LAUNCHING OF THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF QUEEN OF PEACE PARISH, MADINA, ON SUNDAY, 25TH AUGUST, 2024
THEME: QUEEN OF PEACE @60: THE EUCHARIST, RE-EVANGELIZATION AND THE YOUTH
HOMILY BY BISHOP JOHN KOBINA LOUIS
OUTLINE
- Introduction
- Queen of Peace
- Mother Mary and the Eucharist
- Mother Mary and Re-Evangelization
- Mother Mary and the Youth
- Conclusion
0.1 INTRODUCTION
On behalf of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, CSSp., and his auxiliary bishops, I wish to congratulate you all on the occasion of the launching of the 60th anniversary of your parish.
The theme for your year-long celebration is: Queen of Peace @60: The Eucharist, Re-Evangelization and the Youth. This theme has four aspects (Mother Mary as Queen of Peace, the Eucharist, Evangelization and the Youth) which should guide you, collectively and individually, in the course of your 60th anniversary celebration and beyond.
In this homily, I wish to provide some thoughts on the four aspects, hoping that they will inspire you to love Mother Mary the more, enhance your participation in the Eucharist, increase your passion for evangelization and make the Youth Apostolate more central in your parish.
1.0 QUEEN OF PEACE
There are various kinds of queens. Firstly, a queen could be the female supreme head of a kingdom, e.g., the late Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom. Secondly, a queen could be the wife of a King, e.g., Queen Esther (cf. Esther 2:2-23).
Thirdly, a queen could be the mother of the king. You may call her “Queen Mother”, e.g., Bathsheba. As a wife of King David did not exercise any particular power of governance. However, as the mother of King Solomon and, therefore, as the Queen Mother, the Bible testifies about her majesty and authority as follows: “19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. The king rose to meet her, and bowed down to her; then he sat on his throne, and had a throne brought for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right. 20 Then she said, ‘I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.’ And the king said to her, ‘Make your request, my mother; for I will not refuse you’” (1 Kings 2:19-20). It is in this sense of queen mother that we refer to Mother Mary as queen. Moreover, her Son, Jesus Christ, is not an ordinary King but the King of Kings (cf. Rev. 17:14), and so she is the Queen of Queens.
Now, as King Solomon would not refuse the requests of his mother, Queen Bathsheba, so Christ the Eternal King does not refuse the requests of her mother and our Queen, the Blessed Virgin Mary (cf. John 2:1-12). Let us, therefore, continue to seek her intercession. Furthermore, as her Son is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), so she is the Queen of Peace.
The Queen of Peace, Mother Mary, is the perfect model for us about our participation in the Eucharist, evangelization and youth ministry.
- MOTHER MARY AND THE EUCHARIST
- The Term “Eucharist”
At the Last Supper, when our Lord Jesus took the bread, He gave thanks to the Heavenly Father. The Greek word for “thanks” used in Luke 22:19 and 1 Cor. 11:24 is eucharistein. It is from this Greek word that we get the English name “Eucharist” for this sacrament. The Eucharist, therefore, expresses our thanksgiving to God for His works of creation, redemption and sanctification (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC] 1328).
- Other Names of the Sacrament
The inexhaustible richness of this sacrament is expressed in the different names we give it (CCC 1328): the Lord’s Supper (cf. 1 Cor. 11:20); the Breaking of Bread (cf. Acts 2:42, 46; 20:7, 11); Holy Communion (cf. 1 Cor. 10:16-17); Holy Mass (Missa), because the liturgy in which the mystery of salvation is accomplished concludes with the sending forth (missio) of the faithful (cf. Luke 24:28-35), so that they may fulfill God’s will in their daily lives (CCC 1332).
From the above, it should clear that the Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament of sacraments. Hence, we rightly call it the Most Blessed Sacrament (CCC 1330).
- The Sacrament and Mother Mary
Firstly, in the Holy Eucharist, the bread becomes truly the body of Christ and the wine the blood of Christ (cf. Matt. 26:26-30; 1 Cor. 10:16-17; 11:27). Thus, ahead of His Last Supper, Jesus would emphasize: “I am telling you the truth if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will not have life in yourselves.… For my flesh is real food and blood is real drink” (John 6:53-55).
Secondly, as the Eternal Son of God, Christ was purely Spirit (cf. John 1:1-4, 18). But then He became flesh (cf. John 1:14) in the womb of Mother Mary (cf. Luke 1:30-38). So, the body and blood which He gives us, He took from Mother Mary. See, then, how Mother Mary is closely linked with Jesus and the Eucharist!
Thirdly, as the Word of God became flesh in the womb of Mother Mary, so He takes on flesh again in the forms of bread and wine.
Fourthly, as Mother Mary deeply loves and cherishes Jesus, so we should cherish the Eucharistic Jesus. And as she reverentially adores her Son because she knows that He is divine, so we should adore Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament with due reverence.
3.0 MOTHER MARY AND RE-EVANGELIZATION
Taken from the Greek word euangelion which means “good news”, evangelization means “all those activities by which every member of the Church proclaims and presents to the world the saving message of the gospel of Jesus Christ” (P. M. J. Stravinskas, Catholic Dictionary: 2002, p. 306). Evangelization is the core of the mission which Christ has entrusted to the Church.
Thus, on the very evening of His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples: “As the Father has sent me, so do I send you” (John 20:21). Then, on the day of His ascension, He commissioned them: “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20).
This task of proclaiming the gospel to the whole world (cf. Mark 16:15) cannot be realized without divine aid, and so Jesus assured the church of His constant companionship (cf. Matt. 28:20) as well as the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-8). From the very moment of the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the apostles began to boldly and zealously proclaim the good news (cf. Acts 2:1-36).
Mother Mary, who is fittingly called the Queen of the Apostles (cf. Acts 1:12-14), was the first to spread the good news about Jesus, her Son. Overshadowed by the Holy Spirit to conceive Jesus, she would proclaim the good news even before she gave birth to Jesus. That is, in her visit to Elizabeth, great things took place, because she carried not only the good news about Jesus, but Jesus Himself in her womb and brought His divine presence to the home of Elizabeth. And the power of His presence would rejoice the unborn John the Baptist, while Elizabeth would proclaim great revelations of God – calling Mary “the mother of my Lord” and the most “blessed among women” (cf. Luke 1:40-45).
Re-evangelization means we should renew our love for Christ and revive our passion to live by the good news as well as proclaim it to others. For this, we have no better model than Mother Mary. If we have Jesus deep down in our hearts and souls like Mother Mary had, we will be on fire to change our lives and impact the lives of others with the gospel by the help of the Holy Spirit.
4.0 MOTHER MARY AND THE YOUTH
Firstly, youth is variously defined. For the Catholic Church in Ghana, the Bishops’ Conference defines the youth age group as 16 to 30 years.
Secondly, Mother Mary was a young person when she received the message of the angel Gabriel, and she conceived, gave birth to Jesus, the Son of God, and mothered Him in her youth.
Thirdly, Jesus is the supreme model of the youth. When Jesus began His ministry, He was about 30 years old (cf. Luke 3:23). And who else can best teach the youth how to learn from the youthful Jesus than Mother Mary who brought Him up? She together with St. Joseph would make the annual pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem, taking the young Jesus along (cf. Luke 2:41-51). If at age 12, Jesus was extraordinarily knowledgeable about Scriptures, Mother Mary and St. Joseph had a role in it. St. Luke informs us that “He was obedient to them” (Luke 2:51); and He “grew in wisdom, age and grace before God and men” (cf. Luke 2:52).
Thus, though divine, Jesus became submissive to His human parents. Similarly, the youth irrespective of their academic, professional or spiritual advancement, should be like Jesus, the obedient Son of Mary, so that they may be aided by the elders to make further progress. On the other hand, the elders should love and guide the youth as Mother Mary invested in Christ.
CONCLUSION
Beloved, we have been reminded that Mother Mary is the unique Queen of Peace; that she is not only connected with the Eucharist in the most special way, but she also teaches us about how best to receive Jesus and adore Him in the Sacrament; that she is our model evangelizer; and that she inspires the youth to be obedient and the elders to support the youth to advance further in all aspects of their lives.
Beloved, as you celebrate the 60th anniversary of your parish, it is my prayer that you will all strive to be guided by the lessons of the theme, so that by the time you celebrate your 70th anniversary, your love for the Eucharistic Jesus would be infections, your zeal to live by the good news and to proclaim it would be inspiring, and your involvement in the Youth Apostolate would be impactful, as the Queen of Peace inspires and intercedes for you.
Long live the Queen of Peace Parish, Madina!
Long live the Catholic Church in Ghana!
Long live the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church!
Amen!
