Martin Jumbam

I walked beside a saint – Part 1.

 

By Martin Jumbam

Reports say millions of people around the world, who could not make it to the eternal city of Rome, watched on television as the Holy Father, Pope Francis, raised two of his predecessors, John XXIII and John Paul II, to the honours of the altar as the Church’s newest saints. I was one of them. As I watched and listened to all that was said about the two popes, I recalled that over nineteen years ago, I walked alongside one of them. It was in Yaoundé, the capital city of my country Cameroon. The year was 1995. I was then working for L’Effort camerounais, the oldest newspaper in Cameroon, the voice of the Catholic Church. What I reproduce here is the first part of a series of articles I wrote for our paper on that occasion.  I entitled it: “He came, he saw, and he conquered”. 

 

Catholic Meditation - Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) - Year A

Martin Jumbam 

Sunday, April 27, 2014 is the Second Sunday of Easter. It is also known as Divine Mercy Sunday because it is originally based on the devotion to the Divine Mercy, which Saint Faustina reported as part of her encounter with Jesus. It is therefore associated with special promises from Jesus and indulgences issued by the Church.  In the entrance antiphon we pray: “Like newborn infants, you must long for the pure, spiritual milk, that in him you may grow to salvation, alleluia.”

The keynote of this day’s Mass, and of all the Easter season, is no doubt Saint Thomas’ explicit profession of faith in the risen Lord in Saint Luke’s Gospel  – “My Lord and my God!” The Gospels continue to relate the appearances of Jesus to those who accept him and are gathered together in his name. In the first reading, the Acts of the Apostles narrate the life of the early Christian community of Jerusalem. Though small in size, it possesses a strong missionary spirit and zeal as it spreads Christ’s message to the holy city and to the world at large In it, the members live together and own and share everything in common. In the second reading, Saint Peter tells us that Christ’s resurrection is not just one article of faith among others; it is the very core of the Christian faith and the source of all hope. This is a message of consolation to the community which is still unsure of what to make of the events surrounding the death and resurrection of their Master Jesus Christ. In the course of this Eucharist, let us pray for the grace of faith to believe in the resurrected Christ, who is our Lord and our God!

Catholic Meditation - Easter Sunday – Year A.

By Martin Jumbam

 Sunday, April 20, 2014 is Easter Sunday in Liturgical Year A. In the entrance antiphon we pray: “I have risen: I am with you once more; you placed your hand on me to keep me safe. How great is the depth of your wisdom, alleluia!”  “This day was made by the Lord; we rejoice and are glad. Alleluia!” This refrain gives us the true spirit of Easter. It is a spirit of hope and abiding joy, as the Church continues to give witness to the central fact of the early preaching of the Apostles: “Jesus is risen. He is the Lord.” For our part we must lift up our minds and our hearts to the Lord in thanksgiving. As Paul says, “You must look for the things that are in heaven where Christ is.”

The first reading of this day is from Acts of the Apostles in which we hear Peter formally opening the mission of the preaching of God’s Word to the nations. The second reading, from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, tells us that our hearts, minds and souls should be turned towards heaven, where Christ the Saviour is seated at the Father’s right hand. The Gospel of John tells us the story of the empty tomb that leads the Apostles to understand and to believe in Christ’s resurrection. “Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of the scripture; that he must rise from the dead.”

Palm Sunday (Passion Sunday) – Year A

 By Martin Jumbam

The Universal Church celebrates Sunday, April 13, 2014, as Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday, because the theme of Jesus’ suffering and death begins with the reading of the passion. Palm Sunday begins Holy Week. In the entrance antiphon we pray: “Hosanna to the Son of David, the King of Israel. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Amen.”

In all the churches of our diocese, as in churches throughout the world this day, the congregation begins by assembling in some suitable place outside the church from where the procession will move to the church. The priest blesses the palms, then proclaims the account of our Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem from the Gospel according to Matthew 21: 1-11. This is followed by a procession into church, with the people holding the blessed palms and singing festive songs. The blessing of the palms and the procession recall our Lord’s entry into Jerusalem. The purpose of this ceremony is to involve us physically and through the material symbols in the commemoration of all that Holy Week means.

Shortly after the procession into the church, the theme of triumph changes radically with the reading of the passion narrative. Palm Sunday liturgy is devoted, therefore, more to the suffering of Jesus than to his triumphant reception by the people. By focusing on these events of Christ’s suffering, the church emphasizes the meaning of Holy Week.  On Palm Sunday the church celebrates the beginning of Jesus’ passage from life to death to new life: the Paschal Mystery.

Catholic Meditation – Fifth Sunday of Lent – Year A

 By Martin Jumbam

The Universal Church celebrates Sunday, April 06, 2014, as the Fifth Sunday of Lent – Year A. In the entrance antiphon we pray: “Give me justice, O God, and defend my cause against the wicked; rescue me from deceitful and unjust men. You, O God, are my refuge. Amen.”  The theme of this day’s Mass is the restoration of life. In the first reading, Ezekiel gives a vivid description of the vision of the valley of dry bones coming alive and becoming a great, immense army. “These bones are the whole house of Israel” which God restore to life as a sign of his power at work among his people. The same initiative and power are seen in Saint John’s Gospel when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Prophet Ezekiel’s vision becomes a reality in Jesus Christ through whom God’s Spirit restores life to the dead. In the second reading from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Christ, the first born of all creation, is raised from the dead by the power of God’s Spirit. The more we allow God’s Spirit to touch us, the more we are freed from the bondage of sin.  Let us pray in the course of this Eucharist for the grace to follow Christ more closely, he who gives life and raises us up from the death of sin.