Homily For Saturday Seventh Week of Eastertide Year A, 23rd May, 2026

Readings: Acts 28:16-20.30-31; Ps.11; John 21:20-25

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

HAVE YOU EVER FELT LOVED SPECIALLY BY JESUS?

In one of his poems entitled "The Living Flame of Love”, St. John of the Cross, one of the greatest mysticists and doctors of the Church, said in the first stanza of the poem: “O living flame of love that tenderly wounds my soul in its deepest centre! Since now you are not oppressive, now consummate! If it be Your will: tear through the veil of this sweet encounter!”

The flame of love, here is the Holy Spirit, which bathes the soul that encounters it in glory and refreshes it with divine life of love in which the will of the soul is united in the most sublime flame of love for God in Jesus.

This may be the situation of the life of John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, in our Gospel passage today, which made the scriptures describe him as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’. What a great description of anyone’s personality. This disciple had a peculiar share in the love of Christ and was admitted to great nearness and freedom with Christ. This gave him the liberty which no one has among the disciples.

The fact remains that, it is a great thing to love Jesus and be loved by Jesus. Yes, Jesus loved all his disciples, yet within that circle of love, there was an innermost place in which the beloved John was favoured to dwell.

For those who display an extraordinary love for one are all the more capable of great affection to many; and therefore, because Jesus loved John most, he has an enhanced estimate of his love for the other disciples. Though John was raised, others were not lowered, they were raised with him.

John, no doubt, was in more intimate communion with Jesus. When all the disciples sit at the table, even Peter is not nearest to the Lord, but John will lean his head upon his bosom with earnest and intense affection. Jesus loves him not just as a disciple but as a dear friend whose personality as a young individual has the most profitable opportunity of becoming eminent piety. He was the only disciple who was closest to Jesus and his mother at his passion and death.

Hence, Jesus entrusted his mother to him, saying, " Son, behold your mother, mother behold your son, because in John, Jesus has found a soul that truly loves. And the more a soul loves God, it desires that God be loved and honoured by all, and the greater this desire becomes, the more the soul labours toward that end in all possible means, and this is evidenced in all the works John loved.

Dear friends, are you the disciple that Jesus loves? Have you ever felt loved by God personally? Have you ever been identified as one whom God loves? Have you personally desired to be an instrument of God’s love for humanity? Have you ever paid the price of sacrificial love? Has your love ever been rejected by those you loved most, or have you rejected those who loved you?

Today we are called to examine our conscience to know if there is any sign of true love of God and neighbours in us. We are called to make ourselves available for God’s love to abide in us. We are called to build a personality that gives room for love to flow in us and through us.

As we anticipate the solemnity of Pentecost tomorrow, we are called to open up for the Holy Spirit to enkindle in us the fire of His love so that our souls will be transformed in love. And let this fire of love be extended to our families, societies, country and the world at large.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, inflame our hearts once again with the fire of your love. Grant that we may personally and collectively experience your divine love for us and for all humanity through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a lovely weekend. 

Homily For Friday Seventh Week of Eastertide Year A, 22nd May, 2026

Readings: Acts 25:13-21; Ps.103; John 21:15-19

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

SIN MAKES US BETRAYALS, LOVE BRINGS RESTORATION

The ups and downs of life have been a great experience and a challenge to humanity. Every day is a new struggle. Life struggles, struggle for survival, struggle against the manipulation of the evil ones, more challenging is the struggle of our own self, especially our weakness and sinfulness. These struggles are evident in the life of the disciples of Jesus.

All the time they were with Jesus, they struggled to be like him, to follow his ways and to understand him, and it wasn’t easy. In the course of these struggles, they failed, denied, forsaken, and sinned against the Lord Jesus despite their love for him. But this was well predicted by Jesus who warned them to remain steadfast even in the midst of these struggles.

However, after all the struggles and fall during his passion and death, Jesus now needed to strengthen his disciples for the great task ahead before departing from them. So on the occasion in the Gospel passage today, Jesus said to Peter, the leader of his Apostles: ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’

A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep.’ Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.

Here we can imagine the disposition of the disciples when seeing the Lord as they sat together round the fire, eating silently the meal which Jesus had prepared, and no doubt, gazing silently at the Lord’s silence. It must really be a great moment of tension as to how the oppressive silence was to be broken and how Peter’s heart must have been troubled when the great silence was broken with the words: Simon, son of John, do you love me?

These three times questions have a special force in the restoration of him who had three times denied his Master, and now three times declares his love for Him, and he is three times restored and entrusted with a great task of feeding his master’s sheep. A great moment of grace that Peter never thought he deserved.

From this gracious act, we see how God, through Jesus, treats a soul conscious of its sinfulness and fault; and in Peter’s disposition, we see an illustration of how a soul, conscious of its sinfulness and fault, should behave before God. This gracious event is very symbolic, not just that the Lord had forgiven Peter for his threefold denial at the moment of His arrest and suffering, but also that the Lord restored him again as the leader of His flocks and the entire Universal Church.

Dear friends, in our struggles in this life, we have done ugly and sinful things that we really regret and don’t want to remember or talk about, just like St Peter. Wishing we could have changed or avoided them, but there is nothing we can do about them anymore except to seek restoration. And this restoration is what Jesus is offering us today as he says: " My child, do you still love me? Do you really love me? Do you love me more than all the things of this passing world?

All we have to say in consciousness of our faults and sinfulness is: Lord, you know everything, yes, I truly love you. And just like St Peter, the Lord Jesus will not only forgive us, but he will restore us to a greater glory. So why struggling in silence, it’s time to break open at the confessional the hidden wounds of sin in our hearts.

For the Lord wants to heal and restore us once again so that we can be open and free to receive the Holy Spirit the promised Paraclete, who will restore us afresh to God’s greater glory.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we anticipate the coming of the Holy Spirit, we come to you today conscious of our faults and sinfulness. Grant us your healing and restoration through Christ our Lord. Amen. Remain blessed. 

Homily For Thursday Seventh Week of Eastertide Year A, 21st May, 2026

 

Readings: Acts 22:30,23:6-11; Ps.16; John 17:20-26

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

COURAGE! FOR JESUS PRAYS FOR US

Whenever we are passing through a very difficult, ugly situation, we feel that all hope is gone as our trusted friends have abandoned us. We actually feel great and relieved when we hear or remember that someone is praying for us.

It feels right to know that someone is interceding on our behalf, it feels great to hear that someone is communicating with God on our behalf. Yes, for a few days now, we have been listening to the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus for his disciples who were with him at the Last Supper, how he prayed for their sanctification and unity.

However, in this final part of his prayer, Jesus now prays for all those who, through the influence of his disciples, come to believe in God and in him. So, each one of us belongs to those whom Jesus is praying for when he said in our Gospel passage today, Holy Father, I pray not only for these, but for those also who through their words will believe in me. May they all be one. Father, may they be one in us, as you are in me and I am in you, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.

Here, as Jesus prays for his disciples, he also extended his prayer to everyone who will come to believe in him through them. For he knows that we will all need similar grace and be exposed to similar trials. Hence he prays that those who follow him may be drawn into the life of the Holy Trinity. The Father sends the Son to humanity precisely so that the Son may draw all humanity into the relationship that exists with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

This prayer reminds us that our unity, our “oneness,” is to be a sign to the world of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is a thing of great joy to know that each Christian, no matter how insignificant, humble, unknown, poor, unlearned, or despised, is remembered in prayer by Jesus, who is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, who will always grant his request.

Thus, if we can value the prayers of our friends, how much more should we value the prayer of the Son of God? Because of this single prayer of Jesus, we Christians are infinitely more privileged than any other people in the world. So, in the midst of any difficulty, trials, and struggles, we should be more confident once we remember that the Son of God prays for us, and his prayers will surely be heard by God.

It is this same confidence that St. Paul had when he testified before the tribunal of the chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin concerning his hope in the resurrection, as we have it in our first reading, and the next night, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Courage! You have borne witness for me in Jerusalem, now you must do the same in Rome.’

Dear friends, I don’t know what you are going through now, especially as regards your faith in Jesus. I don’t know what you are asking God to do for you. I don’t know how ugly the situation in your life has been, I don’t know whatever sickness you are passing through or how abandoned and rejected you feel right now. All I can tell you now is that Jesus has not stopped thinking and praying for you and me.

All we have to do is to be confident and remain faithful like St. Paul, and we will hear the Lord saying to us: ‘Courage, my child! You have borne witness for me today through your struggles, patience and faithfulness, now I must do the same for you by restoring you to a greater glory.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we place our hope in You, grant that through the prayers of Jesus we may always come out victorious in all our trials and tribulations and so obtain the joy of Your help through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you the best of God’s favour and blessings.

Homily For Wednesday Seventh Week of Eastertide Year A, 20th May, 2026

 

Readings: Acts 20:28-38; Ps.68; John 17:11-19

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF CHRISTIAN LIFE

Sanctity, truth and oneness are very vital concepts that any meaningful family, society, group, community or religion will always need in order to achieve their mission and goals. These are very fundamental because of the role they play in ensuring that things are properly done in any environment they exist.

Sanctity, which is the quality of being holy, comes from the Greek word Hagiason, which is related to hagios, which means holy, that is, to be set apart for God’s service. So the concept of Sanctity, sets one apart for the particular service he/she has to render. Truth, on the other hand, comes from the Latin word veritas, which means a representation of things as they are.

This concept makes one open to the real situation of the realities around him/her. And where these concepts are present, openness and tolerance become possible, hence oneness and unity can be achieved. Therefore, knowing the importance of sanctity, truth and oneness in achieving any mission and goal, Jesus, in his High Priestly Prayer, asks the Father to sanctify his disciples in truth and oneness.

This is what we have in our Gospel passage today, when Jesus prayed saying: ‘Holy Father, keep those you have given me true to your name, so that they may be one just as we are one… I am not asking you to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world, and for their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth'.

In a similar way in our first reading today, St. Paul prayed to the elders of the Church in Ephesus to be on their guard for themselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made them overseers. He asked them to feed the Church of God, which he bought with his own blood, and guide them against fierce wolves who will invade them and will have no mercy on the flock. For there will be men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the disciples to follow them.

So, from this passage truth becomes the midst by which the sanctification of the disciples will take place. But the evil in the world is a great hindrance to achieving this. However, their likeness to Jesus is the great ground of hope for they have been consecrated to the truth. And this is the real hope and holiness of all true Christians, for through this, the gift of the Holy Spirit is made available to the Church to be sanctified in the truth and so share in the oneness of which Christ prayed.

Dear friends, we are made to know that sanctity, truth and oneness are the hallmarks of Christian life. For these are what the whole Christian community has to achieve and sustain both in nature, will, affection and understanding. This is not only in their union with Christ, but to one another; abiding together, cleaving to each other, standing fast in one Spirit, having the same designs, and the interest of the mission of the salvation of humanity at heart.

Therefore, today we are called to embrace the divine truth by which we have been sanctified to achieve the goal of unity and oneness of which Christ prayed. This oneness is very important not only as Christians, but also as couples, families, communities, co-workers and friends. Hence, let us allow the Holy Spirit to sanctify us once more to the truth and so achieve the oneness of which Christ prayed.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, sanctify us once again in the truth of which Your Son Jesus has given us, so, that we may once again achieve oneness in our family, society, in the Church and in the world at large. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed day.

Homily For Tuesday Seventh Week of Eastertide Year A, 19th May, 2026

 

Readings: Acts 20:17-27; Ps.68; John 17:1-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

HOW TO OBTAIN ETERNAL LIFE

The notion of eternal life is one of the things in the consciousness of most religious people and more especially Christians. Oftentimes, we hear people talking about eternal life as if it were a movie that will soon begin. But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: What is eternal life? What does it really mean to have eternal life? How can we obtain it?

The answer to these questions is found in the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus which we have in our Gospel passage today. At the beginning of this prayer, Jesus said: ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.’

From this prayer, we come to know that knowledge is very important to understanding the meaning of eternal life, and knowledge, as we are told, is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. So here, Jesus is saying that eternal life, which traditionally refers to continued life after death, is only possible through the knowledge of the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.

The point here is that eternal life consists in the knowledge of the Father as the only Being answering to the ideal thought of God; and this knowledge is manifested in Him, whom God anointed and sent into the world to declare His attributes and character for the sake of redeeming humanity which was possible through the incarnation, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Thus, eternal life, which has been achieved for humanity, has been given to believers who have been redeemed from sin and death. Their task is to communicate this to ignorant and sinful humanity. Little wonder we heard St. Paul in our first reading saying: I have preached to you, and instructed you both in public and in your homes, urging both Jews and Greeks to turn to God and to believe in our Lord Jesus.

This is humanity's journey and process to eternal life, and when this knowledge has been made perfect, holiness and happiness will be fully achieved. These holiness and happiness of the redeemed are exactly what the glory of Christ and of his Father signifies. For Jesus endured the cross and death and so ends humanity's sorrows of sin and death, thereby obtaining the victory and glory of eternal life for humanity.

Therefore, our glorifying God and His Son Jesus is needed as evidence of our interest in Christ, through whom eternal life is given to us as an act of mercy, forgiveness, and love, so that we become living souls with unspeakable joy. For his is the meaning of eternal life and the source and manner in which we can obtain it.

Dear friends, every day of our lives we struggle to know God, through different means and in the Apostles' Creed we often say: I believe in God and his Son Jesus, I believe in the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. But the question is, do we really know God and His Son Jesus? Do we truly believe in Him? Do our attitudes, behaviours and decisions evidence of us knowing Christ, through whom eternal life is given to us as an act of mercy, forgiveness, and love? Therefore we are called today to sincerely seek to know God personally through His Son Jesus and so attain the eternal life which he has won for us.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, let us seek to know You more personally and so work hard to do Your will to attain eternal life, which You have given us through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you. 

Homily For Monday Seventh Week of Eastertide Year A, May 18th, 2026

Readings: Acts 19:1-8; Ps.68;  John 16:29-33

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

IN THE WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLES, BUT BE BRAVE: I HAVE CONQUERED THE WORLD 

Tribulations and sufferings have been the hallmark of most people’s experience in the world. Sometimes, we feel overwhelmed by the level of suffering we are passing through every day, the sad news we hear and see in our streets, the television and on social media. These often make us feel hopeless and fearful because the situation is beyond our control. 

This kind of fearful situation is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today, knowing that very soon his disciples are going to face a worse situation, so he said to them “Listen; the time will come, in fact it has come already, when you will be scattered, each going his own way and leaving me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me. In the world, you will have trouble, but be brave: I have conquered the world.”

Here, Jesus is telling his disciples these things not to discourage them but to prepare them for many troubles and tribulations they are going to face in the future, so that when the time comes, they will find peace in him.  

He told them not to worry because he had conquered the world, not in any political or economic sense, but in overcoming the evil in the world, and so, all the tribulations, sorrow, and suffering have been conquered in Jesus through his passion, death and resurrection. Therefore, his disciples can share in this victory, as long as they remain faithful and united in peace.

Dear friends, this same promise is available for us his disciples, who today are passing through great tribulations and sufferings in the world. We have to be courageous and find strength in the words of Jesus, who has conquered the world and all its evil and tribulations. For today, Jesus is reassuring us that no matter what is happening in our world, he is still in control and will always ensure that we come out victoriously. 

Thus, as we prepare and wait patiently for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, let us take our fears, sufferings, tribulations, sickness and disappointments to Jesus and ask him to give us the courage and strong faith. This is what St. Paul reminded the people in our first reading today. 

For through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will overcome all the ugly situations in our lives, families, societies and the world at large, and so enjoy once again the peace of knowing that he is with us always till the end of time.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, may the power of the Holy Spirit come upon us, we pray, so that following your instructions, we may overcome the world and all the trials and tribulations we face every day through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful week.

Homily For Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year A, 17th May, 2026

Readings: Acts 1:12-14; Ps. 27; 1 Pet. 4:13-16; John 17:1-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WAITING ON THE HOLY SPIRIT

One of the difficult things we don’t like to hear when we are expecting something great to come our way is the word “wait”. The word wait can be very unpleasant to the ears of anyone who is desperately in need of something. Oftentimes, we have little or no option but to wait, and in life, we have a lot of waiting to do.

We wait for the day to break, we wait for the month to end, we wait for the traffic, we wait for our admission, interviews, jobs, husbands, wives, and children. We wait and wait and wait. In fact, waiting on God is a regular message of faith which we hear every day. Waiting can really be difficult and uncomfortable, it can be suicidal for those who lack the virtue of patience.

However, good and great things are worth waiting for, just like the disciples who today are called to wait prayerfully for the coming of the Holy Spirit, the promised Paraclete. For we read from the scriptures how the world passes through centuries of waiting for the Messiah, thinking that the waiting would be over once Jesus had come, but the waiting has to continue till the coming of the promised Paraclete and even to the return of our Lord Jesus in his glory. Hence, today the Church waits prayerfully for the promised Paraclete.

Little wonder today, the seventh Sunday of the season of Easter, after the Solemnity of the Ascension last Thursday, we heard how the disciples went to the upper room waiting prayerfully for the promised Paraclete, as we have it in our first reading, “and when they reached the city they went to the upper room where they were staying... All these joined in continuous prayer, together with several women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.”

In our second reading, we heard St. Peter encouraging the faithful people of God to remain steadfast in their faith amid the persecution and challenges they face. He said to them: “If you can have some share in the sufferings of Christ, be glad, because you will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed. He said, it is a blessing for you when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ, because it means that you have the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God resting on you.”

This means that they have to learn how to wait patiently and remain strong in their struggle and sufferings for the glory of the Lord. While in the Gospel passage, we heard how Jesus, knowing what the disciples were going to pass through on account of waiting and struggling with the faith they had found in him, prayed dearly for them and committed them to God, His Father.

This prayer is called the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus, because in it Jesus consecrates himself to the sacrificial death which he offers to the Father for the salvation of humanity. Here Jesus prayed for his disciples that the Father should take care of them in the midst of the evils in the world, that they should be one as he and the Father are one.

In this prayer, Jesus shows us that prayer is a form of communication between us and God, whom we should love dearly and wait patiently for His will to be done in our lives. This simply means, that we have to learn how to communicate regularly with God and wait patiently for His will to be done. And in like manner, we must learn how to wait patiently with our loved ones, our friends, our family members and relatives, our spouses and others who are dear to us. We must learn how to wait patiently with life activities and the challenges and struggles that come with them.

Dear friends, today the disciples are waiting prayerfully in the upper room for the promised Paraclete. We too are also called to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Holy Spirit this coming Pentecost Sunday, we are called to go to the upper room of our hearts and conscience and wait patiently for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

We are called to prepare and wait on the Holy Spirit through the ongoing novena to the Holy Spirit. We are called to wait patiently for the fulfilment of God’s plan for each and every one of us. We are called to wait for God's time to come. We are called to learn how to wait for one another. We must learn to wait patiently for things to mature before we use them.

Though waiting may be difficult, good and great things are worth waiting for and preparing for. But what are you really waiting for in this life? How prepared and ready are you for that which you are waiting for in this life? How is my way of life showing that I am waiting for the Holy Spirit? If the Holy Spirit comes today will he find a dwelling place in my life, that is filled with bitterness, anger, corruption, unforgiveness and immoral thoughts and actions? As we wait, let us prepare our hearts for the Holy Spirit to dwell within us whenever He comes.

LET US PRAY: Graciously hear our supplications, O Lord, as we wait patiently for the fulfilment of your promise, grant that when the Paraclete comes, may we be disposed to receive him as our Advocate and let him teach us what to do, how to do it, when to do it and give us the grace to do it properly through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a grace-filled Sunday.

Homily For Saturday Sixth Week of Eastertide Year A, 16th May, 2026

 

Readings: Acts 18:23-28; Ps.47;  John 16:23-28

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyi

PRESENTING OUR REQUEST TO GOD THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD

People often ask why most of our liturgical prayers conclude with the phrase ‘through Christ our Lord.’ Is this necessary since God can hear us directly? Anyway, the answer to this question is found in our Gospel passage today, when Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I tell you most solemnly, anything you ask for from the Father he will grant in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and so your joy will be complete... because the Father himself loves you for loving me.’

Here Jesus makes a solemn promise to his disciples that whatever they ask the Father in his name will be given to them. This is because, in Jesus, the disciples will experience direct contact with the Father. His name becomes the link that will usher them into the divine relationship between the Son and the Father. For it is through this relationship that the disciples will come to experience the divine privilege that will give access to their request from God.   

Therefore, the Greek word ‘dia’, which can be translated as both ‘by’ and ‘through’, can be linked to the words of Jesus when he said in John 14:6  ‘, I am the way. No one can come to the Father except “through“ me’. Thus, Jesus is the way through which we can come to God. For through Jesus, we have obtained access to the grace of being God’s children. 

This does not mean that God is inaccessible. Rather, as we know God is a spirit whose nature is beyond our apprehension and different from our nature, which is material and sinful. So to make Himself known to us, He sent His son to take our flesh upon him and to become human like us, to free us from the power of sin and death, so that we can be closer to Him through Christ, His Son. 

Hence, asking God for something through Christ ushers us into the divine grace that gives us access to the divine relationship with God the Father, and this has become the normal way for the Church to pray to the Father, as we do in all our liturgical prayers. This is what I see playing out in our first reading today when Apollos arrived in Chaia, and by God’s grace, he was able in an energetic way to refute the Jews in public and demonstrate from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

Dear friends, God makes Himself known to us through Jesus, and we come to Him through Jesus. Thus, Christ Jesus has become the divine grace through which we obtain the divine access into the divine life of the Trinity. And this is the source of our joy as Christians. For this, give us the divine access to include Jesus in our daily decision-making 

And try to see things the way he does, and when this happens, we transcend ourselves into the divine relationship that will make us open to the will of God and so obtain from him whatever we need. This is why we conclude most of our prayers in the name of Christ Jesus.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we learn to present our needs to you through your Son Jesus, we pray that we may obtain through him the divine access to your will and so grant all our petitions according to your Holy will through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a grace-filled weekend.,

Homily For Friday Sixth Week of Eastertide Year A, 15th May, 2026

 

Readings: Acts 18:9-18; Ps.47; John 16:20-23

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

YOUR SORROWS TODAY WILL BE THE NECESSARY CAUSE OF YOUR JOY TOMORROW

Oftentimes when we reflect on the ugly events that happen around us, which have caused us deep sorrows, we wonder why God, who is so good and all-powerful, permits such events to happen to us. Sometimes we felt we should have avoided such a sorrowful event, hence, we complain and even doubt the power of God, whom we thought would have helped us overcome the evil.

Thus, Jesus knowing that his disciples would surely find themselves in this kind of situation said to them in our Gospel passage today, ‘I tell you most solemnly, you will be weeping and wailing while the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy…and that joy no one shall take from you. When that day comes, you will not ask me any questions.’

Here Jesus is talking about the sorrows the disciples will experience when he goes away after his passion and death, and the joy they will experience at his resurrection. This does not simply mean that they shall pass from sorrow to joy, the sorrow itself shall become joy because it was the necessary cause of their joy.

Jesus illustrates this with the necessary pain and sorrow of childbirth and the joy of motherhood. An analogy that better explains the pains and sorrows of the disciples, where their pains and sorrows lead directly to a joy that no one could take away from them. A perfect way of explaining what will happen when they see him again, and their deepest pains and sorrows will be transformed into purest joys, which no one can take away.

These are words of encouragement for the disciples who were afraid of what would become of them when Jesus was no longer physically with them. These same words of encouragement are what St. Paul received from the Lord at Corinth when he was scared of what would become of him and his mission as we have it in our first reading, when at night the Lord spoke to him in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid to speak out, nor allow yourself to be silenced: I am with you. I have so many people on my side in this city that no one will even attempt to hurt you.’

Therefore, we are to learn from Jesus, whose path to joy went through the awful agony of the cross, knowing that our own path to eternal joy may first go through the pains of sorrows for our sins. Because for us to find permanent joy in Jesus, we have to die to self which may lead us through a necessary sorrowful moment that will give birth to a permanent joy that is found in the risen Christ.

Dear friends, today we are encouraged to be patient in times of sorrows for God knows how to turn our sorrows of the moment into a thing of great joy in the future. The sorrow of contrite hearts today, becomes the gladness of pardoned tomorrow; the sorrow of hardships, intimidation, abandonment, sickness, poverty and even death will become the great joy of success, victory, healing, freedom and eternal life which no one can take away from us.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, who restore us to eternal life in the Resurrection of Christ, grant we pray that our present sorrows will be turned into great joy and lead us to eternal victory through Christ our Lord. Amen.

As we begin the novena to the Holy Spirit today, may the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with the joy of His presence

Homily For Sixth Week of Easter, Year A, 14th May, 2026. The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

 

Readings: Acts.1:1-11; Ps.47; Eph. 1:17-23; Matt. 28:16-20

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

UNDERSTANDING THE EVENT OF ASCENSION OF THE LORD AND IT’S EFECT IN HUMAN HISTORY

Most people no doubt, have all kinds of questions and reservations about the following words: ‘death, resurrection, Ascension, heaven and hell', they often wonder what and how these realities will be like.

I find the answer to these questions in today's solemnity of Ascension. The event which shows the triumph of life over death and good over evil. For the Joy of the risen Lord has filled the hearts of his disciples as they had experienced the physical presence of Jesus for the past forty days after his death and resurrection.

So on the occasion of today's solemnity, the Lord Jesus in the present of his disciples was physically ascended into heaven as they watch him taken away in the cloud, to return to his heavenly Throne, triumphant and victorious.

It was a moment of great hope for them as they wished to be with him for eternity. However, they have a mission to accomplish, they are to bear witness to the events and testified about it on their missions and pass it down as a true hope for humanity.

Thus, the solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, reminds us, that great moment of hope when the Lord triumph victoriously and no longer physically present among his disciples and followers, as they can no longer directly see him or touch him as they had been during all the while he was physically present with them.

But this does not mean that the Lord has abandoned or left his disciples, rather he has gone to fulfill his promise of preparing a place for his faithful disciples, and will also send a great Helper to assist them.

Therefore, the feast of the Ascension of the Lord does not mean that Jesus has departed to some place far from people and from the world. Rather it means that he no longer belongs to the world conditioned by the life of corruption and death. For he now belongs entirely to God as the eternal Son, who has purified the filthiness of humanity. He has raised and introduce us once again into the presence and life of God.

This he did by ascending into heaven with our flesh and blood in its transfigured form and this is a thing of great hope and joy for all who believe in him. It is these great joy and hope that we celebrate today. An event that shows that humanity has been introduced once again into the very presence and life of God. This is the meaning and symbolic effect of the solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord for humanity.

Hence, from the readings of today, we have the details of this great event and the last instructions of Jesus to his disciples. In the first reading, before the Ascension, Jesus said to his disciples: ‘you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth. As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight.’

While in today's Gospel passage, Jesus instruct his disciples saying; All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’

In addition, St Paul in the second reading, made us to know that the Holy Spirit will enlighten the eyes of our mind so that we can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit and how infinitely great is the power that he has exercised for us believers.

Dear friends, the occasion of the Ascension of the Lord means that humanity have been introduced once again in to the presence and life of God. It is an event that shows an ultimate demonstration of the power of Jesus over death, the inauguration of his reign over heaven and earth as the universal King.

Also, the occasion of the Ascension of the Lord is a confirmation of the reality of heaven, which reminds us that God has always been faithful and loving as he fulfills his covenants and promises to humanity. It reminds us of our mission to evangelize the world, to give hope to humanity by letting them know that human hope and life are beyond the boundaries of this passing world.

It reminds us that God will always be with us no matter what we are passing through in this world for he will always provide for us and care for us at all times. Hence, we must have faith in him no matter how challenging and difficult the situation in our lives may be, we must have hope and trust in God that at the end everything will be fine.

Let us hold on to the Lord for this occasion is indeed a great time for us to recall the hope that we found in Jesus' triumphant victory over evil, sin and condemnation. Let us celebrate the greatest hope that God has given to humanity by letting us to share in the very Life of the Trinity.

The hope that humanity will one day be united body and soul with our Lord and Saviour Jesus. A confirmation of the reality of heaven, for this is the central message of the event of the Ascension that gives great joy and hope to all who believes, which as disciples, we are called to bear witness to the world.

Therefore, let us share this great hope to the people of the world by letting the light of Christ in us illuminate the darkness and ignorance in the world. Let us share this hope through our words, actions and deeds. Let our presence bring hope and encouragement, not hatred and division. Let our actions bring healing and succour in hopeless situations. Let our deeds inspire humanity to come to know God and embrace the victory Jesus has won for us.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, let this solemnity of the Lord’s Ascension, enkindle in us the passion to love you more dearly and to spread in the world the Joy and hope we have found in Jesus. Let these Joy and hope bring healing, succour, strength and courage that will help us to overcome the ugly and hopeless situations in our lives, families, societies and the world at large. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you. 

Homily For Wednesday Sixth Week of Eastertide Year A, 13th May, 2026

 

Readings: Acts 17:15.22-18:1; Ps.148; John 16:12-15

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

THE TIME OF IGNORANCE IS OVER FOR THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH HAS COME

One of the Spiritual works of Mercy is instructing the ignorant, and this is one of the difficult tasks to do as Christian, especially when it comes to dealing with people who are presumed to be learned.

This kind of difficulty is what St. Paul had to face with the people of Athens in our first reading today. So Paul finding himself in the most learned city in the world of his time needed to preach the Good News of God to them.

This means that the theme for his message have to be something that will interest his audience. Thus, he started by clearing their ignorance regarding what he knows they are searching for. He said to them: “I have seen for myself how extremely scrupulous you are in all religious matters, because I noticed, as I strolled round admiring your sacred monuments, that you had an altar inscribed: To An Unknown God. Well, the God whom I proclaim is in fact the one whom you already worship without knowing it.”

In this passage St. Paul claims that this unknown God is none other than God the Creator. He gave us evidence of the ignorance of pagan worship and made it clear that the object of true worship is the one Creator God. He showed us the proper relationship between humanity and God as he lets us know that the time of ignorance is now over. Also, Paul speaks of God’s creative act in humanity, from a single person Adam, he made every race of people and in Him we live and move and exist.

Therefore, we are God’s offspring, His true image in the world. Thus any image made by human skill and creativity will possibly be anything other than a distortion of the image of the one, true God. And so Paul warns us from involving in any form of idol worship as he called for total repentance because God will no longer overlook our ignorance.

This is evident in our Gospel passage today, when Jesus said: ‘I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now. But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come.’

Dear friends, let the Holy Spirit of truth help us to clear our ignorance, for there are many idols that enslaved us in this world and sometimes if we are suddenly deprived of them we end up acting irrational and selfish, even to the point of hurting others just to protect and justify ourselves.

But the truth is that, the time of ignorance is over, for today we have before us the Spirit of truth. We can no longer pretend to be ignorant of God’s instructions. Therefore, let us repent of our sinful ways of life and embrace the Spirit of truth who will clear our ignorance.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are ignorant of so many things about you and the world we live in, grant that the Holy Spirit of truth, will continue to teach us about You and the faith we have found in Your Son Jesus as he unveils the darkness of lies and falsehood in our world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Tuesday Sixth Week of Eastertide Year A, 12 May, 2026

Readings: Acts 16:22-34; Ps.138; John 16:5-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Onyia

UNDERSTANDING THE FUNCTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE WORLD?

Today as Jesus continues with his teaching on the Person of the Holy Spirit, whom he called the Advocate, Jesus said to his disciples in our Gospel passage, ‘I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement.’

The focal point here is on the function of the Holy Spirit in the world. This is because Jesus knows that with the rejection of his teaching by the people of the world, the disciples need an advocate who will surely proved to the world how wrong they are in rejecting and killing him.

Hence, What seemed like abandonment to the disciples, brought about the message of hope assuring them that the Holy Spirit will show the world how wrong it was, about sin and about judgment. That is, the Spirit will convince and persuade the people of the world of their sinful condition which they hold so tight because they were wrong for not believe in Jesus.

Thus the Spirit will clearly show to the world the righteousness of Jesus and his claims to come from God in order to bring the Word of God anew to the world. The Spirit will reveal the meaning of Christ’s death as the condemnation of all that is evil in the world, and victory over devil the prince of this world. This is so evidence in our first reading, where we heard about the victory of Paul and Silas who were praying and singing God’s praises in the prison when the prison doors were opened.

Dear friends, as we struggle with the ugly situation in our world today, we are reminded that the Holy Spirit dwells in us as our Advocate, all we need to do is to turn towards him with hope and courage, knowing that God has called us to be His people and He will always be faithful to His promises. And if we trust Him, we shall not be disappointed for in Him alone is our sure hope of assistance during the difficult moments of our lives.

Therefore, let us open our hearts to the Holy Spirit and let him be the sources of hope, light and inspiration for us especially in this difficult moment of fears of uncertainties in our hearts and minds, which have enslaved and prevented us from realizing what our lives truly mean and what we represent in this world.

Let us know that God has not and will not abandon us in this ugly situation for He has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit, whose work is to ensure our victory and prove to this sinful world how wrong they are in rejecting and persecuting Jesus and the work of redemption which he has established.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, the ugly situation in our world is really shaking the faith of your children, grant, we pray, that we may always find delight in the indwelling of your Holy Spirit and so courageously conquer our fears and worries just like Paul and Silas. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. May God bless and keep you safe always.

Homily For Monday Sixth Week of Eastertide Year A, 11th May, 2026

Readings: Acts 16:11-15; Ps.150;  John 15:26:16-4

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

MAY THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH DISPLACE THE SPIRIT OF FALSEHOOD IN US

In our societies today there are many false influential powers that have great effect in our lives coming from various sources under the guise of good but are in fact leading us astray. 

So, there is need for us to examine these influences and today in our Gospel passage, Jesus said to his disciples: when the Advocate comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father, he will be my witness. And you too will be witnesses, because you have been with me from the outset. ‘I have told you all this that your faith may not be shaken.

Thus, the Holy Spirit will lead us to learn how to distinguish clearly where and in whom dwells the Spirit of truth from the spirit of falsehood. As long as we are of God and in Christ, we have nothing to fear for we do not belong any more to this present world, full of sin, hatred, greed, corruption, deceit and violence. 

Everyday many false prophets and teachers are increasing and are deceiving the people. May God guide us against embracing, too readily, any doctrine proposed to us without due consideration from any teacher that may pretend to have a divine inspiration but are not.

Dear friends, we must be very wise for there are many false prophets operating under the power of the devil. Today Jesus is promising us the Spirit of truth that will give us a special sign for distinguishing true doctrine and true teachers from the false ones. Therefore, let us constantly ask the Holy Spirit to give us the grace of discernment in order to distinguish between good and false prophets and teachers. 

Let us also be true Christians in our way of life, words and deeds just like Lydia in our first reading, a devout woman from the town of Thyatira who listened to the word of God, and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying. After which she and her household was baptised. Let us learn to put our trust in God who has promised to keep us from falling away from the true faith we have found in His Son Jesus. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you promised to send us the Spirit of truth, grant we pray that we will always stand and witness to the truth we have found in Jesus against all the false influential prophets and teachers in our society today. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a fruitful week. 

Homily For Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A, 10th May, 2026

 

Readings: Acts.8:5-8.14-17; Ps.66; 1 Pet. 3:15-18;  John 14:15-21

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

THE PROMISE OF ANOTHER ADVOCATE

As the Solemnity of the Ascension comes up soon precisely on Thursday within the week, in anticipation of the Solemnity of the Pentecost coming very soon. The Holy Mother Church today the sixth Sunday of the holy season of Easter, presences to us the instructions and promise of Jesus to his disciples before his departure.

Hence, the readings of today draw our attention to the promise of Jesus to his disciples concerning the Counsellor, the Paraclete, the Advocate, God’s Holy Spirit, who will guide and teach them everything about their faith in Jesus and God his Father. Thus in our Gospel passage, Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.’

Here, Jesus knowing that he is about to leave his disciples and needed to share a special relationship with them, talks about the Holy Spirit, whom he calls the Spirit of Truth. This is the Spirit who will reveal to his disciples the truth about their faith. He also calls the Spirit "another" Advocate, which presupposes that Jesus also was an Advocate. 

So, Jesus and the Holy Spirit have some similar functions. Since they both come from the Father and are sent into the world. For Jesus communicates what he has received from his Father and the Holy Spirit declares what he has received from Jesus to his disciples. 

Therefore, what Jesus has made known to his disciples through the Holy Spirit, has been passed down to us through his Apostles. This promise of Jesus is what we received at the Sacrament of Baptism, when we were baptized in the Name of the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, and then sealed by the Sacrament of Confirmation. 

Dear Friends, as Christians, the Holy Spirit, the Promised Paraclete plays a very vital roles in our lives and mission. The first role is to help us to establish a special relationship with God through Jesus. Remember the central command that Jesus gave his disciples is for them to love him by obeying His commands. Hence, one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is for us to love Jesus and obey him. 

Also, when Jesus used the word advocate or counsellor which literally refers to the Greek word parakletos, which means “to stand beside.” Telling us that the role of the Holy Spirit is to stand beside us as our advocate, our helper, our best friend, our encourager, mediator and comforter. 

As Christians the Holy Spirit connects us to Jesus so that we have a special relationship with God. He stand beside us as our caregiver and also companion who helps us to overcome fears, the devil and sins. He gives us peace and victory if we let him come into our lives. 

Little wonder, in our first reading, we heard about the great manifestation of the Holy Spirit, as great miracles were worked, unclean spirits came shrieking out of many who were possessed, and several paralytics and cripples were cured and when the Apostles laid hands on the people they received the Holy Spirit.

More so, St Peter in our second reading exhorts us as Christians to reverence the Lord Jesus in our hearts, and always have our answer ready for people who will ask us the reason for the hope that we all have. He encouraged us to be active in living up to our faith, to be faithful in all things and deeds that everyone who hears us, witness us and interact with us may know that we are Christians, people who have received the Holy Spirit and are ready and dedicated to do the will of God at all times, even in the midst of the various tragedies we encounter in life.

LET US PRAY: Almighty ever-living God, as you promised not to leave us as orphans in this world, but will send your Holy Spirit as our Advocate. Grant we pray that the Holy Spirit our Advocate will help us to conquer the ugly situations in our society and the world at large and so overcome devil and all his evil agents and their evil agenda. Amen. Have a spirit filled Sunday.

Homily For Saturday Fifth Week of Eastertide Year A, 9th May, 2029

Readings: Acts 16:1-10; Ps.100; John 15:18-21

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

UNDERSTANDING THE REASON THE WORLD HATRES AND PERSECUTES CHRISTIANS

There is no doubt that threat breeds fear, insecurity and anger, which brings about the negative feeling we call hatred. Little wonder the word ‘Hate’ is often used to express a negative feeling towards something or someone who we presume to have some threat over us or something related to us. Meanwhile, hatred, as we know, is the direct opposite of love.

This definition is very important to understand the teaching of Jesus in our Gospel passage today, when he said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me before you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you do not belong to the world, because my choice withdrew you from the world, therefore the world hates you.”

Here, Jesus, who has been talking to his disciples about love and commanding them to love one another, is today warning and telling them that there is no guarantee that they will be loved in return by the people of the world. He used himself as an example of how they may be treated, that if the world hated and persecuted him so badly, his disciples should expect to be treated the same way. But why did the worldly-minded people hate and persecute Jesus and his disciples?

This is because the presence and words of Jesus bring great light and judgment to the darkness of this world, and the people of the world love darkness rather than the Light, since their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

So the presence of Jesus, the light of the world, threatens the people of the world, and this breeds fear, insecurity and anger, which brings about the negative feeling of hatred for Jesus and those who associate with him.

More so, it is important to note that, when Jesus talks about the “world” as we have it in the Gospel passage, he is not referring to the physical world but the people who are so attached to the things of this world. People who have made the things of this passing world their God and have come to trust in their ability to exploit others and acquire the earth as their own.

They try very hard to cover their sin and silence the voice of conscience accusing them of their sins. But here are Christians constantly reminding them of their sins as they strive to live a life of holiness, which, of course, stirs up again all those thoughts and feelings of guilt which they wished to silence. Hence, this threat breeds fear, insecurity and anger that gives birth to hatred of Christian by worldly-minded people.

Dear friends, today we are called to bear witness even in the face of hatred and hostility. Despite the world’s hatred, we should never respond with retaliation or hatred. Yes, there may be times to ask God to judge the wicked.

There may be times to shake the dust off our feet and move on, of course we have to, knowing that we can do so through the Spirit of truth dwelling in us. Through our Baptism, we have received the Holy Spirit within us, which helps us strive to live a life of love and righteousness even in the midst of persecution and hatred.

LET US PRAY: Almighty and eternal God, who through the regenerating power of Baptism has been pleased to confer on us the heavenly life, grant us, we pray, the grace to bear authentic witness of your love and peace in the world full of hatred and strife. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a lovely and peaceful weekend.

Homily For Friday Fifth Week of Eastertide Year A, 8th May, 2026

Readings: Acts 15:22-31; Ps.57; John 15:12-17

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS GOD HAS LOVED US

Love is a gift from God to mankind, it is like the stream water, so innocent and pure. True love is not hidden; it radiates from the innermost being of a person who experiences it. Most of the problems in our families, societies, and the world at large can be traced to one major challenge: the absence of sincere love for one another, as most families today exist by grace rather than love. Imagine how wonderful the world would have been if we all loved one another.

Little wonder, Jesus, knowing how important love is for the well-being of humanity, made it the centre of all his teachings. He presents love of God and love of neighbour as the summary of all the commandments. And in our Gospel passage today, he says: “This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you.”

As Jesus continues his teaching on love, today we heard more about the commandment to love one another. There is no doubt that we all have experienced God’s love and favour in one way or another. God has done so much for us, giving us everything that we need, and He has shown us all this wonderful love so that we, too, may know what it truly means to love.

And today Jesus is commanding us to also love one another in the same way that God has loved us, and this is exemplified by the Apostles in the decision they made concerning how the gentile believers should be treated, as we have it in our first reading today.

Dear friends, I know that it is not easy to bear the sacrificial nature of love, but that is what the world needs now. So let us be genuine with our actions and love towards one another. Let us not just think about ourselves and our selfish desires, but consider the needs of others. Loving one another requires sacrifice, sacrifice of our comfort, resources, talent, gifts and pride. Loving one another requires forgiveness, mercy, care and humility.

How I wish that humanity could invest the amount of energy, time and resources used in producing heavy machines and ammunition of war into ensuring love and unity in our dealings with one another, believe me, we will not only be fulfilling the first and greatest commandments of God, but we will be building a happy family, a peaceful community and one united humanity built on love. This is why we must learn to love one another.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we make efforts to love one another, grant us the grace to experience true love in our lives, families, communities and the world at large. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen, do have a blessed day.

Homily For Thursday Fifth Week of Eastertide Year A, 7th May, 2026

 

Readings: Acts 15:7-21; Ps.96;  John 15:9-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF GOD’S LOVE FOR HUMANITY 

The word “love” means different things to different people. For some, love is one of the common words we use to express our deep feelings of affection for someone or something. But the fact remains that love is much more than that, why? Because it is something greater than the nature of the human person. 

For me, Love is the nature of God which he shares with His creatures. It is that nature of God which we share with one another. Love is beyond human nature. When we love, we are actually acting out that very nature of God in us and this can be overwhelming and mysterious because it is the nature of God that we share. 

Therefore, love is God's greatest gift to humanity. A gift that shows how much He loves us by sending His Son, whose life-giving sacrifice means salvation for the world. So, the love that Jesus has for us is nothing less than the Divine love that unites the Persons of the Trinity, and Jesus presented this love as life that must continue among his disciples. 

That is why in our Gospel passage today he said to his disciples: ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 

Dear friends, let us keep the Lord’s commandments and let us embrace Jesus and the love He offers us. Let us serve the Lord and his Church faithfully by spreading his love everywhere we find ourselves. The truth is that, it actually feels right and awesome to experience and share the love of God. 

I don’t know if you have ever loved someone and you show it, or someone loves you and shows it? Or somebody loves you and you know it, it is something great and awesome, because love brings life, healing and wholeness into people’s lives. 

Thus, it is by loving God in our neighbours that we can share and experience this nature of God in us and by so doing, we will conquer the world full of hatred, self-centeredness, greed and sin, just the same way the disciples were able to resolve the issues of circumcision in our first reading today. 

For they said instead of making things more difficult for pagans who turn to God, we will tell them merely to abstain from anything polluted by idols, from fornication, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we listened to your words today, may we resolve to keep your commandments and remain in your love. Help us to spread your love to the world and by so doing conquer the hatred, self-centeredness, greed and the sin rooted in our families, societies and the world at large. Amen.  Have a favourable day.

Homily For Wednesday Fifth Week of Eastertide Year A, 6th May, 2026

Readings: Acts 15:1-6; Ps.122;  John 15:18

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

WHY WE HAVE FAILED TO PRODUCE GOOD FRUITS?

Since Sunday, we have been listening to Jesus’ instructions to his disciples, especially as regards the relationship between him and those who wish to be his disciples. To drive this message down to the level they will understand, he used the imagery of the vine and the branches. 

The vine, as we know, is the source of life for the branches. It provides the water and nutrients by which the grapes are produced. Without the vine, no fruit could ever be produced. And branches utterly dependent upon the vine.

 

So as Jesus and his disciples were passing through the vineyards that surround the city after they had concluded their meeting in the upper room in Jerusalem where they celebrated the Passover, Jesus told them the parable of the Vine and the branches as we have it in our Gospel passage today saying: ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing.’ 

Here, Jesus is emphasising the need to remain faithful in our relationship with God, as we know in the scriptures, Israel is pictured as a vine which is to produce good fruit. But has failed. Thus, Jesus made them know that he is the true, genuine and authentic Vine. But in the Old Testament, God’s vine was Israel. He used them to accomplish his purpose in the world. However, he is the true Vine through whom humanity has life.

So, the major purpose of this parable is for us to remain faithful in our relationship with God and also to be fruitful in our Christian faith. Because as God’s chosen people, we are expected to produce great, sweet, beautiful, rich fruit of righteousness, holiness, justice, peace, joy and unite with the world. 

But most of us, just like the Israelites and those men in our first reading today have failed to produce good fruits of love, goodwill, holiness and unity because we have cut ourselves off for God the true Vine but now attached to other unhealthy sources that make us to produce sour, rotten, stinking, tasteless fruit of sin, corruption, greed, cruelty, exploitation and hatred in the world.

Dear friends, as branches of the Vine, which is Christ, our fruit should be the natural outflow of the life of the Vine. For when we are united and identified with Jesus, we produce from his Vine the fruit of the Holy Spirit, that sweet and rich wine of love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, self-control, holiness, courage and faith which is lacking in the world today.

But the questions we need to ask ourselves today are: are we still connected with Jesus the true Vine? What kind of fruit are we producing in this world? What is stopping us from producing good fruit? Do we need to be pruned of our ugly habitual sins? Remember, God prunes a branch so that it may bear more fruit, and this pruning is not done only once, for it is a constant process. 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we are so attached to so many things in this passing world, as we find delight in Jesus our true Vine, prune us where we need to be pruned, so that we may remain faithful in our relationship with you and so bear good fruit of your love and peace in our families, societies and the world at large. We ask this through Christ our Lord.   Remain blessed. 

Homily For Tuesday Fifth Week of Eastertide Year A, 5th May, 2026

Readings: Acts 14:19-28; Ps.145; John 14:27-31

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

EMBRACING THE PEACE GOD IS OFFERING US

The ugly events we hear and experience daily especially the cases of killings, hatred, betrayals, greed; social and economic injustice, bloodshed, kidnapping, banditry and the massacre of innocent people all over the world, are a clear sign that the world has lost a treasure which she enjoys in the presence of God before the fall of man.

By original sin, man has lost the peace he enjoyed with God. But God, who is compassionate and gracious, will restore this peace. Hence Jesus who is the fulfillment of God’s plan in time, offers peace to the world as his first gift after his resurrection, when he said to his disciples in our Gospel passage today, “peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”.

The word Peace from the Hebrew word shalom means more than an absence of conflict or disturbance or war. Rather, it signifies a state of complete integration of unity between God and Man, between man and neighbours, and between man and his environment.

It thus implies everything that Jesus came to achieve in this world. It is the legacy of his life, death and resurrection. Little wonder these words of Jesus are repeated at every Eucharistic celebration, where Jesus offers us his peace again and again.

But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: Have we really embraced this peace in our lives? Do we experience this peace at the Eucharistic banquet every time we participate in the Holy Mass? Am I an instrument of peace to my neighbour, my family and the society at large? Am I ready to sacrifice my possessions, my ambition and my life for the sake of peace? Am I ready to forgive those who offended me and seek reconciliation for the sake of peace?

 St Paul in our first reading today was stoned and dragged out of the city because he offered the word of peace to the people who rejected it. Should we give up because our peace has been rejected by people? Should we stop being peace-loving because of persecution?

Will I be courageous enough to let peace be known in the world where killings, hatred, betrayals, greed; social and economic injustice, bloodshed, kidnapping, banditry and the massacre of innocent people have become the order of the day? Will I use the peace I have found in Jesus to reshape the world around me? Will I let this peace reign supreme in my heart?

Dear friends, we all need peace, but peace is not cheap, because it requires sacrifice. Are we ready to sacrifice for the sake of peace like Jesus? In every Eucharistic sacrifice, Jesus offers us his peace in a sacrificial way. Today, he is searching for genuine and accessible instruments of peace.

He wants to use us as his instruments of peace in our families and in the world. Are we available? Can we make the sacrifices and be the instruments of peace? Can his peace reign in our hearts, so that we can extend this peace to our families, societies, country and the world at large? Lord, make us instruments of your peace.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, in the midst of the chaos, tribulations, hatred, betrayals, greed, violence, banditry and kidnapping in our world today, grant we pray the grace to be true instruments of your peace in our homes, societies, country and the world at large, so that our world may be restored back to its original harmony and the face of the earth be renewed. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Monday Fifth Week of Easter Year A, 4th May, 2026

Readings: Acts. 14:5-18; Ps.114; John 14:21-26

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL TEACH YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

As the time for Jesus to accomplish his mission drew near, he had taught his disciples a lot of things which they had not yet fully understood, and there was more to teach them. So in our Gospel passage today, as he continues to teach the disciples about knowing and observing the commandments as a sign of love for him and his Father, one of his disciples who could not understand this teaching said to him, ‘Lord, what is all this about?

He continues, do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world? And Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make our home with him'. But as this becomes more difficult for them to comprehend, Jesus said to them: ‘The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.’

Here, Jesus, who has been the teacher of his disciples, promised them the indwelling of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will take up the task to inspire them and deepen their understanding of the words and actions of Jesus. However, Jesus emphasised that the condition for obtaining all that he has promised is the love expressed in our faith in the Father through him.

Thus today, we are called to renew our faith and devotion to God, to renew our love and focus once again on Him with all our hearts, to be faithful in all things and at all times. Let us be inspired by the courage and faith of the Apostles, and strive to dedicate ourselves ever more to God. Just like Paul and Barnabas in our first reading, who had the right focus and emphasis in their minds and hearts with unwavering faith and commitment to God as they resisted the temptation of being treated like gods.

Hence, they shouted at the people who wanted to offer sacrifice to them, they said to them: ‘Friends, what do you think you are doing? We are only human beings like you. We have come with good news to make you turn from these empty idols to the living God who made heaven and earth'. Here we see how they faithfully kept the commandments of God, and remained faithful to Him, as Jesus mentioned in our Gospel passage today.

Dear friends, let us resist the temptations of pride, greed, selfishness and corruption present in this world. As we ascend the ladder of success, we must not let pride cut our joy short by taking the honour that is not ours. We must learn like Paul and Barnabas to be humble and avoid taking the honour that is meant for God. And when we do not understand, let the Holy Spirit teach you all you need to know.

We must do our very best to follow Jesus with all our hearts and with all our strength, putting him at the very centre of our existence and lives, knowing that the holy Spirit, the Advocate, will surely teach and reveal to us the deep mysteries of our faith. He will also help us to overcome the temptations of this world and lead us to God, our loving Father.

LET US PRAY: Almighty ever-living God, there are lots of things we need to know and understand about the faith we have found in you, grant we pray that the Holy Spirit may guide our ways, teach us what we need to know and what to do, how to do it, when to do it and help us do it properly. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It's a new week, may the Holy Spirit guide and bless all your efforts.