Homily for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Year C

The Eucharist: The Heart Of Christian Worship And Life

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, June 22, 2025

Almost every time we gather here in church, we gather to celebrate the Eucharist. We participate with the priest, as he realizes and makes possible, in an unbloody sacramental manner, the death of Jesus. We join the priest as he offers to the Eternal Father the Blood of Jesus Christ, the Son. When you see the priest elevate and raise the chalice at Mass, that is the moment when the Blood of Christ is offered as an atonement for our sins. In this gathering, we are also fed with the Body of Christ. In other gatherings where the Eucharist is not celebrated, what we do there is always related to the Eucharist. When we gather for the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, it is to have our sins forgiven so that we may be ready and worthy to receive the Lord. If it is for a retreat, it is still linked to our participation in the Eucharistic celebration. This is the reason why, at the Second Vatican Council, the Council Fathers prominently and emphatically stated that the Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life, meaning that the Eucharist is the beginning and the end. So, there is the be-all and end-all quality of the Eucharist.

The last words of Jesus to his immediate disciples and us were: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). As you can see, Jesus’ last instructions to his disciples were not about the Bible but about the Church and her two main sacraments: Baptism and Eucharist. The first thing he told them was not what to say but what to do, “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” What did Jesus command? At the Last Supper, he said to them by way of commandment, “Do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19). 

If you look at the way the early Christians worshipped when they gathered together, you will see that it has all the essential elements of the Mass. In Acts 2:42, we read, “They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.” Everything they did centered around the Eucharist. For the first fifteen hundred years of the Church’s history, all Christians placed the Eucharist at the center of their worship, until the Protestant “reformers” replaced the Mass with the Bible. The preaching of the Bible was put at the center of their worship. When you look at the architectural designs of their churches, what do you see? A pulpit and not an altar for Eucharistic sacrifice. Don't get me wrong. The Catholic Church holds the Bible in high esteem. We believe that the Bible is indeed the Word of God, but it is only the Word of God in print and on paper. As for the Eucharist, we believe it is the Word of God in person, in flesh and blood. In his encyclical letter, “Mysterium Fidei,” Pope Paul VI acknowledges that Christ is present in the Church when she preaches, since the Gospel is preached through the authority of Christ.” But he maintains that in the Eucharist, Christ is present in his Church in a higher, more sublime, and indeed unsurpassable manner. 

In the course of his public ministry, Jesus commands us to do many things, like “Love your neighbor,” “Pray for those who persecute you,” “When someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other.” Jesus commands us to feed the poor, to preach the whole Gospel, to practice justice and peace, to detach from earthly goods, to carry our cross and follow him, to be humble and gentle, to be merciful, to hunger for righteousness, to aspire for purity of heart. The Lord calls us to be peacemakers, to be compassionate, to practice self-control, and to grieve and mourn over our sins, etc. As a Church, have we always been faithful to all those commands? Not! As an individual, have you always kept all the commands of the Lord? Not at all! Up and down the Christian centuries, there have been wicked Christians. Not all Christians have been peacemakers, and not all of us have a hunger for righteousness. We still struggle to keep our hearts and minds pure. Earthly goods— power, wealth, honor, and pleasure still have a strong hold on us. Some of us still ignore the poor and blame them for their poverty; we all still struggle to forgive those who offended us. We still shrug off calls for justice. When a great opportunity presents itself to preach the Gospel, many of us still shy away from telling others on whose side they belong. We still struggle with being kind and merciful. However, there is one command of Jesus that has masterfully been followed throughout the centuries by the Church. Despite our sins, our stupidity, our weaknesses, and failures, somehow the command, “Do this in memory of me,” has been upheld. It is as if Jesus himself realized he had to give us a command that we will always follow, a command that is so central to what it means to be his disciples. So, despite everything, we always remember to carry out the Lord’s injunction: “Do this in memory of me.” 

Unlike all other commands, the command of Jesus that the Church has faithfully upheld is the celebration of the literal, actual, and Real Presence of Jesus Christ himself. In this Sacrament, Jesus is worshipped and adored. If you worship and adore anything, you are committing idolatry. Check this out! We don’t worship the Bible. We don’t worship the Church. We don’t worship the creeds. We don’t worship the virtues the Lord asks us to cultivate. We don’t worship the saints. We don’t worship the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, Holy Orders, Anointing of the Sick, Confession, or marriage. But we worship the  Sacrament of the Eucharist. Why? Because it is Jesus Christ himself, in person, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. I tell you, if this is not true, then Catholics are the world’s biggest fools and idolaters, for they are confusing mere bread and wine with the eternal, perfect God, and worshipping this false god. But if it is true, then Catholics are the most privileged people in the world because they are given the greatest gift anyone ever gave humanity, the Real Presence of God Incarnate in their bodies as well as their souls. 

God bless you!

Homily on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Year C

Credo In Unum Deum

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, June 15, 2025

In the Nicene Creed, we say, “Credo in unum Deum,” which means, “I believe in one God.” If I believe in one God, why are we talking about the Trinity? Where does this doctrine come from? From Jesus himself! Throughout his public ministry, Jesus consistently referred to himself as one whom the Father sent: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). Although biblical figures like Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc. were also sent, there is something qualitatively and altogether unique about Jesus. There is something that sets him apart from those figures. He spoke and acted in the very person of God. Jesus was sent by another, whom he called in his beautiful Aramaic, “Abba,” that is, Daddy, and whom we acknowledge as divine. And Jesus himself is divine. As he was coming to the end of his public ministry, Jesus repeatedly spoke about another, whom he would send— the Holy Spirit. In John 16:7, he says to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” Jesus promised that He and His Father would send the Spirit who would lead the church into the fullness of truth (John 14:26). It was this divine Spirit who invaded the church at Pentecost, who sustained the early Christian community, and continues to guide the church in the present day. 

Christianity is a monotheistic religion. From ancient Israel, it inherited its monotheistic faith in the one God: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord your God is God alone.” Therefore, any movement in the direction of multiple gods, of polytheism, is ruled out completely. Check this out! The first Christians were all Jews trained in the strict monotheism of Israel. All of them believed in the existence of one God, not many gods. Yet, they believed passionately that the one God had revealed something new through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They believed in the Trinity of one God. What is Trinity? A good definition of the Trinity is that there is one true God who exists in three persons— Father, Son, and Holy Spirit— one in nature, equal in glory, and distinct in relations. The Trinity is not about what God has done in human history, like the creation, the Incarnation, the institution of the Holy Eucharist, atonement of sin on the cross, the Resurrection, etc., but about who God is in himself. 

A lot of people, Christians included, are uneasy with the language of the Trinity. Why? Because it seems so abstract, so rationalistic, so out of touch. How should we understand the Trinity? When we say that “God is love,” everyone is relaxed and happy. What if I tell you that the idea of the Trinity is the explicit declaration of what is implicit in the claim that “God is love.” How come? The biblical claim is that God is love, which means that love is not just something that God does; it is not just an attribute of God, but rather what God is through and through. Other religions, spiritualities, and philosophies might say that God loves. Christianity says it, too, but much more. According to G. K. Chesterton, when we say that “God is love,” it means that in God’s own nature, God is love; within God’s unity, there must be a lover, beloved, and shared love. In other words, you cannot really say that “God is love” without affirming the Trinity. 

Furthermore, another basic claim of Christianity is that God has spoken. In the book of Hebrews, we hear, “In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; but in these last days, he spoke to us through a Son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe” (Hebrews 1:1-2). For the Protestant theologian, Karl Barth, if God has spoken, there must be within God a speaker and a divine Word spoken. Who is going to interpret the divine Word to our little, fallen, and compromised finite minds? asked Karl Barth. It is the Holy Spirit. In today’s Gospel, Jesus, the Word spoken, says,  “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth…Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason, I told you that he (the Holy Spirit) will take from what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:12-13 and 14). The Holy Spirit is called “parakletos,” in Greek, which means, “someone who is called alongside.” And in Latin, he is called an “Advocatus,” which means “an attorney or an advisor.” Karl Barth said that if we accept that God has spoken, then there must be a speaker, which is the Father, there must be the Word spoken, which is the Son, and there must be the interpreter of the divine Word, the Holy Spirit, who is the “parakletos” and “advocatus.” 

Why do we need the Holy Spirit? Jesus knew that a lot of what he said and did during his public ministry would take his followers time to grasp, understand, and make sense of. He said, “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now….” (John 16:12). In his seminal work, “An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine,” St. John Henry Newman argued that Christian doctrine unfolds over time, becoming more detailed and explicit while remaining consistent with earlier statements. This development, he said, is not a corruption of doctrine, but rather a natural and beneficial consequence of reason working on revealed truth. Did the first disciples of Jesus understand the Eucharist the way we do today? I doubt! Did they understand the inner relationship of the Trinity the way we do today? I doubt! So, the understanding of doctrines unfolds over time due to the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit so as to guide us in the understanding of the truth. If we believe that God has spoken, then there must be a divine speaker, and we call him the Father;  there must be a divine Word spoken, and we call him the Son. And then a divine Interpreter, whom we call the Holy Spirit. If God is love, we must speak of the Trinity. And if God has spoken, we must speak of the Trinity, as well. 

The final template for understanding the Trinity is in the book, The Celtic Way of Prayer: The Recovery of the Religious Imagination, page 43, where we find this beautiful prayer to the Trinity: “O Father who sought me; O Son who bought me, O Holy Spirit who taught me.” The sentiment on full display in that short prayer is that God is Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is the Father who has been seeking us from the beginning. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, God has been seeking us. Seeking, not in the sense of not knowing where we are, but seeking in the sense of reaching out to where we are. The late Pope Francis has expressed the belief that God’s presence and light are always there, even in the darkest parts of the world. In those dark corners of the Northside of Minneapolis and elsewhere, where young people are peddling drugs, poisoning themselves with drugs and hard liquor, in those horrific places where heinous crimes and sins are being committed, our heavenly Father is there searching for his lost children. In Jesus, the Son of the Father, we are bought at a great price. In Psalm 49:8, we hear, “No one can ransom even a brother, or pay to God his own ransom. The redemption of his soul is beyond him.” One of the greatest revelations of Jesus is that God is our Father. Jesus himself called him “Abba,” an Aramaic word, which means something like Daddy. By that, Jesus is urging us not to view God as being distant from us. He is Abba; he is our Daddy. He is close to us and cares about us. He is someone we can turn to in good and bad times. He listens to us because he wants our good. You are worth as much as the precious Blood of Jesus Christ because that is the price God paid for you— the Blood of Jesus. The Blood of Jesus is priceless, so you are priceless. If God the Father is seeking us, he is finding us in and through the Son, Jesus Christ. And he is teaching us and drawing us into unity through the Holy Spirit. 

God bless you!

Homily on the Solemnity of Pentecost, Year C

Indications The Holy Spirit Is Active In You

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of Pentecost, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, June 8, 2025

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, marking the end of the Easter season. Today, we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the church. The Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. As they headed to the streets and preached, people heard them in all their languages, indicating the commencement of the church and its great work, which continues to this day and will continue till the end of the age. Who is the Holy Spirit? He is the love that connects the Father and the Son. From all eternity, the Father speaks his word, which is the Son. The Son is the perfect image of the Father. They share the same substance and essence. The Father and Son look at each other and fall completely in love. The love they breathe back and forth is the Spiritus Sanctus, the Holy Spirit. Today, we celebrate that time, that moment when the Father and the Son, together, breathe out love and power into the life of the Church.

With this in mind, let us look at some of the words in today’s second reading. Writing to the Christians in Rome, the great St. Paul says, “Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (Romans 8:9b). Let me say it as quickly as possible: If you are baptized, the Holy Spirit is in you. But the fact that the Holy Spirit is in you does not mean he will always be active in your life. In his letter, St. Paul warns, “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19). So, the Holy Spirit can be present and at the same time be inactive in the life of an unserious Christian. What are the signs and indications of the Holy Spirit? In Galatians 5:22-23, St. Paul calls it “Fruits of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is active in you, you are going to manifest the following fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

Due to time constraints, I won’t be able to preach on each one of them. If you notice, the first fruit of the Holy Spirit is love. Why so? It is because that is what the Holy Spirit is. What is love? It is not a feeling or emotional expression. Love is willing the good of the other and doing something about it. If the Holy Spirit is active in you, you are definitely going to be a person of love. Period! You will desire the good of the other. You will actively work and advocate for that which you desire for them. At the end of the day, when you examine your conscience, don’t forget to ask yourself this question: Did I will the good of the other? Did I do my best to demonstrate that love? If yes is the answer, that’s a clear sign that the Holy Spirit is working overtime in you. 

The second sign of the Holy Spirit is joy. I like to use joy as an acronym— Jesus, others, and you. Take this to the bank, the flag of the Holy Spirit is joy. Now, joy does not mean you are always excited and feel high. It means at the depth of your life, there is this enduring happiness that is not predicated upon wealth, power, honor, and pleasure. If you see an unhappy Christian, something is wrong somewhere. An unhappy Christian is a contradiction in terms. Some people live their lives by sucking the joy out of the room. Wherever they go, they spread unhappiness. The other day, I preached on whom we should not listen to. One of them is a joyless person. Lack of joy in their lives is an indication that the Holy Spirit is not operational in their lives. Again, at the end of the day, when you examine your conscience, find out the quality of your joy. How happy am I today? If you are not happy at all or not happy enough, it may be that you have allowed other things to take center stage in your life. You may not be allowing the Holy Spirit to take deep root in you. 

The third fruit of the Holy Spirit is peace. Shalom in Hebrew. Shalom is what God intended for the human race from the very beginning. Shalom is the first word out of the mouth of the Risen Christ to his fearful disciples. Shalom is well-being at every level of our lives. It is a sense of togetherness with the Lord. If the world is on fire, figuratively speaking, you are not rattled by it. Your core is not shaken. Your faith is not threatened. You might be worried, but you always know that you are never alone; you cannot walk alone. Why? Because the Holy Spirit has drawn you into unity with himself. You feel like someone living in the inner castle. You are assured that no matter what happens, the good Lord will always have your back. He will come through for you. It is this faith-inspired confidence that ultimately gives you peace. Peace is inner harmony, and it comes from the realization that all the elements that make me up— mind, will, passions, power, relationships, private life, public life, professional life, all of it, are implanted in Jesus. I tell you, if you attain that level of life in your Christian life, you will have peace. At the end of the day, ask yourself: Am I at peace? Don’t get me wrong. We are going to experience problems, difficulties, and frustration. But despite all that, do I experience inner unity and harmony? If you do, the Holy Spirit is active in you. 

The fourth fruit of the Holy Spirit is patience. Paciencia in Spanish. Many of us struggle with this fruit. What is the root cause of impatience? Lack of love! If love means “willing the good of the other,” then your preoccupation will be what is good for that person. Right? If I am impatient, it means I am preoccupied with myself and what I want. I will be frustrated that things are not happening my way, on my timetable, and my terms. So, I get impatient, irritated, and angry with people around me. Patience means you are dominated by love. You put up with a lot. One of the spiritual works of mercy is bearing wrongs patiently. Years ago, my patience was deeply tested when our cook, who had just been fired by the superior of my community, came to my office. Right to my face, she unloaded on me. At the time, I was the pastor of the church. And this lady thought I was the one who sacked her. To my face, she yelled at me, called me all sorts of names, and eventually spat on my face and walked out. After that, she followed it up with a petition against me to my bosses. But in all that, I said nothing and did nothing. Was I upset? Yes! But I was more sorry for her. 

The fifth fruit of the Holy Spirit is kindness. What does it mean? It means decency and courtesy. Holding the door for someone to come in, offering your chair for an elderly person to sit, and giving your winter coat to a homeless man or woman is an act of kindness. In an African setting, people speak about the blessings they received from helping out an elderly person. At the physical level, this might be little, but not so at the spiritual level. In the Book of Hebrews, we read, “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels” (Hebrews 13:2). Kindness is borne out of love. If my life is all about willing the good of others, then I will be attentive to little things that affect them. 

The sixth is generosity. Who is a generous person? A giver! They give without expecting anything in return. But for some of us, life is all about us. We hang on to things and don’t share. We say to ourselves, “I worked for it and it is mine and mine alone.” But if love has taken root in you, if you really will the good of the other, you will become generous with what you have. You will be generous with your time, talent, and treasure. The basic principle in Christianity is that the more generous you are, the more you give, the more grace you receive. If you like to hang on to things, the Holy Spirit, who is love through and through, is not operative in your life. 

The seventh sign that the Holy Spirit is active in your life is self-control. If you are a person of love, you want the good of the other. That means you will have yourself under control. If passions are disordered, and you are constantly expressing your frustration and anger, you are out of control. You will be harming the people around you, and also harming yourself, which is supposed to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. Self-control is not puritanism or repression. It is the controlling of my passions and preoccupations so that I might become available to others, and become a vehicle of love to others. The culture tells us to be expressive. If you are angry, show it. Don’t repress it. If someone crosses your path, cross them out. If someone who does not look like you rings your bell, grab your gun and shoot them even before they speak. Look at what anger is doing to us. Someone applies for a job and loses out to someone else. He goes home, grabs his gun, and goes on a killing spree. Someone is sacked from his job, and he gets angry and embarks on a killing spree. What’s wrong with us? Lack of self-control is an indication that the Holy Spirit has been saddened and silenced. 

Sisters and brothers, if you want to know what path you are on, look at these fruits of the Holy Spirit.

God bless you!

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

The Reward Of Heaven: Reflections On The Ascension Of The Lord

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, June 1, 2025

Writings about heaven do not get press coverage. You can hardly read an article about heaven in the New York Times Magazine or hear a discussion of it on any national television stations. In some churches these days, this ultimate goal of every Christian is rarely preached about. Preachers and their congregations are more interested in the immediate blessings of life. The preaching of “receive it” dominates. As such, some people say they know nothing about heaven. Heaven, they conclude, is a mystery. To make matters worse, atheists and secular humanists say to their listeners that the idea of heaven is nothing but utopia, which can be achieved here on earth through social and political reform. Some argue that the quest for a more perfect place is attainable through the pursuit of power, wealth, honor, and pleasure. Some religious people depict heaven as an extension of this earthly life where “lions will lie down with lambs.” But what does the Catholic Church say about heaven? The Catholic Church teaches that heaven is the ultimate destiny of those who live a life pleasing to God, a state of supreme happiness and eternal life in communion with the Holy Trinity, the Virgin Mary, angels, and all the saints. Heaven is principally a state of utter and absolute fulfillment. In the presence of God, in the possession of God in the beatific vision, the blessed will experience what cannot be put into words: a radical union with God and with other members of the Body of Christ that transcends anything we could envisage.

Today, we celebrate the solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. In our first reading (Acts  1:1-11), we hear, “This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” In the second reading, St. Paul prays, “May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones…” And in the Gospel, Luke tells us, “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them, he parted from them and was taken up to heaven.” What do these readings have in common? The theme of heaven! 

As we celebrate the Lord’s Ascension into heaven, three points may be considered. Number one: Jesus is going up to heaven, but not exactly as he came. From heaven he came as the Son of God, now he goes up as the Son of God and also the Son of Mary. He came from heaven as the only Son of God, but now returns as our Brother and Redeemer. In one sense, he is the only begotten Son of God, but in another sense, he is not the only begotten of the Father, for through his suffering and death, he has ransomed and begotten each of us as sons and daughters of God. Through his redemption, we all have become God’s adopted sons and daughters. We have become brothers and sisters of the Lord. 

Number two: Jesus goes up to heaven without really leaving us. He stays with us as the Risen Lord. Although he is not physically present with us, he is spiritually present in and among us. He is present in the Holy Spirit whom he sent to us, for it is the Spirit of the Father and the Son. He also continues to be with us supremely in the Eucharist, in common and private prayer, in our neighbor, in the poor, and in those who evangelize for the Lord. In Matthew 21:20, Jesus promises us, “And behold, I am with you always until the end of time.” So, the Ascension of Jesus is not a change of place for Jesus. We must avoid the danger of boxing Jesus into heaven, away from us. After all, heaven is living in God’s presence, a presence which begins here and now with the grace of the Lord and then culminates in the glory of heaven. Jesus knew this all too well, and that’s why in John 17:3 he defines eternal life (that is the glory of heaven) like this: “And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ who sent.”

The third point to consider as we celebrate the Lord’s Ascension is that his Ascension into heaven reminds us of the destiny of his followers. A Christian is a pilgrim. We are on a journey, and when someone embarks on a journey, they want to get to their destination. The hope of the Christian pilgrim is the destination of heaven. Heaven is the reward of righteousness and uprightness. Heaven is the reward of compassion. It is the reward of love—love of God and love of neighbor. Heaven is the reward of holiness and purity. It is the reward of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, welcoming strangers, visiting the sick, and the imprisoned for the sake of Jesus. Heaven is the reward of forgiveness and patience. It is the reward of not getting tired of doing what is good. It is the reward of working for justice and peace for the sake of Jesus, the Prince of peace. Heaven is the reward of prayer, which is looking up to God and touching God through prayer. Heaven is the reward of simplicity and humility. Heaven is the reward of not giving up on God even in the face of unspeakable suffering and hardship. Heaven is the reward of keeping the Lord's commandments. Heaven is the reward of working for God wholeheartedly with no regrets. Heaven is the reward of joy drawn from a profound relationship with God. Heaven is the reward of being a faithful witness of God. It is the reward of not clinging too much to the things of this world. Heaven is the reward of depending and relying on God. Heaven is the reward of following Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Heaven is the reward of honest living devoid of hypocrisy. Heaven is the reward of saying yes to God daily. Heaven is the reward of dreaming of heaven. It is the reward for those who spend their earthly life storing up treasures in heaven.  

Sisters and brothers, heaven is our goal and our target! Over there, our tears will be wiped away. Over there, all our limitations will be gone. Over there, we will see Jesus, our Brother and Redeemer. Over there, we will see our loving Father. Over there, we will see the Holy Spirit, our Comforter. Over there, we will see our awesome Mother Mary. Over there, we will be in their company and the company of all the saints and angels. Over there, we will not hunger anymore; we will not be sick anymore. Over there, there will be no more trouble again. Over there, all people of different races, nations, and tongues will be united in one big family. Over there, our song is not going to be composed by Jay-zee, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Davido, Rude Boy, Burna Boy, Wizboy, Bob Marley, Tu Face, P Square, Cyndi Lauper, etc., but by the Angels.  

God bless you!

Homily for the Seventh Sunday in Easter, Year C

Jesus Prays For Us

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Seventh Sunday in Easter, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, June 1, 2025

Throughout the centuries of Christianity, prayer has been described and defined in numerous ways. For the great St. Augustine, true prayer is nothing but love. It means that prayer should arise from the heart. St. Theresa of Lisieux defined prayer as “a surge of the heart; as a simple look turned toward heaven, and a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” St. John Damascene provided a classic definition of prayer: “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines prayer as a “vital and personal relationship with the living and true God” (CCC, no. 2558). One of my formators, Father Richard Thiele, CSsR, described prayer as “an act of touching God.” Speaking about prayer, the late Holy Father, Pope Francis, said that prayer is not just a private and intimate dialogue between a person and God, but rather an opportunity for Christians to bring the needs of others before the Lord. For Pope Francis, true Christians do not only pray for their personal needs, but also carry in their hearts the needs of their loved ones and those who suffer. So, when you pray, remember to pray for the needs of others. “In Christian prayer,” Pope Francis affirmed, “no one asks for bread for himself: he pleads for it for all the poor of the world.”

In today’s Gospel (John 17:20-26), Jesus acts as priest and intercessor. He prays not for himself but for his immediate disciples and future disciples, that is, those who will believe in him through their preaching. The whole of John 17 is called the “high priestly prayer” of Jesus. It is his prayer to his heavenly Father before his Passion and death on the cross. How did he start his prayer? John says, “Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed.” “Lifting up his eyes to heaven” is a religious gesture that acknowledges that the One Jesus is speaking to transcends space and time. He is not one item among the many items in the world. Although he is closer to me than I am to myself, he is, nevertheless, totally Other. In prayer, gesture matters. Poster matters. One of my professors in school was fond of saying, “Your gesture speaks.” And he is so right. What you do when you are praying matters. If you are praying and at the same time watching television, that says a lot about your spiritual life. If you are praying and at the same time engaging in conversation with those in the room, you are not really talking to God. If you want to pray, pray. But if you want to do other things, go ahead and do them. Prayer time is the most important time in the life of a Christian. It is a unique time of encounter with God who is great, greater, and the greatest. I tell you, if you come to my office to speak to me, and I am giving you my time and attention, but then I realize you are distracted by your phone or something else, I will conclude you are not serious. When you want to speak to God, cast aside all your distractions and focus on him. God is more important than your distractions. 

 What does Jesus pray for? What does he want for all of us, for all of his disciples? “That they may all be one.” In 1995, the great St. Pope John Paul II wrote an encyclical titled “Ut Unum Sint,” which means “That they may be one.” The Letter is about ecumenism, about the unity of all Christians and all the Christian churches and denominations. In it, the late pontiff argued that working for unity among Christians is not an addition to the Gospel or an option for some specialists but a very important part of the Gospel for all Christians. Even if there are moral or doctrinal disagreements, there must be harmony among Christians. After all, there is one faith, one Lord, and one God who is the Father of all (Ephesians 4:5-6). 

More to it, in this high priestly prayer, Jesus repeatedly referred to “the world.” Is he speaking about cosmological space? This physical world that we live in? Not at all! The world is good. The Book of Genesis tells us that after God created everything, he looked at it “and found it very good” (1:31). So, the world is created good. The Catholic Church vehemently opposes Plato’s dualism, which considers the physical world as a flawed and imperfect copy of a more perfect world, called the world of forms. The “world” that Jesus speaks about in his prayer is the “world” of cruelty, injustice, vengeance, betrayal, violence, stupidity, and aggression. It is the “world” that crucified him on the cross. It is the “world” that makes power, wealth, honor, and pleasure its god. That “world” is the collectivity of persons, institutions, armies, and nations predicated upon the loss of friendship with God. That “world”, that network, will always hate the followers of Jesus. Why? Because the light they bring scares them. If you are a light, those who live in darkness will always be threatened by your presence. You don’t have to say anything or do anything to be hated by them. The mere fact that you are light and walk in the light makes them uncomfortable. Should you compromise just to be accepted? Not at all! If that “world” hates you, consider yourself blessed. In his great Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12). And in his letter, James says, “Friendship with the world is enmity with God” (James 4:4). 

Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C

Loving Jesus Through Obedience to His Church

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, May 25, 2025

How are doctrinal, moral and liturgical issues in the Church resolved? Are they resolved through prolonged lethal warfare? Are they resolved through vicious verbal attacks? Are they resolved when opposing parties engage in a campaign of calumny? Not at all! They are always resolved through a Council. A council is an assembly of bishops and other leaders to consider and rule on questions of doctrine, administration, discipline, and other matters, and it is always called by the pope. The convocation of a council is not actually new. It is not something new designed in the 19th century or 20th century. It goes all the way back to the first century of Christianity. 

In our first reading taken from the Acts 15: 1-2, 22-29, we see the first and smallest council in the history of the Church. Historians generally call it the Council of Jerusalem. The last and largest one was the Second Vatican Council held between 1962 and 1965. What was the purpose of the first Council of Jerusalem? After the evangelical outreach of Saul and Barnabas to the Gentiles, a good number of them converted and accepted the word of God (Acts 11:1). But their conversion immediately provoked a question among the Jewish Christians: should the Gentile Christians be circumcised? Without waiting for a clear definition and declaration from the Apostles, some Christians from Judea began to teach that unless someone is circumcised in accordance with the Mosaic practice, they will not be saved (Acts 15:1). Imagine the pain and gore of circumcising a grown person. Apart from insisting that Gentile converts be circumcised, they also maintained they must follow Jewish dietary laws in order to be saved. However, others like Paul and Barnabas, argued that these practices were not necessary for salvation and that faith in Jesus Christ was sufficient. To finally resolve these matters, a council was summoned. 

At this first council called the Council of Jerusalem, the Apostles and the presbyters, in agreement with the whole Church resolved to send Paul, Barnabas, Barsabbas, and Silas to the Christians in Antioch with a letter containing these words: “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right. Farewell” (Acts 15:28-29). Pay attention to the phrase, “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us…” Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is not just human intuition but almighty God himself. He is the third person in the Blessed Trinity, he is equally divine and equally person of the Trinity. Who is “And of us?” The text tells us: “the apostles and presbyters.” 

The word “presbyters” is synonymous with two other words used in the New Testament, “elders” and “bishops.” Who are they? The Apostles ordained these successors, just as they themselves were ordained by Christ Jesus. These presbyters were ordained and authorized to ordain and authorize their successors down through the ages to the end of time. We call these bishops, who have authority of the Apostles, who themselves have authority of Christ himself, who said to them, “Whoever listens to you listens to me” (Luke 10:16). This is what we call “apostolic succession.” These are not man-made beliefs, they are biblically rooted. Here in our Archdiocese, to obey the Archbishop is to obey the Apostles. And to obey the Apostles is to obey Christ himself. To disobey the Archbishop’s rule and directives is a disobedience not only to the Archbishop but to Jesus himself. 

In our Gospel today (John 14:23-29), Jesus says, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwellings with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.” In essence, obeying Church leaders is a way of following Jesus and honoring God’s authority. It is a sign of love and a commitment to discipleship. Imagine what the Church would look like if there are no leaders. Imagine what the Church would look like if there is no order. Imagine what the Church would look like if everyone is enacting their own beliefs and following their own beliefs. Imagine what the Church of Jesus Christ would look like if doctrinal and moral issues are not resolved through prayer and discernment guided by Tradition and Scriptures. Imagine what the Church would look like if defined teachings, directives and decisions of the leaders of the Church are not being followed by her members. You know it, and I know it that it won’t be the Church founded by the Lord himself. 

God bless you!