Don’t watch the lips, look at the feet!

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for 6th Sunday of Easter, Year A

St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, LA

May 25, 2014

Today’s gospel taking from John 14:15-21 is a continuation of Jesus’ farewell speech to his disciples. In this speech, the Lord makes a connection between love and obedience. He says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” I once told a friend that in a traditional African society, people hardly say, “I love you.” Even those in marriage hardly say that. Then my friend asked me, “Then how do you know that someone loves you?” I replied, “You know by the way they treat you.”

To Jesus, the best test of love is faithfulness. It was through faithfulness and obedience that he demonstrated his love for his Father; and it is by our obedience that we must demonstrate our love for him. Love is not just a sentiment or emotion. It is rather an expression that is demonstrated through faithfulness and commitment. Put differently, love is a moral expression revealed in obedience. There are people who profess love in words but who, at the same time, bring pain, misfortune, and heartbreak to the same people they claim to love. There are young people who say they love their parents, yet, they cause them sorrow, anxiety and sleeplessness. There are husbands who say they love their wives and wives who say they love their husbands, yet through their inconsideration, irritability and thoughtless unkindness bring pain and grief to the very one they claim to love. But love should go beyond the profession of it. It is a reality demonstrated only in true obedience, faithfulness and good deeds.

Now, Jesus asks no small thing from his disciples when he said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Keeping the Lord’s commandments is not going to be easy. Anyone who tells you it’s easy is probably not observing it. The Lord knows it is not going to be that easy, hence he said in John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; for apart from me you can do nothing.” Following the Jesus’ teachings requires effort. To be a disciple of Jesus means “to follow after him." It means following the way of Jesus who is the Way; it means keeping and living the truth of Jesus who is the Truth; it also means accepting the life of Jesus who is the Life. Loving the Lord means taking seriously what he took seriously.

What do we do to those we love? We try to have their best interest in mind; we try to please them; we try to avoid anything that is capable of destroying or disrupting our relationship with them. We try to visit and call them often on the phone. To those we love, we cherish. To those we love, we please. To those we love, we keep in touch with. To those we love, we remain faithful to. That’s what Jesus expects from us. If we really love him, we will cherish him above all else. If we really love him, we’ll strive to please him by being obedient servants. If we love Jesus, we will keep him in our hearts and thoughts. If we really love the Lord, we will keep in touch and in contact with him by visiting and calling him often in prayer.

But does this mean that every time we sin we do not love him? Although we love Jesus, but any time we commit sin we love something or someone else more than we love him. To love Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind and strength entails putting nothing, no matter how small or big or important before him. Loving Jesus is not just an emotional feeling. It is something deeper and greater than that. It will require changing our lives, our lifestyles, reforming our lives, working on our personalities and characters, stretching ourselves to please him and to make him proud, so that when he looks at us he will say: “This is my son; this is my daughter; I am pleased with him; I am pleased with her.” Galatians 5:24 say, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”

St. Paul loved Jesus so much to the point of declaring, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).  St. Peter loved the Lord that when Jesus asked him thrice, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He confidently replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you (John 21:15)”

Two words that go side by side with each other are love and obedience (faithfulness). Both words are in a relationship. One cannot do without the other. If you want to know those who love you, check out how they treat you before and behind you. Those who love Jesus will obviously want to please him. Obedience to his commandments is the greatest and the surest demonstration of our love for him. Don’t watch the lips, look at the feet! It’s not just what the lips says that matters most, it's what the feet does thereafter.

Rather Than Fear, Have Faith in God

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the 5th Sunday of Easter

St. Alfonsus Liguori Catholic Church, Greenwell Springs, LA

May 18, 2014

As we live our daily life with all the challenges and sometimes the pains it brings, one thing we need to hear is what Jesus says in the beginning of today’s gospel, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, have faith in God; have faith also in me” (John 14: 1). As we experience the many storms that life brings from time to time, Jesus urges us not to be afraid, instead believe in his Father and in him as well.

The storms of life simply speaking are those things that inconvenience us. They are those life’s experiences that bring us to tears. They trouble us and sometimes can lead to a loss of interest in life itself. The storms of life can keep us sleepless at night. In extreme situation they can lead some people to depression. They are those life’s experiences that make some people ask questions like “God, where are you?” “God, why me?” Lord, why must I suffer?” “God, have you abandoned me?” The storms of life can come in different fashions. Sometimes they come unannounced and when we least expect them. These storms of life can be emotional, psychological, spiritual, material etc. No matter one’s state of life, storms are unavoidable. From time to time, we experience one form of storm or  another. Some people even experience more than one storm at the same time. When one is confronted by the storms of life, how he or she handles it will go a long away in determining how long the storm will last. If handled wrongly, it can lead to another storm thereby multiplying the person’s misery. This is the reason why many people go through life carrying all kinds of problems without any end in sight.

It is good to sometimes think and reflect about what you have been through in life, what life has offered you. It is sometimes good to even cry for all the pains and misery you have had in life. But after all that, remember to stop at the foot of Jesus. Crying and moaning before Jesus is also a type of prayer. The Gospel of John 11:35 tells us that Jesus too wept. The Lord’s words to his disciples are directed to us: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Do not be afraid! God’s way is to be with you always. God’s truth is ever faithful love, to forever love you. God’s life is already given to you in the here and now and in eternity. So, Jesus calls us to have faith in God and to have faith in him. No matter the ugly and difficult experience, do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God who is constantly with you. Believe in Jesus who loves you with an everlasting love. In God’s own time, that pain, that sickness, that hurt will pass you by. Your painful experience today has an expiry date. Your condition today is not your conclusion. That bad experience today is not going to be your expiration. That situation is not your seat. Your financial redness today is not your residence permanently. Your physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual and material problems are just a dent in your life; and your dent is not your destination. May the cross you carry bring you the crown of glory! 

We are often told to prepare for disaster- to have food, water and communication plans. I will advise you to have such a plan so that if something were to happen we would not be caught unaware. But Jesus would want us to do something more other than take the future into our hands. He wants us to entrust our lives into God’s hands and into his hands. In the Gospel of John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This means that Jesus is not one of the many alternatives, he is the answer. He does not offer us a map, a set of directions and a compass. He offers himself. The way is personal - Jesus is the way. The truth is personal - Jesus is the truth. The life is personal - Jesus is the life. You will find life not in propositions but in a person - a particular person - Jesus of Nazareth who came to announce and inaugurate the worldwide reign of God. This Jesus is the friend of saints and sinners. He came not to condemn the world - not even his enemies - but that the world in general and those at odds with God in particular would be reconciled by his self-giving love. Jesus is the one who heals the broken-hearted without regard to eligibility, who opens his arms to the vulnerable, to lepers, and to all those on the margins. This Jesus is the one who does not foreclose anyone.

The amazing good news of the gospel is that God has opened the way to life through his Son, who invites us to cast ourselves onto him. The way we are called to follow is the path followed by Jesus. This is the way of compassion and forgiveness. The truth on which we are called to base our lives is the truth that God’s love for us is forever faithful and reliable. And the life we are promised is a life given to us by the risen Christ, a life freed from fear of death and thus all other fears. We gain life by believing him, by following his way and by trusting him more than all the powers of this world. This is the boundless generosity of God. This Jesus invites us to be free from fear. Instead of fear, believe in him. Instead of anxiety, hope in God. Instead of cynicism, have faith in him. 

Mothers Do the Toughest and Yet the Most Important Job in the World

Reflection for Mothers’ Day

St. Gerard Majella Church

Sunday, May 11, 2014

This morning I am going to share with you a Youtube video forwarded to me by my Nigerian friend  Lydia Valch. It’s titled “The world’s most toughest job.” It is about a group of guys who created a fake job and posted it online and in newspapers. Several young men and women applied for the job. Then a real interview was held via camera. This is how the interview went: 

Interviewer: The job you are applying for is not just a job, but probably the most important job. The title of this job is Director of Operations, but it’s really so much more than that. The responsibilities and requirements are so much extensive. Now, the first requirement for the job is mobility. This job requires that you do your work standing up most or really all the time, you must be constantly on your feet, constantly bending over, constantly exerting yourself, high level of stamina. 

(The names of the candidates that applied for this job were not given, but I will assign names to each of them for a better understanding and appreciation of what happened. )

When he said this, John said, “Oh, Oh okay!” with his mouth wide open and still speechless. 

Mary said, “That’s a lot.” 

Elizabeth asked, “For how many hours?” 

Interviewer replied, “135 hours, unlimited hours a week, basically, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.” 

David asked, “I am sure one will have the chance to sit down from time to time?” 

Interviewer said, “You mean like a break?” 

David said: “Yeah!” 

Interviewer said: “Oh No, there are no breaks available.” 

Lucy asked: “Is that even legal?” 

Interviewer:  “Of course, yeah.” 

Juliet asked: “Does it mean there will be no lunch?” 

Interviewer said:  “You can have your lunch, but it is only when your associate is done eating their lunch.” 

After that, there was a deep pause. 

Joseph broke the silence and said: “Oh, I think that’s a little intense.” 

Elizabeth replied: “No, that’s crazy.” 

After that, one of the interviewer shocked the candidates even further by announcing: 

Interviewer: “Along with excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills, you must also have a degree and expertise in medicine, finance and culinary arts. You must be able to wear several hats. Your associate needs constant attention. Sometimes, you may have to stay with the associate through all the night. You must be able to work in a chaotic environment, if you had a life, we ask you to give it up. No vacation, in fact during Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, and Holidays, the workload will go up and we demand that. And you must do all these with a happy disposition.” 

Mary said, “Ah, that’s almost cruel, that’s a very very sick twisted joke.” 

Francis then asked: “Uumh, what happens during the time to sleep?” 

Interviewer quickly replied, “Oh, no time to sleep.”  

Charles added: “That’s encompassing.” 

Interviewer replied, “That’s exactly right.” 

Juliet asked, (so one will do this) “for 365 days a year?” 

Interviewer: “Yeah.” 

Everyone was Shocked and baffled. 

Juliet said again: “No, that’s inhumane.” 

Elizabeth said while scratching her neck: “That’s insane.” 

Interviewer said: “The meaningful connections you make, the feelings you get helping your associate are immeasurable.” 

Then another Interviewer announced:  “By the way, this position is going to pay absolutely nothing. There will be no pay for this job.”

Taken aback, one of the male candidates, Francis said:  “Excuse me..?” 

Juliet with grief and  shaking her head added: “No oh! No body is gonna do that for free, No oh!” 

Interviewer asked them: “What if I tell you that someone currently holds this position right now.” 

All candidates shouted: “Who?” 

Interviewer said: “There are billions of people, actually holding this position.” 

Mary asked: “Who?” 

To this question, the Interviewer said:  “Moms! Moms!”  They meet every requirements, don’t they?”

Then each of the candidates started saying: “That’s awesome.” “Mothers are the best. “Now, I am thinking about my mom.” Some of them started shedding tears.  

Mothers, thank you so much for everything you do. Some children may not appreciate you and your work, but remember that your job is the most important job in the world. Thank you mothers for everything you have done and for everything you are doing. We love you. You have been there for your children through thick and thin. You're awesome! You do the world’s toughest and yet the world’s most important job.  

Happy Mothers’ Day!

Dispose Yourself to Encounter Him

Rev. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year A

May 4, 2014

Beloved in Christ, let’s not forget that we are still in the season of Easter. Easter is the special season and period that we celebrate the triumphant resurrection of our Lord. Yes, indeed, the Just One, the Son of Mary, the beloved Son of God, our Brother, Jesus Christ, crucified on Good Friday has risen. He has risen to die no more. 

During his earthly ministry, Jesus was quite busy. After his resurrection, he was equally busy visiting and showing himself to his companions. First, he appeared and showed himself to Mary Magdalene at the Tomb; he appeared to his disciples in the Upper Room; he appeared to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberius; and in today’s Gospel, he appeared to Cleopas and another disciple as they were on their way to Emmaus. Now, through these appearances, Jesus demonstrates that he is indeed risen and therefore is no longer bound by space in Nazareth or elsewhere to reach and be reached by all people. He can now be experienced, encountered and celebrated by all and sundry at anytime and anywhere.  

The Jewish people saw themselves as the most privileged race, the only chosen race, the only people of God. Salvation they thought belonged exclusively to them. Those who did not belong to the Jewish race, even the Samaritans who shared a common geographical boundary with them were regarded as strangers. But in this apparition and encounter at Emmaus, Jesus became a stranger. He turned himself into a stranger to teach all his disciples (this includes us), that in the new dispensation, in the new scheme of things, in the practice of our faith, there should be no more strangers. He became a stranger to teach us that henceforth, moving forward, no one is a stranger anymore. The person who looks different from us, who speaks a different language is no more a stranger but a sister or brother in the faith, who we can possibly share love and relationship with. If we have been seeing those who look different from us as strangers, today’s Gospel taken from Luke 24:13-35 invites us to begin to see them as companions on our way to heaven. When we reach out to them, we reach out to God, and this attract some blessings from the King of Glory. 

The story of Emmaus teaches us that Jesus is risen. Therefore, each of us is called to a continuous relationship with him. This relationship is based upon love for him and for God’s people. It is based on an honest desire to seek change, to grow and to become better each day. Our target is to change and be changed. Our target is to make a concerted effort to walk closer to Jesus. Our target is to seek out our salvation with fear and trembling. Just because God has offered us salvation, just because Jesus has died for us, just because God has given us the path of resurrection does not mean we will always walk in it. The decision to walk in that path is entirely ours to make. The decision to walk in the light of Christ is ours. That we are baptized, confirmed and receive the Eucharist does not mean we will definitely make heaven. The key to the gate of heaven has been given to us, we need to stand up and grab it. The phone of salvation has been rung. The phone of salvation will ring, but the question is this, are we ready to answer it?

We are a new creature because of Easter. As new creatures, we must be ready at all times to perfect our character and personality.  Don’t ever tell yourself, “This is the way I am; it’s my personality.” If that personality is bad, change it. If that attitude is bad, change it, fix it. Stop claiming that personality that is negative. That’s not who you are. That’s not the man and the woman that Jesus died for. His suffering and death cannot be in vain. Embrace the change. We are Easter people. We are new people. Therefore, we cannot be the old and the new at the same time. We must stop being bipolar Christians. As a new creature, act newly, act better, act differently, act Christlike, act godly, act virtuously. We are resurrection people. We are not dead. We are alive. So, let’s act like those who are living and alive. At the resurrection, the Risen Lord was dazzlingly different. Let’s become a new wine, let the old go; a new wine for a new wineskin and vice versa. It’s time to grow up folks. One common sign of those who have actually encountered Jesus is change. No one encounters the Lord and still remains the same. We need a new normal. It’s time to create a new normal. It’s time to change. It’s time to grow up! If you have really experienced Jesus, you will act differently, talk differently. Folks will even say to you: “You no longer act like before, you've changed.” And if they tell you that, say to them, “Yes, I have changed. I have encountered the Man Jesus. I have a new life and a new attitude. I’m no longer that person you used to know. My life has changed.” 

The two disciples of Jesus were on their way to Emmaus when they encountered the Risen Lord. They did not encounter him while gossiping. They did not encounter him while complaining about what ought to be. They did not encounter him talking down on others and assassinating someone’s character. The Gospel said they were “conversing about all the things that had occurred,” that is, the arrest of Jesus, his suffering, crucifixion, death and his possible resurrection, when Jesus appeared like a stranger and joined in the conversation. Suppose they were not talking about spiritual and scriptural things? Suppose they were not talking about edifying things? Could they still have encountered Jesus? Would Jesus had joined them? And even if he still joined them, would their hearts been burning as he explained the scripture to them? Would they had recognized him at the breaking of the bread? I don’t think so! They encountered the Risen Lord because they disposed themselves to receive him. Their hearts were ready. What was in their heart was godly. They were engaged in Scriptural discussions, not gossip or busybody talk. Without making our hearts ready, we may never encounter the Risen Lord.