My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we meet this morning to celebrate the Holy Eucharist and thus bring our 9th Marshallan Re-Union Conference to a close. Today, the seventeenth Sunday of ordinary time, we celebrate Christ, the new Elisha, who gives both physical and spiritual nourishment. Our first reading and the gospel are quite similar. This is because both narrate the miracles of the multiplication of bread and the feeding of the crowd. Also, both miracles were motivated by compassion and generosity.
In our first reading from 2 Kings, the prophet Elisha is given a gift of food by a man called Baal-shalisha. Elisha noticed that the people were hungry, and so moved by compassion, he decided to feed them with what he had received. The Lord saw his generous and compassionate heart and spoke through him: “They will eat and have some left over”. Through God’s intervention, the food was enough to feed the people. Similarly, in the gospel reading, moved by compassion for his flock, Jesus, “the new Elisha”, replicated the same miracle of Elisha. He fed more than five thousand people with just five barley loaves and two fish. This shows that Jesus always cares for our well-being by feeding us both with the good news and with the Holy Eucharist. He cares both for our physical and spiritual needs.
There are three important lessons we must learn from these miracles. The first is the compassion of Elisha and Jesus towards their flock and community. Compassion always moves Jesus to do something great for his people. Compassion means feeling and sharing both the pains and the joys of the other person. It is the basis of empathy and sympathy. Without it, we cannot understand what others are going through. Without it, our community and family will collapse. We need compassion to understand what it means for others to be hungry, thirsty, sick, homeless, jobless, and lonely. Compassion must move us to go to the aid of people in need. We need, for example, to go to the aid of those in need of clothing and food. If we fail to do this, then we can be sure that the faith we profess is dead, as St. James says in his letter. It is the same point that Christ makes in the Gospel of Matthew where he says, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me” (Mt 25:35‑36). As Christians, we shall be judged by the Son of Man on the basis of the concrete acts of goodness that we performed or failed to perform for those in need. The faith that we profess must be articulated in concrete works.
The second lesson is that God can transform something little into something great. So, rather than argue and doubt like the disciples of Elisha and Jesus, all we need to do is to obey God’s commands when he speaks through his genuine prophets. This is because our God is a God who can do impossible things.
The third and very important lesson is the generosity of the small boy in Jesus’ miracle. He is a hero in this miracle. He offered what he had generously and it became the basis of a miracle for his community. How do we respond to the needs of our community and family especially, when there are not enough resources to carry on? This boy made a difference with the little he had. So, he changed the destiny of his community from a hungry people to a satisfied people. We must also be ready to offer the little we have. This is because it might be the source of a miracle for our community. That little offer might make a difference in the life of someone in your community. When compassion and generosity embrace, the result is usually a great miracle for the community united by one faith, one spirit and one baptism in Christ. There can be no miracles without compassion and generosity. To be compassionate is to be like Christ and, to be generous is to cooperate with Christ in his miracles and ministry. Today, Jesus is looking for those who are ready to offer just two fish and five loaves of bread in order to perform the miracle seriously needed in your family and community. That person might be you! If you do not hide what you have, you could be the next hero in the next miracle of Jesus for your community and family.
In our second reading from Ephesians, St. Paul speaks of the virtues that we need in order to live and survive together as a body of Christ united by one faith, one baptism and one spirit. St. Paul says that we should “bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together”. As Marshallans, we are called to live in unity and to cultivate fraternal relations with our brothers and sisters. This means that we have to be able to live in peace together and follow the biblical model proposed by Psalm 133:1,
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, upon the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion!”
In the interests of unity and fraternity, we need to be on good terms not only with God but also with our fellow human beings. There is the need for reconciliation between us and God and between us and our fellow human beings. Since Christ has reconciled us to God, we need to be reconciled to each other if we are to live in unity and fraternity. In Ephesians 2:14f. St. Paul says that through reconciliation Jews and Gentiles become “one new person” and “one body” (Eph. 2:15, 16), being created into a third entity, a body without ethnic boundaries. As Marshallans, we need to avoid divisions and factions in the Noble Order.
As Knights and Ladies of Marshall, we belong to families. We are husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. Do we have peace and unity in our homes? Are we fulfilling our marital duties or responsibilities? If we are men, have we been harsh to our wives? Have we been insulting them, or have we even been beating them? I understand that these days it is the wives who are beating the husbands! Are wives sometimes rebellious and non-submissive because they have more money and better jobs than their husbands? Even though we have contracted matrimony with our spouses, are we faithful to our marriage vows? Do we have girlfriends or boyfriends in addition to our spouses? Are we breaking the hearts of our spouses by our extramarital affairs? Are we insensitive to the complaints made by our spouses in relation to the affairs we are having? What efforts are we making to end these illegal and immoral extramarital relationships? Failure to do all this will not make for unity and peace in the home. Are we perhaps having an affair with some of the sisters and brothers of this Noble Order, thereby bringing disunity and confusion? In this connection, let me remind you of one of the rules of the fraternity: “No Lady shall debauch, entice or have carnal knowledge of the husband, son or servant of any of her Sisters”. For the men, we can say, “No brother shall debauch, entice or have carnal knowledge of the wife, daughter or maid of any of his Brothers”. Such relations inevitably bring strained relationships and disunity.
In spite of our different talents and charisms, we form one family, and we should use our different gifts for the good of the Church. We form one family in Christ, no matter our sex, ethnic background, status in society, political affiliation, etc. In the Noble Order, we should all feel at home, in spite of our different ethnic, social, family and political backgrounds. We become one family through the baptism that we all received. Do we discriminate against people because they come from a different ethnic group or tribe? Do we show partiality to people on the basis that they come from our ethnic group? Do we give employment to people on the basis that they come from our ethnic group? During elections in the Noble Order or in the country or in church, do we vote for candidates just because they come from our ethnic group or because of their competence? Do we discriminate against people because they are poor? Do we discriminate against people because of their gender? What is our attitude to the servants and maids in our homes? Do we treat them with respect and dignity, as they are also created in God’s image? Do we treat them as inferior to our own children? Is the food that we give them as good as what we give to our own children? Do we show preferential treatment to the rich in our churches even when their moral lives leave a lot to be desired? Do they get the best seats in church just because of the big donations they make? Do we discriminate against the poor in our churches? As Knights and Ladies of Marshall, we should see all in the Lodge as brothers and sisters and treat them as such. There should be no room for discrimination on the basis of sex, social status, political affiliation and ethnicity.
The Marshallan is called to charity all the time. During a court meeting, the following words are addressed to the Sisters:
Sisters, do not go to Almighty God with malice in your hearts. If you are inharmonious in your conscience or have ill-will towards any Sister or any person on earth, then do not go to God under any circumstances. All Christians denounce malice, grudge, vindictive-ness or revengefulness. Such inharmonious conditions belong to the devil and they consequently have the power to destroy mankind. Therefore, Sisters, keep this warning always.
Something similar is said in the men’s councils. This indeed is a call to love and to avoid evil. Before the giving of the Sign of Embrace, the Noble Lady says, “Beloved, let us love”. She then asks, “What is the meaning of the Sign of Embrace?”, to which the Sisters respond, “Love your neighbour as yourself”. It is clear from all this that the very ritual used by the court or council meeting sees the importance of love. The Marshallan as a Christian is obliged to keep the law of love or charity that Christ commanded. In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul speaks of the supreme and incomparable importance of love. St. Augustine says in connection with love, “Love and do what you like”. Our lives as Christians should thus be governed and controlled by love. Do we love God above everything in this world? Does God occupy the centre of our lives, or do we push him to the periphery? Are we on good terms with our neighbours? With the members of our family? With our spouses? With our children? With our work colleagues? What about the members of our church? The members of the Noble Order? If love is so important in our lives as Christians, then we should always remember the song that goes as follows:
BIND US TOGETHER, Lord, Bind us together
With cords that cannot be broken.
Bind us together, Lord,
Bind us together,
Bind us together with love.
There is only one God,
There is only one King;
There is only one Body,
That is why we sing:
BIND US TOGETHER, Lord, Bind us together
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Christianity demands not only that we have good relations with God and our neighbours but also that we have good relations with Mother Nature or the environment in which we live. Indeed, the first reading and the gospel speak of compassion, and I think this compassion should be extended to Mother Nature. I am glad that for the last two days you have been reflecting on the theme “Management and Conservation of the Environment” and on the topic “Laudato Si – and Implications for Human Development: The Role of the Marshallan”. I would like to add my voice to that of the distinguished Cardinal, His Eminence Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, whose speech was read on his behalf by Msgr. Bernard Munono from Rome, and other speakers who spoke to you yesterday on the care of the environment.
As Christians, we believe that God is the author of creation and that what he created was good. As we read in Gen1:31, “God saw everything that He had made, and indeed, it was very good”. There was a balance and harmony in the ecosystem. Nature, which was destined to be a home to humans, was peaceful, good and hospitable. God has specifically entrusted humankind with the responsibility of being in charge of creation and taking care of all creatures and their habitat. But what do we see in our world today, and specifically in our country today? In recent years, indiscriminate cutting down of trees has depleted most of the forest belt, while bush burning and bad farming practices continue to destroy the fertility of arable land. The practice of using fire to clear fallow land prior to cultivation leads to loss of vegetation. The clearing of land for new farmland, the extraction of firewood and the production of charcoal and poles all lead to the destruction of the environment. Over-grazing in savannah woodlands, coupled with bush fires lit to promote new growth, means a reduction or elimination of valuable browse species and nutritious grasses.
Illegal mining also known as “galamsey” constitutes a major threat in Ghana. Apart from destroying arable land, illegal mining also pollutes water bodies of communities where it is carried out and deprives the people of good drinking water. Sadly enough, it has been observed that illegal mining thrives on the endorsement of highly placed persons in society such as politicians, chiefs and wealthy individuals. Recently, in the effort to do away with “galamsey” because of its devastating effects on water bodies and the environment, the Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources formed a task force comprising the military and other security agencies to clamp down on persons involved in the illegal mining business and bring them to book. This effort, which is still ongoing, appears to be yielding good results. I urge the government of Ghana to be firm and resolute in its resolve to stamp out “galamsey”. I urge other governments in whose countries this menace exists to do likewise.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it is a known fact that oil and gas exploration and exploitation have led to the unprecedented loss of biodiversity in the ecosystem, threatening a sizable number of plant and animal species. We should also be very concerned about the recent introduction and widespread use of agro-chemicals and harmful weedicides and pesticides in view of the negative effects on the soil, plants, animals, human beings, lakes, underground water and rivers. We should also stop littering the environment with plastic waste like sachet water containers. These choke the gutters of our towns and cities and contribute to floods and the loss of human lives when it rains. In addition to land degradation, there is water pollution. Deforestation and reduction in vegetative cover, coupled with cultivation close to river and stream banks, have a significant impact on the amount of water left in our rivers. The major pollutants of our water bodies are human and animal excreta as well as untreated industrial and mining waste materials. Moreover, there is also the challenge of sanitation and waste management. Poor sanitation and bad waste management practices are polluting the environment and causing serious harm to the health of many Ghanaians. It is therefore welcoming news when the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, in its plenary in Ho in October 2017 launched an Electronic-Waste Management Project to deal with electronic waste in order to safeguard the environment. Electronic waste or e-waste describes discarded electrical or electronic devices, e.g. computers, laptops, printers, fridges, etc. Informal processing of e-waste in developing countries can lead to adverse human health effects and environmental pollution. There must be a strong national drive to deal with sanitation and waste management; this drive must take a multi-dimensional approach involving individuals, local community leaders, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Environment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) among other relevant institutions.
The danger posed to the environment is indeed great. What can we do as Marshallans about it, taking into account what the revealed word of God says about our natural environment? In Ghana, a National Sanitation Day on every first Saturday of the month has been established. This is laudable and commendable and I appeal to all Catholics and all Ghanaians to actively participate in this exercise as a Christian duty and a civic responsibility. I urge you all to acquire the habit, not only to clean up our surroundings but most importantly let us all learn how not to make our environment dirty in the first place. In this connection, I recommend the encyclical of Pope Francis on the care of creation called “Laudato Si’” to our Catholic faithful because it provides a good resource for all, but most especially, policy makers on the care of our environment. We can certainly do with more education on the care of the environment. All the Laity who are charged with the protection of the environment should know that the environment is God’s handiwork. To protect it is being faithful to God.
In conclusion, let us all be guided by the compassion that we hear about in the readings of today so that we will have compassion both on our fellow human beings and on Mother Nature.