Homily For Monday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 23rd June, 2025

 

Reading: Gen. 12:1-9; Ps.33; Matt. 7:1-5

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

REMEMBER YOUR INADEQUACIES BEFORE CRITICISING AND JUDGING OTHERS 

One of the ugly attitudes of the human person is the urge to often criticise, judge and condemn others without looking into our own faults. Have we ever experienced a situation where it happened that, while we were condemning other people for their faults, we suddenly realised that our own faults are just as many as theirs, for this does happen often in our relationship with one another.

This ugly attitude is what Jesus is addressing today in the Gospel passage, when he said “ Do not judge, and you will not be judged; because the judgements you give are the judgements you will get, and the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given. Why do you observe the speck in your brother’s eye and never notice the log in your own? Deal

Here, Jesus is referring to the improper and prideful attitudes of many of the Pharisees, the scribes and teachers of the Law and many others like them, whose self-acclaimed righteousness has led to criticism and condemnation of other people. For they have failed to see the log in their eye while seeking to remove the speck in others. But what is this log in our eyes? It is the log of pride, greed and self-righteousness. 

These logs of pride, greed and self-righteousness make us forget who we are and claim who we are not. Pride, as we know, is the first capital sin; it makes us look down on people, and pride makes us blind. It makes us not look into our own lives to see and accept how wrong we can be. This is because we are often controlled by our ego and pride, our human ambitions and desires, for we like to always be in control and superior to others. 

But this is not the same with Abram in our first reading today, who, because of his humility, was called by the Lord for a special mission. For the Lord said to him, ‘Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name so famous that it will be used as a blessing. Such is God’s grace for those who are humble and accommodating of other people's weaknesses. 

Therefore, today we are called to humbly look into our lives and identify all those ugly attitudes of pride in us and get rid of them, so that we can humbly correct and accommodate other people's weaknesses. So instead of pointing out what is lacking in others, we must look into ourselves, and find ways that we can make good use of the opportunities that God has given us to show good examples to others. 

We are to discard all our prideful, wicked and sinful ways of life and replace them with genuine love for one another, with new zeal and sincere commitment to telling one another the truth in all humility.

Dear friends, we are called not to judge, because sometimes that which we judge in others, we are doing worse. Hence, Jesus is challenging us today to think differently about how we live our lives. Calling us to look into our inner being, our interior life, that part of us that we hide from one another. 

Let us purify them in humility, so that we can be pure and free to help others in their struggles with their weakness. Therefore, it’s time to look into ourselves and take away our prideful ways of life, so as to humbly accommodate the weaknesses and faults of others, especially in our families, societies and the world at large, knowing that no one is perfect without the other.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, give us the grace of humility and the capacity to always look within us in order to be more aware of our inadequacies, and so become more gentle in dealing with others, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed and grace-filled week.

Homily For Sunday of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) Year C, 22nd June, 2025

 

Reading: Gen. 14:18-20; Ps. 110; 1Cor.11:23-26; Luke 9:11-17

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

THIS IS MY BODY GIVEN UP FOR YOU AS A SIGN OF MY PRESENCE AND LOVE

Today, the Church celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ also called the Corpus Christi celebration, an event that occurs every Thursday or Sunday after the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. It is a solemn celebration where we reaffirm with great joy our faith in the Eucharistic Mystery of Christ’s love for humanity. Reminding us of God’s infinite gift of love for humanity which was made present in the Person of Christ Jesus under the appearance of Bread and Wine.

The mystery of the solemnity of Corpus Christi constitutes a very important aspect of our Christian faith, which is rooted in the historical and cultural context of the Jewish people's experience with God, of which Jesus is the fullest expression of this experience and revelation.

Hence, St. Paul in our second reading today reminded us of what happened at the Last Supper when he said that on the same night that the Lord Jesus was betrayed, he took some bread, and thanked God for it and broke it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this as a memorial of me.’

In the same way, he took the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.’ Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming My death.

With this statement, Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and gave his Apostles power and authority to do this in memory of him. This is a very important mission, which the Apostles had faithfully carried out and have passed on to all of their successors, the bishops and the priests of the Church, who have been ordained and have received the same power and authority from the Lord to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

So, at the Last Supper, Jesus presented the Bread and Wine as his Body and Blood, which he offered on the cross as a sacrificial love for humanity and asked his disciples to do the same in memory of him. This is very significant with the event of Jesus feeding about five thousand men with five loaves and two fish in a miraculous way that expressed his deep love for helpless humanity as we have it in our Gospel passage today.

This great act of love as mandated by Christ is what the Church is doing at every celebration of the Holy sacrifice of the Mass, where Christ through the priest who act ‘in persona Christi’ by the power of consecration, transubstantiate the Bread and Wine into his Real Body and Blood and offer it to God His Father as an unbloodied sacrificial love for humanity.

This means that the substance and essence of the bread and wine the priest blessed and offered to God at the celebration of the Holy Mass, have truly become the very Body and Blood of Christ Himself, under the appearance of bread and wine through the mystery of Transubstantiation.

Thus, the word ‘transubstantiation’ from the two words ‘Trans’ which means ‘change’ and ‘Substantiate’ meaning ‘substance or essence’, we can explain the mystery of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, as the change of the whole substance of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ through the prayer of consecration by Christ through the priest in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, at every Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, through the power of the Holy Spirit the substance of bread and wine become the real and most precious Body and Blood of Christ Jesus, just in the same way he spoke at the Last Supper saying ‘This is My Body, which shall be given up for you’, ‘This is the Chalice of My Blood, the Blood of the New and Eternal Covenant, which shall be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins’.

This he fulfilled at the Cross in Calvary, where he offered himself Body, Soul and Divinity for the salvation of humanity. Hence, we share in this grace of salvation when we participate fully in this sacrificial offering of God’s love for humanity.

Little wonder in our first reading we heard that: Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought bread and wine; and as a priest of God Most High, who pronounced blessings. Therefore, Christ has come as the High Priest of all the blessings we have received and those that are yet to come.

He has passed through the greater, the more perfect tent, which is better than the one made by men’s hands because it is not of this created order; and he has entered the sanctuary once and for all, taking with him not the blood of goats and bull calves as of old. But here, Jesus offers his own blood, having won an eternal redemption for us, purifies our inner self from dead actions so that we can offer our service to the living God.

The fact remains that in the Eucharist, we are physically and spiritually fed much more than the Israelites in the wilderness, who were fed with manna as we have it in Deut. 8:2-3,14-16, they were given the manna to survive in the wilderness, but Christ gave us the Eucharist not just for us to survive in the wilderness of this passing world but for us to gain eternal life and come to share in his love, for the Eucharist is the real presence of Christ’s love for humanity.

Dear friends, what is our relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist? What is our attitude towards the Holy Eucharist? What is our experience of Jesus in the Eucharist? How has the Eucharist we receive almost every day changed our lives positively? How has the Eucharist influenced our lives to sacrifice for the good of humanity?

How often have we abused the Eucharist and treated the body of Christ without due reverence? How often have we received the Eucharist unworthily? Do we still have that strong desire to receive Christ in the Eucharist? Do we still believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist? Do we still feel the love of Jesus in the Eucharist? The answer to these questions is blowing in the wind.

So, today we are called to embrace the love of God present in the Holy Eucharist, the power of God’s mercy for sinful humanity. We are called to deepen our understanding of the rich mystery of our faith in the Eucharist. We are called to change the way we relate to Jesus in the Eucharist. We are called to strive to worthily receive the Holy Eucharist.

Today, we are called to be grateful for this Sacrificial love of Christ in the Holy Eucharist and form the habit of adoring Christ our Lord present in the Holy Eucharist. We are called to let the love of his presence transform our souls into that purest love that will renew our families, societies and the world at large.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, through the sacrificial love of your Son Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, grant us the grace to constantly experience your presence within us, especially in the midst of doubt, ignorance, persecution, trials and uncertainties of life. May the Eucharistic Power of love fill our hearts once again and so renew the hatred, greed and corruption in the hearts of sinful humanity. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday to you all.

Homily For Saturday Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 21st June, 2025. The Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga

Reading: 2Cor 12:1-10; Ps.34; Matt. 6:24-34

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

WHY BE ANXIOUS ABOUT TOMORROW LET TOMORROW TAKE CARE OF ITSELF

The activities and life of the human person are always competitive and comparative in nature; that is why we are often anxious to recognise or be recognised as the strongest, wisest, cleverest, or richest. We will always want to know the most beautiful, handsome, most talented and greatest in virtually everything.

Little wonder that the most lucrative business and adventures are found among those activities that are competitive, such as sports, entertainment and politics, because greatness gives more ego to our status, and people are so anxious about them. This anxiousness can sometimes lead to anxiety when people fail to achieve their plans because they have chosen to separate themselves from God.

Thus, this anxiousness that brings about a competitive and comparative way of life is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today when he said: “You men of little faith? Do not be anxious; do not say, “What are we to eat? What are we to drink? How are we to be clothed?” It is the pagans who set their hearts on all these things.

Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on his righteousness, and all these other things will be given to you as well. So do not be anxious about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. For each day has enough trouble of its own.

Here, Jesus is calling us to reflect on our lives and our attitudes towards the material things of this passing world. We often stray from the right path because we are too distracted by our personal ambitions and desires for worldly pleasures and achievements, which are serious obstacles that can prevent us from attaining our salvation, as we end up falling deeper and further into the path of sin, which separates us from God.

Thus, we have to take a stand and choose firmly between serving God or material things, because we cannot serve both God and money, for sooner or later we will love one more than the other, and the anxiousness to acquire more of it may lead us to anxiety. Hence, the Lord tells us not to worry about our lives or other worldly desires, for he shall provide all that we need.

Dear friends, today we are reminded that God cares about us despite all that we are going through. But we have to make sure that we are not distracted by our ambitious desires for worldly things. We must let our focus be on God’s providence.

Little wonder, St. Paul in our first reading tells us not to allow ourselves to be carried away by our pride and ambitions, lest we fall into sin. He also reminded us that the flesh is weak, so we should not yield to its desires and temptations.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we live a life of comparative and competitive, and these have often led us to be anxious about tomorrow and our future, and when we cannot meet up with these desires, we fall into anxiety. This is because we have chosen to separate ourselves from you. As we listen to your words today, may we not be too anxious about the things of this passing world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a peaceful weekend.

Homily For Friday Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 20th June, 2025

 

Reading: 2Cor 11:18.21-30; Ps.34; Matt. 6:19-23

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

HAVE YOU IDENTIFIED YOUR ULTIMATE TREASURES OF LIFE

Every day under the terrible scourges of the sun and the noisy street, people struggle to acquire things that they value as treasures of life. The quarrelling and fighting, the early morning rush, the traffic jam, the aggressive words, all just to acquire things of this life, and people are never tired of acquiring properties for themselves and their generation yet to come, forgetting that all these things sooner or later pass away as we expire from this world.

Thus, in our Gospel passage today we are called to reflect on what should be our ultimate treasure and how we can acquire it. For Jesus said: Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and woodworms destroy them and thieves can break in and steal. But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor woodworms destroy them and thieves cannot break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Here, Jesus, knowing how humanity is so attached to the things of this passing world, calls our attention to what should be our ultimate treasure. He made us know that the kingdom of God is the greatest and ultimate treasure anyone can and should acquire. For it will be a waste of time trying to store up our treasures in this world, because the world as we know it is passing away, likewise the things in it.

The world is not a safe place to store one’s ultimate treasures. The safest place to store up our treasures is in heaven. For heaven itself is the ultimate treasure that cannot be compared to anything whatsoever we have in this world and it is so precious and great, that it is worth more than our entire life and our worldly possessions and treasures.

Little wonder, St Paul in our first reading tells us that it is a waste of time boasting about our worldly possessions and achievements. For there is nothing to boast about in this passing world. And if there is anything to boast at all, it should be the things that show our weakness.

Therefore, we must do all that it takes to ensure that our focus is on things of heaven and how to acquire them. Because losing it over the temporal pleasure, joy, glory, fame, power and influential things of this passing world will be complete foolishness. For none of them last forever, and what good is it for us to gain the whole world but lose our soul out of God’s kingdom?

Dear friends, the questions we need to ask ourselves today are: where and what is our ultimate treasure in this life? If the Lord should allow us to make a request of what our heart desires, what would you request? How many of us are paying attention to the ultimate heavenly treasures? How many things and searches for the ultimate treasure of our souls?

How many desires to personally discover God in their life knowing that he is the ultimate treasure anyone can acquire in this world? How I wish we would understand the shortness of this life, the emptiness of this passing world and the danger of losing our soul out of greediness for the things of this passing world. Then, we will sincerely desire to experience God personally, because in him lies the ultimate treasure of life. And discovering God personally is the greatest treasure one can ever have.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, the world is full of distractions coming from false treasures of this passing world. Give us a wise and discerning heart in order to give up all our attachment to worldly possessions in pursuit of the heavenly and ultimate treasure of your kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Thursday Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 19th June, 2025

 

Reading: 2Cor 11:1-11 ; Ps. 111; Matt. 6:7-15

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

PRAYING ACCORDING TO THE MIND OF CHRIST OUR LORD

The key to success is rooted in the understanding of the principles that guide any project or things that one embraces in life. Without a good understanding of the principles guiding any project, one will struggle with little or no success. Hence, it is important to struggle to understand the principles guiding anything we do in order to be successful. 

Little wonder, Jesus knowing how important the act of prayer is to humanity, taught his disciples the principle and pattern of all prayers as we have it in our Gospel passage today, when he said: “Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 

Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we also have forgiven all who trespassed against us. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one”.

Here, Jesus, knowing that prayer is an essential part of our faith through which we grow in our relationship with God and become more connected to Him, gave us seven principles that should guide all our prayers. 

This prayer contains a series of statements and petitions in which we affirm our relationship with God, with the people around us and with the world in general. In it contains a statement of faith, obligations and commitment as the foundation through which these seven principles are fulfilled.

The first principle is to acknowledge God as “Our Father”. A call for unity that requires faith, obligation and commitment. Here we acknowledge God not just as my Father, but as Our Father and the ‘our’ includes every single person who lives or has ever lived on this earth. 

The second principle calls us to reverence the name of the Lord as we say: “Hallowed be thy name “Yes, God’s name is holy, no matter what we say or think. However, we make this prayer for our sake more than for His. Because from the holiness of His name comes the root of our faith and strength, we are praying that God’s name be held in deepest respect by people everywhere. 

The third principle calls us to have the vision of God’s kingdom, hence we pray saying: “Your kingdom come”, that is, we pray that humanity should consciously and willingly embrace the love and kingship of God which He is offering us. 

The fourth principle invites us to dispose ourselves to embrace the will of God as we pray, saying: “Your will be done on earth, as in heaven”. This is very important for it helps us to discern and be disposed to pray and live in accordance with the will of God.

The fifth principle calls us to learn how to be contented with what we have against all forms of selfishness and greed as we say: “Give us today our daily bread,” of which God surely provides. The sixth principle calls us to make an examination of conscience and to seek reconciliation, knowing how weak we are; hence, we pray, saying: “And forgive us our trespasses, as we have forgiven those who trespassed against us”. 

Here we make a serious commitment and obligation, asking that the condition for God’s forgiveness of our sins should be based on our readiness to forgive those who have offended us. Finally the seventh principle calls us to have total confidence in God’s providence, protection and guidance as we pray saying: “And do not put us to the test, but save us from evil”, here we acknowledge our weaknesses and our total dependence on God’s help against all the evil forces of this world. 

Dear friends, I have no doubt that we know our Lords prayer, but knowing it is not enough, we have to pray it devotedly, but praying it is not enough, we have to believe in what we pray for, but believing is not enough, we must put it into practice in our daily lives. 

This is because, often, we treat prayer wrongly when we consider prayer as a means to only achieve what we desire, without considering what God desires for us. Some of us spend lots of time reciting the prayers, and yet we do not mean what we say because we have a wrong disposition born from an unforgiving heart, which must be redirected before we can get a positive response from God.  

Therefore, it’s time for us to embrace these seven principles and change our perspective and wrong disposition towards prayers. It is time for us to spend more quality moments in prayer and be connected with God, especially with the ugly situation in our country. We must let our prayers be meaningful and genuine from our hearts. It is time for us to improve the quality of our prayer life by imitating Jesus, who always prayed to his heavenly Father at every possible opportunity. 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, in prayer we communicate more closely with you, please teach us how to pray for we really do not know how to pray as we ought, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a favourable day.

Homily For Wednesday Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 18th June, 2025

 

Reading: 2Cor 9:6-11 ; Ps. 112; Matt. 6:1-6.16-18

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS RELIGIOUS PIETY AND HUMANITARIAN SERVICES?

There are three principal disciplines that guide all our religious pieties, these disciplines include: almsgiving, prayer and fasting. They can be rightly extended to every act of righteousness and services rendered to humanity. These disciplines have not been properly understood or implemented by people, for most people see these disciplines as an opportunity to display their piety in order to gain cheap human popularity and admiration.

The negative attitude towards these religious disciplines has been greatly adopted by many people, including religious leaders who should know better. Therefore, it is this ugly and negative attitude that Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today, when he warns his disciples not to indulge in any form of outward display of their religious pieties so as to attract the admiration of others. Here Jesus presents how we should properly carry out our religious pieties and obligations, and any service we render for the sake of humanity.

Using each of these three spiritual disciplines, he gave us the basic formula, saying that we should not blow trumpets in the streets to draw the attention of everyone when we give alms to the poor. We should not say our prayers in the most conspicuous places so that people will marvel at our holiness and when fasting, we should not put on gloomy and drawn looks so that everyone will know that we are fasting.

Then he calls us not to be like the hypocrites who display their charitable deeds, for they have received their reward. After which he instructs us regarding the secret practice of piety and promises us that God will reward us for any piety practised in secret.

Thus, Jesus calls us to carryout our religious pieties and obligations to humanity secretly, for when it is done in the secret we will receive great reward from God and as recipients of these rewards, we will be surprised, because we have no idea that we did anything remarkable or that anyone noticed our charitable acts. For we certainly did not perform the charity to gain rewards.

Rather, it is the combination of our selfless, sacrificial and unassuming attitudes that opens the channel by which God dispenses His blessings upon us. Little wonder St. Paul tells us in our first reading today saying: “Do not forget: thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you reap. Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver”.

Dear friends, we are called to cultivate the right attitude towards our religious pieties and carry them out with the right intention and purpose, and not just for any selfish purpose. Therefore, we must have the right disposition and direction towards our religious pieties and shun all forms of worldly interest or rewards, so as not to be distracted by the vanity of the things of this passing world. Let humility, faithfulness, and sacrificial love be the driving force towards all our religious pieties and every other thing we do for the good of humanity.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, strength of those who hope in you, graciously grant us the gift of humility and sacrificial attitude towards our family, religious and societal obligations and responsibilities. May we carry them out faithfully and selflessly with the right attitude and good intentions. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Tuesday Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 17th June, 2025

 

Reading: 2Cor 8:1-9; Ps. 146; Matt. 5:43-48

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

WHY SHOULD WE LOVE OUR ENEMIES AND PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE US?

Naturally, people desire to love and be loved, to relate and be in the company of those whom they love. Nobody enjoys being among those who detest them and cause them pain and sorrows.

This is why people naturally sacrifice for those whom they love in order to keep their friendship and companionship. But it takes great love and sacrifice to do good to people who detest us and cause us sorrows and pain, since it is difficult and unnatural to sacrifice for such people.

This sacrificial life of love is what Jesus calls us to embrace in pursuit of the life of perfection. Little wonder he says in our Gospel passage today: “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. If you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect”.

Here Jesus emphasises that though it is natural and universal for human beings to love those who love them. But what makes his disciples different from other people is the ability to love not just everyone, but to love their enemies and not take vengeance or bear grudges against one another. For by so doing, they will be imitating the perfection of God our heavenly Father, who shows equal love to all, calling us to a greater life of sacrificial love and virtue towards perfection.

Hence, St Paul in our first reading today says: “It is not an order that I am giving you; I am just testing the genuineness of your love against the keenness of others. Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty”. Such is God’s kindness, mercy, compassion and love to each and every one of us, without exception, even to the worst and most wicked of sinners.

Dear friends, today we are called to a sacrificial life of love and perfection, we are called to choose love over hatred and forgiveness over vengeance. Hatred breeds violence and other things that weaken the human soul, but love unites and heals.

The fact is that, God desires peace for humanity and this peace is what Jesus came to bring in the world, to restore the peace that God intended for all creation from the first day of creation Today all of us are called to offer this peace to the world full of hatred, greed and violence. This we are called to accept and live out day by day in every way we can.

Therefore, it’s time for us to stretch out the hands of friendship and peace to everyone, both friends and enemies alike, by investing more resources in things that bring about peace and friendship with one another, rather than building nuclear weapon that breeds more violence and hatred in the world. For by so doing the world will become more peaceful and loving.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, the cross of sacrificial life of love is so heavy, give us the grace to truly forgive our enemies and strive towards the life of perfection that offers peace, mercy, compassion and love to distressed humanity through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.