Homily For Saturday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 27th June, 2026

 

Reading: Lam 2:2,10-14,18-19; Ps. 74; Matt. 8:5-17

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

PUTTING OUR FAITH INTO POSITIVE ACTION LIKE THE ROMAN CENTURION

In our Catechism classes, we were taught that faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused in us by God. Little wonder our levels of faith are not the same. However, our gift of faith grows depending on our disposition and utilisation of the gift. That is why, when Jesus invites people to faith and conversion, he does not coerce them; rather, they come to faith through their good disposition and utilisation of their experience with Him.

This is exactly the case with the Roman centurion in our Gospel passage today, who sorts help for his sick servant, he approached Jesus for healing, but when Jesus accepted to come to his home, the centurion hesitates, feeling unworthy of Jesus’ presence in his home, said to him “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed”.

Here the centurion believes that Jesus can speak a word of healing, and that will be enough to cure his servant. He has total faith and trust in the power of Jesus’ word. For him, the servant did not even have to hear Jesus speak the word: it was enough that the word was spoken. Jesus praised his faith and genuine humility. Today, these words of the centurion have become a pattern of prayer for us, that before Holy Communion we say them passionately because his faith and compassion are inspiring examples for us to follow.

This is exactly the kind of faith that all of us must have as well. The faith that leads us to seek God wholeheartedly, to be humble before Him and to love Him above all and not to allow our pride, ego and desires to lead us into faithlessness, disobedience and sin against God.

We are also called to trust God at all times, for He is always ready and able to help, so that we do not lament like the people in our first reading today. For they kept saying to their mothers, ‘Where is the bread? As they fainted like wounded men in the squares of the City, as they poured out their souls on their mothers’ breasts. Who can rescue and comfort you, virgin daughter of Zion? For as huge as the sea is, your affliction; who can possibly cure you?

Dear friends, what is our disposition towards the gift of faith that God has given to us? Do we have total faith and trust in God, just like the Centurion, or lament like the people in our first reading? The fact remains that our experiences of evil, injustice, suffering and death can shake or shape the gift of faith in us depending on our disposition towards the situation.

Remember, the Centurion interceded for his sick servant, do we intercede for others who require God’s healing and mercy? Do we know that we can speak God’s word in prayer and someone, somewhere, will find healing? Do we often, like this Centurion, recognise in all humility our unworthiness before God? We are called today to cultivate an act of faith and genuine humility in prayers just like the Roman Centurion.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we are weak and oftentimes we display an act of faithlessness due to the pressure and challenges of life. Through the intercessions of our Mother Mary, may the Lord increase our faith and make us humble and patient in doing His will. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful weekend. 

Homily For Friday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 26th June 2026

 

Reading: 2Kings 25:1-12; Ps.137; Matt.8:1-4 Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

GOD IS ALWAYS WILLING TO HEALING AND RESTORATION

There is no doubt that we have great events in the scriptures that illustrate the compassionate concern of Jesus in the struggles of humanity and wish to set us free from the shackles of all our troubles.

This is evident in the occasion of our Gospel passage today, where a leper having listened to Jesus speaking on the mountain, came up and bowed low in front of him and said ‘Sir, if you want to, you can cure me.’ Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said, ‘Of course I want to! Be cured!’ And his leprosy was cured at once.

Here, the touching of Jesus is of great significance. No ordinary person would dare to touch a leper. We can imagine the inner healing that must have resulted from Jesus' touch, that moment of physical contact the leper had not experienced for a long time due to rejection. Touch is something we all need, but are so often lacking in our relationship with God and one another. But this cannot stop Jesus from reaching out to his children who call on him for healing and restoration.

Thus, the leper was despised, feared, shunned and rejected, but when he approached Jesus in humility, he became the object of divine attention. We, too, just like the leper, need healing, including the healing that comes from the touch of Jesus. All we need is to approach Jesus in humility, and we will become a person of divine attention.

More so, the story of this leper is a good example of how we sinners can and should appeal to Jesus for cleansing, especially from our sins. We should come in faith knowing that God is always willing to cleanse every sinner who comes to Him.

So, let us sincerely turn to God once again with all of our hearts and with all of our strength, just like the leper who came to Jesus with faith, knowing that he could heal him and make him better. This is what all of us must have as well, a strong and genuine faith. Today may be my great opportunity to be restored, and what is needed is to put my faith in action and say, " Lord, if you will, you can restore me.

Dear friends, I don’t know what type of leprosy problems you are going through. Are you weighed down by sin or sickness? Are you feeling helpless and rejected? Or do I know people who are helpless and need some help? Do I feel the need for Jesus’s help in some part of my life? Let us pause for a moment and imagine Jesus looking at us. How does he see us? What are you saying to him and what is he saying to you?

Jesus wishes to set us free from sickness, troubles challenges and manipulations of the evil ones. He desires to be with us as we struggle every day to overcome the challenges in our families, society and the world at large. Therefore, we should not be afraid to approach Jesus for healing and restoration, all we need is an active faith like the leper in our Gospel passage today.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you know our innermost being and the challenges we are struggling with, come to our aid and cleanse us from all our physical, emotional and spiritual leprosy, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Thursday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 25th June, 2026

 

Reading: 2 Kings 24:8-17; Ps. 78; Matt. 7:21-29

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

DOING THE WILL OF GOD IS BUILDING ON A ROCKY FOUNDATION

One of my favourite hymns in our hymn book says:

In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song! This cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled when striving cease! My Comforter, my All in All, here in the love of Christ I stand.

This hymn draws my attention to our Gospel passage today, where Jesus says: ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?”

Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men! And he continues, 'Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible person who built their house on rock.' Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: for it was founded on rock.

Here Jesus calls our attention to something very important. He reminds us that it is not enough to hear the word of God; we must put it into practice. It is not sufficient to speak about God, but we must practice what we speak. We are called not merely to hear God’s word but to daily put it into action. Hearing or reading the Word is important, but that is not enough.

We must let the Word of God touch and shape our lives. For it is a waste of time and energy if our lives do not reflect the Gospel we preach if we do not hear the words of Jesus and act on them. The truth is that the houses built by wise and foolish persons may probably look alike.

However, the difference lies in the foundations, which can only be revealed when tested by the storms of life. As we heard in our first reading today, the troops of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, marched on Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. He carried off all Jerusalem into exile, all the nobles and all the notables, ten thousand of these were exiled, because they had abandoned their solid foundation and stuck to vanity.

Dear friends, what are we doing with the word of God we hear every day? What kind of fruit am I bearing? How has the word of God changed my life and the lives of those around me? How has the word of God challenged and propelled me to love God and my neighbours?

The fact remains that, hearing and doing the word of God is building our faith on a rocky foundation, that cornerstone, that solid ground, through the fiercest drought and storms of life, because the fruit of the Word of God in us is seen when tested in the storms of life.

Thus, is my attitude towards the word of God like that of the foolish builder who takes shortcuts for quick results? Or that of a wise builder who spends time digging a secure foundation through constant meditation and practice of the word of God?

Therefore, when we hear the word, we must apply it to our daily lives because that's the only way we can feed our souls. Our society has enough hearers of the word, what we need now are doers of the word of God, men and women who will feed their lives with the word of God and from the abundance of their hearts live a life that will influence society positively.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, through your Word we find life and hope in Christ who is our all in all, grant us the grace to be doers of your Word and not just hearers, to build our faith on a rocky foundation in Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Wednesday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 24th June 2026. The Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist

 

Reading: Is.49:1-6; Ps.139; Acts 13:22-26; Luke: 1:57-66.80

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

OUR BIRTH AND NAME ARE PART OF THE DIVINE PLAN OF GOD

One of the most significant days in our lives is our birthday, this day often comes with joy and praise. And in the mood of joy that a life has been born, one of the things that comes to mind is giving a name to the baby as an identity. This event is very important and necessary. In fact, the naming of objects and persons is an important ritual found in scripture.

We can recall in the book of Genesis (Gen.2:19-20) when God created Adam and gave him the responsibility of giving names to all creation. So the act of giving a name to people has been a traditional event not only in the scriptures but in every human culture. Thus, today we celebrate the great Solemnity of the birth of St. John the Baptist, the only person whose birthday is celebrated in the Church’s liturgical calendar, besides that of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary, because of his role in the history of the salvation of humanity.

On account of this, our Gospel passage today gives us the record of the events of the birth and naming of John the Baptist. From the passage, great significant and surprising things happened during the birth and naming of John the Baptist, of which we can identify three unusual features: first the old have given birth. Secondly, the child has a strange name, “John”, derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning " YAHWEH is gracious", a name which no one bears in the family.

Thirdly, Zechariah's dumbness is taken away on account of giving this name, which brought great joy to the people and they praised God. However, such remarkable events caused the crowd to fear and perceive that something different and surprising was happening, things worth remembering. Showing us that, when God names a child, that child is significant in his plan.

John’s birth was prophesied by the prophets as we have in our first reading today, to be the last among the prophets, for his role was to prepare the people and to finally proclaim the coming of the Messiah who will fulfil the long-awaited plan of God for the salvation of humanity. And in our second reading, St. Paul gave us an account of how John, in humility, carried out his mission as he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel. And before John ended his career, he said, “I am not the one you imagine me to be; that one is coming after me, and I am not fit to undo his sandal.

No doubt the mission of John the Baptist was quite challenging as he encountered many obstacles just like other prophets before him. He faced strong opposition and rejection from the Pharisees, who doubted and challenged his teaching and works for the baptism of repentance, which many people believed in. But John fearlessly confronted them, calling them wicked, a brood of vipers and hypocrites. He also courageously confronted King Herod with the truth about his illegal and sinful relationship with Herodias, his brother’s wife, and this led to his martyrdom, and so ends his mission of decreasing while Jesus increases.

Dear friends, we all have a significant place in the plan of God, and our birth and name are mysteries that point to this plan. Our names are not just a common ceremony. It is a testimony of God’s plan for us. Why not take time today to reflect on the meaning and circumstances surrounding our births and our names? By God’s grace, we will understand better who we are and what our mission and purpose on earth are.

By so doing, we will faithfully stand for the truth of what we represent and fulfil our plans and purposes, just like John the Baptist who stood for the truth of his mission and offered it to everyone, whoever, whenever and however it will best bring conversion to sinners even at the cost of his head.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you created each one of us to fulfil your plan on earth and in our names we bear the mystery of our mission and purpose, Grant us the grace to faithfully and courageously fulfil our mission and purpose in this world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed and joyful day. 

Homily For Tuesday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 23rd June, 2026

 

Reading: 2 Kings 19:9-11,14-21,31-36; Ps. 48; Matt. 7:6.12-14

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

AVOID THE WIDE ROAD THAT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION, FOLLOW THE NARROW GATE THAT LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE

Life is a temporal assignment, a journey which begins in the morning, so beautiful, full of expectations and hope, but the sojourner has no knowledge of his/her destination, purpose and end. The only guide is his/ her willingness to constantly follow the directives of the Sender who communicates his plans and purposes to those who care and are willing to listen.

Thus, the emptiness and shortness of life make me reflect on my future as a human person and the question that comes to my mind is: "Where will you and I, and the beautiful things of this world be in the next one, ten, twenty, forty, eighty and a hundred years for those who are strong?

The deep silence in my soul could not offer me any answer to this question. Rather, it exposed me to the foolishness of human greediness, corruption and selfishness. Hence, I asked myself what God really requires from us in this world. And how can we really identify the path we are called to follow?

I found a consoling answer to this question in our Gospel passage today, where Jesus said “always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.” And he added “Enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to destruction is wide and spacious, and many are following it; but narrow is the gate and hard is the road that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Here, Jesus described how humanity has failed to embrace the life of truth, holiness and love for God and for one another because it seems difficult and narrow to them. For they prefer to follow the destructive ways of life that are born out of pride, greed and uncontrollable desire for worldly things. And the things of this passing world are so captivating and many people are captured by its seductive power and are greatly following it.

This is exactly what was causing the problem between Sennacherib and Hezekiah in our first reading today, where Sennacherib, out of pride, defiled the God of Israel. In response, Hezekiah said this prayer in the presence of the Lord, ‘O Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, enthroned on the cherubs, you alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth, you have made heaven and earth. ‘Give ear, Lord, and listen. Open your eyes, Lord, and see. Hear the words of Sennacherib who has sent to insult the living God. And the Lord intervened.

Dear friends, life is indeed very short and the road that leads to death and destruction is truly wide and very captivating, of which many are captives of its seductive power. But the road to life is becoming narrower and narrower because humanity is working so hard to expand the seductive road and gates of destruction against the narrow gate of life. So, let us learn to follow the narrow gate of love and sacrifice that leads to eternal life.

Therefore, to embrace the narrow gate and road that leads to eternal life, we must work harder by resisting all the temptations and sinful things of this passing world and embrace the life of love and sacrifice which Jesus has offered us. Let us turn towards God with all our hearts by removing from our hearts all forms of pride, greed and unhealthy desires that lead us astray down the path of destruction.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, our journey of life depends on you and today you have called us to follow the narrow gate of love and sacrifice. But the seductive road of this passing world is really captivating, and many are victims of its power. Grant us the grace to resist it and journey through the path and gate that leads to eternal life, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. May God bless your little efforts in life and guide you always.

Homily For Monday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 22nd June 2026

 

Reading: 2 Kings 17:5-8,13-15,18; Ps. 60; Matt. 7:1-5

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

WHY WE MUST LOOK INTO OUR LIVES BEFORE CRITICISING AND JUDGING OTHERS

One of the unattractive attitudes of the human person is the tendency to often criticise, judge, and condemn others without examining our own faults. Have we ever experienced a situation where, while we were condemning others for their faults, we suddenly realised that our own faults are just as numerous as theirs? This does happen often in our relationships 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?

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. 

This is what we see in the life of the people of Israel in our first reading today. For we heard that the Lord had given Israel and Judah this warning, ‘Turn from your wicked ways and keep my commandments and my laws in accordance with the entire Law I laid down for your fathers and delivered to them through my servants the prophets.’ But they would not listen, they were more stubborn than their ancestors had been who had no faith in the Lord their God. 

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 not called to judge, because sometimes what 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, 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 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 Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, 21st June, 2026

 

Reading: Jer. 20:10-13; Ps. 69; Rom. 5:12-15; Matt.10:26-33

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

WHY WE SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID

One of the most common human emotions is fear, which describes our emotional reaction to something that appears to be dangerous. It is like an instinct programmed into the nervous system through which we sense danger or the threat of harm or pain whether physically, psychologically or spiritually.

Often, we encounter things that trigger the emotion of fear, especially in our world today, where every day we struggle with various troubles and uncertainties projected by evil forces, and people are doing everything they can to overcome them.

Sometimes, when children of God are confronted with an ugly situation, they don't know what to do and out of fear, they fall victim and are helpless. In fact, the ugly situation in our country today has instigated great fear in the lives of people, so that it seems to most people that God, His Church and even the government have abandoned them. This is obvious because, we have lost our connection with God.

But the fact remains that God and His Church have not abandoned us, for he is ever and always closer to us than we can ever imagine. Little wonder today in our Gospel passage, Jesus tells us to fear not, for he will watch over us. He says: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted.

So, there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows” The bird sparrows were the food of the poorest people, for they could be purchased for the lowest price. But God is providentially involved when one of these birds falls to the ground. Showing us that God, who is sovereign over the sparrow, is also sovereign over something as little as the hairs of our head.

Thus, we are encouraged not to give up as we encounter great persecutions, troubles and challenges, just like Jeremiah in our first reading, who was treated badly, persecuted and endured all sorts of trials, indignities, humiliation and discomfort on account of his message of truth. Yet, he trusted in the Lord and committed himself wholeheartedly to God’s protection, knowing that the Lord’s faithful will always triumph against the wicked and all those who are persecuting them.

This is exactly what Jesus is reassuring us when he said do not fear those who can destroy the body, but rather fear the One Who can destroy both body and soul. Moreover, the phrase do not be afraid is seen in the scriptures about 366 times as an assurance of God’s presence and protection in our journey of life.

Therefore, we must trust that God will always protect and provide for us no matter how difficult and challenging the situation may be for us. Little wonder St. Paul in our second reading today calls us to trust in God, even though we may have allowed ourselves to dwell in sin and fear, we should embrace the love of Jesus who in his glorious sacrifice on the Cross has delivered us from sins and death. For just as the disobedience of Adam brought sin into the world, the presence of Jesus has brought life and salvation for all.

Dear friends, do you know why there are so many troubles, wickedness and persecution in our societies today? This is because humanity has lost a treasure, and that treasure is the fear of God. The scripture says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But today we lack this wisdom, because we have no fear of God in us. We will rather fear humans who have lost their consciences in sinful things of this passing world and have foolishly built and attribute to themselves powers and authority that belong only to God.

Thereby, forcing us to worship them instead of God our creator, just for us to wake up and realize how foolish and wrong we are in believing and worshipping them, because they are no more, and all their powers and wealth are now decaying in the presence of another set of foolish individuals who will begin to fight over these vanities, for we will never learn from the mistakes of the dead.

This is because we have forgotten that we are just managers of whatever we have in this passing world including our lives. Yes, we are not the owners of anything; we only manage things entrusted to us, for God is the real owner of all things that we have. So, do not be afraid for God is watching over us and our daily struggles.

But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: do we still have faith in God? Are we really courageous enough to withstand the scourges of persecution, knowing that God will surely protect us? Do we listen and hear God speaking to us through our daily activities? Do we still see the hands of God in what we do? Are we really convinced of what we do with the gift of knowledge, skills and talents God has given us?

Do we pay attention to the word of God we hear every day in the house of God, the streets and through other means of communication? Perhaps we are the ones who have abandoned God, and now we are confused and afraid as a result of our greediness and selfishness that are destroying our societies today.

Brethren, no matter how we feel about the situation in our lives, our families, societies and country, no matter how terrifying they may seem to appear, we are called not to give up on God or His Church or the human agents through whom His help comes to us, for God has not abandoned His people. We all need to have our ears open, so that we can hear and understand fully the message God is communicating to us through this difficult moment in our society.

For God is saying to us, fear not, come back to me, have courage for the storms will soon be over. If we turn to God with all our hearts, He will restore us and heal our world. Therefore, we should not let fear control or destroy us, we should have faith in God, knowing that at night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, many things frighten us every day and cause us to fear, grant us the grace of courage to remain steadfast even in the midst of all the troubles and challenges of life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a spirit-filled Sunday.