 Homily
Jubilee as Described in the Book of Numbers (Numbers 25: 8 – 19)
Jubilee is year of Reflection on our relationship with God, neighbour
and creation.
With God – look at the past and see the wonders God has done through
his son Jesus for the people of the Diocese of Eldoret. The
proclamation of the word of God, that has shaped the lives of the
people of this diocese through various administrations of the late
Bishop Houlihan, Auxilary Bishop Emilio Njeru, Archbishop John Njenga
and myself (I).
Neighbour - This local Church as
part of the wider family of God. That is building a sense of belonging
to that family as brothers and sisters in Christ. United together as
people of God, we will promote values based on God’s love that build
and respect Human Life.
Creation: That God created all
things and entrusted human beings to look after creation and not to
destroy. Protection of Environment is vital for our survival.
Concentrating on the readings of today in relation to our Jubilee
celebration. I see in all the readings a theme, Growth of the Church
with her foundation stone, Jesus Christ, son of the Living God. In the
First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the church in Jerusalem
is truly a ‘little flock’ and it is being persecuted but Peter and the
others do not cease to proclaim Jesus Christ the Son of the Living
God, the Saviour of the World.
Peter and John are imprisoned to stop them from preaching, to
intimidate them. But as we hear in the Reading, the victory belongs,
not to the opponents of the Gospel but to the Living God, and to the
prayers of the Christian Community...
Jesus had told them beforehand: Do not be afraid. I am with you always
until the end of time - Mt.28: 19 –20, “Go therefore, make
disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the Father
and of the son and of the Holy Spirit and teach them to observe all
the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to
the end of time.” Do not be afraid of those who can kill the
body. Rather fear him who can cast body and soul into hell. So the
apostles continued to preach even when they were strictly warned and
forbidden to do so.
They were bold enough to state their position before the Jewish
authorities: We cannot disobey God. It would be wrong for us to
disobey God in order to obey human authority. And so the early Church
continued to grow despite opposition, persecution and other forms of
difficulties.
The Church in Eldoret also grew from small beginnings. The
missionaries (St. Joseph’s Missionary Society, Mill Hill) were few,
and while there was no persecution, difficulties and discouragement
were there. Traveling was very difficult. The first small group of
missionary priests with their Bishop (Bishop Henry Hanlon) walked from
Mombasa the whole way to Kampala. The coming of the Railway and the
building of some roads helped a lot but still there were many places
where there was no Road and foot-safaris were the only way to reach
the people.
Many missionaries were struck down by illnesses. Some died young. Some
were unable to continue working in the missions because of ill-health
and had to retire to their home countries. Language difficulties were
there. The loneliness of priests living alone was there. Personality
and human differences and weaknesses were there. But God was working
with them and through them and through the small catechumenates and
the catechists and the very small communities of Christians,
experience the presence of Jesus Christ in their midst.
The missionaries no doubt experienced, at least in some small way,
what St. Paul felt in the second reading: In their weakness they
offered themselves – their bodies, their hearts, their efforts as an
oblation to God, (Romans 12: 1) Think of God’s mercy, my brothers, and
worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy of thinking beings, by
offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to
God.), and the Lord stood by them and gave them power – victory in the
name of the Lord – As a result the Church in Eldoret grew.
From Kisumu, the first parish in western Kenya, the Church spread to
Mumias, then Naivasha and then in due course to Nakuru where a parish
was established in 1928, and to Eldoret where the first priest took up
residence in 1929. For some years, one Sunday mass in the small church
of St. John the Baptist was enough for the whole population of Eldoret
and even for Christians who could attend from outside Eldoret. But all
the time Jesus Christ the son of the Living God, was building His
church as He had promised: New parishes were opened slowly: Tartar,
Kitale, Nerkwo, Kiminini, T.T.C.
Additional missionaries, the St. Patrick’s missionaries (Kiltegan)
were brought in and worked with Mill Hill until in 1953 – the whole
territory of the new prefecture of Eldoret was entrusted to them.
Rapidly the number of priests grew and Msgr. Houlihan was able to open
new parishes: Majengo, Molo, Matunda (Seminary) and many others. He
invited also Sisters and Brothers, and gradually Jesus’ work of
healing was being done in Ortum and Kiminini, Singore, Lorugumu, and
Kakuma and Eldama Ravine. The Education was part and parcel of the
Missionary work. The schools were constructed near the mission to
educate the African people. Education and Health became the means of
proclaiming the son of the Living God – Jesus Christ.
The congregation of the Sisters of the Assumption was founded in Turbo
on 25th March, 1962 and the first five African sisters of the Diocese
took their oath of membership. The minor seminar was training students
at Matunda and in due course, the Seminarian from that Minor Seminary
was ordained … Fr. Peter Kairu….1972. By that time the Diocese of
Nakuru had already been established (1968) and Turkana also had been
established as a Prefecture, so that Fr. Kairu was Nakuru’s first
diocesan priest. New Congregations/groups of Missionaries came in the
early 70s. They came at the invitation of Most Rev. John Njenga, who
in 1970 became the 2nd Bishop of Eldoret after Bishop Houlihan had
retired.
Today we thank God. All is from Him, through Jesus Christ Our Lord,
the son of the Living God. Today we thank also the missionaries who
worked with God and God with them, and who persevered - preaching the
word, administering the Sacraments, attending to the sick, promoting
education.
The challenges of today are as follows:
Formation of catechists – who are always playing a major role in
evangelization. We are all
called upon to support our catechists in their formation.
There is a need to strengthen ways and means of forming our future
priests; and the religious people men and women. The faithful are
called upon to promote Sisterhood and Brotherhood.
To encourage the laity to be conscious of their roles in
evangelization. If we want the church to be self-reliant and at the
same time be a missionary one, we should support it wholeheartedly in
both prayers and materially.
|
