Reflection on John 6:44-51

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Thursday, April 30, 2020

In today’s Gospel Jesus declares, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.” Bread is good, and nourishing too. When we eat bread, it blends with our body; it is broken down and turned into fat, and the fat is stored in fat cells found around the body. Later, during activity especially physical activities, this fat is burned as energy to keep the body alive. Through this process, bread comes alive. But when we eat the Body of Christ, the Living Bread, we become alive in a way that we were not originally. In fact, we become what we eat— the body of Christ himself. St. John Chrysostom once said, “What is that bread? The Body of Christ! What do they become who are partakers therein? The Body of Christ! Not many bodies, but one Body.” 

Jesus says he is the living bread from heaven. So, what is heaven? A Nigerian Redemptorist priest, Fr. Donatus Nwachukwu, in one of his Nigerian Gospel songs said that “Heaven is the reward of righteousness.” We all believe that heaven is the final place of rest and peace for those who loved and served God. But St. Paul tells us that “Eye has not seen and ear has not heard what God prepared for those who love him.” Check the phrase, “those who love him.” This shows us that heaven is the realm of God and the realm of love. In the Eucharist, the Church triumphant (saints in heaven) and the Church militant (saints on earth) participate and share a meal together. In the Eucharist, the marriage of heaven and earth is celebrated over and over again. In the Eucharist, the fellowship and communion of the occupants of heaven and the occupants of earth goes on and on in an unbroken fashion. The Eucharist is called, “Panis Angelorum” (the Bread of Angels). Angels are God’s messengers. Throughout the Bible, angels are represented as a body of spiritual beings who intermediate between God and human beings. Although God has “made humanity a little less than angels (Psalm 8:6), angels are created beings just as human beings. The food of their nourishment, refreshment and sustenance is the Bread of life. So, it should be with us as well. For the great St. Pope John Paul II, “We are nourished with this bread to become authentic witnesses of the Gospel. We need this bread to grow in love, the necessary means for us to recognize the face of Christ in the faces of our brothers and sisters” (Homily of John Paul II on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Thursday 14, June 2001).

So, what is the Eucharist? It is the heavenly food that enables us to participate in the love between the Father and the Son. The Eucharist is the means through which we become Christified. In the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ Jesus is made fully present, and his sacrifice is the fullest expression of love of the Father and the Son for the human race. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. In the Eucharist, the believer encounters the Jesus of Nazareth who suffered, was crucified, died and risen. In his homily on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi in 2001, Pope John Paul II asserts that, “Christ who died and rose for us is really present in the Holy Eucharist. In the consecrated Bread and Wine, the same Jesus of the Gospel remains with us whom the disciples met and followed, whom they saw crucified and risen, whose wounds Thomas touched, exclaiming prostrate in adoration: “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28)”

Beloved in Christ, are you still looking for Jesus? Are you like some of the Greeks who came to Philip and asked, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus?” (John 12:20-21), I invite you to the breaking of the Bread (Mass). Remember, it was only when Jesus broke the bread before his two disciples who traveled to Emmaus that they were able to recognize that the stranger who joined them during their journey was no other person but the Risen Lord himself. Again, for St.Pope John Paul II, “In the breaking of the bread, the eyes of those who seek him with a sincere heart are opened. In the Eucharist, the intuition of the heart recognizes Jesus and his unmistakable love lived “to the end.” (Jn. 13:1)”

Why do we need the Eucharist? Life is a journey. And on this journey, we need nourishment. We need sustenance. We need refreshment. We need a refill. No other food can offer and guarantee us all these but the Body of Christ. Moreover, Jesus knows the brunt of this journey of life. He lived it himself. So, he journeys with us. He goes before us and offers himself to us as our nourishment and support. Through the priests of the Church, the Lord continues to say, “Give them something to eat” (Luke 9:17). The food we urgently need to continue to travel on this journey is the Eucharist, the Body of Jesus Christ, broken and offered to us. 

As you believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and receive him worthily, may you continuously become what you receive. Become the bread of life for yourself and the world. Amen. 

Reflection on John 6:35-40

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

In this Gospel, Jesus declares that he is the bread of life and then promises everlasting life to all those who believe in him. Upon hearing him say, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” the Jews murmured and complained, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, “I have come down from heaven?” Without backing down, Jesus insisted and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died, this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (John 6:47-51). By this time, the Jews are no longer murmuring. Jesus’ declaration has raised the tempo. They quarreled among themselves and complained, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (John 6:52) As if to add salt to injury, Jesus defiantly maintains, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” (John 6:53-56).

The controversy about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is not new at all. It started right from the very moment Jesus declares his flesh as the true food and his blood as the true drink. For a first century Jew, there is a good reason to hesitate and reject this new teaching. Scattered throughout the Old Testament are the prohibitions of the eating of animal flesh with blood. The blood is life, so they don’t eat animal flesh with blood. It was strictly forbidden. And here is Jesus whom they knew his father and mother stating that they have to eat his flesh and drink his blood. It is not only gross, but also theologically objectionable to the highest degree. So, the Jews balked and refused to accept the new teaching of Jesus. As you can see, in this Gospel passage, Jesus was given a number of opportunities to soften his teaching, to propose a more symbolic or metaphorical reading, but rather than take that path, he insists, “Amen, amen, I say to you (that is, listen, listen, there is something very important coming), unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” And to rob it in, he says, “For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.” In these words, Jesus turns the heat. He was not speaking symbolically but literally. 

After laying down this new teaching, this new marker, many of his followers turned back and will not go with him anymore. They said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it” (John 6:60). After they left, Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Do you also want to leave?” (John 6:67). Speaking on behalf of the Twelve, Peter replied, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Now, if Jesus was speaking symbolically, his Jewish audience wouldn’t have been so upset with him; and some of his early followers wouldn’t have turned back. The reason why they stormed away in protest is because Jesus didn't compromise or soften his teaching. He knew exactly what he was saying, that is why he turned to the Twelve and asked if they were going to leave him as well. 

Beloved in Christ, the Eucharistic Discourse of John 6 and of course the institution narratives is the great ground for the Catholic Church insistence of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. This is not a later invention; the root is here in the Gospel of John 6. Now, let’s look at what some of the Church Fathers said about the Eucharist. This is important so that we are not tempted to argue that this Real Presence is a later and medieval theology, and that in the Early Church people didn't believe it. St. Ignatius of Antioch was a very early figure; born around the year 35 AD and died 108 AD. He knew the Apostles at earliest level. In his Letter to the Smyrnaeans, he said, “They (the docetists) abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, the flesh which suffered for our sins, and which the Father, of His goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes.” As for Justin Martyr, he wrote, “For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these (the Eucharistic Elements); but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Savior, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh.” (First Apology, 66). Justin is clear “that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word… is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. ” The “prayer of His word” refers to the words of institution, which come from Jesus’ lips at the Last Supper. So after the words of institution, the bread and wine become the flesh and blood of “that Jesus.” In the early third century, Origen of Alexandria said, “ You are accustomed to take part in the divine mysteries, so you know how, when you have received THE BODY OF THE LORD, you reverently exercise every care lest a particle of it fall, and lest anything of the consecrated gift perish….how is it that you think neglecting the word of God a lesser crime than neglecting HIS BODY?” (Homilies on Exodus 13:3). 

You know, if the Eucharist were to be a mere symbol, no one would treat it with this kind of attention. Yes, we might show some respect to a symbolic object, but this kind of obsessive care given even to particular crumbs that fall from the Eucharist wouldn't be accorded to a symbolic object. Only someone who believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist can have such reverence. As for St. Gregory of Nyssa, he said, “The bread again is at first common bread; but when the mystery sanctifies it, it is called and actually becomes the Body of Christ.” St. John Chrysostom said, “What is that Bread? The Body of Christ! What do they become who are partakers therein? The Body of Christ! Not many bodies, but one Body.” This is a very profound saying. In all the Church Fathers writings, you can see that the Eucharist is the means by which we are Christified and eternalized body and soul. Our minds, hearts and souls are Christified, but so also our bodies. Our lowly bodies are prepared for heaven by our contact with the reality of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. St. Hillary of Poitiers said, “As to the reality of His Flesh and Blood, there is no room left for doubt, because now, both by the declaration of the Lord Himself and by our own faith, it is truly Flesh and it is truly Blood. And These Elements bring it about, when taken and consumed, that we are in Christ and Christ is in us.” 

I can go on and on to quote several of the Church Fathers’ teachings on the Eucharist, but the few I have mentioned show us that what begins in John 6 is carried on by the early Church in unambiguous way. If the Eucharist were a mere symbol, Jesus would have said so. When his Jewish audience protested, he would have told them he was only speaking in a symbolic sense. When some of his early followers walked away and stopped following him precisely because of his Eucharistic teaching, he would have clarified his earlier comment. He would have told them he was speaking in a metaphorical sense. But he did not. If the Eucharist were a mere sign or symbol, the Church Fathers would not have used the kind of language they used. So, if the doctrine of the Real Presence is true, then it must be maintained and taught unapologetically. The literal eternalization of the one who receives Communion must be insisted upon. 

But what does this transformation really mean? It means that the recipient’s whole life— body, soul, spirit, passions—are now ordered to eternal dimension. The recipient of the Eucharist who is now a Christified and Eucharitized person becomes finally aware that his or her life is no longer about him or her, but about God. Having become the one he or she has received, they now understand that their greatest treasure is to be found above and not below. Like St. Thomas Aquinas, they understand that they have nothing except Jesus, the Lord. 

Prayer

Soul of my Savior, transform me

Body of Christ, heal me

Blood of Christ, sanctify me

Jesus crucified, make me die to sin

Risen Lord, rise in me, wake me up from spiritual slumber and make me a firebrand disciple

Eucharistic Christ, may something change in me. May something good happen in me. May I become less of me, and more of you whenever I receive you. Help me become what I have received.

Amen.  

©Rev. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR

Reflection on John 6:22-29

Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Monday, April 27, 2020

In today’s Gospel, the crowd that witnessed and enjoyed the miracle of the loaves went to Capernaum in search of Jesus; and having found him across the sea asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus replied, “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.” Then strikingly he added, “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 his seal.” On hearing those words, the crowd asked Jesus a follow up question, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

These folks, like the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, latched on the first words spoken by Jesus, and simply ignored what he said afterwards. They expressed no interest in “the Son of Man.” They did not want to know who he might be, how he gives food that endures for eternal life, and how God has set his seal on him. Their chief focus and interest was on themselves and what they are to do: What can we do to accomplish the works of God? They used Jesus’ mention of “work” to ask what works God wants them to do in order to receive the food that endures for eternal life. Now, it is right and important to be concerned about what God expects, but it must be held in proper balance with what God wants to give. Obeying God is important, very important, however, to be preoccupied with that alone distorts who God is, and it reduces him from being a loving Father to being a rule maker. 

When the crowd asked Jesus, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” They were thinking of multiple acts they will need to perform, but Jesus answered them in terms of the work of God, a single work— which is to believe in the one God has sent. To believe in him means to acknowledge who he is—the one sent and empowered by his Father to do his Father’s works. To believe in him is to accept what God has provided for attaining eternal life—Jesus himself. To reject him is to reject God’s offer of life. 

But why is Jesus particularly interested in people believing in him? Throughout his ministry he invited his audience to believe in him. Why? Because to believe in him will ultimately compel a choice. If we believe that Jesus is who he said he is, if we believe that he is the Incarnation of God, if we believe that Jesus is Yahweh in human flesh, if we believe that he is the Christos, if we believe that he is Adoni, then we are compelled to make a choice. You cannot possibly believe that Jesus is all that and still resist to commit to him. His early disciples were so convinced that Jesus is the Christos (Christ) and the Kyrios (Lord), and that is why they were willing to do the unthinkable— travel to Rome and at the Roman arena, boldly proclaimed that Jesus, not Caesar, is the Lord and the new King of the world. That heroic act cost them their lives. 

Now the expression, “the work of God” can be understood in two ways: it can mean the work that God desires us to do; it can also mean the work that God does. When Jesus said, “the work of God is to believe in the one he sent,” both meanings are contained in those words. Belief is a human response to God, and it is also the work of God within a person. After all, Jesus said that no one can come to him unless the Father who sent him draws him. Faith is a mysterious tangle of the divine and the human. So, we pray that the good Lord will continue to strengthen and deepen our faith in him. Even when we struggle and suffer, and it appears he is distant, we will continue to believe that he is with us. The lesson to learn from the two disciples on their way to Emmaus is that even when we cannot see and recognize God in difficult moments of our lives, he is surely traveling with us. If we can only speak to him and allow him to speak to us, he will help us to understand what is going on.   

Reflection on Luke 24:13-35

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Brothers and sisters, today’s Gospel remarkably opens with two dejected disciples of Jesus who left the community in Jerusalem and closes with the two returning to Jerusalem happily. As they made their trip to Jerusalem and talked about all the events that happened, Jesus joined them, although he was unrecognized by them. Although their hearts were burning within them as he explained the Scriptures to them, they still did not recognize him. It was after the taking of bread, saying the blessing, breaking the bread, and giving it to them that they finally recognized them. 

You know, this Gospel reflects the two parts of the Mass: the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the Eucharist. Jesus is present in the proclaimed Word, but he is supremely present in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, the Lord is personally and actively present. The Eucharist is his greatest gift to us, that is why the Church insists that the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith; that it is source and summit of the Christian life; that all other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate are bound up with the Eucharist and are orientated toward it. The Eucharist contains the whole spiritual good of the Church— that is, Christ himself. The Eucharist is the greatest possession of the Catholic Church, which other Christian churches do not have. 

Today's Gospel also teaches us that just as Jesus was with the two disciples on their journey to Emmaus, he is also present with us in our journey of life. Through thick and thin, he is present with us. Unfortunately, there are times when we may not see him due to worry, fear, anxiety, and cares of this world. But wether we see him or not, the truth remains that he is present with us. If we engage him in conversation— which we call prayer, he will listen to us, but he will also explain and interpret to our understanding the things that we are yet to understand. 

As the world experiences a pandemic, many believers are confused, fearful and worried. Many ask, “Lord, where are you?” Beloved, I am here to tell you that he is not far away from us. Do not look far away to see him. He is with you. We don’t serve a God who is unconcerned, a God who absconds and runs away to hide. At this heightened time of fear, Jesus is traveling with us just as he traveled with Cleopas and the other disciples. 

Glory be to God!

Reflection on John 3:31-36

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Thursday, April 23, 2020

In this Gospel, there is a promise of eternal life to those who believe in the Son of God: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.”

You know, almost every religion of the world talks about faith as something that has to do with the relationship between a creature and the Creator. Just about every religion speaks about the human race dependence on God, about divine providence and about humanity’s need for grace, favor, blessing and mercy. As one of the dominant religions of the world, Christianity too speaks about all of these theological truths, but it goes further than all and emphasize the Incarnation and the wonderful gifts connected with it. Islam and other world religions talk about the human person’s quest and longing for God, but in Christianity, it is the exact opposite. God is the one longing for us. God is the one who first quests and yearns for us. God is the one who initiated the relationship, sustains the relationship, and made sure it works. Don’t forget that while we were still sinners, alienated from God by our transgressions, Jesus Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). He is the first to come to us, and he is still the one helping us to come to him. Although the human person is wired for God, God is still the one who does the wiring and makes our longing for him possible. Although we long for God just as a deer yearns for running stream (Psalm 42:1), the good and merciful God is the one who instill in our souls the original ability to long for him. Without God’s intervention, without God’s initiation and involvement, we can do absolutely nothing (John 15:5b). 

In the Gospel of John 3:16, we read that “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him many not perish, but may have eternal life.” This very familiar verse expresses God’s nature, God’s plan, and God’s intention. It summarizes the Christian faith and highlights its uniqueness from other religions of the world. It talks about the possibility of you and me to share in God’s own life. This is huge! This should be the breaking news breaking everyday in our hearts and minds. It should make headlines in every corner of our lives. It is crux of the good news.  

God sent his Son into the world so that the Son might gather the human race into the divine life. God is in each of us (2 Timothy 1:14). His coming to take residence in each of us is not an invasion as some people may want you to believe. He comes as a friend, the Best Friend (John 15:15). He visits with love and not vengeance. He has something wonderful to offer us— his very life. God is love (1 John 4:16). God has loved us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). But guess what? This love will only be complete when we accept and receive the love that God is giving to us. Take it and live as you should and as you ought to be. 

God bless you!

Reflection on John 3:16

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

The Gospel of John began with a thunderbolt: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… (John 1:1-5) and in today’s Gospel, there is another thunderbolt, another great flash that lights heaven and earth: God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life (John 3:16). This verse is one of the most familiar verses of all Scripture, unfortunately, its familiarity has cooled and taken away some of its radical pronouncement and significance. John 3:16 is a twenty-seven word parade of hope. It is the alphabet of grace, a table of contents of the Christian hope and the consolation of all. It tells us that God’s fundamental attitude toward the human race is love; that everything God does for us is out of love for us. From the first letter of John we get to know why God behaves the way he does towards us— it has to do with his very nature: God is love (1 John 4:16).

John 3:16 is the entire gospel in a nutshell. It sums up God’s nature, God’s plan and God’s intention. John 3:16 is Christmas. It is the Paschal mystery (passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. How? God gave his only begotten Son to the world when he took to himself a nature like ours (John 1:14). He gave his only begotten Son to be lifted up on the cross, to die and to rise, (John 3:14) which is the ultimate demonstration of his love. Although the human race was extremely estranged from God, God, nevertheless, went to the extreme length of giving his only begotten Son, so that every one who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. “The natural fate of the flesh is to perish and decay,” but when the Word took on flesh and was lifted up, he also lifts up the flesh to eternal life. God’s primary purpose for giving his only begotten Son to the world is to enable men and women to have eternal life, to share in his own life. That is the amazing thing God did for us out of amazing love. 

As the world grapple with a pandemic, it feels good to remember who God is. It feels amazing to keep in mind that God loves us. It feels awesome to remember that amazing grace flows from amazing love; awesome love flows from the awesome God, and great love flows from the great God. It is a joyful news to know that no one can disqualify you from the love of God. Not death. Not pain. Not anguish. Not divorce. Not guilt. 

Even if you are only good for junk-yard, God will continue to love you. Why? Because God is love. He has handcuffed himself to you in love, and he alone owns the only key. The amazing news is that God has no needs, so we cannot wear him out. He is ageless, so we cannot lose him. He is sinless, so we cannot corrupt him. We cannot win his love by being winsome, or loose it by being a loser or a failure. But we can resist his love. God’s love is unconditional. We don’t deserve it, but God still gives it to us. This is the greatest news!

Reflection on John 3:1-8

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Monday, April 20, 2020

In this Gospel a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin, and a ruler of the Jews came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.” Notice that in his comment, he used the pronoun “we” and not “I.” So, who are the “we?” The Gospel does not tell us. Whenever I read this Gospel passage, I wonder if Nicodemus wanted to say more before Jesus interrupted him or if he actually said more that was not captured by the author of John’s Gospel. Be that as it may, the response of Jesus to him is: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above (some Bible translations say “born again”), he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 

What does Jesus mean by “born from above?” To be born from above or born again is to have a radical change of life usually called metanoia. It is about having a change of attitude required to live in the energy of the Incarnation. To be born again is to be holy. The book Hebrews says, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (12:14). To be born again is to decide to hate and despise sin and to turn one’s attention to God. God and God’s matters matter. So, to make a deliberate and intentional decision to commit one’s life to God, to live godly and care about everything that Jesus cared about it is to be born again. To be born again is to live out our baptismal promises to reject Satan, all his works, and all his empty promises. After rejecting him and everything he stands for, we turn our hearts and minds to God— we express our faith in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; we express our faith in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died and was buried, rose from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of the Father; we also express our faith in the Holy Spirit, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Now, this expression of faith must be accompanied by good works— works of charity, commonly called the corporal works of mercy and the spiritual works of mercy. 

To be born from above is not a one time project but everyday. Everyday, we must walk and live by the Spirit so as to eschew gratifying the desire of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16). As St. Paul teaches us, what the flesh desires and wants are totally opposed by the Spirit, and what the Spirit wants are opposed by the flesh. That’s why he urges us believers to be guided and be led by the Spirit. As you can see, being born from above cannot be a one time experience and project but a daily spiritual war.

Reflection on Mark 16:9-15

Rev. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR

Saturday, April 18, 2020

Today’s Gospel tells us about the three different appearances of the risen Christ. First, he appeared to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. Later, Mary Magdalene told his disciples who were still mourning and weeping that the Lord is risen. She was basically telling them to stop mourning, because he is alive, and not dead. But they refused to believe her. Later, Jesus appeared to the two disciples who were on their way to the country. This is possibly the two disciples that Jesus met along the way to Emmaus. When they returned from their journey, they shared their experience to the other disciples. Again, the disciples refused to believe them. Finally, when the Eleven were at table, Jesus came to them and rebuked them for not believing the accounts of those who encountered him. After rebuking them, he said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” Here the Lord is asking them to stop sitting around, to stop their unbelief, get up, get ready, go out there and proclaim the good news to every creature. 

Now, to evangelize is to proclaim that Jesus is the Christos (Messiah); that Jesus is the Kyrios  (Lord). To evangelize to declare time and time again that this Jesus who is Lord and King was arrested, tortured, put to death but on the day, he was raised from the dead. The content of the proclamation of the Gospel must be that. When this kerygma, this Paschal Mystery is not at the heart of the project, not at the heart of the Christian message and evangelization, Christianity effectively becomes a tasteless religion. It becomes like one of the religions out there. Buddha died but never rose. Muhammad died but never rose. Confucius died and never rose. Every other religious figure and founder died, but none of them was ever known to have risen, appeared to their followers in a convincing manner that will drive them to lay down their lives for what they had seen. Not with Jesus, the incarnation of Yahweh. Although he was crucified by the Romans and was buried, but after three days in the tomb, he came back alive. He rose triumphantly. He conquered death. Before he died, he said he would be arrested and put to death by the powers that be. But he also said he will conquer death and rise after three days. At first, his disciples did not believe him. However, after his rising from the dead, he began to appear to them in a way that truly convinced them that the triumphant warrior is indeed alive. 

So, the central message of the Christian evangelization must be that the crucified one, Jesus, is risen. If we cannot proclaim this, Christianity becomes a social club. If we cannot preach this threatening message, Christian evangelization will effectively disappears, and becomes an invitation to bland religiosity or generic spirituality. Christianity will resemble what the world wants it to look like, which is a set of lofty ideas. Jesus would become one among the many of religious figures and founders with merely moral lessons to teach. 

So, I ask you, in what ways do you carry out the injunction of Christ ‘to proclaim the Gospel to every creature?”

COVID-19 AND SOCIAL DISTANCING: HOW TO STILL PRACTICE LOVINGKINDNESS

Rev. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR

Friday, April 17, 2020

Coronavirus is mean. It is so mean for it has brought upon us what no other misfortune has ever done. It has inflicted upon us what no natural disaster or terrorist attack has done or accomplished. Although natural disasters like earthquake, tornado, hurricane, extreme flooding do destroy human lives and people’s means of livelihood, but they hardly set us apart from each other. 911 cost lives and livelihood, but it never separated people physically from each other. Hurricane Katrina cost lives and wiped out people’s homes and livelihood, but it never set people physically apart from each other. As for coronavirus, it has taken thousands of lives, sickened hundreds of thousands of people, widened and deepened the gap between family members, friends, colleagues, neighbors and churchgoing folks. It has cost people their jobs, wiped out people’s savings, shut down large and small businesses— and some of them won’t make it and won’t come back. Churches, synagogues, and other religious worship centers are empty; parks are empty; restaurants are empty; downtowns are empty; airports are empty; resort places are empty; major and significant places of interest are empty; government buildings are empty; even streets and highways are empty as well. 

In the past when we faced natural disasters or terrorist attacks or economic recession, we pulled together, came together, held hands together, prayed together, grieved together, attended religious and social activities together which helped us connect and heal together as a people and as one family. Today, as we face another adversity— COVID-19 outbreak, we are being told to shelter in place and to socially distance from each other. We are being asked to eschew social visits— “don’t visit people and don’t let people visit you.” People with sick, elderly and dying loved ones are prevented from visiting them in nursing homes, hospitals and other healthcare settings. Heart-wrenching stories abounds of family members who stood outside of a facility and waved at their loved ones whom they could not see due to social distancing, of people who died alone without their loved ones at their bedsides and without their religious ministers around to pray and minister the last rites to them. During the most difficult period of their lives many stayed in isolation and died alone unable to give their last words of love and affection to their loved ones and unable to receive such from their loved ones. It is heartbreaking! This is why I said that coronavirus is mean and so mean. 

Amid this pandemic, people of faith globally have struggled to cope with not being able to gather at their worship centers. For many Catholics, not being able to attend Sunday Masses, not being able to be part of the Holy Week activities (Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil) and Easter Sunday is something they never ever imagined would happen in their life time. But my spirit was boosted by how many people in my church found a way to partake in some of the liturgical activities. On Holy Thursday, for instance, many of my parishioners drove to the church, and outside the church’s parking lot, they parked next to each other facing one of the exits of the school building. Seated patiently in their cars, they waited for the Mass to be over and for the priests to bring the Blessed Sacrament out so they too can do from inside their cars, what they had done on every Holy Thursday— adore Jesus Christ who is present Soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament. When we brought the Blessed Sacrament to a place where the people can view it, some sat in their cars for about an hour praying. Before driving home, they blessed themselves with the sign of the cross, bowed to the Blessed Sacrament, took some pictures, and waved to us the priests who stood behind the Blessed Sacrament. I was profoundly inspired by the faith of my parishioners, for their creativity and for their refusal to not let coronavirus win again. It was a very cold night in Minnesota, but people were not deterred. They found a way to adore Jesus the Lord. 

As we practice social distancing and physically stay away from each other due to the outbreak of COVID-19, there is still a way we can creatively stay in touch with each other. The Hebrew word hesed which means “lovingkindness” is not merely an emotion or feeling. It involves action on behalf of someone who is in need. Hesed is a sense of love and loyalty that inspires merciful and compassionate behavior toward another person. Hesed is about taking steps to help those struggling with illness, grief or emotional distress. Although it is very difficult during this time to offer hesed— because hesed is about being physically present for others: “When I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” (Matt. 25:35). When someone is hungry, hesed requires us not to say, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well” (James 2:16), but to try and give them the necessities of the body. When someone is ill, we don’t just send email or text messages or a get-well card, we visit them at home or in the hospital. When someone dies, we don’t just send sympathy cards, we make plans to attend the funeral and to comfort the bereaved. That’s what hesed calls and requires. That’s what the Christian faith enjoins. That’s what Jesus expects. 

When carrying out acts of hesed, the emphasis is not so much on what we say but on what we do. When I was being trained as a hospital chaplain, my CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) supervisor stressed the importance of using a spiritual assessment model to draw a patient or the family member to open up. The goal is for the chaplain to speak very little and for the patient or anyone who is associated with them who is experiencing spiritual distress or pain to speak more. If the cause of the spiritual or emotional pain is the loss of a close family member, my supervisor would insist that rather than say anything that is unhelpful and unnecessary— something like “your mother is in a better place” or “your daughter is happy where she is right now” the best approach would be to be present, acknowledge the grief, the pain, the loss and empathetically respond to their needs. I must confess the ministry of presence, the ministry of being with a patient or a family member and not saying much was at first difficult for me. I am a Redemptorist priest. I am a preacher. I have been trained to talk, to preach, and to teach. So, to sit or stand by the side and allow a patient raise questions and not providing the answers right away was not easy for me. Throughout unit one and two of my CPE training, I struggled with this approach to ministry. I struggled with not being the talker. I wanted to say more to my patients. And sometimes I wished I could do more for them too.  

During this pandemic, many of us are trying our best to offer support to our loved ones, but finding it too difficult. Like me during my CPE training, you want to do more and you wish you can do more. Now, while we cannot physically be present like we used to, there are still ways we can connect with each other and be present in other’s lives. Here in St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, the pastor has been doing a weekly robocalls to the parishioners. We have been streaming the Sunday Masses live. These two approaches to connect with our parishioners have been well received by the people. This past week, we have held parish council meeting on Zoom. So, while we may not be physically present to each other, we can still use God’s gifts of science and technology like Zoom, iPhone FaceTime, WhatsApp video call, Facebook Messenger audio and video call etc. to be present to each other and in each other’s life. We can still use each of these to keep each other company, see each other, share our joys and worries, share our spiritual and theological reflections, most importantly, explore what I have been calling lately, the theology of COVID-19 (coronavirus). There is a lot to learn from the pandemic. I don’t believe it is God’s punishment on the world as some preachers and priests do, but he allowed it to happen. Why did God allow it? Why didn’t God prevent it? These and many other questions we can explore by using one of the technological tools available to us. Coronavirus has kept us physically apart from each other, but we can still find ways to be present to each other. 

Stay healthy and stay safe!

Reflection on Luke 24:35-48

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Sisters and brothers, in today’s Gospel, Jesus appeared alive to his disciples. The moment they saw him, they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost. They were also terrified because the one the betrayed, denied and abandoned has return. In this Gospel, the resurrected Christ did two things before his frightened disciples: first, he showed his wounds, and then says, “Shalom,” which means “Peace.” Why is the showing of the wounds so important? By showing his wounds, Jesus presses them and everyone not to forget what we did to him. The author of life came, and we killed him. Great message! 

So, to all those people in our society who brag and say, ‘I am okay, you are okay,’ and ‘Everything is fine with me,’ please, do not believe such the next time you hear someone says it. The wounds of Jesus are the sign of our own spiritual dysfunction. When the risen Lord showed his wounds he is asking us not to forget it. 

But after showing his wounds, what follows it? Not vengeance! If you are watching a Hollywood or Nollywood movie of a poor man who has been betrayed, denied, abandoned by all at the moment of truth and was put to death, and after a few days he rises from the dead, would you not expect that he is going to unleash vengeance on those who betrayed and put him to death? As for the Risen Jesus he said, “Shalom!” (Peace). The word “Shalom” sums up what God intended for his people from the beginning. What sin has interrupted is “Shalom.” What sin has disrupted is peace— that is well being at every level. To those who had denied, betrayed, and abandoned him, he offers the word of forgiveness and peace. We killed God, and God returned in forgiving and redeeming love. The terrible disorder of the cross (the crucifixion of Jesus) is addressed not through more disorder, not through more violence, not through greater aggression, not through an explosion of divine vengeance but through a radiation of divine love and redeeming mercy. Check this out! Jesus visited his disciples who contributed to his death by their denial, betrayal and abandonment and did not unleash his anger or rebuke them in disappointment. In contrast, he speaks words reconciliation and compassion. 

So, what does this mean to us? It means there is no sin that God in principle cannot forgive. There is finally nothing that can separate us from the love of God. St. Paul said in his letters to the Romans that I am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither heights nor depths or any other power can separate us from the love of God. How does Paul know that? Because he met the risen Jesus who showed his wounds and said “Shalom.”

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS ACTUALLY HAPPENED: THIS IS WHY I BELIEVE IT. YOU TOO SHOULD!

Sisters and brothers, the Anastasis (Resurrection) of the Lord actually happened. Although the so called elites, the so called modern minds, the so called academic scholars, and unfortunately many of the millennials and Gen Z would want you to believe that it is a nice story, a legend, a myth like many other myths of the dying and rising of gods that is also found in other cultures and religions of the world. They want you to believe it is just one of the ancient stories that may have a moral meaning to it. But according to C. S. Lewis— who dedicated a great deal of his academic time to the study of mythical literature, “Those who say the Gospels are mythic, haven't read many myths.” Myths are traditional stories with symbolic importance. They speak of general truths about the world, about the early history of a people, about some natural or social phenomena that involve supernatural beings or events. Myths use simple stories to explain general truths about realities which is why myths are always said in some kind of indefinite distant time like “once upon a time… in a far distant land…” In some African mythical stories, animals like tortoise, snails, lions, goats, etc are personified and made to behave and appear like human beings. Star Wars is a good example of modern myth and a powerful one because it captures the attention of people all over the world and also taps into this mythic consciousness. 

But what we are dealing with here in Christianity is not a myth. The resurrection of Jesus is not one more addition to ancient stories. Consider these words of St. Peter in  Acts of the Apostles: 

You know what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem” (Acts 10:36-39).

Those words are not mythic words. The account is not a mythic one. It is the account someone who witnessed an event that occurred. Myths are stories that begin with “once upon a time in a place far far away…” Let me ask a few questions. Has anyone ever wondered who was the political leader when Hercules was around. Has anyone ever wondered who was the Pharaoh of the time when Osiris, Dionysus, Attis etc. rose from the dead. You know what? No one is going to ask such questions because they are  unsuitable questions. But Peter started by narrating what happened in Judea about Jesus of Nazareth. We know Nazareth. We know there is a country of the Jews. We know there is a place called Jerusalem. Check this out! If I start to tell you about someone I met in Memphis some years ago, and how I met him again in Louisiana and now in Minnesota, would you ever think for a second that I was about to tell you a mythic story?  Right there you will conclude that I am about to tell you about something that really occurred and about someone I had actually met. From the Acts of the Apostles I quoted already, St. Peter’s language is much more like that than it is like a mythic language.  

Let’s continue to cite Peter’s oration from the Acts of the Apostles. He said:

 This man (again not some generic myth) God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

In these words, Peter was speaking with authority as someone who witnessed an event. And he was not speaking for himself alone but also for the disciples—the first Christians. He used the pronoun, “we” and talked about “this Jesus,” whom they had seen, whom they ate and drank with after he rose from the dead. He was not talking about some mythical figure. He was not talking about a “once upon a time” story that happened in distant unknown land. If you read a “once upon a time” story or a writing by a spiritual teacher, there is always something tranquil and unperturbed about it. Such a story or writing can obviously communicate an important truth. But it is often told in a detached and placid manner. But if you read any chapter in the New Testament, from Matthew to the book of Revelation, what you will find will not be an abstract, placid and detached reflection on abstract spiritual truths. What you will find in every page is a detailed narration of an event that actually happened. Myths can be invented and composed in the privacy of your home or in a community center or in academic departments by anybody. The disciples of Christ, our ancestors in faith did not talk in mythical language. Something profoundly transformational happened to them that they were ready and wiling to go to every part of the world in order to tell their story: that this Jesus of Nazareth, crucified by the Romans is risen and that he alone is the Lord, not Caesar. 

Here is another point to ponder over. How many missionaries of Hercules are there? The answer is none! How many martyrs for Osiris are there? Again, the answer is none! Why? Because those are mythic figures. No one becomes a missionary or a martyr on behalf of mythic characters. As for Jesus, there were lots of missionaries and martyrs for him, and after more than two thousand years, there are still missionaries and martyrs for him. The first disciples traveled around the world with the sense of urgency, risked their lives, endured torture and death in order to tell their story about Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified by the Romans, nevertheless rose from the dead. Every single of Jesus intimate followers, except John, was martyred. You can actually fly to Rome, and there you will see the grave of the man who said the words I cited in Acts of the Apostles. He is buried in the biggest and most beautiful grave marker in the whole world. It is called St. Peter’s Basilica. St. Peter had a chance to deny the truth of what he saw and to walk away alive. However, rather than deny the truth of what he saw, he was crucified upside down. So, the next time you hear people describe the resurrection as a myth, do not believe it. The explosive and combustible  power of the resurrection message is still felt to this day.

Now, what are the conclusions and implications of the Resurrection of Jesus? Let’s examine three. One, Jesus is who he said he was. Some say that Jesus was a spiritual teacher. Surely, there are spiritual teachings to be derived from his teachings. But Jesus is much more than a spiritual teacher. Throughout his earthly ministry, he spoke and acted in the very person of God. That is why he compels us to make a choice. He said that unless you love me more than your father and mother and more than your very life, you are not worthy of me. No other spiritual teacher or leader ever said such. It is the zenith of arrogance, of course, unless the person is the highest good. Jesus also said, “You have heard it was said to your ancestors, in the Torah… but now I say…” For first century Jews, that’s a heresy and a breathtaking comment. Torah is the highest law that God gave to Moses and no one can claim authority over it unless the author of the Torah itself. Jesus also said, “My son, your sins are forgiven you.” When people heard that they got really upset and questioned, “Who can forgive sin except God.” He also said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Who can really say that except the Eternal Word of God? 

Whenever Jesus made any of those bold claims, some people got fascinated and followed him. Others got puzzled. There were others who hated him and hounded him to death because of it. What did the first witnesses of the resurrection realize? They realized that Jesus is who he said he was. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the ratification of his claim to speak and act in the very person of God. Therefore, if Jesus is not just one spiritual teacher among the many, one philosopher among the many, if Jesus is himself God made flesh, then we have to give our whole life to him. If he is who he said he was, then we have to surrender our whole life to him. 

The second implication of the resurrection is that our sins are forgiven. From all the accounts of the resurrection, the resurrected Christ did two things: first, he shows his wounds, and then says, “Shalom,” which means “Peace.” Why is the showing of the wounds so important? By showing his wounds, Jesus enjoins us not to forget what we did to him. The author of life came, and we killed him. Great message! So, to all those people in our society who brag and say, ‘I am okay, you are okay,’ and ‘Everything is fine with me,’ please, do not believe such the next time you hear someone says it. The wounds of Jesus are the sign of our own spiritual dysfunction. When the risen Lord showed his wounds he is asking us not to forget it. But after showing his wounds, what follows it? Not vengeance! You will expect vengeance in Hollywood movies and as a matter fact, in many myths of the world. If you are watching a Hollywood movie of a poor man who has been betrayed, denied, abandoned by all at the moment of truth and was put to death, and after a few days he rises from the dead, would you not expect that he is going to unleash vengeance on those who betrayed and put him to death? But the Risen Jesus said, “Shalom!” (Peace). The word “Shalom” sums up what God intended for his people from the beginning. What sin has interrupted is “Shalom.” What sin has disrupted is peace— that is well being at every level. To those who had denied, betrayed, and abandoned him, he offers the word of forgiveness and peace. We killed God, and God returned in forgiving and redeeming love. That means there is no sin that God in principle cannot forgive. There is finally nothing that can separate us from the love of God. St. Paul said in his letters to the Romans that I am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither heights nor depths or any other power can separate us from the love of God. How does Paul know that? Because he met the risen Jesus who showed his wounds and said “Shalom.”

The third and final conclusion and implication of the resurrection shows who is our King and what our mission ought to be. Remember Pontus Pilate, the Roman governor who wrote a mocking sign over the cross that says, “Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews? He put those words in Hebrew and Greek so that no one will miss reading it. It was a mocking expression directed at Jesus. It was meant as a joke and a taunt and as a ridicule to Jesus who claimed to be the king of the Jews. After the resurrection, what is the sense now? Who is the joke now? It is not Jesus but Pilate. When Pilate wrote “Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews,” he was unknowingly declaring in fact that Jesus is the King of the Jews and therefore the King of all nations. As such, he became deliciously  and unknowingly the first great evangelist that announced to all the nations and in all the relevant languages that you've got a new King. That was the first message of the first Christian. All through the letters of St. Paul, he would announce over and over again “Yesous Kyrios,” “Yesous Christos” which means— Jesus the Lord, Jesus the Messiah. Who was Lord in that world? The watchword of the era was “Kaizer Kyrios,” (Caesar is lord; Caesar is king). He is the one to whom all allegiance is due. But what is St. Paul saying? Not Kaizer (Caesar), rather someone that Kaizer put to death and who God raised from the dead. Yesous Kyrios! Jesus is the Lord. He is the one now to whom our allegiance is due. 

So, brothers and sisters, stop messing around with Caesar and all his successors today. Stop messing around with all these false kings. Don’t give your life, your heart and your mind to them. Their day is over. The real King as Pilate told us is Jesus of Nazareth. He is the one now to whom we should give our life, our hearts, our minds, our energy, our bodies and souls. He is the One to whom final allegiance is due. He is risen to die no more. So, rejoice because Jesus is Lord. Rejoice because our sins are forgiven. Rejoice because we now know our mission. Rejoice because our King reigns with love, kindness, mercy and compassion.