Homily For Thursday Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 21st November, 2024. The Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 

Readings: Rev. 5:1-10 , Ps.149, Luke:19:41-44

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHY HAVE WE FAILED TO SACRIFICE FOR PEACE

Peace is what every human person desires to have. It is a necessary commodity in human societies. A city that has peace is surely to have great success. It is the dream of everyone. But a city that lacks peace is disastrous. Little wonder today in our gospel passage, Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. Jesus, who is the King of peace, came to Jerusalem, a city whose name stands for peace but found no peace in it.

He looked at the city and its coming disaster, which would indeed happen in a few decades in the hands of the Romans. So, he wept and prayed for its people. Since they have rejected the peace that God is offering them, they have no option but to face the consequences. Jesus felt deep sorrow at the city’s resistance to God’s word, wishing that it might receive the peace God was offering.

Today we too can look around us, also our cities, societies, country and the world at large, and feel sorrow at so much greed, corruption, suffering and disregard for truth and for what is right and discover that peace is nowhere to be found. But we should not be afraid, for St. John, in our first reading today, tells us to be courageous, for the Lamb of God has triumphed over all evil. He has been glorified and, as such, has purchased for us our eternal peace and salvation.

Thereby reminding us that despite the challenges and trials that we have to face in this passing world, we have the Lamb of God, triumphant and victorious by our side. He told us that even though tribulations will come our way in the form of doom and destruction like that of Jerusalem, we should be steadfast, for in God, we shall be triumphant.

This is what we see in the memorial of the presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary we celebrate today, that great moment when St. Joachim and St. Anne offered their firstborn child to the Lord at the Temple as prescribed by the Law, a gratuitous action to God who chooses Mary to be the mother of our Lord the King of Peace. Thereby calling us to embrace his teaching. Let us all be inspired by the examples of Mary, who the Lord has set before us, that we shall also be righteous, virtuous and strive after peace as she has shown us in her lifetime in thanksgiving to God.

Dear friends, why have we failed to sacrifice for peace? Humanity cries every time for peace but very few are sacrificing for peace. Are you one of those few? So, if we can consider the words of Jesus and embrace the peace and love he is offering us, we will realize that he longs for our good and growth. There are many temptations and distractions in this world trying to mislead us and separate us from our God. Let us not be misled by these things.

Let us remain firm in our faith and let our lives shine with the light of Christ so that his light will illuminate all the darkest moments in our lives, in our societies, country and the world at large. For the Lord wishes to lead us to the final victory that he has won for us. But are we willing to commit our lives to Christ? All we need to do is embrace all the possibilities of peace and love that God is offering to us every day. Then it shall be well with us.

LET US PRAY, Heavenly Father, you are the King of peace, and in Christ, your son, you have offered humanity peace. But we have failed to embrace it. As we struggle with the ugly situation in our world today, may the peace of Christ through the intercessions of the Virgin Mary reign in our hearts, homes, societies, country and the world at large. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Remain blessed.

Homily For Wednesday Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 20th November, 2024

 

Readings: Rev. 4:1-11 , Ps.150, Luke:19:11-28

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHAT IS YOUR GOD’S GIVEN GIFTS AND HOW ARE YOU UTILIZING THEM?

In this life, God has given special and unique gifts to every one of us and opportunities to exercise them. If we use these gifts and the opportunities wisely for our benefit and the benefit of others, we will grow and blossom. But on the other hand, if we fail to use them, we will remain dormant and unsuccessful.

This is what the parable in our Gospel passage today is addressing. In this parable, we heard how a king summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds to do business until he came back. Some of them utilized these gifts and opportunities and so became successful, and for that, they were entrusted with more gifts. Some decided not to neglect and abandoned their gifts, and so remained dormant and unsuccessful.

This parable teaches us that we all have been given gifts by God which we must give account of. Given that our gifts are meant to be put to use in the service of God and humanity. And our service to God should not be done grudgingly or fearfully but generously with the willingness to take risks in responding to God’s mandate. We must be ready to lose our life in order to find it. God wants us to use the individual gifts and opportunities given to us to make a difference in the world. We are not to relax into a comfort zone doing nothing with them. God wants the best from us and when we have given our best, we receive more from him.

Dear friends, we all are special, unique and a masterpiece and God has given us a very unique gift. These gifts may represent different physical and spiritual gifts of God, but their basic foundation is the gift of our life and the love of God towards us. This love is what God has given to us which needs to be reciprocated through an active love for our neighbours. For we heard the elder and living creatures in our first reading today saying: you are our Lord and our God; you are worthy of glory and honour and power because you made all the universe, and it was only by your will that everything was made and existed.

But why do we often find it difficult to discover our other gifts or to accept the one God has given to us? This is because we have failed to embrace love. So, we are called today to search and discover our gifts. Love is the greatest gift God has given to humanity; let us discover love and invest in it, for in it comes other gifts that will help us to achieve the purpose by which we are created.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, you have endowed us with special and unique gifts and opportunities to use them. Help us to discover these gifts and utilize them for the purpose for which they were given to us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Tuesday Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 19th November, 2024

Readings: Rev. 3: 1-6.14-22; Ps.15; Luke:19:1-10

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

AN ENCOUNTER THAT BRINGS MERCY, REPENTANCE, RESTITUTION AND NEW LIFE

Today, we heard in our Gospel passage the story of Zacchaeus who desires to see Jesus. Truly, I must confess that the attitude of Jesus upon seeing Zacchaeus on the tree was very touching. For Jesus did not condemn or criticize him nor demand anything from Zacchaeus. He only responded to the inner desire of a sinful man who seeks to see him, and he said to him: “Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry because I am to stay at your home today”. Zacchaeus quickly came down and, with great joy, received Jesus.

 No doubt, people complained and criticized Jesus, saying, “He has gone to stay In the house of a sinner”. But Jesus does not care about their criticism. He went to the house of Zacchaeus and defended him from people’s criticism. And rather than calling him a sinner, he called him “son of Abraham”. Here, we see how Jesus accepts those who were rejected by society. He offers a place to those who do not have one.

Jesus receives as brothers and sisters people whom the society and religion rejected. For sometimes in our lives, when we struggle with our inner desires and weaknesses, all we need is to sacrifice our pride and humbly climb the sycamore tree of grace, for on it we find the satisfaction and peace that we desire just like Zacchaeus.

But what can we learn from this story, we can learn that no one is beyond God’s redemption. We can learn that whenever sin has made us short of courage to reach God, we must do whatever it takes to get to Jesus no matter the obstacles. We must learn to welcome Jesus into our hearts and our homes. We must be prepared to confront and overcome the obstacles and challenges along the path towards our salvation. We must do whatever it takes to change our ugly ways of life to be better and positive.

Also, we must be willing to accept and accommodate other people when they repent from their ugly attitudes. We must know that sin makes us short of courage to reach out to God, so we must learn to climb the sycamore tree of grace just like Zacchaeus. We must not be comfortable with the ugly and sinful situation we find in and around us. We must learn to make restitution for all the things we have done wrong.

Dear friends, in the life of Zacchaeus, we see an encounter that brings mercy, repentance, restitution and a new life. But how many of us will be ready to say just like Zacchaeus: Lord, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody, I will pay him back four times the amount? We must know that it is necessary and mandatory for us to make restitutions for all the bad things we have done.

So, having listened to the story of Zacchaeus, how many of us will make restitutions of all the things we have acquired through sinful and corrupt means? How many of us will make restitutions for all the wealth we acquired through corruption and greediness? How many of us will step down or resign from our present position, which we acquired through corruption and bribery?

Therefore, we must learn from Zacchaeus, how to make honest restitutions. For we heard the Lord in our first readings today saying: If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share his meal, side by side with him. Remember, Zacchaeus made restitution of all he had acquired illegally, and he was given a new label, a new status, new friends, a new family and a new life. We, too, should not be afraid to do the same, and so make a new name, new family, and a new life for ourselves. For this may bring about the peace, hope, joy, love and new life that we desire to have today.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are sinners in need of your mercy. As we climb the sycamore tree of grace with contrite hearts, may you find in us the inner desire for mercies and in your compassion purify us and welcome us back to your kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Monday Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 18th November 2024

 

Readings: Rev. 1: 1-4.2:1-5, Ps.1:1-4.6, Luke:18:35-43

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU TRULY NEED TO ADDRESS YOUR DIFFICULT SITUATION

Oftentimes, when we are going through difficult times we don’t know exactly what we need or what to do. We often feel helpless and confused about the situation around us. So, it takes great faith and focus to know what we need at that point. Little wonder in today’s Gospel passage, the blind beggar helps us to know what to do by giving us a complete lesson about faith, expressed with total simplicity in front of Christ Jesus. He had faith enough to call out to Jesus as he passed by, even when he was scolded by the people close to him. His need for Jesus was so great that he cried all the louder: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!

Then Jesus asks an unusual question: “What do you want me to do for you?” So even though his need was obvious, Jesus wanted him to ask. In the same way today, Jesus is asking us: my child what do you want me to do for you? Why not like this blind beggar and tell Jesus you need them? Even though he knows your needs, you still need to present them before him. This blind man needed his eyesight restored, so he said to Jesus aloud, “Lord, that I may see!” And Jesus said receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.’

Here Jesus reveals his compassion towards human sufferings and wants us to Imitate him. But the problem is that we don’t know what we truly need to solve our difficult situation and we have failed to express our needs properly to God. Oftentimes, this is a result of our lack of faith in God, for we have separated ourselves from God just as we heard the revelation in our first reading saying: “I know all about you: how hard you work and how much you put up with. But I have this complaint to make; you have not loved me as you used to in the beginning. Think where you were before you fell; repent, and do as you used to at first, or else if you do not repent, I shall come to you and take your lampstand from its place.”

Dear friends, do you still love God as you did at the beginning of your encounter with him? What is your disposition towards God and the things of God? How deep is your faith in God? What is the one thing you need in your life? Do you have enough faith to express your desire to the Lord? Have we ever felt helpless? Do we feel the need for Jesus’s help in some part of our lives? Why not, in faith, present it before him who is willing to help us? Also, do we know people who are helpless and need some help? How strong is our compassion towards them? Let us look at them for a moment and imagine Jesus looking at them. How does he see them?

Therefore, like Jesus, each one of us is called to reach out to people around us who are really in need of our assistance. This includes our family members, our neighbours, our colleagues and others who we encounter in life. The truth is that you may be the only person who can bring the healing and compassion of Jesus into their lives.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we present our needs before you today, may we experience once again your compassionate love and grant our heart's desire according to your Holy will; we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It’s another week, wishing you God’s favour and blessings.

Homily For Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 17th November, 2024

Readings: Dan. 12:1-3; Ps. 16; Heb.10:11-14.18; Mark 13:24-32

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE REALITY OF THE END TIME AND THE NEED TO BE PREPARED

Preparation they said, is the secret and foundation of every successful event. So, as a human person, there are two most important realities in our life. The first one can be predicted, prepared for and is constantly celebrated, that is, our birthday. The second one, which is the ultimate, is not known and less attention and preparation is being made for it, that is, the day of our death. This reality is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today.

Hence, Jesus knowing how important this day is, instructed his disciples in our Gospel passage saying: “In those days, after the time of distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will lose its brightness, the stars will come falling from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory; then too he will send the angels to gather his chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the world to the ends of heaven.

Here, Jesus emphasized the need for us to be well prepared for the coming of God’s kingdom, warning us to read the signs of the End Time event just as we can read the signs of nature, for failure to do so, we may find ourselves unprepared when the time comes.

Little wonder we are told in our first reading to know that there is going to be a time of great distress and troubles as never before since nations first came into existence. When that time comes, your people will be spared, all those whose names are found written in the Book. Of those who lie sleeping in the dust of the earth, many will awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting disgrace.

In our second reading, we are told that Jesus Christ has offered one single sacrifice for sins and then taken his place forever at the right hand of God, where he is now waiting until his enemies are made into a footstool for him. Because, by virtue of that one single offering, he has achieved the eternal perfection of all whom he is sanctifying. Therefore, we must learn to sacrifice for the good of others despite the situation in our lives, in our country and the world at large.

Dear friends, our life as Christians demands that we should be alert, we should be prepared at all times and be ready to make sacrifices. Today, we are called to be ready, we are called to repentance, and we are called to embrace the new life of grace, love, mercy, compassion, forgiveness and peace the Lord is offering us. We are called to a life of constant struggle towards perfection in order to embrace the Lord whenever he comes. Because so many people will be caught unprepared when they realize that the day of the Lord has finally come, and they have nothing to show to God for all the gifts he has given us.

Therefore, preparation is the key word. Let us not be deceived when the world suggests to us that the day of death is not coming soon so forget who we are, and then, the day and time will take us by surprise. Rather, let us be like that wise servant who is prepared at all times for the coming of the master. We should be watchful for we know neither the day nor the hour when the Lord will call us.

We are reminded today that this world is passing away, so we need to stay awake and be ready. We are called to abstain from things that will separate us from our God. We should look into our inner being and our interior life in order to embrace the life of holiness, goodness, purity and self-control, for they are the extra oil that will help us to be more prepared.

LET US PRAY, Lord God; we often fail to listen to your warnings concerning the things of this passing world and the need for us to stay awake and be ready for your coming. Give us the grace and wisdom to be well-prepared and ready to stand before you whenever you call us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday and peace be with you.

Homily For Saturday Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 16th November, 2024

 

Readings: 3 John 1:5-8; Ps.112; Luke:18:1-8

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DON’T GIVE UP KEEP PRAYING FOR GOD WILL SURELY INTERVENE

As human beings, we are often in need of something from one another. I don’t know if you have been truly in need of something from a friend who is capable of giving you what you need but will not. Or have you been in a situation where you needed something from a friend but could not get it because you could not reach him easily?

 Such a situation can make one to be under serious pressure. Then the question that comes to mind is, are we going to give up or persevere in our struggles of waiting and reaching out to him? This kind of disposition is what we experience sometimes when we pray and our requests are yet to be granted.

Little wonder Jesus, in our Gospel passage today, using the parable of the widow and the unjust judge, addresses the issues of faith in difficult times and the need to persevere in prayer. Here Jesus reassures us that God hears our prayers. He tells us that we need to pray continually and never lose heart. In this parable, Jesus is not comparing God to an unjust judge, but saying that if through perseverance one obtains justice from an unjust judge, how much more will we receive from a good and loving father? For persevering in prayer teaches us that God does not need to be informed of our needs.

The parable also serves to encourage those suffering injustice to continue their struggles and call for justice. We should persist in our complaints, and prayerfully confront unjust authorities in order to effect the change needed for justice to reign. Thus, Jesus is encouraging us never to lose heart, rather, we should approach God with confidence, persisting until we obtain what we need. We should keep on asking, seeking, and knocking in prayer until we obtain the answer we need.

Dear friends, there are times when we asked, and we received, sought and found, knocked, and it was opened to us. But there were also times when we asked but did not receive, sought but did not find, and knocked, but the door remained shut. In such moments persistency and perseverance in prayer are what we are called to embrace.

For they will help us to understand how to trust God knowing that he does not need to be informed of our needs. Therefore we are encouraged never to lose heart. Don’t give up. Keep praying, for God will surely intervene. This is certainly one of the biggest challenges of our faith today. People are not just patient with God. We want to have everything right now as it is hot. That is why, patient, persistency and perseverance are very difficult virtues for most people today.

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, oftentimes we are not patient with you in our prayers. Give us the grace to persevere and be persistent in our prayer life and in every other thing we do in life, especially in our relationship with others. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful weekend.

Homily For Friday Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 15th November, 2024

Readings: 2 John 4-9, Ps.119, Luke:17:26-37

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

ONE WILL BE TAKEN, THE OTHER LEFT 

In this world we are so busy preparing, acquiring and safeguarding the things of this passing world. The streets are full of people struggling and bobbling; the markets are full of people buying, selling, cheating and chatting, and the Churches are full of people praying, singing and celebrating. Noise is everywhere; no one wants to be patient with the other, and no one wants to give way to the other. We are so busy with everything except the very essence of our existence that is, the salvation of our souls. 

Little wonder, Jesus who is speaking of the 'end times' in our Gospel passage today, wants his listeners to notice how life was going on normally in the days of Noah and Lot when flood and fire consumed them. The people were engaged in their everyday activities when the disaster struck. On that night two will be in one bed: one will be taken, the other left; two women will be grinding corn together: one will be taken, the other left. No extraordinary warning, no premonition, no time to plan an escape. So, too, the Son of Man will come suddenly and unexpectedly. 

Our times certainly sound very much like Noah’s days, where everyone seems so busy and distracted, unable to concentrate on what is important. But Jesus is warning us today that the time for a decision can catch us unawares. He insists that with a real sense of urgency, we need to take our lives seriously. 

And St. John, in our first reading, tells us that many deceivers in the world make us too comfortable with the things of this passing world at the expense of heavenly things. Among them are those refusing to admit that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. They are the “Deceivers”; they are the Antichrist. Hence, we must watch our actions, or all our work will be lost and not get the reward it deserves. 

Dear friends, If we have not yet trusted Christ Jesus as our Saviour, we should do so now for tomorrow may be too late. If there are ugly behaviours and sins we are yet to give up, the time to do that is now. Jesus tells us that we will not have any warning signs of the coming day of judgment any more than the preaching of the Gospel. There will be no time to repent when that day comes. 

Therefore, if we believe and obey, if we acknowledge our sins and trust in the mercy of God, we have to do it right now, for the day of judgment draws very near. Let us not be unaware or apathetic about its coming. Let us not be too busy and comfortable with the things of this passing world. 

Know that the only way to be prepared is to live a good and holy life, a life that is based on love. For when we live this way, then the coming of the Son of Man will not be a disaster but a day of glory for our final salvation. Nonetheless, we should not be afraid to approach Jesus for mercy and restoration, all we need is an active faith. 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we have become so busy with the things of this passing world while neglecting to prepare our souls for your coming. As we listened to your words today, may we realize the need to prepare our souls for your coming more than any other thing in the world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.