Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family

Love Even The Most Difficult Ones

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara

Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, December 29, 2024

The feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is a good time to think about  some relatives—mom, dad, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, cousin etc. who for some reasons don’t have it all put-together, whose lives have gone off kilter, who don’t quite fit in. As a result, the rest of the family considers them as failures and feels embarrassed when they show up in a family gathering or reunion. What should we learn from the idea of family? First lesson, none of us chooses the family to be born into or the people to be born with. But no matter who they are— saints or sinners, great or not-so-great, prominent or obscure, wealthy or pauper, grace-filled or source of embarrassment, beautiful or ugly etc. we are called to love them. The notion of family is that  we don’t choose the people we love.

In my immediate family and extended family, I have wonderful people, very lovable, very admirable, and worthy of emulation. They have amazing qualities of friendliness and easy going. But I also have relatives who are difficult to deal with. I have an elder sister, on the one hand, she is success driven. She has done so well to raise her children. She was nice when we were growing up. But since we all became adults, her relationship with the rest of the family has been an uneasy one.  She just has this difficult personality for any of us to handle. Multiple times I had intervened and spoken to her about how she is alienating the rest of us from her. But it always falls on deaf ears. Do I still love this my sister? Absolutely! I have no option. For a Christian, loving the other especially difficult people is not an option. You know, the easiest thing to do with difficult members of the family is to say, “I don’t want to deal with them anymore.” But in our family, God gives us people he wants us to love, whether they meet our expectations or not. More to it, what makes our family holy is that we are able to love not only the ones that are easy-to-get-along, successful, amiable but also the difficult and off-putting ones. That they are members of our families means that God has given them to us to love. 

When God became human, God entered into a family. The Blessed Mother and St. Joseph are two of the greatest saints in our great tradition. They were the most intimate members of Jesus’ family. But have you ever wondered what the cousins and second-cousins of the Blessed Mother are like? Do you think there were some unpleasant figures in her family? What about Joseph? Did he have some irregular figures in his family? You betcha! Did Jesus have some cousins who did not treat him nicely, who probably considered him weird and avoided him? Most probable! If you read the genealogies of Jesus in the Gospels, you will find heroes and people of questionable characters too. The point is, and that’s the second spiritual lesson, God saw fit to enter into such a family. Jesus had a series of human ancestors, and like most families, they were kind of a mixed bag, But God loved them still, just as he loved the heroes. That’s the reason why we are called to love those that God has given us to love. Don’t only love those who are exceptional, who have been helpful, who have been successful in life. Love as well those who have gone off-kilter. They are not perfect, they are not angels, but God loves them still. Being a Christian includes loving such people too as much as you love the incredibles in your life. On this feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, remember to pray for your family members especially those others you are not really proud of. 

God bless you!

Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent, Year C

Confession: The Most Real Way To Receive Mercy

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, December 15, 2024

In our Last weekend Gospel, we hear that the word of God came to John the Baptist in the desert. Why in the desert? It is a place where there is hardly any distraction. The desert is the cure for what Blaise Pascal called in his beautiful French “divertissement,” diversion in English. After that, we hear “John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). Having heard the powerfully challenging and transformative message of John, the crowd reacted, “What should we do?” (Luke 3:10) Check this out! John the Baptist is described as wearing animal skins and eating weird food like grasshoppers and honey (Mark 1:6), yet it is to this strange and emaciated man that many people were going to. What’s taking them to him? To listen to him and to confess their sins! You know, one of the first things I noticed as soon as I started my pastoral ministry in America is that while the communion lines are always long, the confession line is way too short. At Mass, everybody comes forth to receive communion, but when it comes to the sacrament (confession) that actually prepares us to worthily receive communion, we stay away from it. I know that before Vatican II, sin was overemphasized far above the mercy of God. That was a theological and homiletical mistake. But immediately after Vatican II, we have gone to the other extreme of de-emphasizing sin. Today, the stress is on God’s goodness, God’s grace, and God’s mercy. That’s in order. That’s true. The Catholic Church believes in the primacy of grace. Grace always comes first. In this letter to the Romans, the great St. Paul says “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). So, it is God who first comes to us, and not the other way round. However, there is no serious biblical figure who does not come to grips with our sin. It is so true to say that the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation is the story of God’s love and God’s quest for the human race. However, the awfulness of sin is never ignored in the Bible. It is mentioned in every page of the Bible. The amazing Vatican II never in any way discouraged Catholics from going to confession. What caused the sacrament of confession to suddenly fall off the table overnight is the misreading, misinterpretation and misunderstanding of the Council documents by people who ought to know better. Prior to the Council, people regularly went to confession. But today, not so much. 

But as we can see in today’s Gospel (Luke 3:10-18), people who came to John came not only to listen to him but to also do something very different. Hence the question, “What should we do?” In Matthew’s Gospel, we hear that Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to John the Baptist, were being baptized by him in the River Jordan and were confessing their sins (Matthew 3:5-6). I tell you, there is something very healing, very liberating and very satisfactory about the confession of sins. Last Sunday, I spoke about the different ways our culture tells us “we are okay,” “everything is fine,” “there is nothing wrong with us.” The culture makes excuses for us. In fact, it normalizes sins. In some ways, it celebrates sins and strips away the remorse, regret and penitence that ought to follow sin. The culture tries in a number of ways to justify sins. That’s the reality of our life today and everyone of us is susceptible to these suggestions coming from the culture. But the message of John is: don’t listen to those voices. The message of Jesus is: don’t listen to those voices. Deep down, we know we are sinners. Deep down we know there is something wrong with us. Deep down we know all is not right with us. As such, there is something profoundly healing and liberating about being able to confess our sins. One of the great moments of my life happens after I have confessed my sins. 

Sisters and brothers, avoiding going to confession is not good at all. You are toying with your salvation if you stay away from this amazing sacrament. Emphasizing the grace of God, the mercy of God should drive and motivate us to go to confession. Why? Because it is in this sacrament that the boundless grace and mercy of God is received. Confession is the most real way, the most assured way, the most profound means to receive the healing mercy of God. It is in the active use of this particular sacrament that we are forgiven, healed and delivered, not in staying away. You don’t get well by staying away from the hospital and doctors. You don’t get well by simply believing that a doctor’s intervention might cure you. No! It is by actually going to see a doctor that medical help can be attained. So it is with going to confession. We are forgiven by God after we have confessed our sins, not to ourselves but to a doctor of the soul, a priest. A Catholic priest sitting in a confessional is like a doctor sitting in his office. If we are not confessing our sins, we are not being spiritually honest. The irony of this is that while the culture tells us that we are beautiful in every way, meaning there is no need to confess our sins, people are seeking for different outlets and avenues to confess their sins. They go to therapists, psychologists, judges, TV shows and judging shows just to have an opportunity to confess their sins. Today, I urge you, before the end of Advent, to follow the example laid down by the people who came to John the Baptist and confessed their sins. If you really need that soul-healing moment, then go to confession. To the ten lepers, Jesus says, “Go and show yourself to the priest” (Luke 5:14). In this season of Advent, we are also being asked to do the same. It is the best way to prepare for Christmas. 

God bless you!

Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year C

Casting Aside Distractions And Looking To Jesus

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, December 8, 2024

The three biblical figures that demonstrate in different ways the spirit of Advent are Isaiah, the Blessed Mother Mary and John the Baptist. Today, let’s reflect upon John for today’s Gospel passage is actually about him. John the Baptist was the last of the prophets of Israel. Concerning him, Jesus says: “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist…” (Matthew 11:11). That means that he was the greatest of the prophets. Why did God send John and many other prophets before Christ? To prepare the way, the historical way, for Christ to plant his roots in history. 

John made his first public appearance in the desert. Many great figures in the Bible spent some time in the desert. Jesus himself was also in the desert. But what took these great figures to the desert? Desert is not a pretty place; there is nothing fun and pleasant about being there. We have the Desert Fathers who consciously moved into the deserts. Why? It was Blaise Pascal, the great French philosopher and mathematician who gave us the best explanation. He said that most of us, most of the time, divert ourselves, distract ourselves from attending to the great questions about God, about life, about the meaning of death, about sin, about grace and all the other great questions. To avoid paying attention to those great questions, we engage in what Blaise Pascal called in his French “divertissements,” diversions. Pascal himself, who was a very brilliant man, spent way too much of his life engaging in diversions. His main distraction was gambling. He gambled a lot. And many of us engage in one diversion or the other. We distract ourselves from these probing, intrusive, morally and spiritually challenging questions. What is the cure for these diversions and distractions? The deserts! They are places with no distractions at all. There in the deserts, there is nothing to distract us from paying focused attention to the great questions we have been running away from. It is in the desert that John the Baptist meets us. Although not on the same level as Lent, Advent is meant to be a desert time to put all our distractions aside and intentionally ask the great questions like “How do I stand with God?” “Is the worship of God the “numero uno” in my life? Where is my life now? On top of the mountain, the place of intense encounter with God? Last week, during the daily Mass I said in my homily that the Church exists primarily to do three things: to worship God, to evangelize and to care for the poor. Are those still my top priority? We are worried about many things. We are worried about jobs, family, sports (your team winning), entertainment, traveling, politics, power, health etc. Don’t get me wrong. Those are important, but each of them can be your ultimate “divertissements” distractions. But in this season of Advent, the Church invites us to go into deserts and meet John the Baptist there, and attend to these great questions we have been avoiding. 

What is the theme of John the Baptist? Repent! Reform! From today’s Gospel (Luke 3:1-6), we hear “John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Jesus repeats that too. In his inaugural address in the Gospel of Mark Jesus says “repent!” “Metanoeite” in Greek, which means “Go beyond the mind you have.” Change your way of thinking; change your way of seeing; change your way of perception; change the way you see the world; change the way you view power, wealth, honor and pleasure. To all of us sinners, John says, change. Change your mind, change your mentality, change your attitude towards God, others, the Church, the sacraments, the poor. Why is this change crucially important? Because the reign of God is at hand. Don’t ask me “What’s the reign of God?” That’s a wrong question. The right question is, “Who is the reign of God?” John the Baptist is not pointing to somewhere. He is not pointing exactly to a new state of affairs, not an idea, not a new political movement, not even a religious reform. He is directing his audience towards someone that Origen called the “autobasileia,” the kingdom in person. In Jesus of Nazareth, divinity and humanity have met. In Jesus, heaven and earth have embraced. In Jesus, God has visited his people. In Jesus, the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus, a new way of being has appeared. 

Because a new way of being has come, John the Baptist invites his audience and people up and down the centuries to leave their “divertissements,” their distractions, to repent, to wake up, “to prepare the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight” (Luke 3:4b). You know, for two thousand years, that has been the central message of the Church. In many cultures across the centuries, and in many languages, that’s what the Church has been saying: repent, change your mind, open your eyes to see Jesus who is coming to you in different ways. This is Advent, sisters and brothers. Go into the desert. Cast aside your distractions, and look at Jesus. It is upon him, the Father, God has set his seal (John 6:27b). 

God bless you!

Homily for the First Sunday of Advent, Year C

Focus On The Three Comings Of Christ

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the First Sunday of Advent, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN 

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, December 1, 2024

At every Advent, the Church invites us to pay particular attention to the “three comings of Christ.” We look back to the time in history when Christ, the very incarnation of Yahweh, entered our world, that is, Christ’s historical entrance into time. Christ came in history. He is not a fictional figure as some modern minds say today. About his first coming, the great prophet Jeremiah has this to say, “In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land” (Jeremiah 33:14). His historical entrance into time and space is what we celebrate and commemorate at every Christmas. We also pay attention to the coming of Christ that is happening right now, not just a long time ago, but now in the life of the Church. About his present and ongoing coming into our lives, St. Paul says, “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love one another and for all…” (1 Thessalonians 3:12). We always pray for the increase of faith, hope and above all, love for God and neighbor. The present coming of Christ is progressive, like any personal relationship, it has a definite beginning and it continues. If that relationship is not ongoing, not progressing, it loses its steam, it regresses and possibly fades. So, the goal of our religious and spiritual life is to pay a rapt attention to the coming of Christ that is happening at the moment. Christ is coming to us through the Church. The Church is not unconnected to Christ; she is not just a mere human organization entered into by those who follow him. It’s much more dramatic than that. The Church is the vehicle, the means by which Christ becomes present to his people. Christ comes to us through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist— the source and summit of the Christian life. He comes to us through the witness of the saints, through the art and architecture of the Church, through good preaching and the poor. Didn’t Jesus say, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do it to me?” So, in the cry of the poor, in the face of the suffering, we have access to Christ who is knocking right now on the door of our hearts. Finally, we pay attention to the coming of Christ at the end of the time. 

Sisters and brothers, the good news is that Christ will come again at the end of time. But the bad news is that we don’t know the year, the time or the hour of his definitive coming. Now, his definitive coming we often refer to as “the Second coming of Christ.” But is that an accurate designation of that event? I don’t think so! Christ’s second coming is already happening as we speak. It is already taking place. Jesus is already coming to you through the preaching of his word, through your neighbor, through the events of life, through your spouse. He is coming to you through the poor, through the people that you don’t like. He is coming and speaking to you in your conscience. But for different reasons, we don’t see him. We don’t notice him. And even when through the invasion of grace we notice him, we simply ignore him. Why? Because we don’t like what he is saying to us. Like some of his disciples who first heard his Eucharistic discourse and actually left him and no longer follow him, we find what he is saying and what he is asking us to do too hard to believe and accept. Jesus cannot possibly be telling me to forgive him, we say to ourselves. The Lord is not really telling me what I am hearing, we conclude.  

But in the season of Advent, we are urged to stop and to reflect upon the three comings of Christ, especially his second coming, the different ways he is coming to us now. Once we get that, we will be prepared and ready for his definitive coming. You know, you may not live to see the end of the world, but you will certainly live to see the end of your world. Are you ready? Are you ready to die? In fact, there is nothing more practical, more deeply spiritual and more personal than getting ready for the one and only event in your life that is absolutely guaranteed. How can you be ready? Jesus says repent. Jesus says pray. Jesus says get reconciled with God. Go to confession. Take the practice of your faith seriously. Be an active member of your parish. If you have been coming to Mass here for a very long time, do you belong to any ministry in the parish? Are you merely what I call a “visiting-member” of the parish? You might be wondering, what does “visiting-member” mean? A “visiting-member” is simply a parishioner who comes to Mass regularly and does nothing more than that. Parishioners know him or her. He or she is always around, but never joins any ministry in the church. They are basically consumerist Catholics who only come to church to be attended to. They come to consume good singing, good preaching and the hospitality of the church without ever being involved in any activity of the parish. In this Advent season, Jesus invites you to repent. And if you are wondering which ministry you should belong to, your pastor is inviting you to join St. Josephine Bakhita Choir, the African Choir. Join this choir and use your voice to glorify the Lord. If you are looking for a greater motivation to join the choir, listen to the enduring words of the great Saint Augustine: “He who sings, prays twice.” It means that singing is a form of prayer that adds worship to God. 

God bless you!  

Homily on the Solemnity of Christ the King

What Does It Mean To Say That Christ Is King?

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of Christ the King

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, November 24, 2024

With the Solemnity of Christ the King, we come to the end of the liturgical Year B. The idea that Christ is King and its very celebration troubles many Americans. Why? Because Americans are skeptical of kings. It is a widely known fact that here in America, the system of government is constitutional democracy. America was born in a great act of revolution against a king. So, if someone claims kingliness, we become nervous. The entire American system was set up to prevent someone from becoming and acting like a king. As a matter of fact, if you want to go after a politician in America, you accuse him of acting like a king. So, it is quite strange for us Catholics, at the end of every liturgical year, to celebrate the solemnity of Christ the King. Although kingship is alien to many of us, it is eminently a central biblical idea. Once you understand it from the standpoint of the Bible, it becomes a very liberating idea. 

We believe that Christ is King. We accept that Christ is King. We teach and preach that Christ is King. We profess that Christ is King. We celebrate that Christ is King. But concretely what does it mean to say that Jesus Christ is King? I will attempt to answer the question with what the great St. Thomas Aquinas called the four false substitutes for God— pleasure, power, honor and wealth. The first typical substitute for God is pleasure. The temptation to pleasure is a low level elementary temptation, but it is a very powerful one. This temptation is to base one’s life not on the will or purpose of God, but on the goods that satisfy the desires of the body— food, drink, illicit drugs, sex, gangsterism, consumerism, materialism, and all forms of sensual pleasure. Now, pleasure in itself is not bad. We are not puritans. But a Christian who makes the pursuit of pleasure his or her ultimate goal in life is not making Jesus his or her King. If we keep Jesus on the outer edge of our life, if we exclude him from the pleasures we partake and not declare him sovereign in every aspect of our life, we are not treating him as King. That Jesus is King means he is the Lord of everything, including our pleasures. He is “Dominus”— that is the Latin rendering of the Greek Kyrios, which means Lord. The word “Dominus” has the overtone of “domination.” He either dominates all sectors of our life or we are not treating him as King. 

The second replacement for God is power. This temptation is a higher level temptation. Like sensual pleasure, power in itself is not evil. God is described as all powerful. So, in itself power is not a bad thing, but power is not God. It is not the ultimate good. A Christian who makes power his or her deepest desire is not making Christ his or her King. If Christ is the King of your life, power will become a means to serve your brothers and sisters. You will use power to advance the Kingdom of God which is built upon love and mercy and respect towards others, especially the poor, the needy and those on the fringe of the society. Period! If Christ is your King, you will oppose any political office holder who tries to use his or her political power to oppress others, especially the least of our brothers and sisters. If Christ is your King, you will frown and protest any attempt to intimidate “the little guy.” And let’s not forget that God pays particular attention to “the little guys” among us. Jesus calls them, “the least of my brethren,” (Matthew 25:40). If Christ is your King, you will not surrender yourself to the power of darkness, to evil manipulation, to wickedness and cruelty. I know that power is so tempting and so attractive. But no matter how impressive it is, it is not worth the price of your soul. 

The third replacement for God is honor or esteem of others. Again, honor in itself is not evil. We honor the saints. We honor those who made sacrifices for others. But if your greatest aspiration in life is to be honored, then you are not making Christ Jesus your King. If your dominant holy grail in life is always to be seen and acknowledged by others, to always be at the top of your family, friends and even in the church, you are not making Christ your King. If all you really wanted is to be seen and be attended to, to be considered very important, even if you say that Jesus is your King, in reality he is not. You are not making him the King of your life. The reckless pursuit of honor, and the relentless search for the esteem of others, will make you unhappy. The inflation of ego will definitely deflate you spiritually. To make Christ your King is to acknowledge that your life is not about you. You are not the center of attraction. You are not the greatest thing ever to happen. Your life is not about getting everyone to notice you. Your life is about doing the will of God and nothing more. 

Wealth is the fourth. Wealth in itself is not evil. In the book of Haggai 2:8 we hear that silver and gold belong to God. And the book of Proverbs 10:22 tells us that the Lord’s blessing can bring about wealth. So, wealth in itself is not a bad thing, especially if it is acquired in the right way. However, if the only thing I care about in this world is making money and procuring wealth, then I am not making Christ the King of my life. From the lips of Jesus we hear that “…though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions” (Luke 12:15b). If the reason why you are not happy and not grateful is because you think you don’t have enough, you are not making Christ your King. If you are jealous of what another person has, you are not making Christ the King. If you speak ill of another simply because they are successful and wealthy, you are not making Christ your King. To make Christ your King is to be grateful to God even for the little you have. Wealth is not always material. A lot of materially rich people are at the same time deeply poor. Believe me, if you are spiritually strong, you are wealthy before God. If you are relatively healthy, you are a wealthy person. Did we not hear that “health is wealth?” If you are not addicted to food, licit and illicit drugs, to alcohol, to shopping, to sexual sins, to gossip etc. you are lucky and wealthy. Jesus would say, you are blessed. If you are not obsessed and attached to the goods of this world, you are a wealthy person. If your only addiction in life is the Lord, then Jesus is truly the King of your life. 

And may Jesus the true King grant you his peace! 

Homily for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

 Something Beyond Words Is Being Unveiled

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

November 17, 2024

On the surface, there’s something spooky, unsettling, upsetting and dire about today’s  Gospel (Mark 13:24-32). But at the depth, it’s actually good news. Let’s look at it on the surface level first. We are told that Jesus and his disciples are in the great Temple of Jerusalem. For any first century Jew, coming to the capital city from the countryside and seeing the Temple would surely be an overwhelming experience. Beyond doubt, the Temple was the most beautiful and impressive thing the disciples of Jesus had ever seen. As they stand in front of this imposing building, admiring its glory and splendor, marveling at its size, beauty and significance, Jesus drops a bomb on them, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be one stone left upon another that will not be thrown down” (Mark 13:2). Is that what his disciples were expecting to hear? Not at all!Could you imagine what their reaction would be? It is like an American standing in front of the White House or a devoted Catholic standing in front of St. Peter’s Square in Rome and then hearing an itinerant preacher announcing the destruction of those iconic buildings. As a matter of fact, we have nothing today that can rightly and appropriately be compared to what the Temple meant for first century Jews. For them, the Temple was in practical sense, the dwelling place of Yahweh. It was the center of Jewish life. And ancient accounts tell us that the Temple was spectacular in its size and in its decoration. It was a wonder to behold in the ancient world.

I have been to the Cathedral of St. Paul here in our Archdiocese a few times. I was there on Monday, October 28, 2024 for the Episcopal ordination of Bishop Kevin Kenney, one of the auxiliary bishops. I tell you, each time I approach that cathedral, I am filled with amazement at its terrific and towering size, its strength and ruggedness, its glory and beauty. I usually think of its spiritual power, and what it means for us as Catholics. Its obvious durability and strength, its towering height and massive size all speak of the  strength and persistence of our faith, hope and love. At the Episcopal ordination of Bishop Kenny, I remember turning to Father John Schmidt and saying to him, “I’m not even sure that any natural disaster will be able to bring down this cathedral. I think it is built to last forever. The stones used in building it are indescribably strong and massive.” And he kind of agreed with me. Could you imagine taking adults for OCIA (The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) to the cathedral as part of their faith formation, and as they watch, admire with great delight that awesome and extremely sacred place, I said to them, “ the days are coming when every stone of this building will be thrown down?” Imagine the great shock they would have, and I believe some of them might be disappointed with me. That’s probably the way Jesus’ disciples felt. As if that was not enough, Jesus adds, “In those days after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken” (Mark 13:24-25). Now, he is blithely saying to his disciples as they are relishing a great moment that it is not only the great Temple that will be blown away, but the whole world is going to be destroyed.

Sisters and brothers, how do we read the Lord’s unsettling language? By the way, it will be a great theological mistake to take Jesus’ language as an actual description of cosmological events. Check this out! Right after Jesus made those frightening comments, he said, “Amen I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.” He is talking about the destruction of the Temple; he is also talking about the destruction of time and space, the falling of the stars from the sky, the darkening of the sun and the moon. To make matters worse, he says all of these will happen in “this generation” meaning the generation of his disciples. On the surface, Jesus’ language is very problematic. And if you take his declaration in a strictly literal sense to mean something that will happen in the cosmos, it means Jesus is a liar. It means he is a very bad prophet because we all know that space and time has continued and the universe didn’t end in the first century. That means we are compelled to look at the depth of Jesus’ declaration. We are invited to look at his language with fresh eyes in order to understand exactly what he is speaking about.

Littered in the Gospels is Jesus speaking in parables— the parable of the sower, the parable of the good Samaritan, the parable of the mustard seed and on and on. He also speaks in an exaggerated language called hyperbole in literature— “Call no one on earth your father, you have but one father in heaven,” “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife, and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” etc (Luke 14:26). In today’s Gospel, Jesus is not speaking in parable; he is not speaking in hyperbole, rather he is using the apocalyptic language. The apocalyptic language is a kind of literary genre, a kind of literature. The Book of Daniel in the OT is the best example of apocalyptic literature. The Book of Revelation in the NT is another beautiful example of it. The word “apocalypse” is from the Greek word “apokalypsis” which means “unveiling,” taking the veil away. It does not mean the end of the world. When “apokalypsis was translated into Latin, it came out as “revelatio, which means pulling back of the veil. “Revelatio” gives us the English word revelation. That’s why we call the last book of the Bible the Book of Revelation. It is not the book of the end of the world, rather the book of the great unveiling of hidden truth. Something hidden is being disclosed to us. 

But what’s being unveiled here? What’s being revealed? The death and Resurrection of the Lord! 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. He was humiliated by powers and principalities, by the basic assumptions, and by the normal way people organize their lives at the time. All of these brought Jesus to the cross. But then, in that generation, in the time of people who listened to him, Jesus triumphantly rose from the dead. What does that represent? It represents the falling of the sun, the moon and sky and the shaking of the heavenly powers. Why? Because one of the basic principles that impact the way people live their lives is that death is final. Death is absolute. Death is the end. And corrupt political powers have used the fear of death to silence people in order to carry out their dirty activities. But now, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus who suffers great injustice in the hands of those powers, and rises from the dead is showing us that death itself does not have the final word. Death does not have the final say. His Resurrection has undermined and damaged the powers of death. And by extension, all those economic and cultural forces by which we run our lives have been shaken. They have fallen to the ground. It was the dying and rising of Jesus that pulled back the veil, and revealed the deepest truth of things— that God’s love is more powerful than death, more powerful than all those institutions that rely on the fear of death. So, we can no longer live our lives the old ways. We can no longer be governed by worldly standards, but by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is now our sun, moon and stars. We can no longer allow the secular culture to set the standard. We can no longer allow corrupt politicians to tell us what to do. The new spiritual GPS is the Holy Spirit. 

May God bless you and give you his peace! 

Homily for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Trust In God’s Providence 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

November 10, 2024

In biblical times, widows were very vulnerable figures especially those who had no support and assistance from nuclear or extended family. At that time, there was no welfare assistance, no social security, no medicare or medicaid to support those who lost their means of livelihood. Because women were not breadwinners, they were the most threatened in society. They were habitually exploited by the wealthy and the powerful. This is the reason why the prophets of the Old Testament talk so much about widows and orphans, about God’s love for them and the importance of caring for them.

Our first reading (1 Kings 17:10-16) for today is the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. What led to their encounter? Fed up by the idolatry of King Ahab, Elijah, the great prophet of Israel confronted King Ahab and then pronounced that a great drought will descend upon the land. Now, don’t read this to mean that God is erratic, and his punishment arbitrary. Don’t see this to mean that when God is offended and is in a bad mood, he recklessly spews out punishment. No! The spiritual physics and the basic spiritual formula in full display here is this: connection to God always leads to life. Connection to God is like planting your tree beside a perennial river. Such a tree will always have enough water and nourishment. But when we detach from God, we suffer serious drought and lifelessness. Not because God is punishing us, but because our detachment from him, our refusal to be loved by God is itself a punishment which we have brought upon ourselves. Jesus, the very incarnation of the God of Israel himself says, “Cut off from me and you will do nothing” (John 15:5). This is what happened because of the idolatry of King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel. 

Now the prophecy of Elijah has come to pass. The effect of the drought is biting hard; water is drying, and nothing is growing. Like everyone else in Israel, Elijah himself falls victim to the drought. He is basically helpless. If nothing is done, Elijah will starve and die. Eventually he hears a message from the Lord, “Arise, go to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow there to feed you” (I Kings 17:9). This is quite strange. The man of God has been asked to seek refuge outside of the territory of Israel. As an immigrant myself, I can tell you that leaving one’s country is not easy. When I came to the USA, specifically to Memphis, Tennessee in 2007, it was very difficult for me. My parish is located on a dead end street. There was basically nothing going on during the weekdays. We didn’t have a cook and I cannot cook. The pastor of the parish is hardly around. Another priest that should have kept me company died two days before my arrival. I did not know anyone. I could not go out because I did not have my driving license yet. To sum it up, I was profoundly lonely. More to it, my greatest phobia is roaches and the rectory had giant roaches that terrorized me at night. It is never an easy venture to leave one’s comfort zone. So, Elijah was summoned by God to leave his nation, Israel and to head to this foreign land for survival. Furthermore, he was called to visit, not a rich person, but an impoverished widow. In the society of his time, women were seen as second class citizens, and a widow was someone without financial and emotional support. She was someone at the bottom of the social ladder. Check this out! Here is Elijah. He is in trouble. He is running out of food and water. Physical death is staring him in the face. And what is God’s solution to his many troubles? Leave your country, go to a foreign land you know nothing about, and when you get there, visit a widow and she will take care of you. I tell you, this is hard. But what’s God up to here? He is summoning Elijah and all of us out of our comfort zones. He is inviting us to trust in his providence. He is asking us to trust not our own instincts, not our own projects and plans, but his project and plan for us. When you are in a dire situation, when the rough wind of life is blowing and tossing you around, when life is extremely harsh and unfair to you, be attentive to the people that God is sending to you. You know, often in the Bible, the great figures of our salvation history are called out of their comfort zone. Our father Abraham was summoned to leave his homeland to a foreign land God promised to show him. Moses was called out of Egypt into the desert. I tell you, it is a summon to trust in God’s providence and not in our own plan and projects. To those who are suffering right now, who are going through a rough time, a time of drought, I invite you to do something counterintuitive— trust in the Lord’s providence. And be alert to the people that God sends to you.

Eventually Elijah arrives in Zarephath and meets the widow in her town. Like everyone else, this widow is also impacted by the effects of the famine. Don’t forget, we are talking about ancient times when there were no government programs to help the poor. And if a woman is a widow, and is running out of food and water, she is basically in pretty desperate condition. This is the shape she is in when prophet Elijah, trusting in God’s commands, comes to her and says, “please bring me a small cupful of water to drink.” After Elijah asks for water, he intensifies his request. Like Oliver Twist, he asks for more. When the widow protests that what she has is just one meal for her and her son before they die, Elijah asks her to make him a cake. At the very bottom of her life, when she has nothing, she is still invited to give and give. I can imagine Elijah saying to himself, “Is this the woman to whom I have been sent to solve my problem of starvation?” Nevertheless he trusts. 

As Elijah promised, “The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry.” The widow of Zarephath was able to eat for a year with her son because she gave away the very little she had and then found her resources multiplied. She now has enough food to sustain her, her son and the prophet. Why did it work? Because in the moment of truth, these two desperate people trusted in the Lord. With the help of Elijah, the widow of Zarephath stumbled upon what St. Pope John Paul II called the law of the gift: “Your being increases in the measure that you give it away.” The natural instinct in us says, “Accumulate things as much as you want.” “Grab and grab and never share.” “Hold on to them until you have a lot.” “If people want the same thing you want, keep them at bay.” “Keep those possessions, and it will make you happy.” But that view negates the basic sense of the universe, because the creator of the universe is love. Speaking of God, John says that God is love. Love is not something that God does from time to time. It is not one of God’s attributes. It is what God is through and through. Love is the hidden truth of all things. And the way it works is that the more you give of your life, the more the divine grace increases in you. This story is the secret of all the saints. Saints are different. They have different personality, backgrounds, but they all understood the law of the gift. And that’s why they all became sources of life and life-givers. 

If there is anyone out there who is presently experiencing any form of drought, what is God summoning you to do? If the sources of life have dried up, how do you open up those sources? The natural instinct is to conserve, to be stingy, to refuse to share, to cling tightly. But to open up the sources, you have to give even the little that you have. And then you will find it increase in you thirty, sixty and one hundred fold, as Jesus puts it. The spiritual lesson now is this, when you find yourself in a time of drought and famine, when the sources of life seem to have dried up, trust in the Lord. Trust in his providence. Don’t give up. Listen to what is happening around you, be attentive to the people you meet for they may have been sent by God. More to it, give in love even the little that you have. And you are going to find that the resources don’t dry up. In fact, they multiply. 

May God bless you with his peace.