Homily for the Fourth Sunday in the Ordinary Time, Year B

Single-Life Is A Vocation Too

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourth Sunday in the Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, January 28, 2024

Over the years as a priest, I have preached on the wonderful vocation of marriage; I’ve preached on the vocation to the priesthood and religious life. But during the week, it occurred to me that in my nearly 17 years as a priest, I have not really focused my attention on the single life. Well, that ends today. Let’s talk about the vocation to single life. In many African societies, marriage or getting married is not optional. When a young man or woman comes of age, they are expected to get married and raise their own family. If a young man is delaying getting married, the parents and the immediate community are worried. When a young woman is showing less interest in marriage, or postponing getting married, the parents are deeply worried. From time to time, she will be reminded that a woman’s ability to become pregnant and raise children is not open-ended. In some cases, everyone in the family will turn against her for refusing to get married. For most African Christian families, young people have two options before them: get married or become a priest or a nun. End of the story. And if a young man is not a priest and doesn’t want to marry, something is wrong with him. If a young woman is not a religious nun and does not want to marry, something is wrong with her. But in the 1 Corinthians 7,  St. Paul says, wrong, wrong, wrong! In fact, St. Paul itemizes some of the advantages of single life. Although marriage is important to the design of creation, although marriage is central to God’s original intention for the human race, it isn’t for everyone, and from the biblical standpoint, there is a lot to be said about the advantages of single life. 

Now, what will make someone opt for a single life? One, not being able to find a suitable partner. Two, family emergencies. Three, disability or debilitating medical problems that may prevent them from entering into a permanent vocation of marriage. Four, death of a spouse. Five, financial difficulties. Six, fear of divorce etc. The Catechism of the Catholic Church in paragraph 1658 acknowledges the reality of the great number of single people who may be single not by their choosing but possibly by life circumstances, and it reminds us to be mindful of them and to help them know that they are part of the one family of God. But in my pastoral ministry, I have encountered men and women who did not fit into the categories mentioned above, but yet choose to be single for the rest of their lives. For what reason, you might ask? Some for selfish reasons, but I am not talking about those people, rather about those who opted for the single life in order to devote their entire life to God. St. Paul says, “An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord…An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy in both and spirit” (1 Corinthians 7:32,34). More to it, there are some men and women who previously had attempted marriage. They were married, they had a taste of marriage but later realized it is not their thing. Once the marriage collapses through divorce and annulment, they decide to spend the rest of their life in complete devotion to God and the Church. Such people should be respected and not demonized for they too have a special place in the heart of Jesus. If you are one of them, do not feel inferior. If you feel bad that the church does not talk about you, doesn’t recognize you and doesn’t see you, I am so sorry. Remember that Jesus sees you. You are especially close to his Sacred Heart, for Jesus too was a single man. 

What’s the major factor of the vocation to single life? Chastity! Worldly people think it is not possible to live a chaste life, but we know that with God all things are possible. The great St. Paul says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). So, a single life devoted to God alone is possible. And it is not a disease. It does not suggest that something is wrong with someone. It does not necessarily mean that a woman or a man did not find a life partner or that they are too difficult to live with. To some people, the single life is their call and they should be respected, welcomed and loved by members of the Church. 

But why does St. Paul value singleness over married life? Because he believed it was not accompanied by the same anxieties as marriage. He believed that the single man or woman is less distracted by the goods of the world. As single persons, St. Paul believed their singular goal would be God alone. But is that the reality we see today? Not at all! Since the days of St. Paul, a lot has changed. Today, it is unmarried men who are the most worldly, the most irreligious, the most violent, the most murderous, the most drug-addicted, the most anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-religious, anti-moral, and most irresponsible class of people in the world. To married people, listen to what St. Paul said, “a married man is anxious…how he may please his wife… a married woman, on the other hand, is anxious about …how she may please her husband.” To all of you who are married, is that true of you? Is it true that in the long list of all you do, pleasing your spouse is the numero uno? One of the things weakening marriages today is personal projects, personal ambition, selfishness, greed, marrying for the purpose of attaining  certain material things, treating marriage as a transactional matter etc. If you give me this, I will give you that. If what St. Paul said is true today, that a married man is primarily concerned with pleasing his wife, and a married woman is primarily focused on pleasing the husband, the marriage institution will be stronger, the family will be thriving, the church will be soaring, and the society will be more functional. 

What’s the bottom-line? This world is passing away! If you have made the decision to be single, serve the Lord faithfully. Do not be that African elder who says he does not eat certain animal meat, but when the children roast the same meat, he says to them, “Bring it here and let me use my teeth to divide it for all of you.” Keep your mind, heart and body pure. If you are married, love your spouse deeply but not more than God. Love your children, but not more than God. Enjoy your career and profession, but not more than you enjoy God. Keep one eye on your spouse and two eyes on God. Keep one eye in your children and in the family, and two eyes on God. Your marriage will someday come to an end. Your relationship with your husband and wife will cease. Your devotion to your children and your entire family will fade. But your relationship with God lasts till eternity. This is the reason why the great late Archbishop G.G. Ganaka of Nigeria said, “God should come first, second and third in your life, before anything else.”

Homily for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Year B

“Come After Me, And I Will Make You Fishers Of Men”

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Year B

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, January 21, 2024

The first encounter between Socrates, a great Greek ancient philosopher and a young man, Xenophon, who later became a disciple of Socrates has been narrated over and over again by the Greeks. The narrative says that both men, Socrates and Xenophon met in a narrow lane, and as Xenophon was about to pass, Socrates blocked him with his cane. Before Xenophon could express his feeling or ask a question, Socrates asked him if he knew where he could buy material things, and if he knew where those material things were made? Xenophon answered in the affirmative, yes. Then Socrates asked again, “Do you know where men are made good and virtuous?” The young Xenophon said, “No.” Looking intently at him, Socrates said to him, “Then follow me and learn!” 

Like Socrates, Jesus too made disciples. He asked Simon, Andrew, James and John to follow him. Interestingly, these were not men of great scholarship, or influence, or wealth, or social background. They were not poor, but they were simple working class people with no great background. What were they doing when they were called? They were looking for fish because they were fishermen. They were working and doing what earns them a living. Surprisingly when they heard the command, “Come… I will make you fishers of men” they abandoned everything and followed Jesus. James and John not only left their professional tools behind, they left their father, Zebedee as well. Jesus invited them to become fishers of men. What does that mean? Jesus wants them to fish people out of something. The implication here is that there is a sea that people are swimming in that is not good for them. Today, that sea is the sea of secularist ideology which says you can be perfectly happy with the goods of the world. This ideology does great violence to the human heart because as St. Augustine says our heart is wired to God, our heart is restless until it rests in God. We are ordered by innate natural desires towards ultimate truth, ultimate goodness, ultimate beauty. No truth, goodness or beauty in the world, no wealth, pleasure, honor or power in this world can finally satisfy that longing of the heart. This is why the secular ideology is a destructive ideology. 

The image of a fish is a good one for there are a lot of people today who like a fish are floating around aimlessly, dead eye, glassy eye in the sea of the secularist ideology. They may have a lot of wealth, pleasure and honor, but they are like a fish with dead eyes and glassy eyes floating aimlessly in the sea of secularism. Jesus wants helpers who can fish people out of this savaging environment. This is the call yesterday and today, and it will be the call for all ages. Although this call can be said to have been addressed to priests and those intending to become priests, it is also addressed to all Christians. Jesus is calling followers to be light bearers. What is required to answer this call? The Gospel says, “…they (Simon and Andrew) abandoned their nets and followed him.” The net is the principal tool for a first century Galilean fisherman. As they row the sea, they cast the nets out and wait for it to catch fish. Nets symbolize livelihood, professionalism, connection to the economic world, it means security too. If you take a Galilean fisherman’s net away, you take away his livelihood. So leaving their nets means they left their preoccupation, livelihood, money and financial security in order to follow Jesus and do what he wants. 

As Jesus walked a little further, he saw James and John with their Father Zebedee. They were also in their boat mending their nets. He called the two brothers and immediately they left their father in the boat along with hired men and followed him. What is a boat? It is another tool used by fishermen. It is the symbol of a first century Galilean fisherman’s autonomy and livelihood. By abandoning it in order to follow Jesus, they were abandoning their own autonomy. They were leaving their boat behind in order to get into the boat of Jesus. They surrendered their autonomy. Secondly, they left their father, Zebedee. There is no society more family centric than the society of Jesus’ time. One’s duties and obligations to mother, father, brothers and sisters, and even to extended family were norms and life defining. When Jesus said to a man, “Follow me,” and the man replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father,” (Lk. 9:59), to which Jesus answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead,” (Lk. 9:60) it was shocking and sensational. It was a sacred obligation at the time to bury one’s father. Another Jesus’ breathtaking declaration is “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…” (Matthew. 10:37). The most pressing obligation we have is to love our parents, but Jesus is saying that unless you him more than your parents you are not worthy of him. Is Jesus against family? No! But he is relativizing family; he is relativizing the hold of the family on us. What is most important is our relationship to him. 

Simon and Andrew left their nets, that is livelihood, money, security. James and John left their boat, that means autonomy. They left their father, that is, all their obligations to the family to follow Jesus. Am I asking you to leave your job? No. Am I asking you to leave your family? Absolutely not. Am I asking you to stop making money? Not at all. However, none of these— livelihood, money, or family should hinder your relationship with God. Accept the simplicity of life so that you can be free to follow the Lord wherever he leads. Don’t be entangled in your nets or allow your nets to capture you just as it does to a fish in the sea. Don’t be trapped in your boat or allow your boat to capsize and decimate or kill your spiritual life. Don’t allow your family to hinder your spiritual growth, as much as you love them. Our family should aid and support our decision to follow the Lord more closely and not hinder it. Our primary and most important goal in life is to follow Jesus wherever he leads us. That is the number one purpose of a Christian.

Homily for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Behold, The Lamb Of God

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, January 14, 2024

In African Traditional Religion (ATR), animal sacrifice is quite prevalent. When I was growing up in my maternal home, I would, from time to time, see animal sacrifice either in a shrine situated near an unpaved path or at the foot of a huge tree. Some of the pictures were so gory that one day I decided to ask my grandmother, “What are these and what do they mean?” Replying, my grandmother told me they are animal sacrifices performed by a traditional priest on behalf of people who may have committed abominable acts (taboos) or who are seeking favors from the gods. In a traditional African culture and society, certain actions are classified as taboos, and those who indulged in them usually perform animal sacrifice just to appease the gods. My grandmother told me that failure to perform such sacrifices can be cataclysmic for the sinner: the person’s family could be cursed, the daughters may never marry, and if they do, they may not bear children. The sons could also be cursed with generational poverty, and the land could be cursed resulting in poor harvest after farming. Other severe punishments like insanity, early death, incurable diseases etc. might be unleashed on the family of the sinner or to the entire community. Abominable actions or taboos are never personal. They have sociological consequences. To forestall huge problems, animal sacrifices are performed and their blood spilled over the land in order to cleanse the land. 

In today’s Gospel (John 1:35-42), we are told that the moment John the Baptist saw Jesus walk by, he said to his disciples, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” At every Mass, we pray, “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.” And at the end of that particular prayer, the priest raises the Eucharistic Jesus and says, “Behold the Lamb of God, Behold him who takes away the sins of the world, and happy are those called to his supper.” So, the phrase “the Lamb of God” is very familiar to us. But do we really know what that phrase means? My spiritual hero, Bishop Robert Barron spoke about an informal survey he conducted a few years ago in which he asked some Catholics the question, “When we say at Mass, ‘Behold the Lamb of God’ what does that mean?” To his utter surprise, everybody responded, “It means he is gentle and he is innocent like a lamb.” Is Jesus gentle and innocent? YES! But when John referred to Jesus as the “ Lamb of God,” he was not addressing or commenting on the innocence and gentility of the Lord. John was the son of a priest. He grew up in the temple, meaning that he knew a lot of what happens in the temple. Among other things, he was well acquainted with animal sacrifice. Animal sacrifice was so common in ancient culture, not just in Jewish culture alone but in almost every ancient culture. Animal sacrifice was a basic religious practice at the time. Biblical figures like Cain, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Saul, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha all performed animal sacrifices. The temple was a place of sacrifice for centuries and in that place millions of animals were sacrificed. It is said that you could smell the temple before you saw it as you made your way there. It would smell like a combination of a slaughterhouse and a barbecue because so much killing and burning of animals’ flesh was going on there. So, as the son of a temple priest, John knew a lot of what happens in the temple. If he had said, “Behold, the great moral teacher who takes away the sin of the world by giving us new moral instructions,” we can say, “Ok, I get that.” If he had said, “Behold the great psychological counselor who helps us deal with our inner problems and personality,” we would say, “Well, I understand that.” But what John said is, “Behold the Lamb of God.” What can that possibly mean? When John called Jesus “the Lamb of God,” he meant that Jesus is the Lamb of sacrifice. He is the sacrificial Lamb who will definitively and decisively deal with the sin of the world. He will offer once for all sacrifice that will get to the root of sin. John meant that Jesus will offer not an animal sacrifice but the sacrifice of his own life and blood. But why do we need the Lamb of God to take away our sin? The human race is like a broken down car, and what is not going to solve the problem is another broken down car or ten more broken down cars. What is needed is someone who is above and beyond the level of the car, someone who is at another level and understands the working of the car. More to it, that same person has to be willing to open up the hood of the car, get his hands inside, and go underneath. He has to be ready to get dirty with dirt and oil and gasoline and work on that car and fix it. He has to make a sacrifice, a sacrificial move, if he is going to fix the problem with that car.

Jesus has come as Savior, Salvator in Latin, which means healer. He has come to solve a problem. He has come to fix something that is broken. What’s broken? We are broken. The human race is broken. We are all sinners. We’ve gone off kilter. Essentially, we remain good because we are all creatures of the good God. But there is something that is wrong with us. St. Paul’s letter to the Roman says that we all have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). What’s not going to solve our problem? Lining up similarly broken people! Bring all the philosophers, scientists, psychologists, sociologists and historians together, and they are not going to solve the problem because they are broken too like anybody. Bring all the politicians you know and even with the right social reforms, they still won’t solve the problem because they too are like broken cars. In fact, politicians are the major problems of the world today and in the past. To solve the problem of the human race, the maker of human life and human beings might be the one that best understands the problem. Someone has to come from outside of the dysfunction and enter into the dysfunctional human heart and fix it. What happened on that terrible cross? Jesus, the very incarnate Son of God entered into human corruption, sin and dysfunction so as to fix it from inside. He also brings Divine love precisely where it is most needed. The sinless Son of God couldn’t remain isolated in heaven making pronouncements. John says that God so loved the world that he sent his only Son all the way down into our humanity and by accepting even death, death on the cross, he offered once for all sacrifice that brought healing and salvation to the world. John the Baptist got it correctly. He didn’t say, behold, the great ethical teacher; he didn’t say, behold, the friend of the poor, he didn’t say, behold, the great miracle worker, even though Jesus was all of that. What he accurately said was, “Behold the Lamb of God” who is willing to make the supreme sacrifice to save us. That’s the great good news!

Homily on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Year B

Enduring Spiritual Lessons From The Magi

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Year B

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, January 7, 2024

For centuries, the story of the magi, the three wise men (Matthew 2:1-12) going to see the infant Jesus has beguiled, dazzled and mesmerized artists, poets, preachers, commentators and observers. A lot has been said and written about this amazing story that you might be tempted to think there is nothing more to say or write about it. But I still believe there are some deep spiritual lessons we can learn from this story that is very familiar to us. To start with, who were the magi? Who were they? They were a combination of what we can call astronomers and astrologers. In the culture of Persia (today called Iran) where the magi possibly came from, there was a well-developed practice of star-gazing. For what purpose? Partly for scientific purposes, but mostly to observe and discern in the stars and the heavenly bodies, signs of God’s intention and purpose. So, the Magi, night after night, in season and out of season, would gaze at the stars and try to see the purpose of God. What’s the first spiritual lesson? Think of the magi looking up into the stars as an image of prayer, of contemplation, of seeking out the will of God. How much time do we give to prayer? We spend time attending to all kinds of things— family, business, money, politics, economy, entertainment, checking who is up and who is down, who has the latest car, latest designer this and designer that, gossip, etc. And when we engage in any of this, we devote a great deal of time thinking and attending to them. Do we take some time to look at the events in our life for the purpose of finding God’s will and purpose? When it comes to the things of God, we want shortcuts and drive through. But we can decide today to start being attentive in the spiritual order. We can decide, from time to time, to spend some time and look at our overall life and see if we can see signs of God’s presence. What’s God telling me by what is happening around me? 

We are told that the moment the Magi saw the star, they moved. Now, in the ancient world, travel was dicey, unrelentingly harsh and severe. Today, we have paved highways, and can drive for hours uninterruptedly. And if we are flying, the airports and airplanes are made to give us some comfort. You can wake up in one country and sleep in another. But in ancient times, traveling was a very difficult venture. In those days, people made their last will and testament before embarking on a long journey. Why? Because the possibility of not coming back alive was quite high. Traveling exposed people to brigands and robbers and kidnappers etc. But once the magi read the star and saw the sign, they acted and moved. They did what God wanted them to do. The rough and crooked tracks and paths and mountains and valleys and other dangers of the road did not deter them. What’s the second spiritual lesson here? As we live our ordinary life, we can discern the will of God. God can catch your attention even when you are cooking or cleaning your garage or sharing a meal with your family. Once it is clear that God is asking you to do something, you must muster the courage and energy to act, and to do it. Despite the difficulties, fear and uncertainties, we must act. If God is asking you to forgive your spouse, your son, daughter, relative, neighbor, church-member, you must muster the courage to do it. Do not let the fear of “if I forgive now, they may do it again,” “If I forgive again, they might think I am a wimp.” Just move and act. It is better to be called weak or wimp and thereafter you make heaven than to be called strong and decisive and eventually you don’t make it. Remember the Blessed Mother. In the wake of the Annunciation, the Gospel says that she proceeded in haste into the hill country of Judea. Once she knew what the will of God was, she acted. She moved. The same with the Magi. Once they knew the will of God for them, they made the perilous journey, away from their homeland by following the star. 

Furthermore, we are told that as soon as the magi crossed the borders, they faced opposition from Herod the King. Herod is terrified upon hearing that a new king has been born. What frightens and terrifies the kings and leaders of this world, especially those that cling tenaciously and desperately to power? Any rival or opposition to their power! Once Herod heard of the magi who had crossed his borders and into his territory, he tried to block them and to use them to get to this Baby-King. What is the third spiritual lesson? In the spiritual journey, we are always going to face opposition. I don’t mean sometimes or most of the time, but always. When you walk the spiritual path, that path traced for you by God, you will face opposition. Check the Bible and you will see this point made over and over again. As Israelites were heading to the Promised Land, they faced the opposition of the red sea. They were blocked from escaping. Remember  the Philistines, the Assyrians, the wall of Jericho and other forces that opposed Israel. But why? Because we live in a fallen and compromised world affected by sin in every aspect. We are all sinners and we tend toward sin and selfishness. But when someone has discerned the will of God, and musters the courage to move and to act, they will face the opposition of the world. Let’s be honest here. When we see someone doing the will of God, living in righteousness, it disturbs and annoys us in some ways. Why? Because it reminds us sinners of what we are not doing. In response, we criticize or get in their way. More to it, you will also face the opposition of enemies you cannot see. St. Paul said we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but with principalities, with the dark spiritual powers and with evil spirits in the heavens (Ephesians 6:12). I tell you, there are forces unseen that oppose the ways of God. As long as we are opposed to God, they won’t bother because we are in line with them. But the moment we start walking in the spiritual path, those invisible powers will also seek to block us. Sadly, for a lot of us, once we start walking the spiritual path and we face opposition, we panic and say, “I’m not ready for this,” “I did not bargain for this.” But now, I am telling you to expect it. And muster the courage with God’s grace to confront it. 

After leaving Herod, the magi continued to follow the star until they came to the Baby-King. The Gospel of Matthew says they opened their bags and offered him extraordinary gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Traditionally, we know that gold means he is a King, frankincense means he is a divine priest, and myrrh means he will suffer and die. What’s the fourth spiritual lesson? What gifts do we bring when we come to Jesus? Your expensive dress? Your jewelries? The new car you just bought? Do you bring the proud and arrogant you? Or the remorseful you? Psalm 51 says, “A humble and contrite heart O Lord you will not reject.” Is that what you bring when you come Jesus? Don’t look at this purely from material or financial terms. Some of us make a lot of progress in their spiritual journey, but in the great hour of grace, at a decisive moment, we fail to give Christ what is best in us. We want to give a little bit, but not the best of our talent, abilities, time and treasure. It’s like saying, “I will give the Lord something of myself, but I will reserve most of it, the best of me for my secular pursuits, my career, and my worldly goals.” The magi gave extremely precious gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. See those as symbols of what is best in you. What is best in you? Mention it! Name your talents! Have you offered it to the Lord or are you reluctant or reserving them for your worldly goals and pursuits? Are you using a measuring cup to measure your gifts a little bit to Christ? The Magi offered the best in them. Give to the Lord the best in you!

Lastly, the Gospel says that having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their country by another way. This is so important! Take these words to the bank: No one encounters Jesus  and goes back the way they came. Something must give! The entire purpose of gazing at the star, discerning God’s will, mustering the courage to act and move, confronting the physical and spiritual oppositions, and giving the best of ourselves to God is TRANSFORMATION. If you go through this process, and then go back home the same way you came, what’s the point? Archbishop Fulton Sheen said that the Lord did not come to make us nice people; he came to make us new creations. If we follow this path, I tell you, we will go back home another way. We will radically be transformed to the glory of the Lord. 

Veni Sancte Spiritus! 

Homily on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Year B

Enduring Spiritual Lessons From The Magi

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Year B

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, January 7, 2024

For centuries, the story of the magi, the three wise men (Matthew 2:1-12) going to see the infant Jesus has dazzled artists, preachers, commentators and observers. A lot has been said and written about this amazing story that you might be tempted to think there is nothing more to say or write about it. But I still believe there are deep spiritual lessons to be learned from this story that is very familiar to us. To start with, who were the magi? They were a combination of what we can call astronomers and astrologers. In the culture of Persia (today called Iran) where the magi possibly came from, there was a well-developed practice of star-gazing. For what purpose? Partly for scientific purposes, but mostly to discern and observe in the stars and the heavenly bodies, signs of God’s intention and purpose. So, the Magi, night after night, in season and out of season, would gaze at the stars and try to see the purpose of God. What’s the first spiritual lesson? Be attentive in the spiritual order. Make it a habit to spend time looking at your overall life with focused attention and see if you can see signs of God’s presence. We spend time attending to all kinds of things— family, business, money, politics, economy, entertainment, checking who is up and who is down, who has the latest car, latest designer this and that, gossip, etc. And when we engage in any of this, we devote a great deal of time thinking and attending to them. Do we take some time to look at the events in our life for the purpose of finding God’s will and purpose? In the family, it is either the husband is complaining that the wife is praying too long or it is the children. And after a repeated complaint that ten or fifteen minutes are reserved for prayer, the family altogether stops praying. When it comes to the things of God, we want shortcuts and drive through. Think of the Magi looking up into the stars as an image of prayer, of contemplation, of seeking out the purposes of God. How much time do we spend doing that? 

Second lesson: we are told that the moment the Magi saw the star, they moved. In the ancient world, travel was dicey, unrelentingly harsh and severe. Today, we have paved highways, and can drive for hours. And if we are flying, the airports and airplanes are made to give us some comfort. You can wake up in one country and sleep in another. But in ancient times, traveling was a very difficult venture. In those days, people made their last will and testament before embarking on a long journey, because the possibility of not coming back alive was quite high. Traveling exposed people to brigands and robbers and kidnappers etc. But once the magi read the star and saw the sign, they acted and moved. They did what God wanted them to do. The rough tracks and paths and mountains and valleys and other dangers of the road did not deter them. As we live our ordinary life, we can discern the will of God. God can catch your attention even when you are cooking or cleaning your garage or sharing a meal with your family, but only if you are attentive, and if you are not distracted. Once it is clear that God is asking you to do something, you must muster the courage and energy to act, and to do it. Despite the difficulties, fear and uncertainties, we must act. If God is asking you to forgive your spouse, your son, daughter, relative, neighbor, church-member, you must muster the courage to do it. Do not let the fear of “if I forgive now, they may do it again,” “If I forgive again, they might think I am a wimp.” Just move and act. It is better to be called weak or wimp and then you make heaven than to be called strong and decisive and eventually you don’t make it. Remember the Blessed Mother. In the wake of the Annunciation, the Gospel says that she proceeded in haste into the hill country of Judea. Once she knew what the will of God was, she acted. She moved. The same with the Magi. Once they knew the will of God for them, they made the perilous journey, away from their homeland by following the star. 

Immediately the magi crossed the borders, they faced opposition from Herod the King. He is terrified upon hearing that a new king has been born. What frightens and terrifies the kings and leaders of this world, especially those that cling tenaciously and desperately to power? Any rival or opposition to their power! Once Herod heard of the Magi who had crossed his borders and into his territory, he tried to block them and to use them to get to this Baby-King. What is the third spiritual lesson? In the spiritual journey, we are always going to face opposition. I don’t mean sometimes or most of the time, but always. When you walk the spiritual path, that path traced for you by God, you will face opposition. Check the Bible and you will see this point made over and over again. As Israelites were heading to the Promised Land, they faced the opposition of the red sea. They were blocked from escaping. Remember  the Philistines, the Assyrians, the wall of Jericho and other forces that opposed Israel. But why? Because we live in a fallen and compromised world affected by sin in every aspect. We are all sinners and every individual we meet is a sinner. This very reality will be seen in our society, in our institutions, in our attitudes and even in the church. The fact remains that we tend toward sin and selfishness. But when someone has discerned the will of God, and they muster the courage to move and to act, they will face the opposition of the world. Let’s be honest here. When we see someone doing the will of God, living in righteousness, it disturbs and annoys us in some ways. Why? Because it reminds us sinners of what we are not doing. In response, we criticize or get in their way. More to it, you will also face the opposition of enemies you cannot see. St. Paul said we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but with principalities, with the dark spiritual powers and with evil spirits in the heavens (Ephesians 6:12). I tell you, there are forces unseen that oppose the ways of God. As long as we are opposed to God, they won’t bother because we are in line with them. But the moment we start walking in the spiritual path, those invisible powers will also seek to block us. Sadly, for a lot of us, once we start walking the spiritual path and we face opposition, we panic and say, “I’m not ready for this,” “I did not bargain for this.” But now, I am telling you to expect it. And muster the courage with God’s grace to confront it. 

The fourth spiritual lesson: after the magi left Herod, they continued to follow the star until they came to the Baby-King. The Gospel of Matthew says they opened their bags and offered him extraordinary gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Traditionally, we know that gold means he is a King, frankincense means he is a divine priest, and myrrh means he will suffer and die. Right? But let’s now look at it differently in a more general sense. Some of us, after making a lot of progress in their spiritual journey, we discern God’s will for us, we muster enough courage to act and walk the spiritual path, we confront the opposition that arise, but in the great hour of grace, at a decisive moment, we fail to give Christ what is best in us. We love the Lord but not with our whole mind, soul, heart, strength, passion and emotion. We want to give a little bit, but not the best of our talent, abilities, time and treasure. It’s like saying, “I will give the Lord something of myself, but I will reserve most of it, the best of me for my secular pursuits, my career, and my worldly goals.” The question for all of us to consider today, especially at the beginning of this New Year is, “What gifts do I bring when I come to Jesus Christ?” As for Maggi, upon opening their bags, they offered to the King,  extremely precious gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. See those as symbols of what is best in you. What is best in you? Mention it! Name your talents! Have you offered it to the Lord or are you reluctant or reserving them for your worldly goals and pursuits? Are you using a measuring cup to measure your gifts a little bit to Christ? The Magi offered the best in them. Give to the Lord the best in you!

Lastly, the Gospel says that having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their country by another way. This is so important! Take these words to the bank: No one encounters Jesus  and goes back the way they came. Something must give! The entire purpose of gazing at the star, discerning God’s will, mustering the courage to act and move, confronting the physical and spiritual oppositions, and giving the best of ourselves to God is TRANSFORMATION. If you go through this process, and then go back home the same way you came, what’s the point? Archbishop Fulton Sheen said that the Lord did not come to make us nice people; he came to make us new creations. If we follow this path, I tell you, we will go back home another way. We will radically be transformed to the glory of the Lord. 

Veni Sancte Spiritus!