Homily For Tuesday Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 27th January, 2026

 

Readings: 2 Samuel 6:12-15.17-19; Ps.24; Mark 3:31-35

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHERE DO YOU TRULY BELONG

Reflecting on my relationship with God, family and neighbours, I asked myself which one comes first, because all are so important. As we know, having a sense of belonging is fundamental to human happiness and well-being, as it gives value to our lives and helps us cope with painful emotions. Hence, we often want to belong with one another, to our friends and families, to our culture or from one association to another. However, one of the most common and safest places to belong is our families, especially when it is rooted in the love of God and our neighbours.

So, today in our Gospel passage, Jesus speaks about belonging to his family and his relationship with members of his family when he said: ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.’ In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of two ways the people around him could be identified as members of his family. Firstly, he talks about those who belong to the family of his birth, that is, his mother, father and relations. Then his other family is made up of those who do the will of God.

 This family, he says, is his true family, where doing the will of God is the only way of belonging to this family. This is not to say that Jesus is rejecting his family; to do so would contradict his teaching about loving one's parents and loving one's neighbours. However, Jesus is using this opportunity to emphasise that our relationship with God is more important, and this should depend on our total commitment to doing the will of God through him.

Surprisingly, Mary the mother of Jesus belongs to both sides of the family, for she gave birth to Jesus and was also the first to do the will of God when she said, “Let it be done unto me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). For this reason she is the first disciple of Jesus and a model for all Christians.

Thus, to be a Christian or a disciple is to enter into the family of Jesus and embrace a new relationship with God and with one another for this is the most important place to belong. All other bonds, including those of blood, should be considered secondary. Because, belonging to God is fundamental to our basic relationships, before all human relations. We belong first to God before belonging to our families, after which we all go back to God where we ultimately belong, which is determined by how we have been doing God’s will here on earth.

Dear friends, where do we ultimately and truly belong? As Christians, we claim to belong to God, do our attitudes and decisions show that we truly belong to God? Do we not often commit ourselves to things contrary to the faith we professed in God? Can we say that we are truly doing the will of God? What have we been doing with the word of God we hear every day? What kind of fruit are we bearing in our family and society? How has the word of God changed our lives and disposition towards our family? How has the word of God challenged and propelled us to love God and our neighbours? The answers to these questions are blowing in the wind.

Today we are called to be more practical and attentive towards obeying the commandment of God. We are called to put into action the words we hear every day. Let us learn from David in our first reading today, who, knowing the importance of doing the will of God, went and brought the ark of God up from Obed-edom’s house to the Citadel of David with great rejoicing, with a sacrifice of praise.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, today we are called to do your will always to truly belong to that true family of Jesus where the love of you and our neighbour unites us together. Grant that we may learn to do your will and be good collaborators with others in the mission and vocation entrusted to us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Monday of The Third Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 26th January, 2026. The Memorial of SS. Timothy and Titus

 

(Today is MY BIRTHDAY, DO PRAY FOR ME)

Readings: 2Tim 1:1-8; Ps. 96;; Mark 3:22-30

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

FAN INTO A FLAME THE GIFT GOD GAVE TO YOU

One of the gifts of God to us is the gift of discernment, which enables us to know and distinguish between good and evil spirits. This gift is extremely important to every leader's office. However, it is sad and unacceptable when a leader decides to misuse this gift out of envy, jealousy, and ignorance. This is the attitude of the scribes in our Gospel passage today.

For we heard how Jesus had delivered a man possessed by an evil spirit. The spirit had bound his tongue and made him mute. But when Jesus had cast out the demon from the man, and the man spoke, some scribes who watched this great miracle as it happened said that it was through the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that he was able to cast the devil out.

This is because they were adamant in their opposition against Jesus, which was propelled by envy and jealousy. That is why they were unable to look beyond their narrow-mindedness and stubbornness in insisting that their way was the true way, while others, like our Lord Jesus, were wrong. But Jesus, as usual, used the opportunity to correct them by pointing out the mistakes in their argument.

Thus, telling us that it does not make sense for the demons to be fighting one another and so be divided among themselves. Because any house that divides within itself can not stand, and as we know the evil ones are always united in their plans to bring about destruction in human activities.

So, it is obvious that the scribes know the truth but were not ready to accept it rather the chose to deny the work of God, that why Jesus concluded the gospel by saying that: everyone who says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

From this frightening passage, Jesus reveals to us that sins, no matter how grievous, can be forgiven, but there is a particular sin that will not be forgiven. That is, the sin against the Holy Spirit. But what is this sin against the Holy Spirit? And why would it not be forgiven? The sin against the Holy Spirit is rooted in one's outright rejection of God’s grace of salvation offered to us through the Holy Spirit‘s incessant invitations and warnings.

This happens when the will of a person is hardened against God’s mercy and goodness. This is so because, it is the sinner himself who rejected God’s forgiveness. And since God respects the freedom which He has given us, He respects a sinner’s decision to firmly refuse to be forgiven.

Dear friends, we are called today not to be like the scribes who, out of pride and ignorance, denied the power of God over spiritual realities and so sin against the Holy Spirit. Rather we should make proper use of the gift of discernment which the Lord has given us. We must not let envy, jealousy and overambition make us deny the truth about the spiritual realities we experience from the Lord.

We must not let the devil succeed in sowing the spirit of division among us. We should also ask God to endow us with the spirit of discernment and truth, especially during this period that we are often faced with the ugly and sad attitude of human deception all over the world.

Hence, St. Paul in our first reading today encourages Timothy as well as all of us saying: “Fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control. So you are never to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord”

So, let us learn from SS. Timothy and Titus, whose memorial we celebrate today. They were servants who truly understood what it means to belong to the family of Jesus and have the right disposition towards his Word. For they were both close collaborators of St. Paul who entrusted to them the care of God’s faithful, of which they were known to be among the first Bishops of the Church. They were great servants of God with great commitment and dedication to doing the will of the Lord and suffering martyrdom for their faith.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we struggle every day with the manipulation of the evil ones, give us the grace to overcome them, may we never be misled by the devil and all of his forces, as they often attempt to sow divisions and dissensions among us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, 25th January, 2026

 
The Sunday of the Enthronement of the Word of God.

Readings: Is. 9:1-4; Ps. 27; 1Cor.1:10-13.17; Matt. 4:12-23

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHAT IS MY EXPERIENCE WITH JESUS THE LIVING WORD OF GOD

Today, being the third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, we are called to celebrate the Word of God. On 30th September, 2019, Pope Francis in his Apostolic Letter Aperuit Illis, declared and instituted “A Sunday for the Word of God”, which is to be celebrated every third Sunday in Ordinary Time of the Church’s Liturgical Year. This is of great importance and significance, as it is the light and strength of our faith.

The purpose of this declaration is to remind all Christ faithful that the Word of God, as contained in the scriptures, is vital and integral in the development of our faith in God. The Word of God, in this case, does not just refer to the Scriptures as we know them, but also refers to Christ Himself as our Lord and Saviour, the Divine Word made Incarnate.

Hence, our readings today emphasised making the word of God the light of our lives. In the first reading, Prophet Isaiah talked about the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, which were conquered by the Assyrians in 732 BC, and dwelt in the darkness of oppression. So he predicted how God would liberate his people who live and walk in the deep darkness of oppression, how they would be set free by the great light of God’s glory.

These words of the Prophet Isaiah were fulfilled in our Gospel passage today, where the chosen people of God who dwell in the lands of Naphtali and Zebulun failed to drive out the Gentiles that are in their midst, they preferred to live with them in the darkness of corruption, sin and shame. These are the people to whom Jesus brought his ministry of the words of light in the midst of the darkness that surrounded them. The presence of Jesus brought them great light.

Here, Matthew is saying that God has chosen Galilee of the Gentiles to be the place where His light will shine. And wherever light and darkness are used in scriptures, it connotes the power of good over evil, order over chaos, security over danger, joy over sorrow, truth over falsehood, life over death and salvation over condemnation. Though, Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee, his mission will be extended to the whole world.

Hence, he called his disciples, who would be instruments to extend his mission to the whole world. Jesus’ invitation to become disciples offers them the opportunity to observe him closely daily. And by doing so, they will learn more from him to become familiar with his ways of doing things. They will unconsciously copy his manner of speaking, his gestures, his dealings with people. They will see how he solves problems and counters opposition. So that gradually, they will become like Jesus in thought, word and deed.

This speaks powerfully about discipleship, which the people of Corinth failed to understand, as we heard in our second reading. Hence they divided the body of Christ into groups of instrumental personnel of Christ, namely: Paul and Apollos. This is due to a lack of good knowledge of the scriptures. Thus, St. Paul, while reminding them that all were baptised into one Christ, said: I appeal to you, brothers, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, to make up the differences between you, and instead of disagreeing among yourselves, to be united again in your belief and practice. Therefore, there can only be one loyalty, that is to Christ alone, who is the Word Made Flesh and dwells among us.

Dear friends, the question we need to ask ourselves is: What is my relationship with Jesus, the Living Word of God made flesh, who dwells among us? What is my experience with the Word of God? Have I truly encountered the Lord in His Word? What is my response towards the Word of God we hear every day? How much of this Word dwells in us? How have we experienced and encountered God in His Word? How have I communicated my experience with the Word of God to humanity? How often do I reverence the Lord in His Word? How often have I shied away from speaking about God and His Word in my daily conversations with other people? How often do I obey the instructions of the Lord through his Words

Brethren, the emphasis on the Word of God today is very important to all of us the faithful people of God. For if we are to follow Christ faithfully, we must cultivate the habit of studying the scriptures because the Word of God is our daily sustenance and the source of our strength and faith. We should make the Word of God the guiding principle of our lives. For in the scriptures we find the strength and courage to promote good over evil, order over chaos, security over danger, joy over sorrow, truth over falsehood, life over death and salvation over condemnation.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we enthroned your Word in our lives, our families and in your Church today, grant we pray, that through the power of the Holy Spirit, we may come to discover the power and the efficacy of the scriptures in our lives as individuals, families and community of God’s people. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed and lovely Sunday.

Homily For Saturday Second Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 24th January, 2026. The Memorial of St. Francis De Sales

 

Readings: 2 Samuel 1:1-4,11-12,17,19,23-27; Ps.80; Mark 3:20-21

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

UNDERSTANDING THE SACRIFICE OF DISCIPLESHIP

Often, people think that being a successful Christian means living a comfortable lifestyle. They believe that once we embrace the Christian faith, we will no longer encounter challenges and difficulties in life. But this is not true, because Christian faith requires the sacrifice of all our time, energy, compassion and resources. 

This is evident in our Gospel passage today, where we heard how the Lord Jesus and his disciples were so engaged in the redemptive works among the people. The work was so great to the extent that they were so busy doing their work that they had no time to rest at all, and even to eat, even when they were hungry. They were so engrossed in the work to the extent that the relatives of Jesus could not believe it and they thought he was out of his mind. This was because they felt he spent so much time in his ministry, since he did not spend much time with his family.

This is to remind us that following the Lord is not always an easy and comfortable journey, and more often than not, we may be required to make great sacrifices. However, those sacrifices were not without rewards, for those who had committed themselves to the service of the Lord, shall receive the grace of eternal life and shall never be disappointed in their endeavour in life. Just like the disciples of the Lord, who out of compassion sacrifice all their time and resources to the service of the Lord and were not disappointed or abandoned in their struggles and challenges because they understood what it means to acquire the heart of their master Jesus.

This is exactly what we see in the life of David in our first reading today, where we heard how David, full of compassion and love, reacted upon hearing the tragic story of the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan at the Battle of Mount Gilboa against the Philistines, where the Israelites were grossly defeated. Then David made this lament over Saul and his son Jonathan saying: How did the heroes fall? Saul and Jonathan, loved and lovely, neither in life, nor in death, were divided. O Jonathan, in your death I am stricken, I am desolate for you, Jonathan my brother. This shows how deep David’s love and compassion for his people were despite how Saul treated him.

Dear friends, we are reminded that following the Lord requires the sacrifice of our time, our compassion and our resources. For in Christ Jesus, God has accomplished his redemptive work. What is needed is for us to identify ourselves with this covenantal sacrifice through our active participation in the missionary activities and mandate that the Lord has entrusted to us as his disciples. Therefore, we are called to embrace these missionary activities with the sacrificial love of Christ and his people by coming out of our comfort zones of ugly and sinful ways of life, to embrace the love and mercy the Lord is offering us and be ever more grateful to God for such an act of kindness and compassion. 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we thank you for such a great act of love which you have shown to us through Christ your Son, who is full of love and compassion. Grant that we may be ever more faithful in following and doing your will, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. Have a blessed and favourable weekend.

Homily For Friday Second Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 23rd January 2026

 

Readings: 1Sam.24:2-21; Ps.57; Mark 3:13-19

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

RESPONDING POSITIVELY TO GOD'S CALL AND MISSION

 

As Jesus continued his work of evangelisation and mission towards the salvation of humanity, he needed people who would be entrusted with this mission. Thus, in our Gospel passage today, Jesus chose twelve apostles out of his disciples. He called and separated them from the crowd so that they would be with him. And he gave them power to preach the gospel, to heal the sick, and to cast out devils.

 

Here, Jesus clarifies the extreme nature of his mission, which he will entrust to his apostles, so that those who would follow him must first count the cost because they will definitely share in his sufferings to share in his glory. Thus, Jesus, who had earlier given the disciples explicit instructions about his mission, makes known to the apostles their specific mission.

 

Consequently, each one of us, like the apostles, is called by name into a deep personal and intimate relationship with Jesus in order to be sent to bear witness to him in the world. Absolute commitment is a necessary quality for this mission. Jesus did not choose people because of what they were. Rather, he chose them for what they could become under his direction and power.

 

This is what we see in the life of David in our first reading today, where we see the magnanimity of David’s heart, for he refused to kill Saul when he had a perfect opportunity to strike Saul and claim the Kingship of Israel for himself. 

Although he has been chosen as the new King of Israel, that should not have justified him to murder a person in the time of his weakness, and even less so to do so for the pursuit of power and personal glory, as most people do today. This is because David was truly filled with love for God and respect for Saul. He did everything to serve the Lord according to his will and mission for him.

 

Dear friends, how are we responding to God's call and mission? How best are we carrying out this mission of preaching the Gospel, healing the sick and casting out the devil? How are we relating to those we judge to be sinners and those we see as our enemies? 

What efforts are we making to convert them? Remember, as followers of Christ, we are called to journey with Jesus in love and compassion towards others, even in the midst of suffering, rejection, and persecution.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you called and chose us to be with you to bear witness of our salvation to humanity, help us to have the missionary zeal that will enable us to live with integrity, purity and detachment from the things of this passing world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a favourable day.

Homily For Thursday Second Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 22nd January, 2026

 

Readings: 1Sam. 18:6-9,19:1-7; Ps. 56; Mark 3:7-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE LORD WISHES TO SET US FREE FROM THE SHACKLES OF THE EVIL ONES

Today, in our Gospel, Mark provides a summary of Jesus' activities among people from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumaea, and even the pagan regions of Tyre and Sidon. Telling us that Jesus is really concerned about the struggles of humanity and wishes to set us free from the shackles of the devil

As Jesus heals the people and performs great works, most people wish to see Him and to touch Him. The people were so numerous that Jesus himself was concerned with the danger of being crushed by the multitude.

Thus, he asked disciples to have a boat ready for him so that the crowd would not crush him, for they were crowding forward to touch him. And from the boat, he spoke to them and healed the sick, and set free those possessed especially the excluded and the marginalized who came to him with their ailments.

Those who were not accepted in the society of the time were accepted by Jesus. The power of evil, which causes great fear in people, was overcome by Jesus, so we do not need to be afraid of Satan anymore.

Dear friends, Jesus wishes to set us free from sickness and the forces and manipulations of the evil ones. He desires to be with us as we struggle every day to overcome the forces of evil in our families, society and the world at large. Therefore, we should not be afraid to stand firm against the manipulations of the devil, because Jesus will not abandon us in this battle of life.

This is evident in our first reading today in the case of David and King Saul. For out of jealousy for what the women attribute to David as a way of praising God for the victory he gave them through David, Saul has a hatred for David to the point of planning to kill him. This should not be our disposition; rather, we should learn to appreciate what God has accomplished through other people and not behave like Saul, who became jealous of David.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we struggle every day to do your will, may your presence be felt in our midst through Christ our Lord. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Wednesday Second Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 21st January, 2026. The Memorial of St. Agnes

 

Readings: 1Sam. 16:17:32-33.37.40-51; Ps. 144; Mark 3:1-6

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

NO LAW SHALL RESTRICT US FROM DOING PEOPLE

From the scriptures, it seems like every encounter that the Pharisees had with Jesus was always aimed at finding faults with what Jesus was doing. But to their greatest surprise, Jesus will always escape and use that opportunity to communicate an important message to the people. Such was the occasion in our Gospel passage today.

When on a Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching him to see if he would cure the man on the Sabbath, hoping to find something to use against him. But knowing their thoughts he said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Stand up! Come out into the middle.’

Then Jesus said to them, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it? And said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was better. But they were furious and began to discuss the best way of dealing with him.

Here we see how Jesus demonstrated his compassionate care for humanity, for the most important thing for God in this world is the human person. That's why he makes all efforts to save humanity from damnation. He desires to see us making an effort to become faithful and holy.

His mercy is so deep that he proposes it as the guiding principle for the perfect fulfilment and interpretation of the laws of life. Thus, Jesus in this passage has to teach us that humanity’s welfare should not be neglected because of laws and regulations. That nothing should restrict us from doing good to people not even the laws of the Sabbath.

Therefore, in as much as we desire to honour God’s laws we must seek the good of people as well. This is what the Pharisees have failed to understand, for they are rather fault-finders and self-righteous people, who only wish to mislead the people and suppress the truth and the good works of others, just because of their selfish desires to sustain their ego, pride and their worldly ambition.

But we should not be like them, rather we should be compassionate and merciful for that is what we are called to do. We should learn to be courageous and resist any law or people who use laws or their physical position to oppress others. We should learn from David in our first reading today who courageously confronted Goliath and defeated him despite his intimidating physical appearance and so brought victory to God’s people who were intimidated by Goliath.

This is what we also see in the life of St. Agnes whose memorial we celebrate today. For as a noble young Roman woman, St. Agnes had many suitors and those who were interested in her, but she rejected them all for she had dedicated and consecrated her purity and virginity to God, and will not allowing any of those men to desecrate her virginity and sanctity. So out of pride and jealousy suitors became very angry at her, and reported her to the authorities as a suspected Christian, since to be a Christian was a crime punishable by death.

On account of this, the Roman prefect, named Sempronius condemned her to death and attempted to kill her by various methods. First the attempts by several men to defile her virginity by force failed because they were immediately struck blind before they died. The attempts also to hurt her by other means such as burning on a stake also failed for the flames refused to burn the wood. But eventually she was beheaded by being stabbed in the throat and that’s how Agnes met her end through martyrdom and brought glory to God and his mission.

Dear friends, today we are called to know that no law should restrict us from constantly doing good to everyone. We are called not to be fault-finders who are blindfolded by pride. We must also renounce all sorts of prideful actions and wickedness that may destroy our relationship with others and the purity of our souls. Therefore, let us be compassionate and merciful for that is what we are called to do in this life, especially in this moment when our societies and families are really in chaotic situations.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we often fail to listen to your teaching because of our selfish desires and pride, help us to always listen to you and be willing to do good, especially in the interpretation and application of laws and regulations. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.