Homily on the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity

The Lover, Beloved and Love

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity

St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, LA

May 31, 2015

To be a family is not always easy. Good parents give their children roots and branches, a sense of security and freedom to live their lives. They understand that ‘it is not what they do for their children that will make them successful human beings, but what they have taught them to do for themselves.’ They understand that the greatest legacy they can pass on to their children is not money or other accumulated material things, but rather a legacy of good character and faith in God. In raising their children, they make effort to strike a balance. Although, children, sometimes feel suffocated by their parents; they feel that their parents are controlling their lives too much. But at other times, children feel they are being neglected, that they are not important, not even cared and loved. 

Today, we celebrate one of the deepest mysteries of our faith: that God is a Trinity of persons. The solemnity of the Trinity is not meant to tie us in theological knots, but to remind us again that God wants us to know that we can find our roots in the divine love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that we can also find our freedom there. We are being asked to be inspired by and to imitate the unity of the Trinity, the love of the persons of the Trinity, and the harmony that exists within the Trinity. The Trinity is a seamless unity of persons, a community of love. The Father is the Lover, the Son is the Beloved, the Holy Spirit is the Love. Said differently, The Father is the one who loves, the Son is the one who is loved and the Holy Spirit is the very act of loving. This reality, this mystery, teaches us three things: how to love, how to be loved and how to be love. It teaches us how we can love others, how others can love us, and how each of us can be an agent and instrument of love, that is, how we can be love and love-giving. It teaches us how to be a family and a community, just as God is a family and a community.

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is about the inner relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It teaches us that our God does not exist alone or in isolation. Our God is a community! Now, if we expected today’s readings to give us a clear and elaborate presentation of the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity, we have found out that they simply do not.  In fact the very word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible. But in today’s Gospel, Jesus referred to the reality of the Trinity when he said, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-19).

The importance of this doctrine lies in this: we are made in the image of God, therefore, the more we understand God the more we understand ourselves. Experts in religion tell us that people always try to be like the god they worship. People who worship a warrior god tend to be war-mongering, people who worship a god of pleasure tend to be pleasure-seeking, people who worship a god of wrath tend to be vengeful, and people who worship a god of love tend to be loving. Like a god, so the worshippers. The doctrine of the Blessed Trinity teaches us, among other things the kind of God we worship and the kind of people we should be. God does not exist in solitary individualism but in a community of love, fellowship and sharing. God is not a loner. This means that a Christian in search of godliness must shun every tendency to isolationism and individualism. We become who God created us to be when we are in a relationship of love with God and with the people of God.

We begin and end the Mass by making the sign of the cross. The sign of the cross is a simple action that many of us have been doing since we were children. As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, I want us to always remember that each time we make the sign of the cross, we sign ourselves in love. Therefore, let’s live as such. We may not be able to comprehend the mystery of the Trinity, as such, may not be able to help people understand the theological intricacies of this amazing mystery, but we can certainly help them experience love. Since we all want love, let’s give love. Love makes us a family. It turns a house into a home, and turns a home into a family. Love turns a people into a nation, and a nation into a community. It turns a gathering of people into a church and a people of God. Loves transforms us from selfishness to selflessness. It makes us to think, not only about ourselves but also about others. Love makes us to live for a cause. It is the driver for making disciples for Christ Jesus.

Joint Gift From Heaven

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday

St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, LA

May 24, 2015

In my previous homily, I have discussed how amazed, thrilled and extremely happy I was when one of my parishioners in Memphis, Tennessee, by the name Dr. Ann Hinton, bought me a GPS. While giving me the brand new device, she said, “Father Marcel, you came to America to save souls, and as you do that, I do not want you to get lost. Take this GPS and use it. It will help you get around, and direct you to your destination, so that you don’t get lost.” I still use that GPS till today! It’s an amazing piece of technology. Once I type the address of where I want to go, it gives me direction until I get to my destination. It never complains; it does not curse me; it does not get angry at me; and it never criticizes me. Even when I ignore what it is saying, it simply recalculates my route without raising its voice or yelling at me. My GPS, like all others has only one purpose: to guide me safely to my destination. 

Today is Pentecost Sunday! Today, we celebrate the Gift of the Father and the Son, which is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent to the disciples of Jesus, and also to us, to guide us safely to our ultimate destination of heaven. He accomplishes this as the comforter, helper, teacher and advocate. When we mourn, grieve, are betrayed, slandered, gossiped about, lied about, hurt etc., the Holy Spirit provides consolation. His consolation assures us that we are not alone and have not been abandoned by the good God. His consolation gives warmth and healing and prevents those ugly experiences from getting in our way and journey to God. God is our refuge and destination, and anything that attempts to divert our journey to him is a distraction. Through the comfort of the Comforter, we get back up and keep moving. Deep pain and sorrow can divert our journey; they are capable of deafening us to the point of not being able to hear the voice of the divine GPS. When that happens, we miss our way. We enter into a wrong lane or highway of sulking and depression. We could get lost. But when the Comforter comes, he not only comforts and heals us, he also recalculates our way back to God. As a helper, the Holy Spirit helps us in all aspects of our lives. He helps us to fulfill our destiny. He helps us to get saved. He helps us in prayer when we do not know how to pray (Romans 8:26-27). He reveals the will of God to us (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), he helps us to build our faith, he helps us to live a victorious Christian life. As a Teacher, the Holy Spirit teaches us the truth of God—that God is greater than what we say he is; that God is a wonderful Daddy, that he is full of love, mercy and compassion; that God is not a cop, but a loving Daddy who is deeply interested in each of us. The Holy Spirit is also our Advocate. An advocate, as we know, is someone who looks after our interests in a court of law, speaks and answers on our behalf. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate in heaven. He looks after our interests in the heavenly court. He does not attempt to provide evidence to show our innocence. He knows that every accusation of the law of God against us is true, but he pleads on our behalf. When we sin, our Advocate presents himself to the Father as the atonement for our sins. By pointing at the wounds on Jesus’ side and hands, he pleads for mercy, clemency and leniency for us.

Everything the Holy Spirit does for us demonstrates among other things, that we are not alone. In the gospel of John 14:16-17 & 18, Jesus made a promise: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God.” “I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.” None of us is alone. In this journey of faith, we are not alone. As we walk and drive to our homeland, we are not alone. In the struggles of this earthly life, we are not alone. Even when we think we are alone, we are not really alone. We cannot walk alone. We have a Companion from the Father and the Son. 

In Galatians 5:16, St. Paul urges us, “Walk in the Spirit and you will not satisfy the desires of the flesh.” Walking in the Spirit means there is a way or a path. The path or way of the flesh leads to all kinds of destructive and disruptive behaviors; but the way of the Spirit brings us to the Kingdom of God. When we walk in the Spirit of the Lord, we bring, even now, the Kingdom of God to earth. The Holy Spirit is our Guide along the way to Jesus Christ. The chief purpose of the Spirit is to guide and bring us to the One who is the Truth, to bring us home safely. 

Learn to pray and invite the Holy Spirit into every aspect of your life and experiences. Let us pray:

Holy Spirit of God, Holy Spirit the comforter,

Love of the Father and the Son,

I need you in my life.

Renew and revive me and give me a spiritual hunger for you.

As a deer yearns for running streams, let me also yearn for you daily.

Fan into flame the spiritual gifts I received on the day of my baptism. 

Grant me a genuine faith and fervent desire for prayer.

Heal me when I am sick and brokenhearted.

Touch and transform me when I become obstinate.

Comfort me when I am sorrowful.

Help me to have patience in dealing with difficult situations and difficult people.

Teach me how to truly love God above all things and love others unselfishly.

Lighten the burdens that I carry.

Open my eyes to see God in others.

Purge me from selfishness.

Wake me up from the sleep of the soul.

Forgive me of my sins; plead and advocate for me before the Father.

Supply me with all the spiritual and material necessities I need to live a true human life.

When my earthly life is over, be my life. Lead me successfully home to my homeland in heaven.

Amen

(Composed by Fr. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR)

Eternal Reward Without Rebuke 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Parish, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

Sunday, May 17, 2015

As we celebrate the Lord’s Ascension into heaven, three points may be considered: One, Jesus returns to heaven but not exactly as he came. He came as the Son of God but now returns as the Son of God and also the Son of Mary. He came to earth as the only begotten Son of God, but now returns as our Brother and Redeemer. In one sense, he is the only begotten Son of God, but in another sense, he is not, for through his redemption, he has ransomed and begotten each of us as sons and daughters of God. Two, Jesus ascends to heaven without really leaving us. He stays with us as the Risen Lord. He is present with us through Spirit who he sent to us. He also continues to be with us supremely in the Eucharist, in common and private prayer, in our neighbor, in the poor and in those who evangelize for the Lord. In Matthew 21:20, Jesus promises us “And behold I am with you always until the end of time.” As we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord, we should avoid the mistake of boxing Jesus into heaven, away from us. After all, heaven is living in God’s presence, a presence which begins here and now with the grace of God and then climaxes and culminates in the glory of heaven. Jesus knew this all too well and that’s why in John 17:3 he says: “…eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ who you sent.” 

The third point to consider as we celebrate the Lord’s Ascension is that his Ascension into heaven reminds us of the destiny of his followers. A Christian is a pilgrim. We are on a journey, and when someone begins a journey, he or she wants to get to the destination. The hope of the Christian pilgrim is the destination of heaven. 

Heaven is our destination. But discussions about heaven, some say, are oftentimes shrouded in mystery. No living person among us can say with certitude how heaven is like. We don’t really know the things that are in heaven. None of our departed relatives and friends has come back to narrate and describe to us how heaven is like. While some scholars argue about whether heaven is a place or a state, some of us wonder if there is food or drink in heaven; if heaven is going to be fun or boring. 

I read the story of a doctor and his terminally ill patient, who was very scared of dying. Out of fear of death, the patient asked his doctor: “What is there in heaven?” The doctor answered: “I don’t know.” In amazement, the patient said: “You don’t know? But you are a devout Catholic and attend Mass daily, yet you don’t know what is there in heaven?” At that time, there was a big noise produced by someone who wanted to force the door of the clinic open. It was a big dog, the doctor’s dog. Entering the clinic, the dog runs, jumps, and kisses the doctor. The entrance of the dog provided a teaching opportunity for the doctor. The doctor said to his patient: “Do you see my dog? He did not know what was in this room, but he knew that someone, his master was here, and that was enough for him. I don’t know what is in heaven, but I know one thing: God my Father is there, Jesus my Redeemer is there, and that is enough for me.”

Beloved in Christ, I don’t have a perfect knowledge of heaven. I don’t know if heaven is a place or a state. I don’t know if there is food or drink in heaven. I can only guess! But I can categorically, emphatically and certainly say that heaven is the reward of righteousness. Heaven is the reward of compassion. It is the reward of love- love of God and neighbor. Heaven is the reward of holiness and purity. It is the reward for feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, welcoming the strangers, visiting the sick, the shut-in and the imprisoned for the sake of Jesus. Heaven is the reward of forgiveness and tolerance. It is the reward of not getting tired of doing what is good. It is the reward of working for justice and peace for the sake of Jesus, the Prince of peace. Heaven is the reward of simplicity and humility. It is the reward of not giving up on God even in the face of suffering and hardship. Heaven is the reward of keeping the Lord's commandments. It is the reward of working for God wholeheartedly with no regrets. Heaven is the reward of joy drawn from a profound relationship with God. Heaven is the reward obedience- God's centered obedience. It is the reward of being a faithful witness of God. It is the reward of not clinging too much on the things of this world. Heaven is the reward of depending and relying on God. Heaven is the reward of following Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Heaven is the reward of honest living devoid of hypocrisy. Heaven is the reward of saying yes to God on a daily basis. It is the reward for those who spend their earthly life storing up treasures in heaven. It is the reward for those who spent their lives on earth “proclaiming the gospel to every creature.”

Heaven is our goal and our target! In 1 Corinthians 2:9, St. Paul writes, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and it has not entered into the heart of anyone what God has prepared for those who love him.” We may not know with certitude the things that are in heaven, but Revelation 21:4 tells us that in heaven, “God will wipe away all tears from our eyes; there will be no more death, no sorrow or crying or pain, because old things have passed away.” This tells us that heaven is peace without interruption; joy without interruption, fellowship with God and with the people of God without interruption. Heaven is perfect health and strength without interruption of any sickness or weakness. It is perfection without limitation, wholeness without blemish or wrinkle. 

No Longer Slaves But Friends

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

May 10, 2015

To those who are called by the name of Jesus Christ, have faith in him, and have surrendered to his lordship Jesus says: “I no longer call you slaves because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father” (John 15:15). 

Sisters and brothers, we are not slaves, not even to our Lord and Master. We are rather friends of Jesus. Slaves don’t have to love their masters. In fact, slaves hardly love their masters. Slaves do not sit, eat and dine at the same table with their masters. The master does not die for his slaves. If anything, he would sacrifice the lives of his slaves just to keep his. Jesus calls us friends, not slaves. He told us everything he heard from the Father and even died for us. Like I said before, love does not have to exist between a master and his slaves; but between friends, there is love and intimacy; there is a desire to please each other; there is a yearning to make sacrifices for each other. Between friends, there is obedient love and sacrificial love. But between a slave and his master, there is a mere blind obedience, obedience generated not by love but by fear. Jesus calls us friends because he does not want us to be afraid of him but to love him. He wants our obedience of his commandments to be generated by love and fidelity and not by fear. And let’s not forget that he was the first to love us. In the beginning of today’s Gospel, he says, “As the Father loves me, so I also love you” (John 15:9). To emphasize the fact that he was the first to love us, he said, “It was not you who chose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain (last)...” (John 15:16).

An essential commandment given to us by Jesus in today’s Gospel is: “Love one another as I love you” (John15:12). Love is our Christian identity. It is our habit. Love defines us and demonstrates our relationship with Jesus. It brings life in the society. It enthrones the reign of God in our society. Love is capable of reducing crimes, violence and human suffering. In today’s world of violence and hate, we are called once again to love just as Jesus loves us. There should be no discrimination in love. God is love and any person who loves is godly. Sometimes we live as if we are in this world to compete with one another, or to dispute with one another, or to quarrel with one another. Today’s Gospel reminds us that we are called primarily to love one another as Jesus loves us. We are to love with no strings attached.

Beloved in Christ, since the owner of our lives did not call us slaves, no one should be called a slave or be treated as such. We are all God’s children; we are friends of Jesus. In Galatians 3:28, St. Paul says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.”  Since Jesus almost made us equal to himself, why do we diminish the humanity of some people? Why do we look at others as inferior? Why do we treat others as second-class citizens? Why do we belittle people that Jesus himself has lifted up? Why do we humiliate certain persons that the Lord has exalted? Our society has some people who oftentimes say, write and do things that racially disrespect and dishonor certain races, and when they are confronted by it, they dismiss their critics with comments like: “I am not a racist.” Each of us should be careful not to dishonor those whom God has honored, not to disparage or undervalue those whom God values and cherishes, not to treat as a slave those whom God has called friends, not to dehumanize a person whose dignity Jesus has dignified and glorified. If Jesus did not call us slaves or treat us as slaves, why do we look at others or treat them as slaves? Mark this, anyone who dishonors a human person whom God has created in his image and likeness dishonors God too. And there are consequences for dishonoring God!

Now, being a slave of God was once a title of honor. Moses, Joshua, David etc. were known as slaves of God. Men and women of God in the past were proud to be called slaves of God. But Jesus tells us he has something greater to call us, “You are no longer slaves but friends.” With this, Jesus offers us the greatest intimacy with God. It means we no longer have to look at God from a distance. We are not like slaves who have no right to enter into the presence of their master. We are not spectators or a crowd of people who only look at men and women of authority from a distance. Jesus, our Lord and Brother has given us the permit to enter freely into the presence of the King of kings without any harassment from the Secret Service. “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17: 28). We are no longer strangers or aliens but intimate friends of God. 

Glory be to God! 

Bearing Good Fruits in Christ

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Church

May 3, 2015

In today’s gospel Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in him will bear much fruit because without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). The image of electricity and the bulb will help us understand more what our Lord is saying. Just as electricity provides the power necessary for the bulb to burn, so the vine provides the life necessary for the branches to produce fruits. A house cannot have light unless it is connected to the very source of electricity. We cannot have the virtuous fruits of the Spirit unless we are connected to Jesus the true vine. As long as we are connected to Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit can run into us keeping us alive and thriving. But if we dismember ourselves from him, we will not be able to produce life-sustaining and life-giving fruits. This could lead to spiritual dormancy and inactivity. In the end, it can lead to loss of faith; it can lead to loss of the sense of the sacred, and the loss of the sense of God. Catholics who do not produce fruits expected of the children of the resurrection are a threat to Christianity; they can harm the Body of Christ and expose our faith to ridicule. Their actions can make more converts to atheism than atheists are able to do. What are the fruits expected of a Christian? Galatians 5:22 says, “The fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” 

To bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit, we must remain in Christ Jesus. We must renew our relationship with him on a daily basis through prayer. The secret to the faithfulness of Jesus was his constant contact with his Father. Over and over again, he would withdraw into a lonely place to pray. For us to be able to keep and maintain constant contact with Jesus, we must pray and attend Masses. At Mass we encounter Jesus both in the Word and in the Eucharist. Prayer doesn’t have to be about asking. Asking for one favor or the other is just one aspect of prayer. Prayer is being in the presence of God. It involves making time to be silent and to acknowledge the presence of God. We must make time to turn off the TV, radio, the phones, the computer and just think about God. For those of us who find it very difficult to concentrate, to meditate and to pray, let me suggest a practice that can help. Place two chairs (seats) facing each other. Sit on one, then invite Jesus to sit on the other. Believe in your heart that he is sitting on the other. Close your eyes and then talk to him. If you have nothing to say to him, just shut your eyes and remain silent for a while. If you want to talk to him but don’t know what to say, you can say repeatedly, “Jesus, I love you” or “Jesus, I need you” or something else. Remember the injunction of St. Paul, “Walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

A good disciple of Jesus Christ makes time for him. He/she understands that prayer is touching God. Prayer is the oil of the Christian life. If there is no oil in a running car, it is only a matter of time before there is a mechanical meltdown. In the same way, when a Christian goes on without prayer, without connecting with Christ, it is only a matter of time before he or she suffers spiritual meltdown. When a branch of a tree is chopped off, it is only a matter of time before it withers and dies. With constant contact with Jesus through prayer, studying and meditating on the Word of God (Bible), and attending Masses regularly, the Christian enriches his or her life, and his or her contact with the Lord enables him or her to be a fruitful branch. In the end, the person radiates the glory of God. His or her life motivates others to want to serve the God that makes him or her the way he or she is. The life of a fruitful child of God gives glory to God. Such a life demonstrates the goodness of God. It bears testimony to the good God. Our greatest achievement is that by remaining in Christ and producing good fruits we bring glory to our God who is good at all times. 

Be fruitful and multiply the glory and blessings of God!