Pentecost Sunday Reflection

Before Jesus ascended to heaven, his disciples asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). That’s a direct question. But if you are familiar with the Gospels, you know that Jesus rarely answers them directly. According to biblical scholars, Jesus was asked over 180 questions in the Gospels, but he gave direct answers to only a handful. Yet to this question, he gave a direct answer, even though it clearly wasn’t what his disciples expected. What did he say? “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8). 

Across the centuries, people have been captivated by the question of when the Kingdom of God will arrive. Why? For some, it is the time when human suffering will finally be addressed. For others, it will be the fulfillment of the promise of eternal peace, justice, and the restoration of a broken world. Some simply want to know so they can be ready. We also have people driven by cosmic curiosity; you can call this group “spiritual busy-bodies.” Like the disciples, we are all interested in knowing when God's ultimate promise will be realized. When will that be? Jesus says, ‘Don’t worry about that. Don’t be overly concerned about when this and that kingdom will be realized. Rather, be concerned about receiving power when the Holy Spirit comes. Be concerned about being empowered and equipped to continue the Lord’s work on earth. Be concerned about cooperating with the Spirit and doing God’s work in the world.’ Don’t worry about when this or that will happen. That’s up to God. People are fixated on the end times. Please, don’t be. Rather, focus on the task of building God’s Kingdom. Having been equipped by the Holy Spirit, you can do something, either here or elsewhere. Use your gifts of time, talent, and treasure to build God’s Kingdom here in St. Bridget. Look at the lives of the saints throughout the ages. The saints in our tradition come from different backgrounds, experiences, styles, and personalities. But what do they have in common? In the course of their lives, they all discerned and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit wants me to do right now.” They were not particularly concerned about the definitive end of the world. Francis of Assisi was inspired to rebuild the Church. Thomas Aquinas was inspired to think through the mystery of the faith, and he spent his life doing so. Mother Teresa of Calcutta believed she received a specific and direct calling from Jesus to feed and care for the poor, as did Mary Jo Copeland. This is also true for you. The Holy Spirit has something for you to do. Discern what that is and get on with it. 

I will close with this. In describing the coming of the Holy Spirit, St. Luke, the author of the Acts of the Apostles, writes: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” The languages spoken by the early Christians were heard and understood by thousands of Jewish pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Weeks (Shavuot in Hebrew). As we celebrate Pentecost, what is that one language that can be spoken by all, heard by all, and understood by all? That language can be understood by those who talk and those who don’t. It can be understood by those who hear and those who don’t. It can be understood by those who see and those who don’t. It can be understood by all God’s people everywhere. On many occasions, you don’t even have to say a word. You just have to show it. It is the language of love. Some of us are more fluent in English; others are more fluent in Spanish, French, Igbo, or even signed language. But the language that everyone can speak, hear, and understand is the language of love. What is love? It is to will the good of others and to act on it. I tell you, when you speak this language, even the deaf can hear it. When you speak this language, the blind will see it, and the mute can understand it. 

God bless you!

Fr. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of Pentecost, Year A

Connecting The Lord’s Ascension To Pentecost

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of Pentecost, Year A

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, May 24, 2026

After his resurrection, Jesus existed in two dimensions. Sometimes he appeared to his disciples looking very much like an ordinary figure in our world. In one of the post-resurrection accounts, he says to his disciples, “Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have” (Luke 24:39). While they were joyful at seeing him, he asked, “Have you anything here to eat?” (Luke 24:41b), and he ate in their presence. Other times, he appeared as someone from another dimension. We see this when he appeared among his disciples, even though the doors were locked (John 20:19). When two of his disciples were walking to Emmaus, he joined them, but they did not recognize him until the breaking of the bread. What do all these descriptions mean? They tell us that, though the Risen Christ was still in this world, he is no longer completely of it. To put it blithely, he existed between the borders of this earthly dimension and the transcendent dimension we call heaven. The Ascension, therefore, was the day when Jesus stopped appearing, one day as an ordinary person in our world and another day in his super-glorified body from another dimension. It is the day that Jesus definitively moved into the higher dimension. 

Having left behind this ordinary dimension of space and time and ascended to the highest dimension we call heaven, what follows? He sends us the Holy Spirit. Through his Spirit, we experience the Risen Lord. Jesus, who roamed the hills of Galilee and could relate to a small group of people, can, after his ascension, relate to all people in the world. He can now be the Lord of all space and time. He is now directing the work of his Church. If he had not ascended and sent the Spirit, he could not be governing the Church as he does. In the Acts of the Apostles, we hear that before he ascended to heaven, his disciples asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). From the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God, which he himself embodied. So the disciples’ question was a fair one. Now that Jesus had risen from the dead, they wondered whether this was the moment of the restoration of the Israelite kingdom. What is Jesus’ response to their question? The Lord does not always give a direct answer to a question, but in this instance, he did. He says, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8). 

As I already said, throughout his public ministry, Jesus spoke about the coming of the Kingdom. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus says, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.” But what is the Kingdom? It is the definitive coming together of heaven and earth, when God’s way of ordering things is fully realized here, and this world is drawn up into the higher dimension. But when will that definitively come? It is not for the disciples to worry about, nor for us. Rather than worrying about that, Jesus tells them they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes, meaning they will be equipped and empowered to continue his work on earth. Don’t worry about when this and that will happen. That’s up to God. Your worry should be about receiving the Holy Spirit and then cooperating with that Spirit to do the Lord's work in the world. I tell you, this message is true for them and true for us. People are fixated on the end time. Please, don’t be. Rather, focus on the fact that we have a task to build and expand God’s Kingdom. Having been equipped by the Holy Spirit, there is something you can do, either here or elsewhere. Use your gifts of time, talent, and treasure to build God’s Kingdom here in St. Bridget. Look at the lives of the saints throughout the ages. The saints in our tradition come from different backgrounds, experiences, styles, and personalities. But guess what they have in common? In the course of their lives, they all discerned and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit wants me to do right now.” They were not particularly concerned about the definitive end of the world. To Francis, Jesus said, “Rebuild my Church.” And Francis replied affirmatively. To Thomas Aquinas, the Lord inspired him to think through the mystery of the faith, and he spent his life doing so. Mother Teresa of Calcutta believed she received a specific and direct calling from Jesus to feed and care for the poor, as did Mary Jo Copeland. This is also true for you. The Holy Spirit has something for you to do. Discern what that is and get on with it. 

I will close with this. In describing the coming of the Holy Spirit, St. Luke, the author of the Acts of the Apostles, writes: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” The languages spoken by the early Christians were heard and understood by thousands of Jewish pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Weeks (Shavuot in Hebrew). As we celebrate Pentecost, what is that one language that can be spoken by all, heard by all, and understood by all? That language can be understood by those who talk and those who don’t. It can be understood by those who hear and those who don’t. It can be understood by those who see and those who don’t. It can be understood by all God’s people everywhere. On many occasions, you don’t even have to say a word. You just have to show it. It is the language of love. Some of us are more fluent in English; others are more fluent in Spanish, French, Igbo, or even signed language. But the language that everyone can speak, hear, and understand is the language of love. What is love? It is to will the good of others and to do something about it. I tell you, when you speak this language, even the deaf can hear it. When you speak this language, the blind will see it, and the mute can understand it. 

God bless you!

Homily on the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Why The Ascension Of Christ Is So Important

Reverend Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Year A

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, May 17, 2026

When we speak of the Paschal Mystery of Christ, we refer to God’s plan of salvation, ultimately accomplished by Jesus Christ through four events in His life. These events are His Passion (His suffering and crucifixion), death, Resurrection, and Ascension. Yet sometimes, when we talk about the Paschal Mystery, we forget that the Ascension is part of it. In fact, the Ascension completes the Paschal Mystery of Christ. It began with Christ’s suffering and crucifixion, continued with His death and Resurrection, and is completed in His Ascension. In the Nicene Creed, the solemnity we celebrate today is reflected in this line: “For our sake he (Jesus) was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” 

Today, we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. In our first reading, we hear, “he (Jesus) was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.” But now that Jesus has returned to the Father, what is he doing there? Jesus came to us, and we killed him, but through the power of God, he was raised. After forty days of appearing to his disciples, Jesus returned to the Father. Is his ascension a desertion? What is he doing at the Father’s right hand? The great St. Paul says he is at the right hand of God, interceding for us (Romans 8:34b). St. John says, “We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous Judge.” So the Ascension of Jesus should give us endless hope. Why? Because our attorney, who will intercede for us before the Judge, the Father, is Jesus Christ himself. Imagine you were brought before an earthly court for a crime you committed. You are before a judge and the jury. You are wondering who will represent you, who will be your attorney and advocate. And here walks in Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God. He sits beside you as your attorney. Once you see that, I tell you, you will rest easy. If the Author of life is the one who will make the case for you and plead for you to be declared righteous rather than condemned, you have nothing to fear. Jesus is our intercessor. There are passages in the New Testament that present him as the Supreme Intercessor for us with the Father. We Catholics also believe that the Blessed Mother Mary is our intercessor. At the wedding in Cana in Galilee, she interceded to her Son, Jesus Christ, on behalf of the newlywed couple, giving us that article of faith.

In his great sermon, St. John Chrysostom said, “Christ did not merely die for us; he now intercedes on our behalf as well.” Jesus ascends into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us. This means that his passion on Good Friday and his Ascension reveal the immensity of his love. On the cross, he dies for love of us, but his love doesn’t end there. He continues to love us now, as he sits at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for us out of great love. In the words of Pope Leo the Great, “Although he (Jesus) is seated at the right hand of the Father, he performs the sacrament of the atonement in the same flesh which he assumed from the Virgin Mary.” What is he saying? He is saying that, in the Ascension, Jesus takes the sacrifice he offered on Calvary and brings that offering of himself, which took place on Good Friday in time and space, into eternity. He enters the eternal now, the presence of the Father, and offers himself to the Father on our behalf, once and for all and for all time. 

The Ascension of Jesus is so essential that it teaches two very important truths: first, the incarnation does not end with Jesus’ death and resurrection. When Jesus rises from the dead on Easter Sunday, the body he has is the same body he had, given to him by his Mother Mary, which is why he still bears the wounds, though now in a glorified state. During his Ascension, he takes that same flesh, now glorified, into eternity and sits at the right hand of the Father bodily. Before the incarnation, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity is pure Spirit. He didn’t have a body. But in his incarnation, he assumes human nature. During his Ascension, he takes that human nature, now glorified flesh, into eternity. Therefore, the sacrifice he accomplished in the flesh on Good Friday is now perpetually offered to the Father for all eternity. This is why we refer to the Mass as a sacrifice. Although during Mass, Christ is not being re-sacrificed. There is only one sacrifice, and that is the sacrifice of Calvary. But that one sacrifice has been taken out of time into eternity. Therefore, every offering of the Eucharist is a participation in the one sacrifice of Christ, which he continues to offer to the Father for all time, in the heavenly sanctuary. So, in the Ascension of Jesus into heaven, the mystery of incarnation does not cease. The Eternal Word is still united with human nature, right now. Jesus still has his human body—his flesh and bones—though in a glorified and mysterious state, which is why he still bears the wounds. Secondly, it is not only that the incarnation doesn’t cease in Christ's Ascension; there is also a perpetual atonement. The atonement that is inaugurated and consummated on Calvary does not end in Ascension. In fact, in Ascension, Christ brings the atoning sacrifice into heaven. So, there is a perpetual atonement going on in heaven. In the first century AD, a sacrifice in the temple called “tamid,” meaning “the perpetual sacrifice,” was offered every morning and evening to God the Father as a renewal of the everlasting covenant. This perpetual sacrifice is still being done today. The great good news is that it is being done, not by any human being, but Christ Jesus himself. Does this mean even in heaven, Jesus is still suffering? Not at all! In heaven, the suffering ends. Jesus’ suffering ended when he died on Good Friday. He is not suffering, but he is still offering atonement in heaven. He is still offering himself to the Father in love for all eternity. 

God bless you!

Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A

 

Putting God First And Giving A Reason For Your Hope

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, May 10, 2026

The Resurrection of Jesus was and is an earthquake. In all of human history, no event is more powerful and significant than the bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Resurrection validates his ministry and his message. It proved that everything the prophets said about Jesus was true. It inaugurated a new and lasting promise on which the New Testament Church is built. The Resurrection of Jesus convinced the Early Church that God had established a new order. As a result, they were willing to proclaim it and even die for that truth. But as the first Christians began to proclaim the Lordship of Jesus, they faced intense persecution. The same suffering Jesus experienced was inflicted on them. After St. Stephen was stoned to death, the Jews rejoiced, which led to a cascade of persecution and suffering. Because of the hostile environment, Christians were forced to abandon their homes and familiar surroundings. They were scattered, but wherever they went, they faced oppression for their faith. When this persecution intensified in the first century, Peter wrote an epistle to encourage his fellow Christians and guide them in responding to the difficult time they faced. 

Addressing Christians who were treated as a despised minority in the Roman world, Peter says, “Beloved, sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:15-17). I tell you, if this were always the starting point of Christian evangelization, we might see greater success. 

Peter was a “witness of the sufferings of Christ” (1 Peter 5:1), and he draws on that experience as a teaching tool. In his letter, he argues that, as Christ suffered unjustly, so his followers may have to endure persecution even for doing what is right and good. He also warns against the natural tendency to repay evil with evil. Amid his exhortation, Peter wrote, “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.” What does that mean? To “sanctify” means to set apart, make holy, or consecrate. It implies separating something from common use so it can be used exclusively for a divine purpose. While praying for his disciples and those who would believe in Him through their preaching, Jesus says, “Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). We are sanctified and set apart by God’s Word, because it reveals a way of life that is diametrically opposed to the standards of those who live in the world. To “sanctify the Lord in your hearts” means to make Him the central focus of your mind and thoughts. It is to put God first in your life. It is to “live and move and have your being” in God alone. Look at St. Peter. When Jesus told his disciples that he would be betrayed, handed over, crucified, and die in Jerusalem, what was Peter’s initial response? Matthew says that Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you” (Matthew 16:22). But looking straight into Peter’s eyes, Jesus, the Master of the universe, the one who knows the origin of good and all evil, replies, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (Matthew 16:23). To “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts” is to have your mind and heart filled with the things of God. By the time Peter wrote his letter, he had grown and matured in faith. He had now understood and internalized the Word of God. I always say that it is one thing to know intellectually what God is saying and another to grasp its meaning deeply. 

In that admonition, Peter also said, “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” The call to be ready is repeated throughout the Bible and is a common theme throughout the Advent season, too. Serious Christians are always. Why? Because they always pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17), always do God’s will (Matthew 7:21), and always study God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15). By doing these things, they build and deepen their relationship with God. In the course of his public ministry, Jesus says, “Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds” being ready (Matthew 24:46). But in the context of Peter’s letter, he is speaking about the readiness of a Christian to give a defense, or an answer, for their hope—that is, for why they believe what they believe and why they live the life they are living, a life that is totally countercultural and counterintuitive. When the Apostles were summoned before the Sanhedrin to explain their refusal to stop teaching in the name of Christ Jesus, their unanimous response was, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Even if you cannot give an explanation for your hope in words, you can do so in deeds. Even if you are not a teacher or eloquent in words, we are all commanded to be ready to give reasons in words for our faith, hope, love, and consequent joy. We must be ready to say, “I must obey God rather than the voices of this world.” As for why we live a countercultural life, we must be ready to tell anyone who asks that our ultimate hope is in the coming Kingdom of God (Romans 8:24-25). There is no greater hope than this. It is for this hope that Paul suffered greatly (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). It is for this hope that we live a counterintuitive life. It is for this hope that we forgive our offenders and love even those the world considers unlovable. It is for this hope that we don’t miss Mass. It is for this hope that we endure the ridicule and mockery of unbelievers. 

Finally, when explaining to anyone who asks for a reason for your hope, Peter enjoins us to do so with “gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear.” We are not to ignore them or engage in endless, aggressive debates. Present the faith in a way that endears people to you. Giving an explanation and a reason for your hope doesn’t mean getting into arguments about Bible issues, the Church’s flaws, or doubtful matters. In his letter, Timothy warns Christians to “Avoid foolish and ignorant debates, for you know that they breed quarrels” (2 Timothy 2:23). Be ready to weed out anything that prevents you from sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. And as you go about doing this, remember the words of the late Cardinal Francis George, “People will remember the faith you had, not the words you preached.” Be that example of faith and be not afraid.

God bless you!