Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year A

Subversive, Confrontational, Authentic

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year A

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center

Sunday, April 30, 2023 

The first book after the Gospels called The Acts of the Apostles, is filled with colorful narratives, adventure, martyrdom, persecution, missionary journeys by sea, powerful and persuasive sermons etc. If you want to know the early beginning of Christianity, the nature of Christianity, what happened after the crucifixion, death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus, if you want to know how the spread of Christianity started, read The Acts of the Apostles. One thing you will definitely come away with is the robust excitement of being a follower of Jesus Christ. Long before there were particular churches (parishes) and local churches (dioceses), the Vatican and other institutional structures, there was this group of men and women who were so dazzled, so energized by the stubborn fact of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. They were so excited that they were willing to travel to the end of the world and to their death with the message of Jesus. 

The Acts of the Apostles contains some of the earliest preachings of the Apostles (kerygma) in the New Testament. A very good example is St. Peter’s sermon on Pentecost morning which is today’s first reading (Acts 2:14a, 36-41). We are told that Peter stood up with the eleven and raised his voice and said, “Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made both Lord and Christ (Messiah), this Jesus whom you crucified.” Believe me, that’s an earth-shattering proclamation, and confrontational too. Peter spoke with vigor and confidence. There is nothing weak, nothing hesitating or unsure about his declaration. He is not expressing a doubt or an opinion. What he is speaking about in a loud voice is his conviction that Jesus of Nazareth whom the Jews crucified, has been made both Lord and Christ. 

What led Peter to believe that Jesus is Lord and Christ? His Anastasis! Yes, Jesus is Lord! The greeting statement among many Christians is “Jesus is Lord!” “Amen, to the glory of God the Father.” But what does the lordship of Jesus mean? In the first century, the term “Lord” had both a Jewish and a Roman meaning. In the Jewish reading, God’s personal name, YHWH (Yahweh), which was revealed to Moses was considered by the Jews to be too transcendent for humans to pronounce. Consequently, it was substituted with the Hebrew term, “Adonai” which means “Lord.” So, from ancient times, the God of Israel was addressed as “Adonai” by the Jews. St. Paul who frequently calls Jesus “Lord,” says that Jesus was given the name above every other name, by that he means the name of God. The implication is that any preaching that undermines or weakens the divinity of Jesus is not apostolic in nature. Christians who do not believe that Jesus is God are domesticating him, belittling him and reducing him to the level of a prophet, a wise man or a nice moral man as many secular minds do today. And such Christians are risking their salvation. In the Roman reading, Caesar was called kyrios (lord), meaning the one to whom final allegiance is due. Do you now see how disruptive, confrontational and provoking it was to declare that Jesus is Lord? To say that Jesus is Lord implies that Caesar is not. It also implies that final allegiance and loyalty belongs not to Caesar Augustus but to Jesus. Caesar stands for earthly power and everything earthly. To finally submit to the lordship of Jesus is to make him the absolute center of your life. If you are still wondering why a good number of early Christians were imprisoned, and or put to death, here is your answer. In an insightful manner, the famous Anglican bishop, N. T. Wright said, “When Paul preached, there were riots; when I preach, they served me tea.” Preaching that “Jesus is Lord” is deeply subversive and troublemaking, but it must be preached because Jesus is indeed the Lord, the one to whom absolute loyalty and commitment is due. 

God has made Jesus, not only Lord but also Christ. The crucified and risen Son of Mary has been made Christ by the God of Israel. We are accustomed to calling the holy name— Jesus Christ. Is Christ his last name? Not at all. The Greek term for “Messiah” is “Christos” from which the English word “Christ” is derived. And it means “anointed.” By addressing Jesus as Christ, Peter is declaring that Jesus is the anointed one; he is the new David and the fulfillment of the expectation of Israel. Listen everybody, Jesus is not just a prophet, or a sage, or an inspiring man; he is God’s anointed. He is the Savior of the world. Always, we need Jesus to save us. So, don’t allow your cockiness, or your ability to get things done, or your fame, or your financial freedom, or your achievements and successes etc to lie to you that you don’t need a Savior. We need Christ, the only true Savior offered to the human race by God now, tomorrow and everyday. 

In his Pentecost sermon, Peter did not preach to find favor with his audience. He said, “God has made both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” He is not pulling any punches or trying to make friends. Bluntly and clearly, he names the sin of his listeners. It is the direct bluntness of his speech that cuts to the heart of his listeners, who right away asked, “What should we do?” Preaching to please people won’t cut to their hearts. Speeches meant to soothe or to generate a feel-good experience does not cut to the heart of the hearers. Only the undiluted word of God delivered powerfully and truthfully can get to the heart. Any preaching that does not make people uncomfortable may not be the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The great El-Salvadoran Archbishop, St. Oscar Romero famously said, “A church that doesn’t provoke any crisis, a gospel that doesn’t unsettle, a word of God that doesn’t get under anyone’s skin, a word of God that doesn’t touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed— what gospel is that? Very nice, pious considerations that don’t bother anyone, that’s the way many would like preaching to be. Those preachers who avoid every thorny matter  so as not to be harassed, so as not to have conflicts and difficulties, do not light up the world they live in.” Peter, responding to his listeners’ question, “What should we do?” simply said, “repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” Every true kerygmatic proclamation, every truly evangelical sermon should call people to repentance and invite people to turn their lives around. 

Concluding his sermon, Peter urged, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Disciples of Jesus are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart” called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light. We have renewed minds and wills. We should not live according to the standard of this fallen world. If we think, speak and act like everyone else, then what’s the heck? It only goes to show that we haven’t yet consumed the Gospel. It means we are still baby Christians unable or refusing to grow up. Add to it, if what you hear from your priests from the pulpit is what can be heard on talk shows, in group discussions and in political campaigns and conversations, you are not hearing the Gospel of Christ. Finally, we are told that “about three thousand persons were added that day.” I know we have been told not to worry about numbers, and there is some truth to that. However, the Bible is interested in numbers. Good evangelical preaching can draw people into the Church. Today, we have the phenomenon of the empty pews in our churches across the country. Some churches have been closed and the buildings where the Eucharist and other sacraments were once celebrated sold. What are the reasons why many people are leaving the Church? One reason is secularism, which gives birth to the loss of the sense of the sacred, loss of the sense of God and loss of the sense of sin. The second reason may be connected to the poor quality of our preaching. When Peter preached, people asked, “What shall we do?” But when I preach, people clap and say, “Father, you are a fantastic preacher.” Until people begin to ask me what they should do to turn their lives around, I won’t believe my homilies are cutting to the heart of the people. Lord, help me!

Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year A

The Supper At Emmaus 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year A

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, April 23, 2023

The story of the two disciples of Jesus on the road to Emmaus is a masterpiece within the masterpiece. One of the disciples is named, (Cleopas), the other is not. Who is Cleopas? He was the uncle of Jesus. John’s Gospel says, “Standing close to Jesus’ cross were his mother, Mary, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene,” (19:25). Cleopas was Jesus’ uncle and a pretty important figure in the Early Church. He, Cleopas and the other unnamed disciple were leaving Jerusalem and traveling to a town seven miles away from the capital called Emmaus. Metaphorically speaking, this is a journey away from salvation. How come? Everything was happening in Jerusalem. Jesus went to Jerusalem, that’s where he was crucified; that’s where the Resurrection happened; that’s where the coming of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) happened. Jerusalem is the center; it is where the Early Church had gathered. But these two disciples were walking away from salvation. Like all of us sinners, Cleopas and his companion were walking in the wrong direction. Yet, the Lord God comes to walk with them. He disguises himself and prevents them from recognizing him. Is Jesus trying to distance himself from them? Not at all! He wants to gradually lure them back into discipleship. 

He begins with a question, “What are you discussing as you walk along? Responding Cleopas asks his own question, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” Once again, Jesus follows with another question, “What sort of things?” Finally, Cleopas provides data of an actual event: “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people…” Cleopas doesn’t say, “the things that happened to Jesus the Messiah” or  “Jesus the Son of God.” He refers to Jesus as, a prophet. What’s happening to Cleopas’ faith here? He has lost it! He no longer believes that Jesus is the Messiah. Like so many people in our time, he has reduced Jesus to the level of a prophet, a mighty man, a miracle worker sent from God, but not the Messiah. More to it, he goes on to say, “we had hoped (That’s past tense) that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and now it is the third day that he was put to death. In other words, there is no hope of that anymore. After that, Cleopas goes on to say, “Some women from our group have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” What’s Cleopas doing here? He is bringing another dimension, the fact of the empty tomb. Cleopas is leaving Jerusalem. He is turning his back on the place that Jesus had died; he is turning his back on the hope they had. Even though he knows about the empty tomb, even though some of the women had reported the apparition of the angels announcing that Jesus is risen, he still doesn’t believe. At this stage, the Risen Christ has heard enough. Turning to his disciples, he says to them “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke. Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 

Jesus called them fools for their lack of faith. He does not rebuke them for not knowing the Scripture, but for not believing the Scripture. As Jews, they would have known the Old Testament Scriptures, the problem is that they don’t believe. They are lacking faith in what the Scriptures say. But after rebuking them, Jesus does not leave them in their confusion, doubt and unbelief. He meets them where they are and basically begins a Bible Study. He goes all the way back to Genesis, beginning with Moses and the prophets, he interprets to them in the Scripture all the things concerning himself. Jesus’ method of doing Bible Study began by going back to the Old Testament. That’s how Jesus evangelized his disciples who had lost their faith in the face of the scandal of the cross. After the long Bible Study, about two and half hours, Cleopas and the other disciple are now closer to the village they were intending to go. Jesus indicates he would be going further, but the disciples plead with him, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” Now, we don’t really know exactly what Jesus said to Cleopas and his companion, but we know how they reacted: they did not want him to stop talking. When dinner time arrives, in their presence, Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it to them. Deliciously, their eyes were opened and they recognized him. Then he disappears from their sight. After his disappearance, they said to each other, let me paraphrase it, “No wonder, our hearts were burning within us as he speaks and interprets the Scriptures to us along the way.” With their faith boosted, convinced that Jesus is truly risen, they hurriedly returned to Jerusalem, meaning they returned to faith and salvation and became witnesses of the Resurrection. They rejoined the Evangelization Team. 

When did this event happen? The evening of Easter Sunday, the actual day of the Resurrection of Jesus. It indicates that these two disciples were really in haste to forget about Jesus and then move on with their lives. Notice that at the table, Jesus did four things: he took the bread; he blessed the bread; he broke the bread, and he gave the bread. In Luke’s Gospel, the last time that Jesus took the bread, blessed the bread, broke the bread and gave the bread was at the Last Supper. So, in this Emmaus event, Jesus re-enacted the same thing he did on Holy Thursday when he instituted the Eucharist before his Apostles. Cleopas and his companion recognized the Risen Lord at the breaking of the bread. But why did Jesus vanish? Was it a magic trick? Why would he do that to them after they had urged him, “Stay with us?” The answer is simple but also profound. He is trying to direct their eyes, their vision to the way he is going to be with them from now on, which is in the Eucharist itself, in the breaking of the Bread. Jesus did answer their prayers. They asked him to stay with them and he does stay with them but now in a different way. It is not going to be in his earthly body, in his local presence. He is now going to come to them under the appearance of the Bread, under the appearance of the Eucharist so that he can be with them always till the end of time. He is going to be present in a way that is not limited to one location and one place. He can be in a tiny village in Africa, and in a big city in America. He can be in Africa, in Europe, in North America, in Asia and everywhere in the breaking of the Bread. And you can say that this is the first Mass that Jesus celebrates after his Resurrection, and these two disciples were so fortunate to be part of it. 

In Jesus’ Risen Body, he is no longer bound by space. In Jesus’ Glorified Body, he is no longer bound by time. He can walk through walls, as we saw him do when he appeared to his disciples in the upper room and said to them, “Shalom.” He can hide his appearance as we saw him do in his encounter with Cleopas and his companion. In the Eucharist, Jesus is also hiding his appearance. He is coming to us but hiding his appearance. He is coming to us under the appearance of Bread and Wine. There is another key factor that needs to be pointed out. If you notice, there are two major things that Jesus did before these two disciples. First, he reads the Scriptures to them starting with the Old Testament and explains them. Second, he sets the table. He takes the take, blesses it, breaks it and gives it to them. Do those two acts sound very familiar to you? Yes! Those are the two fundamental parts of the Mass: the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the Eucharist. So, in every Mass, we are reliving and participating in the mystery of the Mass, the same experience of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. 

Why am I making this last point? There is a tendency among some Catholics to mentally check out during the liturgy of the Word. When the readings are being read, they don’t listen. When the priest or deacon is preaching, they don’t listen. They simply check out. Either they complain that the preaching is poor, doesn’t relate to them or that it is too long. There is a parishioner who usually attends the 5 PM Mass and who has formed the habit of “tormenting” me with the complaint that I preach long. Whenever he approaches me after Mass, it is always to say, “Father, you preach well, but it is long. Can you make it briefer?” After masking my annoyance repeatedly, I finally say to him, “No sir, I can’t and won’t!” Some Catholics believe that the only reason they come to Mass is to receive the Eucharist. When Fr. Huy Steven Vu was here in our parish, he told me about a disappointing conversation he had with a parishioner. In that conversation, this parishioner said, “I come to Mass to receive the Eucharist and nothing more.” What happens to such people is that when the readings are proclaimed, they check out. They become distracted easily. When the homily is being proclaimed, they drift away and don’t pay attention. If you do this, you are missing a fundamental part. You are like a soccer fan who walks into the stadium at the second half of a match. You miss an entire first half. Listen now, everybody. The only reason the two disciples who went to Emmaus were able to see Jesus in the breaking of the bread, is because he already prepared their hearts by teaching them through the word, by unpacking the Scriptures, by opening the Scriptures and leading them back to faith through a typology between the Old Testament and the New. That’s what gave them faith to be able to recognize him in the mystery of the breaking of the bread. You will do well to pay attention, to listen carefully to the liturgy of the Word. Not just the Eucharist alone. It is the liturgy of the Word that is going to stir up our hearts to see Jesus in the breaking of the Bread because He is invisible. It does not look like Jesus; it looks like bread and wine, but he is actually present in his Glorified Body, in his Resurrected Body. 

God bless you!

Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year A

Jesus Celebrates His First Post-Resurrection Mass 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year A

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, April 23, 2023

The story of the two disciples of Jesus on the road to Emmaus is a masterpiece within the masterpiece. One is named, (Cleopas), but the other is not. Who is Cleopas? He was the uncle of Jesus. John’s Gospel says, “Standing close to Jesus’ cross were his mother, Mary, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene,” (19:25). So Cleopas was Jesus’ uncle, and according to the early Church Fathers, Cleopas was the father of James, Simon, and Jude, the men who were called Jesus’ “brothers,” that is his cousins. The historian, Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea who wrote in AD 180 said that when he interviewed the grandsons of Jude the Apostle, he learned that Cleopas was the brother of Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. So, Cleopas was Jesus’ uncle and a pretty important figure in the Early Church. He, Cleopas and the other unnamed disciple were leaving Jerusalem and traveling to a town seven miles away from the capital called Emmaus. Metaphorically speaking, this is a journey away from salvation. How come? Everything was happening in Jerusalem. Jesus went to Jerusalem, that’s where he was crucified; that’s where the Resurrection happened; that’s where the coming of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) happened. Jerusalem is the center; it is where the Early Church had gathered. But these two disciples were walking away from salvation. Like all of us sinners, Cleopas and his companion were walking in the wrong direction. Yet, the Lord God comes to walk with them. He disguises himself and prevents them from recognizing him. Is Jesus trying to distance himself from them? Not at all! He wants to gradually lure them back into discipleship. 

He begins with a question, “What are you discussing as you walk along? Responding Cleopas asks his own question, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” Once again, Jesus follows with another question, “What sort of things?” Finally, Cleopas provides data of an actual event: “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people…” Cleopas doesn’t say, “the things that happened to Jesus the Messiah” or  “Jesus the Son of God.” He refers to Jesus as, a prophet. What’s happening to Cleopas’ faith here? He has lost it! He no longer believes that Jesus is the Messiah. Like so many people in our time, he has reduced Jesus to the level of a prophet, a mighty man, a miracle worker sent from God, but not the Messiah. More to it, he goes on to say, “we had hoped (That’s past tense) that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and now it is the third day that he was put to death. In other words, there is no hope of that anymore. After that, Cleopas goes on to say, “Some women from our group have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” What’s Cleopas doing here? He is bringing another dimension, the fact of the empty tomb. Cleopas is leaving Jerusalem. He is turning his back on the place that Jesus had died; he is turning his back on the hope they had and going to Emmaus. Even though he knows about the empty tomb, even though some of the women had reported the apparition of the angels announcing that Jesus is risen, he still doesn’t believe. At this stage, the Risen Christ has heard enough. Turning to his disciples, he says to them “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke. Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 

Jesus called them fools for their lack of faith. He does not rebuke them for not knowing the Scripture, but for not believing the Scripture. As Jews, they would have known the Old Testament Scriptures, the problem is that they don’t believe. They are lacking faith in what the Scriptures say. But after rebuking them, Jesus does not leave them in their confusion, doubt and unbelief. He meets them where they are— in their brokenness, lack of faith, sadness, doubt etc. and basically begins a Bible Study. He goes all the way back to Genesis, beginning with Moses and the prophets, he interprets to them in the Scripture all the things concerning himself. Why is this so important? It gives us the model of how to do Bible Study and how to teach the Word of God. Scripture begins with the Old Testament, precisely with Genesis. When you read the Old Testament, look for signs and shadows that point forward to what God is going to do in Jesus Christ. Interpret your reading typologically. What’s typology? It is the study of Old Testament prefigurations, events, reality, signs and symbols that point forward to and are fulfilled in the New Testament in the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus. That’s how Jesus interprets the Bible. The problem today is that many of us only read the New Testament. We start in the New Testament, and never go back to the Old. And because of that, we don’t see the connection between the Old and the New Testament. We don’t see how the New Testament is hidden in the Old, and how the Old is revealed in the New. But that’s what we need to see if we are going to have faith that Jesus is not one more messianic pretender, or one more religious leader making all kinds of wild claims about himself. The claims he makes about himself are validated and vindicated by the prophecies of the Old Testament. The types of the Old Testament that he fulfills in himself like the New Adam, or the New Moses, or the New David. I agree that reading the Old Testament is not as exciting as reading the New. But Jesus’ method of doing Bible Study began by going back to the Old Testament. That’s how Jesus evangelized his disciples who had lost their faith in the face of the scandal of the cross. 

After the long Bible Study, about two and half hours, Jesus does not stop there. As Cleopas and the other disciple got closer to the village they were intending to go, Jesus indicates he would be going further, but the disciples plead with him, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” Imagine walking with the Risen Jesus and having him explain the Scriptures and how they point to him. I will give everything I have just to be there. Now, we don’t really know exactly what Jesus said to Cleopas and his companion, but we know how they reacted: they did not want him to stop talking. When dinner time arrives, in their presence, Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it to them. Deliciously, their eyes were opened and they recognized him. Then he disappears from their sight. After his disappearance, they said to each other, let me paraphrase it, “No wonder, our hearts were burning within us as he speaks and interprets the Scriptures to us along the way.” With their faith boosted, convinced that Jesus is truly risen, they hurriedly returned to Jerusalem, meaning they returned to faith and salvation and became witnesses of the Resurrection. They rejoined the Evangelization Team. 

When did this event happen? The evening of Easter Sunday, the actual day of the Resurrection of Jesus. It indicates that these two disciples were really in haste to forget about Jesus and then move on with their lives. Notice that at the table, Jesus did four things: he took the bread; he blessed the bread; he broke the bread, and he gave the bread. In Luke’s Gospel, the last time that Jesus took the bread, blessed the bread, broke the bread and gave the bread was at the Last Supper. So, in this Emmaus event, Jesus re-enacted the same thing he did on Holy Thursday when he instituted the Eucharist before his Apostles. Cleopas and his companion recognized the Risen Lord at the breaking of the bread. But why did Jesus vanish? Was it a magic trick? Why would he do that to them after they had urged him, “Stay with us?” The answer is simple but also profound. He is trying to direct their eyes, their vision to the way he is going to be with them from now on, which is in the Eucharist itself, in the breaking of the Bread. Jesus did answer their prayers. They asked him to stay with them and he does stay with them but now in a different way. It is not going to be in his earthly body, in his local presence. He is now going to come to them under the appearance of the Bread, under the appearance of the Eucharist so that he can be with them always till the end of time. He is going to be present in a way that is not limited to one location and one place. He can be in a tiny village in Africa, and in a big city in America. He can be in Africa, in Europe, in North America, in Asia and everywhere in the breaking of the Bread. And you can say that this is the first Mass that Jesus celebrates after his Resurrection, and these two disciples were so fortunate to be part of it. 

In Jesus’ Risen Body, he is no longer bound by space. In Jesus’ Glorified Body, he is no longer bound by time. He can walk through walls, as we saw him do when he appeared to his disciples in the upper room and said to them, “Shalom.” He can hide his appearance as we saw him do in his encounter with Cleopas and his companion. In the Eucharist, Jesus is also hiding his appearance. He is coming to us but hiding his appearance. He is coming to us under the appearance of Bread and Wine. There is another key factor that needs to be pointed out. If you notice, there are two major things that Jesus did before these two disciples. First, he reads the Scriptures to them starting with the Old Testament and explains them. Second, he sets the table. He takes the take, blesses it, breaks it and gives it to them. Do those two acts sound very familiar to you? Yes! Those are the two fundamental parts of the Mass. The Church says that the fundamental structures of the Mass consist of two great parts; first, the liturgy of the Word. Here we gather, sing, the readings from the Old Testament and the New Testament are read to us and explained to us in the homily. The second part is the liturgy of the Eucharist. Here, we have the offertory, the Eucharistic prayer, and communion. So, in every Mass, we are reliving and participating in the mystery of the Mass, the same experience of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. 

Why am I making this last point? There is a tendency among some Catholics to mentally check out during the liturgy of the Word. When the readings are being read, they don’t listen. When the priest or deacon is preaching, they don’t listen. They simply check out. Either they complain that the preaching is poor, doesn’t relate to them or that it is too long. There is a parishioner who usually attends the 5 PM Mass and who has formed the habit of “tormenting” me with the complaint that I preach long. Whenever he approaches me after Mass, it is always to say, “Father, you preach well, but it is long. Can you make it briefer?” After masking my annoyance repeatedly, I finally say to him, “No sir, I can’t and won’t!” Some Catholics believe that the only reason they come to Mass is to receive the Eucharist. When Fr. Huy Steven Vu was here in our parish, he told me about a disappointing conversation he had with a parishioner. In that conversation, this parishioner said, “I come to Mass to receive the Eucharist and nothing more.” What happens to such people is that when the readings are proclaimed, they check out. They become distracted easily. When the homily is being proclaimed, they drift away and don’t pay attention. If you do this, you are missing a fundamental part. You are like a soccer fan who walks into the stadium at the second half of a match. You miss an entire first half. Listen now, everybody. The only reason the two disciples who went to Emmaus were able to see Jesus in the breaking of the bread, is because he already prepared their hearts by teaching them through the word, by unpacking the Scriptures, by opening the Scriptures and leading them back to faith through a typology between the Old Testament and the New. That’s what gave them faith to be able to recognize him in the mystery of the breaking of the bread. You will do well to pay attention, to listen carefully to the liturgy of the Word. Not just the Eucharist alone. It is the liturgy of the Word that is going to stir up our hearts to see Jesus in the breaking of the Bread because He is invisible. It does not look like Jesus; it looks like bread and wine, but he is actually present in his Glorified Body, in his Resurrected Body. 

God bless you!

Homily for the Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday)

The Gift Of Divine Mercy

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday)

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, April 16, 2023

If there is anyone out there who still doubts the relentlessness of Divine Mercy; who still wonders if their sins will ever be forgiven by God; who still questions God’s ability to forgive all sins no matter how grave and heinous those sins are, today’s amazing Gospel (John 20:19-31) is your answer. In the Old Testament, God is described in one word, Hesed which means “tender-mercy.” It is this attribute of God, this hesed (tender-mercy) that is fully disclosed in our today’s Gospel. It is fully disclosed as the mercy that swallows our sins. 

Hiding in the upper room are the disciples of Jesus, who at the moment of truth had denied, betrayed, and abandoned their Master. Jesus comes, despite the locked doors and stands in their midst. What does locked doors symbolize? Fear! They are mortally fearful that the same people who killed Jesus will come after them. Standing in their midst, the risen Christ says to them, Shalom! (“Peace be with you”). To this day, wherever two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name, he is right in their midst. So, anytime we gather for the Mass, the same risen Christ is in our midst. Despite the locked doors of their fear, apprehension and doubt, he comes and stands in their midst. Then he does something worth noting: he shows his wounds. Why is the showing of his wounds so important? Just in case they forget what the world did to him. The wounds of Jesus are signs that all is not well with us. For the second time, he says to them, Shalom! (Peace be with you). What does his Shalom indicate? That he returns not in anger, not to seek revenge or retribution. It indicates he comes in peace to those who had denied, betrayed, and abandoned him and therefore contributed to his death. He returns with Shalom and weathers the storm of their fears. All of Christian redemption is contained in those four words, “Peace be with you.” We sinners wound Jesus too, but he stands in our midst and says, Shalom to us. That is the offer of Divine Mercy. That is why Divine Mercy Sunday matters. 

After the greeting of peace, the risen Christ breathed on them. What does that mean? At creation, “God took some soil from the ground and formed a man out of it; then he breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). That breath of God (Ruach Yahweh) which gives life to all things is being breathed into the disciples by Jesus who is the very incarnation of Yahweh. By breathing on them, he is waking them up from their spiritual slumber. Spiritually they were like the lifeless clay image that God formed at the beginning of creation. But now Jesus is breathing into them the very Ruach Yahweh (the breath of God). He is knocking off their fear, their doubt, and their apprehension. He is resuscitating them to the new life they were meant to live. Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit into them so that they might become bearers of God’s mercy to the world.

We then get to the story of Thomas. Up and down the centuries, many people are attracted to Thomas because they identify with him. The Gospel says “Thomas, called Didymus (which means twin) one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.” When he returned, the other disciples joyfully said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” His response? I’m not going to believe until I can see him with my own eyes, and put my finger in his wounds. Thomas is in a probing mood. He is making an aggressive self-centered attempt to be in control. But divine mercy is received as a gift. A week later, the risen Christ comes again. This time, Thomas was around. Despite Thomas’ doubt, Jesus invites him and says to him, Put your finger here and see my hands and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe. Is Jesus mocking Thomas? Not at all! He is taking Thomas’s aggressive attempt to control and also inviting him into the right attitude. Jesus is basically saying to him: accept what has been offered to you. It was at this time that Thomas the empiricist, Thomas the doubter, Thomas the rationalist, Thomas the scientist, Thomas the “I have to see it myself” surrenders his belligerent attempt to control, surrenders his ego and makes the greatest confession of faith in the Bible: “My Lord and my God!” It took him a while to come to know who Jesus really was, but he did get there. People saw Jesus as a prophet, as a seer, a truth-teller, a miracle worker etc. Yes, Jesus is all of those, but the person who got it most right is Thomas. He has the most doctrinally, most convincing and thorough confession of Jesus. Having seen the risen Christ, having received Divine Mercy, Thomas exclaims, “My Lord and my God!” It was the doubter who gets it. It was him who gives us the greatest confession of faith. 

Think about this! Despite the disciples’ denial, betrayal, and abandonment of their Master on Good Friday, their Master returns, not with vengeance, but with mercy. Even Thomas who initially doubted his Resurrection also received mercy. More to it, Jesus breathed on them with the Spirit of life. If you are baptized and confirmed, Christ also breathed on you the Holy Spirit that you might be fully alive and also become to the world, a bearer of God’s life and mercy. What’s the most important thing in the life of many? Going to college, getting a degree and another degree and getting a job and a certain position they dreamed about. Those are good. But that’s not the most important thing. The most important thing is receiving Divine Mercy and becoming a bearer of Divine Mercy to the world. If you attain those, you are fulfilling your vocation and mission as a baptized member of the Church. This is all that matters, sisters and brothers. Today, I enjoin you to give to your brothers and sisters what the risen Lord has given to you. And that’s mercy!

Homily for Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord, Year A

Game-changing Event Of The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ

Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, April 9, 2023

Too many contemporary scholars have tried to explain away the Resurrection. They say it’s a myth, a fairy tale, a symbol, a sign meant to prolong the cause of Jesus. But  nobody in the first century would have found such an argument convincing. Can you imagine, for instance, Paul going to Athens or Rome and declaring, “I am here to proclaim an inspiring dead man.” No one would have taken him seriously. But what St. Paul and other first century Christians said over and over again was “Anastasis!” “Anastasis!” (Resurrection! Resurrection!) And it was the first great Christian  message. 

Listen everybody! The Resurrection of Jesus is the one and the only reason for the Christian faith. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, close all the churches. If he remained dead after he died, all bishops, priests, religious sisters and brothers, lay ministers in the Catholic Church and other churches should go home and get other jobs; and all the Christian faithfuls should leave their churches immediately. If Jesus didn’t conquer death, if the grave held him down, if he didn’t triumphantly rise from the dead, then what the heck? If he didn’t rise from the dead, then he was a lunatic and a liar who made wild and outlandish claims about himself that weren’t completely justified. In his Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is in vain… your faith is in vain; you are still in your sins…we are the most pitiable people of all” (15:17-19). If Jesus is not raised from the dead, Christianity is a fraud and a joke taken too far. But if he did rise from the dead, then he is who he said he was. He is the incarnate Son of God. He is the fullness of revelation. He is the full manifestation of God. So, he must be the center of our lives; and no one should be surprised to hear that Jesus compels a choice. It’s either you are with him or you are against him.

In the light of all I have said, I would like to look at the four enduring lessons of the reality of the Resurrection. First lesson: in the end, injustice and wickedness will never win. In the densely Passion narratives, we saw all forms of human dysfunction on full display. Jesus is met by hatred, by denial, by betrayal, by violence, by stupidity, by institutional injustice and by incomparable cruelty. It is as though all of human darkness comes out to meet him. When Jesus was dragging his wounded and battered body to Golgotha, it seemed he was finished. Jesus was scourged at the pillar. He was undeservedly slapped by a soldier. They made a caricature of him. When he said, “I thirst!” he was fed with expired wine. All manners of wickedness and injustice were unleashed on him. And when he cried, “It is finished!” his executioners rejoiced and thought they had finished him off. When Jesus finally bowed his head “and gave up his spirit,” his enemies thought they had won. They thought their injustice and wickedness had triumphed. But Easter gives us a different message. It tells us that in the end, evil will not win and will never win.  

The second lesson that the Resurrection of Jesus teaches is that this world is not it. By this I don’t mean that this world is evil. I don’t mean we should flee from it. The world was created good by God to be inhabited by his people and other created things. But the problem is that we are so attached to the goods of this world. So, on this Easter Sunday morning, it is appropriate to hear it once again that this world is not the ultimate place. It is not our final home. Yes, our senses, perceptions, minds, and science tell us that this world is real. We also know that the world is good and beautiful. I’m not denying any of that. This world is indeed great, amazing and beautiful. However, as we enjoy the gifts of the world, as we enjoy the beauty and the greatness of this world, we shouldn’t be beguiled by it. We shouldn’t be enslaved by the things this world provides. Why? Because everything in this world is passing. Things come and go. Think of all the plants, insects and animals from time immemorial. What happened to them? They came into being for a short time, and then go out of existence. Even the stars and planets, after a long time, they go out of being. What about us fragile human beings? The Psalmist says that our span is seventy years or eighty for those who are strong. We come and we go. So, if this world is all there is, I tell you, we would suffer despair that nothing lasts. There would be a general mood of despair at the pointlessness of existence. But what if this world is not all there is? What if in fact, there is a reality that goes beyond this one? In the creed, we profess faith in God who made the visible and the invisible. That means there is another reality, another existence that does not pass away that everyone should yearn and aspire to go to after earthly life. The world we live in now is good and beautiful, but the other world has supreme goodness, truth and beauty. The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead opens the door to that world and invites us to look into it and be attracted to it. The Resurrection therefore gives us a new focus and a new higher purpose. It teaches us that death does not have the final word. Speaking of death, St. Paul asks the question, “Death, where is your sting?” What prompted Paul to ask the question? The realization that there is something beyond this world. 

The third lesson of the Resurrection is that tyrants know that their time is up. The cross was invented by the Persians but only perfected by the Romans. It was the most humiliating and vicious means used by the Roman Empire to assert its authority, frighten its opponents and bring them to submission. At the time, the Roman army was the greatest fighting force in the world. It conquered lots of nations and put people to death by various means. But the cross was the worst means of killing people. And guess what? It was mostly reserved for slaves, the lowest and the most despised people. Imagine now how the people who loved Jesus and thought he was the Messiah of the Jews felt on Good Friday. The feeling must have been that of deep disappointment. What would disqualify someone as the Messiah of the Jews was that he was put to death on a Roman cross. On Good Friday, it seemed the tyrants had won. Lovers and admirers of the Lord felt so disappointed that after those amazing words and actions of Jesus, in the end, might made right. At the end of the day, the tyrants won. As disciples of Jesus licked their wounds of disappointment, the game-changer happened. Jesus rises from the dead. With that they realized that the tyrants do not have the final word. They realized that the tyrant’s weapon— threat of violence, oppression and death on the cross etc. is insurmountable. And from the beginning of Christianity to this present day, this makes the tyrants tremble. They tremble because the weapon they have is the fear of death, the oppression of their enemies. But God’s love is more powerful than the worst the tyrants can throw at us. This opens a new world to us. Look at the way the first Christians preached. They had nothing; they were not part of a political organization, they had no army behind them. They were just a handful of people. But the boldness with which they preached shaken things up. And the fact that Caesar put most of the first preachers to death tells us that he knew exactly what they were saying. He knew what their proclamation meant, that there is a new King in town. Despite the threat of Caesar, the first Christians proclaimed with boldness that Jesus is Risen. Preaching Christ crucified and risen from the dead reveals that tyrants no longer have power.

The fourth great lesson of the Resurrection is that salvation has in principle been won for everybody. Writing to the Philippians, St. Paul says, “Though he (Jesus) was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather he emptied himself, took the form of a slave, coming in human likeness, and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of the God the Father (Phil. 2:6-11). What’s Paul talking about in those words? It’s the downward trajectory of the Incarnation. Jesus begins with the Father in the form of God, but then empties himself, taking human form, being born in the likeness of men. And then going even further by accepting death, and even further, death on a  cross. Death on a cross, at that time and place, was the most humiliating death. But in the Resurrection, God highly exalted him and bestowed upon him the name that is above every other name. So that at the mention of Jesus’ name, every knee in heaven, earth and under the earth must bend and every tongue must proclaim to the glory of God the Father, that Jesus Christ is Lord. So, the Father sends the Son all the way down so as to embrace in principle, everybody. As we run away from the Father through sin, we are running into the arms of the Son. There is no place that we can escape the invitation of the Divine Mercy. So, the Resurrection is not a one-off miraculous thing that happened a long time ago. It is describing a present activity of the spiritual life. If we accept the mercy of the Son, then in the Son we can arise and return to the Father. The Resurrection of Jesus is the be-all and the end-all of the Christian faith. If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is in vain. But the Good News is that he has been raised. Therefore our preaching is not in vain and may this  great truth continue to energize us till the end of our life. 

Reflection for Good Friday

Who And What Do You See?

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Reflection for Good Friday

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Friday, April 7, 2023

When you look at the Cross, who do you see? A man to be pitied? A man to feel sorry for and after that ignore him and move on with your life? When you look at the Cross, who do you see? A Man who triumphed or a man who was conquered? Do you see a failed revolutioner or a Revolutioner of love, life and human history? When you look at the Cross, who do you see? A man who claimed to be who he was not or a Man who made the marriage of heaven and earth possible? When you look at the Cross, who do you see? A legend, a liar, a lunatic or Lord and God? When you look at the Cross, who do you see? A deceiver or the Truth himself? A Wasteful life or Life himself? A shut and impeded way or the Way himself?  

When you look at the Cross, what do you see? Defeat or victory? Curse or favor? Enslavement or freedom? When you look at the Cross, what do you see? Total rejection or total acceptance? Do you see the greatest unleashment of hatred or the greatest demonstration of love? When you look at the Cross, what do you see? The triumph of injustice or the fulfillment of God’s salvific intent displayed throughout the Old Testament? When you look at the Cross, what do you see? A display of wickedness or the restoration of the justice of the world? When you look at the Cross, what do you see? A triumph of hatred, violence and death or a victory of love, a story of love, and a history of love? 

When I look at the Cross, I see a sorrowful Man whose grief has offered me relief, whose anguish has brought me mercy, whose rejection has brought me acceptance. I see a Man worthy to be adored and worshipped by every generation. When I look at the Cross, I see a Man wrapped up in love and compassion for me. When I look at the Cross, I see a triumphant Man who conquered death with his own death, trumped hatred with his love for me. When I look at the Cross, I see the Revolutioner of love, life and human history. I see a Man who brought about the marriage of heaven and earth. When I look at the Cross, I see my Lord, my Redeemer and my God. He is the very incarnation of Yahweh. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

When I look at the Cross, I see historic victory, not defeat. I see and find favor, not curse; I find my freedom not chains. His rejection by the Jewish crowd is my acceptance by heaven and heavenly realm. His acceptance of the hatred unleashed upon him is also the greatest display of love he has for me. When I look at the Cross, I see the triumph of the Cross, the realization of God’s plan of salvation for me and humanity. When I look at the Cross, I find the healing and restoration of the world order. When I look at the Cross, I see love and find love. The Cross has changed my story and destination. Glory be to Jesus! Behold the Wood of Cross, on which hung my salvation and the salvation of the world. Thank you Jesus!