HOMILY FOR SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR A, 1ST MARCH, 2026. HAPPY NEW MONTH

 

Readings: Gen. 12:1-4; Ps. 33; 2 Tim. 1:8-10; Matt. 17:1-9

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

LEAVING YOUR COMFORT ZONE IN ORDER TO PERSONAL ENCOUNTER GOD

Reflecting on the awesome nature of God as manifested in the things He created, the surprising ways He chooses to carry out His plans, the people He chooses, the place, and the things He use in fulfilling His plans, they are just incomprehensible. This is evident in our readings today. 

In the first reading, we heard how God called Abraham to leave his country, his family and his father’s house, for the land He will show him. Here God promised to  bless him and make him a great nation. Such were the promises that God had given to Abraham, and he believed in God fully and completely, leaving his ancestral family and lands behind, and journeyed with God to the promised land. 

As the scriptures made us to know, Abraham had a lot of properties, amazing connections and things he definitely enjoyed in his ancestral homeland. But he chose to trust in God and abandoned all these things, and journeyed with God in faith and commitment towards attaining the promised made to him.

Thus, this call of Abraham marks the beginning of a special encounter and a close relationship between God and man. By following and trusting God, Abraham demonstrates extraordinary faith in God’s guidance and providence. Through his faith the whole humanity were blessed because from his descendants comes the saviour of humanity and this saviour is revealed at the mountain of transfiguration in the person of Jesus as we have it in our Gospel passage today.

The remarkable event of transfiguration reveals in a moment that Jesus was not just merely a Man, but also the Son of God and the Saviour of the world. He has two distinct yet inseparable natures of Man and Divine, through which he would seal and make a new Covenant that will last forever with all humanity, which will be made through his Passion, his death on the Cross and his resurrection. Through this  Covenant, all of us are made to be sons and daughters of God, sharers of God’s inheritance and glory which was promised to Abraham and his descendants. 

Therefore, the event of the transfiguration of the Lord reminds us of the revelation of Christ as the beloved Son of the Father, the one we are called to trust and listen to. An event that occur to draw our attention to inevitable event of parousia (the second coming of Jesus at the judgement day), which calls us to a life of faith and radical transformation. A transformation that 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. The transfiguration account tells us about a dramatic encounter of God’s presence.  A truly spiritual personal experience of God calling us for a possibility of divine encounter. 

Dear friends, today God is calling and separating us from the things of this passing world in order to have a personal encounter with him just like Abraham and the three disciples Peter, James and John. For we all have been called to journey with the Lord and to obey His will. Often time when we are called to follow the Lord, the path may seem to be uncertain and unknown to us, it may seem difficult and contrary to our own way of life.  And the devil is always ready to distract us, persuading and tempting us to remain in our old and ugly way of life and not to respond to the Lord’s calling.

Therefore, we are called this Holy Season of Lent  to reexamine our lives, how are we responding to God’s call?  How are we able to discern carefully the will of God in our lives? God has called us to change our ugly ways of life and follow Him, in whatever directions that He wishes to lead us through. Are we ready to follow him? Are we ready to let go of the excess desire for sinful things of this passing world? Are we ready to sacrifice all for the sake of following the Lord and experience his glory and presence in our lives?

The truth remains that, we can change our friends, our residence, our cars or our physical appearance: hear, cloth and colour of our skin. We can change our gender as some people do today, we can change even our church denomination, the Masses we attend,  our pious societies, even our pastors or priests. 

But if we do not have a personal transfigurative experience like the three disciples, that will bring about a change of mind and heart towards loving God and neighbours, we will remain the same and the old experience of unfruitful life will perpetuate itself over and over again. Because, everything absolutely changes when we encounter and  experience God personally in our lives and change our mind and heart for good. For that change can only be propelled by a strong personal experience of God in our lives just like Peter, James and John. 

Hence, St Paul calls us in our second reading to embrace the Gospel in the power of God, who saved and called us with a holy calling in order to personally experience the transfigurative power of His presence, not in virtue of our work but in virtue of His own purpose and grace which He gave us through Jesus Christ.

 As we worship God today, may He transform us into the image and likeness of his Son Jesus and fill our heart with the Joy of His kingdom.

LET US PRAY: Almighty God,  as you have called us to the mountain of encounter and transfiguration, may we truly encounter you personally in your Words and Sacraments which we celebrate this Holy season of Lent. We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.  HAPPY NEW MONTH, WISHING YOU GOD'S FAVOUR AND BLESSINGS 

Homily For Saturday First Week of Lent Year A, 28th, 2026

 

Readings: Deut.26:16-19, Ps.119, Matt. 5:43-48

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

UNDERSTANDING THE SACRIFICIAL DEMANDS OF CHRISTIAN LIFE

Naturally people desires to love and be loved, to relate and be in the company of those whom they love. No body enjoy being among those who detest them and cause them pain and sorrows. That is why people naturally sacrifice for those whom they love in order to keep their friendship and companion. But it takes greater love and sacrifice to do good to people who detest us and caused us sorrows and pain since it is difficult and unnatural to sacrifice for such people.

This sacrificial life of love is what Jesus calls us to embrace in pursuit of the life of perfection. Little wonder he says in our Gospel passage: ‘if you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’

Here Jesus emphasis that though 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.

For by so doing we will be imitating the perfection of God our heavenly Father, who shows equal love to all and calling us to a greater life of sacrificial love and deeper virtue towards perfection. Hence, we are called in our first reading today to keep the laws of the Lord, to keep and observe them with all our heart and with all our soul, so that we will be a people consecrated to the Lord and by so doing become perfect just as our heavenly Father is perfect .

Dear friends, Christian life requires daily carrying of the burden of sacrificial love. That is why today we are called to a life of deeper virtue in love that leads to perfection. We are called to choose love over hatred and forgiveness over vengeance. For hatred breeds violence and other things that weakens the human soul, but love unites and heals.

The fact is that, God desires peace for humanity and this peace is what Jesus came to bring in the world, to restore the peace that God intended for all creation from the first day of creation. So today all of us are called to offer this peace to the world full of hatred, greed and violence. This we are called to accept and live out day by day in every way we can.

Therefore friends, it’s time for us to stretch out the hands of friendship and peace to everyone both friends and enemies alike, by investing more resources on things that bring about peace and friendship with one another, rather than causing chaos and divisions by building nuclear weapon that breeds more violence and hatred in the world. For by so doing the world will become more peaceful and loving.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, today we are called to live a life of perfection through sacrificial love. But the cross of sacrificial life of love is so heavy, give us the grace to truly carry it by forgiving our enemies and strive towards the life of perfection that offers peace, mercy, compassion and love to distressed humanity. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Friday First Week of Lent Year A, 27th February, 2026

 

Readings: Ezek. 18:21-28, Ps.130, Matt. 5:20-26

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

EXPERIENCING GOD’S JUSTICE AND MERCY

Most of the time, we often find it difficult to understand the way God operates, especially as regards to his relationship with humanity. This is because humanity have failed to understand how God’s mercy and justice are applicable in our relationship with him and with one another. Little wonder, today in our first reading, prophet Ezekiel demonstrate to us how God’s mercy and justice will be a standard for judging humanity.

Here, he made us to know that those who are righteous, if they fall into sin and wickedness, they will be judged by those same sins they committed, and if found wanting, they will be condemned because of them. On the other hand, those who are wicked, if they repent from their wickedness and act righteously, they will be pardoned and saved because of the righteousness and faith that they have shown through their repentance.

So when the upright man renounces his integrity to commit sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he himself has committed, for this is God’s justice in action. But when the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding, honest and holy, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die, this is God’s mercy in action. For we cannot separate God’s mercy and justice, because they are one and the same. The fact remains that, God is not interested in our past sinful ways, but in our present state of life.

Hence, Jesus in our Gospel passage today, calls us to a deeper virtue, when he said to his disciples, If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. That is, we must strive to deepen our virtue towards righteous deeds. We must become agent of peace and reconciliation. We must be a symbol of God’s mercy and justice in a world full of corruption and greed.

Dear friends, we are call today to experience this mercy and justice of God in a unique way. Thus, we have to be vigilant always and strive to be righteous before God and man. Today, we have to make a fundamental choice to live a holy life and never to return to our sinful ways of life. We must struggle everyday to grow in righteousness and never give up no matter the situation we are passing through. We should always reflect on what this justice and Mercy of God really mean in our lives as we strive everyday to remain faithful to God’s commandment of love and peace.

LET US PRAY, as we struggle everyday towards holiness and perfection, may we be guided by the Holy Spirit and strive to remain on the path of righteousness and never to go back to our sinful and ugly ways of life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It’s Friday, wishing you God’s grace, mercy and favour.

Homily For Thursday First Week of Lent Year A, 26th February, 2026

 

Readings: Esther 14:1.3-4.11.13-14, Ps.138, Matt. 7:7-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

DO NOT CARRY YOUR BURDEN ALONE BRING THEM TO GOD IN PRAYER

Reflecting on our daily experience on the events of life, especially the struggles, the challenges, the disappointments, the cries and difficult situation people are passing through just to earn a living giving the experience of the ugly situation in our country today. I can’t but recall in our first reading today, Esther’s prayer to God, asking him for deliverance for his people Israel, who were about to be annihilated as a nation by their enemies. 

In this passage, Esther prayed just before she was about to present herself before the King. She was ready to do anything for the sake of her people, and she asked God for strength, guidance and courage as she was about to face the greatest challenge of her life, risking her very life and position for what she was about to do. 

That is, to plead for the safety of her people before the King. She asked for the Lord to guide her and to give her the courage to face her enemies and to soften the heart of the King. And through her prayers, the Lord guided her to triumph against Haman and all those plots he had made against Israel.

This no doubt, shows us the power of prayer and seeking the will of God before doing anything or taking any difficult decision. Hence, Jesus in our Gospel passage today tells us to “ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him”. 

One may say I have been praying for God’s intervention in some ugly situations but it seems as if no answer has been given. The fact is that God answers all our prayers if we are patient with him. For he may not grant us what we want because as a caring Father, he gives us what we truly need, and not what we want.

Dear friends, do not carry your burdens alone bring them to God in prayer. Yes, we are full of energy, zeal and passion, ready to face the challenges and struggles of yet another day. But the questions we need to ask ourselves are, what are we doing concerning the present situation in our lives, our family, societies and country?  

It may seem as if all hope is gone, but  the Lord is saying to us today, that we should ask, and it will be given to us; search, and we will find; knock, and the door will be opened to us. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Let us all not be afraid to seek the Lord and ask him for protection and guidance.

But are we willing to trust the Lord and be patient with him? Are we willing to seek the Lord and to make the effort to find him and to follow him wherever he leads us to? Do we have the courage and the love of God, as well as the faith and dedication like that of Queen Esther? Who today has shown us that if we trust the Lord and ask him for anything, he will surely provide for us, and we will have no cause to fear in our struggles of life. 

So, like Queen Esther let us ask for God’s strength, guidance and courage to face the daily challenges in our life, in our families and in our country.  Thus, what are the things we need from the Lord? Its time to present them before him. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are struggling with so many ugly situations in our lives, families, societies and in our country, as we pour out our hearts to you in prayer, may you grant our heart desires and guide our ways today and always. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Wednesday of the First Week of Lent Year A, 25th February, 2026

 

Readings: Jonah 3:1-10, Ps.51, Luke 11:29-32

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

WHY HAVE WE FAILED TO UNDERSTAND THE SIGNS OF OUR TIME

Oftentimes, when we reflect on our struggle with the ugly situations in our lives, our families, societies and the world at large, we sincerely wish that God should give you a sign from heaven as a way of showing us some definitive guidance or direction towards addressing the situation. 

When this signs are not fourth coming we feel bad and begin to question God or even doubt his presence in our lives just the way must people in our country feels today because of the results of the election.  This was also the disposition of the crowd in our Gospel passage today. 

Where we heard how those who were listening to Jesus were anxious to know what signs to look out for when the End Times come. But Jesus said to them: “the only sign that will be given is the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. Hence, Jesus states that no sign will be given except the sign of Jonah. The “sign of Jonah” in this passage refers to Jesus’ Crucifixion, his death, his three days in the tomb and his Resurrection.  Just the way Jonah was three days in the belly of the whale.  

Thus, Jesus in this Gospel was making reference to our first reading, where because of the preaching of prophet Jonah, the whole city of Nineveh went into great mourning and repentance before God. Everyone from the King, who issued the order to the whole city and its people to repent from their sins, right down to the lowest among the people, all humbled themselves, tore their clothes and wore sackcloth as a sign of penance. 

The point here is that  Jesus’ death and resurrection is the sign that will be given. We should seek nothing other than this sacred mystery of our faith. This is the sign and actions that the Lord Jesus is talking about when he addressed the people who doubted him and demanded miraculous wonders and signs from him.

So, here Jesus strongly condemns those seeking for signs because he wants us to seek him through the gift of faith rooted in the mystery of his death and resurrection. For every question, problem, struggle and confusion in our lives can be addressed when we enter into the great mystery of our redemption. So, seeking a sign other than this would be wrong, in that, it would be a way of saying that the death and resurrection of Jesus is not enough sign for us.

Dear Friends, the paschal mystery of Christ is the only sign we need. Therefore, as we embrace the activities of this Holy season of Lent, Jesus is calling us to repentance for sins make us blind in such a manner that we will continue to seek for signs even when things are clear and obvious in our lives.  But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: what signs are we seeing around us today? How can we interpret the signs of this times, the signs that tell us that this world is passing away? Do these signs make us to dread the second coming of the Lord or do we joyfully embrace it in anticipation? 

Hence, Jesus is warning us today not to waste our time seeking for signs, rather we should be prepared, we should remain firm in faith. He reminds us that he is the only sign that can be given to humanity. Therefore, we should not join the crowds to look for signs especially this times of trial in our country, rather we should seek for wisdom to make things right by turning your eyes to the central mystery of our faith, that is the life, death and resurrection of Christ, where every question can be answered and every grace is obtained. Let us not give up,  we must surly be victorious.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you are the sign that we seek,  as we embrace your word today give us the grace to recognize that in Paschal mystery of Christ we find the true sign we desired and so obtain the answer and directions to our daily struggles. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.

Homily For Tuesday First Week of Lent Year A, 24th February, 2026

 

Readings: Is. 55:10-11, Ps.34, Matt. 6:7-15

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

PRAYING THE RIGHT WAY

One of the three traditional dimensions of Lenten season is prayer. This is important because it is the means by which we communicate with our God. So we are called today to reflect on the meaning and right principles to prayer as we progress through this season of Lent.

Little wonder, in our Gospel passage today, Jesus knowing how important the act of prayer is to humanity, taught his disciples the principle and pattern of all prayers when he said: “Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we also have forgiven all who trespassed against us. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from evil one”.

Here, Jesus knowing that prayer is an essential part of our faith through which we grow in our relationship with God, gave us seven principles that should guide all our prayers. This prayer contain series of statements and petitions in which we affirm our relationship with God, with the people around us and with the world in general. In it contains a statement of faith, obligations and commitment as the foundation through which these seven principles are fulfilled.

The first principle is to acknowledge God as “Our Father”. This is a call for unity that requires faith, obligation and commitment. Here we acknowledge God not just as my Father, but as Our Father and the ‘Our’ includes every single person who lives or has ever lived on this earth.

The second principle calls us to reverence the name of the Lord as we say: “Hallowed be thy name “ yes, God’s name is holy no matter what we say or think of him. However, we make this prayer for our sake more than for his sake. Because from the holiness of his name comes the root of our faith and strength, so we are praying that God’s name be held in deepest respect by people everywhere.

The third principle calls us to have the vision of God’s kingdom, hence we pray saying: “Your kingdom come”, that is, we pray that humanity should consciously and willingly embrace the love and kingship of God which he is offering us. The forth principle invites us to dispose ourselves to embrace the will of God as we pray saying: “Your will be done on earth, as in heaven”. This is very important for it helps us to discern and be disposed to pray and live in accordance with the will of God.

The fifth principle calls us to learn how to be contented with what we have and reject all forms of selfishness and greed as we say: “Give us today our daily bread,” of which God surely provides. The sixth principle calls us to make an examination of conscience and to seek reconciliation knowing how weak we are, hence we pray saying: “And forgive us our trespasses, as we have forgiven those who trespassed against us”. Here we make serious commitment and obligation, asking that the condition for God’s forgiveness of our sins should based on our readiness to forgive those who have offended us.

Finally the seventh principle calls us to have total confidence in God’s providence, protection and guidance as we pray saying: “And do not put us to the test, but save us from evil”. So here we acknowledge our weaknesses and our total dependence on God’s help against all the evil forces of this world.

Dear friends, there is need for us to learn to follow the fundamental principles of prayer. Though, I have no doubt that we know how to say Our Lords Prayer, but knowing it is not enough, we have to pray it devotedly, but praying it is not enough, we have to believe in what we pray for, but believing is not enough, we must put it into practice in our daily lives.

This is because, often time we treat prayer wrongly when we consider prayer as a means to only achieve what we desired, without considering what God desires for us. Some of us spend lots of time reciting the prayers and yet we do not often mean what we say because we have wrong disposition born from unforgiving heart which must be redirected before we can get a positive response from God.

Therefore, it’s time for us to embrace these seven principles and change our perspective and wrong disposition towards prayers. It is time for us to spend more quality moment in prayer and be connected with God. We must make our prayers to be meaningful and genuine from our hearts. It is time for us to improve the quality of our prayer life by imitating Jesus, who always prayed to his heavenly Father at every possible opportunities. We must continue to pray for our country with the right disposition while applying these fundamental principles.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, in prayer we build a strong relationship with you, teach us how to pray more devotedly, for we really do not know how to pray as we ought, as we present our country Nigeria before you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you God’s favour and blessings.

Homily For Monday of the First Week of Lent Year A, 23rd February, 2026

 

Readings: Lev. 19:1-2.11-18; Ps.19; Matt. 25:31-46

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

WHAT WILL YOU DO IF TODAY IS THE JUDGEMENT DAY?

As we continued with our Lenten journey, we are called today to look to the future with more insight into the ultimate goal of humanity, which is eternal life. In fact, this is evident in our Gospel passage today in which we heard of the account of the events of Last Judgment, when all of creation shall be judged by the Lord Jesus himself, as he returns to the world as a triumphant King and judge humanity based on our actions, deeds and faith. Then will be time for great separation, when the good will be separated from the bad, holy from sinful, righteous from evil, sheep from goats of which their deeds will reveal our true identity.

Thus, the Lord will say to the righteous and those who have extended their love, care and affection for the needy, the poor and the afflicted, “well done, Come you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.”

But the wicked and the sinful he will say “go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.”

For they were judged by their refusal to follow the example of Christ our Lord, especially in his love, care and compassion towards one another. But had chosen to remained selfish, greedy, corrupt and wicked. Hence we are called to look towards the parousia, when all those who embraced Christ will be raised, having overcome all the hostile forces of this passing world and that will be a judgement day, the time for great separation.

Dear friends, what will you do if today is the judgement day? For no doubt that we are living in a world full of greed and selfish people, who are swallowed in values of egoism and materialism, with uncontrollable desires for pleasure. We are called today to embrace the teachings of Christ who has called us to live a life of love, care and compassion for one another. We are called to look into the future with an eye of hope and faith. Little wonder we are reminded in our first reading about the commandments of God, which calls us to live a life of holiness, integrity, honesty and love.

Therefore, as we journey through this Lenten season, let us turn toward our Lord Jesus following his teaching. Remember, following him means carrying our own cross, forgetting our self, and faithfully obeying his commandment of sacrificial love. For it is by the blood of his cross, that Jesus reveals his sacrificial love, not in saving his life, but in offering it as a ransom for our salvation. Thus, trying to do away with the cross in our lives deprives our souls of these true love and loyalty to Christ our Lord who today wants to reign supreme in our hearts and souls.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we journey through this Lenten season, amidst the hostile forces and evil of this passing world, may we be victorious in all our struggles and endeavours. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful week.

HOMILY FOR FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR A, 22nd FEBRUARY, 2026

 

Readings: Gen. 2:7-9; 3:1-7; Ps. 51; Rom. 5:12-19; Matt. 4:1-11.

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

WHAT WILL YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED BY THE THINGS OF THIS PASSING WORLD?

There is no doubt that our world is full of so many things and these things can be very captivating. The beautiful and captivating thing of this world can make one to forget about the reality of life. The desire to have them does not have any limit. Hence, every day of our lives we are faced with the choice of having them without any limit and be destroyed or the fear of losing them and uphold our sanity. This choice can really be tempting. So today being the first Sunday of the Holy Season of Lent, the Holy Mother Church calls our attention to these struggles.

Lenten season as we know is a period set aside by the Church for the renewal and rediscovery of oneself, given the daily struggle against sin and temptations which darkens our spiritual life. So Lenten season is another chance for us to reconnect to God, to be reconciled with Him and to find our place once again in God’s loving grace. It is a time for us to turn away from the excessive desire for worldly possessions. It is a time to turn away from greed and so many temptations we find in this world, and focus our attention instead on God.

Hence the Church is offering us the opportunity during this Holy season to reflect on who we are, our mission and our purpose in this world. The Holy season of Lent is a moment of deep reflection, a season that prepares us for that great event of Easter. It is a season when listening to the Word of God leads us to develop some inner attitude that helps us becoming more aware of our Christian obligations. It is a period when the Church invites us to enter into a journey of repentance and penance that will lead us to reconciliation, forgiveness and restoration.

This Lenten journey is marked in a special way by three traditional dimensions that is: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These three traditional dimensions were demonstrated by Jesus in our Gospel reading today. Where Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit, was led to pray and fast for forty days in the wilderness and there he was tempted by the devil, just the same way Adam and Eve where tempted by the devil.

We can recall that in the beginning of time, God created everything all good and perfect, and He made the first man, Adam and his companion, Eve, to live in the wonderful Garden of Eden. This means that mankind, all of us were actually meant to live with God in the fullness of God’s grace and love, to enjoy the wonders of God’s providence and blessings forever. However, this was not the case because we fell into sin as we were unable to resist the temptations to sin, which the devil, disguised as a snake, brought upon Adam and Eve as we heard in our first reading.

Here we see how Satan first approached Eve and tempted her with the temptation of desire, the desire for the forbidden knowledge that God has expressly forbidden for man to have. That is, eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And Satan being very cunny, convinced them that the fruit of the tree did not seem to be harmful, and how eating from the tree would bestow great knowledge upon them and made them to be like God. Through this temptation, Satan planted the seeds of pride and greed in the hearts of humanity.

So Jesus, who has come to redirect the hearts of humanity back to God, was also tempted by the devil during his forty days prayer and fasting in order to distract him from his mission. Here Jesus was tempted to doubt God's care and providence like the Israelites deed, to gain power through false worship and test God's protection. These forty days recall Israel's forty years ugly experience in the wilderness because of disobedience.

Hence, these forty days of Lent, the Church calls us to spend gracious time with God through prayers and fasting, so that, we can obtain the grace to overcome the sins and temptations we encounter everyday of our lives. Observing how Jesus responded to these temptations, can help us in our own spiritual battles against the human endless desire for power, fame, money and pleasure. This story also shows how the devil can use the Scriptures for his evil purposes. Telling us to be careful because the Scriptures can be wrongly interpreted and used for selfish motives.

Therefore, we are called to imitate Jesus in prayer. For through prayer we make room for God in our lives and express our desire to enter into a deep friendship with the Lord. So, it is important for us to spend more time with God just like Jesus, bearing in mind that we cannot live by bread alone, we need the spiritual food of God's Word. Thus, we are called to withdraw from the world in order to encounter God and truly profess our faith in him.

This is what St. Paul in our second reading today calls us to do. We are to imitate Christ who resisted all the efforts of Satan to tempt him and prevent him from fulfilling his mission. Christ is indeed the New Adam who has come to show us that it is indeed possible for us to overcome sin and the temptations to sin, as he himself resisted the three temptations of the devil. But many of us continued to sin because, we do not have enough faith in God, and the devil knows this very well.

Dear friends, what will you do when you are tempted by the things of this passing world? Will you fall for it or will you resist it? Today, God is calling us in this Holy season of Lent, to come back to him. The world has taken us far away from him; it's time to come back. Sin has separated us from God; it's time to reconcile with him. Greediness, slot, unforgiveness, love of power and money, over ambition, unhealthy friendship have separated us from God; it’s time to come back to him. It is time to say am sorry Lord, am sorry for having deviated from you. It’s time to let go of hurtful feelings, malice and the bitterness in our hearts. It’s time to say yes to God and no to all the distracting things of this world.

It’s time to love, it’s time to share with one another, it’s time to bear with one another's failings. What is stopping us from embracing this opportunity? Is it fear of the future? Or fear of failure or death?

Fear not, for the Psalmist tells us that God will have mercy on us and create a pure heart in us and put a steadfast spirit within us. Thus, God is calling us to repentance; he is offering us a new life. He is offering us the opportunity to gain our life back and obtain the grace to overcome sin and temptations. Don't miss this opportunity; don't let it pass you by.

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, as we return to you and embrace the events of this Holy season, give us the right disposition to embrace grace of this season and fill our hearts with joy, peace and love. And for those who find it difficult to live the Christian life, may they learn to draw strength and grace from Jesus so to resist the devil’s temptations and all of his empty shows. We ask this through Christ our Lord. wishing you a fruitful Lenten season.

Homily For Saturday after Ash Wednesday, 21st February, 2026

 

Readings: Is. 58:9-14; Ps. 86; Luke 5:27-32

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LET GO OF YOUR SINFULL OCCUPATION AND EMBRACE YOUR TRUE MISSION

Jesus who on account of his mission to save humanity had to make choices of people who would be his instruments of evangelization in the world. 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 Levi, also known as Matthew, a man identified with sinners because of his work as a tax collector, was quite strange to some people.

Little wonder in in our Gospel passage today, Jesus called a tax collector named Levi to follow him, and he obeyed, leaving everything behind and following him. The call of Levi differs from the call of the other apostles because Levi was a tax collector a profession that is labelled to be sinful since the collectors extort excess taxes from the people for personal profit and enrich themselves at the expense of their fellow citizens. They are thus held in great contempt.

However, to follow Jesus, Levi must abandon his ugly but lucrative job. By so doing, he needs to also cut himself off from his old network of friends. So, it seems likely that, in a spirit of joy, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to a great feast in his house and his fellow task collectors were present.

But the Pharisees felt bad and offended about Jesus sharing a meal with such kind of people regarded as "sinners". So, they complained to his disciples, but Jesus had to correct this notion when he said: "It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.

Here we heard the innermost desire of Jesus for sinful humanity in need of salvation. The call of Levi 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 Levi, who though sinner, rose and followed Jesus at his call for repentance, we too are to respond to this invitation without delay. Let Levi be an inspiration and hope for all sinners.

Dear friends, the task collectors were seen as dirty, unworthy, wicked, corrupt and evil people who were generally shunned by the rest of the society. The Pharisees looked down on them and they severely criticized Jesus for eating in the house of Levi. But they failed to realize that just like the tax collectors, they were sinners in need of God’s mercy.

The truth is that all of us are sinners who have been privileged to have such a loving, caring, compassionate and merciful God, who is always willing to embrace us and heal us from our afflictions of sin. For we are sinners who have been called to a new existence with God, to embrace a new life filled with God’s grace and free from the corruption of sin. Because God despises our sins, but not we sinners.

Hence, we are called to let go of our sinful occupation in order to embrace a more glorious one. For God has promised us through prophet Isaiah in our first reading, that if we do away with the yoke of sin, the clenched fist, the wicked word, if we give our bread to the hungry, and relief to the oppressed, then our light will rise in the darkness, and our shadows become like noon.

Therefore, as Christians during this season of Lent, we should draw ourselves closer to God by asking ourselves how are we responding to God's call for repentance. How are we relating with those we judge to be sinners, what efforts are we making to convert sinners? Remember, we are all invited to follow Jesus along the way of salvation and not to condemn or judge anyone.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, despite our sinfulness, you called and chose us to be instrument of your salvation to all humanity. 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. Have a fruitful weekend.

Homily on Friday after Ash Wednesday Year A, 20th February, 2026

 

Readings: Is. 58:1-9; Ps. 51; Matt. 9:14-15

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE TYPE OF FASTING THAT PLEASES GOD AND YIELDS POSITIVE RESULTS

Fasting is one of the spiritual exercises we do during this season of Lent. Fasting as we know is the willful refrainment from eating for some time as a means of getting our minds focused on God our creator while realizing the reality that our lives are not self-sufficient. Fasting helps us realize just how fragile we are and how much we depend on things beyond ourselves.

Fasting is not just about putting on sackcloth and ashes on oneself as were customary in the past to show repentance and regret, but more importantly, fasting must be aimed at encountering God which brought about a change of heart from within and not just the outside that repel us to charitable deeds.

Hence, today prophet Isaiah in our first reading tells us to fast with the right intention and purpose. This is not just in fasting but also all other sorts of observances and practices during this Lenten season. We must have the right disposition and direction as we move along through this time of purification and repentance. This Lenten season is a good time for us to reorientate ourselves and our lives, as we seek to redress our sins and our past wicked ways of life and embrace once again God’s love and mercy. For that is the kind of fasting that pleases God and yields positive results.

 Thus, in our Gospel passage today, the disciples of John the Baptist criticized Jesus and his disciples for not fasting as the Law of Moses has prescribed fasting on certain days as a custom which they observed with great passion and zeal. The Pharisees fasted and did all that because they wanted to be praised for what they had done and they liked it when others looked up to them for their piety and commitment.

But Jesus tells his disciples that they should not fast with such intention, rather fasting must be for a purpose and should be done at the proper time. He said to them: Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them. But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

This is because, Jesus is the groom and as long as he is around, it would be inappropriate for his disciples to fast. However, a time will come when the groom will no longer be with them, then they will surely fast, telling us that fasting should be done at the right time for the right reasons.

Moreover, being in a relationship with Jesus is more important, because, what the bridegroom is to the bride, that what Jesus is to the souls of all who believe in him. So Jesus is teaching us that the Kingdom of Heaven is not a matter of ritual or ceremonious fasting or feasting. But is about building a personal relationship with God who loves us personally and unconditionally.

Dear friends, we can make the best use of this Lenten season by turning not just our sins but our whole being towards God through fasting. We should not let ourselves be distracted by the vanity of the things of this passing world. This is a time we are called to humble ourselves before God and refrain from all the corrupt ways of life, pride, greed and ambition which lead us to sin and death. This type of fasting is what pleases God and yields positive results. Therefore, through our fasting let us sincerely repent from our sins and make the best use of this opportunity that God has given to us.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we deny ourselves the pleasurable things of this world through fasting, may we open up our hearts to you and sincerely reject all our sinful habits and so embrace the life of holiness. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Thursday after Ash Wednesday Year A, 19th February, 2026

 

Readings: Deut. 30:15-20; Ps. 1; Luke 9:22-25

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

A CALL TO EMBRACE THE SACRIFICIAL NATURE OF CHRISTIAN FAITH

Reflecting on the continuous hostility, persecution and influential powers of the things of this world, I think is time for us to think twice about our faith as Christians, and whether we are ready to live out our faith in the midst of these ugly situations in our societies, which are not stopping soon, for it is getting tougher every day. Thus, if we are willing to live up to our Christian faith and obligations, then we need to make a radical decision towards our discipleship in a personal and radical way.

Concerning this radical decision, we are called in our first reading today, to make choices between life and death, blessing or curse. And we are encouraged to choose life, so that we may live in the love of the Lord our God, obeying his voice and following him; for in him consists the true meaning of life. Therefore, we are to choose that one path that leads to life, while rejecting those that lead to evil and death.

Similarly, this same choice was presented by the Lord Jesus to his disciples in our Gospel passage today, as he revealed to them what he would have to endure for the salvation of humanity, how he is to be betrayed and made to suffer, crucified and die on the Cross, a most painful and humiliating death. In the end, he said that those who believe in him should take up their crosses daily and follow him. That though they may lose their lives physically in the eyes of the world, they will gain it in the eternal glory that is to come.

Dear friends, as we journey through this Lenten season, Jesus is presenting the same choice to us, for we have to choose between enjoying all that this world has to offer us, all the materialistic pursuits and excess desire for the pleasurable things around us, all the pursuits for excess money, possessions and wealth, the accumulation of vain fame and glory which in reality are separating us from God and Jesus is calling us to turn away from these worldly things and embrace the way of the Cross that teaches us to love, to sacrifice, to forgive, to embrace peace, to share with one another for in it we attain holiness of life.

Therefore, we are called today to deny ourselves the pleasurable things of this passing world in order to take up our Cross and follow the Lord. It’s time to make a radical decision to sincerely and faithfully follow Jesus. But how much are we willing to sacrifice for the sake of following him? Why are we finding it difficult to follow Jesus? What are those habitual desires and possessions that are holding us from making this radical decision today? Thus, it is time to come to God with all our hearts, for tomorrow may be too late.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we decide to journey with Jesus today, help us to make the right choice by embracing the way that leads to life while rejecting our excess desire for the pleasurable things of this passing world which have weakened our hearts towards you. May the cross of Christ be for us a shining example in our daily struggles, so as to hold firm in our faith, despite all the sufferings and persecutions we may encounter. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful day.

Homily For Ash Wednesday Year A, 18 February, 2026

Readings: Joel 2:12-18; Ps. 51; 2Cor 5:20-6:2; Matt. 6:1-6.16-18

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHY WE MUST RETURN TO THE LORD WITH ALL OUR HEARTS

There is no doubt that the situation of things in our world today has made us so busy. We are so busy that sometimes we do not remember to examine our conscience to know how far we have separated ourselves from God. We have forgotten that every day is an opportunity to return and come close to God. So, today being Ash Wednesday we are called to return to God as we begin a new journey towards our God.

It is the day we begin our forty-day Lenten journey that leads us to the joy of Easter. And as tradition may have it, the beginning of Lent is marked with the blessing and imposition of Ash on our forehead. This act of putting on Ashes symbolizes our human fragility, filth and mortality which is in dear need of God’s mercy and redemption. Calling us to remember that we are dust, and unto dust, we shall return but will raise us again.

So, being a season of sober reflection on the journey towards our God, we are called for a change of attitude and behaviours during this Lenten season. In fact, in our first reading, prophet Joel calls us to return to the Lord with all our heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. Here, he emphasises the phrase “with all my heart”. This means turning to God from the depths of our thoughts and feelings, from the roots of our decisions, choices and actions.

The prophet further tells us to return to the Lord our God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, ready to relent of evil. More so, in our Gospel passage today Jesus gave us the regulations we need to follow in order to faithfully return to God as he calls us to be careful not to parade our good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this we will lose all reward from our Father in heaven.

But the question that comes to mind is, with the pleasurable things of this passing world, is it possible for us to truly return to God with all our hearts? I believe so because there is a force say Benedict XVI, that does not reside in our hearts, but that emanates from the heart of God to us. It is the power of God’s mercy and grace. Therefore a return to the Lord is possible with God’s grace which is a reality in our lives only when we let his grace penetrate our inmost being.

Hence St. Paul tells us in the second reading, that we cannot let this holy season pass us by, because it is offered to us as a unique opportunity that reminds us about the high cost of the reconciliation offered to us at the cross on which Jesus was hung. Hence, the call to return to God with all our heart in this Lenten journey leads us through the cross, following Christ on the road to Calvary, which demands the total gift of ourselves.

This call is a way in which we learn every day to come out more and more from our selfishness and our closures, to make room for God who opens and transforms the heart through constant listening to His Word and making it the light that illuminates our paths. This we do following the three fundamental practices of almsgiving, prayer and fasting as a sign towards the Lenten journey of returning to God with all our heart.

Dear friends, knowing that we are dust and unto dust we shall return, what is keeping us from returning to the Lord who has the power to raise us again? What is That ugly attitude that often separates us from our God and one another? Oftentimes we promise to return to God but lack the courage and discipline to fulfil that promise.

So, this season is another wonderful opportunity to decide to return to the Lord. I don’t know what sin you are struggling to overcome. I don’t know how grievous our sins are. I don’t know how far we have separated ourselves from God. All I know is that God’s mercies are greater than whatever sin we may have committed. All we have to do is to make that bold decision to return to him who loves us so much and always willing to welcome us whenever we come back to him and this why we must return to him with all our hearts

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we make up our minds to journey towards you these forty days, may your grace be with us to help us utilize the opportunities you are offering us, especially to repent and strive to live a holy life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a grace-filled Lenten season. 

Homily For Tuesday Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 17 February, 2026

 

Readings: James 1:12-18; Ps. 94; Mark: 8:14-21

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHY WE MUST PRAY FOR THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING?

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the gift of understanding, which is the ability to perceive an idea or situation mentally, to know and comprehend the nature or meaning of things. Hence, understanding is seen as a gift of God and it is to be prayed and desired by all.

Understanding has a moral character which one has to sought and learned. Understanding, then, involves the cognitive, the spiritual, and the moral. While human efforts are required, the ability to understand comes from God and the true test of understanding is obedience to God.

However, Jesus in our Gospel passage today was disappointed at his disciples’ inability to grasp what he was saying to them or who he really is. They failed to understand what he is capable of doing in their midst. Hence he asked them over nine questions which they failed to understand. We can imagine them asking what is it that we do not yet understand?

But they had been witnesses to two extraordinary events done by Jesus: the feeding of five thousand people with five loaves and four thousand with seven Loaves. Yet they do not seem to have grasped the implication of the miracle they had witnessed nor the divine identity of Jesus who had made it possible.

Thus, Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand?” This question, reveals that the disciples are really in need of the gift of understanding, which is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that is given to us to make sense of what is happening around us all the time.

Dear friends, the fact remains that we all need the gift of understanding just like the disciples in our Gospel today. For often times, we are confused about so many things going on in our lives even concerning our faith, our families, our work, our vocation and every other things around us.

Little wonder St. James in our first reading today says: make no mistake about this, my dear brothers: all that is good, everything that is perfect, which is given us from above; it comes down from the Father of all light; with him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow of a change. By his own choice he made us his children by the message of the truth so that we should be a sort of first-fruits of all that he had created. Therefore, let us ask God the Father to send the Holy Spirit for an increase in the gift of understanding.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you are the source of all understanding, help us to understand you better and as we struggle with our daily activities endow us with an understanding heart, so as to break down the walls of confusion that press on in our heart. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Do have a blessed day.

Homily For Monday Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 16 February, 2026.

Readings: James 1:1-11; Ps. 119; Mark: 8:11-13

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHY THERE IS NO SIGN FOR THIS GENERATION?

Oftentimes people want to see signs before they can accept or believe whatever we have to present to them. And sometimes people ask for signs just to discredit someone’s efforts. This is the case with the Pharisees in our Gospel passage today, who asked Jesus for a sign in order to test him. But Jesus with a sigh that came straight from the heart said, ‘Why does this generation demand a sign? I tell you solemnly, no sign shall be given to this generation.’

This response was as a result of pride which has blindfolded the Pharisees who refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah that very sign that they seek. Jesus presents to us the final recommendations of the end time, pointing out that he is the greatest sign of all time. But this is what the Pharisees want to discredit out of pride and ego. This kind of character is what is destroying humanity today causing problems and troubles.

Little wonder, St. James in our first reading today teaches us to be hopeful and joyful in times of trouble. He advises us to tGIVEN ake care in times of trial, and let patience guide all that we do. That we should not pray so much for the removal of affliction, rather we should as for wisdom to make the right use of it. We need faith to understand how this works.

This is what the Pharisees lack in our Gospel reading today when some of them demanded that Jesus should display some mighty work of God as a sign that God's reign has arrived. They refused to accept the miracles that Jesus had accomplished, missing the significance of these works as a manifestation of God's presence. Hence, Jesus left this faithless people, without satisfying their desire for any sign from heaven. Because of their lack of faith, they did not recognize Jesus as that “heavenly sign.”.

Dear friends, pride can make us blind in such a manner that we will continue to seek signs even when things are clear in our lives. And Jesus is saying that amid proud people, no sign will be given. But, what signs are we seeing around us today? How can we interpret the signs of this time, the signs that tell us that this world is passing away? Do these signs make us dread the second coming of the Lord or do we joyfully embrace it in anticipation?

Hence, Jesus warns us not to waste our time seeking for signs, rather we should be prepared, and we should remain firm in the faith. He reminds us that he is the only sign that can be given to humanity. Therefore, we are not to be like the Pharisees who are looking for signs, especially in times of trials, rather we should seek wisdom to make things right.

LET US PRAY: Lord Jesus, you are the sign that we seek, as we embrace your word today give us the grace to be humble in order to follow you our Lord and Saviour. And as we carry out our task this week, may your favour be with us now and always. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed week ahead.

Homily For Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, 15th February, 2026

Readings: Eccles. 15:16-21; Ps. 119; 1Cor.2:6-10; Matt. 5:17-37

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

A CALL FOR A DEEPER VIRTUE TOWARDS FULFILLING GOD'S COMMANDMENTS

There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who sacrifice to ensuring that things workout well and those who sacrifice to destroy things. Which one do you belong to and which one do you want to belong. To belong to those who want things to workout well requires a deeper virtue towards fulfilling the commandments of God and brings new light and hope to humanity as we heard last Sunday.

Hence, every moment of our lives, without realizing it, we continue to be one with Jesus the light of the world. Little wonder this Sunday, Jesus calls us for a deeper relationship with him and with one another in a more righteous manner. Thus he says to his disciples in our Gospel reading today, “Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. For unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Why? Because Jesus expect more from his disciples. So when he say their righteousness should surpass that of the Pharisee, he meant that they should be right with God, they should be right with their brothers and sisters, and with the whole world.

He says, “You will follow as I do. You will be people who will rely, not just in the law but in faith as well. That is, a faith in God, a faith in him, a faith in each other, and a faith that will move life closer towards the love of God and neighbours.

This is a call for a deeper virtue. It means that the Old Testament is now being fulfilled in the New Testament that calls for deeper love. Telling us that love is the beginning, love is the middle and love is the end of everything. Now we can understand the reason behind the teaching of Jesus concerning breaking the ten commandments as: killing, reconciliation, adultery, lying and swearing.

Here, Jesus emphasized that these commandments especially the second commandment which deals with using the name of God in vain, also the fifth which has to do with respect for human life and the sixth commandment which has to do with the sanctity of the human relationship which forbids not only the acts of adultery and fornication but all appetites to them, all lusting after sexual object, for this is the beginning of the sin.

In fact, the lust of conceiving it is a bad step towards the sin, for as far as the heart can do it, there is nothing but convenient opportunity for the sin itself to be carried out. So all approaches toward gratification of this sexual appetite such as: touching and feeding the eye with the sight of it where further satisfaction can be obtained is forbidden. Because such looks and behaviour are very dangerous and destructive to the soul and Jesus said that it is better to lose the eye and the hand than to give in to this sin, and perish eternally in hell.

Also, Jesus addressed the notion of divorce in marriage and it’s controversy, by referring us to the fundamental principle of marriage. Here Jesus emphasized on the real intention of God about marriage and celibacy, that they are two forms of life that help us to value human sexuality as gift from God. He ruled out divorce by placing men and women on the same level; no longer could a man opt to divorce his wife. Today there are lots of problems in family due to lack of understanding of what marriage truly means.

It is quite interesting to realize that social, economic and political factors are major determinants that shape the youth’s present understand of marriage, as we see the youths giving importance to changing trends in marriage such as: single parent, inter-caste marriage, living in relationship or cohabitation, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender marriages, etc. Hence, marriage for them is more of a social phenomenon than spiritual union and physical companionship. So this is part of what Jesus is addressing today

Hence, he speaks of "fulfilling" rather than "abolishing" the law and the prophets as we have it in our Gospel passage today and he added that: “the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.

Here, Jesus points out that keeping and teaching the commandments of God is the sure way of deepening our relationship with God not just here on earth but also in heaven. Little wonder in our first reading, we are made to know that if we wish, we can keep the commandments, because to behave faithfully is within our power. For God has set fire and water before you; put out your hand to whichever you prefer. Man has life and death before him; whichever a man likes better will be given him.

And St. Paul in our second reading said: we have a wisdom to offer those who have reached maturity: It is a wisdom that none of the masters of this age have ever known, or they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory; we teach what scripture calls: the things that no eye has seen and no ear has heard, things beyond the mind of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him.

Dear friends, Jesus has not come to abolish the laws, but to complete and fulfilled them. So he demands a deeper relationship from us not like that of the Pharisees who display their piety before others. No, Jesus wants more from us, he wants us to know that the laws that God gave to us is meant to lead us to Him and not for us to stray from Him.

Therefore, it is time for us to turn once again to the Lord our God, with all our strength and gifts. It is time for us to truly live our lives with a renewed spirit of faith. We are called to deepen our relationship with God and to embrace His love with all sincerity in order to reciprocate that love to the world through loving our neighbours. By so doing the world may see clearly and live once again by faith in God and faith in each other especially in country where people are suffering.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we struggle everyday towards holiness and perfection, may we be guided by the Holy Spirit and strive to remain towards the path of righteousness and ever to go back to our sinful and ugly ways of life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed Sunday celebration.

Homily For Saturday Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 14th February, 2026. The Memorial of SS. Cyril and Methodius, and St. Valentine’s Day

 

Readings: 1Kings 12:26-32.13:33-34; Ps.106; Mark 8:1-10

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

CELEBRATING THE POWER AND VICTORY OF LOVE OVER HUMAN SELFISHNESS

When God created humanity, he entrusted all his creation to us and gave us regulations to follow in order to ensure successful fulfilment of this responsibility. But out of pride and selfishness we disobeyed God’s instructions and regulations. Hence, we separated ourselves from God, where we should have remained and enjoying the bliss of God’s presence, just as we heard in our first reading today.

For we heard how Jeroboam out of greed and selfishness separated himself and the people entrusted to him from God by creating for himself a golden image in replacement of the living God. Such conduct made the House of Jeroboam a sinful House, and caused its ruin and extinction from the face of the earth.

This is how we often behave and separate ourselves from God and are heading towards destruction and suffering. Nonetheless, God has not abandoned us in our downfall. He is still compassionate, caring and loves us even in our imperfections and our disobedience, for his compassion for the sufferings of humanity is so great. This is evident in our Gospel reading today, where Jesus reveals his compassion towards humanity. This compassionate love of Jesus in it’s historical and physical solidarity with human suffering, springs from the love of God the Father for his creatures..

Here, Jesus had compassion on the people who had been with him for days listening to his words. He then says to his disciples that there is need for him to give them something to eat before sending them away less they may faint on the way since some of them have come a long distance. This compassion of Jesus is meant for us to spread it throughout the world in a practical way by our ways of life.

This what we see in the lives of SS. Cyril and Methodius, and St. Valentine whose memorial we celebrate today. For all over the world people are celebrating especially young people, we are celebrating what they called the valentine’s day. A day we celebrate love. But today we are celebrating not just love, but the power and victory of love over human selfishness. The seed of this celebration comes as a result of the ugly event that happened on February 14, around the year 270 A.D., when Valentine, a holy Roman Catholic priest, who lived in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed.

But the questions that comes to mind are: why was he executed and how does this ugly event relate to what we are celebrating today? According to history, what happened was that under the rule of Emperor Claudius II, Rome was involved in many unpopular and bloody campaigns and the emperor had to maintain a strong army, but was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. So the emperor discovered that men of Rome were unwilling to join the army because of their strong attachment to their wives and families.

Thus, to deal with this problem, Claudius banned all marriages and engagements in Rome. But Valentine a priest of Rome, realizing the injustice of this declaration by the emperor, defied this order and continued to perform marriages rite for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, the emperor ordered that he be put to death. Valentine was arrested and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. This ugly event was carried out on February 14, around the year 270.

However, in 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius, in honour of this St. decided to put an end to the Feast of Lupercalia, which was a pagan celebrate of the god of fertility in the name of love, though in an immoral way that is not acceptable to Christian faith. So in order to replace this feast with something more acceptable, the Pope declared that February 14 be celebrated as St. Valentine's Day in memory of his sacrificial passion for love among the people. And gradually, February 14 became a date for the celebration of love which is often expressed in different ways such as exchanging love messages, poems and simple gifts such as flowers to our loved ones.

Thus, Valentine celebration reminds us of the gift of God's love to humanity. For God loves unconditionally and sacrificially, he loves us till the very end. So, we have to also love one another the way God loves us. We must know that Valentine day is not a carnal celebration of love. But more of sacrificial and spiritual celebration. That is why as Christians we do not celebrate Valentine in a carnal or selfish manner or the sinful way the world celebrates it in the name of boyfriend and girlfriend, committing immorality, fornication and adultery in the name of love, which of course is not love, but lust.

Therefore, Valentine’s day for us should be a day we protect and promote true love for one another. It is a day we remember how much we care for one another and what we are to one another. It is a day we build up and nurture long-lasting love, friendships and good relationships with one another.

Dear friends, God has not abandoned us even in our imperfections, he still cares about us. All he wants from us is to be faithful to him and be compassionate to one another. But how strong is our compassion towards others? Do we know people who are helpless and need some help? Let us look at them for a moment and imagine Jesus looking at them. How does he sees them? Have I ever felt helpless? Do I feel the need of Jesus’ help in some part of my life?

Today, like Jesus, each one of us are called to reach out to people around us who are really in need of our assistance. This includes our family members, our neighbours, our colleagues and others who we encounter in life. The truth is that, you may be the only person who can brings the love, help us healing and compassion of Jesus into their lives.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, our fragile and contingent nature propelled by pride and sins have always bring about our downfall, but you have never abandoned us. As we embrace your love and compassion, give us the grace to look at people around us with the compassionate eyes of Jesus and be of help to them the best we could. Amen. Have a peaceful weekend and happy Valentine's day .

Homily For Friday of The Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 13th February, 2026

 

Readings: 1Kings 11:29-33.12:19; Ps.81; Mark 7:31-37

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LORD, THE WORLD HAS MADE US DEAF AND DUMB, COME AND OPEN OUR EARS AND TONGUES ONCE AGAIN

Reflecting on the ugly events in this world, especially how people pay attention to the things of this 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 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 do in the house of God? Are we confused about our faith as a result of ugly events and scandals? The world really want 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 first reading today, where we heard the consequences of paying deaf ears to God’s instructions. For Solomon in his old age let’s his hearts be separated from God because of the lost for the ugly thing of this passing world. So today we heard how his kingdom was divided and separated from him because of his sin. In a similar way humanity are constantly paying deaf hears to the instructions of God by allowing herself to be deceived by the serpents of this passing world and as a result of this ugly attitude, we are separating ourselves from the presence of God out of pride and selfish desires.

Thus, today in our Gospel passage, we heard how Jesus dramatically and figuratively heals us of our deafness and dumbass caused by our constant embracing of the sinful things of this passing world. Hence, when the 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, " 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.

Dear friends, out of pride and greediness we have often separated ourselves from the presence of God and as a result have become deaf and dumb to his teachings and instructions. Hence, we all need to have our ears opened 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.

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. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It's Friday, as you go about your activities, may the joy of the Lord be your strength.

Homily For Thursday of The Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 12th February, 2026

Readings: 1Kings 11:4-13; Ps.106; Mark 7:24-30

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

ACCEPTING WHO YOU ARE IN PRAYER SO YOU CAN BE ELEVATED

In our society today, most people hardly accept who they are. For these days people spent all their resources and energy trying to convince others of what they are not by seeking their approval. What happens is that, at the end they will lose their nerves and other people will convince them that what they are doing doesn't have any value and because of that they give up their dream.

This is not the same with the syrophoenician woman in our Gospel passage today, who when approached Jesus pleading for the restoration of her daughter did not give up even when her request was not granted immediately.

For we are told that Jesus entered a house in Tyre and Sidon and did not want to be recognized. It is then that this Gentile Syrophoenician woman came to him and prostrated herself before Jesus and begged him to exorcise the evil spirit in her daughter.

But Jesus’ answer seems somewhat strange when he said: “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” However, the woman responded, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps. Her humble and powerful faith were immediately rewarded and her daughter was healed.

This story portrays the anticipation of the future faith of the Gentiles who will later become Christians. However, the irony of this passage is that, in Israel Jesus was trying to convince people that he was the Messiah, as he was being challenged to prove it with a sign.

But here in Gentile territory he met a woman who was convinced he was the Messiah and he could not discourage her efforts. Nonetheless, his apparent attempt to put her off was just a test, of which her great faith was proven by accepting her humble background and persistency in her request.

She accepted the place of a “dog” as a Gentile in relation to Israelites been the chosen children of God to whom the message and grace of the Messiah came first. Though she accepted that she may not be able to sit down at the Messiah’s table and eat with the “children,” but she should be allowed to pick up some of the crumbs of unmerited mercy and grace of God for the sake of her daughter.

Dear friends, we must learn how to humbly accept who are and be more persistent in our quest and desire for something. We must stop wasting valuable time trying to prove who we are not, let us first accept who we are in faith, then, work hard to improve who we want to be in relation to our faith in God. Let our faith in God help us to accept who we are. Whatever we want to do, let us have faith in God and in ourselves, and be determined because, faith, determination and sacrifice are the secrets of any success in life.

Therefore, tell yourself today that you can get that which you desire, when you plan for it, work everyday for it, then you will begin to see a different face in the things you do. The truth is that people are rewarded in public for things they do for years in private.

So, let us learn from this syrophoenician woman who accepted who she was and was determined with faith to achieve her dream through humility and persistency. Let us not be like King Solomon in our first reading who failed to remain faithful to God in his old age.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, the syrophoenician woman accepted her humble background with great faith in your Son Jesus, as we humbly make a leap of faith today, with determination and sacrifice towards our dreams in life, may you grant our hearts desires through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.