If I had One Wish

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota 

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

When I was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I had a dog named Max. I loved him so dearly. I provided for him, cared for him, protected him, and made sure he received medical care from a licensed veterinarian. As much as I loved Max, there was no way I would have agreed to become a dog even for a split second. No way! Because to become a dog means that I would sniff the ground, lick the floor and people’s feet, eat disgusting stuff from garbages. Don’t get me wrong. I did love my dog, but I wouldn't go as far as taking his nature in order to be one with him and show him how much I loved him. Guess what? That’s precisely what Jesus did for us. He became one with us and one of us. 

The central claim of Christianity is that God became a human being. The creator of the universe, who transcends any definition or concept, took to himself a nature like ours. God became one of us. Our Christian faith asserts boldly that the infinite and finite met, that the eternal and the temporal embraced each other, the fashion designer of everything— seen and unseen, known and unknown, big and small, the galaxies and planets became a baby too weak to even raise his head, too vulnerable even to protect himself. And to make this bold claim even bolder, this incarnation of God did not happen in Rome, Athens, or Babylon; not in a great cultural or political capital, but in Bethlehem of Judea, a tiny city in the corner of the Roman Empire. This great event that occurred in an insignificant place is what is being celebrated here and globally today. Today, we celebrate the entrance of the Lamb of God into the shrine (our neighborhood) to become the Lamb for the sacrifice. 

But why did he come? Why did God humble himself and allow himself in the process to be humiliated? The Lamb of God came to wash away our sin, to take away our sin and shame with his precious Blood. But more than that, he came to make us participants in God’s own life. The good news of Christmas is that Yahweh is moving among his people; the rightful King has returned to reclaim what is his and to let prisoners go free. The God announced by all the prophets and patriarchs—Abraham, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, and Isaiah has come. He is a God of justice and he has come to set things right. God hates the sin, violence, injustice and all manners of hate that have rendered the beautiful world he created depressive and gloomy. Although his arrival was quiet, silent and unknown by many, nevertheless, he has come as a warrior ready to fight. When we look at the manger, what we see is a helpless infant, born of insignificant parents in a tiny and unknown distant outpost of the Roman Empire. However, as we learned from the Scripture and Tradition, he did conquer through the irresistible power of his love, the same power with which he created the universe. Yahweh among us has come to gather people scattered by division, jealousy, and hate together, cleanse the temple which is our bodies, decisively  deal with our enemy, the evil one, and finally reign as the Lord of the our lives and the world.  

Sisters and brothers, if I had one wish as we celebrate Christmas, it would be that we all live in peace and harmony as brothers and sisters. That is what Jesus teaches us in John 13:34, “Love one another as I have loved you.” If I had one wish, it would be a total eradication of all rivalries, divisions, hate, racial bias and resentment because they prevent us from participating in the divine life. Jesus came to reconcile us with God and with each other. He came that we may have life, life in abundance (Jn10:10b). If I had one Christmas wish, it would be that all lives be respected and protected from the womb to the tomb. It is what Mary and Joseph have taught us by their example. When the life of the infant baby Jesus was threatened by King Herod, they took him and ran to Egypt. If I had one Christmas wish, it would be that we begin to appeal to our better angels, elevate them, and bring out the best in each other. That’s exactly what Jesus did to the woman caught in the act of adultery in John 8:1-11. If I had one Christmas wish, it would be to end untold suffering and hunger in Africa, Middle East and everywhere. Jesus was interested in ending hunger when he multiplied five loaves of bread and two wish and fed a multitude (Matt.14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17 and John 6:1-15). God through Jesus came to bring us healing. If I had one Christmas wish, it would be that you and I are happy, healthy, peaceful and saved. My one Christmas wish is that the newborn King will reign in our hearts and in the hearts of all. 

Merry Christmas!  

Do it Afraid Anyway!

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year A

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Beloved in Christ, today is the Fourth and last Sunday of Advent. In today’s Gospel (Mt. 1:18-24), Matthew begins the story of Jesus’ birth by telling of Mary’s betrothal to Joseph. It is important to point out that the Jewish custom of betrothal is not the same as today’s understanding of betrothal or engagement. In the marriage customs at that time, Mary and Joseph had only completed the first stage of marriage, and were considered husband and wife, although not yet living together. Often due to the youthfulness of the woman, she will remain with her parents at home until the public ceremony took place. As someone from the Igbo tribe of Nigeria, I can relate to this marriage custom. Marriage in my tribe has similar structure. The first stage is the inquiry stage. Here the man visits the girl’s parents and community, and asks for her hand in marriage, from her parents, as well as her community. Even if the woman and the man had previously agreed to get married, the man must visit the woman’s family and formally ask her parents, as well as her kindred, to allow him to marry their daughter. It is not enough for the woman to inform her parents about her intention to marry her sweetheart. Marriage is a communal thing in Igboland, and in indeed in many African communities. After the first stage, it is generally believed that they are married, but the woman will not move in to live with the man until the traditional marriage (public ceremony), which is the second stage is done and completed. So, the marriage rites among the Igbos of Nigeria are very similar to that of the Ancient Jews. 

Now, Joseph had only performed the first stage of the marriage rite when he discovered that Mary was pregnant but not by him. As an upright man, a man who loved God and respected women, he decided to take the quietest and most merciful path— to divorce her quietly. Why quietly? According to the law, Mary was guilty of adultery and was therefore subject to stoning. So, Joseph did not want to make a public ridicule of Mary. He did not want to expose her to shame, disgrace and by law, death by stoning. However, before he could carry out his plan, God intervened and saved the situation. Through an angel, God said to Joseph, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Upon waking up, he did as the angel had asked him to do. He completely obeyed! He put aside his own plan and made God’s plan his own plan. Although the child wasn’t Joseph’s biological son, God still asked Joseph to be the one to name him. By doing so, Joseph accepted the baby Jesus as his legal offspring. 

Friends, we are blessed, delivered and redeemed primarily because of God’s love and compassion. God is the initiator of the plan to save humanity. God started it all, but God also needed human instruments to bring about his plan. When God approached Mary, she allowed God’s love to become enfleshed for the transformation of the world. When God reached out to Joseph, he forfeited his own plan, made God’s plan his only plan, and became the human father of Jesus. Because Jospeh and Mary cooperated with God, a new era of grace upon grace, deliverance and salvation was born. Because Jospeh acted according to God’s plan, the Blessed Mother Mary gave birth to Jesus— God is our salvation. Because Joseph didn’t allow his fears to prevent him from accepting God’s will and plan for him, Mary gave birth to Emmanuel— God with us.

What is God asking us to do that we are afraid of doing? Are you afraid of losing something (freedom) or someone ( a friend) if you accept the metanoia message? Do you think life won’t be fun anymore if you surrender totally to Jesus and become a firebrand instrument of his? Are you afraid of losing power, wealth, pleasure and honor if you start living the good news life? By the way, power, wealth, pleasure and honor, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, are people’s substitutes for God. None or a combination of them can truly satisfy us. It was the great St. Augustine who once said, “Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Everybody in the world is wired for God. Why? Because no matter how much truth science delivers to us, we are hungry for more. No matter how much truth philosophy opens us to, we are still unsatisfied. No matter how much good we achieve doing acts of love and justice, we are still not at rest. No matter how much beauty we experience, how much power we have, how much wealth we acquire, the extreme pleasure we enjoy, and how much we are highly honored, we still have a sense of emptiness. We want more. I am here to tell us that the more that your heart truly seeks is God. If God is asking you to do something you are afraid of doing, I urge you to do it afraid anyway. Mary and Joseph may have surrendered to God’s will unsure and fearful of the outcome, but still  yielded to God’s way. Their YES is part of the reason we are here today. Your own Yes can unlock the gate of heaven for someone else as well.  

Become the One we are Waiting For!

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent, Year A

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, December 15, 2019

John the Baptist began his ministry by urging people to prepare for the arrival of God’s final rule, which he described as “the coming wrath.” With the message, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” John called for a radical change of heart, mind, attitude, and lifestyle. He challenged the people to prepare for this emerging kingdom. He also created awareness that he himself was not the expected Messiah, rather, his forerunner. Now, John’s message has got him into trouble. He was in prison over his refusal to sanction the marriage of King Herod Antipas to Herodias, the wife of his own brother. In prison, John heard about the activities of Jesus throughout Galilee. He had earlier described the one coming after him in graphic imagery: “His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor  and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire” (Mt. 3:12). His expectation of the coming one as a strict and stringent judge did not tally with what he was hearing about Jesus. While John emphasized divine wrath and judgement with unquenchable fire, Jesus’ ministry was an outpouring of grace, mercy and healing. While the tone of John’s message was harsh, that of Jesus was more friendly and lenient. This obvious difference made John to send his disciples to Jesus with this question: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” 

Without giving John’s disciples a yes or a no answer, Jesus referred to the Old Testament Scriptures— prophecies from Isaiah to be precise— that predicted the future salvation as a time of mercy, healing, wholeness, recreation and renewal of all things: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them.” Jesus was simply pointing to John that the prophecy of the prophets especially the one we read today in Isaiah is being fulfilled: “Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense, he comes to save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be cleared. Then will the lame leap like a stag, and then the tongue of the mute will sing” (Isaiah 35:4-6). Jesus did not say yes or no, he let his actions speak for themselves. He also advised that no one should take offense at his ministerial activity. 

Despite his mild rebuke of John, Jesus taught his audience of John’s important role in the unfolding of God’s plan of salvation: “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind…someone dressed in fine clothing…a prophet?” To Jesus, John the Baptist was more than a prophet. He was a messenger of God sent to announce the arrival of the Messiah. 

Dearest beloved, Jesus has fulfilled the Messianic prophecies. He has left the remaining task to us. We are his hands, voice, and body. He has called us to be his love and mercy today. But are we? When others encounter us, will they see Jesus in us  or are they going to still be looking for him? A good Christian is a Bible. A good Christian is Jesus to others. A good Christian is the one the world is waiting for. He makes others want to believe in him. She makes belief in God meaningful and relevant. Let’s always strive to become the good we seek, the love we seek, the peace we seek, the common good we seek, the respect we seek, the dignity we seek, the peace we seek, the generosity we seek, the healing we seek, the mercy we seek, and the justice we seek

Time To Clean Up The Closet 

Rev. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year A

St. Alphonsus Catholic Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Before the emergence of John the Baptist, the desert preacher and prophet, the Jews had gone for four hundred years without a prophet. As a result of that people began to complain about the seeming silence of God. They wondered why the voice of God do not sound anymore. As this line of thinking was becoming prevalent among the people, John the Baptist appeared appeared with an earth shaking message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 

John was a fearless preacher who denounced evil deeds wherever he saw them. When Herod entered into illicit and unlawful marriage with his brother’s wife, Herodias, John rebuked him and reminded him that the Jewish Law did not permit such a behavior. When he saw that the Sadducees and Pharisees, the religious leaders of his day were stuck in the letters of the law and paid no attention to the spirit of the law, he berated their hypocrisy. When he saw that the ordinary folks of his time were living lives that were not consistent with the professed faith, he called them out. Wherever he saw anything bad- in the state, in the Temple, on the street, in the marketplace, John fearlessly spoke out. His emergence became a light that lit up dark places. As he preached his strange clothing, nasty diet, and challenging message rather than turn people away, attracted them in large numbers to him. Why? Because his voice was considered as the voice of uprightness, holiness, and the voice of God.

Now, John the Baptist was not a prophet of doom. His message wasn’t only about denunciation and repudiation of evil, he also challenged the people to become what they ought to be and what they could be. He forcefully called them to repentance (metanoia)— to have a change of thinking, attitude, behavior and relationships. His call to repent is a call for us to become the best version of ourselves, that is, to move away from where we are right now that is not serving our relationship with God and others well enough. It is an invitation to shred our old selves—which is self-centered, move intentionally closer to God and to those around us. This call is a call to become more like Christ Jesus, the reason we are here today. Metanoia or repentance invites us to enter the closet or the garage of our lives, and clean up all the junks that have taken up the space meant for God and our brothers and sisters. It is an invitation to declutter. 

Just as John warned his first listeners that claiming Abraham as their father is not enough, we are also warned that being called Christians isn’t going to be enough. We must produce good fruit as evidence of who we are. The fruit we bear must be harvested from the garden of the Lord. Jesus is not looking for fans, but disciples. Fans only admire him but may not follow him or listen to him. Fans may cheer him but may not produce the kind of fruit that pleases him. 

The call to repentance is something we have heard time and again. But have we ever done anything about it? Have we ever taken the time to consider if there are things in our lives that we need to get rid of? John prophesied that the nearness of God’s kingdom requires appropriate action- repent, be converted, have a change of heart and mind, and be born again.  What do I mean by born again? When you stop following your own will, rather live according to the will of God, you are born again. When nothing matters to you more than God, you are born again. If at the very center of your life you are linked to God, you are born again. If you are rooted in God in such a manner that your heart longs for him daily, you are born again. When you resolve to leave sin behind and allow yourself to be led by the Spirit of God, you are born again. If you have spent years living selfishly but now wants to live for God and others, you are born again. If you kept a long list of folks who offended you that you are not willing to forgave but eventually allowed the grace of God to open you up to forgive and receive forgiveness, you are born again. If your god is fame, pleasure, wealth and control, but eventually found and fell in love with the true and living God, you are born again. When your heart is healed of bitterness, anger, jealousy, hatred, you are born again. You are born again when you focus less on avoidance of sin and focus more on doing something good, being lovely and lovable, being hospitable, being kind, being compassionate, being merciful, being generous, being inclusive, being tolerant, being gentle, being humble, being truthful, being sacrificial, being understandable, being less difficult, being holy and above all, being Christ.