Homily For Saturday Fourth Week of Easter Year B, 27th April, 2024

Readings: Acts. 13:44-52; Ps.98; John 14:7-14

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

JESUS THE TRUE IMAGE OF GOD THE FATHER

 

The use of the imagery of Father and Son by Jesus is one of the means, Jesus used to explain his relationship with God. But oftentimes, the people and even his disciples find it difficult to understand the systematic fashion of this relationship. So in our Gospel passage today, Jesus tried to explain this relationship to his disciples when he said to them: If you know me, you know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him.

 

Curiously, Philip said, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied'. But Jesus said: you must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; I tell you most solemnly, whoever believes in me will perform even greater works because I am going to the Father and whatever you ask for in my name I will do it.

 

Here Jesus is saying that if we want to know God and understand his ways in relation to humanity, all we need to do is to look at him (Jesus) as the Son of the Father who has come to reveal the true image of God to humanity. We are to observe what he does, listen to what he teaches, watch how he behaves, what and who he loves, and what he rejects or defends. For by so do we will discover God in him because as the Son, he is the true human image of God. He is one with the Father in unity of existence and life and this is evidenced in the Words he spoke and the works he performed.

 

Consequently,  those who believe in him are endowed with the power of the Holy Spirit and will do greater works than he has done. For he has gone to the Father and whatever they ask in his name he will do it because they will be asked by the Holy Spirit in union with the name of the very person of Jesus whose request the Father will always grant.

 

Dear friends, the questions we need to ask ourselves today are: what is my relationship with Jesus and God the Father? Do we believe in God as our Father? Do we personally and truly know and believe in Jesus? Have we any personal experience of the power of the Holy Spirit? The truth is that we can only do great work in his name when we have a personal experience and encounter with the risen Lord, just like the disciples who were filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit and spoke out boldly to the people about the good news of Jesus and when they where rejected out of jealousy by the Jews as we have it in our first reading, they turned to the gentiles who embraced the good news with joy.

 

Therefore, I don’t know what you want God to do for you, I don’t know what prayer points you recite every day, I don’t know how deep your requests are. All I know is that if we truly have a personal relationship with Jesus and believe in him, we are going to be endowed with the power of the Holy Spirit and will do greater works than he has done for he has gone to the Father. And whatever we ask in his name he will do it, because we will be asked by the Holy Spirit in union with the name of the very person of Jesus, whose request the Father will always grant.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, in the celebration of Easter you graciously give to the world the gift of heavenly remedies, grant that we your children may have a personal experience of your presence in our lives so that presenting our needs before you, we may find favour in your presence. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful and peaceful weekend.

Homily For Friday Fourth Week of Easter Year B, 26th April 2024

Readings: Acts. 13:26-33; Ps.2; John 14:1-6

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

ARE YOU TROUBLED? DO NOT LET YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED, TRUST IN GOD STILL.

With the ugly situation of things in our country and the world at large, there are different grades of suffering and problems in our societies today, of which both the poor and the rich are testifying. Hence, we can feel the struggles, the tears, and the disappointments that people are passing through every day. 

In fact, some people have lost hope in themselves and even in everything they do as they run up and down seeking solutions. The poor are seeking daily bread, upliftment and favour, the rich are seeking protection and good health, while the evil ones are taking advantage of the situation to destroy the little faith of the people. The evil in the world is putting our faith to the test and most people are giving in to their scheme as they are unable to overcome them. 

So today, Jesus in our Gospel passage said ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me.’ And he concludes by saying: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’ Here, we have one of the most consoling words of Jesus to his disciples who were afraid after he had told them about his passion and what would happen to them as well. He reassured them that he would always be with them as he went to prepare a place for them in his Father’s house.

 

In a similar way we heard in our first reading, the story of St Paul’s encouragement to the Jewish community in Antioch in Pisidia, telling them how the people in Jerusalem had treated Jesus so badly, rejecting him and condemning him to death, a most painful and humiliating death on the Cross, but God has turned all of that into joy and salvation, as everything had indeed been part of God’s plan of saving humanity. Therefore, Jesus is reminding us again of the Covenant which God has made with us for He will not abandon us to destruction.

Dear friends, Jesus is indeed the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the only way for us to pass through and overcome the ugly situation we find ourselves in, he is the Truth that all of us should be following to unveil the lies, deceptions and evil that is going on in our world, he is the Life that we have all been seeking to have and protect. Thus, Jesus is saying to us do not let your heart be troubled, trust in God and trust in me. 

Therefore, all we need is to have total faith and trust in God through Jesus who has assured us that he will not abandon us in this ugly situation. Let us from now on, put our complete trust in God, knowing that in Him alone can we find the truth and a way out of the predicaments and trials we are facing in our world today. Let us be patient no matter how difficult our lives and conditions may have been at this moment, for God knows how best to handle the situation. Let us encourage one another for it is our duty as Christians to bring hope to humanity, especially in this most difficult moment in human history.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, You are the author of our lives, freedom and salvation, all we have are yours, thank you for being with us in our daily troubles, struggles, fears, tears, hope and joy, may you provide for the poor, console the troubled, heal the sick, protect and put simile on the faces of your children today and always. Amen. Do have a blessed day.

Homily For Thursday Fourth Week of Easter Year B, 25th April, 2024. Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist

Readings: 1 Peter 5:5-14; Ps.89; Mark 16:15-20

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

OUR MISSIONARY MANDATE IS TO PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS TO ALL CREATION

 

Every 25^th of April, we Celebrate the Feast of Saint Mark the Evangelist. In this feast the Church calls our attention to the mission and mandate of Christ to his disciples. It is truly a feast which is meant for all of us who are followers of Christ to recount our commitment to Jesus which we made at our baptism.

 

This is the commitment to bear authentic witness to the faith we profess just as St. Mark recounts in his Gospel passage we read today, which tells us the stories of how Jesus called his disciples and commissioned them to go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. We are also called by Jesus, not only as disciples, but also as evangelists.

 

Therefore evangelization is the very nature and essence of the life of the Church. Jesus gives us the mandate and the commission to evangelize, that is, to announce the Good News to all the nations and to spread the Gospel to every creature. This commission is shared by all those who are baptized both priests and lay faithful. Everyone has a particular responsibility to share in the work of proclamation of the Gospel.

 

Today, we should ask ourselves, how have we proclaimed the Gospel to the world? What efforts are we making to ensure that the mandate Christ entrusted to us is carried out effectively in our generation. This Easter season, how have we proclaimed the Risen Lord to the world?

 

Are we shy, ashamed or humiliated because of the Gospel? St Peter in our second reading said: Be calm but vigilant, because your enemy the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to eat. Stand up to him, strong in faith and in the knowledge that your brothers all over the world are suffering the same things

 

Dear friends, at this moment when the world is confused, because we have removed God out of our daily lives, at this time when we have placed our hope in the activities of the human person who seems to have taken the place of God, at this time when our governments, scientists, doctors, lawyers, professors and even pastors assumed the place of God which is the cause of the ugly situation we are passing through in our societies today. It's time to come back to God and follow his directions.

 

Thus, it’s time to recall what Jesus says in the Gospel of John (15:1-8), l am the true Vine you are the branches, anyone who remains with me will bear fruit in plenty, but cut off from me you can do nothing but to perish. We have cut ourselves off from the true Vine and now we can do little or nothing about the situations we find ourselves in our families, society and the world at large.

 

Therefore, let us come back to God our true Vine, for our help comes from Him alone. He has commanded us to go into the whole world and preach this Gospel. Like St. Mark whose memorial we celebrate today, let us learn to take this mandate very seriously for it is our responsibility to fulfil our promises to God and ensure that the Christian faith is preached and sustained in the world and by so doing save humanity once again from sin and death.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are lost in this world, we are confused because we have cut ourselves off from You our true Vine, as we come back to you once again, please give us the grace to preach the Gospel following the example of St Mark the Evangelist, grant that we may learn from his teaching and walk faithfully in the footsteps of Christ and by so doing draw humanity once again back to You. Amen. Do have a grace filled week.

Homily For Wednesday Fourth Week of Easter Year B, 24th April, 2024

Readings: Acts. 12: 24-13:5 ; Ps.67; John 1244-50

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

ARE YOU IN THE DARKNESS OF SIN? COME TO JESUS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

 

The theme of light is a common terminology in the Gospel of John, as the struggle between the powers of light and darkness is so evident in his Gospel. In most discourse on the theme of light, Jesus refers to himself as the light of the world as we have it in our Gospel passage today when he said: “I, the light, have come into the world so that whoever believes in me need not stay in the dark any more. For if anyone hears my words and does not keep them faithfully, it is not I who shall judge him, since I have come not to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects me and refuses my words has his judge already: the word itself that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day.”

 

Here Jesus presents himself as the image of God and the light of the world as he declares his mission in the world. And his mission is not to judge the world but to save it. But this may seem contradictory as we know that, the presence of light brings judgment to darkness and Jesus said, he who rejects me and refuses my words has his judge already also in John 9:39 he said: “For judgment, I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.”

 

The fact is that there is no contradiction in these statements, for Jesus had come from the Father, bearing the light of his love, revealed by his word and deed. Those who receive him walk in this light. Those who reject him stumble around in the darkness. However, the primary purpose of his first coming was not to judge the world but to provide salvation to the world through his passion and death. But referring to the concept of judgment on the last day, this is implicit in the second coming of Jesus, because the light of the risen Lord will divide people into those who come to it and those who hide from it. Therefore the first coming is not to judge but to save, while the second coming will be for judgment, for light will surely separate from darkness all that is not of light.

 

Dear friends, every day is an opportunity for us to examine ourselves to know if there are areas in our lives that remain in the darkness of this corrupt world. It’s time for us to get rid of them, it’s time to let the light of Christ's presence illuminate the darkness of sin and shame in our lives. It’s time to embrace the salvation which Jesus has won for us for tomorrow may be too late.  It’s time to let the light of Christ in us illuminate the world through our ways of life. Let us like the disciples in our first reading today, discern carefully through the power of the Holy Spirit on how best we can spread the Good News of Jesus the light of the world, who has won salvation for all the people who embrace the light of his word.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we have come to know Jesus as the true light of the world, make us instruments of your light in the darkness of our families, societies and the world at large, so that by our worthy way of life, we may bring others to the fullness of life in you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Remain safe and blessed.

Homily For Tuesday Fourth Week of Easter Year B, 23rd April, 2024

Readings: Acts. 11:19-26; Ps.87; John 10:22-30

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

CAN WE STILL BE CALLED CHRISTIANS?

 

Giving a name to things is one of the habits and traditions of the human person. Little wonder Adam’s first assignment was to give names to what God has created. And throughout human history and even today a name is a powerful thing with great significance that can not be neglected. Names of things have deep meaning drawn from experiences that help define the reality surrounding such things.

 

So today in our first reading, the disciples of Jesus were for the first time given the name “Christian” in Antioch. But why a new name with a new word for these disciples of Christ in Antioch? Why was the name given by outsiders and why is the name different from other groups of the Jewish sect? From the reading, we heard that persecution forced many believers from Jerusalem to be scattered to various areas, as some from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks, telling them the Good News about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

 

Thus, seeing that their devotion, passion, love, behaviour, activity, and speech were like that of Christ Jesus, they called them Christians. This is because it was common for the Greeks to give nicknames to particular groups based on their way of life in relation to their leader. So since this new group were characterized by behaviour and speech centred on Christ, they called them “Christians,” or “those of the party of Christ.” And in Antioch, the disciples were first called Christians” because their behaviour, activity, and speech were like Christ.

 

Today, we are called Christians, followers of Christ, but are we really behaving like Christ?, Are we still having that devotion, passion, love, behaviour, activity, and speech like that of Christ and the early disciples? The disciples were scattered to various places due to persecution but everywhere they went they proclaimed the Good News of Jesus with their lives, are we doing the same today?

 

Dear friends, today we have the personal responsibility to ask ourselves, “What does the name Christian mean to me? Am I living out the responsibility of the name Christian which I claim to bear? Does the name Christian speak of my deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Do I perceive the name Christian from the world’s perspective today or for what it really means Christ-like people?

 

Remember, the people of Antioch gave the name to the disciples of Christ based on the experience of the reality they represent, but today what name will the people of our society give to us based on how we have represented the reality of the name Christians? In fact, do you still belong and believe in the true meaning of the name Christians? Hence, Jesus says in our Gospel passage today, you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine. The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, grant we pray, that we may always find delight in bearing the name of Christians even in the midst of persecutions and difficulties, give us grace like the early disciples to bear authentic witness of the Good News of Jesus by our way of life, he who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Monday Fourth Week of Easter Year B, 22nd April, 2024

Readings: Acts. 11:1-18; Ps.41; John 10:1-10

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

GOOD LEADERSHIP IS A SACRIFICIAL ATTITUDE

 

Leadership is one of the characteristics of the human person, it is that which makes us unique from every other creature. It is a gift from God by which we serve Him and our neighbour responsibly. However, after a critical look at what is happening in our world today, it is obvious that humanity is losing the true meaning and essence of leadership. We have failed to understand the true meaning and source of leadership and this can be seen in the kind of fruit we bear as leaders. The fruit of leadership in this generation is so complicated: leadership has become a tool for power tussling, selfishness, deception, greed, corruption and intimidation of people. This is because we have abandoned God who is the source and giver of true leadership skills and knowledge.

 

Hence, in our Gospel passage, while addressing the people on good leadership qualities and attitudes, Jesus said ‘I tell you most solemnly, I am the gate of the sheepfold. anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, and the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger but run away from him, for they do not recognise the voice of strangers.’

 

Here, Jesus tells us that the attitude of a good leader is a life of sacrifice, love, care, discipline, mercy and knowledge of the sheep or people entrusted to the leader. And this is what Jesus demonstrated with his life. Showing us that love is the fundamental root of leadership. Without true love for the people, there will never be a leader to be called a good shepherd.

 

Therefore, today we are called to come back to the source of love, God himself, who teaches us that love is the attitude of a true leader who seeks the good of others despite how we feel about them. He teaches us to be merciful, just as he is merciful. Love in leadership is a sacrificial attitude, an attitude that forgives, an attitude that accommodates, preserves, heals and builds up others when every other thing fails. This is the kind of attitude in leadership that the world needs now, the attitude that comes from the pure love of God and neighbours.

 

Dear friends, how can humanity recover this leadership skill rooted in the power of love? How can we harness it to bear more fruit in our societies where it seems as if true leadership exist no more? This is possible when we realize that we are all products of love and are called to live out our essence, which is to love. We are called to be good examples to one another, imitating Jesus the Good Shepherd, who has been so loving and caring towards us. And these we are called to reciprocate to others, and by so doing we will finally reach that grazing ground where all who followed Jesus the good shepherd in simplicity of heart will feed on the green pastures of eternity in heaven.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we listen to your words today, may we embrace the attitudes and qualities of good leadership, knowing that in you resides that leadership of love that is lacking in our society today. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful week.

Homily For Fourth Sunday of Easter Year B, The Good Shepherd /Vocation Sunday, 21st April, 2024

Readings: Acts.4: 8-12; Ps.117; 1 John 3:1-2;  John 10-11-18

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

ARE YOU A GOOD SHEPHERD OR A HIRELING?

 

Today we celebrate the good shepherd/ vocational Sunday, so it is necessary for us to reflect on the imagery of shepherd and sheep which occurred frequently in the Scriptures. A figurative term which represents the leaders and those entrusted to them. Hence, today in our Gospel passage, we heard Jesus talking about the attitudes of shepherds. He said: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep and runs away as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; this is because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep. ‘I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me.

 

Traditionally in the scriptures, shepherds represent the image of God and the rulers of God’s people. So, in this Gospel passage after disputing with the Pharisees who were the leaders of the people, Jesus used this parable to illustrate the difference between true leaders of the people and the false ones. Telling us that the people need to be organized into a fold, protected and guided by the one true Shepherd. And this image of a Shepherd has become a model for Christian ministers as they imitate Jesus the true Shepherd whose voice the sheep know and follow.

 

Little wonder, every fourth Sunday of Easter the Church celebrates the Good Shepherd Sunday also known as Vocation Sunday, a day dedicated to reflecting on Jesus the Good Shepherd, who guides all the flocks of God into the path that he has prepared for us. It is also an occasion to celebrate Vacation because God has also called some of us to follow him to be shepherds in the image of Jesus the Good Shepherd. The shepherds are the bishops, the priests and all leaders of different capacities who are called to serve the Lord and his people as guidance, helpers, coordinators, parents and teachers of his flock. We are called to follow the examples of the Good Shepherd himself in serving the people.

 

However, as many Shepherd leaders are working so hard to follow the good example of Jesus the Good Shepherd, there is no doubt that in our societies, there are some false and bad leaders who are not walking in the path of the Good Shepherd, but instead, allowed themselves to be overwhelmed by the sins of greed, selfishness and corruption in the world. Apparently, in our societies, we see that some shepherds who ought to guide and feed the sheep are now feeding on the sheep, scattering them in order to select their choice and feed on their milk, wear their wool, eat their flesh, enriching and fatling themselves from their products. While treating the sheep harshly and brutally, abandoning the sick, the weak and the strayed.

 

Most leaders in our society have betrayed their mission: instead of promoting a just society in accordance with the plan of God, they are using their authority to enrich themselves while oppressing the people entrusted to them. Today, the duties neglected by such ugly leaders are now hunting everyone. The consequences of our bad leadership are what is affecting the whole world today. Therefore, it is time for us to return to God the true Shepherd of our souls, it is time to listen to the voice of Jesus and follow him to the true gate of the sheepfold. It is time to change our ugly, greedy, selfish and corrupt ways of doing things. 

 

Dear friends, we have gone astray like lost sheep but now, let us come back to Jesus Christ the shepherd and guardian of our souls. Let us return to him who suffered for us and left an example for us to follow his ways. For he is the stone rejected by the builders, but now has proved to be the cornerstone of our lives. As we heard in our first reading today, above all the names in the world given to men, his name is the only one by which we can be saved.

 

Hence, we are called to think of the love that God has lavished on us, by letting us be called his children, as we heard it in our second reading. Therefore, let us entrust ourselves and all the leaders of the world to Jesus, who is the Good Shepherd. For He assures us that even though we are the least, the nobody and most neglected in the eyes of the world, he will not forget us but will continue to provide for our daily needs through his good and faithful leaders.

 

LET US PRAY, Lord God, as we celebrate Good Shepherd/ vocation Sunday, we pray for all the leaders of the world both religious, secular and in the family, that you will make us true Shepherd of your flock so that we may truly be able to find meaning to our respective vocations in life and for those who are still discerning the path to their vocations, especially all who are discerning their call: the seminarians, religious sisters and brothers, and those looking for life partner, may you help and guide all of us to our true vocation in life. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed and grace-filled Sunday.