Homily at Fr Wiseman Nkomo's memorial Mass
The familiar Gospel passage of Jesus’ disciples leaving Jerusalem and
going to Emmaus had been in my mind and heart for some time as we journeyed
together with Fr Wiseman Nkomo.
The journey of those two disciples made me think of our own journey for
the last five months:
·
Fr Wiseman’s personal journey facing a challenging
sickness and, on the other side
·
our journey: yours, mine, the journey of those walking
close to him, the journey of our diocese.
We journeyed together carrying different things in our hearts, though
one was common to Fr Nkomo and to all of us: hope.
In the Gospel our two disciples tell this stranger walking with them: “Our
own hope had been that…”.
Like them, Fr Wiseman, his family, I, those very close to him, the
clergy, all of you too had hoped, we had hoped things would turn out to be
different. In fact, every single day, as you came to present your condolences
at the Chancery, you said: “We had hoped…”
The journey of the last five months – everything started at the
beginning of January – was a journey of highs and lows where our
hope was tested.
There were many “highs” as we thought we could fight the sickness and
succeed. There were many “highs” as doctors presented us with ways to address it.
But, somehow, each one of those “highs” was followed by deep lows
challenging him and us once again in our hope.
All of us naturally kept asking ourselves “why”:
· why would a young priest be facing such a sickness…? He would have celebrated his 10th anniversary of ordination in December;
· why when the bishop had – very quickly after his ordination – entrusted him with many important responsibilities in our diocese: member of college of consultors, vicar for properties, part of the team caring for sick priests, first parish priest of the Cathedral, chaplain of sodalities…;
· why when the bishop had chosen him to go to Rome and get a degree in the very delicate field of “safeguarding of vulnerable people”? He was the first and only one to get such a degree in our Bishops Conference. This service took him to Witbank and Dundee Dioceses in South Africa and to Gaborone in Botswana as he was requested to help set up proper policies in dioceses and religious communities;
· in other words, why when he was clearly gifted and had been entrusted with Parish services, diocesan services, Bishops Conference service…
All this without forgetting that Fr Wiseman Nkomo had his own questions,
his own “why”; because it does not matter if you are a lay person, a
religious sister, a priest, a bishop… you can’t avoid asking yourself “why”
when you get seriously sick at 40 years of age.
There’s a story I have treasured in my heart for many years (decades!)
The story is about a
family who calls an expert to investigate why a rosebush planted in their
garden struggled to give flowers.
After spending some
time investigating the issue, the expert gave them a clear report. Among other
things, he said:
·
the rosebush is planted close to a wall, and the
foundations are affecting the roots
·
rubble has been thrown in the past, exactly where the
rosebush is planted
·
too much water keeps coming over it due to the gutters
above it
·
during the day it enjoys very little sun but too much
in the afternoon
The family then asked the expert: “why … why was the rosebush planted there and not somewhere else in the garden?”. The expert replied: “That… that is something you have to ask the gardener”.
The experts – doctors and nurses – can explain to us what happened but
about “why” he had to go through this, we too are told to ask the one
who created us and planted us where we are today. We too are told to ask the
one who gave us the gift of Fr Wiseman Nkomo to be with us.
This is, in fact, what we have doing in our hearts and prayers. We keep
asking God, the gardener, why.
Just that, the answer, I guess, remains in God’s heart (today we
celebrate the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) and we will only have it
when we too, like him now, see the Lord face to face. UNkulunkulu uyati
we normally say. God knows and knows better than us. One day we will see and
understand.
“We want you to be
quite certain, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, to make sure that
you do not grieve for them, as others do who have no hope.” (4:13).
We are heartbroken, but not because we do not have faith in the
resurrection. We do. We cry, but not as people who have no hope.
We cry because each one of us embodies particular gifts from God. Each
one of us is unique and we struggle as we already miss Fr Wiseman’s uniqueness.
As the Cathedral PPC shared with me: “He made a deep impact in our community
in a very short time”.
I guess we too measure our lives according to the number of years, as we
heard in the first reading from the book of Wisdom. We wished he had been with
us for a longer time. We wished we could have enjoyed those special gifts – God
had given him – for a longer time.
We know he is in God’s hands, but we cannot avoid missing him. That’s
also the beauty of this moment: the fact that we remember him with a grateful
heart.
At the breaking of the bread the two disciples in our Gospel passage
were able to understand that the Lord had risen and had chosen to come close
to them, to listen to their cry and to enlighten them with his
Word. They could not see it as they walked. Only later.
Looking back, like the disciples, I too realize that we experienced the
presence of the Risen Lord walking with us at every step of this difficult
journey.
·
I think of the doctors, nurses, and all those working
at our own St Theresa’s Clinic, at Manzini Clinic and at Milpark Hospital in
Johannesburg who were close to us, explaining everything to us, journeying with
us in every possible way. Their professionalism, kindness and understanding
were God given.
·
I think of the small team of people that I asked to
walk close to Fr Nkomo daily so that he will feel particularly cared in every physical,
emotional, psychological and spiritual need.
·
I think of the Jesuit community in Johannesburg.
Providentially, last year, Fr Wiseman Nkomo spent the whole month of November at
their house resting and renewing himself spiritually. When he became sick and
needed to be treated in Johannesburg, that same community became his home, his
place of rest, a place in Johannesburg where he felt loved, understood, nursed
and cared. The Risen Lord had prepared this place for him well in advance to
care for him and we did not know it.
·
I think of all of you who sustained him and us with
your prayers. How many times I got messages during the day and during the night
assuring me that “bogogo beDiocese” and you all were praying for us. He
would not have made it without your prayers. We would not have made it without
your prayers.
The Risen Lord came close to us, walked with us, making sure that our
love and care for him would grow deeper and deeper and that he would constantly
experience the love and care of the diocese.
As the disciples came to understand the Lord had Risen, they did not
continue with their lives as before. They ran back to Jerusalem and were then
entrusted with a mission. We too are entrusted with a mission.
Many memories came to our hearts during the past week. Memories of
beautiful moments, memories of things he said, memories of things he did, memories
of what he stood for, memories of the way he was passionate about his
priesthood and about being a channel of God’s blessings to you and your
families.
Those memories carry a message and a mission. Whatever he did and
touched you in a special way, is now the mission entrusted to you.
There is also another message and there is another mission: let us
care for each other. Fr Wiseman’s sickness called us to give the best of
ourselves in our care for him. Care is not for tomorrow because tomorrow is not
guaranteed. Only this present moment is. Let us make sure we care for one
another.
“As for me, my life is
already being poured away as a libation,
and the time has come for me to depart”.
I wondered if that was a message to me. It was so. Once again, the Risen
Lord had prepared me for what would happen… not just his departure but also the
message that came with it:
he had fought the good
fight to the end.
He never stopped wishing to live, he never gave up…
and he was ready.
The one who had started his good work in Fr Wiseman Nkomo, had brought it to fulfilment. May he now rest in peace and continue praying for our Diocese from heaven.
