“Listen to Him”

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Parish

Baton Rouge, LA, USA

“Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart from themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.”

On Mount Tabor, two great figures of the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah, appeared and started conversing with Jesus. We were not told what they talked about. But I assume their conversation was about the impending suffering, arrest and death of Jesus. Moses and Elijah may have encouraged him to go on and accomplish the plan of God the Father. Moses was the supreme law-giver of Israel. He was the one that received the Ten Commandments. Elijah was the greatest of the OT prophets. He was looked upon as the prophet who brought to his people the very voice of God. In Jesus they saw the consummation of all that they had hoped and longed for and looked forward to.

But one thing we know is that the transfiguration of Jesus made the mountaintop a wonderful place to be. Because shortly after that, Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let me make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” The gospel said that he did not know what he was talking about. Yes indeed! He wants to make three tents—one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. What about him, James and John? The man surely was carried away by the beauty of Jesus’ transfiguration and by the amazing presence of two of the greatest OT figures. Moses and Elijah confirmed that Jesus is the Messiah. But their confirmation wouldn’t have been enough without that of the Father who spoke from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” 

The Transfiguration reminds us in a powerful way that death is not the final word and not the end of life. If death is a complete annihilation of human life, then Elijah and Moses would not have appeared with Jesus. So, we can rightly say that the Transfiguration foreshadows the Resurrection. When this was taking place, the apostles did not understand the significance of it, but they did later, when Jesus had risen from the dead. 

As we celebrate the second week of Lent, each of us is asked to reflect on how we can be transformed through the preaching of the Word of God, the Eucharist and ultimately through the power of the risen Lord. The transfiguration also reminds us that our obedience or otherwise to the words of the Father: “Listen to him,” will determine the nature of our resurrection: whether it would be resurrection to life or to death. A Christian by definition is a follower of Jesus Christ.  She/he is someone who listens to Jesus because they cannot follow someone they are unwilling to listen to. 

To “Listen to him” includes paying attention to his words in Matthew 3: 2, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is near.” Jesus loves us so much and desires what is good for us. It is love for us that drove him to cry out, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is near.” Now this call to repentance is a call to abandon sin because sin hurts. It takes away our peace and joy. Sin cuts us off from life and dries up within us the very source of our freedom and dignity. Let go of sin and let God in our life. To listen to Jesus is to be a true disciple, and to walk with him to Golgotha. As we walk with him, as we talk with him, as we listen to him, our human nature is being transformed into the likeness of divine nature. By listening to him, we become more and more like the person we listened to. By listening to Jesus, we too can be transformed and transfigured. Our face too will radiate the glory of the Lord.

Another Way of Looking at the Gospel of Matthew 25:35-36

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

“For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, a stranger, and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”

“I was hungry and you gave me food.” When I was jobless, I came to you, and you helped me find a job. You told me about an opening in your office and elsewhere and taught me how to go about it. You gave me the connection that ultimately gave me the means of livelihood. The job I have today, I owe to you. The business I am running today, I owe it to you. You gave me the link that got me a decent livelihood.

“I was thirsty and you gave me to drink.” There was a time that my life was dry. I was very empty. Despite all the material things I have, I was still longing for more. I wanted more, but not more material things but something else that would give me fulfillment and satisfaction. Then I met you, and you led me to Jesus who quenched my thirst. I did not know that the thirst I had, the emptiness I wanted to fill up was my dissociation from God. But when I found you, you led me to him.

“I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” Wherever I went, I was usually alone because I had no friend. No one wanted to be my friend because of impoverishment. When I show up in any gathering and even in the Church, people tried to avoid me. No one wanted to be bothered with my tale of problems and a plea for help. But when I encountered you, you accepted me and made me your friend. You made me feel important again and also needed.

“I was naked and you clothed me.” At my baptism, I was clothed with the white garment of righteousness. But my sin, disobedience and arrogance have stained it and stripped me of the garment. I was naked, exposed and vulnerable to the attacks of the Devil. With that, I lost my innocence and holiness. I was like one among hungry lions. Then you came along and led me to Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He forgave me my sins, healed me and restored my righteousness, holiness, dignity and all that I have lost. He said to me, “Be clean.” He said to me, “Go in peace, your sins are forgiven.” He said to me, “Go and show yourself to your priest.” Jesus did not only restore my garment of righteousness, he also restored the joy of my salvation.

“I was sick and you cared for me.” Life’s troubles, afflictions, difficulties and misfortunes made me sick and tired of living. I wanted to take my life; I wanted to end it all. I was sick and tired of living through the pains and misery. But when I met you, you gave me reasons to live again. You gave me hope. You lifted me up and told me that despite all I have been through, God loves me still, and that you also love me. Your care, love and attention brought me healing, comfort, peace and joy, and I wanted to live again.

“I was in prison and you visited me.” I was a prisoner of several disappointments, failings and hurts. Those that claimed to love me deeply hurt me. The people I trusted, betrayed me. All the efforts I have made to make it, failed me. I was deeply hurt. With time, I slipped into self-pity and depression. I got myself locked up in what others have done to me and how life has treated me. Without even knowing it, I became a miserable prisoner of past hurts and failings. I couldn't let myself out. Resentment, anger and bitterness became my world, my neighbors and my daily experiences. But when I met you, you patiently bailed me and led me out of my own imprisonment. You took me to Jesus, the universal Liberator, who set me free and set me on a new path of life. I jailed myself, but you helped me get out of jail.

The Good Life Community

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the First Sunday in Lent, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, LA

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Today’s Gospel taken from Mark 1:12-15 tells us that after Jesus emerged victoriously from being tempted by the devil, he proclaimed, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Before now, the devil was, as it were, holding sway. He thought he was in control. He thought that no one could resist his offer. But Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah knocked him out. He tempted Jesus with comfort, inviting him to provide bread for himself from the stones. He tempted him with easy success, urging him to throw himself down from the temple and everybody would admire him. He tempted Jesus with power. He offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth if Jesus would give Himself over to him. But Jesus resisted all of his enticements and suggestions. Soon after that, he proclaimed, “The time of fulfillment is here now. The Kingdom of God is at hand.” The time of the enemy’s reign is over. Therefore, it’s possible to resist the wandering Beast of wickedness. “The kingdom of God” is here now.

Jesus came from heaven to earth to reveal God and to teach us about him. He came to heal our brokenness, to set us free, to forgive us, to and reconcile us with God and with each other. He came to establish a new order. He came to establish a new world, which he called the Kingdom of God. In this Kingdom, there should be no Jews or Gentiles; no slaves or masters, no haves and have not. His Kingdom is a Kingdom of love, peace, justice, equality, compassion, righteousness and joy. Everything the Lord did on earth, he did to establish, teach, and to further this Kingdom. With his very life, Jesus showed us that it is possible to live out the tenets of his Kingdom. In his Kingdom, all are welcome!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. described this Kingdom as The Beloved Community. He envisioned this Community as a society based on justice, equal opportunity and love for one’s fellow human beings. In the Beloved Community, poverty, hunger and homelessness will not be tolerated because our common origin, which is rooted in God’s image and likeness will not allow it. In the Beloved Community, injustice to one, will be treated as injustice to all. The hunger or sickness or deprivation of one person will be a misfortune to all. An injury to Tom will be treated as an injury to Dick and Harry. The Beloved Community will not condone the notion of ‘us versus them.’ Fundamental to the idea of the Beloved Community is inclusiveness, both social and economic. No one should be left behind. Every child of God must have the same opportunity to pursue life, liberty and happiness. In Dr. King’s writing on Beloved Community, he teaches us that love is active; love is strong, love is urgent, love is practical and love is possible. But from time to time, we forget that love is possible. Folks, against all odds, in the face of extreme discrimination, bigotry, hatred, brutality and even death, love is possible. I dare to say that love is our message. Love is not a feeling, it is a decision. We can choose to love by seeing everyone as sisters and brothers. We can choose to love by seeing things differently. We can choose to love by choosing to let go of past hurts. We can choose to love refusing to live in our self-imprisonment of greed and selfishness. We can choose to love by refusing to be weighed down by the burden of hurts and resentments. The word resentment means “to re-feel.” That’s an optional activity. You may not be able to determine when you would be hurt and who would hurt you. We may not be able to avoid being hurt. That’s something others do to us. But resentment is what we choose to do to ourselves. Nobody can take away our peace of mind, we can only give it away. 

The Beloved Community is the community of love with no resentment. It is a community of genuine friendship with no betrayal. It is a community of no deliberate injury or harm to another. It is a community of feasting in God’s benevolence, faithfulness and forgiveness. In this Community, everyone must strive to build relationship with all and sundry, because relationships are the building blocks of the Beloved Community. We must be open to each other, care for each other, celebrate with each other, and mourn with each other. 

Jesus called this type of society the Kingdom of God. Dr. King called it the Beloved Community. But I call it “The Good Life Community.” In this Community, love reigns supreme! It is the Community where Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. 

Homily for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

THE LEPER WAS NOT THE UNCLEAN

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Parish, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Sunday, February 15, 2015

At the time of Jesus, no disease was more dreaded and avoided than leprosy. It was considered repulsive and unclean. The fate of a leper was hard and disastrous. The person who contracted it was excluded from his family, friends, and from his familiar environment. The person was considered unclean, unworthy and incapable of God’s holiness and blessings. As far as the Jewish people were concerned, leprosy was a punishment for sin, and the leper must be treated as an outcaste. A Leper was therefore, a very lonely person. He had to live alone outside the camp; keep his garments rent, and his head bare. As he went about, he had to warn those coming from the opposite direction and those coming behind him of his polluted presence with a cry, “Unclean, unclean!” 

In today’s Gospel, one of such men approached Jesus and said: “If you wish, you can make me clean.” Looking at him, Jesus was moved with profound compassion and said: “I do will it. Be made clean.” Jesus was moved with pity for the following reasons: one, the number of years this man had suffered the physical pain of leprosy; and two, the number of years he had been shunned and abandoned by all. He had carried his pain all alone with no support from anyone. Coming to terms with how badly a child of God had been treated by all, Jesus was moved with pity for him. After all, the leper too was a child of God. His disease did not strip him of his dignity which was rooted in the image of God.

This leper broke the law of exclusion when he approached Jesus. But what did he hear about Jesus that prompted him to have the audacity to approach him? He heard that this Man, Jesus, was a friend of sinners. He heard that he raised the dead. He heard that Jesus opened the eyes of a blind man. He heard that Jesus made the cripple walk. He heard that he caused the deaf to hear. The leper heard that Jesus caused the mute to speak. He heard that he caused the paralyzed to walk. And because he heard the report of what Jesus had done and what he was doing, faith and courage were aroused in him. With that, he approached Jesus and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” Looking at him, Jesus was filled with pity for him: You bet! “I do will it. Be made clean,” He said to him.

Jesus too broke the law by touching the leper. He did not care about keeping a law of segregation. What is the law compared to the life of a child of God. Any law that forbids us from reaching out and taking care of the least of our brothers and sisters should be broken. Any law that forbids love and charity in any way, form and shape to the most vulnerable in our society should be violated. Any law that hinders us from being humane, especially to the weak among us, should be disregarded without any afterthought. Jesus broke such a law when he touched a leper, healed him, restored him to his human family, and also restored his human dignity, pride and self-worth. He showed him compassion that no one else was ready to show him. As far as Jesus was concerned, the man was not unclean. When he looked at him, he did not see uncleanness, rather a child of God in desperate need. The unclean was not the leper. The unclean were all those who shunned, ignored, showed no compassion, and treated him with disdain and as an outcaste. Anyone who looked the other way upon seeing the leprous man was the unclean. Those who don’t communicate with a brother or sister, but separate themselves from them are the unclean. If you fail to see the person but only see the disability, then you are the unclean. If you fail to see the person but only see the skin color, you are unclean. If you don’t stand up for the right of all persons, then you are the unclean. If you cannot hear your brother’s or sister’s cry for justice, then you are the unclean. Our overall attitude towards others, especially the poor and the vulnerable may be our biggest uncleanness. The unclean were all those who rejected the leper and all those who believed that God had rejected him. The unclean were his parents, brothers, sisters, neighbors, friends, priests, religious and political men and women, the entire society who abandoned him to languish in his misery. The unclean today are all those who neglect, ignore, shun and avoid the poor, the vulnerable and the other. 

Having cleansed him, Jesus sent him to fulfill the prescribed ritual: “See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” Jesus obeyed the law only when it is necessary to do so. He did not recklessly break human law. With the leper healed, he sent him out with a don’t and a do. Don’t tell anyone. But go and show yourself to the priest and to offer the needed sacrifice. But as soon as the man left the sight of Jesus, he could not hold his excitement and joy. He could not hold to himself the mighty work that had been done for him. He just could not resist telling anyone about Jesus and what he did for him. And do you blame him? I don’t! He spread the word. His shout was no more, “I am unclean, I am unclean.” For the first time in a long time, he was able to declare proudly, “I am clean, I am clean.” Who cleansed you? Jesus of Nazareth! Who healed you? Jesus of Nazareth! Who forgave your sins? Jesus of Nazareth! Who restored you? Jesus of Nazareth! For the first time in a long time, the former leper would sit among people, chat with them, eat with them, and make his residence among them. Who did it? Jesus of Nazareth!

Sisters and brothers, we are not lepers. We don’t have leprosy. But what leprosy does on the outside is what sin does in the inside. What leprosy does physically is what sin does spiritually. Leprosy isolates a man or woman from the human society. Sin isolates a person from God and from the people of God. Leprosy kills! Sin also kills. Sin fascinates, but then assassinates! The leper needed Jesus to be healed, we also need Jesus to heal us. The leper needed Jesus for restoration, we also need Jesus for restoration. The leper went to Jesus with a prayer request, “If you want to, you can make me clean.” We too need to go to Jesus and ask him to make us clean and whole. Jesus sent the leper to the priest who will officiate the celebration of his restoration to the human family. We too must go to our priests who on behalf of Jesus officiates the sacramental celebration of our pardon by Jesus. 

Enjoy God! Stop Using God!

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church, Baton Rouge, LA

February 8, 2015

The Synagogue service has just ended, Jesus, together with his friends arrived at Peter’s house. He wanted to enjoy the Sabbath meal with Peter and also to rest. After all, it has been an exciting and also an exhausting day. He needed some rest! But once again, his compassion was appealed to. Simon’s mother-in-law was down with a fever: “They immediately told him about her. He approached her, grasped her hand and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them.” 

You know, Jesus has every right to claim the right to rest. After all, he had been in the Synagogue all day dealing with humans and evil spirits. He was exhausted, but his attention was needed. In this situation, he  could have said, “No, I am tired; I need some rest.” Instead he stood up immediately they told him about the ill-health of Simon’s mother-in-law.  On getting to where she lay, Jesus picked her up. That’s what the Lord does for his people. Remember those times you were down, it was the Lord that picked you up. And when you are up, he keeps you up and running. Whenever you are knock down by ill-health, by misfortunes, and by the problems of life, remember to tell Jesus about it. Do not lay there on your bed and grieve about it. Take it to the Lord in prayer. I always say, “If you ask Jesus for a favor in the morning and he doesn’t answer you, seek for it from him again at noon. But if he doesn’t answer you at noon, knock on his door at night. But if after all your asking, seeking and knocking, he still maintains silence, remind him of the promise he made in Matthew 7:7-8. Talk to him day after day and time after time. Do not let up! Do not give up. Do not be tired of talking to him. Two friends in love never get tired of talking to each other.” Peter’s mother-in-law was sick, they informed Jesus about it. Tell the Lord about your own case. 

As soon as Peter’s mother-in-law was healed, she got up and attended to the needs of Jesus and his disciples. Her service was a way of saying, “Thank You!” She did not concern herself with personal things she hasn't been able to do for herself when she was sick. Instead she used her renewed strength and recovered health to attend to the material needs of Jesus and his disciples. She was one of the few persons in the Gospel that showed appreciation for favors and blessings received.

Early in the morning of the next day, Jesus went to a deserted place where he prayed. He loved going to a quiet and deserted place to pray. Do you know why? Because it is in the silence of a deserted place that he can have a more meaningful discussion and conversation with his Father without any interference. A deserted place can offer us silence and serenity. A deserted place can offer us peace and quiet. A deserted place can provide us the ample opportunity to hear God’s voice. In a deserted place, we can speak to God and God in turn can speak to us without any interference or interruption. In a deserted place, we are able to hear God clearer. In today’s noisy world, we can still make our homes “deserted places” by turning off the TV, radio, cell phones, iPad, computers, video games, musical appliances, etc and talk to God. 

As Jesus was praying, Simon and others who had been looking for him found him in a deserted place praying. Instead of joining him in prayer, they distracted him with a message, “Everyone is looking for you.” Yes, everyone is looking for Jesus but not everyone wants him. Everyone is looking for him, but not everyone wants the message that he brings. Everyone is looking for the good things that Jesus offers (miracles, healing, breakthroughs, deliverance, signs and wonders, protection etc.), but not everyone is looking for the goodness that he is. Everyone wants something out of Jesus, but not everyone wants to surrender to him. Everyone is looking for Jesus, but not everyone is looking for him to worship and adore him. They were looking for him to use him just like many people do today. In days of prosperity, very few prayers are said. But in the days of adversity, more and more prayers are said. Some people never prayed when the sun is up but would begin to pray when cold sets in. God, to such persons, is a crisis affair. It’s only when their life is in a mess or when the wind of life begins to blow against them that they remember God. Such people want God to show himself a merciful Father, but never bothered to show themselves obedient sons and daughters. We must go to Jesus in season and out of season; in good health and in ill-health, in prosperity and in poverty. God should not be used. He is not someone to be used in the days of misfortune and then overlooked in times of fortune. God should be loved and enjoyed and not used. St. Augustine made a distinction between enjoyment and use: “Some things are to be enjoyed, others to be used....The things which are to be enjoyed make us blessed. Those things which are to be used sustain us as we move towards blessedness...To enjoy something is to cling to it with love, for its own sake. To use something, however, is to employ it in obtaining that which we love, provided it is worthy of love. The only “thing” to be enjoyed for its own sake is God.”