Homily For Tuesday, Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 4th November, 2026. The Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo

 

Readings: Phil 2: 12-18, Ps. 26, Luke 14:25-33

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

UNDERSTANDING THE SACRIFICIAL NATURE OF DISCIPLESHIP

A true disciple must constantly reflect throughout life to be aware of the seriousness of the commitment required of him/her. Little wonder Jesus in our Gospel passage today, takes his discourse on discipleship to a radical and difficult level

This is obvious when he said: ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’

Here, Jesus teaches about the cost of discipleship. That there is a price to be paid. However, Jesus does not directly intend to cause tensions and divisions in family life, but he wants us to accept the consequences that come with the truth of the Gospel teaching,

This is important especially when it comes to living out the Gospel message in a radical way, especially in a situation where our family values have been thrown out of caution as a result of secularism, individualism and excessive desires for worldly pleasures, thereby neglecting the things that lead us to God.

So, we can only understand these hard words of Jesus in light of our life experience, because there are moments when we must make radical, difficult choices as disciples of Jesus. These moments may wield the sword of division or separation among those people and things which are so dear to us. Thus, he warns that we have to struggle to put him first, before family ties, knowing that divisions will surely occur as people have to decide to be for or against God.

Hence, he states that the cost of discipleship extends to one even losing his life. For none of us can become his disciple if we do not give up our excess desire for worldly pleasures and possessions, and pay our unreserved loyalty and allegiance to God over all other competing loyalties in our lives, including family, self-interest, and possessions.

Dear friends, how much are we willing to let go for the sake of discipleship? Do we find it too demanding? In what ways? Is giving up ‘all my possessions’ realistic, and if not, what does this passage mean to me? Whatever my response may be, may God give us the grace to grow in freedom, to be ready to follow and to serve him in a new way and also be able to speak to the Lord about the points of difficulty in paying this cost.

For St. Paul in our first reading tells us to work out our salvation in fear and trembling, just like St. Charles Borromeo whose memorial we celebrate today, for though he came from a wealthy family of Medici, he dedicated himself entirely to serving his people in a very sacrificial way.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, the excessive desire for the pleasurable things of this passing world have weakened our hearts from becoming a good disciple; give us courage and grace to let go of our ugly desires, to hold firm in our faith despite losing people and things that are dear to us. And through the intercession of St. Charles Borromeo, may we be outstanding in merit of his virtues and abounding in good fruit by our work and way of life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Homily For Tuesday, Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 3rd November, 2026. The Memorial of St. Martin De Porres

 

Readings: Phil 2:5-11 , Ps.22 , Luke 14:15-24

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHY HAVE WE BECOME TOO BUSY TO HONOUR THE INVITATION TO GOD'S KINGDOM? 

Invitations to events and social gatherings are part of humanity's social ways of life. And as usual, Jesus often uses the things we are very much familiar with to teach us a very important lesson.

So on the occasion of our Gospel passage today, Jesus tells the parable of the great banquet: a man planned a large banquet and sent out invitations, but those invited turned it down, so he opened the invitation to all who care to come. Jesus ends the parable by saying that “not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet”

Here, their excuses for not coming to the banquet are not realistic. Because no one buys land without seeing it first, and the same can be said for buying oxen. And what, exactly, would keep a newly married couple from attending a social event? All the excuses in the parable show insincerity on the part of those invited.

Hence the invitation is opened up to society’s maimed and downtrodden. The fact is that those who ignored the invitation to the banquet chose their own punishment; they missed out, and the master respects their choice by making it permanent: they would not “taste of my banquet”, he said.

So it will be with God’s judgment on those who choose to reject Christ or are too busy to respond to his invitation; they will have their choice confirmed, and they will never taste the joys of heaven. Therefore, let us learn to honour the invitation of God in humility.

This is what it means to be just like Christ Jesus whose state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross as we heard in our second reading today.

Dear friends, the kingdom of God is opened for us today, let us not be too proud or busy to embrace it for the blessings of the kingdom are available to all who will come to Christ by faith. Let us learn to be humble and charitable with the gift God has given us, just like St. Martin De Porres, whose memorial we celebrate today.

For he was known for his care for the poor and the sick, using his knowledge in medicine and extraordinary spiritual gifts with a profound life of prayer, humility and penance. And today he is known as the patron saint of African Americans.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are too busy with the things of this passing world, as we hear about the invitation to your Heavenly Kingdom today, may we embrace it with all humility while imitating St. Martin De Porres whose life is rooted in the humility of Christ your Son who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Monday, Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 2nd November, 2026. The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day)

Readings: Wis.3:1-9, Ps.23, Rom 5:5-11, Matt. 5:1-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

COME LET US OFFER SOME HELP TO SUFFERING SOULS IN NEED OF PURIFICATION

Reflecting on the number of men and women who have passed on from our community this year, I asked myself, in my deep sorrow, where will all of us in this beautiful community be in the next hundred years? Where are all these people who have departed from us? Were they like us before? Will we be like them later?

 With this in mind, I realised that there is time for everything in this world, a time to be born, and a time to die, a time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to break down and a time to build up (Eccl: 3:1-11).

Little wonder the Church in her wisdom asked us every 2nd November, a day after the solemnity of All Saints, to commemorate and pray for all the faithful departed (All Souls), especially the suffering Church, that is, those souls that belong to the body of Christ but are still in need of purification. So today we remember our loved ones who have gone before us into eternal life.

This we do not in grief but in the spirit of faith and hope, knowing that they are living in communion with us as they share in the resurrection of Christ. Just as we heard in our first reading, the souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God, for those who are faithful will live with him in love, since grace and mercy await those he has chosen.

Hence, St. Paul in our second reading tells us to rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation in order to live a beatific life which Jesus gave us in our Gospel passage today.

Dear friends, do you know that you can offer some little help to souls struggling to attain heaven our beatific vision? Do we know that there are helpless souls who only rely on our help to attain the beatific vision? What am I willing to do for these helpless souls?

Before now, have I even thought that my departed brethren need my assistance to reach their destination? Am I sure that I can avoid this state of suffering and purification? Do we ever remember that our loved ones may be there now?

Perhaps while they were in this life, they were of great help to us. Do we realise that our prayers and sacrifices represent the key to release them, and we can use it if we want to? Do we care about using it?

Therefore, as we remember the souls who are passing through this rigour of purification, it would be good for us to offer some prayers of intercession especially for our loved ones as plenary indulgence awaits us when we do this devoutly today or any day in this month of November at the Holy Mass or at the cemetery.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we commemorate and pray for all souls today, may the light of your mercy shine upon them, especially those who are in need of your mercy. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let your perpetual light shine on them. May their souls rest in peace. Wishing you a blessed week.

Homily For Sunday, Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 1st November, 2026. Solemnity of All Saints. HAPPY NEW MONTH

 

Readings: Rev. 7:2-4.9-14, Ps.24, 1John 3:1-3, Matt. 5:1-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS A REMINDER OF OUR ORIGINAL VOCATION TO HOLINESS AND LOVE

Today, the Church celebrates three special events; the first one is the Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, the second is the gift of another new month, for which I say happy new month to you all. The second, which is the most important, is the solemnity of All Saints. The Church, as we know, is not just the physical structure we have all over the place; no, the Church is much more than that. The Church is the body of Christ, and every one of us is a member by virtue of our baptism.

This Church is divided into three groups, that is the militant Church, the suffering Church and the triumphant Church. The militant Church are all of us, especially the baptised, who are still inhabiting and struggling with the human flesh. But immediately after death, we belong either to the suffering Church or the triumphant Church.

The suffering Church is the souls that belong to the body of Christ but are still in need of purification. The triumphant Church are the souls that have been purified by the blood of the Lamb and are united with Christ. They are the saints that we are celebrating today.

Thus, every first November, the Church presents to us the solemnity of All Saints. A day we celebrate the triumphant Church that is all the saints known or unknown to us who have triumphed to heavenly glory, which, of course, reminds us that we are called to grow in holiness and to become saints, for that is our primary goal in life.

This solemnity dates back to the 7th century, and the occasion of its introduction was the conversion of the ancient Roman Pantheon into a Christian Church. Emperor, Phocas gave the Pantheon to Pope Boniface IV, who converted it into a Church and dedicated it to the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints about the year 608. But later in the year 731, Pope Gregory III consecrated a chapel in St. Peter’s Church in honour of all the saints, and since then, the solemnity of All Saints has been celebrated all over the world.

Therefore, in this great event, we are called to imitate the heroic virtues of the saints by living a life of beatitudes as peacemakers, pure of heart, meek, humble and merciful, as Jesus teaches us in our Gospel passage today. In our first reading, St. John in the Book of Revelation tells us that these saints are the people who have been through great persecution, and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb.

Also, in our second reading, he made us know that we are already the children of God, but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed; but when it is revealed, we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is. And everyone who entertains this hope must purify himself and try to be as pure as Christ.

Dear friends, why must we celebrate the saints? We celebrate the saints because they remind us of our universal vocation to holiness. Through their intercessions, they strengthen us in our struggles towards our goal, which is to attain eternal life. They help us to recall our communion with God along with the triumphant church and our duty to pray for the suffering Church. The saints remind us that we are pilgrims on this earth.

Therefore, this solemnity strengthens our faith in the teachings of the Church. No doubt all of us want to become saints, and oftentimes, we really want to live a holy life, but there are always obstacles on our way to holiness; these obstacles make us so aware of our sins, our weaknesses and our failures.

Yes, we are sinners, but so are the saints. They only relied on God’s mercy and grace, and so do we. We cannot become holy through our efforts alone; we need to cooperate with the grace of God. Remember, anything worth having is worth making sacrifices for, and the more it’s worth, the more significant sacrifices we should be willing to make for it. If holiness is necessary for one to attain heaven. Then it is worth all the sacrifices Jesus mentioned in the beatitudes.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as a militant Church on earth, there are a lot of troubles and challenges we are struggling with; help us through the intercession of all the saints to overcome them and so make it triumphantly to your heavenly kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy new month and a blessed All Saints celebration.

Homily For Saturday, Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 31st October, 2026

Readings: Phil. 1:18-26, Ps 42, Luke 14:1.7-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

UNDERSTANDING THE POWER AND GRACE IN EMBRACING HUMILITY OF LIFE

One virtue the world needs more of now is humility; our society lacks it because pride has become a way of life that many people wish to embrace. Hence, we often hear people saying in a very proud way, " Do you know who I am? By the time I finish with you then you will fear me. We hear people taking all sorts of honorific titles, whether merited or not; they want to be addressed and recognised so gloriously at every public event.

This should not be our attitude or disposition toward Jesus in our Gospel passage today, while addressing the Pharisees, who told a parable about humility, saying: When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, “Give up your place to this man.” And then, to your embarrassment, you would have to go and take the lowest place.

No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, “My friend, move up higher.” In that way, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’

Here, we see the importance of humility; we see how humility can help to elevate someone from nothing to something great. Pride can bring down the mightiest to nothing. The truth is that humility is not a way of glory, but a road of surrender that leads to passion and the death of oneself. It is a way of sacrifice, a service to others at the price of self- sacrifice. That is why many people do not want to be humble.

Dear friends, it may seem so difficult to embrace the virtue of humility, especially in our society today, but this virtue has a lot to offer us both as individuals and as a group. In fact, our world is in need of humble men and women, because a good society is built on all kinds of commendable virtues such as humility.

Therefore, as we end the October Devotion today, it is time for us to put off our old self, which is led by pride, the first capital sin, and put on a new person born of humility, love, compassion, contentment, purity, forgiveness, etc.

So let us work hard to add more virtues in our activities and behaviour, for blessed are those who are virtuous, for they easily solve their problems. Thus, why not try humility in solving those difficult and challenging moments in your life? Just try to be humble because it works like a miracle.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we have often failed to follow the example of Christ humility which he has taught us. As we are reminded once again of the need to be humble, give us the grace to truly be humble at any level we find ourselves. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed and peaceful weekend.

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