Reflection on John 1:1-18

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Thursday, December 31, 2020

Be humble just as your heavenly Father is humble!

The first chapter of the Gospel of John reaches its zenith with this profound and breathtaking phrase: “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”Catholics who pray the Angelus will easily recognize those words and probably know their significance. 

One of the heresies that the Catholic Church has constantly opposed since  the heresy’s inception is gnosticism. Among other things, gnostic doctrine avers that matter is evil, material things including the human body are bad. Some gnostic writers even claim that our being material is in a way a falling away from God. Because our being material is evil, gnosticism maintains that the spiritual can only be attained through a negation of the material. This line of thinking is also common to all forms of puritanism. You would expect a gnostic believer or a puritan to practice extreme forms of mortification of the flesh like slashing the body with razors, whipping the body with sticks, sleeping on a hardwood and using a piece of rock as pillow. They will do all these because they believe that the body is evil and therefore must be “mutilated,” punished, subjected, undermined and neutralized. But authentic Christianity, inspired and supported by the breathtaking claim of St. John, has persistently fought back and exposed gnosticism as as a wrong teaching. Why is gnosticism wrong? It is wrong because the Word of God took to himself a nature like us. John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). This Word (Logos) “became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” (John 1:14). God took to himself a human nature and thereby elevated the human body and all of matter and made it a sacrament of the divine presence. As such, all material things are essentially good. 

The Greek expression behind, “made his dwelling among us” can also be translated more literally as “tabernacled among us” or “pitched his tent among us.” According to the Book of Exodus, the ark of the covenant, which is the embodiment of Yahweh’s presence, was originally housed in a tent or tabernacle. But now John is saying that in the flesh of Jesus, Yahweh has established his definitive tabernacle among us. God has moved into our neighborhood. God is now here, among us, and with us. 

Beloved in Christ, if the Almighty God, the Creator of the universe and everything in it will humble himself and in the process was humiliated just to demonstrate the stretch of his love for us, why do we sometimes raise our shoulders above that of our brothers and sisters? Why do we carry our shoulders high and display “I’m better than you” attitude? If you have more wealth than others, good for you. If you are more educated than someone else, good for you. If you live in a fancy house and drive a fancy car, good for you. If you have more power, more connection, more pleasure, more honor, and more wealth,  good for you. But does any of these give you super-humanity? Heck No! The excess you have does not make you more human or impose a super-humanity on you. The deprivation of a poor man, a struggling single mother, a needy woman, and the haves not around you does not strip or reduce their humanity and dignity. If God can come down to our level, you have no reason to raise yourself above another. Be humble just as your heavenly Father is humble. 

Christmas: the Story of Kenosis and Love

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for Christmas Day (The Nativity of the Lord)

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Friday, December 25, 2020

Today’s Gospel (Luke 2:15-20) is the continuation of Luke’s Christmas story which we started reading from the vigil Mass. To fully understand the story, we have to go back to the beginning of it. Luke tells us that it was when Quirinius was the governor of Syria, and when Caesar Augustus was the king of the world that a census was declared by Caesar Augustus. The two figures were two of the most prominent and powerful persons of the ancient world. Shortly after invoking their names, Luke pulls the rug from under us and said that his story is not primarily about them, but about a dusty couple— Mary and Joseph, who came to Bethlehem to register for the census that Caesar decreed. While they were there, Mary went into labor. Unfortunately, there was no room at the Inn for her to have her baby. They had to make do with what they found. So, Jesus was born in a cave with animals around them. As I said in the vigil Mass homily, the most protected person in the ancient world was Caesar Augustus, but Luke tells us that the true and new Emperor arrives unprotected. He arrives too weak even to raise his own head. The freest person in the ancient world was also Caesar Augustus; but the new King arrives not so free. He was wrapped up in swaddling clothes. The best well-fed person in the ancient world was Caesar Augustus. If he snaps his finger, he will get any sensual pleasure he wanted, and some of us would think that’s what a good life looks like. But the true and new Emperor is not one who is fed, but the one who becomes food for the world, placed in a manger where animals eat. Luke also tells us that at the time the new King was born, there were shepherds in the region who kept the night watching over their flock. To them an angel of the Lord appeared and said, “Do not be afraid, for behold I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.” After that, Luke says an army of angels also appeared singing and praising God. Although Caesar had the biggest army in the ancient world, Luke is asserting that his army is nothing compared to the army of this Baby King who will fight not with worldly weapons, but with the weapon of love, forgiveness, compassion and non-violence. The Baby King has got a bigger army. 

On this Christmas Day, we read that after ministering to the shepherds, the angels returns to heaven. As for the shepherds, they hurriedly left in search of the Baby King, the Christ and Lord. Upon Seeing the baby lying in a manger, the shepherds testified to the message of the angel, and everyone who heard their testimony, including Mary was mystified by their words. As always with Mary, she pondered all these things in her heart. At the end of their visit, the shepherds returned to their home country glorifying and praising God. 

Sisters and brothers, have you ever pondered the background of people that God prefers to use to accomplish something for him? If it is not yet clear to us, it should be now that God takes delight in humble and simple persons. When it comes to the privilege of announcing his coming into the world, God chose persons of humble backgrounds. The Baby King Jesus was not born by a king and a queen but by dusty couple of humble background. He was not born in an elite hospital, or a castle or palace, but in a cave. He was not born in Rome, or Athens, or Babylon or in a great cultural center, but in Bethlehem of Judea, a tiny city in the corner of the Roman Empire. After his birth, he was visited not by Caesar Augustus or Quirinius or any of prominent person but by shepherds who slept with their animals in an open field. The entire story of Christmas is that of the mighty God emptying himself, becoming vulnerable, unprotected and weak. All for the sake of humanity. As we glorify and praise God today for what he has done for us, let us remember to always do for others what God has done for our sake— humbling himself, emptying himself for the purpose of raising us all. If God can become a human being, if God can descend to our level, who then are we to carry our shoulders above that of our brothers and sisters?  

Jesus, Caesar and the Christmas Questions

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Vigil)

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Thursday, December 24, 2020

The central claim of Christianity is that God became human. God took to himself a human nature and became one of us. To make the story more acute, God did not first appear in Rome or in Athens. He did not appear in Babylon or in some great cultural center. He appeared in Bethlehem, a simple and humble place. St. Luke’s Christmas story begins by invoking Caesar Augustus and Quirinius. Caesar Augustus was the king of the world and Quirinius, the Roman governor of Syria. Luke tells us that Caesar Augustus has declared that census of the whole world be done. As a powerful king, he was taking a census of his kingdom so as to ascertain the number of people in his kingdom and more importantly, so that he can tax them more effectively and control them as well. But shortly after telling us about the two powerful kings, Luke turns his attention away from them and says that he is not interested primarily in them but in this Baby that has just been born. Surprisingly, this Baby is born, not in a palace. The palace is where Augustus Caesar would be. According to Luke, the Baby does not even get a room in Bethlehem hostel; he has to be born in a cave, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. Now, who was the freest person in the ancient world? No doubt, it was Caesar Augustus. He could do whatever he wanted. Once his will is uttered in Rome, it will be done in Syria, in Greece and around the world. But the real King as St. Luke tells us is a tiny little Baby wrapped up in swaddling clothes, too weak to even raise his head. What point is Luke making? The true king is not the one who has vast worldly power, rather the one who is bound to others in love, who becomes weak for the sake of the other. The true king is not the one who is protected in his palacio (palace), but the one who is willing to become vulnerable in love. He is placed in a manger, in a place where animals come to eat. Augustus Caesar was the best fed person in the ancient world. In his palace, he could snap his finger and get whatever he wanted. But the real King, the real Emperor, according to St. Luke, is not the best fed person, and not the one who feeds himself, but the one who is placed in a manger who became food for the world. The placement of the Baby King in a manger, in a place where animals come to eat is a great anticipation of Jesus’ whole life which reached its apogee at the Last Supper when he said, “This is my body,” “This is my Blood.” Meaning I am food and drink for you.

St. Luke’s Christmas story also includes the angels. When we talk about angels, we get excited about them, but in the Bible, the typical response to angel is fear. The appearance of an angel generates fear because a supernatural reality has broken into the world. It is this fear that causes the angel to say to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid.” Put differently, “Calm down, I have good news for you.” The good news is that “a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.” Consider the two titles—“Christ and Lord.” Christ means “the anointed one.” At the time “the anointed one” was the king himself. As for Lord (Adonai), it is the Jews name for God. They have a tradition of not pronouncing nor spelling out the proper name of God which is YHWH (Yahweh), they often would use Adonai which means Lord, Master or Owner. The name “Lord” emphasizes that God is in charge of his creation and his people. By calling the new born “the anointed one” the angel is basically saying that a new King has been born. The king is no longer the old one in Rome but the baby wrapped up in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. He is the real King. Go and visit him. 

To make the story even more delicious, Luke says that there appear with this angel “a multitude of heavenly host” (angels). The Greek word used is “stratiyeia” which means “army” or a “host.” In the ancient world, the one with the biggest and most powerful army is Augustus Caesar; that is why he was the most protected. But Luke is saying that his army is nothing compared to the army of this new born Baby. The Baby’s army is the army of angels, and their weapon is the weapon of love, compassion, forgiveness and non-violence which is the power that makes the universe. This Baby King is in-charge of this angelic army. So, the question arising from this story is: Which army are you with? Which king do you follow? Are you going to follow Caesar and all his thousands of successors down to the present day? Some, if not most of us would probably raise our hands and indicate that we are with Caesar and Caesar’s successors. Why? Because we want to be well protected. We want to be powerful. We want to live in a palace. We want to have the good life. But the choice God wants us to make, according to St. Luke is to march with the Baby King and his angelic army, to choose the heavenly way of love, compassion and non-violence and to reject the worldly way of power, wealth, pleasure, and honor. Christmas is a subversive feast for it announces the entrance of a Baby King who would overthrow the old existing system and establish the new. Christmas is not merely a time of family gathering and reunion. It is not just a time to travel, to marry, to merry, to open a new house, show off latest new cars, jewelries and fancy clothes. Don’t get me wrong. I’m in favor of family gathering to share a meal. I’m in favor of inviting friends and family to rejoice with you over the good things the good Lord has done for you. However, do not reduce Christmas to just doing all that alone. It is a time to answer the following questions, “Which army are you with?” “Which king do you follow?” 

Reflection on Luke 1:57-66

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

“What, then, will this child be? For surely the hand of the Lord was with him” (Luke 1:66)

Certainly, the hand of the Lord was with John the Baptist. His conception by his elderly mother, Elizabeth was beyond science. It was a miraculous conception which can only be possible when God is involved. While John was still in the womb, he leaped for joy at the moment the sound of Mary’s greeting reached the ears of his mother, Elizabeth (Luke 1:44). So, for those Christians out there who give no respect to Mary, who argue that she is not relevant, the greatest “among those born of women” (Luke 7:28), John the Baptist had his own version of David’s dance (2 Samuel 6:14) right in the womb, and he did so before Mary, the ark of the New Covenant. If the unborn John acknowledged the essentially participatory role that Mary is about to play in the redemption of humanity, then Christians who diminish her role are simply in error. 

John the Baptist was of very priestly background. His parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth are both strongly priestly figures. Elizabeth is a descendant of the family of Aaron, the first priest of Israel, and Zechariah was a practicing temple priest. As a result of all that, John grew up in and around the temple, got acquainted with its rites, rituals and norms. Yet, when we first heard of the adult John emerge at the public scene to begin his ministry, he was out in the desert preaching and not in the temple. What is the priest, John the Baptist, the son of a strong priestly personages doing in the desert? Why is he not carrying out his priestly functions in the temple? 

At the time, the temple had been renovated by Herod the Great. But Herod, as we read from the Gospels and from other ancient materials, was a very wicked and immoral man. Although he rebuilt the temple, he also effectively and horrifyingly declared himself the Messiah of Israel. John saw how sinful, how wrong, how corrupt such a move was. He knew that Herod the Great was not the Messiah of anyone let alone Israel. He knew that the true and real Messiah was on the horizon. So, he decided to step away from the old rotten temple, and to function as a priest elsewhere, a priest for the new Temple, the new Holy of Holies — Jesus Christ himself.

Friends, if the company you keep is corrupt and immoral, do what John the Baptist did. Walk away. If your friends are a drag on you physically, spiritually and emotionally, walk away. If the fraternity or confraternity you are a member is not helping you grow and mature in every sense of it, especially when it pertains to your relationship with God, walk away. What about committee of friends? The moment you realize that membership of any of these associations is derailing your march with the true King and Lord, Jesus Christ, it is time to do what John the Baptist did— go away from the group. Don’t be afraid of having fewer friends. The most important friendship to keep, sustain, and to persist in is the friendship of the Lord, whose birth we are about to celebrate. 

Advent Explained

As we begin the holy season of Advent, one of the temptations we should strive to avoid is the tendency to reduce Advent and Christmas to a homey and sentimental seasons. Advent, in reality is a kind of preparation for revolution. If you look at the biblical figures like Isaiah, Mary and John the Baptist that are highlighted in the liturgical readings for this season, you will notice that they are saddled with the energy and electricity of revolution, and not comfort at all. Readings from Prophet Isaiah which are used throughout Advent deal particularly with the return of Israelites from exile in Babylon. The return was a very important event for ancient Israel because the destruction and loss of Jerusalem was such a disastrous calamity. The Babylonians, in 587 BC had destroyed Jerusalem. After bringing the temple town, they carried the brightest and the best Israelites into exile. The experience was like September 11 multiplied by a thousand times for Ancient Israel. The temple’s destruction was more consequential because it was seen not only as a political defeat (the capital city was destroyed), but also a defeat of Yahweh. God’s dwelling place on earth was destroyed. For the Jews., the temple was much more than a shrine to Yahweh, it was Yahweh’s home on earth with his people. So, after the destruction of temple, the Jews faced the biggest theological dilemma ever— how could the Lord, the Creator of the universe and everything in it be defeated? But when the exiled, 75 years later returned, Prophet Isaiah saw that as a great victory, meaning that the King of Israel, Yahweh, has proven himself stronger than the king of Babylon. After the return, Israel was oppressed again by the Greeks and the Romans. So, from the heart of the nation comes the great cry: Lord when will you again show the might of your arms? About 500 years after the exile, there appeared in Judean desert a strange figure, dressed in animal skins, eating locust and wild honey— John the Baptist. What is his message? He returned right back to Isaiah and declared: I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: prepare a way for the Lord. He is going right back to the idea of Isaiah preparing the highway for the return of the exiled, and Yahweh the King of Israel will be leading his people back. John the Baptist is saying that the definitive victory of Yahweh is about to happen. So, prepare a highway for God. 

When John said I must decrease and he must increase, who did he point to? He points to a young Galilean rabbi whose message was very simple and unambiguous: The Kingdom of God is at hand. There is a temptation to spiritualize his message, but before you do that, see it as a backdrop to what we have been talking about. Jesus is now saying that in him, in his own person, Yahweh is emerging definitively and victoriously as King. He has now come to rule the world. He supersedes the kings of the world. Interestingly, the Gospels show us in multiple ways what happens when Jahweh is King. Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus engages in open table fellowship invites the outsiders, the insiders, the healthy, the sick, the acceptable, the unacceptable. With that he acts as a King gathering his tribes. He also forgave sins. To the paralyzed man Jesus said, “My son, your sins are forgiven.” With those words he called from exile those who have been estranged by sin. In his own person and through his teaching about love, compassion, peace, non-violence, he is exemplifying what it looks like for Yahweh to be King. Sadly, the powers of the world  came after him. They got him arrested, lynched him in a Roman style by putting him on the cross. But his momentum happened when Yahweh raised him from the dead. He comes back from the dead, and convinced those who saw him that he is indeed the triumphant Warrior, Yahweh the King. That he is indeed what John the Baptist said he was: “Prepare a highway for the Lord” for the return of the King. He also vindicates what he himself said: “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” As he comes back risen from the dead, he shows himself to be the victorious King of Israel. St. Paul and other first century Christians went to the Roman world announcing that the Risen Jesus is Lord. He is the Davidic King who has come to rule Israel and the world. When we read in the Scriptures or declare with our own lips that Jesus is Lord, we take it for granted. But the watchword of the time was “Kaizer Kyrios,” (Caesar is the lord). With unnerving boldness and uncommon conviction Paul rejected the lordship of Caesar and in its place declares, “Jesus is Lord,” meaning that Jesus the God of Israel  is victorious over the kings of the world.

St. Mark was a companion of St. Peter, the leader of the Church. He came most likely from Palestine to Rome with St. Peter. He was also a friend of St. Paul as the Acts of Apostles tell us. He knew both Peter and Paul, two great evangelists of the early Church. And both Peter and Paul were killed during Emperor Nero persecution around the year 65 AD. Mark wrote his Gospel around the year 70, that is a few years after the martyrdom of Peter and Paul. How did he begin it? The opening line of his gospel is “The beginning of the good news (gospel) of Jesus Christ the Son of God.” When we read it today, we brush it off because we know it, we believe it, it has been mentioned time and time again that Jesus is the Son of God. We hardly pay attention to the significance of those words. However, every one of those words is a provocation. The gospel of Mark’s opening statement is a paradigm shift with a huge historical consequences. “The beginning of the good news…” In Greek term it is “euaggelion,” which means, glad tidings or glad news. It was used by the Roman Emperor when he is victorious in war. He would send evangelists out ahead of him carrying the good news that Caesar has won. St. Mark was distinctively and consciously being provocative when he said he has the good news (euaggelion). But his good news is not about Caesar, but about someone who Caesar killed and who God raised from the dead. He is the one who has real imperial victory. His name is Jesus Christ— Yeshua Hamashiach. Hamashiach means the anointed one. The anointed one before him was King David. So, Mark is saying the true and real King is Yeshua (Jesus). As if that was not enough, at the end of his gospel’s opening statement, Mark called him “the Son of God” (Yios Tou theou). Again, in those days, it was a deeply provocative declaration to make because Yios Tou theou was a Roman imperial title. The emperor was the son of God, a sign of the emperor’s supposedly divine status. But in a provocative manner, St. Mark is saying that the emperor is not Yios Tou theou; rather Jesus is the Yios Tou theou (the Son of God). Mark’s fighting words was a substitution of the Roman Emperor. But it does not mean that Jesus would relocate to Rome and rule from there, rather he is the One to whom final allegiance is due. He is properly the Lord. Those old kings no longer matter, the One who matters from now moving forward is Christ Jesus the King. 

This is why Advent— which is a preparation for the coming of the Lord is not a homey interior feast, rather a preparation for a revolution. Many of us, consciously and unconsciously fall and submit our allegiance to the kings of this world, and this submission has brought about hatred, violence, oppression, domination etc. But Mark and other gospels say that the true way is the way of the King of Israel, the way of Jesus, the Son of God, the crucified and risen Jesus. So, change and repent. Incidentally, Jesus’ opening declaration is “Repent for the Kingdom of God is close at hand.”Yes, a kingdom is at hand and a new King has emerged. Therefore, change and live under his lordship. That is the potently permanent and revolutionary message of Advent.  

Reflection on Matthew 1:1-17— The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Thursday, December 17, 2020

The Old Testament ends with the writings of prophet Malachi, after which was followed by 400 years of silence when the voice of prophesy was not heard. Although the Gospel of Mark is generally agreed to be the first Gospel, Matthew commenced his Gospel by presenting the genealogy of Jesus Christ at the onset of his Gospel. In the first seventeen verses, Matthew traces the ancestry of the good Lord from Abraham to David, and from David to Joseph, “the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.” Now, the genealogy of Jesus, which has so many unfamiliar names is not a passage that many Christians bother to read because it appears unprofitable, especially when it is looked at from a distance. However, a closer study of the passage reveals some priceless truths:

One, God is faithful— Matthew begins his Gospel by stating: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” By referring to Jesus as the son of David, and the son of Abraham, Matthew shows that God has fulfilled the promise he made to both Patriarchs. Thousands of years may pass, but God will always keep his word. Two, our depravity in display. The Lord’s genealogy reveals not only godly and pious persons, but also wicked and immoral human beings. Despite the piety of godly kings, some of their sons turned out bad. There were godly parents in Jesus’ ancestry who had ungodly sons. Rehoboam, Joram, Amon, and Jechoniah had pious fathers, but they were all wicked men. This shows us that grace does not run in families, and parents cannot transfer their holiness and uprightness to their children. Each person must work out his or her salvation with fear and trembling. Three, the amazing humility of Jesus. Jesus is the very incarnation of Yahweh. He is God, yet he is willing to go down to our dysfunctional level in order to save us from the punishment of sin. He did not come as a conquering King but a baby in the manger. Four, God uses the righteous and the unrighteous. Some of the names mentioned in the genealogy of Christ had a sad and shameful past. Take for instance Rahab, the prostitute (Joshua 2:1); Judah who became the father of Perez and Zerah through an incestuous relationship (Gen. 38:11-30), and Manasseh who promoted widespread idolatry in the land (2 Kings 21). Despite their sinful past, they still had the honor of appearing in the genealogy of the good Lord. So, do not be ashamed of any of your relatives who is broken, dysfunctional, messed up, and held down by addiction. Rather than pretend that they are not part of you and hide them from your friends, claim them as your own. Pray for them too. Five, salvation belongs to all and sundry. The Lord’s genealogy includes two women: Rahab, the prostitute, and Ruth, the Moabites. Originally, they are not part of the nation of Israel, yet, they were given the privilege of being part of the lineage of Christ, the Redeemer. 

Do you feel like an outsider? Do others look at you as weird, as the other, as someone who does not belong? Do not forget that the Redeemer came forth from Ruth, the foreigner, and was pleased to be her relative. Rahab was a prostitute who lived and worked in Jericho. Do you think you are trapped in ash heap of sin and filth just like of Rahab? Remember that the Redeemer came forth from Rahab the prostitute, and he too was not ashamed to have her as a relative. The good news of Christmas is that God himself bulldozed into the human family and made his dwelling among us. He has come to save us. Receive him. Receive him now. 

Reflection on Luke 7:18b-23

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

A certain woman was once looking for a good birthday card for her husband. On entering a store, she came across a beautiful card that reads on the outside, “Sweetheart, you are the answer to my prayers.” Then she opened the card, and on the inside is written, “You are not exactly what I prayed for, but it seems you are the answer.” As John the Baptist sits alone in prison, something similar may be running through his mind. His ministry is centered on preparing the people for the coming of the Messiah; and when the Messiah finally emerges at the public scene, John testifies, “Behold, the Lamb of God” (Jn. 1:36). But in the course of his ministry, John had described the One coming after him in a 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” (Mtt. 3:12). John’s expectation of the Messiah as a strict, stringent and punishing judge did not match with what he was hearing about Jesus of Nazareth. While John emphasized divine wrath and judgment with unquenchable fire, Jesus’ ministry was an outpouring of grace, favor, mercy and healing. While the tone of John’s message was harsh, that of Jesus was more friendly and lenient. These obvious differences caused John to send his disciples to Jesus with the message, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” 

When this inquiry is conveyed to Jesus, the good Lord does not respond theoretically, rather he points to things that are happening, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them.” Jesus did not give a yes or no answer to the question of John the Baptist, he let his actions speak for themselves. 

Through his words and deeds, the good Lord is showing us what is possible when God through Jesus Christ dwells among his people. As a miracle worker and healer, Jesus is repairing dysfunctional, broken and hurting world. He is not only interested in souls alone, but in bodies as well. That is why he ministered to the blind Bartimaeus, to the paralyzed man who was lowered through the roof and placed before him, and to the deaf and dumb man who he said, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be Opened”). And that is why Jesus brought back to life Lazarus, the daughter of Jairus and the son of the widow of Nain. In each of these miracles, Jesus demonstrates not only that he cares about the physical conditions of people, but that God has come. Yahweh has moved into our neighborhood and is fixing what human sin and dysfunction has broken. 

Rejoice! Rejoice!! Rejoice!!!

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent, Year B

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, December 13, 2020

The third Sunday of Advent is generally called in Latin Guadete Sunday, which means, Rejoice Sunday. Advent is the season of preparing for the coming of the Lord Jesus— both his first coming and his second coming), and by the third Sunday of Advent, we are almost there, so, it is appropriate to rejoice as we can see that “The Lord is near.” There is the theme of joy in all the readings. If the proclamation of Isaiah sounds familiar to you, it is because at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus read it in the synagogue when he visited Nazareth his hometown. Luke tells us that Jesus stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Upon unrolling the scroll, he found the passage where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord” (Lk. 4:18-19). But Isaiah’s prophesy was made several centuries before Jesus was born. It was first directed to Israel upon their return from exile after the Persians defeated the Babylonians. After the return, Israel was oppressed again by the Greeks and the Romans. Having been freed from captivity in a foreign land, they returned to their land to find it destroyed and desecrated. Like their ancestors before them in Egypt, they cried and wondered why they had been led out of slavery only to experience hunger and desolation. So, from the heart of the nation comes the joyful and hopeful proclamation of the prophet Isaiah who called himself the “anointed,” and also assured them that this is a time of favor for them by God, that a great reversal will take place: “glad tidings” for the poor, “healing” for those who mourn, “liberty” for captives and prisoners, and a jubilee year for all. Because of what is to come, Isaiah encouraged his countrymen and women to embrace the attitude of joy. Even though they returned to a destroyed and desolated land, Isaiah saw hope, and saw their homecoming as renewal of the covenant in which God will treat the nation as his adopted one. 

In the second reading, St. Paul offers three basic Christian attitudes that should serve as the foundation for holiness. First, followers of the good Lord are to be people of joy: “Rejoice always.” Second, they must be a people that prays always; and finally, they are to be people of thanks. Regardless of what we face and experience, joy, prayer, and thanksgiving are to be the pattern of life for those who are waiting for the day of the Lord’s return. We rejoice not because we are completely free from suffering, pain, and trials, but because we are not alone. The Redeemer is with us just as he was with the nation of Israel during their captivity and exile. We rejoice because in the final analysis, all will be well. We pray because through it we touch and receive touch from the One who got the whole world in his hands. We give thanks because God is worthy. We thank him for all we have and are. We thank him for salvation made possible by his Son, Jesus Christ. The Gospel is about the emergence of John the Baptist who came to testify to the light. After all the doom, gloom and darkness, John emerges, and using the words of prophet Isaiah, he claims that he is that voice that Isaiah said 500 years ago that is crying in the desert. What is his message? “Make straight the way of the Lord.” 

Now, considering what we have been through and still going through, you may be doubting the possibility of joy in the face of so much tales of suffering, death and anguish. You know, in normal and journalistic term and usage, happiness and joy are interchangeably used. We see them as synonyms. But theologically speaking, they do not have the same meaning. For according to the Dutch Catholic priest, professor and theologian, Henri Nouwen, happiness is dependent on external conditions like wealth, good health, good job, thriving business, stable family, safe environment etc. but joy is "the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing – sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war, or even death - can take that love away." Joy can be present even in the midst of sickness, sadness and struggle. Joy is not contingent on what we have or where we are or what we are doing. It does not rest upon the material acquisition or achievements. It is rather the experience of knowing that God loves you with an everlasting love, that God's love for you cannot fade or wore out. It is about knowing that you are exceeding loved by the almighty God. So, I urge you to realize that you are a special person to God. May the awareness of God's depth of love for you trigger you now to be joyful and dance all the days of your life. If you are going through a difficult time in your life right now, stop looking at your trouble. Look at the immensity of God's love for you, and in gratitude speak to him about your situation. May the One who loves you exceedingly hear your prayer of mercy and help. Amen

My Mother, Happiness and Joy

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Thursday, December 10, 2020

My mother suffered diabetes and its bruising consequences for 18 years before she finally died. But throughout those years, she never experienced or expressed emotional or spiritual distress. Her faith in God was firm as a rock. In the midst of so many symptoms and reactions caused by diabetes, her joy never waned or faded. She did not complained or lamented. One early morning, I overheard her praying to God, and this is what she said: "Lord, I pray you heal me but if healing me would cause me to abandon you and lose heaven, please, keep the sickness." Other times I heard her utter those words, I cried privately. 

Like most diabetic patients in Nigeria, my mother's choice of food was so limited. My sisters ensured that she ate only what the doctors had approved for her. During Christmas, when everyone is eating lavishly, my mother would only watch and wished she could eat what everyone was eating. But she never complained bitterly. With total resignation to the will of God, she accepted her fate and situation . In one occasion, I said to my siblings: "Mama is not a lucky woman. She spent all these years (after papa died) engaged in all manners of trade in order to raise her children, and when she is supposed to take a breather and enjoy the fruits of her labor, diabetes struck and denied her the opportunity." They all agreed with me but also said that Mama is contented. My mother's medical condition was enough to cause a fainthearted despair, but she did not. Some people even looked at her then and wondered what was the reason for happiness. She was not merely happy, but joyful. 

You know, in normal and journalistic term and usage, happiness and joy are interchangeably used. We see them as synonyms. But theologically speaking, they do not have the same meaning. For according to the Dutch Catholic priest, professor and theologian, Henri Nouwen, happiness is dependent on external conditions like wealth, good health, good job, thriving business, stable family, safe environment etc. but joy is "the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing – sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war, or even death - can take that love away." Joy can be present even in the midst of sickness, sadness and struggle. 

My mother was not born with a golden or silver spoon in her mouth; she did not marry a wealthy man. After her husband, my father passed away, her economic condition worsened. Her entire life was about labor and toil. In spite of all that, the need and lack, my mother was never bitter or angry. In summary, she was pleased with her life and pleasant to others. On the day she died, she woke up early in the morning, as usual said her prayer, sang praises to God, spoke and gave counsel to my elder sister about wide range of things concerning the family, thanked her for all the sacrifice she made while taking care of her. Before she breathe her last, she said, "I named my son, Uchechukwu (God's will). So, only God's will will be done. Nothing lasts for ever." Then she added, "Jesus, be merciful unto me, and receive my soul." Turning to my elder sister, she said, "My daughter, goodbye. Take care of yourself. God bless you." With that, she dropped her head in my elder sister's hand and transitioned to glory.

The point I am making is that joy and pain can coexistent. Joy is not contingent on what we have or where we are or what we are doing. It does not rest upon the material acquisition or achievements. It is rather the experience of knowing that God loves you with an everlasting love, that God's love for you cannot fade or wore out. It is about knowing that you are exceeding loved by the almighty God. So, I urge you to realize that you are a special person to God. May the awareness of God's depth of love for you trigger you now to be joyful and dance all the days of your life. If you are going through a difficult time in your life right now, stop looking at your trouble. Look at the immensity of God's love for you, and in gratitude speak to him about your situation. May the One who loves you exceedingly hear your prayer of mercy and help. Amen

Reflection on Matthew 11:28-30

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Beloved in Christ, in this Gospel, the good Lord says, Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. 

Growing up in an economically challenging environment in Nigeria, I witness the frequent usage of this Gospel passage by preachers on pulpits, over the radio, on television, in public buses, on small and major streets, towns and villages as a sort of “cure-all” for every social, economic, political and industrial ill in the nation. The central claim of these preachers was that an acceptance of Jesus as one’s personal Lord and Savior would guarantee economic breakthrough, success, and flight from suffering and economic hardship. To their infinite credit, these Pentecostal preachers of economic prosperity cleverly used this Gospel passage in a way that got the attention of their audience. Catholics and members of other mainline churches were targeted, persuaded and in some ways brainwashed to abandon their denominations for these new churches with simplistic approaches to solving human problems. As a young person, I heard this brand of Christian message forcefully presented. If you are not strong in your faith, you are likely going to be persuaded. In addition to vivacious preaching, there are people who lined up to testify the “miraculous favors” they had received from God through the preacher. Jesus’ call, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” was simplistically presented as the Lord’s invitation to escape from material poverty. Consequently, people got attracted mostly to the preacher (and in many cases not to Jesus) purely for what the preacher can extract from Jesus’ hands for them—material prosperity, escape from hardship and difficulty. 

Does Jesus care about our material wellbeing? Yes! He multiplied a few loaves of bread and fish to feed a multitude. Can Jesus ensure that his followers are successful in what they do? Yes! After Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James and John spent a fruitless night on the sea looking for fish, it was Jesus who brought success when he came to them in morning and said, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something” (Jn.21:6). The number of fish they caught was overwhelming. Can Jesus heal the sick? O yes. The entire Gospel is littered with stories of the Lord healing the sick, setting demoniacs free, and performing all manners of miracles and amazing deeds. Yes, coming to Jesus can give us a peaceful rest from the worries of this earthly life. However, what is often forgotten is this: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me… My yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Being yoked to Christ means we hand over the control of our lives over to him. Christians who use today’s Gospel passage to support the “all crown and no cross” view are mistaken. The good Lord has not promised us total and complete freedom from suffering. “Take my yoke and learn from me” is rather a freedom from the self. Undress and remove the ego, the selfishness, all egotistic tendencies and behaviors and put on Jesus’ yoke. The yoke of Jesus is repentance and faith followed by a singular commitment to follow him. What makes the Lord’s yoke easy and burden light is his grace and favor. His total obedience to the Father, his suffering, death and resurrection is what guarantees our salvation. Faith in him is a much lighter yoke and a much easier burden to carry than the burdensome yoke of self-righteousness. It is much easier to be saved by the merciful Jesus than to be saved by your self-righteousness. Remember, no one can save himself or herself (Ps. 49:8). 

Reflection on the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

The Immaculate Conception is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that the Virgin Mother of God, Mary, at the moment of her conception was exempted, preserved, freed of original sin. This dogma was promulgated by Pope Pius IX in his Apostolic Letter Ineffabilis Deus (Ineffable God) in 1854 after fasting were made, private and public prayers were unceasingly offered, after several considerations, studies of the Sacred Scripture, reflections, debates, petitions and controversies surrounding the teaching in the middle Ages. After all of that, the Holy Father finally declared:

… by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for the honor of the Holy and undivided Trinity, for the glory and adornment of the Virgin Mother of God, for the exaltation of the Catholic Faith, for the furtherance of the Catholic religion, by the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own: We declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.”

What this means is that the Blessed Mother through a special grace was preserved free from original stain from the first moment of conception. If this were not the case, the angel would not have referred to Mary at the Annunciation as "full of grace." If this were not the case, our Redeemer would have been contaminated by original sin and would have needed a savior himself. 

But why would God do such a thing? The answer is simple. God wanted to preserve a worthy vessel for the reception of his Son, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. God wanted to preserve an incorruptible, unblemished, and spotless vessel for the spotless Lamb of God. The divine Word, God made flesh, the very incarnation of Yahweh, the second Person in the Blessed Trinity, God himself should and must be received by an unstained vessel. Just as the holy of holies in the temple was kept pure and inviolate, so the definitive Temple, the true Ark of the New Covenant, which is Mary herself, should all the more be unstained. This is why the Blessed Mother is called the Vessel of Honor, the House of gold, the Ark of the New Convent and Mother most pure.

But what is significance of Immaculate Conception? First, it reinforces what we already know: that with God all things are possible. God is able and abundantly able to do all things. Secondly, it communicates the length and breadth God is willing to go in his untiring project of saving us. Out of God’s lavished love for us, God was and is ready to do the unthinkable. Love and mercy for humanity “drove” God in the direction of doing the most incredible of all things. Third, the Immaculate Conception shows us God’s repulsion for sin. The ineffable and most Holy God does not dwell in sin and in filth. Do you want to be a fitting abiding place for God? Get rid of sin, invite God and God will come to you.

Message of Advent

As we go through the holy season of Advent, one temptation we should strive to avoid is the tendency to reduce Advent to a cozy and sentimental season. In reality, Advent is preparation for revolution. It is a revolution proclaimed by Isaiah, announced by John the Baptist, which reached its momentum in Christ Jesus. About 500 years after the Israelites returned from Babylonian exile, there appeared in Judean desert a strange figure who dressed in animal skins, and ate locust and honey— John the Baptist. When people who came to listen to him asked him, “Who are you? (Jn. 1:22) he replied in the words of prophet Isaiah, “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord” (Jn. 1:23). Many centuries before him, Isaiah had said that a voice of one is calling in the wilderness and asking people to make straight in the desert a highway for our God (Is. 40:3). Upon his emergence on the public scene, John the Baptist asserts that he is that voice. Thereafter John said, “…there is one among you whom you do not recognize…” (Jn. 1:26b). He called him “the Lamb of God.” The “one among you” is a young Galilean rabbi whose message is very simple and unambiguous: Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand (Matt. 4:17). What does sin do to us? Sin distances us from God. We are meant to be close to the heart of God. According to St. Augustine, sin is a journey into the land of the unlikeness. We are made in the likeness of God, but when we sin, we wander far away from where we are meant to be. Repentance therefore is a return from a spiritual exile. To facilitate the return to our heavenly Father who is eagerly waiting for us like a good shepherd, we need to travel by God’s highway. Who is the highway? He is precisely the one that John the Baptist called “the Lamb of God,” Jesus Christ the Lord. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

On the first Sunday of Advent, our Lord urges us to “Be watchful! Be alert! Be alert to the signs of the passing of all things. Be alert to the fact that all human acquisitions, achievements, accomplishments, successes, pleasure, the joys and goods of this world will one day be taken away from us. Be alert to the futility of what St. Thomas Aquinas called the four false substitutes for God, which are wealth, pleasure, power and honor. Be consciously aware that all these vanities, all of culture, all of nature, and even the cosmos (universe) itself will come to a crashing end. Be watchful and alert to the fact that everything as we know it will definitely come to a halt. When it comes to the end of all things, even scientists, especially physicists agree that the entire universe will run out of fuel and energy to continue to exist. They tell us that one day, the universe will fade out in a great freeze or burn out like a great fry.

Now, with all these cataclysmic tale, you might be tempted to despair, and to say, “Then what the heck?” “What’s the point?” “Why bother?” You might even be tempted to fall into the existentialist philosophy of Albert Camus and his colleagues who say that “life is absurd.” That there is no meaning in life, and we can’t make a meaning out of it. Rather than submit to the meaninglessness of life, we can look to the steadfast love of God, which brought the entire universe into existence from nothing, which sustains it even now, and which will one day draw us to a life and joy that is beyond this world and that knows no bound. We can turn to the One whose love is eternal, whose patience does not run out, whose mercy is boundless, and whose power to save is mighty and persistent. This is why Advent is a preparation for a revolution. A revolution that urges us to be alert in the spirit. To wake up from our spiritual slumber. To change and repent for the Kingdom of God is close at hand. Yes, a kingdom is at hand and a new King has emerged. Change and live under his lordship.

-- Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Prepare And Make Straight!

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year B

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, December 6, 2020

Today’s Gospel is taken from Mark. Mark was a companion of Peter. He came most likely from Palestine to Rome with Peter. He was also a friend of Paul as the Acts of Apostles tell us. That means he knew both Peter and Paul, two great evangelists of the early Church. Both Peter and Paul were killed during Emperor Nero’s persecution around the year 65 AD. Mark wrote his Gospel around the year 70, that is a few years after the martyrdom of Peter and Paul. The opening line of his gospel is: “The beginning of the good news (gospel) of Jesus Christ the Son of God.” Now, when we read those words today, we brush it off and hardly pay attention to their significance. But every one of those words is a provocation and a paradigm shift with a huge historical consequences. The Greek term used is euaggelion (εὐαγγέλιον), which means, glad tidings or glad news. Back in the day, when Caesar the Roman Emperor is victorious in war, he would send evangelists out ahead of him to announce the good news that Caesar has won. At the beginning of his Gospel, Mark is distinctively and consciously being provocative when he said he too has the good news (euaggelion). But his good news is not about Caesar, but about someone who Caesar killed and who God raised from the dead. His name is Jesus Christ— Yeshua Hamashiach. Hamashiach means “the anointed one.” Before this time, the anointed one was King David. But now Mark is saying the true and real King is Yeshua (Jesus). And as if that was not enough, at the end of his opening statement, Mark calls him “the Son of God” (Yios Tou theou). Again, in those days, it was a deeply provocative declaration to make because Yios Tou theou (the Son of God) was a Roman imperial title. The emperor was the son of God, a sign of his supposedly divine status. But in a brazen manner, Mark is saying that the emperor is not Yios Tou theou; rather Jesus is the Yios Tou theou (the Son of God). What is Mark actually doing? He is supplanting and substituting the Roman Emperor with Jesus Christ the Son of God. But it does not mean that Jesus would relocate to Rome and rule from there, rather he is the One to whom final allegiance is due. He is properly the Lord. Those old kings and the kings of today no longer matter; the One who matters from now moving forward is Jesus Christ.

About this Jesus Christ, two iconic biblical figures— Isaiah and John the Baptist have a similar prophetic message for us: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”  When John the Baptist appeared in the desert and began to preach, multitude of people from Judean countryside and Jerusalem went up to him. They acknowledged their sins, repented and were baptized by him in the Jordan River. They were ready for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Are we willing to do as they did? The problem with many modern Christians is not that they sin. Of course we are all sinners. “All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The problem with so many modern Christians is that they sin and call it a mistake. But sin is not a mistake, rather a transgression. There is a difference between a mistake and a sin. A mistake is something done unintentionally like turning unto a one way street unknowingly or pouring salt into a cup of coffee thinking it was sugar or mistyping a word when using a computer. Any of these could happen because we are distracted. However, sin is more than a mistake. It is a deliberate choice to do something that one knows is wrong. As such it is a transgression. The problem with some modern Christians is that we sin and call it how God made us. We sin and then turn around to blame someone else. We sin and blame the devil: the devil made me do it. Like Adam and Eve, we don’t take responsibility for our actions. We sin and still claim to be good people. We sin and give reasons to justify our deeds. We sin and hardly and never feel remorseful or guilty. We sin and still claim we are not hurting anybody. Some even call sin fun, and any message that condemns sin is condemned and the preacher is called names like outdated, old-school, out of fashion and out of touch with the real life.

The voice of one crying out in the desert is asking us to make straight the way of the Lord and to rebuild old bridges. When he first preached, people acknowledged their sins, repented and were forgiven as well. Let’s act in like manner. This is not the time to make excuses. The one mightier than John, greater than Isaiah, exceedingly more important than life itself is coming. Prepare his way and make straight his paths.  

 

Reflection on Luke 10:21-24

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

To understand today’s Gospel, we must go to the beginning of chapter 10 of Luke’s Gospel. It tells us that Jesus appointed seventy disciples and sent them in pairs to the towns he himself intended to visit and to say to the people, “The Kingdom of God has come near to you” (10:9b). After the seventy had done their work and returned from the mission, they reported to Jesus what transpired in the course of their preaching: “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us” (10:17). Upon hearing their testimony, today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and began to say:

 I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants…All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him (Lk. 10:21-22).

Sister and brothers, in those words Jesus addresses his Father and in the process reveals his own deepest identity in the Holy Trinity. Now, it is important to bear in mind that this is not just a good and holy man addressing God, but rather the very Son of God addressing his Father. And what we learn from his prayer, his address to his Father is that we too have been given a share in the inner life of God. He thanks his Father for concealing these things from the wise and the learned. So, the question then is, what “things?” What are the “things” that have been concealed from the learned and revealed to the little ones? They are nothing other than the mystery of Jesus’ relationship to the Father, the power that is hidden in the name of Jesus, the fact that a new Kingdom is being established, a Kingdom of love, hope, peace, justice, compassion, and joy, a Kingdom where darkness and evil can no long hold sway. 

We are not powerless people. A Christian is a power packed individual. In the name of Jesus we can do exploits. There is no other name that can guarantee us salvation, healing, peace, true freedom and protection but the name of Jesus. There is healing in that name. So, what are your fears, concerns, worries, anxieties? Whatever it is, have you prayed in the name of Jesus over all that trouble you? When the 70 disciples invoked the name of Jesus, demons submitted to them. Jesus himself saw Satan, Lucifer, the leader of the kingdom of darkness fall down from heaven like a flash of lightning. We have the same power to unseat and dethrone all the problems that the enemy throws at us. The name of Jesus is a strong tower, those who run into that name will be saved and protected. The name of Jesus is as powerful and efficacious as it was in the old. Call upon the name of Jesus and watch as demons submit to him. The power in the name of Jesus is unconquerable.