Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Making Jesus The Numero Uno

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, July 2, 2023

One of the problems facing us today is the domestication of Jesus. People reduce him and see him merely as a nice and gentle figure. They claim they understand his moral teaching, that he is like many other great religious figures. They say Jesus echoes what other religious figures had said. And after that, they simply forget about him and move on with their lives. But Jesus was in his own lifetime and after the resurrection, a deeply subversive figure. And we must recover it and pay attention to it. In today’s Gospel (Matt. 10:37-42), one of the many classic examples of the unsettling nature of Jesus is on full display. While speaking to his apostles, he said, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.” Other religious figures would say, “Unless you love God more than father, mother, son and daughter you are not worthy of God. They would say, “unless you love God more than your very life…” As for Jesus, he says, “Unless you love me more than the highest good in life.” Who could possibly make such an outrageous demand? Someone who is God! It can’t be made by a mere prophet, a mere teacher, a mere spiritual leader, a mere religious founder, a mere sage, a mere philosopher or a mere political leader. And throughout his public ministry, Jesus spoke and acted like God. 

What’s the Lord demanding from us? Three things: Number one, make a choice! Jesus compels a choice in a way that no other religious founder did. From his lips we hear, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Matthew 12:30). Put differently, “it is either you are with me or against me.” Jesus is Lord. He is God. So, the simple implication is that we have to give up our whole life for him. He must be the center of our lives. Number two, practice radical detachment from the goods of this world. In themselves, the goods of this world are good. Having parents and loving them is good. Having children, loving and making sacrifices for them is good. At the same time, Jesus compels a radical detachment from anyone or anything that might divert our attention away from him. In our Gospel last Sunday, the Lord asks us to properly prioritize our fear when he said, “Fear no one… Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” In my homily I asked the question, “Who do you want to please above all and whom do you fear deep down?” Today, the question I have for you is, “who comes first in your life? Who is your numero uno?” If Jesus is your numero uno, your number one, if he is more important than anyone and anything else in the world, then practice detachment whenever you notice that your love for your loved one is overshadowing your love for the Lord. Make Jesus the central focus of your life. Be addicted to him. Be obsessed with him. Be drunk with the Lord. Wake up in the morning thinking about him; go through the day thinking about him, retire to sleep thinking about him. Number three, take up your cross and follow after him. What is the cross? It’s an instrument of torture and death. It is on that instrument that Jesus was pinned to death. Taking up your cross means dying everyday to sin and everything in the world that might prevent you from following the Lord. Get rid of them. St. Paul asks, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35) If it is your spouse, detach! If it is your child, detach. If it is your job, detach. If it is your quest for power, detach. If it is your friendship, detach. If it is your country, detach. If it is your tribe or race, detach. If it is your religion, detach. If it is your pursuit in life, detach. If it is prestige, honor, fame, pleasure, sex, drugs, alcohol, position, detach. If it is your parents or siblings or children, detach. If it is your quest to look good and appear good, detach. Here is the good news: detaching from these and leaning supremely on Jesus the solid Rock does not weaken our love for others. It does not make us see worldly goods as evil. It rather helps us to appreciate and value them properly. In fact, loving parents, spouse, children, siblings, friends etc appropriately is hinged on loving Jesus supremely. The person who will properly love you is the one whose love for God is profound. The person won’t abuse you, won’t hurt you, won’t use you, won’t enslave you, and won’t joke with you. Why? Because their connection and relationship with God is forming them to see as God sees. It is going to help them understand the true meaning of love and be able to love the other as other, not for any material gain. Check this out! Loving the Lord above everyone and everything raises our love for others. It does not decrease it. 

We are disciples of Jesus. Right? If in the course of your faith journey, you face a choice between being his disciple and clinging to family ties, Jesus says, put me first ahead of everyone else. In the Bible, honoring one’s father and mother is commanded by the Torah (God’s law). Loving one’s neighbor which of course includes sisters, brothers, sons, daughters etc is also commanded by the Torah. But Jesus, the Lord of life, the giver of our parents, children, friends etc wants to be the principal neighbor. He wants his disciples to love their parents, children, friends, everyone but we are to love him more than all. If he commands us to love our enemies (Matt. 5:44), he certainly expects us to have a greater love for him. No friendship or relationship or attachment should be greater or deeper than our love for the Lord. Relationship with Jesus is far more important than any other relationship. Anyone who thinks otherwise, Jesus says, is not worthy of him, meaning that the person does not deserve to be his disciple. 

God bless you!

Homily for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

What And Who Are You Afraid Of?

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, June 25, 2023

Prophet Jeremiah was indeed one of the greatest prophets of Israel. He was a man deeply in touch with God and God’s purpose, but at the same time, he was sometimes unsure of himself. When God first called him, he disputed it and told God he was too young and didn’t know how to speak. In the course of his prophetic ministry, he was tormented by real and imaginary enemies. He had some paranoid fear. Although he said and did what God wanted wholeheartedly, he wavered sometimes. For instance, he questioned God and blamed God for his problems. In a nutshell, Jeremiah was a complex human figure. In our first reading for today, his unique character stares us in the face. Speaking, he says, “I hear the whisperings of many: Terror on every side! Denounce! Let us denounce him! All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine.” He is expressing the reaction he is receiving as a result of his prophecy. He said what God wanted him to say, and now his life is threatened. But in the midst of Jeremiah’s fears, he perceives the presence and power of God. So, he says, “But the Lord is with me like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.” Mind you, Jeremiah is not expressing the disappearance of all his troubles. Rather, he is saying that in the struggles, conflicts and anxieties of this life, he can sense a power greater than all of those powers and forces.

In the teaching of Jesus, this theme is amplified. In our Gospel for today, Jesus says, “Fear no one.” No matter who is threatening you, no matter who is denouncing you, no matter who is coming at you with furious intensity, don’t be afraid. Why? Because your relationship with Jesus Christ has connected you to the very power of God. Your life is hidden in Christ the very incarnation of the God of Israel. When you are in Christ, you are inside the castle. That means no matter the violence and mayhem that is happening on the outside, you have found a place of safety, and a place of power. Intensifying this subject matter, Jesus says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” The body passes, but the soul, which is your meeting point with God, that place where you are in ongoing contact with God, endures forever. So, get your fear in the right order. Properly prioritize your fear. Rather than be afraid of any human being, Jesus says, “be afraid of the one who can both destroy body and soul in Gehenna.” Who is that person? God alone. 

Now, I ask you, what are you afraid of? Who are you afraid of? Are you afraid of those paper tigers that can only kill the body or the living God who can kill both body and soul? In the midst of the struggles and difficulties of this world, you can truly find a place of safety when you are grounded in Christ Jesus. Think of the saints. Saints are rare human beings who rightly and properly prioritize their fears. Think of the young Karol Wojtyla who later became Pope John Paul II behind lock doors during the Nazi period, preserving the great works of Polish literature, knowing full well that if the Nazi found them, they would be killed. When he came of age and became Pope John Paul II, he said in his homily to the whole world, “Be Not Afraid!” echoing the same words of Jesus. This is someone who personally and directly experienced the worst barbarism in the 20th century, who had every right to feel justified in his fear, yet he says to all the world, “Don’t be afraid.” Where does his courage and bravery come from? It comes from being grounded in Christ. Think about the Mexican teenage boy, Jose Sanchez del Rio. When the Mexican government violently turned against the Church during the Cristero period, Jose Sanchez del Rio refused to renounce his Catholic faith. During that period, the Mexican government was putting priests and nuns to death and also burning down churches in order to stamp out Catholicism. This teenage boy who was 14 years old stood for his faith. In spite of enormous opposition, threat, torture and the realization of facing a firing squad, he wasn’t afraid of those paper tigers who could kill only his body. He was more concerned with his soul. He was living in Christ and Christ was living in him. And in Christ, he found a place of peace and safety even in the worst condition. He was canonized a saint on October 16, 2016 by Pope Francis. 

What about Mother Teresa of Calcutta who cared for the poor, the sick and the dying? When she won the Nobel prize, she had the courage to stand before a national prayer breakfast in Washington and challenged the president and the first lady to their faces over the issue of abortion. Where does that courage come from? It comes from living in Christ. Don’t be afraid of those who can kill the body and do nothing else. Think of St. Charles Lwanga who in 1880 refused the king of Uganda’s sexual advances and the king’s subsequent request that he renounce his Christian faith. As he was being burnt to death, Lwanga said to his executioner, “It is as if you are pouring water on me. Please repent and become a Christian like me.” His last words as he died was “Oh God!” So, don’t be afraid of those who can only harm the body. Who did all these saints fear? Not the wicked human beings who surrounded them, rather, they feared God. They worried, not what people wanted them to do, but what God wanted them to do. What are your priorities? Who do you want to please above all and whom do you fear? Once you resolve these questions, the rest of your life will unfold. Notice that none of these figures lived a life free of worry and threat and persecution. Just the contrary! It is oftentimes assumed by many that those who believe in God will expect a life of ease. As a matter of fact, everything in the Bible and in the great tradition of the Church shows it will lead us to the opposite. Whether you believe in God or not, you’re gonna have to struggle. But daughters and sons of God will find the courage to get through the negativity of life. As the song, titled “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand” says, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” Those are the words of someone who knows that Jesus is the Lord of heaven and earth, and that’s why despite the pain and the struggle, he insists that his life is built on Christ, the most solid Rock. 

Homily for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

You Too Have Have Been Elected 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, June 18, 2023

Every four years, we have a presidential election in the country. Before the actual date, those interested in running our country and government put themselves forward. In the course of the campaign, they propose their plan for the nation; we listen to them and assess them.  On election day, citizens express their likeness of one candidate over the other. In your vote, you unambiguously say to your favorite candidate, “I choose you.” This means that in a true democracy, citizens choose their political leaders through a process of election. But what if I tell you that the true and living God, the biblical God is also an electing God? Yes, the God of the bible chooses. Of all the people in the world, God chose Abraham and from him formed a great nation. Between two brothers, God chose Jacob, not Esau. Among twelve brothers, he chose Joseph and not his brothers. From all the people, he chose Moses to be a liberator. He chose Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Amos etc. to be prophets. He chose David, Solomon to be kings. From the nations of the world, God chose Israel to be his special people. So, contrary to what some people say, the God of the Bible is a person with mind, will, intention and he chooses people for his own purposes. God elects but his election is completely different from our kind of election. How? He does not always choose the best people. God does not choose people because they are specially gifted and most endowed. He does not choose people because they are worthy. It’s actually the contrary. Check this out!Wherever the election of Israel is mentioned, what you hear right away is the unworthiness of Israel. Was Israel the biggest nation at the time of their choosing? Not at all! Was Israel the most righteous of all the nations? Not at all. In fact, as Israel was about to cross the Jordan and continue their march towards the Promised Land, Moses said to them, “It is not because of your justice or the integrity of your heart” (Deuteronomy 9: 4-6) that God is giving you victory over your enemies. Moses reminded them of who they were— stiff-necked people. Add to it, look at the people that God elected: Moses, David, Solomon, Abraham, the prophets etc. None is flawless. God chose them regardless of how insufficient they were. When Jeremiah was elected by God, he objected “I do not know how to speak. I am too young (Jeremiah 1:6). What about Moses? Despite his brashness, his quick-temperedness, the fact that he had blood in his hands, God still chose him. What about David? He was an adulterer and a murderer. What about Solomon? He took the sins of adultery and idolatry to the highest level. None of these people were chosen because of their integrity and holiness. 

What is the purpose of election in the Bible? Service! In our culture, if you are elected by the people, that might elevate you. People will honor you and treat you special. But when God elects you, he has a mission for you and it is a pretty difficult one. In the Bible therefore, election is always for service, not for honor. In our first reading from the Book of Exodus, we see the election of Israel in full display. Having led the people out of slavery and having given them the Law, Yahweh says this, “You (Israel), shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” 

Israel has been chosen. Did they deserve it? No! Were they chosen so as to be glorified? No! They’ve been chosen for mission: to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. In ancient Israel, who was a priest? A priest is someone who performs sacrifice. A sacrifice is an act by which God and humanity are joined. In the temple of Jerusalem, a priest performs service on behalf of the people. He is there to serve. Yahweh chose Israel that they might be a mediator for all the nations of the world. Yahweh chose Israel so that through Israel the world would be moved towards repentance and grace. Israel was the rescue operation squad that God used to save the world from sin and self-destruction. 

In the life and ministry of Jesus, this theme of election continues. How come? Because Jesus is himself the very incarnation of Yahweh, the God of Israel. In today’s Gospel, we are told that upon seeing the crowds, the heart of Jesus was moved with pity for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. What did he do? Just as God did in the Old Testament, Jesus, Yahweh made flesh, chooses the Twelve Apostles. And the number twelve is not by accident; it represents the twelve tribes of Israel. Just as it was in the old, Jesus chooses them not because they possess special qualities and virtues. In the New Testament, their vices were consistently mentioned. Look at Simon called Peter. He consistently misunderstood Jesus and finally denied ever knowing him. What about the two sons of Zebedee, James and John? They were consumed by personal ambition. Philip, at the Last Supper, showed that he didn’t grasp who Jesus was at all. Thomas doubted the Resurrection. Matthew, the tax collector was morally bankrupt; Simon from Cana was a violent revolutionary and Judas was a betrayer. All these people elected and chosen by God from the Old Testament to the New were chosen not because they were great. They became great because they were chosen by God. 

Having formed them, he gives them a mission, “Make this proclamation: ‘the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.” The mission that Jesus gives to the Apostles, the new Israel, the Church, in many ways is the same as the one given to ancient Israel. They are to make present in their life the reign of God. They are to bring God to human beings and human beings to God. That’s why St. Peter calls us, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart” (1 Peter 2:9) and for what purpose? To proclaim the praise of God who brought us out of darkness into his marvelous light. If you have been baptized, you are a participant in the New Israel, which is the Church. You have also been elected. But don’t forget this stubborn fact: you’ve been chosen not because of your virtues but because of God’s grace. You are chosen not because you are great, but you are great because you have been chosen. And like the prophets, like the Twelve Apostles, you have been given a mission to find your own holiness by bringing others to holiness; to find God by bringing others into friendship with God. Your purpose now is not only to save your soul alone, but to also be a conduit, a vehicle of salvation to others. The same God who elected Israel, who elected the prophets has elected you too. 

Homily on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood Of Christ (Corpus Christi)

The Eucharist: Not Something But Someone

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood Of Christ (Corpus Christi)

St. Ambrose Catholic Community, Woodbury, MN

Sunday, June 11, 2023

The most challenging sermon ever preached by Jesus was not the Sermon on the Mount; it was the sermon in the Capernaum synagogue delivered after the miraculous multiplication of loaves and fish. The Sermon the Mount, which enjoins us to love our enemy, to pray for those who persecute us, to embark on interior self cleansing, and to practice nonresistance to evil, no doubt is intellectually astonishing. But the sermon that Jesus gave at Capernaum concerning the sacrament of his Body and Body is not only philosophically problematic, it is word for word repulsive and offensive. Even after two thousand years and after several volumes of theological books and reflections have been devoted to this, Catholics and non-Catholics still find the words of the Lord difficult to accept. If we say that Jesus is a spiritual teacher of great importance, a lot of people will accept it. If we say that Jesus is the way and our access to the eternal Father, many people can tolerate the claim. But if we say that his flesh is real food and his blood is real drink, that the eating and drinking of these elements is a sine qua non to gaining everlasting life, lots of people will react the same way that many of Jesus’ first audience reacted: shaking their heads, rolling their eyes and walking away angrily and disappointedly. 

But why did the Jews react negatively to this sermon? Littered in the Hebrew Scripture, which is the Old Testament is the prohibition of eating of meat with blood. In Genesis, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, the eating of meat with blood is obviously forbidden. The blood of an animal was seen as its life. So, the consumption of animal products with its blood was prohibited for the Jews. So, when Jesus said, “… and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” he was inviting people to do something off-putting and religiously not allowed. As would be expected, upon hearing those words, the Jews angrily uttered, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” What did Jesus say when confronted with this objection? One would think he would propose a more symbolic or metaphorical reading of what he had said; but rather than take that path, he doubles down, ”Amen, amen, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” 

Sisters and brothers, how do we understand this shocking sermon? The Eucharistic Discourse of John 6 and the institution narrative of the Eucharist is the great ground for the Catholic Church’s insistence of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Transubstantiated Bread and Wine. It is not a later invention by the followers of Jesus; it has its root in the Gospel. Up and down the centuries, the Church continues to affirm the doctrine of the “Real Presence.” The Church maintains that, though Jesus is present to us in the proclamation of the Word, in the gathering of two or three in his name, in the person of the priest at the liturgy, in the poor and suffering— he, Jesus, is nevertheless supremely present in the Eucharist in a qualitative way. In the consecrated elements, bread and wine, Jesus is “really, truly, and substantially” present to us; that is to say, his very self— Body and Blood, Humanity and Divinity— is offered to us under the form of bread and wine. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, in the other sacraments, the power of Christ is present; but in the Eucharist, Christ himself is present. And this is why, for Catholics, the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. It is the fountain of our life as Christians. The Eucharist is not something; the Eucharist is someone, namely Christ Jesus himself. 

What prevents many Catholics from believing in the Real Presence? Survey conducted by Pew Research Center has it that almost 70% of Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. I have five reasons why many Christians, including Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. One, failure of catechesis. Some faith formation teachers lack adequate faith formation themselves. Two, lack of intellectual curiosity about the faith. Catholics who don’t understand the  doctrine of the “Real Presence” are not making any effort to read and understand it. Three, Secularism. The lack of the sense of the sacred has grown large in the hearts and minds of many people to the point that nothing transcendent, or spiritual or metaphysical matters  anymore. If they cannot see God anywhere, they cannot see him in the Eucharist. Secularism has become a dominant force in the lives of many, even churchgoing Catholics. Four, Scientism. What does it mean? It is the reduction of all knowledge to the scientific form of knowledge. It is the dogmatic worldview that holds science as the supreme source of all knowledge. No other knowledge but scientific knowledge. Proponents of this view say that as scientific discoveries continue to pour in, God’s existence will eventually be disproved. But the truth is that God is outside of space and time, outside of science’s purview and therefore can never be proved or disproved by science alone. Scientism is idolatry and it is growing really fast in our society today. It is now a competing “religion” in the country. Five, the indescribable humility of God. How can God be present in a piece of bread and a drop of wine? But if the almighty God can become a baby, he can as well become food for his children. 

If you are one of those who do not believe in the Real Presence, hear me now— you are rejecting the fundamental truth of the faith. You are rejecting the word of the Lord. You are not paying attention to the words of today’s Gospel. Check this out! If the Eucharist is merely a symbol, why do we give such reverence, such adoration, such worship and such honor to it? If the Eucharist is merely a symbol and a sign, that’s not enough for me. At Mass, I want to receive Jesus, not a sign or a symbol. I believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist because of the authority of the speaker. If I were to walk up to you and say, “You’re under arrest” you would smile or laugh and conclude that I was starting a joke. But if a uniformed and properly assigned police officer comes to your door and says those same words, you would, in fact, be under arrest. Furthermore, a word of commendation uttered by a renown professor can guarantee a student an amazing career; and a word of condemnation from a parent can emotionally disturb a child for a long time. The point here is that words can change reality. We are puny and imperfect creatures, yet, if our words can change reality, the words of Jesus, the very incarnation of God can change all reality. And in the Bible, Jesus’ words did alter reality. To a man who has been sick for thirty-eight year, Jesus says, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk” (John 5:8), and immediately the man became well, stood up and walked. To a leper Jesus says, “I will do it. Be made clean.” Right away, his leprosy was cleansed. When Jesus encountered a deaf man, he said to him, “Ephphatha” (that is, “Be opened!”), and immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed and he spoke freely. Standing beside the lifeless body of a little girl of twelve, Jesus held her by hand and said, “Talitha koum” which means, “Little girl, I say to you arise!” Immediately the child arose and became alive again. What about Lazarus of Bethany and the only son of the widow of Nain? Jesus raised them from death with a spoken word. On the night before he died, the same Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to his disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26). After that, he took the cup filled with wine and said, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant” (Matthew 26:27-28). Jesus also commands us, “Do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:20). 

Jesus’ words effected a change, not merely at the physical level but at the substantial. During consecration, the substance of the bread and wine changes and becomes the Body and Blood of the Lord. Believe this message not because I am saying it but because Jesus said it. If Jesus spoke symbolically, he would have said so. If what he said in today’s Gospel was to be understood in a metaphorical sense, he would clarify himself. If the Eucharist were a mere sign or symbol of his Body and Blood, he would have explained it. Why do we need the Eucharist? Life is a journey. And on this journey, we need nourishment. We need sustenance. We need refreshment. No other food can offer and guarantee us all these but the Body of Christ. Jesus knows the brunt of this journey. He lived it himself. So, he journeys with us and offers himself as our nourishment and support.

Homily on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Become Like The God We Worship 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, June 4, 2023

What is the most fundamental truth in Christianity upon which all other truths of the faith rest upon? The Holy Trinity! How come? The Trinity is not about what God has done in human history like the creation, the Incarnation, institution of the Eucharist, atonement on the cross, the Resurrection etc., but about who God is in himself. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the ‘hierarchy of the truths of faith’” (CCC 234). A lot of Christians might think that the most essential mystery of our faith is the Eucharist, after all, it is the source and summit of the Christian life. Some might think it is the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Others might say it is Jesus’ atonement on the cross. But that’s not so. It is the mystery of God in himself.

For many Christians, when Trinity is mentioned, they seem not to know what to do with it. But take a look at how we entered into the Church and our devotional life as Catholics. What formula were you baptized? The Trinitarian formula: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Where did we get this formula of baptism? On the mountain of Ascension, Jesus speaks to his disciples saying, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” So, in the beginning of our life as Christians, we were baptized in the name of the Trinity. Anytime you enter a church and dip your fingers into the holy water, what else do you do? You make the sign of the cross. And that sign is also the sign of the Trinity. So from the sacramental and devotional dimensions, you are already drawn into the Trinity. 

Without dwelling too much on the theology of the Blessed Trinity which may appear too scholarly and abstract for some people, let us look at some of the lessons we can learn from the Holy Trinity. The true and living God is unknown. The Athenians were right when they erected an altar and devoted it to the “Unknown God.” But at a certain time and place, this unknown God revealed himself first to Abraham. Centuries later, he revealed himself again to Moses. Not only did he reveal himself to Moses, he also revealed his name. In our first reading (Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9), God revealed his attributes: merciful, gracious, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and fidelity. Now, what does God want? Why does he reveal himself to his puny creature, the human race? God wants relationship. Among other reasons, the chief reason you want to reveal yourself to a stranger is down to relationship. You want to relate with that person in a deeper way. God wants to relate with us; he wants to be in a relationship with us. That’s why he constantly reveals himself. But God’s subsistence or fullness or greatness does not rest on this relationship, it is rather ours. Our relationship with God makes us fully alive; we become greater, and our existence becomes more meaningful and more purposeful. The true God reveals himself to the human race for the sake of the human race. So, the first lesson from the Trinity is relationship; first, with God, and second, with the people of God for the sake of God. For this reason, make an effort to know your brothers and sisters in the faith. Do not be in a hurry to leave after Mass. Greet the priest, hang out and introduce yourself to someone who does not know you. Do not always stand and talk to people that already know you. Identify someone you don’t know, approach the person, and initiate a conversation. I know that this is not always easy and comfortable, but it is possible. The God we serve has shown us how to reach out. If you are truly into him, you will do likewise. Become like the God we worship. 

In our Gospel for today, Jesus says, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (John 3:16). I tell you, there is so much in those words. First, we are told that God loves us so much. About who God is, John says, “God is love” (1 John 4:8b). What does that mean? It means that love is not something that God does, or an attribute that God has; love is what God is. So, the second lesson to learn from the Blessed Trinity is love. It is a contradiction in terms to be a worshipper of the Triune God and still wallow in hatred, bigotry, unforgiveness, injustice etc. What is love? It is to will the good of the other and to do something about it. Love is a joyful delight in the very existence of another. Love is not tolerance. Our Master enjoins us to love one another and not to tolerate one another. When you have a cold, you tolerate it until it goes away. In Christianity, we are not called to tolerate each other, rather to love each other. Tolerance is passive: “I will tolerate you as long as you don’t enter my space. Stay where you are and I will stay where I am. If any misfortune befalls you, deal with it. Do not bother me, and I won’t bother you. Maintain your lane and I will maintain mine.” That’s tolerance. It is not Christianity. Love is active, it is action. The Triune God we serve is love, and that’s why he gave us his only Son. Do you want to become more like the God you serve? Then love! Don’t tolerate! Just love! Move into the space of your brothers and sisters in faith and allow them also to move into your space. Care about others. Be interested in them. Be happy that they are here. That’s the second lesson from the Trinity. 

The third lesson from the Blessed Trinity is unity. In John 10:30, Jesus says, “The Father and I are one.” At his baptism, the unity of the Trinity is fully disclosed. At the mountain of Ascension, this unity is intensified when Jesus mandates his mystical Body, the Church, to initiate new members into his Kingdom in the name of the Trinity. In his last will and testament, Jesus prays that his disciples and those who will believe in him through their preaching may be one just as he and the Father are one (John 17:22-24). In our Gospel for today, Jesus speaks about how he was sent by God the Father. And towards the end of his public ministry, he speaks about returning to the Father, and about he and the Father sending the Holy Spirit. This trinitarian unity teaches us to work for unity within and outside the house of God. Because we are saved by the great acts of the Trinity, division should not be allowed to reign among us. The love that exists in the Trinity, no doubt, generates unity. Therefore, there should be no Jews or Gentiles among us, rather, God’s beloved children united in one faith and in one Lord.