Don’t Be A Fan!

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, California

Sunday, December 13, 2015

According to Wikipedia, a fan is a person who has an enthusiastic devotion to something or somebody, such as a band, a sports team, a book, or an entertainer. A fan is a supporter. Fans of a football club or a soccer club would passionately support their teams and oftentimes spend a lot of money to follow them around throughout the season of competition. The delusion or fantasy that most sports fans  oftentimes have is the belief that they have a special relationship with their teams, which of course does not exist. The owners of those clubs and the players do not even know the fans personally, and the fans do not know them personally as well. The lifestyle of each individual fan may not be the lifestyles of each individual player. Fans are not obliged to emulate the lives of the players that make up the team they support. They are not expected to hold their religious or political views. The passionate devotion for a team can be switched to another team. The relationship between fans and their teams, as much as it may appear deep from the outside, is not really deep; it’s not personal. Fanship is largely a social or entertaining affair. As a fan, you are not bound to follow a set of defined principles and you are not expected to support your team till death. I used to be a huge fan of World Wresting Entertainment (WWE), but today, I am no longer one, and don’t even watch wrestling anymore. Few years ago, I was a fan. Today, I am not. Even when I was a fan, I hated some of the wrestlers. Fans only cheer their teams. Disciples follow the footsteps of their master.  

In today’s Gospel (Luke 3:10-18), the desert preacher, John the Baptist told his audience (which also includes us) to stop being fans of God, to cease being God’s supporters and to become disciples. Last Sunday, (Second Sunday of Advent), we read from Luke 3:1-6 about how he began his public ministry by touring the region of the Jordan and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As the precursor or forerunner of Jesus, he led a movement of baptism at the River Jordan in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. He proclaimed loud and clear to those who cared to listen to prepare the way of the Lord and to make his paths straight. After hearing his message, different groups of people came to him. To the crowds who came and asked, “What should we do?” he said, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” This means, do not horde. Do not be selfish. Be generous and share with the less privileged. Share your goods and wealth with the less fortunate among us. To tax collectors who came to be baptized, he urged them to, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed” by the law. This means quit the greed and stealing. To soldiers, he cautioned, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” This means be content with what you have. Stop the selfishness and corruption.  The summary of John’s message to every group of people that came to him is: Don’t be a fan! 

John understood that there should be no dichotomy between faith and good works. He understood that it is not enough to cheer for God, to root for God, to say, “I believe in God.” Cheering for God must be matched by godly deeds, if not, it becomes a jeer of God. Faith in Jesus Christ must be matched by actions that are Christlike. A Christian who is not godly, not Christlike, not making effort to get better, to be more like Jesus is a fan, and not a disciple. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus says, “Not all who call me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father in heaven.” And in John 14:15, he said “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Another way of saying this is, “If you believe in me, if you have faith in me, then live like someone who believes in me, who is called by my name. Match your words with actions.” Faith in Jesus Christ is good faith, but good faith must be demonstrated in good actions. Good deeds are testimonies of good faith. Good deeds are the fruits of good faith. Good actions must follow good faith. Terrorists groups like ISIL, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram etc are terribly bad because their beliefs are bad. Talk is cheap! Those who talk the talk of the Lord, must walk the walk of the Lord as well. Without good deeds, faith becomes a matter of cheerleading. The Christian becomes an empty and intense yeller who rubbishes God’s name in the public domain.  

Beloved in Christ, if you have enough dress, food or other material things but refuse to share with the less fortunate due to greed and selfishness, even though you are baptized, you are fan and not a disciple of Jesus. If you are a dishonest businessman or woman, you are a fan. If you are a teacher who does not care about your students, you are a fan. If you are a lazy student who does not want to try and to improve in your studies, you are a fan. If you are a soldier or a police, be loyal and avoid excessive use of force, but if you don’t, then you are a fan. If you are a truck driver who ignores the speed limit and continuously intimidate other road users with your reckless driving, you are a fan. If you are not a loving, lovely, tender and fair parent, you are a fan. If you are a child who does not honor your parents, you are a fan. If you are a husband or a wife who does not forgive and love your spouse faithfully, then you are a fan. If you are a priest or a religious who lacks kindness, compassion and pastoral drive, then you are a fan. If you are an employer of labor who exploits workers and pay them unfair wages, you are a fan. If you are a wasteful employee, you are a fan. A Christian supervisor who treats his coworkers disrespectfully and unfairly is a fan. A Christian politician who does not fight for the common good is a fan.  A Christian doctor or a nurse who does not strive to save life and does not treat the patients with compassion is a fan. Any Christian who practices racism and discrimination is a fan. Christians who are not real are not disciples but fans. The good news is that we can accomplish all these. We can live holy lives, noble lives, worthy lives, lovely lives, gracious lives, friendly lives, merciful lives, humane lives, tolerant lives, virtuous lives, compassionate lives, diligent lives, faithful lives, generous lives, humble lives, and communal lives. We can accomplish these, not by our power or might, but by the grace of God. Ministering to St. Paul, Jesus said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you…” (2 Corinthians 12:9) And in Philippians 4:13 St. Paul assures us that “We (I) can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (me).” 

The Voice Crying Out in the Wilderness!

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

December 6, 2015

Today’s Gospel taken from Luke 3:1-6 tells us that John the Baptist began his public ministry by touring the region of the Jordon and preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins, just as it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah “A voice of one crying out in the desert: prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” 

Sister and brothers, those words of prophet Isaiah were first addressed to the old Israel. But as the New Israel, it is also addressed to us. A profitable way of reading and meditating on the Old Testament is for us, Christians, to see ourselves as the “new Israel.” Like the old Israel, we have also been called to a covenant relationship with God. Like the old Israel, we have not been faithful to that covenant relationship. Like prophet Isaiah, John the Baptist invites us to submit to God by removing every hesitations, obstacles, hinderances, and impediments we have allowed to clutter our hearts. Those impediments inhibit and prevent the influx of grace that God sends to us. On this second Sunday of Advent, the Church urges us to rid ourselves of anything that is foreign or alien in the Kingdom of God. 

You know, the problem with contemporary Christians is not that they sin. From the beginning of creation, humanity has always struggled with sin. We all sin! Isaiah 53:6 says “Like a sheep, we all have gone astray.” In Romans 3:23, St. Paul maintains that, “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” The problem with today’s Christians is that we treat sin with levity. Sometimes, we celebrate it. The problem is not that we sin. The problem is that when we sin, we call it a mistake. There is a difference between a mistake and transgression. A mistake is an error in judgment— something we do unintentionally like pouring salt into a cup of coffee, thinking it was sugar, turning onto a one-way street and going the wrong way. These mistakes may happen because are are distracted or careless and not paying attention. But sin or a transgression is more than a mistake. It is a deliberate choice to do something we know is wrong. Mistakes are made unintentionally, but transgression or sin is deliberately done. Unlike a mistake, we choose to sin. We need to understand the difference between the two and call it what it is. Calling sin a mistake is avoiding responsibility. Any refusal to accept the responsibility of our wrongdoing may prevent us from seeking repentance, forgiveness and healing. If we deny it, we can’t get healed. The problem with us today is that when we sin, we rarely have some guilt. We call it unavoidable. Guilt is God’s gift designed to encourage us to move to repentance and reconciliation. Genuine guilt oftentimes leads to repentance, confession and then healing. Some people blame their wrongdoing on others. Some call it their neighbor’s fault or the devil’s fault:  “The devil made me do it.” Like Eve, we don’t take responsibility for our actions. We sin and still claim that sin has not made us sinners, that we are still good people. We sin and give reasons to justify our actions. We sin and never feel remorse or guilty of wrongdoing. We sin and claim that we are not hurting anybody, rather catching fun. We call sin, fun! Any message that condemns sin is equally condemned, and the preacher is seen as outdated, old-school, out-fashion and out of touch with the real life. 

Last Sunday, I said that Advent is a period of preparation and getting ready, not only to celebrate the historic birth of Jesus, but to celebrate his rebirth in our hearts and lives. This concept of Advent as a season of making adequate preparation for the coming or arrival of the Savior of the world is specifically highlighted in today’s Gospel: “Prepare the way of the Lord…” But How do we begin this preparation?

This is what the voice crying out in the desert has urged us to do: 

1. Prepare the way of the Lord— Clear the weeds of wrongdoing. Be in the right disposition. 
2. Make straight his path— Live a straightforward life. No double standardness.
3. Every valley shall be filled— Flee from spiritual shallowness. Know your faith, preach your faith, practice your faith. Talk about it at home, at work, on the street, everywhere by words and most importantly by the actions of your life. 
4. Every mountain and hill shall be made low— Remove every hesitation to falling in love with God. Uproot every spiritual stumps. Give up resistance to the word of God. Jettison habits like excessive drinking, gossiping, porn viewing, substance abuse and even food abuse. When any of these habits grows, they clutter our hearts and minds, and make it harder for us to be holy, to be the best version of ourselves, to love God wholeheartedly, please him and serve him with utmost devotion, dedication and commitment. 
5. The winding roads shall be made straight— Renew your baptismal promise to follow the way of Jesus. His way is easy and his burden is light. Stop suffering alone. Stop living alone in the cold. End your loneliness lonely journey by inviting Jesus to journey with you. Without him, life is painful and purposeless.
6. And the rough ways made smooth— Confess your sin through the sacrament of reconciliation, receive mercy, pardon and absolution. Sin makes our life rough, but God’s mercy smoothens it. Sin makes our life dull, but God’s mercy brightens it. Sin makes our life difficult, but God’s mercy makes a way even when there seems to be no way. Sin leads to darkness, God’s mercy brings and leads to light. 

And when we have accomplished all these by the grace of Jesus Christ who loved us and died for us, we all shall see the salvation of God.

Good News of the End-time!

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the First Sunday of Advent, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, California

November 29, 2015

The season of Advent is a period of expectation. The word “Advent” means “Arrival” or “Coming.” The entire season is a period of expectation of the arrival or coming of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. In the first reading, prophet Jeremiah (33:14-16) looks forward to the coming or arrival of honesty and integrity in the land. He looks forward in expectation to the days when the land will be safe and secured. In the second reading(1 Thess. 3:12—4:2), St. Paul looks forward in expectation when true believers will live blameless in holiness. In the Gospel taken from Luke 21:25-28, 34-36, Jesus looks to the future and speaks of a day when “the powers of heaven will be shaken.” Jeremiah, Paul and Jesus appear to be speaking about another world because the world they lived was as disordered as ours. Prophet Jeremiah preached when the Babylonian armies started the destruction of Jerusalem. St. Paul wrote when the first Christians were suffering tremendous persecution and a good number of them despaired. The words of today’s Gospel were Jesus’ last words before his passion. These three readings were addressed to a world as confused and chaotic as our world today. 

Our world is in turmoil. We are living in a very dangerous time. In my lifetime, I have never witnessed anything like this before. In the midst of today’s extreme suffering, chaos, terrorism, religious intolerance, hate and division, it is difficult to see how the visions, prophesies and amazing expectations of today’s readings will be realized. Extreme and violent terrorism is sweeping through the globe, destroying human lives and property. No one seems to be safe again. People are fearful. Resources that should have been used to combat extreme poverty are now being channelled to fight terrorists groups like Boko Haram, ISIL, Al Qaeda, Al Shabab etc. The name of the good, merciful and compassionate God is daily used to perpetrate heinous acts, thereby giving organized religion a very bad name and exposing every religious faith to ridicule and insult. No day passes-by without a breaking news of one mayhem or the other occurring somewhere in the world. As we grapple with these issues personally and collectively, and as our political and religious leaders wrestle specifically with acts of terrorism, the Church invites us to enter the season of Advent with hope and confidence in the Lord of justice. 

The season of Advent emphasizes the coming of the Prince of peace. In fact, he is already in our midst. Over 2000 years ago, he came to us as a human being. He is still present with us in the Word, in us and among us. At every Mass, he comes to us in the Eucharist (Matthew 26:26-29). He also comes to us in grace. He speaks in our consciences; “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to dine with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). Despite what is happening around us and around the world, let us not forget that God is still with us. The book of Psalm 46:7 tells us that “The Lord of host is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold.” Although, everything seems disordered and chaotic now, but at the end of time, God will tidy up what human beings have disordered. He will right the wrong and make right what has gone wrong. He will also mess up those who messed up his creation.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns his followers to “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and anxieties of daily life…” Put simply, Jesus is warning his disciples to be careful so that their hearts do not become sleepy as a result of excessive drinking, noisy partying, getting drunk and being bogged down by the material things of the world. We should not let the cares of this world shift our attention from what matters most. We should not allow the challenges of today deny us of the great glory to come. We are in this heavenly race to win it. Therefore, neither the anxieties of this world nor the threat of ISIL or Al Qaeda should shake our faith in God. As we live our normal life, Jesus encourages us to “Be vigilant at all times, and to pray…” 

Beloved in Christ, I have a good news to share. The good news is that in the end, Jesus will come to right the wrong. The good news is that evil will not win. Haters will not win. Those who strive to divide us will not win. ISIS or ISIL will not win. They will not win this fight. Every terrorist group out there will not win. Bad people will not win. Their evil deeds will catch up with them, and justice will again be just. I have a good news to share. The good news is that Jesus is coming to save us. Isaiah 35:4 tells us to “Say to those who are fearful, ‘be strong, do not be afraid’ for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.” 

With faith, let us continue to look at the world with the eyes of God. If we look at it with our natural eyes alone, we would see nothing else but filth, ugliness, and confusion. But with the eyes of faith rooted in God, we would see that God is still here with us. He’s still in charge. In Hebrew 13:5, he made a promise, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” During this season of Advent, I urge each of us not to ignore or give up on the world we live in. Let’s not see the challenges, difficulties and anxieties we face as obstacles between us and God. With the lens of faith in Christ Jesus, let’s believe that the guiding hand of God is working through these disorders. With the help of God, we can enjoy the vision of Jeremiah, live the blameless life envisioned by Paul, escape the imminent tribulations prophesied by Jesus and stand, not just before the Son of Man but beside the Son of Man.

Brothers and sisters, the end-time good news I have to share is this: when all is said and done, God through our Savior and Brother Jesus Christ will come to save you, me and everyone who believed in his name and did his will. Therefore, do not grow weary of doing what is good. Do not succumb to fear. Do not give up faith, hope and charity and give in to fear, division and hate. Instead, “Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand” (Luke 21:28).

Homily on the Solemnity of Christ the King

Jesus: The King With A Difference

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of Christ the King

Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday, November 22, 2015

As we come to the end of the Church’s Liturgical Calendar, we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. We celebrate Jesus as the Shepherd of our souls and the King of our lives. Many of us may not be able to connect or relate with the idea or image of a King. Some of us may even resent or reject the idea or image of king or kingship because of the ugly stories we have heard or read about many kings of past centuries. Some kings were brutal. Some were repressive and authoritarian. Some were extremely wayward. Their insatiable appetite for women was impossible to satisfy. Some of them were deeply immoral, power-drunk, control-freak and blood-thirsty. The shedding of the blood of innocents was something they glory and boast about. But Jesus is not such a king. He’s not like any king that has ever existed or would exist. His kingship is different. It is rooted in simplicity, humility, compassion, love, selfless service and sacrifice. 

In today's Gospel taken from John 18:33b-37, political power represented by Pilate met spiritual power, represented by Jesus. Pilate was troubled and nervous about the true identity of Jesus. He was not sure who he was, so he asked him: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Rather than answer yes or no to his question, Jesus turned his attention to another Kingdom not earthly, not made by human hands, not protected and made secured by a large number of armies and a stockpile of arsenal: “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”  Pilate may have been frustrated for not getting a direct answer from Jesus; but what Jesus told him was the truth. In fact, he did tell Pilate that the reason why he was born into the world was “to testify to the truth.” 

But why did Jesus refuse to answer a straightforward question, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Why did he refuse to accept Pilate’s declaration, “Then you are a king?” My personal reflection gives me four probable answers: One, may be he did not want to be lumped together with earthly kings who were generally known to be deeply corrupt, morally bankrupt, brutally wicked, unbelievably greedy, unspeakably inconsiderate and mean, insatiably power-drunk, unreasonably feared for the wrong reasons. Jesus was not like any earthly king; even the best of them cannot be compared to him. He was someone that “People were amazed that he has done all things well” (Mark 7:37). Jesus was also anointed by Holy Spirit “And he went about doing good and healing all those who were under the power of the devil, for God was with him” (Acts 10:38) Two, calling him the King of the Jews would geographically limit the length and breadth of his kingship. Jesus is not only the King of the Jews, he is also “the King of Kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16) including Pilate and the King of the whole world. Third, his kingship is of service not lordship in an authoritarian manner: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). His kingship is of love, not power; mercy, not punishment; compassion, not compulsion to flex power, might and authority; justice for all, not justice for some. Jesus’ kingship is of healing, not injury; making life better, meaningful and purposeful, not worsening it: “I have come that you may have life, life in abundance” (John 10:10). His kingship is about powerlessness, which is a new kind of power. It’s about winning our hearts, not overpowering it. Four, Jesus wants each of us, on our own, but with the grace he gives, to come to the knowledge and realization of his kingship as Pilate did: “Seek you first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all other things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33) 

Sisters and brothers, if the kingdom of the Lord is not of this world, the attitude of his disciples towards this world should be that of detachment, not attachment. This world, as we know it is passing away. Our earthly citizenship is not a permanent one. In fact, no one is a permanent resident of this world and no one has a permanent residence of this world. What each of us has is a visa that will expire at a certain date. When it expires, we depart. Our permanent residence is in the “Kingdom (which) does not belong to this world.” To qualify for it, we must daily follow Jesus who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). Jesus is the Way to God and the Way to the Kingdom. He is the Truth, and he came to testify to the Truth. He is the Life. He is our life when earthly life is gone. Since the Lord’s Kingdom and our permanent residence does not belong to this world, we should loosen our firm grip of this world. Never kill or harm or hurt anyone because of worldly things. Do not love material things more than spiritual things. Strive daily to store and accumulate more treasures and assets in heaven. In the Gospel of Matthew 6:20, Jesus tells his followers, "Store up your treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” The destiny of a child in the womb is the earth; but the earth is not the final destiny. The final destiny is the Kingdom where Jesus’ reign as King will be fully realized.

What About Encouraging Someone To Become A Redemptorist?

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Co-Redemptorist Preaching

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

November 8, 2015

The US Civics questions has the following as one of the questions: “What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?” The answers given are: “vote, join a political party, help with a campaign, join a civic group, join a community group, give an elected official your opinion on an issue, call senators and representatives, publicly support or oppose an issue or policy, run for office and write to a newspaper.” This tells us that for an American citizen to be truly involved and active in our democracy (the government of the people, by the people, and for the people), he or she must do some or all the answers provided. There is no sitting on the fence. If you care about an issue, let your representative officials know about it. Call them. Write them. Write to a local newspaper. If your voice is not being heard, look for like-minded individuals, join or form a civic group. If there’s a politician who agrees with you and is running for office, join his or her campaign. And during election, go out and vote. Don’t stay at home and then complain. Some people are good at complaining and saying all that’s wrong with the country, but they will not do a thing to effect a change. They won’t vote. They forget that elections have consequences. Whoever wins will one way or the other make decisions that will affect everyone. Every political decisions and policies affect real people.  

Having said that, let’s turn our attention to something that is already affecting our Church. Let’s use the same mode of the question by asking: “What are the different ways that Catholics can participate in the life of the Church? How can they contribute to the growth, sustenance and survival of the Church? How can laypeople contribute to the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? How can we support the Church in the area of increasing the number of vocations to the priesthood and religious life? How can St. Mary of Assumption Church support the work of the Redemptorist of Denver Province? Some of the answers include: praying for the Church, praying for priests and religious, especially Redemptorists, praying for increase in vocation in the Church, especially in the Redemptorist of Denver Province, supporting the church by contributing our time, talent and treasure, by attending Masses on Sunday regularly, joining one of the societies in the church (like St. Vincent de Paul, Charismatic Renewal, Catholic Daughters, St. Mary’s Place, etc. I doubt if there is any regular church-going catholic who will not give some of these answers if he or she were to ask the questions the preceded these answers. We already know that we can contribute and support our church by offering the gifts of three Tees: Time, Talent and Treasure. 

Sisters and brothers, what about offering one of your sons and daughters to God and to the Church? Parents with kids, have you ever asked any of them to consider the vocation to the priesthood and religious life? Have we ever encouraged these wonderful young persons in our church to think about the priesthood or religious life? There are so many wonderful young persons in this parish. I see them in church every Sunday. Most, if not all of them, may never consider becoming a Redemptorist priest or brother unless someone encourages them to think about it. We have a responsibility to talk to young people and encourage them to consider the Redemptorist vocation as one of their options. In case you have not heard, in case you don’t know, the Redemptorist Order, founded by the holy man, St. Alphonsus Liguori, is in search of vocations. We need young men to join us. No human community or organization can stay for a long period of time unless there are new borns. Today, some European countries are giving incentives to young women to have more kids. Why? Because their population is dwindling. Low birth rate and aging population have led to some frightening projections about the continue existence of some of these countries. The Catholic Church is not exempted from these negative projections too. If the current trend continues— more aging priests and religious and fewer vocations, then future Church leaders: Bishops and Religious Superiors, would have no other options than to close some churches or decrease their ministerial and pastoral involvements. As I speak, this is already happening. 

This weekend is dedicated to creating awareness to the Redemptorist vocation. My superiors want me to talk to you about the Redemptorist vocation. Redemptorists have served St. Mary of Assumption Church for a very long time. Yet, only a few vocations to the Redemptorists have come from here. And there has been none in most recent times. What’s going on? I know that some of you have been praying for us. A good number of you have supported and continue to support our missions here and abroad financially. Today, I’m urging you to continue to support us by praying for us, assisting our work financially and most especially, by encouraging your child and another child to consider becoming a Redemptorist. The girls are not left out too. We have a female group of nuns called the Redemptoristines. Those of you who have been supporting us all these years, we thank you so much. Your contributions have helped in my training, formation and studies in the Redemptorist Order. I am one of the fruits of your contribution. Thank you so much! May God bless you!

In today’s Gospel taken from Mark 12:38-44, Jesus observed how the people were putting money into the treasury. The event most likely happened in a Synagogue. As he watched, he noticed that many rich people were putting large sums into the treasury. But he also noticed a poor widow who put in two small coins that worth a few cents. And he considered her gift the greatest. You may ask, why? The answer is simple! Rich folks who gave large sums did so from the abundance of their wealth. If a multi-millionaire gives a donation of $1 million, he is still rich. He still has surplus to live on. What he has given is not going to bankrupt him. He’s still going to be a millionaire. But this poor widow, out of her penury, gave everything she had, her whole livelihood. If there’s a young man in your family, talk to him about becoming a Redemptorist. But if there’s none, consider praying for us! Consider picking one of the envelopes on the pews and making a donation to the Redemptorist of Denver Province. Don’t forget, I am one of the fruits of your past donations. Many more fruits can still be harvested by the contribution you make today. We know things are hard. You have bills to pay. You have other financial obligations to attend to. All we ask you today is your widow’s mite. No amount is too small! Thank you! God bless you!

From Wanderland to Gloryland!

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of All Saints

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, California

Sunday, November 1, 2015

On this Solemnity of All Saints, the Church presents us a passage of Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 5:1-12) commonly referred to as “the Beatitudes” or the “Sermon on the Mount.” In a nutshell, the Beatitudes are the summary of Jesus’ instruction regarding the type of behavior that is expected of those who accept and belong to the Kingdom of God. In each of them, Jesus states that those whose conduct conforms to God’s will are truly blessed. He places more emphasis on the interior motivation of one’s conducts. The materially poor folks are not blessed simply because they are poor. Lack of material things alone does not guarantee upright behavior unless it leads a person to completely depend upon God. Lacking in food, drink and other necessities of life does not necessarily make someone virtuous and holy, unless such lack, hunger and thirst can trigger an inner hunger and thirst for God and his righteousness and then lead to right actions. Even the rich are expected to be poor in spirit (humility) and to depend upon God and not in material riches. Again, avoiding what is bad and evil may or may not represent righteous behavior unless the pure heart is totally focused on Jesus and his teaching. In the same manner, suffering insult and persecution in itself does not necessarily translate to doing God’s will, unless such ugly experience is as a result of one’s followership of Jesus and his teaching. Those whose words, deeds, interior or inner motivations are formed by the teaching of Christ Jesus are both righteous and blessed in deed. 

Today, we celebrate our sisters and brothers whose words, deeds and interior motivations were formed by the Gospel teaching of the Lord. Today, we celebrate those who, during their earthly lives were really poor in spirit, hungered and thirsted for righteousness, shown mercy, were peacemakers, had clean hearts, were insulted and persecuted because of their abiding faith in God. Today, we celebrate the Saints! 

Who are the saints? They were human beings who, like us, had weaknesses. They were sinners who repented. They were former sinners, former prodigal sons and daughters, and former enemies of God who later became ardent lovers of God. The Saints are the over-comers, the triumphant children of God, the church triumphant, winners who used to be losers. They lived in the flesh. They had emotions. They experienced joys and sorrows, strength and weakness, sickness and good health, good times and bad times, frustrations and encouragements. Like you and me, they also struggled. They fell and rose. There were occasions when they complained and grumbled; there were also occasions when they were thankful and grateful. They had dull moments and moments of excitements in their lives. They experienced both rainy and dry seasons. They were imperfect people who were aware of their imperfections, so, worked hard to overcome them. When they fell, they did not remain fallen. When they rose from their fallen state, they learned from it, asked for mercy and strength to keep moving in the right direction. They were not in denial or ignorant of who they were. They worked out their salvation with fear and trembling. In the midst of fear, adversity, sickness and lack, they continued to lean on God, trust him, pray to him and commune with him. 

Sisters and brothers, Saints are those who rose above the negative emotions and passions. They rose above destructive anger. They rose above their weaknesses. They forgave their offenders. They conquered through praise and prayer. When they felt abandoned by God, they abandoned themselves into his hands, surrendered more profoundly to him, prayed like never before, fasted even the more. The feeling abandonment did not make them to abandon God. Through thick and thin, they stuck to God. They did not walk away from their faith. 

The Saints were not fans of Jesus. They were his disciples. If you are a fan of a football team, you don’t have to believe in what the players believe in. You don’t have to walk in their footsteps. You don’t have to die for your team. You don’t have to show up everyday to watch them play. When they fail to win, you get mad at them. In certain circumstances, some fans have abandoned their team and switched over to another team. The Saints were not fans, they were disciples. Disciples walk in the footsteps of the Master. They sit beside the Master. They speak the language of the Master—love and mercy. They live the life of the Master. They die for the Master.

The Saints had a cause— God’s cause. They had an agenda— God’s agenda. They love sacrificially and selflessly. They fought the good fight of faith. Their entire life was spent loving God and neighbor. They ran the heavenly race without looking back or thinking about the sensual and material things they had left behind. Like Lot and his wife, they understood they were also asked to leave the city of “Sodom and Gomorrah.”  As they fled the city of vanity and sin, they were tempted with the thought of what they had left behind, but unlike the wife of Lot, they refused to look back. They kept their gaze forward. Having put their hands on the plough, they never looked backwards, despite serious temptations to do so. They lived in the world, but never of the world. And because of the heroic lives they lived, we celebrate them today. 

Today’s Solemnity reminds us that we too can rise above all trials, all temptations, all weaknesses and win. This great feast reminds us of the destiny and target of all believers. Our target is heaven. Our goal is to make heaven. We are created to know God, love him, serve him, and then be united with him in heaven. Like I always said, heaven is the reward of righteousness. The Saints were people who walked from wanderland to Gloryland. Although we are still wandering around on earth— like a sheep we are all wandering around, but by faith in God and looking up to Jesus and striving to please him daily, we too, can walk from wanderland to Gloryland. 

“Lord, I Also Want to See”

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

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

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday, October 25, 2015

The human person, traditionally speaking, is endowed with five senses: sense of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. It is generally considered a deformity when any of these senses is unable to perform its job. In the time of Jesus, any misfortune like the loss of the sense of sight, hearing etc. was considered a punishment from God. The sufferer was seen as a sinful and unrighteous person that God was punishing. Such a person was only seen, not heard. 

Today’s Gospel (Mark 10:46-52) is about a man named Bartimaeus, whose sense of sight was dysfunctional. Plainly speaking, he was blind. Like other persons who suffered misfortunes, he was seen as a cursed man. Everyday, “he sat by the roadside begging.” His life was virtually lived by the roadside, and it was by the roadside that he got his blessing. On one particular day, he got really lucky. As Jesus, together with his disciples and a sizable crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus heard the tramp of their feet. Although his sense of sight was not functioning, but that of hearing was performing to its maximum. The strong movement of people prompted him to ask what was happening. He was told that Jesus of Nazareth was passing. Immediately, he caused uproar. He started shouting, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” But naysayers, pessimists, haters, cynicists, and enemies of progress shouted at him to be quiet. Oh! Bartimaeus has heard enough of their negative comments. He has heard enough from them that he was doomed to die, that there was no hope for him, that he was cursed and forgotten by God. He has heard enough of their pessimism, gossip and condemnation. He has heard enough of their discouraging words. He was sick and tired of them, and sick and tired of sitting in one spot begging. When they shouted him down, he recognized their voices: it was the voices of those who slammed the door against him; the voices of those who never welcomed him into their sanctuary, who never invited him to any feast, and who will never sat on the same table with him. For too long, he has been isolated and ignored. For too long, he has only been seen but never been heard. This time, he refused to let them shushed him. He refused to let the opportunity to pass him by: “Son of David, have pity on me,” he called out the more. By this time, Jesus heard him. Jesus noticed him and sent for him. You know, a cry of genuine faith will always rise above the clamor of the multitude. The courage of faith will definitely overcome the rules to be polite and to be silent. A persistent cry for help will obviously rise above the shout to be quiet. Silence is golden, but not when there is a life to save. When Bartimaeus was told that Jesus was calling him, his response was significant: He threw aside his cloak, sprang us, and came to Jesus. He did not waste time. He did not dither in any way. He wanted healing and he wanted it now. 

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. Bartimaeus may have been stunned by the question of Jesus. What else could a blind man be asking for? one may ask. But it’s possible he wanted money. May be he wanted a house, or food or clothing. His needs would naturally be many. But the blind man wanted freedom from that which has kept him down, which has kept him in one spot for a long time. Do you feel you have been in one spot for too long? Do you feel that you have been kept down for too long? For Bartimaeus, blindness has kept him down and kept him in one spot. So he asked: “Master, I want to see.” He wanted to see clearly. He wanted to notice every color— red, yellow, green, orange, green etc. He wanted to really see every smile on every face, every frown and every tear too. He wanted to see very child, every friend, every neighbor. He wanted to see the good and the beautiful. He wanted to see the beautiful world that God created. He wanted to see the glory of God in his life and in the lives of others. Most importantly, he wanted to see Jesus. 

Jesus said to him, “Go your way, your faith has saved you.” With those words, his sight was restored and a new life was dawned on him. The restoration of his sight restored hope, joy, deeper faith and gratitude. Even though he was told to go on his way, he saw Jesus as the way. He saw the way of Jesus as the only way that mattered. Instead of going his own way, he followed Jesus on the way; the way that leads to life. 

Folks, like Bartimaeus, I also want to see. I don’t know about you, but like him, I am also asking, “Lord, I want to see.” I am not physically blind. I can see you. I can see different colors. I can see my way around. I can see the events of life. But I don’t always see Jesus in every events of my life. That I am praying, “Lord, I want to see” does not mean I am medically blind. I am, in some ways, spiritually blind. I want to see others as my brothers and sisters. I want to see others as friends, not enemies. I want to see the smile of others so as to smile with them. I want to see their laughter, so as to laugh with them. I want to see the tears in every face, so as to show compassion. Compassion is not just a feeling of sorry or sorrow. It’s rather a feeling of deep sympathy for another who is stricken by misfortune accompanied by a strong desire alleviate the suffering. I want to see the hungry, so as to share my food. I want to see the naked, so as to share my clothing. I want to see the thirsty, so as to offer them a refreshing drink. I want to see the sick and injured, so as to bring them healing. I want to see the lost, so as to guide them home to God. I want to see those thirsting for God, those who hunger for Jesus, those whose dignity has been stripped from them, so as to lead them to Jesus. I want to see God in everything that happens to me. I want to see myself truly as I am. I want to see the way of the cross as the way to the crown. Bartimaeus was physically blind, but through his blindness, he was still able to see the power of God working through Jesus. He was not blind to the truth. He was not blind to faith. He was not blind to prayer. He was not blind to persistence. I want to see what he saw even in his blindness. I can see clearly the material things of this world, I also want to see clearly the spiritual things of God. Through the lens of faith, I want to see the glory and power of God working through me, through you, through the Church, through the Sacraments and through the events of life. I want to see Jesus and follow him on the way just like Bartimaeus did. 

The Lord’s Prayer Re-Written

Our Father, who also lives with us, within us, and  among us

 May  the words of our mouths, the meditation of our hearts, our praise, 

adoration, worship, and thanksgiving to you flow from our hearts

 May our hearts, homes, families and assembly become your kingdom 

and dwelling places for you

 Help us to constantly derive joy in doing that which pleases you

May your will be our delight

 May everyday we live be spent in glorifying you in words and deeds

 Grant us the means of livelihood and bless the work of our hands 

Be patient with us as we struggle to overcome our weaknesses

Never be tired of forgiving us

None of us is perfect

 Our imperfection causes us to offend you, offend and hurt each other

 Help us to be patient with each other as you are with us 

to pardon each other just as you pardon us 

to tolerate each other and to help each other experience your healing

 Make us victorious over all trials and temptations and set our feet strongly firm 

over the head of our common enemy- the devil, the source of all evil. Amen.

—Composed by Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

St. Mary’s Assumption of Church, Whittier, CA

On the One Year Remembrance of the glorious transition of my mother, Georgina U. Okwara

Thursday, October 15, 2015

I Hope Jesus Is Part Of Your Future Plan!

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

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

St. Mary of Assumption, Whittier, CA

Sunday, October 18, 2015

As we live our day-to-day life, we occasionally think about the future. Through the power of imagination, we can envisage and visualize what it may look like. Serious thought about the future oftentimes prompts many to start making plans for it. Even though we live in the now, in the present, we do so with the thought about the future. Planning for the future requires making some conscious decisions now, not later, about how we would like the future to look like. For instance, a young person can start making future plan about the city to live after graduation from college, job, marriage, renting or buying a house etc. Parents with kids can start saving money for their kids college; they can plan to buy a house (if they have not bought any) or buy a new car if the one being used at the moment is always developing faults. Parents whose kids have all left home to pursue their individual dreams may plan on going on a long vacation, (like cruise), retirement, and place of retirement etc. In my former parish in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I have lots of elderly folks whose regular conversation was about the retirement home they would like to move in when they are no longer able to do things for themselves. Some of them have even planned for their funerals which includes the officiating priest, clothes that they would like to wear, the type of casket, the funeral home to handle their funeral and the cemetery they would like to be buried.

Today’s Gospel taken from Mark 10:35-45 is about two brothers, James and John, who after making their future plan, came to Jesus and presented the top priority in their plan. But before they did that, they sought assurance from Jesus that he would grant them whatever they asked for: “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” I believe they had other things on the list of their future plan, but top on the list was to sit on both sides of Jesus in his glory: “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” You know, some preachers have argued that James and John had ulterior motive, that they were too ambitious, that all they were looking for was honor and recognition. We may rightly argue that the two brothers may not have understood Jesus and what he was about. But the truth is that they wanted to be with him in his glory. What’s wrong with that?

But where did the two brothers get the idea of Jesus’ glory? Why did they ask, not just to be part of it, but to be the ones to sit on Jesus’ two sides? Remember the story of the Transfiguration! James and John were two of the three disciples that Jesus took to the mountaintop where he was transfigured, where two great figures of the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah appeared. The transfiguration experience was so glorious, so amazing, so majestic that Peter declared “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. If you don’t mind, permit me to make three tents—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah” (Mark 9:5). The place was so serene, so peaceful and so beautiful that Peter wanted to make it a home. He did not want to come down from the mountain. He wanted to stay there longer. James and John also witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus on a high mountain. They also experienced the magnificent and solemn event. They, like Peter also loved what they experienced. The mountaintop experience has given them a taste of the glory and a taste for the glory. Some people bash the two brothers’ future plan by arguing that they associated glory with authority. But let’s look at it this way. Let’s assume that this argument is true. It therefore means that what they sought for—authority, is the authority associated with Jesus. It means that James and John wanted the type of authority that can only be derived from and exercised from one’s association with Jesus. They didn’t go to the Scribes and the Pharisees for their authority and glory. They came to Jesus! The glimpse of glory they saw and experienced at the mountaintop was their future plan. Their future plan was not about retiring in a fancy and expensive house located in an expensive part of a town. Their future plan was not about globe-trotting; it was not about the kind of casket to be buried with or the cemetery to be buried in. It was simply to be on the both sides of their Master, whom they loved so much. They wanted to sit next to him when he comes into his glory. Sitting next to Jesus was at the top of their wish list. Their eyes were already fixed on the road to glory. They should be commended, not condemned!

Now, when the other ten disciples heard of this, they became furious, most likely because they thought that James and John had beaten and outsmarted them. They were concerned that these two brothers may have gotten an edge over them. But I refuse to justify their anger. Nothing stopped them from making their request as well. No one should begrudge me for asking the Lord to bless my ministry. No one should begrudge you for asking the Lord to prosper you. No one should be upset with us for desiring and praying to be part of the Great Banquet in heaven. There’s enough blessing to go round. As soon as the ten started fussing and complaining, Jesus used the occasion to teach them the real meaning of leadership, which consists not in lording it over others, rather in serving them: “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them….but it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.” He used the misunderstanding to remind them of the Gospel meaning of life. That life is not about lording it over others, dominating them, telling them what to do, bossing them around. God’s agenda is about serving the least, the vulnerable, and those at the margins of the society. The Gospel meaning of life is not about amassing power, authority, prestige and getting the high places of honor and privilege. If your agenda is any of that, just know it is not that of God. 

Beloved in Christ Jesus, have you made your future plan? What’s in it? What guided you in making it? What agenda tops your future plan? Is Jesus part of the plan? Where did you place God’s agenda in your life? Whatever plans we have made for the future, let’s pray for the grace to align them with God’s plan. When we do that, God will not only smile but will laugh in delight. I hope Jesus is part of your future plan. No, let me rephrase it, I hope Jesus is at the center of your future plan. I hope your future plan is Jesus. I hope you plan to retire with the Lord.

 Wisdom Trumps Intelligence!

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

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

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday, October 11, 2015

I like talking about the distinction between wisdom and intelligence. I believe that there  are so many intelligent and smart people around who have distinguished themselves in various fields of life by the sheer application of their intelligence. Intelligent people are not in short supply. Unfortunately, not every intelligent person is also wise. Catholic theology teaches us that wisdom is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. While intelligence is “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills,” wisdom is “the capacity to love spiritual things more than material things.” The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom to enable us to figure out right from wrong in the world. Wisdom is the gift that inspires, motivates and drives someone to constantly choose God, God’s matters over earthly and fleshy things. It’s a gift that enables us to stand up and stay on the Lord’s side. Whenever there is a choice to make, those with wisdom would always choose to stand with God and everything that pertains to him. Their choices in life would always be in consonance with their faith in the living God. When the choice is between earthly wealth and following Jesus in simplicity, they would choose the later.

Wisdom trumps over intelligence, riches, health, comfort, beauty etc that is why the writer of today’s first reading declared, “I prayed and prudence was given to me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her (wisdom) to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, nor did I liken any priceless gem to her…” (Wisdom 7:7-9). Even the Psalmist acknowledged the great importance of wisdom by praying, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart” (Psalm 90:12). Spending some time in prayer and asking the Holy Spirit for the wonderful gift of wisdom is surely going to be a time well spent. We live in a decision making world. At every given time, there are options before us. We are constantly tempted through these options. Temptation is always a suggestion to choose between God and mammon, between heavenly things and earthly things, between following Jesus and following self, the world, or the devil. In the midst of all these confusions, we need wisdom to choose right, to choose the good, to choose the true and living God, to choose to follow Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith and life. 

Today’s Gospel (Mark 10:17-30) is about an unnamed rich man who was obviously intelligent. I assume he was intelligent because I am yet to see an unintelligent person who is rich. He wanted to be saved. He wanted to be wise. He came to the Wise Man of Nazareth. He came to the Source of Wisdom. He came to the personification of wisdom. He started very well by coming to Jesus and asking, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Some people are lucky to inherit immense wealth from their parents, brothers, sisters or friends by mere chance, without actually doing anything to merit their inheritance. But this rich man was willing to pay a price in order to inherit eternal life. He did not want to inherit it by mere chance, by doing nothing. He wanted to do something that can justify his inheritance of it. So, Jesus turned his attention to the commandments, “You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.” When Jesus was done with the litany of don’ts, the man smiled and said, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” Then Jesus extended invitation of friendship to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” At this point, the man had a choice to make between clinging to his wealth or detaching from it for the sake of following Jesus. In the end, he chose to cling to his possessions. He did not have the wisdom to choose Jesus, the Lord of life over his earthly possessions. For him, wealth trumps the call of Jesus. 

You know, by all standard, the rich man was a good man. He was indeed an upright man. How many rich people (or even poor people) can stand before the omniscient Jesus and declare that they have not killed before, not committed adultery or fornication before, never stolen before, never bore false witness against anyone, never defrauded anyone before, have always obeyed their parents? How many of us have kept all of those from our youth? When the rich man said he had kept all those commandments from his youth, he meant, he had never broken any of them from the time he reached the age of reasoning and accountability to the time he met Jesus. He made his money without killing or defrauding anyone. He was a good Jew. So, when Jesus looked at him and saw that he was telling the truth, he loved him and immediately invited him to follow him. Unfortunately, his lack of wisdom made it impossible for him. Jesus’ response to his refusal to follow him, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God” should not be taken literally. It does not mean that earthly riches are a curse. The Lord was not saying that there will be no rich person who would be saved. It does not mean that material riches have automatically ruled wealthy folks out of the Kingdom. The Bible tells us that “The Lord makes some poor and others rich; he brings some down and lifts others up” (1 Samuel 2:7). And the book of Haggai 2:8 tells us that “Silver and gold belong to God.” There are rich folks who are investing their money in things like poverty alleviation, research to cure diseases, education, charitable organizations etc. But the truth is that excessive pursuit of wealth, the pursuit to remain wealthy can easily distract someone from God. The stuff that rich folks carry can actually weigh them down. Too many luggage can easily prevent someone from moving ahead towards God. Money can become the new god. It can easily become one’s chief source of happiness. This can equally happen to you and I. Never assume that this Gospel does not concern you because you are not rich. Just the same way a rich person can be distracted by earthly riches, so can you and me. Whatever that distracts us from God is our riches. Whatever we rank higher than having an active and ongoing relationship with God is our riches. Any of these: job, family, business, relationship, sports, entertainment, fame, sinful habits etc can distract us from following the Lord, and therefore become our riches. My late Mother, Mrs. Georgina Okwara used to say to her children, “Don’t give me that which you think is greater and more important than God, I don’t want it.” We are reminded once again today that wisdom trumps all our earthly desires and wishes. We need to pray for wisdom so as to make right choices that will always glorify God’s name and put us on the Lord’s corner. The choices we make determines on whose side we are on. 

When A Family Dies, God Is Homeless

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

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

St. Mary’ s of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday, October 4, 2015

We don’t have to be erudite theologians to figure out that today’s readings are about marriage and family. The opening words of the first reading: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him” (Gen. 2:18) is about marriage. It’s about the institution of the holy sacrament we call marriage or matrimony. The first man, Adam, was lonely and most certainly not pleased with his situation, but didn’t know how to resolve it. So, God stepped in and did something about his condition. You know, there are so many times in our lives when God too stepped in and resolved issues for us even before we asked him for help. There are uncountable times that the Good God stepped in and prevented something harmful from happening to us. There are so many times that Jesus stepped in and took care of business for us. When God saw how miserable and lonely Adam was, he did not wait for him to ask, he stepped in and did something about it. Strictly speaking, Adam was not alone in the Garden of Eden. There were several animals on the ground and in air that God had created. They lived with him. In fact, he was the one that gave each its name. But none provided a suitable company and companion for him. He was still lonely and sad. So, God put him to sleep, and while he was asleep, God took one of his ribs and built “something” beautiful, elegant and magnificent. God polished this amazing design really well and put in her something that would definitely make Adam cheerful, glow and happy. In her, God put the best and the finest qualities and then brought her to Adam. As soon as Adam saw God’s newest and latest design, he, for the first time, smiled and said, “(Yes) at last, this one is the bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called ‘woman’” (Gen. 2:23). If you have been wondering why women are the ones that bring out the best in men, this is your answer. If you have been wondering why behind every successful, happy and fulfilled man, there is a woman, you’ve your answer. The right woman brings out the best in the right man. That is “…why a man (would usually) leave his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them (would) become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). The woman is a man’s other-half, better-half, soulmate and a suitable partner. 

Today’s Gospel (Mark 10:2-16) is divided in two parts. The first part (10:1-12) is about the prohibition of divorce by Jesus: “God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” In those words, Jesus also highlights the origin of marriage—God. He tells us that marriage is not only a human phenomenon, it’s also a divine event. He insists that God is interested in marriage. God is involved in marriage. God is the creator of marriage. Marriage was not invented by humans but by God.  As such, no human being can rightly assume God’s authority to destroy a union that God has joined together. Although there are some situations when the Church, the Bride of Jesus Christ, would on his behalf dissolve and annul some marriages, but those are marriages that shouldn’t have taken place in the first place. The second part of the Gospel (10:13-16) is about the fruits of marriage— children. Like some of us who sometimes try to prevent or deny some (unborn) children the opportunity to live and experience God’s love and to come to know Jesus, the overzealous disciples also tried to prevent some kids from coming to experience Jesus, the true Life. But Jesus rebuked them: “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14). Another way of saying this is: “Allow the children to be born. Do not abort them. Do not stop them. Give them the opportunity to live. Give them the opportunity to know, love and serve me. Give them the chance to live and experience me.” Jesus also said that anyone who wants to be saved must accept the kingdom of God like a child. What does that mean? The little ones are generally innocent, simple, and very trusting. They do not keep malice. They are generally submissive. Most importantly, they are very welcoming. We are therefore called to accept the kingdom of God with open arms just like a child who is receiving an unexpected gift.

The family is an important institution that should be promoted by all. Check this out! God came to us through a family. God entered our world, dwelt among us through a family. The family is a school where the mother, father and children are the students. They are majoring in the field of Living Together as One. As such, they take courses like theology of love, theology of understanding, theology of forgiveness, theology of prayer, theology of service, theology of tolerance, theology of family, theology of explanation, listening and communication, theology of raising children, theology of obedience and respect, theology of give and take.  In this school, no one is less important and no one is more important. Everyone is important. In this school, there is no perfect person. At the World Gathering of Families in Philadelphia, Pope Francis said, “There is no perfect family. We have no perfect parents, we are not perfect, do not get married to a perfect person, neither do we have perfect children.” This imperfection, occasionally, causes us to disappoint one another. When that happens, complaints and hurts follow. The family can get back up only when the medicine of forgiveness is taken or applied. Forgiveness must be asked and must be given. Any family that wants to stay together must use the medicine of forgiveness. Forgiveness is the ointment of healing. It cleanses the mind and heart and brings healing to both the injurer and the injured. According to Pope Francis, “Without forgiveness, the family becomes a theater of conflict and a bastion of grievances. Without forgiveness, the family becomes sick.” And if the medicine of forgiveness is not taken, the family will die. 

Beloved in Christ, if there is one place in the world that God is certainly present, it is in the family. Yes, God is present everywhere. He can be encountered anywhere. But he is extremely present in the family. Whenever a new family is formed through the sacrament of matrimony, God takes his supreme and rightful place. And when a family dies, God cries. God is chased away. God is made homeless. To all the families here, I want you to know this, God is present with you. What you are into was ordained by him from the beginning of creation. Do not let the inconveniences of marriage render God homeless. When a man leaves his father and mother and clings unto his wife, God clings unto them. When the holy union brings a child and both parents accept the child, God is glorified and is even made more present. On the face of the newly born, God’s face can be seen. Again I urge you, do not let the pressure of work, the disagreement and misunderstanding, the stress of keeping your family to want to end your marriage. In the midst of all the struggles, God is present with you. Like the Holy Family, build your family on God. Make Jesus the cornerstone, the foundation and the center of your family. A dysfunctional family renders God homeless. An unhealthy family renders God homeless. A father who is never at home and available to his family, who spends more time at the drinking bar with friends renders God homeless. A mother who is never present in the life of her children renders God homeless. God is homeless when spouses don’t forgive each other. God is homeless when spouses see divorce as an easy way out of their marriage. God is homeless when children are not loved, catered for, trained and raised in the way of God. God is homeless when a once lively and happy family becomes cold. God is homeless when a husband prefers another woman other than his wife. God is homeless when a wife prefers another man other than her husband. God is homeless when love between a man and his wife dies. God lives in the family. God wants to live in the family. The family is the domestic church. When any family crumbles and dies, God becomes homeless. In his homelessness, God also cries. 

The Archangels 

St. Mary’s of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

September 29, 2015

The three Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are the only angels named in Sacred Scripture and all three have important roles in the history of salvation.

Saint Michael is the leader of all the angels. His name is Hebrew for "Who is like God?" and was the battle cry of the good angels against Lucifer and his followers when they rebelled against God. He is mentioned four times in the Bible, in Daniel 10 and 12, in the letter of Jude, and in Revelation.

Michael, whose forces cast down Lucifer and the evil spirits into Hell, is invoked for protection against Satan and all evil. Pope Leo XIII, in 1899, having had a prophetic vision of the evil that would be inflicted upon the Church and the world in the 20th century, instituted a prayer asking for Saint Michael's protection to be said at the end of every Mass.

Christian tradition recognizes four offices of Saint Michael: (i) to fight against Satan (ii) to rescue the souls of the faithful from the power of the enemy, especially at the hour of death. (iii) to be the champion of God's people, (iv) to call away from earth and bring men's souls to judgment.

Saint Gabriel, whose name means "God's strength," is mentioned four times in the Bible. In Luke 1: 9 he introduced himself as "I am Gabriel, who stand before God." He announced the birth of John the Baptist to his father Zacharias, and the at Incarnation of the Word in the womb of Mary.

"I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord" (Tob 12:15)

Saint Raphael, whose name means "God has healed" because of his healing of Tobias' blindness in the Book of Tobit.  Tobit is the only book in which he is mentioned. His office is generally accepted by tradition to be that of healing and acts of mercy.

Raphael is also identified with the angel in John 5:1-4 who descended upon the pond and bestowed healing powers upon it so that the first to enter it after it moved would be healed of whatever infirmity he was suffering.

Copied from: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=609

A PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL, GABRIEL AND RAPHAEL, ARCHANGELS

Heavenly King, You have given us archangels 

to assist us during our pilgrimage on earth. 

Saint Michael is our protector; 

I ask him to come to my aid, 

fight for all my loved ones, 

and protect us from danger. 

Saint Gabriel is a messenger of the Good News; 

I ask him to help me 

clearly hear Your voice 

and to teach me the truth. 

Saint Raphael is the healing angel; 

I ask him to take my need for healing 

and that of everyone I know, 

lift it up to Your throne of grace 

and deliver back to us the gift of recovery. 

Help us, O Lord, 

to realize more fully the reality of the archangels 

and their desire to serve us. 

Holy angels, 

pray for us. 

Amen.

Cut Off the Obstacles!

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

September 27, 2015

Most active Christians have certain passages of the Bible that they regard as favorites. It’s not as if other parts of the Bible do not appeal to them, but they consider those passages favorites because they inspire, motivate and touch them specially and profoundly. They particularly address their situation in a more significant manner. Many Christians consider John 3:16, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life” as one of their favorite verses and quote in the Bible. But if we have the time to ask each person to recite his or her favorite verses in the Bible, it is likely none of us will mention the following text we read from today’s Gospel as a favorite verse: “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:43-48). 

What exactly is the Lord saying to us in those words? Certainly, he is not talking about physical amputation of hands, legs and eyes. Jesus spoke metaphorically. That time in Palestine, it was common to speak in such an exaggerated manner just to make a point. In literature, it is called hyperbole. Everyone in this church can agree that Jesus was not asking us to literary get rid of certain parts of our body just to avoid sin and Gehenna and to merit everlasting life in heaven. Coming to this agreement leaves us with the questions: “What is Jesus saying in that passage and what does he expect from us?”

Human life is a life of battle. Within each of us there’s a battle going on. It is a battle for the life of each of us. It is a battle between good and evil. It is a battle between sin and grace. At the end of this battle, we will either hear Jesus say, “You are mine!” or hear Satan say, “You are mine!” The Mass is always a thanksgiving celebration to the Father for giving us his Son, Jesus Christ. He’s the Best and the Greatest Gift of all. Through his death and resurrection, the battle has been won for us. When Jesus said on the cross, “It’s finished,” he meant the dominion of Satan over us is finished. He meant the battle between good and evil is won. Good won. Evil lost. Jesus won. Satan lost. Because of Jesus, the overbearing influence of Satan is over. Because of Jesus, his control over our lives is over. Because of Jesus, we have a new life of grace. Because of him, salvation is won. Jesus’ death on the cross is God’s way of saying to each of us, “You are mine!” Now, it is up to each of us to grab the hands of Jesus and say to him, “Lord, I am yours,” and to accept his grace and live like people redeemed by him. If you are given a check of $1 million, the money can only be available for your spending after you have taken your time to go to the bank and deposit it into your account. Salvation is free but not cheap. It must cost us something—self-denial. 

Beloved, Jesus is asking us to avoid the things that lead to temptation and sin. He’s asking us to run away from anything, anyone, any event, any place that makes it easier for us to yield to sin. We call it occasion of sin. For some of us, consumption of alcohol is the occasion of sin. For others, it is the TV, internet, magazine etc. For some, it is the friends they keep and the places they go to. Whatever and whoever it is that will deny us heaven, Jesus says, cut if off. Disengage and discontinue that friendship or membership that is leading you away from God. Walk out now! It’s better to go to heaven friendless than with a host of friends end up in Gehenna. If an endless pursuit of wealth is going to exclude you from the Great Banquet of the Lamb of God, Jesus say, it’s time to stop. If membership of social networks like Facebook, Twitter etc is exposing you and making you prone to do certain things you ordinarily wouldn’t do, the Lord says, end the membership now. It’s better to go to heaven with few people knowing you, than with multitude of followers end up in hell. 

Today, there are two realities that are rarely talked about. A good number of preachers, including Catholic priests hardly preach about them. They are sin and hell. I would be failing in my duty if I do not talk about them. It would be a gross negligent of duty if I finish this preaching without talking about sin and hell. Sin is rarely mentioned today because it is an ugly topic; but it is too important to ignore. Jesus never ignored it. Sin is any act that violates the commandments of God. 1 John 3:4 tells us that, “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” Sin is disobedience to the good God. In these modern times, we have rightly emphasized the loving mercy of God because more people can be attracted to a spoon of honey than a huge container of vinegar. God’s mercy is more appealing than his wrath. But in the process of emphasizing his mercy, we have overlooked and underestimated the destructive and deadly reality of sin. We have also deemphasized the reality of hell. Some of us believe that everyone will go to heaven. We convince ourselves that it is not real. Some argue that a loving Father cannot let his own child suffer in eternal hell. But they forget that a loving and obedient son or daughter would not walk away from his or her Father. Some even believe that the teaching about hell was injected by the Church to make everyone comply. But look at it this way. Every human society has laws that must be obeyed. Anyone who wants to live free in America must be law-abiding. How come we now think that God does not have any? Is God lawless? In the first place, who is the origin of human beings’ ability to discover the need for laws? 

My dear friends, God is not lawless. God has laws. Just like in human society, any disobedience of his laws has consequences. Romans 6:23 tells us that “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” To avoid the unpleasant wages of sin, avoid sin and everything that leads to it. We need to stop treating sin and hell with levity. We don’t have to wait till the last minute to give up the things that drag us away from God. The longer one lives a life of sin and selfishness, the farther and farther one travels from the light. While it is possible to convert on deathbeds, the chances of doing that become slim. Those who progressively plunge themselves into evil would become accustomed and addicted to it. They may no longer want to taste the good things of God. Even if Jesus should appear to them, they may not recognize him. Jesus was standing before Pilate, yet he couldn't recognize him as the Truth. The choices we constantly make can gradually turn us into persons full of light or persons full of darkness. If we become full of darkness, the road back to full light can be very long and sometimes impossible. 

The summary of today’s Gospel is this: Run away from sin and be horrified at the mere thought of it. No good comes from sin. It’s not a little thing and its effects and consequences are hard to erase. Even though the modern world and its godless media are telling us that “Sin is fun,” we need to listen to the Good Shepherd. In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Living a virtuous life is not unpleasant, as some people believe. The pleasures of sin may appear enticing and may be offered to us as a source of happiness. It is a big lie! It’s a big deception! Although sin can excite one’s passions, but it is only a matter of time before one discovers how miserable and unhappy his or her life has become. The wages of sin does not have to take place in the afterlife. An unrepentant sinner begins to earn his or her salary from here. As virtue is its own reward, sin is its own punishment. Sin is never fun. Do you think for a second that drug addicts, sexual perverts, child molesters, criminals, rapists, serial killers, drug peddlers, kidnappers, etc enjoy their lives? Do you think they are living in a world of real peace and joy? Do you think that alcoholics are happy and having a great fun? Do you think that abortionists are happy? Sin’s only companions are sadness and destruction. 

Our Redeemer wants us to avoid every occasions of sin so as to avoid the temptation that makes us yields to it. Sin hurts. It hurts us. It hurts our Church. It hurts our family. It hurts our society. It hurts our community. It hurts our world. If we stay in it without seeking repentance and healing, it would hurt us eternally and deprive us the wonderful opportunity of hearing Jesus say to us, “You are mine!”