Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B

The True Vine And The Living Branches

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, April 28, 2024

In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes seven announcements of himself that are commonly called the I AM Statements: “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35, 48, 51), “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12, John 9:5), “I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7, John 10:9), “I am the good shepherd,” (John 10:11; John 10:14), “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” (John 14:6), “I am the true vine” (John 15: 1, John 15: 5). What do all these statements point to? The fact that Jesus is not merely an inspiring teacher we listen to. For us Christians, Jesus is the be-all and end-all of our life. As St. Paul keenly and rightly noted, it is in Jesus that “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). He is the reason why we are here. He is the reason why we are. He is the reason why we carry out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Jesus is the reason we forgive; he is the reason we are kind; he is the reason we are compassionate; he is the reason we strive to be perfect just as our heavenly Father is perfect. Our relationship with the Lord is not a one-off thing. It is organic and ongoing. From the lips of Jesus we hear, “Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me,” (John 15: 4). To make the statement more dramatic, Jesus says, “…without me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). 

You know, many people till date admire Abraham Lincoln and consider him the greatest president of all time. Many people around the world admire Mahatma Gandhi, and consider him a great spiritual hero. Many Catholics admire and venerate great saints like St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Padre Pio, St. Pope John Paul II, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta etc. But no matter how much you admire Abraham Lincoln as a political figure, no matter how much you admire Gandhi as a moral hero, no matter how much you admire Padre Pio as a spiritual and saintly hero, you will never be tempted to say that without any of them you could not live. You cannot say unless you are grafted unto any of them, you can do nothing. But about himself Jesus says, “…without me you can do nothing.” Why? Because Jesus is the Word made flesh. He is the very incarnation of the God of Israel. In Jesus, God has visited his people. It is through him and with him and in him that we have access to the Father. 

Jesus is the Vine, we are the branches. As branches, how can we remain to in the vine? What can enable us remain living branches of the living Vine? First, Mass attendance especially on Sunday. Why is Mass attendance important? It is the most ordinary way  to remain in Christ, the true vine. At Mass we encounter Jesus both in the Word and in the Eucharist. The Mass is the primary way in which we Catholics worship God as a community. Mass time is a time to give thanks. The word “Eucharist” means thanksgiving, so, the Mass is a time to thank God for blessings and ask for help in the future. The Mass connects Catholics to the truth of God, who is the center of our lives. At Mass, our relationship with God and with each other is strengthened; our love for God is deepened as well. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that Sundays are holy days of obligation, and that the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass on Sundays and other holy days of obligation. When people ask me why they should attend Mass, my immediate answer is, “Because you are not a saint.” The second Christian practice that enables us to stay connected to Jesus is personal prayer. What is prayer? For St. John Damascene, “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God.” Prayer is touching God. Prayer is the oil of the Christian life. If there is no oil in a running car, it is only a matter of time before there is a mechanical breakdown. In the same way, when a Christian goes on without prayer, without connecting with Christ, it is only a matter of time before he or she suffers spiritual meltdown. When a branch of a tree is chopped off, it withers and dies after a few hours. Prayer is the time to turn off all the electronics and think about God. For those of us who find it very difficult to concentrate, to meditate and to pray, let me suggest a practice that can help. Place two chairs (seats) facing each other. Sit on one, then invite Jesus to sit on the other. Believe in your heart that he is sitting on the other. Close your eyes and talk to him. If you have nothing to say to him or you don’t know what to say to him, say thrice, “Jesus, I love you” or “Jesus, I need you” or “Jesus, I trust in you.” From today, make it a personal rule of your life to never go to bed at night without praying and without saying something to the Lord.

What’s going to happen to a Christian who remains connected to Jesus through regular Mass attendance and through personal prayer? Jesus says, “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.” What are those fruits? The corporal works of mercy: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. Spiritual works of mercy: admonish the sinner, instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, bear wrongs patiently, forgive offenses willingly, comfort the afflicted, pray for the living and the dead. I tell you, spiritual dormancy and inactivity is caused by lack of steady contact with the Lord. The bad news here is that if nothing is done to address it, it will lead to loss of the sense of the sacred, loss of the sense of God and loss of the sense of faith. Many people can tell you why they disconnected themselves from the Catholic faith. But it always begins with skipping Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation and seeing prayers as an unnecessary activity. If you want to stay close to Jesus till you breathe your last, attend Mass regularly. Make personal prayer a priority. Practice the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. They can make you holy. 

God bless you!

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B

The Resurrection Jesus Is Not A Myth!

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, April 21, 2024

The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead actually happened. Although, the so-called modern minds, scholars in university lounges, and many millennials and Gen Z would want you to believe that it is a nice little story, a legend, a myth like many other myths of the dying and rising gods found in other cultures and religions of the world. They want you to believe it is just one of the ancient stories that may have a moral meaning to it. But as C. S. Lewis— a man who dedicated a great deal of his academic time studying mythical literatures keenly observed, those who think the Resurrection story is a myth haven’t read many myths. Myths or legends or fairytale are beautifully crafted and composed stories meant to convey moral lessons. They speak of general truths about the world, about the early history of a people, about some natural or social phenomena that involve supernatural beings or events. Myths use simple stories to teach and explain universal truths about realities, which is why they always begin with phrases like, “once upon a time, in a distant land…” In some African mythical stories, animals like tortoise, snails, lions, goats etc are personified and made to behave and appear like human beings. In the West, a good example of modern myths are the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Star Wars etc. 

But what we are dealing with in Christianity is not a myth. The Resurrection of Jesus from death is not one more addition to ancient mythical stories. It actually happened. Consider these words of St. Peter, the first Pope of the Catholic Church: “Leaders of the people and elders: if we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed.”

Are those words a mythic language? Is that account a mythic one? Not at all! It is the account of someone who witnessed an event that occurred. As I said earlier, mythic stories often begin with “once upon a time in a place far far away.” But that’s not what Peter is narrating here. He is talking about an event that happened, an event that people who came into the Temple also witnessed. Peter is preaching to astonished leaders and elders of the people that the crippled man was healed in the name of Jesus the Nazorean whom they betrayed and crucified, and whom God has raised from the dead. Peter is speaking with the boldness of someone who has witnessed an event, and he is not speaking for himself alone but also for John and other disciples. If you noticed, he used the pronoun “we” as he talked about the event. He was not talking about a “once upon a time” story that happened in a distant unknown land. Truth be told, a “once upon a time” story can communicate important truths. But they are often told in a detached and placid manner. But what we hear in all the Resurrection accounts in the chapters of the New Testament is not an abstract, unperturbed and detached reflection of spiritual truths. Myths can be invented and composed in the privacy of your home or in a community center or in an academic department by anybody. Peter and the first disciples of Jesus did not talk in mythical language. Something profoundly transformational happened to them that they were ready and willing to go to every part of the world in order to tell their story: that Jesus of Nazorean who was crucified is Risen. As such, he alone is the Lord, not Caesar. 

If you believe that the Crucified One, Jesus of Nazareth is Risen, what does his Resurrection from the dead imply? One, it shows us that Jesus is who he said he was. Some say he was a spiritual teacher. Surely, there are spiritual teachings to be derived from his teachings. But Jesus is much more than a spiritual teacher. Throughout his public ministry, he spoke and acted in the very person of the God of Israel. And that is why he compels us to make a choice. Speaking about the obligation to love our parents, Jesus says that unless you love me more than your father and mother and more than your very life, you are not worthy of me. I tell you, no other spiritual teacher or leader ever spoke like that. Unless you are the highest good, Summum Bonum, you cannot utter such. More to it, attending to a paralytic who was brought before him in Capernaum, Jesus says, “Child, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5). Right away, the scribes got really upset and rightly questioned, “Who can forgive sin except God?” After predicting the destruction of the Temple, the great tribulation and signs of the end-time, Jesus adds, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away (Matthew 24:35).” Who can really say that except the Eternal Word of God?

Jesus is Lord and King. All through the letters of St. Paul, he announces over and over again, “Yesous Kyrios” “Jesus is Lord;” Yesous Christos” “Jesus is the Messiah.” Who was lord in that world? Caesar! The watchword of the era was “Caesar is lord, Caesar is king.” He is the one to whom all allegiance is due. But for St. Paul and the early Christians, the true Lord and King is Jesus of Nazareth, the one Caesar put to death. What enabled them to risk their freedom and lives to believe and announce such? Because of the stubborn fact of the Resurrection. So, stop messing around with these earthly corrupt kings and wanna be kings. Don’t give your life, your heart and mind to them. Theirs is over! The true Lord, the real King is Jesus of Nazareth. He is the one to whom final allegiance is due. He is the one to whom we should give our hearts, our minds, our bodies, our energies, our souls to. And the great good news is that he does not manipulate us. He does not repress, oppress, and suppress us. In fact, he wants us to be truly free. He is the true Lord and on him, the Father, God, has set his seal. In and through Jesus, God is offering us friendship. You don’t mess around with friendship. You don’t turn it into something abstract; you don’t compromise with it. You simply enter into it fully. 

Veni Sancte Spiritus! 

Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year B

“The Author Of Life You Killed, But God Raised Him From The Dead”

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year B

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, April 14, 2024

In the first century, the cross was an awful Roman instrument of torture and death. It was something considered by many to be too gory and too petrifying. But what is it that empowered and emboldened the first Christians to hold up the cross, to sing its praises, and to wear it as a decoration? It is precisely in what St. Peter, our first Pope said in his sermon to the crowd who gathered in the Jerusalem Temple: “The Author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead.” In Acts chapter 3, we are told that Peter and John were going to the temple area for the three o’clock hour of prayer. Today, the 3 o’clock hour is the hour of Divine Mercy. Getting closer to the Temple, they saw a crippled man from birth sitting by the gate called “the Beautiful Gate” and begging for alms. As they were about to go into the temple, the crippled man asked for alms. Looking intently at him, they said to him, “Look at us.” The crippled man looked up expecting to receive something from them. But from his depth, Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.” With faith that his prayer has been answered, Peter took the crippled man by the right hand and raised him up. Immediately he leaped up, stood and walked around. With great joy, he went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God. When people saw the crippled man walking and praising God, they recognized him as the abandoned one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate and beg for alms. And they wondered what had happened to him. 

Responding to people’s amazement and astonishment at the restoration of the crippled man, Peter boldly proclaimed the central facts of the Gospel. He told them that the crippled man had been healed by faith in the name of the One they had betrayed, denied and killed, but whom God has now raised up. He declared that it was faith in the name of Jesus Christ that healed the crippled man. I tell you, Peter’s bold sermon hit many in the crowd like a spiritual thunderstorm that many of them believed. 

Now, what are the central Gospel facts that Peter preached in the Temple? The first is, “The Author of life you put to death…” In the Nicene Creed we profess Jesus as “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things (including life) were made.” He is indeed the Author of life— human and divine. He is the Creator and Source of all life. But because God so loved the world, he went all the way down— he became a human being. In Jesus, the Creator became a creature, the all-powerful became all-powerless, the almighty became all-weak, he became a baby took weak to even raise his head. As if his coming all the way down is not enough, as if his kenosis, the emptying of himself is not enough, he went further down to being stripped naked, which was part of the torture and humiliation of the cross and to being crucified on the cross like a common criminal. For what purpose? For what reason? In order to pay for our sins. On the cross of calvary, what all the burnt sacrifice of bulls and goats were unable to do, that is, to take away sins, the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ on cross, did it once for all. By his stripes, we are healed. Salvation is now won for us. The gate of heaven has been thrown wide open. Jesus has paid the price. 

The second central message of Peter is: “…But God raised him from the dead.” I can’t say it enough that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the be all and the end all of the Christian faith. It is a revolution. It is an earthquake that changed human history and turned everything upside down. Without the Resurrection of the Lord, our faith is in vain, our preaching is in vain, preachers of the Christian message are fake prophets and we are still living in sin. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, it means that injustice won. It means that evil won. It means that wickedness, lies, deceit, betrayal, hatred won. If Jesus did not rise, it means Satan won the battle. It means that God is defeated by his enemies. It means death defeated life. It means might is right. But glory be to God, Jesus is raised by the power of God. 

The third message of Peter is, “Of this we are witnesses.” What exactly are they witnesses of? Everything that Jesus had said and done, his arrest, trial, death, burial and resurrection. This is not second hand news. It is not a myth, a legend or fairytale. Peter is speaking as someone who had a first hand experience. And Peter is a historical figure. He is not peddling in a “once upon a time in a distant galaxy” story. If you are questioning and doubting the historicity of Peter, travel to Rome and they will show you where he is buried. What Peter is saying is a reliable documented fact. And every Christian is called to also become a witness as well. This is what evangelization is about. 

The fourth message of Peter that is often neglected, ignored and explained away today is that faith in the name of Jesus, the Author of life, is the only way to be saved and receive eternal life. How come? If Jesus has been raised from death by God, then he is the full manifestation of God, and he must be the center of our life. More to it, Christianity has to be the fullness of God’s revelation. There is no third option. Jesus has to be God’s definitive and final outreach to the human race. Anyone telling you something else or offering you another path doesn’t get it. And we should not forget that from his own lips, Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). If someone says he is a way, it means there are other ways. If someone says I am a truth, it means there are other truths and I happen to be one of them. If someone says I am a life, it would mean there are other modes of life out there and I just happened to be one of them. But what Jesus said is “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” which means the only way and access to God, the only truth that must be known and lived for, and the only life that deserves giving our entire life for. 

Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year B

“The Author Of Life You Killed, But God Raised Him From The Dead”

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year B

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, April 14, 2024

In the first century, the cross was an awful Roman instrument of torture and death. It was Rome’s way of asserting its power, of quieting any dissent, opposition and disobedience to its authority, and of maintaining its dominance, not only in Rome but around the ancient world. Crucifixion on the cross was widely considered too petrifying, too cruel, and too gory to even describe directly. The most frightening and terrifying image at the time was the image of the cross. The image of a man crucified was so heart-wrenching and so horrifying at the time. It is like seeing an image of a man hanging from a noose. When I was 12 years old, I saw the image of a man who committed suicide by hanging himself on a tree. To tell you the truth, that image haunted me for several years. That’s how people of the ancient world saw the cross and crucifixion. 

But if the image of the cross was that horrifying, if it caused nightmares for the people of the first century, how come the first Christians celebrated the cross of Jesus Christ? What enabled them to hold up the cross, to sing its praises, and to wear it as a decoration? And by the way, wearing the cross is part of my fashion. I wear the cross all the time. It has become part of my dressing up. But in the first century, it was something dreaded by many and considered an instrument of unspeaking pain and suffering. Why then did Jesus’ disciples celebrate the cross? The answer is to be found in St. Peter’s sermon in the Jerusalem temple. Speaking to people who were amazed, astonished and mesmerized by the healing of a man crippled by birth, Peter said, “The Author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead.” 

What does that mean? Up and down the centuries, there have been several attempts to name and make clear the salvific nature of the cross. But in the first century, it became crystal clear to the first Christians that on that terrible cross of Christ, sin had been dealt with. The curse of sin had been removed, and taken care of. On that terrible cross, Jesus functioned, just as John the Baptist had predicted, as the “Lamb of God,” sacrificed for sin, who has come to take away the sins of the world.

But does this mean that God the Father is a cruel taskmaster who demands a bloody sacrifice so as to calm and appease his anger? Not at all! The crucifixion of Jesus on the cross is the opening up of the divine heart so that we could see that absolutely nothing, no sin, no dysfunction of ours etc. could ultimately separate us from the love of God. In Romans 8:38-39, the great St. Paul says “I am convinced that neither death, no life, nor angels, nor principalities, no present things, nor future things, nor peers, nor heights, no depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” How does St. Paul know that? We killed God on the cross, but God returns with forgiving and redeeming love. The great good news of Christianity is that there is absolutely nothing that can finally separate us from God’s love, for on the cross, the price was paid. Before he expired on the cross, Jesus himself said, “It is finished,” Tetelestai in Greek, C’est fini in French, esta terminado in Spanish, Ogwusiwo in Igbo. 

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

Easter Is A Revolution

Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

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

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, April 7, 2024

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is a revolution. It’s an earthquake that turned everything upside down. It is the cornerstone of Christianity. Without the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is no Christmas, no Pentecost, no saints of the Church, no Church, no Christianity, no New Testament with its four Gospels that all bear witness to Jesus’ life, ministry, death and resurrection. One of the worst things we can do is to domesticate this game-changing event and turn it into a nice little Spring Festival. On Easter Sunday, we heard world leaders say things like Easter is about sacrifice, courage, integrity. Easter is about handwork, community building, helping the poor, being patient, tolerating one another. Easter is about peace. I am not against any of those. In fact, understanding the true meaning of Easter can motivate a Christian to imbibe those virtues. However, none of those is the true meaning of Easter. They are not what Easter is truly about. Easter means Jesus Christ who was put to death in the most brutal way possible by the powers of hatred, cruelty, violence and oppression, has been raised from the dead by God. Easter means the tomb where Jesus was buried was empty. Death could not hold him. The grave did not keep him. The stone did not prevent him from rising and getting out. Easter means the Triumphant Warrior is Jesus and not Pontus Pilate or Caesar. 

What is the implication of this great act of God? First, it means that God’s love is more powerful than anything that is in the world. Anyone who has relied upon threatening others with bodily pains and death, take notice. Anyone who wants to use violence, lies, betrayal, divide and conquer, hatred, injustice, etc. be warned. In a clearly definitive way, God has shown his opposition to that manner of living and conducting your life and business. Desist from acts of cruelty! If you don’t, may God who disempowered the enemies of Jesus by raising him from death, disempower you. Amen.

Second implication, in the Resurrection of Jesus from death, God opens up something new and fresh to the world. After the conversion of Paul, he refers to Jesus over and over again as the Lord— Jesus is Lord. Today, when we hear that phrase— Jesus is Lord, some of us interpret it in a spiritualized way; some say, that’s a nice spiritual talk. Others say, of course, Jesus is Lord. But at the time when Paul made such a declaration, what everyone said was “Kaiser kyrios” “Caesar is the Lord,” which means that Caesar is in charge of the world. He has the greatest army, he has a sprawling bureaucracy, and if you cross him, he will cross you out by putting you to death. But right in the Roman Empire, Paul and fellow first Christians, over and over again courageously announced, “Yesus Kyrios,” “Jesus is the Lord,” which means Caesar is no longer the lord; Caesar is no longer in-charge. Caesar’s reign and dominance are over. The true Lord now is someone that Caesar put to death. He is now in-charge. Now, did the Romans know what Paul meant? You betcha! That’s why Paul spent a lot of his time in jail and eventually he was put to death. How did Paul know that Jesus is Lord and Caesar is not? Because Caesar killed Jesus but God raised him up. Because of the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, Paul knew that God’s love and mercy are more powerful than anything that is in the world, including that awful Roman cross that terrified the whole world. Paul knew that God’s love proved more powerful than that cross. This is the revolutionary quality of the Christian message. If Jesus is risen from the dead, all the powers of the world that relied upon hatred and violence, oppression, exclusion, have been conquered. There is now a new Lord. And our job is to announce it. This is what we mean by evangelization. 

Third implication, the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead teaches that injustice will never win. Wickedness will never win. Lies and deceit will never win. Hatred will never win. In the final analysis, evil will never win. In the here and now, it might seem evil is winning. It might seem that corrupt people, lying people, divisive people etc. are having their way. It might seem that those who mock Jesus and deride religion are winning. But when all is said and done, they will end up losers. They will be on the losing end. Where are those who executed Jesus now? Where are the Pharisees, the scribes and the elders of the people? Where is Pontus Pilate now? The reason why they are even remembered is because of Jesus. Don’t give up hope. Now, it might seem might is right. It might seem the end justifies the means. It might seem there is no objective truth— you have your truth, I have my truth, everyone has his or her own truth. There is actually nothing like the truth. Now, it might seem appealing, it might appear smart to simply deny the existence of God. But in the final analysis, truth will win. Easter tells me that what is wrong will never ever win. So, always stay with the truth, and we know that Jesus is the truth.

Fourth, the bodily Resurrection of Jesus tells us we have an Advocate in heaven. In fact, the path of salvation has been opened to everyone. Jesus went all the way down, journeying into excruciating pain, despair, abandonment, betrayal and even godforsakenness. In principle, there is no sin that God cannot forgive. There is finally nothing that can separate us from the love of God. In our Gospel for today, the Risen Jesus, after greeting his Apostles  Shalom for the second time, breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” In other words, after offering mercy to his disciples, Jesus commissions and sends them to communicate the same mercy to the world. This is the foundation of the sacrament of Penance, and it has existed in the Church from that very moment till this day as the privilege vehicle of Divine Mercy. This sacrament is not a burden but the grace of reconciliation, the restoration of divine friendship, and the forgiveness of our sins. The greatest damage caused by secularism and secularist ideology is the insistence that each of us is okay without God. Going to confession is not a burden but precisely as a privilege expression of Divine Mercy. On this Feast Day of Divine Mercy, I enjoin you to feast in Divine Mercy but don’t just feast in it and entertain it intellectually, I strongly recommend you use the sacrament of Penance, for it is the best way to bask in the Divine Mercy.