WHAT KIND OF NEIGHBOR ARE YOU?

WHAT KIND OF NEIGHBOR ARE YOU?

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

The Church of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Today’s gospel taken from Luke 10: 25-37 is about the dialogue between Jesus and a lawyer. The gospel says that “the scholar of the law stood up to test Jesus” with a question: “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” But Jesus directed the question back to him and reminded him that he is an authority on God’s law: “(Tell me) what is written in the law? How do you read it? The lawyer answered by quoting the “Great Commandments”-

You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus acknowledged his knowledge of the Law, but immediately pointed out that the knowledge of the law is not enough. That knowledge must be concretized, it must be lived out: You have answered correctly; do this and you will live. But the lawyer seeking to justify himself and also to test Jesus even further asked “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus was not ready to waste his time giving a dictionary definition of the word “neighbor.” He decided to tell him a parable that will not only elucidate the point he was making but will also humble the lawyer.

A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him.

Then Jesus asked the learned man “Which of these three, in your opinion was neighbor to the robber’s victim? Now because the Jewish people despised and hated the Samaritans, the lawyer couldn't even say “It is the Samaritan,” he rather said “The one who treated him with mercy.” In order to teach and humble the proud Jewish lawyer, Jesus said to him “Go and do likewise.” This means, “Even though you have no regard for the Samaritans, you call them half-breeds, you consider them to be racially inferior to you just because they intermarry with the Assyrians, but in this case, you must imitate him if you want to enter heaven.” Jews hated the Samaritans worse than they hated the Romans even though they shared a common ancestry. Jews disregarded the Samaritans because they worshipped Baal instead of Yahweh. In their opinion “Outside the worship of Yahweh, there is no salvation.” “There is no other name and no other way by which anyone can be saved, except the name of Yahweh and the way of Judaism.” Does this sound familiar to you? For centuries the Catholic Church wrongly claimed that “Outside the Catholic Church, there is no salvation.” It was only at Vatican II that the Church recognized that the “Spirit blows wherever it wills” therefore Protestants, Pentecostals, Hindu, Buddhists, Traditionalists, and even atheists (who follow their conscience) can be saved. A member of the Samaritan race viewed as hell bound by the Jews is the one to be imitated by a learned Jew in order to be saved. “Gosh!” The lawyer would have said.

This parable has some things to teach us. First, the traveler must have been either ignorant of the dangerousness of traveling on that road alone or he was an irresponsible and unwise fellow. People avoided travelling the Jerusalem to Jericho road alone, especially if they were carrying goods or other valuables. Some scholars blame the Samaritan man for the plight in which he found himself.

Secondly, the parable tells us that a priest happened to be going down that road. But he ignored a needy and dying man. When we read this text, we obviously blamed the priest. We may have called him names for his insensitivity. Some would even say “Shame on you. You are not supposed to be a priest.” But wait a minute! The priest did not ignore the dying man because he was a bad priest. At that moment, he had remembered the stipulation of the law that says “Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be unclean for seven days.” The man beaten by robbers may have been motionless, so the passing priest chose to be ritually clean over the man that needed help. To touch him would mean losing his turn of duty in the Temple. The priest like many of us priests chose liturgical correctness and accuracy above the virtue of charity. Just like that priest, the Church and its liturgical rubrics meant more to some of us priests than the anguish of a person.

After the priest had passed, likewise a Levite came to the place. Just like the priest, the Levite also passed by on the opposite side. The Levites were also officials of the Temple, though subordinate to the priests. The tribe of Levi was set apart to tend to the priestly functions when the twelve tribes of Israel were first established. In the time of Jesus, Levites were saddled among other things, with the keeping of Temple treasury. So this Levite that passed by on the opposite side may be carrying a large sum of money. Bandits were in the habit of using tricks. One of them would pretend to be wounded, and when an unsuspecting traveler stopped over him to help, others hiding very close by would jump on him and overpower him. But there was a man who was not afraid of robbers, or kidnappers. He was ready to lay down his life and treasure to save another’s life.

When those who claimed to serve the living God had all passed, one man from a tribe and race considered to be doomed emerged. When the so called religious people who ought to know that faith is worthless without the obedience of faith, i.e. good deeds ignored the needy man, someone who would be considered “a pagan, a heretic, a non-believer” appeared and declared by his action “show me your faith, and I will show you my good deeds” (James 2: 18). A Samaritan man showed up and demonstrated that the human life is sacred. He attended to the beaten man, bandaged his wounds, took him where he would be taken care of and even paid the bills.

So in this parable the hero wasn’t the priest or the Levi, or the Jews. The hero was a member of a despised race- the Samaritan man. It wasn’t the priests, or the Levites, or even the Jews who held the pathway to the Kingdom of God, but whomever God chose to call, including a lowly Samaritan.

The scholar of law wanted to know who his neighbor was: “And who is my neighbor?” He wanted to define neighbor in reference to others. But Jesus defined neighbor in reference to him. He is also defining neighbor in reference to us. As far as Jesus is concerned, neighbor is not the object of the sentence, but the subject. Therefore, the question is no longer “Who is my neighbor?” rather, “What kind of neighbor am I?” The neighbor is not just the man on the side of the road; it is not just the woman sitting on the margins of the society; the neighbor is the man standing before Jesus; it is also that voice of conscience that speaks from within us.

After the lawyer had answered correctly “The one who treated him (i.e. the man beaten by robbers) with mercy” was the true neighbor, Jesus urged him “Go, and do likewise.” Jesus’ answer can be interpreted as follows:

i. We must be willing to help someone even when he was responsible for his/her plight.

ii. The needy are our neighbor.

iii. The help we render must be practical and not just merely feeling sorry. Saying “You are in my thoughts and prayers” is not enough. Feeling sorry is not enough. I am sure the priest and the Levite must have felt sorry for the wounded man. They must have said a prayer in their hearts as they walked away, but then, they did nothing. For compassion to be real, it must be demonstrated in deeds.

iv. Since our neighbor includes the voice of conscience speaking within us “Do good and avoid evil,” we must strive to pay attention and listen to it, and carry out its bidding.

Dearest friends, as I said earlier on, the question today is no longer “Who is my neighbor?” rather “What kind of neighbor are you?” What Jesus said to the lawyer at the end of their dialogue, he also says to us today “Go, and do likewise.” Doing likewise will determine the kind of neighbor we are.

God bless you all today, bless you tomorrow, bless you everyday of your life on earth, and bless you forevermore! Amen!

Let’s go tell them that only Jesus is the Savior of Humanity; only Him can save

Let’s go tell them that only Jesus is the Savior of Humanity; only Him can save

Homily for the 14^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Holy Names Church

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Today, brothers and sisters, I am going to tell you an interesting story. The story is about a skeptic man who visited the Fiji Islands. As a skeptic, he was skeptical about Jesus, about Christian missionaries, and Christianity in general. Inside the Islands, he paid a special visit to the chief and during their conversation, he discovered that the Chief was constantly making references to Jesus, to the Christian church and to the good works the missionaries were doing in his kingdom. The skeptic even saw a Bible on the table, and different pictures of Jesus hanging on the wall. He now decided to spread his skepticism. “No one believes what the Bible has to say nowadays. No body believes that stuff about Jesus either. People know better now that all those talks about Jesus dying on the cross are only a hoax and a fraud.” He went on “I am sorry if I have offended your faith, but you will be better of not believing in that crap about Jesus of Nazareth.”

But the Fiji chief did not show any visible sign of anger, instead said to him “Do you see that stone over there? On that stone we smashed and shattered the heads of our victims until they were dead. Do you see that oven over there? It is in that oven that we roasted the human bodies of such people for our great feasts. If it had not been for those wonderful and holy missionaries you are ridiculing before me, if it were not for the message of Jesus in the Bible, if it were not for the redeeming love of Jesus Christ that forgave us and transformed us from being savages to God’s children, you would be roasting in that oven now.”

I want to believe that after hearing what the Fiji chief had said about the transforming power and love of Jesus Christ, the foolish skeptic was never the same as he went home.

The Twelve Apostles of Jesus were always with Jesus, accompanying him wherever he went except for few occasions Jesus was with only the Three Specials- Peter, James and John. The Apostles were with Jesus as he went from village to village, from region to region preaching, teaching, healing, and setting free those held hostage by the spirits of demons. They were on the boat when Jesus calmed the raged sea (Mark 4:34-44), they even expressed their shock “Who is this that even the wind and sea obey him”. They were there when he cured the Ten Lepers exiled and ex-communicated from their families and friends (Luke 17:11-19). They were there when Jesus received the gratitude of one of them who came back to show appreciation. The Apostles were there when Jesus spoke the words Talitha koum! which means “little girl, I say to you, get up.” They were there and saw the joy, the excitement and the gratitude on the glowing face of Jairus as he witnessed the “second life” of his daughter (Mark 5:35-43). They were there when the blind Bartimaeus had his sight restored by Jesus (Luke 18: 35-43). They also witnessed the raising of the dead Lazarus to life (John 11:1-43). They saw Jesus multiplied five loafs of bread and two fish to feed the multitudes who came to listen to his words of wisdom. These events surely changed the lives of the Twelve. They surely never remained the same again after witnessing these great events. They heard Jesus preach the most beautiful message “For God so loved the world…” (John 3:16).

In today’s gospel taking from Luke 10:1-12, 17-20, Jesus sends out 72 others who also had witnessed and experienced the redeeming love of Jesus and the kingdom of God. Like the Twelve, they also have heard the redeeming message of Jesus and had therefore been convinced that Jesus is the Savior of humanity, only him can save. Let me quickly say that the Twelve represent all the church’s leaders- the pope, bishops, priests, deacons, and all the religious men and women (i.e. those vowed in religious orders), the Seventy-Two represent you, the laity. Therefore the spreading of the Good News, the witnessing of the Gospel is not an exclusive duty for the ordained and the professed alone. All God’s people are called to “spread abroad a living witness to him, especially by a life of faith and love and by offering to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips praising his name” (Lumen Gentium, 12). By the virtue of our baptism, all Christians not just the ordained and the professed alone but also you the lay faithful of God are the “People of God” and each person in his or her own way is called to join in the spreading of the message “The Kingdom of God is at hand.”

While sending out the 72, Jesus gave the following injunctions: “Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals…” The Lord wanted us to travel light. He does not want us to be bogged down by material things. It is easy to get ensnared and enslaved by the things of this life. Jesus wanted his disciples to be solely concerned about nothing else but the mission he was sending them. The disciples were to be single minded in their mission. Jesus wanted his disciples to be simple because in the course of carrying out their mission, their simplicity will attract both the poor and the rich. Most of those who will pay attention to their message would be simple, i.e. poor. The wealthy even in their riches would be touched that despite the simplicity of the preachers, they were still happy. So the simplicity of the preachers will win the attention of both the poor and the rich. Travelling light meant that the 72 would trust in the providence of God for their daily needs. The Lord was simply telling them to be like that the “lilies of the field” and “birds of the air” that rely entirely on the goodness of God to survive. The disciples were to rely on the God-given hospitality of those they visit.

Are you able to see what Jesus was showing to those he is sending out? Do you see what the Lord is doing here? Jesus was demonstrating that there must be a close link between the talking the talk of faith and the walking the walk of faith. The obedience of faith matters as much as the expression of faith. The Lord was saying to them “I am not sending you out only to tell people about faith in the One who alone is good, I am also sending you out to demonstrate to them what would happen to them when they really believe and trust in the One who alone is good.” By telling the 72 missionaries not to worry about food and clothing but to trust in God – Jesus was telling them not to tell people about faith alone but to let their listeners see in their lives what it means to trust God even in simple things like food and clothes.

Jesus also tells them “greet no one along the way.” This does not mean that those sent should be snobby and snubby. It is not an instruction to discourtesy. Jesus was simply telling them that the errand he is sending them is a serious one. In African villages, when a parent sends a child on errand, the first command is usually “go quickly and come back, don’t play along the way.” Those sent for the mission of God must not turn aside or linger on the lesser things while the great things call him.

Jesus goes on to say “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the town.” Jesus does not want those sent for the mission to spend their time looking for a particular accommodation they want. He wants them to accept whatever accommodation that is offered and get down to the business of preaching “The Kingdom of God is close at hand.”

These instructions given by Jesus to those who are sent speak volume of the urgency of the task. Spreading the message of salvation should be something we take seriously. We must express our Christian faith; we must let others know about our faith in Jesus Christ. But in doing that, we must guard against denying or betraying our faith in Jesus by the type of life we live. Preachers who say one thing and do another are usually not taken seriously. Christianity is not just a religion, it is a way of life; it ought to be a culture.

The 72 returned with joy because they did what Jesus ask them to do. Joy is one treasure that those who join in the mission of Jesus will never lack. Rejoicing with his disciples, Jesus cautioned them against being proud and arrogant. He urged them to rejoice not because of what they have accomplished but because their names are written in heaven. The greatest glory of a Christian is not what he/she has done but what God has done for him/her and through him/her. Pride is capable of shutting the door of heaven against us; but humility is the visa to the presence of God. No wonder a saint once said “There are virgins in hell, but there is no one in hell who is humble.”

As we go about doing the very task and assignment given to us by the Lord, which is preaching that “the Kingdom of the God is close at hand,” let us remember that the most effective way of doing that is by embracing the rare virtues of humility and simplicity. Preachers of the Christian message who enrich themselves inordinately and emphasizing so much on material prosperity (that is, prosperity preachers) are clearly “carrying too many bags, too many sacks, and lots of sandals.” And instead of preaching that the “Kingdom of God is close at hand” they are busy seeking out rich people in the name greetings when the gospel says “Greet no one along the way.”

Sister and brothers, let’s go after the Lord’s business. The call to spread the Christian message is not just the sole duty of priests, you are also involved. Let your witness of the gospel make Jesus say “I observed Satan fall like lightening from the sky.”

God bless today, bless you tomorrow, and bless you forever!

DON'T TURN BACK NOW!

DON'T TURN BACK NOW!

Homily for the 13^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Jesus spent a whole lot of his life in the region known as the lower Galilee. Apart from his birth in Bethlehem, and his family’s visit to Egypt, Jesus grew up, lived and worked in a place so near to the Sea of Galilee. He only relocated to Capernaum when he began his earthly ministry. From Capernaum, the Lord was going out to preach, to heal the sick, and to deliver those troubled by evil spirits and demons. But he never went too far away to live. From Capernaum, he will go out and then return home by the sea. But a time came when Jesus will take his message to the very heart of Jewish faith, to Jerusalem, and to its center, the Temple. The Lord’s decision to go to Jerusalem was the beginning of the end. He knew what would happen to him in Jerusalem. But he was not deterred or afraid.

Today’s gospel taken from Luke 9: 51-62 begins with “When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem…” He was resolutely determined to go to Jerusalem, not because he has something to gain there. He was determined to go there because that’s where the will of God for him will be accomplished. Jesus was determined to obey the will of his Father regardless of cost. The Lord knew exactly what he was doing and where he was going and what would happen to him there. He was not going to Jerusalem because he ran of things to do in Capernaum; he was not going to Jerusalem because the Galileans wouldn’t listen to him. He was not going to Jerusalem because he was searching for greener pastures. The Lord set his face to Jerusalem, he was determined to go there because in Jerusalem God’s purpose for him and for the world will be fulfilled. St. Paul says “In Christ Jesus, God was reconciling the world to himself.” This reconciliation will reach its apogee in Jerusalem. That’s why Jesus was determined to go there. He believed going there to die was the will of God.

The terminus ad quo of our life as Christians is to always seek what the will of God is. When the world tells us to weigh the pros and cons, to place all options on the table, we remember that Jesus says “Seek you first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and other things will be added unto you.” When the world tells us to choose the safe thing to do,” we remember that God wants us to choose the right thing and to do it. Christian life is all about doing what Jesus wants us to do.

Jesus was “resolutely determined” to go to Jerusalem because of his determination to obey the will of God. He never allowed anything to stand in his way. Not even the Samaritan people were able to stand in his way. The gospel says “On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.” Jesus was focused. The Samaritan people refused to welcome him because he was going to Jerusalem through their city. The direct way from Galilee to Jerusalem led to through Samaria; but Jews often times avoid going through it because of an old quarrel between Jews and the Samaritans. The Samaritans did not allow any Jew to pass through their territory. It was therefore very unusual for Jesus to take that way. But Jesus took that route for a purpose.

Jesus used every chance, every time, and every opportunity he had to do something good. Jesus followed the direct route that led to Samaria because he wanted to extend a hand of friendship to a people who had been enemies to his people. Jesus wanted to tell them “It’s alright now. Let us reconcile.” Remember he was going to Jerusalem to reconcile humanity with God by his death on the cross. He wanted to begin by reconciling people with people. He wanted to reconcile his people, the Jewish people with their age-long enemies. But his hand of friendship was rejected by the Samaritan people. And they also wanted to hinder him from continuing his journey. Two of his disciples, James and John suggested they call down fire from heaven to consume the Samaritan people. But the Prince of peace rebuked them and their offer.

In this passage, Jesus strongly taught the virtue of tolerance. In our world today where the virtue of tolerance is mistaken as weakness, timidity and cowardice, Jesus’ reaction to the Samaritan people’s behavior is something that we need to consider seriously. But on his way to Jerusalem, one of the would-be disciples said to him “Lord I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus said to him “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” The Lord was simply saying to him “Before you follow me, count the cost.” To the second who said “I will follow you, but first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said “Let the dead bury their dead.” That sounds cruel, but Jesus was simply saying to him “Devotion to God should come first before devotion to those dearest to us.” Remember Jesus also said “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” The third would-be follower said to Jesus “I will follow you Lord, but first let me say goodbye to those at home.” To him Jesus said “No one who sets a hand to the plough and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”

The Lord wants his followers not to look back. Remember Lot’s wife. She looked back to what she has left behind in Sodom and Gomorrah and eventually became a pillar of salt. Do not look back to the things you have left behind. Do not look back to the time when you did not know the Lord and wish you can go back to that time. To look back is to think of your past sinful life with a feeling of regret for having abandoned it. If you are a Christian who looks back, remember Lot’s wife. The watchword for Christians is not backwards, but forwards, forward ever looking at the time of our redemption. Don’t turn back now. Our salvation is very near!

Jesus was resolutely determined to go to Jerusalem. He never allowed anything to stand in his way. In doing so, he profoundly fulfilled God’s plan of salvation for humankind. The same Jesus calls us today not to look back. Keep your hands on the plough and keep moving. Run the race looking forward. Run the race looking straight. Run the race looking unto Jesus. Run the race well so that when the sunset of your life is near you can also say with St. Paul “I have fought the good fight of faith, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

DO YOU KNOW HIM OR ABOUT HIM?

DO YOU KNOW HIM OR ABOUT HIM?

Homily for 12^th Sunday in the Ordinary Time, Year C

Holy Names of Jesus & Mary Catholic Church

Memphis, TN, USA

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

During one of the most crucial moments in the life of Jesus, the Lord had asked his disciples a crucial question that deserves a crucial answer: “Who do the crowds say that I am?” Jesus asked this question when he was about to head towards Jerusalem. He knew very well what waited him there. He knew he was going to Jerusalem and from Jerusalem to the Cross to die. And he wanted to know before going, if there was anyone who knew who he was. Wrong answers about who he was would have disappointed and frustrated him. Jesus was not expecting a complete and an intelligent comprehension of him. But he expected people to have a hint of who he was through his words and deeds.

Now some people thought Jesus was John the Baptist, others thought he was Elijah, yet others thought he was one of the ancient prophets that has come back to life. Not fully satisfied who the crowds said he was, he turned to his disciples who ought to know him: But who do you say that I am? Peter, on behalf of the disciples declared: You are the Christ of God.

The disciples of Jesus like the crowds had grown up expecting from God a conquering king who would lead them to conquer the world. But Jesus was the King, but not the type of king being expected. Peter and the other disciples must have been filled with excitement of being associated with the messiah who will conquer the world. But Jesus shocked and disappointed them when he told them that the God’s anointed one had come not to conquer nations with weapons of mass destruction, rather he has come to conquer nations with the weapon of mass salvation, and that weapon is the Cross. He has come to die upon a Cross so that people of every nation, language, tribe and tongue might be saved.

Now Jesus started this dialogue with a question “Who do people say that I am?” Thereafter he asked his disciples “Who do you say that I am?” It is not sufficient to know what other people have said or written about Jesus. Someone can make an A+ in any examination on what authors and believers have written and said about Jesus and still not be a Christian who knows Jesus. Knowing what others have written and said about Jesus is needed for intellectual knowledge of Jesus and for the best possible way to speak about him; but ultimately Jesus should be a personal discovery. As Christians, we should not be contended knowing about Jesus, we must know him. We must encounter him. It is this encounter with the Lord that changes lives. We must have a profound experience of the Lord. Jesus would never ask us “Can you tell me what others have said and written about me? But he will ask us “Who do you say that I am?” The Saints are people like us who have a deep and profound experience and relationship with Jesus. Christianity is not only about reciting a creed; it is about knowing a person- Jesus the Good Shepherd.

After disappointing his disciples of the fate and the destiny of the anointed One, Jesus shocked them more by declaring:

“If anyone wishes to come after me, he (she) must deny himself (herself) and take up his (her) cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his (her) life will loose it, but whoever looses his (her) life for my sake will save it.”

But what does it mean to deny oneself? Let’s recall the denial of Peter. When Peter denied Jesus, he had said “I do not know the man.” To deny ourselves therefore is to say “I do not know myself.” It is to deny the accidents of our existence and focus on the essence of our being. The essence of our being is who we are- peopel created in the image and likeness of God. When we are in touch with who we are, we realize that it is no longer us but Jesus Christ. It is this discovery that let St. Paul to declare “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Jesus also enjoined his disciples to take up their cross daily and follow him. To take up our cross means to be prepared to face and confront the difficulty associated with being loyal and obedient to Jesus. To take up our cross means being ready to endure the worst that people can do to us for the sake of being true to him. It means being ready to refuse to be intimidated by those who persecute us because we belong to Jesus. It means saying no even when it is most difficult to say so to those who want us to betray him. Being true to Jesus will bring some rejection and castigation. Those who hate your simplicity, your honesty, your faithfulness and your tidy moral life will come to paint you bad. It is usually said “If you cannot beat them, join them.” But if you refuse to join the bandwagon, they will come after you. But refusing to join the bandwagon of immorality instead preferring the castigation and hatred is part of the cross.

“Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it…” God has given us life, not to horde it or to keep for ourselves. We are given life to spend for others. Therefore the question is no longer “How much can I get”, but “How much can I give?” It is no longer “What is the safe thing to do? but “What is the right thing to do?” Life is not only about me, but about others. But ultimately, it is all about Jesus the Lord of life. And there is a connection between giving our life to others and giving our life to Jesus. There will be a reward for doing that. If we are true to him in time, he will be true to us in eternity. If we follow him in this world, in the next world, he will count us as one of his people. But if we disown him here on earth by the way we live, even when we confess him with our lips, he will disown us.

Do you know Jesus or about Jesus? Those who know about him only speak about him detachably; but those who know him, live him out in their lives. They are the ones who have encountered him. Just like the story of the poet and the monk, they don’t only know the psalm, but also the shepherd.

Compassion, Pride and Remorse Meet

Compassion, Pride and Remorse Meet

Homily for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Father Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

In the house of Simon, the Pharisee, compassion, pride and remorse meet. Jesus stands for compassion, Simon, the host, stands for pride, the sinful woman stands for remorse and conversion.

Today’s gospel taken from the gospel of Luke is a story about the compassion of Jesus, the remorseful conversion of a sinful woman and the inhospitality of Simon. St. Luke tells us that Jesus was a guest at the house of Simon, a Pharisee, at the instance of Simon himself. It was a dinner party. In Israel, it was the custom that when a Rabbi was at a special meal, all kinds of people came in to listen to the words of wisdom that came from his lips. And people were quite free to do so. In this case, the Rabbi was no other person but Jesus Christ, the Lord of life. As soon as Jesus settled down to eat, something noteworthy happened. A woman commonly known in town as a bad and notorious woman came in, and sat at the foot of the Jesus. This woman had a sense of sin. Realizing how greatly she had sinned against herself, against her parents and siblings, against her community, against humanity, against God and against Jesus, she broke down in tears. She cried deeply with intensity, to the extent that her tears were enough to wash the feet of Jesus. He was weeping, and washing the feet of Jesus with her tears. “Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment (An alabaster flask of ointment).” Both the host Simon and the people who witnessed this event were stunned. They were stunned for four reasons:

They were stunned that she would be there in the house of a wealthy man Simon and before Jesus someone popularly acclaimed to be a holy man and a prophet. The people were stunned because she was not the right kind of woman to be sighted in such a place. They were stunned because they know her to be a very sinful woman, a prostitute for that matter. They were stunned because Jesus couldn’t even send her away; the Lord refused to dissociate himself from her. He refused to discriminate against her. Jesus refused to ask Simon to send the woman away. The Lord was not furious that a prostitute was interfering with her dinner meal.

They were also stunned at her behavior- weeping profusely, washing the feet of Jesus with her tears, and wiping them with her long and beautiful hair. Can you picture the scene in your mind? Can you picture a woman sitting at the feet of Jesus, weeping, washing Jesus’ feet and wiping them with her hair? If she had been the right kind of woman, it would have been one thing. But she was that kind of woman- a common sinner, probably a prostitute. She wasn’t a religious person; she was not the kind of person that should be seen sitting very close to a person like Jesus, a Rabbi. In eyes of the people, she shouldn’t be seen where she was seen. The so called religious people tagged her a sinner. Everyone called her a sinner; consequently, she was not supposed to be around the “righteous” people. Whether she was sinful and unacceptable was not her concern. From the edge of the crowd, she was listening with rapt attention to the words of wisdom that came out from the mouth of Jesus; and in Jesus she had a glimpse, a quick peep of him as the hand that could lift her from the miry clay of sinfulness. Convinced that Jesus is the One to lift her up, convinced that Jesus is the One to restore her dignity, convinced that Jesus is the One to offer her total forgiveness and restoration from all she had lost due to her wayward lifestyle, she went and sat at his feet. As she wept for her worthlessness, she let her tears fell on Jesus’ feet. With her unbound hair, she wiped his feet and also kissed the feet of Jesus severally.

As this sinful woman was demonstrating a profound act of remorse and repentance, Simon and the people around were scandalized that Jesus allowed such a woman to keep touching him. Simon himself had thought in his mind “If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him that she is a sinner.” To make him and others see their error, Jesus told them a parable. There was a banker who loaned money to two of his customers. To one, he loaned $50, 000 and the other $5, 000. When it was time to pay back, they were unable to do so. The banker, out of his magnanimity forgave both loans. “Don’t bother to pay me back again. I have written off the debt” the banker may have said to the two debtors. Then Jesus asked Simon “Which of them will love the banker more?” Simon answered “The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.” “You have answered rightly” responded Jesus. Then Jesus reminded Simon of his failure to provide him with water to wash his feet, a practice so common in Israel then. Because the roads were dusty and rough, when a guest visits, his feet were usually washed and soothed by a servant who stands on the doorpost. This was a sign of warm welcome. What Simon failed to do to Jesus is being done by the sinful woman. Jesus also reminded Simon that when he entered his house, he Simon did not give him a kiss of peace which was also a common practice in Israel that showed hospitality; again what he failed to do is being done by the sinful woman. Simon also did not anoint the feet of Jesus, but the sinful woman anointed his feet with a costly ointment. Because she has done all those, Jesus offered her total forgiveness “Your sins are forgiven.” The woman’s many sins were totally forgiven by Jesus.

This gospel story reveals an amazing truth. The level of a person’s devotion to God usually corresponds to the level of forgiveness one has received. The greater one experiences forgiveness, the greater his or her devotion. This gospel story shows why some people experience forgiveness and why others don’t. This woman had a sense of sin. She was conscious of her many sins. She convicted herself a sinner. She went to the One who can forgive sins; her many sins were forgiven. The greatest of sins is to be conscious of no sin; it is having a sense of need that will open the door to the forgiveness of God. One thing that shuts a person off from God is self-sufficiency. The strange thing is that the better a person is the more one feels sinful. St. Paul could speak of sinners "of whom I am foremost." It is true to say that the greatest of sins is to be conscious of no sin; but a sense of need will open the door to the forgiveness of God, because God is love.

In the parable of the debtors that Jesus narrated to Simon, where are you? Are you the one that was forgiven a great debt or the one that was forgiven little? Some people including Christians think they have been forgiven little. You hear them say “I am not really such a sinner. I never killed anyone. I never stole anything. I have never cheated on my tax or my spouse. I don’t take advantage of others. I don’t commit fornication. I don’t drink too much or eat too much. I am not as sinful others.”

No matter what you may think of yourself, we are all great debtors. In the parable of the debtors, one owed little. When it comes to our relationship with God, there is no one who owes little. We all are great debtors in God’s books. We owe God more than we can ever pay. We can only be forgiven if we like the sinful woman will go to the feet of Jesus and ask for mercy.

It does make a difference!

IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Pentecost Sunday Homily

Fr. Marcel Divine Okwara CSsR

Holy Names Church, Memphis in Tennessee

May 23, 2010

Today is Pentecost Sunday! It is fifty days after Easter - but not exactly fifty. No, between Easter and Pentecost there are only forty-nine days, that is, exactly seven complete weeks. Thus, Easter and Pentecost are two feasts that are celebrated on Sunday; and this is not without significance. Indeed, Sunday is the first day of the week, the day that corresponds to the first of the six days during which God created the world and the entire universe. This means that the feast of Pentecost is celebrated as a memorial of the first creation: it is like a celebration of a new creation! The Holy Spirit whom the Lord sends to us on this day enters the Church in order to realize in us a new creation, to make us new creatures, renewed and restored in the Resurrection of Christ!

In today’s gospel taking from John, Jesus says to his disciples “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.” But what commandment was Jesus talking about? I am sure Jesus was talking about the two most important commandments: “Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Later on in John 15: 12, he says “Love one another as I have loved you.”

These commands of Jesus seem pretty simple, pretty straight forward, isn’t it? But why is it so easy to say, and so hard to do and live? It’s hard because it does make a difference!

First, it makes a difference to God. Many of us have a laidback way of looking at God. Some of us have a lax and lazy philosophy of God. We easily claim that God is the ultimate Judge who will sort out the righteous from the unrighteous at the end of time. But God does not get involved in our daily lives. But that’s unbiblical! God gets involved in the daily lives of his people. Remember the experience of Cleopas and his companion on the way to Emmaus. Remember Saul who was an ardent persecutor of the church before he became a Christian; remember Peter who was sent to the house of Cornelius, a Gentile. God got involved in their lives in a strong way. God wants a personal relationship with us. God created us, we are the clay, and he is the Porter. We are God’s creative masterpieces. An artist does not just walk away from his or her artwork. Each of us is important to God, and we have to make God important to us.

It also makes a difference to Jesus. What difference does it make? It makes a difference to God and to Jesus. In the Old Testament, precisely in Exodus 19:5, God says “Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples.” But in the New Dispensation (New Testament), Jesus takes us in an even deeper and more profound relationship. In Matthew 20:50 Jesus says “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” At the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus tells his disciples “I no longer call you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. But I call you friends because I have told you everything I have heard from the Father. You did not choose me, I chose you, and I am sending you to the world to bear fruit, fruit that will last. If you bear fruit, you can ask the Father anything in my name, and he will give it to you. But remember the root command: “Love one another.”

In today’s gospel Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” So living out these commandments of loving with all we are and loving our neighbor as Jesus loves us is a concrete proof of our love for Jesus Christ. It’s not enough to say we love him. We proof we love him by doing what he asked us to do. Doing what Jesus asks us to do is the measuring rod of faithfulness.

It also makes a difference to us. When you turn on the Television or read newspapers or blogs or listen to Tea Party Movement and some political commentators, the voices of cynicism and pessimism always seem to be the loudest. When you look at our great nation America, the problems we face are so numerous ranging from terrorism, a changing climate and economic recession which gave birth to 9.9% unemployment rate, foreclosures and loss of homes. Sometimes you want to give up. But don’t! If you follow the will of God, if you love God and neighbor, you know that that in spite of all the terrible things that are happening, you will never loose a final refuge. You know that the foundation of the world is love; so that even when no human being can or will help you, you may go on trusting in the One who loves you so much- Jesus Christ the Redeemer.

Instead of choosing cynicism and pessimism, you can choose hope and optimism. That’s what it means to be a Christian. A Christian is a hopeful person. We can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens us. We may not see the presence of God at all times. But the power and presence of God is always available for us. No matter how frightened or lonely we feel, no matter how much we feel abandoned or how weak or powerless we think we are, that does not mean the Holy Spirit is not there. That does not mean we are unloved.

If you feel somewhat separated from God, remember to call on the Holy Spirit who came to energize the Apostles when life seems dreary and dull. Jesus promised not to leave us as orphans. He said the Advocate, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit will come to teach, energize, and strengthen us. We are God's treasured possession. We are God's children, brothers and sisters of Christ Jesus. We're friends of Jesus. Jesus promised He will never leave us orphaned. He promised to be with us always through the presence of the Holy Spirit. But again, there's that obedience clause, that faithfulness factor. "They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me.

Rules are enacted to be obeyed. Commandments of God are to be obeyed as well. Jesus promised to ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to those who keep the commandments.

Finally, it makes a difference to others. You know we were never meant to be alone. The book of Genesis tells us that when Adam, the man was created, he was really lonely and gloomy. And God saw that it was not good for him to be alone. “I will make him a helper as his partner” God says. As soon as Adam saw his partner, Eve the woman, he smiled for the first time and said “Waoh! Behold the bone of my bones, and the flesh of my flesh.” God has created us to be in relationship with each other. This relationship can only be maintained by and with love. It is a relationship of love. Fake love ruins our relationship. Hatred works against the original plan of God for us.

As we celebrate Pentecost, let’s pray for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit again which are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.