BEWARE OF THE COMFORT ZONE

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the 22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Holy Names Church

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

The term “comfort zone” refers to “a situation, or position in which a person feels secure, comfortable, relaxed, unthreatened and sometimes in control of things.” That term is commonly used today to describe a thoroughly comfortable place. Life in one’s comfort zone is usually marked by ease, freedom of movement, familiarity, safety, smiling, laughing, warm embrace, free handshake with comments like “It’s good to see you.”

Every one of us likes to be in a comfort zone. Each time I attend any dinner organized by the Diocese of Memphis, or any of these Catholic organizations here in the diocese, I usually look for my comfort zones after greeting few people by looking for those from Holy Names Church. Being in the midst of people I know is a comfort zone for me. But at the same time, I also know that I need to move around to introduce myself to those who do not know me even though doing that is not always easy. People who don’t know you, hardly spend their time talking to you. After saying “hi” or “hello” and “good to see you,” they quickly disappear. And sometimes I wonder whether the person was really happy to see me. So, we all want to remain in our comfort zones. But we also know that we cannot and should not remain there indefinitely. We cannot grow into intellectual, spiritual, moral, and social maturity if we remain in our comfort zones indefinitely.

I am talking about the comfort zone because it is the modern description of what Jesus is saying in today’s gospel. The gospel of today can easily be divided into two sections:

* In the first section, Jesus warns against sitting in the place of honor at a wedding banquet. * In the second section, the Lord asks us to consider extending invitation to those people who may not be able to invite us in return- that is, the poor and vulnerable around us. So in this gospel, Jesus gives us an instruction on how we should behave when we are a guest to a party, and when we are a host of one.

The Lord’s words in this gospel are not just a moral lesson or about etiquette (good manners). What Jesus is saying today goes beyond social occasions; it’s meant to shape the entire live of a Christian. Jesus is teaching the basic Christian virtues of humility and solidarity with the poor.

Choosing the place of honor in a banquet is choosing the comfort zone. We all want to be recognized. We all want a place of honor. We want a place of comfort and safety. But Jesus cautions us to be mindful of how we go about searching for the comfort zone. The Lord urges us to refrain from crowning ourselves kings and queens. In most societies, the king or the queen is chosen. No one confers the honor on herself. The place of honor is given and not taken.

Again Jesus cautions against staying put in that comfort zone once we find ourselves there. Rather than limiting our guest list to people who are like us, people with whom we are comfortable, who do not threaten us or bother us with financial request, Jesus wants his followers to expand the list. When you throw a party, invite the poor around you. If you live in an exclusive neighborhood where the poor are hardly seen, consider giving some money or other material things to organizations that cater for the poor, for example, the Catholic Charities, the social ministry of your parish or the Salvation Army.

We may consider the injunctions of Jesus difficult or even impossible. This is so because “Birds of the same feather flock together.” But do you know what Jesus is essentially saying here? The Lord wants us not to forget the poor. In the enjoyment of life, in the partying of life, in the celebration of life, in the glamour of life, even at the peak of our career, do not forget the poor. The Catholic Social Ethics emphasizes making a deliberate option for the poor and vulnerable. The poverty of the poor, the havelessness of the poor, the haggardness and the wretchedness of the poor does not de-robe or deprive them of their human dignity. They are still humans created in imago Dei.

So today’s gospel is a basic moral test on how the most vulnerable members of the society are fairing. In our society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, Jesus calls us to remember the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. “When you hold a launch or a dinner….” remember the not-haves. When you are hungry, think of those whose daily experiences is that of daily hunger. When you buy new clothes in order “refresh” your clothes closet, think of those who wear the same clothes almost every day with little or no hope of buying a new one. If you are able to save some money in your bank account after all the bills are paid, think of those who never went to the bank because they have no bank account and have nothing to save. If you were affected some how by this recession, think of those whose everyday life is a life of recession and depression. Jesus wants us to enjoy the fruits of our labor, but he also wants us to remember the pains of those who are not as fortunate as we are. Remember, we are the hands of Jesus today.

Remembering or thinking or considering the poor is not merely having them in your thought. It is not just a mere feeling of sympathy for them. It is rather an active compassion or a compassionate action, the type that brought the Good Samaritan by the side of the man beaten mercilessly by robbers.

And you know what? Jesus did not tell us to do what he did not do. Throughout his entire ministry on earth, the Lord lived for others. His entire life is full of episodes of Jesus not remaining in a comfort zone and not trying to enter one. Repeatedly, he avoided comfort zones instead made choices for the benefit of the poor. Everything that Jesus accomplished on earth was for the salvation and welfare of others. He opted out of the comfort zone in order to make others comfortable. And he invites us to do the same.

Surely, the cross is not a comfort zone. It is a place of humility. The first reading says “My child, conduct your affairs with humility….if you humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God.” In humility, do not remain in your comfort zone. Like Jesus, make your home for the poor.”

Homily for the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mother Mary

MOTHER MARY, MOTHER IN A MILLION

Homily for the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mother Mary

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Holy Names Church

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

August 15, 2010

Dearest in Christ Jesus, today’s gospel taken from the gospel of Luke 1:39-56 speaks about two great women- Elizabeth and Mary. They were great women because of their holiness, simplicity and abiding faith in Yahweh the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And because of their virtues God chose them for different vitally important roles in the redemption of humans. They were faithful to God; they were servants of God. Because of their close relationship with God, Elizabeth even in her old age still became the mother of the forerunner of Jesus Christ- John the Baptist; Mary was chosen to be the wonderful mother of the Savior of humanity- Jesus. To be chosen by God so often means one and the same time a crown of joy and cross of sorrow. The painful truth is that God does not choose a person for ease and comfort and selfish joy. God chooses a person for others. God chooses a person in order to use the person. Elizabeth and Mary were chosen to become sorrowful mothers of John the Baptist and Jesus respectively. Their choice was a magnificent blessedness, but there was also sorrow and grief that followed the hatred and the rejection of their sons by the society and the tragic way they died. John the Baptist left home to become a recluse in the wilderness. His message made the leaders uncomfortable; he was eventually arrested, detained in prison, and was beheaded. Jesus too suffered lots of public embarrassment by the leaders; he was scorned, despised, rejected, arrested and crucified like a common criminal. The experiences of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ obviously brought deep sorrows to their mothers (although it is possible Elizabeth died before John the Baptist was beheaded. But the Bible did not say anything about that, so we assume she was still alive when John was killed.) So the blessedness of Elizabeth and Mary is paradoxical because in their magnificent blessedness was attached exceeding sorrow and grief.

But today’s gospel essentially is about the Blessed Mother Mary. Today, we the Church celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Now the Sacred Scripture does not say anything explicitly about the Assumption of Mary body and soul into heaven. But from what the Bible says about our Blessed Mother, the Church was able to come to a conclusion that the Mother of Jesus Christ after death was assumed into heaven body and soul. Now, it is important to understand that the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary is a development of the doctrine of Immaculate Conception. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary states that Mary was conceived and born without Original Sin and remained free from all personal sin throughout her entire life. God gave this privilege only to Mary because she was to be the Mother of Jesus.

Mary was born without the stain of Original Sin for the sake of Jesus. She was preserved from sin by God because of Jesus, because she was going to be the Ark of the New Covenant. Within Mary was conceived the New Covenant God was making with humanity. Within Mary was the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The first dwelling place of God cannot be messed up by sin. It is important that the “holy of holies” be spotless in actuality. It is necessarily important that the spotless Lamb of God, the Son of God, the Second Person in the Trinity be enfleshed in a spotless womb. Mary is the Vessel of honor. She is the uncontaminated Vessel that bears the Ark of the New Covenant. So it is absolutely necessary that the Vessel remain uncontaminated, because if the Vessel is contaminated, the Ark will be also. Mary is also the Ark of the New Covenant. The Ark of the Old Covenant contained the following:

1. The Manna (the symbol of the Jesus’ Body- John 6: 31-34)
2. The blood of sacrificed victim (symbol of Christ’s Blood that was shed for our sins).
3. Aaron’s rod (symbol of Christ’s priesthood).
4. The covenant itself, i.e. the 2 stone tablets (the symbol of Christ as the New Covenant).

To non-Catholics who argue that the Ark which is Mary is not really relevant, I want to remind them of the power of the Ark of the Old Covenant. First, when the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant after defeating Israel in a battle, they placed it before their god Dagon, the next day, the god Dagon was facing downward before the Ark. After the statue of Dagon was restored to its place by the people, it was again found prostrate the next morning, and this time, it had also been broken. Again the people of the several part of the Philistine’s territory that the Ark was moved to was suddenly afflicted with boils (1 Samuel 4; 1 Samuel 5-6). In 1 Samuel 6:19, 70 men died because they looked inside the Ark (1 Sam. 6: 19); Uzzah died for touching the covenant box (2 Sam. 6:6-7). These show the holiness and the power of the Ark, which is the symbol of Mary the bearer of the New Covenant.

Because Mary was preserved from every stain of sin, because Mary obeyed completely, because she submitted to the complete will of God, it becomes reasonable to believe that her body which was not stained or corrupted by sin in life, was also not corrupted even in death. The scripture says that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Since she knew no sin, the wages of sin could not come upon her.

Mary was a woman of honor. She obeyed God till death. Among all those called by God she stands out. Consider Abraham. When he was called by God, he accepted the call, and a son was promised to him. But he felt that God was wasting time, he slept with his maidservant who bore him Ishmael (Gen. 15: 4-6; 16: 1-14). Moses was also called by God to lead God’s people out of Egypt. But at Kadesh he disobeyed the Lord and was not able to enter the Promised Land (Num. 20: 1-13; Deut. 32: 48-52). Miriam was also called but he doubted that God was speaking to and through Moses and she was punished (Num. 12: 1-12). Zachariah was a priest of God in the temple of Jerusalem, yet he doubted the prophecy of the angel who said that his wife Elizabeth will be a mother and he was punished with temporary blindness. David was a man of God, yet he committed the sin of adultery. King Solomon, the son of David was a man of great wisdom, wealth and power. God blessed him with enormous wisdom and wealth, yet his sin of idolatry and unbelievably and indescribable quest for women turned him away from God. What about Job? He was described as a blessed man who lived righteously. Yet, he questioned the wisdom of God when struck with suffering. Judas was an apostle of Jesus. But he was the one that sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Peter was chosen by Jesus. He was the leader of the Apostles. Even after vowing that he would never desert the Lord, he did desert him when Jesus was arrested, so did all the Apostles. They fled in fear. Mary was with Jesus till he expired on the cross.

Today we celebrate the glorious Assumption of our Mother Mary into heaven. Her Assumption also reminds us of our eternal goal. Beloved in Christ, heaven is our target; heaven is our goal; heaven is our home. Today we celebrate a Woman who suffered so much pain, yet she did not give up on God. From the moment Mary said “Yes” to God, from the moment she sang “My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” (Luke 1:46) she knew sorrows. No wonder we call her “Our Mother of Sorrows.” Today we celebrate the blessedness of a Woman who received the most sorrowful prophecy from Simeon “A sword will pierce through your own soul” (Luke 2: 35), yet she did not give up on God. Her steadfastness and unyielding love, faith and hope in God merited her a glorious assumption into heaven.

Today solemnity is about the Blessed Ever Virgin. It is also about us. Our Mother’s life says these us:

• When the wind of life begins to blow you apart, do not give up on God. Hope in God still for God is your Savior and your Lord.
• When you find yourself in times of trouble, do not give up on God. Hope in God still for God is your Savior and your Lord.
• When the hour of darkness sets in, do not give up on God. Hope in God still for God is your Savior and your Lord.
• When you are brokenhearted, do not give up on God. Hope in God still for God is your Savior and your Lord.
• When the night of life seems so long, do not give up on God. Hope in God still for God is your Savior and your Lord.
• When sickness begins to ravage your ones beautiful body, do not give up on God. Hope in still for God is your Savior and your Lord.
• If a beloved one is lost to drugs, to gangsterism, to criminals and to death, do not give up on God. Hope in God still for God is your Savior and your Lord.
• If you are experiencing the brunt and the pains of the recession, and you are asking why me, Mother Mary says to you, do not give up on God. Hope in God still for God is your Savior and your Lord.
• If you feel left out by the society, do not give up on God. Hope in God still for God is your Savior and your Lord.
• If you are lonely, hungry and are near homelessness, do not give up on God. Hope in God still for God is your Savior and your Lord.
• Are you jobless and friendless? Mother Mary says to you do not give up on God. Hope in God still for God is your Savior and your Lord.
• Whatever your situation may be, never give up on God. Hope in the God of faithfulness, for God is your Savior and your Lord.

Keep eyes fixed on God. Jesus says “Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.” There is another home “somewhere,” a perfect home for us all. It is a home of uninterrupted rest and peace in God. Mother Mary, Mother in a million says it all!