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.