Reject the Gospel of No Cross, All Crown

Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

August 31, 2014

In the Gospel of last Sunday taken from Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus asked the Apostles, “Who do you say that I am?”  Peter made a profound act of faith when he said, “You are the Christ (that is, the Messiah, the Savior), the Son of the living God.” Jesus praised and blessed Peter for recognizing and confessing him as the Christ, the Son of the living God. Shortly after that, he told the Apostles that being the messiah means that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Peter did not like the words of Jesus. He was not impressed at all. It’s never a generally accepted norm for someone to wish or to predict doom and gloom upon himself or herself. So, out of protective love and concern, Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him saying: “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” As Peter was rebuking Jesus and rebuking any evil from coming to him, Jesus sensed that the Evil One has seized the thought of Peter. He realized that if anyone needed a casting and binding prayer, a deliverance prayer, a prayer of rebuke, it is not him but Peter. So, he exercised his ministry right away: “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human being do”  (Matthew 16:23).

Don’t blame Peter for not wanting any harm to come upon his Master. Don’t blame him for protecting the interest of his Master. Isn’t that what a good friend does to a friend? But the good Lord had already spoken through the mouth of Prophet Isaiah saying “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my way” (Isaiah 55:8)  Jesus’ way is the way of the cross. His way is the way of redemptive suffering. His way is the way of thorns and cross. Jesus understood perfectly the principle of “no cross, no crown.” Many of us are like Peter in today’s Gospel. We are joyful and excited to hear about the peace, love, and joy that our faith can bring us. We are extremely happy to hear of prosperity, breakthrough, healing and deliverance that could come from believing in Jesus. In many churches, including the Catholic Church, there is usually a very loud Amen at the end of the prayer for material blessings. Most Christians love to hear about financial breakthrough and prosperity, healing and miracles etc but once the topic of discussion is the cross, many don’t wanna hear about it. Peter is like many Christians today who believe in the theology of no cross, all crowns. But Jesus teaches us today that without the cross, there will be no crown. Without death, there will be no resurrection. In John 12:24, Jesus says, “I tell you most solemnly, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

Jesus did not promise us a crossless life. He did not promise us thornless roses. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a coin with two sides: the cross and the crown. If we try to embrace one, the glorious one and reject the other, the denying of oneself and the carrying of the cross, we falsify the gospel. That is what is going on in many new generation churches today. Their preachers tell people to simply believe in Jesus, and all their problems will be gone. They turn Jesus into a coke machine and turn Christianity into a Christo-disco boogie-woogie. They rap in Church and ask people to dance out their hearts, that with Jesus there is no cross. They make people believe that faith in Jesus solves all human problems. And because of this, when someone’s cross does not go away, he or she thinks that God has forgotten him or her. Some even relapse into faithlessness. Their preachers take away the redemptive cross, and give people false promises, false hope and fake crowns.

They argue that Jesus has asked everyone with burdens to come to him and find rest. But the same Jesus that said, “Come to me all you that are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest”  also said, “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” He’s the same one that said, “Whoever wishes to come after me, must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me”  (Matthew 16:24). Jesus asks us to come to him and learn from him. That is, to learn from him the way of cross; the meaning of the cross, that without the cross, there will be no crown; to learn that the way of the cross is the way of redemption. He wants us to learn that carrying a cross does not mean that God has abandoned us. Just like gold is purified by fire, so we are purified by the cross. The cross is not a sign of rejection and abandonment by God. It’s not a symbol of defeat and failure. It’s a symbol of love. The cross leads to the crown. The pain of the cross creates the path to the crown. Some may say, “Do we come to Jesus to be freed from our burdens, or to take on more burden, the cross? We come to Jesus not to be freed from all burdens, but to be freed from all meaningless and futile burdens and in its place, take on the cross of Jesus Christ that leads to salvation and glory.

Sisters and brothers, ignore the gospel that denigrates the cross. Ignore the sermon of “No cross, and all crowns.” Yes, the cross is painful. But it’s what purifies. It’s what leads to the crown. Without death, there is no resurrection. Without the pain of labor, there is no child birth. Without the discomfort of studying all nights and all day, there is no graduation and the corresponding success in life. Without hunger, there is no joy of belly fill. Every good things in life, comes after a painful and long hour of trying and making effort. Ignore the preacher who tells you that if you have faith in Jesus, you will never experience any pain. Ignore the preacher who teaches that faith in Jesus means freedom from all burdens. Ignore the preacher who tells you that the cross or suffering is as a result of your sins. It is not! The gospel of no suffering is the gospel of no crown. It’s the gospel of the devil. Ignore the fancy and very attractive one sided gospel of instant glory, sugar-coated gospel that offers the false promise of no cross, all crown. Ignore the gospel that says, “Only believe in Jesus and everything would be well.” It did not go well with Jesus; he did endure the cross. It did not go well with Mother Mary; a sword of sorrow pierced her soul. It did not go well with John the Baptist, he had his head chopped off. It did not go well with Peter and Paul, they were crucified upside down. In the face of misery, hardship, bereavement, sickness, failure, let our faith response not be a walking away from God. But to recognize that those difficulties are necessary paths we must travel to receive the crown. They are necessary conditions for future glory. The world is a place for the cross. Heaven is the place for the crown of glory. Heaven is a reward of righteousness for those who learned from Jesus the meaning of the cross and carried it ungrudgingly. With perfect resignation to the will of God, the cross doesn’t crush, it crosses those who carry it faithfully over to the Promised Land.

“Get Behind Me, Satan!”

Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

August 31, 2014

In the Gospel of last Sunday taken from Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus asked the Apostles, “Who do you say that I am?”  Peter made a profound act of faith when he said, “You are the Christ (that is, the Messiah, the Savior), the Son of the living God.” Jesus praised and blessed him for recognizing and confessing him as the Christ, the Son of the living God. Shortly after that, Jesus told his Apostles that being the messiah means that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Peter did not like the words of Jesus. He was not impressed at all. It’s never a generally accepted norm for someone to wish or to predict doom and gloom upon himself or herself. So, out of protective love and concern, Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him saying: “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” As Peter was rebuking Jesus and rebuking any evil from coming to him, Jesus sensed that the Evil One has seized the thought of Peter. He realized that if anyone needed a casting and binding prayer, a deliverance prayer, a prayer of rebuke, it is not him but Peter. So, he exercised his ministry right away: “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human being do”  (Matthew 16:23).

Don’t blame Peter for not wanting any harm to come upon his Master. Don’t blame him for protecting the interest of his Master. Isn’t that what a good friends do for each other? But God had already spoken through the mouth of Prophet Isaiah saying “…my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my way” (Isaiah 55:8)  Jesus’ way is the way of the cross. His way is the way of redemptive suffering. His way is the way of thorns and cross. Jesus understood perfectly the principle of “no cross, no crown.” Many of us are like Peter in today’s Gospel. We are joyful and excited to hear about the peace, love, and joy that our faith can bring to us. We are extremely happy to hear of prosperity, breakthrough, healing and deliverance that could come from believing in Jesus. In many churches, including the Catholic Church, there is usually a very strong “Amen” at the end of the prayer for material blessings. Most Christians love to hear about financial breakthrough and prosperity, healing and miracles etc but once the topic of discussion is the cross, many don’t wanna hear about it. Peter is like many Christians today who believe in the theology of no cross, all crowns. But Jesus teaches us today that without the cross, there will be no crown. Without death, there will be no resurrection. In John 12:24, Jesus says, “I tell you most solemnly, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

Now, when Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me Satan” did he in any way suggest that Peter was satanic? Absolutely not! Was he saying that Peter was an evil person? No, he did not! He sensed that the Devil had influenced the mind of Peter, and was telling him what to say. Jesus saw that Satan was trying to use his bosom friend to derail or prevent the work of God from moving forward. The Tempter was using Peter to talk Jesus out of his mission, part of which involved suffering and death. So, looking intently at Peter but beyond Peter, Jesus said, “Get behind me Satan.” 

If there’s anyone trying to discourage you from giving yourself totally to God, say to that individual, “Get behind me Satan.” When a voice within you asks you to do anything that violates the law of God, say to it, “Get behind me Satan.” If there’s any situation that wants to prevent you from keeping your eyes firmly fixed on Jesus, say to it, “Get behind me Satan.” To that voice urging you to hate and discriminate, say, “Get behind me Satan.” If someone tells you not to forgive your offender, say to the person, “Get behind me Satan.” If pain or sickness or difficulty in life is trying to make you lose faith, say to it, “Get behind me Satan.” If anything or anyone has become an obstacle and has prevented you from using your time, talent and treasure in the house of God, say to it today, “Get behind me Satan.” If you’ve become too busy to go to church and too busy to pray, then it’s time to say to whatever is taking the place of God in your life, “Get behind me Satan.” Whatever it is that has been preventing you from accomplishing God’s mission for you, God’s calling for you, speak with Jesus, “Get behind me Satan.”

May the devil always stay behind us and stay away from us!

Go Deeper Than What Has Been Said About Him!
Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, LA

August 24, 2014

The practice of opinion poll usually conducted in political and economic fields can help us understand today’s Gospel taken from Matthew 16:13-20. In this Gospel passage, Jesus conducted an opinion poll about himself, but it wasn’t for political reasons but for educational and spiritual reasons.

Jesus had gone into the region of Caesarea Philippi; after settling down, he asked his disciples: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  One after another, his disciples replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” But Jesus wasn’t done yet. He wasn't interested in computing and calculating his popularity or in knowing how high he was regarded by the people. He had a different reason and purpose. So he immediately fired a second question: “But who do you say that I am?” His second question seemed to have thrown his disciples off balance. When he posed the first question, several of his disciples had something to say. But when the second question came, only Simon Peter responded: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” With great joy Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”

To answer Jesus’ first question is easy. It does not take a personal experience with Jesus to answer it. It does not take the reading of the Bible, meditation, prayers, and an encounter with Jesus to answer it. A person does not necessarily need to have an ongoing relationship with him to attempt to answer it. To answer it, what a person needs is to simply look around and listen to public opinion, to gossip, to what people are saying about Jesus. But to be able to answer the second question, one must look inward, to listen to a completely different voice, a voice that is not of flesh and blood but that of the heavenly Father. The answer we give to Jesus’ second question will be determined by how each of us relates to him. Is Jesus someone we can make out time to visit and speak to in prayer? Does he worth our time on Sunday, on Holy Days of Obligations, and even during the week? Is he someone we can trust? Does he deserve our love? Does Jesus worth falling in love with? Do we see him as someone whose love for us is exceeding, whose compassion for us is profound, and whose forgiveness for us is matchless? Do we see Jesus as someone who has the authority to tell us how to live, what to do, what not to do, how to relate with others, and how to honor God? Do we see Jesus as our Best Friend? Is he someone we are looking forward to spending eternity with? If you haven’t been in touch with him, do you miss him? And do you think he misses you?

It’s not enough to say that Jesus is the Savior, Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus is God, or as we recite in the creed every Sunday: Jesus is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made…” But are we ready and willing to connect our mind and heart to those words to the point of saying with St. Paul: “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me. And the life which 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). Are we ever-ready to say those words, mean them, connect to them, live them out in our daily lives to the point of saying with St. Peter: “Lord, you know every thing; you know that I love you” (John 21:17). When we say that Jesus is our personal Lord and Savior, do we really mean it like St. Thomas, who after his initial doubt to the appearance of Jesus to his Apostles declared on seeing Jesus himself: “My Lord and my God!” 

Like the Apostles, we could also tell what others are saying about Jesus. That’s alright! There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s the starting point of learning who Jesus is. Our relationship with him most probably started with what others told us about him. But we have to move beyond that. We have to move beyond what others have told us about him in order to know him more personally and more intimately. If you are asking yourself how you can know Jesus personally and intimately, it’s the same way we get to know a person in a personal way, that we get to know the Lord. That is, by spending time with the person. Now, spending time with God and with Jesus is called Prayer. There is no other way of knowing him personally and intimately. There is no shortcut! 

As Catholic Christians, we should not be satisfied knowing what others  have said about Jesus, we must know and encounter him personally. An encounter with Jesus changes and transforms lives. It was such an encounter that prompted St. Augustine to declare: “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 Psalmist felt so comfortable in the presence of the Lord that he proclaimed: “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord God of host” (Psalm 84:1). Just like the story of the poet and the monk, we should know Psalm 23 and also the Shepherd. 

Persist And Insist 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Gerard Majella Parish, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

August 17, 2014

From the beginning, God had revealed himself to certain figures in history. The Old Testament tells us that he revealed himself to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Jacob etc. Apart from revealing himself to these personalities, he also chose Israel to be his special people. But in Jesus of Nazareth, the Ancient of Days who revealed himself to human personalities comes to us and to everyone else that is not Jewish, that does not live within the boundaries of Israel. Even though Jesus’ words to the Canaanite woman: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24) seem to contrast this, yet it is in this encounter that the Lord enlarged his mission and demonstrated that his mission is to be extended beyond the geographical space of Israel.  

Today’s Gospel taken from Matthew 15:21-28 tells us that Jesus had just made a deliberate withdrawal from the noisy and ever busy city of Galilee and sought peace and quiet in the border region of Tyre and Sidon. His popularity had spread far and wide. Wherever he went, the crowds followed him. There was no place in Palestine where he could be sure of privacy. So, he went to Tyre and Sidon where the Phoenicians lived. He wanted a place where he would be free from the crowds who were not giving him any breathing space, and also be safe from the hateful hostility of the Scribes and Pharisees. At least no Jew is likely going to follow him to Tyre and Sidon and no Jew is likely going to be there anyway. Tyre and Sidon were Gentile regions.

But even in these foreign Gentile lands, Jesus did not escape the common plea and demand of human need. Human suffering does not discriminate. It affects every human person and every human race. In Tyre and Sidon, a woman whose daughter was being tormented by a demon approached him with a cry: “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” This woman was not a Jew. But she must have heard of the wonderful things that Jesus had done. Desperately, she cried for help on behalf of her daughter. At first, Jesus paid no attention. He was silent. Then, his disciples said to him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”

Even the silence of Jesus did not discourage the Canaanite woman. His silence did not get on her nerves. The silence of Jesus did not make her stop calling out after them. She keeps calling Jesus. She refused to turn back. The words of Jesus: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” did not turn her back. She persisted with a cry: “Lord, help me.” Even when Jesus said to her: “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs,” this mother was not upset. Instead she replied Jesus respectfully: “Please, Lord, even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”

The Canaanite mother teaches us the virtue of persistence in prayer. Because of her persistence and expectant faith in Jesus her prayer was answered: “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” Her faith saved her daughter. Her refusal to give up brought healing to her daughter. Her virtue of persistence in prayer brought her daughter back to life. Her practice of PUSH- ‘Pray Until Something Happens” saved her daughter.

The Canaanite woman stands for all mothers. Like most mothers, she loved her daughter. She made the misery of her daughter her own. She personalized her daughter’s misfortune. You may call her a pagan, but she had an undying love for her daughter which is a reflection of God’s love for his children. It was love which made her approach a stranger; it was love which made her accept his silence; it was love which made her accept belittlement; it was love and compassion which made her swallow the harsh words she received from Jesus and his disciples. It was love that drove her to Jesus.

If you are asking God to help you solve a problem, but all you are getting is silence, keep praying for the desires of your heart. His silence may be a test of your faith. Like the Canaanite woman, continue to follow the Lord; continue to call him and make your request. God’s silence is not necessarily a refusal of God to heed. Look at the Canaanite woman. She started out by following Jesus, then called him Son of David. Son of David was a popular title, a political title. It was a title which saw Jesus as an earthly powerful wonder worker. But that title did not get her the attention of Jesus. Then she called Jesus “Lord.” She also came to him and paid him homage which is a sign of surrender and worship. She also accepted humiliation and then ended with prayer. She had indomitable and unconquerable persistence. In the end, her prayer was answered. Ephesians 6:18 says Keep on praying.

Sometimes the silence of God to our prayer may not necessarily be a refusal. It could be a test of your faith. Continue to disturb heavens with your request. God’s silence is not a bad thing, for it can provide us with an opportunity to grow in faith. His silence can provide us the opportunity to learn to pray. God’s silence can afford us the opportunity to develop reliance and trust in God. But our persistence in prayer can break God’s silence. 

We Would Never Struggle Alone

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Gerard’s Catholic Church, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

August 10, 2014

After the feeding of the crowd, Jesus asked his disciples to start boarding a boat, while he dismissed the crowds. The disciples boarded and began to go home ahead of him. The crowds too started leaving, for it was getting late. As soon as the last person had left, Jesus went up to a mountain to pray. Now, Jesus didn't necessarily need to pray. He is God. He did not need to pray to get anything done. But he still prayed. Why? Because prayer is not only about asking and making demands from God. It’s a place of finding God, talking and listening to him. Prayer deepens our relationship with God.

As Jesus was praying, his disciples were sailing across the lake. They were going home after a day of hard work and weary. But suddenly, a big storm came down on them, and they started struggling with and against the winds and the waves. As they struggled, little progress was being made to overcome the dangerous storm. As night wore on, Jesus started walking on the sea towards them. But the sight of him walking on the sea worsened the situation for them. They were already battling with a dangerous storm, and as if that wasn't enough, a “ghost” was seen walking on the sea towards them. The gospel says, “When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost’ they said, and they cried out in fear.”  At that moment, Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” On hearing those words, Peter reacted with a request “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” His request was immediately granted, “Come!” Peter stepped out of the boat walking steadily and unwaveringly on the sea. He did not sink for two reasons: one, he acted on the words of the Lord. Two, he kept his eyes on Jesus. Then he got distracted. Instead of keeping his eyes on Jesus, he looked away. He stared on the storm and became frightened. The storm, in his eyes, became larger than the Lord. Fear overtook him, and he started sinking. That’s what fear does to us. FEAR is False Evidence Against Reality. Fear magnifies a problem and makes it bigger than God. It distracts us and makes us loose focus. As long as Peter kept his eyes fixed on Jesus, he was walking on the sea which has become a problem for him and his fellow disciples. He was marching and trampling on his problem by foot. That’s what happens to any believer who keeps his or her eyes on Jesus. Problems will come, but problems will not crush us as long as we keep our eyes fixed on our Redeemer.

Peter took his eyes away from Jesus and started  to sink. If we turn away from the Lord, we too can begin to sink. If we take our eyes away from Jesus, life will become a sinking sand. No matter what difficulty we face, no matter the storm that comes our way, no matter how dangerous the wind of life may be, as long as we act on the words of the Lord and keep our eyes fixed on him, those problems and storms will pass us by. We will pass through them, but they will never sink us, instead, we will trample upon them. Peter looked away, and almost got drowned. In desperation he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out to him, grabbed him by his hand and saved him. But Jesus did not let him go free without rebuke: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Jesus said to him. When in trouble, remember the words of Psalm 50:15  “Call upon me in the day of your trouble, and I will delver you and you will honor me.”

The disciples were Jesus’ closest, trusted and most reliable friends. Still, being close to him did not exempt them from the storm which suddenly came down on them. But guess what? In the hour of their need, Jesus came to them and saved them from an impending danger. When the wind was contrary and life was a struggle, he was there to rescue. When the need arose, the Best Friend, Jesus was there to help and to save. No wonder Isaiah 35:4 says, “Say to those who are fearful and broken hearted, be strong, and do not fear or loose your faith, your God will surely come, he will come with might to destroy your enemies. He will come to save you.”

In life, the wind is often contrary. In life, the storm is always painful. In life, we will always experience the storms of life. The storms of life are those times when we are up against the wind of life. Now, those times when life is a desperate struggle with ourselves, with our situations and circumstances, with our temptations, with our sorrows, and with our decisions, we don’t need to struggle alone. In such moments, remember to say the words of St. Peter: "Lord, save me." Jesus will come with his hand stretched out to save, and with his gentle and soothing voice bidding us to take heart and fear not.

God Needs Us To Perform Miracles 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Gerard Majella Church & St. Paul the Apostle Church

August 2 & 3, 2014

Steve had been praying for his neighbor, a poor man who lives down the road. He had been asking God to better his lot. But one day, his son said him, “Dad, I’m glad you always pray for that poor man that lives down the street. But you know what? Your prayer and good wishes are not always enough.”

Sometimes when we pray, God’s answer to us may be, “You can do that yourself, do it yourself.” This is what we see in today's gospel where the disciples are so concerned about the hungry crowd that they asked Jesus to dismiss them so that they could go and buy themselves something to eat. Jesus turned and said to them, “Hey, you give them something to eat. You can take care of that yourselves.” Only then do they remember the small guy with five loaves and two fish. Jesus blessed the five loaves and two fish and, to their surprise, that was more than enough to satisfy the enormous hunger of all the people. That is how we have the miracle of the Feeding of the Five Thousand.

Why did the disciples not think earlier of sharing their provision with the crowd? They did care and they did wish the crowd well. But probably they were simply being realistic and practical. Let's face it: five loaves and two fish is nothing before a hungry crowd of five thousand men, plus women and children. We see this more clearly in the gospel of John where one of the disciples, Andrew, says to Jesus: “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” (John 6:9) The action of faith to which Jesus calls his followers often goes beyond the dictates of human logic and realism.

The story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand, like most stories in the Gospels, speaks to us today because many of us can identify very readily with the disciples. Like them we find that our care and compassion for others are very often limited to prayer and good wishes. Like the disciples we wish people well but have no intention of taking positive action to help their situation. And, again like the disciple, what prevents us from taking positive action is often the realistic assessment that the little we are able to do is not really going to make any appreciable difference.

But in the gospel we see that when we translate our care and compassion into positive action, the little we are able to do is multiplied by God's grace in such a way that it becomes more than sufficient for the need. All that Jesus needs from us to feed the hungry crowds of the world is our “five loaves and two fish.” Why didn't Jesus just go on and produce bread from thin air to feed the crowd? Because God needs our “five loaves and two fish” in order to perform the amazing miracle of feeding the five thousand. I will like to conclude by sharing with you this story of how a certain Indian boy tried to contribute his own “five loaves and two fish.”

Tidal waves washed thousands of starfish ashore and they were dying on the sandy beach in the hot sun. People walking on the beach crushed the fish under their feet. An Indian boy walked with more care, once in a while stooping down, picking up a starfish and throwing it back into the sea. One man who saw what he was doing challenged him. “Young man,” he said, “what do you think you are doing. With the thousands of starfish on the shore, what difference does it make throwing one or two back into the sea?” The Indian boy slowly bent down, picked one more starfish and threw it back into the sea. “For that one,” he replied, “it sure makes a lot of difference.” When Mother Teresa of Calcutta was told that her work for the poorest of the poor in India was only a drop in the ocean, she said “Yes, it is, but without that drop, the ocean would be missing something.” As individuals, as communities and as a world, we suffer all kinds of hunger – for food, for love, for peace. God is able and willing to satisfy all our hungers. But God is waiting for men and women who believe enough to give up their lunch pack, their “five loaves and two fish,” which God needs to make the miracle possible.

Today, as I celebrate my three years as your pastor, I ask our wonder working Lord to bless you!