The life of a man who left everything for the love of Jesus and his Mother Mary

On the Feast of St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori

Rev. Marcel Divine Okwara CSsR

August 1, 2011

Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori was born in Marianella in Naples, Italy in 1696. He was the first child of his parents- Joseph and Anna.  He was born in a Noble family. At the age of sixteen, Alphonsus Liguori went to law school, and then became a very well known lawyer. With his success in the law profession, his father was so proud of him. But then, Alphonsus was thinking of leaving the profession. One day he wrote to a friend: “My friend, our profession is too full of difficulties and dangers; we lead an unhappy life and run risk of dying an unhappy death. For myself, I will quit this career, which does not suit me; for I wish to secure the salvation of my soul.” At the age of twenty-seven, after having lost an important case - the first he had lost in about eight years of practicing law - he made a firm resolution to leave the law profession.

In 1723, after a long process of discernment, he abandoned his legal career and, despite his father's strong opposition and refusal, began his seminary studies in preparation for the priesthood in the Oratory of St. Philip Neri. He was ordained a priest on December 21, 1726, at the age of 30. He lived his first few years as a priest with the homeless and marginalized youth of Naples. He founded the “Evening Chapels.” Run by the young people themselves, these chapels were centers of prayer and piety, preaching, community, social activities, and education.

In 1729 Alphonsus left his family home and took up residence in the Chinese College in Naples. It was there that he began his missionary experience in the interior regions of the Kingdom of Naples where he found people who were much poorer and more abandoned than any of the street children in Naples. When Alphonsus met these people, he said, “Oh, they have not even heard of the sweet name of Jesus.”

On November 9, 1732, St. Alphonsus founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer shortly known as the Redemptorists. The goal of the Redemptorists is to teach and preach to the poor. Redemptorists are called to be preachers- wonderful preachers that bring the good news of the Lord. Not only was he a bishop, he was also a canon and civil lawyer, a painter, musician, poet, architect. Alphonsus wrote 111 works on spirituality and theology making him one of the most prolific religious writers of all time.

He was unique among the saints for his life-long devotion to the Blessed Mother. St. Alphonsus was visited several times by Our Lady.  One of his most celebrated books is titled The Glories of Mary. He was also greatly devoted to the Blessed Sacrament, and was known for his sermons on the Eucharist. He had great love for Jesus and Mary.

He is the only professional moral theologian ever to be officially declared a Saint by the Church. He was canonized in 1839, and later declared a Doctor of the Church.

From St. Alphonsus, we see a man who was ready to leave everything and follow God. For the love of Jesus Christ, he left his money making and name recognition profession. His life reminds us of St. Paul who said in Philippians 3:7-11 “All those things that I count as profit I now reckon as loss for the sake of Christ Jesus. Not only those things; I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ and be completely united with him… All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death, in hope that I myself will be raised from death to life.”

St. Paul too was a lawyer. And as a Jewish lawyer, he ab initio thought that all that matters was the observance of the law. He was a good Jew. He was learned too. But when he encountered the Lord, there was a radical change in his life.

St. Alphonsus left everything- family, fame, money, good life, easy life etc for the love of Jesus Christ. And he spent his entire life serving the Lord faithfully in the poorest of the poor. Today, we celebrate his life. Like St. Alphonsus, are we ready to follow the Lord unreservedly? I am not asking you to leave your job, family, money and follow the Lord. But there is still a way to do it. Just remember this: Money and other material things are for use. We are to use them; only God can be enjoyed. God and God matters should come first in our lives, then anything else.  St. Augustine himself said, “Some things are to be enjoyed; others to be used. Those things which are to be enjoyed make us blessed. Those things which are to be used help and sustain us as we move toward blessedness in order that we may gain and cling to those things which make us blessed. To enjoy something is to cling to it with love, for its own sake. To use something, however, is to employ it in obtaining that which you love, provided it is worthy of love. The only thing worthy of this love, the only “thing” to be enjoyed for its own sake is God.”

Our Five Loaves and Two Fish

Homily for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time - On the Gospel

Steve is trying to show concern for his neighbor by praying for the poor man who lives down the road. But, as his son reminds him, prayer and good wishes are not always enough. Sometimes when we pray, God’s answer to us is, “But you can do that yourselves." This is what we see in today's gospel where the disciples are so concerned about the hungry crowd that they pray Jesus to dismiss them so that they could go and buy themselves something to eat. Jesus turns and says to them, “Hey, you give them something to eat. You can take care of that yourselves.” Only then do they remember the small guy with five loaves and two fish. Jesus blesses the five loaves and two fish and, to their surprise, that was more than enough to satisfy the enormous hunger of all the people. That is how we have the miracle of the Feeding of the Five Thousand.

Why did the disciples not think earlier of sharing their provision with the crowd? Is it that they did not care? Yes, they did care and they did wish the crowd well. But probably they were simply being realistic and practical. Let's face it: five loaves and two fish is nothing before a hungry crowd of five thousand men, plus women and children. We see this more clearly in the gospel of John where one of the disciples, Andrew, says to Jesus: “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” (John 6:9) The action of faith to which Jesus calls his followers often goes beyond the dictates of human logic and realism.

The story of the Miraculous Feeding of the Five Thousand, like most stories in the Gospels, speaks to us today because many of us can identify very readily with the disciples. Like them we find that our care and compassion is very often limited to prayer and good wishes. No wonder wish-you-well cards have become so popular. Like the disciples we wish people well but have no intention of taking positive action to help the situation. And, again like the disciple, what prevents us from taking positive action is often the realistic assessment that the little we are able to do is not really going to make any appreciable difference.

But in the gospel we see that when we translate our care and compassion into positive action, the little we are able to do is multiplied by God's grace in such a way that it becomes more than sufficient for the need. All that Jesus needs from us to feed the hungry crowds of the world is our “five loaves and two fish.” Why didn't Jesus just go on and produce bread from thin air to feed the crowd? Because God needs our “five loaves and two fish” in order to perform the amazing miracle of feeding the five thousand. I will like to conclude by sharing with you this story of how a certain Indian boy tried to contribute his own “five loaves and two fish.”

Tidal waves washed thousands of starfish ashore and they were dying on the sandy beach in the hot sun. People walking on the beach crushed the fish under their feet. An Indian boy walked with more care, once in a while stooping down, picking up a starfish and throwing it back into the sea. One man who saw what he was doing challenged him. “Young man,” he said, “what do you think you are doing. With the thousands of starfish on the shore, what difference does it make throwing one or two back into the sea?” The Indian boy slowly bent down, picked one more starfish and threw it back into the sea. “For that one,” he replied, “it sure makes a lot of difference.”

As individuals, as communities and as a world, we suffer all kinds of hunger – for food, for love, for peace. God is able and willing to satisfy all our hungers. But God is waiting for men and women who believe enough to give up their lunch pack, their “five loaves and two fish,” which God needs to make the miracle possible.

We become what we eat

Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for Corpus Christi (My last Mass in Holy Names Church)

Holy Names of Jesus & Mary Catholic Church

Memphis, TN, USA

June 26, 2011

Adults are not alone in trying to understand the solemnity of Body and Blood of Christ. Children find it very difficult to understand it too. A boy of three was captivated by the Communion rite and watched every move of the priest until he finished wiping the chalice. Then the boy turned to his mother and said, “Mom, he’s doing dishes. Now can we go home?”

Another child was kneeling beside his mother at Mass after she returned from taking Communion. Looking at his mother the boy asked, “Mom, how does that pill taste?” Since she was praying silently to herself, she didn’t answer. Then he asked again: “Is it the kind of pill that puts you to sleep, Mom?”

Today’s solemnity causes many of us to scratch our heads wondering what it is all about. If you are wondering what Jesus meant when he said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven, whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” just know that you are not the only one in this wonder land. When Jesus said that, the Jews present quarreled about it asking, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” But Jesus did not back down; he even made the matter worse by saying, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.”

Come on now, Jesus! What are you talking about? Do you want to make us cannibals? The people present may have said when he made those declarations. The Lord speaks of the eating of his body and the drinking of his blood. To those who eat his body and drink his blood, he says, “…I will raise them on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” But what does Jesus mean by those declarations?

As Catholics, we understand that Jesus is talking about the Eucharist- his Body and Blood. As Catholics, we believe that the bread and wine we receive at Mass is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. As Catholics, we believe that Jesus is fully present- body, soul and divinity in the Eucharist. By faith, we accept that what we receive during communion is the Body and Blood of the Lord. Jesus in today’s gospel says, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” He also says, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” Really! Is it that automatic? So does it mean that I have gained eternal life simply because I do receive the Body and Blood of the Lord? Does it mean that anytime I receive the Body and Blood of Jesus I am in him and he is in me?

Let’s remember that in Matthew 7:21, Jesus says, “Not everyone who calls me, Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven.” This means that receiving the Body and Blood Jesus at every Mass is not enough to merit us heaven. We must let Jesus whom we receive transform us. We must live, talk and act like those who receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. We must live like the Body of Jesus. We must become what we eat before we can inherit eternal life. We must become what we receive at Mass before we can be one with Jesus. St. Augustine once said, “If you receive him in the right disposition, you become what you receive.”

To become what we eat is to become like Jesus. And the one we receive is human and humane. The one we receive is kind and compassionate. The one we receive is gentle and humble. The one we receive is selfless and sacrificial. The one we receive is whole and holy. The one we receive is sinless and virtuous. The one we receive loves everyone- saints and sinners. The one we receive does not despise or discriminate anyone. He does not look down on any one. He is all things to all people. The one we receive gave his all to all. Jesus says, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” To remain in Jesus means to be everything about Jesus. Our lives must be everything Jesus. Holy Names students usually sing this song:

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus in the morning

Jesus in the noontime

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus when the sun goes down

This song must constitute our lives. Our lives must be Jesus in the morning, noontime and when the sun goes down. That’s what it means to be in Jesus and Jesus in us. When Jesus says whoever eats his Body and drinks his Blood remains in me and I in him, he means that the reception of his Body and Blood at Mass must transform us from within. As I said before, we must become like who have received. We must take Jesus into us, and we must come into him before we can have eternal life.

Some of us may be asking why we are celebrating the Eucharist (i.e. Corpus Christi) specially since each time gather together at Mass, we celebrate the Eucharist. Today’s solemnity offers us a special opportunity to give God collective thanks for Jesus’ abiding presence with us which is made visible in the Eucharist. Today’s solemnity also offers us an opportunity to understand the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and to reexamine our attitude towards it since the Eucharist is a sacrament of life, which if misused could bring about the opposite effect. St Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:29-30 says, “All who eat and drink in an unworthy manner, without discerning the Lord’s body eat and drink judgment against themselves. For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died”

In order to have a good understanding of the Eucharist we need to ask why Jesus gave us this sacrament in the first place. A closer reading of today's gospel or, better still, the whole of the Eucharistic discourse in John 6 from which today’s gospel is taken provides useful answers. From the reading we find that there are two main reasons why Jesus gave us this sacrament. First, In Matthew 28:20, Jesus promised to be with us until the end of time. In the Eucharist he provides a visible sign and an effective means of him being present to us and us being present to him. As Jesus himself says, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” Secondly, In John 10:10 Jesus says that he came that we may have life and have it more abundantly. In the Eucharist Jesus provides a visible means of communicating this life to us so that we can be fully alive both in this world and in the next. As Jesus said in John 6:53-54, “Amen, Amen, I say you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day.” In the Eucharist, Jesus makes himself present to us and provides us the opportunity of making ourselves present to him. In the Eucharist, Jesus feeds us. He gives us the food for the journey. Life is a journey. We need the Bread of Angels to walk it.

The Jews that Jesus addressed today’s gospel to had gathered to ask him for more bread. Jesus had just multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish and fed five thousand people. So, they came asking for more bread. Instead Jesus promised to give them the sacramental food. But in their worldly way of thinking, they did not understand or appreciate the sacrament. If we, like the Jews who first heard Jesus talk about his Body and Blood approach the Eucharist with a materialistic mentality, we would loose the spiritual and sometimes the material benefits of such a wonderful gift of God’s love. The Eucharist is real food and real drink but not like every other food we eat. Other food we eat can only blend with our body but cannot transform us in and out. Only Eucharist, the Bread of Angels, can. When we eat ordinary food, we transform them into our own bodies but only the Eucharistic food can transform us into the Body of Christ.

The question then is why is it that so many of us who receive the Eucharist do not experience this radical, complete and real transformation? This story may help us understand why. A team of Russians and Americans were on a common mission. Among the items of food was Russian black bread. It was a tasty bread but hard on the teeth. It happened that at their meal, one of the Americans decided to have a bite of the bread, and immediately had a crack on his tooth. He threw the bread overboard and grumbled, “Lousy communist bread.” But the Russian countered, “Is not lousy communist bread. Is rotten capitalist tooth.” If we do not experience the transforming power of the Eucharist it is probably not on account of a lousy Eucharist but on account of our rotten faith.

If we receive the Eucharist in the right disposition, free from all sins, we become what we eat.

Homily on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

The Trinity- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is love

Rev. Divine Emeka Augustine, CSsR

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church

Germantown, TN, USA

June 19, 2011

The story is told of St Augustine of Hippo, a great philosopher and theologian. He was preoccupied with the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity. He wanted so much to understand the doctrine of three persons in one God and to be able to explain it logically. One day he was walking along the sea shore and reflecting on this matter. Suddenly, he saw a little child all alone on the shore. The child made a whole in the sand, ran to the sea with a little cup, filled her cup with sea water, ran up and emptied the cup into the hole she had made in the sand. Back and forth she went to the sea, filled her cup and came and poured it into the hole. Augustine drew up and said to her, “Little child, what are you doing?”

She replied, “I am trying to empty the sea into this hole.” “How do you think that you can empty this immense sea into this tiny hole and with this tiny cup?” Augustine asked her. Then she fired back, “And you, how do you suppose that with your small head you can comprehend the immensity of God?” With that the child disappeared.

Dearest beloved, today we celebrate one of the deepest mysteries of our faith: the fact that God is a Trinity of persons. While many faiths worship one God, only Christians believe that God is three distinct persons sharing one life- the divine life. We believe in the Father and the Son being one. The love between them overflows, becoming a third person, the Holy Spirit. This means that our God does not exist alone or in isolation; the essence of God is a continual relationship with all three persons, living in a perfectly intimate, unending communion of love.

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is about the inner relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It teaches us that each of them is fully and equally God, yet there are no three Gods but one. 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. The doctrine of three persons in one God, equal in divinity yet distinct in personality, is not explicitly spelt out in the Bible. In fact the very word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible. Early Christians arrived at the doctrine when they applied their God-given reason to the revelation which they had received in faith. Jesus spoke about the Father who sent him (the Son) and about the Holy Spirit whom he was going to send. He said that the Father had given him (the Son) all that he has and that he in turn has given to the Holy Spirit all that he has received from the Father. In this we see the unity of purpose among the three persons of the Trinity.

In the story of salvation we usually attribute creation to the Father, redemption to the Son and sanctification to the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, though they are distinct as persons, neither the Father nor the Son nor the Holy Spirit ever exists or acts in isolation from the other two persons of the Godhead.

Like Augustine we may not be able to understand the how of the Trinity but I think it is very important to understand the why. Why did God reveal to us this mystery regarding the very nature of the Supreme Being? The importance of this doctrine lies in this: we are made in the image of God, therefore, the more we understand God the more we understand ourselves. 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 and lovable. Like a god, so the worshippers. Therefore, the more important question for us to ask today is: What does the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity tell us about the kind of God we worship and what does this say about the kind of people we should be? On this, I have two points to share with you.

(1) God does not exist in solitary individualism but in a community of love and sharing. God is not a loner. This means that a Christian in search of Godliness must shun every tendency to isolationism. Isolation can lead to loneliness and loneness, that is, alone from self, from God and from others. We become who God created us to be when we are in a relationship with God and with the people of God.

(2) True love requires three partners. You remember the old saying “Two is company, three is a crowd.” The Trinity shows us that three is community, three is love at its best; three is not a crowd. Taking an example from the human condition we see that when a man A is in love with a woman B they seal the love by producing a baby C. Father, mother and child -- love when perfected becomes a trinity.

We are made in God’s image and likeness. Just as God is God only in a Trinitarian relationship, so we can be fully human only in a relationship of three partners. The self needs to be in a horizontal relationship with others and a vertical relationship with God. In that way our life becomes Trinitarian like that of God. Then we discover that the so-called “I-and-I” principle of unchecked individualism which is acceptable in modern society leaves much to be desired. The doctrine of the Blessed Trinity challenges us to adopt rather an I-and-God-and-neighbor principle. I am a Christian insofar as I live in a relationship of love with God and other people. In striving to survive in this fast changing world, the Christian should realize that he or she does not exist alone. Whatever good one desires is equally desired by many others. The principle of I and I results in selfishness. While the principle of I and others results in live and let’s live. Instead of selfishness, we have self-giving and sacrifice. In Matthew 20: 28 Jesus says that “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Now, the God who revealed himself as Trinity is love. 1 John 4:8 says that God is love. And in today’s gospel says, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” God sent Jesus into the world to reveal God to the world, so that by believing in him, the people of the world will be saved. It is in the person of Jesus that we come to a full understanding of who God is. It is Jesus who reveals God to us as a heavenly Father; his Father, and our Father. It is Jesus who shows himself to be the Son of that Father, and ourselves as his sisters and brothers. It is Jesus who promised to send the Holy Spirit as a gift from his Father and himself so that they might make their home within us. In word and action, Jesus teaches us the truth about God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, something we could never fully understand by reasoning alone.

All great people have had their favorite texts. But John 3:16 is everybody’s text. John 3:16 tells us that the initiative in all salvation lies with God. Sometimes some Christians present Christianity as if God had to be pacified and persuaded before he can forgive. Sometimes God is presented as a stern, mean, angry and unforgiving God, and at the same time Jesus is presented as a gentle, loving, forgiving person. We may even have heard a Christian message that sounds as if Jesus did something unusual that changed the attitude of God to humans from condemnation to forgiveness. But John 3:16 says it was God that started it all. It was God who sent his Son, and he sent him because he loved men and women. At the back of everything is the love of God.

John 3:16 also tells us that God’s essence and being is love. It is always easy to think of God as a city cop who hides in a corner just to catch us over-speeding away from him. It is easy to think of God as a monitor who looks and sees our rebellious attitudes and disobedience and saying, “I will bring them to justice; I will punish them until they come back to me.” It is easy to think of God as someone who wants our allegiance and obedience just to satisfy his own desire for power. But the wonderful thing about John 3:16 is that it shows us God acting not for his own sake, but for ours, not to satisfy his desire for power, but to satisfy his love. God is not like an absolute monarch who treats his people as subjects to be reduced to abject obedience. God is the Father who cannot be happy until his wandering children have all returned home. He does not smash us into submission; rather he yearns and woos us with his love.

John 3:16 also tells us of the width and breadth of the love of God. It was the world, the entire world that God so loved. It wasn’t only a nation; it wasn’t only the good people; it wasn’t only the people that loved him; it is the world- East, West, South and North. God loves the unlovable and the unlovely; the lonely and the despised; the man who loves God and the man who never thinks of him, the woman who rests in the love of God and the woman who spurns it. Everybody is included in this vast, limitless and inclusive love of God. According to St. Augustine, “God loves each one of us as if there was only one of us to love.”

God loves you; God loves me. The God who is Trinity is love. Do you seek love, come to him today and be loved.

The Ascension of Jesus Christ points to the glory of the final promise

Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Holy Names of Jesus & Mary Catholic Church

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

June 5, 2011

Dearest beloved, today we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. The Lord’s Ascension is an integral part of the paschal mystery, which began with the death and resurrection of Jesus, and continues with his Ascension, then, closes with the Pentecost (i.e. the coming of the Holy Spirit). The Ascension of Jesus signifies the triumph, glorification and enthronement of Jesus in heaven. The Ascension is the realization of a dream and hope. The Ascension is the fulfillment of a target. It is the achievement of a goal. That dream, that hope, that target, that goal is HEAVEN. That realization, that fulfillment, that achievement is the glory of HEAVEN. Heaven is the final promise of God to every follower of his Son, Jesus Christ.

This solemnity is so central to Christian tradition that the four gospels speak explicitly and implicitly about it. It is so important because the Ascension of Jesus into heaven points and reminds us of the final glory in heaven. After all, the Lord says in John 14: 3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, so that where I am, you also may be.”

On the Ascension of the Lord, three points may be considered. Number one: Jesus is going up to heaven but not as he came down from heaven. The Lord came down from heaven as the Son of God, and he goes up to heaven as the Son of God and also the Son of Mary. He came down from heaven as the only Son of God, but now, he goes up to heaven as our Brother and Redeemer. In one sense, he is the only Son of God, but in another sense, he is not the only begotten of the Father, for through his own suffering and death, he has ransomed and begotten each of us as sons and daughters of God. Through his redemption, we have all become God’s adopted sons and daughters. We have become his brothers and sisters. The Lord was the only Son of God and the only Son of Mary, but through his redeeming blood poured out for us, we have become his brothers and sisters. He is also our Lord and God. Number two: Jesus goes up to heaven without really leaving us. He stays with us as the Risen Lord. Although he is not physically present with us, he is spiritually present in and among us. He is present in the Holy Spirit he sends to us, for it is the Spirit of the Father and Son. He also continues to be with us really in the Eucharist, in common and private prayer, in the neighbor- especially the poor, and in those who evangelize for the Lord. It is interesting to point out that the last words of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew is a promise to be present always: “And behold I am with you always, until the end of time” (Matthew 21:20).

The Ascension of the Lord is not a change of place for Jesus. We must avoid the danger of boxing Jesus in heaven, away from us. After all, heaven is living in God’s presence- presence which begins here and now with the grace of the Lord, and then ends in the glory of heaven. Remember, in the gospel of John 17:3, Jesus defines eternal life (i.e. the glory of heaven) like this, “And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent.”

The number three point to consider as we celebrate the Lord’s Ascension is that the Ascension of Jesus reminds us of the destiny of his followers. A Christian is a pilgrim. We are on a journey. When someone starts a journey, he or she wants to get to the destination. The hope of the Christian pilgrim is the destination of heaven.

Writings or articles about heaven do not get a press coverage. You can hardly read an article on heaven in the New York Times Magazine. Even in the Church, homilies or sermons on heaven is seldom preached about. Some people argue that we know little or nothing about heaven. Theologians continue to argue whether heaven is a place or a state. Heaven, most conclude is a mystery. Because no one has come from heaven to earth to tell us how it looks like, we shy away from talking about it. Even when the rich man in hell wanted Father Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers on earth so as to warn them to change their lifestyles or else they would end in hell, his request was immediately turned down. What is in heaven is not adequately known. Brother Gene Patin CSsR has variously asked me questions like, “How is heaven like?” “I hope there will be food in it?” “What are we going to be doing in heaven?” “I hope heaven is not going to be a boring place?”

I read about the story of a doctor and his terminally ill patient, who was very scared of dying. Out of fear of death, the patient asked his doctor: “What is there in heaven?” The doctor answered: “I don’t know.” In amazement, the patient said again: “You do not know? How come? You are a devout Catholic and you attend Mass daily, yet you don’t know what is there in heaven?” At that time, there was a big noise produced by someone who wanted to force the door of the clinic open. It was a big dog, the doctor’s dog. Entering the clinic, the dog runs, jumps, embraces and kisses the doctor. Then, the entrance of the dog provided a teaching opportunity for the doctor. The doctor now said to his patient: “Did you see my dog? He did not know what was in this room, but he knew that someone, his master was here, and that was enough for him. I do not know what is in heaven, but I know one thing: God my Father is there, Jesus my Redeemer is there, and that is enough for me.”

Dearest beloved, the Ascension of Jesus points to us the glory of the final promise- heaven. Heaven is the reward of righteousness. Heaven is the gift of eternal life. It is the final rest and home of a believer. Our time on earth is just a temporary state; 70 years, 90 years, 100 years is like a drop of water on an ocean when you compare it with the blessedness of heaven. Whatever we have on earth, whatever privileges we enjoy on earth, whatever beauty we see on earth, whatever fellowship we partake on earth, we should always be thinking of the eternal home of a believer, which is heaven, where our Lord has ascended into. Jesus himself says, “In my Father’s house, there are so many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, so that where I am, you also may be” (John 14:2).

The Ascension of Jesus reminds us of heaven- our place of rest. Heaven is the dwelling place of God. As you think of the majesty of God himself, also think of the majesty of the place he dwells. As you think of the greatness of God, think of the greatness of heaven. As you think of the beauty of God, think of the beauty of heaven. As you think of the mystery of this earth where we live now, think of the mystery and the majesty of heaven. Human language cannot paint a good picture enough. Human oratory cannot paint the picture to show us what heaven is like. St. Paul himself in 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” But we know that heaven is a place of undisturbed, perfect eternal rest. In this world, we are easily disturbed. Rest is easily disturbed on earth. But heaven is a place of uninterrupted perfect eternal rest. It is a place of everlasting peace without worry or anxiety. It is a place of joy without sorrow. Heaven is a place of full satisfaction without disappointment. It is a place of fellowship with Jesus Christ and with the people of God. It is a place of enjoyment without interruption.

In this world, joy or enjoyment is often interrupted. Triumph is often interrupted; victory is often interrupted, may be by accidents or whatever that comes in a person’s life. But when we get to heaven, we will enjoy eternally without a moment interruption. Heaven is a place of reward without rebuke. In fact, heaven is the greatest hope we have.

St. Paul tells us that we are citizens of heaven. And as citizens of heaven, let us commit ourselves deeply to be witnesses of the Risen Lord. Let us strive to crucify every sinful passions and desires. Let us crucify the sins of hatred, jealousy, unforgiveness, injustice, discrimination, and selfishness. For us, to live should be Jesus Christ. For us to live should be love. The command of Jesus today is: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” As we go about doing the work of our Lord, he assures us: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

We are citizens of heaven. The Ascension of the Lord points to our destiny. We are pilgrims on the way to heaven. A 90 year old priest was asked: “Father, how are you today?” He answered: “Very well, one day closer to heaven.” If we are living right, proclaiming Jesus in words and deeds, each passing day becomes a match closer to heaven. An old man was seen walking from his city to another city. Halfway, he stopped by in a restaurant to rest a little. He was very tired, but still determined to keep walking. He has no car and no money to ride with a public bus. And he was not ready to beg or to borrow. Inside the restaurant, a man asked him: “How will you get to the other city on foot? Don’t you know it is far away?” The old man replied: ““It will not be so difficult: my heart got there first, so it is easy for the rest of me to follow.”

Sisters and brothers, where is our heart? Jesus says in Matthew 6:21, “For where your heart is, there your treasure will be also.” With heaven as our goal, let us press on; let us go on journeying towards heaven, where there will be no death, no mourning, but life, love and happiness. Meanwhile, let us walk with others and for others; let us love God, neighbor, creation. Remember the words of St. Augustine: we can only walk forward to heaven with steps of love!

My Short Reflection on the indestructible Cross in a Catholic Church in Joplin

Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

May 28, 2011

On May 22, 2011, a dangerous tornado hit the city of Joplin, Missouri, USA and destroyed virtually everything that was standing. Throughout the history of America, this tornado is regarded as the most powerful and the most destructive. It was so powerful and deadly that it leveled the entire city; houses even those built with bricks were reduced to rubbles, cars and huge and heavy trucks were smashed; trees were brought down and cut into pieces; everything standing before the tornado hit was shattered and littered. But in the city of Joplin is a Catholic Church, St. Mary's. The church’s building like every other building in Joplin was seriously damaged. In front of this Catholic Church is a 6-foot Cross, mounted on top of the church building. This Cross was not touched or affected by the monstrous tornado. The most powerful tornado in the history of America could not bring down the Cross. In the entire community, this Cross is the only thing standing.

In the 80’s, a tornado had also hit the city of Joplin. But this Cross was not destroyed or even affected. It stood tall and untouched after everything else was destroyed and shattered into pieces. Because the Cross had remained unaffected after two powerful tornadoes, it has after this recent mayhem become a symbol of hope for the people of Joplin who have lost everything they had including some of their loved ones. Through this indestructible Cross, our Lord Jesus Christ seems to be assuring the people of Joplin that despite all they had lost, that he the Lord of life is still there for them. Through the Cross, the Lord seems to be saying to the people, "look up here and be consoled." The Cross which has remained untouched after two powerful tornadoes reminds the people of Joplin in USA that the Lord is still in their midst. It says to them, "Before you despair, complain and question God why he allowed such a tragedy to happen to you, remember what happened to me on this cross." Do not forget my own painful experience on the Cross. Before you give up on God, look at the Cross. Remember I too suffered on the Cross. Look at this Cross, and remember that what happened on this Cross was not the final day or the final word. The final day or word is Easter when new life was born. After my death on the Cross, I lived again, and because I live, you too can live. Because I live, you can face tomorrow.

Jesus seems to be saying to the people of Joplin, look at the Cross and find hope. To unbelievers, the Cross is a symbol of defeat. But you know what happened after three days. The Cross is not a symbol of defeat; it is rather a symbol of victory. On this Cross, I won for you. On this Cross, I gave you victory. On this Cross, I brought new life to you. On this Cross, I paid the ultimate prize for you. On this Cross, I crushed the devil. On this Cross, I brought back smile again on your faces. Though your entire city and community have been annihilated, the Cross reminds you that it shall be well. You shall rise up again. Though you have lost some beloved ones, but take a look at the Cross. It tells that I am here for you. Do not be hopeless, instead be hopeful. You have lost everything, but you haven’t lost me. I am here. Remember I am Immanuel, the God who is with you.

That Cross in a Catholic Church in Joplin, Missouri, USA which has survived two powerful tornadoes is a symbol of hope for the people of Joplin and to us. In the tick of life’s crisis, the Lord is there with us. He has promised never to leave or forsake us. Do not forget the Lord’s unchanging promise to us in Hebrew 13: 5 "I will never leave or forsake you." And in Deuteronomy 31:6 he says “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." Again he says Deuteronomy 31:8, “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Look up to the Cross of Jesus Christ. On that Cross lies our victory. On that Cross lies our hope. On that Cross lies our salvation. On that Cross lies our deliverance. On that Cross lies our today and our tomorrow. The Cross of Jesus Christ is our peace. That Cross is our smile even in the face of difficult, crisis and misfortune. That Cross is our strength. That Cross is our joy. That Cross is our hope. That Cross is our new beginning. That Cross is our rising up. That Cross is our leaning wall. That Cross is our rest. When you are down, do not look down, look up. Look up to the Cross. Jesus has been lifted up. He says in John 12:32, “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” Your love, Jesus Christ has been lifted up for you and me. Look up to the Son of Man lifted up for us on the Cross. On that Cross we lean. Lean on the Cross and live!

"If you really love me, you will keep my commandments"

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for 6^th Sunday of Easter, Year A

Holy Names of Jesus & Mary Catholic Church

Memphis, Tennessee, USA

May 29, 2011

In John 14:15, Jesus says, “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, the Spirit of truth.”

In John 15: 14, Jesus again says, “You are my friends if you do what I command.”

In John 14: 21, Jesus says, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

In John 14: 9-11, Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Dearest beloved, today’s gospel taking from John 14:15-21 is a continuation of Jesus’ farewell speech to his disciples. In this speech, the Lord makes a connection between love and obedience. He says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” I once told a friend that in a traditional African society, people hardly say, “I love you.” Even those in marriage do not say that. Then my friend asked me, “Then how do you know that someone loves you?” I replied, “You know by the way they treat you.”

To Jesus, the best test of love is obedience. Remember, it was through his obedience that he demonstrated his love for his Father; and it is by our obedience that we must demonstrate our love for him. To Jesus, love is not just a sentiment or emotion. It is rather an expression that is always moral demonstrated through obedience. Put differently, love is a moral expression revealed in obedience. We know there are people who profess their love in words but who, at the same time, bring pain, misfortune, and heartbreak to the same people they claim to love. There are young people who say they love their parents, yet, they cause them sorrow, anxiety and sleeplessness. There are husbands who say they love their wives and wives who say they love their husbands, and who, at the same time, through their inconsideration, irritability and thoughtless unkindness bring pain and grief to the very one they claim to love. To Jesus, love is not an easy thing easily professed in words. Love is a reality demonstrated only in true obedience, faithfulness and good deeds.

The Lord asks no small thing from his disciples when he said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Keeping the Lord’s commandments is not going to be easy for anybody. Being a Christian and following Jesus’ teachings is a struggle. To be a disciple of Jesus means “to follow after him." It means following the way of Jesus who is the Way; it means keeping and living the truth of Jesus who is the Truth; it also means accepting the life of Jesus who is the Life. To love Jesus means to take seriously what he took seriously. Following Jesus entails striving to imitate him.

“If you really love me, then you will keep my commandment.” What do we do to those we love? We try to have their best interest in mind; we try to please them; we try to avoid anything that is capable of destroying or disrupting our relationship with them. We try to visit them often or call them on the phone regularly. To those we love, we cherish. To those we love, we please. To those we love, we keep. We keep them and keep their rules. That’s what Jesus expects from us. If we really love him, we will cherish him above all else. If we really love him, we will always strive to please him by being obedient to him. If we really love Jesus, we will keep him in our hearts and thoughts by keeping his commandments. If we really love the Lord, we will keep in touch and in contact with him by visiting and calling him in prayer.

The Lord says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” But does this mean that every time we sin we do not love him? Although we love Jesus, but any time we commit sin we love something or someone else more than we love Jesus. If we love Jesus more than anything else, we will keep free from sin for the sake of him. We will strive to give ourselves totally to him. And when we love Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind and strength we will not want to put anything, no matter how small before Jesus. Loving Jesus is not just an emotional feeling. It is something deeper and greater than that. Loving Jesus means changing our lives, our lifestyles, reforming our lives, working on our personalities and characters, stretching ourselves to love him. Loving Jesus is putting Jesus first, second and third before anything or anybody. Loving Jesus is making daily efforts to overcome any form of sin no matter how small it is. If we love Jesus truly, we will be working everyday to eliminate all sins. Galatians 5:24 say, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”

St. Paul loved Jesus so much to the point of declaring, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” St. Peter loved the Lord that when Jesus asked him thrice, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He confidently replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.”

The command to love Jesus by keeping his commandments is not an easy task. Anyone who tells you it is easy is probably not observing it. It is difficult. Jesus knows it is going to be a struggle, hence, he promised to send us the Holy Spirit: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you.” Jesus knows that keeping his commandments is not going to be an easy ride for us. Hence, he promised, “I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.”

To those who are honestly willing to love the Lord by keeping his commandments, Jesus promised to send help. He is not leaving us all alone by ourselves. He promised to send the parakletos. The parakletos is the Holy Spirit. The word parakletos has other meanings, but in this case, it means someone called in to help in time of trouble or need. The parakletos is the Advocate, the Comforter, and the Helper. Because the Lord has set a hard and difficult task before us, he therefore sends someone, the parakletos who will always help us to obey his commands. The world will not recognize the Spirit because the world does not know him. But we know him as the one that helps us to keep the commandments of Jesus Christ.

To those who are sincerely willing to love the Lord through the keeping of his commandments, Jesus again promised to give the gift of hope. The gift of hope is one of the greatest gifts a human person can know. Even in the worst of times, we are not defeated if we have hope. Nothing is more devastating as hopelessness. In spite of the horrors, wars and rumors of wars, Jesus promised us, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” Though the world may not see me, “But you will see me, because I live , you will live.” What other promise is greater than this? Jesus promises never to leave us alone. No matter what you face, Jesus is not leaving you alone. In fact, he said, “I am coming to you.” No matter what may happen, no experience or power can take away the hope we have in Christ Jesus. Even death cannot separate us from the love of Christ.

If we keep his commandments, if we care for each other the way he cares for us, we shall never be without hope. Loving those who hate you will not make sense in the world out there. Some people might even think that you are wimp for loving people who don’t love you back. But remember that our Lord was on top of this very thing. He loved both friends and foes, and even forgave his foes who crucified him. The greatest gospel was preached on the cross. Jesus was the one who preached that gospel.

Another promise of the Lord to those who will love him is intimacy: “On that day, you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

Dearest beloved, what else is greater than this? If we love Jesus, we will enter into intimacy with him and his Father. Keeping the Lord’s commandments is a demonstration of our love for him. And because we love him, the Father will also love us; Jesus will also love us and then reveal himself to us. This is an intimacy of love that is without any parallel. No evil person can ever receive the revelation of God. He may be used by God, but he can never have any fellowship with him. It is only those who are looking for God that God reveals self to. And it is only the person who, in spite of failure, is constantly reaching up to God that God reaches down for. To have fellowship with God and to have intimacy with him is contingent on love; and love is contingent on obedience. The more we love God, the more we obey him, and the more we understand him. The one who truly loves the Lord will surely keep his commandments. If you really love Jesus, then keep his commandments. Keep his commandments that your joy may be full!