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.