Bible
Study: Philippians 2, 1 to 11 and Matthew 13, 44 to 46.
In our
Gospel passage this morning, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a field that
contains a lot of precious treasures which a man finds, goes to sell all he has
just to buy it. Just as the price of the field necessitated this man selling
everything he has, the kingdom of God is not cheap, it demands that we let go
of everything we have; our free-will, our time, our whole-hearted commitment,
our total loyalty and so much more.
We cannot
get to heaven if we are just trying to be average Christians concerned only
about doing the minimum. We cannot get to heaven if we are only after material
blessing and earthly prosperity. We cannot get to heaven if we are not ready to
sacrifice the pleasures of this world. To sell everything one has is to willingly
lose those things which the world prides about. It is choosing to live
according to the beatitudes, being meek, poor in spirit, merciful, pure in
heart, peaceful and hungry for righteousness.
Selling everything we have according to St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians
is that we no longer look to our selfish interests only but to the interests of
others. “Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others
as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests,
but also to the interests of others.” Phil. 2:3-4. The beauty of the priesthood
is that it is a vocation that exemplifies selfless service.
The priest does not marry so that he can help others achieve lasting
marriages. He lives in poverty that through his prayers others can achieve true
riches. He is a man under obedience, he does not select where to work or who to
serve. The priest is a man for others.
In the
life of Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi, we see a priest who lived out the
selflessness required of the priestly vocation and even went as far as practically
letting go of everything else in other to “purchase” the kingdom of God. In
fact, Blessed Tansi was often accused of taking his Christian faith too
seriously.
Born to
non-Christian parents in September 1903 in Aguleri, Anambra State, Nigeria,
Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi was sent to live with his uncle at the age
of seven. It was his Christian uncle who gave him an education. He was baptised
at the age of 10 by Irish missionaries. Tansi was a diligent student with a
precocious personality and deep piety. He worked as a teacher for 3 years and
later served as a headmaster of St. Joseph’s school for one year in Aguleri.
In the
movie about him, there is a particular scene that inspires me so much. When
Tansi expressed his desire to become a priest, his uncle arranged for a very
beautiful lady to visit him with the hope that she would make him think twice
about becoming a priest. But despite several attempts, his uncle reached a
conclusion that Tansi only talks to two women in the world; his own mother and
the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1925, against the wishes of his family, he entered
St. Paul’s Seminary in Igbariam and was ordained a priest in the Cathedral of
Onitsha on 19 December 1937.
For a time
Tansi worked tirelessly in the parishes of Nnewi, Dunukofia, Akpu/Ajali before
discerning vocation to be a Cistercian monk at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey,
Leicester, England. He lived this vocation at the abbey for 14 years. Father
Tansi used to say: “If you are going to be a Christian at all, you might as
well live entirely for God”.
He died on
20 January 1964 and was beatified on 22 March 1998 by Saint John Paul in
Nigeria. The Pope said of Father Cyprian:
He was first of all a man of God: his
long hours before the Blessed Sacrament filled his heart with generous and
courageous love. Those who knew him testify to his great love of God. Everyone
who met him was touched by his personal goodness. He was then a man of the
people: he always put others before himself, and was especially attentive to
the pastoral needs of families. He took great care to prepare couples well for
Holy Matrimony and preached the importance of chastity. He tried in every way
to promote the dignity of women. In a special way, the education of young
people was precious to him.
Let us
Pray:
Lord
Jesus, teach me to trust more and live entirely for you. Amen. Blessed Tansi:
Pray for us.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you.
Fr. Abu.
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