Black History Month Homily by Fr. Matthias Lusembo

Fr. Matthias Lusembo, Parochial Vicar of St. Bridget Catholic Church, was our homilist today, the Second Sunday in February and the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Theme: Never Despair
Objective: That we try to get the best out of any situation.


The Job we have heard about in the first reading is an extremely rich figure who loses all of his property, children, wife, skin, hope and reputation; but eventually regains everything. God allows the devil to test his faith, well aware that Job will remain faithful.

In the text we have heard, Job hopelessly laments about his life (Job 7:1-4, 6-7). He says: "Is not man's life on earth a drudgery?... He is a slave who longs for the shade, a hireling who waits for his wages. ...My days... come to an end without hope. ...I shall not see happiness again."

In Tanzania on the shores of Lake Victoria, the village name of Bwagamoyo, where the slaves embarked, was translated as a place of despair. Despair can cause material and spiritual poverty and eventually suicide. Yet the last chapter of the book of Job reveals that Job received back all his riches twice as much as he had before he suffered; in addition to beautiful children, friends and his health. (Job 42:10-15). Had Job committed suicide, he would have missed all that.

Job's cry of hopelessness stands in marked contrast to the hope of those who put their trust in Jesus, who heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. In today's Gospel text (Mk 1:22-39), Jesus heals Simon's mother-in-law and many other people. Then He moves to nearby villages to preach there too; like people who moved from Africa to the U.S.A. to develop it.

Now Jesus says with Saint Paul: "Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible." (1Cor 9:10; Cf. Phil. 2:5-11) The innocent Christ accepts even the lynching tree of the cross in order to save others. Jesus does not simply lament or despair about human misery; He does his best to eliminate the misery.

Likewise, the Heroes to whom we are paying tribute today, endured a lot of suffering in order to develop this nation. Since their masters were unable to develop this nation, they imported these heroes, made them work on farms, roads, buildings; for example, the magnificent Capitol building in Washington, D.C. They kept these buildings clean for those who could not do so. Yet like Jesus, they were despised, mistreated and even lynched. They were not allowed to have their own farms, freedom of religion or equitable education. Hence, they were condemned to remain behind economically and educationally. Nevertheless, they worked strenuously to develop this nation. May God reward them abundantly. Due to their achievements, many people are struggling to emigrate to the U.S.A.

Now that the economy, politics and legislature have been deteriorating, the descendants of these heroes have been elected to fix the problem. This is not surprising, because the continent from which these heroes came is the mother of humanity and its civilization. The first human being, the first civilization, reading and writing, the biggest library, biggest food stores, raw materials for industries were in Africa.

The Israelites escaped starvation by running to Africa (Gen 47:4). Jesus escaped the first death threats by taking refuge in Africa. Now, many American Dioceses get priests from Africa to avoid foreclosures.

Yet some Africans and African Americans have not yet grasped their importance in this world. The first African immigrants developed the U.S.A. How much is each one of us doing now to develop the U.S.A., religiously, morally, socially, educationally, economically and politically? This is a challenge to each one of us, especially to those who read only the Book of Lamentations. We were put on earth to develop (Gen 1:28). There is no time to be holding falling trousers, instead of holding books or tools. Let us have self-esteem; for example, by the way we dress, by having clean premises, by controlling our music, by taking leadership positions at all levels, and by resolving never to enslave anyone, whether spouse or children or worker. This is the time to remake this nation with the Christian and African values of solidarity, hospitality, religiosity and respect for human life.

As we have heard, Christ was glorified after His humiliating situation. In this economic crisis, many people are going through humiliating situations. Let us humbly accept any available job, as we train for better available jobs. Join beneficial organizations, like the Knights of Columbus. Have a dream, and never give up. We are overcoming. Though Egypt enslaved the Israelites for 430 years, God eventually liberated them (Ex 1:13; 12:40). This is a time of liberation.

Trust God, pray, study, work and remain connected to networks, but never despair. Your suffering, whether caused by injustice, poverty, sickness or sinfulness or bad human relations, is not the end of the road. After suffering, there will be happiness. Each one has his/her ups and downs; but what keeps us going is the hope that things will get better.

Keep up the hope; seize every opportunity for spiritual, economic and political development. The current laws give us a lot of opportunities. Do not be satisfied with dependence on social welfare. See to it that you develop every year. God put us on earth to develop. Never despair. Try to get the best out of any situation. Yes, you can.