Jesus Conducts Opinion Poll

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Solemnity of Ss. Peter & Paul

St. Gerard Majella Church

Sunday, June 29, 2014

There is a practice in today’s society that can help us to understand today’s gospel taken Matthew 16:13-20. It is the practice of opinion poll usually conducted everywhere especially in political and commercial field. Jesus, in today’s gospel conducts opinion poll about himself, but not for political reasons but for educational reasons.

Today’s gospel says that Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi, and having settled down asked his disciples, “What do people say that the Son of Man is?” The disciples, one after another replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” But Jesus was not done yet. He was not interested in computing and calculating his popularity or in knowing how high he was regarded by the people. He has a different reason and purpose. So he immediately fired a second question: “But who do you say that I am?”

Jesus’ second question threw his disciples off balance because they were not expecting it. The second question was met with silence as the disciples stand looking at each other. When Jesus asked the first question, each of the disciples had something to say. But when the second question was asked, only Simon Peter responded: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” With gladness Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”

Now to be able to answer the first question, one needs to look around and to listen to public opinion, to gossips, to what people are saying about Jesus. But to be able to answer the second question, one must look inside, to listen to a completely different voice, a voice that is not of flesh and blood but that of the heavenly Father.

Today, Jesus conducts an opinion poll. But he is not so much interested in public opinions and in what others say about him. He wants to know what his disciples think of him. He wants to know what we say about him. He wants to know if there is anyone that really knows him and that would continue with his mission after he is physically gone. He does not want his disciples to hide behind public opinions and what the polls say about him. He wants them to speak for ourselves; and he wants us to speak for ourselves.  

It is not enough to know what others have said or written about Jesus. Someone can make A in an examination on what theologians have written and said about Jesus and still not be a Christian who knows the Lord. Knowing what others have said and written about Jesus is needed for intellectual knowledge of the Lord, but ultimately, Jesus should be a personal discovery. As Catholic Christians, we should not be satisfied knowing about Jesus, we must know him. We must encounter him. It is this encounter with the Lord that changes lives. This kind of encounter transforms. When St. Augustine encountered the Lord, his declaration was “Late have I loved you O Ancient Beauty. Late have I loved you. You were with me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you…I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst more.”

The saints are people like us who had a profound relationship with Jesus, a relationship of love. They knew the Lord through their encounter with him and were not shy of talking about him. Christianity is not only about reciting a creed; it is about knowing a person- Jesus of Nazareth, the Good Shepherd.

Today’s gospel teaches us that our discovery of Jesus should be a personal one. Our knowledge of him should not be at second hand. Our encounter with him determines the way we relate with him. Effective Christian evangelism really begins when we speak to others based on our personal experience of Jesus. Believing in the divinity of Jesus Christ is not enough; we must also bear witness to it. Whoever knows Jesus and does not bear witness to this faith will have a tougher query before God than those who do not have this faith.

Become What You Eat!

Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for Corpus Christi

St. Gerard Majella Church

Sunday, June 22, 2014

What Jesus said in today’s Gospel causes many of us to scratch our heads wondering what it is all about. If you are wondering what Jesus meant when he said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven, whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” just know that you are not the only one in this wonderland. When Jesus first said that, the Jews quarreled about it asking, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” But Jesus did not back down; he even made the matter worse by saying, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.”

As Catholics, we understand that Jesus is talking about the Eucharist- his Body and Blood. As Catholics, we believe that the bread and wine we receive at Mass is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. As Catholics, we believe that Jesus is fully present- Body, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist. By faith, we accept that what we receive during communion is the Body and Blood of the Lord. In today’s gospel Jesus says, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” He also says, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” But is it that automatic? Does it mean that we have gained eternal life simply because we receive the Body and Blood of the Lord?

In Matthew 7:21, Jesus says, “Not everyone who calls me, Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven.” This means that receiving the Body and Blood Jesus at every Mass is not enough to merit us heaven. We must let Jesus whom we receive transform us. We must live, talk and act like those who receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. We must become the Body of Jesus. We must become what we eat before we can inherit eternal life. We must become what we receive at Mass before we can be one with Jesus. St. Augustine once said, “If you receive him in the right disposition, you become what you receive.”

To become what we eat is to become like Jesus. And the One we receive was human and humane; He was kind and compassionate. The One we receive was gentle and humble; He was selfless and sacrificial. The One we receive was holy, patient and tolerant; He loves everyone- saints and sinners. The One we receive never despised or discriminated anyone; He was all things to all people. The One we receive gave his all to all. In John 6:56, Jesus says, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” To remain in Jesus means to be everything about Jesus. Those who receive the precious Body and Blood of Jesus at Mass must  be transformed from inside out. 

Some of us may be asking why we are celebrating the Eucharist (i.e. Corpus Christi) specially since each time gather together at Mass, we celebrate it. Today’s solemnity offers us a special opportunity to give God collective thanks for Jesus’ abiding presence with us which is made visible in the Eucharist. Today’s solemnity also offers us an opportunity to understand the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and to reexamine our attitude towards it since the Eucharist is a sacrament of life, which if misused could bring about the opposite effect. St Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:29-30 says, “All who eat and drink in an unworthy manner, without discerning the Lord’s body eat and drink judgment against themselves. For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died”

But why did Jesus give this Sacrament in the first place? A closer reading of today's gospel or, better still, the whole of the Eucharistic discourse in John 6 from which today’s gospel is taken provides useful answers. From the reading we find that there are two main reasons why Jesus gave us this sacrament. First, In Matthew 28:20, Jesus promised to be with us until the end of time. In the Eucharist he provides a visible sign and an effective means of him being present to us and us being present to him. As Jesus himself says, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” Secondly, In John 10:10 Jesus says that he came that we may have life and have it more abundantly. In the Eucharist Jesus provides a visible means of communicating this life to us so that we can be fully alive both in this world and in the next. As Jesus said in John 6:53-54: “Amen, Amen, I say you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day.” In the Eucharist, Jesus makes himself present to us and provides us the opportunity of making ourselves present to him. In the Eucharist, Jesus feeds us. He gives us the finest food for the journey. Life is a journey. We need the Bread of Angels to walk it.

The Jews that Jesus addressed in today’s gospel had gathered to ask him for more bread. Jesus had just multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish and fed five thousand people. So, they came asking for more bread. Instead Jesus promised to give them the sacramental food. But in their worldly way of thinking, they did not understand or appreciate the sacrament. If we, like the Jews who first heard Jesus talk about his Body and Blood approach the Eucharist with a materialistic mentality, we would loose the spiritual and sometimes the material benefits of such a wonderful gift of God’s love. The Eucharist is real food and real drink but not like every other food we eat. Other food we eat can only blend with our body but cannot transform us in and out. Only Eucharist, the Bread of Angels, can. When we eat ordinary food, we transform them into our own bodies but only the Eucharistic food can transform us into the Body of Christ.

The question then is why is it that so many of us who receive the Eucharist do not experience this radical, complete and real transformation? This story may help us understand why. A team of Russians and Americans were on a common mission. Among the items of food was Russian black bread. It was a tasty bread but hard on the teeth. It happened that at their meal, one of the Americans decided to have a bite of the bread, and immediately had a crack on his tooth. He threw the bread overboard and grumbled, “Lousy communist bread.” But the Russian countered, “Is not lousy communist bread. Is rotten capitalist tooth.” If we do not experience the transforming power of the Eucharist it is probably not on account of a lousy Eucharist but on account of our rotten faith.

Just Be There!

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for Father’s Day

St. Gerard Majella Church

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Christians have no problem calling God “Father.” The image of God as Father can first be traced to the Old Testament. In this prayer for mercy, Isaiah writes in 63:16 “You are surely our Father. Even though Abraham and Jacob do not know us, but you, Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.” In his song recorded in Deuteronomy 32, Moses said in verse 6: “Is this the way you should treat the Lord, you foolish, senseless people? He is your Father, your Creator, he made you into a nation.” But the teaching on the Fatherhood of God took a more serious turn when Jesus constantly referred to God as “Father.” As a matter of fact, the title “Father” was Jesus’ favorite for addressing God. During the most difficult and turbulent period of his earthly life, that is, shortly before he was arrested and crucified, Jesus prayed in Gethsemane saying: “Father, my Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet not my will, but yours be done.” In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), Jesus called God “Father” for 65 times and over 100 times in the Gospel of John. St. Paul called God “Father” for over forty times. Calling God “Father” makes it personal. But calling God “Father” does not mean he is like our earthly fathers. We call him Father because he is the source of paternity. 

God is called “Father” in large part because we view him as having an active interest in human affairs, in the same manner a loving father would take interest in his children. God didn't just create us and then doesn’t have anything to do with us. He has a profound loving interest in us. He is interested in our affairs. He so much cares about us like no one would ever be. One of the most outstanding depiction of the Father by Jesus can be found in Luke 15:11-32, which is the Parable of the Lost Son. In the story, the prodigal son is not the chief focus of the story. He is not the central and the most important figure in the story. It’s the father! I dare to say that if anyone was extravagant, lavished, or “prodigal” in the story, it is the father. In the negative sense, the son was extravagantly wasteful: after he took his share of his father’s wealth, he went to a distant land where he wasted and lavished the wealth with prostitutes and with like-minded layabouts. But in a positive sense, the father lavished a great deal of mercy on him when he returned home. The Gospel of Luke tells us that when he came back, his father was sitting in the front porch of his house waiting for his son’s safe return. Have you thought of what would have happened to the wasteful son if his father had not been waiting in the pathway as he retraced his steps? Luke 15:20 says that “He was still a long way from home when his father saw him; his heart was filled with pity, he ran, threw his arms around his son, and kissed him.” Kissed who? The wasteful son, of course. This father, although loved his son so much, yet, he was willing to let go of him, and when the son left the house, the father never stopped praying for him until his safe return. On the return of the wasteful son, the father could've said to him: “You ungrateful and wasteful brat, what are you doing here? If you know where you are coming from, go back there. You took my money and wasted it. Leave my sight before I do something you will not like.” But that’s not what this father did. In this text of the Gospel, we see a man, a good father, a father like God the Father, who has been preparing for his son’s return. He has been praying for his safe return; he has been asking the Holy Spirit to touch the heart of his son and bring him back home safely. 

As celebrate Father’s Day today, I ask all the fathers here: What would you do if your son or daughter or grand-child goes far-off and not living up to the standard expected of them? When he or she leaves the house to pursue his or her dream like being away at college, what would you do? What would you do if your son or daughter has taken to substance abuse? What will be your reaction when all the sacrifices you have made for them are not being appreciated? One of the lessons we learn from the parable of the Lost Son is “Just Be There!” Don’t give up on them. The father of the wasteful son did not give up on his son; he exercised patience, prayed for his son, and waited for the day the good Lord will touch his heart and bring him home. But a father can only do this if he himself has a close and ongoing relationship with God. No one can give what he does not have. A father who has God in his life, will give godly things. But a father who has only worldly things, will give only worldly things. Be compassionate like the father of the Lost Son. Tamper your temper. Avoid any form of retribution. One of the reasons why there are so many dysfunctional adults today is because they have never heard words like “I love you” “You are pardoned” from a functional, caring and compassionate father. Before a father can express those words, he has to first experience the forgiveness of God. I want all fathers to know this, though you are not perfect, but God loves you still. If you had a difficult childhood, if the models you had while growing up were negative and abusive, embrace the lovingkindness of God. Picture the image of a father from that of the fatherhood of God. Do not lower the standard of fatherhood. The type of father you are should be much better than the type of father you had. Examine your fatherhood in the light of the fatherhood of God. You mustn’t necessarily be a bad father just because you had a bad father. Having a bad father should teach a man, not how to be a father, but how not to be a father. 

I encourage all fathers to develop a close relationship with God. If your fatherhood is not founded on God, make today your turning point. Though you are not perfect, (none of us is) but God the Father loves you still. Trust God and seek his face daily in prayer. To all fathers present, I ask you today, “What would you want your children to remember you most for? Do you want to be remembered as a loving and caring father? A selfish dad? A dad who was never around? Do you want to be remembered as a harsh, abusive and insensitive dad? The time you spend with your children, do you spend much of it chastising them or loving them? No one is perfect surely, but if you must err, do so on the side of compassion, care and unwavering love. 

A father’s love is very important. Every child needs a father’s love. A child knows when he or she is loved by the father. Being around the children, wanting to spend time with them and giving them space when needed are sure ways of expressing love. A little hug to your child when he or she is emotionally down and offering words of encouragement can express love. When they err, tell them they are forgiven after pointing out in a loving way that what happened is wrong. A high-five or a hug for your child can help convince that he or she is forgiven. Whenever you chastise your child, never end the conversation without giving him or her a hug or a high-five. There are some parents who attempt to buy their children’s affection and respect with electronic gadgets like iPod or iPad, but in many cases, all it takes is an expression of love, a high-five, a hug and verbal affirmation. Money surely can buy things, but it may not buy affection and respect. If a father wants affection and respect from his children, he should be ready to teach them those virtues by the way he loves and respects them. Most often than not, it is what we put into our kids that they put out. You cannot be in and out of their lives and expect them to love and respect you. Love is earned, so also respect. Any father who wants his children to love and respect him must equally love and respect them and their mother. 

Great Gifts From The Greatest Giver

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Solemnity of the Pentecost

St. Gerard Majella Church

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Saints of God, it’s Pentecost Sunday again, and today we celebrate the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise in John 14:18; “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” On the eve of his Passion, the Lord promised to send the Advocate, the Counsellor, the Helper and the Teacher to stay with us until the end of time. Today, we commemorate the profound action of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, the once fearful and confused Apostles- fearful of the killers of Jesus and confused of what next to do with their lives after the death of Jesus, suddenly experienced an extraordinary powerful from above, courage like never before. With the descent of the Holy Spirit on them, fear and timidity gave way to courage and fearless witnessing of the Risen Lord. The once fearful Apostles, who had been hiding in the Upper Room, received an uncommon push to storm to the streets and share their joyful experience. No one can possibly hide the feeling and the experience after an encounter with the Spirit of the Father and the Son. When your stomach is filled up with great joy- joy of salvation, joy of deliverance, joy of manifold blessings, joy of healing, joy of  forgiveness and reconciliation with the Most High God, you cannot possibly stomach it within. Such joy, such unspeakable joy can hardly be kept secret. When you are overtaken by the Holy Spirit, when the Holy Spirit is in full control, there is a profound joy and courage that drive you to witness for Jesus. That’s what happened to the Apostles. With the fresh descent of the Holy Spirit on them, the emotions of confusion and fear disappeared. Unspeakable joy and rare courage drove them to the streets of Jerusalem. No wonder St. Paul in 2 Timothy 1:7 says that “God did not give us a Spirit of timidity but that of power, love and sound judgment.” 

Brothers and sisters, at baptism, the Holy Spirit was given to us making each of us Christ, that is messiah, God’s anointed children. He aids in our growth in faith, love and goodness. As we grow in our Christian faith after our Confirmation, we become more aware of his presence. We become more active and he helps us use his gifts in the building up of the church. These gifts of the Holy Spirit help us demonstrate that Jesus is actually living in and among us. With the gifts, we are able to commit ourselves to the work of Jesus Christ who loved us and died for us. These gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, fortitude, knowledge, piety, counsel and fear of the Lord (i.e. wonder and awe). The Holy Spirit gives us Wisdom to enable us love spiritual things more than material ones. This gift also gives us the common sense to figure out right from wrong in the world.  Understanding is given to us so that we can comprehend and grasp the best way to live as followers of Jesus Christ. A Christian with understanding will not be confused by the conflicting messages in the world about the right way to live. The Christian cannot be led astray by atheistic and secular philosophies of this world. No matter what the world says, he or she understands that relationship with God is primary and that nothing or nobody worths sacrificing the blessedness of heaven for, that nothing on earth is worth going to hell for. Counsel (that is right judgment) enables us to know the difference between right and wrong and also to choose to do the right. The gift of counsel warns us of the deceit of the devil and the things that can deny us salvation. A Christian with right judgment knows what is wrong and makes efforts to avoid it and knows what is good and strives daily to do it. He or she is never confused about it. He knows what the good Lord expects of him or her and makes effort to do them happily.  We are given Fortitude (courage) to live a life of martyrdom for Jesus Christ. This gift helps us to overcome the fear of the known and the unknown. It enables us to stand up for others in the name of Jesus Christ. A Christian with fortitude is not afraid of standing up for what is right, just and good in the sight of God, even it means incurring verbal attack, hatred, and rejection. Fortitude also gives us courage in times of trial. It strengthens us to continue to do the will of God even in trials and tribulations. This gifts helps us to avoid quitting on God in the face of great suffering.The gift of Knowledge helps us to understand the meaning of God and who God is. A Christian with the knowledge of God will know the great length God went to secure his or her salvation. When he or she realizes how much God loves him or him, he or she will continue to live a life of gratitude to God. Piety shapes our worldview. This gift is also called reverence. It enables a Christian to have a deep sense of the sacred, a profound reverence for God and the Church. This gift also gives us a sense of reverence for religious and spiritual articles like the Rosary, the Bible, the Cross etc. A Christian with reverence handles the Bible or any religious articles with utmost respect and care. With the gift of piety, we recognize our complete dependence on God and comes to him with great humility, trust and love. On Sunday morning, this is the gift that inspires and motivates us to get up from bed, prepare and go to church where, together with others, we pay our homage, our worship and thanksgiving to God. The fear of the Lord, which is the seventh gift of the Holy Spirit is not so much about being afraid of God. It is more of wonder and awe. With it, we are constantly aware of the glory and majesty of the awesome God. This gift enables us to profoundly love God, yearn for him and yield to him. The book of Proverbs 9:10 tells us that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” A Christian with the fear of the Lord is less concerned about the punishment of hell and more concerned about the disappointing God, about disappointing self and not living up to the standard of life expected of him or her: “I don’t want to disobey my Father, not because I am afraid of hell, but because I don’t want to disappoint and fail him. My Dad loves and respects me a lot. He trusts me. He has lots of confidence in me. I do not want to disappoint him.” This is what the fear of the Lord does for a Christian in relation to God. It puts our minds and hearts on the things of God. Fear of the Lord makes us to depend more on God and less on ourselves and others. Fear of the Lord encourages us to strive to please the Lord at all times. It convicts us when we have erred and gone astray. It keeps us in check and prevents eternal wreck. Fear of the Lord prevents moral recklessness and decadence. It keeps our both eyes fixed on God and on Jesus his Son. Fear of the Lord enables us lean and depend on God like a child does on his mother or father. 

As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Pentecost, let us bear in mind that being a confirmed Christian should make a noticeable difference in the life of a person. We must make a difference in the world we live. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus says that “Not everyone who calls me Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father in heaven.” Being a confirmed Christian, like being a confirmed soccer player or a confirmed singer, is a matter of deeds and actions. Words are not enough. Confirmed and commissioned by the sacrament of Confirmation, we are to act in the name of Christ Jesus, to act as Christ would act or acted, for the same end that Christ acted. Each of us has been given the Holy Spirit. But if he is not active in our lives, it may mean that we have grieved him. In Ephesians 4:30, St. Paul warns: “Do not grieve(i.e. offend or sadden) the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed (i.e. marked, branded and secured) for the day of redemption.” How do we grieve or offend the Holy Spirit? It’s by living a sinful life, as if God does not matter. But today can be the turning the point. As we sing and declare: “Lord, send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth” let us ask him to transform us. Let us ask him to come into our lives. The Holy Spirit has been waiting for us to allow him to come and possess us. And these fruits shall follow those possessed by the Spirit of the Lord: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control.