As we celebrate this feast of Blessed Benedict Daswa, we are still at the beginning of a new year. For many people, the beginning of a new year is a time to make resolutions about how they intend to live their lives in the coming year. When followed through, this is a good practice for it contributes to conscious and purposeful living, something that is required for a meaningful human and Christian life.
Now as we position ourselves spiritually to enter fully into this new year, we have today put before us the shining example of Blessed Benedict Daswa, to inspire us and to influence our Christian living in our daily lives.
His story is well known: He was a person of deep faith and a committed Christian. He took a particular interest in sharing this faith with others, especially the younger members of his community, as a Catechist. A committed schoolteacher and a community builder with a keen interest in promoting the common good of all and who, as a result, enjoyed respect in his community. A generous man who gave freely to the poor. Above all, he was known for his absolute honesty, truthfulness, and integrity. Even in dying, Blessed Benedict Daswa continued to give a wonderful testimony of faith in God. He did not hold the sins of those who killed him against them. The prayer said to have been on his lips as he was being killed was of abandoning his life to God: ‘Father, into your hands I commend my life…’
The readings chosen for this feast raise up three very important things about Christian living, things which Blessed Benedict Daswa exemplified beautifully in his life.
The first reading from the book of Wisdom reminds us that an important aspect of our calling as Christians is to be PROPHETS, prophets of God in the world. This is a responsibility that is not easy to embrace because it is unsettling. We hear in the reading how people are plotting against the righteous person whom, because of his righteous behaviour, they experience as a reproach to their sinful ways. “Let us test him with insult and torture,” they say, “so that we may find out how gentle he is and make trial of his forbearance. Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected.”
But what does it mean to be a prophet? We ordinarily associate prophecy with the prediction or foretelling of things to come. But, in the Bible prophecy is most fundamentally about the present, about pointing out where God is in the present and what God is calling us to be and to do in the present. Prophecy is about the demands of God in the present.
For this reason, prophecy often takes the form of critiquing the status quo or the present situation which often falls short of what God desires. Hence to be a prophet often translates into being a critical voice and a critical presence. And we are reminded that faithfulness to the calling to be a prophet is something that inevitably goes with suffering: the suffering of being rejected, labelled, misrepresented, persecuted and, at times, killed. Blessed Benedict Daswa was a prophet. He faithfully stood for what his faith proclaimed and would not give in to any other beliefs that were opposed to what he believed as a Catholic Christian.
The second reading from the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians remind us of the spiritual qualities required for us to faithfully carry out our calling to be prophets of God in the world. We see these qualities displayed in a shining way in the life example of Blessed Benedict Daswa.
•A deep and strong faith: “Above all take the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the Evil One.”
•Truthfulness and integrity: “Stand therefore, having fastened the belt of truth around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.”
•Faithfulness to the Word of God: “Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
•Being an instrument of peace: “Shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace.”
The Gospel chosen for this celebration provides the most fundamental spiritual quality required in us if we are to faithfully carry out the calling of being prophets of God in the world. We must be ready to die to our little selves and to allow God, and God’s plans and purposes, to take the central place in our lives. We must be ready to empty ourselves as Jesus did. Like the grain of wheat which must fall into the earth and die in order to bear much fruit, we must give up the desire to put ourselves at the centre and instead put God at the centre and fully surrender to God and to God’s will. It is thus that our lives become fruitful. We contribute to the establishment of the New Reign of God in the world. This is what Blessed Benedict Daswa did to the point of offering his life in witnessing to the New Reign of God.
Through this message, God is speaking to each one of us this morning as we contemplate the shining example of Blessed Benedict Daswa. We are taught about the spiritual qualities that should inform and shape the way we live our daily lives as Christian believers. And so, this celebration of the feast of Blessed Benedict Daswa ought not to be just about admiring and honouring him. Rather, the most meaningful way to honour him is to imitate him and to take him as a model for our faith living. And so,
•When tempted (in the course of this year) to give in to the desire for people’s approval and to compromise what we know to be true and right, and compromise ourselves in the process, may we remember Benedict Daswa and imitate his honesty, truthfulness, and integrity.
•When our faith in God grows weak and we become lukewarm in our faith living and lose interest in participating in the life of our church communities, may we remember Benedict Daswa and be inspired by his strong and unwavering faith and commitment.
•When we are tempted to act in selfish ways that do not promote the common good of all, be it in our places of work, or where we live, or even where we worship, let us remember Benedict Daswa and be inspired by his unselfishness and generosity and by his commitment to always promote the good of the community.
•When we are tempted to take revenge on those who have wronged us in one way or another, or when we find our hearts hardening up, refusing to forgive, and, instead, holding on to anger and bitterness, may we please remember Blessed Benedict Daswa who did not hold the sins of those who killed him against them, but instead offered everything to God.
Therefore, this pilgrimage must be for us not only a time to celebrate Blessed Benedict Daswa and to pray to God through his intercession. Rather, it should be for us a time of reflection and renewal in our own personal lives. It must be a time for us to examine ourselves and see where we stand at the present moment regarding our calling to be prophets of God in the world in which we live.
Therefore, may our participation in this pilgrimage mark an important deepening in our worship and service of God. May it bring us to a point in our lives where we worship God in spirit and in truth by being fully open to carry out His will for us and for the world, as Blessed Benedict Daswa did.
May Blessed Benedict Daswa continue to be a shining star which guides us on our way so that we may ever grow in becoming true and faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, who upon coming into the world said, “Here am I, Lord, I come to do your will.”
Blessed Benedict Daswa, pray for us!
Blessed Benedict Daswa, pray for us!
Blessed Benedict Daswa, pray for us!
Amen.
