The Ressurected Jesus and the Sacrament of Penance

THE RESURRECTED JESUS AND THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
Fr. Marcel Emeka Okwara CSsR
Homily of the Second Sunday of Easter, Year B
Holy Names of Jesus & Mary Catholic Church
Memphis, TN
April 19, 2009

With the death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday, absolutely all sins, from the past, present, and future were forgiven. Our Lord is an eternal now. He exists outside the realm of time. Since time is a creation of God, his actions can apply for all eternity. But human beings must work out their salvation through time. Therefore we need the Sacraments, especially Confession which applies the saving balm of the blood of Jesus Christ to our wounded souls.

Jesus Christ in his infinite wisdom and knowledge knew that we would deal with the residue or the deposit of original sin, known as concupiscence. Though we were created good, and through the Sacrament of Baptism are redeemed by the blood of Jesus, we still have the use of our free will and can freely reject God’s gifts. Sometimes, we out-rightly say no to the grace of God. The Lord has died on the cross for our sin and for our salvation, but he still knows that we have a weakened will, a darkened intellect, and passions that sometimes become inordinate. In the Gospel of Mark 2: 17, Jesus says “I have come to call sinners, and not the righteous.” That invitation remains even while he is gone physically. It is not surprising that the first power given to the Apostles and future Apostles is the power to forgive the sins of those who want forgiveness and to retain the sins of those who are unrepentant.

Today’s Gospel taken from John 20: 19-31 speaks of the appearance of Jesus to his disciples. It is worthy to note that after the greetings of peace, the first thing that the Lord gave to his disciples was the power to forgive and retain sins: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” The power to forgive sins is not given to all; it was first given to the Disciples and to the successors of the disciples. It is also important to recall the declaration of Peter about Jesus. In Matthew’s gospel 16: 16, Peter, in answering the question of Jesus to his disciples “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” declared “You are the Messiah (Christ), the Son of the living God”. In verses 18-19 of the same gospel, Jesus says “And so I tell you Peter, you are a rock, and on this rock foundation I will build my Church, and not even death will ever be able to overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; what you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and what you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

Dearest beloved, the promise “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…” was fulfilled, so to say, on this very day when the Lord appeared to his disciples after his resurrection from death. What else could be the keys of the kingdom of heaven if not forgiveness from sins? What else could be the keys of the kingdom if not the power to forgive sins which Lord gave to his disciples on one of his appearances to them. The Sacrament of penance could be said to have been instituted by Jesus on this occasion of his appearance to his disciples.

The Lord died on the cross to clean up the sins of the world. All our sins were put on Jesus and together were nailed with him on the cross. On the cross, our sins were nailed; on the cross, our wickedness was nailed; on the cross, our transgressions were nailed. We are to die to sin and be alive in righteousness and holiness. But the Lord knows how weak we are. Remember, he was like us in all things but sin. He knows that under certain circumstances, we would go astray. He also knows that some of us would come back to him seeking for forgiveness. Hence, he gave us the Sacrament of Penance on this very day. This sacrament is one of the most vital Sacraments. Of course, I am not saying that some Sacraments are more vital than others. But the Sacrament of penance is a sacrament we need over and over again. The Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders, and in many cases Marriage, are received ones. As a priest, I don’t need to receive the Sacrament of marriage. As married people, you don’t need to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders. But we all need the Sacrament of penance. Furthermore, it is a Sacrament that not only gives us healing and forgiveness but also makes us worthy and eligible to receive for instance the Sacrament of Eucharist. After receiving baptism, which takes away personal sins and original sin, the next Sacrament of forgiveness is the Sacrament of penance. When death comes knocking on our doors, this is the Sacrament that we will desperately need. If you notice, the Sacrament of Anointing of the sick has the Sacrament of Penance as part of it.

The Sacrament of Penance is also called the Sacrament of Confession and Reconciliation. First, it is called the Sacrament of Penance because in it the penitent demonstrates remorse and sorrow for wrong done to another or to done to self which ultimately goes contrary to what God expects from his children. It is the Sacrament of Penance because the sinner resolves to have a change of heart, to repent and convert; and to show that he or she is really serious, a form of mortification or self-discipline may be undertaken. In some cases, restitution might be an option like the case of Zacchaeus “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” (Luke 19:8)

This Sacrament is also called the Sacrament of Confession because in it the penitent resolves freely to speak out what he or she has done wrong. He speaks to a priest who acting in the persona Christi (in the person of Christ) absolves him or her. The penitent confesses his or her sins to the priest who is today’s disciple of Christ with power to forgive sins. It is also called the Sacrament of Reconciliation because it is the act of restoration of friendship, which was severed by sin. Mortal sins separate us from the friendship with God. Sin injures us and severs the wonderful relationship we have with God. God never abandons us; he never leaves us; our sins cut us away from him. Through this Sacrament therefore, we are reconciled with God.

When we become truly remorseful for wrongdoing, we go in search of Jesus for forgiveness. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we encounter the Lord who listens to us as we say “God be merciful to me for I am a sinner” (Luke 18: 13). We encounter Jesus who listens to us as we say “Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean” (Mark 1: 40). He counsels us lovingly “Yes I am willing” (Mark 1: 41) “I have come that you may have life, life in abundance” (John 10: 10), and he forgives us our sins through the instrumentality of his priests “Be clean” (Mark 1: 41) “Neither will I condemn you, but go and sin no more” (John 8: 11).

Some ask, “Why do I have to confess my sins to a priest?” Why can’t I simply pray directly to God and ask for his forgiveness? Such questions are answered in today’s gospel: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven, and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20: 22-23).

Jesus himself commissioned the Apostles to forgive sins. The successors of the Apostles today are the Catholic Bishops. During the ordination of a priest, the Bishop empowers and commissions the priest to forgive sins in the Name of Jesus. Since bread and wine change into the Body and Blood of Jesus through the prayer of the priest why does it seem strange that God would also use priests to forgive sins in his name? Since God has commissioned priests to baptize children and so make them sons and daughters of God why does it seem strange that priests can also forgive sins in the name of God? Since God brings healing to the sick when they are anointed by priests during the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick why does it seem strange that God would also use priests to forgive sins in his name? God has no problem being humble to allow priests who are mortals to forgive sins in his name. If we do have a problem, could it be that we are not as humble as God? Is it that we think that God should do things differently, or may be do it our own way? May be Jesus shouldn’t have been born by a human being. May be he should have taken up flesh from heaven and fly down to earth before watchful eyes of all.

Another way in which we can receive the peace of Jesus and have him in our hearts is when we receive the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus. Sins, evils and wrongdoings prevent us from full union with Jesus Christ; they also prevent us from enjoying fully the peace the Lord offers us today when he said “Peace be with you.” The fearful disciples of Jesus were terribly afraid. But Jesus appears to them and greeted them with peace: “Peace be with you.” The Lord’s message for us today is to find peace in him. And we will not find true peace until we find it in Jesus.

If there is any sin in your life, Jesus is waiting for you at the Confessional to forgive you your sins and offer you his peace and joy. At the Confessional, we are given the assurance that our sins have been forgiven. Hurry up! Do not delay!

DEATH COULD NOT HOLD HIM

DEATH COULD NOT HOLD HIM
Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR
Easter Vigil Homily
Holy Names of Jesus & Mary Catholic Church
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
April 11, 2009

When the Redeemer of man died, when the hope of humanity died, when the one who went about doing good, healing all those who were sick, when the righteous One died, when the Prince of peace died, when the Lion of the tribe Judah died, when our excellent Master died, when the Son of God died, when Jesus who is, who was, and who is to come died, foolish people foolishly think that God is dead. But if God died, how come we are still alive? The death of God would be not just the death of man, but would be the extinction of all human beings and all other created things. Foolish people wrongly and foolishly interpreted the death of the Redeemer of man as the death of God.


Brethren the cross is not the end of everything. If God had died, then there will be no more life on earth or anywhere. The paradox here is that the Son of God only conquered death by his death. By dying, Jesus conquered death, our death. By rising, Jesus restored our life. The cross of Jesus is indeed foolishness to atheist and agnostics. The cross for unbelievers is the utmost show of foolishness; a killed reckless and irrational show of timidity. For a fool, the cross is a profound show of passivity. To an unbeliever, the cross is a manifestation of weakness and dullness of Jesus. To unbelievers and doubters, the cross signifies the end of a failure; the end of a disaster, the end of a woeful end. For them, the cross indicates the colossal and the maximal crash of a deceiver called Jesus Christ. This is why one of the thieves crucified with Jesus said to him, “save yourself and us”. Others mocked him saying, “He saved others, let him save himself and come down from the cross so that we will believe in him.”


The ungrateful murderers of Jesus thought that they have killed him. But death could not hold him! The forces of evil could not stop him from rising. Satan and his malevolent followers could not hold him down in the grave. Jesus rose in glory. The cross is not a depiction of weakness. It is indeed very powerful! The cross is a powerful tool. From the cross was born the new life of Saul; from the cross was born the conversion of erudite St. Augustine of Hippo; from the cross was born the joyful poverty of St. Francis of Assisi; from the cross was born the radiant goodness of Vincent de Paul; from the cross was born the great compassion of St. Alfonsus Ligouri; from the cross was born the heroism of Maximilian Kolbe; from the cross was born the amazing charity of Mother Teresa of Calcutta; from the cross was born the courage of John Paul II; from the cross was born the bravery of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador; a man who rejected the comfort and protection of the country’s evil government and pitched his tent with the poor and abandoned- the special friends of Jesus. From the cross was born the courage and objectivity of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who challenged the nation to live out the true meaning of its creed, that all men and women are equal; from the cross was born the revolution of love; from the cross was born the profound manifestation of the love of Scholastica, a young girl from Nigeria who preferred death to blasphemy against God. So the cross is not the death of God, but the birth of his love in our world. It is cross that brought every one of us here.


The cross leads to victory and triumph in Christ. The cross points to Easter. Easter is the celebration of the celebration of Jesus Christ over death. It is a celebration of victory and triumph of Jesus. It is also our celebration and our own victory and triumph. Because he lives, we can face tomorrow. In Easter we celebrate and rejoice over our own new life. We are victorious! We are special people called to be free, and we have the staff in our hand. The earth and its riches belong to our God, so let’s go and reclaim our land. Let us claim the victory of Christ. His victory is our victory. Death was not powerful enough to keep him down in the grave. He rose! He rose!! He rose!!! Everybody shout, He Rose! He Rose! He Rose!


Easter tells us there is an end to pain and suffering. When walking and trekking on the rough road to Golgotha, Easter reminds us there is a corresponding celebration of triumph. When walking under the shadow of death, Easter comes to reassure us that “this too shall pass away.” When the accuser of the Brethren is roaring to kill and maim, be calm because victory is just round the corner. When the forces of hatred gang up against you, Easter tell you “Death could not hold him bound.” When the forces of envy and jealousy unite to frustrate and foil your progress, Easter tells you to be strong because massive and oversize victory awaits you. Death could not hold the Master of the universe in the grave. He conquered death and resurrected unto glory. There is indeed an end to suffering and discomfort.


When Jesus was dragging his already battered body to Golgotha, it seemed it is finished for him. On his way to Golgotha, remember, he fell thrice. Before them, he was severely scourged at the pillar, he was crown with a painful thorn, and he was brutally beaten and smashed by the soldiers. During this time, it seemed it is finished for Jesus. And when he finally cried, “It is finished”, his killers rejoiced and thought he has been finished. They thought they have finished him. But our Lord was not really finished. He came back triumphantly. When he said, “It is finished”, he meant our salvation and freedom is accomplished. In the silence of history, the Lord cried “It is finished”. The Lord is saying, “I have given you everything. I have told you everything. I brought you the most beautiful message of all: God is love! God loves you! There is nothing left behind. Jesus is saying to us “I have told you everything you need to know to gain salvation. I have given you everything you ought to have for your redemption. The complete message of salvation has been preached completely. When Jesus cried with a loud voice “It is finished”, he meant there is nothing left, there is nothing I have not done or said for you to achieve salvation. I have emptied myself completely for you. My love has been given out to you unreservedly; my entire life has been poured out completely for your liberty. Nothing remains! “It is finished” means the enmity between you and God is over. The sin that separates us from God is erased. It means the barrier is finally destroyed. It is finished means Satan’s power and victory over us is finished. He can no longer win the battle. Jesus said, I have finished the evil one! Jesus was not finished, rather he finished his enemies and finished our enemies.
“It is finished” therefore does not mean our Savior’s life is finished; rather his life and love have been given out completely without reservation. Life was won! But fools misunderstood expiration for extinction. They thought the Excellent One is finished forever. But our Lord is alive; He lives! Death could not hold him in the darkness of the grave. He rose to light and glory for our good. He has offered us everything- love, freedom, peace, joy, salvation, courage, life and everything. I mean everything! Nothing was left behind undone. Salvation has been accomplished. This therefore calls for a great celebration- a celebration of love, love at its pick, love at its zenith, love at its height, love at its summit, and love at its apogee.


The Redeemer of humanity crucified on Good Friday is risen. He is risen! He has risen to reign forever. He has risen in our life. He has risen to die no more.
Tonight, like we do at every Easter Vigil, we concluded the first part of our vigil with the chanting of the Exsultet- the Church’s Easter proclamation. This Easter chant has been appropriately described as “one of the finest jewels in the Church’s treasury” The first three stanzas of the Exsultet started with “Rejoice”. So tonight, we rejoice because “Christ has ransomed us with his blood, and paid for us the price of Adam’s sin to our eternal Father. We rejoice because this is the night when Christians everywhere, washed clean of sin and freed from all defilements, are restored to grace and grow together in holiness. We rejoice because this is the night when Jesus Christ broke the chains of death and rose triumphant from the grave.


Tonight, I say to you brothers and sisters rejoice. Rejoice! Rejoice!! Rejoice!!! We are free! We are redeemed! We have been reconciled with God! We are have been made new! When Jesus raised Lazarus from death, he said to those who witnessed the great miracle, “untie him and let him go”. By his death, Jesus speaks to Satan, untie my people and let them go. By his death, Jesus makes a bold statement, “My people, you are free”. Go in peace!

DEATH COULD NOT HOLD HIM

Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Easter Vigil Homily

Holy Names of Jesus & Mary Catholic Church

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

April 11, 2009

When the Redeemer of man died, when the hope of humanity died, when the one who went about doing good, healing all those who were sick, when the righteous One died, when the Prince of peace died, when the Lion of the tribe Judah died, when our excellent Master died, when the Son of God died, when Jesus who is, who was, and who is to come died, foolish people foolishly think that God is dead. But if God died, how come we are still alive? The death of God would be not just the death of man, but would be the extinction of all human beings and all other created things. Foolish people wrongly and foolishly interpreted the death of the Redeemer of man as the death of God.
Brethren the cross is not the end of everything. If God had died, then there will be no more life on earth or anywhere. The paradox here is that the Son of God only conquered death by his death. By dying, Jesus conquered death, our death. By rising, Jesus restored our life. The cross of Jesus is indeed foolishness to atheist and agnostics. The cross for unbelievers is the utmost show of foolishness; a killed reckless and irrational show of timidity. For a fool, the cross is a profound show of passivity. To an unbeliever, the cross is a manifestation of weakness and dullness of Jesus. To unbelievers and doubters, the cross signifies the end of a failure; the end of a disaster, the end of a woeful end. For them, the cross indicates the colossal and the maximal crash of a deceiver called Jesus Christ. This is why one of the thieves crucified with Jesus said to him, “save yourself and us”. Others mocked him saying, “He saved others, let him save himself and come down from the cross so that we will believe in him.”
The ungrateful murderers of Jesus thought that they have killed him. But death could not hold him! The forces of evil could not stop him from rising. Satan and his malevolent followers could not hold him down in the grave. Jesus rose in glory. The cross is not a depiction of weakness. It is indeed very powerful! The cross is a powerful tool. From the cross was born the new life of Saul; from the cross was born the conversion of erudite St. Augustine of Hippo; from the cross was born the joyful poverty of St. Francis of Assisi; from the cross was born the radiant goodness of Vincent de Paul; from the cross was born the great compassion of St. Alfonsus Ligouri; from the cross was born the heroism of Maximilian Kolbe; from the cross was born the amazing charity of Mother Teresa of Calcutta; from the cross was born the courage of John Paul II; from the cross was born the bravery of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador; a man who rejected the comfort and protection of the country’s evil government and pitched his tent with the poor and abandoned- the special friends of Jesus. From the cross was born the courage and objectivity of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who challenged the nation to live out the true meaning of its creed, that all men and women are equal; from the cross was born the revolution of love; from the cross was born the profound manifestation of the love of Scholastica, a young girl from Nigeria who preferred death to blasphemy against God. So the cross is not the death of God, but the birth of his love in our world. It is cross that brought every one of us here.
The cross leads to victory and triumph in Christ. The cross points to Easter. Easter is the celebration of the celebration of Jesus Christ over death. It is a celebration of victory and triumph of Jesus. It is also our celebration and our own victory and triumph. Because he lives, we can face tomorrow. In Easter we celebrate and rejoice over our own new life. We are victorious! We are special people called to be free, and we have the staff in our hand. The earth and its riches belong to our God, so let’s go and reclaim our land. Let us claim the victory of Christ. His victory is our victory. Death was not powerful enough to keep him down in the grave. He rose! He rose!! He rose!!! Everybody shout, He Rose! He Rose! He Rose!
Easter tells us there is an end to pain and suffering. When walking and trekking on the rough road to Golgotha, Easter reminds us there is a corresponding celebration of triumph. When walking under the shadow of death, Easter comes to reassure us that “this too shall pass away.” When the accuser of the Brethren is roaring to kill and maim, be calm because victory is just round the corner. When the forces of hatred gang up against you, Easter tell you “Death could not hold him bound.” When the forces of envy and jealousy unite to frustrate and foil your progress, Easter tells you to be strong because massive and oversize victory awaits you. Death could not hold the Master of the universe in the grave. He conquered death and resurrected unto glory. There is indeed an end to suffering and discomfort.
When Jesus was dragging his already battered body to Golgotha, it seemed it is finished for him. On his way to Golgotha, remember, he fell thrice. Before them, he was severely scourged at the pillar, he was crown with a painful thorn, and he was brutally beaten and smashed by the soldiers. During this time, it seemed it is finished for Jesus. And when he finally cried, “It is finished”, his killers rejoiced and thought he has been finished. They thought they have finished him. But our Lord was not really finished. He came back triumphantly. When he said, “It is finished”, he meant our salvation and freedom is accomplished. In the silence of history, the Lord cried “It is finished”. The Lord is saying, “I have given you everything. I have told you everything. I brought you the most beautiful message of all: God is love! God loves you! There is nothing left behind. Jesus is saying to us “I have told you everything you need to know to gain salvation. I have given you everything you ought to have for your redemption. The complete message of salvation has been preached completely. When Jesus cried with a loud voice “It is finished”, he meant there is nothing left, there is nothing I have not done or said for you to achieve salvation. I have emptied myself completely for you. My love has been given out to you unreservedly; my entire life has been poured out completely for your liberty. Nothing remains! “It is finished” means the enmity between you and God is over. The sin that separates us from God is erased. It means the barrier is finally destroyed. It is finished means Satan’s power and victory over us is finished. He can no longer win the battle. Jesus said, I have finished the evil one! Jesus was not finished, rather he finished his enemies and finished our enemies.
“It is finished” therefore does not mean our Savior’s life is finished; rather his life and love have been given out completely without reservation. Life was won! But fools misunderstood expiration for extinction. They thought the Excellent One is finished forever. But our Lord is alive; He lives! Death could not hold him in the darkness of the grave. He rose to light and glory for our good. He has offered us everything- love, freedom, peace, joy, salvation, courage, life and everything. I mean everything! Nothing was left behind undone. Salvation has been accomplished. This therefore calls for a great celebration- a celebration of love, love at its pick, love at its zenith, love at its height, love at its summit, and love at its apogee.
The Redeemer of humanity crucified on Good Friday is risen. He is risen! He has risen to reign forever. He has risen in our life. He has risen to die no more.
Tonight, like we do at every Easter Vigil, we concluded the first part of our vigil with the chanting of the Exsultet- the Church’s Easter proclamation. This Easter chant has been appropriately described as “one of the finest jewels in the Church’s treasury” The first three stanzas of the Exsultet started with “Rejoice”. So tonight, we rejoice because “Christ has ransomed us with his blood, and paid for us the price of Adam’s sin to our eternal Father. We rejoice because this is the night when Christians everywhere, washed clean of sin and freed from all defilements, are restored to grace and grow together in holiness. We rejoice because this is the night when Jesus Christ broke the chains of death and rose triumphant from the grave.
Tonight, I say to you brothers and sisters rejoice. Rejoice! Rejoice!! Rejoice!!! We are free! We are redeemed! We have been reconciled with God! We are have been made new! When Jesus raised Lazarus from death, he said to those who witnessed the great miracle, “untie him and let him go”. By his death, Jesus speaks to Satan, untie my people and let them go. By his death, Jesus makes a bold statement, “My people, you are free”. Go in peace!