It’s the Inauguration of Jesus

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Gerard Majella Church

Louisiana, USA

Someone, sometime ago said You know, if we have just one Gospel instead of four, it would have been much easier to understand Jesus because everything we read in that one Gospel would have been the gospel truth. But we have four Gospels that often differ from one another, and this sometimes leaves us confused.  But I believe that having just one Gospel would have made things more confusing and more difficult because we would think that there is only one way of understanding Jesus and how he relates to us. We have Four Gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and each of them sometimes tells us different story of Jesus and his mission. Having Four Gospels tells us that no one story can exhaust the whole truth of what Jesus is.  As finite beings, we can only tell the story of God from a limited point of view.

The Catholic Church has three-year cycle: Year A, Year B, and Year C. Currently, we are in Year C. In Year A, we usually read from the Gospel of Matthew; Year B is Mark, and in Year C, we read Luke. The Gospel of John is read from time to time within any of these cycles but especially on Sundays of the Easter season.  Today, we begin the reading of the Gospel of Luke. Luke highlights more the Jesus of mercy who reaches out to the poor, the outcasts, foreigners, the lonely, and women. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus breaks several human laws that promote division and segregation among God’s people.

Like I said before, we begin the reading the Gospel of Luke today. In his introduction, (1:1-4) Luke tells us why he wrote the gospel. He said he wrote in order to explain to Theophilus, a Roman official, what Christianity was all about. Have you ever tried to explain to someone what Christianity is all about? Some people think that Christianity is all about right and wrong, sin and judgment, heaven and hell. Such people see God as a heavenly policeman who is constantly monitoring our actions, writing down all our sins in His book and waiting to throw us into hellfire. But Luke sees it all differently. For him Christianity has more to do with God's love and mercy than with punishment. For Luke, Christianity is more about reaching out to the other and affirming their humanity.

Now, in telling Theophilus what the Christian faith was all about, Luke also educates him of the core mission of Jesus Christ in the world. Luke narrates how Jesus went into the Synagogue and was handed over a scroll from where he read: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. (4:18-19) By the way, this text can only be found in the Gospel of Luke.

Beloved in Christ, that is the mission of Jesus Christ in the world according to St. Luke. That is the Lord’s Manifesto. People who begin a revolution often times begin with a declaration of their manifesto. According to Luke, Jesus has come to start a revolution of love, mercy, compassion, hospitality and acceptance in the world. He wants to unite the world. He wants to heal the world.

In these few words, Luke tells us how he understands Jesus’ mission in the world, and that is: “to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

The Gospel of Matthew emphasizes “the poor in spirit” but Luke speaks of “the poor.” Jesus in Luke’s Gospel is concerned not only with the spiritual aspects of human life but also with the material and social aspects. In Luke’s Gospel, the Lord in abundant love and mercy reaches out to all in need. So, those who bear the name of Christ and who are called by his name ought to live according to Christ's manifesto. It is our mission therefore as individuals and as a community to bring Good News to the poor in our society. Today's gospel challenges us to stretch forward our hands in practical solidarity with those who are materially disadvantaged around us. As Christians we should not only be interested with saving people's souls, we should also be interested with saving their bodies, their health, their homes and their jobs. The Good News is not only for the soul, it is also for the body. Jesus redeemed the whole human person- soul and body.

In the Community of Faith, Each Person is Important

Rev. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year, B

January 27, 2013

Africans use the following old folk tale to demonstrate the importance of  every member of the community, including those who appear to be useless: 

Once upon a time, the various parts of the body started complaining against the stomach: “Look at me,” says the hand, “I till the soil to plant the seeds, I harvest the crops, I prepare the food. All that the stomach ever does is lie there waiting to be fed. This is unfair.” The feet agreed, “Me too, I carry the heavy stomach around all day, I carry him to the farm to get food, I carry him to the stream to get water and all the stomach ever does is lie there and expect to get his ration of food, water and wine whenever he needs them. This is unfair.” The head, too complained how he carries all the heavy load from the farm and from the river, all to feed the stomach who does nothing to help. The parts of the body decided that this injustice must stop. To force the issue, they decided to embark on a protest action. They agreed to stop working and feeding the lazy stomach until the stomach learns to be a responsible citizen of the body. A whole day passed by and the stomach was not given any food or water or wine. The only thing that the stomach did was to groan from time to time. By the second day of starving the stomach, the head said that he was beginning to feel dizzy. By the third day, the hands reported they were feeling weak, and the feet were wobbly and could not stand straight. Then it dawned on them that, much as they were visibly supporting the stomach, the stomach was also supporting them in a less obvious but equally important way. It dawned on them that by feeding the stomach they were feeding themselves without knowing it. So they called off their strike action and went back to work to feed the stomach. Their strength returned and together with the stomach they lived happily together after.

The story emphasizes the importance of everybody in the community even those who appear to do nothing but consume what others produce.  In today’s Second Reading, St. Paul makes a similar point: Now the body is not a single part, but many. If a foot should say, “because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body, it does not for this reason belong any less to the body....God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. If they were all one parts, where would the body be? But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you” nor the head to the feet, “I do not need you.” ...God has so constructed the body... that there may be no division in the body...If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy. (1 Corinthians 12:22-25).

Sometimes poor people envy rich people. But do you know that sometimes the rich also envy the poor? Haven’t you heard people complain that they pay their taxes and people on welfare get a free ride? If you think that street people and welfare recipients are getting a free ride, try trading places with them for one cold night. There is a story of a bishop who had a very capable man in his pastoral council that he assigns virtually everything that needed to be done to him. One day the man complained: “My Lord am I the only person in the pastoral council? Why must every work be given to me while there are some people there doing absolutely nothing?” The bishop said to him, “Would you want me to pray so that no one ever calls on you to do anything again?” The man got the point. He would not like to trade places with the less gifted members of the council who could not complete an assignment. From then on he stopped complaining and was happy to put his talents to work for the common good.

Today, God’s Word challenges us to give up that secret pleasure we get by comparing ourselves with others and thinking that they are inferior. No part of the human body is inferior. In the same way, no member of the church community should be regarded as inferior. God has given each one of us different gifts, different opportunities, different job descriptions in life. Our concern should be to try to be faithful to the grace that God gives us each day. On the last day, God will tell who did more than the other. And, oh, what a surprise that would be!

Gifts are given primarily for others
Rev. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR
Homily for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Sunday, January 20, 2013
St. Gerard Majella Church

In his gospel, St. John mentions Mary, the mother of Jesus twice: at the wedding feast at Cana, which is the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus and at the crucifixion, the end of it. This means that Mary was with Jesus from the beginning of his ministry to the end of it. She did not just play a passive role of being the mother of Jesus; she was  actively involved with her Son's redemptive work. Today's gospel is the story of the wedding feast at Cana. At this wedding, Mary was in attendance. Jesus and his disciples were also there. Halfway into the feast, the newly wedded couple encountered a problem. The wine ran out! The wine finished! As soon as Mary heard about it she went straight to her Son: "Son, they have no more wine!" In total respect and love for his mother, Jesus performed what John says was his very first miracle.

Now, if this was Jesus' first miracle, how did Mary know that Jesus could do it? I know that good mothers know their children better than anyone else.  They know the talents and potentialities of their children. There are many people who have gone on to accomplish great things in life because their mothers believed in them and encouraged them.

But did Mary know all those thirty years she lived with Jesus that she was living with a miracle worker and yet never asked him to multiply her bread, turn the water on the dining table into wine, or double her money to make ends meet? How come she never asked Jesus to use his miraculous power to help her out but she was quick to ask him to use it and help others? Consider this, if you have a child who has a miraculous power to double money for others, won't you ask him to double yours at home too? After all, it is said that charity begins at home. But for Mary and Jesus the needs of others come first before theirs.

Let's consider Jesus' forty days fasting. Remember, after the excruciating fast in the desert Jesus was very hungry, the devil tried to exploit the situation by suggesting that he turn some stones into bread and eat, but he did not do it. Yet when he sensed that the crowd of people who listened to his message all day were hungry, he multiplied bread and fish and fed them. What is Mary and Jesus teaching us through their actions?  They teach us that God's gifts to us are not primarily meant for our personal benefit but for the service of others. This explains what St Paul tells us in the second reading that "to each person is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good," (1 Corinthians 12:6) not for personal profit.

Dearest beloved, today is a good day to ask ourselves: "What gifts has God given me? Am I using these gifts mainly for my own personal profit or for the service of others in the community?" Remember, concern for others is the beginning of miracles.

We are God’s Special People

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

January 13, 2013, Year C

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 told his advisors that in a matter of days, he would like to visit the large prison called 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. 

Today we celebrate the baptism of the Lord. We celebrate God’s only Son who came into the world to become one of us. We celebrate his association with us. Today, God, the Creator submits himself to the hands of a creature to be baptized. The Lord plunged himself into the waters of Jordan, 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 Jesus, at a first glance might seem odd 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, called the Original Sin, and Jesus did not inherit it, and he lived his entire life with no sin. This means 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.

Today we celebrate the baptism of the Lord. At the baptism of the Lord, the Father and the Holy Spirit were present. Jesus’ 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 present. They were present to testify of the specialness of Jesus. They were present to glorify Jesus. 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, we 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 that 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.

On the day of our baptism, God claims us 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.

Baptism transforms us from just being creatures of God to being God’s children- sons and daughters of God. God was well pleased with us. 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 now, 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 Him. 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 and testify that he is pleased with us? You know the answer, and I know mine. Think about it!

Homily for the Epiphany of the Lord

Who Actually Found the Lord?

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Epiphany of the Lord

St. Gerard Majella Church

Baton Rouge, LA

Sunday, January 6, 2013

One cold morning in a remote village, three farmers were warming themselves by the fireside. Shortly, two of them started debating and comparing their religions to decide which one was the true religion. Johnny, the oldest among them, sat quietly listening to them. Then the arguing two friends turned to him and asked, “Johnny, decide for us, which religions is the right one?” Johnny, looking at his friends said thoughtfully, “You know, there are three ways to get from here to the apple plantation. You can go right over the hill. That is shorter but it is a steep climb. You can go around the hill on the right side. That is not too far, but the road is rough. Or you can go around the hill on the left side. That is the longest way, but it is also the easiest.” Then he paused and concluded, “But you know, when you get there, the owner of the apple plantation doesn’t ask you how you came. All he asks is, ‘Hey, how much of my apples do you want to buy?’”

After the birth of Jesus, there were two special groups of people that came to visit him: the shepherds and the magi. In the church, there is no special feast to remember the visit of the shepherds; but we have the feast of Epiphany, which we celebrate today, in which the visit of the magi is significantly remembered. But why is the visit of the magi remarkable? The shepherds’ knowledge of the birth of Jesus came from a direct revelation of angels that appeared in the sky at midnight. This is a supernatural revelation. The magi, on the other hand, became aware of the birth of Jesus by observing a star. The star did not say anything to them. The star did not tell them that the Savior of the world has been born. When the mysterious star appeared, they interpreted it to know what it meant and where it led. The magi were not believers in the Jewish God. In today’s world, they would be called “idol worshippers.” They were nature worshippers who searched for God’s will by reading the movements of stars and other heavenly bodies. As we can see, their visit challenges some of our popular beliefs.

Each religious group tends to think that its religion is the only way to God. This is what most Christians think of the words of Jesus: “I am the way,  the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). When we read that, we hastily conclude that our religion is the only way to God. Yet Isaiah 55:8: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” This is why I am thrilled by the visit of the magi. It is a unique story that opens our eyes to the fact that God is not limited to any one religious tradition. God is bigger than one religion and bigger than all religions put together and cannot possibly be boxed in, in one religion. Note this, when the rich young man came to Jesus and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mk 10:17-21) The first thing Jesus said to him wasn’t “Be my follower or disciple!”

Consider how people of different religious beliefs came to know that the Son of God was born. The shepherds who were regarded as unclean and were not allowed to take part in Temple worship without undergoing purification came to know through a direct vision of angels. The magi knew through a reading of the stars. And King Herod and the scribes came to know through the searching the scriptures. Visions, stars, scriptures – all led to the same truth. Of course this does not mean that any religious tradition is just as good as the other. To show that reading the star and following the star were not enough, the Gospel of Matthew tells us that when the guiding star got to Jerusalem its light failed and the magi had to consult the scriptures to direct them to Bethlehem. After following the light of the star, it was the light of scripture that finally got them to Jesus.

Beloved in Christ, let us ask this crucial question: Who actually found Jesus? Herod and the scribes had the scriptures, yet they failed to find Jesus but the magi who followed the natural light of the stars were able to find him. Why? Even though the Jewish authorities had the shining truth of scriptures, yet they did not follow it. They did not walk in the light of the scriptures. The magi, on the other hand, followed the guidance of a star light. What matters is not the possession of the truth, but walking in the light of the truth that we possess. It is better to have the dim light of the stars and follow it than to have the bright light of the Holy Scriptures and neglect it.

As Christian we believe that our religion has the fullness of truth. But what does that benefit us if we do not walk in the truth? Nature worshippers or non-believers who sincerely follow the dim light of natural reason may arrive by the side of Jesus before us who have the exalted truths revealed by God but who do not walk the walk of faith. Herod had the Bible, but the Bible did not save him because he did not walk by the truths of the Bible. The pagan wise men had only their natural reason, but faithfully they followed it and found Jesus. God reached out to them through their study of stars and they opened up to him. No wonder Jesus said in Matthew 21:31 “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.” This is the tough truth we celebrate today in the story of the pagan wise men that sought and found the Lord. Quit believing that all non-Christians are hell bound. Quit believing that all Christians are heaven bound.

Offer Your Very Best To The Lord

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

January 6, 2013

I want to believe you haven’t forgotten that we are still in the season of Christmas. The commercial Christmas is almost gone. But the real Christmas has not ended. In fact, the real Christmas does not end. It is said that everyday is not Christmas. Yes, everyday is not the commercial Christmas. Yet, the real Christmas is every day for those who allow the word of God to take flesh in their hearts. For real Christians, the real Christmas takes place every day, because, every day, Christ born again in their hearts. So, the real Christmas is every day to those who receive the word of God in their hearts and allow God’s word to guide their steps, to shape their lives and to form their characters. 

Today, we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord Jesus. On Christmas Day, just a few days ago, we celebrated the birth of Christ Jesus in Bethlehem. On that day, the angel of the Lord and the shepherds led us to the manger. Today, we celebrate his Epiphany, his manifestation to the nations. Epiphany means the manifestation of the Divine Son to the nations of the world. Today, the star that guided the wise men from the East is guiding us too, guiding us to Bethlehem, guiding us to see the presence of God almighty in a little child, a child who has just been born. 

In today’s gospel taken from Matthew 2:1-12, we are told that the wise men from the East, the Magi, the shepherd arrived Jerusalem looking for Jesus, the Savior of the world. Jerusalem was a great city. It was a beautiful city and a great city of commerce. But when these shepherds arrived there, they were not interested in the beauty of Jerusalem. They were not there to sell or to buy any product. They were desperately looking for the Savior and their salvation. A discovery of the Savior leads to salvation. 

Herod was greatly disturbed at the news the wise men gave to him: “An Infant King is born. We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.” The star they saw was the light of Christ. That star, shining on their path and leading them, was a sign, a sign that the One they were looking for had himself found them. They were looking for Christ Jesus, the light of the nations. But it was Christ, the light of the nations that first found them. When they told Herod that they had seen a light, Herod was greatly disturbed and sad. And just as Herod was greatly disturbed upon receiving the news that the light of God had found the wise men, the devil too is disturbed when God finds us, for we will no longer belong to his party. The world is disturbed when God finds us, for we will no longer join the bandwagon of sin. And we too can be disturbed when God finds us, because we will no longer live like slaves of our passions. When God finds, we must stop living in darkness. When God finds us, we must put behind us the deeds of darkness. But the devil does not want us to give them up, and that is why, when God finds us, the devil is disturbed. 

To be found by God is to have to travel by a different way. After Christ manifested himself to the wise men, the Gospel said that they returned to their country by a different way. Today, by manifesting himself to us, God has found us. Therefore, we must travel, from now on, by a different way. But before the wise men returned to their homeland, they paid homage to the new born King and offered their treasures of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 

Sisters and brothers, the wise men offered their best gifts to Jesus. They gave him gold which symbolizes the the kingship of Jesus. Jesus is the King of kings and the King of eternal glory. They gave him frankincense, which represents the priesthood of Christ. Jesus was a priest, and as a priest, he offered the greatest and the highest sacrifice on the cross. He offered himself that we might live. The wise men gave him Myrrh, which represents the death of Christ on the cross. He died to set us free. In this New Year, what gift or gifts are you going to offer to the Lord? What are we going to give the King of kings, our Origin and Guide? In Romans 12:1, St. Paul says, “Therefore I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” The best gift we can give to God in this New Year is the gift of ourselves. And offering ourselves to him means offering the Three Tees: Time, Talent, and Treasure.