Fr. Marcel’s Sermon for the Mass of Resurrection of Mrs. Olivia Edwards

Saturday, November 2, 2013 at St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, LA

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 tells us that: “For everything under the heavens there is a season. A time to be born and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to reap; A time to tear down and a time to build; A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance....”

God the Creator has fixed all things under the sky and one of the things fixed by God is death. Several words and phrases have been used to define, describe and explain the reality of death. For unbelievers, death is the final full-stop, the destruction and the extinction of human life. Death, according to them brings life to a dangerous and pathetic end. But for us Christians and believers, death is rather a transition unto glory. It is a divine appointment which brings all human suffering and misery to a glorious end. Death is a form of healing, a permanent healing for that matter. In Philippians 1:21, St. Paul says: “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” St. Paul sees death, not as a loss for him, rather a gain because it will finally unite him with the One whom he loved so deeply- Jesus Christ. 

On the very day that Mama Olivia Edwards passed, I had the opportunity to hear what I will call “A theology of death from a child.” I was standing in front of the house with some of the folks who had come to be with the Edwards family. Sitting on Mama Olivia’s car was the little angel Alivia. The whole time I was outside, my eyes were on her and Leah to make sure that they don’t attempt to enter the busy road. Then Alivia started saying: “Everybody is crying because Mimi has passed; everybody is crying because Mimi has passed. Why?” Then I moved closer to her and asked, “Baby, do you understand what is happening here? Do you know why everyone is crying?” She said, “hmmmmmmmmmm.... it’s because Mimi has flown out of her body and has gone to heaven.” I said, “Exactly!” Then she asked, “But will she come back and get up?” I said, “no baby.” Then she gave me a long pause. 

William Shakespeare once said that “The whole world is a stage and everybody is merely actors. They have their entrances and exits. Act well your part and there lies the honor.” Brothers and sisters, we’ve gathered here today to honor a wonderful woman, a daughter of Jesus, a child of God, an amazing mother, an amiable friend, a devoted and dedicated Catholic and an active member of this Church who has acted well her part.  She was not only a good mother to her children, she was equally a wonderful mother to all the youth and children in this church and to me as well. Because of her, St. Gerard Majella has a thriving Youth & Children ministry. Because of her, the number of young people in this church is on the increase. How I wished this gathering was to celebrate her 70th or 80th birthday. How I wished this was a thanksgiving Mass to celebrate her recovery from the sickness that killed her. How I wished we are celebrating this Mass of resurrection for her because she died at a very ripe of age of 90. 

During the course of her battle with leukemia, we all prayed. I prayed for her several times asking God to grant to her healing. Of course, what we prayed for was a temporary healing. But God decided otherwise to grant her a permanent healing. She will no longer suffer the ravages of leukemia. Leukemia may think it won the battle, but  oh no, our beloved Mama Olivia won in the end. For there is no doubt in my mind that she is already resting in the bosom of the Lord. She was a woman of faith. Her faith in God was not a hidden one- it was there for all to see. She was deeply loved by so many people. She has a wonderful family that loved and cared for her and has the best collection of friends. There was no time I visited her either at the hospital or at home that she was alone. She was always with people, not just one person. Her children taught me what it means to love and care for a parent, especially when any of them is sick. Her friends taught me the true meaning of friendship. That a friend in need is truly a friend in deed. Her sisters taught me the true meaning of brotherhood and sisterhood. No one gave up on her. Everyone was there for her. And the very day she died, she died in the company of her family and friends. If I were to write anything on her tombstone, I will probably write, “She was profoundly loved by family and friends.” It is very obvious that the manner she was loved was also the manner she loved. She was a very simple, humble, do-not-notice-me kind of person. Even though she lived a ‘do-not-notice-me’ kind of life, her love for others was very visible. If there is one person that genuinely loved me and told it wherever she went, it was Mama Olivia. And I’m gonna really miss her! She was deeply helpful and useful in my ministry here in St. Gerard.

Beloved, let’s find comfort in the words of the first reading taken from Wisdom 3: 1 which says, “The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them.” Let’s find some consolation from the second reading taken from Romans 8:35-37 that says, “Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Not even trouble or hardship or persecution or hunger or death can do that.” Death has separated us physically from Mama Olivia Edwards but it has not separated her from us spiritually and has not separated her from God. If there is one thing that death did, it was to reunite her with Jesus whom she loved so much. As we weep, mourn, grieve, and lament her painful transition, let’s not forget the words of Jesus in the Gospel we read today taken from John 14:1-3: “Do not let your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house, there are so many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And when I have done that, i will come back and take you, so that where I am, you also may be.” 

You are free to weep, but believe that Mama Olivia has gone to inherit her place in heaven. You are free to cry, but do so believing in God and in Jesus Christ who Mama Olivia served faithfully. Death is always a loss. It’s a painful experience for the bereaved because it is a loss of human life, but as you grieve remember that she has not gone into extinction. Jesus says that after he has prepared a place for us, he would come to take us. Mama Olivia’s mansion is ready to be occupied. Jesus has completed hers and she has gone to reside there. To all those who loved her, if you want to reunite with her again, then love Jesus as she loved him. Serve Jesus as she served him. Be  amiable as she was. Be humble as she was. Be simple as she was. Be prayerful as she was. Be gentle as she was. Be true as she was. Be active in your church as she was. 

Humility tells us we are not better

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Gerard Majella Church

Sunday, October 27, 2013

A story is told of a king who once visited a prison and talked with each of the inmates. There were endless tales of innocence, misunderstood of motives, and of exploitation. Every prisoner claimed innocent of the actions that brought them to jail: “I am innocent, I didn’t do it” every one of them said. Finally, the king stopped by the cell of a convict who remained silent. The king said to him, “Well, I suppose you are an innocent victim too?” “No sir, I am not, I am guilty and deserve my punishment,” replied the man. Now turning to the prison warder the king said, “Release this rogue immediately before he corrupts all these fine innocent people here.”

Dearest beloved, today’s gospel is the story of two believers- a Pharisee and a tax collector who went to the temple to pray. Both men took part in the temple worship and said their prayers. At the end of worship, one of them- the tax collector went home at peace with God, but the pharisee did not. The Pharisees were disciplined and devout men of religion. They were serious-minded believers who committed themselves to a life of regular prayer and observance of God’s law. In fact, they went beyond the requirements of the law. They fasted twice a week even though the law only required people to fast once a year, on the Day of Atonement. The Pharisees paid tithes of all their income duly, not just of the required parts. So when the Pharisee in today’s gospel said, “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity- greedy, dishonest, adulterous or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income” (Luke 18: 11-12), he was not lying. Tax collections, on the other hand, was included in the list of occupation regarded as “occupation of robbers,” which no father encouraged his son to practice. Tax collectors were especially singled out because the opportunity to cheat others was always there. Again, they collected taxes for the Romans- the Jews hated oppressors. As far as the religion of that time was concerned, tax collectors were public sinners on the highway to hell. But the tax collector in today’s gospel knew that the voice of the people is not always the voice of God. He believed he would be saved not on the merit of any religious achievements but on the unlimited mercy of God.

The two men who went to the temple to pray believed in God. But believing in God is not enough, after all, terrorists who destroy human life and human wealth also believe in God. The epistle of James 2:19 even says: “You believe that there is one God; you do well, but the devils also believe that and tremble.” What really matters is what people believe about God and how their faith in God affects their view of themselves and of others. The Pharisees believed in a discriminating God who loves only good people and hates bad people. People behave like the God they believe in. So the Pharisees quickly learn to love only good people like themselves and look down with contempt on sinners like the tax collectors.

The Pharisee did not really go to the temple to pray to God, he prayed to himself. True prayer is always offered to God and to God alone. He was only giving himself a thumb-up before God. The tax collector, on the other hand, trusted not in himself or in anything he had done but only in God’s mercy. Standing far off, he would not even look up to heaven, but beat his chest and prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” He was the man who went home at peace with God and not the self-righteous Pharisee.

Today’s gospel teaches us that no proud person can pray. Secondly, it teaches us that no one who despises a fellow human being can be at peace with God. In prayer we do not lift ourselves above others. True prayer reveals to us that we are all in this together, that we all are sinners in desperate need of God’s mercy. Thirdly, true prayer comes from setting our lives beside the life of Jesus. No doubt, all that the Pharisee said was true. He did fast; he did give tithes; he was not like the tax collector. But in his pride, he compared himself depends with a fellow man. That what pride does! It compares us with others and tells us that we are better than them. But when the virtue of humility compares us with God, it tells us the truth- “We aren’t better.” When we set our lives beside the life of Jesus and beside the holiness of God, all that we can honestly say is, “Be merciful to me O God a sinner.” 

Humility is a truth teller. In it one knows the truth of himself or herself. Humility does not deceive; it does not flatter; it does not tell us who we are not. It opens our eyes, hearts and minds of who we really are. Despite the praises and commendations we get from people, who only see the outside of us or what we allow them to know of us, humility sets all aside and tells us the bitter of ourselves. Humility does not only see the outside of us, it also sees the inside. And we embrace humility and its true assessment of us, all we can we do is fall at the feet of the Lord and say, “Be merciful to me O God for I am a sinner.” What tells us that we are better and holier than others is pride. But humility tells us we are not holier and not better. We all like a sheep have gone astray. All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. You, me, all of us have sinned! We need God’s mercy! 

Pray with the Faith of Jesus

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Gerard Majella Church

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Lucy was a good Catholic lady who loved God so much. One day, her husband became sick and was dying. Lucy prayed day and night to God to heal her husband. Every morning, she would attend morning Mass; during Mass, she would pray for her husband. After Mass, she stayed behind and prayed to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. In the evening, Lucy would come again to pray for her husband before Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. But despite all her fasting and prayers, her husband’s sickness did not go away. Eventually, her husband died. When the news of her husband’s death broke out, people wondered what Lucy would do now since God did not grant her request. At the funeral Mass, people were amazed to see Lucy looking so calm. During the oration, she said: “First, I want to thank you all for coming here today to be part of my thanksgiving to God. I thank God from the bottom of my heart for hearing my prayers. For days, weeks and months, I had prayed for my husband’s healing. I prayed for temporary healing, but God decided to grant my husband a permanent healing. So I thank the good God for being so good to my husband, to me and my family.” Later, she said “My friends, prayer actually works.”

Sisters and brothers in the Lord, today’s gospel taken from Luke 18:1-8 is about prayer. It is about persistence in prayer. This persistence in prayer is not necessarily about Praying Until Something Happens (PUSH); it’s rather about remaining in prayer, praying in season and out of season whether one’s requests are granted or not. Prayer is not just a solemn request alone; there are also prayers of adoration, love, thanksgiving and contrition. Prayer maintains our relationship with God. It enables us remain in God. In John 15:5, Jesus says, “Whoever remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit.” Remaining in Jesus is made possible, strengthened, and deepened through a relationship of prayer.

Prayer is humility. Humility is more of God, and less of me. It’s a longing for “more of God.” “Prayer,” according to Father Richard Thiele CSsR (My Novice Master 1998-1999), “is touching God our heavenly Father.” Praying in season and out of season is touching God in season and out of season. Through the constant act of touching God, we derive the powerful and electrifying current of grace. Grace enables us to carry on loving God and neighbor even against all odds.

In today’s gospel, Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity of praying always and not loosing heart. The parable is about a certain judge, one of those robber judges who constantly refused to grant a poor widow a just decision. The poor widow had no resources to hire a lawyer to adjudicate her case. But she had one weapon, and that is persistence. The judge, afraid of being worn out by the poor widow, decided to act.

This parable does not liken God to an unjust judge; it rather contrasts God to such a person: “If in the end, an unjust judge can be wearied into giving the widow justice, how much more will your just God, who is loving and caring, give to his children what they need?” God will surely give us what we need, not what we want.

Now, the image of God portrayed in today’s gospel by Jesus is that of a Father who answers every prayer. Yes, God answers every prayer. But God’s answer to our prayers may not necessarily be exactly what we asked for. When we pray, God gives only three answers: one, either yes; two, or not yet; three, or I have something better in mind for you. We should not expect to get whatever we pray for. Sometimes, a loving and caring father will refuse the request of his child because he knows that what the child asks for would in the end hurt rather than help. That is how God is like. God knows yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He knows the past, the present and the future. Only God knows what is good for us in the long run. That is why Jesus urged us not to be discouraged in prayer, especially when we don’t receive what we asked for. That is why the Lord wondered if our faith would remain till he comes considering the fact that not everything we asked for would be given to us.

Jesus wants us to pray always in order to keep our faith alive. When we pray, it is not to inform God about our misfortunes because God already knows those things. Prayer is not about getting the Lord to change his plans. It is incorrect to say or to think that God only helps those who pray, while refusing those who don’t. When we pray, we open ourselves up to seeing the world through God’s eyes, from God’s perspective. When we pray, we open ourselves more to the Fountain of life, and we open our eyes to see through his light; as the Psalmist says, “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light” (Psalm 36:9). Prayer is also a weapon against the forces of darkness. It is a weapon of removal. Through prayer all the obstacles hindering us from receiving what God has already given to us are removed.

Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, he prayed regularly; he also taught his disciples how to pray. Prayer is not only about making requests. It’s also about knowledge and encounter and friendship. It is in prayer that we know Jesus personally. It is in prayer that we encounter him in a special way. It is in prayer that our friendship with him is deepened. Prayer strengthens us. The one-to-one talking and listening to Jesus enhances our relationship with him. It moves us into intimacy with him.

Prayer is not about turning God into a coke machine; once you slot in your money into the machine, your drink drops out, and if you don’t put in your money, no coke for you. Prayer is about remaining in a relationship with God. If you keep praying, you will keep your faith, and then when the Son of Man returns, he would not find you in despair but in burning love for him. And even when we make request in our prayer, we should do so bearing in mind that God would only give us what is best for us. And guess what? We will never be weary in prayer and our faith will never wobble if, after we had made our request to God, we can add the beautiful prayer of Jesus, “Thy will be done.”

In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, let your will be done, not mine.” His prayer was persistent and also trusting. Although it did not save Jesus from the cross, but it did lead to resurrection. If we can pray with Jesus’ faith, we will never lose heart. If God’s will is done, then it is victory for us because God’s will is the best for us. With that we can say that our prayer is surely answered.

Thanksgiving Is Not An Added Extra

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Gerard Majella Church

Sunday, October 13, 2013

In the time of Jesus, lepers were seen as persons under a sentence of death because there was no cure for their diseases. They were often regarded as unclean and impure to be part of the human society. As such, they were ostracized from their families, friends and from the human society. No one dared to come near them; and no one would touch them or handle anything they had touched. The rule laid down in the Old Testament is that: “The leprous person shall wear torn clothes, and let the hair of his head hang loose, he must cover the lower part of his face and cry out, ‘Unclean, Unclean.’ He must also live outside the camp away from others” (Leviticus 13:45-46). Lepers were not allowed to come to synagogue or Temple to worship. They were forbidden to work, so they begged. Lepers were the most lonely persons, the most rejected, dejected and discriminated people. This was the condition and situation that the ten lepers in today’s gospel found themselves. 

But then Jesus came around! He was traveling through Samaria and Galilee. As soon as he entered a village, ten lepers ran after him, but still maintaining the legal distance they must keep between themselves and those who do not have leprosy, they raised their voices and shouted: “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” Folks, these lepers were dead men walking. They had been written off by everybody. They were dead physically and socially, but not spiritually. When they saw Jesus, they saw hope. When they saw Jesus, they saw the end of their affliction. When they saw Jesus, they saw a man who can turn their lives around and heal them. When they saw Jesus, they saw a man who can bring restoration of those years of locusts. They saw a man who can restore them back to the human society. They saw a man who can give them their dignity back. Because of leprosy, which is not fault of theirs, they have lost so much. But in Jesus, they saw restoration of all they have lost. In Jesus, they saw God and saw a new beginning. Their greatest desire was healing and restoration, to return back home to a normal life. That’s all that they were asking for, another chance to just be like other people. 

During the time of Jesus, sickness like leprosy was regarded as a punishment from God. That these ten persons had leprosy meant they were guilty of great sin. They were shunned and avoided by all. When “healthy” people looked at them, they saw sinful people. But when Jesus saw them, he saw something else. He saw their pain, not only physical pain but also the psychological pain of being isolated from their families, friends, neighbor and familiar environment. The Lord saw their pain of being shunned and avoided by everyone, he saw their loneliness, their anguish, their homelessness, their joblessness. He saw human beings’ inhumanity and injustice against their fellow human beings. He saw that those who needed more help from the human society weren’t getting it. Everyone saw the ten lepers as living corpses, but Jesus saw them as God’s living children and he decided to do something about it: “Go show yourself to the priests.”

On their way home, they were cleansed and healed. Nine of them went on their ways, but “One of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.”

We often praise the ex-leper who came back to thank Jesus and criticize the nine for not coming back to thank Jesus, but they only obeyed the command of Jesus who said to them “Go show yourselves to the priests.” One reason why we often criticized them is that they were all too ready to accept what the priests would offer them: their old lives. That’s why they were sent to the priests. The priests would certify the cure, and then they could return home and have their old lives back.

Confronted by misfortune, we usually yearn to have our old lives back. When we are confronted by tragic events, by sudden reversal of fortune, by the death of a beloved one, by the loss of jobs or homes, by sickness or advancing years, we want our life back. This one Samaritan, healed from leprosy perceived that with Jesus, something more, something better, something new is being offered to him, which is more important and far greater than simply having his old life back. The healed man realized that his old life is not sufficient for the life of discipleship. That’s why we praise him for coming back. He came back to thank Jesus and to also accept him as his Lord and Savior. The gospel says on coming to Jesus, “…he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.” The prostration is a symbolic act of surrender to Jesus.

Jesus was surprised that it was only one man, a Samaritan that returned to give thanks. Our society is becoming more and more like this scene, when fewer and fewer people come to the Eucharist, which means “Thanksgiving” every week to give God thanks. Our prayer has been reduced to asking and asking without giving thanks to God for the blessings we have already received. In times of need, we desperately pray with intensity asking for God’s help. But as time passes, we also pass God by and we forget God. God has given us so much; he gave us his Son Jesus Christ, and often we never even give him a word of thanks. But Psalm 103:2 says: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all his benefits.” Psalm 107:1 also says, “Give thanks to the Lord for his good, for his love endures forever.” Thanksgiving is not an added extra. It’s absolutely central to the life of a Christian. Showing gratitude sincerely and always helps us persevere in our relationship with God. If we are thankful to God and God is essentially part of lives, it becomes difficult to walk away from him. Thank the Lord in good times and in bad times. Thank him in season and out of season. Praise the Lord in the morning, noon and night. Praise and thanksgiving should be what we do as Christians. 

Faith For Miracles Is Not Faith In God

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Gerard Majella Church

Sunday, October 6, 2013

There is a story of a man who fell off a mountain cliff. Half-way down the cliff, he managed to grab a tree branch. As he was there dangling on the branch, not being able to pull himself up and knowing full well that letting go of the branch would definitely mean falling down to his death, he suddenly got an idea of what to do. He looked up to the sky and shouted, “Is there anyone up there?” A voice replied, “Yes, I am here. I am the Lord. What do you want me to do for you?” The man replied, “Please save me.” The voice asked him, “Do you believe in me?” The man shouted back immediately, “Yes, Lord, I believe in you. I really believe. Please help me.” The Lord now said to him, “It’s all right my son! If you really believe in me, then you have nothing to  fear or worry about. I will save you. But you have to let go of the branch.” The man screamed, “What?” God replied, “Let go of the branch.” The man thought about it for a moment and then shouted back, “Please, is there anyone else up there?”

Beloved in Christ, this is only a fabricated story, but it explains many of the believers attitude and approach to faith and God. Is the man in the story a believer? Of course. he is. He believes that God exists. He believes in the power of prayer. He believes that God is able to help and save him from his unpleasant situation. And Oh yes, he even prayed to God. But if he truly believes in God as he claims he does, why did he not take God on his word? Why did he refuse to let go of the branch? Is God not powerful enough to save him? 

Many of us would smile or laugh at this story because we can recognize ourselves in the man. We believe in God, we pray to God, we believe that God has power to save, but when the going gets tough, when the chips are down and things we planned did not work out as we expected them, we turn and look elsewhere for help. We believe in God, but we are people of little faith. The Apostles of Jesus like us were also people of little faith. They struggled in their faith. They had certain deep doubts about Jesus and his message. When they saw the soldiers approaching in the garden of Gethsemane, all of them abandoned Jesus and fled. Even Simon Peter who promised, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will” (Matthew 26:33) did not only abandon him but also denied him thrice. The Apostles believed in Jesus, but still had some unresolved issues in their faith in him. But they wanted to grow in their faith. They wanted to be people of great faith. They were not comfortable with having “a half-baked faith.” They were not comfortable being half-baked believers. They wanted to believe completely everything that Jesus taught and did. So, in today’s gospel taken from Luke 17:5-10, they came to Jesus with a request: “Lord, increase our faith.” The Apostles knew that their faith was not adequate and sufficient enough and they took steps to grow and improve it. 

Responding to the request of his Apostles to increase their faith, Jesus told them the parable of a servant who returned from working on the master’s farm, and instead of yearning for rest, went straight to the kitchen to prepare dinner for his master, served him and waited on him. It was after his master’s needs were fully satisfied that the servant then attended to his. You may ask how this parable answer the Apostles request for more faith. In this parable, Jesus is simply saying that if we have great and mature faith in him, we will always put God’s will first in our lives. If our faith in God has matured, we will never complain and grumble that we have been working for God all day long, now we are tired and it is God’s turn to attend to our needs. If we have a grown up faith, we will continue to work for God, serving him with all we have and are without counting the cost. 

Now, faith for deliverance from hardship is not faith in God. Faith for healing is not faith in God. Faith for protection is not faith in God. Faith in good life and good health is not faith in God. Faith in prosperity is not faith in God. Faith in breakthrough is not faith in God. Faith in ease and comfort is not faith in God. Faith in victory over adversity is not faith in God. Faith in trampling over serpents and scorpions is not faith in God. Faith in conquering witches, demons, voodoos, magic, etc is not faith in God. Faith in becoming an overcomer is not faith in God. Faith in defeating our enemies is not faith in God. Faith in crushing the head of Satan is not faith in God. Faith in God can make all those possible. But believing in all those is not faith in God. Faith in God means whether I am delivered now or not, I will continue to believe that God loves and cares for me. Faith in God means whether I am healed now or not, whether I am victorious now or not, whether I experience breakthrough and prosperity now or not, whether I overcome my enemies- human and spiritual enemies now or not, whether I enjoy life of ease and comfort now or not, I will not walk away from God. I will not curse my God. I will still believe that he loves me and cares for me.  This type of faith is called the Shadrachan Faith. This kind of faith is called the Meshachan Faith. This sort of faith is called the Abednegoan faith. Remember the three young men in the Book of Daniel 3:8-30- Shedrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar had made a gold statue and decreed that everyone in his kingdom must worship it as their god. He also decreed that anyone who does not bow down and worship the statue will be thrown into a blazing furnace. When worship time came, Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship a false god. In total faith to the living God and absolute defiant to King Nebuchadnezzar, the three young men said to him: “Your Majesty, we will not try to defend ourselves. If God whom we serve is able to save us from the blazing furnace and from your power, then he will. But even if he doesn’t, Your Majesty may be sure that we will not worship  your god, and will not bow down to the gold statue that you have made.”

Brothers and sisters, that is what faith in God means and entails. The mistake of the man caught in the mountain cliff is the mistake of many of us. He has faith in his own deliverance, but not in God’s infinite power and love to save him. God’s love for us is unconditional and his unconditional love demands our unconditional love and service to him. The Christian Faith has been reduced by many modern Christians to mean our ability to obtain healing, deliverance, breakthrough, prosperity and miracles from God. But in today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us that mature faith consists not in how much God attends to our immediate needs, but in how willing we are to serve him unconditionally, without counting the cost. Faith in God does not consist in how much we are able to obtain material things from God, but how much devotion we have for God and God’s matters. If our faith is not yet matured, let’s join the Apostles to ask Jesus, “Lord, increase our faith.”