Homily For Thursday, Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 25th September, 2025

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

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DEALING WITH A GUILTY CONSCIENCE

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. A situation that shows the behaviour and character of a guilty conscience.

Here, we see how the guilty conscience of Herod made him shiver concerning the personality of Jesus in relation to John the Baptist. This is what happens to us whenever we try to take the role of God in our relationship with others or treat other people badly. And this ugly attitude is what a lot of people are practising today, and as a result, many people are suffering the consequences of a guilty conscience.

This is because most of us are so attached to worldly things. We have let our pride, our ego and our selfish desires blind 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, and put on clothes but do not feel warm.

Dear friends, have you offended God or other people, and do you have a guilty conscience about it? What are the things that make us have a guilty conscience? What is the essence of our existence in this world at the expense of injustice to other people? What does God really require 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 by hurting other people, for nothing lasts forever. Hence we should remain steadfast in our faith in God, who has called us to love him and to love one another. Let us remain faithful to Christ’s mission and be committed wholeheartedly to what God has called us to do.

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. Help us to realise that without you life and all we have is nothing but vanity. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Wednesday, Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 24th September, 2025

Kindly Keep Me In Your Prayers As I Celebrate My Priestly Anniversary Today 

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

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

“TAKE NOTHING FOR THE 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 our 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 possessions, and pay our unreserved loyalty and allegiance to God over all other competing loyalties in our lives, including family, self-interest, and possessions. 

This is the situation Ezra in our first reading was addressing when he 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 carry out 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 are those habitual desires and possessions that are holding us back from 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 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's mission. Because our excess desire for the pleasurable things of this passing world has 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. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Tuesday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 23rd September, 2025. The Memorial of St. Pio of Pietrelcina

 

Readings: Ezra 6:7-8.12.14-20; Ps.122; Luke 8:19-21

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DOING THE WILL OF GOD IS THE ONLY WAY TO BELONG TO THE TRUE FAMILY OF JESUS

One of the psychological and spiritual needs of the human person is the sense of belonging, this need is just like the need for food, clothes and shelter. The feeling of belonging is fundamental to our sense of happiness and well-being, for it gives value to life and helps us in coping with some painful emotions as it improves our motivation. Hence, we often want to belong and identify with one another, with our friends and families, with our culture and from one association and group to another.

However, one of the common and safest place to belong is our families, especially when it is rooted in the family of God. So today in our Gospel passage, Jesus speaks about belonging to his family and his relationship with members of his family. When he was told that his mother and brothers were standing outside and wanted to see him. He said: My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.’

Here, Jesus speaks of two ways the people around him could be identified as members of his family. Firstly, he talks about those who belong to the family of his birth, that is, his mother, father and relations. Then his other family which is made up of those who do the will of God.

This family, he says, is his true family, where doing the will of God is the only way of belonging to this family. This is not to say that Jesus is rejecting his biological family; to do so would contradict his own teaching about loving one's parents and loving one's neighbours. However, Jesus is using this opportunity to emphasise that our relationship with God is more important and should be based on our total commitment to doing the will of God through him.

Surprisingly, Mary the mother of Jesus belongs to both sides of the family, for she gave birth to Jesus and also was the first to do the will of God when she said, “Let it be done unto me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). For this reason she is the first disciple of Jesus and a model for all Christians.

Thus, to be a Christian or a disciple is to enter into the family of Jesus and embrace a new relationship with God and with one another and this is the most important place to belong. All other bonds, including those of blood, should be considered secondary. Because, belonging to God is fundamental to our basic relationships, before all human relations.

For we belong first to God before belonging to our families, after which we all go back to God where we ultimately belong, which will be determined by how we have done the will of God here on earth. And our first reading we heard how the chosen people of God through the help of King Cyrus and Darius. Rebuild the Temple that was destroyed out of disobedience. And now they came back as one family to joyfully dedicate this Temple of God.

Dear friends, where do we ultimately and truly belong? Do you belong to the true family of Jesus? As Christians, we claim to belong to God, do our attitudes and decisions show that we truly belong to God? Do we not often commit ourselves to things contrary to the faith we professed in God?

So, today we are made to know that doing the will of God is the ultimate way of belonging to the true family of Jesus. Therefore, we are called to do the will of God always in order to truly belong to that true family of Jesus where love of God and love of neighbour unite us together.

This is what we see in the life of St. Pio, whose memorial we celebrate today. He is a good example of a disciple who belongs to the family of God. For he understood the sacrificial nature of doing the will of God through the mission of Christ and lived by it. Many came to believe in God through him and many were strengthened in their faith through his works and piety.

Though St. Pio experienced great difficulties in the course of his mission, this was so serious that they almost had his faculty of hearing confessions taken from him because of his spiritual experiences and grace.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we truly belong to you. Give us the grace to always do your will, and as we carry out your activities today, grant success to the works of our hands, through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Monday, Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 22nd September 2025

 

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

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

YOU ARE A LIGHT THAT ILLUMINATE THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD

Light is a very familiar word 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, 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. During our baptism, we were given candlelight which we are to keep 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 illuminate darkness and reflect 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 illuminated the darkness in the midst of the people of Israel who were in exile. 

For he ordered the people to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple of God, and so free them from the darkness of exile and slavery, and brought the light of hope to the people.

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 this passing world; rather, we must let them shine wherever we find ourselves.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we struggle every day to truly carry out 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 illuminates 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.

Homily For Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 21st September, 2025

 

Readings: Amos 8:4-7; Ps.113; 1Tim.2:1-8; Luke 16:1-13

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

LEARN TO PRUDENTLY USE THE THINGS OF THIS PASSING WORLD TO GAIN YOUR SALVATION

The elements of good and bad seem inherent in the human person, which is why the world is made up of both good and bad people mixed together. This will help us to understand the reason for corruption, greediness, immoral and social decadence in our world today. 

For walking through the streets, I observed how people are struggling with the things of this passing world. I can feel their passion, their determination and willingness even in the midst of corruption and challenges of life. 

How I wish we could put such energy into working towards the things that edify our souls. But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: what is my attitude towards the things of this passing world? Can I be trusted with the things of this passing world no matter how little? As managers of God’s resources, how are we using the things of this passing world, knowing that we are expected to be wise and smart in managing them?

Little wonder, in the Gospel passage today, Jesus tells us the parable of the dishonest steward who, having acted unjustly and having been exposed by his master, went to great lengths to make friends of his master’s debtors to secure his future. In this parable, Jesus is not telling us to be dishonest, but he wants us to learn a lesson about the danger of worldly cunning and the grace of Christian cleverness. 

We can learn even from this dishonest servant how to prudently use the things of this passing world to gain our salvation. Thus, Jesus points out that we too should be smart but not exactly like the dishonest steward, using dishonest wealth to exploit others as most people do today in our society. No, instead we, his disciples, are to use our wealth to win souls for the kingdom and safeguard our own souls. 

Hence, in this parable, the Lord speaks to us again about the spirit of worldliness: how this worldliness works and how dangerous it can be. And as we know, worldliness is an enemy to human souls, and that is why the devil derives great pleasure in seeing us dwell in worldliness, just like the dishonest steward. 

Though some of us may see nothing wrong with the attitude of this dishonest steward because he has only done what most people, if not everyone, does, especially in our country today, where we condone bribery and corruption as a way of survival and success. This ugly attitude is extremely sinful and dehumanising.

Little wonder Pope Francis,  while addressing this ugly kind of attitude, says that God commands us to live an honest life and bring home bread for our children through honest means. But most of us, like this dishonest steward, have chosen to bring back dirty bread of dishonesty for our children and even train and bring them up through dishonest means. 

Perhaps, today we should pray for many children and adults who receive dirty bread of dishonesty from their parents, especially those who are now hungry for the dignity of honesty.  This is what St. Paul advice us to do in our second reading today when he said: first of all, there should be prayers offered for everyone, petitions, intercessions and thanksgiving and especially for kings and others in authority, so that we may be able to live religious and reverent lives in peace and quiet. 

To do this is right, and will please God our saviour: for he wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth. This is important because bribery and corruption are obvious in our society today and they are serious sins because they are against our human dignity. The dignity by which we are united to God and to one another through our honest labour and not through bribery and corruption. 

Little wonder God, through prophet Amos in our first reading today, said: Listen to this, you who trample on the needy and try to suppress the poor people of the country, who can buy up the poor for money, and the needy for a pair of sandals. Never will I forget a single thing you have done. So, we should be careful not to fall into the temptations of money and other worldly pleasures which are trying to lead us away from God and the salvation he has given us.

The fact remains that these corrupt and cunning ways of life dehumanize us, even though it seems to be common in our society today, it doesn’t really make it right. Though, we are not called to be foolish, rather we are meant to know that there is another road, an alternative route to worldly cunning. It is the path of “Christian cleverness”. 

This path, Pope Francis says, “allows us to be cunning but not according to the spirit of the world but the smartness of God’s wisdom and grace. For Jesus himself said: be wise as serpents, innocent as doves”. Uniting these two realities is the grace that the Lord gives to us when we ask for it.

Dear friends, today,  we are called to live a life of integrity, to let go of worldly cunning and embrace Christian cleverness. For each and every one of us is called to be a good manager and custodian of whatever blessings and resources God has given us. We are all reminded that we have been called to follow the Lord and to devote ourselves to Him wholeheartedly. We must learn to be trusted and ensure that we manage whatever is entrusted to us.

So, we are called to really examine our conscience to know where we are with regard to our vocation as Christians. How can we best harness the things entrusted to us so that they can be sources and means of safeguarding our souls, surrounded by corruption and greediness? 

Therefore, we are called today to be wise and smart, for if the worldly-minded people can be smart in their dealings, we too should be smarter in our struggles for the salvation of our souls and that of humanity at large. We should utilise the resources available to us and use them to secure our salvation. 

This is possible if we understand the principle that says that everything we own is a gift from God; then we will realise that God is the owner of everything and that we are His stewards. As such, we are to use the Master’s resources to further the Master’s work and not the contrary. In this contest, we are told to be generous with our resources and use them for the safety of our souls and the growth of God’s kingdom.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we listened to your words today, may we not be carried away by the things of this passing world. Rather than give us the grace to live a life of integrity and the skills to manage the resources entrusted to us and use them properly for the salvation of humanity and the development of our societies, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a grace-filled Sunday celebration.

Homily For Saturday Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 20th September, 2025. The Memorial of St Andrew Kim Taegon and Companions

 

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

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

MAKE YOUR HEART A FERTILE GROUND FOR THE WORD OF GOD TO BEAR FRUIT

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 interests are based. Therefore, to be fruitful in whatever we do, we must develop the right disposition towards it. Knowing how important this is 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 were 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 categorised our different dispositions 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 hearts to do the will of God.

This is important because today and even in the scriptures, many 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. 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.

Also, what about the good soil? These are those who hear the Word, understand and internalise it, who indeed bear fruit and yield an abundant harvest. Our mother Mary and the apostles, excluding Judas, are good examples 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, for us to rise with Christ, we must first die to ourselves. That is, those things which lead 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, 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 a light of faith for the people and so illuminated the darkness of sin and wickedness.

Dear friends, today, our hearts are the fields in which the Word of God is scattered, to which do our hearts belong? The pathway, 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 roots 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 every day, give us grace to remain open to receiving your Word, so as to bear fruit abundantly. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed and peaceful weekend.

Homily For Friday Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 19th September, 2025

  

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

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

HOW  ARE YOU CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS THE MISSIONARY MANDATE OF CHRIST? 

In his mission to save 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 could gain from him. 

But only a few followed him in order to provide for him and contribute towards the success of his mission. This is the disposition 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 with 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. 

 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, we are judged worthy of a place in the heavenly Kingdom. So, we are 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 use 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 through our way of life? Do we desire to be part of this mission but lack the courage and discipline? 

Do we think that this mission is not for us? The fact remains that as baptised persons, it is our obligation to carry out this mission, and it is not optional. It is an obligation we must carry out irrespective of our status, position, environment and deposition.

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

Homily For Thursday, Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 18th September 2025

 

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

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

BECAUSE SHE LOVES MORE HER MANY SINS ARE FORGIVEN

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 labelled as sinners in society. But this is not the same as Jesus in our Gospel passage today, who welcomes sinners and shows 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, 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 is 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 are all sinners and debtors before God. Though some sinners are greater debtors, whether our debt be more or less, it is more than we can 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 your 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 the 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 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. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Wednesday, Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 17th September 2025

 

Readings: 1Tim. 3:14-16; Ps.111; Luke 7:31-35

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LET US LEARN TO TAKE THE WORD OF GOD SERIOUSLY

Reflecting on the disposition of humanity today towards the Word of God, I can not help but ask myself questions about our faith in God, whom we often claim to love and belong to. This is because, despite all the articles of faith and evidence in both scriptures and historical tradition, we still do not have a good grasp of who God really is in our lives. 

This very disposition is always the case with every generation and this is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today when he said: What description can I find for the men of this generation? What are they like? They are like children shouting to one another while they sit in the marketplace: “We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t cry.” 

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a possessed; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! Here Jesus made us know that the problem with this generation is that we have failed to listen to either the message of John the Baptist or that of Jesus. 

No doubt that John’s uncommon lifestyle made people accuse him of having a demon, while Jesus’ habit of eating and drinking with sinners affected his reputation among the Jews. But Jesus made us know that his generation finds reason to take offence at both John and Jesus himself. 

So, Jesus compares those who are rejecting his message to that of children in the marketplace who cannot decide whether they want to play a wedding song or a funeral song, but can’t get the people to dance when the tune is piped. For they played their pipes, and expect others to dance; they beat their breasts in lamentation, and expect others to weep. They complain if others do not comply with their demands

To such a company, Jesus refers as an evil generation in which he and John the Baptist found themselves. Just as in our own generation today, some people have refused to repent when challenged by the teachings of John the Baptist and some people also refused to join the celebrations of Jesus and to take his message seriously.

Dear friends, what is our attitude towards the Word of God we hear every day? Why have we failed to take the Word of God seriously? Why have we failed to embrace the article of faith made available for us by the Lord in our scriptures? Why do we take for granted the signs and messages the Lord is giving us?

Little wonder we heard St. Paul in our first reading today saying: I want you to know how people ought to behave in God’s family – that is, in the Church of the living God, which upholds the truth and keeps it safe. Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is very deep indeed: He was made visible in the flesh, attested by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the pagans, believed in by the world, taken up in glory.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, enkindle in us once again the fire of your love, so that we may embrace your message and so become your great servants dedicating our lives and service to loving you and our neighbours. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.  Have a lovely day.

Homily For Tuesday, Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 16th September, 2025, The Memorial of SS. Cornelius and Cyprian

  

Reading: 1Tim. 3:1-13; Ps. 101; Luke 7:11-17

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

DO NOT CRY THE LORD WILL RESTORE EVERYTHING FOR YOU 

Pondering on the struggles, fears, tears, disappointments and betrayals that people are passing through every day just to survive in this world, especially in our country, Nigeria. How some people have lost hope in themselves and even in everything they do, just like the widow of Nain in our Gospel today who had lost her only son, her only hope, the only thing she had. But it pleased God to restore her joy even when all hope had gone. 

For we heard that when Jesus saw the woman he felt sorry for her and said: ‘Do not cry’. Then he went up and put his hand on the bier and the bearers stood still, and he said, ‘Young man, I tell you to get up.’ And the dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Everyone was filled with awe and praised God saying, ‘A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people.

Here we see the compassionate heart of Jesus for the widow and the restoration of her son. This will let us know that God, at an appointed time, will restore our lost hope and confidence again so that we will know that he, the Lord, is our God. He made us, and we belong to him, for eternal is his merciful love, and he is faithful from age to age.

Dear friends, I don’t know what you are going through now. I don’t know what seems to be lost in your life or your family. I don’t know how bad things have become for you now. One thing I know is that God has not abandoned you. God has not forgotten you. Your time has come, it may be today, this month, this year or very suddenly, just like the widow. 

All we need to do is to pay attention to what St. Paul is telling us in our first reading today as regards what should be the character of a good leader when he said: To want to be a presiding elder is to want to do noble work. That is why the president must have an impeccable character. He must not have been married more than once, and he must be temperate, discreet and courteous, hospitable and a good teacher; not a heavy drinker, nor hot-tempered, but kind and peaceable.

Therefore, what God wants from us is to be a good person even in the midst of all the challenges we face every day. So as you go about your activities today, know that God has not forgotten you, cheer up, for God understands what you are passing through, and as it pleases him, he is just waiting for the right time to restore your joy and bless you. 

This is what we see in the lives of Pope Cornelius and Cyprian whose memorial we celebrate today. For they were holy servants of God who dedicated their lives to the service of God and for the love of God and their neighbour. And for this they died as martyrs under great persecution, of which they stood firm in their faith and hope which is rooted in their love of God and neighbours.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we struggle with our daily challenges, may we experience your saving help and so be a shining splendour in our family, society and in the world at large. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Monday, Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 15th September, 2025. The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

 

Readings: 1Tm 2:1-8; Ps.28; John 19:25-27

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LEARN TO BEAR YOUR SORROWS OF LIFE

In life, we encounter ugly events and challenges that cause us sorrows and tears. And oftentimes we don't know how to manage those moments. 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, 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 may seem so easy for those who have not experienced the painful torture that comes from witnessing the suffering of their 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 than 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 suffer for our redemption. Little wonder in our first reading we are told that 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 them all.

Dear friends, I don’t know what kind of sorrows you are carrying in your hearts. Is it the sorrows caused by the ugly situation in your life, your family, your place of work, your inability to achieve your goals and dreams in like manner? Or is it sorrows caused by other people, or caused by mistakes of your past, the 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 associate 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 them. 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.

Homily For Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 14th September, 2025. 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 A SYMBOL OF THE SACRIFICIAL LOVE OF CHRIST FOR HUMANITY

A lot of people in our societies today put on the cross without knowing the true meaning of the cross and what it represents. They just feel that the cross is a fashionable object that makes them look good and feel important, but this is not the case because the cross is more than that. Today we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This feast is so important to our Christian faith because the Holy Cross is a symbol of the 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's 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 appears in Christian artworks and countless generations of artists have turned it into a thing of beauty to be carried in procession or worn as jewellery and other religious 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 an 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 sake 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 cross, Jesus tells us everything and solves all our difficult problems.

Just like the Israelites in our first reading, who had 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 in our second reading tells us 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 its 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 represent in our lives? 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 deeply 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 inflation 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 priests and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Lagos.

Homily For Saturday, Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 13th September 2025. The Memorial of St. John Chrysostom

 

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

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR STORE OF LIFE? GOOD OR BAD?

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 concludes 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. 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 fruit 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 in 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 neighbours? Is my attitude towards the word of God like that of the foolish builder who takes shortcuts for quick results? Or that of a wise builder who spends time digging a secure foundation through constant meditation and practice of the word of God?

Therefore, 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 souls and so bear good fruit. This is important because our society today has enough hearers of the word; what we need now are 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 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. Therefore, let us learn from the life of John Chrysostom, whose memorial we celebrate today. For he is known for his deep love for God and heavenly things which he well demonstrated by 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 utilised the gifts God gave him and used them for heavenly glories.

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 in a rocky foundation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed and peaceful weekend.

Homily For Friday, Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 10th September 2025

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

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

DEALING WITH THE LOG OF PRIDE AND THE SPECK OF WEAKNESS IN US

As humans we are quick to always criticize and condemn other people. We are good at seeing people's faults and mistakes. But has it ever occurred to us that, while we are condemning other persons for their faults, we suddenly realise 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 others. But what is this log in our eyes? It is the log of pride. Pride makes us forget who we are and claim who we are not. Pride makes us look down on people. Pride makes us blind. It makes us not look into our own lives. 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 specks of faults and weaknesses. 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 enable 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. Have a favourable day.

Homily For Thursday Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 11th September, 2025

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

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

HOW CAN I LOVE MY ENEMIES?

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 created for ourselves a mirage in the name of 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 robbed 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 emphasises 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 to 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 weaken the human soul.

The truth is that our enemies are not necessarily those with whom we are at war, 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 friends, not by hating or carrying out vengeance.

How I wish the world would embrace this principle of loving and stretching the hands of friendship and peace to our presumed enemies, by investing more resources in things that bring about peace and friendship with one another, rather than building nuclear weapon that breeds more violence and hatred in the world. When this is done, 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.

Homily For Wednesday, Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 10th September 2025

 

Readings: Col. 3:1-11 Ps.145, Luke 6:20-26

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

WHERE DO YOU BELONG? WOE OR BLESSED?

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

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

But this is not the same with Jesus, for today in our Gospel passage, Jesus talks about the blessings of the poor and the woes of the rich in relation to the virtue of humility and pride towards the things of this passing world and the things of heaven. For he said, Blessed are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now: you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now: you shall laugh. But woe to you who are rich: you are having your consolation now. Woe to you who have your fill now: you shall go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now: you shall mourn and weep.

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

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

However, the poor, the hungry and those weeping in this Gospel passage are not just referring to the regular poor and hungry people around us rather, Jesus is referring to the fundamental character of the virtue of humility that is rooted in the poverty of the spirit, that consciousness of one’s own weakness and total dependent on God, which can be found in the lives of both regular poor or rich people and can also be lacking in neither depending on one’s disposition. Now we can understand why the woe to the rich and blessings for the poor

Dear friends, our world needs more virtuous people than rich people. However, blessed are those who are virtuous and rich, but woe to those who are rich and lack virtue, for they shall soon mourn and weep. Little wonder St. Paul in our first reading says: Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God.

That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life: fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god. This is the sort of behaviour that makes God angry.

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

Homily For Tuesday Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 9th September, 2025

 

Readings: Col. 2:6-15; Ps. 145; Luke 6:12-19

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

WHY WE MUST CULTIVATE THE ACT OF PRAYER LIKE JESUS

In the scriptures, it is obvious that Jesus spent a lot of time in prayer, especially during every important event in his mission. He does nothing without prayers. This is evident in our Gospel passage today, where we heard how Jesus, after deep prayer, called from among his disciples twelve apostles, whom he called and chose to continue his work of evangelisation and mission towards the salvation of humanity, for he needed to have people who would be entrusted with this mission.

So, each one of us, like the apostles, is called by name into a deep personal and intimate relationship with Jesus in order to be sent to bear witness to him in the world. Prayers and absolute commitment are necessary qualities 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 prayer.

But one of the greatest problems is that we don’t often surrender our plan and mission to God’s will through prayer. So the question that comes to mind is, Will I pray? Will I stop praying? Will I care? Will I risk it? Will I let the Lord 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 every one 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 are 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 proclaiming 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 essential, especially at this moment when the world is confused because we have removed God from 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 have assumed the place of God, which, of course, has 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. Have a favourable. 

Homily For Monday, Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time, Year C, 8th September 2025. 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

GOD HAS CREATED YOU FOR A PURPOSE

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

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

A role she played according to God's master plan. As 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 go, great men and women came and passed on, and new generations continue to spring up. This is our own generation, but the questions remain: to what extent can our genealogy be traced to that of Christ?

To what extent have the things we are doing now been influenced by the events of the past generations, and to what extent are they going to influence future generations?

Today, we are reminded that we are playing our own role in the salvation of mankind; our existence means a lot to future generations. And St. Paul in our first reading tells us that God cooperates 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 special will of God who made it possible for us to participate in his mystery at this present age. He could have willed for us to exist in the past or in the future or not to exist at all.

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

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

Homily For Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 7th September, 2025

  

Readings: Wis. 9:13-18 Ps.90; Philem. 1:9-10,12-17; Luke 14:25-33

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

UNDERSTANDING THE SACRIFICIAL NATURE OF DISCIPLESHIP 

Every successful action or event passes through a series of serious processes of preparation. But these series and serious processes are not always very visible to all. People only see the glorious aspects but don’t take notice of the rigorous process of the action or event. Such is the life of a disciple. So, today we are meant to know that a true disciple must constantly reflect and embrace the sacrificial nature of discipleship. 

Little wonder Jesus in our Gospel passage today, takes his discourse on discipleship to a radical and difficult level when he said: ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’

Here, Jesus teaches about the cost of discipleship. That there is a price to be paid. However, Jesus does not directly intend to cause tensions and divisions in family life, but he wants us to accept the consequences that comes with the truth of the Gospel teaching, more importantly, when it comes to living out the Gospel message radically, especially in a situation where our family values have been thrown out of caution as a result of secularism, individualism and excess desires for worldly pleasures, thereby neglecting the things that lead us to God. 

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

For none of us can become his disciple if we do not give up our excess desire for worldly pleasures and possessions, and pay our unreserved loyalty and allegiance to God over all other competing loyalties in our lives, including family, self-interest, and possessions. Little wonder we heard in our first reading that the reasonings of mortals are unsure and our intentions unstable; for a perishable body presses down the soul, and this tent of clay weighs down the teeming mind. For it is hard enough for us to work out what is on earth, and laborious to know what lies within our reach; who, then, can discover what is in the heavens?

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

This is what St. Paul in our second reading is trying to tells us when he said to Philemon: I know you have been deprived of Onesimus for a time, but it was only so that you could have him back for ever, not as a slave any more, but something much better than a slave, a dear brother; especially dear to me, but how much more to you, as a blood-brother as well as a brother in the Lord. So discipleship requires sacrifices of all that is so dear to us for the sake of the kingdom of God. 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, the excess desire for the pleasurable things of this passing world have weakened our hearts from becoming good disciples. 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. Have a blessed Sunday.