We Are in the Capernaum Crowd If…

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, LA

August 2, 2015

After Jesus had fed the five thousand people to their satisfaction, they wanted to stick around him for a longer period of time. In fact, they planned to “carry Jesus off to make him their king.” But the Lord was not interested in earthly praise and kingship. So, he withdrew to the mountain. Jesus was aware that what moved them to want to crown him their king wasn't their religious conviction. It wasn’t because they had fallen in genuine love with him. It wasn’t because they had accepted him as their messiah. It was their belly needs that moved them. After the miracle of five loaves and two fish, their bellies were full, and they wanted more, not more of Jesus, but more of what he could give—material blessings. So, the next time their bellies demanded for food, they started looking for Jesus and his disciples. Previously, they were so full that they didn’t even know when Jesus slipped away from their midst. But when belly duty called, they started searching for their “belly filler.”  They got into boats and came to the town of Capernaum looking for Jesus. On finding him, they exclaimed, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” (John 6:25) Jesus did not waste time to tell them why they were actually looking for him: “Amen, amen I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal” (John 6:26-27). Surprisingly they asked Jesus for another sign before they could believe: “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?” (John 6:30) In actuality they did not need any further sign before they could believe because Jesus had already demonstrated that when he multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish to feed them. But of course, they were not interested in Jesus per se, they were after food. And they proved it when they said: “What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus quickly reminded them that it wasn't Moses who supplied bread to their ancestors but his Father. He also taught them that the true bread, the bread of God is the one who came down from heaven. That bread, he emphasized, gives life to the world. Hearing Jesus make mention of bread finally triggered them to bluntly say: “Sir, give us this bread always” (John 6: 34). I am sure Jesus disappointed a good number of them when he said in reply: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (John 6:35).

It is quite easy for those of us reading this Gospel (John 6:24-35) to harshly judge the Jewish folks of Jesus’ time. From where we stand today, it is easy to say, “Man, how did they miss that? How is it that the multiplication of five loaves of bread and two fish was not enough to make them genuine seekers of Jesus?” But we may not be different from the crowds who went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. Some of us have been regular churchgoers for years without anything to show for it spiritually. Some of us search for Jesus for the wrong reasons. The crowds in the gospel were moved by hunger to go in search of Jesus, which means that they placed more priority on what He could give them rather than on Jesus himself. Their chief concern was purely material. Do not think we cannot fall into the same category. 

If we come to church just to be blessed, but not to bless God and others, then we are in that crowd. If we come to church to be healed, yet, refuse to be healers, we are in that crowd. If we come to church to be delivered and set free and not deliver and set free others we have held captive, we are in that Capernaum crowd. If we come to church to be fed by the word of God, but not to feed others with the same word, we are in that crowd. If we can never miss coming to church when we have fellowship meal, but wouldn't mind staying at home on other Sunday, then we are in that Capernaum crowd. If we come to church to have our tears wiped away but never bothered to wipe the tears of another, we are a member of the Capernaum crowd. If we have been coming to church for years, still all the bad and sinful habits of old are still winning and dinning with us, and we are not making any serious effort to put them out of the house of our life, we are a member of the Capernaum crowd. If we come to church to be forgiven but would not forgive our offenders, we are in that crowd. If we talk about others but don’t talk to them, we are in that crowd. If we come to church just to avoid conscience attack, we are among the Capernaum crowd. If the reason we search for the Lord is more material than spiritual, then we are in the crowd that went to Capernaum. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life…” This bread heals, saves, and quenches our thirst and hunger. But it can only heal us when we become healers. It can only save us when we become co-redeemers; it can only quench our thirsts and hunger when we reach out to quench the thirst and hunger of others. It is in healing others that we too are healed. We become whole by seeking the wholeness of others. We become what we sincerely desire for others. It’s only in the service of the Lord and humanity that we discover and find ourselves. 

Look Beyond What You See!

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, LA

Sunday, July 26, 2015

A buffet is a meal system where customers generally serve themselves. It is a popular method for feeding a large number of people with minimal staff. Buffets are offered at various places including hotels, restaurants and many social events. At a buffet, different kinds of food are displayed in such a way that they would be seen by all, and customers are expected to serve themselves. The waiter is not going to ask you what you want to eat because the food is already on display. All you need to do is to grab your plate and your silverwares and serve yourself. At a buffet, you can eat as many times as possible. You can eat any quantity you want. You can pile up your plate and eat till you can take no more. The quantity of food one eats is not regulated. One interesting thing about a buffet is that the one who consumed only one plate and the one who ate two or three plates pay the same amount of money. The prize is flat.

In today’s gospel taken from John 6:1-15, Jesus fed about five thousand people with just five barley loaves and two fish. Incredible! In the first reading taken from 2 Kings 4: 42-44, Elisha fed a hundred people with twenty barley loaves. But before this was done, his servant had doubted the possibility of feeding a hundred people with merely twenty loaves of bread. The disciples of Jesus also did not believe that five loaves and two fish could feed a multitude of five thousand. They could not see beyond the five loaves and two fish. Somehow they forgot that the man who had worked even greater miracles was in their midst. They approached the situation with human reason alone. Their faith did not carry them far enough. But Jesus proved to them that God can make a way where there seems to be no way.

The miraculous feeding of five thousand was not a buffet, yet everybody ate to his or her satisfaction and even had left-overs that filled twelve baskets. God offers us more than we can ever imagine. The disciples of Jesus did not see any divine possibilities. Andrew acknowledged the presence of a boy with some loaves and fish: “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what good are these for so many?” (John 6: 9). Philip, with doubt in his mind pointed out mathematically that “Two hundred day’s wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little” (John 6:7). Logically speaking, the disciples were right. But they didn’t apply one of God’s gifts to humanity-- Faith.  They forgot that the one who raised the dead, walked on the sea, calmed a dangerous storm, drove out many demons and healed many people of their diseases was in their midst. There is nothing wrong in thinking logical, but in times of dire need, faith may be the only thing that will see us through. No wonder St. Paul urges us in 2 Corinthians 5: 7 to “Walk by faith and not by sight”.

Right now, you may be asking yourself: how do I make it today and tomorrow? We might be thinking logically how to pay all the bills. School will soon resume, and already you are worried because of your children’s tuition. You are thinking of so many problems facing you. From human reasoning, there seems to be no end in sight. There seems to be no way out. The night seems to be too dark and long. The journey appears to be too far and steep. The mountain seems to be too high to climb up or too high to jump down. You seem to be at a crossroad. You have run out of answers and run out of time. You are so confused and seem to be losing your mind. You need faith to see the future God offers to you.

The feeding of the five thousand was not a buffet, yet thousands ate to their satisfaction. It was the miracle of food—bread and fish. Miracles have not ceased to happen. When we are in need, God provides for us. When we are in trouble, he shows us the way out. When we are carrying loads that are too heavy, he lightens the weight. When we seem to be sinking deep like Peter on water, God reaches out to save us. He will always provide for those who love and serve him. All we need to do is to do our part. Do all you have to do well and uprightly, then leave the rest to God. He will take care of the rest. When you begin to doubt the power of God to save you, when you throw faith out of the window and begin to apply reason alone, remember what happened in today’s gospel. When you begin to doubt, remember it was not a buffet, yet, thousands had their fill. That same miracle can as well happen to you. Look beyond what you see. Look beyond your troubles. If your problems are great, God is even greater than all of them. Don’t forget that God is supreme, and that nothing tops supreme. By the time the Lord is done with you, today’s responsorial psalm will be your song: “The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs.”

What’s in your in Report Card?

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church, Baton Rouge, LA

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Last Sunday’s Gospel taken from Mark 6:7-13 tells us that after summoning the Twelve, Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits, specific instructions on how to embark on their missionary journey, and thereafter sent them out two by two into the villages to deliver the message of change and repentance. The Twelve went out, preached, drove out numerous demons, anointed the sick with holy oil and many were cured of their ailments. Today’s Gospel (Mark 6:30-34) is the continuation of the story. After accomplishing their mission, the Apostles returned to Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. One after another, they took their turn and reported in detail what they preached and did. They probably said the following:  “Lord, we preached about the kingdom of God and called on the people to turn away from their evil ways.” “Lord, guess what happened? At the mention of your name, the devil trembled. And do you know that we expelled lots of evil spirits from the possessed?” “Lord, we also visited several hospitals, anointed the sick and a good number of them got well.” “Lord, we also visited the homebound, brought your message of salvation to them, and also anointed them too.” “Lord, we took your message to virtually every village around us. We preached without fear. We told people about you. We urged them to accept you as their Lord and Savior. We maintained that you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” “Lord, some of them opposed and resisted our message and tried to stop us, but we stood firm.” “Lord, in our preaching, we emphasized that God is love, that God is merciful, that God is full of mercy and compassion. We invited people to accept his mercy, healing and goodness.” “Lord, we think we have made many disciples for you; the next time you go out, a lot more people will come to follow you.” “Lord, we have made you known around here.”

What exactly was going on there? The Twelve were giving a report of their accomplishments. They were reporting to the Master of the harvest—what they did with the word and power he had given to them. With the word of God, prodigals were being saved. With the word, lives were being turned around. With the word, the lost were being found, hopelessness was being replaced by hope, hatred was being replaced by love, injury and hurt were being supplanted by healing. With the word of God, strife was being replaced by peace. With the power in the name of Jesus, the possessed were being set free, spiritual prisoners were being liberated, the sick were being healed and cured. With the power in the name of Jesus, blindness to truth was being overtaken by courage to embrace and promote the truth. With power in the name of Jesus, darkness was giving way to light, sadness was vacating the front seat for joy and comfort. With the power in that name, chains were being broken—chains of habitual anger, chains of addiction, of being judgmental, unnecessarily too critical, selfish, unkind, unappreciative—chains of sins.  

After reporting “all they had done and taught,” Jesus was very pleased with them. The Lord was elated and delighted in their accomplishments. “Well done, good and faithful servants. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. But before then, come and share in your master’s happiness” (Matthew 25:23), Jesus may have said to them. To share in their master’s joy, he invited them saying: “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). He recognized weariness in them and offered them some time to rest and recuperate. “So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.” But the rest was thwarted by the surging crowds who wanted to see Jesus. When Jesus saw them, “his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34). This highlights the profound mercy and compassion of Jesus. But let’s not forget how we got here. Why did Jesus take the Twelve to such a lonely place? He brought them there to rest, to recuperate and to be rewarded. Why? For accomplishing creditably well the assignment he had given to them. 

Beloved in Christ, like the Twelve, Jesus too has given us a mission and an assignment to do while we still have life. Do you know what your assignment is? Are you carrying it out steadfastly and joyfully? What role are you playing in the spread of the Kingdom of God? Are you building up or tearing it down? When the Lord calls, what kind of report are you going to give? At the end of that report, do you think Jesus is going to offer you the invitation to come over with him and rest everlastingly? What’s in your report card? 

Check this out! Good or bad report, there’ll surely be a reward!

Sent Forth to Bring the King’s Message and Mercy

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church, Baton Rouge, LA

Sunday, July 12, 2015

A disciple is a follower or student of a teacher, leader or philosopher; whereas an apostle is someone who is sent forth to deliver a message. Simply and differently put, a disciple is a learner, whereas an apostle is a graduate who’s ready to get a job done. Jesus’ disciples have received enough training and apprenticeship. They have been taught enough and were ready to be sent forth in twos to do what they had seen him do. The period of tutorship was over. Graduation celebration was over too. Standing beside Jesus and watching him do all the talking was over as well. Like the mother bird, the Lord completed teaching them how to fly on their own. But in this case, the disciples were not being sent out to hunt for food, but to hunt for the lost sheep and to guide them safely back home. After giving them authority to expel evil spirits and render them powerless, Jesus instructed them, “to take nothing for the journey, but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts.” That meant they should trust God for their provision. In Matthew 6:25 Jesus puts it clearer: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” Jesus did not want them to be distracted by material things. Their focus should’ve been on the message—God’s kingdom is at hand. But if people didn’t like the message, they should move on. 

With the travel instructions stated, ‘job’ description and code of ethics read out, the newly graduated students of the Lord, “went off and preached repentance.” Their preaching was not invented by them. They did not create their own message. They brought a message. They did not proclaim their personal opinions. It wasn’t their personal theologies that they brought to the people; it was God’s eternal truth. They simply sounded the message Jesus had told them. They did not make themselves the focal point of attention. They knew they were only messengers and not the message. And the message they brought to the people of God was, “Repent!” 

Whenever we hear the word “repent” in church, we feel uncomfortable and uneasy. Why? Because we are being asked to relinquish, abandon, and set aside what we are used to and what we may be comfortable with. To repent involves a change of mind and actions. Repentance means a change of heart and behavior. This change certainly brings some sort of hurt or disturbance to us, because of the painful realization that the way we have been living is wrong. When we get so comfortable with doing something, we hardly want to jettison it. When a certain way of life fits our philosophy of life, we do not want to let it go. If the way we treat others makes sense to us, we do not want to be told to change from it. Any call for a radical change of life, oftentimes disturbs us because it involves letting go of what we have and what we have been doing. It also involves embracing a new life—a complete turnaround. If you are wondering why repentance is hard and why few people heed to it, those are the reasons.  It is a religious call that invites us to place on the scale of eternal life, all of our thoughts, habits, character, and attitude towards God, life and others, and then weigh them. When we realize, all of a sudden, that their weight does not surpass a featherweight, it disturbs us. Repentance is hard because change is hard. But if we truly want to spend eternity with the good God, that’s the only path to tread. 

There are regular church-going folks who arrogantly or ignorantly claim that their lives are “perfect”—that they have nothing to change about themselves or repent from. They often say to themselves: “I say my daily prayers, go to Mass, give money to church, and sometimes give a sandwich or a dollar to a hungry man on the street. I live by myself. I am too old. What sin can I possibly commit?” But repentance or change is not always from robbery, theft, murder, lies, immorality and obvious and conspicuous sins. Anyone who is selfish needs to change. If you are ungrateful, you need to change. Are you inconsiderate? You need to repent from it. Are you always complaining? Can nothing or anyone please you? You need to repent! Are you always looking at others with suspicion—not trusting anyone, even in the house of God? You need to repent. Are you one of those who come to church but hardly volunteer to help out? Then you need to embrace change. This change must move us from self-centeredness to God-centeredness. It must move us from the “I” to “us” and “we.” 

The Apostles of Jesus did not only preach repentance, they also brought the most beautiful message: God is merciful! (Luke 6:36). God’s mercy is God’s healing balm on the wounds of humanity. No human person is completely and thoroughly whole and healthy. As such, we all need God’s mercy. But we must ask for it. Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask and it shall be given to you…” Never assume that you are morally and spiritually spotless, with no blemish or wrinkle. Romans 3:23 has already given its verdict: “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” 1 John 1:10 declares even further: “If we claim that we have not sinned, then we are calling God a liar, and his word is not in us.” But our sinful condition is not going to be our ultimate destiny. We serve an awesome God who is good and merciful. Psalm 145:8 tells us that, “The Lord is full of mercy and compassion, slow to anger and rich in unfailing love.” 

Embrace change and embrace God’s mercy!

His Social Status was His ‘Sin’

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, LA

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Who are the people that we sometimes tend to ignore or reject? Who are the people that we easily pass by pretending they don’t exist? We avoid them, not because they will cause us any harm, but because they irritate us.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus went home to his own people. But before he made this journey, he had expelled unclean spirits from the possessed, healed a woman who had suffered hemorrhages for 12 years, and raised the daughter of a Synagogue official, Jairus from death. His fame and popularity had spread. His message was gaining ground and multitudes of people were flocking to him. But when Jesus came to his hometown, Nazareth, the reception he got was different. The response he got from the people who had known him since boyhood was cold and hostile. As he taught in their Synagogue on a sabbath day, his teaching was received not with pleasant amazement but with contempt. “They took offense at him.” They were astonished, scandalized and upset that a man who came from such an impoverished, low-life background like him could speak with such authority and profundity. They knew Jesus’ humble and lowly beginnings; they knew his profession, his mother, and his relatives: “Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary…”  And in contempt, they asked: “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!” 

Jesus was in his hometown’s synagogue proclaiming the Kingdom of God, the presence of God among his people but his people couldn’t hear or see him. To them, he was simply an unexceptional carpenter and the impecunious son of Mary who doesn’t worth listening to. Jesus wasn’t born in a noble family. He wasn’t born with a silver-spoon in his mouth. His earthly father, Joseph was poor and obviously died a poor man. His mother Mary didn’t have much. But Jesus had a job. Even though his job was ridiculed, he was not jobless. After the death of Joseph, Jesus inherited his carpentry workshop, worked hard, earned a living and supported Mary. He was as a matter of fact a handyman who could build a wall, mend a roof, repair a gate, fix a furniture and construct a new floor or repair an old one. Unfortunately, his folks despised him for being an ordinary hard working man. Jesus was not a Wall-street man but a Main-street man. He was a man of the people, a layman, a common man, a handyman who could do anything to help people and support his mother. He was rejected and resisted  due to his social status. Simply put, his status was his sin. But that ordinary man of Nazareth, rejected by Nazarenes, held in contempt by Nazarenes, today is the center of history.

From Jesus, we learn that it is not only the moneybags that can make a difference in the world. It is not only the intellectually gifted people that can make a difference in our society. It is not only those who sit on the exalted seats of power and who walk on the corridors of power that can make a difference in our community. From Jesus we learn that regardless of status, fame, position in life, degrees acquired, you can make a difference by the witness of your life.

The saddest words in this Gospel is: “So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them” (Mark 6:5). Why? They lacked the faith needed to receive from God. The atmosphere wasn’t right. The work of God can hardly be done in an atmosphere of religious coldness and indifference. The most power packed and spirit-filled message of salvation can fall lifeless in an environment of coldness and scorn towards God and what pertains to God. To those he healed, Jesus never said: “Your faithlessness has saved you” or “Your religious coldness and indifference have saved you.” It has always been: “Your faith has saved you.” Great things happen to people of great faith. Great things happen to hearts and lives that are open to receive the Lord. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Because he was rejected by his own people, Jesus formed a new family. This family began with the people whom we have been hearing about- the disciples, those who struggle, the commoners, the sick, the woman with hemorrhages, Jairus and his little girl, folks seeking for salvation etc. By baptism, we have become part of this family too. This family is not based on blood, or race, or origin, but on faith. I conclude this reflection with a question: “Is the Lord going to do something great, something mighty, something new among us, or is he going to be amazed by our lack of faith in him and in each other?”