Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Hold Lightly, Not Tightly

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, August 3, 2025

The central spiritual theme in our readings for this weekend is what the great St. Alphonsus Liguori called “distacco,” meaning radical detachment—the need to loosen our attachment to worldly goods. However, this detachment does not imply hatred or contempt for the world. The Catholic Church rejects puritanism and dualism entirely. We believe in the goodness of the world and everything in it. Material things, in themselves, are good. The proper biblical attitude toward worldly goods is to hold them lightly, even as we recognize and celebrate them.

Today’s Gospel has two related parts. In the first, we hear that someone in the crowd shouted to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” What is going on here? It’s about a conflict over family inheritance. A widespread situation that is happening in many homes and families, in lawyers’ offices across the country, and sometimes in priests’ offices as we speak. Why does it happen? Someone in the family wants all of what their parents left behind. Someone does not want to share justly with the other siblings. I have seen families fight over inheritance. I have seen brothers and sisters engage in an endless war over family inheritance. In California, I witnessed two sisters who used to be greatly devoted to each other, torn apart by this very question. One of the sisters brought the issue to me to resolve. After a lengthy meeting and conversation with them, the younger sister refused to change her mind. They ended up in a lawyer’s office and a judge’s courtroom. The feud over their parents’ property severed their relationship.

What does Jesus say? His response was a question: “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” It seems he does not want to be dragged into the dispute. Rather, he seizes the opportunity to teach a great spiritual lesson: “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” If you can, please place these words on your screen saver. Put it on your refrigerator’s door. Put those words where you can see them regularly. Notice that Jesus is not condemning and denouncing possessions in themselves. He is not urging everyone to get rid of their possessions and property. He is rather telling everyone not to make possessions the foundation of life because life does not consist of possessions. He is telling us not to make the goods of this world our God. The great British scholar, writer, and theologian, C. S. Lewis, admonished, “Don’t let your happiness depend on something you may lose.” Amazing! Isn’t it? Enjoy the goods of this world, but don’t live for them and don’t base your life upon them. When it comes to earthly possessions, don’t cling to them with a desperate grip. Hold them lightly, not tightly. Don’t become sad, depressed, and frustrated when you don’t have them. And if you had them and then lost them, do not think your life has come to an end. Don’t see suicide as an option. Remember this basic spiritual truth: Everything I have in this life will finally not be mine. It is either I lose them while I am still alive, or I will leave them behind for someone else and journey to God. So, hold the things of this world lightly and not tightly. The only reality worth holding tightly is God. Only God is everlasting. Everything else comes and goes. 

After that, Jesus narrates a very devastating parable of a man who wants to build bigger barns. He is like a hedge fund manager, a private equity investor, a very successful businessman. He is rich, but wants to be richer. He is a millionaire, but wants to be a billionaire. He wants to tear down the old barns and build something bigger to accommodate his wealth. The man in this story is the symbol of obsessive greed. He has a lot but still wants more. To him, God addresses, “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?” (Luke 13:20). What is your life all about? What is the meaning of your life? If your life is required of you today, what would you show the Lord? Your bigger barns? Your real estate? Your growing business? Your fat bank account? Your many degrees? The important people that you know? Is that all? Trust me, you don’t want to go there with simply bigger barns. 

Now, what’s the cure to obsessive greed? Don’t look too far for the answer. Look at the words of today’s second reading: “If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not what is on earth.” St. Paul is not asking us to love spiritual things alone and to hate the material world. Paul was a good Jew and had nothing against the material world. He is simply asking us to value God supremely. Once God is the supreme value of your life, you will know what to do with whatever worldly good you may attain. Whenever we pray the Our Father, we say, “Hallowed be your name.” What does it mean? It means: Lord, may your name be held holy. The Greek word for holy is “kadosh,” which means “other,” “set apart.” Whenever you say, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name…” you are saying, “Among the many things I pursue in this life, God is without competition. May God not have any competition. May I not allow work, entertainment, politics, race, nation, wealth, honor, power, etc. compete with God in my life.” C. S. Lewis said, “Nothing you have not given away will ever really be yours.” Cardinal Francis George, right before he died, said, “The only thing you take with you in the life to come are the things you have given away on earth.” What you have in the heavenly realm is nothing other than the love you cultivated here below. It is not bigger barns filled with stuff. It is not the wealth or power you acquired and procured. The only thing you have in the heavenly realm is the love you cultivated here below.

On The Gospel of Matthew 13:44-46

On The Gospel of Matthew 13:44-46

Business people love exploring highly valuable and lucrative opportunities. They are always on the lookout for deals that can increase their wealth. Some time ago, a friend of mine told me about a house he bought. And he said, “I did not buy it because I needed it, but I bought it because it was an opportunity that would fetch me more money in the future, and it was too good to resist.” As he told me this over the phone, he was excited and joyful. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said, “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it” (Matthew 13:44-46). Now, what is the treasure of the spiritual life? It is the gift of faith. Faith in Jesus Christ transforms life. It changes the way we see the world. It changes the way we see others, our neighbors. It changes the value we place on material things. With faith in Jesus, we see everything in the cosmos as God sees it. With faith in Jesus, everything concerning us has a new meaning. 

Sisters and brothers, what do you seek in life? What do you value most? What is your greatest treasure? What is your precious pearl? Among all your important values—family, life, country, and others—I hope your relationship with Jesus Christ is at the top. I hope you are willing to give up everything to hold tightly to your relationship with the Lord. Jesus is the greatest Treasure of inestimable value. 

God bless you!

Fr. Marcel 

Homily for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Abraham And The Power Of Intercession

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, July 27, 2025

The central spiritual theme in our readings for this weekend is prayer. What is prayer? St. John Damascene defines prayer as “the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.” This definition reveals that prayer involves two things: a focused attention on God and a request for what is good. Prayer is a special time for God. Although everything a Christian does should be centered on God, prayer time is a sacred moment reserved for God. Nowadays, people talk about “me time.” Following that sense, think of prayer as God’s time. Think of prayer as a conversation between you, God’s child, and your Father, God. 

Our first reading (Genesis 18:20-32) can rightly be called “the Prayer of Abraham for  two sinful cities.” In the passage, we hear that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is “so grave” that the Lord decides to wipe them out from the surface of the earth. But before God acted, Abraham approached God and said, “Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty? Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?” Abraham is praying; he is interceding on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah. He is asking God to spare the cities for the sake of fifty righteous people. Replying to him, God said, “If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Pleased by God’s response, Abraham said, “What if there are forty-five innocent people? Will you destroy the whole city?” God answered, “I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there.” Delighted by God’s response, Abraham persisted in his request: “What if there are only forty innocent people there?” Once again, God promised to spare the city because of those. Greatly encouraged, Abraham then pleaded with God to be patient with him for making further requests, “What if only thirty upright people are found there?” God replied, “I will refrain from destroying it if I can find thirty there.” Emboldened by God’s patience and mercy, Abraham said, “…what if there are only twenty people?” The all-patient God said, “I will not destroy it, for the sake of the twenty.” Grown in greater confidence, Abraham pleaded with the Lord not to be angry with him, for he wanted to make his last request: “What if there are at least ten there?” God replied, “For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it.” 

What are the spiritual lessons from Abraham’s intercessory prayer? What can we learn from the conversation between God and Abraham? First lesson: It is good to be a friend of God. Abraham can have this conversation with God because he is God's friend. Take this to the bank— if God is your friend, your Abba (Daddy), you can always approach Him and, like Abraham, confidently speak to Him. You won’t be afraid of God. You won’t see Him as a distant figure; rather, someone very close to you. In the words of the great St. Augustine, “God is closer to me than I am to myself.” Respect God, but don’t be afraid of God, for God is, through and through, pure love.

Second lesson: Do not toy with sin. Do not make excuses for your sins. The great American Bishop, Robert Barron, describes sin as a force that not only separates us from God but also diminishes our capacity to flourish and be happy. I tell you, sin always involves alienation from God. It generates within us a sense of shame, fear, and self-consciousness. In the book of Genesis, we hear that after the Fall of Adam and Eve, they went into hiding. Then God called and asked them, “Where are you?” For the omniscient God to ask them that question does not mean he has lost sight of them. He knows exactly where they are. But what is being revealed here is that “sin always involves an alienation from God.” Although God has not lost sight of us, in sin, we have lost sight of Him. We have wandered away. Our first reading says the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is “so grave.” What does our Church call grave sins? Mortal sin! As a guide, if you have forgotten what mortal sins are, go through the Ten Commandments and consider spending some time reflecting on the seven cardinal sins— pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. Whenever you are guilty of any, use the sacrament of confession and reconciliation. 

Third lesson: Our faith calls us to love and care for others. One notable trait of Saint Bridget’s parishioners is their concern for others, especially the materially poor. That is commendable. The corporal works of mercy invite us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, visit the sick and prisoners, bury the dead, and give alms to the poor. But caring only for others' material needs means expecting them to live by bread alone. The Fathers of the Church remind us that material well-being is only a halfway return to spiritual restoration. While we care about others’ material needs, we should, like Abraham, also intercede for their spiritual well-being. I tell you, the greatest and deepest poverty affecting so many people is spiritual poverty. A lack of awareness of God and disconnection from Him are serious problems. If you don’t have enough in life but have God, you have everything. Even if you cannot meet all your material needs, you will be content and joyful. You won’t spend your time being jealous or envious. You won’t be tempted to steal, nor blame others for your situation, because your greatest inheritance is God. So, pray for others. Pray for your family members who have fallen away from the faith. Act like Abraham and lift them up in prayer. If you've spoken to them about God and they ignore you, stop talking about God to them and start talking to God about them. 

Fourth and final lesson: As a nation, we should be mindful of how foreigners in our land are treated. From the first reading we read, “So the Lord said: The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great…” Where does the outcry come from? It “comes from the victims of the injustice and violence rampant in the city.” It comes from the wicked treatment of the visitors. Sodom and Gomorrah became wicked twin cities because of their lack of social justice, their disregard for the poor, and their violation of the sacred duty of hospitality towards their visitors. As a naturalized US citizen, I sometimes hesitate to speak on immigration issues because it is a hot-button, controversial issue. More to it, my hesitation comes from the fact that I am, in a way, an outsider, and I don’t want someone to say, “The only reason he is soft on immigration is because he, too, is an immigrant.” Regardless of your political affiliations and views, the fact remains that God cares about how foreigners in the land are treated. To be godly, therefore, is to care about those things that God cares about. I think we all can agree on this. God bless you!

Homily for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

The One Thing Necessary: Reflections on Martha And Mary

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, July 20, 2025

In recent times, many people, particularly women, have found the story of Martha and Mary to be disturbing. In their defense of Martha, they say that Jesus’s assessment of her was rather too harsh, too unfair, and very critical. As you can see, the story is brief. Yet, it evokes strong emotions and sparks debate among Christians. Over the centuries, it has been interpreted in various ways. Today, let us examine the three major ways preachers and scholars have interpreted it. 

The first is a traditional interpretation that associates this story with the active life and the contemplative life. Martha, who was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner and worried that her sister was not joining her, is symbolically seen as the active life. And she stands for all the people in the life of the Church who are actively involved in ministry. On the other hand, Mary, who sits quietly at the feet of Jesus listening, stands for the contemplative life. She represents all the clustered monks, nuns, scholars, and contemplatives who spend their lives in quietude, in prayer, and consideration of the things of God. So, when Jesus said “Mary has chosen the better part,” some people see it as Jesus’ validation of the contemplative life over the active life. Is Jesus really throwing more weight for the contemplative life over the active life?

In the spiritual order or hierarchy, listening comes first before acting. The basic principle in the Bible is that listening to God comes first. You cannot embark on God’s mission unless you first listen and understand what he wants you to do for him. Don’t get me wrong. Action is important. I am not denigrating the active life. Throughout his public ministry, Jesus was very active. Chronologically speaking, our relationship with God always begins with God taking the first step. God does the work of election. From the lips of Jesus, we hear, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you.” So, God always takes the first step. God always speaks first. It is after we have listened and understood exactly what God says that we start acting. If we act before listening to God’s word, there will be trouble. Check all the great figures in the Bible, and you will notice it all begins with listening— what is the Lord saying? Once we understand what God is saying, then we are ready to act in a way that is in harmony with God’s will. In the Bible, King David wanted to build a Temple for God. But after seeking counsel from Nathan, the prophet told him that’s not what God wanted. And to his great credit, David listened and did not build the Temple.

We are not a contemplative society. We are not a listening society. Today, we are driven by the spirit of Martha. We are busy doing a lot of things. Some people become sad and bored because they think they are not active. It is probably the reason why many in our culture defend Martha. We like busy people, people who accomplish a lot, who are stretched in different ways. Ask someone how they are doing, and the response they give you sometimes is about how busy they are. Again, don’t get me wrong. The active life is good, but it must proceed from contemplation. Our active life must flow from our prayer life. 

The second interpretation is a standard reading of the story, which is the problem of one and the many. Addressing Martha’s anxiousness, Jesus says, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is a need for only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her.” In Latin, we hear that Mary has chosen “Unum Necessarium,” that is, the one thing necessary. In the sixth Beatitude, Jesus said, “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.” What does it mean to have a clean heart? It is to be a single-hearted person! According to the great Danish philosopher and theologian, Soren Kierkegaard, “The saint is someone whose life is about one thing,” centered on God. I tell you, once your entire life is focused on the one thing necessary, although you are busy, there will be order and harmony in your soul. In this story, the problem is not that Martha is busy and Mary is not. The problem is that Martha is anxious and worried about many things. She is lost in the “many of her life.” Mary, on the other hand, is anchored on “the One.” When you wake up in the morning and have many things to do, are you finally about one thing? If not, you have Martha’s problem. But if in the many activities of your life, you can say you are about one thing, that all you are going to do leads to the glory of God, that all of it is an attempt to follow the will of God, then you are in a very good spiritual place and space. You are in the space of Mary. 

The third interpretation of this passage is more contemporary. It is made by the great Anglican biblical scholar, N. T. Wright, in a conference paper titled, “Women’s Service in the Church: The Biblical Basis.” According to N. T. Wright, the story of Mary and Martha is a powerful illustration of the “new creation” ushered in by Jesus, where traditional roles are redefined and everyone is invited to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from him. One of the principal marks of Jesus’ teaching and ministry is the overturning of social norms and conventions. For instance, Jesus eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners, which was shocking to the people of his time. As a pure Jew, Jesus associates with Samaritans and speaks openly to them. He relates kindly to Roman soldiers, hated by the Jews. He touches those who were considered ritually and religiously unclean. He heals on a Sabbath day. He did all these in the service of what he called “the Kingdom of God,” which is God’s way of ordering things. The new creation that Jesus is ushering in, the way God wants things to be, involves the radical inclusion of women in Jesus’ inner circle, which was practically unheard of by any rabbi at that time. In the course of his public ministry, Jesus speaks alone to the woman at the Well, who, interestingly, was a Samaritan. At that time, a man would only talk to a woman publicly if he were in the company of other men. Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery. He also allowed the woman with hemorrhages to touch him, etc. More to it, before the rehabilitation of Peter and others, who were the first to come to the tomb of Jesus? Women! Who were the first to see the risen Jesus? Women! Who did Jesus first entrust the good news of his resurrection to? Women! Women were the first evangelists of the Resurrection of Jesus. “Mary Magdalene and the others are the apostles to the apostles.” 

What is going on here? In all these events, Jesus is letting us know the radical inclusion of women in his inner circle. The reason we miss this point is that we are more interested in what we call “Jesus’ unfair assessment of Martha,” and we are so disconnected from the social conventions of Jesus’ time. Jesus is in the home of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. Martha is in the space conventionally reserved for women. She was in the kitchen preparing a meal, doing what women at the time were expected to do. As women occupy the space reserved for them in the kitchen, men will sit down in the main room and talk. And if a prominent rabbi or Pharisee were present, men would sit at his feet and listen to his words. By the way, this posture does not imply a kind of dog-like devotion or slavishness. “To sit at the teacher’s feet is a way of saying you are being a student, picking up the teacher’s wisdom and learning,” to become a teacher, a rabbi yourself. It is the attitude of a disciple to sit and listen to the teacher. But this was exclusively reserved for men. Only men would do this. For N. T. Wright, Martha was bothered for being left to do all the work, but the real problem was that Mary had the guts to ignore one of the most basic social conventions. She was anxious that Mary had the gall to take up position in men’s space. She has flouted the norm. And when Martha invites Jesus to intervene, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me,” what does Jesus do? He declares that Mary is right to do so. She is right to sit at the Master’s feet, “adore, gaze in admiration and love at the wonderful teacher.” What does this mean? Jesus is inviting Mary and all women to full participation in discipleship. To Martha and all the men in the room, Jesus said, “Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her.” 

Don’t forget, the one who wrote this story is Luke, who was a companion of Paul. The Gospel of Luke has many of Paul’s themes. In one of his letters, Paul said, “In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). When we read these words today, we agree with St. Paul and say, “Of course.” But in the first century, that was a radical thing to say. It was a problem and trouble-seeking comment to make. Those were the basic social divisions at the time. It was clearly understood at the time that free men were more fortunate than slaves; Jews had a greater spiritual advantage over the Greeks, and men were considered superior to women. But in his ministry and teaching, Jesus and Paul say, “not so fast.” It is no longer part of the world that God is ushering in. That was in the past. In the Kingdom that Jesus brings, we are simply brothers and sisters. Everybody, rich or poor, outsiders or insiders, men or women, is invited to discipleship. And the decision to honor this invitation is the most important decision you will ever make in your entire life. You are invited into intimacy with Jesus Christ. The most important and the greatest decision you will ever make in life is to follow him. 

God bless you!

Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

The Good Samaritan: A Portrait Of Jesus Christ

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara

Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, July 13, 2025

The parable of the Good Samaritan has commonly been used to illustrate the Golden Rule, which says that we should treat others as we want to be treated. While this ethical interpretation is valid and laudable, the Saints and Fathers of the Church remind us that to care only for the material needs of others is to expect them to “live by bread alone.” Physical well-being, they say, is only part of the way to spiritual restoration. So the parable of the Good Samaritan is not merely a morality tale. It is not just an account of the kind of life we should lead. Yes indeed, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy compel us to care for those in need. But the parable of the Good Samaritan is much deeper than that. It is rather a great illustration of who Jesus Christ is and how he saves and cures. 

How does the parable begin? Jesus says: “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.” In the Bible, Jerusalem is a symbol of God's presence. It is often regarded as the city of God. Mount Zion is in Jerusalem. In Psalm 122:3-4, we hear, “Jerusalem is built as a city, strongly compact. It is there that the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord.” Jerusalem is always associated with heaven: “You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (Hebrews 12:22). Jerusalem is a symbol of the well-ordered city, a well-ordered life, and spiritual perfection. So, to travel from Jerusalem to Jericho symbolizes a departure from God’s presence, ordered life, and spiritual perfection. And by the way, if you go to the Holy Land, you will notice a real descent as you walk from Mount Zion in Jerusalem to Jericho. Jericho is one of the lowest cities in the world because it is at the level of the Dead Sea, which is one of the lowest places on earth. Symbolically speaking, Jericho is the city of sin. When the Israelites got to the Promised Land, who stood in opposition to them? Jericho! Symbolically, their opposition is an opposition to God’s will. Remember the blind Bartimaeus in the Gospel of Mark. Where was he sitting before Jesus saved him? He was sitting by the walls of Jericho.   The idea is that, spiritually speaking, blindness is associated with this city of sin. Jericho is the symbol of an improperly ordered city and a symbol of a dysfunctional soul. So, a man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho represents the Fall of the human race. We all are this man, who, through sin, has departed from the heights of God’s friendship to the depths of Jericho. This is a descent from a state of grace to a state of sin. 

As he walked from Jerusalem to Jericho, Jesus says he fell victim to robbers. He was robbed of his possessions. What does sin do to us? It robs us of friendship with God. It robs us of the best in us. It robs us of grace and full participation with the people of God. When our friendship with God is distorted, our minds are distorted as well. We might know a lot of true things, but we don’t know the deepest truth. When we lose friendship with God, we begin to choose wrong things. We are robbed in a certain way, our human dignity. Our likeness to God is compromised. This is what sin does to us. Sin is like an addiction. When the Bible uses the word “sin,” it is like a condition, a disease, an addiction. It is like a state we find ourselves in, and we cannot extricate ourselves from it. G. K. Chesterton, the great English writer, said, “We are all in the same boat and we are all sea-sick.”

Who met the beaten man by the road? He was met by the priest and the Levite. But they could not help him. What do they symbolize? They symbolize all the official religion of that time. They symbolize all the rituals and practices of the religions of that time. In our time, some people argue that if there is enough political reform, the fine-tuning of economic policies to make things better, and working to improve our psychology, we will be okay. But the Bible says, No! There is nothing we can do, no work of ours or institution of ours can save us from the problem of sin. In fact, when we try to save ourselves, we make things worse. Our salvation is beyond us. If you're stuck in quicksand, the worst move to make is to try on your own to get out. You just sink deeper. 

Who comes along to save the man? A Samaritan. He is an outsider. In Jesus’ time, Samaritans were considered half breeds, not true Israelites, and not really good. But it was this Samaritan who, upon seeing a helpless man, went down from his own Beast of Burden, stooped down, poured oil and wine into the wounds of the man. Then puts him up on his own Beast of Burden, takes him to an inn, and cares for him. Who is this outsider? Who is this good Samaritan? Jesus Christ, the Lord! Look at him on the cross. Is he an Outsider? Yes, indeed! Was he despised? Absolutely! Yet, he is the one who stooped down. The great St. Paul said, “Though he was in the form of God, he did not deem equality with God, something to be grasped at. Rather, he emptied himself and took the form of a slave, accepting even death, death on a cross.” What is that cross? It is the stooping low of the Good Samaritan Christ, who poured into our wounded souls, our sin-sick souls, oil and wine. The use of oil and wine to heal points to the sacramental life of the Church. Oil is used for baptism, confirmation, ordination to the priesthood, and the anointing of the sick. And wine points to the Eucharist. If you have been baptized and confirmed, you have had the oil of Jesus Christ poured into your wounds. In the Mass, we receive the Eucharist, the bread and wine, which is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. So, in the Mass, Jesus is pouring his own Blood into our sin-sick souls. 

The earliest description of Jesus is Savior. The Latin word is “Salvator,” which means “the one who bears the Salus.” “Salus” means “health,” “well-being.” In the ancient world, a Roman citizen would greet another “Salve.” Salve was another way of saying, “hello.” But it means “health,” “good health” to you. Remember one of the ancient prayers to the Blessed Mother Mary, “Salve Regina.” It means “Hail or hello, Holy Queen.” Jesus is the Salvator, the Bearer of healing. And Jesus, the Bearer of healing, gives us the Sacraments of the Church as a means of healing. These sacraments are poured into the wounds of sin-sick souls. I tell you, we can’t be healed in any other way. The Good Samaritan, after picking up the wounded man, and pouring oil and wine into his wounds, he brings him to an inn, where he pays for him. What is the inn? The Church. Jesus brings us to this place of healing, the Church, where we will receive continuous healing. The Late Pope Francis called the Church a field hospital, where wounded souls can find healing and refreshment. Jesus is called the Savior and the Healer. He is also called the Redeemer. The word redeemer is the English version of Latin redemptor, which is derived from the verb “redimere,” that is, “to buy back,” “to ransom.” The cross is the paying of the price. On the cross, what we owe due to our sin was paid for. We can’t pay it. But he paid it on the cross. We’re all in the same boat, and we are all seasick. We’re all addicted. We’re all in the condition of sin. Like the man in the parable, we have all gone down from Jerusalem to Jericho. In that sinful place, we lie incapable of saving ourselves. But glory be to God. The Good Samaritan Christ came to save us. Thanks be to God. The Good Samaritan came and brought us to an inn, the Church, the field hospital, to a place of healing. Honor to God for the Good Samaritan came and paid the price that we cannot in principle pay. Yes indeed, the story of the Good Samaritan is about how we should treat our neighbor. But far more important, it is the story of how God treated us and treats us in our sin. The reason why we gather here often is to continue to receive the ongoing healing of God and also to give thanks to God for sending us the Good Samaritan Christ. 

God bless you

The Parable of New Wine in Old Wineskins

MATTHEW 9:14-17

In today’s Gospel, Jesus narrates the parable of new wine in old wineskins. In the context of the Gospel of Jesus, what is the new wine? It is the Incarnation (the kenosis or self-emptying of God; God became fully human, taking on flesh and bone, while remaining fully divine), the Good News, (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; God is love), the historic event that occurred on the Cross,( the reconciliation of the divine and the human; there is in principle no sin that God cannot forgive. For on the cross, Jesus prays, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”)

What is the old wineskin? It is the old consciousness, the old attitude, the old philosophy, the old way of thinking and reasoning. As long as the old ego is still reigning in our souls, as long as the old and tired culture is still a big factor in our lives, we will resist tasting the new wine. In fact, the new wine will taste very bitter; it will be too strange, too foreign, and too threatening to us. We will always reject it. Why? At the depth, what you believe determines what you do. 

This is the reason why, when Jesus first appeared on the hills of Galilee, the first words out of his lips were, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” The word “repent” has been given a bad rap in our increasingly secular culture. The modern and liberal mind now sees it as a judgmental move. But what Jesus is basically saying is, “change your mind,” “go beyond your mind.”

Before we can drink or assimilate the new wine, a spiritual and theological paradigm shift is necessary. There must be a fundamental shift in perspective and a turning away from a previous way of thinking and behaving. It is not merely about feeling sorry, but about a transformative change in one’s attitude, thoughts, and actions. During your next recollection day, it will be a helpful spiritual exercise to identify those sayings and actions of Jesus in the Gospel that make you most uncomfortable. Doing that will reveal the path of metanoia you must follow. The new wine cannot be contained in old wineskins. Light and darkness cannot dwell together. The City of God and the City of Man cannot co-mingle. One must give way. If you want to drink the new wine of the Lord, you must go beyond the mind you have.  

God bless you!

Fr. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Discipleship And Mission: Lessons From The Seventy-Two

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center

Sunday, July 6, 2025

Jesus had twelve intimate followers whom we call Apostles, “apostellein” in Greek, meaning “to send.” He chose them at the beginning of his public ministry. But in today’s  Gospel (Luke 10:1-12,17-20), Luke says, “…the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit.” What is the first spiritual lesson here? We are a missionary Church. Who is a missionary in the Christian context? It is a person sent out by the Church, either in a foreign land or to a new culture, to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and make disciples for him. Christianity is not a quiet religion. Yes, there are times when silence and quietude in prayer are important. However, the basic goal of Christianity is mission. The good news of Jesus Christ is not for keeping. It is not like a piece of art you purchased to enjoy or to decorate your house. Upon receiving it, you are obligated to share it with someone else. If you are baptized and confirmed, you are essentially speaking, a missionary. You are disciples of the Lord. You are like one of these seventy-two. By the way, you don’t have to cross an ocean. You don’t have to go to a foreign land to be a missionary. Imagine waking up in the morning and asking yourself the question: How will I bring the Gospel to someone today? It does not have to be through eloquent preaching or a high theological debate; it can be as simple as an act of love and kindness. It can be being patient with your children, your spouse, or someone in your workplace. Sometimes it can be being vigilant and alert for when a theological gate is open, and then ceasing the moment to tell someone about Jesus Christ.

Now, if you notice, Jesus does not send them out as individuals; rather, in pairs. When I was in the formation house, Redemptorists in Nigeria never sent any seminarian alone to a diocese for Apostolic work. It was always in pairs. In this faith journey, you need someone with whom you can talk and share experiences. I believe everyone listening to me now has friends. But which of those friends are people you discuss your spiritual and religious life with? If your religious approach is corrected in love, do you listen? We don’t know it all; as such, we need fellow travellers in the Kingdom who can listen to us and give us feedback. You need someone you can pray with and share a meal with, laugh and cry with. Life is a journey. Don’t travel alone. There’s nothing like a lone disciple. A lone disciple could easily become a lone wolf. In our tradition, we have men and women like Benedict, Francis, Dominic, Alphonsus, Ignatius, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who started their missionary work alone. But immediately invited others to join them. Make friends with people who believe in what you believe and who are interested in walking the spiritual path with you. 

Before sending the seventy-two disciples, Jesus says to them, “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.” Catholics love their priests and nuns. We need priests and nuns today more than ever. But as your children are discerning what they will become in the future, do you mention to them the idea of becoming a priest or a nun? Are you only thinking about your children becoming doctors, nurses, engineers, IT professionals, etc? Are you only thinking about your children becoming great in the fields of the world? When I was discerning mine, a cousin of mine who is a medical doctor strongly encouraged me to study medicine and become a medical doctor. He said to me, “If you become a medical doctor, you are going to be so rich.” He is right! But I remember saying to him, “What about spiritual doctors?” In addition, Jesus says, “Ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” I believe many of you are men and women of prayer. But when was the last time you prayed for vocation to the priesthood and religious life? When was the last time you prayed for priests and religious, asking the Lord to sustain them in their vocation? Remember this: nothing great ever happens apart from prayer. Prayer is the key and the master key. Yes, we need planning, strategic planning, and execution. But if it is initiated, sustained, and backed up by prayer, success is likely going to be the result. So, whatever you are planning to do in your family and in the church, back it up with prayer. 

Furthermore, Jesus instructs them: “Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way.” What does that mean? Don’t be bogged down by material things. Why? Because of the urgency of the mission. We are created beings; as such, we are often tempted and drawn to created and material things. When we see someone driving an expensive car, there is a tendency to admire them and want to be like them. But I tell you, there is more admiration for a saintly man or woman who lives humbly and poorly. The Holy Father, Pope Francis, after his death, what people talked about the most was his humility and simplicity. People spoke eloquently about a custom-built Lamborghini donated to him in 2017. Upon receiving it, he blessed it and asked that it be sold. The proceeds were donated to various charitable causes. As for greetings, it is good to greet, but sometimes greetings can open up conversations that could distract you. Left to me, I wouldn’t want to see anybody before Mass, because a simple greeting opens up a conversation that I am not interested in. Whenever I have Mass, all my attention is focused on it. And it annoys me when someone comes in with a request, “Father, please this, and please that.” 

What else does the Lord say to his disciples? “Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment.” He wants his disciples not to be bogged down by material things. However, there is an obligation on the part of believers to support those who do the work of the Church, like the office manager, music directors, priests, the Director of Religious Education, janitors, and those who are caring for the poor in a formal way. Whenever you conduct any church business with these people, remember to give them stipends. During offertory collection, give something you believe with all your heart is fair and just. Consider giving the same amount of money that you spend when you go out to eat in a restaurant. Don’t just throw in a dollar and think you have done enough. When you invite a priest to do something for you, like blessing your house or car, give him something. Don’t just say, “Thank you, Father, for coming,” and then do nothing else. The basic justice demands that we be generous to those who do the explicit work of the Church. 

What message does Jesus give to his disciples? “…Say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.” When Jesus first appeared on the hills of Galilee, the first words out of his lips were, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” The kingdom of God! What does it mean? Jesus himself! He is the Kingdom of God. He is the coming together of divinity and humanity. Therefore, the world that he ushers in is the kingdom of God. What does it look like? Saint Augustine speaks about two cities: the City of God and the City of Man. The City of God is characterized by love of God and neighbor, peace, forgiveness, and nonviolence. The City of Man is defined by self-love, selfishness, sin, injustice, violence, cruelty, scapegoating, even to the point of disregarding God. But Jesus, in his own person, is the reign of God, the Kingdom of God. So, the central mission of the Church is to proclaim him. We announce him. We offer him to the world. Proclaim him at home. Proclaim him to your children. Yes, we, the members of the Church, are not perfect, but Jesus is perfect. We don’t always get it right. But Jesus is faithful! We are oftentimes beset by the temptation to one thing or another because of the effects of Original Sin. But Jesus is the sinless One. He is trustworthy. He is reliable. This is the reason why we go to him and seek him.