Homily For Friday Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 6th February, 2026. The Memorial of St. Paul Miki and Companions

  

Readings: Eccl. 47:2-13; Ps.18; Mark 6:14-29

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LORD GIVE THE GRACE TO STAND FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE

One of our great musicians, Lucky Dube, in one of his albums said that he who stands for the truth will always stand alone. This is the case with John the Baptist, whose head was the prize for the truth he told Herod and Herodias, as we heard in the Gospel passage today. 

This terrible crime, which points to what is done to Jesus in his Passion, demonstrates how good people, especially when they struggle for justice, are condemned to suffer at the hands of greed and powerful people who become very cruel. As a result, the innocent suffer.

 

The root of the whole problem is that King Herod made an unwise promise out of pride, but finds it difficult to change his mind and admit that he was wrong. He did not plan to execute John that night. He was persuaded by Herodias to do so, because he was a weak man. He is a slave to the opinion of others; he feared the people who revered John; he also fears the reaction of his guests if he should retract his oath. Thus, the head of the innocent, who was in prison for speaking the truth was sacrificed. 

This is the same with St. Paul Miki and Companions whose memorial we are celebrating today. They are the Holy Martyrs of Nagasaki in Japan. These twenty-six Martyrs of Japan were crucified on a hill, now known as the Holy Mountain, overlooking Nagasaki.

 

Among them were priests, brothers, and laymen, Franciscans, Jesuits, and members of the Secular Franciscan Order; there were catechists, doctors, simple artisans, and servants, old men and innocent children, all united in common faith and love for Jesus, their good Shepard. They remained faithful to the very end and faced martyrdom with courage and so received from Jesus the crown of true and everlasting glory.

Dear friends, in a world full of corruption and injustice, how far can we stand for the truth we professed? Or like Herod, how often do we make unwise promises out of pride? When we make bad decisions, how quickly are we able to change our minds, to admit that we are wrong? If today we happen to be one of Herod’s guests, what would have been our reaction? Will I have protested or stayed silent? So how do we react, when we see others suffering injustice? 

 Perhaps, today we can think of all the victims of truth in our societies, the vulnerable, the innocent in our society and all those who are exploited and used to achieve the ends of others. These ugly events in our society, how are we confronting them? Do we have the courage to speak up or protest, even at the cost of our heads and our lives? So, let us learn to remain firm in speaking the truth, just like John the Baptist and King David, whose praises we heard in our first reading today.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, give us the grace to stand for the truth and help us never to make unwise promises, direct our intentions and guide our words so that we may grow in compassion for the innocent victims in our families, societies, country and the world at Homily For Friday Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 6th February, 2026. The Memorial of St. Paul Miki and Companions 

Readings: Eccl. 47:2-13; Ps.18; Mark 6:14-29

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LORD GIVE THE GRACE TO STAND FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE

One of our great musicians, Lucky Dube, in one of his albums said that he who stands for the truth will always stand alone. This is the case with John the Baptist, whose head was the prize for the truth he told Herod and Herodias, as we heard in the Gospel passage today. 

This terrible crime, which points to what is done to Jesus in his Passion, demonstrates how good people, especially when they struggle for justice, are condemned to suffer at the hands of greed and powerful people who become very cruel. As a result, the innocent suffer.

 

The root of the whole problem is that King Herod made an unwise promise out of pride, but finds it difficult to change his mind and admit that he was wrong. He did not plan to execute John that night. He was persuaded by Herodias to do so, because he was a weak man. He is a slave to the opinion of others; he feared the people who revered John; he also fears the reaction of his guests if he should retract his oath. Thus, the head of the innocent, who was in prison for speaking the truth was sacrificed. 

This is the same with St. Paul Miki and Companions whose memorial we are celebrating today. They are the Holy Martyrs of Nagasaki in Japan. These twenty-six Martyrs of Japan were crucified on a hill, now known as the Holy Mountain, overlooking Nagasaki.

 

Among them were priests, brothers, and laymen, Franciscans, Jesuits, and members of the Secular Franciscan Order; there were catechists, doctors, simple artisans, and servants, old men and innocent children, all united in common faith and love for Jesus, their good Shepard. They remained faithful to the very end and faced martyrdom with courage and so received from Jesus the crown of true and everlasting glory.

Dear friends, in a world full of corruption and injustice, how far can we stand for the truth we professed? Or like Herod, how often do we make unwise promises out of pride? When we make bad decisions, how quickly are we able to change our minds, to admit that we are wrong?? If today we happen to be one of Herod’s guests, what would have been our reaction? Will I have protested or stayed silent? So how do we react, when we see others suffering injustice? 

 Perhaps, today we can think of all the victims of truth in our societies, the vulnerable, the innocent in our society and all those who are exploited and used to achieve the ends of others. These ugly events in our society, how are we confronting them? Do we have the courage to speak up or protest, even at the cost of our heads and our lives? So, let us learn to remain firm in speaking the truth, just like John the Baptist and King David, whose praises we heard in our first reading today.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, give us the grace to stand for the truth and help us never to make unwise promises, direct our intentions and guide our words so that we may grow in compassion for the innocent victims in our families, societies, country and the world at large, through Christ our Lord. Amen.  God bless you.