VeritasVitae: September 2021

Thursday 30 September 2021

Homily for Friday Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 1st October, 2021. The Solemnity of Our Lady Queen & Patroness of Nigeria

Readings: Is.11:1-10, Ps.72, Eph. 2:13-22, Matt.2:13-14.19-23

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

OUR COUNTRY NIGERIA WILL BE GREAT WHEN WE REALIZE THE SHORTNESS AND EMPTINESS OF HUMAN LIFE CONSUMED BY GREED AND SELFISHNESS

The root of all the problems in our world today is the love of power. For people are ready to do anything to be on power and to retain that power. This is what we see in the life of Herod in our Gospel passage today, where the Holy family of Jesus have to flee away to Egypt, because Herod planned to kill an innocent child for the sake of retaining his power. This ugly attitude is not far from us today especially in our country Nigeria which is in the state of distress because of love of power and greediness among the people in power and even the common citizens.

The fact remains that the elements of good and bad seem inherent in human condition, little wonder the world involves both good and bad mixed together. This will help us to understand the reason for the corruption, greediness, immoral and social decadence in our country today. So as we are celebrating our country Nigeria at 61 since our independent, we thank God who has made it possible for us to witness the day. But today’s celebration should plunge us into deep reflection about the ugly condition of this country. We need to ask ourselves, what have we done right? What have we done wrong? How can we do better and what will the future of this country be like?

Dear friends, the rate of corruption and greediness in this country is so appalling. People are never tired of acquiring and embezzling public funds for their own selfish gain. The truth is that, we need a radical transformation. A transformation that will brings about a new out fit that makes one a new person, with a new life, a new mind and a new way of doing things. And this is possible only when we understand the shortness of this life, the emptiness of this passing world and the danger of greediness, then we will be able to do things the right way and then our country Nigeria will be great again.

For this country will be transformed only when the power of love and good will supersedes the love of power, when justice and faithfulness becomes the habit of everyone of us in this country. Then, we can begin to experience that peaceful coexistence and blessings that prophet Isaiah mentioned in our first reading and so bring the hostility going on in our country to the end just like St Paul said in our second reading that we shall no longer be strangers in our own country but true citizens with the saints not just here in our country Nigeria but also in the kingdom of God.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, out of selfishness and greediness we have committed a lot of crimes and injustice against one another, grant that through the intercession of Our Lady Queen and Patroness of Nigeria, we may resolve to have genuine love and good will in carrying out our activities in the societies as you guide and direct us to learn how to do the right thing always by letting the power of love to transform the ugly situation in our country. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy New Month, wishing you a blessed Independence Day celebration.

Wednesday 29 September 2021

Homily for Thursday Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 30th September, 2021. The Memorial of St. Jerome

Readings: Neh. 8:1-12; Ps.18 Luke 10:1-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE NATURE AND REQUIREMENTS FOR FULFILLING OUR CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY MANDATE

Oftentimes, we find it difficult to actively participate in the mission of Christ, This is because the rebellious nature of humanity have always keep us away from responding to God's invitation to server, for we have always failed to understand God’s ways of doing things. However, God has not stopped caring and stretching his hands of love to us. In every generation God always send messengers to remind us of his love and plan for humanity.

Thus, in our Gospel passage today, we heard how the Lord appointed seventy-two persons and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!

Here, Jesus gave us the nature and requirements for carrying out his missionary mandate successfully. So, to continue this great mission he invites his disciples and sent them out, commanding them to see themselves as someone who gives freely of the good they have received from God. Hence, we should offer to others what they have received from God, knowing that it has cost them nothing. We must live a life of detachment that is, in this mission, we are to depend totally on God's providence. Unfortunate many of the disciples have to face rejection and persecutions from people, who through their rebellious attitude have refused to believe in God even though He has always been so patient, loving, caring and forgiving us.

This rebellious attitude of the human person is what brought about the capture and exile of the people of Israel, having gain their freedom, they decided to hear and mediate on the word and law’s of God, which when the word was read and interpreted they mourned, but Ezra said to all the people, ‘This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not be mournful, do not weep.’ For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the Law.

Dear friends, what is our attitude towards the missionary mandate of Christ? How has the Word of God shape our lives. Have you ever shade tears after listening to the word of God? Today, as we celebrate the memorial of St Jerome, we recall his great contributions to the Church and the Christian faithful especially for his compilation of the Latin translation of the Greek Bible. Jerome who involved and experiencing all sorts of worldly pleasures as a young student of philosophy. But later his conscience led him to conversion into the Christian faith as he renounced all of his past sinful ways of life and devoted himself deeply into the study of the Scriptures, from which comes all his great works we are still studying today.

Therefore, as disciples of Christ, we have received a lot from God without payment; we should learn to give without expecting reward. Calling us to acknowledge with gratitude all that we have received from God and give freely to others that which we have received. For this act of charity will purify us from pride and self-righteousness, because we are all recipients of God's love, mercy, forgiveness, favour, protection, healing and deliverance. So, we must offer to others these same gifts which we have received.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, today you gave us the requirements and nature of our missionary mandate. Help us to effectively following these requirements just like St Jerome, we ask this through Christ our Lord Amen. God bless you.

Tuesday 28 September 2021

Homily for Wednesday Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 29th September, 2021. The Feast of Saints. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels

Readings: Rev. 12:7-12; Ps. 103, John 1: 47-51

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE ARCHANGELS ARE GOD’S MOST POWERFUL INSTRUMENT FOR SAFEGUARDING HUMAN SOUL

As Christians, for us to be fruitful in our given vocation in life, there is the need for us to build a personal relationship with God and building this relationship is not difficult as some people think, because God desires to have such relationship with us and this he often manifested through the instrument of angels and Archangels. Little wonder we celebrate today the three great Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael who are God’s most powerful instrument for safeguarding the human soul.

In these Archangels we have powerful link to God especially in our constant struggle and the spiritual battle for the sake of our souls. They are categorized based on their responsibilities. Archangel Michael is known as the Prince and defender of the heavenly hosts. He defends us in battle and helps us to be humble, so that we may not fall into pride, ambition, greed and vanity like the devil who he defeated and sent away from heaven, so that we can remain firm in our commitment to serving the Lord as we have it in our first reading today (Rev.12:7-12). Archangel Gabriel is known as the Messenger of God. He helps us to have faith in God through his words so that we may always hope in God. While Archangel Raphael is know for the manifestation of the healing and mercy of God, especially for soul corrupted by sin.

This shows us the extent God can go for the sake of saving humanity. The fact is that, God loves us so much and it is not about our love for him, but his own love for us. This is manifested in the life of Jesus who loves us personally and desires to share in our daily struggles through the angels and Archangels. All he demands from us is to acknowledge his presence in our lives and cooperate with his grace, and when such relationship is established our lives will change for good just like Nathaniel in our Gospel passage, who acknowledged that Jesus is the Son of God, of which Jesus commended him for his faith and goes on to tell him that he shall see great things in heaven including the angels ascending and descending in the presence of God.

Dear friends, what is our experience of angels and Archangels? Is there any occasion were we can say that we have personally encounter or experience the presence of an angel? What is our relationship with our guardian angels? If none we should desire to have one through our daily activities. For today we are reminded that God through the Archangels manifest his power and presence in human activities and so we are called to always cooperate with the will of God as directed by his angels and Archangels who minister to us. We are called to build a personal relationship with God through his Archangels, who are there to defend, guide and heal our souls from sin and death.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you often send your Archangels to guide and direct our affairs in life. Through their faithful direction and protection, may our life advance boldly along the path of salvation, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a joyful day.

Monday 27 September 2021

Homily Tuesday Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 28th September, 2021

Readings: Zec.8:20-23; Ps.87; Luke 9:51-56

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

AS A CHRISTIAN, WHAT WILL YOU DO WHEN FACED WITH STRONG OPPOSITIONS

Oftentimes when we find ourselves in difficult situations caused by our opponent, the first instinct that comes to our minds is to do away with the opponent and ensure that he or she does not exist anymore. Sometimes we feel like crushing anything that stands on the way towards our goal, especially when we think that we have the power and authority do so.

This is the disposition of James and John in our Gospel passage today, when they said to Jesus: ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ This is because the people of Samaritan village will not let Jesus and his disciples past through their town to Jerusalem. For opposing them the two disciples felt that they should be consumed by fire. But Jesus turned and rebuked his disciples, and then went off to another village.

Here, Jesus is showing us how to deal with opposition of life. For in life we must surely encounter oppositions, but what makes a difference is how we deal with it. In the Gospel the two disciples of Jesus feels that the best way to deal with such opposition is by calling down fire on the opponent, just like most of us will have done if we have the power and authority to do so. However, this is not the same with Jesus, who though had the absolute power and authority to command fire to consume anything he wishes, but in this case, he chooses to flee from the problem not because he was a coward, no, rather because he hoped to experiencing peace and teach us that sometimes the best way to deal with oppositions is to walk away.

This does not mean that he was weak, rather he wants us to understand that a change of location does not make us weak or remove our enemies, it only changes where the battle takes place. And for Jesus the battlefield is not the Samaritan territory, but the heart of the human person who occupied the territory. Perhaps, Jesus did not come to destroy the people, if he had come for that purpose, he would have destroyed these Samaritans; but he came to save. And so he bears patiently the ignorance of the opposition and we too must learn to do the same, just as we heard prophet Zechariah in our first reading saying: there will be other peoples yet, and citizens of great cities. And the inhabitants of one city will go to the next and say, “Come, let us go and entreat the favour of the Lord, and seek the Lord of Hosts.

Dear friends, we must learn from Jesus how to walk away from opposition for the sake of peace. We should not be like James and John wanting to destroy those that opposed us. Rather we must learn to acquire the spirit of Lord Jesus; temper our zeal like his; seek to bear patiently with those who stands on our way. Let us seek peace, let us be patient, and forgiving. Let us not allow the feeling of revenge to consume us into hurting those with whom we feel we cannot resolve our differences.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, everyday we encounter oppositions that we feel like crushing and eliminating. Help us to learn from Jesus how to deal with opposition patiently for the sake of peace and harmony in our societies. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Sunday 26 September 2021

Homily for Monday Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 27th September, 2021. The Memorial of St Vincent de Paul

Readings: Zec.8:1-8; Ps.102; Luke 9:46-50

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

TRUE GRETNES IS ACQUIRED THROUGH HUMBLE SERVICE TO OTHERS

As human beings, we always desire to be great and be recognized as great. This no doubt has made our lives more competitive and comparative in nature. This competitive and comparative way of life is what the disciples of Jesus displayed in our Gospel passage today, where we heard how they were arguing about who is the greatest among them. This is quite surprising for them to be arguing for such intention at this stage of the life. This shows that his disciples had not grasped his teaching completely.

Here, Jesus knowing the intentions of his disciples, showed them the way to identify true greatness and one who has such quality using the images of a humble child. So, Jesus surprised his disciples by linking true greatness to that of humility and simplicity of a little child and also showed how children can be the subject of a parable that reveals the vanity and deception found in some great persons. Because children are docile, humble, teachable, loving, forgiven and dependent.

Thus, Jesus explains that in the kingdom of heaven, true greatness is found in humility and children serve as a symbol of humility for they are dependent on adult for everything just as we also are dependent on God. Little children serve as concrete symbol of the simplicity which is a condition for entering the kingdom of heaven. So, in children we see these great virtues of simplicity and humility being placed. Little wonder, in our first reading we heard the Lord saying: I am going to save my people from the countries of the East and from the countries of the West. I will bring them back to live inside Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God in faithfulness and integrity.’

Dear friends, today we are called to learn how to embrace greatness because true greatness are found in humble service to others. But this is exactly what many of us are lacking. For we are so proud, greed and selfish, as we are deeply attached to the pleasurable things of this passing world which prevents us from seeking true greatness that leads to heavenly kingdom. Therefore, let us learn from St. Vincent De Paul, who understand that true greatness is humble service to the poor.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we have become so much engrossed with the competitive activities of this world, seeking to be great in things that are passing away, grant that, we may embrace true greatness rooted in the humble service of our neighbours, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed and fruitful week ahead.

Saturday 25 September 2021

Homily for Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 26th September, 2021. The World Day Remembrance of Migrants and Refugees.

Readings: Num. 11:25-29; Ps. 19; James 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-43.47-48

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

OUR CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY MANDATE REQUIRES DISCIPLINE AND COLLABORATING WITH OTHERS

There is no doubt that the Christian faith can be very demanding and ambiguous for those who do not understand the sacrificial nature of our missionary life. To deal with these challenges, we must learn to discipline ourselves and collaborate with one another. So discipline and collaboration must be central to the Christian mission, since the Christian faith comes across different categories of people which requires that there should be room to accommodate one another in that single language of sacrificial love towards Christ missionary mandate.

This very discipline and collaborative nature of our faith is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today when he said: Anyone who is not against us is for us. But anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone round his neck. And if your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that cannot be put out.

Here Jesus is speaking to his disciples and to the people about doing the works for the glory of God, saying that we should not stop people from doing the good works of God even if the people did not belong to the same group with us. This is because, the disciples of Jesus saw some people who were doing works in the name of Jesus, casting out demons and healing in his name, and they tried to stop them from doing so. Why? Because the disciples having received from Jesus the authority and power to perform miracle they wanted to keep these gift and authority exclusive to themselves. But Jesus rebuked such selfish attitude showed by the disciples, because Jesus desires that everyone who wishes to do the work of God should be accommodated regardless of their background and affiliations.

This was also the situation in our first reading today where we heard how Eldad and Medad also received the Spirit of God and began prophesying amongst the people, just like the seventy elders appointed to be the leaders of the people of Israel during their Exodus to the promise land. But some people complained and tried to stop them because they are not among the seventy elders. However, Moses rebuked them from complaining and wished that all God’s people should be able to prophecy. This desire of Moses no doubt was prophetic. For this in fact came true during the Pentecost day, when God sent down His Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus in the upper room, about seventy of them a symbolic of the seventy elders of the Israelites.

Dear friends, by the virtue of our baptism and confirmation we have received the same Spirit of God, that gives us the authority to prophecy and do great works for God. Therefore, we too have been entrusted with the missionary mandate of Christ. So, is our responsibility to make good use of the various gifts and opportunities God has given us by ensuring that we discipline ourselves for excess desires for the pleasurable things of this passing world which are distracting us from God and our mission. Little wonder St. James in our second reading today, point ways in which we have been distracted by the excess desires for riches of this passing world and as a result have misused and abused the various gifts and talents that God had been given us out of our pride, envy, corruption, selfishness and immoral ways of life.

Therefore, we are called today to know that our Christian missionary mandate requires discipline and detachment from all the sinful actions that have corrupted some parts of our life as human person, this ugly attitude we must cut off in our lives. We are also called to learn how to collaborate and accommodate other people who speak the one true language of Christ which is sacrificial love for one another especially as we celebrate the World Day for Migrants and Refugees all over the world.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit who has always being our guide, help us to learn how to be more disciplined by doing away with those things that lead us to sin. Help us to be more accommodating and collaborating with one another as we carryout your missionary mandate of love for each another. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday and God bless.

Friday 24 September 2021

Homily for Saturday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 25th September, 2021

Readings: Zech. 2:1-5.10-11; Ps. 31; Luke 9:43-45

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE INEVITABLE EVENT OF DEATH

As customary in our seminary, every 2nd November some persons are selected to visit the cemetery. On one occasion, I was privileged to be among the people to visit a cemetery at Oke Are in Ibadan. On our way to the cemetery which is located on a hill in the heart of Ibadan, passing through the market and streets all I could see were people struggling, buying and selling, fighting and cursing each other. I saw a lot of beggars, sick and poor people, among this people were the rich, the educated, as well as their leaders both traditional and political. It was indeed an interesting community.

But getting to the cemetery I saw in a wall names and dates of so many men and women who had passed on from this interesting community. Than I asked myself in my deep reflection, where are all these people whose names are listed in this wall? Where they like us before? Are we going to be like them later? Where will all of us in this beautiful community be in the next hundred years? The answer to these questions are difficult to understand because we don’t think about inevitable event of death

This is not different from what Jesus is reminding his disciples in our Gospel passage today, where after his great miracles, when everyone was full of admiration for all he did, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘For your part, you must have these words constantly in your mind: that the Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.’ But they did not understand him. For the Lord says in our first reading today: I will be a wall of fire for her all round her, and I will be her glory in the midst of her.”’

Dear friends, today we are reminded about the true reality of life, that we all are going to die one day and the dust of our flesh and bones will return to the earth while our Spirit retire to God knowing that we will account for how we lived this life. We are going to give back to God the gift of life he has given us, because our life is a temporal assignment. So, why not start living this life according to the present reality since we do not know how and when we are going to account for it. Why not accept joyfully who we are now as we work hard to be better tomorrow. Remember, everything is in the hands of God, we brought nothing in this world and we are taking nothing out of it.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, our life is meaningless without you. Grant that we may realize the shortness of this life and so prepare to give account on how we have lived our lives in this passing world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful day.

Thursday 23 September 2021

Homily for Friday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 24th September, 2021

Readings: Haggai 2:1-9; Ps.43; Luke 9:18-22

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

HAVING BEEN A CHRISTIAN FOR A WHILE, WHAT CAN I SAY IS MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH JESUS

In life there is always a moment when we will want to examine and know if our friends can really be trusted, if they truly know and understand who we are and what we represent? This is because, as social beings, we often make friends who we can confide and entrust with our inner most thoughts and plans. But the friendship does not come automatically, it is developed gradually.

This is the situation between Jesus and his disciples in our Gospel passage today, when Jesus asked them saying: Who do people say I Am?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ. But he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone anything about this. For the Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.

Here, we see how Peter expressed his personal conviction about who Jesus is. He did not have to quote any authority, because his response was a clear and sincere knowledge of who he professed Jesus to be. This is because Peter’s gift of faith comes from his personal identification of the person of 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 our soul, so that we can profess our faith with deeper meaning and conviction. This faith is necessary in order to accommodate and overcome the ugly event of persecutions, condemnation and blackmail that awaits us.

And when that time comes the Lord says we should be courageous for a little while now, he is going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all the nations and the treasures of all the nations shall flow in, and he will fill his Temple with new glory that surpass the old, as we heard in our first reading today.

Dear friends, having heard the teachings and great works of Jesus in the scriptures and traditions of the Church, the question remains: what can I say is my personal experience of Jesus? Have I personally identified our Lord Jesus in our lives? How has my 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 with regards to 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. Therefore, let us turn towards God once again with all our hearts and devote our whole lives in seeking to know Him more and more.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you revealed to Peter the true identity of Jesus your Son, help us to personally identify the person of Jesus in our lives and so profess our faith with deeper meaning and conviction. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Wednesday 22 September 2021

Homily for Thursday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 23rd September, 2021. The Memorial of St. Pio Pietrelcina

Readings: Haggai 1:1-8; Ps. 149; Luke 9:7-9

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE GUILTY CONSCIENCE OF HEROD

Oftentimes, we hear people expressing the phrase: guilty conscience, which is used to express the ugly condition of human conscience which is that part of our life that tells us whether what we are doing is right or wrong. For if you have a guilty conscience, you feel guilty about something because you know it was wrong. But if you have a clear conscience, you do not feel guilty because you know you have done nothing wrong.

This is the situation Herod finds himself in our Gospel passage today who out of pride and selfishness had killed John the Baptist thinking that by that he could silence the voice of truth, but when he heard of the great works of Jesus and could not comprehend it, he perceived that John the Baptist, the voice of truth had returned to life again, when he said: John? I beheaded him. So who is this I hear such reports about?’ And he was anxious to see Jesus.

Here, we see how the guilty conscience of Herod made him to wonder about the personality of Jesus in relation to John the Baptist. This is what happens to us whenever we tried to take the role God in our relationship with others. And this ugly attitude is what a lot of people are practicing today and as a result many people are suffering the consequences of guilty conscience. This is because most of us are so much attached to worldly things. We have let our pride, our ego and our selfish desires to blind fold us from the true realities of life. Little wonder, the Lord in our first reading said: Reflect carefully how things have gone for you. You have sown much and harvested little; you eat but never have enough, drink but never have your fill, put on clothes but do not feel warm.

Dear friends, are you having guilty conscience of any kind? What are the things that makes us have guilt conscience? What is the essence of our existence in this world? What does God really required from us in this life? Do you know that without God everything in life is vanity vanishing? Therefore, let us not be carried away by the beauty of the things of this passing world, for nothing last forever. Hence we should remain steadfast in our faith in God, who has called us to love him and to love one another, just like St Pio whose memorial we celebrate today for he remained faithful to Christ’s mission and committed himself wholeheartedly to what God has required from him.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we have come to you with our guilty conscience, for we are so much attached to things of this passing world, with little or no attention to your teachings. Through the intercessions of St. Pio make us to realized that without you life and all we have is nothing but vanity. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Tuesday 21 September 2021

Homily for Wednesday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 22nd September, 2021

Readings: Ezra 9:5-9; Ps.Tobit 13; Luke 9:1-6

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE SACRIFICIAL NATURE OF OUR MISSIONARY JOURNEY

The way things are going in our world today, we really need to think twice about our faith as Christians, whether we are actually ready to live out our faith in the midst hostile environment. Because the hostility, persecution and the influential power of things of this world are not stopping soon rather, it will be getting tougher. Therefore, if we are really willing to live out our Christian faith and obligations towards the mission of Christ, then we need to make a radical decision towards our discipleship in a personal and radical way.

This is what Jesus is teaching his disciples in our Gospel passage today, when he called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for the journey: neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money; and let none of you take a spare tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there; and when you leave, let it be from there. As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as a sign to them.’

Here, Jesus does not directly intend to cause tensions and divisions but he wants to expose the sacrificial nature of the mission. Hence, Jesus demands a total commitment towards the journey of discipleship once begun or not beginning it at all. Because, following Jesus demands the sacrifice of all that we have. For none of us can become his disciple if we do not give up our excess desire for worldly pleasures and possession, and pay our unreserved loyalty and allegiance to Jesus over all other competing loyalties in our lives including family, self-interest, and possessions, just like Ezra in our first reading who addressing the situation of his people said: My God, I am ashamed, I blush to lift my face to you, my God. For our crimes have increased, until they are higher than our heads, and our sin has piled up to heaven. But now, suddenly, the Lord our God by his favour has left us a remnant and granted us a refuge in his holy place.

Dear friends, we are called today to make a radical decision to sincerely and faithfully carryout the mission of Christ entrusted to us . But how much are we willing to let go for the sake of the mission of Christ? Why are we finding it difficult to follow Jesus? What is that habitual desires and possessions that are holding us for making this radical decision today? It is time for us to let them go in order to focus more on the mission Christ has entrusted to us. Therefore, let us to follow the examples of all those who had given their time, effort and even lives for the salvation of many souls.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, today we are called to a sacrificial journey of Christ mission. Because our excess desire for the pleasurable things of this passing world have weakened our hearts towards our mission, give us courage and grace to let go of our ugly desires, so as to hold firm in our faith despite losing people and things that are dear to us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Monday 20 September 2021

Homily for Tuesday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 21st September, 2021. The Feast of St Matthew, AP& Evangelist

Readings: Eph 4:1:-7.11-13, Ps.19, Matt. 9:9-13

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

GOD’S MERCY AND CARE FOR SINNERS IS DEMONSTRATED IN THE CALL OF ST. MATTHEW

In life we make choices and the choices we make everyday communicate our inner most desire which also determine how meaningful, valuable, healthy and fruitful our lives and mission are going to be. This is not different in the life of Jesus who on account of his mission to save humanity had to make choices of people who will be his instruments of evangelizing in the world. For no doubt Jesus had been calling people from different works of life to be part of his mission, but today’s call and choice of Matthew a man identified with sinners because of his work as a tax collector, was quite strange to some people.

Little wonder in our Gospel passage today after Jesus had called Matthew to follow him, he had a dinner in his house and while at the dinner, it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ When Jesus heard this he replied, ‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.’

Here we heard the inner most desire of Jesus for sinful humanity in need of salvation. The call of Matthew is like the call of each of us, a choice that demonstrates Jesus' desire for sinners to repent. For all he desires is mercy and not sacrifices, repentance and not pride. Jesus is calling us to repentance, he is inviting us to make a fundamental choice for God just like St Matthew, who though sinner, rose up and followed Jesus at his call for repentance, we too are to respond to this invitation without delay. Let St. Matthew be an inspiration and hope for every one of us. Let him be an example that will remind us that there is no one beyond the reach of God’s mercy and love. For he is capable of transforming our ugly ways of life into a glorious instrument for human salvation.

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Matthew, we are called to imitate him. For tradition has it that after his conversion, Matthew became a great evangelizer, who went about preaching the Good News to many people. It was told that he went to Ethiopia where he had a growing communities of Christ faithful. And according to tradition, he was martyred while celebrating the Holy Mass on the Altar, after he rebuked the local king in Ethiopia who lusted and desired to have his own niece who had dedicated herself in holy virginity to God. Here we see how Matthew, who was once a sinner was called and transformed into great saints and great instrument of evangelization.

Dear friends, St Paul in our first reading tells us that each one of us, has been given our own share of grace in Christ mission. For some are called to be apostles and evangelist like Matthew; some prophets; some pastors and teachers; so that together we are united in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. But how are we contributing to this mission? What is our disposition towards the call of Jesus? Our choice in life is it reflecting our faith in the mission of Christ?

LET US PRAY: Lord God, despite our sinfulness, you called and chose us to be instrument of your salvation to all humanity. Through the intercession of St Matthew, give us the grace to make good choices that will help us to respond positively to your call for repentance and evangelization. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing a blessed day.

Sunday 19 September 2021

Homily for Monday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 20th September, 2021. The Memorial of St. Andrew Kim Taegon & Comp.

Reading: Ezra 1:1-6; Ps. 126; Luke 8:16-18

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

LET YOUR LIGHT ILLUMINATE THE DARKNESS AROUND YOU

Light is a very familiar words in the scriptures, light is a symbol that represents awareness, knowledge, and understanding. Light clarifies, Illuminates, Inspires, defeats darkness, shines fully and freely, it guides, stimulates and motivates, provokes action, it irritates those who like darkness, confirms truth, purifies, exposes sin, warms and assures us of safety and also facilitates progress.

Little wonder, Jesus in our Gospel passage today said: No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed. No, he puts it on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be known and brought to light.

So, as people who have been purified by the light of Christ through our baptism, we are entrusted with the mission of illuminating the darkness around us. For during our baptism, we were given candle light which we are to kept brightly burning as a flame of faith in our hearts as we journey with others towards our heavenly kingdom. This therefore, clearly defines our role in the mission of Christ, which is to illuminates darkness and reflects the glory of God in the darkness of the passing world.

Hence, every Christian is called by God to influence the world positively through the light of our faith, just like Cyrus king of Persia in our first reading, who was the light that illuminate the darkness in the midst of the people of Israel who are in the darkness of exiles. For he ordered the people to go back to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple of God and so free them from the darkness of exiles and slavery and brought the light of hope to the people. Just like St Andrew Kim Taegon and Companions whose memorial we celebrate today. For they gave up their lives during the persecution of Christians in Korea as light of faith for the people and so illuminate the darkness of sin and wickedness.

Dear friends, the focus of today’s message is that all of us are called to positively influence the lives of humanity by our attitude and character which should be like that of purifying light. Where there is darkness we should let the light of Christ illuminate. Where pride, selfishness, corruption and greed have brought darkness, let the light of our good attitude and character illuminate it once again. Where sin and immorality have made humanity filthy and ugly, let our light of holiness purify. Therefore, we must not let our lights be hidden under the darkness of the passing world, rather we must let it shine anywhere we find ourselves.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we struggle everyday to truly carryout the mission entrusted to us, give us the grace and courage to dedicate ourselves, our time, our energy and effort to becoming true light that illuminate our families, society and the world filled with darkness of sin and evil. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful week.

Saturday 18 September 2021

Homily for Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 19th September, 2021

Readings: Wis. 2:12.17-20; Ps.54; James 2:4:3; Mark 9:30-37

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DEALING WITH HUMAN SELFISH AMBITION

Human life and activities are always competitive and comparative in nature, that is why we are often anxious to recognize or be recognized as the strongest, wisest, cleverest, richest. We will always want to know the most beautiful, handsome, most talented and greatest in virtually everything. Little wonder, the most lucrative business and adventures are found among those activities that are competitive such as sports, entertainment and politics. This is because we feel great participating in such events and greatness gives more ego to our status. But this has brought about the ugly attitude of selfish ambition among people.

Little wonder St James in our second reading says: wherever you find jealousy and ambition, you find disharmony, and wicked things of every kind being done. For where do these wars and battles between ourselves first start? Is it not precisely in the desires fighting inside our own selves? You want something and you haven’t got it; so you are prepared to kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force. Why you don’t have what you want is because you don’t pray for it; when you do pray and don’t get it, it is because you have not prayed properly.

So, this selfish ambitious, competitive and comparative way of life is what the disciples of Jesus displayed in our Gospel passage today, where we heard how they were arguing about who is the greatest among them. This is quite surprising for them to be arguing for such intention just after Jesus had told them that he will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again. This shows that his disciples had not grasped his teaching thereby exposing the danger between the mission of Christ and human selfish ambition as a result of ignorance.

But, Jesus knowing the ugly intentions of his disciples, showed them the way to identify true greatness using the images of a humble child. Here, Jesus surprised his disciples by linking true greatness to that of humility and simplicity of a little child and also showed how children can be the subject of a parable that reveals the vanity and deception found in some great persons. Because children are docile, humble, teachable, loving, forgiven and dependent.

Thus, Jesus explains that in the kingdom of heaven, true greatness is found in humility and children serve as a symbol of humility as they are dependent on adult for everything just as we also are dependent on God. Little children serve as concrete symbol of the simplicity which is a condition for entering the kingdom of heaven. So, in children we found these great virtues of simplicity and humility. Hence, parents should encourage their children to participate in activities where they display these virtues.

Dear friends, today we see in the lives of the disciples the danger of human selfish ambition and how to deal with it in relation to the mission of Christ especially in the midst of ignorance and proud people. For we heard how the wicked often wish to treat virtuous people as heard them in our first reading saying: Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us. Let us test him with cruelty and with torture, and thus explore this gentleness of his and put his endurance to the test. Such are their ugly ways of thinking, we must not be like them.

Therefore, we are reminded that true greatness and ambition are found in humble service to others. But this is exactly what many of us are lacking. For we are so proud, greed and selfish, as we are deeply attached to the pleasurable things of this passing world which prevents us from seeking true greatness that leads to heavenly kingdom.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, amidst the danger of selfish human ambition in relation to your mission, we have become so much engrossed with the competitive activities of this world, seeking to be great in things that are passing away, grant that, we may embrace true greatness rooted in the humble service of our neighbours, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday, do have a blessed and fruitful week.

Friday 17 September 2021

Homily for Saturday Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 18th September, 2021

Readings: 1 Tm 6:13-16; Ps. 100; Luke 8:4-15

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHAT I S YOU DISPOSITION AND RESPONSE TOWARDS THE WORD OF GOD WE HEAR EVERYDAY

Our disposition towards whatever we do in life determines how successful we can be. And experience has shown that people’s disposition varies depending on where their interest based. Therefore, to be fruitful in whatever we do we must have to develop a right disposition towards it. Knowing how important this is needed in understanding his mission, Jesus in our Gospel reading today, used the parable of the sower to describe different kinds of human disposition and response towards the Word of God.

He said, a sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell on the edge of the path and was trampled on; and the birds of the air ate it up. Some seed fell on rock, and when it came up it withered away, having no moisture. Some seed fell amongst thorns and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell into rich soil and grew and produced its crop a hundredfold.’ Saying this he cried, ‘Listen, anyone who has ears to hear!’

In this parable Jesus categorized our different disposition towards the Word of God in relation to our interior life. Thereby giving us the guidelines that will help us to examine our attitudes towards the seed of God’s Word, whether our soul is like dry rocky ground, whether our soul is full of the thorns of the things of this passage world or do we regularly seek to nourish our soul and prepare it to receive the Holy Word of God? So we are called to create a fertile disposition within our heart in order to do the will of God.

This is important because today and even in the scriptures, there are many who hear the words of Jesus and do not understand it because of wrong disposition, for instance in the scriptures we have the religious leaders who are against the teachings of Jesus, the crowds that responded positively to Jesus, especially to his miracles of healing, yet turned against him at the end and demanded his crucifixion. Some disciples such as Judas might also be included among those who fell away when trouble or persecution came on account of the Word. While the rich young man who was unable to part with his possessions, provides a clear example of one who hears the word, but the love for the passing things of this world and the lure of wealth choked the word, and it yielded nothing.

But what about the good soil? These are those who hear the Word, understand and internalize it, who indeed bear fruit and yield an abundant harvest. Our mother Mary and the apostles excluding Judas are good example of such people. Therefore, the different kinds of ground on which the seed falls represent different ways by which we receive the Word of God. And St. Paul in our first readings today says: I charge you to keep the commandment unstained with no faults or failures, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Here, St Paul reminds us of our basic Christian faith which teaches that, in order for us to rise with Christ we must first die to ourselves. That is, those things which leads us to the ways of this world must die and we must be reborn to the life of faith. Then we will rise with Christ and share his glory, just as we read in the parable of the Sower. For the Sower being Christ himself, teaches us how to manage the challenges of life in order to yield a rich harvest of faith and attain eternal joy of heaven.

Dear friends, today, our hearts are the fields in which the Word of God is scattered, to which do our hearts belong? the path way, the rocky ground, the thorns or the good soil? Whichever one, we are called to pay attention and take some time to appreciate God’s Word in our lives by allowing it to bear solid root in us and germinate to bear great fruits

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we are often distracted from hearing and assimilating your Word we hear everyday, give us grace to remain open to receiving your Word, so as to bear fruit abundantly. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed and peaceful weekend.

Thursday 16 September 2021

Homily for Friday Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 17th September, 2021

Readings: 1Tim. 6:2-12; Ps. 49; Luke 8:1-3

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

AS A CHRISTIAN, WHAT ARE YOU CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS THE MISSION OF CHRIST?

In his mission to saving humanity, Jesus involved a lot of people, some he called to follow him, some desired to follow him but could not, while some decided to follow him because of their personal experience of him and what they can gain from him. But only few followed him in order to provide for him and contribute towards the success of his mission. This is the dispositions and personality of those involved in the mission of Christ in our Gospel passage today.

For when Jesus made his way through towns and villages preaching, and proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom of God. He went with his twelve disciples whom he had called, as well as certain women who had experienced him personally through his divine healing and deliverance. Along these groups are several others who provided for them out of their own resources.

This Gospel passage actually points out the nature of the mission of the Church in proclaiming the word of God and our part in this mission. Thus, we are reminded of how God has called us to follow Christ and contribute to the salvation of humanity. And St. Paul in our first reading tells us that, we must learn to sacrifice for the mission knowing that the love of money is the root of all evils’ and there are some who, pursuing it, have wandered away from the faith, and so given their souls several numbers of fatal wounds. But, as people dedicated to God, we must avoid all that. We must aim to be saintly and religious, filled with faith and love, patient and gentle. We must fight the good fight of the faith and win for ourselves eternal life.

Thus as children of eternal life, who are judged worthy of a place in the heavenly Kingdom. So, we are to fully involved in the mission of Christ. For there are men and women of our time who give themselves to noble causes. They give themselves to the service of others: they are those who see to the good of others and contribute to the growth of God’s Kingdom just like the women in our Gospel passage today. These are people of noble cause, like parents who teach their children the ways of the Lord by their practical way of life, like people who help the weak and the vulnerable, like friends who speak the truth and stand by it and political and Church leaders, who renounce power rather than compromise principles and uses every opportunity they have to evangelize the people.

Dear friends, are we really part of this mission of Christ? In what ways are we supporting the mission of the Church? Are we ready to contribute towards this mission by our ways of life? Do we desired to be part of this mission but lack the courage and discipline? Or do we think that this mission is not for us? The fact remains that as baptized persons, it is our obligation to carryout this mission and it is not optional. It is an obligation we must carryout irrespective of our status, position, environment and deposition.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, the women in our Gospel today involved in your mission and contributed towards the success of your evangelization because they have experienced your love and mercy and wished to reciprocate this love, help us to also realized how much of your love and mercy we have enjoyed and so be deposed to embrace and contribute to the mission of our salvation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.

Wednesday 15 September 2021

Homily for Thursday Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 16th September, 2021. The memorial of St. Cornelius & St. Cyprian

Readings: 1Tim. 4: 12-16; Ps.111; Luke 7:36-50

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DO NOT JUDGE AND CONDEMN PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THEIR PAST UGLY WAYS OF LIFE

Oftentimes we are quick to judge and condemn other people, we are quick to identify their sins without looking at our own sinful ways. We find it difficult to accept that something good can come out of people we have labeled as sinners in the society. But this is not the same with Jesus in our Gospel passage today who welcomes sinner and showed them mercy and kindness.

That is why when one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to a meal in his house, and when they are at table, a woman came in, who had a bad name in the town and brought with her an alabaster jar of ointment and begin to weep and her tears fell on the feet of Jesus, and she wiped them away with her hair; kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment as she expressed her gratitude for mercy received.

But the Pharisees, instead of rejoicing on account of this woman's repentance, they confined their thoughts to her former ugly and sinful ways of life. Then with a parable, Jesus demonstrated that the greater a sinner, the greater the love he/she ought to show to God when he/she receives mercy and pardoned. Little wonder Jesus told Simon the Pharisee, I came into your house, and you poured no water over my feet, but she has poured out her tears over my feet and wiped them away with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she has been covering my feet with kisses ever since I came in. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. For this reason I tell you that her many sins have been forgiven, for she loved much.

This tells us that we all are sinners and debtors before God. Though some sinners are greater debtors; but whether our debt be more or less, it is more than we are able to pay. But God is always ready to forgive us and the more we express our sorrow for sin, the more our love for Christ grows. Thus, St. Paul in our first reading said “do not let people disregard you because you are young, but be an example to the believers in the way you speak and behave, and in your love, your faith and your purity, do not let you spiritual gifts lie unused.

Dear friends, how do we present ourselves before God? Are we like the Pharisees, who always talk about other people’s sins without minding our own sinfulness? Are we carried away by the things around us and so forget the right things we ought to do? Are we like the woman in our Gospel, who came before the presence of Jesus with a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving for the mercy and pardon received? Today we are called to learn how to show appreciation for mercy and pardon we receive always from our heavenly Father.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we thank you for your graces and mercy which is beyond human imagination, for it is by your grace that we are what we are today, teach us through the intercessions of SS. Cornelius and Cyprian how to be more willing to forgive others as we recognize our own need for God's forgiveness and so learn how to love more, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Tuesday 14 September 2021

Homily for Wednesday Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 15th September, 2021. The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

Readings: Heb. 5:7-9, Ps.31, John 19:25-27

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LORD TEACH US HOW TO BEAR OUR SORROWS OF LIFE PATIENTLY LIKE OUR MOTHER MARY

In life, we encounter ugly events and challenges that cause us sorrows and tears. And often times we don't know how to manage those moments. For just yesterday we celebrated the exaltation and triumph of the Holy Cross, today we are celebrating the sorrows of our Blessed Mother, who experienced a great sorrow at the suffering and death of her Son who suffered grievously for the sins and faults of others and for the sake of the redemption of all humanity.

So as we commemorate our Lady's greatest sorrows: beginning with the prophecy of Simeon in the temple, her flight into Egypt with the infant Jesus, the loss of Jesus at the age of 12 in Jerusalem, Mary's encounter with her son Jesus on his way to Calvary, his crucifixion, death and burial. In fact our Gospel passage today tells us that Jesus seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son. Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’ Thus from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home. This very action my seem so easy for those who have not experienced the painful torture that comes from witnessing the suffering of your loved ones. But for those who have experienced such torture especially our good mothers, we will understand better that it is harder to watch the pains and suffering of your loved ones then to bear our own pains.

So, we can now understand the situation and condition our Lady was passing through for the sake of obedience to God’s will as she watched Jesus suffered for our redemption. Little wonder in our first reading we are told that Jesus although was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered, and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.

Dear friends, I don’t know what kind of sorrows you are carrying in your heart? Is it the sorrows caused by the ugly situation in your life, your family, your place of work, your in ability to achieve your goals and dreams in like. Or is it sorrows caused by other people or caused by mistakes of your past ugly ways of life? Whatever and however deep the sorrows are, today we are called to learn how to bear our sorrows of life patiently like Mary by linking them to the will of God.

Let us learn how to present our sorrows and problems to God in prayer by raising up our minds and hearts to him and since he promised that he will teach us the way we should go; instruct us and advise us. Let us listen to what he is calling us to do and ensure we do them just like our Mother Mary, because the Lord Jesus speaks to us from the depths of our heart and he desires that we listen to him whenever we pray and associates our sorrows with his own just like Mary our mother.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, there are so many sorrows in our lives and people are doing all they can to overcome it. Through the intercession of Our Lady of Sorrows, may we experience your love and help us to know the best ways to bear our sorrows patiently. We asked this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Monday 13 September 2021

Homily for Tuesday Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 14th September, 2021. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Readings: Num. 21:4-9, Ps.78, Phil.2:6-11, John 3:13-17

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE HOLY CROSS OF CHRIST, THE SYMBOL OF THE MYSTERY OF GOD’S UNENDING LOVE FOR HUMANITY

Today we celebrate the Feast of the exaltation of the Holy Cross, this feast is so important to our Christ faith, because the Holy Cross is a symbol of sacrificial victory of our faith. This Feast began when St. Helena discovered the relic of the true Cross on which Jesus was crucified, which was preserved in Jerusalem. A sacred relic that represents the mystery of the unending love of God for humanity. Though, the cross in the eyes of early Christians had no beauty, it was a sign of sorrow, a symbol of courage, an expression of faith which stood outside the city walls, decorated only with decaying corpses of Christ faithful who died for their faith in Christ. They are left on the cross as a threat to anyone who believes in Jesus.

But today, the cross has become the universal image of Christian belief, an instrument of salvation which often appear in Christian art works and countless generations of artists have turned it into a thing of beauty to be carried in procession or worn as jewelry and other religions activities. Here we can see how this ugly event has turned into a glorious act, which shows the power of God over evil. For God is the source of victory, he has the power to turn ugly situation into a glorious one through the power of love.

Little wonder our Gospel passage today, talks about the relationship between God and the world. Telling us that God loves the world and the humanity living in it. He loves it so much that he gave his only Son, who died a shameful and terrible death on a cross for the seek of his love. God loves the whole world and his love is total and unconditional for every one of his creatures. For God reveals his love, his greatest glory when his Son was lifted up on the cross for there the victory of our salvation was achieved and at the , Jesus tells us everything and solves all our difficult problems.

Just like the Israelites in our first reading who having sinned against God and were punished on account of their sins, complained as they asked Moses to intercede for them and God said to Moses, make a fiery serpent and put it on a standard. If anyone is bitten and looks at it, he shall live. This very symbol is a prefiguration of the Cross of Christ. And St. Paul tells us in our second reading that though Jesus in the form of God, but he humbled himself by accepting death on a Cross and God exalted him and gave him the name which is above all other names, so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus to the glory of God the Father.

Dear friends, as we reflect and celebrate the exaltation of the Holy Cross and it's saving power in our Christian life, let us deeply look at the Cross, what do we see? How do we feel about the Cross? What does the Cross represents in our life? Do we feel the love of Jesus expressed for us on the Cross? Can we perceive the expensive price of our salvation? We are called today to tell the world how deep God has loved us. We are to demonstrate this love to the world and let this love be felt by those who have lost hope in God especially at this time when humanity is struggling with the ugly situation of corona virus and political crisis..

Therefore, let us extend this love in any form, gestures or manner possible to everywhere that it is lacking. A kind word, a single phone call, a text message, an act of forgiveness, a single prayer, sacrifice, patience and any form of generous act shown to anyone around you or as many people you can reach out today, can reflect this love of God for humanity through us, for we are the face of God’s love now, we are the channels of his Mercy and compassion.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we celebrate the feast of the exaltation of the Holy Cross, may we experience once again the power of your love for humanity, and give us the grace to reciprocate this love in the world by our way of life, using the gifts, the talents and resources you have given us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Feast day to all the Priest and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Lagos.

Sunday 12 September 2021

Homily for Monday Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 13th September, 2021. The Memorial of St. John Chrysostom

Reading: 1Tim. 2:1-8 ; Ps. 28; Luke 7:1-10

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

LEARNING FROM THE FAITH AND INTERCESSORY PRAYER OF THE ROMAN CENTURION

The doctrines of the Church teaches us that faith is a supernatural gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused in us by God. Little wonder our level of faith are not the same. However, our gift of faith grows depending on our disposition and utilization of the gift. That is why, when Jesus invites people to faith and conversion, he does not coerced them, rather they come to faith through their good disposition and utilization 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 through some Jewish elders whom he sent to Jesus to ask him to come and heal his servant, but when Jesus accepted to come to his home, the centurion hesitates, feeling unworthy of Jesus’ presence in his home, said to him “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. 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 need 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 has become a pattern of prayer for us, that before Holy Communion we say it passionately because, his faith and compassion are inspiring example 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 lead us into faithlessness, disobedience and sin against God. We are also called to trust God at all times, for St Paul in our first reading today said: my advice is that, first of all, there should be prayers offered for everyone: petitions, intercessions and thanksgiving. For there is only one God, and there is only one mediator between God and mankind, himself a man, Christ Jesus, who sacrificed himself as a ransom for all. And this is what we see in the life of John Chrysostom, whose memorial we celebrate today. For he is known for his excellent preaching skills and was given the name Chrysostom which means “golden mouth” as he is usually called “John of the golden mouth,” because he utilized the gift God gave him.

Dear friends, what is our disposition towards the gift of faith that God has given us? Do we have total faith and trust in God just like the Centurion? 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. Remember, the Centurion interceded for his sick servant, do we intercede for others who are in need of 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, recognize in all humility our unworthiness before God? We are called today to learn from this man’s act of humility, faith and intercessory prayer.

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 John Chrysostom, may the Lord increase our faith and make us humble and patience in doing his will. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful week.

Saturday 11 September 2021

Homily for Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 12th September, 2021

Readings: Is.50:5-9; Ps.116; James 2:14-18; Mark 8:27-35

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHO IS JESUS IN MY LIFE? A PERSONAL AND FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION FOR ALL CHRISTIANS

Following the ugly events of division, manipulation and multiplication of Churches going on in Christianity today, one can not but repeat this fundamental question of Jesus to Christians all over the world: who do you say I am? Jesus addresses this question to all his disciples. The people are free to believe whatever they want about Jesus, for Jesus has been carefully preparing his disciples to carry on his work so they ought to know better. They have heard His teachings and witnessed his miracles. What they think of Him should be more critical.

Thus, St. Peter spoke up and said to him, ‘You are the Christ.’ And he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man was destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again, just as we heard in our first reading through prophet Isaiah. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to rebuke him. But, Jesus rebuked Peter and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s. And said, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Here, we see how Peter expressed his personal conviction about the personality of Jesus. He did not have to quote any authority, because his response was a clear and sincere knowledge of who he professed Jesus to be. That is why, Jesus in Gospels according to Matthew 16:17 says: 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 about who Jesus is, even though he does not want to associate with the suffering aspect of the life of Jesus, and that was why Jesus rebuked that spirit of fear in him.. Thus, our faith requires that we give a personal answer to the question: who do you say I am? 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 on and is really ready to embrace the will of God.

Therefore, how we answer this question of Jesus should also be critical, since to be a Christian means showing by our way of life our beliefs in Jesus and his teaching. However, the division in the Church is not caused by the words of Jesus rather, it is caused by sin, selfishness and pride in people who wished to use the name of Jesus to achieve their selfish desires. So, 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 our soul, so that we can truly profess our faith with deeper meaning and conviction. Little wonder St James in our second reading tells us to show our faith by practical actions of good works, since faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

Dear friends, having heard the teachings and works of Jesus in the scriptures and traditions of the Church, the question remains: who is Jesus to you? What is your personal experience of Jesus? When was you spiritual turning point? Do we have a personal conviction about God that does not based on what people told us of him? How has your knowledge of Jesus help other people to come to faith in Jesus. In case you have not personally experience him, all you need to do is to sincerely seek God in those common events in your life and you will realize how much God is willing to reveal himself to you.

So, today we are called to really examine our conscience to know where we are with regards to 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 get of underworld shall not prevail against it. Therefore, let us turn towards God once again with all our hearts and devote our whole lives in 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.

Friday 10 September 2021

Homily for Saturday Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 11th September, 2021

Readings: 1Tim. 1:15-17; Ps.113; Luke: 6: 43-49

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

LET THE WORD OF GOD PURIFY OUR HEARTS SO AS TO BEAR GOOD FRUITS THAT WILL CHANGE OUR CORRUPT SOCIETY

A tree is known to be either good or bad, healthy or sick by the fruit it produces. In the same way the human heart is known to be either good or bad, holy or sinful, sincere or corrupt by the fruits of our words and actions rooted in our character. Little wonder Jesus in our Gospel passage today said:

A good man draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart; a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness. For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart. Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and acts on them is like the man who when he built his house laid the foundations on a rock. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations.

Here, as Jesus conclude the sermon on the plain, he tells us 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. He also reminds us that it is not enough to hear the word of God; we must put it into practice. That it is not sufficient to speak about God, we must practice what we speak. We must let the Word of God touch and shape our lives so that we can bear good and healthy fruit .

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. Hence, we must embrace the word of God in our lives and let it unite us together so that we can bear good fruits even in our corrupt society. And St. Paul in our first reading tells us that: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And himself is the greatest of them; and if mercy has been shown to him, it is because Jesus Christ meant to make him the greatest evidence of his inexhaustible patience for all the other people who would later have to trust in him to come to eternal life.

Dear friends, what kind of fruit are we bearing deep down our hearts? 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 neighours? Is my attitude towards the word of God like that of the foolish builder who takes short cuts for quick results? Or that of a wise builder who spend time in digging a secured foundations through constant meditation and practice of the word of God?

Therefore, we must know that whenever we hear the word we must apply it to our daily lives, because that's the only way we can feed our soul and so bear good fruits. This is important because our society today have enough hearers of the word, what we need now is doers of the word, men and women who will feed their lives with the Word of God and from the abundance of their heart live a life that will influence the society positively. Remember, the houses built by the wise and foolish persons may probably look alike. But the difference is the foundations, which can only be revealed when tested by the storms of life.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, through your Word we find life and hope in Christ your Son who is our all in all, grant us the grace to embrace your word in our lives and so bear good and healthy fruits rooted on a rocky foundation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed and peaceful weekend.

Thursday 9 September 2021

Homily for Friday Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 10th September, 2021

Readings: Tim. 1:1-2.12-14; Ps. 16; Luke: 6: 39-42

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

IT’S TIME TO GET RID OF OUR LOG OF PRIDE IN ORDER TO HUMBLY REMOVE THE SPECK OF WEAKNESS IN OTHERS

As humans we are quick to always criticize and condemn other people. We are good in seeing people's faults and mistakes. But has it ever occurred to us that, while we are condemning other persons for their faults, and suddenly we realized that our own faults are just as many as theirs? It is this ugly attitude that Jesus is addressing today in the Gospel passage, when he said: Can one blind man guide another? Surely both will fall into a pit? Why do you observe the speck in your brother’s eye and never notice the log in your own? Hypocrite! Take the log out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

Here Jesus is referring to the blindness from the truth which the Pharisees and the Scribes and indeed most of us and our so called leaders today have decided to embrace as we have neglected the spirituality behind the natural human traditions and laws, to follow the may ritual and routing traditions and laws we have created out of our own selfish desires. For leaders who have the responsibility to lead, guide and teach the people have decided to embrace darkness and falsehood. And the greed, jealousy and wickedness in our hearts have blindfolded us and made us to become blind leaders of the blind.

Hence, Jesus told us how we have failed to see the log in our eyes while seeking to remove the speck in other's. But what is this log in our eyes? It is the log of pride. Pride makes us to forget who we are and claim who we are not. Pride makes us to look down on people. Pride makes us blind. It makes us not to look into our own live. Little wonder pride is the first capital sin.

Therefore, 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 speck of faults and weakness. Then we can say like St. Paul in our first reading, mercy was shown me, because until I became a believer I had been acting in ignorance; and the grace of our Lord filled me with faith and with the love that is in Christ Jesus.

Dear friends, do we know people who behave like blind leaders of the blind? Are we one of such leaders? We are called today to constantly examine our conscience to know what kind of leader we are in any capacity we find ourselves. We are called to take away our log of pride in order to humbly remove or accommodate the speck of faults and weaknesses in others. So let us cultivate the right disposition of heart that will make us to be visionary leaders, leading those entrusted to us safely towards the path of truth and eternal life.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, there are so many blind leaders in our world today who out of pride are leading humanity into destruction and death, help us to realize that we need to take away the log of pride that makes us blind in order to humbly remove and accommodate the faults and weakness of others thereby leading them to the path of truth and eternal life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a favourable day.

Wednesday 8 September 2021

Homily for Thursday Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 9th September, 2021

Readings: Col. 3:12-17 Ps.149, Luke: 6: 27-38

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

A CALL TO CHOSE LOVE OVER HATRED, FORGIVENESS OVER VENGEANCE

A critical look at what is happening in our world today, it is obvious that the world has lost the true meaning of love. For we have abandoned God who is the source and power of love and create for ourselves a mirage in the name love. Today love has become a tool for selfishness, deception, greed and emotional satisfaction. Thus it is extremely difficult to practice the genuine love of neighbours, talk more of the sacrificial love of our enemies.

But that is the demand Jesus makes of all his disciples in our Gospel passage today when he said: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly. To the man who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek too; to the man who takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your property back from the man who robs you. Treat others as you would like them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. Hence, St Paul in our first reading says: we are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves and we should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven us; now we must do the same.

So, in this Gospel, Jesus emphasis that it is natural and universal for human beings to love those who love them. But what makes his disciples different from other people is the ability to love not just everyone but to love their enemies and not take vengeance or bear grudges against one another. By so doing they will be imitating God their heavenly Father, who in his compassionate heart shows equal love to both the good and the bad, not because he is indifferent to morality, but because his love knows no bounds.

Dear friends, today we are called for a life of deeper virtue of sacrificial love, we are called to perfection, we are called to choose love over hatred and forgiveness over vengeance. But when Jesus talks about loving our enemies, he is not telling us to be passive in the face of physical danger or abuse. Rather he wants us to realize that hatred is a dangerous thing and must be handled with great care. Because hatred breeds violence and other things that weakens the human soul.

The truth is that, our enemies are not necessary those who we are at war with, those making life difficult for us or those who hate us but, those whom we hate. And the best way to destroy our enemies is to discover how best we can make them become our friend, not by hating or carrying out vengeance. How I wish the world will embrace this principle of loving and stretching the hands of friendship and peace to our presumed enemies, by investing more resources on things that bring about peace and friendship with one another, rather than building nuclear weapon that breeds more violence and hatred in the world. For when this is done, then the world will become more peaceful and loving.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, it is difficult and demanding for us to love our enemies, but this is what you are commanding us to do, give us the grace to bear the sacrificial nature of this demand and so become a true sign of your loving presence to those we encounter in life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Tuesday 7 September 2021

Homily for Wednesday Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 8th September, 2021. 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

CELEBRATING THE NATIVITY OF MARY, A REMINDER OF HER ROLE IN THE SALVATION OF HUMANITY

Every human person has a special role to play in the mystery of this life. Though some seem to have 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 the master plan or against it?

Mother Mary, whose birthday we celebrate today 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 handmaid of God she was privileged to be the mother of Jesus 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 goes, great men and women came and passed on, 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 passed generations and to what extent are they going to influence the 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 generation. And St. Paul in our first reading tells us that God co-operates with all those who love him, with 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 everyone of us. Our existence is not by chance or providence, rather it is by the Divine 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 cooperation with the grace of God and live in accordance to 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. Do have a blessed day.

Monday 6 September 2021

Homily for Tuesday Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 7th September, 2021

Readings: Col. 2:6-15; Ps. 149; Luke 6:12-19

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

LEARN TO BEGIN ALL YOUR IMPORTANT ACTIVITIES WITH PRAYERS

Prayer they say is a master key, for Jesus started with prayers and ended with prayer. He does nothing without praying. This is evident in our Gospel passage today where we heard how Jesus after deep prayers called from among his disciples twelve apostles, whom he called and chosen to continue his work of evangelization and mission towards the salvation of humanity, for he needed to have people who will be entrusted with this mission. So, each one of us like the apostles are called by name into a deep personal and intimate relationship with Jesus in order to be sent to bear witness of him in the world. Prayers and absolute commitment are necessary quality for this mission. That is why Jesus did not choose people because of what they were. Rather, he chose them for what they could become under his direction through prayers.

But one of the greatest problem is that we don’t often surrender our plan and mission to God’s will through prayers. So the question that comes to mind are, Will I pray? Will I stop praying? Will I care? Will I risk? Will I let the Lord to lead me in prayer? These are questions of great demands which every true disciple must constantly reflect throughout his life, in order to be aware of the seriousness of the commitment required of everyone of us as disciples of Jesus. Little wonder St. Paul in our first reading today says that we must live our whole life according to that of Christ whom we have received, for we must be rooted in him.

Dear friends, prayers is the key to evangelization and evangelization is the very nature and essence of the Church. And Jesus gives us the mandate and the commission to evangelize, that is, to announce the Good News to all the nations and to spread the Gospel to every creature. This commission is shared by all those who are baptized both priests and lay faithful. Everyone has a particular responsibility to share in the work of proclamation of the Gospel. Today, we should ask ourselves, how have we proclaimed the Gospel to the world? What efforts are we making to ensure that the mandate Christ entrusted to us is carried out effectively in our generation?

Therefore, prayer is very essential especially at this moment when the world is confused, because we have removed God out of our daily lives. Prayer is the key at this time when we have placed our hope in the activities of the human person who seems to have taken the place of God. Prayer is the key at this time when our governments, scientists, doctors, lawyers, professors and even pastors assumed the place of God, which of course have brought about the ugly situation we are facing in our societies today. Hence, we are reminded once again about our very mission which is rooted in prayers, for it is time to take this mandate very seriously, because it is our responsibility to fulfil our promises to God and ensure that the Christian faith is preached and sustained in the world and by so doing save humanity once again from sin, death and destruction.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, without prayers in our lives we are lost in this world, for a lot of us are confused because we have cut ourselves off from You our cornerstone, as we come back to you once again in prayers, may we learn from the prayer life of Jesus and his teaching and by so doing draw humanity back to You once again. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a favourable day.

Sunday 5 September 2021

Homily for Monday Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 6th September, 2021

Readings: Col. 1:24-2:3; Ps. 62; Luke 6:6-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

EVERY LAW MUST BE APPLIED AND INTERPRETED FOR THE WELL BEING OF HUMANITY

From the scriptures, it seems like every encounter that the Pharisees had with Jesus were always aimed at finding faults with what Jesus is doing. But to their greatness surprise, Jesus will always escape 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, and 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 all efforts to save humanity from damnation. He desires to see us making effort to becoming faithful and holy. His mercy is so deep that he propose it as the guiding principle for the perfect fulfillment and interpretation of the laws of life. Thus, Jesus in this passage have to teach us that humanity’s welfare should not be neglected because of laws and regulations. That nothing should restrict us from doing good to people not even the laws Sabbath.

Therefore, in as much as 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 oppress 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 today says that it is all to bind us together in love and to stir our minds, so that our understanding may come to full development, until we really know God’s secret in which all the jewels of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.

Dear friends, today we are called to constantly do good to everyone. We are called not to be faults-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 chaotic situation.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we often failed to listen to your teaching because of our selfish desires and pride, help us to always listen to you and be willing to do good always especially in applying and interpretation of laws and regulations. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed week ahead.

Saturday 4 September 2021

Homily for Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 5th September, 2021

Readings: Is.35:4-7; Ps.146; James 2:1-5; Mark 7:31-37

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LORD OPEN THE EARS AND MOUTH OF HUMANITY ONCE AGAIN TO HEAR AND LIVE BY YOUR WORDS

Reflecting on the ugly situation of human life in this world, especially how people pay attention to the things of this passing world at the expense of the things of God, how the world has engaged our attention to herself that we have now become deaf and dump to things that concerns our spiritual life. Yes we go to Church as often as possible, we engaged in one spiritual activity or another.

But the questions that comes to mind are: do we really listen and hear God speaking to us through those activities? Do we still see the hands of God in what we do? Are we really convinced of what we are doing in the house of God? Are we confused about our faith as a result of the ugly events and scandals we experience and hear everyday? The world really wants us to be deaf to the word of God and mute to speak the great things God is doing for us. This is evident in our daily activities where humanity paid deaf hears to the instructions of God by allowing herself to be deceived by the excess desires and attachment to things of this passing world and as a result of this ugly attitude separate ourselves from the presence of God out of pride and selfishness.

Thus, today in our Gospel passage, we hear how Jesus dramatically and figuratively wishes to heal us of our deafness and dumbness caused by our constant embracing of the sinful things of this passing world which is well demonstrated in the healing of the deaf and dumb man. A man who represents the deafness and dumbness of humanity towards the word of God. Hence, when this deaf and dumb man was brought to Jesus for healing. He took the man aside, puts his fingers in his ears, touches his tongue with spittle, looks up to heaven and prays saying, " Ephphatha! Be opened". Immediately the man’s ears were opened, his tongue loosed and he is able to speak plainly.

This same words are use during baptism while touching the ears and lips of the baptized, a gesture that signifies the spiritual openness of one’s heart to God’s words and will. For our hearts are often deaf to God’s words, because of our excess attachment to things of this world. And our mouths are also sealed by corruption, greed and sinful habits we have embraced. But in our baptism we are brought to Christ just like this deaf and dumb man for healing and restoration, so that we can hear the words of God and apply them in our lives and also express them to all humanity by our words and actions.

Dear friends, out of pride and greediness we have often separated ourselves from the presence of God and as a result, we have become deaf and dumb to his teachings and instructions. Hence, we all need to have our ears once again so that we can hear and understand fully the message of Jesus and share it to the world. I don’t know how far we have separated ourselves from God as a result of sin, I don’t know how deep our deafness and dumbness are, all I know is that today God is saying to us, fear not, have courage for the eyes of the blind shall be opened, ears of the deaf unstopped and the tongue of the mute shall sing for joy.

All we need is to trust God no matter the affliction we are passing through in this world, for he is able to save us from them all. Just as we heard prophet Isaiah in our first reading saying: Say to all faint hearts, ‘Courage! Do not be afraid. Behold, your God is coming, vengeance is coming, the retribution of God; he is coming to save you. Then, the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed, then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy; for water gushes in the desert, streams in the wasteland, the scorched earth becomes a lake, the parched land springs of water. And St James in our second reading tells us not to try combining faith in Jesus Christ with the making of distinctions between classes of people for God has chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of his Kingdom.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, our strong desire for the things of this passing world has made us so deaf and dumb towards your words. Let us hear your voice once more saying to us “Ephphatha, be opened”, so that we can hear your words deep down our hearts and joyfully proclaim it to all humanity through our actions. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday