Homily for the First Sunday of Lent, Year A

What Kind Of Messiah Is Jesus? 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the First Sunday of Lent, Year A

St. Bridget Catholic Church, Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, February 26, 2023

During his public ministry, Jesus was called a teacher, and he was indeed a teacher. He taught a lot. He has the message of eternal life. However, he was not primarily a teacher. Littered on virtually every page of the Gospel is the Lord’s ability to perform miracles, signs and wonders. His mastery over the forces of nature was one reason why great crowds followed him. But he was not primarily a wonder-worker. Jesus was first and foremost what John the Baptist said “the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.” Everything else about Jesus revolves around this very idea. In the temptation of Jesus, which is the Gospel story for this Sunday, the Devil offers Jesus three shorter alternatives to lure him away from his central mission which is to die on the cross. The Devil chose these temptations because he knew that Jesus would not primarily be a social crusader, or a miracle worker, or a political revolutionist. Jesus would be the Lamb of God who has come to deal decisively and definitively with the sins of the world. 

Before the first temptation occurred, Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights, and consequently was hungry physically. So, the Devil approaches him and says, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” It is natural that the Devil’s temptation will be in that direction because Jesus was hungry. But the deeper question here is, what kind of Messiah will he be? If Jesus is the Son of God, which means he has divine power, why won’t he be a Messiah who provides bread for hungry people? Why won’t he focus on his immediate needs and that of those who suffer? And in the course of Jesus’ ministry, he did feed the crowd. The account of him feeding hungry crowds with bread and fish is found in all the four Gospels. He was indeed concerned about the physical needs of his people. By extension, the Church which is the mystical body of Christ is also concerned about people’s physical needs. Think about the various works of Catholic Charity, St. Vincent De Paul, and other Catholic institutions around the world. We do care! But Jesus’ central focus was not the physical needs of people and it should not be so for his Church. Why? Because unless the problem of sin is dealt with, no amount of physical and material well-being will bring us salvation. In addition, unless the problem of sin is dealt with, the very things that lead to the exploitation of the poor will persist. Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor, but because we cannot satisfy the rich who are insatiably greedy. Responding to the evil one, Jesus says, “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” What does that mean? Being fed by the divine word is more important than being fed by physical bread. Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with meeting people’s physical needs. Jesus’ first temptation is to become a social worker and not a Messiah who dies so that sin might be dealt with. The temptation facing the Church today is to become a social worker Church that primarily feeds people bread and not the word of God. 

In the second temptation, the Devil takes Jesus to the parapet of the temple and says, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” The Devil is good at quoting the Bible, so be careful when people quote the Bible to you. Ability to easily quote the Bible is not a strong indication of spiritual authenticity. But what’s the Devil saying in his second temptation? In that era, the temple was the center of Israelite life. It was the focal point of politics, of culture, and of course religion. So, to be at the parapet of the temple was to be at the top of the society. It was to be in the spotlight, on everybody’s mind and be admired by all. Add to it, to now perform wonders in that place will make one the most glamorous figure. It will make someone the most famous person for a very long time to come. Now, at the depth of his humanity, Jesus must have felt a pull in the direction of self-promotion and to fame on worldly terms. Of course, in the course of his public life, Jesus did perform signs and wonders. He did travel far and wide in the Holy Land making himself known to everyone. He was a very public figure. For three years, all attention was focused on him. But at the climax of his life, he was displayed not as someone performing wonders or showing off to the crowd rather as a crucified criminal. He was not displayed in the most glamorous manner, but as a crucified criminal. Up and down the centuries, by what sign does his mystical body, the Church continues to announce him to the world? Precisely by the sign of his cross! His fame will come from the  sacrifice of the cross. What good will fame and prestige do if we are overwhelmed by sin? So, Jesus’ primary role is not to be a glamorous figure, but to be the suffering Savior. 

For the third temptation, the Devil takes him to a very high mountain and shows him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence and then says to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” Again, in the depth of his humanity, Jesus must have felt the urge to seize all earthly power, to become a worldly king like David or Caesar Augustus. In moments of goodwill, we might say: if only God’s Son can grab all the levers of power in the world, all will be well. Of course, Jesus did become a King when Pontius Pilate wrote, “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews.” He will become a King but not in a worldly way. Who controls the kingdoms of the world? The Devil! That is why he tried to offer it all to Jesus. But Jesus knew that ceasing power without dealing with sin won’t do anyone any good. To grab the levers of power without addressing the underlying problems of sin will definitely produce more anguish, more injustice and more suffering. So, Jesus resists this temptation to become a worldly king. He is not primarily a social worker. He is not primarily a wonder-worker. He is not primarily a political operator. Rather, he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Homily for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Christo-centric Attitude Towards Your Enemy

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, February 19, 2023

In the course of everyday living, we encounter people who are different from us in terms of political opinions, philosophical opinions, and religious opinions and whatever else it might be? And if such people then say something about us that is hurtful, if they gossip about us, or we read emails where they wrote ugly things about us, we think of them as our enemies. And they may in actuality be our enemies. The Bible does not say we should not have enemies. There are people who may never like you regardless. What the Bible does say is how we should treat people who don’t like us. So, what should be a believer’s attitude towards his or her enemies? Part of today’s first reading says, “Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against any of your people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). In today’s Gospel (Matthew 5:38-48), Jesus gives us three answers — one, seek no revenge against them, two, love them nevertheless, and three, pray for them. In his sermon on the Mount, Jesus refers to the old rule first, which is unfortunately the rule that most people live by today, and then offers the new rule that his followers must abide by: “You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.” Put differently, take no revenge and harbor no grudges against those who hurt you. Jesus also says, “You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father.”

Many people have a lot of unresolved anger. According to the angelic doctor St. Thomas Aquinas, anger is an irrational or excessive desire for revenge. Every one of us in one way or another, has been hurt. To some degree, we have been unjustly harmed, unjustly treated, insulted and dehumanized. So, it is natural to harbor a desire to pay back in kind. The anger I am talking about here is not the righteous anger, which is nothing but a passion to set things right, to right wrongs. Righteous anger cares about others. It attacks the sin and not the sinner. A good example of a righteous anger is the “anger” displayed by Jesus as he cleansed the temple or by Martin Luther King Jr. as he led the civil rights movement in America. That kind of righteous anger should be praised and welcomed. But the kind of anger we have, let’s be honest, is not a righteous one. The passion we have is to hit back at those who offended or harmed us. We spend God’s given time daydreaming about what we might say and do to our enemies if we ever get the opportunity or the required power. Haven’t you heard people say, “If I make that money, I will show them; I will teach them a lesson.” Have you not heard people talk about what they would do to their enemies if they acquire enough power, money, influence, connection? That’s what the great St. Thomas Aquinas calls the “deadly sin” of anger. Someone didn’t help you in your time of need. You are angry, and in your anger, you wish and pray to have the wherewithal in order to take your own pound of flesh. I tell you, this mindset, this way of thinking is found in many families and communities. Sometimes the motivating factor behind a person’s strive for success is purely to deal with those who didn’t help them when they were down. “I want to make it so that I can deal with them.” That’s godlessness! That’s going low. That’s going to the gutter. That’s worldly and inhumane. It is not a Christo-centric thought. It is a thought from the pit of hell. It is from the mind of Satan, the evil one. 

As a Christian, are you permitted to express outrage, to complain and lament when you have been harmed? Absolutely! Is it sinful to show emotions when you are being mistreated? Not at all! But after the expression of outrage and emotion, Jesus the Lord of mercy and mercy himself urges that we set our souls free through the wrenching act of forgiving our enemies. If your character is tarnished, don’t seek revenge. Revenge turns you into what you already despise. If you stumble on an email written by a colleague in which ugly things were said about you, don’t pay in kind. Follow the difficult path of forgiveness. Don’t seek revenge. Revenge brings you to the lower level of your opponent. For your emotional stability and salvation, forgive and continue to desire their good. 

When it comes to forgiveness, do we have role models? Yes! On May 13 1981, the great St. Pope John II was fatally shot and wounded by a Turkish man, Mehmet Ali Agca while he was entering St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican City. The goal was to eliminate the Holy Father. He was struck twice and suffered severe blood loss. His attempted killer, Agca was immediately apprehended and was later sentenced to life imprisonment by an Italian court. Upon recovery, the Holy Father visited Agca in prison, forgave him, and asked the world to “pray for my brother (Agca)… whom I have sincerely forgiven.” Agca was pardoned by Italian president Carlo Ciampi at the request of Pope John Paul II. And in 2007, Agca got converted and became a Roman Catholic. About twenty-five years ago, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago Archdiocese was accused by a young man named Steven Cook of sexual misconduct. As expected, the accusation devastated, demoralized and traumatized the man of God. After two agonizing months, Cook withdrew the charge and admitted that it was based on a false memory. But when this same young man, Cook, was dying of AIDS, Cardinal Bernardin did not say, “It serves you right.” Rather, he traveled to see him, brought him the gift of a Bible, prayed for him, anointed him and offered his forgiveness. That’s what love is about, everybody. That’s what forgiveness is about. That’s what praying for those who persecute you is about. We are called to love our enemies and not to tolerate them. 

I conclude by asking you to do the following: remember the name of your enemy. Those individuals that really harmed you, remember their names now. Remember those that you too have hurt. Now, say to Jesus: Lord, I really want to forgive and be reconciled with them. Please, help me!  After this, I strongly urge you to find a way to reach out and heal the relationship if you can find them. A phone call, an email, a visit, a hug etc. might help.

Homily for the Sixth Sunday in the Ordinary Time, Year A

God Respects Our Freedom

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Sixth Sunday in the Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, February 12, 2023

In our culture today, any conversation about the law is usually controversial. We see the law as a restriction, a constraint upon freedom. Although we agree that law is important, although we know that having laws is vitally important, we see it as a necessary evil. Deep down, most people wouldn’t want the law. They would prefer to do whatever they want. But for biblical people, the law is rather the very ground of freedom. What is the purpose of the law, God’s law? Among other things, the law is the means by which God helps us to make the right choice. God’s law or commandment is a kind of enticement held out to freedom. It is an invitation to choose what is right. The law is given to us, but we have to choose it. It is our choice. And choosing what is right will save us. In our first reading (Sirach 15:15-20), the author of Sirach says, “If you choose to keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live; he has set before you fire and water; to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand.” God respects our freedom so much that he allows us to choose either life or death, good or evil. And the good and the bad news is that whatever we choose, that’s what God will give to us. Today’s first reading says, “Before you are life and death, good and evil, whichever you choose shall be given to you.”  This means that the idea of God punishing us or seeking retribution is completely off base. What we choose is what we will be given. As I said in a previous homily, salvation is free but not cheap. It must cost you something. You must choose it. Basically, there are two choices left for us: salvation or damnation. God wants us to choose life. God wants us to choose the good. 

Consider this point the next time you are faced with a choice between good or evil, light or darkness, love or hatred, forgiveness or unforgiveness, violence or non-violence. The choices you freely make, according to the great St. Pope John Paul II always accomplish two things: first, they determine what you will do in a particular situation. Secondly, they contribute to your moral formation. What does that mean? In each of the choices I make, I am also choosing the kind of person that I am becoming. The choices we repeatedly and consistently make eventually help to form and determine the kind of person we become. If you choose the selfish path over and over again, you are going to become a selfish person. If you choose the violent path over and over again, you are forming yourself into becoming a violent person. If you choose the corrupt path over and over again, you are going to become a corrupt person. On the other hand, if you consistently choose the path of love, you are going to become a loving person. If you consistently choose the path of forgiveness, you are forming yourself into becoming a forgiving person. If you consistently choose the path of non-violence, you will become a peaceful person. Pope John Paul’s idea here goes way back to the great ancient philosopher Aristotle who said that character develops over time. The word “character” comes from the Greek word “kharakter” which means “brand.” By forming your character, you are getting branded, a permanent mark is being placed upon you; that means you are going to belong to somebody. When something is branded by the owner, it means the owner is claiming it. So, who do you belong to now? Who branded you? 

In the light of all this, sisters and brothers, I invite you to think about eternal life in a new way. Sometimes we think about heaven as a great price that some people will get and some won’t get. I also think about heaven that way. But I think it is best to think of heaven as a way of life, a way of being, namely the divine life of love. Think about heaven, not so much a price or reward, rather the way of being, the way of living. So, God cannot simply place us in heaven as though he is placing us in pleasure Island or an amusement park. The deep truth here is that we have to choose our way. We have to choose heaven or hell, salvation or damnation. I am not undermining grace here, after all, grace is God’s gift, God’s offer. But what God has given and offered has to be chosen and accepted by us. It is never imposed or forced down our throat. Grace is not coercion. It is God’s free gift which must be freely accepted. Some might ask: why can’t God just put everyone in heaven? The reason is that God respects our freedom to choose life or death, to choose light or darkness, to choose salvation or damnation, to choose heaven or hell. We are here on earth so that we might be prepared for the life of heaven. We are here for character formation under the influence of grace and through the discipline of the law. What’s the best way to prepare for heaven? Love now! Love each day! Love every moment! Choose the path of love everyday, every moment and you will become the kind of person fit to live in heaven. 

Homily for the Sixth Sunday in the Ordinary Time, Year A

God Respects Our Freedom

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Sixth Sunday in the Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, February 12, 2023

In our culture today, any conversation about the law is usually controversial. We see the law as a restriction, a constraint upon freedom. Although we agree that law is important, although we know that having laws is vitally important, we see it as a necessary evil. Deep down, most people wouldn’t want the law. They would prefer to do whatever they want. But for biblical people, the law does not constrict or restrict freedom. It is rather the very ground of freedom. What is the purpose of the law, God’s law? Among other things, the law is the means by which God helps us to make the right choice. God’s law or commandment is a kind of lure held out to freedom, not as coercion. It is rather the lure or invitation to choose what is right. The law is given to us but we have to choose it. It must be our choice. In our first reading (Sirach 15:15-20), the author of Sirach says, “If you choose to keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live; he has set before you fire and water; to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand.” God respects our freedom so much that he allows us to choose either life or death, good or evil. And the good and the bad news is that whatever we choose, that’s what God will give to us. Going further, the author Sirach says, “Before you are life and death, good and evil, whichever you choose shall be given to you.” The idea of God punishing us or seeking retribution is completely off base. What we choose is what we will be given. As I said in a previous homily, salvation is free but not cheap. It must cost you something. You must choose it. Basically, there are two choices left for us: salvation or damnation. God wants us to choose life. God wants us to choose the good. 

The great St. Pope John Paul II taught that free acts always accomplish two things: first, they determine what someone will do in a particular situation. Although I am assigned to celebrate this Mass, I still have to choose to celebrate it. I could have chosen to be in another parish. Secondly, they contribute to the formation of the moral agent himself. What does that mean? In each of the choices I make, I am also choosing the kind of person that I am becoming. The choices we repeatedly and consistently make eventually help to form and determine the kind of person we become. If you choose the selfish path over and over again, you are going to become a selfish person. If you choose the violent path over and over again, you are forming yourself into becoming a violent person. If you choose the corrupt path over and over again, you are going to do all kinds of bad thing, but more importantly, you are going to become a corrupt person. On the other hand, if you consistently choose the path of love, you do all kinds of good thing, you are going to become a loving person. If you consistently choose the path of forgiveness, you are forming yourself into becoming a forgiving person. If you consistently choose the path of non-violence, you will become a peaceful person. Pope John Paul’s idea here goes way back to the great ancient philosopher Aristotle who said that character develops over time as one acquires habits from parents and community, first through reward and punishment. The word “character” comes from the Greek word “kharakter” which means “brand.” By forming your character, you are getting branded, a permanent mark is being placed upon you; that means you are going to belong to somebody. When something is branded by the owner, it means the owner is claiming it. So, who do you belong to now? Who branded you? 

In the light of all this, sisters and brothers, I invite you to think about eternal life in a new way. Sometimes we think about heaven as a great price that some people will get and some won’t get. I also think about heaven that way. In a previous homily, I described heaven as a reward for righteousness. But I think it is best to think of heaven as a way of life, a way of being, namely the divine life of love. Think about heaven, not so much a price or reward, rather the way of being, the way of living. So, God cannot simply place us in heaven as though he is placing us in pleasure Island or an amusement park. The deep truth here is that we have to choose our way. Since heaven is a life of love, and since love is always a choice, we are the one to choose it. I am not undermining grace here, after all, grace is God’s gift, God’s offer. But what God has given and offered has to be chosen and accepted by us. It is never imposed or forced down our throat. Grace is not coercion. It is God’s free gift which must be freely accepted. Some might ask: why can’t God just put everyone in heaven? The reason is that God respects our freedom to choose life or death, to choose light or darkness, to choose salvation or damnation, to choose heaven or hell. We are here on earth so that we might be prepared for the life of heaven. This means we are here for character formation under the influence of grace and through the discipline of the law. What’s the best way to prepare for heaven? Love now! Love each day! Love every moment! Choose the path of love everyday, every moment and you will become the kind of person fit to live in heaven. 

Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Be Salt, Light And A City Set On A Hill

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Bridget Catholic Church, Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, February 5, 2023

After delivering what we have come to know as the Beatitudes, which is part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus compares his disciples to three things: salt, light, and a city set on a hill. Note that all three things exist not for themselves, but for something else. Let us look at salt. In Jesus’ time, salt was used to season and to preserve meat. Before refrigeration, salt was used as a preservative. It was also used to render earth infertile. When a conquering nation wanted to completely eliminate an enemy city, they will tear down its walls, burn its buildings to the ground, and then salt the earth so that nothing could ever grow there again. Rome did this to Carthage, an ancient city on the coast of North Africa near the present day Tunis. On its own, salt is not that valuable but it is valuable for what it does, and how it affects other things. On the other hand, light is not so much for itself, but we see things by it. It illuminates things to shine. In the ancient time, before maps, navigators or GPS, a city on the hill was a pointed navigation. Travelers used it to make their way to the land. But in our privatized and individualized culture, we tend to see religion or spirituality as something personal designed to make one’s life richer and better. There is a sense to which that is true. Religion does make our life richer and happier. But from a biblical standpoint, religion is like salt, light and a city set on a hill. Christianity is not a privatized or individualized religion. Yes, it is meant to transform an individual but it goes beyond the individual. Christians are called to be holy, but they are not meant so much to rest in their own holies. Their holiness is meant to be salt, light and a city set on a hill. We find salvation for ourselves precisely in the measure that we  bring God’s light to others. We followers of Jesus are meant to be salt in two ways: one, we are to preserve and enhance what is best in the society. Two, we are to undermine and destroy what is dysfunctional in the land. 

Are you wondering what your job in the world is? It is to preserve, highlight, and season what is best in the culture; and also to get out of the way what is radically dysfunctional in the culture. It is to be light even in the darkest places; it is to enlighten dark paths and be a conduit by which all, especially those dwelling in darkness eventually come to light. As disciples of Christ, our role ultimately is to lead people to God through the deeds of our life, and when necessary, through words. The world is in so much darkness; many people are losing their way. Authentic hope is fading; true love is disappearing; unconditional faith in God, faith in the Church, faith in Christianity etc. is diminishing. But by the integrity and quality of our life, we can point and lead people to the indispensable God. By the very integrity of our life, we can shine a spotlight on what is beautiful and highlight what is dysfunctional in the society. The clear implication is that without vibrant Christians, the world is in a much worse place. More to it, our job in the world is to be the city on a hill. How come? Without the guidance of Christians, we may not know what we are meant to be. We may not know what God wants. 

Is there anyone here who does not know that Christians are called by Jesus Christ to be salt, light and a city on the hill? If there are Christians who do not know of this, they are likely going to be in the minority. That means the vast majority of us know that we are called to be salt, light and the elevated city. The very important question then is this: how come some of the worst elements in the society were allowed to flourish among us? Look at the war in Ukraine. When Russia invaded its neighbor, Ukraine, the Russian Orthodox Church and some others in that region did not hesitate to throw their support behind Putin’s bloody war. Here in the US, some evangelical Christians, for some political reasons, are not forcefully speaking against the war. A good number of people who stormed and attacked the US Capital on January 6, 2021 are Christians. Some even went there with their Bibles. We must admit that Christianity in some sense has become so weak, so un-compelling that great evil is allowed to flourish. People have lost their way. How was slavery ever allowed to flourish especially here in America? To think that many Christians went to war against the US government in their desperate attempt to keep their slaves and to continue the evil of slavery is shockingly unbelievable. These and many other evils flourished simply because the vast majority of Christians allowed them or just didn’t care. A vibrant Christianity would have been salt robbed into the earth of those monstrous ideologies. A vibrant Christianity would have been light shining in the dark corners of slavery, racism, and dangerous ideologies. A vibrant Christianity would have been  a city set on a hill guiding those who want to know the right path. 

Think about the sad reality of gun violence that happens everyday around America. Think about the regular occurrence of police brutality. Think about the increasing racial tension in the land. Why is a vibrant Christianity not actively getting in the way in this affront to human dignity? Why is Christian Churches not rubbing salt to the earth of these evils? Why isn’t vibrant Christianity functioning as a city set on a hill? People take guidance from all sorts of places, so, why are they not taking guidance from Christian churches? Why is Christianity not strong enough to function as salt and light? In  today’s Gospel, Jesus’ important question: “…if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?” should really bother us a great deal. A weak Christianity is a disaster not just for Christians alone but for the world. When salt loses its taste, Jesus says it is of no good. Our responsibility as Christians is to impact the culture as salt, as light and as a city set on a hill. Is this challenging? Yes indeed! But don’t forget that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).