Baby, It's Time to Go Home Another Way

BABY, IT’S TIME TO GO HOME ANOTHER WAY

Fr. Marcel Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily of Third Sunday of Lent, Year C

Holy Names Church, Memphis

Whose fault is it that bad things happen? When something good happens to someone we sometimes find ourselves saying “Thank your stars.” When we say that, we are simply saying that the stars are responsible for the good things that happened, and when bad things happen, it means that they didn’t bring favor. It means therefore that the stars are equally responsible for bad things that happen to people. So, someone’s life is ruined simply because he or she was born under an unlucky star. But William Shakespeare in Julius Caesar posits “The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in the stars but in ourselves that we are underlings.” Shakespeare disagrees with the star theory of blame. According to him the fault does not lie in the heavens at all. We are responsible for our troubles, not the sky or the heavens.

But who is to be blamed for the bad things that happen to us? What is responsible for the injustice and social disharmony in our communities? What is really responsible for the diseases that devastate human life? Is it our genes? Are we what we are due to heredity? What is responsible for the earthquakes that destroy thousands of lives? What of hurricane? Hurricane Catherina, hurricane gustav, hurricane Kristina, hurricane Allison, hurricane Gloria etc. What about tsunami?

We sometimes blame racism, economic disparities, social disharmony, and mindless killings on the environment. The problems of the nations are blamed on working mothers, underprivileged communities, and poor schools. Other times parents are blamed- either it is their bad genes or bad environment; it is surely their fault. We can go ahead to blame everyone and everything. Blame the government, blame the folks, and blame God.

In today’s gospel taken from Luke 13:1-9, Jesus did not provide a clear answer. In the gospel, he was told of a horrible crime committed by Pilate against some Galileans- he mingled their blood with the blood of sacrifice. Instead of talking about the heinous crime of Pilate, Jesus turned the story into a question:

Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinner than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!

What about the eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them? Do you think they are more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did.

Jesus does not want us to blame the victims. It is not their fault. Remember when the man born blind was brought to him, people wanted to know whose fault it is that he was born blind, the Lord said it neither his fault nor that of his parents that he could not see. Jesus does not assign blame; he does not tell us why some people are harmed and killed; he does not tell us why the tower fell on some and not on others. He does not tell us why hurricane Catherina swept away homes, devastated cities, and destroyed lives; he does not explain to us why earthquake is destroying nations; he does not explain why an innocent child is born with cancer; Jesus does not explain why while in some nations things waste, whereas in others people waste away. The Lord does not explain to us while innocent people suffer. He does not give answers as to why one person is killed in a car accident, another gets cancer and while others live on with their mind robbed of them by Alzheimer. Jesus does not tell us who to blame, whose fault it is. Instead he gives a parable about a gardener and an unfruitful fig tree. Through the parable the Lord warns us to be more concerned with repentance. The parable is a warning that we should use the time we have got for repentance and faith. We should not spend our time blaming or making excuses, but instead live our life as God’s precious gift. We should not squander our life or our time.

In the parable that Jesus narrated in today’s gospel, the Gardener is Jesus; we are the fig tree; the orchard is the world; the owner of the fig tree and the orchard is God. In the gospel, Jesus as the gardener begs for more time for us so that we can bear fruit. To bear fruit, we need to remain in Jesus. To bear fruit, we need to return to Jesus. We must return to Jesus to bear fruit. In the gospel of John 15:5-8, Jesus himself says:

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man/woman remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Sisters and brothers, it is time to go home another way. Lent is a period of going home, but not the same way, not the old way. We must go home another way, it has to be the way of Jesus. You may have come here a bitter sad person, but it is time to go home another way. You may have come here a hater, it is time to go home another way. If you are not in talking terms with anybody, baby, it is time go home another way. If you are struggling with alcohol and drug, dearest one, it is time to go home another way. If you are addicted to sex- sex in the morning, sex in the afternoon, and sex in the evening- sex, sex, sex; it is time to go home another way. If your god is your stomach, baby, it is time to go home another way. Are you depressed, wake up, let’s go home another way. Do you feel unloved, let’s go home another way to someone that loves you. If sticking fingers is your problem, you find it hard to keep your fingers away from what does not belong to you, dearest beloved, let’s go home another way to Jesus.

Return to the Lord while there is still time. Return to God with your heart and mind.