Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, 2016

Who Are The Samaritans In Your Life? 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday, June 26, 2016

The main objective of the Gospel is to lead us to Jesus. Jesus’ chief objective is to lead us to God, and God’s primary objective is to ensure that we have eternal life. Today’s Gospel (Luke 9:51-62) tells us that Jesus was resolutely determined to go to Jerusalem, the very heart of Jewish faith, and to enter the Temple— its center of worship. He knew that “danger” was ahead of him in Jerusalem, yet, he was unwaveringly determined to enter the city. He knew he would be killed there, but was not deterred. He spent a whole lot of his life in the region known as the lower Galilee. He 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 he would go out and preach and then return home by the sea. Towards the end of his ministry, he decided to take his message to the very heart of the Jewish faith—Jerusalem. He sent messengers ahead of him. On getting to a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception, the folks of that village refused to let that happen. Reason being that Jesus was a Jew and he was heading to Jerusalem, Jews’ religious center. In frustration, James and John said to Jesus: “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” But Jesus rebuked them and continued his journey through another village. 

Jesus is the most tolerant person to ever lived in this world, but when it comes to matters of God, he was never a wishy-washy, negligent and indecisive person. As he was making his way to Jerusalem, someone approached him and said: “I will follow you wherever you go.” But before throwing a party at the possibility of having one more follower, Jesus straightforwardly described the sacrifices that are involved in following him. “Before you decide to follow me, just count the cost” he indirectly told him. As he continued his march towards Jerusalem, he met two other people and called: “Follow me!” The first replied, “I will follow you but that would be after I had buried my father.” The second said: “I will follow you but first permit me to go home and say farewell to my family.” To the first, Jesus seemed to have said to him, “There is no time.” “Devotion to God comes first before anything or anybody.” To the second, he seemed to have said, “Run the heavenly race without looking back to what you had left behind.” There are many people out there who are saying right now: “When I get this and that done, then I will start going to Church more.” “I will go to church only when I have accomplished this or that.” “I will give some money to the church only when I have enough.” Everyone is busy, but it is where we choose to spend most of our time that tells what is important to us. Do not fall to the Devil’s temptation that says “You have lots of time.” “Relax a little.” “You are too young to serve God.” “You are doing a lot for God already.” “You have been going to church all your life, it’s time to rest.”  The beginning of our life as Christians is to always seek what the will of God is. When the world asks us to weigh the pros and cons, to place all options on the table, remember that Jesus says “Seek you first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and other things will be added unto you (Matt. 6:33).” When the world tells us to choose the safe thing to do,” 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. He 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 Samaria; but Jews often times avoid going through it because of an old quarrel between Jews and the Samaritans. Jesus took that route for a purpose— he wanted to extend a hand of friendship to a people who had been enemies to his people. He wanted to tell them “It’s alright now. Let us reconcile.” 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. 

Who are the Samaritans in our life? Who are the people we would like to get rid of if we could? Is it possible for us to have the same tolerant attitude as Jesus, choosing to avoid vengeance and retaliation, ever-ready to forgive, looking for ways to find peace? Hebrews 12:14 says: “Strive (make effort) to live in peace with everyone and be holy; for without holiness no one will see the Lord.” 

The Comfort of Discomfort!

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Twelfth Sunday in the Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday, June 19, 2016

During one of the most crucial moments in his life and ministry, Jesus asked his disciples: “Who do the crowds say that I am?” The disciples replied, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” Then he fired a second question to them, “But who do you say that I am?” The impetuous Peter declared, “You are) the Christ of God.” Jesus posed those questions not because he didn’t know who he was. His own words and actions showed that awareness as he taught with power and authority, healed the sick, cast out demons, forgave sins, cleansed lepers, raised the dead, calmed a raging sea (storm), walked on waters, fed thousands of people with five barley loves and two fish, broke and disregarded racial and discriminatory laws that divide people. The Gospels picture him as a person who is convinced he can speak and act for God, with a power that went beyond ordinary human experience. Jesus certainly knew who he was but wanted to find out if there was anyone, from the crowds to his disciples, who has come to understand, through his teaching and deeds, who he was. He was not expecting a full comprehension of who he was. But he expected someone to have a hint of who he was. From Peter’s testimony, it’s clear he had an idea of who Jesus was, but his knowledge of Jesus was still at its infancy stage. So, Jesus urged them not to tell anyone yet. They had much to learn before they could start teaching others.

Christ was not Jesus’ last name. The word Christ (Christos in Greek) means the “Anointed One.” In Hebrew “Anointed One” is the Messiah. The Jewish view of the Christ was a powerful and gifted king or a cosmic judge of the earth or a great high priest who would teach the undiluted word of God. He would also liberate God’s people and save them from the Roman occupation. The disciples of Jesus, like all other Jews had grown up expecting from God an all conquering king who would conquer the world. Although Jesus was King, but not the type of king being expected. Peter and the other disciples were filled with excitement at being associated with the messiah who will conquer the world. But Jesus shocked and disappointed them when he told them that God’s Anointed One will conquer nations but not with weapons of mass destruction but with the weapon of mass salvation- the Cross. He has come to die upon the cross so that people of every nation, language, tribe and tongue might be saved.

After disappointing his disciples of the fate and destiny of the Anointed One, Jesus shocked them further by declaring: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will loose it, but whoever looses his life for my sake will save it.” What does it mean to deny oneself? To deny oneself is to live a life of “God must become greater, while I must become less” (John 3:30). It is about becoming more like God and less of the self. To deny oneself is to become more selfless and less selfish. It’s about doing what St. Paul said in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” To deny oneself is to reject the demands of the flesh and accept what the Spirit of the Lord wants. As long as God and God’s matters do not come first in our lives, we are yet to deny ourselves.

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 refusing to be intimidated by those who will persecute us because we belong to Jesus. It means saying “No” even when it is most difficult to say it to those who want us to betray him. Being true to Jesus will bring some rejection and castigation. Those who hate your simplicity, honesty, faithfulness and tidy moral life may 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 did not give us life to horde it for ourselves but to spend it for others. So, 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?” Jesus knew that his followers would sometimes endure some discomfort and risk their lives in order to be true to him. No one wants discomfort. But discomfort is not all that bad. It has something to teach us: “If you never felt pain, then how would you know that Jesus is a Healer? If you never had a trial, how could you call yourself an overcomer?If you never felt sadness, how would you know that the Holy Spirit is the Comforter?If you never were in  trouble, how would you know that the Lord will come to your rescue? If you never had a problem, how would you know that Jesus is the Burden-Bearer? If you never had any suffering, then how would you know what Jesus went through? If you never went through the fire, how would you become pure as gold? If God gave you all things, how would you appreciate them and depend on him? If your life was perfect, you may never need God! “ These are what I call “The Comfort of Discomfort!

We Owe God More Than We Can Ever Pay! 

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

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

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday, June 12, 2016

King David was a man of contrasts. On one hand, he was devotedly committed to God. He was a great king who loved the Lord. But on the other hand, like every human person, he was not perfect. He was a great military conqueror, but he could not conquer himself. He conquered nations but could not conquer his emotions. He allowed the beauty of Bathsheba to conquer him. Just one night of lust over Bathsheba, the great King David was conquered and brought to his kneels. Bathsheba became pregnant! By this time, Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba was away fighting and defending King David and his kingdom. When King David heard that Bathsheba was pregnant, he recalled her husband, and tried to set him up with his own wife. After all his tricks failed, he sent Uriah back to the war with a letter to the General asking him to send Uriah to the fiercest front of the war, and that he should retreat after doing that. This resulted in the death of Uriah. King David killed Uriah in order to cover his wrongdoing. But God was watching! Nathan, God’s prophet at the time, was given the mission of confronting David. On learning about his wrongdoing, David fell to his kneels and declared: “I have sinned against the Lord.” 

The Gospel of Luke 7: 36-50, like the first reading (2 Samuel 12:7-10 & 13) is also about a sinner who sought for forgiveness. Jesus was a guest at the house of Simon, a Pharisee for dinner. In ancient Israel, it was a custom that when a Rabbi was at a special meal, all kinds of people would come in to listen to his rare words of wisdom. In this case, the Rabbi was Jesus Christ, the Lord of life. As soon as he 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 Jesus. Realizing how greatly she had sinned against God, herself, parents, siblings, and the community, she broke down in tears. She wept profusely that her ocean of tears were enough to wash the feet of Jesus: “Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment (An alabaster flask of ointment).” Her action stunned Simon who said: “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.”

Simon’s unspoken opinion was not only a judgment of condemnation on the sinful woman, but also a serious doubt on the character of Jesus. The unspoken thought of his mind highlights also his own self-righteousness. As far as he was concerned, he was sinless. The sinful one was the woman, and Jesus may be a fake prophet. He concluded that she wasn’t the right kind of person to be seen around Jesus. For him, she was a hopeless woman, incapable of repentance, incapable of changing her ways, and changing her lifestyle. He judged her cruelly and concluded she is finished in every sense of the word. He also wondered why Jesus, the so called prophet would not dissociate himself from her.

To teach Simon an important lesson, Jesus told him 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. 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 called Simon’s attention to his lack of proper hospitality. In those days, roads were dusty and rough, so, when a guest visits, his feet were usually washed with water and soothed with oil by a servant at the doorpost. It was a sign of warm welcome and hospitality. Simon did not assign any servant to wash the feet of Jesus but the sinful woman washed his feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, soothed them with a costly ointment. Jesus also told Simon that when he entered his house, he did not give him a kiss of peace which was also a common practice in Israel. A kiss of peace is “happy to see you” greeting in action. He did not do it for Jesus, but the sinful woman did. Because she did these acts of love, remorse and contrition, Jesus offered her total forgiveness: “Your sins are forgiven.” Her ocean of tears brought her the Lord’s compassion and mercy. She went home forgiven and cleansed of all her sins. Whereas the self-righteous Simon remain the same.

 This gospel story reveals an amazing truth— that a person’s level of devotion to God usually corresponds to the level of forgiveness one thinks he or she has received. The more a person experiences forgiveness, the more his or her devotion. This gospel story shows why some people experience forgiveness and why others don’t. The woman in the Gospel story had a deep sense of sin. She was conscious of her many sins. She convicted herself a sinner. She went to the One who can forgive sins and her many sins were forgiven. The greatest sin is to be conscious of no sin. What opens the door of God’s mercy is having a sense of guilt and a sense of need for mercy. One thing that is capable of shutting off a person from God is self-sufficiency, but depending on God  will open the door for his mercy. After all, God is love.

In the parable of the debtors that Jesus narrated to Simon, where are we? Do we think we have been forgiven great deal of debt or forgiven a little? Some Christians think they have been forgiven a little. You hear them say: “I am not really such a sinner.” “I’ve never killed anyone.” “I’ve never stolen anything.” “I have never cheated on my tax or my spouse.” “I don’t take advantage of others.” “I don’t indulge in immoral behaviors.” “I am actually a good person. “I don’t drink too much or eat too much.” “I am not as bad as others.” But no matter what we may think of ourselves, we are all great debtors. When it comes to our relationship with God, there is no one who owes little. We are all great debtors in God’s books. We owe God more than we can ever pay. But we can be forgiven if we can humbly and honestly say with King David: “I have sinned against the Lord.” And also do what the woman in today’s Gospel did— come to Jesus, sit at his feet, weep for our sins and say to him “Be merciful unto me O Lord for I have sinned.”

Indeed! God Has Visited His People!

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, California

Sunday, June 5, 2016

The three readings of this Sunday speak about the death of someone. The first reading from 1 Kings 17:17-24 talks about the death of the son of the widow of Zarephath. The Gospel taken from Luke 7:11-17 talks about the death of the only son of the widow of Nain. And in the second reading, Saul, who later became Paul, talks about his own death. The two sons of the widows of Zarephath and Nain suffered a physical death, a loss of their human lives, until they were brought back to life by Elijah and Jesus respectively. But in the case of Saul, he died spiritually. His death wasn’t physical but spiritual and moral. After he was raised to life by the Lord, he took the name, Paul, which means “humble.” Death, therefore, can be physical or spiritual. The loss of human life is a physical death. But the loss of the following: sense of God, sense of the sacred, sense of guilt for a wrong done, good conscience, fear of the Lord, etc is a spiritual death. Those who try to harm others, who try to divide us or to pitch one group of people against another have died spiritually. Unrepentant haters and promoters of hate are dead spiritually. Unabashed destroyers of love, relationship, human dignity, are dead spiritually. No child of God who is truly alive would brag at doing any of those.

Death is always a loss— loss of human life or loss of godly life. In either case, there’s pain or emptiness. The death of someone dear to us can hurt. Loss of a mom, dad, sister, brother, friend, colleague, relative, mentor can hurt. Its hurt can be deep. But it doesn’t last forever. The physical death of someone who meant a lot to us can really hurt so much. I have had my own experience of this. In 2014, I lost my sister, my mom, and a wonderful uncle. But this kind of hurt does not last a lifetime or forever. With the passage of time, we experience healing and comfort. Our Comforter, the Holy Spirit visits us with his comfort and healing. Spiritual death also hurts. It can hurt in time and in eternity. The spiritual death of someone can be devastating for the church and society. Look at what the spiritual death of Saul caused the Early Church! He and this team tortured and imprisoned a good number of Christians. They stoned St. Stephen to death. He was on his way to Damascus to obtain authorization to arrest and imprison more Christians when he was rescued by the Lord. Days after, the ‘dead’ Saul was raised to life, to become Paul. Physical death only hurt the living, but spiritual death hurt both the living and the dead. 

Today’s Gospel is about the physical death of the only son of a widow. The woman’s tragedy was double. She had already lost her husband- the love of her life. And when she taught that her only son would learn a trade or get a job, make a living and support her financially, he was snatched away from her by the cold hand of death. The news of his death spread far and wide, and attracted a large crowd of people from the city. As the funeral procession was making its way to the cemetery, Jesus showed up. With a voice laden with compassion and confidence, he said to the widow, “Do not weep.” Then, he came forward, touched the coffin and said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The man got up and began to speak. 

Jesus’ compassion is life-giving. His empathy is life-giving. The fruits of his love are life-giving. His pity for those who experience disappointment, frustration and suffering gives life and ushers a new dawn. His pity for the widow was so deep that he was willing to thwart the course of nature. Since the Fall of Adam and Eve, death has become natural to humans. Once a person dies, we don’t sit around and wait for the dead person to rise. We bury the remains of the deceased. But Jesus’ compassion for this widow was so profound that he derailed the course of nature. He felt her pain and loss. He put himself in her shoes. He made her sorrow his own sorrow. He did not stand idly by and try to blame the young man for being the cause of his own death or to blame the widow for being responsible for the tragic deaths that had occurred in her family. He knew he could do something. He knew he has power to do something. He knew he can make a difference and he did it. 

When the dead man sat up and began to speak, fear, shock and awe seized the people, but it wasn’t a dispersing fear. It wasn’t the kind of fear that usually make people to take to their heels, rather, the kind that causes people to want to know more. The kind of fear expressed by the people does not cripple, it leads to praise, thanksgiving and glorification. It does not cause harm but joy. In summary, it is called “wonder!” In wonder state, the people exclaimed, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst, and God has visited his people.” Yes, indeed! God has visited his people! He has migrated and is living with his people and like his people. He is with us! God is with us! 

Today, God continues to visits us when we read the word of God or hear it proclaimed at Mass. He visits us when we pray, thank and praise him. He visits us when we encounter those who mourn, grieve, suffer, need our attention, and their living condition draw out of us, the kind of compassion that Elijah and Jesus showed to the widows they met. God visits his people when we give water to the thirsty, food to the hungry, clothes to the naked, shelter to the homeless. God visits the sick, the imprisoned, the bereaved when we visit them. When we offer financial assistance to Catholic Charities, St. Vincent de Paul Society, St. Mary’s Place, etc. for the care of the poor,God visits his people.

God is with us to save us. He is with us performing so many miracles, but more often than not, they are not dramatic ones like the one in today’s Gospel. But God still works miracles in our lives. So often they take place in the heart of a person, with no crowd to witness them. But when we look around us, there are many miracles of life, miracles of hope, miracles of peace, miracles of grace, miracles of comfort, miracles of care, miracles of restoration, miracles of thanksgiving, miracles of faithfulness, miracles of victories and successes, miracles of healing, miracles of life turned around, miracles of liberation from addiction, miracles of recovery from sickness, miracles of new thing emerging after a period of frustration, disappointment and failure. God is with us working miracles and wonder. Psalm 46:7 tells us: “The Lord of host is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.” 

Homily for the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ, Year C

Eucharist: The Fountain of Life

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, California 

Sunday, May 29, 2016

When you are really hungry, a good meal is especially good because it settles you down. I don’t know about you, but when I am hungry, I become nervous and jittery. I become unsettled. But a good meal settles me down. After that, I am more relaxed and energized to carry out a function. Hunger can weaken a person. But a good meal does the opposite. But when it comes to the feeding and nourishing of our spiritual side, the best and finest meal we have is the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. 

The Gospel of Luke 9:11b-17 is about the story of hungry men, women and children numbered over five thousand. Their hunger was so deep, so huge that no human food or effort could satisfy it. In search of a good meal, a good food that no chef can prepare, no restaurant can serve, and no house-cook can ever make, they went to the Source of all good things. They went to the Fountain of life— Jesus Christ. The folks in this Gospel were not in search of grilled chicken, grilled Salmon, steamed broccoli and baked potatoes or fries. They were not in search of healthy and tasty food from some of our choicest and favorite restaurants. They were in search of the Real Meal, the Food for the Journey, the Bread of Life, the Bread of Angels, the amazing Food for the soul. They were in search of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, the Bread broken for our nourishment. And none of the food we eat at home or in a restaurant can offer such a nourishment. 

The central point of this Gospel passage (that appeared in all four Gospel) is about the abundance of God’s Kingdom. It is not about hungry bellies being filled. It is not so much about sharing with others (although it is a Christian virtue to share our resources with others, especially the less fortunate ones). It is about the power of God to overcome our lack and insufficiency, to fulfill our innermost and deepest yearnings, and to baffle and amaze us with plenty- plenty of grace, plenty of healing, plenty of mercy, plenty of joy, plenty of blessing, plenty of favor, and plenty of redemption. This Gospel exposes us to the kind of God we serve. That when God steps in, no matter how dire a situation may be, miracles happen. And God does perform beyond our expectation. He exceeds our wildest imagination. He gives us more than we ask for. He does not give in bits and pieces, he overwhelms us with his blessings. But before that can happen, we have to do our bit, our part, first. What is our part?

The crowd of people were spiritually hungry and starving. It’s possible they had been elsewhere in the past in search of solution. The Gospel did not indicate that. But what we know is that their spiritual hunger and starvation led them to Jesus. When they found him, they followed him with keen interest and listened to his message with rapt attention so much so that they forgot or neglected their hungry stomachs. To satisfy their hungry hearts, innermost longing, they forgot their hungry stomachs and other material desires. Jesus’ disciples recognized only their belly need, but did not see Jesus as someone who can satisfy it. So they asked Jesus to “dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions…” But Jesus swung into action, and with five loaves of bread and two fish, he was able to feed and satisfy their belly needs. But before he filled up their empty bellies, he fed them spiritually with the message about the Kingdom of God. Their hunger was satisfied. Empty hearts were filled. And broken souls were mended.

To do our part, therefore, is to make seeking for Jesus a top priority. Hanging out with him on a daily basis should be our first choice. Like the crowd in the Gospel, our desire to seek him, find him, be intimate with him should topple every other desires. Jesus is not looking for admirers, but lovers, passionate lovers, and firebrand disciples. Our quest to please him must top every other aspirations. We serve a God who never stops thinking about us. His devotion to us is complete. Our devotion to him should be complete as well. He overwhelms us with his blessings. Let’s make him proud with the gift of our life. Every minute we stay in church should be seen as a time well spent. The Mass hardly goes beyond 1 hour, 15 minutes, yet, that is too much for some of us. They keep looking at their wrist watches, extremely longing to go home. The crowd in the Gospel were with Jesus all day. They forgot every other thing, including their belly hunger just to be with him. In the end, Jesus did not disappoint them. He satisfied all their yearnings— spiritual and physical, and blessed them exceedingly. When we are in the house of God for our common worship, keep your mind and heart here. Shut out every other things you want to do. Keep your attention and focus here. The same Jesus who multiplied a few loaves of bread and fish is still here present with us. During the proclamation of his word- (reading and homily), pay attention to what he is saying to us. During communion, receive his Body and Blood reverently. Instead of thinking of what you want to accomplish after Mass, think about what God is about to do for you. If anything is bothering you, talk to him about it. He listens! God listens! 

Jesus fed the crowd beyond their imagination. He continues to feed us likewise through his precious Body and Blood. The Eucharist is the Body of Christ. It is the most profound demonstration of God’s mercy. It’s the greatest showing off of God’s mercy and compassion. His desire to stay with us at all time, to be our Real Food and Drink is God’s mercy at its apogee. Let our hunger lead us to the Real Food. Let our thirst bring us to the Fountain, the Real Drink.  

Homily on the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity

Lessons from the Holy and Undivided Trinity

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity

St. Mary of Assumption, Whittier, California

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Before I settled down to write this homily, I had the excitement to centre it on the theology of the Trinity. I wanted to give a simple analysis of the mystery of the Trinity. That led me into studying the summary of St. Augustine’s and St. Thomas Aquinas’ Trinitarian theology I wrote when I was in the Major Seminary. After that, I picked up the Catechism of the Catholic Church and read the entire Part One, Paragraph 2, subtitled “The Father” (CCC 232-267). It is under this section that the mystery of the Trinity is explained. After all the reading, I was ready to write my homily. Suddenly, it occurred to me that doing a theological analysis of the mystery of the Trinity will appear too scholarly and abstract, that I may succeed in putting my parishioners to sleep. In the end, I decided to preach on what we can learn from the Trinity.  

Today, we celebrate one of the deepest mysteries of our faith: that God is a Trinity of persons. The solemnity of the Trinity is not meant to tie us in theological knots, but to teach us that we can find our roots in the divine love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that we can also find our freedom there. The mystery of the Trinity invites us to imitate the unity, love and harmony that exists within the Trinity. The Trinity is a seamless unity of persons and a community of love. The Father is the Lover, the Son is the Beloved, the Holy Spirit is the Love. This reality, this mystery, teaches us three things: how to love, how to be loved and how to become love. Put differently, it teaches us how to give love, receive love and become love or lovely. It teaches us how we can love others, how to receive love from others, and how each of us can be an agent or instrument of love, that is, how we can be love and love-giving. It teaches us how to be a family and a community, just as God is a family and a community.

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is about the inner relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It teaches us that our God does not exist alone or in isolation. Our God is a community! Now, if we expected today’s readings to give us a clear and elaborate presentation of the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity, we have found out that they simply do not. But today’s Gospel (John 16:12-15) has Jesus talking to his disciples about the Holy Spirit. He called him, “the Spirit of Truth” who will come and guide them to all truth. Last Sunday, we celebrated his dramatic coming on the disciples (Pentecost). In same Gospel, Jesus talks about the Father, “Everything that the Father has is mine…” he says. So, the reality of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is already found in the Gospel reading. Now, we don’t have to dig deep to see, from the way Jesus talks about the Father and the Second Advocate, the Holy Spirit, that there is deep love, profound unity and perfect harmony among them. Those are the qualities that Christians everywhere should imbibe and promote. Therefore, any message that causes division in our family and society negates the very character of the Trinity. Any politics or policy that promotes hatred and disharmony in our society is anti-Christ. Any politician whose policies and politics would lead to a further division among us should be rejected. We can disagree without being disagreeable. Even though we belong to different political affiliations, certain virtues like love, unity, harmony etc should transcend politics. Whether you are a conservative or liberal Christian, traditional or progressive Christian, we all should be agents and promoters of  love, unity and harmony in the world. And we can learn these from the doctrine of the Trinity. 

We are made in the image of God. Experts in religion tell us that people always try to be like the god they worship. People who worship a warrior god tend to be war-mongering, people who worship a god of pleasure tend to be pleasure-seeking, people who worship a god of wrath tend to be vengeful, and people who worship a god of love tend to be loving. Like a god, so the worshippers. The doctrine of the Blessed Trinity teaches us, among other things the kind of God we worship and the kind of people we should be. God does not exist in solitary individualism but in a community of love, fellowship and sharing. God is not a loner. This means that a Christian in search of godliness must shun every tendency to isolationism and individualism. We become who God created us to be when we are in a relationship of love with God and with the people of God.

We begin and end the Mass by making the sign of the cross. The sign of the cross is a simple action that many of us have been doing since we were children. As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, I want us to always remember that each time we make the sign of the cross, we sign ourselves with everything the Trinity is. Therefore, let’s live as such. We may not be able to comprehend the mystery of the Trinity, as such, may not be able to help others understand the theological intricacies of this amazing mystery, but we can certainly help them experience love. Since we all want love, let’s give love. Love makes us a family. It turns a house into a home, and turns a home into a family. It turns friendship into marriage. It turns a people into a nation, and a nation into a community. It turns a gathering of people into a church and a people of God. Loves transforms us from selfishness to selflessness. It makes us to think, not only about ourselves but also about others. Love makes us to live for a cause. It is the driver for making disciples for Christ Jesus.

The Divine GPS Is Here!

Rev. Marcel E. Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday

St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

Sunday May 15, 2016

After arriving in Memphis, Tennessee from Nigeria in 2007,  one of my parishioners, Dr. Ann Hinton, bought me a GPS. As she was giving me the brand new device, she said, “Father Marcel, you came to America to save souls, and as you do that, I do not want you to get lost. Take this GPS and use it. It will help you get around, and direct you to your destination, so that you don’t get lost.” I still use that GPS till today! It’s an amazing piece of technology. Once I type the address of where I want to go, it gives me a voice direction until I get to my destination. It never complains. It does not abuse me or get angry with me for failing to follow its direction. Even when I intentionally ignore what it is saying, it simply recalculates my route without yelling at me. My GPS, like all others has only one purpose: to guide me safely to my destination. 

Today is Pentecost Sunday! Today, we celebrate the birth of the Church, the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples, the dramatic outpouring of power and courage on the early church. Today, we celebrate the fulfillment of a promise, Jesus’ promise, “I will ask the Father, and he will you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16-17). We celebrate the love of the Father and the Son among us. The Holy Spirit was first sent to the disciples to empower them to courageously and fearlessly preach the good news of Jesus Christ, to announce to the Jews and their neighbors that the crucified Jesus is risen, that he is the Lord and Savior and that salvation can only be possible by believing in his name. For those of us who believe in Jesus through the preaching of the Apostles, disciples and their successors, the same Holy Spirit was given to us at baptism and then stirred into action at confirmation. He comes to us as Comforter, Helper, Teacher and Advocate. In times of grief, hurt, and sorrow, the Holy Spirit provides comfort and consolation. His consolation assures us that we are not alone and have not been abandoned by the good God. His comfort supplies warmth, healing, and recovery and prevents ugly experiences of life from getting in our way and journey to God. God is our final refuge and destination, and anything that attempts to divert our journey to him is a distraction. The comfort of the Comforter soothes our pain and enables us to keep living and moving in the right direction. Extreme grief or sorrow is capable of hindering our journey to God. It’s capable of deafening us to hear the voice of the divine GPS. If that happens, we could miss our way and find ourselves on the wrong lane of depression. And if no comfort (help) comes, we could get lost. The Comforter comes, not only to comfort and heal us, but to recalculate our way back to God. The chief purpose of the Holy Spirit is to lead and guide us to the One who is the Truth, to bring us safely to our destination—our heavenly homeland. 

The Holy Spirit was sent as the Helper. He is to help us in every aspect of our lives, to realize our dreams, aspirations and to fulfill our destiny. He is to help us get saved. In times of weakness when we do not know how to pray, he prays on our behalf (Romans 8:26-27). He reveals the will of God to us (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), helps us to build our faith and to live a victorious Christian life. He also helps us to boldly and courageous declare on whose side we are. In this day and age when people are no longer shy or ashamed of declaring who they are, what they are, what they do, what they believe in, and on whose side they belong, the Holy Spirit helps Christians not to shy away from declaring to the world: “I believe in God!” “I belong to Jesus!” “I am a churchgoing person, and it is nothing to be ashamed of.” I have met some Christians who tell me that when they are in the midst of their unbelieving friends and colleagues who take pride in bashing our Christian belief and any belief in God, that they are usually intimidated or ashamed to say, “I believe in God.” Recently I quoted to a young man what Jesus said about those who are ashamed of him: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in this adulterous and sinful world, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38). “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 32-33). As the Teacher, the Holy Spirit teaches us the truth of God—that God is greater than what we say he is; that God is a wonderful Daddy, that he is the Father of the prodigal son, that he is full of love, mercy and compassion; that God is not a cop, but a loving Daddy who is deeply interested in each of us. He teaches us that God is not someone we should be afraid of or run away from, even if we have fallen into sin, rather, someone we should long to approach, yearn for just as a deer yearns for running streams. The Holy Spirit reminds us that each of us, like a sick person, needs God’s healing. A sick person who avoids seeing a doctor, going to hospital or taking a medicine cannot get well. We need God just as a sick person needs a doctor or medicine. The Holy Spirit is also our Advocate. An advocate is someone who looks after one’s interests in a court of law, speaks and answers on the person’s behalf. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate in heaven. He looks after our interests in the heavenly court. He does not attempt to provide evidence or proof of our innocence. He knows that every accusation of the law of God against us is true, but he pleads on our behalf by pointing at the wounds on Jesus’ side and hands and begs the Father for mercy, clemency and leniency for us.

Sisters and brothers, everything the Holy Spirit does for us demonstrates among other things, that we are not alone. In the gospel of John 14:16-17 & 18, Jesus made a promise: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God.” “I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.” None of us is alone. In this journey of faith, we are not alone. As we walk to our homeland, we are not alone. In the struggles of this earthly life, we are not alone. Even when we think we are alone, we are not really alone. We cannot walk alone. We have a Companion from the Father and the Son.