Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Year B

“This Is My Blood Of The Covenant”

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

 Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Year B

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, June 2, 2024

We come to the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, commonly known as the Corpus Christi. On this important day I have a question: What is the Mass? Is it just a chance for us to get together and fellowship? Is it just an opportunity to get together, sing together and fondly remember Jesus? Not at all! If that’s all the Mass is, it won’t bother me when you don’t come to Mass because it means it is not all that important. Coming together to fellowship and remember a pivotal figure is what Abraham Lincoln Society does. 

As a priest, I come to Mass vested not just as a minister or a preacher or a spiritual care provider. I am wearing the robes of a temple priest. I am called not a minister or doctor. I am called priest. The bishop is a high priest, that’s why a bishop wears miter (the tall headdress). I don’t come to Mass just to fondly remember what a great and inspiring figure Jesus was. Acting in “persona Christi,” in the very person of Christ, I realize, I make possible in an unbloody sacramental manner, the death of Jesus. At Mass, I offer to the Eternal Father, the Blood of the Son, Jesus Christ. When does this happen at Mass? When you see the priest or the bishop elevates, raises up the chalice at Mass, that is the moment when the Blood of Christ is being offered as an atonement for our sins. Remember Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement. It is the holiest day of the year in the Jewish faith when the Jews remember and celebrate the day Moses came down from Mount Sinai after praying for forgiveness for the Israelites, who had worshipped golden calf. Yom Kippur is the day  when the high priest, not a minister or a preacher, was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. The Holy of Holies was strictly seen as the dwelling place of Yahweh. It was considered so sacred that no one could approach it, except on that one day, the Day of Atonement. In that Holy of Holies, the high priest would place upon the scapegoat, symbolically the sins of Israel, and then the scapegoat is sent out into the desert to die, bearing with him, symbolically the sins of the people. After that, the high priest would slaughter another animal and he would splash the blood around the Holy of Holies, just like Moses did. And also in the manner of Moses, he would come out from the Holy of Holies, passing through the curtain that separated that place from the rest of the temple proper, and he would sprinkle the people there with blood. What’s the significance of all this? It’s a bloody sacrifice that symbolized people’s life, their reparation, the pouring out of their hearts and also the pouring out of God’s own life. This was central to Israelite life. 

At Mass, at the moment when the priest or the bishop raises and elevates the chalice, think of the priest like the high priest on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. But he’s in the Holy of Holies not with the blood of goats and calves, but with the very Blood of Christ, the Second Person in the Blessed Trinity. More to it, at Mass, we don’t just perform the consecration and then go home. Not at all! After the consecration, the priest, bearing in his hands, the Blood of Jesus, comes down from the altar, comes out from the sanctuary. What is that? In the Jewish religion, the high priest on the Day of Atonement, comes out from the Holy of Holies. To do what? To sprinkle the blood of slaughtered animal on the people. But at Mass, when the priest comes down from the altar and walks through the sanctuary, he comes not to sprinkle the people with Blood, but to offer the Blood of Christ to be drunk, to be consumed. At Mass, the priest offers a sacrifice of atonement for sins and offers the life-giving blood of God to the people of God. What is the purpose of this atonement? Our salvation! It effects our salvation. That’s how we are saved, that’s how we are reconciled with God. This great priestly act, which is re-presented sacramentally at every Mass makes salvation possible. 

So, don’t come to Mass simply to see your friends and buddies. Don’t come to Mass expecting to be entertained. Don’t come to Mass just to look around and see what you can criticize. Come purely and chiefly to be saved by the good God. My fellow Catholics, when you come to Mass, realize that what we are doing, this densely rich celebration, goes all the way back to Moses sprinkling blood on the altar and on the people. It goes all the way back to the high priest on the day of Yom Kippur offering animal blood for the expiation of people’s sins, and then coming out and sprinkling the people with the blood. In Jesus, we have a true high priest who goes into the Holy of Holies not made with human hands, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood. All of that informs what we do, which takes place at every Mass. And that’s what this feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus is meant to bring us. 

God bless you! 

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Year B

“This Is My Blood Of The Covenant”

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

 Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Year B

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, June 2, 2024

Today, many people will frown and protest against animal sacrifice, but in the ancient world, it was a common religious practice. Slaughtering of animals and offering their bloody parts to the gods or to God was a basic and necessary part of ancient religious life. In fact, in African Traditional Religion, Afro-American religions, Islam, Hinduism etc. animal sacrifice persists even to the present day. More to it, bloody animal sacrifice runs through the Bible, including biblical passages that speak about the death of Jesus. In the Bible, blood is life. To offer blood was to offer life. When someone is engaging in animal sacrifice, which is the ritual killing and offering of an innocent animal and the sprinkling of its blood to the gods or God, the person is in essence offering his own life and is also saying that what is happening to this animal, the cruelty being meted on this animal should have been meted on him. The animal is shedding its blood, is giving its own life in exchange and atonement for his sins. 

In our first reading for today (Exodus 24:3-8), we are told that after Moses has presented the Commandments of the Lord, the people of Israel answered with one voice, “We will do everything that the Lord has told us.” God has given his Commandments to Moses. Moses accepts the Commandments, brings it and presents it to the people. The people accept it with delight. It’s now time to seal the covenant God and Israel have made. We are also told that Moses sent young Israelite men “who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed oxen of offerings of well-being to the Lord.” Moses then “took half of the blood and put it in large bowls, and half of the blood he dashed against the altar. And then he sprinkled the blood upon the people.” You might be wondering, what’s going on here? Why is Moses sprinkling blood on the altar and on the people? It’s an exchange of life: the lifeblood of God and the lifeblood of his people. When we say, this person is my blood brother, we mean we share blood with each other. That’s the powerful symbolism going on here. Now, this event carried out by Moses established much of Israelite liturgical life, which is centered around the sacrifice of animals. It is said that people smelled the temple in Jerusalem long before they saw it. What they smelled was the burning of the flesh of animals being offered to the Lord. So, the temple was a slaughterhouse of animals.

The most important sacrifice that took place in the temple happened on Yom Kippur, on the Day of Atonement. It is the holiest day of the Jewish year when the high priest, not a minister or a preacher, was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. The Holy of Holies was strictly seen as the dwelling place of Yahweh. It was considered so sacred that no one could approach it, except on that one day, the Day of Atonement. In that Holy of Holies, the high priest would place upon the scapegoat, symbolically the sins of Israel, and then the scapegoat would be sent out into the desert to die, bearing with him, symbolically the sins of the people. After that, the high priest would slaughter another animal and he would sprinkle the blood around the Holy of Holies, just like Moses did. And also in the manner of Moses, he would come out from the Holy of Holies, passing through the curtain that separated that place from the rest of the temple proper, and he would sprinkle the people there with blood. What was happening on Yom Kippur? It’s a bloody sacrifice that symbolized people’s life, their reparation, the pouring out of their hearts and also the pouring out of God’s own life. God’s own lifeblood is being poured out. This was central to Israelite life for the thousand years of the temple. 

Our second reading for today is taken from the Book of Hebrew. The author of the book of Hebrew is still unknown. But whoever wrote it was somebody who was well acquainted with the sacrifices of the temple. In Hebrews 9, the author says, “When Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, he entered once for all into the Holy Place not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.” Any Jewish audience that hears those words would know exactly what the author is talking about. The author of the Book of Hebrew is interpreting Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, not just a Roman execution, but as a great act of temple sacrifice. On that terrible cross, Jesus acts as our mediator. He offers his blood as an atonement for sin. Just as the blood of calves and goats were poured out, so also the blood of Christ himself. On the cross, when the blood and water flowed from the side of Christ, as it were splashing on those who were standing by, it is not only human blood that is offered in expiation for sin, but also God’s blood offered to us. In the Gospels, we are told that the moment Jesus died, the curtain in the temple mysteriously tore from top to bottom. What does that mean? That’s the moment when the high priest comes out from the Holy of Holies. That’s Jesus Christ, the true and eternal High Priest coming out from the Holy of Holies, but not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own Blood to sprinkle it upon the whole world. It is the Blood of God. Yes, Christ is divine. It is also our own blood. Yes, Christ is human. 

With all of this, we look at the Gospel (Mark 14:12-16, 22-26), which is the institution narrative of the Eucharist. At the Last Supper, Jesus solemnly says, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.” I tell you, that’s a temple language. It’s a language of blood sacrifice of animals. In that language, Jesus is anticipating what he would do the next day. On this day that we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, I have a question: What is the Mass? Is it just a chance for us to get together and fellowship? Is it just an opportunity to get together, sing together and fondly remember Jesus? Not at all! If that’s all the Mass is, it won’t bother me when you don’t come to Mass because it means it is not all that important. Coming together to fellowship and remember a pivotal figure is what Abraham Lincoln Society does. As a priest, I come to Mass vested not simply as a minister or a preacher or a spiritual care provider. I am wearing the robes of a temple priest. I am called not a minister or doctor. I am called a priest. The bishop is a high priest, that’s why a bishop wears miter (the tall headdress) which you can find in the Book of Exodus. The work I do at Mass is not simply remembering what a great figure Jesus was. Acting in “persona Christi,” in the very person of Christ, I realize, I make possible in an unbloody sacramental manner, the death of Jesus. At Mass, I offer to the Father, the Blood of the Son, Jesus Christ. When does this happen at Mass? When you see the priest or the bishop elevate, raise up the chalice, that is the moment when the Blood of Christ is being offered as an atonement for our sins. At that moment, think of the priest like the high priest on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. But he’s in the Holy of Holies not with the blood of goats and calves, but with the very Blood of Christ, the Second Person in the Blessed Trinity. More to it, at Mass, we don’t just perform the consecration and then go home. Not at all! After the consecration, the priest, bearing in his hands the Blood of Jesus, comes down from the altar, comes out from the sanctuary. What is that? In the Jewish religion, the high priest on the Day of Atonement, comes out from the Holy of Holies. To do what? To sprinkle the blood of slaughtered animals on the people. But at Mass, when the priest comes down from the altar and walks through the sanctuary, he comes not to sprinkle the people with Blood, but to offer the Blood of Christ to be drunk, to be consumed. At Mass, the priest offers a sacrifice of atonement for sins and offers the lifeblood of God to the people of God. What is the outcome of this atonement and the offering of the life-giving blood of Christ? Our salvation! It effects our salvation. That’s how we are saved, that’s how we are reconciled with God. This great priestly act, which is re-presented sacramentally at every Mass makes salvation possible. So, don’t come to Mass simply to see your friends and buddies. Don’t come to Mass expecting to be entertained. Don’t come to Mass just to look around and see what you can criticize. Come purely and chiefly to be saved by the good God. My fellow Catholics, when you come to Mass, realize that what we are doing, this densely rich celebration, goes all the way back to Moses sprinkling blood on the altar and on the people. It goes all the way back to the high priest on the day of Yom Kippur offering animal blood for the expiation of people’s sins, and then coming out and sprinkling the people with the blood. In Jesus, we have a true high priest who goes into the Holy of Holies not made with human hands, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood. All of that informs what we do, which takes place at every Mass. And that’s what this Feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus is meant to bring us. 

God bless you! 

Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, Year B

The Great And Precious Divine Promise

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, Year B

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, May 26, 2024

The fascinating and quizzical thing about the Trinity is that it is concurrently the most extraordinary and the most ordinary of Christian doctrines. On one hand, it is the most esoteric, inaccessible, but on the other hand, it is the most obvious. On one hand, there is a highly developed, highly technical language regarding this great mystery of the Trinity. But on the other hand, every Catholic, intellectuals and simple faithful, regularly invoke the Trinity every time they cross themselves. The Trinity is often regarded as the preacher’s nightmare because of its highly developed technical language. But one thing we should understand is that we invoke the Trinity anytime we make the sign of the cross. Anytime you begin your prayer with “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” you invoke the Trinity. Yet, a lot of us live our spiritual lives as if the Trinity does not matter at all. Mind you, the doctrine of the Trinity does not define God, it rather reveals God. The great American Catholic theologian and philosopher, Peter J. Kreeft said, “Other mysteries of our faith tell us what God has done in time (like the creation, the Incarnation, Resurrection, Redemption etc.), but the Trinity tells us what God is in eternity. God is Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Not three Gods, but three Persons in one God. The Father is not greater than the Son, the Son is not greater than the Holy Spirit. The Father and the Son are not greater than the Holy Spirit. The Son and the Holy Spirit are not greater than the Father. 

Our Gospel for this Trinity Sunday is the narrative of the great commissioning of the disciples, taken from the very end of Matthew’s Gospel (28:16-20). We are told by Matthew that the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain (The Acts of the Apostles says it is the Mount of Olives). Notice that the disciples are eleven and not twelve. Judas Iscariot has followed his will and desires. He is no longer in the picture. Notice also that the disciples were together, not individually at home doing their thing. On Pentecost day, when the Spirit fell upon them and empowered them, they were also in one place together. On the Mount of Olives, they were also together. And they were there on the instruction and direction of Jesus. Suddenly, Jesus comes to them. The risen Christ was seen by his disciples with their bodily eyes. Here again we see that the Resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact, not a myth or a fantasy or a fiction. 

Upon seeing him, his disciples worshipped him. Why did they worship him? Only God can conquer death! Jesus was not only revered and loved but also adored and worshipped as God. As you can see, the divinity of Christ was not a later invention of the Church; it went all the way back to the earliest disciples. But even though they worshipped him, they also doubted. This means we don’t only have doubting Thomas, but also doubting Peter, doubting James, doubting John etc. Now, it’s okay to doubt but don’t be stuck in your doubt for the rest of your life. Seek clarification and answers. Doubt about this and that of our faith is not a cogent reason to stay away from your faith and from the Mass. God has given us the freewill to believe or not to believe, to doubt or to be indifferent. But let us remember that every exercise of this freewill has consequences here in this world and in the next. 

Knowing the doubts of his disciples, Jesus makes one of his boldest claims in the Gospel, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” This is not an ordinary prophet speaking. This is the very Word of the Father, the very imprint of the Father’s being speaking. What’s the implication of his declaration? Jesus is Lord! After my homily, what follows? We recite the Nicene Creed (I believe in one God). But the first and earliest Christian creed is not the Nicene creed. It was that three-word sentence: Jesus is Lord. In the first century, that’s how people declare on whose side they belonged— it’s either Jesus is Lord or Caesar is lord. By declaring that all power in heaven and on earth has been given to him, Jesus lays claim to everything on earth and in heaven. This means he is God. He is the one to whom all allegiance is due. The true Lord is Jesus and not any earthly king or prince or politician, no matter how powerful they are. 

After making his last and bold assertion, Jesus gives his disciples and by extension every Christian a mission, a task to do till he returns in glory: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19). Did you notice the Trinity? We are to spread the Good News by words and deeds, especially the moral teaching of Jesus preeminently laid out in his Sermon on the Mount. The goal of the Church is to make disciples for Christ. That’s why we exist here in St. Bridget. We become irrelevant the moment we are no longer making disciples for the Lord. And Jesus knows that this goal cannot be attained by force of human might and craft, hence, he gives us this solemn and infallible promise: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b). In the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew, particularly in the infancy narrative of Matthew, the name given to the baby Jesus is Immanuel, which means God is with us (Matthew 1:23). At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, as Jesus winds down his public ministry, he echoes that same name, Immanuel, in his final great and precious promise to be with us until the end of time. God is with us always! His presence is real though invisible. God is faithful! God never lies! God never fails! The key word in the divine promise is “behold” (eido in Greek), which means “Be sure to see.” “Be sure to see” that you remember this promise; “be sure to see” that you turn your attention to it, “be sure to see” that you turn your attention to the one who made the promise. And when you do, remember to lay side by side this divine promise with your fears, anxieties, your feeling of abandonment, the lacerating problems in your life, the heartbreaks, the terrifying political and social environment we live in and then ask yourself the question: which do I believe? Now, the treasure of remembering the divine promise is not going to make your problems go away magically. But it’s surely going to assure you of this fact: I’m not alone in this trouble. The good Lord is with me. With that knowledge and assurance, begin to call upon him from the depth. 

God bless you! 

Reflection on John 21:15-19

"After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." He then said to Simon Peter a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.” 

In this Gospel, Jesus thrice asks Peter if he loves him. Peter knows his sin. He betrayed the Lord three times. Jesus knows Peter’s sin too. But in this Gospel, Jesus comes to him and offers him the opportunity to be reconciled with him for his threefold betrayal and denial. What’s the meaning of the word “reconciliation?” It is derived from the Latin word “cilia” which means “eyelashes.” So, to be reconciled is to be brought eyelash to eyelash with another. It is to see face to face, eye  to eye. Like Peter, we also sin. And Just as Jesus knew Peter’s sin, he knows our sin too. Since Jesus in person is not physically present to us, how can we now be brought eyelash to eyelash with him? By means of the sacrament of Confession! But is that the only means? In the privacy of my room or when I come to church, why can’t I simply pray and ask the Lord to forgive me? 

Well, Peter did that too after he betrayed Jesus. In the Gospel of Luke, we are told that the moment Peter denied knowing Jesus for the third time, Jesus turned around and looked straight at him, and Peter remembered that the Lord had warned that before the cock crows, he, Peter will deny him three times (Luke 22:61). Filled with intense remorse,  Peter went out and wept bitterly. Now, as Peter was weeping, do you think he never said something like “I’ve really messed up. I’ve betrayed my Master. Lord, I am sorry. Lord, I am so sorry? Lord, please forgive me?” Of course, he must have said something along those lines. Genuine and deep remorse is always accompanied by sincere pleas for mercy. Even Judas Iscariot, the most despised biblical figure in Christianity, was remorseful for betraying Jesus. In fact, going by biblical account, the most important words of Judas is “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood” (Matthew 27:4). What’s the great fault of Judas? Most Christians will answer, “betraying Jesus!” Don’t get me wrong, betraying Jesus is a great sin, but Judas’ greatest sin is despair and impatience. If only he didn’t despair, if only he was patient, Jesus would have come to him too to be reconciled with him.  

What point am I making? When Peter left the scene of the trial of Jesus to weep bitterly, he did confess and plead for mercy privately. But that wasn’t enough. Jesus needed to offer him the opportunity to be reconciled with him, to see him face to face, eye to eye. Jesus gives us that opportunity too in the confessional. When you pray privately, please remember to ask the Lord to forgive you your sins. But if you want this reconciliation to be complete, if you want to be brought eyelash to eyelash with Jesus, make yourself available in the confessional. 

— Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of the Pentecost, Year B

Signs of the Holy Spirit (Part Two)

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of the Pentecost, Year B

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, May 19, 2024

Today we come to the Solemnity of the Pentecost. We come to the end of the Easter season. We come to celebrate the birthday of the Church. Today, we celebrate something of heaven, the Holy Spirit, coming down to invade the earth, to pour down gifts on the disciples of Jesus Christ. Who is the Holy Spirit? He is the love of the Father and the Son. He is the love that connects the Father and the Son. If God the Father is the hand, and Jesus the finger, the Holy Spirit is the touch. I hope you know that if you are baptized, the Holy Spirit is in you. But the fact that the Holy Spirit is in you does not mean he will always be active in your life. How do we know this? In his letter to the Thessalonians, the great St. Paul warns, “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19). In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul warns again, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). As you can see, the Holy Spirit can be present and at the same time be inactive in the life of an unserious Christian. In all the three readings, we see the effects and signs of the Holy Spirit. So, permit me to continue to preach on some of the clues and effects of the Holy Spirit.

First Sign of the Holy Spirit. In the first reading (Acts 2:1-11), we read that on Pentecost day, the disciples of Jesus were gathered together in one place praying. Not individually in their homes doing their thing. Then suddenly there appeared on each one of them, tongues of fire. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. What does that mean? They spoke in languages that weren’t theirs. They praised God in foreign tongues. You might be tempted to say that what happened here is a unique event that only happened in the early days of the Church. But from ancient times to the present day, there are Christians who spoke in tongues. Even the genius St. Thomas Aquinas wrote about speaking in tongues and acknowledged it as a gift given to some for the praise of God and for the propagation of the faith. A few years ago in Nigeria, I was invited to preach in a gathering of Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN) —Catholics, Anglicans, Baptist, Pentecostal Churches etc. were there. After preaching, I led the group in prayer. As we prayed, the Spirit fell and some Christians in the assembly started praising God in tongues. Speaking in tongues is not alien to the Catholic Church. Attend any Charismatic prayer meeting, and you will find people with genuine gifts of speaking in tongues. The problem with this gift today is that some conmen and conwomen are now teaching others to speak in tongues. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It is never taught. If yours is taught, it is fake. Stop it now and stop mocking the Holy Spirit. More to it, you can also receive the gift of speaking in a foreign language of radical compassion. 

Second sign of the Spirit. In his simple but infinitely profound words, St. John gives us the most central hint of the Holy Spirit. He says, “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8). Here you have it! In the Old Testament, the name of God is Yahweh (I AM). When God was sending Moses to Egypt, Moses asked God, “If I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what do I tell them?” God said, “I AM WHO I AM,” and from that comes the wonderful tradition of naming God as Being itself. But in the Middle Ages, St. Bonaventure argued that there is an even higher name for God and it is delivered to us here in John’s letter. God is love! The being of God is love. Love is not just something that God does. Love is not just one of God’s activities or attributes. All religions in some ways believe that love is God’s attribute and activity. But only Christianity says that God is love. That means within the unity of God, there has to be someone who loves, someone who is loved, and the love that they share. The Holy Spirit is the love that God is. So, by loving one another, we demonstrate that our knowledge of God is not a detached scientific venture, rather a real participation in him who is love. If you love, you are begotten by God and know God. Authentic love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit operating in you. When we really love, that’s a sign that the Holy Spirit is operating in you. 

Third sign of the Holy Spirit. The night before he died, at the very climax of his life, Jesus said to his disciples, “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and remain in his love” (John 15:9-10). We believe that God’s love is unconditional. There’s something called “love of pre-election” and it is littered everywhere in the Bible. Speaking to Jeremiah God said to him, “Before you were formed in your mother’s womb, I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5). That’s love of pre-election. In his letter to Romans, the great St. Paul said, “God proves his love that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). That’s love of pre-election. From the lips of Jesus himself we hear, “It was not you who chose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16). That’s love of pre-election. God’s love is unconditional. We have been loved into being, into existence. God makes us “ex nihilo,” from nothing, meaning that our very existence is an act of pure love of God. But if you want to remain in God’s love, you have to keep God’s commandments. So, the love of God is both unconditional and conditional. Is God playing hard to get? No! Is God being difficult, being overbearing and acting as a taskmaster? Not at all. God has given us the Holy Spirit. But if you want to remain in the Holy Spirit, you have to keep God’s commandments. In the Catholic Church, we believe that keeping God’s commandments gives us the privilege to participate in the love that God freely gives us. 

Fourth sign of the Holy Spirit. What’s the purpose of all this? Jesus says, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). In my almost 17 years of pastoral ministry, I have met Christians who view God as being a tyrannical figure, who is putting us to the test all the time, who is unhappy with us, who is sucking joy out of us, and making impossible demands from us. Please, if that’s your view about God, impeach it from your mind and heart. Jesus wants his joy to be in us and he wants our joy to be complete. When St. Thomas Aquinas was asked what God does all day, his answer was that God enjoys himself. Yes, God delights in his own goodness. But God wants to share that joy with us. The flag of the Holy Spirit is joy. If you are a joyless Christian, something is wrong somewhere. Even if you know all the moral teachings of the Church, and have the correct doctrine, if you are joyless, you are not living in the Holy Spirit. Period! End of discussion! I tell you this, it is utterly anti-evangelical when a Christian, even if they are right about doctrine and morals, is radiating unhappiness. Jesus comes so that we might have life and have it to the full. He comes so that his joy might be in us. 

In his high priestly discourse of the Last Supper, Jesus says to his disciples, “You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father” (John 15:14-15). I tell you, this is one of the texts in the Bible that sets Christianity apart from other religions and philosophies. This text expresses the totality of Christian revelation. Every religion talks about becoming God’s servants or obeying God and following his commands. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Christianity talks about those too. But then there is this text too, this declaration from no other person but Jesus himself. He’s saying that he no longer calls us servants, but friends. If someone had said to the ancient Greek philosophers, Socrates, Aristotle, Plato etc. that they can be called God’s friends, they will consider such an idea a crazy and outlandish one because you cannot be the friend of someone who is infinitely and qualitatively superior to you. But by giving us the Holy Spirit, by sharing his inner life with us, God makes us worthy of real friendship with him. Now, what do friends do? They love each other; they accompany each other; they obey each other; and they listen to each other. If you are a friend of God, you are not going to live a wild, irresponsible and immoral life. You will live in accord with God’s will.

Veni Sancte Spiritus!

 Happy Pentecost!

Homily on the Feast of Ascension of the Lord, Year B

Ascension Of Jesus And Its Implications

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Feast of Ascension of the Lord, Year B

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, May 12, 2024

Towards the end of the Easter season and in anticipation of Pentecost, we come to the great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. Too often we read the Ascension as the moment when Jesus left us and went away to heaven, where we hope to join him some day. But the Ascension of Jesus should not be understood as Jesus going away from his disciples and from the Church. Ascension is not Deus absconditus (God absconding, running away and going into hiding) event. It should not be seen as Jesus’ escape from a wicked world that betrayed him, denied him and crucified him. Jesus has not ascended to detach from us. Ascension, rather, is Jesus assuming his position as the leader of the Church’s life and activity. 

For the Greek philosopher Plato, salvation is an escape from this lower world considered a prison to a higher world of ideas. In the Platonic sense, heaven and earth are two separate worlds detached from each other. But that’s not the biblical understanding of heaven and earth. For Ancient Israel, heaven is the realm of God and angels, and earth is the realm of human beings, animals and plants. However, they are not in extremely separate metaphysical spaces; rather heaven and earth touch upon each other. They interlace and interrelate with each other in all sorts of ways. So, the purpose of salvation is not so much to escape from the wicked world, rather the transfiguration of earth by heaven. In the Our Lord’s Prayer, Jesus says, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This prayer comes from his Jewish roots and deep Jewish sensibilities. In that prayer, Jesus did not pray for an escape from the earth, but rather the coming together of heaven and earth: Lord, may you reign on earth, just as you reign in heaven. The great prophet Isaiah expresses this very idea when he prays, “Lord, may your glory cover the earth, as the water covers the sea.” More to it, even the resurrection of Jesus is not the escape of his soul from his body. All the accounts of the resurrection speak about how embodied the Risen Jesus is. Standing before Thomas, Jesus obliges him to touch him and to see his wounds. In Luke’s Gospel, he eats and drinks with them after he rises from the dead. He also tells them that he is not a ghost and that a ghost does not have bones and flesh.

Sisters and brothers, the Ascension of the Lord is not a space trip up to the sky or a desertion and abandonment. It is not the flight of Jesus from earth to heaven. Rather, it is the Feast of intimacy with the Risen Lord. Jesus is very active in the Church; he is still directing the Church today. Notice that the Ascension is followed by Pentecost— that is, the descent of the Holy Spirit. With the Ascension of Jesus, something of the earth goes up in the heavenly realm, and with Pentecost, something of heaven comes down to the earthly realm. As the Church— the mystical body of Christ and the community transformed and transfigured by Christ, our job then is to continue his work of bringing heaven and earth together. A great singing at Mass harmonizes with that of angels in heaven. A life-giving hospitality makes the friendship of heaven and earth concrete. A good preaching echoes the voice of God (vox Dei) in the Communitas Christiana (Christian community).

In the light of all I have said, I would like to look at some of the implications of this great Feast. First implication. The Lord’s Ascension into a higher realm of existence gives us a great great confidence that he sees us. In the course of his public ministry, Jesus was limited by space and time. He can only be in one space at a time. But God can touch upon all space and time. With his Ascension, the risen Jesus  is able to be present to the whole life of his church anywhere and at any time. Before the invention of military planes, manned and unmanned drones, military commanders used to get up to a high ground in order to survey the whole field of battle. Technically, this is called reconnaissance. The risen Jesus has gone to this holy place, God’s dimension and is now able to survey the whole field of operation of his church. Jesus is not aloof up in heaven. He’s not hibernating until he returns again. Jesus knows and sees what is happening today. He is still leading and caring for his people, especially in the midst of their suffering and persecution. 

At the trial of Jesus, Pontus Pilate declared, “Ecce Homo!” “Behold the Man!” (John 19:5). When the Risen Lord appeared to his Apostles and with Thomas present, Thomas exclaimed, “My Lord and my God.” Both declarations are true. Jesus is fully human and truly divine. After his crucifixion and death, he rises with his human body. He also ascended with his human body. The second implication therefore is that Christianity is the greatest humanism ever proposed. There is no philosophy— ancient or modern that offers greater and better humanism than Christianity. Christianity proclaims the divination of our humanity, that in Christ, our humanity is raised up, enhanced and rendered more beautiful, more radiant by the presence of God. Modern culture thinks that religion is oppressive and that it denies our humanity. But that’s not just true. With incarnational confidence and faith in the risen and ascended Lord, we proclaim that Christianity proposes the greatest possible humanism. Check this out! Jesus goes to heaven but not exactly as he came. He came as the Son of God, but now goes to the realm of God as the Son of God, the Son of Man and the Son of Mary. He came as the Son of God, but now returns as our friend, “I no longer call you slave but friends.” In one sense, Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, but in another sense, he is not the only begotten of the Father. How come? Through his own suffering, death and resurrection, he has ransomed and begotten each of us as sons and daughters of God. Through his redemption, we all have become God’s adopted sons and daughters. We have become brothers and sisters of the Lord.   

Third implication. The Ascension of Jesus reminds us that our present existence is not the final and the greatest form of existence. There is a higher realm, a higher pitch of existence. And it is far better than what we now have. From the lips of Jesus we hear, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be” (John 14:2-3). A Christian is a pilgrim. We are on a journey, and when someone begins a journey, he or she wants to get to the destination. So, the hope of the Christian pilgrim is the destination of heaven. Heaven is our goal. In heaven, our tears will be wiped away by God. In heaven, all limitations will be gone. In heaven, we are going to have joy, perfect joy, peace, perfect peace, health, perfect health. It will be a total life of enjoyment. 

The fourth implication of the Ascension is that we have been given a mission to announce in words and actions the good news of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of Mark we read that before Jesus was taken up into heaven, he commissioned his disciples with these words, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). In many parts of the world and especially here in America, the gospel is being preached freely. But the all important question to ask ourselves today is this: what kind of gospel are we preaching today? Whose gospel are we proclaiming? Is it a gospel that lacks substance? Are we preaching sermons that lack the good news of Jesus Christ? As messengers of Christ, do we still have the Message? Truth be told! Some Christian preachers spread hatred, bitterness, division and conspiracy theories that harm the Body of Christ. But the most effective way to obey the Great Commissioning injunction is proclaiming the truth of Jesus in words and deeds. Jesus reached out to all people regardless of where they were. That we should do. 

God bless you!

Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B

Divine Love: Both Unconditional And Conditional

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B

St. John Neumann Catholic Church, Eagan, MN

Sunday, May 5, 2024

The most important teaching in the whole Bible is the principle of gratia prima (also called the primacy of grace). It means God’s grace, God’s love comes first. The love of God, the grace of God precedes our intelligence, our accomplishments, and our very existence. We would not exist if it were not because of God’s love. We were loved into existence by God. In the Gospel of John, Jesus expresses this very idea when he says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (John 3:16). He also says, “It was not you who chose me, but I chose you.” In his 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” (5:8). In the epistle of St. John we read, “In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). 

Every Christian believes and rightly so that God’s love is unconditional. God loves us not because we are lovable, not because we are amazing or there is something excellent or extraordinary we have done. His love for us is a choice and it flows from God’s very nature. God did not create us because he needs something. No! God needs nothing. Everything that exists outside of God exists simply because God desires some good for it. And that’s what love is. To desire or will the good of the other is what love is. That means the existence of everything from angels to ants is a sign of the love of pre-election. Love comes first. We don’t need to deserve it or to merit it or earn it. Look at it this way and see the connection. Imagine the dysfunction that will happen to a family where the children think they have to earn their parents love. Imagine what will happen in a family where the children, day after day, are convinced that they have to earn their parents love through some activity and excellence. Sadly this happens and when they do, the family dynamics is destroyed. Therefore, in human families and the family of God, love has unconditional quality to it. There is no “if’” involved. Love comes first.  

The point is that divine love is unconditional. But in order to get more out of this unconditional love of God, something has to happen. How? In his Last Supper Discourse the night before he died, Jesus sits down with his disciples and gives this magnificent speech: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you” (John 15:9). This is the  unconditional Love. It comes first. But then Jesus adds, “Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love” (John 15:9-10). Is God contradicting himself? Am I contradicting myself? Not at all. The biblical God is presented throughout the Bible as a God of unconditional love. But he is also presented throughout the Bible as giving his people lots of commandments and covenant to keep. How do we read together the love of pre-election, the unconditional love of God and this conditional love of God? Everything hinges on the word “remain” “meno” in Greek, which John uses frequently in his Gospel. God’s love is indeed given unconditionally as a grace. It is unmerited. However, remaining in that love requires keeping God’s commandments. God’s love can only remain in us and become our possession in the measure that we actively and consciously give it away. 

There are two ways that God’s love does not remain in us: first, if we resist it, and there are lots of people who are resisting the love of God. Someone is, over and over again showing affection to you, but you refuse to receive it. Second, you receive God’s love but then clings to it selfishly. If you resist God’s love or you receive it but then cling to it selfishly, it won’t work its way into your heart, mind and body. But if you accept God’s love, but then give it away as an active love, you get more of it and become a delightful conduit of God’s grace. In the Gospel Jesus says something that is in line with this biblical logic, “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you” (John 15:12). That’s how it works. If you give away the divine love which is given to you as a pure unmerited gift, you will get more. The great St. Irenaeus said, “Your being increases in the measure that you give it away.” It does not decrease, rather it increases. This is the great Catholic doctrine of grace and cooperation with grace. We Catholics do not believe in cheap grace. Grace never divorces itself from the law. Putting a wedge between grace and the law is problematic and unnecessary. In the Catholic Church we insist that keeping God’s commandments allow us to participate in the love that God freely gives us. So, Divine love is both unconditional and conditional. 

God bless you!