Friday of The 2nd Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 22nd January, 2021.

Friday of The 2nd Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 22nd January, 2021.

Readings: Heb.8:6-13. Ps.84 , Mark 3:13-19

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WE ARE CALLED AND CHOSEN IN ORDER TO BEAR WITNESS OF OUR SALVATION IN CHRIST JESUS

As Jesus continues his work of evangelization and mission towards the salvation of humanity, he needed to have people who will be entrusted with this mission. Thus, in our Gospel passage today, Jesus chose twelve apostles out of his disciples. He called and separated them from the crowd so that they will be with him. And he gave them power to preach the gospel, to heal the sick, and to cast out devils. 

Here Jesus clarifies the extreme nature of his mission which he will entrust to his apostles, so that those who would follow him must first count the cost, because they will definitely share in his sufferings in order to share in his glory. Thus, Jesus who has earlier given the disciples explicit instructions about his mission makes know to the apostles their specific mission. 

Consequently, each one of us like the apostles are called by name into a deep personal and intimate relationship with Jesus in order to be sent to bear witness of him in the world. Absolute commitment is a necessary quality for this mission. Because, Jesus did not choose people because of what they were. Rather, he chose them for what they could become under his direction and power. Thus, we heard in our first reading that Christ has been given a ministry of a far higher order, and to the same degree it is a better covenant of which he is the mediator, founded on better promises. So, he will make a new covenant with us. And will put his laws in minds and write it in our hearts. Then he will be our and  we shall be his people.

Dear friends, how are we responding to God's call? How best are we carrying out this mission of preaching the Gospel, healing the sick and casting out devil? How are we relating with those we judge to be sinners? What efforts are we making to convert them. Remember, as followers of Christ we are called to journey with Jesus in love and compassion towards other people even in the midst of sufferings, rejection and persecution.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you called and chose us to be with you in order to bear witness of our salvation to humanity, help us to have the missionary zeal that will enable us to live with integrity, purity and detachment from the thing of this passing world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a favourable day.

Thursday of The 2nd Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 21st January, 2021.

 Thursday of The 2nd Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 21st January, 2021.

Readings: Heb. 7:25-8:6, Ps.39 , Mark 3:7-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DO NOT BE CRUSHED OR CONSUMED BY THE CROWD

There is no doubt in my mind that the work of evangelization can be so demanding and can weigh us down if we do not create time to draw strength from the Lord. This is so, because, a lot of people are in need of God’s loving care, healings and direction especially in the midst of the ugly situation in our world today. Thus, in our Gospel passage today, St. Mark gave us a summary of the activity of Jesus and how he was able to manage the pressure from the crowd who came from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea and even from the pagan region of Tyre and Sidon as they were almost about to crush him and his disciples.

  

So, as Jesus heals the people and performed great works, most people wish to see him and to touch him. The people are so numerous that Jesus himself was concerned with the danger of being crushed by the multitude. Thus he asked his disciples to have a boat ready for him so that the crowd would not crush him. And from the boat he spoke to them and heal the sick, and set free those possessed especially the excluded and the marginalized who came to him with their ailments. For those who were not accepted in the society of their time were accepted by Jesus. This tells us that Jesus is really concerned about the struggles of humanity and wishes to set us free from the shackles of the devil.

Dear friends, we are told in our first reading that the power of Jesus to save is utterly certain, since he is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him. For Jesus wishes to set us free from sickness and the forces and manipulations of the evil ones. And the power of evil which causes great fear in people have been overcome by Jesus, so that we do not need to be afraid of Satan anymore. 

Thus, we should not be afraid to stand firm against the manipulations of the devil, because Jesus will not abandon us in this battle of life. He desires to be with us as we struggle everyday to overcome the forces of evil in our families, society and the world at large. However, as we carryout our mission of evangelization we are called to always be careful about the pressure that comes from the crowd for this can crush and consume us if we do not create time to be with the Lord.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we struggle everyday to do your will in the mission entrusted to us. May we never been consumed or crushed by the pressure that comes from the crowd, rather let the power of your presence be felt in our midst, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.

Wednesday of The 2nd Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 19th January, 2021.

 Wednesday of The 2nd Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 19th January, 2021.

The Feast of Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi

Readings: Phil 2:1-11, Ps. Is.12:2-6, Matt.13:44-46

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

ACQUIRING THE ULTIMATE TREASURE OF HEAVEN JUST LIKE BLESSED TANSI

 

In our Gospel passage today, Jesus used two parables to describe to the people that the kingdom of God is the greatest and ultimate treasure anyone can and should acquire. Here, he describe the kingdom of God as the ultimate treasure that cannot be compared to anything whatsoever we have in this world. However, the kingdom is open for all, but not all can be suitable to dwell in it, only those who on the judgement day are found suitable can be admitted into the kingdom. Using these parables Jesus explains what the kingdom of heaven is like and what we need to do in order to acquire it. 

Thus, today we celebrate the feast of Blessed Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi, a man who understands that the kingdom of heaven is so precious and great, that it is worth more than our entire life and our worldly possessions and treasures. Tansi was born in Aguleri, Anambra State on September,1903, but died in Leicester, England on 20th January, 1964. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest for the Archdiocese of Onitsha. He was known for love of neighbour, healing and reconciliation of the people with God, with oneself, with one another and with the created reality. 

Tansi dedicated himself not only to daily contemplative prayer but also to active ministry. He evangelized the youth, prepared couples for marriage, visited the sick, was a very good confessor, promoted vocations to priesthood and religious life, and provided for the needs of the poor.  Thus, in the life of Tansi, we see one who discovered the great treasure of heaven, sold everything and acquired it. In Tansi we see how the light of faith sowed in him like the mustard seed grows to give hope to many people. So, the humble beginning of the Christian faith sown in him was well watered by the Holy Spirit to grow and give life and hospitality to people of the world. 

Dear friends, in the world we have different kinds of treasures and seeds. But the question is, what kind of treasure are we searching? This treasure, what type of  it’s seeds are we watering in our lives today? Are we watering valuable seeds or weeds? Are we watering weeds that we do not need such as: weeds of fear, regrets, doubt, jealousy, hatred, disrespect, greediness, lying, gossip, impurity, wickedness, sin etc. 

Today we are called to quit watering these weeds because that's what the enemies wants and we must not fall into their traps. Rather, like Tansi, we are called to water those treasure born by the valuable seeds of faith, love, holiness, hospitality, obedience, reconciliation, charity and make them our values of life. For when we feed and water our values, we will grow stronger like the mustard tree full of treasures where people may find solace. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, the world is full of distractions from false treasures, through the intercession of Blessed Tansi, give us grace to discover the treasures of your kingdom and nurture the treasures of faith, holiness and hospitality implemented in us during our baptism in order to give up all our attachment to worldly possessions in pursue of the heavenly and ultimate treasure of your kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Tuesday of The 2nd Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 19th January, 2021

 Tuesday of The 2nd Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 19th January, 2021

Readings: Heb. 6:10-20, Ps. 110, Mark 2:23-28

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

INTERPRETATION  AND APPLICATION OF LAWS MUST BE FOR THE WELL BEING OF THE PEOPLE

There is no doubt that human life is guided by laws and principles, for in there absence we cannot survive or enjoy peace and harmony in our society. But it is so sad to say that we have lost the essence and spirit that governs the making of law, it’s interpretation and application. Little wonder Jesus in our Gospel passage today teaches us about the essence of making laws. 

This is clear from the response of Jesus when the Pharisees criticized the attitude of his disciples who on the Sabbath were seen plucking ears of corn to eat because they were very hungry. This is so because the Pharisees emphasized on strict keeping of the law of Sabbath while neglecting the spirit of the law which has to do with God’s love  and mercy.

Thus, for the Pharisees this would be a transgression of the law of the Sabbath which prohibits one form doing any work. Jesus responded by quoting the scriptures to indicate that their arguments have no bases. He recalls that David himself did something which was prohibited, because he took the sacred bread of the temple and gave it to the soldiers to eat because they were hungry. Jesus ends his response with two important phrases: first, the Sabbath is made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Secondly,  the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath. 

The truth is that, Sabbath was meant to be a day of rest when people would be free to think of God, to give thanks for God’s gifts, and to take care of their health and well-being. But some religious authorities gradually encroached on the Sabbath with so many regulations that it is no longer serving its true purpose. 

Dear friends, Law exists for the good of the people, but often times we find ourselves seeking more recognition by exercising too much control over other people’s lives under the disguise of laws. This should not be the case, rather, we should always consider the essence and purpose of making laws, bearing in mind that human needs which supersedes all other human interest should be the guiding principle of any law both social and religious. 

In fact, the ritual demands of the Sabbath encourages mercy, forgiveness and compassion which are at the heart of any true religion. Therefore, as we make laws and implement them, let these principles be our guide. For in our first reading we have told that God would not be so unjust as to forget all we have done, the love that we have for his name or the services we have done, and are still doing, for the saints. 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, you often show the light of your truth to those who go astray, grant that we may always embrace your laws, interpret them properly and apply them with mercy and compassion. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day

Monday of The 2nd Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 18th January, 2021

Monday of The 2nd Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 18th January, 2021

Readings: Heb.5:1-10, Ps. 109, Mark 2:18-22

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LET GO OF THE OLD LIFE OF SIN IN ORDER TO PUT ON A NEW LIFE OF GRACE

The chorus of one of our great communion hymn titled New Life says: 

New Life! New Life, You came to bring us new life, 

New life, New life, we find such Joy in your abundant Life.

This hymn calls our attention to the gift of New Life which Jesus is offering to humanity. A gift that differentiate his disciples from other people. This is evident in our Gospel passage today, where we read about the observation made by the disciples of Jesus the Baptist concerning the relationship between Jesus and his disciples and their new ways of doing things. So they came to Jesus and asked him question regarding their manner of fasting and feasting. Jesus used this opportunity to educate them about the New Life of grace which he has come to offer humanity. 

He said to them: Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast. For no one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth on to an old cloak, because the patch pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; if they do, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are lost. No; they put new wine into fresh skins and both are preserved. 

Here Jesus gave two responses to the question. First, people do not fast when they are in the company of the bridegroom which is a time for celebration. For Jesus is the groom and as long as he is around, it would be inappropriate for his disciples to fast. However, a time will come when the groom will no longer be with them, then they will surely fast, telling us that fasting should be done at the right time for the right reasons. Moreover, being in relationship with Jesus is more important, because, what the bridegroom is to the bride, that what Jesus is to the souls of all who believe in him. 

Thus, our first reading presents to us the personality of Jesus the bridegroom, who though was Son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation and was acclaimed by God with the title of high priest of the order of Melchizedek, thereby offering us the new garment and a new life of grace, mercy and compassion towards the people. 

So, as his bride, he loves us with a deep and everlasting love. He pays all our debts to God; he supplies all our daily needs; he sympathizes with us in all our troubles; he bears with all our infirmities, and does not reject us because of our weaknesses. He regards us as part of himself:  We share in the glory that he has received from his Father. These are the privileges of all true Christians who are called to the heavenly kingdom. So Jesus is teaching us that the Kingdom of Heaven is not a matter of ritual or ceremonious fasting or feasting. But is about building a personal relationship with God who loves us personally and unconditionally.

In the second response, Jesus shows that he is bringing something totally new which should not be mixed with the old way of life. This he emphasized with the importance of pouring new wine into fresh wineskins and the need to avoid using new cloak to patch an old one. Here the fresh wineskins refers to a new heart that has put off the old cloak of sin and looks forward to the new wine of grace through the process of conversion. 

Dear friends, what is that old garment in our lives that we are patching with the new? What is that old wine of habitual sin that we are pouring into the new wine skins of our redeemed and purified soul? today we are called to a fresh response towards embracing the New Life of grace which Jesus is offering us. As we think about these, let us struggle to avoid our old sinful ways of life and fully embrace the new righteous way of life that Jesus is offering us.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, You are the source of our new life, for in your light we see light. Grant us the grace of true and total conversion so as to find such great Joy in your abundant Life of grace and mercy, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed and favourable week.

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 17th January, 2021

 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 17th January, 2021

Readings: 1 Sam 3:3-10.19, Ps. 40, 1Cor. 6:13-15.17-20, John 1:35-42

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD: A CALL TO ENCOUNTER AND FOLLOW THE LORD

Today is the second Sunday in Ordinary Time of the Liturgical year B, which begins immediately after we celebrated the Baptism of the Lord last Sunday. The beauty of this season lies in the fact that it invites us to live our ordinary life as a journey of holiness, faith and friendship with Jesus in order to continually discover our vocation and mission which is rooted in Christ’s own mission. Hence, our readings today present to us a call to encounter and follow the Lord, which points out the mission of the Church in proclaiming the word of God and our part in this mission. 

Thus, we heard in our first reading how God called Samuel and he was able to respond through the guidance of Eli. His call was to be a prophet, for he was to play a very important role in the history of the chosen people of God. In this mission, God initiate the call but the response is to be made by us freely without cohesion. And in our Gospel passage we heard how God has called us through John the Baptist, to follow Christ, the Lamb of God and Saviour of the world. This is clear when John the Baptist in our Gospel, saw Jesus passing by and declared: this is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 

Here he is pointing out the essence of Jesus’ mission, telling us about the great Servant of God, whose mission was to bring sinners back to God. Considering this great task of Jesus, John introduced him as the Lamb of God and not the Lion of God and also described the Holy Spirit as a dove, not a hawk which is more powerful. why? Because, the Lamb is the most gentle, harmless and loving creature of God while the dove is a gentle bird, a symbol of peace and goodwill.  So this images tell us about the person of Jesus and the approach by which he will carry out his mission. Consequently, Jesus, the gentle Lamb of God, gently died for our sins, so that we could live in joy and freedom of God’s children, teaching us to do the same in our relationship with one another.

 

Thus, how to effectively carryout this vocation and mission is what St. Paul spoke about in our second reading as he addressed the Church and the faithful in Corinth and indeed to all of us Christians, who have been called to follow Christ and have been sanctified and blessed to be God’s chosen people, who are reunited and brought together from the world to bear the fruit of love and holiness of life. Thus, he reminded us that our body is not meant for fornication: it is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.  For God who raised the Lord from the dead, will by his power raise us up too. Hence, we must keep away from fornication. Because, all the other sins are committed outside the body; but to fornicate is to sin against our own body. And our body, he said, is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in us to help us in our vocation and mission.

  

Dear friends, today there are so many things that are distracting us from our mission and vocation, and are leading us into sin and we are so much attached to them because the world has sexualized almost everything around us. The television, the internet, the music, movies, cartoons, even our social and religious activities are corrupted by this sexualization motives which drive and tempt us to commit the sins of adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism and masturbation. Because we have lost the control of our responsibility towards our sexuality, which of course is the cause of the increase in rape, incest, divorce and all forms of gander transformation going on in our society today. The main point here is for us not to indulge in sins that will ruin our soul.

Therefore, as the year unfolds, we are all challenged to live a holy life as the Lord has taught us. And as  we carryout our mission, we are called to follow the way of the Lamb. That is, we are to be the most gentle, harmless and loving children of God, we must be a symbol of peace, compassion and goodwill. We are not to force people to believe in God by the use of intimidation or force, and neither should we use any forms of tricks or false persuasions. Rather, we should be more selfless and forgiving in our interactions with one another, putting aside our pride, ego and selfish desires, knowing that the grace of God is always sufficient for us.

LET US PRAY: Lord God,  as we struggle everyday to do your will and respond positively in the mission and vocation entrusted to us, give us the grace to be responsible with our sexuality, especially in this time when the world as lost the true meaning and value of human sexuality, and as a result so many lives and families are being destroyed. Help us we pray to find joy, courage and solace in your saving grace as you guide us through the year. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed Sunday celebration.

Saturday of The First Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 16th January, 2021

 Saturday of The First Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 16th January, 2021

Readings: Heb.4:15-16, Ps. 18, Mark 2:13-17

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE CALL OF LEVI, A SIGN OF HOPE FOR All SINNERS

The mission of Jesus is often misunderstood by people who feel that they should be the one to dictate to God what to do. But Jesus will always surprise them and use them to set good example for the rest of us. This is evident in our Gospel passage today, which presents to us the call of Levi who was a tax collector, a presumably public sinner. As Jesus passed by, he said to Levi, “Follow Me.” This is a present tense command which is a call for Levi to leave his old way of life behind and to begin a new life of following him. 

But why would Jesus have any interest for a man like this? There is only one word that can answer this question, that is, grace. In spite of his ugly occupation; his ugly lifestyle; his failures; and his sins; Jesus loved Levi and he called him to a new life.  The fact remains that, Jesus never condemned anyone nor does he judge people by their past behaviour. He is only interested in what they can be now and in the future. There and then, Levi drops everything and goes after Jesus just the same way Peter and Andrew, James and John had also done. 

Later, when Jesus is dining at Levi’s house, several known sinners and tax collectors were at table with him and his disciples. This  was a real scandal for the scribes and Pharisees. For them, if Jesus really was a Rabbi he would have had nothing to do with such people. But Jesus replied: It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. I did not come to call the virtuous but sinners. Hence, Jesus' whole mission is the salvation of souls and redemption of people to wholeness. And the best way to achieve this is by having a direct contact with them. But we are often not present where people are most in need of hearing God’s message. Sometimes, we tend to side with the Pharisees and feel we should keep away from sinful and ‘immoral’ people. 

Dear friends, we need to learn that the Gospel message can most effectively be communicated to those who have lost touch with God and the meaning of life by reaching out to them. We should not be afraid to reach out to people, especially those who have been capture by the things of this sinful world. For we heard in our first reading today that, the word of God is something alive and active: it cuts like any double-edged sword but more finely: it can slip through the place where the soul is divided from the spirit, or joints from the marrow; it can judge the secret emotions and thoughts of everyone.

Hence, Jesus calling Levi to follow him shows that with God there is great mercy to pardon the greatest sinners. There is grace to change the greatest sinners, and make them holy.  And this is a great sign of hope for anyone who thinks that God has abandoned him or her because of sin or past ugly ways of life. God is not interested in our past ugly and sinful ways of life. Rather he is interested in what he can make out of us now and in the future.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, your love and compassion for humanity is so great, even in our sinful and ugly ways of life, you never abandoned us. So Lord, when sin separate us from you, may your grace and providence bring us back. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful weekend.