Fake and Dangerous Love

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Friday, August 19, 2016

Do you know why the love of neighbor should immediately follow the love of God? Do you know why the injunction, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” must necessarily accompany “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind?” The reason is that any practice of faith, any religion that attempts to separate the love of God and love of neighbor will not only be inauthentic and fake, but will also be dangerous. Any religious person, I don’t care if it is a Christian or Muslim or Buddhist etc that attempts to create a dichotomy between the love of God and that of the neighbor could potentially be dangerous. Human history is littered with ugly stories of people and religious groups that tried, consciously or unconsciously, to make this split. Unfortunately, we still have such people around today. The ignorance or refusal to accept that the love of God is also demonstrated in the love of neighbor, the other, is partly responsible for slave trade. The people who sold their fellow human beings for money were also religious. Those who bought their fellow human beings, engaged them in forced labor, badly maltreated them and used them as objects of making money were religious people. In fact, some of the slave owners used the Bible to justify their ownership of slaves. But if those slave traders had been asked, “Do you believe in God?”, “Do you love God?” I believe they would say, “Yes, we do.” If the slave owners had been asked the same questions, they would have said, “Yes, we do.” But they refused to see that the authentic love for God must be connected with the love of the neighbor. After reading some of the experiences of slaves in the hands of their sellers and buyers, I was convinced that those folks (sellers and buyers) deliberately shut out any idea that tries to link the love of God and that of the neighbor together. No wonder, many of the slave owners, in an attempt to run away from the voice of reason and conscience, decided to deny the humanity of the slaves. 

The attempt to create a dichotomy between the love of God and that of neighbor has also given the world religious extremists, religious fundamentalists, religious bigots, and terrorists as well. Terrorists organizations like ISIS, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram etc, are constantly declaring, “God is Great.” They will be the first to tell you that they are the real lovers of God. Unfortunately, their bizarre, twisted and fake notion of love for God prevents them from seeing that authentic love for God is inseparably tied together with the love of neighbor. If not, how is it that after declaring that God is great, they turn around and chop people’s heads off?  

When Jesus was asked by a Pharisee, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” (Matthew 22:36) Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39) And he concluded, “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” (verse 40) The greatest commandment is loving God above all things and then loving our fellow human beings that God created in his image. Any attempt to separate the two is false, fake, and dangerous. But there are, not a few people, who will easily declare that they love God, but their relationship with those around them paints an ugly picture. Do you know how many times I have been told by Catholics who went to church, and as soon they settled down, those who sat on the same pew stood up and went to other pews? Why because the person looks different. Do you know how many times I have been told by Catholics that the person that stood in the front pew turned to shake hands with them during the sign of peace, but on knowing that the person looks different, embarrassingly withdrew their hands? Yet, during communion, the same folks will line up to receive the Body of Christ. 

Sisters and brothers, is that love? Is avoiding the other because of racial difference love? I know that in the past I have talked about tolerance as a good thing. But Jesus did not really call us to be a people of tolerance. We have not been called to be a community of tolerance. The Son of God called us to be a people of love. Tolerance says that I am just going to endure the pain of your existence. It tells me to endure your right to live, to be, and to be different. But if you happen to disappear, I don’t care. I am indifferent to your existence. I am indifferent to your pain. I am indifferent to your joy. I don’t care if you are blessed or cursed. I don’t care if you are joyful or sorrowful. I don’t care if you make it or don’t. I don’t care what happens to you. Your presence does not really affect me in any way. These are the messages that tolerance can convey. But Christlike love says that everyone, regardless of race, background, religion, or status has worth and value. Love recognizes that the good life I seek, the opportunities I want, is equally wanted by others. Love recognizes that we need each other. I need you as much as you need me. Love recognizes your hurt as my hurt, your pain as my pain and your success as my success. Love does not create division or build a wall. It rather builds bridges and tears down barrier for everybody. Love enables us to feel the pain of another and resolve to do something about it. Tolerance encourages individualism but love promotes a sense of community and family. Tolerance says, “Stay over there, and I will stay over here,” “Do not bother me, and I will not bother you,” “Stay in your lane, and I will stay in my lane,” “Do not talk to me, and I will not talk to you.” But love recognizes our need for each other. 

Last night (Thursday, August 18, 2016), I went to bed very sad. I went to bed with tears in my eyes. I had just returned from the house of one of the parishioners who invited me to dine with her family. I turned on the TV to know what’s going on around the country and world. At that time, Lawrence O’Donnell, the host of MSNBC’s “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell,” was just reporting and showing the video clip of a four year old Syrian boy who was rescued from a rubble of a house bombed by Russian war planes in Alepo, Syria. As soon as the boy was rescued and kept on an orange color seat, he sat there quietly, wondering with astonishment at what has happened. I watched as he began to wipe off blood and dirt that covered his left eye. My heart began to bleed. I was deeply distressed. I began to cry with him. I can feel the pain of that little boy who probably has known nothing else but war. Oh! My heart was so heavy. I began to say, “Please God, do something! Stop this war and all wars. Help world leaders find a lasting solution to this carnage. Please change the hearts of the leaders of the nations to stop playing politics with human life. This boy and many others like him are yet to begin to live the life you gave them. Please God, step in and intervene. When you step in, miracles happen.” 

Now, most of those responsible for this war are religious people. They believe in God and would probably tell you, they love him. Please, what kind of love is that? Love knows that authentic love of God must be married with the love for others. Love knows that we need each other to exist, survive, live and be. Love knows that nothing good can thrive in the face of war and division. Love knows that we are weaker when we refuse to love others. Love knows that refusal to love others is an agreement to decline and fail as a people. Love knows that we become truly humans when we care for each other and have each other’s back. Love knows that united we stand, but divided we fall. 

Like many of you, I speak a lot about my mother. I guess each of you can say this about your own mother. I believe my mother is a saint. She was not famous. She did not write a book and no book has been written about her. But she did write a story of love in my life and in that of my brothers and sisters. She is a saint you have never known. One day after the death of my father, my mother addressed her children after our usual night prayer. In my family, we prayed morning and night. But my mother prayed all the time. The topic of the discussion was love and togetherness. To really drive home her message to us, she showed us a bunch of broom tied together by a black rope. She untied the broom, handed a single stick to each of us and asked us to break them. We all did. After that, she used the rope and tied the bunch of broom together again and handed it to each of us to break. One after another, we tried to break the bunch, but couldn’t. Then she said, “You see, if you stay alone, if you stay apart from each other, it will be very easy for someone to break you. But if you stay together as one family, as brothers and sisters, no one would be able to tear or break you apart.” Interestingly, on October 15, 2014, before she passed away, she reminded my elder sister, Julie, of this same act. She encouraged her to always pull her brothers and sisters together as a mother hen gathers her chicks. 

Sister and brothers, love is a powerful emotion that can make us stay together as a people, a community and a family. We can’t stay together unless we love each other. As a people, we need to rise above tolerance and begin to love each other. Tolerance says we can endure each other’s right to live and be, but love says we need each other, not just to exist, but to survive and live. 

Homily for the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Don’t Take Your Salvation For Granted!

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

August 21, 2016

On the first anniversary of the death of Princess Diana (August 31, 1998), many British newspapers came out with the bold headline, “Where is the Soul of Princess Diana?” The papers were reporting the story that some mothers in England had withdrawn their children from one Evangelical Sunday school because the Sunday school teachers had taught the kids that the soul of Princess Diana was in hell, whereas the kids had already been told by their mothers that the Princess’ soul was in heaven. This development prompted many British newspapers to pose the question, “Where is the Soul of Princess Diana?” Now, suppose Jesus was on earth today and a reporter went to him and ask him, “Where is the soul of the Princess? What do you think would be his answer? I believe that Jesus would look the reporter in the eye and say, “Try and save your own soul now that you still have the chance and stop wondering where the soul of the Princess had gone.” 

That is very similar to what happened in today’s Gospel. Jesus was passing through some towns and villages, teaching and making his way to Jerusalem when someone interrupted him and asked, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” (Luke 13:33) What did Jesus say in reply? “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.” (verse 24). It’s very clear that Jesus did not answer the question: “Will only a few be saved?” Instead, he answered a more important question, “How can I be saved?”

When it comes to issues of faith and salvation, we can either ask curiosity questions or relevant questions. While curiosity questions are asked just to obtain information, facts and figures that may not affect our salvation in one way or another, relevant questions about salvation are asked in order to obtain truths that ultimately leads to salvation. A curiosity question about salvation can be fascinating, and oftentimes can make headlines too, but a relevant question, which is an honest quest for the truth, can set one free to hunger and thirst for God. Search the Gospels and you will find out that Jesus never had time for questions of curiosity. Whenever he was asked a question of mere curiosity, he never answered it, but he would use the occasion to give an answer to a relevant question that such person should have asked. The question, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” is a typical question of curiosity. It’s not a relevant question. If you know the answer, how will it affect your salvation in any away? So, instead of spending his precious time to address a not-so-relevant question, he turned his attention to something much more relevant, “Strive to enter through the narrow the door…” which means, make effort, try and be saved because many people will attempt to enter through it, but will not be spiritually strong enough to squeeze themselves in.  Questions of curiosity have a special appeal to the news media and to popular imagination, but it does not necessarily lead to faith or increase in it. Questions like, When will the world come to an end? When is Armageddon coming? Who is the Anti-Christ? What is the meaning of 666? When will the rapture take place? Will Muslims or Buddhists be saved? Did Hitler make heaven? Where’s the soul of Princess Diana etc are all questions of curiosity. Jesus was never interested in answering such questions. Before his Ascension, his disciples had asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Instead of saying yes or no, or may be, Jesus said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:6-8). 

Sisters and brothers, it is a waste of breath to ask, “Where is the soul of Princess Diana?” It is a waste of time to wonder if Adolf Hitler was saved. Don’t spend your time wondering or asking where the soul of famous people like Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston had gone. Don’t spend your time wondering whether people of other faith would be saved. Instead of asking, “Where is the soul of Princess Diana?” Ask, “Will I be saved?” Instead of asking when the end would come, ask, “What do I need to do to be saved?” Ask, “How can I serve God better in my present situation of life?” Ask, “How can I make the best use of opportunities God has given to me here and now for my eternal salvation?” Ask, “How can I love God above all things and love my neighbor as Jesus loves me?” Ask, “How can I better my life today for the glory of God?” These are the relevant questions to ask. These questions ultimately bring us closer to God.

Those who are interested in asking curiosity questions that don't impact their lives will stand at the door of the Kingdom knocking and saying, “Lord, open the door for us.” But they would be told: “I do not know where you are from.” On hearing that they would argue, “But we ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets?” But they would finally be told, “Depart from me, all you evildoers.” Surely, these folks ate and drank in the company of the Lord, but right after that, they refused to follow him; they refused practice the Word of God. Right after eating and drinking with the Lord, they went away and didn't come back again. Their excuse is, “I am very busy and don’t have the time.” When it comes to managing time, it is always God’s time that is often reduced and cut short. Time with God is always the time that is always sacrificed. And after being ungenerous with our time for the things of God, we convince ourselves that we are still on track, that we are headed to the right direction, that we will make heaven, that we are heaven-bound. 

The summary of today’s Gospel is this, “Don’t take your salvation for granted.” Take Jesus seriously! Take the Word of God seriously! This call is an urgent one. Time is running and may be running out! If we haven’t made a decision, let’s do it today. I do not want to scare you. But I also do not want to stand before Jesus and be told that I did not do a good job of telling people what they should have been told from the pulpit. Once again I say, “Do not take your salvation for granted.” In Philippians 2:12, St. Paul says: “...work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Never assumed that your salvation is assured and guaranteed. Remember, it is not over until it is over!

Oil And Water Do Not Mix

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Before the birth of Jesus, prophets of God had foretold of his coming. When prophet Isaiah spoke about his birth, he called him a “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). When Jesus inaugurated his earthly ministry, he declared his mission statement, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind and to set the oppressed free” (Luke 4:18). In John 10:10b, he also announced afresh why he came, “I have come that you may have life, life in its fullness.” These and many other declarations tell us that Jesus came to do something very good and wonderful. The author of the Acts of Apostles even told us that with the Holy Spirit and power, Jesus traveled around doing good and healing folks who were under the power of the devil, because the Mighty God was with him (Acts 10:38). But if you take the assertion of Jesus in today’s Gospel literally, and then compare it with what prophet Isaiah called him and what Jesus himself had said his mission was all about, you will run into trouble and also be confused. We accept and believe what Isaiah called him, “the Prince of Peace.” We also accept and believe that Jesus came to give his life as a ransom for many and to offer them abundant life that is everlasting. Simply put, he came to establish the good life. But what do we make of his proclamation in today’s Gospel, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing… Do you think that I have come to establish peace on earth? No! I tell you, but rather division.” 

Jews considered fire mostly as a symbol of judgement and punishment. When a city sinned so much, it was destroyed by fire. But when Jesus said that he has come to set the earth on fire, does it mean he has come to destroy it? Not at all! Fire is also a symbol of purification. This purification is made possible by the action of the Holy Spirit working through the words and deeds of Jesus. It is a revolutionary purification that takes place in the life of a person who accepts the message of Jesus Christ. It is not a fire of destruction like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is the fire of love, the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit that sets the heart of a believer aflame to become a firebrand disciple of the Lord. It is this fire that drove St. Paul to say: “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). It’s not possible for those who have been set ablaze to remain neutral, indifferent, and sit on the fence. Zeal for God and God’s matters will always burn in them like a fire. When the fire of love for God consumes a person, some people may attempt to either stoke it or douse the flame. The fire is what drives a person to tell the truth when everyone else is lying. It is what makes a person to stand up erect for what is good. It keeps your hand on the plow without looking backwards. It keeps your eyes firmly fixed on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. As we look forward to our heavenly city, this fire keeps our attention focused on the crown. As we escape from today’s Sodom and Gomorrah, the fire of love for the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit prevents us from looking backwards to the things we have left behind. The passion to store our treasure in heaven where mot cannot destroy, or thief steal is driven by this fire.  

Jesus came to proclaim the Kingdom of his Father on earth and he wasn’t under any illusion that all and sundry will accept the message. Some will accept it, while others will reject it. No idea, no teaching, no message, no good deed, no matter how amazing and great it is will be acceptable by everyone. Oppositions and rejects will also be around. Those who reject the message of Jesus will not sit idly by, they will attack those who accept it. This has already happened in history and it is still happening today. Many Christians lost their lives in the hands of oppositions. Remember the martyrs! 

Jesus knew that the road his disciples would travel won’t be easy. Division will come, not because Jesus wants it, but because oil and water do not mix, darkness and light cannot stay together, good and bad cannot coexist, love and hate cannot intermarry. Division will come when a member of a family accepts the Lord, while others reject him. It will come when three out of five friends turn their lives around and embrace the way of the Lord. Truth will divide a father against his son, a mother against her daughter, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law. When they are not on the same page, division will come. When a member of a family accepts the Lord, his way, his truth and life, the person will stand out in words and deeds. Others who are yet to follow suit may become uncomfortable. But the one who has accepted Jesus and is making effort to live according to his commands must stay strong. The road to the Kingdom is not easy. On that road, there are many thorns, many trials, many troubles, and many dangers. But guess what? You are not traveling alone. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus made a promise, “I am with you always until the end of time.” The author of the book of Hebrews said, “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’”

Be Ready At All Times

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, Ca

Sunday, August 7, 2016

The people of Jesus’ time expected the heavenly kingdom soon. The Early Church also expected it soon. From time to time, certain individuals have also “prophesied” the exact day and time, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, will come and bring the world and all other earthly existence to a closure. But in the gospel of Matthew 24:36, Jesus says: “But concerning the day or hour (when the Son of God will come), no one knows, not even the angels of heaven...” Since no one knows when the end will come, since no one knows the day or the hour when eternity will invade time and accountability is demanded of us, we have to be ready at all times. We have to ensure that the Lord’s work is being accomplished in us, by us and with us. In John 17:4, Jesus himself said to his Father: “I have accomplished the work which you gave me to do.” So, we should not let any good work be left undone. As we clean up our houses and rid our garages of junks, let’s do the same in our lives. Let’s get rid of those junks in our lives that make us take one step towards God and then three steps away from him. Such a faith journey will never get us to our destination. And God is our Destination. Let’s strive to get rid of jealousy, malice, hate, bad talk, lies, and every enjoyment of sin. Let’s also strive to live in peace with our fellow men and women. It’s a tormenting experience to pass through this world being bitter with someone. St. Paul, in Ephesians 4:26 warns us not to let the sun goes down on our anger. Certainly, we would like God to also find us at peace with him. To be at peace with God is heaven and heavenly.

To stress the importance of being ready, Jesus used the example of a master who had servants- some of them were wise, while some were foolish. As soon as the master left the house to attend a wedding celebration, the unwise servant said to himself: “I will do what I like while my master is away.” But he forgot that the day of reckoning would come. Do you sometimes see yourself in this unwise servant? If you don’t, I do! There are times in my life that I think of God, that I am aware of his presence, that I know that he is present. There’s a part of me that reminds me that God is watching me from a distance. But there is also a part of me that tries to rationalize and explain my wrong actions away. This part of me tries to make me to forget God, and when I wrestle with it, it tries to tell me that “God understands and he will understand my foolishness and wrongdoing.” Surely, God understands how weak and vulnerable we are. But he also understands how powerful and effective we could be in doing his will when we lean and cling onto him. If we really know what Christianity is all about we would know that there is no part of life where God, the Master, is away. Even when it seems that God is distant, he is very much around. He is present at all times.  

The part of us that tries to justify our wrongdoings, tries to convince us to think less of God, and make us to think that he is away or distant is the part that drove the unwise servant to say: “My master is delayed in coming...” He allowed that part of him to convince him that he has plenty of time to put things right before the master returns. This is the fatal mistake that many people, especially young people make today. They keep postponing active relationship with God to later years of their lives. They convince themselves that going to church on Sunday and being active witnesses of Jesus Christ are old folks things. But there is nothing so fatal as to think that one has plenty of time. There is nothing absolutely wrong in serving God from youth. St. Augustine of Hippo had great enthusiasm for the created things of this world and it held him back from having a lively relationship with God. But in his thirties, he finally yielded to baptism and faith in God. And having inhaled the fragrance of God’s Truth and Beauty, having found the peace he so desperately sought, St. Augustine exclaimed: “Late have I loved you, Beauty so Ancient and so New!” After he allowed God to find him, and then experience a great deal of satisfaction, fulfillment and peace, he wished he had found God earlier in his life. 

In the gospel of John 9:4, Jesus says: “We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming when no one can work.” I have often said that one of the most dangerous suggestions a believer can hear in his or her mind is: “You are doing too much in the church; you have done enough for God and for the Church.” Such thoughts do not come from the Holy Spirit. When you hear such thoughts, resist it. The Evil One is trying to slow you down and ultimately overtake your life. When a child of God begins to give flimsy excuses why he or she cannot go to church on Sunday or why he or she cannot be active member of the church, something has gone wrong spiritually. One of the most dangerous days in a believer’s life is when he or she begins to use the word “tomorrow” and constantly apply it in matters of God. Remember, tomorrow never comes!