Homily for the First Sunday of Lent, Year C

 The Three Great  Disciplines of Lent And The Three Temptations

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the First Sunday of Lent, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, March 9, 2025

On February 25, 2025, I was in the Chancery for a meeting. As I was waiting at the reception, I started thinking and reflecting on the three disciplines of Lent, which are fasting, prayer and almsgiving. Apart from the classical interpretations of those disciplines, I was searching for more insights. From there, I began to think about the three temptations of Jesus. Three disciplines of Lent! Three temptations of Christ! Is there any correlation between them? Can the three disciplines of Lent be the cure and antidote to the three temptations? All of these were going on in mind when someone called my name. It was a needed interruption because I was completely lost in thought. 

Sisters and brothers, Lent is here again! It comes each year. Pope Francis describes it as “a journey of return to God.” What is it that often blocks this upward movement and journey to God? Yielding to temptations! In today’s Gospel, Luke gives us the account of the temptation of Jesus in the desert. Jesus has just been baptized; he has just learned of his mission and identity. What comes next? Not a party! Not merry! Not even a private dinner to celebrate his baptism or the end of his long fasting. Rather, he confronts— as we all must— the great temptations. Jesus is truly the beloved Son of God. But what does that entail precisely? The devil, knowing full well that Jesus is hungry, urges him to break his fast: “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Now, this is a low level basic temptation, but it is a very strong temptation. The tempter wants the Lord to use his divine power to satisfy his bodily desires. This kind of temptation can come to us in different ways like “if your name is so and so, cross my path again and see what I am going to do to you;” “use your position to solve or satisfy some sensual needs.” To some young people, it might be, “if you are grown and no longer a daddy’s boy or girl, take a puff, drink a little etc.” This is a temptation to satisfy the body with food, drink, sex, drugs, and all those things that  we generally crave. How did Jesus handle this temptation? He relies on the Word of God. In fact, he quotes Deuteronomy 8:3: “It is written, One does not live on bread alone.” So, relying on the word of God, remembering the word of God and quoting the word of God in moments of temptation can help a Christian resist the devil’s suggestions and allurements. What else can help us overcome this low level temptation that is constantly knocking on the doors of our life? The Lenten discipline of fasting. How come? Fasting is more than just giving up chocolate, candy, drink or food. It is also about giving up all of those attachments, cravings and desires that hinder ongoing communion with God. Fasting can help us resist the tempter’s suggestion to use what we have to get what we need. We fast from sensual pleasures in order to allow the deepest hunger of the heart to emerge. 

Having failed at his first attempt, the devil shifts to the greatest of the temptations, which is power. He takes Jesus up to a high place where he could see in one glance all the powers, all the kingdoms, all the splendor of the world and then says to him, “I shall give to you all this power and glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.” I tell you, many people would gladly shun sensual pleasures just to acquire power. Power is extremely seductive. What does Jesus say? Once again, he relies upon the Scripture and quotes the book of Deuteronomy yet again, “It is written, You shall worship the Lord, your God and him alone shall you serve” (6:13). Power can be a very dangerous thing. Lots of people have surrendered themselves to the power of darkness, to evil manipulation and domination just to acquire power. Seeking power for the sake of power is to serve Satan. What’s the cure and antidote to this obsession, this highest level temptation? Prayer! What is prayer? “It is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God” so said St. John Damascene. In prayer, we attend to God, we become more aware of God, and we seek communion with God in a conscious way. In prayer, we raise our mind, our consciousness, our perception, and our intellectual ability. We also raise our heart to God, that means our passions, feelings, emotions and the longings of our soul in a very explicit and conscious way. That’s prayer! I assure you, any Christian who prays in this manner, will not submit to the glamor of power for the sake of power. Why? Because it is almost impossible to be in true communion with God while at the same time submit to the evil manipulation of power. 

In the third temptation, the devil plays a more subdued, low-key game. He takes Jesus to the parapet of the temple, and says to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” In the first and second temptations, Jesus refers and quotes the Scripture. But in the third temptation, the devil imitates Jesus and quotes the Scripture. How does Jesus respond now that the devil is also making reference to the Scripture? Jesus quotes another line in Deuteronomy that nullifies the devil’s mischievous application of the Word of God: “It also says, You shall not put the Lord, your God to the test” (6:16). At the time, the temple was the focal point in the life of the Jews. It was the epicenter of social life, political life, economic life, and religious life. Everything centers around the temple. The temple was everything. So, to be on the parapet of the temple meant to be in the place of greatest glory and honor. Everybody can see you there. You are on top of the world. Even God is watching out for you to dispatch his angels to work for you. This is the temptation to glory, honor and the inflation of the ego. It is the temptation to be seen by everyone and be considered very important by everyone. What Lenten discipline can help us triumph over this more subdued yet dangerous temptation? The discipline of almsgiving. In almsgiving, you give to another something that belongs to you for the sake of another. You give up something you have like money, clothes, food, hygiene products etc. for the good of the poor. Right? What about giving up something that will ultimately be for your own good? Don’t get me wrong. During this season, give alms to the needy. But remember that in the spiritual order, you are also a needy person. Spiritually you are poor. Among the things that impoverish us are sins of pride and the inflation of ego. If God humbled himself, became a human being, we have no reason to not humble ourselves as well. 

May God bless you and give you his peace!

Homily for the Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Who Is Your Spiritual Guide?

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, March 2, 2025

Jesus is the definitive and eminent spiritual teacher par excellence. He is the Good Shepherd we the sheep must follow. He is the divine Voice we all should listen to. But in today’s Gospel (Luke 6:39-45), which is the end of his Sermon on the Plain, Jesus speaks about other spiritual teachers and guides we might choose after him. We live in an era where everybody is, for the most part, a journalist. If you have a smartphone and know how to use it, you are a journalist. You can record your own speeches and post them online. You can also record other people’s speeches, take pictures of events, record live-videos of events and post them on your social media page. Now, as good as this is, it has also provided a platform for many ignorant and mischievous people to weigh into matters and issues they have absolutely no idea about. The other day, a young lady, a Nigerian-British writer and podcaster, Chidera Eggerue said while speaking to people who have the patience to listen to her, “Encouraging women to get married is like encouraging them to step one inch closer to their death because men are women’s apex predator.” Imagine such a fallacious hasty generalization. Surprisingly, this young lady has an audience that listens to her. On social media— Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, TikTok etc. you find a lot of people claiming to be guides, teachers, gurus, moral and spiritual guides. As a Christian, how do you find someone trustworthy? If you are looking for a spiritual teacher and guide, someone to follow and listen to, how do you discern and then decide on whom to listen to? St. Paul speaks about discerning the spirits. So, be careful who you listen to in every issue— be it social, moral, cultural, political, and spiritual. 

In his Sermon on the Plain, Jesus asks a very important question, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” If you are spiritually blind, you don’t know where you are going, the worst person to choose is someone who is as blind as you are. He is not going to lead you to safety. Common sense tells us that. Isn’t it? If you follow a wrong teacher, they can actually lead you to spiritual death. As I said before, Jesus is the definitive spiritual teacher and guide. From his lips we hear, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Before you choose someone to be your spiritual guide and teacher, the first question you should ask yourself is: has this person surrendered to Christ? Is she a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ? Now, I am not saying there are no truths in other religions and spiritual traditions. At the Second Vatican Council, the Church avers there are some truths in other religions. But if you are looking for the fullness of truth, and not some truth, the Catholic Church is your destination. If you are looking for the light and not the rays of the light, Jesus Christ is that light. He is the light of the world. And those who teach in his name and follow his path, they are the ones you should follow. 

The second question to ask is: who do I want to be like? If you want to be like Jesus, then find a teacher whose life conforms to that of the Lord. You should not listen or follow on social media someone who has not entrusted his or her life to Jesus. If you follow a conman, a fake prophet or prophetess faithfully, you will become like them. So, look for someone who is clearly a disciple of the Lord. 

The third question to ask is: does this man or woman speak and act like someone who needs a Savior? I tell you, a good spiritual teacher or guide is someone who acknowledges his own need for a Savior. The person who can best lead you to Christ is someone whom Christ has saved, and the person knows that he or she has been saved. If you want to be saved, if you are looking for salvation, if salvation is your top priority in your journey, then follow someone who has been saved and knows it too. We often speak about evangelization. What is it? It is one starving person telling another starving person where to find bread. That means the best evangelizer is someone who has been evangelized, who was lost and then was found, who was starving and then found food. That’s the person you want to follow and listen to. 

Do we need spiritual guides in our life? Yes! We need teachers, preachers, guides, spiritual directors, priests, faith formators etc. But make sure it is not someone who has a huge beam in his or her eyes, but now wants to remove the splinters in yours. Make sure it is someone who’s been saved and knows it. Make sure it is a sinner who knows he is a sinner still in need of salvation and has found it. Make sure it is a starving person like you but has found bread. That’s the person you should trust and choose as your spiritual guide. 

God bless you and give you his peace!

Homily for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

The Ethic For The Saints

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, February 23, 2025

Experts in world religions say there are two contrasting approaches to religion. The first, which can be found mostly in Asia and in pre-Christianity era in Africa, is a religion of karma, and the second, well known in Abrahamic religions, is the religion of grace. What’s the difference between the two? The religion of karma accepts the law of karma which says that if you do bad things, you will suffer, either in this life or the life after. And if we do good things, we will be rewarded, again either in this life or in the afterlife. Many people including some Christians actually like the karmic approach to religion. Why? Because it seems to satisfy our sense of justice. It seems right and fair. 

But a religion of grace is different. It begins from the standpoint of, “All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), as St. Paul says. Biblical religions like Christianity begin with “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). It claims that nobody is righteous, not you, not me. It teaches that all people are sinners and hence deserving of punishment. But that God, out of sheer generosity, gives us his forgiveness, his love, and eternal life, which we don’t deserve. It is crystal clear in the Bible that we don’t get what we deserve as in the religion of karma. What do we hear in that Christian poetry, “Amazing Grace” written by John Newton? Yes, it was first written as a poem in 1772, and after 60 years, it was put to the tune to which it is sung today. In those perennial words, we hear, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” In the religion of karma, wretches don’t deserve to be saved. A wretch deserves to be punished. But in the religion of grace, what the wretch gets is an amazing grace. Throughout the Bible, we see the religion of grace, the gifting of amazing grace to those who don’t deserve it. A very good example is the story of the Prodigal Son. After insulting his father, he leaves home with his father’s money, goes to a foreign land and squanders it in a reckless living. After losing everything, he comes back home. What does he deserve in the religion of karma? He deserves to be punished and rejected. But what did he get? His father lavishes him with forgiveness, acceptance and grace. In that story, the older brother appeals to the religion of karma. He reminds his father that this son of his has wasted his money with prostitutes, while he has been home working for the father and didn’t get what he deserves. But the reality is that in the religion of grace, God doesn’t operate that way. 

Now why am I spending time talking about the two approaches to religion? We are the one who sinned. We are the ones who have done bad things. But did we get what we truly deserved? No! Jesus suffered and died in our place. By his sorrowful Passion, we have been gifted with unmerited grace. What is grace? It’s a gift! But when you cling to a gift, hoarding it for yourself, refusing to share and give, you undermine its very nature. We are given to give. We are forgiven to forgive. We are blessed to bless. The whole point of receiving God’s life is to give it away in turn. If you are stingy with it, if you refuse to share that which you have received from God, I tell you, you undermine it. It does not grow or multiply. As a matter of fact, it fizzles away. But when you give it away, it is renewed within you.

With this in mind, let us look at today’s Gospel (Luke 6:27-38), which is Jesus’ extraordinary and paradigmatic Sermon on the Plain. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus gives his great quintessential sermon on a mountain. Now, what Jesus is saying in our today’s Gospel can only make sense for people who are sharing in the divine life, who believe and accept the religion of grace, and not the religion of karma. In the religion of karma, it is “Tit for tat.” “If you like me, I will like you.” “If you hate me, I will hate you.” Christianity, I often said, is counterintuitive and counter-cultural. Without grace, it is impossible to accept today’s teaching of the Lord. But if you believe in the religion of grace, if you believe that you’ve been gifted by God, if you submit to divine life, you will be able to live and give just as God does. Listen now to this unsettling statement: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Love your enemy? Who is an enemy? It is someone who doesn’t love you, and who is trying to harm you. To such people Jesus says: give what you have been given, which is mercy. Furthermore, Jesus says, “Do good to those who hate you.” What a very counter-cultural thing to do. We generally live according to the principle of “I will be good to you as long as you are good to me.” But this is not what Jesus is talking about here. He is talking about breaking the pattern of the religion of karma. More to it, he says, “Bless those who curse you.” Again, that’s not how we normally live. If I am blessing you, I expect you to bless me in return. As for blessing those who are cursing me, that’s a hard sale. But if you bless those who are cursing you, you love just the way God loves. Jesus also says, “pray for those who mistreat you.” O boy! 

What is the motivation to live this way? Jesus gives the answer, it is so that “your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” God gives freely to everyone— saints and sinners alike. To participate in the divine grace, we must live accordingly. And if you only love those who love you, and give only to those who give you, Jesus asks and I paraphrase here, What’s the big deal? You have not done anything outstanding, for even sinners do the same. I tell you, that is the heart of Jesus’ message. The law of the world is “I scratch your back and you scratch mine.” “I am giving you a gift so that you can also give me.” That’s the standard of the world. But we are being invited and drawn to love the way God loves. Step away from living according to the laws of the religion of karma and begin to live a graced life. By baptism, we have been Christified. So, let’s now begin to live as St. Paul said, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). 

Homily for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

To Whom Does Your Heart Belong?

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, February 16, 2025

For someone with no keen sense of the spiritual life, the words we hear today from Prophet Jeremiah are deeply negative, deeply troubling and deeply gloomy. But for a spiritual alert person, they are very profound articulations. In our first reading taken from the seventeenth chapter of his book, we hear, “Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the Lord” (Jeremiah 17:5). Are we being told to not trust any human being? Not even our parents, brothers, sisters, close friends, priests, staff in the office? Does it mean that married people should not trust themselves? Does it mean that parents should not trust their children and vice versa? Not so fast! Aside from family members, we certainly have met people who are indeed trustworthy; people whose yes are yes and whose no are no. We have friends and colleagues at work that have proven to be reliable and worthy of trust. So, there are human beings out there who can be trusted. But the Bible is laying a curse on anyone who trusts in human beings. What does it mean? 

As human beings, we surely have other interests in life like sports, entertainment, local, national and international politics, geography, nature, economy, science, world affairs etc. We have passion for this, and passion for that. As we live our daily life, we can be preoccupied with a lot of different things. No doubt, we can trust in human beings who have shown themselves trustworthy. You can trust that your bosom friend will not betray you. You can trust that the contract you signed with a company will be honored. I can trust that my parishioners in St. Bridget are with me. But that is not what prophet Jeremiah is speaking about today. When the Bible talks about the heart, as Jeremiah does, he says, “whose heart turns away from the Lord,” he means the deepest center of one’s life and activity. By heart, the Bible means the core, the organizing principle of someone’s entire life. Prophet Jeremiah is speaking about the allegiance of our heart. That core of you, that deepest organizing center of you, to whom does it belong to? To whom does your core, your heart belong? If it belongs to any human being, if it belongs to anything in this material world, Jeremiah says you are in a very bad spiritual space. 

Sisters and brothers, do not see the words of Jeremiah as a rejection of the human person, or the rejection of matter, or the rejection of the world. That’s not what it is. Biblical people do not see the material world as evil. They loved the world; they have nothing against the flesh. They understood it as God’s creature and God’s gift. In our tradition, nature reflects the glory, power and awesomeness of God. Created things glorify God who loved them into existence. So, biblical people do not see nature as intrinsically evil. They are not Platonists or Puritans. In the Bible, Genesis 1:31 says, “God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good” (1:31). So, the world is good. But our heart does not belong to anything in this world. The core and the deepest principle of our life must belong to God alone. After that, the rest of our life must align with God’s will. That means your friendships, your relationships, your business interests, your politics, your entertainment interests, your scientific interests, your attitude to food and drink, all of it, and everything you could possibly do in this world must surrender to God’s will and purposes. If your heart truly belongs to God, then you will never refuse forgiveness. If your heart belongs to God, you will never be resentful. If your heart belongs to God alone, you will not keep malice. If your heart belongs to God alone, you cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering and misfortune of others. If your heart truly belongs to God alone, you cannot be cold to cruelty and wickedness being meted upon another person. If your heart truly belongs to Jesus, the organizing principle of your life will be compassion, and nothing more. But if your heart is divided, which means to some degree, your heart belongs to God and also belongs to other things, you will basically be equating your love for God and your love for other things. It means your heart does not belong to God totally. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).  To be pure of heart is to be single-hearted. It means your heart belongs uniquely and entirely to God. It means nothing in this world competes with the Lord in your life. Whenever the choice is between coming to church or staying home to do other things, you choose coming to Mass. If your heart belongs entirely to God, and all your other interests find their place around that great organizing center, then you are a saint. This is exactly what the prophet Jeremiah is saying to us today. 

May God bless you and give you his peace!

Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

God Always Takes The First Step

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, February 9, 2025

One of the many questions people ask me concerning my journey to the priesthood is “Why did you become a priest?’ When such a question is asked, people assume the decision to become a priest was entirely mine. They think I woke up one morning and made a decision to go into the seminary to become a priest. I am not sure there is any priest who thinks his yes to God was his initiative. How come? In the spiritual order, it is always God who takes the first step. The spiritual life always begins with an invasion of grace due to God’s perfect unmerited love. In his Last Supper discourse, Jesus echoes this very reality when he tells his Apostles, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain” (John 15:16). That means the initial desire of a young man to go into the seminary is not entirely his. It is God who plants the desire. And it is God who keeps that desire alive. The desire to give one’s whole heart to God is the invasion of grace started by God. The desire for friendship with Jesus is an invasion of grace initiated by God. The desire to save souls is an invasion of grace initiated by God. It is always God who says, “Come, follow me,” and not the other way round. Grace comes without our asking for it or manipulating it. What does grace mean? Grace means God’s favor or his graciousness to us.

In today’s Gospel (Luke 5:1-11), we see the invasion and breakthrough of grace, the acknowledgement of sin, and the command to go on mission in full display. Luke says that Jesus is at the shore of the sea preaching. Then without asking for permission, and without being invited, Jesus gets into Simon’s boat and begins to give orders. For a first century Galilean fisherman, a boat meant a lot. It wasn’t just a means of transportation, it was his whole livelihood. It is like his shop, a place of doing his business. Imagine someone getting into your car uninvited and starts telling you where to go. I don’t think you will like that. But this is what invasion of grace looks like. This is God taking the first step to initiate a relationship with Peter. Peter didn’t ask for it. He wasn’t expecting it or expecting some big changes in his life. He and his colleagues had worked hard all night without catching any fish. By morning, they were getting ready to go home in disappointment. Suddenly, Jesus shows up, enters his boat and commands: “put out into the deep” water. Every encounter with God is always an invitation, a summon to go into the deep. Some of us spend our lives fooling around on the outside, by the sea shore, and living in the shallows. We may be successful in the eyes of the world, but spiritually speaking, we are living our lives at the seashore. Like little kids, we are playing on the sand without entering into the water. But God doesn’t want that for us. He wants to bring us into the depth. So, he breaks into Peter’s life. He gets into Peter’s boat and orders him to stop playing around.

After being ordered to go into the deep, Peter protests, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing.” But after his initial protest, he submits to grace “but at your command I will lower the net.” He is an experienced fisherman. He knows the water; he knows how to fish in it. But the Lord is inviting him to trust, not in what he sees, but in what he hears. This is probably happening to you at this time in your life. You are trying to find happiness and peace but haven’t found it. You are trying to find spiritual meaning, but haven’t found it. Why? Because you are trying on your own terms. And as long as your effort is your own business, your own project, you are not going to get it. Look at Peter! The great moment happens when he willingly cooperates with grace. In every encounter with God, grace comes first. But once grace breaks through, God wants us to cooperate with his love. God does not turn us into passive puppets. He wants to awaken our minds, wills, hearts, bodies, energies in cooperation. As soon as Peter follows the promptings of grace, he finds so many fish that his boat begins to sink. Some people came to help him to prevent his boat from going under. What does that mean? When you allow Jesus to get into your life, you let him command you, you allow him to be the Lord of your life, you stop playing along the seashore, you stop playing around with your own projects, you are going to find so much life that overwhelms you and in fact, attracts other people to take in some of the life you have been given. This is exactly what we find in the life of all the saints. People get attracted to the saints. Why? Because there is so much life and grace around them. 

In the wake of this invasion of grace, Simon acknowledges his sin: “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Check this out! The acknowledgment of sin did not come from the very beginning. It is not the sine qua non for grace. It is not when you say you are sorry that grace is given to you. That’s not how it works. The confession of sin is always the consequence of the invasion of grace. In the light that Christ brings, Peter sees his own inadequacies. When you compare your life and the life that Jesus is offering you, you will definitely acknowledge your sinfulness. One of the signs that you are not doing well in your spiritual life is when you are reluctant to admit your sinfulness. Once you agree that everything is fine and great with you, that’s a sign that you are not standing in the light of grace. Following Simon’s acknowledgment of his sins, Jesus does not say to him, you are okay. Rather he says to him, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” That means, go and become an agent of grace you have received for other people. But why does God invade our lives? Because he wants us to be fully alive. The glory of God is the human person fully alive. God does not want us to play around like kids. He wants us plugged, grafted and connected into the great adventure of the spiritual life. He wants us to be spiritually alert and not to be carried away or distracted by the affairs of this world. Everything we do should be done with a keen sense of God’s presence. 

God bless you!

Homily on the Feast of St. Bridget of Ireland

Great Lessons From St. Bridget Of Ireland

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Feast of St. Bridget of Ireland

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. But it is also the Sunday we celebrate in a special way our dear patron, St. Bridget of Ireland. Because of the uniqueness of today, I will like to share some of the key lessons we can learn from St. Bridget. Saints in heaven are saints because they were first saints on earth. If you want to be a saint in heaven, you must first be a saint here on earth. So, how did St. Bridget become a saint?

We live in a world where selfishness and greed are the order of the day. Greed indeed is an incurable disease that only the good God can cure. People don’t complain, don’t protest and don’t frown until something hits them directly and personally. But waiting until something affects you personally before you stand up and oppose it is not Christianity. In the case of St. Bridget, we are told that she had a deep compassion for the poor and the marginalized. She was renowned for her unwavering care towards the poor, the sick, and those on the fringes of society. In the course of her life, she emphasized the vital importance of actively reaching out to help others without expecting anything in return. That’s what saints do. They give and give expecting nothing but the Lord. For the saints, the greatest treasure is not silver and gold but the Lord alone. For St. Bridget, what matters is not awesome power but awesome service to others especially the most vilified and maligned in the society. If you want to be a saint in heaven like St. Bridget, start being a saint today by caring for those who need our help the most.

St. Bridget was also known for her generosity and hospitality. She was known for welcoming all people with open arms, sharing what she had with others, and creating a space of hospitality for those in need. What does generosity really mean? It means mercy. If you have experienced the loving mercy of God, allow others to also experience the same through you. If you have felt the providential hand of a loving God, become a vehicle, a conduit through which others experience the same love and mercy. Give to others everything you have received from God. You know, everything God gives you including your life is not for keep. We are given to give. My life is not about me and what I want. It is primarily about God, then others and then me. Take this to the bank: if you want real joy in your life, the word “JOY” has to be an acronym you live by. “J” then stands for Jesus, “O” for others and “Y” for you.” If you want to be a saint in heaven, like St. Bridget, actively welcome people that God brings to your space. Don’t ignore them. Don’t avoid them. Open your arms to them. That will make you a saint.

The great St. Bridget was also known for her prayer life. But beyond prayers, her faith was manifested through her actions. She actively sought to alleviate the suffering of others and lived out the teachings of Christ through her daily life. Saying your prayers frequently is a great Christian virtue and habit, but in prayer, do you encounter Jesus who said, “Whatsoever you did for the least of my brethren, you did to me?” If your prayer life does not lead you to an encounter with this Jesus, something is really missing. During his public ministry, Jesus practiced open table fellowship, he actively reached out and brought back those in Israel who had been disenfranchised— the poor, the sick, lepers, prostitutes, the blind, tax collectors. By gathering the tribes, Jesus announces his disapproval of the ugly game of insiders versus outsiders. As far as Jesus is concerned, no one is an outsider, rather all God’s children are insiders. Do you want to be a saint in heaven? Begin now by being a saint on earth. Show compassion to those on the fringes of society. 

St. Bridget created what we have come to know as St. Bridget’s Cross. Why? She wanted a tangible symbol that will help her share her faith and connect with others. She knew there is nothing like “private faith.” We cannot privatize faith or make it something we do when we are only in church. Authentic faith is lived out. It is shared with all and sundry. Finally, despite her influence and miracles, St. Bridget remained humble and focused on serving others. By concrete example, she demonstrated that true power lies not in dominating and controlling others but in selfless acts of service. What truly makes a person great? Who is a great person? Is it that individual that bullies others? No! Is it that person that dominates and terrorizes others? No! Is it that person that uses power to make his presence known? No! A great person lives for others. If you want to see the greatest person ever, take a look at the cross. What’s Jesus doing on the cross? He is setting us free. He is drawing all people to God, and by drawing people to God, he draws them together. 

Sisters and brothers, this is our patron saint. If we want to be saints in heaven, this is what we have to do on earth. 

God bless you!

Homily on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Mother And Child United By One Fate

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Today we celebrate the Fourth Joyful Mystery— the Presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple. In fulfillment of the law, Joseph and Mary took the infant Jesus to Jerusalem. Upon entering the temple, they met two godly and prophetic figures, Simeon and Anna, who for many years, had been praying and waiting for the Messiah. The Jews were expecting a messiah that would make all their socio-political problems go away. At the time, Israel was under the political control of Rome. Now, being controlled and governed by a foreign government was not new to Israel. They had experienced it before in Egypt. But, this particular submission was uniquely terrible and painful for them because they were living in their land and being governed by a pagan government in Rome. So, they were expecting a Messiah who would come on a rescue operation. But instead he came in riding on a donkey. As the Son of God, he could have come with legions of Angels, with power and might. But he came humbly. He rode into the city of Jerusalem riding on a donkey. And guess what? He continues to do so till today. 

So, when Mary and Joseph came into the temple to perform the custom of the law in regard to the infant Jesus, the upright and devout Simeon was on hand to receive them. He was in the temple at the rightest of time. Of all the times and hours he had been in the temple to pray and worship, this particular one is the most signifiant. He had been promised by God that he would not see death until he had seen “the Christ of the Lord.” That promise was fulfilled at this event. Simeon was in the Spirit when Mary and Joseph brought in the child Jesus, and it seems he did not even wait for the parents to do what brought them all the way from Nazareth to Jerusalem before he took the child into his arms and began to bless God and say:

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples; a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory of  your people Israel.” 

Friends, in the words of his prayers, Simeon, presents Jesus to Jews and Gentiles alike. He also presents him to all the people of the world. In his prayer, Simeon testifies that what he has seen will bring light to Gentiles and glory to Israel. The child is a manifestation of the glory of God and a visible sign of God’s saving presence. However, shortly after those joyful words, Simeon turns to Mary and foretells of a future sorrow: 

“Behold this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and a sign that will be contradicted— and you yourself a sword will pierce— so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” 

In those words, the holy man, Simeon, speaks about the fierce opposition that Jesus will face. He tells the child’s mother that the grief she will undergo will be so great that it will pierce her very being. As if to soothe Simeon’s prophecy, prophetess Anna walks in and begins to thank God and speaks to all who have been waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem about the child. After Mary and Joseph had fulfilled the prescriptions of the Law of the Lord, they returned to their own town of Nazareth in Galilee where Jesus “grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.” 

Mary and Joseph understood that their baby, Jesus, had to be brought to the Temple, not to be redeemed like every other male child that opens the womb, but to be offered to God as a true sacrifice. It was in the process of offering her Son to God that Mary learned that she too will share closely in Jesus’ redemptive mission. She learned that her fate and that of her son are tied together. The good news is that this Jesus is also presented to us as our Savior and salvation. He is the Light of the world, the manifestation of the glory of God, and the visible sign of God’s saving presence. He is God in the flesh, Yahweh moving among his people. He is the Lamb of God who would redeem all people from their sins.