Where is Christ Jesus the King?

Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Solemnity of Christ the King

St. Gerard Majella Church

November 20, 2011

Today is Christ the King Sunday. Today, we celebrate Christ Jesus as our King. Today we celebrate Jesus, the Shepherd of our souls. We celebrate Jesus, the King of our life. Today, we come to the end of this liturgical year. As usual, we look to the future, the ultimate future when Jesus will return in glory for the final judgement. 

So, today I preach to you this message which I have titled “Where is Christ Jesus the King?” Many of our Pentecostal and Evangelical brothers and sisters, in answering that question will tell you that Jesus is in our hearts. Many Catholics and probably Episcopalians and Lutherans etc will say that Jesus is present in the sacrament of Holy Eucharist. Some other Christians will tell you that Jesus is in the Bible. Yet, others will say that he is in heaven. 

Yes, Jesus is present in the Eucharist, and supremely too. Yes, Jesus can be found in the Holy Bible. Yes, Jesus lives in the heart of those who love him dearly and sincerely. Yes, Jesus is present in our midst when we gather in his name. Yes, Jesus is present with us. But where else is the Lord present? Where is Jesus? A Look at today’s gospel taken from Matthew 25:31-46 tells us where else he can be found: “For when I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” Although Jesus is in the Eucharist, he is also living on the streets. Although Jesus is in the Bible, he is also in soup kitchen lines. Although Jesus is in the midst of those who gathered together in his name, he is also waiting at the Salvation Army to get a coat. Although Jesus is in the hearts of those who sincerely love him, he is also in the hospital and with those sitting at home because they cannot afford to go to the hospital. 

Sisters and brother, Jesus says, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” This means, wherever people are in need, Jesus is there. Wherever people suffer, Jesus is there. Wherever people are hungry and thirsty, Jesus is there. Wherever people are homeless, Jesus is there. Wherever people are jobless, Jesus is there. Wherever people are helpless, Jesus is there. Wherever people lack the basic necessities of life, Jesus is there. And he is not only there to comfort them, he is also there suffering along with them. Jesus is present in the Eucharist, in the Bible, in our midst. But he is also present concretely with the not-haves. 

Some of us may think that when we leave the Church on Sundays, Jesus is locked in and locked out from the everyday life of everyday people as the church is locked. Sometimes we hear people refer to the poor and destitute as “God forsaken people” because of their poverty. But today’s gospel tells us that they are wrong. Where is Jesus? Jesus is with the God-forsaken people. Where is Jesus? He is with those living on the margins of the society. Jesus is with the working poor. The working poor is the man who washes cars but does not own one. She is the clerk who files cancelled checks at the bank but has nothing in her bank account. He is the man who paints the houses of others but cannot afford to repaint his. The working poor is the man who lays new carpets for others, and after that, begs the owner of the house to give him the old carpets removed from his house so that he can use it at home. Where is Jesus? Jesus is with those whose dreams, hopes and aspirations have been shattered by no fault of theirs. Jesus is with those who live in crumbling houses that are contributing to their children’s asthma. 

Jesus who is supremely present in the Eucharist wants us to know that he is also present with the weak, the most vulnerable, the not-haves, the poor, the abandoned, the shut in, the jobless, those in jail and those living on the streets. The Lord says today that the Eucharist, the Bible, the Church, in our midst are not the only place he can be found. He can also be found in the heartache and the pain that surround us. He can also be found in those people who ask us for their help and attention. 

Today, we are celebrating Jesus Christ our King. But it is absolutely striking that the Lord, the Master and the King did not choose to be found in palaces, in thrones, and in the corridors of power, rather in the slums and most stinking places of the world. On the very day we celebrate the Kingship of Jesus, he did not choose to be found with the wealthy, the powerful, the mighty, the movers and shakers of the society, instead he chose to be found with the weak, the vulnerable, the defenseless and the wretched people of the world. It is strikingly amazing that on the day that we celebrate Jesus as the King of the world, he was not found with the kings, queens, princesses and the princes of the world. He’s rather to be found with the “not-have of the world. 

And in today’s gospel, he says that when the Son of man comes in his glory, he will reward those who recognized him in the slums. When the Son of man sits on his glorious throne, he will reward those who found him and attended to him in the poorest of the poor. He will say to them, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Jesus is the only King who is not found in the kingdoms and empires of the world. He’s is rather found with the lowest of the low. He is here with us. But he is also out there in the world waiting for human contact. For care. For love. For compassion. For help.  

Making the best use of what God has given to us

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

November 13, 2011

Like the gospel of last Sunday- the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus, in today’s gospel taken from Matthew 25:14-30 again uses an earthly story familiar to people to teach an eschatological reality. Last Sunday, it was the parable of the ten virgins, today, it is the parable of the talents. 

A master was about to embark on a journey. Before he left, he called in his three servants and entrusted his wealth on them. To the first servant, he gave five talents (one talent was roughly the equivalent of 15 years wages for the average worker, so he gave the first servant 75 years wages of an average worker). To the second servant he gave two talents (which is 30 years wages for an average worker), and to the third servant, he gave one talent (that is, 15 years wages). The master cannot be accused of being unjust in the distribution of his wealth to his servants because he did so according to each of the servants’ ability. 

Now as soon as he left, the servant entrusted with five talents invested it and made five more. The servant entrusted with two talents also invested his and made two more. But the servant entrusted with one talent did nothing with his, instead he dug a hole and buried his master’s money. After a long time, their master returned from his journey, and the moment of reckoning was at hand. The master was pleased with the first and the second servants because they made the best use of what was given to them and made extra gains. In excitement, the master declared to each of them, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.” To the last servant who did nothing with what was given to him instead insulted his master in the following words, “I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter...” the master condemned him for burying his talent and for not, at least putting his money in the bank which could have yielded some profits. The little he had was taken away from him. He was called a useless servant and was thrown into the darkness where there will be nothing but misery and grief. 

Through this parable, Jesus teaches us that no person is born without any talent. God endows every man and woman some talents. But he gives each man and woman different gifts according to our abilities. In the parable, one servant was given five talents, another one was given two, yet another one was given one talent. To Jesus, what matters is not how much talent a person possesses, but how the person uses it. God does not expect from us abilities which he has not given to us; but he expects us to make best use of whatever talents or abilities he has given to us. Whatever talent we have, whether it is great or little, we should use them at the service of God and humanity. 

From the parable of the talents, our Lord Jesus also tells us that being rewarded for hard work does not mean we should stop working hard. The two servants who did well with the talents entrusted to them by their master were not told to rest on their oars. The master rather told them, “...since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities.” Church, reward from one hard work should spur us to work even harder. We should not rest on past achievements and success. The Lord wants us to continue to work hard, to continue to put into use all the talents that God has given to us. Use those talents in the service of God and in the service of humanity. And when talents are best used in those two dimensions, they become no longer talents, but gifts. Those who would be repudiated are those who refuse to try. Talents are given for use, and not to be hidden or horde. The third servant who was given one talent did not really loose his talent, he simply did nothing with it. If he had tried to make use of the talent given to him, and in the process lost it, it would have been better than doing nothing. God prefers those who sincerely make effort to love and serve him, even if they fall short sometimes, to those who never make any effort to love him. 

In this parable, Jesus says something that is usually misinterpreted: “For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” Sometimes this text is interpreted as taken from the little of the poor and given more and more to the rich so that they can become richer. That’s not what Jesus is saying. More will only be given to those who use their talents in the service of God and humanity. More will be given to those who turn their talents into gifts. More will be given to those who give back to the society from where they got all they have so that they can in turn give more, not to horde more. Because they are using all they have in the service of God and humanity, more will be given to them. The rich who accumulate and horde without giving back will not receive more of the Lord‘s peace, happiness and ultimately salvation because their greed and selfishness tell of their lack of charity and love. And where love and charity abide, there God is found.   

God has given each of us Talent, Time, and Treasure. Are we making the best use of them? 

Are you ready for the coming of the Bridegroom?

Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church 

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

November 6, 2011

In the Israel of Jesus’ time, weddings were big stuffs. It was a time when friends and relatives, both far and near would gather together to share in the joy of the bride and bridegroom. The whole village would come out to accompany the couple to their new home; and they usually take the longest route so as to receive the best wishes of many people. One of the highlights of any wedding was when the bridegroom came in the night to take his bride from her father’s house and take her to their new house. Since the bridegroom came out at night, the path to the bride’s house was usually lighted by the virgins- the bridesmaids, who would hold their oil lamps for him to see where he was going. 

In the parable that Jesus told today, the bridegroom as usual came out at midnight. Then there was a call, “Behold, the bridegroom! Come out and meet him!” The ten virgins who were deeply asleep, were awakened. They took hold of their lamps, but their lights were going dim already. Five of them who came with enough oil were able to refill and therefore kept their lamps burning. The other five who did not come with enough oil were not able to refill. Seeing that their lamps were going out, they asked the five wise virgins to give them some of their oil. But they were asked to go into the village to buy theirs because the oil they had wasn’t going to be enough for everybody. As soon as the five foolish virgins stepped out, the bridegroom came in and the door was locked. When the five foolish virgins returned, they called out, “Lord, Lord, open the door for us!” But the response from inside was, “Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.” Jesus ended the parable with a caution, “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Today’s parable of the ten virgins- five wise and five foolish is about preparedness. The story is more of allegory than a parable because Jesus used an earthly story familiar to the people to people to explain the eschatological reality. The bridegroom in the story is Jesus Christ. The wedding feast is his Second Coming- the Lord’s triumphant return to earth. It is the time when every person will be rewarded for good or for bad. The ten virgins or the bridesmaid are everyone of us. Some of us will be ready and prepared like the five wise virgins, while some of us will be ill-prepared and not ready, just like the five foolish virgins. 

In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks about staying awake and being readily prepared. He wants us to be ready always; he wants us to stay awake, that is, awake in the Spirit because we don’t know the hour when he, the bridegroom will come. Jesus wants us to understand that part of being his disciple is staying awake; and part of our vocation is getting ready for his Second Coming. Today’s gospel taken from Matthew 25:1-13  makes it clear to us that we have absolutely no idea when the Lord will return. Therefore, we should be ready and prepared all always. 

Like a thief who strikes with no prior notice to the owner of the house, so Jesus will come. But we don’t have to walk around with fear as long as the candle light given to us at our baptism is burning brightly. 

Remember, at our baptism, the priest gave us a lighted candle and said the following words, “Receive the light of Christ.” Then addressing our parents he also said, “This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ. He or she is to walk always as a child of light. May he or she keep the flame of faith alive in his or her heart.” 

Dearest beloved, the candle light given to us at our baptism represents the light of Christ. It stands for the light of faith. When the Lord is revealed, if that light is still burning brightly, we will be admitted into the banquet hall of the Son of God. Keep the light of faith alive in your heart and life. Keep the light of Christ given to us at baptism alive. In Matthew 5:14, Jesus tells us, “You are the light of the world...” St. Paul says 2 Timothy 1:6, “Therefore I remind you, fan into flame the gift of God...” 

To keep the light constantly burning, we have to make sure the oil does not run out. The five foolish virgins, realizing that their lamps were running low, asked the other virgins for some oil. After all, they  were all from the same village and were all involved in the same celebration. But their request was denied. The oil in this story is not a worldly thing that we need to survive like bread, fish or water. The oil in this story is righteousness. The Lord wants us to make sure that the righteousness that comes from believing in him is still with us. Jesus is talking about the purity of heart. In Matthew 5:8, Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” We need to possess this righteousness; we need to possess this purity. Righteousness or purity is not something we can borrow. It’s something we have to have, something we have to develop on our own. 

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells us that there are something we cannot borrow. We can borrow material things from our neighbor or friends, but we cannot possibly borrow  relationship with God. No man or woman can borrow a character; he or she must wear  it as a clothe. We can borrow a clothe from a friend, but we must clothe ourselves with the righteousness of God. We can borrow a car from a friend, but we need to ride with Jesus in his boat to heaven. We can borrow water from a neighbor, but we need to possess the Water of life. We can borrow salt from neighbor, but we must be the salt of the earth.  We may borrow a pair of shoe, but we must walk in the footsteps of Jesus to be admitted into the Lord’s banquet. Whatever relationship we enjoy in this world with other people, it is the relationship with Jesus that will guarantee us a pass into the banquet of the Lamb. 

By the virtue of our baptism, we are already enlightened sons and daughters of God. But to keep the candle light given to us at baptism burning up to the time of the coming of Jesus, we need Jesus. We need to keep our relationship and friendship with him. With Jesus in our life, we will not stray. We need Jesus to make it!