Homily For Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 30th January, 2022

 Homily For Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 30th January, 2022

Readings: Jer. 1:4-5.17-19; Ps. 71; 1Cor. 12:31-13:13; Luke: 4:21-30

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DO NOT TREAT ANYONE WITH CONTEMPT FOR OUR MISSION IS BUILT ON LOVE

One of the forces that drives the world order today is pride. People can do anything to prove how powerful, influential, popular, wealthy and connected they are before everyone they encounter. To protect these pride and ego, we often look down on people. This is because the society today, treats and respect people based on our knowledge of their background and status, so we fail to look at the image of God found in them or what God is doing through them. This is because our judgment is the product of human wisdom and when our faith is based on this kind of wisdom we are bound to neglect and treat others with contempt. 

This is the situation in our Gospel passage today. For when Jesus came to Nazareth, his own town, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day as he usually did. He taught the people about his mission as prophesied by prophet Isaiah and at the end he said to them, this text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’ And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips. 

But out of pride and reference to his humble background, they got angry with him when he begins to comment on their prideful ways of life by letting them know that God chose them among the gentiles not to be selfish but to be a light to other nations while referring them to the events of Naaman the leper and the widow of Zarephath . So, in contempt they said, ‘This is Joseph’s son, surely? As they ridiculed him, Jesus said ‘I tell you solemnly, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country. For this reason they tried to kill him.

Here, we see Jesus who preached about love and inclusion, found himself excluded. His listeners were frightened at his message and because of familiarity, he was rejected by his own people who glory in their human wisdom which is based on their knowledge of his humble background, for they lack the effects of true love for him. This kind of ugly attitude and lack of true love is what St. Paul is addressing in our second reading today when he said: Be ambitious for the higher gift which is love, for love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes. Love he said, does not come to an end because God is love. Hence he called us to chose love and not treat anyone with contempt.

Dear friends, today we are called not to treat anyone with contempt and pride for our mission is built on love. And since we  know that pride is the first capital sin, we should not let it deprive us of God’s blessings. Thus, we are called to renounce pride and contemptuous ways of life. And our relationship with Jesus should not be based on this kind of philosophy, rather it should based on our personal experience of the power and love of God in our lives. For it is this personal experience that will help us to embrace his words convincingly and never look down on anyone, but see in all the light of God's presence. 

However, we should not be afraid to embrace our mission to love even when we are treated with contempt for prophet Jeremiah in our first reading encountered the same ugly situation and we can hear the Lord saying to him and also to us:  before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you; I have appointed you as prophet to the nations. today will I make you into a fortified city, a pillar of iron, and a wall of bronze to confront the world and conquer it. Therefore, we are called today to be firm in our mission. We should be accommodating and never try to treat anyone with contempt, because anyone can be a potential vessel of God’s blessings to us.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, out of pride and ignorance, we have often treated people with contempt because of their humbled background, help us today to realize that everyone is a potential instrument of your blessings and so learn to love and accommodate people, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed Sunday celebration. 

Homily For Saturday of The Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C; 29th January, 2022

 Homily For Saturday of The Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C; 29th January, 2022.

Readings: 2 Sam. 12:1-7.10-17;  Ps.51; Mark 4:35-41

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

PRESENT YOUR CHALLENGES OF LIFE BEFORE JESUS AND THE HEAVY STORMS IN YOUR LIFE WILL BECOME CALM 

In this scriptures, we often hear stories of how people struggles with heavy storms as they assailed through the sea. Today our fisherman and the Marine men who are into sea business can tell us better what it means to be on the sea with heavy storms. A situation where the need to look for a Saviour is highly expected. Such was the case with the disciples of Jesus in our Gospel passage today. It is a story about the disciples' panic and fear of perishing as a result of the heavy storm that is effecting their boat. 

As this heavy storm is about breaking their boat, the disciples cannot believe that Jesus was asleep while they were afraid and needed help from anywhere. So they went to him and woke him saying, ‘Teacher, do you not care if we perish? And Jesus said: “Peace! Be still!!” And the Storm ceased and there was a great calm. And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, how is it that you have no faith. The men were astounded and said, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him.’

This story signifies God's chosen people on a transit of faith, frightened by the guilt of sin and wounded by the waves of the sea, the abode of evil forces and monsters of this world. The boat can be taken as a symbol of the faith of the Church and the people of God struggling with the world’s principalities and powers, while the storms are symbols of heavy persecutions and sufferings by the people of God. And Jesus is saying: why are you so afraid, you men of little faith. 

Dear friends, there is no doubt that there is an active presence of evil in the world which manifest itself in different forms. So everyday is a struggle against the malice of the evil ones, and people are doing everything they can to overcome them. Today Jesus is inviting us into his boat of life, thereby calling us to journey on this boat with an unwavering faith and a repented heart, because the world is being tossed around by the waves of the evil forces, the enemies of humanity. And it is only God who can subdue it, for he has promised to restore us back to himself. 

This is exactly what we  heard about David in our first reading today, for after David had committed grave sins against Uriah and God, prophet Nathan confronted him about this ugly situation. David felt very remorseful about his actions and asked God for mercy. And this the Lord granted him and promised to restore him and calmed down the storms of destruction in his household. 

Therefore, I don't know the great storms of doubt and fear in your soul? I don’t know if you are under the power of the evil forces of this world. All I know is that with great faith in God, the heavy storms in our lives will become calm. So, why not present you challenges of life to Jesus, for he will surely rebuke the violent storms in our hearts so that we can experience once again the calmness of his peace and joy.

LET US PRAY: Lord God. As we struggle everyday to overcome the ugly situation around us, grant that the violent storms and waves  of sin and bondage in our lives, our families and the world, will end in a wonderful calm that brings peace in our souls. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful and joyful weekend.

Homily For Friday of The Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 28th January, 2022. The Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas

 Homily For Friday of The Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 28th January, 2022. The Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas

Readings: 2Sam. 11:1-4.5-10.13-17; Ps  51; Mark 4:26-34

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LET THE WORD OF GOD GROW IN OUR HEARTS LIKE A GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED

In the scriptures, using a simple story to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson has always been one of the characteristics of Jesus when addressing the people regarding things that are very important. By couching his teaching in parables, Jesus made certain points much clearer to his audience. This is evident in our Gospel passage today where he told us the parable of the mustard seed, using it to describe the nature of God’s kingdom which he came to establish in the hearts of humanity. 

Here, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed growing from the Word of God spoken to the hearts of his few disciples which will grow and spread to the hearts of all humanity. This analogy focuses on the size of the seed that grows to become a might tree that gives shelter and salvation to all.

More so, Jesus is not just speaking of the size of the mustard seed, but also the faith of the people as that of a mustard seed. Telling us that just as the mustard seed responded to the word of God and grows into a might tree, so will the faith of the people grow into great vessel through hearing and doing the Word of God and so build up the kingdom of God. 

Nevertheless, these two analogies of the mustard seed symbolize the humble beginnings of the Christian faith which is well watered by the Holy Spirit to grow and give life and hospitality to all the people of the world. Hence, in building the kingdom of God, we are  reminded that we can be tempted in different ways just like David in our first reading, who when tempted by the beauty of an innocent woman, failed to control himself and so fall into the sin of adultery which led him to commit another sin of murder as he tries to cover up his sins. This very single mistake caused great damage to the mission of David and in his household.  So we should learn from this costly mistake of David. We should not give in to temptations and lost of the eyes. Rather, we should learn to remain faithful until our souls are saved in our heavenly kingdom. 

Dear friends, we need to let our knowledge of God’s kingdom grow like that of mustard seed, knowing that in the world today we have different kinds of seeds. But the question remains, what kind of seeds are we embracing and watering in our lives today? Are we watering valuable mustard seeds of faith, love, holiness, hospitality, obedience, charity that will lead us to God’s kingdom? Or are we watering weeds that are distracting us from attaining heaven. We must stop watering such weeds, rather let us feed ourselves with valuable mustard seeds of virtues and values. 

For when we feed and water such values, we will grow stronger like the mustard tree where people may find solace and so build up God’s kingdom, just like St. Thomas Aquinas whose memorial we celebrate. For he was one of the famous theologians, who understood what it means to sow the seed of faith in people so as to build the kingdom of God. Thomas is remembered for his great work, the Summa Theologiae and many other contributions, writings and works which still influenced and inspired so many people. Thereby showing us the important of sowing seeds of faith through the Word of God in the life of people.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as you sow the seeds of your word in our hearts, give us through the intercession of St. Thomas Aquinas the grace to grow it into the mustard tree of faith, holiness and hospitality and by so doing build up your heavenly kingdom, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Homily For Thursday of The Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 27th January, 2022

 Homily For Thursday of The Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 27th January, 2022

Readings: 2 Sam. 7:18-19.24-29; Ps.132; Mark 4:21-25

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

Put YOUR EARS INTO POSITIVE USE

The ears as we know are organs of hearing which consist of the pinna. It is a gift from God through which we have the faculty of being able to perceive sounds and recognize something in an auditory way. To exercise the faculty of this organ effectively we must learn to use it to listen attentively to information. For the world no doubt is full of noise, echoing different things in our minds through our ears.

But what are we feeding our ears with? How are we use these organs? How has this organ helped us in our spiritual life despite this noisy world? How have we managed the noise in our lives, in families and society which distract us from listening to God? What are the things we hear or listen to? The Word of God we hear everyday how has it develop our relationship with God and our neighbour? 

Therefore, when Jesus said in our Gospel reading today, “he who has ears let him hear”, he is referring to our ability to listen to God's Word and act on it even in the midst of this noisy world. Thus, what Jesus means is that the person who seeks to gain some spiritual insight into what he is saying will have that insight increased when they listen, whereas whoever does not listen to him will end up in spiritual ignorance. To avoid this, we are need to learn from King David, who after Nathan had spoken to him went in and, seated before the Lord and listening to him and he said: ‘Who am I, O Lord, and what is my House, that you have led me as far as this?   

Dear friends, by listening, hearing and following Jesus, we grow in familiarity with his voice and hears him more. And by so doing we make Jesus the light of our lives placed on the lampstand to give light and insight to our souls as individuals, family and society, illuminating all the darkness around us.

 LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, our ears are gift from you, help us to use them properly. And as we carry out our activities today, may our ears hear the consoling words of Jesus guiding and directing us towards the light of his presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Remain blessed.

Homily For Wednesday of The Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 26th January, 2022. The Memorial of SS. Timothy and Titus

 Homily For Wednesday of The Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 26th January, 2022. The Memorial of SS. Timothy and Titus.

Readings: 2Tim 1:1-8; Ps. 96; Mark 4:1-20

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

MAKE YOUR HEART A FERTILE GROUND SO THAT THE WORD OF GOD CAN  BEAR GREAT FRUIT THAT WILL MANIFEST IN OUR INTERIOR LIFE.

A good disposition and positive response towards whatever we do in life has a way of building up our confidence and interior life, and this of course, leads us to great success. Little wonder in our Gospel passage today, Jesus uses the parable of the sower to describe different kinds of response to God's Word. He  explained the parable by pointing out our different disposition towards the Word of God in relation to our interior life. This will help us to know whether our soul is like dry rocky ground or do we regularly seek to nourish our soul and prepare it to receive the holy Word of God. So we are called to create a fertile disposition within our heart in order to do the will of God.

In the scriptures, there are many who hear the words of Jesus and do not understand it because of poor disposition, for instance the religious leaders who are against his teachings, the crowds that responded positively to Jesus, especially to his miracles of healing, yet turned against him at the end and demanded for his crucifixion. Some disciples such as Judas might also be included among those who fall away when trouble or persecution came on account of the Word. While the rich young man who was unable to part with his possessions, provides a clear example of one who hears the word, but the love for the passing things of this world and the lure of wealth choked the word, and it yielded nothing. 

But what about the good soil? These are those who hear the Word, understands it and internalize it. They indeed bear fruit and yield an abundant harvest. Our mother Mary and the disciples excluding Judas are good example of such people. Therefore, the different kinds of ground on which the seed falls represent different ways by which we  receive the Word of God. 

Dear friends, our hearts are the fields in which the Word of God is scattered. But, to which do our hearts belong? the path way, the rocky ground, the thorns or the good soil? Whichever one, we are called to have right disposition and positive response to the Word of God. We are to pay attention and take some time to appreciate God’s Word in our lives by allowing it to bear solid root in us so that we can bear great fruits that will manifest in our interior life.

So, let us learn from SS. Timothy and Titus whose memorial we celebrate today, they were servants who truly understood what it means to belong to family of Jesus and have the right disposition towards his Word. For they were both close collaborators of St. Paul who entrusted to them the care of God’s faithful, of which they were known to be among the first Bishops of the Church. They were great servants of God with great commitment and dedication to doing the will of the Lord and suffer martyrdom for their faith.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, oftentimes our disposition and response towards your Words is so poor. As we listen to your Words today, through the intercessions of SS. Timothy and Titus give us grace to remain open to receiving your Words, so as to bear fruit abu

Homily For Tuesday of The Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 25th January, 2022

 Homily For Tuesday of The Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 25th January, 2022

The Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.

Readings: Act: 22:3-16, Ps. 117, Mark 16:15-18

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

HAVING AN EXPIRENCE OF CHRIST THAT LEADS TO TRUE CONVERSION

There is something deep and unique about every person, sometimes it takes personal experience to discover this uniqueness. This is evident in our first reading today as we celebrate the feast of the conversion of St. Paul, an event that prompt me to reflect on my personal experience of God. I am confident enough to tell you that everyday is an opportunity to encounter God through different events that occur in our lives. 

I don't know if you have ever had an experience that made you realize the emptiness of this life, a kind of experience that turns pride into humility, sinfulness into righteousness, an experience that changes your perception about things or people?

This is the kind of experience that Saul had with Jesus that made him realize the emptiness of his life and how wrong he was, fighting against God’s people. For Saul was a young and zealous Pharisee who was deeply involved in the persecutions of early Christians. He was present at the moment when St. Stephen was martyred and stoned to death. Saul was also a leading figure among the Sanhedrin in their attempt to destroy the Church and the followers of Christ, for he went from place to place and carried out violent attacks against the followers of Christ until he encountered the Lord on his way to Damascus. 

This very encounter brought true conversion in his life and changed his perception about Christians. This encounter gave him a new identity, changing his name from Saul to Paul. A name indicating his new mission. A mission he so carried out with all his zeal and passion just as the Lord commanded his disciples  in our Gospel passage today saying: ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. Little wonder Paul is regarded as one of the apostles and today his works still speak about the effect of his personal encounter with Jesus.

Dear friends, as we celebrate the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, we are called to reflect on our own conversion. Today like St. Paul, we are called to reflect on our personal experience with God. How have we personally experienced God? When was your spiritual turning point? Do we have a personal conviction about God that does not based on what people told us of him?  Remember that by the virtue of our baptism we are called to share in the same ministry and calling that St. Paul himself had received from the Lord. So, in case you have not personally experience the Lord, all you need to do is to sincerely seek God in those common events in your life and you will realize how much God is willing to reveal himself to you. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we really need to have a personal encounter of your presence in our lives. As we reflect on the encounter and conversion of St. Paul, may we experience your presence in a unique way and through this experience discover our purpose and mission in life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Do have a blessed and favourable week.

Homily For Monday of The Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 24th January, 2022. The Memorial of St. Francis De Sales

 Homily For Monday of The Third Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 24th  January, 2022. The Memorial of St. Francis De Sales

Readings: 2 Samuel 5:1-7.10;; Ps.89; Mark 3:22-30

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DOT NOT DENY GOD’S POWER OVER SPIRITUAL REALITIES  OUT OF IGNORANCE OR JEALOUSY

One of the gifts of God to us is the gift of discernment, which enables us to know and distinguish between good and evil spirit. This gift is very important to the office of every leader. But it is sad and unacceptable when a leader decided to misused this gift out of envy,  jealousy and ignorance. This is the attitudes of the scribes in our Gospel passage today.

For  we heard how Jesus had delivered a man possessed by an evil spirit. The spirit had bound his tongue and made him mute. But when Jesus had cast out the demon from the man and the man spoke, some scribes who watched this great miracle as it happened said that it was through the power of Beelzebul the prince of demons that he was able to cast the devil out. 

This is because they were adamant in their opposition against Jesus which were propelled by envy and jealousy. That is why they were unable to look beyond their narrow-mindedness and stubbornness in insisting that their way was the true way while others like our Lord Jesus were wrong. But Jesus as usual used the opportunity to correct them by pointing out the mistakes in their argument. Thus, telling us that it does not make sense for the demons to be fighting one another and so be divided among themselves. Because any house that divides within itself can not stand, and as we know the evil ones are always united in their plans to bring about destruction in human activities. 

So, it is obvious that the scribes know the truth but were not ready to accept it rather the chose to deny the work of God, that why Jesus conclude the gospel by saying that: everyone who says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

From this frightening passage, Jesus reveals to us that sins no matter how grievous can be forgiven, but there is a particular sin that will not be forgiven. That is, the sin against the Holy Spirit. But what is this sin against the Holy Spirit? And why would it not be forgiven? The sin against the Holy Spirit is rooted from ones outright rejection of God’s grace of salvation offered to us through the Holy Spirit‘s incessant invitations, and warnings. This happens when the will of a person is hardened against God’s mercy and goodness. This is so because, it is the sinner himself who rejected God’s forgiveness. And since God respects the freedom which He has given us, for he respects a sinner’s decision to firmly refuse to be forgiven.

Dear friends, we are called today not to be like the scribes who out of pride and ignorance denied the power of God over spiritual realities and so sin against the Holy Spirit. Rather we should make proper use of the gift of discernment which the Lord has given us. We must not let envy, jealousy and over ambition make us to deny the truth about the spiritual realities we experience from the Lord. We must not let the devil succeed in sowing the spirit of division among us. We should also ask God to endow us with the spirit of discernment and truth especially this period that we are often faced with the ugly and sad attitude of human deception all over the world. 

Let us like David in our first reading today, discern the will and the message God is communicating to us as we struggle with our daily challenges. Let us be inspired by the faith and the good examples of St. Francis de Sales whose memorial we celebrate today. St. Francis was born a noble, but his encounters with the Lord and some questions about the faith eventually led him to seek the Lord more closely through discernment. St. Francis de Sales later gave up his rights and inheritance and became a priest and later a bishop. He dedicated himself a lot for the people. He tirelessly involved himself in reaching out to many Christians, including those who have separated themselves from the Church.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we struggle everyday with the manipulation of the evils ones, give us the grace to overcome them, may we never be misled by the devil and all of his forces, as they often attempted to sow divisions and dissensions among us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.