Homily for Wednesday, Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 9th September, 2026

 

Readings: 1Cor 7:25-31, Ps.45, Luke 6:20-26

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

A CALL TO LIVE A LIFE OF THE BLESSED FOR THE WORD AS WE KNOW IT IS PASSING AWAY

Oftentimes, when we reflect on the ups and downs of life, the struggles, the tears and the disappointments that people are passing through every day. We wonder and feel that Life is not fair to some people. But does anyone have it all in this world?

The truth is that we all struggle every day to make a significant impact in our society. This significant impact often brings division and separation based on class, social status, and political affiliation. Hence, we talk about the poor and the rich in relation to what people have and possess.

But this is not the same with Jesus, for today in our Gospel passage Jesus talks about the blessings of the poor and the lots of the rich in relation to the virtue of humility and pride towards the things of this passing world and the things of heaven.

For he said, blessed are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now: you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now: you shall laugh. But woe to you who are rich: you are having your consolation now. Woe to you who have your fill now: you shall go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now: you shall mourn and weep.

Here Jesus is referring to our disposition towards the things of this passing world and the things of heaven. He wants us to realise that we are not living simply to be happy in this life, but we should be conscious of our heavenly home by constantly examining ourselves on the deeper value of life in the light of what we can bring with us to eternal life.

In this teaching commonly known as the Beatitudes, Jesus gave us the qualities that make for a happy and blessed life. To be blessed means to have inner joy and happiness because of God’s favour upon us. While to be called woe is to have sorrow and pain because we have turned away from God.

However, the poor, the hungry and those weeping in this Gospel passage are not just referring to the regular poor and hungry people around us rather, Jesus is referring to the fundamental character of the virtue of humility that is rooted in the poverty of the spirit, that consciousness of one’s weakness and dependence on God, which can be found in the lives of both regular poor and rich people and can also be lacking in either, depending on one’s disposition. Now we can understand why there is woe to the rich and blessings for the poor

Dear friends, our world needs more virtuous people than rich people. However, blessed are those who are virtuous and rich, but woe to those who are rich and lack virtue, for they shall soon mourn and weep.

And St. Paul, in our first reading, tells us that our time is growing short. Those who have wives should live as though they had none, and those who mourn should live as though they had nothing to mourn for; those who are enjoying life should live as though there were nothing to laugh about; those whose life is buying things should live as though they had nothing of their own; and those who have to deal with the world should not become engrossed in it. The world as we know it is passing away.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are always engrossed in the pride of life, an ugly attitude that often separates us from you. Grant us the grace of humility so that in our poverty, hunger, mourning and hatred in this world, our lives may aim towards our heavenly kingdom and make us a shining splendour in our family, society and the world at large. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you. 

Homily For Tuesday, Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 8th September 2026. The Feast of. The Nativity of The Blessed Virgin Mary

 

Readings: Rom.8:28-30, Ps.13, Matt. 1:1-16.18-23

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

MARY’S BIRTHDAY A REMINDER OF OUR OWN BIRTHDAY AND OUR ROLE IN THE MASTER PLAN OF GOD

God, in his eternal design, made it possible for every human person to have a special role to play in the mystery of this life. Though some seem to have a more significant role than others. However, whether significant or not, the truth still remains that we all have a role to play. But the question is, how are we playing this role? Are we playing according to God’s master plan or against it?

Mother Mary, whose birthday we celebrate today, is a good example of those who played their role according to God’s master plan. For she was chosen in a special way to be the handmaid of the Lord and to play an important part in the history of human salvation and redemption.

A role she played according to God's master plan. As a handmaid of God, she was privileged to be the mother of Jesu,s, our Redeemer. Little wonder our Gospel passage today tells us the history of the genealogy of Jesus from Abraham to Joseph and Mary the parents of Jesus.

From this genealogy, we heard how generations came, generations go, great men and women came and passed on, and new generations continue to spring up. This is our own generation, but the questions remain: our genealogy to what extent can it be traced to that of Christ? The things we are doing now, to what extent have they been influenced by the events of the past generations, and to what extent are they going to influence future generations?

Today, we are reminded that we are playing our own role in the salvation of mankind; our existence means a lot to future generations. And St. Paul in our first reading tells us that God co-operates with all those who love him and all those he has called according to his purpose.

They are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of his Son, so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers. For he called those he intended for this; those he called he justified, and with those he justified he shared his glory.

Dear friends, Mary’s birthday reminds us of our own birth and our role in the master plan of God. For God has plans for every one of us. Our existence is not by chance or providence; rather, it is by the special will of God, who made it possible for us to participate in his mystery at this present age. He could have willed for us to exist in the past or in the future, or not to exist at all.

Hence, never take your existence for granted, because in every moment of our existence, there is a role we are playing. Therefore, let us, like Mary, learn to cooperate with the grace of God and live in accordance with God's plan, for we are all created for a purpose, and that purpose is the role we have to play in this world.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, you created us for a purpose and the birthday of our Mother Mary reminds us of this purpose. Grant that through her intercession we may obtain the grace to live out our purpose in this life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Monday, Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 7th September 2026

 

Readings: 1Cor 5:1-8, Ps.5, Luke 6:6-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

NOTHING SHOULD STOP US FROM DOING GOOD

From the Scriptures, it seems every encounter the Pharisees had with Jesus was aimed at finding fault with what Jesus was doing. But to their great surprise, Jesus always escaped and used that opportunity to communicate an important message to the people. Such was the occasion in our Gospel passage today.

When on a Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach, a man was there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching him to see if he would cure the man on the Sabbath, hoping to find something to use against him.

But knowing their thoughts he said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Stand up! Come out into the middle.’ Then Jesus said to them, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it? And said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was better. But they were furious and began to discuss the best way of dealing with him.

Here 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 and interpretation of the laws of life. Thus, Jesus, in this passage, has to teach us that humanity’s welfare should not be neglected because of laws and regulations. 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 their selfish desires to sustain their ego, pride and their worldly ambition. But we should not be like them; rather, we should be compassionate and merciful, for that is what we are called to do.

And St. Paul in our first reading, calls us to examine our lives to see if there is any root of pride and sexual immorality in us. He rebuked the people of Corinth for their immorality and corrupt behaviour, a sinful act which even the pagans condemned. Hence, to overcome this sinful attitude, St. Paul said that we should be handed over to Satan so that our sensual body may be destroyed and our spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

Dear friends, today we are called to constantly do good to everyone, and nothing should stop us from ensuring the well-being of any human being. We are called not to be fault-finders who are blindfolded by pride. We must also renounce all sorts of sinful 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, especially in this moment when our societies and families are really in difficult situations.

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, especially in applying and interpreting laws and regulations. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed week.

Homily for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, 6th September 2026. World Day of Prayer For The Care of Creation

Readings: Wis. 13:1-9; Ps. 18; Col.1:15-20; Matt. 6:24-34.

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

UNDERSTANDING THE FUNCTION OF HUMANITY IN GOD’S CREATION

One of the greatest privileges given to humanity in the world is to manage God’s creation. This is not only a privilege but also a great responsibility and function of the human person: to ensure that what God has entrusted to our care is well cared for.

But a deep reflection on the history of how humanity has carried out this great responsibility shows that we have often neglected our duties towards God’s creation. Though we can not neglect the fact that we have, in little measure, enhanced the work of creation while creating more harm to created things.

Little wonder, this season the Holy Mother Church, through our Holy Father, the Pope, calls our attention to the need for us to pay serious attention to the care of Creation, and our liturgical celebration today focuses on this very important theme.

So today we are meant to understand that the care of creation means respecting and protecting our natural ecosystem and environment as a gift from God. A gift that reminds us of our duties and functions as stewards of God’s Creation. Therefore, we should develop a relationship with the rest of the created order in such a way that we live truly fulfilled and dignified lives in accordance with the mind of God the Creator, who said that all he created was very good.

Hence, the Holy Mother Church has been writing about the care of creation in her documents, and Pope Francis brought these documents together in Laudato si, where he talked about the human ecosystem, saying that we can better understand the importance and meaning of each creature if we contemplate it within the entirety of God’s plan.

With this notion, we can fundamentally understand why the call to care for creation becomes very important. Because, we are part of an order willed by God. And, being at the top of that order, we have a duty to care for the gift of the environment entrusted to us.

Hence, our readings today call our attention to this very fact. In the first reading, we are told that from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator. For if we have the power to know so much that we could investigate the world, how did we fail to find sooner the Lord of these things?

And St. Paul in our second reading made us know that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities all things were created through him and for him.

While in the Gospel we are meant to consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe us?

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek all these things; and our heavenly Father knows that we need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be ours as well.

Dear friends, we are God’s special vessels entrusted with his special gift of creation. We must understand our functions towards his creation. We are stewards, we act as caretakers of the earth rather than absolute masters. We must have an Interconnection with what has been entrusted to us. This means protecting the environment, caring for human life, and vulnerable communities.

We have the moral responsibility of governing the ecosystems. Our disregard for the natural inhabitants of creation damages the relationship between humanity and the Creator. Therefore, we must be careful how we use created things with regard to the problem of consumerism. For we often desire to have and to enjoy created things rather than to nurture and grow them. We consume the resources of the earth in an excessive and disordered way. We think that we can make use of the created things without respecting the principles that guide them.

Hence, we are called to conserve resources and reduce wastage of resources, especially food and mineral resources. We are to eat locally grown food, avoid excessive packaging, and compost organic material, respect natural inheritance and grow more mature in management. Pope Francis, in Laudato Si ', says that “The human person grows more, matures more and is sanctified more to the extent that he or she enters into relationships, going out from themselves to live in communion with God, with others and with all creatures. This is the essence of today’s celebration.

LET US PRAY:

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of creation, forgive us for those moments we have failed to respect and care for creation out of our rebellious and proud behaviour, give us the grace and courage to care for creation and to correct one another in fraternal charity as we also learn to accept corrections when corrected. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed Sunday celebration.

Homily for Saturday Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 5th September, 2026

 

Readings: 1Cor4:6-15, Ps.145, Luke 6:1-5

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

UNDERSTANDING THE TRUE MEANING OF THE LAW AND ITS RIGHT INTERPRETATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

Because of the weak and fragile nature of the human person, God made very good and practical laws that he wanted his people to obey, but over time these laws have been multiplied, turned upside down, and misinterpreted in such a way that they have become complex and difficult to obey.

God's law is the law of love, justice, mercy and freedom, for he describes himself as a merciful and compassionate God. This freedom enables us to follow the spirit of the law. Therefore, Jesus comes to bring people back to the law's original intention. He doesn’t come to abolish the law, but to show what God’s original intention was concerning the law.

 This is what our Gospel reading is addressing today. On a Sabbath, Jesus happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples were picking ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands and eating them. But some of the Pharisees said, ‘Why are you doing something that is forbidden on the Sabbath day?’ Jesus answered them, ‘So you have not read what David did when he and his followers were hungry? And he said to them, ‘The Son of Man is master of the Sabbath.’

Here, Jesus made it known to the Pharisees that they had made the Sabbath too stressful for the people; they were nothing but fault-finders and self-righteous people. The Law was interpreted by the elders and the priests, who passed it down as strict sets of rules and regulations that restricted the activities of the people on the Sabbath,

This often makes many people forget the very reason, purpose and essence of the Sabbath itself. Because the Law was strictly enforced on the people, those who did not obey were often treated with dishonour, just as the Pharisees did to Jesus and his disciples. Pharisees are known for their judgmental and comparative attitude, which makes them feel superior to others.

And this ugly attitude is what St. Paul is addressing in our first reading when he said: ' Keep to what is written.’ It is not for you, so full of your importance, to go taking sides for one man against another. So, St. Paul, using the example of himself, reminded us of the need to be humble and not to look down on others or be judgmental by our comparative attitude. This he did by showing and reminding everyone how he had humbled himself and laboured so hard for the sake of the people.

Dear friends, today Jesus teaches us the original intention of the Sabbath laws in relation to human needs. We should not be legalistic with the law; rather, we should identify the spirit of the law, which is rooted in love, justice and mercy and then follow it. This is what Jesus and his disciples did when, for the sake of their basic human need for survival, go against the ceremonial Sabbath day regulations of not plucking the grain or doing any work.

Also, we are called not to be judgmental, fault-finders and self-righteous people like the Pharisees who, under the cover of the law, planned to judge and condemn the actions of Jesus and his disciples. Therefore, we should rather humble ourselves and focus our attention on what God really want from us, which is to love him and to love our neighbours as well.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, oftentimes, we condemn and judge people based on what the law states without examining and applying the essence and spirit of the law; grant that in our relationship with others, we may begin to apply the true law, which is rooted in love, justice and mercy. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a peaceful weekend. 

Homily For Friday, Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 4th September 2026. Readings: 1Cor4:1-5, Ps. 36, Luke 5:33-39 Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

UNDERSTANDING THE DANGER OF MIXING OUR OLD LIFE OF SIN WITH THE NEW LIFE OF GRACE

Oftentimes, we find it difficult to let go of our ugly old ways of life because we are so attached to them. But we must get rid of them if we want to follow Jesus. Little wonder, Jesus, in the Gospel passage today, talks about the importance of pouring new wine into fresh wineskins and the need to avoid using a new cloak to patch an old one.

He said: nobody puts new wine into old skins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins, run out, and the skins will be lost. No; new wine must be put into fresh skins. And nobody who has been drinking old wine wants new. “The old is good”.

Here, Jesus continues to show that he is bringing something new which should not be mixed with the old. So, the fresh wineskins refer to a new heart that has put off the old cloak and looks forward to the new wine of grace through the process of conversion, where we embrace the gift of new life that Jesus is offering to humanity. A gift that differentiates his disciples from other people.

This is so because the Pharisees and the Scribes observed the relationship between the disciples of Jesus and the disciples of John the Baptist as regards their new ways of doing things. So they came to Jesus and asked him questions regarding their manner of fasting and feasting. Jesus used this opportunity to educate them about the New Life of grace which he has come to offer humanity.

For Jesus is the groom and as long as he is around, it would be inappropriate for his disciples to fast. And as his bride, he loves us with a deep and everlasting love. He pays all our debts; he supplies all our daily needs; he sympathises with us in all our troubles; he bears with all our infirmities, and does not reject us because of our weaknesses. However, a time will come when the groom will no longer be with us, then we will surely fast. Telling us that fasting should be done at the right time for the right reasons.

Thus, St. Paul tells us in our first reading, that the Lord alone is our judge. So, there must be no passing of premature judgment. We should leave that until the Lord comes; for he will light up all that is hidden in the dark and reveal the secret intentions of our hearts. Then will be the time for each one to have whatever praise he deserves, from God.

Dear friends, today we are meant to understand the danger of mixing the old life of sin with the new life of grace. 

So we are called to let go of our old sinful ways of life in order to embrace the New Life of Grace God is offering us. Therefore, what is that old garment in our lives that we are patching with the new? What is that old wine of habitual sin that we are pouring into the new wineskins of our redeemed and purified souls?

Today we are called to give a fresh response towards embracing this New Life of grace which Jesus is offering us. As we think about these, let us struggle to avoid our old sinful ways of life and fully embrace the new righteous way of life that God is offering us today.

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, You are the source of our New Life; grant us the grace of true and total conversion to find such great Joy in Your abundant Life of grace and mercy through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed and peaceful day. 

Homily For Thursday, Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 3rd September 2026. The Memorial of Pope St. Gregory The Great

Readings: 1Cor 3:18-23, Ps. 23, Luke 5:1-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

HAVING AN ENCOUNTER THAT LEADS TO TRUE CONVERSION

There is something deep and unique about every person; sometimes it takes personal experience to discover it. I don't know if you have ever had an experience that made you realise the emptiness of this life, a kind of experience that turns your pride into humility, sinfulness into righteousness.

This is the kind of experience that Simon had with Jesus in our Gospel passage today, which made him realise his emptiness and fall to his knees before Jesus, confessing his unworthiness. This is because Jesus had said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’

And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus, saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’

This encounter brought true conversion to Simon and his companion, changing their destiny from fishermen to fishers of men. For they obeyed the Lord who told them to put out into the deep waters, and as soon as they followed His instructions, they netted so many fish that the whole boat could not take it.

This glorious event manifested the power and grace of God at work in us especially when we humble ourselves. And St. Paul in our first reading said: make no mistake about it: if any one of you thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise. Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God.

Dear friends, like Simon and his brothers, we are called to reflect on our personal encounter with God, an encounter that brings true conversion. But how have we personally experienced God? When was our spiritual turning point? Do we have a personal conviction about God that is not based on what people have told you of him?

In case we have not personally encountered him, all we need to do is sincerely seek God in those common events in our lives. Then, we will realise how much God is willing to reveal himself to us. Just like Pope St. Gregory the Great, whose memorial we celebrate today, he had a personal encounter with the Lord, which propelled his effort in spreading the Gospel message and, by so doing, converted many more souls to the Lord.

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, every day is an opportunity to encounter you through different events that occur in our lives. Grant that we may have a personal encounter with you and uniquely experience you in our daily activities, and through this experience discover our purpose in life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a favourable day.