Homily For Saturday, Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 29th August, 2026. The Memorial of The Beheading of St. John the Baptist

 

Readings: 1Cor. 1:26-31; Ps. 32; Mark 6:17-29

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

UNDERSTANDING THE SACRIFICIAL PRIZE OF STANDING FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE

In our society today, people hate to hear the sound of the word truth. I wonder why people often tremble when they hear the word ‘truth’? This is obvious in our world today, especially with the ugly situation in our societies, where humanity is placed in the perpetual darkness of corruption, greed and confusion, as the voices that speak the truth are silenced by all means.

Today people don’t want to be transparent and honest in their dealings with others and even with themselves. They don't want anybody to remind them of the hard truth about the realities of life and they can do anything to silence the truth. Thus, the cost of speaking the truth has become so expensive that sometimes it costs the life of an individual or even a whole community. It is even more demanding when the truth to be told has to do with someone in authority.

This is the case with John the Baptist, whose martyrdom we celebrate. For in our Gospel passage today, we heard how his head was the prize for the truth he told to Herod and Herodias concerning his brother Philip’s wife. John had told him that it was against the Law for him to have his brother’s wife. Herod had wanted to kill John but was afraid of the people, who regarded him as a prophet.

But, on the occasion of Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and so delighted Herod that he promised with an oath to give her anything she asked. She conspired with the mother and demanded the head of John the Baptist. The king was distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn and of his guests, he ordered John to be beheaded and the head be given to the girl, who took it to her mother.

Here, Herod made a bad decision, and out of pride, he found it difficult to change his mind and admit that he was wrong. He did not plan to execute John that night. He was persuaded by Herodias to do so because he was a weak man. He was a slave to other people’s opinions, for he feared the people who revered John; he also feared the reaction of his guests if he should retract his oath.

These ugly attitudes towards John the Baptist prefigured what they did to Jesus in his Passion, demonstrating how good people, especially when they struggle for truth and justice, are often condemned to suffer at the hands of greed and powerful people.

This same terrible crime is what people are facing every day in our families, communities, country and the world at large. For this same reason, a lot of people have died, and some will still die, and some will continue to suffer because of the truth they have spoken to the enemies of truth.

 But should we stop speaking the truth because of fear of losing our lives? I don't think so, because truth saves life; it brings freedom; it releases tension; it brings peace; and it settles quarrels and disputes. Truth is the freedom that must be offered to everyone, whoever, whenever and however it will best bring conversion to its enemies, just like John the Baptist did to Herod and Herodias even at the expense of his life.

Thus, St. Paul in our first reading today said that it was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. If anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord.

Dear friends, why do we prefer lies and deception over truth? How far can we stand the cost of speaking the truth amid influential and ‘powerful' people? Like Herod, how often do we make bad decisions out of pride and fail to reverse them? When we make such bad decisions, how quickly are we able to change our minds and admit that we are wrong? Also, are we like Herodias who is waiting for an opportunity to silence the innocents who confront us with the truth?

If today we happen to be one of the guests of Herod, what would be our reaction? Would I have protested or stayed silent? Thus, what do we do when we see others suffering injustice? Do we have the courage to speak up, even at the cost of losing, our job, our position, our vocation, friends and even our lives? Today, we are called to speak the truth, for the world needs to hear the truth no matter the cost.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, it is difficult to speak and stand for truth in our world today. But St. John the Baptist died for the truth he spoke to Herod; through his intercession, grant us the grace and courage to become the instrument of your word in truth and deeds, and so speak the truth always to humanity, no matter the cost. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful weekend.

Homily For Friday, Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 28th August, 2026. The Memorial of St. Augustine

 

Readings: 1Cor. 1:17-25, Ps.33, Matt.25:1-13

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

AS YOU KEEP YOUR LAMP OF FAITH BURNING REMEMBER TO CARRY YOUR FLASK OF OIL OF GRACE

Reflecting on how footballers, boxers, athletes, engineers, doctors, farmers, businessmen and women devote time and energy to rigorous preparation towards achieving their goals. I wondered if we can go to this length of rigorous preparation for things in this passing world; it will be even more demanding when it comes to preparing for eternal life. That is why, in the parable of the ten maidens in our Gospel passage today, Jesus emphasises the need to be well prepared.

For if we can devote such time and energy towards our spiritual life, which we often neglect, we will be more awake and prepared than the ten maidens, who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. When the bridegroom delayed, their lamps burned out, and as they went out to get more oil, they missed out because the door was shut after the bridegroom had passed.

In this parable of the ten maidens, Jesus emphasised the need to be well prepared for the coming of God’s kingdom, warning us not to be like the foolish five maidens who were not well prepared and missed out when the bridegroom came. Thus, Jesus commanded us to stay awake, because we do not know either the day or the hour when the Lord will come. Therefore, we must learn to be like the wise maidens who carried their lamps along with the oil.

These lamps symbolise the faith we have in all material things we have acquired in this world: our statues, beauty, handsomeness, properties, our gifts, our academic qualifications and positions, which without the oil of God’s grace are worthless. Also, the extra flask of oil in this parable symbolises the grace of God made active by our inner spirituality, our virtue, and our faith that has been nurtured carefully, which we accumulated gradually through the sacraments we have received.

That is through our righteous deeds, our fasting, our prayers, preaching of the Gospel, studying the scriptures, and our acts of love, mercy and forgiveness. This is what we see in the life of St Augustine, whose memorial we celebrate today when he realised that true happiness is found in interior living and not in material things we possess, he embraced God and became a great instrument in preparing humanity towards the kingdom of God. We, too, can be another great instrument of preparation in God’s hands if we make ourselves available.

Dear friends, as you keep your lamp of faith burning, remember to carry your extra flask of oil of grace. For we can acquire all the lamps of material things of this passing world, but without the extra flask of oil of grace, such as goodness, righteousness, love, mercy, and forgiveness, we will be left behind in this passing world. We will be robbed of both our worldly possessions and heavenly glories.

Hence, our life as Christians demands that we should be alert; we should be prepared at all times and be ready to make sacrifices by carrying our extra oil of grace found in righteousness, commitment, obedience, wisdom and love, like the five wise maidens. Therefore, we should be watchful for we know neither the day nor the hour when the Lord will call us.

Little wonder we are reminded today that this world is passing away, so we need to stay awake and be ready carrying the extra oil of grace, goodness and our righteous deeds. For St. Paul in our first reading today made us know that God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we often fail to listen to your warnings concerning the things of this passing world and the need for us to stay awake and be ready for your coming, give us the grace and wisdom to be well prepared to stand before you whenever you call us, may we never be among those You will say: I do not know you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Thursday, Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 27th August, 2026. The Memorial of St. Monica

 

Readings: 1Cor.1:1-9; Ps.145; Matt.24:42-51

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

DO NOT LET THE DAY OF THE LORD’S COMING TAKE YOU BY SURPRISE: BE PREPARED

As human beings, there are two most important events in our lives. One is well known, prepared and constantly celebrated; that is our birthday. The other, which is the ultimate, is not known and less attention and preparation is being made for it, that is the day of our death.

So, Jesus, knowing how important this day is, instructed his disciples in our Gospel passage, saying: “Stay awake, because you do not know the day when the Lord is coming. You may be quite sure of this: if the householder had known what time of night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

In this passage, we have two commands at the beginning and at the end which are not quite the same. The first command is based on God’s coming at a “day” when we do not know, and the second is in an “hour” you do not expect; that is to say, it will be uncertain, unexpected and surprising.

Just like the householder’s ignorance of the time when the thief would come is the reason why he does not watch. He cannot keep awake all night, and every night, to be ready for him; so he has to go to sleep, and then he is robbed.

Thus our ignorance of the day and time is the reason for our watchfulness, because we can keep awake all the night of our life just like the householder watches to prevent being robbed. So the image of the thief is chosen to illustrate the unexpected approach of the second coming of Christ, which will be a great surprise to those who are asleep, as they will be robbed of Heaven and also deprived of their earthly treasures.

 But the Lord's coming will be a happy day for those that shall be found awake and ready, while it will be very dreadful for those who are not prepared. Thus, St. Paul in our first reading today said I never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ for while you are waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed, he will keep you steady and without blame until the last day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, because God by calling you has joined you to his Son, Jesus Christ; and God is faithful.

Dear friends, you see why we must be ready for the coming of the Lord. For today we are called to be ready; we are called to repentance; we are called to embrace the new life the Lord is offering us. We are called to a life of constant struggle towards perfection to embrace the Lord whenever he comes.

This is what we see in the life of St Monica, whose memorial we celebrate today, for she devoted her life and talents to praying for the conversion of her son Augustine. She once said to him: “Son, one thing there was, for which I desired to remain still a little longer in this life, that I should see you a Catholic Christian before I died. This God has granted me in superabundance, in that I see you his servant to the contempt of all worldly happiness. What, then, am I doing here?”

Therefore, preparation is the key word. Let us not be deceived when the world suggests to us that the day of death is not coming soon, and so forget who we are, and then the day and time will take us by surprise. Rather, let us be like that wise servant who is prepared at all times for the coming of the master.

LET US PRAY, Lord God, You ask us to be ready for your coming; increase in us the desire to be prepared and ready for that inevitable event of death, so that whenever it comes, it will not be a shock to us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It's a lovely day, may God bless your efforts and grant success to the works of your hands

Homily For Wednesday, Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 26th August, 2026

Readings: 2Thess:3 6-10.16-18, Ps.128, Matt.23:27-32

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

DO NOT LET YOUR INTERIOR LIFE BE LIKE A WHITEWASHED TOMB OF THIS PASSING WORLD

One of the popular terminologies in our society today, is the word “packaging”. People use it to describe how they make things that are not very good look extremely good, and this has a serious negative effect on our society today, as we have lost focus on how we ought to do things right. Thus, most people and things that appear to be good to us are not really what we think they are.

For most people, the things we see are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly appear beautiful and draw the admiration of people, but within them are full of dead human bones and all sorts of corruption just the way Jesus described the attitude and lifestyle of the Scribes and Pharisees in the Gospel passage when he addressed their attitude which is not far from what we have today in our societies.

This is because the Scribes and the Pharisees are interested mostly in the external beauty of things around them while neglecting the essence. They are self-satisfied and think that they are above the law. They look good from the outside but ugly and dirty within. They neglected the deeper things around them. They are interested only in worldly goods and not the things of the heart like justice, mercy, love and compassion.

So Jesus challenged them, as he challenges us, to change our ugly ways of life, to change from within us. This is difficult to challenge. Nevertheless, we need to change in so many ways, especially in our attitude toward the things of this passing world.

Dear friends, we might not feel very comfortable with the idea of Jesus rebuking and uttering terrible words of admonition to the Scribes and Pharisees. But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: Have we really embraced the Word of God we hear every day? Is the Word bearing fruit in our lives?

Can we recognise in this fragile condition of our societies the great things that the Lord is doing to save humanity and the need to turn back to God by changing our ugly life that seems like a whitewashed tomb? Hence, Jesus is saying, woe to us for failing to embrace and live out the gospel teachings because he seems to expect some sort of change in us when we hear His words or when we encounter him in prayer.

Therefore, God is calling us to repentance; He wants to come into our souls and dwell. But He cannot dwell in a heart that is like a whitewashed tomb. Thus, Jesus is rebuking all humanity, he wants us to stop living a life of packaging, deception and corruption. And this is what St. Paul is telling us in our first reading today when he said, " We gave you a rule when we were with you: do not let anyone have any food if he refuses to do any work.

Hence, if we believe in God and put our trust in Him, we will have the assurance and guarantee of restoration, for God does not want us to suffer the consequences of our sins; that is why He keeps reminding us about the upcoming danger. But, if humanity constantly refuses to change, we will end up in self-destruction. Therefore, do not let your interior life be like a whitewashed tomb of this passing world.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are living in a world of whitewashed tombs, help us to be wise enough to discern and not be carried away or be distracted by the beauty of the whitewashed tombs we see in most people and things around the world today. And as we struggle with the events of life, may God guide and direct our paths. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Tuesday, the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 25th August 2026

 

Readings: 2Thes. 2:1-3. 14-17, Ps.96, Matt.23:23-26

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

WHY WE SHOULD BE GOOD LEADERS AND NOT HYPOCRITICAL LEADERS LIKE THE PHARISEES

God created humanity to manage all that He created. To carry out this responsibility, He gave us the mantle of leadership as one of the characteristics of the human person, which makes us unique from every other creature. Thus leadership is a gift from God by which we serve Him and our neighbour responsibly in this world.

But humanity has often abused this great gift because of greed, love of power, fame, and selfishness. This was the attitude of most of the Scribes and the Pharisees in the Gospel today. They had the responsibility to lead the people to the Kingdom of Heaven, but they neither entered nor allowed those who wanted to enter to go in.

Hence, Jesus called them hypocrites and blind guides because they misused the gift of leadership entrusted to them. Many of them multiply the laws to suit their agenda by enforcing a very strict interpretation and application of the law to the smallest details while neglecting the true purpose and meaning of the law.

They only focus on the letter while neglecting the spirit of the Law, thereby making the law a mere formality that gives room for people to take God’s law for granted.

And such attitudes towards the Law are meaningless if not accompanied properly by the desire and understanding from the heart and soul that truly love God. Thus, he called us to embrace love, justice, mercy, and good faith as good qualities of a leader.

Meanwhile, St. Paul, in our second reading, tells us to stand firm and keep the traditions that we were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter and not be swayed by worldly temptations and false leaders who only wish to achieve their ambitions and mislead others from the path of truth.

He also, asked us not to be too excited or alarmed by any prediction or rumour or any letter claiming to come from him, implying that the Day of the Lord has already arrived. We should never let anyone deceive us in any way.

Dear friends, what type of leader are you? Are you a blind and hypocritical leader or a committed and responsible leader? This is important because the major problems in our societies are caused by bad leadership.

So today, we are called not to be hypocrites or blind guides but good leaders who are committed and responsible with whatever we are entrusted with. As leaders we are called to serve God and humanity in any capacity we find ourselves. Remember, the first person to lead is your very self from which we can extend it to others in our families, societies and the world at large.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you have given to all humanity the grace of leadership, but we have often misused it because of greed and selfishness. As we embrace the gift of leadership today, may we never be tired of doing what is good? And as we struggle through the remaining days of this month and the rest of the year, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Monday, Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 24th August, 2026. Feast of St. Bartholomew

 

Readings: Rev. 21:9-14, Ps. 145, John 1:45-51

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

BECOMING A PERSON OF INTEGRITY LIKE ST. BARTHOLOMEW IN THE WORLD FULL OF CORRUPTION AND DECEPTION

Reflecting on the ugly situation in our society today, where morals and virtuous actions are no longer valued and fashionable, as society seems to be living, promoting and celebrating artful deception, dishonesty, corruption and fraudsters. Integrity has become a virus to be eliminated as quickly as possible while heroes of deception and fraudsters are honoured and celebrated.

Today, we are called to change this ugly attitude and learn from St. Bartholomew, whose feast we celebrate today. A man of integrity whom Jesus, in our Gospel passage, gave a great compliment when he met him and said, “Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile.” For there was no deception in him. Jesus could see right away that he was forthright, honest, open, plainspoken, straightforward, innocent and unpretentious.

Bartholomew is commonly known as Nathaniel in the Gospel according to John. A name which means “gift of God” and tradition has it that he preached the Gospel to Armenia, where he embraced martyrdom by being skinned alive before being beheaded. He is now known to be the patron of butchers, plasterers, and tanners, and he is also invoked to intercede in cases of convulsions.

Bartholomew thought that nothing good could come out of Nazareth. Still, when he encountered Jesus, he exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the son of God”, Jesus acknowledged his faith and promised him that he would see the heaven-opened angels ascending and descending. This can be like what the angel revealed in our first reading, saying: ‘Come here, and I will show you the bride that the Lamb has married.’

We heard that the spirit took him to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed him Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond.

This teaches us that we should not underrate people because of their humble background. But like Phillip, who introduced Jesus to Nathaniel, we are called to share our experience of Jesus with those we encounter in life, no matter their background and ideology.

Dear friends, the world needs people of integrity like St. Bartholomew, for we are called to imitate him. So, let us be that sign of integrity in a world full of corruption and deceit. Let our everyday encounter with Jesus help to transform us, and by so doing we can transform the ugly situation in our societies and the world at large through our witnessing.

Therefore, let us, like Bartholomew, be courageous and exemplary in our actions so that, living by our faith and doing what the Lord has commanded us to do, we may become great instruments that will win more people and save many more souls for the Lord.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, today we are reminded of the need to live a life of integrity in a world full of deception and corruption. Grant us through the intercession of St Bartholomew, the grace to embrace your word and experience your presence in our lives and so change our ugly and sinful ways of life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you uncommon favour from the Lord this week.

Homily for the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, 23rd August, 2026

 

Readings: Is. 22:19-23, Ps. 138, Rom. 11:33-36, Matt. 16:13-20

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

UNDERSTANDING THE TRUE IDENTITY OF JESUS AND HIS AUTHORITY IN THE CHURCH

As social beings, we often make friends whom we can confide in and entrust with our innermost thoughts and plans. But this friendship does not come automatically. There is always a moment when one will want to know if his or her friends can really be trusted, if they truly know and understand who we are and what we represent.

This is the situation between Jesus and his disciples in our Gospel passage this Sunday, when Jesus asked them saying: Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’

Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld shall not prevail against it.

Here, we see how Peter expressed his personal conviction about who Jesus is. He did not need to quote any authority, because his response showed clear, sincere knowledge of who he professed Jesus to be. Hence, Jesus stressed that Peter's faith is a gift from the Father when he said: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.

This is because Peter’s gift of faith comes from his personal response to Jesus. Thus, our faith requires that we give a personal answer to the question: who is Jesus to me personally? For it is not enough to quote the teachings and Catechism of the Church about our faith or the teachings of other theologians and preachers or to respond only from the head, but from the heart that is convinced of what it believes in.

Today most people are following Jesus without knowing who Jesus truly represents. Some people find it very difficult to embrace the teaching of Jesus because they lack the faith and conviction about his personality, even when Jesus has revealed himself to us through his great miracles and teachings. The fact is that Jesus wants us to develop a divine way of looking at things; he wants us to know him deep down in our souls, so that we can profess our faith with deeper meaning and conviction.

This is why he told Simon, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." So, the faith given to Peter by God is the rock on which Jesus built his Church. And this royal authority is what Jesus entrusted to His Church through St. Peter and his successors, of whom our current Pope, Pope Leo, is the 266th successor of St. Peter.

More so, we can see a clear similarity between Simeon Peter and Eliakim in our first reading. Eliakim standing as a prefigure of St. Peter, was the royal steward and the precursor who was appointed as a great Royal Steward of King Hezekiah. For just as Hezekiah was the king of Judah and the master of Eliakim, so has the Lord God appointed St. Peter as the new steward to oversee His Church and His flock.

Little wonder St. Paul, in our second reading today, tells us how great and immense the wisdom and the knowledge of God are, for all that exists comes from him. Thus, referring to the fullness of truth and the wisdom of God, which he has revealed to His Church through the Holy Spirit. And the Apostles, having received the Holy Spirit are to preserve this wisdom and pass it on to their successors from one generation to another.

Dear friends, having heard the teachings and works of Jesus in the scriptures and traditions of the Church, the question remains: Do you really know Jesus? What can you say about him? Who is Jesus to you? What is your personal experience of Jesus? How has your knowledge of Jesus helped other people to come to faith in Jesus? Today we are called to really examine our conscience to know where we are concerning our faith as Christians.

We are called today to develop a divine way of understanding the mysteries of God, but not rejecting them because we do not understand them. We are also called to be convinced of who we are and the need to truly unite together in God and His Church, entrusted to St. Peter, of which the gates of underworld shall not prevail. Therefore, let us turn towards God once again with all our hearts and devote our whole lives to seeking to know Him more and more.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, you revealed to St. Peter the true identity of Jesus, your Son; help us to profess our faith with deeper meaning and conviction. And as we experience the power of your presence, may we embrace more deeply your sacred mysteries. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday and remain blessed