Homily for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

The New Definition Of Greatness

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, September 22, 2024

Since my ordination to the priesthood in 2007, St. Bridget is the fifth parish I have been to. And having worked in these parishes, met so many Catholics and got to know them really well, I can conclusively say that our church is divided into two rooms. In one room, you find people, Catholics who give their time, talent, treasure and never get tired of giving. In the other room, you find people who should and ought to give either their time or treasure or talent but decided otherwise. And the saddest thing about this group is that there is actually nothing stopping them from doing any of that. They simply choose to be what I call “consumerist Christians.” In one room, you find people who humbly and joyfully serve others, in the other room, you find people who basically wait to be served and attended to. In one room we have Catholics who call the pastor or the parish office and ask, “How can I help the parish?” These are the people who volunteer to set up the tables and chairs during the celebration of the feast of St. Bridget, doughnut Sunday, Ice-cream social, Appreciation Lunch for the staff of Sojourners Truth Academy etc. And at the end of these events, they stay behind to remove the tables and chairs and return them to their rightful place. And in the other room, you have people who call to ask, “Why is no one doing something about it?” 

In today’s Gospel (Mark 9:30-37), Jesus shocks his Apostles who along the way were arguing among themselves who is the greatest: “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” In the calculation of the world, the greatest are people with political power or social power. In the mind of the world, the greatest are people with lots of money and connections. In the way of the world, the greatest are those who are served. Everyone caters to them and attends to their needs. But for Jesus, the greatest among us are people who serve their brothers and sisters. Who are these people? Let’s make it concrete. Every weekend and especially when we have parish events, they are the first to be in church and the last to leave. They come to Mass early, and are the last to leave. They are the ones who clean the church, clean the restrooms, trim the bushes, weed the plants and keep outside of the church tidy. Some of us may not value their services, but Jesus said they are the greatest. 

Sisters and brothers, today is our Ministry Fair. Today is an opportunity for you to sign yourself in. If your unspoken attitude all along is, “sign me out,” or “I don’t care,” today is a great opportunity for you to “sign yourself in” and be considered by Jesus as great. I tell you, everyone has a reason to simply attend Mass and then head home. Everyone has some reasons to merely be a consumerist Catholic. You could say to yourself, “I can’t do it.” “I don’t have the talent.” “I don’t have the time.” “I am tired.” “I have done this for many years, let someone else step up.” “I am not worthy to do it” etc. But the great civil rights icon, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” If your heart is full of grace and your soul engendered by love, you will serve. You will serve as a lector, as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, as an usher. You will encourage your children to join the altar servers, and you will bring them to Mass regularly and on time. If your heart is full of grace and your heart produces love, you will sign yourself in a ministry and become actively involved in the life and ministry of our parish. 

As your pastor, I deeply appreciate your membership of St. Bridget. I am glad that you come to Mass regularly. But it is not enough. We will never change our community, society and world by simply coming to church, but by being church. If all you do is just come to Mass, be served and attended to, then you are making church all about you. If we are not serving our brothers and sisters, we are not becoming great people. In John 13:13, Jesus says, “You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so because that is what I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher washed your feet, you also must wash one another’s feet.” Do you want to be considered first and great by Jesus the Lord? Then serve! Wash the feet of others. Attend to the needs of others. Be the one to read at Mass. Be the one that brings communion to others etc. 

God bless you!