"Come, Follow Me"

“Come, Follow Me”

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Holy Names of Jesus and Mary Catholic Church

Memphis, Tennessee 

Homily for the 3^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

January 23, 2011

Matthew 4: 18-19 says “As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men (women).”

In John 8: 12, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The Greek story tells us of the first encounter between Socrates and Xenophon. The story says that Socrates met Xenophon in a narrow path and asked if he knew where he can purchase some material things, and if he knew where those material things were made. Xenophon answered in the affirmative. Then Socrates asked again, “Do you know where men are made good and virtuous?” “No” answered the young Xenophon. Socrates then said to him again, “Then, follow me and learn.”

Like Socrates, Jesus too called Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, the Zebedee brothers- James and John to follow him. These men were fishermen who usually spend long hours in the sea looking for fish. Today, Jesus changed all that. The Lord changed their occupation and also their destiny. Some times our occupation in life determines our destiny. Sometimes God changes our occupation in order to change our destiny. These men that Jesus called today became, not fishermen or “fishers” of fish but fishers of men and women. Henceforth, they never spent long hours in the sea, they spent long hours in the Lord’s vineyard. They spent long hours in the field of work looking for men and women to save.

Today’s gospel (from Matthew 4: 12-23) says that Jesus was walking by the lakeside; and as he walked he called Peter and Andrew, James and John. Now do not think that this is the first time Jesus had seen them or the first time they had seen Jesus. From the Gospel of John we learned that some of them were already disciples of John the Baptist. These brothers may have already talked with Jesus, and had already listened to him preach. But today, the Lord demanded that they leave everything behind and follow him. The master demanded that they become his disciples, his servants. And as soon as they were called, they left everything; they left whatever they were doing and followed the one who called them. Simon Peter and his brother Andrew were casting a net into the sea when Jesus called them. The gospel said, “At once they left their nets and followed him.” James and John were in the boat with their father mending their nets when Jesus called them, “and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.” They did not give excuses. They did not say “Master, we are busy now with our careers, we will follow you later.” They did not say “Jesus, we are already tired. We will go home rest, eat, refresh and then come to you.” On hearing the command, “Come, follow me,” they left everything and followed the Lord.

Dearest beloved, the same expression “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men and women” is also addressed to us. The call of Jesus is both universal and personal. Some of us may be saying in our minds, “But we have already come to the Lord, we have already followed him. Is that not the reason why we are in Church?” Some of us may be assuring ourselves now that we have already come to Jesus, that we are already his disciples, that today’s gospel is actually meant for those who are yet to follow him. But following the Lord is an everyday thing. It must be an every second, every minute, every hour, every day, every week, every month, every year experience. If we have answered that call, then we should not look backward. Jesus says in Luke 9: 62 “Anyone who puts his hand on the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.” St. Paul in Philippians 3:13 says to us “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do is I forget what is behind while straining towards what is ahead.” In the gospel of John 12:26, Jesus stresses, “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

The Lord has called us to follow him. The Lord’s invitation is the invitation to follow him, and also the invitation to bring others to follow him, “Come, I will make you fishers of men and women.” Salvation is a personal thing; it’s also a universal phenomenon. If you have been saved, bring others to the Lord. If you have tasted the Lord and found that he is good, bring others too to come and taste him. If the joy of the Lord is your strength, bring others to him to also experience his power. If you have seen the light, bring others to experience the light as well. Heaven is so large to contain every one of us. Being fishers of men and women is not exclusively reserved to bishops, priests, religious, deacons etc. It is a universal call that deserves a universal response. The call to come is a call to be a disciple. The Master Jesus has called us to become his disciples. The call in today’s Gospel to leave the boat and fishing is a call to make room for God every day, to build up God’s kingdom instead of building up our own kingdom. When we do that then the prophecy in our first reading is fulfilled, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; and upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom, a light has shone.” When we leave the boat and the fishing every day to make room for God, to build up his kingdom in whatever way we do it, then those who live in darkness will see a great light, and those who live in the land of gloom will experience the light of Christ.

Dearest beloved, deciding to follow the Lord should not scare us. We should not be frightened by what will happen to us if we decide to wear the shoes of witnessing. We should not be scared of the change of lifestyle and the change of philosophy needed to follow the Lord faithfully. Do not be frightened by the thought of making some mistakes. Do not heed to the voice of the Devil telling you that you cannot make it, that you are prone to fall and disappoint the Lord. The disciples that Jesus called today were not immune to failure and disappointment. In the gospel of Matthew 26: 69-75, Peter denied his Master thrice. In the gospel of John 20:24, Apostle Thomas doubted the resurrection of the Lord: “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” In the gospel of John 14:5, Thomas again did not understand where his Master’s house is: “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” In the same gospel of John 14, verse 8, Philip failed to understand who Jesus’ Father is: “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” In Matthew 19:13, some of the apostles of Jesus rebuked the little children that were brought to Jesus. They were either jealous that the children were getting all the attention from Jesus or they were over-exercising their powers in protecting their Master. In the gospel of Luke 22:24, there was a dispute among the disciples of Jesus as to which of them was considered the greatest. In Luke 22:45, the disciples of Jesus were not able to stay awake and keep watch with Jesus at Gethsemane. In the gospel of Mark chapters 14 and 15 Jesus was abandoned by virtually all his disciples shortly after his arrest; and during his trail before the Council and Pilate he was all alone. All those who called him “Master,” “Lord,” “Rabbi” were no where to be found. In the Gospel of Mark 15: 42-46, the man who came to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus was not one of his 12 disciples; the man who brought down the lifeless body of Jesus from the cross is not Peter or James. The man who wrapped his body with a linen cloth and laid him in the tomb is not Andrew or John. In fact, none of them was even present. They all disappeared in fear. Mark 15: 47 says, “Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus were watching and saw where the body of Jesus was placed.” None of the Twelve was present. No wonder it was Mary Magdalene who saw the Resurrected Jesus first. No wonder she was the first to visit the tomb. Of course she knew where he was buried.

From all these references, we can see that the disciples were not always perfect in all their dealings. They had some pitfalls and shortcomings. But their abiding and unyielding faith in Jesus was unquestionable. Their devotion and commitment to their Master and his mission came first in their lives. Some of them later shed their blood for their faith in him. That should be our attitude too. Do not worry about making a mistake; do not be discouraged by your weaknesses. Psalm 138: 8 says, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose and plans for you and me.” Philippians 1: 6 says, “…he who started the good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Though Peter denied Jesus thrice but he ended up as the first pope, the first leader of the church, the man Jesus handed the keys of heaven. Instead of getting scared, think of what the Lord can do for you, with you and in you. Think of his grace that is helping us. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, the Lord assures us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Beloved in Christ, our Lord called ordinary men to follow him. Following the Lord requires ordinariness, it requires being ordinary and simple. And following Jesus is an ordinary thing too. It is not an esoteric thing. Following Jesus means leaving everything behind in the fourth position and letting the Lord’s agenda comes first, second and third in our lives. I want to assure you that by following the Lord faithfully and everyday, you do not loose anything, instead you gain everything. Walking in the footsteps of the Master makes you a master as well. You become a master of yourself, your emotions and your passions. Walking in the shoes of the Master insures your life here and hereafter. Remember John 14:1-3!

IT IS THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD!

Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

January 9, 2011

Shortly after his election as the pope in 1958, Pope John XXIII spoke of the shock he felt at being elected to the papacy. But within few hours of becoming Pope, he suggested to his advisors that in a matter of days, he would like to visit the large prison, Regina Caeli, on the outskirts of Rome. On getting to the prison, the Roman Pontiff told his prison audience that he had come to them as “Joseph your brother.” “I want my heart to be close to yours; I want to see the world through your eyes.” Today those words of the Servant of the Lord are found inscribed on a plague in the prison chapel.

It wasn’t just what the Pope said that endeared him to the prison inmates and to the rest of world; it was the very fact that he was there, that he had come among them as one of them. His presence and his words touched the hearts of many in his congregation. There were tears in the eyes of some of the prison officers, as well as in those of the prisoners. The Pope saw himself as one of the prisoners. This reminds me of what St. Augustine said on seeing some wayward men; “That’s me over there but for the grace of God.”

Dearest beloved, it’s the baptism of the Lord. Today we celebrate God’s own Son who came into our world as one of us. Today we celebrate the baptism of the Lord; we celebrate the Lord’s association with us sinners. Today, God, the Creator submits himself to the hands of a creature to be baptized. The Lord plunged himself into the waters of Jordon, shoulder to shoulder with sinners, and with that shows himself as our redeeming Lord, our compassionate Savior, our dearest friend and our loving brother. He blessed and sanctified the waters of baptism.

The baptism of the Lord at first glance might seem an odd feast. Since the Church teaches that the sacrament of baptism is necessary for the remission of sin, particularly the sin we inherited from our human progenitors, the Original Sin, and Jesus did not inherit Original Sin, and he lived his entire life without sinning. Therefore he had no need of baptism as we do. Yet, he humbly submitted himself to the baptism of his cousin John the Baptist. By doing that, the Lord provided the example for the rest of us. If he should submit himself to baptism, though he does not necessarily need it, then the rest of us should do likewise after all we are his followers.

But it is important to understand that baptism is not all about forgiveness of sins. Baptism marks a dividing line between the old life and the new life, between waiting for the Messiah and finding him, between living with guilt and living in freedom, between living in a community of law and living in a community of love. By baptism we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, and it is a relationship of friendship. Baptism initiates us into a life-giving relationship with God. Through it we become adopted sons and daughters of God, members of Christ’s body, children of the Father, and temples of the Holy Spirit. By baptism, we become the people of God; our gathering becomes a gathering of God’s people. We become the family of God, and enjoy fellowship with God. Baptism makes us new creation. It imprints an indelible spiritual mark of ownership. We no longer belong to ourselves, we belong to God. Remember Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus in John 3:1-8!

Today we celebrate the baptism of the Lord. At the baptism of the Lord, the Father and the Holy Spirit were present. His baptism reveals the Trinity. No wonder Jesus orders us in Matthew 28: 19 to baptize using the Trinitarian Formula: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” At the baptism, the Holy Spirit was present in the form of a dove: “The Spirit of God was descending like a dove and coming upon him.” And immediately the Father’s big voice was heard from heaven testifying for his beloved and begotten Son, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus was not alone during his baptism. His Father was present. The Holy Spirit was also present. They were present to testify the specialness of Jesus. They were present to glorify the Lord. They were present to tell the world “I have given you everything; I have given you my all.” God has given us his beloved Son, his special Son, his one and only Son. What a great and wonderful event.

Dearest beloved, on the day of our baptism, you too were not alone. Apart from the priest and God’s people who were present when we were baptized, the Triune God- Father, Son and the Holy Spirit was also present. The day of our baptism was the day of our divine recognition. On that very day, Jesus was present, the Holy Spirit was present, the Father was present. The Father’s voice also sounded from heaven, “This is my beloved son; this is my beloved daughter with whom I am well pleased.” Hence baptism is our official recognition as children of God. On that very day, the Father testified for us. On that very day, the Father said to the world and the Devil, this is my beloved son; this is my beloved daughter with whom I am well pleased. On our baptism day, we were set aside for God and for God’s matters. On our baptism day, God declares how special we are. On our baptism day, God claims ownership of us. On our baptism day, he also set some expectation for us. When God declared that he is pleased with us when we were baptized, he expects us to continue to strive to please him.

Dearest beloved, on the day of our baptism, God claims you as his own. We become God’s servants, God’s children, God’s friends, and God’s special “treasure.” We become God’s jewels of inestimable value. On that day, the Holy Spirit rests upon us. On that day we become God’s voice speaking and bringing justice to the nations. We become God’s effigies, that whoever encounters us encounters not us but God living in us.

The First Reading of today is taken from Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7. This is what God says in verses 6 and 7,

“I, the Lord have called you in righteousness; I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you; and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison and to release from dungeon those who live in darkness.”

Beloved in Christ, through baptism God has called us in righteousness. Through baptism God has grasped us by the hand. Through baptism the Lord has formed us into his image that’s why he declared from heaven “Behold my beloved son and daughter with whom I am well pleased.” By baptism God has set before us a covenant he made with us, “You will be my people and I will be your God.” Baptism has made us God’s covenant. Beloved in the Lord, by baptism we have become a light to the nations. We have become the light of Christ; we’ve become the salt of the earth. By baptism, we have become the shining light of Jesus for others to see. The light that emanates from us must shines through the darkness of the world and overcomes it. Like the star that led and guided the Wise Men from the East to the place where Jesus laid, we must become the shinning light of the world, leading and guiding people to God. Baptism has made us intercessors praying for the restoration of sight to the blind, those who are blinded from seeing Jesus as the Truth, the Way and Life. By baptism we have become agents of freedom.

So many people are living in darkness. A lot of our friends, brothers and sisters, colleagues at work are still wandering away in darkness; so many have been blinded by the darkness of night. They need freedom. They deserve freedom. We need to change the dominant beliefs of this era. Jesus is still the Lord! So many people are turning away from God and turning away from themselves. The captives are not necessarily those in jail. There are as a matter of fact many more captives walking around us. Some of them have good jobs and have enormous wealth. Some Christians unfortunately are captives too. If you believe in any of these wild beliefs and practices of this time, then you are in captivity. If you believe that sin does not make you a bad person, you are really in captivity. If you feel no guilt of sin even when in sin, you are in captivity. If you are a Christian who does whatever he or she wants and believes that God will understand, then you are in captivity. God does not understand irresponsible behaviors. The only thing God understands is total obedience to him. Those who wake up from the bed of mortal sin and come to the table of the Lord to receive the Eucharist without making a perfect act of contrition or seeking the sacrament of reconciliation are really in captivity. Let’s be honest with ourselves for once! When was the last time we sought God’s mercy via the sacrament of reconciliation? If you think God understands you are making an eternal mistake. The State does not expect the citizens to act irresponsibly, so do God.

Beloved in Christ, we are God’s special children. Baptism transforms us from being just creatures of God to being God’s children- sons and daughters of God. God was well pleased with us then. God was happy when we first accepted him. The Triune God was present to testify that we belong to him. But is God still pleased with us? When God looks at us, does he still throw a party with the angels? Can God still say “This is my beloved son; this is my beloved daughter with whom I am well pleased?” Baptism makes us God’s children for ever. But sin does not please God. It separates us from God. Unfaithfulness to God does not please God. Though we are God’s children, but is God still pleased with us? Can the voice of the Father resound from heaven testify that he is pleased with us? You know the answer, and I know mine.