Homily For Wednesday Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 3rd June, 2026. The Memorial of St Charles Lwanga and Companions

 

Readings: 2 Tim. 1:1-3,6-12; Ps.123; Mark 12: 18-27

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

UNDERSTANDING THE REALITY OF LIFE, DEATH AND RESURRECTION

The question of what becomes of the human person after death has been a perennial topic in every human generation, and this remains true in our generation. However, the answer to this question has been given to us by Jesus on the occasion of our Gospel passage today, when the Sadducees, one of the most powerful and influential groups within the Jewish community at the time of Jesus, came to ask him questions about this issue.

They are comprised of secular and powerful societal elites who were predominantly irreligious and worldly in their attitudes. They rejected the spiritual aspects of the Jewish customs and teachings, refusing to believe in the presence of Angels and the Spirit, as well as the concept of the afterlife. They rejected the notion of resurrection and life after death.

To them, this life on earth is the only life they have and are living through, for no other things matter more than to enjoy the world as it is, and thus, they tend to live an extravagant lifestyle and selfish attitudes.

So they came up to Jesus with a trick question concerning the notion of resurrection using example of seven brothers who shared a woman as their wife and died without a child, for according to the Jewish laws and customs, when a man died without having any descendant to continue his name and lineage, it was his brother’s responsibility and obligation to take the widow of the deceased man to be his wife, and the firstborn child of the union would be considered as the child of the deceased brother.

Thus, they asked Jesus, " Whose wife will she be at the resurrection? Here, Jesus rebuked them for their ignorance of the scriptures and the power of God. Then he goes on to explain how people will relate to each other in the afterlife. After death and resurrection, men and women do not marry, for they will be like the angels in heaven.

He reminds them of the scene where the voice from the burning bush identifies itself to Moses. “I AM the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6). He is the God of the living and not of the dead. After this reply from Jesus, they no longer dared to ask him any questions, because, he had given a mind-blowing answer to their ignorance and unbelief.

Dear friends, it is natural for us to ask questions about the resurrection of life, but we should not expect to understand it fully while we are still alive. But we have to believe in the resurrection not so much because Jesus argued with the Sadducees, but because of his own resurrection and his promise to share his life with us forever.

Jesus tells and shows us that we are children of the resurrection and children of God who neither marry nor are given in marriage in the heavenly kingdom. For all that matters is our relationship with our God and neighbour, as for what we shall be after death is known by God alone.

Therefore, as Christians, we are challenged to overcome our excessive attachments to the world and to be closer to God and to allow Him to guide us in our path. Little wonder, St. Paul in our first reading today, reminds and encourages us not to worry about worldly trials sufferings and persecutions. Instead, let us focus our attention on the assurance of life and joy that we will have in the kingdom of God.

Thus, let us be encouraged by the lives of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, martyrs of Uganda, whose memorial we celebrate today. Charles Lwanga and his twenty-one companions (the youngest, Kitizo, was only 13) were executed for being Christians, for rebuking the king for his debauchery and for murdering an Anglican missionary, for “praying from a book,” and for refusing to allow themselves to be ritually sodomised by the king. They died between 1885 and 1887. Most of them were burned alive in a group after being tortured. Within a year of their deaths, the number of catechumens in the country increased greatly.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, many things challenge our faith every day, grant that through the intercession of St. Charles Lwanga, we may remain steadfast in faith and charity, even in the face of trials and persecutions through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Tuesday Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 2nd June, 2026

Reading: 2Peter 3:11-15,17-18; Ps.112; Mark 12:13-17

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

KNOWING WHAT BELONGS TO CAESAR AND WHAT BELONGS TO GOD

At the time of Jesus, one of the great means of exchange was the use of coins. A coin, as we know, is a small, flat, round piece of metal used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender to facilitate trade.

They are most often issued by the government with particular images, numerals and inscriptions. It is a very important commodity used in payment of taxes and other important goods, which gives great value to anyone who has enough of it in his possession.

So on the occasion of our Gospel passage today, when the Pharisees and Herodians attempted to trap Jesus using the mandatory law of paying tax to Caesar. It was a serious trap for Jesus because a negative response from him would make him a serious enemy of Rome; a positive response would make him lose the trust of his own people, who generally detest paying this tax.

Thus, Jesus said to them: “Why do you set this trap for me? Bring me a coin and let me see it.’ They handed him one, and he said, ‘Whose image and inscriptions are they?’ Caesar’s they told him. Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.’ This reply took them completely by surprise.

But what does this reply mean? Here, Jesus requested a coin; he secured the coin; he inquired about the image and inscription on the coin; and they responded by identifying the coin with Caesar.

In the context of these actions, Jesus is probably holding the coin. This implies that the true image of the coin is in his possession, but the empirical image and inscription of the coin are the sum total of the things that belong to Caesar. In other words, the true image and inscriptions of anything come and belong to God.

However, the empirical image of corruption, greediness, pride, operation and deception that are found in this coin belongs to Caesar and should be rendered back to him. Thus, Jesus affirms that one’s obligation to the government is necessary as long as it is for the good of all, while insisting that one’s obligation to God is always greater, and this should be done by rendering the true image of the coin to God, which ultimately belongs to Him.

Dear friends, in one way or another, we all possess the coins of this life, but whose image and inscription is in the coin we possess. Are we possessing the coin with the true image and inscription of God or the coin with the empirical image of Caesar which signifies sin, corruption, greed, selfishness and deception?

Today, Jesus is telling us to render back to the Caesars of this world all the ugly and sinful coins in our possession, for they belong to them. While rendering to God the true image of the coin with the inscription of holiness, love, mercy, forgiveness, charity, for they truly belong to God.

When this is done, we will hear the consoling words of the Lord, like those of Tobit's wife, as we heard her consoling Tobit in our first reading today, saying: ‘What about your own charitable deeds? What about your own good works?

Everyone knows what return you have had for them.’ In the life of Tobit, we see that it is indeed possible to be fully faithful and committed to God, while living in harmony as law-abiding citizens of the community, even in the midst of persecutions and operations as we experience in our societies today.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, whose providence never fails in its design, grant that we may always render to you what really belongs to you, as we do away with all that offends you and our fellow neighbours and so live in harmony with the authority of the state. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Homily For Monday Ninth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 1st June, 2026. The Memorial of St Justin the Martyr. Happy New Month

 

Readings: 2 Peter 1: 2-7; Ps. 91; Mark 12:1-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

GREEDINESS AND WICKEDNESS OF HUMANITY TOWARDS GOD AND THE VINEYARD HE ENTRUSTED TO US

Often, I wonder why there is so much evil, greed, and wickedness in the world, despite God's blessings of good things. This is evident in our Gospel passage today, marked by a growing conflict between Jesus and the religious and political leaders of his time. And Jesus illustrates this ugly event with an allegory of the Vineyard Owner which was directed towards the ugly attitudes of humanity.

In this allegory, Jesus tells the story of a man who planted a vineyard, equipped it with all that was necessary, and then leased it out to tenants to cultivate. Now, the vineyard owner sent his servants to collect the dues and rents from the tenants whom he had entrusted with the care of his vineyard, which he had leased out to them. Those tenants were wicked and desired to keep everything they gained to themselves, hence they persecuted and killed the servants sent to them. The tenants also killed the son of the vineyard owner, whom the owner sent to them thinking that the tenants would respect his son.

This allegory describes the relationship between God and humanity and how humanity has been summoned for a trial. Here, the owner of the vineyard is God, while the son represents Jesus Himself, the Son of God sent into the world to save humanity. Also, the vineyard represents the world itself while the wicked tenants represent the ugly attitudes of humanity towards the resources entrusted to us by God.

Dear friends, why all this wickedness, greed and corruption in our society? Today our nation is on trial before God, for God has presented his case against us, summoning our blessed land and mountains to act as judge between Him and the people of this country, by reminding us how He has blessed us with so many resources, skills, good weather and people. But we have misused them, neglected his message, and committed a lot of evil and murder, yet we are still crying, seeking solutions and signs from God.

Today, as tenants in God’s vineyard, we are called to change our attitude positively; we should turn away from greed, corruption, pride and ego. If not, we will likely end up like those wicked tenants who acted with such evil against their fellow men and even against the son of their master and were justly punished.

Therefore, what God requires from us today is for us to do justice, to love kindly and to walk humbly with him for our good and the good of others. Little wonder St. Peter in our first reading made us know that God has given us the guarantee of something very great and wonderful to come: through them, we will be able to share the divine nature and to escape corruption in a world that is sunk in vice.

But to attain this, we will have to do our utmost best, adding goodness to the faith that we have, understanding to our goodness, self-control to our understanding, patience to our self-control, true devotion to our patience, kindness towards our fellow men to our devotion, and, to this kindness, love.

This is what we see in the life of St. Justin the Martyr, whose memorial we celebrate today. He was known for his desire to establish a peaceful relationship between the Church and the state. Through his writings, he tried to convince Emperor Marcus Aurelius to end the persecution of Christians by the Roman state, which led to his martyrdom with some of his followers in the year 165.

Today however, St. Justin no doubt, has shown us through his works and interactions, with pagan philosophers and even with the Emperor, that it is indeed possible to be fully faithful and committed to God while exercising our authority and position by living in harmony as a law-abiding citizens of the community and the state even in the midst of persecutions and operations as we experience in our societies today.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, grant that we may turn away from pride, greed and the corruptions of this passing world and become steadfast in faith and care for one another. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you the best of God's favour and blessings. Happy New Month. 

Homily For Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Year A, 31st May, 2026

 

Reading: Ex. 34:4-6.8-9; Ps. Dn. 3:29-34; 2Cor.13:11-13; John 3:16-18

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

UNDERSTANDING HOW GOD HAS REVEALED HIS MYSTICAL NATURE TO HUMANITY

No doubt that humanity perceives God as a mystery and in need, he is a great mystery. But when we perceive something as a mystery, it does not really mean that we cannot know anything about that thing. It simply means that we cannot know everything about that thing. We only know to the extent our reasoning faculty can perceive. This means that perceiving God as a mystery shows that we can know something about him, but we cannot know everything about him.

Now the questions are: what do we know about God? How has God revealed Himself to us? How have we perceived and understood this revelation? What impact has this revelation and understanding made in our lives as human beings living in the world he created? The answer to these questions is found in the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, which we celebrate today.

Little wonder, every first Sunday after the great event of Pentecost, that marks the end of Easter season and the Church has been filled with the Holy Spirit, our attention is turned to the mysteries of heaven, where we gaze with an eye of faith into the mystery of God’s revelation of his mystical nature as a Trinitarian form of Love.

That is, in a form of three Persons, Father, Son and Spirit who are ONE GOD in substance and essence. Here, the Father is love, the Son is love made Flesh, and the Spirit is love in Action. For there is wholly ONE purest, infinite and eternal LOVE which is God, and Love Personified which is God himself in the person of Jesus and Love in Action which is the Holy Spirit. This, of course, is the mystery of the Trinity, a reality that surpasses human reason.

So, the Church through revelation has come to know, understand and perceive that the Holy Trinity works in one unity and essence. For the invisible Father and invisible Son sent the visible Son in the person of Jesus, to be visible in the world to save humanity.

And the actions of the invisible Father through the visible Son are made present in the world by the Person of the Holy Spirit. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are of the same substance and essence that manifest in three persons of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This is the mystery of God's nature we celebrate today as revealed.

Today’s solemnity reveals to us that “God is love not in the oneness of a single Person, but in the Trinity of one substance”, as we have it in the Preface of today’s celebration. Telling us that God, who is Love, is the creator and merciful Father; he is the Only-Begotten Son, the eternal Word of Wisdom incarnate, who died and rose for us; he is also the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, who moves all things in history, toward their final and full recapitulation.

This is a special feast that allows us to gaze into the communitarian life of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, who live in a communion of love and call us to participate in this love. Thereby reminding us of the marvellous plan of our salvation, that finds its origin in this Trinitarian love of the Father, who sent the Son and the Holy Spirit for the redemption of humanity. For we have been called to share in this family of love. This family of love is God’s nature that he shares with humanity through the Son Jesus, the Word Made Flesh and the Holy Spirit the Paraclete.

Thus, in this Sunday’s solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, we celebrate the summary of God’s revelation of Himself to humanity which was brought about through the paschal mysteries of Christ’s Death, Resurrection and Ascension to the right hand of the Father, and the gracious outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This great mystical revelation of the Triune God can not be totally comprehended by the human mind and language, the Church has called us to live it with deep faith and apply it in our daily lives.

Little wonder, our readings today tell us about this Trinitarian nature of God in human history, In the First Reading, we heard about the revelation of God’s Name and His active participation in the life of His people, as He proclaims before Moses in the cloud on Mount Sinai saying: “The Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” a God who pardon our sins and iniquities and take us as His inheritance.

This is a great act of love, of which our Gospel passage today testifies, in the famous John’s Gospel, telling us that: “God so loved the world that he gave his Only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” This clearly shows us love in action, illustrating that God is not closed or satisfied with his own self-sufficiency, but he is the life of love that wants to communicate Himself with His fragile creatures in an open and deep relationship.

Hence St Paul in our second reading encouraged us to rejoice, mend our ugly ways of life, heed his appeal, agree with one another, live in peace, so that the God of love and peace will be with us. He then introduced and commended us into the grace and life of the Triune God, saying: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

Therefore inviting us to share and participate in the communitarian family of love in the Trinity, that is now open for all humanity. That is why we are baptised in the name of the Trinity, we are blessed in the name of the Trinity, we are consecrated to the life and family of God through the Trinitarian formula.

Dear friends, today’s solemnity invites us to embrace the new life we have found in the Trinity, that new life that calls us to the reality of love that is contained in the mystery of our faith. The One love of the Father, that is made Flesh in the Person of the Son Jesus, and in action in the Person of the Holy Spirit, in a purely physical unity of which humanity is called to participate.

Hence Jesus has revealed to us that we are essentially “God’s children”, creatures who live in relationship with the Creator God the Father, and are called to share this relationship with one another. Thereby reaching out to God and to our fellow mankind, in whose life we discover the image of our common love in the Father.

Thus, in this love comes the model of the human community, originating from the Triune Family to our individual human families down to the society and the world at large, pointing to us that humanity is one, related in the one love of God our common Father, through His Son Jesus in the active power of the Holy Spirit.

This is the faith we have embraced and are called to share with all humility. Therefore, we are called to grow in this mission, knowing that, the Trinity is at the same time unity in love and in mission, the more deep this love dwells in us, the stronger the urge to pour it out and spread it to all, beginning from our family, down to society and to the ends of the Earth.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as you reveal the mystery of your nature which is love and calls us to share and participate in it, grant that humanity may come to embrace this loving kindness, and so be united as one family sharing one common Father in love and truth, we ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen. Have a fruitful Sunday celebration.

Homily For Saturday Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 30th May, 2026

 

Readings: Jude 17.20-25, Ps. 63; Mark 11:27-33

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

UNDERSTANDING AND EMBRACING THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF JESUS

In our dealings with people, we are often requested to make reference to authorities to back up our claim to know or possess anything. And when such authority is not available our proposal may not be taken seriously. Little wonder our Gospel passage today presents to us the fundamental question concerning the source of Jesus’ authority, namely, whether it is divine or human.

Here, after Jesus drove away the traders from the courts of the Temple, the chief priests and elders questioned the source of his authority, for they were more concerned to learn whether Jesus had received the proper human authorisation.

In response, Jesus draws their attention to John the Baptist and his authority, and by so doing, he implies that the source of John's authority is the source of his as well. Thus, anyone who correctly identifies the source of John's authority will identify the source of Jesus’ own as well.

Therefore the questions we need to ask ourselves are: What is our notion about the authority of Jesus? Do we have any doubt about the authority of Jesus? How much of this authority dwells in you? The crowds identified the source of John and Jesus’ authority as divine. Have we personally identified the divine authority of Jesus in our lives? Why not ask him to manifest his power and authority once more in your life?

Dear friends, we need to open up our hearts to truly embrace the authority of the Lord Jesus. We need to build up our interior lives around his authority, so as to be closer to God and continue to prepare ourselves physically and spiritually for the coming of our Lord Jesus in our hearts and our souls.

For there he awaits our response to his invitation to holiness and love. Little wonder St. Jude in our first reading today said, when some have doubts, reassure them; when there are some to be saved from the fire, pull them out; but there are others to whom you must be kind with great caution.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, in your divine authority we build our confidence and hope. May you continue to direct and guide our ways and bring our plans and purposes to a successful end. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a happy and fruitful weekend.

Homily For Friday Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 29th May, 2026

Readings: 1Peter 4:7-13. Ps. 96; Mark 11:11-26

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE LORD WANTS TO PURIFY OUR SOULS, WHICH ARE HIS TEMPLE 

The temple, as we know, is described as the sacred dwelling place of God. That’s sacred space where humanity encounters the Divine presence of God. It is a symbolic space where God desires to live together with humanity and rule the world through them. Therefore it is very important to ensure that such Sacred Space (Temple) is kept sacred at all times.

Little wonder in our Gospel passage today, after Jesus had cursed a fig tree for not being fruitful, we heard a very brief story of how he entered the temple in Jerusalem and drove away the traders from the courts of the Temple saying: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?

But you have turned it into ‘a den of thieves’.” So he chased out all the dishonest, selfish and greedy merchants who were making profits by cheating the faithful pilgrims who came to the Temple to worship God.

Here Jesus was not just concerned with cleansing the temple of Jerusalem, but also the temple of the human heart, that is, our souls. He is objecting to the corruption of the sacred. Our body and soul are a temple of the Lord and belong to him alone. It is a sacred space, a house of prayer which must not be given over to the false gods of money, greed and sin.

So, by clearing the Temple, the Lord has also urged us all to clear our own spiritual temples, that is our body, mind, heart and soul, in which God dwells, so that we will actualise the fruit of the gift God has given us.

Hence we are told in our first reading today that each one of us has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these different graces of God, we should put ourselves at the service of others. If you are a speaker, speak in words which seem to come from God; if you are a helper, help as though every action was done at God’s orders; so that in everything God may receive the glory, through Jesus Christ.

Dear friends, our souls are the sacred dwelling of God’s Temple. Thus, it should be made sacred at all times by ensuring that we get rid of all corruptions, wickedness, pride, ego, greed, wrath and all other sorts of evils within us.

We must resist them and strive to inspire and help one another to keep our Temple sacred. For Jesus wishes to cleanse the temple of our soul by removing what has corrupted it, to purify it for worship, and make it a dwelling place for God in prayer. But are we willing to let him cleanse us?

LET US PRAY: Merciful Father, we are your temple, yet we have let the selfish desires for the things of this passing world to corrupt us so deeply. As we embrace your Words today, may we experience the joy of the purification of our body and soul through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a joyful day.

Homily For Thursday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 28th May 2026

 

Readings: 1Pet. 1:18-25; Ps.147; Mark 10:46-52

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR NEED AND HOW ARE YOU PRESENTING IT TO GOD

There is no doubt that Jesus has demonstrated his compassionate love for humanity in various ways, especially to the poor, the sick, and those possessed by unclean Spirits. This attitude of Jesus, which springs from the love of God the Father, constitutes the basis of the Church’s liberating activity, which is rooted in our faith in God.

Little wonder, in our Gospel passage today, Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, gives us a complete lesson about faith, expressed with total simplicity in the presence 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 mention it. 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, tell Jesus your need?

Even though he knows your needs, you still need to present them before him. This blind man needed his eyesight restored, so he said aloud to Jesus, “Lord, that I may see!” And Jesus said: ‘Go your way; your faith has saved you.’

Here, we see a man whose faith led him to put off his former identity and cry in the hope of restoration. Bartimaeus’s faith involves proclamation, prayer, liberation, personal encounter and following of Jesus. More so, Jesus, in this healing, reveals his compassion towards human suffering and wants us to imitate Bartimaeus’s faith in our struggles and challenges of life.

Dear friends, what is that one thing you need in your life? Have we ever felt helpless and neglected? Do we feel the need for Jesus’s help in some part of our lives? 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? Why not, in faith, present our needs before Jesus, who is willing and ready to help us?

 For St. Peter, in our second reading today reminds us that we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

So, like Jesus, each one of us is called today 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 whom 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: Heavenly Father, as we present our needs before you today, may we experience once again your compassionate love and grant our hearts' desire according to your Holy will, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you God’s favour and blessings