Homily For Saturday Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 1st November, 2025. Solemnity of All Saints. (HAPPY NEW MONTH)

 

Readings: Rev. 7:2-4.9-14, Ps.24, 1John 3:1-3, Matt. 5:1-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

ALL SAINTS REMINDERS OF OUR VOCATION TO HOLINESS

 

Every first November, the Holy Mother Church presents to us the Solemnity of All Saints. But who are the saints, and why are we celebrating them? The Church, as we know, is not just the physical structure we have all over the place; no, the Church is much more than that. The Church is the body of Christ, of which every one of us is a member by virtue of our baptism.

 

This Church is divided into three groups: the militant Church, the suffering Church and the triumphant Church. The militant Church are all of us, especially the baptised, who are still inhabiting and struggling with the human flesh. But immediately after death, we belong either to the suffering Church or the triumphant Church. 

The suffering Church is the souls that belong to the body of Christ but are still in need of purification. While the triumphant Church are the souls of the saints which we are celebrating today. They are those who are pure in heart, they are the ones who shall see God because they have been washed clean from the stain of sin by the blood of Christ and sustained by their holiness of life.

 

So, today we celebrate the triumphant Church that is, all the saints known or unknown to us who have triumphed victorious to heavenly glory. By celebrating them we are reminded that we are called to grow in holiness and to become saints like them, for that is our primary goal in life.

 

This solemnity dates back to the 7th century, and the occasion of its introduction was the conversion of the ancient Roman Pantheon into a Christian Church. As emperor, Phocas gave the Pantheon to Pope Boniface IV, who converted it into a Church and dedicated it to the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints in the year 608. 

But later in the year 731, Pope Gregory III consecrated a chapel in St. Peter’s Church in honour of all the saints and since then the solemnity of All Saints has been celebrated all over the world.

 

Therefore, in this great event, we are called to imitate the heroic virtues of the saints by living a life of beatitudes as peacemakers, pure of heart, meek, humble and merciful as Jesus teaches us in our Gospel passage today. 

So in our first reading St. John in the book of Revelation tells that these saints are the people who have been through great persecution, and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb. 

Meanwhile, in our second reading, he made us know that we are already the children of God, but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed; but when it is revealed, we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is. And everyone who entertains this hope must purify himself and try to be as pure as Christ.

 

Dear friends, are you pure in heart? Are you merciful? Are you a peacemaker? Are you persecuted for righteousness' sake? Then you are a living saint. So, today’s  Solemnity reminds us of our universal vocation to holiness, it strengthens us in our struggles towards our goal which is to attain eternal life. 

It helps us to recall our communion with saints. It reminds us that we are pilgrims on this earth and also it strengthens our faith in the teachings of the Church. No doubt all of us want to become saints, and oftentimes we really want to live a holy life, but there are always obstacles on our way to holiness. These obstacles make us aware of our sins, our weaknesses and our failures.

 

Yes, we are sinners, but so are the saints. They only relied on God’s mercy and grace and so we too. We cannot become holy through our efforts alone we need to cooperate with the grace of God. Remember, anything worth having is worth making sacrifices for, and the more it’s worth, the more significant sacrifices we should be willing to make for it. 

If holiness is necessary for one to attain heaven. Then it is worth all the sacrifices Jesus mentioned in the beatitudes. So, let us embrace these great virtues and so become the saints of God that we are called to be.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as a militant Church on earth, there are a lot of troubles and challenges we are struggling with, help us through the intercession of all the saints, to overcome them and so make it triumphantly to your heavenly kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy new month and a blessed All Saints celebration. 

Homily For Friday Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 31st November, 2025

 

Readings: Romans 9:1-5; Ps 147; Luke 14:1-6

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

NOTHING CAN STOP THE LORD FROM TAKING CARE OF OUR WELL-BEING

Most times when we reflect on the relationship between Jesus and his audience, we wonder how he was able to manage all the situations placed before him, even when it seemed as if he had no escape route.

Such is the situation in our Gospel passage today, when on a Sabbath day, Jesus went for a meal at the house of one of the leading Pharisees, who had invited him, and they watched him closely.

This is because in front of him was a man with dropsy, and Jesus addressed the lawyers and Pharisees saying: ‘Is it against the law to cure a man on the Sabbath, or not?’ But they remained silent, so he took the man cured him and sent him away.

Here, we see Jesus who always honours all his invitations, whether from the poor or the rich, friends or ‘enemies’, including Pharisees and Sadducees, whose invitation was a trap to set him up. But Jesus cannot be trapped; rather, he used the opportunity to teach us that no Sabbath law, no religious restriction, can ever forbid us from being compassionate and caring for the poor and the sick.

Little wonder St. Paul in our first reading made us know that as God’s chosen people, we have been adopted as sons, we have been given the glory and the covenants; the Law and the ritual were drawn up for us, and the promises of God were made to us in order to completely embrace the will of God

Dear friends, we can see that nothing can stop the Lord from taking care of us. So, today we are called to learn how to be compassionate no matter the situation we may find ourselves, in because Jesus has always been compassionate to us.

This kind of attitude will help us to become pure and blameless, and prepare us for the Day of Christ when we all will reach the perfect goodness which the Lord Jesus planted in us for the glory and praise of God. But, are we willing and ready to show love, compassion and care to those who need our love and care especially when it seems very difficult?

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we often wish to be compassionate and caring like you. But we often fail because of fear and a lack of proper disposition. As we listened to your words today, may we find the courage to be compassionate and caring, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Thursday Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 30th October, 2025

 

Readings: Rom. 8:31-39; Ps 109; Luke 13:31-35

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

NOTHING SHOULD COME BETWEEN US AND THE LOVE OF GOD

In this world, we struggle with so many things, and we often encounter ugly events and challenges that cause us sorrows and tears. And most times we don't know how to manage those moments.

This is because there is an active presence of evil in the world which manifests itself in different forms. So, every day is a struggle against the malice of the evil ones, and people are doing everything they can to overcome them.

Today, St. Paul in our first reading encouraged us to be strong for he is certain of this: neither death nor life, no angel, no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still to come, not any power, or height or depth, nor any created thing, can ever come between us and the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is exactly what Jesus manifested in our Gospel passage today when some of the Pharisees warned him to leave the area where he was teaching because Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great was after him. This warning was just a way of trying to get rid of Jesus by frightening him using external forces and authority under the name of Herod. 

But Jesus was not moved by all their threats. For he knows that his mission is part of God’s larger plan, which can not be interrupted by any external forces or authority. Hence, he ignored them and continued with his work of healing the people and liberating them from the evil ones

Dear friends, our lives are in God’s hands, for we are part of God’s larger plan, and nothing will happen to us which is in conflict with God’s wishes and plans for us. All we need is to embrace the whole amour of God in faith, with belt of truth buckled round our waist, and put on integrity of life for a breastplate, with eagerness to spread the gospel of peace while carrying the shield of faith so that we can use it to put out the burning arrows of the evil ones, using the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. By so doing, we can overcome the ugly situation we face every day in our societies and families today.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, every day is a struggle against the malice of the evil ones, and oftentimes we don’t know what to do. As we embrace your words today, grant that we may find the courage and strength to conquer our fears and struggles against the evil ones, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you and fruitful day.

Homily For Wednesday Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 29th October, 2025

 

Readings: Rom. 8:26-30; Ps 13; Luke 13:22-30

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

TRY TO PASS THROUGH THE NARROW GATE OF LIFE 

Life is nothing but a temporal assignment, a journey which begins in the morning so beautiful, full of expectations and hope, but the sojourner has no knowledge of his/her destination, purpose and end. The only guide is his/ her willingness to constantly follow the directives of the Sender who communicates his plans and purposes to those who care and are willing to listen. 

Thus, the emptiness and shortness of life make me reflect on my future as a human person and the question that comes to my mind is: "Where will you and I, and the beautiful things of this world be in the next one, ten, twenty, forty, eighty and hundred years for those who are strong? 

The deep silence in my soul could not offer me any answer to this question; rather, it exposed before me the teachings of Jesus in our Gospel passage today when he said: Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed. For once, the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself knocking on the door, saying, “Lord, open to us”, but he will answer, “I do not know where you come from.

Here, Jesus calls our attention to the reality of life which we must not take for granted, that is the need for us to follow the teachings of the Lord, for humanity have failed to embrace the life of truth, holiness and love for God and for one another that seems difficult and narrow to them, but prefers to follow the destructive ways of life that is born out of pride, greed and uncontrollable desire for worldly things. 

This is because the things of this passing world are so captivating and many people have been captured by its seductive power and are greatly following it.  We must not be victims of this ugly situation. Rather, we must learn to submit ourselves to the directives of the Holy Spirit for he is always ready to guide us along the narrow ways of life.

Little wonder St. Paul in our first reading today says that: The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words.

Dear friends, the worst thing that can happen to us at the last moment of our life is to hear the Lord say: I do not know where you come from. The fact remains that life is indeed very short and the road that leads to death and destruction is truly wide and very captivating, of which many are captives of its seductive power. 

But the road to life is becoming narrower and narrower because humanity is working so hard to expand the seductive roads and gates of destruction against the narrow gate of life. 

Therefore, we are called to embrace the narrow gate and road that leads to eternal life. We must work harder by resisting all the temptations and sinful things of this passing world and embracing the life of love and sacrifice which Jesus has offered us.

 So, let us turn towards God with all our hearts by removing from our hearts all forms of pride, greed and unhealthy desires that lead us astray down the path of destruction.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, our journey of life depends on you and today you have called us to follow the narrow gate of love and sacrifice. But the seductive road of this passing world is really captivating, and many are victims of its power. Grant us the grace to resist it, but journey through the path and gate that leads to eternal life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. May God bless your little efforts in life and guide you always.

Homily For Tuesday Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 28th October, 2025. The Feast of SS Simon and Jude

 

Readings: Eph.2:19-22, Ps  19, Luke 6:12-19

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

As CITIZENS OF GOD’S HOUSEHOLD, HOW ARE WE FULFILLING THE MISSION OF CHRIST

Will you leave? We you care? Will you risk? Will you let the Lord lead you? These are questions of great demand which every true disciple must constantly reflect on in life, in order to be aware of the seriousness of the commitment required of each of us as a disciple of Jesus. 

This great demand is presented to us in our liturgy today as we celebrate the feast day of two great apostles, St. Simon and St. Jud,e, and our readings propel us to reflect on our call to discipleship. 

In the Gospel we heard how Jesus, after deep prayer, called from among his disciples twelve apostles, of whom Simon and Jude were part of the twelve. Simon also known as the Zealot, was a member of the Zealots, the extremists who fought for the freedom of the Israelites against the Romans at the time of Jesus. While St. Jude, often referred to as St. Jude Thaddeus, was a member of the extended family of Jesus.

These two apostles, along with others, followed the Lord faithfully throughout his ministry. Simon, though a member of the Zealots, abandoned his previous life as a freedom fighter to become a great missionary along with St. Jude Thaddeus, who was the probable author of the Epistle of St. Jude. 

These two apostles together served the Lord and reached out to many people and evangelised many nations. That is why both of them are celebrated together today, because of their missionary zeal and commitment to God even to the very end of their lives.

 

Tradition has it that Simon spread the Gospel to places like Persia and Armenia, Egypt and Ethiopia, and along with Jude, they evangelised throughout Judea, Samaria, Persia, Armenia and other places. Sadly, after many decades of their missionary activities, these two great apostles were martyred in Lebanon. 

They committed themselves wholeheartedly to the mission of Christ and his Church, and they converted many and established firm foundations of the Christian faith in many places. Little wonder St Paul in our first reading tells us that we are fellow citizens of God’s household that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone.

Dear friends, evangelisation is the very nature and essence of the Church. And Jesus gives us the mandate and the commission to evangelise, 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 baptised, both priests and lay faithful. 

Everyone has a particular responsibility to share in the work of proclaiming the Gospel. Today, we should ask ourselves, how have we proclaimed the Gospel to the world? What efforts are we making to ensure that the mandate Christ entrusted to us is carried out effectively in our generation? 

Therefore, 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 of course have brought about the ugly situation we are facing in our societies today. 

We and reminded once again about our very mission, for it is time to take this mandate very seriously, because it is our responsibility to fulfil our promises to God and ensure that the Christian faith is preached and sustained in the world and by so doing save humanity once again from sin, death and destruction.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are lost in this world, we are confused because we have cut ourselves off from You our cornerstone, as we come back to you once again, please give us the grace to preach the Gospel following the examples of saints Simon and Jude, may we learn from their teaching and walk faithfully in the footsteps of Christ and by so doing draw humanity back to You once again.  We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Monday Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 27th October, 2025

 

Readings:  Roman 8:12-17; Ps 68;  Luke 13:10-17

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

NO LAW SHOULD RESTRICT US FROM ENSURING THE WELLBEING OF THE HUMAN PERSON 

 

From the scriptures, it seems like every encounter that the Pharisees had with Jesus was always aimed at finding fault with what Jesus was doing. This is because they are jealous of the great work of Jesus. But to their great surprise, Jesus will always escape and use that opportunity to communicate an important message to the people. 

Such was the occasion of our Gospel passage today. When on a Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach, and a woman was there who for eighteen years had been possessed by a spirit that left her enfeebled; she was bent double and quite unable to stand upright.

 

When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are rid of your infirmity,’ and he laid his hands on her. And at once she straightened up, and she glorified God. But the synagogue official was indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, and they addressed the people present saying: There are six days when work is to be done. Come and be healed on one of those days and not on the Sabbath. Then Jesus said, This woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has held bound these eighteen years, was it not right to untie her bonds on the Sabbath day?

 

Here the synagogue official affirms that the Sabbath is not an appropriate time for God to manifest his compassion and mercy.  But Jesus, on the other hand, made us know that God’s actions cannot be dictated or restricted by humans. Because God’s mercy and healing know no limits of time or place if we sincerely turn to him.  

Hence, we see how Jesus demonstrated his compassionate care for humanity, for the most important thing for God in this world is the human person. That's why he makes every effort to save humanity from damnation. He desires to see us making an effort to become faithful and holy. His mercy is so deep that he proposes it as the guiding principle for the perfect fulfilment of the laws of life.

 

This, Jesus, in this passage, has to teach us that humanity’s welfare should not be neglected because of laws and regulations. That nothing should restrict us from doing good to people not even the laws of the Sabbath. Therefore, since we desire to honour God’s laws, we must seek the good of people as well. 

This is what the Pharisees have failed to understand, for they are rather fault-finders and self-righteous people, who only wish to mislead the oppressed and suppress the truth and the good works of others, just because of jealousy and their selfish desires to sustain their ego, pride and their worldly ambition, since they dwell in the flesh rather than the Spirit. So, we should not be like them; rather, we should be compassionate and merciful like our Lord Jesus Christ, for that is what we are called to do.

 

Little wonder St. Paul in our first reading, tells us that everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit we received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into our lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God.

 

Dear friends, no law or regulation should stop us from ensuring and caring for the well-being of people around us. So today, we are called to constantly do good to everyone. We are called not to be fault-finders who are blindfolded by pride.

We must also renounce all sorts of immoral actions and wickedness that may destroy the purity of our souls. Therefore, let us be compassionate and merciful for that is what we are called to do in this life.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we often fail to listen to your teaching because of our selfish desires and pride. Help us to always listen to you and be willing to do good always, as we resolve to live a life of purity and humility. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a blessed week ahead.

Homily For Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 26th October, 2025

 

Reading: Sirach 35:12-14.16-18; Ps.34; 2Tim.4:6-8.16-18; Luke:18:9-14

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

HUMILITY AND PERFECT CONTRITION IN PRAYER

There is no doubt that prayer is part and parcel of our Christian life. It is the act of raising up our minds and hearts to God. But sometimes we find it difficult to carry out this exercise because we don't understand how or what is demanded of us or the best disposition to prayer.

This is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today. For we heard how two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.”

While the tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Hence, Jesus said, the tax collector went home at right with God; the Pharisee did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.

In this parable, Jesus wants to let us know the importance of praying with the right attitude and disposition, especially those of us who think we are very righteous and often look down on people. For we can draw from this parable a sure remedy for arrogance in our prayer life and acts of piety.

This is important because our prayers and pieties, if done with humility, will be pleasing to God and will even lead us to make frequent acts of contrition for our wrongdoings. But when humility and contribution are lacking our prayers will be presented arrogantly, judgmentally and will be fruitless just like this Pharisee.

So, it is important to have the right attitude and disposition towards prayers. Little wonder Pope Francis said: “It is not enough, therefore, to ask how much we pray; rather, we have to ask ourselves how do we pray, or better, what is the state of our heart during prayers: it is important to examine it so as to evaluate our thoughts, our feelings, and root out arrogance and hypocrisy just like the tax collector.

For we heard how the tax collector stood at a distance proclaiming his guilt and beating his breast in contrition. Hence, we are encouraged to be sorry for our sins. As we know, Contrition, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again. Especially when it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else.

This contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity) and is a gift from God. The second contrition is called “imperfect” which is also a gift of God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. It comes out of the consideration of the ugliness of sin or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner (which is referred to as the contrition of fear)” (CCC 1451-1453).

Dear friends, in prayer, we are not to give God instructions or present our profile of piety, but our disposition should be that of humility and perfect contrition just like this tax collector. We are to present ourselves to God just like a good servant will report for duty and wait for instructions from his master. So, we are to respond in obedience to God's instructions in prayer, for there we encounter God in the innermost part of our being.

Thus, we are told in our first reading today that the man who with his whole heart serves God will be accepted, and his petitions will be carried to the clouds. For the humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds, and he will not be consoled until it reaches the Lord. And the Lord will not be slow in responding or executing his judgment.

This is what we heard St. Paul expressing in our second reading today: “My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing”.

Therefore, today we are called to cultivate the right disposition towards prayers, especially that of a humble and perfect contrite heart and learn how to communicate with God the right way.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we do not know how to pray as we ought, as we listen to your words today, may we learn how to cultivate the right attitude and disposition towards prayers. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a peaceful and joyful Sunday celebration.