Homily for Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday, Year C

Wickedness And Injustice Never Win

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday, Year C

St. Gerard Majella Church

Baton Rouge, LA

March 30 & 31, 2013

When Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Mary, our Brother and Redeemer died, foolish people foolishly thought that God is dead. But if God died, how come we are still alive? The death of God would not just be the death of humanity, but the extinction of everything. The cross therefore is not the end of everything. If God had died, then there will be no more life on earth or anywhere. The paradox here is that the Son of God only conquered death by his death. 

When the Lord breathed his last and died, his murderers thought that they have killed him. But death could not hold him! The forces of evil could not stop him from rising. Satan could not hold him down in the grave. Jesus rose in glory. The cross is not a depiction of weakness, rather a symbol of hope and new-life. From the cross was born the new life of Paul; from the cross was born the conversion of St. Augustine of Hippo; from the cross was born the joyful poverty of St. Francis of Assisi; from the cross was born the radiant goodness of St. Vincent de Paul; from the cross was born the great compassion of St. Alphonsus Liguori; from the cross was born the heroism of Maximilian Kolbe; from the cross was born the amazing charity of Mother Teresa of Calcutta; from the cross was born the courage of John Paul II; from the cross was born the bravery of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador; from the cross was born the courage and justice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who challenged the nation to live out the true meaning of its creed, that all men and women are equal; from the cross was born the revolution of love. So the cross is not the death of God, but the birth of his love in our world.

Easter tells us there is an end to pain and suffering. If you think you are walking under the shadow of death, remember the message of Easter- that your struggles now shall pass away as well. Be hopeful because victory is just round the corner. Are the forces of hatred ganging up against you trying to frustrate and foil your progress? Be strong because evil and wickedness never win. There is indeed an end to suffering and discomfort.

When Jesus was dragging his wounded body to Golgotha, it seemed it is finished for him. On his way to crucifixion, he fell thrice. It seemed it is finished for him. And when he finally cried, “It is finished”, his killers rejoiced and thought he has been finished. They thought they have finished him. But our Lord was not really finished. When he said, “It is finished”, he meant our salvation and freedom is accomplished. He meant: 

“I have given you everything. I have told you everything. I brought you the most beautiful message of all: God is love! God loves you! There is nothing left behind. I have told you everything and given you everything you need to gain salvation. The complete message of salvation has been preached completely. I have emptied myself completely for you. My love has been poured out to you unreservedly; my entire life has been poured out completely for your liberty. Nothing remains! “It is finished” means the enmity between us and God is over. The sin that separates us from God is erased. The barrier is finally destroyed. Satan’s power and victory over us is finished. He can no longer win battles against us. I have finished the evil one!  

“It is finished” therefore does not mean our Savior’s life is finished; rather his life and love have been given out completely without reservation. Life was won! Love was poured out! But fools misunderstood expiration for extinction. They thought the Excellent One is finished forever. But our Lord is alive; He lives! Death could not hold him in the darkness of the grave. He rose to light and glory for our good. He has offered us everything- love, freedom, peace, joy, salvation, courage, life etc.

Brothers and sisters, our Savior, crucified on Good Friday is risen. He is risen to reign forever.  He has risen to die no more. Therefore, Rejoice! We are free! We are redeemed! We have been reconciled with God! When Jesus raised Lazarus from death, he said to those who witnessed the great miracle, “untie him and let him go”. By his death and resurrection, Jesus speaks to Satan, “untie my people and let them go.” He also says to us, “My people, you are free. Go and live in peace!”

Homily for Passion Sunday, Year C

How Come An Exceptionally Good Man Like Jesus Ended Up On The Cross? 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for Passion Sunday, Year C

St. Gerard Majella Church

Baton Rouge, LA, USA

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Beloved in Christ, today is Palm/Passion Sunday. Today, we heard in its entirety St. Luke’s account of the Passion. Passion Sunday can be called “the enthusiastic or zealous Sunday.” Jesus’s friends and foes are zealous and on fire about him and his entrance into Jerusalem. Both sides are energized! For his friends, it’s a famous and glorious ride that will ultimately show everyone that Jesus is the Messiah, i.e. God’s anointed One. It’s a happy and wonderful ride to Kingship. And for his foes- Scribes, Pharisees etc, it’s rather a ride into their trap- the death trap. For them, Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem will mark the beginning of his end. 

But how is it that a man like Jesus- a very good man, so kind, exceedingly merciful, deeply generous and  profoundly compassionate ended up on the cross? Why was Jesus condemned to death? Historical and biblical studies propose that he was condemned for religious and political reasons. The charge: “We found this man misleading our people; he opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar and maintains that he is the Christ, the king,” was leveled against him. But those are false accusations. When the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders asked Jesus “Is it right to pay tax to Caesar or not?” (Mark 12:14b), his response was “Give to Caesar what is Caesars, and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17). Again throughout his earthly ministry,  the people, at several times had attempted making him their king, but several times Jesus avoided it. In the end, it was what he mostly avoided that decided his fate. The title he avoided became the title of his condemnation affixed to the cross: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” 

Now, historical considerations tell us that religious authorities, political authorities, the heads of the Sanhedrin and the Roman procurator, for different reasons, all participated in the condemnation and the death of Jesus. Then, each of us, by faith are all responsible for his death with our sins. Anytime we engage in any wrongdoing, we crucify Jesus afresh. Any hatred towards any child of God is a hatred towards God. Lack of pity, mercy and compassion towards those who suffer is a lack of pity, mercy and compassion to Jesus. Refusing to love the other is refusing to love Jesus. To the religious and political authorities of his time, Jesus was the other. But before we judge and bluster against those who put Jesus to death, let us remember the various ways we too are crucifying him. Those evil thoughts and wishes against someone, those hateful and scornful looks, those private and public uncharitable judgments, those racial and discriminatory slurs, those deliberate lies against others- remember, they also crucify the Lord again. 

But how did our Savior comport himself during the Passion? Did he undermine the pain of human suffering? Did he allow a grave injustice be done on him simply to show off his superhuman dimension? Was he overly impatient, intolerant, mean and cruel to those around him? In his suffering, did he curse or reject his Father? There is no word or gesture that nullified what Jesus preached in his Gospel, especially the Beatitudes. Jesus profoundly felt the pain- physical pain and psychological pain. He really felt the brutal torture in the hands of the soldiers. He felt the weight of the heavy cross he carried after being badly broken and wounded. He also felt the psychological pain of abandonment. He deeply experienced the pain of suffering unspeakably for his goodness. It is one thing to suffer for wrongdoing and another thing to suffer for goodness. No one wants to suffer for wrongdoing let alone for goodness. Jesus was not immune to human pain and suffering. His pain and suffering was real. He felt it in his body, soul and mind. Yet, his reaction to extreme cruelty and wrenching pain was human: he cried and trembled; the sweats on his face was as thick as blood; he wished the suffering is taken away from him; he asked his disciples to pray for him and with him. His pain was so deep that he cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Nevertheless, he died asking for the forgiveness of those who crucified him. He deserved to be apologized to, but he was the one who tendered apology on behalf of his executioners. 

One very fascinating thing is this: during his trial, he was silent (Matthew 26:63). Before Caiaphas, he was silent; before Pilate, he was silent; before Herod, he was silent. When he was attacked, he was silent, he did not revile in return. But his silence does not demonstrate his aloofness or inability or immunity to feel pain. His silence was finally broken by the silence of death shortly before died: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” It was this cry that prompted the centurion who witnessed his death to say, “Surely, this man was innocent beyond doubt.” 

Once again I ask, how come an exceptionally good and upright man like Jesus ended up on the cross? You know, when we live according to the moral principles of our faith, there are three possible ways that the people around us can respond. First, they may be impressed by our exemplary lives and may want to be like us. When people see God in us, they may likely love to worship the God they saw in us. Second, they may be cold and indifferent to our way of life because they are so blind to notice us and so trapped by the cares of this world. Third, they may react against us because our very lives is a threat to theirs. The third response is what Jesus got. The exemplary life of love and compassion he lived and the good news of liberation he preached made the religious and political leaders feel threatened. His lifestyle of simplicity was a challenge to their firm cling on material possessions; and his humility was a threat to their selfish ambitions. So, they unjustifiably condemned and killed him- an Innocent Man. But then, evil never wins. Darkness never wins. Easter tells us they never win. 

Condemn The Fallen, Only If You Are Faultless

Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, Year C

St. Gerard Majella Church

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Today’s Gospel taken from John 8: 1-11, tells us that the Scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery to Jesus and said to him: “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.” According to the Gospel passage, they just wanted to use her to set Jesus up. They wanted Jesus to either dispute the prescription of their law for offenders or to forgive the sinful woman so that they will use it to press charges against him. It is also possible they wanted Jesus to stamp and seal the stoning of the woman to death. But Jesus demonstrated he was by far wiser than all of them. Instead of falling into their trap, the Lord demanded “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Of course the demand of Jesus was insurmountable because all have sinned. So “...in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders.” Then Jesus was all alone with the adulterous woman. In consonance with his nature, the Lord, unlike the heartless accusers offered mercy, forgiveness and restoration to the woman: “Neither would I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

Beloved in Christ, Jesus teaches us through this Gospel passage that only a person without fault can rightly judge and condemn others for their fault. In Matthew 7: 1, the Lord says “Judge not so that you may not be judged.” We cannot pretend to be faultless, attempting to remove the little speck of dust in our brother’s or sister’s eye when we have a plank in our own eyes. In life, it is easy to demand standards from others that we never even try to meet ourselves. Several times we criticize harshly the faults in others which are very visible in our own lives. We easily judge others cruelly of the same faults that we too have. None of us is perfect! Therefore, the common weakness of all men and women means that only God has the right to judge. No one is good enough to engage in a judgement of condemnation. Thus, our reaction to anyone who has erred no matter how grave the sin is, should be pity. When confronted by someone who has fallen, our response should not be rejection: “If you can do something like that, I will have nothing to do with you.” Instead we should seek for ways to help our fallen brother or sister. Since we expect pity from others when we have fallen, let’s also extend the same compassionate pity to our fallen brothers and sisters.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus demonstrates that even though God is full of mercy and compassion, he still expects us to strive to live a virtuous life. A distant look at today’s Gospel story may suggest a lax on the side of Jesus. Someone might think that he was too lenient with sin as if sin does not really matter. But the Lord wasn’t. He forgave the sinful woman but quickly added “Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” In justice, he calls her sin what it is: wrong. And in mercy, he sets her free: “neither do I condemn you.” Jesus  refused to join the Scribes and the Pharisees in condemning the sinful woman to death. Instead, he offered her a second chance: I am not going to pass a death verdict on you but I want you to go and prove that you can do better. While the accusers of the woman prescribed death penalty according to their law, the old law, Jesus prescribed compassionate pity according to the new law of love. The Lord gave her a second chance: 

Yes, you have messed up yourself; and all is not well with your present life, but you are not yet a finished product; therefore I am giving you another chance to clean up yourself,  to redeem your image and prove to the naysayers that you aren’t finished yet. Woman, I forgive you!  But I want you to change your behavior. I want you to choose between going back to your old way of life and thereafter face the wrath of your accusers and eternal separation from God or change your lifestyle and mend your life.

In Jesus there is the gospel of the second chance. The Lord is interested not only in what a person had been, but also in what a person could become. The greatest sinner today could become an amazing saint tomorrow. So, by telling her: “Go and do not sin again” Jesus demonstrates his belief in human nature. Saying and expecting a woman of loose moral to “Go, and do not sin again” shows his belief that the worst today can become among the best and the greatest tomorrow. 

This gospel passage again emphasizes that Jesus did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.

The Prodigal One is God

Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year C

St. Gerard Majella Church

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Beloved in Christ, what is really the difference between a new, crisp $20 bill and an old, soiled and rumpled $20 bill? When I was in Memphis, TN, I showed my congregation a new $20 bill and asked who wants it. As expected, all hands went up. Then I asked them “if this same crisp $20 bill is rumpled, how many of you would still want it?”  Again, all hands went up. Lastly I asked, “Suppose the same crisp new $20 is thrown to the floor of the church, marched repeatedly, how many would still want it?”  All hands went up. Then I explained that in our eyes, the difference between a new $20 bill and a rumpled one is the difference between a good person and a bad person in the sight of God. Both are equally acceptable. Both are wanted and needed by God. 

Dearest beloved, today’s gospel taken from Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32 is the story of a family-father and his two sons. The younger son wanted autonomy; he wanted his share of his father’s wealth. He got what he wanted and set off to a distant country. Out there without the protection and the guidance of his father, he squandered his inheritance on a life of debauchery. He wasted his share of inheritance and found himself in dire need. He became homeless was equally starving. Because necessity is the mother of invention, he remembered he could work and earn a living. Though it was not explicitly written in this story, but it is clear that this younger son did not have any skill. It seems he was not educated; he lacked the technical skill or managerial skill to get a decent employment. Hence “he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.”

In his destitution and suffering, he came to his senses and decided to return home to his father. But he was not expecting his father to treat him again as his son. So he made up his mind that he would ask to become one of his servants. Living as a servant in his father’s house was far better than his present condition. He was not expecting his father to forgive him and treat him as a son. He has a distorted understanding of his father’s forgiveness and mercy. We too can have a distorted notion of God’s forgiveness. The book of Genesis 1:29 says that “God created us in his image and likeness”, but ever since then, we have been making God in our own image and likeness.

While he was still a long way from home, his father caught a sight of him, ran towards him and gave him a welcome hug. The father did not yell at his son and tell him how miserable and despicable he is. That’s what God does! He is always longing and waiting for us to return home. Home is where we belong! The father must have shed tears for two reasons: one, tears of joy that his lost son is back; two, tears of sorrow and pity at what his son has become. You don’t expect a man who fed pigs and lived with pigs to look healthy and decent. He must have gone out of humanity! The father called for a party. He ordered the finest garment to be put on his son; ordered a ring to be put on his finger. Those are signs of restoration. When the younger son left his family, he lost his princeship and sonship. Putting a ring on his finger and a sandal on his feet marked the restoration of his position as a son and a prince. The son is not going to be a servant in his father’s house, but a son and a prince. The father ordered the fattest calf to be slaughtered and called for a celebration with his friends and neighbors for the return of his lost son. The celebration is not only a celebration of a returned lost son; it is a celebration of the father’s immense love and compassion.

In reality, this parable is misnamed. It shouldn’t have been called the parable of the Prodigal Son, because the son is not the hero. The son is not at its center, the father is.  It should have been called “The Parable of the Prodigal Father” or “the Parable of the  Loving Father. It tells us rather about the Father’s lavished love. Webster’s dictionary defines the word prodigal as “exceedingly or recklessly wasteful,” or “extremely generous; lavish.” If anyone is prodigal in this story, it is the father! That’s God! He never gives up on us. He loves us unconditionally regardless of what we do and nothing can ever change that. God is the Prodigal Father! His love is exceedingly lavished!