live.” Many others followed; twenty-two of them were canonized by Paul VI in 1964. They are the first saints from young, black Africa and seeds of African ecumenism.
Reading 1: Sir 51:12 cd-20
I thank the LORD and I praise him;
I bless the name of the LORD.
When I was young and innocent,
I sought wisdom openly in my prayer
I prayed for her before the temple,
and I will seek her until the end,
and she flourished as a grape soon ripe.
My heart delighted in her,
My feet kept to the level path
because from earliest youth I was familiar with her.
In the short time I paid heed,
I met with great instruction.
Since in this way I have profited,
I will give my teacher grateful praise.
I became resolutely devoted to her—
the good I persistently strove for.
My soul was tormented in seeking her,
My hand opened her gate
and I came to know her secrets.
I directed my soul to her,
and in cleanness I attained to her.
Gospel: Mk 11:27-33
Then when they were back in Jerusalem once again, as they were walking through the Temple, the high priests, religion scholars, and leaders came up and demanded, “Show us your credentials. Who authorized you to speak and act like this?”
29-30 Jesus responded, “First let me ask you a question. Answer my question and then I’ll present my credentials. About the baptism of John—who authorized it: heaven or humans? Tell me.”
31-33 They were on the spot, and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, “If we say ‘heaven,’ he’ll ask us why we didn’t believe John; if we say ‘humans,’ we’ll be up against it with the people because they all hold John up as a prophet.” They decided to concede that round to Jesus. “We don’t know,” they said.
Jesus replied, “Then I won’t answer your question either.”
Prayer
Lord our God,
your young, holy martyrs from Uganda
were willing to lay down their lives
rather than to give in to evil.
We ask you today for the courage
of your Holy Spirit of wisdom and strength
to be always consistent in our faith
and to respond to your love
also when it demands sacrifices.
We ask your this through Christ our Lord.
Reflection:
3 June 2023
Mark 11:27-33
The hand of God working in us
Chief priests, scribes, and senior men – These three groups comprised the Jewish governing body, the Sanhedrin. They confronted Jesus about his chasing out the animal vendors and money changers from the temple the day before. They asked Jesus “with what authority” he did things and “who had given him such authority”. As authority arises from position, power, money and fame, it usually seeks to dominate and subdue the other. Those with power, money, and fame seek privilege and even try to control God.
The temple authorities believed they had already trapped him on the issue of authority. To be a teacher in the temple, you must be trained under a recognised Rabbi. Did Jesus have the required educational qualifications? They were unaware of any! Hence, the temple authorities wanted to discredit him before the people and stop him from teaching in the temple area.
Jesus turned the table back on them by questioning them about not accepting John the Baptist. They cannot recognise God as the creative force behind Jesus’ works without recognising or accepting John’s divine authority. Jesus did not pursue further dialogue with them. The ignorant one from Galilee outsmarted the elites of Jerusalem, their religious centre.
Today, the detractors of the Church use this act of Jesus cleansing the temple against the clergy and church leaders whom they do not like. We do listen to comments such as “If Jesus were to come back to the Church today, he would chase out our priests and church leaders.” But there is a difficulty in such comments: Through such comments, they are trying to assume the role of Jesus and decide what would be the likes and dislikes of Jesus. In other words, they already judge others.
We too, of course, can have a similar blindness as that of the temple authorities. When questioned about John’s baptism, they preferred to play ignorant and blind. “We do not know” was their evasive answer. When we are preoccupied with our social status, power, authority and position, we run into the danger of refusing to see God’s presence and work in situations where we do not want to see it. We refuse to see the hand of God working in people with whom we do not want to see it. But God uses any person, any experience, good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant, to communicate with us. “Help me, Lord, to seek and find and respond to you in every experience of my life.”