Homily for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

You Are Also Involved!

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday July 3, 2016

The Twelve Apostles were always with Jesus, accompanying him wherever he went. Apart from a few occasions when he was accompanied by Peter, James and John, the Twelve were mostly with him as he moved around preaching, teaching, healing, and liberating those held hostage by the spirits of demons. They were in the boat with Jesus when he calmed the raging sea (Mark 4:34-44). They were with him when he cured the Ten Lepers exiled and ex-communicated from their communities, families and friends (Luke 17:11-19). The Apostles were with him when he spoke the words “Talitha koum!” which means “little girl, I say to you, get up.” They were there and saw the joy, the excitement and the gratitude on the glowing face of Jairus as he witnessed the “second life” of his daughter (Mark 5:35-43). They were with Jesus when the blind Bartimaeus had his sight restored (Luke 18: 35-43). They also witnessed the miracle of the second life of Lazarus (John 11:1-43). When Jesus multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish to feed the multitudes, they were with him. These events surely changed their lives. They never remained the same again after witnessing these great events. They heard Jesus preach the most beautiful message “For God so loved the world…” (John 3:16). And at some point in his ministry, the Twelve were also sent out two by two with authority to preach and cast out evil spirits (Mark 6:7). Mark 6:12 tells us that in total obedience to Jesus, they went out and preached to people to repent. They also drove out many demons, anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.  

In today’s gospel (Luke 10:1-12, 17-20), Jesus sends out 72 others who also had witnessed and experienced God’s redeeming love. Like the Twelve, they also had heard the life-changing message of Jesus and had been convinced that he is the Savior of humanity. The Twelve Apostles were the Early Church leaders. The leaders of the Church today are the Pope and his fellow Bishops. (the priests, deacons, and all the religious men and women only assist the Church’s leaders in carrying out the mission of the Church, which is essentially speaking the mission of the Jesus Christ). Now, it is not wrong to suggest that the 72 represent the lay faithful. This means that the task of spreading and witnessing the Good News of Jesus Christ is not an exclusive duty for the ordained and the professed alone. All God’s people are called to “spread abroad a living witness to him, especially by a life of faith and love and by offering to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips praising his name” (Lumen Gentium, 12). By the virtue of our baptism, all Christians, not just the ordained and the professed, but also the lay faithful of God are the “People of God” and each person in his or her own way is called to join in the spreading of the message: “The Kingdom of God is at hand.”

While sending out the 72, Jesus gave the following injunctions: “Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals…” which means travel light and don’t be bogged down by material things. It is easy to get ensnared and enslaved by the things of this life. Simplicity of life does attract the attention and admiration of all. Simplicity will enable the bringer of good news to be concerned, primarily about the mission. Traveling light also means trusting in the providence of God for daily needs. He also tells them to “greet no one along the way.” This is not an instruction to ignore and snub people. It is not an instruction to discourtesy. It’s rather an instruction on the seriousness of the mission. In carrying out the mission of God, we must not turn aside or linger on the lesser things while the great things call. These instructions speak volume of the urgency of the task. We should express our Christian faith, let others know about our faith in Jesus Christ. But in doing that, we must guard against betraying our faith in Jesus by the type of life we live. Christianity is not just a religion, it is a way of life. It is a culture.

The 72 returned with joy because they did what Jesus ask them to do. Joy is one treasure that those who join in the mission of Jesus will never lack. Rejoicing with his disciples, Jesus cautioned them against pride and arrogance. He urged them to rejoice not because of what they have accomplished but because their names are written in heaven. The greatest glory of a Christian is not what he/she has done but what God has done for him/her and through him/her. As we go about doing the very task and assignment given to us by the Lord, let us always remember that the most effective way of doing it is by embracing the rare virtues of humility and simplicity. Preachers of the Christian message who enrich themselves inordinately and emphasize so much on material prosperity are clearly “carrying too many bags, too many sacks, and lots of sandals.” And instead of preaching that the “Kingdom of God is close at hand” they are busy seeking out rich people and showering encomiums  on them when the gospel says “Greet no one along the way.” As disciples of Jesus, one of the major assignments from Lord is making disciples for him. The call to spread his message of life and love is not the sole duty of the ordained or professed, you are also involved. Therefore, let our witness of the gospel make Jesus say “I observed Satan fall like lightening from the sky.”

Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, 2016

Who Are The Samaritans In Your Life? 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday, June 26, 2016

The main objective of the Gospel is to lead us to Jesus. Jesus’ chief objective is to lead us to God, and God’s primary objective is to ensure that we have eternal life. Today’s Gospel (Luke 9:51-62) tells us that Jesus was resolutely determined to go to Jerusalem, the very heart of Jewish faith, and to enter the Temple— its center of worship. He knew that “danger” was ahead of him in Jerusalem, yet, he was unwaveringly determined to enter the city. He knew he would be killed there, but was not deterred. He spent a whole lot of his life in the region known as the lower Galilee. He grew up, lived and worked in a place so near to the Sea of Galilee. He only relocated to Capernaum when he began his earthly ministry. From Capernaum he would go out and preach and then return home by the sea. Towards the end of his ministry, he decided to take his message to the very heart of the Jewish faith—Jerusalem. He sent messengers ahead of him. On getting to a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception, the folks of that village refused to let that happen. Reason being that Jesus was a Jew and he was heading to Jerusalem, Jews’ religious center. In frustration, James and John said to Jesus: “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” But Jesus rebuked them and continued his journey through another village. 

Jesus is the most tolerant person to ever lived in this world, but when it comes to matters of God, he was never a wishy-washy, negligent and indecisive person. As he was making his way to Jerusalem, someone approached him and said: “I will follow you wherever you go.” But before throwing a party at the possibility of having one more follower, Jesus straightforwardly described the sacrifices that are involved in following him. “Before you decide to follow me, just count the cost” he indirectly told him. As he continued his march towards Jerusalem, he met two other people and called: “Follow me!” The first replied, “I will follow you but that would be after I had buried my father.” The second said: “I will follow you but first permit me to go home and say farewell to my family.” To the first, Jesus seemed to have said to him, “There is no time.” “Devotion to God comes first before anything or anybody.” To the second, he seemed to have said, “Run the heavenly race without looking back to what you had left behind.” There are many people out there who are saying right now: “When I get this and that done, then I will start going to Church more.” “I will go to church only when I have accomplished this or that.” “I will give some money to the church only when I have enough.” Everyone is busy, but it is where we choose to spend most of our time that tells what is important to us. Do not fall to the Devil’s temptation that says “You have lots of time.” “Relax a little.” “You are too young to serve God.” “You are doing a lot for God already.” “You have been going to church all your life, it’s time to rest.”  The beginning of our life as Christians is to always seek what the will of God is. When the world asks us to weigh the pros and cons, to place all options on the table, remember that Jesus says “Seek you first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and other things will be added unto you (Matt. 6:33).” When the world tells us to choose the safe thing to do,” remember that God wants us to choose the right thing and to do it. Christian life is all about doing what Jesus wants us to do.

Jesus was “resolutely determined” to go to Jerusalem because of his determination to obey the will of God. He never allowed anything to stand in his way, not even the Samaritan people. He was focused. The Samaritan people refused to welcome him because he was going to Jerusalem through their city. The direct way from Galilee to Jerusalem led to Samaria; but Jews often times avoid going through it because of an old quarrel between Jews and the Samaritans. Jesus took that route for a purpose— he wanted to extend a hand of friendship to a people who had been enemies to his people. He wanted to tell them “It’s alright now. Let us reconcile.” He was going to Jerusalem to reconcile humanity with God by his death on the cross. He wanted to begin by reconciling people with people. 

Who are the Samaritans in our life? Who are the people we would like to get rid of if we could? Is it possible for us to have the same tolerant attitude as Jesus, choosing to avoid vengeance and retaliation, ever-ready to forgive, looking for ways to find peace? Hebrews 12:14 says: “Strive (make effort) to live in peace with everyone and be holy; for without holiness no one will see the Lord.” 

The Comfort of Discomfort!

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Twelfth Sunday in the Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday, June 19, 2016

During one of the most crucial moments in his life and ministry, Jesus asked his disciples: “Who do the crowds say that I am?” The disciples replied, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” Then he fired a second question to them, “But who do you say that I am?” The impetuous Peter declared, “You are) the Christ of God.” Jesus posed those questions not because he didn’t know who he was. His own words and actions showed that awareness as he taught with power and authority, healed the sick, cast out demons, forgave sins, cleansed lepers, raised the dead, calmed a raging sea (storm), walked on waters, fed thousands of people with five barley loves and two fish, broke and disregarded racial and discriminatory laws that divide people. The Gospels picture him as a person who is convinced he can speak and act for God, with a power that went beyond ordinary human experience. Jesus certainly knew who he was but wanted to find out if there was anyone, from the crowds to his disciples, who has come to understand, through his teaching and deeds, who he was. He was not expecting a full comprehension of who he was. But he expected someone to have a hint of who he was. From Peter’s testimony, it’s clear he had an idea of who Jesus was, but his knowledge of Jesus was still at its infancy stage. So, Jesus urged them not to tell anyone yet. They had much to learn before they could start teaching others.

Christ was not Jesus’ last name. The word Christ (Christos in Greek) means the “Anointed One.” In Hebrew “Anointed One” is the Messiah. The Jewish view of the Christ was a powerful and gifted king or a cosmic judge of the earth or a great high priest who would teach the undiluted word of God. He would also liberate God’s people and save them from the Roman occupation. The disciples of Jesus, like all other Jews had grown up expecting from God an all conquering king who would conquer the world. Although Jesus was King, but not the type of king being expected. Peter and the other disciples were filled with excitement at being associated with the messiah who will conquer the world. But Jesus shocked and disappointed them when he told them that God’s Anointed One will conquer nations but not with weapons of mass destruction but with the weapon of mass salvation- the Cross. He has come to die upon the cross so that people of every nation, language, tribe and tongue might be saved.

After disappointing his disciples of the fate and destiny of the Anointed One, Jesus shocked them further by declaring: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will loose it, but whoever looses his life for my sake will save it.” What does it mean to deny oneself? To deny oneself is to live a life of “God must become greater, while I must become less” (John 3:30). It is about becoming more like God and less of the self. To deny oneself is to become more selfless and less selfish. It’s about doing what St. Paul said in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” To deny oneself is to reject the demands of the flesh and accept what the Spirit of the Lord wants. As long as God and God’s matters do not come first in our lives, we are yet to deny ourselves.

Jesus also enjoined his disciples to take up their cross daily and follow him. To take up our cross means to be prepared to face and confront the difficulty associated with being loyal and obedient to Jesus. To take up our cross means being ready to endure the worst that people can do to us for the sake of being true to him. It means refusing to be intimidated by those who will persecute us because we belong to Jesus. It means saying “No” even when it is most difficult to say it to those who want us to betray him. Being true to Jesus will bring some rejection and castigation. Those who hate your simplicity, honesty, faithfulness and tidy moral life may paint you bad. It is usually said “If you cannot beat them, join them.” But if you refuse to join the bandwagon, they will come after you. But refusing to join the bandwagon of immorality instead preferring the castigation and hatred is part of the cross.

“Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it…” God did not give us life to horde it for ourselves but to spend it for others. So, the question is no longer “How much can I get,” but “How much can I give?” It is no longer “What is the safe thing to do? but “What is the right thing to do?” Jesus knew that his followers would sometimes endure some discomfort and risk their lives in order to be true to him. No one wants discomfort. But discomfort is not all that bad. It has something to teach us: “If you never felt pain, then how would you know that Jesus is a Healer? If you never had a trial, how could you call yourself an overcomer?If you never felt sadness, how would you know that the Holy Spirit is the Comforter?If you never were in  trouble, how would you know that the Lord will come to your rescue? If you never had a problem, how would you know that Jesus is the Burden-Bearer? If you never had any suffering, then how would you know what Jesus went through? If you never went through the fire, how would you become pure as gold? If God gave you all things, how would you appreciate them and depend on him? If your life was perfect, you may never need God! “ These are what I call “The Comfort of Discomfort!

We Owe God More Than We Can Ever Pay! 

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday, June 12, 2016

King David was a man of contrasts. On one hand, he was devotedly committed to God. He was a great king who loved the Lord. But on the other hand, like every human person, he was not perfect. He was a great military conqueror, but he could not conquer himself. He conquered nations but could not conquer his emotions. He allowed the beauty of Bathsheba to conquer him. Just one night of lust over Bathsheba, the great King David was conquered and brought to his kneels. Bathsheba became pregnant! By this time, Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba was away fighting and defending King David and his kingdom. When King David heard that Bathsheba was pregnant, he recalled her husband, and tried to set him up with his own wife. After all his tricks failed, he sent Uriah back to the war with a letter to the General asking him to send Uriah to the fiercest front of the war, and that he should retreat after doing that. This resulted in the death of Uriah. King David killed Uriah in order to cover his wrongdoing. But God was watching! Nathan, God’s prophet at the time, was given the mission of confronting David. On learning about his wrongdoing, David fell to his kneels and declared: “I have sinned against the Lord.” 

The Gospel of Luke 7: 36-50, like the first reading (2 Samuel 12:7-10 & 13) is also about a sinner who sought for forgiveness. Jesus was a guest at the house of Simon, a Pharisee for dinner. In ancient Israel, it was a custom that when a Rabbi was at a special meal, all kinds of people would come in to listen to his rare words of wisdom. In this case, the Rabbi was Jesus Christ, the Lord of life. As soon as he settled down to eat, something noteworthy happened. A woman commonly known in town as a bad and notorious woman came in, and sat at the foot of Jesus. Realizing how greatly she had sinned against God, herself, parents, siblings, and the community, she broke down in tears. She wept profusely that her ocean of tears were enough to wash the feet of Jesus: “Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment (An alabaster flask of ointment).” Her action stunned Simon who said: “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.”

Simon’s unspoken opinion was not only a judgment of condemnation on the sinful woman, but also a serious doubt on the character of Jesus. The unspoken thought of his mind highlights also his own self-righteousness. As far as he was concerned, he was sinless. The sinful one was the woman, and Jesus may be a fake prophet. He concluded that she wasn’t the right kind of person to be seen around Jesus. For him, she was a hopeless woman, incapable of repentance, incapable of changing her ways, and changing her lifestyle. He judged her cruelly and concluded she is finished in every sense of the word. He also wondered why Jesus, the so called prophet would not dissociate himself from her.

To teach Simon an important lesson, Jesus told him a parable: There was a banker who loaned money to two of his customers. To one, he loaned $50,000 and the other $5, 000. When it was time to pay back, they were unable to do so. The banker, out of his magnanimity forgave both loans. Then Jesus asked Simon “Which of them will love the banker more?” Simon answered “The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.” “You have answered rightly” responded Jesus. Then Jesus called Simon’s attention to his lack of proper hospitality. In those days, roads were dusty and rough, so, when a guest visits, his feet were usually washed with water and soothed with oil by a servant at the doorpost. It was a sign of warm welcome and hospitality. Simon did not assign any servant to wash the feet of Jesus but the sinful woman washed his feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, soothed them with a costly ointment. Jesus also told Simon that when he entered his house, he did not give him a kiss of peace which was also a common practice in Israel. A kiss of peace is “happy to see you” greeting in action. He did not do it for Jesus, but the sinful woman did. Because she did these acts of love, remorse and contrition, Jesus offered her total forgiveness: “Your sins are forgiven.” Her ocean of tears brought her the Lord’s compassion and mercy. She went home forgiven and cleansed of all her sins. Whereas the self-righteous Simon remain the same.

 This gospel story reveals an amazing truth— that a person’s level of devotion to God usually corresponds to the level of forgiveness one thinks he or she has received. The more a person experiences forgiveness, the more his or her devotion. This gospel story shows why some people experience forgiveness and why others don’t. The woman in the Gospel story had a deep sense of sin. She was conscious of her many sins. She convicted herself a sinner. She went to the One who can forgive sins and her many sins were forgiven. The greatest sin is to be conscious of no sin. What opens the door of God’s mercy is having a sense of guilt and a sense of need for mercy. One thing that is capable of shutting off a person from God is self-sufficiency, but depending on God  will open the door for his mercy. After all, God is love.

In the parable of the debtors that Jesus narrated to Simon, where are we? Do we think we have been forgiven great deal of debt or forgiven a little? Some Christians think they have been forgiven a little. You hear them say: “I am not really such a sinner.” “I’ve never killed anyone.” “I’ve never stolen anything.” “I have never cheated on my tax or my spouse.” “I don’t take advantage of others.” “I don’t indulge in immoral behaviors.” “I am actually a good person. “I don’t drink too much or eat too much.” “I am not as bad as others.” But no matter what we may think of ourselves, we are all great debtors. When it comes to our relationship with God, there is no one who owes little. We are all great debtors in God’s books. We owe God more than we can ever pay. But we can be forgiven if we can humbly and honestly say with King David: “I have sinned against the Lord.” And also do what the woman in today’s Gospel did— come to Jesus, sit at his feet, weep for our sins and say to him “Be merciful unto me O Lord for I have sinned.”

Indeed! God Has Visited His People!

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, California

Sunday, June 5, 2016

The three readings of this Sunday speak about the death of someone. The first reading from 1 Kings 17:17-24 talks about the death of the son of the widow of Zarephath. The Gospel taken from Luke 7:11-17 talks about the death of the only son of the widow of Nain. And in the second reading, Saul, who later became Paul, talks about his own death. The two sons of the widows of Zarephath and Nain suffered a physical death, a loss of their human lives, until they were brought back to life by Elijah and Jesus respectively. But in the case of Saul, he died spiritually. His death wasn’t physical but spiritual and moral. After he was raised to life by the Lord, he took the name, Paul, which means “humble.” Death, therefore, can be physical or spiritual. The loss of human life is a physical death. But the loss of the following: sense of God, sense of the sacred, sense of guilt for a wrong done, good conscience, fear of the Lord, etc is a spiritual death. Those who try to harm others, who try to divide us or to pitch one group of people against another have died spiritually. Unrepentant haters and promoters of hate are dead spiritually. Unabashed destroyers of love, relationship, human dignity, are dead spiritually. No child of God who is truly alive would brag at doing any of those.

Death is always a loss— loss of human life or loss of godly life. In either case, there’s pain or emptiness. The death of someone dear to us can hurt. Loss of a mom, dad, sister, brother, friend, colleague, relative, mentor can hurt. Its hurt can be deep. But it doesn’t last forever. The physical death of someone who meant a lot to us can really hurt so much. I have had my own experience of this. In 2014, I lost my sister, my mom, and a wonderful uncle. But this kind of hurt does not last a lifetime or forever. With the passage of time, we experience healing and comfort. Our Comforter, the Holy Spirit visits us with his comfort and healing. Spiritual death also hurts. It can hurt in time and in eternity. The spiritual death of someone can be devastating for the church and society. Look at what the spiritual death of Saul caused the Early Church! He and this team tortured and imprisoned a good number of Christians. They stoned St. Stephen to death. He was on his way to Damascus to obtain authorization to arrest and imprison more Christians when he was rescued by the Lord. Days after, the ‘dead’ Saul was raised to life, to become Paul. Physical death only hurt the living, but spiritual death hurt both the living and the dead. 

Today’s Gospel is about the physical death of the only son of a widow. The woman’s tragedy was double. She had already lost her husband- the love of her life. And when she taught that her only son would learn a trade or get a job, make a living and support her financially, he was snatched away from her by the cold hand of death. The news of his death spread far and wide, and attracted a large crowd of people from the city. As the funeral procession was making its way to the cemetery, Jesus showed up. With a voice laden with compassion and confidence, he said to the widow, “Do not weep.” Then, he came forward, touched the coffin and said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The man got up and began to speak. 

Jesus’ compassion is life-giving. His empathy is life-giving. The fruits of his love are life-giving. His pity for those who experience disappointment, frustration and suffering gives life and ushers a new dawn. His pity for the widow was so deep that he was willing to thwart the course of nature. Since the Fall of Adam and Eve, death has become natural to humans. Once a person dies, we don’t sit around and wait for the dead person to rise. We bury the remains of the deceased. But Jesus’ compassion for this widow was so profound that he derailed the course of nature. He felt her pain and loss. He put himself in her shoes. He made her sorrow his own sorrow. He did not stand idly by and try to blame the young man for being the cause of his own death or to blame the widow for being responsible for the tragic deaths that had occurred in her family. He knew he could do something. He knew he has power to do something. He knew he can make a difference and he did it. 

When the dead man sat up and began to speak, fear, shock and awe seized the people, but it wasn’t a dispersing fear. It wasn’t the kind of fear that usually make people to take to their heels, rather, the kind that causes people to want to know more. The kind of fear expressed by the people does not cripple, it leads to praise, thanksgiving and glorification. It does not cause harm but joy. In summary, it is called “wonder!” In wonder state, the people exclaimed, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst, and God has visited his people.” Yes, indeed! God has visited his people! He has migrated and is living with his people and like his people. He is with us! God is with us! 

Today, God continues to visits us when we read the word of God or hear it proclaimed at Mass. He visits us when we pray, thank and praise him. He visits us when we encounter those who mourn, grieve, suffer, need our attention, and their living condition draw out of us, the kind of compassion that Elijah and Jesus showed to the widows they met. God visits his people when we give water to the thirsty, food to the hungry, clothes to the naked, shelter to the homeless. God visits the sick, the imprisoned, the bereaved when we visit them. When we offer financial assistance to Catholic Charities, St. Vincent de Paul Society, St. Mary’s Place, etc. for the care of the poor,God visits his people.

God is with us to save us. He is with us performing so many miracles, but more often than not, they are not dramatic ones like the one in today’s Gospel. But God still works miracles in our lives. So often they take place in the heart of a person, with no crowd to witness them. But when we look around us, there are many miracles of life, miracles of hope, miracles of peace, miracles of grace, miracles of comfort, miracles of care, miracles of restoration, miracles of thanksgiving, miracles of faithfulness, miracles of victories and successes, miracles of healing, miracles of life turned around, miracles of liberation from addiction, miracles of recovery from sickness, miracles of new thing emerging after a period of frustration, disappointment and failure. God is with us working miracles and wonder. Psalm 46:7 tells us: “The Lord of host is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.”