Homily For Friday, Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 30th October 2026

 

Readings: Phil. 1:1-11, Ps 111, Luke 14:1-6

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

DO NOT LET ANY SITUATION RESTRICT YOU FROM DOING GOOD TO PEOPLE

Most times, when we reflect on the relationship between Jesus and his audience, we wonder how he was able to manage all the situations placed before him, even when it seems as if he has no escape route. Such is the situation in our Gospel passage today when, on a Sabbath day, Jesus went for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees who had invited him; they watched him closely.

This is because in front of him was a man with dropsy, and Jesus addressed the lawyers and Pharisees saying: ‘Is it against the law to cure a man on the Sabbath, or not?’ But they remained silent, so he took the man and cured him and sent him away.

Here, we see Jesus who always honours all his invitations, whether from the poor or the rich, friends or ‘enemies’, including Pharisees and Sadducees, whose invitation was a trap to set Jesus up. But Jesus cannot be trapped; rather, he used the opportunity to teach us that no Sabbath law, no religious restriction, can ever forbid us from being compassionate and caring for the poor and the sick.

Dear friends, we must learn to be compassionate no matter the situation we may find ourselves in, because Jesus has always been compassionate. For St. Paul in our first reading tells us that this kind of attitude will help us to become pure and blameless, and prepare us for the Day of Christ, when we all will reach the perfect goodness which Jesus Christ produces in us for the glory and praise of God. But we need to ask ourselves: are we willing to show love, compassion and care, especially to those who need our love and care?

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we often wish to be compassionate and caring like you. But we often fail because of fear and lack of proper disposition. As we listen to your words today, may we find the courage to be compassionate and caring. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily for Thursday, Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 29 October 2026

 

Readings: Eph.6:10-20, Ps 144, Luke 13:31-35

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

UNDERSTANDING HOW TO USE THE WEAPON OF OUR WARFARE

In this world, we struggle with so many things, and we often encounter ugly events and challenges that cause us sorrow and pain. Most of the time, we don't know how to handle those moments.

This is because there is an active presence of evil in the world, which manifests itself in different forms. So every day is a struggle against the malice of the evil one, and people do everything they can to overcome it.

Today, St. Paul, in our first reading, encouraged us to be strong and prepared against the attacks and assaults from the evil one, and its wicked forces. He said: Put on the whole armour of God to be able to resist the devil’s tactics. For it is not against flesh and blood that we have to struggle, but against the principalities and powers originating from the darkness of this world.

 So stand your ground, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, and put on the integrity of life for a breastplate, wearing shoes on your feet with that eagerness to spread the gospel of peace and always carrying the shield of faith so that you can use it to put out the burning arrows of the evil one.

And then take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. He told us to be firm in our faith in God and to be ready to resist those who are going to try to harm us and bring us down.

This is exactly what Jesus did in our Gospel passage today when some of the Pharisees warned him to leave the area where he was teaching because Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great was after him. This warning was just a way of trying to get rid of Jesus by frightening him using external forces and authority under the name of Herod.

But Jesus was not moved by all their threats. For he knows that his mission is part of God’s larger plan, which can not be interrupted by any external forces or authority. Hence, he ignored them and continued with his work of healing the people and liberating them from evil ones

Dear friends, our lives are in God’s hands, for we are part of God’s larger plan, and nothing will happen to us that conflicts with God’s wishes and plans for us. All we need is to embrace the whole armour of God in faith, with the belt of truth buckled round our waist, and put on integrity of life for a breastplate, with eagerness to spread the gospel of peace

We are to carry the shield of faith so that we can use it to put out the burning arrows of the evil ones, using the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. By so doing, we overcome the ugly situation we face every day in our societies and families today.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, every day is a struggle against the malice of the evil ones, and oftentimes, we don’t know what to do. As we embrace your words today, grant that we may find the courage and strength to conquer our fears and struggles against the evil ones, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful day

Homily For Wednesday, Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 28th October 2026. The Feast of SS. Simon and Jude, Apostles

 

Readings: Eph.2:19-22; Ps 19; Luke 6:12-19

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

UNDERSTANDING AND EMBRACING THE SACRIFICIAL NATURE OF DISCIPLESHIP

Will you leave? Will you care? Will you risk? Will you let the Lord lead you? These are questions of great demand which every true disciple must constantly reflect on in life to be aware of the seriousness of the commitment required of every one of us as disciples of Jesus. Today, as we celebrate the feast day of the great apostles St. Simon and St. Jude, our liturgy presents this great demand and our readings propel us to reflect on our call to discipleship.

In the Gospel, we heard how Jesus, after deep prayers, called from among his disciples twelve apostles, of whom Simon and Jude were part. Simon also known as the Zealot, was a member of the Zealots, the extremists who fought for the freedom of the Israelites against the Romans at the time of Jesus. St. Jude, often referred to as St. Jude Thaddeus, was a member of the extended family of Jesus.

These two apostles, along with others, followed the Lord faithfully throughout his ministry. Simon, though a member of the Zealots, abandoned his previous life as a freedom fighter for a great missionary work along with St. Jude Thaddeus, who was the probable author of the Epistle of St. Jude.

These two apostles together served the Lord, reached out to many peoples, and evangelised many nations. That is why both of them are celebrated together today, because of their missionary zeal and commitment to God even to the very end of their lives.

Tradition has it that Simon spread the Gospel to places like Persia and Armenia, Egypt and Ethiopia, and along with Jude, they evangelised throughout Judea, Samaria, Persia, Armenia and other places. Sadly, after many decades of missionary activities, these two great apostles were martyred in Lebanon.

They committed themselves wholeheartedly to the mission of Christ and his Church; they converted many and established firm foundations of the Christian faith in many places. Little wonder St Paul, in our first reading, tells us that we are fellow citizens of God’s household that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations and Christ Jesus himself as its main cornerstone.

Dear friends, evangelisation is the very nature and essence of the Church. And Jesus gives us the mandate and the commission to evangelise, that is, to announce the Good News to all the nations and to spread the Gospel to every creature. This commission is shared by all those who are baptized both priests and lay faithful.

Everyone has a particular responsibility to share in the work of proclamation of the Gospel. Today, we should ask ourselves, how have we proclaimed the Gospel to the world? What efforts are we making to ensure that the mandate Christ entrusted to us is carried out effectively in our generation?

Therefore, at this moment when the world is confused because we have removed God from our daily lives, at this time when we have placed our hope in the activities of the human person who seems to have taken the place of God, at this time when our governments, scientists, doctors, lawyers, professors and even pastors have assumed the place of God, which of course, has brought about the ugly situation we are facing in our societies today.

We are reminded once again about our very mission, for it is time to take this mandate very seriously because it is our responsibility to fulfil our promises to God and ensure that the Christian faith is preached and sustained in the world and by so doing save humanity once again from sin, death and destruction that we have caused for ourselves.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are lost in this world; we are confused because we have cut ourselves off from You our cornerstone, as we come back to You once again, please give us the grace to preach the Gospel following the examples of saints Simon and Jude, may we learn from their teaching and walk faithfully in the footsteps of Christ and by so doing draw humanity back to You once again. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Tuesday Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 27th October 2026

 

Readings: Eph.5:21-33, Ps 128 , Luke 13:18-21

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

MAKE YOUR HEART A FERTILE GROUND FOR THE WORD OF GOD TO GROW LIKE A MUSTARD SEED

In the scriptures, it is obvious that Jesus often likes to use a simple story to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson when addressing the people regarding very important things. So, by couching his teaching in parables, Jesus made certain points much clearer to his audience.

This is evident in our Gospel passage today, where he told us two parables, the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the Yeast, using them to describe the nature of God’s kingdom, which he came to establish in the hearts of humanity.

In these parables, Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed growing from the Word of God spoken to the hearts of his few disciples which will grow and spread in the hearts of all humanity. This analogy focuses on the size of the seed that grows to become a mighty tree that gives shelter and salvation to all.

Here also, Jesus is not just speaking of the size of the mustard seed, but the faith of the people as that of a mustard seed. Telling us that just as the mustard seed responds to the word of God and grows into a mighty tree, so will the faith of the people grow into great vessels through hearing and doing what the word of God says. However, God has given humanity the freedom to choose whether to hear his word and embrace the faith to bear the fruits of the kingdom or to reject it and perish.

More so, this analogy of the mustard seed symbolises the humble beginnings of the Christian faith, which is well watered by the Holy Spirit to grow and give life and hospitality to all the people of the world.

However, we need to know that there are good-for-nothing seeds present in this world to deceive people from listening to God’s word, seeds such as fear, regrets, doubt, jealousy, hatred, disrespect, greediness, lying, gossip, impurity, wickedness and all sorts of sinful acts.

Those who embrace these good-for-nothing seeds follow the dictates of their hardened hearts and will soon be thrown away as good-for-nothing because they have not listened to God’s words. Hence, St. Paul, in our first reading, encouraged us to embrace the good seeds of God’s words in our families by giving us the principles that will guide the relationship between husband and wife using the analogy of the relationship between Christ and his Church.

Dear friends, make your heart a fertile ground for the word of God to grow like a mustard seed. But today, we have different kinds of seeds. So, the question remains, what kind of seeds are we embracing and watering in our lives today? Are we watering valuable mustard seeds of faith and love or weeds of fear, regrets, doubt, jealousy, hatred, disrespect, greediness, lying, gossip, impurity, wickedness and all kinds of sinful deeds that will destroy us?

Today, we are called to quit watering these weeds because that's what the enemies want, and we must not fall into their traps. Rather, we are called to water those valuable mustard seeds of faith, love, holiness, hospitality, obedience, and charity and make them our values of life. When we feed and water such values, we will grow stronger like the mustard tree where people may find solace and so build up God’s kingdom.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as you sow the seeds of your word in our hearts, give us the grace to water and grow it into the mustard tree of faith, holiness and hospitality that will usher us into your kingdom, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Monday, Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 26th October, 2026

 

Readings: Eph. 4:32-5:8; Ps 1; Luke 13:10-17

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

LEARN TO DO GOOD AND APPRECIATE THE GOOD OF OTHERS AND NOT A FAULT-FINDER

From the Scriptures, it seems like every encounter that the Pharisees had with Jesus was always aimed at finding fault with what Jesus was doing. This is because they are jealous of Jesus' great work. But to their surprise, Jesus always escaped and used the opportunity to communicate an important message to the people.

Such was the occasion of our Gospel passage today. When on a Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach, and a woman was there who for eighteen years had been possessed by a spirit that left her enfeebled; she was bent double and quite unable to stand upright.

When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are rid of your infirmity,’ and he laid his hands on her. And at once she straightened up, and she glorified God. But the synagogue official was indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, and they addressed the people present saying: There are six days when work is to be done. Come and be healed on one of those days and not on the Sabbath. Then Jesus said, This woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has held bound these eighteen years, was it not right to untie her bonds on the Sabbath day?

Here the synagogue official affirms that the Sabbath is not an appropriate time for God to manifest his compassion and mercy. But Jesus, on the other hand, made us know that God’s actions cannot be dictated or restricted by humans. God’s mercy and healing know no limits of time or place if we sincerely turn to him.

Hence, 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 every effort 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 of the laws of life.

This, 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, since 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 oppressed and suppress the truth and the good works of others, just because of jealousy and their selfish desires to sustain their ego, pride and their worldly ambition, since they dwell in the flesh rather than the Spirit. So, we should not be like them; rather, we should be compassionate and merciful like our Lord Jesus Christ, for that is what we are called to do.

Little wonder St. Paul in our first reading, tells us that we can be quite certain that nobody who actually indulges in fornication or impurity or promiscuity-which is worshipping a false god-can inherit anything of the kingdom of God. Do not let anyone deceive you with empty arguments: it is for this loose living that God’s anger comes down on those who rebel against him. Make sure that you are not included with them. You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light.

Dear friends, no law or regulation should stop us from ensuring and caring for the well-being of people around us. So today, we are called to constantly do good to everyone. We are called not to be fault-finders who are blindfolded by pride.

We must also renounce all sorts of immoral actions and wickedness that may destroy the purity of our souls. Therefore, let us be compassionate and merciful for that is what we are called to do in this life.

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 always, as we resolve to live a life of purity and humility. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed week ahead

Homily for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, 25th October 2026

 

Readings: Ex. 22:21-27, Ps.18, 1Thess. 1:5-10, Matt. 22:34-40

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHY LOVING GOD AND OUR NEIGHBOUR ARE THE GREATEST PRIORITIES OF THE HUMAN PERSON

Due to the fragile and contingent nature of the human person, there are so many principles we need to embrace in order to ensure peaceful coexistence with one another and with our environment. These principles have a way of assuring us peace and success in whatever we do, but neglecting these principles will bring about grave consequences.

Hence, when we are faced with the realities of life, we want to know the principle that should be our first priority and the foundation of every other principle. In fact, we always desire to know what is required of us in this life.

This is partially the deposition of the Pharisees in our Gospel passage today, who, after they had exhausted all their energy trying to see how they could discredit the teachings of Jesus, who had just silenced the Sadducees, came together, and one of them asked Jesus a question concerning which commandment is the greatest.

In response Jesus reminded them of the 'Shema Israel', the prayer that they knew and recited from their earliest years from which they learned that the most important thing in life is to love God with all their heart, and with all their soul, and with all their mind; that is, with all the powers and the more noble faculties of the soul, the mind, the understanding, judgment, and will. Jesus then added that to love one’s neighbour is the second priority.

Here, Jesus gave us the fundamental principle that should guide human existence. He made it clear that loving God and our neighbours are the greatest priority of the human person. In other words, loving God with all our heart, with all our understanding and strength, and loving our neighbour as ourselves is what is required of us.

This is the foundation of all the things we have to do. And Jesus set as a standard for all to see, not just by the love he was able to show to people, but by the depth of love which he showed by dying and rising for our salvation.

This principle of love, especially that of loving our neighbours, is what we have in our first reading, where we were told not to molest the stranger, for we all are strangers in the world. We must not be harsh with the widow, the orphan, the poor, the less privileged; if we do, they will surely cry out to God, and be sure he shall hear their cry; his anger will flare and he will surely visit the oppressors with the same sword with which they used against the poor, as we have seen in our country today.

Therefore, we are called to show love to our neighbours, especially the poor, the widow and the orphans. We are called not to embezzle public resources meant for the good and well-being of the poor. Rather we are called to learn from the early Christian community who embraced this principle of love in a very practical way as we have in our second reading today

Here, we heard St. Paul saying: you observed the sort of life we lived when we were with you, which was for your instruction, and you were led to become imitators of us, and of the Lord; and it was with the joy of the Holy Spirit that you took to the Gospel, despite the great opposition all round you.

Dear friends, love is the centre of all the teachings of Jesus, for love is a gift from God to humanity. It is like the stream water, so innocent and pure. True love is not hidden; it radiates from the innermost being of a person who experiences it. If we love God, then, we will see him in others and treat them justly and honourably. We will not hurt our neighbours but do our utmost best to live in peace with them.

The truth is that the absence of love is the cause of all the problems in our world today, as most families exist by grace and not by love. The rate of corruption and greediness in this country is so appalling. People are never tired of acquiring and embezzling public funds for their own selfish gain and now they are coming back again to ask permission to continue with this ugly behaviour.

So there is no doubt, we need a radical transformation. A transformation that will bring about a new outfit that makes one a new person, with a new life, a new mind and a new way of doing things. And this is possible only when we understand the shortness of this life, the emptiness of this passing world and the danger of greediness; then we will be able to do things the right way.

For this country will be transformed only when the power of love and goodwill supersedes the love of power and then, justice and faithfulness become the habit of everyone of us in this country. How I wish we could invest our time and resources in ensuring love and unity in our dealings with one another. Believe me, we will not only be fulfilling the first and greatest commandments of God, but we will be building a happy country, a happy society and a happy family.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, the world is full of distractions, evil and selfish people. Help us to build a family, society and the world that is governed by love, goodwill and integrity of life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a lovely Sunday celebration. 

Homily For Saturday, Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 24th October 2026

 

Readings: Eph.4:7-16, Ps 122 , Luke 13:1-9

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

EVERY MOMENT OF OUR LIFE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO REPENT AND BE FRUITFUL

With the ugly situation in our country today, there is no doubt that both the poor and the rich are testifying to the suffering in our society. Hence, we can feel the struggles, the scarcity of food and resources, the kidnappings, the killings, the flooding, the tears, and the disappointments that people are passing through every day. Some people are losing hope in themselves and even in everything they do as they run up and down seeking solutions.

The poor seek daily bread, upliftment, and favour; the rich seek protection and good health, while the evil ones take advantage of the situation to destroy the people's little hope and faith. All these are signs from God who gives us the opportunity to repent from our sinful ways of life.

This is what Jesus is telling us in our Gospel passage today when he said: “Do you suppose the Galileans who suffered like this were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No, but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Then, with the parable of the barren fig tree, Jesus showed that God has made every moment of our lives an opportunity to repent and be fruitful.

This is clear when he said in the parable, “Look, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied, “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”

Such is God’s patience with us for he gives us the opportunity to turn away from our sinful and ugly ways of life. Repentance is the key message of this Gospel, for Jesus makes it clear that those who suffered and were killed were not worse offenders than others; rather, he uses the opportunity to call us to repentance. Note that the purpose of this message is not for condemnation but for redemption.

This is what St. Paul is emphasising in our first reading, saying: we shall not be children any longer, or be tossed one way or another and carried along by every wind of doctrine, at the mercy of all the tricks men play and their cleverness in practising deceit. But if we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together.

Dear friends, this call for repentance shows us that it is not too late for us to repent, for this may be the last opportunity. Because we can never tell what will happen in the next moment. We can never tell who is next to die, and we can never know the form it will take, or where it will occur. All that matters is for us to repent now that we still have the opportunity.

Therefore, let us repent now, for repentance helps us to be well-disposed in life and for death. It helps us to live right and at peace with God and with one another. It gives us the courage and confidence to face any situation without fear of death.

LET US PRAY: Almighty, ever-living God, You are the author of our lives, freedom and salvation; all we have are yours. Thank you for being with us in our daily troubles, struggles, fears, tears, hope and joy. May you provide for the poor, console the troubled, heal the sick, protect and put smiles on the faces of your children today and always. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed and safe weekend.