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Exegetical Analysis of Jesus'prayer on Mount of Olives (Lk 22: 39-46) Applied to the Poor in Tanzania

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Exegetical Analysis of Jesus'prayer on Mount of Olives (Lk 22: 39-46) Applied to the Poor in Tanzania 4114102r/aVAIOLVMOIMINUM214411411.1r/IMIVIrAill TANGAZA COLLEGE THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN AFRICA EXEGETICAL ANALYSIS OF JESUS'PRAYER ON MOUNT OF OLIVES (LK 22: 39-46) APPLIED TO THE POOR IN TANZANIA. 0 This Long Essay paper is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religious Studies. AUTHOR: JOSAPHAT B. KIWORI, C.P. TUTOR: REV. Fr. AELRED LACOMARA, C.P. FEBRUARY, 2001 NAIROBI, KENYA. DECLARATION AND APPROVAL TITLE OF ESSAY EXEGETICAL ANALYSIS OF JESUS' PRAYER ON MOUNT OF OLIVES (LK 22: 39-46) APPLIED TO THE POOR IN TANZANIA. STUDENT'S DECLARATION I hereby declare that the material used here in has not been submitted for academic credit to any other institutions, all sources have been cited in full. ejo ob-pk-o--t 8. Signed - ------- ---------- --------- Josaphat B. Kiwory 6.1 Date- a 0(3 moDERAT0R. ape cc Rev. Fr. Aelred Lacomara CP. Date-C)-14?' °CI k II DEDICATION I dedicate this Essay to my Father, Bernard Ngatambaku Kiwory and my Mother Sofia Ndeleo, members of my family, friends and relatives, Passionist Community, benefactors and my local Church: ICirua Mission. A 111 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT There are a number of people who have helped me in writing this Long Essay. Since it is not easy to mention all of them, I will just mention a few of them. Firstly I am thankful to the following: my parents whom I totally depended before joining the congregation, for giving birth to me and educating me. And for the primary evangelization they do in my family. My Sisters Mary Kiwory, Theresia ICiwory and Fausta ICiwory, for their contribution in my educational studies. Secondly, I would like to pass my sincere gratitude to Fr. Aelred Lacomara, Cp, the Head of Biblical Department, Tangaz_a College, who has been guiding me by offering professional advice to meet the academic and Biblical requirements in writing this Essay and for reading and correcting it at each stage. His love, simplicity and fraternal concern made it easier for me to get the help I needed. Rev. Fr. Rogasian Masoy Csp for directing me to get good materials when I was in Arusha Tanzania. Fr. Nicholas Owino for correcting the English grammar of this Essay. Fr. Dominic Izzo OP., for Lectures in Luke Acts two years ago and forming us with skills in writing a quality academic research paper. To the Passionist confreres, I owe many thanks for granting me this opportunity to study and undertake this project. Among others Fr. Cessare Ponsobon, the Regional Vicar of Tanzania. Fr. Wilfred Mzee and Fr. Roberto, for their encouragement and support. Special thanks to Passionists members of Kisima Community in Nairobi, for their great support. Among others Fr. Elie Mwakasa the Rector of the House, for his IV continuous support to ensure that I accomplish this task. Fr. Anthony Mdhululi vice rector and Fr. Tarcisio burser of the House for their encouragement. I also pass my special gratitude to Br. Nicholas Obiero CP, William Lebba CP. Kennedy Mbongi CP, and to my friends Awiti and Marcel Kessy for their great support and encouragement Last but not least, I recognize the contribution of the Tangaza staff: the Principle, Fr. Alyward Shorter, M. Afr; Academic Dean Br. Tom Kearney C.F.C; academic and non academic staff; Librarians, students; lecturers; classmates and friends. Finally for all mentioned and not mentioned, may God nourish and bless you abundantly in your endeavours in life. JOSAPHAT B. KIWORY CP. Jç V TABLE OF CONTENTS Page General introduction 1 CHAPTER ONE k EXEGESIS 1. Introduction 5 2. Text from the Gospel of Luke 6 3. Exegesis of Luke 22:39-46 6 (1) Place of the scene and the meaning of the Mount of Olives Luke 22:39 6 (2) The instruction of Jesus to the disciples to pray not to be put to the test 8 (3) The words of Jesus to the Father Luke 22:41-42 11 (4) The appearing of strengthening angel Luke 22: 43 16 (5) The return of Jesus to his disciples Luke 22:45-46 19 4. Conclusion 21 -X VI CHAPTER TWO LUKE'S MAJOR THEOLOGICAL CONCERNS IN THE TEXT 1. Introduction 22 2. Prayer M 3. Jesus our model of prayer 23 4. Discipleship 26 5. Suffering 27 6. Conclusion 29 CHAPTER THREE SITUATION OF THE POOR IN TANZANIA ll 1. Introduction 33 2. Meaning of poverty 30 3. Poverty in Tanzania 31 (1) Geographical location of the Country 31 (2) Historical background of the Country 31 (3) The poverty in the Society of Tanzania 32 (4) Who are the poor in Tanzania 33 (5) Causes of poverty in Tanzania 34 (6) Manifestation of poverty in Tanzania 36 4. Conclusion 38 x VII Obek CHAPTER FOUR APPLICATION OF THE TEXT IN TANZANIA 1. Introduction 39 2. Signs of God's presence in Tanzania 39 3. Failure to respond to God's presence and blessing in Tanzania 39 4. The message of Jesus' prayer in the Garden to the poor of Tanzania 40 5. The meaning of Jesus' passion to the poor in Tanzania 43 6. Significance of prayer-- 46 7. Concluding summary 48 General Conclusion 49 Bibliography 52 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION The life of a human being is a journey. The end of this journey is to be in communion with God. Human beings are different from all other creatures because they were created in the image and the likeness of God. Despite being created in the image and the likeness of God, human beings are limited and because of this, they have a tendency of wandering away from God looking for independence, autonomy, power, and at the same time trying to be equal with God. When people turn away from God, they inflict pain and sufferings upon others. Love is lost and hatred prevails. In the midst of suffering, the human being unlike an animal is able to reflect. For example, the Zebra that finds itself in the jaws of the lion does not ask 'why me? The Zebra is incapable of thinking 'if only I had taken the last right turn or had been a little more cautious.' 4. Only human beings give meaning to the grizzly sight of a lion feasting on the Zebras carcass. The ability to find meaning in suffering is one of the human persons most mysterious blessing. Explaining a tragic accident or an untimely death by declaring or saying, 'that is life' has a hollow ring. It provides neither comfort nor hope. The human person needs a better and bigger answer. Human suffering is caused by a variety of factors; some can be controlled and others are beyond human capacity. Human sufferings can only find meaning in the context of faith. Prayer is a great help for someone faced with suffering. 2 1:1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The impetus for this study is personal experience. After encountering people living in the slums of Arusha and Dar-es- Salaam in Tanzania, I realized that there are problems, which hinder people in their relationship with God. The problems are many but the major one is poverty. People are living in a miserable condition. They have no enough food, good housing and work. As the consequences of this, they are frustrated and majority of them engages in destructive activities such as drinking alcohol, taking drugs, engaging in sexual immorality, stealing and procuring abortions. 1:2 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY There are many reasons why this study is significant. First, I hope to help our brothers and sisters living in the slums of Arusha and Dar- es- Salaam in Tanzania to face the difficulties caused by the poverty in a positive way by means of prayer instead of finding temporal solutions and satisfactions which lead only to more problems. Second, I wish to perform exegesis of passage of scripture from the Gospel of Saint Luke in order to discover the scriptural message that can give people confidence and encouragement for a life shaken by problems. Third, is my aim to enlighten the poor, so that they may understand that Jesus Christ Son of God suffered like them. Jesus Christ is their hope since he overcame obstacles through prayer and adherence to the will of the Father. He is always present in their lives and shares their difficulties and troubles. Trusting in him, they will be able to overcome their difficult situation. 3 Fourth, the message of the Gospel must be translated into contemporary terms. By doing so we may be transformed by the word of God and become more loving and trusting in God. Lastly, I wish to speak about prayer. This will help people to understand the importance of prayer and believe in the power of prayer. When one prays in faith, God answers. God never rejects the prayers of human beings. In the most difficult situations prayer maintains our balance. Therefore, prayer is always victorious over the sufferings. 1:4 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS This work submitted to the scripture department is the partial fulfillment of the requirement for Bachelor of Arts in religious studies. The scope of this study is on the exegetical analysis of Jesus' prayer on Mount of Olives (Lk 22:39- 46) addressed to the poor in Tanzania. Our study will therefore deal with two major aspects: first, is the exegetical analysis of Jesus' prayer on Mount of Olives and second is the application of the text to the poor living in the slums of Arusha and Dar-es- Salaam in Tanzania. The work is limited within the given length of writing according to the rule offered in the academic yearbook of Tangaza College.
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