Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish

FR MICHAEL BIBLICAL IMAGERY

(Fr Michael Boakye Yeboah: Vice Rector of St Gregory Seminary, Kumasi-Ghana)

HOUSE CLEANSING

            Some centuries ago a student in his effort to relive his master’s philosophical dreams, proposed the best way to build an Ideal City-State. He proposed a life of righteousness and justice. It was the philosophical dream of Socrates that he will live in an Ideal State of righteous and just people. He took his dreams to the lecture theatre and taught his students. One of his students embraced his master’s thoughts and further developed it – Plato is his name.

            Plato proposed to the intellectual world of his time the philosophical discourse “The Republic.” In a summary form: Plato said we do not aim to start building a republic with territorial occupational aims before we think about those who will occupy the territory and those who will rule in the territory. Plato said let us start the republic with the individual person; with a call to radical renewal of life. For him, for a nation to enjoy righteousness and justice, each person needs to be renewed in righteousness and justice. He believes that individuals make a republic or a nation so if each person takes the bold step to renew his/her life towards righteousness and justice we will have a “Just State.”

            He again proposed that if reforms from “top to bottom,” that is from adults to babies will be difficult to achieve, we should go for “bottom to the top.” With the “bottom to the top”, he suggested that we should do classification/grouping of babies according to their talents when they are born and get a teacher to train and mentor these children towards their full potentials laced with the ultimate goal of justice and righteousness. He went further to propose the need for a “Philosopher king” to rule in the city-state if the dream can be realized.

            What happened to the dreams of Plato? The religious and political establishment who masterminded the death of his master Socrates will make sure this dream does not see the day light and so it remained only a philosophical theme taught in lecture halls to entertain the wondering minds of men.

            I give this long introduction to the Third Sunday of Lent’s reflection because of the Gospel reading given to us for our reflection. Jesus arrived in the religio-political scene of Palestine with a manifesto of renewal and deliverance. The ultimate aim of the manifesto was a call to total renewal of life so that men can be made ready to enter the kingdom of God and live in a kind of ideal “Plato-like” city-state. But the religious and political establishment of his day will not permit him.

            Since the days of the Council of Trent, many well-meaning Catholics have called for a kind of “house cleaning” in the Church. I would like to suggest the Plato-like approach. We should not start with the whole Church (that is all the members). We can use the “cura personalis” approach (care/reforms of individuals). If we succeed on the one to one care of souls towards renewal, we will make great efforts. If this will also be successful, we need reforms from the top (clerics). One cannot give what he does not have; if the priest has not kept his own house in order, it will be difficult to tell others to put their houses in order.

            If the Church needs cleansing, we should note that our respective bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 3:16). If one has not learned to keep his own temple clean, how can (s)he aim at cleansing the main Church (the communal assembly)? If everyone makes it a priority to keep his/her temple which is his/her body clean, then we can be sure that our “communal assembly” will be clean also, because it is individuals who make a Church. If you are a sinner like me and you need house cleaning, can you pray this prayer with me: Merciful Father, I ask thee to purify me of the desire to please, to win approval, to solicit affection, and to manipulate the emotions of others in such a way as to feed my self-love and numb my insecurities. I renounce every desire to seek personal satisfaction; I ask thee to deliver me of possessiveness, vanity, fear, lust, and timidity. I beg thee to keep me pure, transparent, humble, and free; I surrender to thee my humanity with its wounds, its brokenness, and its scars. I give thee my past in its entirety. I beg thee for the grace to walk in the newness of life.