Homily for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Prophets And Saints In A Secularized World

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. John Vianney Catholic Church, St. Paul, MN

Sunday, January 30, 2022

In our today’s first reading from prophet Jeremiah, God warns Jeremiah that he, like all true prophets, will be hated and opposed. What’s the reason why true prophets are always opposed and sometimes killed? Because they are countercultural. In an often combative manner, they oppose their society’s fashionable sins. Although not all countercultural people are true prophets, but all true prophets are countercultural. Neo-Nazis, Islamic extremists and terrorists are countercultural too, but they are deluded, not prophets. But why does God send prophets? God sends prophets to us because we are not yet living in the fullness of God’s kingdom. God sends prophets because everything is not okay. I am not okay; and you are not okay. God sends prophets when we normalize, rationalize, justify, and glorify our sins. When we accept and promote the way we are, God sends prophets. Accepting the way we are means that if I am prideful I accept that’s just the way I am. If I can’t control my impulses, tendencies, and inordinate desires, I accept that’s just the way I am. If I am unable to deal with my anger, bitterness and resentment, I conclude it is just the way I am. If I cannot hold down my inordinate desires for wealth, power, pleasure and honor, I resign to my fate and accept it is okay to be that. In conditions like that, God sends prophets to wake us up and to remind us it is not okay to be all that. Prophets speak God’s word and tell us what God expects from us. The saints never accepted the way they were, only tyrants do. Caesar Augustus, Herod the great, Nero etc. had no problems accepting they were drunk with power. Hitler had no problems accepting he was an egotistic and self-serving human being. As for the saints, you will always see them at the confessional booths acknowledging they are sinners, not sinners that think they are saints.

In our Gospel for today, God’s warning to Jeremiah that “they will fight against you…” becomes true for Jesus. Jesus is in his hometown, Nazareth. He is precisely in the synagogue on the sabbath day. Nazarenes have heard of his exploits in other towns. After hearing his sermon, they were deeply impressed by the gracious words that came from his mouth. Nevertheless, they wondered how the son of a carpenter, Joseph, could possess such knowledge: “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” Jesus read their minds and realized they did not believe in him because of his background. His “sin” was his origin. What’s Jesus’ response to his rejection by his town’s people? Violence? No! Aggression? No! Forceful conversion? No! Threat of death? No! That’s what tyrants do. Jesus simply tells them he knows that “no prophet is accepted in his own native place.” He also tells them that such a way of looking at a native prophet is the reason why Elijah the prophet, during the three and half years of severe famine in the land, was not sent to any widow in Israel, but to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon; and that Elisha was not sent to the many lepers in Israel, but only to Naaman, the Syrian. Upon hearing those words, which suggests that God is reaching out to the Gentiles, Jesus’ hometown became upset and attempted to kill him right away. There’s not much earthly profit in being a prophet. Most of them get killed. Why? Because they always say the truth, and truth always hurts.

Now, if the overriding theme of the first reading and the Gospel is the consequence being a prophet, why does the Church insert between them what is indisputably one of the finest letters of St. Paul— the passage on love in 1 Corinthians 13? The reason is because 1 Corinthians 13 is countercultural just as prophets are countercultural. The love that 1 Corinthians 13 speaks about is not the kind of love that our culture or any secular culture understands or lives by. It is the kind of love that Jesus speaks about when he says, when you love one another, all will know that you are my disciples (John 13:35). The love of 1 Corinthians 13 is radically different, so distinctive that even the unbelieving world would notice. Those who converted the intransigent Roman world were not professors, administrators, theologians, warriors or politicians, but the saints. In the arena of politics, academia, business, military might etc, you can argue, fight and sometimes win if you have the wherewithal. But no argument or power can defeat love. Love always wins. 

Saints are controversial. Prophets are controversial, so also is Pauline love. How come? You remember St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta? She practiced that kind of love in the streets of Calcutta and also practiced it when she offended her audience at her Harvard commencement speech when she said, “America is not a rich country. America is a poor country. Any country that slaughters its own unborn children is a desperately poor country.” She practiced that kind of love when she said, “There are always two victims of an abortion: the baby’s body and the mother’s conscience.” Mother Teresa loved Jesus who is present in those whose lives were threatened outside the womb and whose lives were threatened inside the womb. She loved both with the same love. She was countercultural, not because she tried to be or set out to be one, but because she set out to be Christian. Her love was rooted in Jesus who is countercultural too. Jesus’ love was countercultural because he loved the Jews and non-Jews, sinners and saints, insiders and outsiders, the somebody’s and nobody’s. He didn’t ration his love, that’s why the saints don’t ration their love. 

Sisters and brothers, remember that the day you were baptized is the day you were grafted onto Christ in such a way that you are expected to live as a priest, prophet and king. As a prophet you are called to speak the word of God and allow the word of God to guide your private and public life. Your prophetic life should be countercultural, just like Jesus, the prophets, Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Like our Lord, we must love both saints and sinners, insiders and outsiders, those who are up, and those who are down. Like Mother Teresa Calcutta, we are to love and care for those whose lives are threatened outside the womb and inside the womb. We shouldn’t choose one and ignore the other. If you are passionate about ending the killing in the womb, be as much passionate about ending the killings that goes on outside the womb. We cannot choose one and ignore the other. We must care about both. As disciples of the Lord, we are not called simply to be nice people. We are called to be saints. Saints are controversial. They are countercultural. Why? Because like X-rays which reveals diseases, saints tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. 

— Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Prophets And Saints In A Secularized World

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. John Vianney Catholic Church, St. Paul, MN

Sunday, January 30, 2022

What’s the reason why true prophets are always opposed and sometimes killed? Because they are countercultural. In an often combative manner, they oppose their society’s fashionable sins. Although not all countercultural people are true prophets, but all true prophets are countercultural. Neo-Nazis, Islamic extremists and terrorists are countercultural too, but they are deluded, not prophets. In our today’s first reading from prophet Jeremiah, God warns Jeremiah that he, like all true prophets, will be hated and opposed. Why does God send prophets? God sends prophets to us because we are not yet living in the fullness of God’s kingdom. God sends prophets because everything is not okay. I am not okay; and you are not okay. God sends prophets when we normalize, rationalize, justify, and glorify our sins. When we accept and promote the way we are, God sends prophets. Accepting the way we are means that if I am prideful I accept that’s just the way I am. If I can’t control my impulses, tendencies, conflicting and inordinate desires, I accept that’s just the way I am. If I am unable to deal with my anger, bitterness and resentment, I conclude it is just the way I am. If I cannot hold down my inordinate desires for wealth, power, pleasure and honor, I resign to my fate and accept it is okay to be that. In conditions like that, God sends prophets to wake us up and to remind us it is not okay to be all that. Prophets speak God’s word and tell us what God expects from us. The saints never accepted themselves just as they were, only tyrants do. Caesar Augustus, Herod the great, Nero etc. had no problems accepting they were drunk with power. Hitler had no problems accepting he was an egotistic and self-serving human being. As for the saints, you will always see them at the confessional booths acknowledging they are sinners, not sinners that think they are saints.

In our Gospel for today, God’s warning to Jeremiah that “they will fight against you…” becomes true for Jesus. Jesus is in his hometown, Nazareth. He is precisely in the synagogue on the sabbath day. His home folks have heard of his exploits in other towns. After hearing his sermon, they were deeply impressed by the gracious words that came from his mouth. Nevertheless, they wondered how the son of a carpenter, Joseph, could possess such knowledge: “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” Jesus read their minds and realized they did not believe in him because of his background. His “sin” was his origin. What’s Jesus’ response to his rejection by his town’s people? Violence? No! Aggression? No! Forceful conversion? No! Threat of death? No! That’s what tyrants do. Jesus simply tells them he knows that “no prophet is accepted in his own native place.” He tells them that such a way of looking at a native prophet is the reason why Elijah the prophet, during the three and half years of severe famine in the land, was not sent to any widow in Israel, but to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon; and that Elisha was not sent to the many lepers in Israel, but only to Naaman, the Syrian. Upon hearing those words, which suggests that God is reaching out to the Gentiles, Jesus’ hometown became upset and attempted to kill him right away. There’s not much earthly profit in being a prophet. Most of them get killed. Why? Because they always say the truth, and truth always hurts.

Now, if the overarching theme of the first reading and the Gospel is the consequence of being a prophet, why does the Church insert between them what is indisputably one of the finest letters of St. Paul— the passage on love in 1 Corinthians 13? The reason is not to contradict the first reading and the Gospel, but to illustrate it. 1 Corinthians 13 is countercultural just as prophets are countercultural. The love that 1 Corinthians 13 speaks about is not the kind of love that our culture or any secular culture understands or lives by. It is the kind of love that Jesus speaks about when he says, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). That kind of love is radically different, so distinctive that even the unbelieving world would notice. Those who converted the intransigent Roman world were not professors, administrators, theologians, warriors or politicians, but the saints. In the arena of politics, academia, business, military might etc, you can argue, fight and sometimes win if you have the wherewithal. But no argument or power can defeat love. Love always wins. 

Saints are controversial. Prophets are controversial, so also is Pauline love. How come? You remember St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta? She practiced this kind of love in the streets Calcutta and also practiced it when she offended her audience at her Harvard commencement speech when she said, “America is not a rich country. America is a poor country. Any country that slaughters its own unborn children is a desperately poor country.” She practiced this kind of love when she said, “There are always two victims of an abortion: the baby’s body and the mother’s conscience.” Mother Teresa loved Jesus who is present in those whose lives were threatened outside the womb and whose lives were threatened inside the womb. She loved both with the same love. She was countercultural, not because she tried to be or set out to be one, but because she set out to be Christian. Jesus was countercultural too. His love was countercultural because he loved the Jews and non-Jews, sinners and saints, insiders and outsiders, the somebody’s and nobody’s. He didn’t ration his love, that’s why the saints don’t ration their love. 

Sisters and brothers, remember that the day you were baptized is the day you were grafted onto Christ in such a way that you are expected to live as a priest, prophet and king. As a prophet you are called to speak the word of God and allow the word of God guide your private and public life. Your prophetic life should be countercultural, just like Jesus, the prophets, Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Like our Lord, we must love both saints and sinners, insiders and outsiders, those who are up, and those who are down. Like Mother Teresa Calcutta, we are to love and care for those whose lives are threatened outside the womb and inside the womb. We shouldn’t choose one and ignore the other. If you are passionate about ending the most dangerous and unsafe battlefield in the world— the killing in the womb, be as much passionate about ending the killings on the other battlefields— the military battlefield, economic battlefield, and battlefield of drugs, racism, poverty, pornography, and social injustice. We cannot choose one and ignore the other. We must care about both. As disciples of the Lord, we are not called simply to be nice people. We are called to be saints. Saints are controversial. They are countercultural. Why? Because like X-rays which reveals diseases, saints tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. 

Homily for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Jesus of Nazareth: Real or Myth?

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Bonaventure Catholic Church, Bloomington, MN

Sunday, January 23, 2022

A few years ago, a poll conducted in Britain showed that majority of people there feel that Jesus was not a real historical figure, that he was more of a mythic character. Don’t forget this is the land of great Christian figures like Thomas Moore, John Fisher, John Henry Newman, and G. K. Chesterton etc. all of whom I believe are rolling their eyes in heaven at this finding and screaming, “No! No! No! He is real.” But the historicity of Jesus, the fact that he is a real historical figure, that he did walk on this earth is vitally important to Christianity. It is true that some religious and spiritual groups use mythic language to communicate some deep spiritual truths. And there’s nothing wrong with that. When I was growing up in Nigeria, mythical stories, legends, fairytales were used to teach children and young people important beliefs and values they should cultivate. Although the stories are fabricated, they communicate and teach deep spiritual and moral lessons to young ones. One of the distinctive marks of these stories is that they always begin with the phrase “Once upon a time, in a distant land…” In fact, once the narrator says, “Once upon a time,” the children will chorus, “time, time!” Like I said previously, there is nothing wrong with myths and legends. I like them. In a story fashion, they teach timeless spiritual insights. 

To be clear, what we are talking about in Christianity is not a legend or a fairytale. Among all the world religions, Christianity depends upon certain clear historical claims. But is history an exact science? Not really. You cannot reproduce the data of history and run an experiment on them. It is impossible to go back and verify what really happened to Abraham Lincoln or Julius Caesar. In the arena of physics and chemistry, if someone makes a claim, another scientist may decide to test the hypothesis to see if the claim is true or false. But history cannot be that way. In history, there is most likely going to be some lack of accuracy and precision, some level of inexactitude and incertitude. Sad enough, over the years, this fact has led even some Christians both Catholics and Protestants to say, ‘Let’s bracket history. Let’s not focus on historical facts. Let’s focus on the spiritual truths being relayed by these Christian texts.’ But the problem with this approach is that the founding texts of Christianity do not allow this path of interpretation. They do not permit Christianity to degenerate into a mere mythic system. The first Christians were intensely interested in history. They were utterly convinced that something dramatically huge, something unexpected happened. They were not engaging in a “once upon a time” story. They were talking about something that happened, something that broke into history and became the fulcrum of all history, and they wanted to share it with everybody. 

Are you wondering or asking yourself, ‘where is he taking this?’ If you are, that means you are listening. To answer your question, let’s turn to today’s Gospel passage, which is the opening paragraph of the Gospel of Luke and listen to what Luke tells us he is precisely doing:

“Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.

Luke is a historian who has done his research. He has read relevant texts, sought out the eyewitnesses, listened to them, and is now giving us an orderly account of the things that had happened. What Luke said in the opening of his Gospel is not how myth-makers talk. It is not “once upon a time” or in a distant country far away, or “in a galaxy far away.” Luke is talking about things that happened. Sometimes I hear people say, “You know, the Gospels were written long after the time of Jesus, and so they are mostly about the community that produced them, and it is mostly about the mind of the author. We don’t really know what Jesus said.” To such comments, I say, “Absolutely nonsense!” What if I decide to write a history of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It is almost 60 years ago. So, after reading books and articles about his assassination, after doing the research of that sad event which include interviewing people who were in the parade that JFK went by— some of the eyewitnesses are still alive, and after all that, I publish my work, would you say I wrote a book of mythology? Would you say I wrote a book of legends that had nothing to do with historical fact? Not at all! I think you will most certainly call me a serious historian. So also is Luke. He wrote history as much as he can at that time. He wrote because something happened. Someone came!

Women, men, young people, children, listen to me. Hear this loud and clear, Jesus of Nazareth is not a mythical character. He is indeed a historical figure who has come to save the world. So, open the ears of your heart. Hear him. He is speaking to you. He is speaking in every event of your life. He is speaking in big and small events in your life. He is speaking in the Scripture, which is not just the word about God but the Word of God. He speaks to us everyday, and in today’s Gospel he tells us that the prophesy of Isaiah, made several centuries before his birth, has been fulfilled. When and where is this Scripture fulfilled? “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” If you are wondering when you can meet this Jesus, the answer is today. Now! St. Paul says, “Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).

Homily for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Message Of The Wedding Feast At Cana In Galilee

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, January 16, 2022

John is the only one that recounts the wedding at Cana in Galilee. It’s probably because he was the one that took Mary into his own home after Jesus, from the cross said to him, “Behold your mother,” and to Mary, “Behold your son.” It must have been one of Mary’s favorite stories. But why is this particular wedding so significant to be included in the Gospel? There were possibly other weddings taking place on the same day. It is because Jesus, the fulfillment of Israelites’ religion and institutions is present. But he is not present alone, his mother, Mary, the new Eve and the greatest Woman ever is also present. Now, as everyone is enjoying their glass of wine, the wine ran out. In those days and in that culture, a marriage feast will last for seven days. As a result, the host has to provide enough wine for the people for that length of time. Sadly for this couple, their wine ran out, and they were about to face a public embarrassment if word came out that there is no more wine. Noticing the difficulty, the Blessed Mother Mary turns to Jesus and says, “They have no wine.” Immediately, Jesus replies, “Woman, what is there between you and me? My hour has not yet come.” Right away, Mary turns to the servants and says, “Do whatever he tells you.” 

Now, many Christians have misinterpreted this exchange between Mary and Jesus and assumed that Jesus was scolding Mary. But that’s simply not possible. Jesus came to fulfill the Law and to fulfill it perfectly, and the Fourth Law of Sinai, the Ten Commandment is “Honor your father and mother.” As the perfect fulfillment of the Law, he will perfectly honor his Mother. It will never enter his head for one moment to put her down or to disrespect her. So, something else was said in that brief conversation. Mary understands she is not being scolded or disrespected, rather she is being given permission by Jesus. Otherwise she would never had turned to the servants and told them to do whatever he tells them. Jesus’ comment, “What is there between you and me?” is not a statement of repudiation. It is rather a figure of speech in Aramaic the language that Jesus spoke and possibly in Hebrew as well. And what it is really translated as is, “Oh mother, what is there between you and me that I can refuse you nothing?” What Jesus was saying to Mary was although my hour has not yet come, I will bring the hour of my ministry forward for your sake. So, Mary instructs the servants to do whatever he tells them. Thereafter, Jesus tells the servants to fill the six jars with water. Jesus then performs his first miracle by turning water into wine. Not a little wine, but lots of it. It’s about 180 gallons of wine— six jars and each jar holds 30 gallons. Jesus doesn’t just make some wine, he makes super-abundant wine. The moment the wine was brought to the steward and he tastes it, he immediately goes to the bridegroom and thanks him for providing the best wine. 

As the reader of this narrative, we know the bridegroom of the feast has nothing to do with this best wine. Its provider is Jesus. What happened is, through Mary’s invitation, Jesus takes the role of the bridegroom and miraculously changes water into wine at this wedding feast. Why does that matter? For one thing, it reveals to us that Jesus isn’t just the King of Israel; he isn’t just the Messiah, or Savior or the Son of God or the great Teacher or the great Prophet. He is all those things but at the onset of his ministry, he reveals he is first and foremost the Bridegroom who has come to marry the Church. In the Old Testament, the Bridegroom who provides miraculous feast, who brings the age of salvation is God himself. Prophets describe God himself as the Divine Bridegroom. So, at the wedding feast in Cana, Jesus reveals his Messianic identity and his Divine identity. He reveals he has come in person to inaugurate the great wedding supper of the Lamb, the feast of salvation, the banquet of the Kingdom of God. 

Why was the first miracle of Jesus at a wedding? Because if there is anybody that needs a miracle in a serious and persistent manner, it is married people. If there is any place that miracle is needed the most, it is in the marriage. Why? Because many don’t know what they are doing. At the onset of their marriage, they will promise heaven and earth to each other, tell or play for each other Whitney Houston’s song ‘I Will Always Love You,’ but when tough time comes, they want out. Yes, there are situations and conditions when the Church will uproot and dissolve certain marriages, but not every difficulty is a dealbreaker. If you are married, please enjoy your marriage. Don’t just stay together because of the kids or due to some financial or material benefits. I know about a man who treated and continues to treat his wife horribly and disrespectfully. He cheats on her and shows her no love at all. By the grace of God, the woman struggles to put herself through school. After her graduation, God blesses her with a good paying job. She saves money, buys a house and moves out with her child. After a few months, the man realizes that his wife is doing and living well. So, he begins to call everyone, both the living and the dead, to beg his wife to come back. The annoying thing about this story is that while he is begging the wife, professing to love her more than God, he is still seeing one of his sweethearts. Appalling! Right? 

Sisters and brothers, Jesus’ attendance of a marriage feast is his stamp of approval on the marriage covenant. However, regardless of your vocation in life— single or married, today’s Gospel speaks to you. Consider what the Blessed Mother said to Jesus when she notices that the couple have run out of wine: “They have no wine.” In biblical times, wine was a necessity, not luxury due to shortage of water. It was equated with life. Along with grain and oil, it represented God’s covenant blessings promised to Israel. Additionally, wine represented joy, celebration and festivity that come from the abundant blessings of God. If your life is dry and dreary, if you are losing the joy of living, if your marriage has lost its spark, pray to Jesus through the Blessed Mother and say, “The wine of my life, my marriage, my job, my relationship, my family etc. is running out. Please, I need a refill.” Pray this prayer regularly and watch as Jesus fills you with the best wine. As today’s Gospel shows us, Jesus does not just restore the lost situation; he makes it better than it ever was. 

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Bulletin Message

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Bulletin Message

Throughout the Old Testament, the theme of wedding is used to symbolize the marriage of God and his people as well as the good cheer that occurs when human beings come together in love. So, it is no accident that in the context of John’s Gospel, Jesus’ first public sign and wonder takes place at a wedding feast, for Jesus himself is the marriage of divinity and humanity. 

In the course of the wedding celebration attended by Jesus, who is the fulfillment of Israelites’ religion and institutions, and his mother, Mary, the new Eve and the greatest woman ever, the wine ran out. In those days and in that culture, a marriage feast will last for seven days. Sadly for this couple, their wine ran out and they were about to face a public humiliation and embarrassment if word came out that there is no more wine. Noticing the difficulty, the Blessed Mother Mary says to Jesus, “They have no wine.” In those words, Mary is ancient Israel speaking to its God, reminding him that the people have run out of joy, purpose, and connection to one another, that they have become dry bones with no life. She is taking up the lament of so many of the Hebrew prophets and sages who cried, “How long, O Lord?” 

Friends, is your life dry and dreary? Has your marriage lost its spark? Have you lost the joy of living? Start praying to Jesus through the Blessed Mother and say, “The wine of my life, my marriage, my family etc. is running out. Please, I need a refill.” Pray this prayer regularly and watch as Jesus fills you with the best wine. As today’s Gospel shows us, Jesus does not just restore the lost situation; he makes it better than it ever was. 

Fr. Marcel

Bulletin Message on the Feast of Epiphany

Bulletin Message on the Feast of Epiphany

Our Gospel narrative has two groups of people: King Herod and the Magi. History tells us that Herod was an extraordinary political survivor, a shrewd realist who rose to the top of the political ladder and maintained himself in power through threats, murder, and corruption. But while he was fussing around, wielding power, and desperately trying to hold on to power, strange figures from a distant land who were blithely indifferent to power, honor, wealth, pleasure and games of domination crossed the border and entered his territory. They were not looking for him, Rather, they were intensely surveying the night sky, looking for signs from God.  

Upon finding God, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh: three gifts that revealed the three things they saw in Christ— namely, a royal dignity, “he shall reign as king and deal wisely (Jeremiah 23:5); so they offered him gold in tribute. They saw the greatness of his priesthood, so they offered him frankincense, as a sacrifice. They also saw his fate, his death, and therefore offered him myrrh. After greeting the newborn King, they went back to their own country by a different route. The profound biblical value on display here is that they were changed. They would remain Babylonians, but they had become citizens of a higher country. So, they couldn’t return by the same path. 

May God help us not to return to the world of sin, violence, and dysfunction after we have crossed their borders over to Bethlehem.

Happy New Year, everybody. May 2022 become the year that your heart’s desires and deepest longing are fulfilled and realized. May you also find God in every aspect of your life. Amen.

Fr. Marcel

Homily on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

God’s Complete Solidarity With The Human Race

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, January 9, 2022

The baptism of the Lord is very odd. How come? The first Christians maintain that Jesus is the Savior, the Son of God, the spotless Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. If he is the spotless Lamb, why did he seek a baptism of repentance? Along the River Jordan, John the Baptist was offering a baptism of repentance. He was inviting sinners to repent of their sins. As they stand in the water, he would baptize them and wash them of their sins. Then Jesus comes to him as well. People really witnessed this event because it is found in all the four Gospels. If there was any reason for the story to be dropped out of the Gospel, the authors would have done so because it was such an unusual event. Yet, in all four Gospels, we read that Jesus began his public ministry by seeking a baptism of repentance. The strangeness of this event can even be heard in Baptist’s own words. John had already told the people that when the Messiah comes, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire,” (Matt. 3:11). As Jesus presents himself, John looks at him with dismay and says, “I should be baptized by you, and yet, you are coming to me.” John’s puzzlement shows that Jesus’ behavior is not how God behaves. But that’s how God behaves— humbly standing with us sinners, sharing his love even to the point of identifying with us in the miry waters of sin. That’s surprising way that God breaks upon the scene. 

Gospel writers insist that Jesus is the sinless Son of God. They insist he is the Word made flesh. They insist he is the one who takes away the sins of the world. There is no ambivalence about these claims. This event shows how strange God operates. He lays aside his glory. He lays aside his majesty and sneaks quietly into the cold, muddy waters of Jordan River. Add to that, he stood side by side in the water with sinners. The people who came to John the Baptist were probably ordinary sinners, people who committed what we call venial sins today. But there were also people who committed what we call mortal sins today, people who were far gone, far lost morally and spiritually. These people were coming to John seeking for peace. Then Jesus sneaks in quietly and stands right with all these messy sinners. He humbly submits himself to the baptism of John. For some for us who like to make virtually everything a public splash, who like to look pretty good, check this out. The first move of Jesus’ public life is to look as much bad as he can look. The first move of the Word made flesh when he breaks on public scene is to make himself look like a sinner, is to stand shoulder to shoulder with us sinners. This is the whole revolution of Christianity, everybody. 

African philosophy recognizes God as one Supreme Being who is at the top of a hierarchy of lesser deities and ancestors. God is thought to be omniscient, omnipresent, merciful and the provider of the needs of his creatures, mostly especially the human race. But to suggest that God will come down and stand with the sinful world, no African philosopher will ever think or imagine such as reasonable. Even the Jewish prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah and others talk about the holiness of God and how offensive we are to God. That God will come down and enter into our condition, identify with us to the point of appearing among us as a sinner? Clearly unheard of! Yet, that’s the way the public life of Jesus begins. The sinless God going into God’s forsakenness. Christ is not a sinner. If Christ is a sinner, then Christianity falls apart. The important point is this: the  sinless one identifies with the whole attitude and predicament of the sinner. So as to bring God’s love and forgiveness even down to that place. 

Sisters and brothers, in Christ God comes to forgive our sins. Is he a Teacher? Absolutely yes! Is he a healer? Certainly! But at the heart of the matter which culminates at the cross is that he has come to forgive our sins. Constantly on the lips of Jesus is: I come not for the healthy but the sick. I come not for the righteous but sinners (Mk. 2:7). At the Last Supper he says, “This is the cup of my Blood, the Blood of the new and everlasting covenant, which will be shed for you and for all.” Why? So that sins may be forgiven. That’s why he has come. And it signals here in his baptism. He comes to stand humbly, salvifically with us sinners. A lovely passage from prophet Isaiah that accompanies today’s Gospel is “A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench…” A bruised reed is a reed that is crack and broken. Often, the temptation is to conclude that it is useless. Just break it into two and throw it away. No! When the Messiah comes, he comes to repair. He comes not to cast aside all of us sinners who are offensive to God. He comes to heal the broken reed. He comes not to blow out even the little flickering flames but to cultivate it, protect it from being blown out. He comes to lure it back to life. That’s the meaning of the image of “a smoldering wick he shall not quench.” In our sin, we are like the wick about to be blown out. But Jesus has come to enter right into that experience and try to nurture that light back. That’s why he comes. God doesn’t just pass judgment from on high, he doesn’t extinguish the smoldering wick, he enters into this state of ours in all humility, with the desire to bring us back to life. That’s why he has come. 

When John objects to Jesus’ request, Jesus says, “We must do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Righteousness is a word that echoes throughout the Bible. It means setting right. Sin is the loss of righteousness. Our relationship with God is broken by sin. So, righteousness is not primarily our task. The great revelation of the New Testament is that it is primarily God’s task. We are set right by the gracious humility of Jesus coming into our sin and setting us right. After Jesus had been baptized and was praying, suddenly the heaven was open, and the Holy Spirit in bodily form like a dove was seen descending upon him. Then a voice speaks from heaven and says, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” In the baptism of Jesus we see the first theophany of the Trinity. The central claim of the Church that there is Three Persons in God is fully displayed in the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, the voice of the Father, and the Son who sneaks into the muddy water and stands right with us sinners in love. The unsurpassing power of this great feast is that the all-powerful God loves us even to the point of identifying with us sinners. And it is in the process of identifying with us that God’s fullness is revealed.  

Homily on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Baptized As Priests, Prophets, And Kings

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, January 9, 2022

The baptism of the Lord gives us a very good opportunity to reflect on our own baptism, our own rebirth in the Spirit. When it comes to the day we were born, we remember the date without much thought, but not so the date of our baptism. From the Christian standpoint, the day you were baptized is the day you were grafted and implanted onto Christ in such a way that you share in Christ’s relationship to the Father. Because of your baptism, you are now a son or daughter in the Son. Because of your baptism, you can call the Father, “Our Father” in union with the Son of God. Due to the fact of your baptism, you are deified, divinized and brought into the divine life. Everything else in Christian life flows from the fact of your baptism. At your baptism, the priest or deacon says the following before he anointed you on your forehead, “God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has freed you from sin, given you you a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and welcomed you into his holy people. He now anoints you with the chrism of salvation. As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and King, so may you live always as a member of his body, sharing everlasting life.” What does that tell us? That every baptized person is supposed to live as priest, prophet and king like Christ. How’s is that possible? Let’s now look at our baptismal identity? 

You are a priest. Who is a priest in the Bible? A priest is someone who offers sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. He prays to God on behalf of the people. A priest is a mediator between humanity and divinity. He is a friend of God. Biblical figures like Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Ezekiel, Moses etc. in different ways are priests. And Jesus is the high priest himself. You may be wondering, how am I a priest? I am not ordained. Ordination to the ministerial priesthood is different and those ordained to it perform different roles. If you are baptized as Catholic, you are indeed anointed as priest. What does that mean? First, it means you must be a person of prayer. I am not talking about praying for yourself alone, but intercessory prayer for the sake of others. Be grateful to people who say to you, “Please, pray for me,” because such a request awaken your own priesthood. It reminds you of your identify as priest who can make intercession before God on their behalf. Every baptized person is called to that kind of intercessory prayer. So, Catholic parents, pray for your children on a regular basis in a priestly way. Children, pray for your parents in a priestly way. Husbands, pray for your wives. Wives, pray for your husbands. It is a priestly obligation to do so. Parents, bless your children before they go to bed at night and before they leave for school. It is a priestly act to do so. Families, pray before a meal at home and even at a restaurant. Some of us find praying publicly embarrassing, but look at it this way: when you pray in a restaurant or in other public events, you give witness and also exercise your priesthood. Catholics, attend Mass at least on a weekly basis. Statistics shows that only 20 or 20 percent of Catholics in the US go to Mass on a regular basis. Although the number is much better here in US than in Europe and Australia, it is still bad. What it means is that 75% of baptized priests are staying away from church where their priesthood is full expressed. At Mass, at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the priest says, “Pray, my brothers and sisters that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the Father Almighty.” He is not saying ‘my one and only sacrifice,’ rather my sacrifice and yours. It means that all the people at Mass are joining themselves to the sacrifice of the priest who is joined to the great sacrifice of Christ himself to the Father. The point is, everybody there is a priest. That’s why before this prayer, we take up collection. Collection is not just a little pause in the middle of the Mass. It is part and parcel of Mass because you are sacrificing something. You are giving for the sake of others. You are expressing a priestly act in the donation you make. So, people of God, stop staying away from Mass. It is there that your priesthood is fully expressed. Okay?

You are also a prophet. Who is a prophet? It is someone who speaks the word of God to others. In the Bible, there are lots of prophets—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Daniel, Hosea, Elijah, Zachariah, Micah etc. Prophets are people summoned by God to speak on his behalf. When Jeremiah was called, he told God not to choose him because he was young, but God insisted, “I have appointed you a prophet to the nation” (Jer. 1:5). Isaiah told God he is a man of unclean lips, and after God purifies his lips, he said, “Here I am Lord, send me”(Is. 6:8b). Like them, you have been anointed a prophet to speak the word of God. Now, the life of a godly prophet was never an easy one. Look at the prophets in the Bible. Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern and put to death. Elijah was pursued by the troops of the wicked Jezebel, wife of Ahab. Prophets usually get into trouble. Look at our Supreme Prophet, Jesus, the very incarnation of Yahweh, he was nailed to the cross because of his prophecy. Being a prophet is always dangerous, but that’s what we are anointed to do. So, do not be ashamed of speaking publicly about your faith. Let people know you are a churchgoing Catholic. Articulate the faith and let the words of faith be on your lips regularly. It is part of prophecy. When was the last time you read a good theology or spiritual book? When was the last time you studied the Bible? Articulating the faith is not left to the ministerial priests. As a baptized person, you are also summoned to speak the word of God. Be ready to give a reason why you believe, why you practice and why God is so important to you. If your grandchild asks you a faith-based question, asks you why the Church holds this and that, are you ready to give an articulated answer? Be ever ready! You are baptized to be a prophet. Parents, during the baptism of your kids you pledged to be the first teachers of faith to them. Do not now abandon that responsibility to someone else. Be the first teacher of faith to your kids. It is part of being a prophet. My entire attitude to prayer was taught and communicated to me by my mother. By doing so, she acted as a prophet. 

You are also a king. There are lots kings in the Bible. In the worldly sense, a king is someone with lots of power and control over others. He reigns and rules over a geographical space. But in a spiritual sense, a king is someone who exercises kingship over self. What does that mean? It means someone who has a mastery over himself or herself. We have conflicting desires, impulses and tendencies. Unless we are able to control ourselves, able to order our minds, will, passions, private and public life in God’s direction, we won’t be able to move unhindered and effectively towards the Kingdom of God. If you are able to control your carnal passions, if you are able to put your libido dominandi in check, if you are able to hold down your inordinate desires for wealth, power, honor and esteem of others, then you have a kingly sovereignty and a kingly authority towards yourself. When that happens, you will become a more successful and effective king regarding those around you. You will be able to exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit in a way that lead people to God. Parents act as king when they govern and direct their children towards the Kingdom of God. Friends act as king when they use what is available to them and direct as best as they can their friends towards the things of God. Teachers act as king when they use their gifts to help their students discern their vocation in life. If you are baptized, you are summoned to be a king. On this day that we celebrate the baptism of the Lord, it is important we remember that we have been grafted onto Christ and anointed  to be priests, prophets and kings.  

God bless you!