Feast of the Ascension of the Lord

Ascension Is Not Desertion 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Feast of the Ascension of the Lord

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, May 29, 2022

What does the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus mean to you? Is it the celebration of the day that Jesus goes up to the sky, disappears and leaves us? Shockingly, that is what many Christians believe the Ascension of the Lord is. But the problem with that notion is that it undermines and misses much of the point of the New Testament. How come? The Acts of the Apostles is Volume Two of St. Luke’s work; Volume One is what we call the Gospel of Luke. In Volume One, which is the Gospel, Luke recounts everything Jesus had done and taught in his historical body up to his Resurrection. In Volume Two— the Acts of the Apostles, he narrates what Jesus continues to do now in his mystical body— the Church. That means the Lord’s preaching, his miracle working, ministry, sacrifice was not the end, rather, the beginning of something. What is recorded in the Gospels is the beginning of something that is now continuing in the Acts of the Apostles. This is why the viewpoint of Ascension as Jesus going away is precisely wrong. Ascension is not the Feast of Jesus going away. It is not the Feast of waving and saying, “Goodbye Jesus, see you again when you return.” 

Now Luke tells us that during the 40 days that followed the Resurrection, Jesus spoke to his disciples about the kingdom of God. This should not surprise us. Why? It was the dominant theme throughout the ministry of Jesus. From the moment he appeared on the hills of Galilee, what was on his lips was the language of the Kingdom of God. What does that mean? It means the coming of God to reign on earth as He reigns in heaven. Think of heaven as the realm of God, and earth as the realm of nature and human beings. The Kingdom of God means that God is coming to reign as King on earth as He already reigns in heaven. This is what the Old Testament is about. The Law (Torah), Prophecy, Temple, sacrifice were all means by which heaven and earth were meant to come together. What Jesus announces is the fulfillment— the time of fulfillment is now. The Kingdom has come; the reign of God has broken in. So, the life and ministry of Jesus, which come to a crescendo in the Resurrection is the moment when this wonderful reign commences. 

In Volume Two, in the Acts of the Apostles, through the ministry of the Apostles of Jesus the reign of God will continue and grow and deepen and spread. Through the acts of His Apostles— Peter, James, John, you and me, the Kingdom becomes more and more  established, this reign of God upon the earth will grow and spread. Notice this! Jesus tells the Apostles not to leave Jerusalem until they receive the promise of His Father. What is He referring to? The Holy Spirit! Jesus says to them, “John baptized with water, you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.” And when you read the Acts of Apostles, you will notice how often the Holy Spirit is referenced. Jesus is acting through the Holy Spirit and impacting His Kingdom on the earth. 

Check this out! Before His Ascension, the disciples asked Jesus a puzzling question, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Now their question is a very Jewish question. They recognized that Jesus risen from the dead is the true King. He is the new David. He is the long awaited Messiah. As pious Jews, they know that the Messiah’s job description was to restore the kingdom of David. To their question Jesus answers, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Fascinating lines, isn’t it? What the Lord is basically saying is this: it is not for you to know the exact times or seasons when the Kingdom of God will be realized in its fullness. So, focus your attention on the fact that the power of the Spirit is coming upon you, which will make you His witnesses wherever you are. Therefore, our job is to realize we have been given power and the Holy Spirit to be witnesses to Jesus. In a nutshell, find your role in the theo-drama. That’s what Jesus is saying. 

So, the next time you read that Jesus was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight, don’t interpret it as Jesus going away. No! Jesus didn’t go away. Rather Jesus is assuming His place in heaven so that He might direct operations on the earth. He didn’t go away. He didn’t detach from us. He went to the heavenly place so that He might universally command the work of His Church. That’s the Ascended Jesus. In the creed we recite that Jesus ascended and took His seat at the right hand of the Father. That’s a symbol of kingly power. He’s seated as ruler, as governor, and from His seat in heaven, He directs operations on the earth. You and I, as His apostles filled with the Holy Spirit have the privilege of participating in His work of bringing about the reign of God on the earth. This is the meaning and power of this great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord.  

Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C

Strive To Finish Strong

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C

St. Bridget Catholic Church, Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, May 22, 2022

Sisters and brothers, since the second Sunday of Easter, our second reading has been from the Book of Revelation. The word Revelation comes from the Latin “Revelatio,” but in Greek it is “Apokalypsis”— which literally means “unveiling.” As the last book of the Bible, Revelation has fascinated and enchanted Christians and non-Christians for two thousand years. But it bears repeating that the Book of Revelation is not primarily about the end of the physical world, rather, it is meant to unveil something that every generation of Christians, and may be non-Christian readers need to see and grasped—namely, a new world that God wants to see emerge from the ruins of the old. 

As a habit, my homilies usually come from the Gospel passage of the day because of the great noteworthiness of the books of the Gospels. Without doubt, every book in the Bible— from Genesis to Revelation is divinely inspired. But the four books of Gospels— Matthew, Mark, Luke and John exist in the class of their own. That’s why we stand up and remain standing as the Gospel passage of each Mass is read and proclaimed. The Gospel is the Word of the historical Jesus, so before it is read, we ascend from our base position of worship because it is a great honor to hear it. By standing, we acknowledge the significance of hearing His very own words. The overwhelming majority of my homilies and reflections are based on the Gospel of the day, but today I am going to preach on the second reading of this Sunday taken from the Book of Revelation 21:10-14,22-23. 

Today we continue to read some of the series of visions God gave to St. John in his old age while he was in exile on the island of Patmos. John says he saw a great, gleaming, glorious, golden city majestically descends from heaven from God. We don’t see cities descend like snow, rather they ascend like plants. The kind of cities we see are made by human hands from the things of earth. As for the city that John saw, its builder and maker is God. What is this city? It is the city of God, not just a bunch of buildings.

 John says this city of God has twelve gates, and on those gates were inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. But there is something else that John saw. He also noticed that the wall of the city has twelve course of stones as it foundation, and on them were written the names of the twelve Apostles of Jesus. We can assume that before Judas Iscariot traded his friendship with Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, his name was on one of those foundation pillars of the city of God. It means that on one of those foundations where his name was previously written, his name will be scratched out and replaced with the name of Matthias. What does that mean? As a baptized member of the Church, your name is already written in heaven in God’s own book. However, if you don’t finish your assignment, God will raise somebody else to do what he called you to do. God can find someone to do whatever he has asked you to do for which you did not do. God can use someone who is getting drunk in a bar right now, or somebody doing drugs on the street. God can set them free and use them to finish your assignment. That’s why the Book of Revelation 3:11 warns us, “… Hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take your crown.” It is possible for someone to get your reward in heaven because you didn’t finish strong. Like King Solomon, you started well, but then lost your way. As a priest, if I don’t finish my assignment, somebody else will. If you don’t finish your assignment, somebody will. 

What do we need to do for our names to stay in God’s book of life? In today's Gospel Jesus says, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” (John 14:23). Although salvation is God’s free gift, but it is not cheap. It will cost us something: obedient love for Jesus. There is no love without faithfulness. So, if you don’t want your name scratch out from the Book of Life, you must put oneself always on the side of Jesus and assume his point of view.

Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Easter, Year C

                                                      

A Priceless Lesson From Judas Iscariot 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Easter, Year C

St. Bridget Catholic Church, Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, May 15, 2022

How do we honor the Apostles of Jesus Christ? By living as they lived, i.e. imitating them! How else do we honor them? In our Church liturgical calendar, certain days are set aside for feasting in honor of the Apostles of Jesus Christ. We honor them by crafting their images into stained-glass windows of churches and cathedrals, and by placing inside our churches their statues on significant spots. More to it, around the globe, particular churches, dioceses, towns, cities, offices and other important places are named after them. At baptism and confirmation, parents give their children names of the Apostles. And among the choice of names chosen by adults who got converted to Christianity, the names of the Apostles are always on the high list. But one name that is never honored in anyway is Judas Iscariot, even though he was one of the men chosen by our Lord Jesus Christ. Why is he being left out? The opening phrase of our today’s Gospel reading says, “When Judas had left them…” Who is Judas Iscariot? Is there anything to be learned from his life and experience? 

The mere mention of the name of Judas among Christians raises immediate reaction of condemnation and criticism. To the question of who Judas Iscariot is, the authors of the Gospels call him, “one of the twelve,” (Mt. 26:14; Mk 14:10; Jn. 6:71) or “of the number of the twelve” (Lk 22:3). Jesus precisely identifies him as he was speaking to his Apostles as “one of you” (Mt. 26:21). After the death and Resurrection of Jesus, Peter describes Judas as “he was numbered among us and allotted his share in this ministry” (Acts. 1:17). So, Judas is a member of the group that Jesus chose as companions and collaborators. Before he exchanged his friendship with Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, he was the administrator of the group (Jn. 12:6b), and also a “thief” (Jn. 12:6a). 

Why does Judas Iscariot betray Jesus? Some say his greed for money led him to betray the Lord. Others say he was disappointed upon realizing that Jesus did not fit the program of the political-military liberation of his country. But John says that “the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him” (Jn. 13:2). Luke clearly says, “Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve” (Lk 22:3). Whether it is greed or disappointment or Satan that triggered Judas to betray his Master, the fact remains that Jesus treated him as a friend and invited him to follow him along the way of happiness. Judas’ betrayal of the Lord remains a mystery. His eternal destiny and fate is even a greater mystery. We know he repented of his actions, brought back the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders and said, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood” (Mt. 27:3-4). Even though he went out to hang himself (Mt. 27:5), it is not up to us to judge his action. Judging him would mean putting ourselves in the place of God who is infinitely merciful and just.

Now the first lesson to learn from the life of Judas Iscariot is that the perversion of the human heart, moral collapse, spiritual and religious disintegration is quite possible. No matter how close you are to the Lord today, you could easily become a candidate of perdition. It is not over until it is over. The crown of glory is not won until your soul is finally at rest in the hands of Jesus. So, do not take your salvation for granted. St. Paul urges us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We are tempted everyday by the flesh, by the world, by earthly power, vain glory and honor, by sensual pleasure and material wealth. If we are not careful, we could be floored. Look at Judas! How much closer can anyone get? Despite the fact that he ate and dinned with Jesus, despite the fact that he was privileged to hear the voice of the historical Jesus and experienced virtually everything we read from the Gospels, he still suffered a relapse. 

How do we prevent the Judasian perversion? Pope Benedict XVI says “The only way to prevent it consists in not cultivating an individualistic, autonomous vision of things, but on the contrary, by putting oneself always on the side of Jesus, assuming his point of view. We must daily seek to build full communion with him.” Simply put, eschew the ideology of “I alone can fix things.” If you are strong, don’t depend totally on it. If you have power, wealth and enjoy the esteem of others, do not rely on it. If many things in life are working out for you and you are doing well in life, do not base your salvation on them. If you have the right connection, know the right people, and can get things done, do not depend on any of those. If you feel economically and environmentally safe, don’t count on any of them. Depend on Jesus solely. Our salvation comes from him. When you say to Jesus in words and deeds, “I do not know the man,” remember Peter. Emulate Peter! Both Peter and Judas betrayed our Lord Jesus Christ. Both of them fell. And both of them came to their senses and repented. But here is the difference: after his fall Peter repented “and found forgiveness and grace.” As for Judas, even though he repented his repentance degenerated into despair and ultimately led him to self-destruction. It is not okay to betray anyone let alone our God. To deny and betray Jesus is a great sin, but to limit his power to forgive and show mercy is even a greater sin. The God of mercy and compassion is never tired of showing mercy. If you are tired of asking for his mercy, then become tired of committing sin. St. Benedict urges us to, “Never despair of God’s mercy.” Pope Francis says, “God never tires of forgiving us, but we sometimes tire of asking Him to forgive us.” If you leave Jesus and his Church as Judas did, the Lord will respect your freedom to leave. But be rest assured that Jesus will be waiting for you to have a change of mind and heart (metanoia) and to return to him and to his Church. The Lord is good! He is kind! He is exceedingly merciful!

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year C (The Good Shepherd Sunday)

Whose Voice Do You Listen To?

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year C

St. Aphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, May 8, 2022

The amazing thing about Christianity is that it is not a set of ideas. It is not philosophy or ideology. Although Christianity uses philosophy a lot, it is not in itself a philosophy like Platonism, Existentialism etc. Deep down, Christianity is a relationship with someone who has a voice. It didn’t start with philosophy or the speculation of a social or moral issue. It didn’t start with an abstract speculation about the stuff that all things in nature are made. It began with a small group of people who sat at the feet of Jesus of Nazareth. They heard his voice. In today’s Gospel, the Good Shepherd, Jesus speaks some of the most comforting words in the Bible, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them.” The first disciples were privileged to hear the voice of the historical Jesus. I think the most terrifying words in the Bible are the opposite words Jesus says he will speak to the damned at the Last Judgment: “I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers” (Matt. 7:23). Even from an earthly father, the words, “I never knew you” can hurt deeply. It’s like a punch to the gut. So to avoid being told, “I never knew you” we must listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd and to follow him. 

How do we hear the voice of the Good Shepherd today? We hear his voice when the Scripture is proclaimed at Mass; we hear it when the Bishops and the Popes speak to us. We hear the voice of Jesus in the conscience. John Henry Newman called the conscience  “the aboriginal vicar of Christ in the soul.” The Second Vatican Council Fathers define it as “a person’s most secret core and sanctuary,” where each of us is alone with God whose voice echoes in our depths. We also hear the voice of Jesus in our spiritual friends, in the voices of those who comfort us, challenge us, call us to higher ideals, and encourage us when we fall. The voices of our parents, grand-parents, priests, faith formation teachers etc can also be the voice of Jesus speaking to us. St. Paul says: Faith comes from hearing….(Romans 10:17). 

Today, there are so many voices coming from sports, entertainment, news media, social media, politicians, cultural leaders, celebrities and famous people. They are voices representing different points of view urging us in different directions. Amidst the cacophonies of these voices, who do you follow? Whom do you listen to? If you are trained in the Christian life, you should be able to discern and recognize the voice of Jesus amidst all these competing voices. But why are we listening to the voice of Jesus the Good Shepherd? Why are we discerning his voice and following him? It is true that by listening to his voice and following him, we become better people; we become more ethically upright; we begin to work for justice and peace. We begin to work for the enthronement of what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called “The Beloved Community.” But if that’s all to it, then it’s no different from following any guru or spiritual teacher. Ultimately we listen to Jesus and follow him with all our souls because he is leading us to eternal life, to a renewed and transformed life on high with God, the life of heaven where we shall never perish. In that life, we shall see God face to face and sickness and death will no longer have power over us. We should never forget the supernatural ambition of Christianity or the final destiny of the human person. We listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd because he is leading us to eternal life in heaven. No one can snatch you and take you away from Jesus except yourself. Only you can refuse to listen to his voice. Only you can refuse to cooperate with him.