WHY WE MUST CHOSE LOVE OVER HATRED AND FORGIVENESS OVER VENGEANCE

 Homily For Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 20th February, 2022

Readings: 1 Sam. 26:2.7-9.12-13.22-23;  Ps. 103; 1Cor.15:12.16-20; Luke 6:27-38

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHY WE MUST CHOSE LOVE OVER HATRED AND FORGIVENESS OVER VENGEANCE

A critical look at what is happening in our world today, it is obvious that the world is in big crises. This is because humanity has lost the true meaning of love. For we have abandoned God who is the source and power of love and created for ourselves a mirage in the name of love. Today love has become a tool for selfishness, deception, greed and emotional satisfaction. Thus it is extremely difficult to practice the genuine love of neighbours, talk more of the sacrificial love of our enemies.

But this is the demand Jesus is making of all his disciples in our Gospel passage today when he said: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly. To the man who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek too; to the man who takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your property back from the man who robs you. Treat others as you would like them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. 

So, in this Gospel, Jesus gave us reasons why we must chose love over hatred and forgiveness over vengeance. For he made us to know that it is natural and universal for human beings to love those who love them. But what makes his disciples different from other people is the ability to love not just everyone but to love their enemies and not take vengeance or bear grudges against one another. By so doing they will be imitating God their heavenly Father, who in his compassionate heart shows equal love to both the good and the bad, not because he is indifferent to morality, but because his love knows no bounds.  

Hence, we are called to love and to be loving in all things, for that is the essence of our Christians faith. We cannot be true Christians unless we are willing to love in a sacrificial way in our actions and interactions, in all situations and to everyone, without exception. We must learn to bear with one another and forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven us; now we must do the same. This is exactly what David demonstrated in our first reading today, when he chose to spare the life of King Saul. 

David could had kill Saul since God has place his enemy in his mercy. Yet, as we heard, David did not. He even rebuked his fellow men and told them that they could not touch Saul or his men. Although Saul might have fallen from grace and sinned against God, but he was anointed by God. So, it was not right to kill God’s anointed regardless of the circumstances. Instead, David even at the risk of his life spared the life of Saul for he could have killed him and take over his throne since he too had been anointed to be King. What a great magnanimity of heart. Here David showed not just Saul but all of us what it means to love in a sacrificial way just like Jesus has instructed us today.

Dear friends, how many of us Christians are willing and able to follow these instructions of the Lord? How many of us today are ready to follow the examples of the Lord’s disciples? How many are ready to follow the example of David? But all of us have received the love of God, and we have witnessed the love of God made manifest, and now we are all reminded that we have the obligation to show that same love in our daily activities. Hence, today we are called to a life of deeper virtue. We are called to a life of sacrificial love. We are called to perfection, we are called to choose love over hatred and forgiveness over vengeance. But when Jesus talks about loving our enemies, he is not telling us to be passive in the face of physical danger or abuse. Rather he wants us to realize that hatred is a dangerous thing and must be handled with great care. Because hatred breeds violence and other things that weakens the human soul. 

The truth is that, our enemies are not necessary those who we are at war with, those making life difficult for us or those we think hates us. But, our real enemies are those whom we choose to hate. And the best way to destroy our enemies is to discover how best we can make them become our friend, not by hating or carrying out vengeance. How I wish the world will embrace this principle of loving and stretching the hands of friendship and peace to our presumed enemies, by investing more resources on things that bring about peace and friendship with one another, rather than building nuclear weapon that breeds more violence and hatred in the world. For when this is done, then the world will become more peaceful and loving.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, it is difficult and demanding for us to love our enemies, but this is what you are commanding us to do, give us the grace to bear the sacrificial nature of this demand and so become a true sign of your loving presence to those we encounter in life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful Sunday celebration.

Homily For Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 19 February, 2022

 Homily For Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 19 February, 2022

Readings: James 3;1-10; Ps. 12; Mark: 9:2-13

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

“THIS IS MY BELOVED SON LISTEN TO HIM,” BUT ARE WE REALLY LISTENING TO HIM?

To know the true identity of Jesus has always been the desire and quest of most people of his time and even in our time. Most people today still do not really have a grand knowledge of the personality and identify of who Jesus really is and his mission towards the salvation of humanity. So to make known his identity to humanity, Jesus in our Gospel passage today chose three of his disciples Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone. 

There in their presence he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light. Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them; they were talking with him. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and from the cloud there came a voice which said, ‘This is my Beloved Son listen to him.

Here, the disciples witness the change in appearance of Jesus that reveals his true nature as the Divine Son of God, shining forth from his human nature, unveiling that he was not just a Man, but also the great Son of God incarnate in the human flesh. Hence, we embrace this revelation of Christ as the beloved Son of the Father, the one we are called to trust and listen to in prayer. An event that occur to undermine objections to inevitable event of parousia which calls us to a life of faith and radical transformation. A transformation that brings about a new out fit that makes one a new person with a new life, a new mind and a new way of doing things. 

In this revelation we recall the presence of the two greatest and most renowned figures from the Old Testament, namely Moses and the prophet Elijah. They represent the law and the prophets which bear witness to the personality and identity of Jesus and to crown all, the voice from the cloud which has also been the symbol of God’s presence with His people bearing witness that Jesus is the Beloved Son of God, calling us to listen to him. By this revelation, Jesus revealed his glory in the presence of chosen witnesses and filled with the greatest splendour that bodily form which he shares with all humanity, that the scandal of the Cross might be removed from the hearts of his disciples.

Dear friends, are we in anyway ignorant of the personality, identity and mission of our Lord Jesus Christ? Have we personally experienced the presence of Jesus in our lives? How often do we listen to him? Have we ever encountered Jesus in such a transformative way that changes our sinful ways of life and build our faith stronger in the Lord? The truth is, we can change our religion, churches, even our pastors, friends, residence, car or our physical appearance: hear, cloth, colour even gender as some people do today. 

But if we don't have a transfigurative experience that will bring about a change of mind and heart towards loving God and our neighours, we will remain the same and the old experience of unfruitful life will perpetuate itself over and over again. Because, everything absolutely change when we change our mind for good. And this is what St. James is making us to understand in our first reading today when he said: think how small a flame can set fire to a huge forest; the tongue is a flame like that. So use your tongue positively.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we have often failed to listen to you, even though you never ceases to make known to your children the mysteries of your Love for humanity, grant that by listening to the voice of your beloved Son, we may personally experience his love in our lives and merit to become coheirs with him, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. Do have a fruitful weekend.

Homily For Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 18 February, 2022

 Homily For Friday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 18 February, 2022

Readings: James 2:14-24.26; Ps. 112; Mark: 8:27-33

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

GAINING THE WHOLE WORLD AND RUINING YOUR LIFE IS THE WORST THING THAT CAN HAPPEN TO US

There is no doubt that the material things of this world are so captivating and attractive and people are so much engrossed with acquiring them at the detriment of things that edifies the  human soul. People are ready to do anything just to acquire material things of this world. People are ready to kill, blackmail, kidnap and even sacrifice parts of their bodies just to gain power, acquire properties and belong to a particular class or level that they feel is influential in the society, thereby causing more hostility, persecutions and evil in the society. 

This really makes me to wonder if we are actually learning anything from the lives of those who have passed away from this world. Have we really taken time to reflect on where all of us and the beautiful things of this world will be in the nearest future. In fact, I think is time for us to really think twice about our faith as Christians, whether we are actually ready to live out our faith in the midst of these ugly situations in our societies, which are not stopping soon, for it is getting tougher everyday. 

Little wonder Jesus after telling his disciples about his passion and the coming persecution says in our Gospel passage today:  ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?”

Here Jesus knowing what awaits us in this world, takes his discourse on discipleship to a radical and difficult level, especially in a situation where our faith and Christian values have been thrown out of caution as a result of secularism, individualism and excess desires for worldly pleasures, thereby neglecting the things that lead us to God. Hence, if we are really willing to live out our Christian faith and obligations, then we need to make a radical decision towards our discipleship in a personal and radical way, just like St James made us to know that faith goes with good work. For a body dies when it is separated from the spirit, and in the same way faith is dead if it is separated from good deeds.

However, these hard words of Jesus can only be understood in the light of our experience in life. For here comes the moment when we have to make radical and difficult choice as disciples of Jesus. It’s time for us to take up our cross in a sacrificial way and follow the Lord. But what is this cross we are called to take up. Taking up our cross could mean to faithfully face our daily challenges with all its difficulties. It could mean accepting who we are and what we have and using them to the glory of God.

 

The way of the cross is a way of sacrifice, commitment, love, forgiveness, mercy and compassion, which aim towards the good of the other person. It can be a costly service to a loved one who is ill; it can be embracing illness, even terminal illness or other personal weaknesses, but these make no sense except when we relate it with the sufferings of Christ through faith in God. We must let our struggles of life lead us to God’s purpose for us. We must not let the captivating and influential power of things of this passing world make us loose focus of our heavenly kingdom.

Dear friends, we are called today to deny ourselves the pleasurable things of this passing world in order to take up our Cross and follow the Lord. Yes the material things of this world is captivating and pleasurable, but it is complete foolishness for us to gain the whole world and ruin our lives. Hence, it’s time to make a radical decision to sincerely and faithfully follow Jesus. But how much are we willing to let go for the sake of following him? Why are we finding it difficult to let go of our excess attachment to worldly things? What are those habitual desires and possessions that are holding us from making this radical decision today? It is time to come to God with all our hearts, for tomorrow maybe too late.

LET US PRAY: Gracious God, it is indeed foolishness trying to gain the pleasurable things of this passing world and ruin our lives, give us courage and grace to let go of our excess worldly desires so as to embrace the Cross of Christ. And as we do this, may the Cross of Christ be for us a shining example in our daily struggles, so as to hold firm in our faith despite all the sufferings and persecutions we may encounter. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a lovely day.

Homily For Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 17 February, 2022

 Homily For Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 17 February, 2022

Readings: James 2:1+9; Ps. 34; Mark: 8:27-33

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WHO IS JESUS IN MY LIFE? 

Following the ugly events of division, manipulation and multiplication of Churches going on in Christianity today, one can not but repeat this fundamental question of Jesus to Christians all over the world: who do you say I am? Jesus addresses this question to all his disciples. The people are free to believe whatever they want about Jesus, for Jesus has been carefully preparing his disciples to carry on his  work so they ought to know better. They have heard His teachings and witnessed his miracles. What they think of Him should be more critical. 

Thus, St. Peter spoke up and said to him, ‘You are the Christ.’ And he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man was destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again.

Here, we see how Peter expressed his personal conviction about the personality of Jesus. He did not have to quote any authority, because his response was a clear and sincere knowledge of who he professed Jesus to be. For Peter’s gift of faith comes from his personal response about who Jesus is, even though he does not want to associate with the suffering aspect of the life of Jesus, and that was why Jesus rebuked that spirit of fear in him. 

Thus, our faith requires that we give a personal answer to the question: who do you say I am? For it is not enough to quote the teachings and Catechism of the Church about our faith or the teachings of other theologians and preachers or to respond only from the head but from the heart that is convinced of what it believes on and is really ready to embrace the will of God. 

The fact is that, Jesus wants us to develop a divine way of looking at things, he wants us to know him deep down our soul, so that we can truly profess our faith with deeper meaning and conviction. Little wonder St James in our first reading tells us not to try to combine faith in Jesus Christ with the making of distinctions between classes of people, for this brings division and  confusion among the people of God.

Dear friends, having heard the teachings and works of Jesus in the scriptures and traditions of the Church, the question remains: who is Jesus to you? What is your personal experience of Jesus? When was you spiritual turning point? Do we have a personal conviction about God that does not based on what people told us of him? How has your knowledge of Jesus help other people to come to faith in Jesus. In case you have not personally experience him, 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: Heavenly Father, you revealed to St. Peter the true identity of Jesus your Son, help us to profess our faith with deeper meaning and conviction. And as we experience the power of your presence, may we embrace more deeply your sacred mysteries. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Homily For Wednesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 16 February, 2022

 Homily For Wednesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 16 February, 2022

Readings: James 1:19-27; Ps. 15; Mark: 8:22-26

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

 THE TOUCH OF THE LORD HEALS COMPLETELY

Blindness is one of the most difficult human deformities, that deprives one the ability to exercise some of the characteristics of human person. So anyone suffering from such deformity constantly look forward on a day when he or she will be restored. This the case with the blind man in our Gospel passage today who some people brought to Jesus and begged him to touch him. 

Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Then putting spittle on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked, ‘Can you see anything?’ The man, who was beginning to see, replied, ‘I can see people; they look like trees to me, but they are walking about.’ Then he laid his hands on the man’s eyes again and he saw clearly; he was cured, and he could see everything plainly and distinctly.

Here we see the compassionate love of Jesus in it’s historical and physical solidarity with human suffering, which springs from the love of God the Father and constitutes the basis of the Church’s liberating activity which is rooted in our faith in God. In this miracle Jesus did something quite different from his usual ways of healing, he began by separating him from his present environment and then put spittle on his eyes and the healing took place gradually. After the healing was completed, Jesus asked him not to return to the village from which he separated.

This is very significant because Oftentimes our problem and cause and compounded by our present environment. So, for significant change to occur we need to be separated from our present environment. So Jesus is using this opportunity to teach us in order to lead us out of our present environment that makes us blind to the spiritual realities of our lives. For it is important for us to know that the physical activity of the human person can be linked to the present nature of his environment, because the physical is being controlled by the interior being of the person. And when the interior being of a person is engrossed in a wrong environment, then, the ugly fruit of this environment is manifested in the physical activity of the person.

Dear friends, are we in anyway suffering as a result of the ugly nature of our present environment? Do we know people who are suffering and in need of God’s intervention? Are we spiritually blind by the present activities going on in our environment? We need to be separated from this ugly situation and environment so that we can be restored completely like the blind man in our Gospel passage today. Let us therefore present ourselves and our Loved one to Jesus, who is always ready and willing to heal us and set us free from the ugly situation we are passing through, because the touch of Jesus heals and restores us completely.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, our environment has made us to be blind both physically and spiritually, as we present our needs before you today, may we experience once again your compassionate love and healing, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you God’s favour and blessings.

Homily For Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 15 February, 2022

 Homily For Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 15 February, 2022

Readings: James 1:12-18; Ps. 94; Mark: 8:14-21

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

WE ALL NEED TO OBTAIN THE GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is understand, which is the ability to perceive an idea or situation mentally, to know and comprehend the nature or meaning of things. Hence, understanding is seen as a gift of God and it is to be prayed and desired by all. Understanding has a moral character which one has to sought and learned. Understanding, then, involves the cognitive, the spiritual, and the moral. While human efforts are required, the ability to understand comes from God and the true test of understanding is obedience to God. 

However, Jesus in our Gospel passage today was disappointed at his disciples’ inability to grasp what he was saying to them or who he really is. They failed to understand what he is capable of doing in their midst. Hence he asked them over nine questions which they failed to understand. We can imagine them asking what is it that we do not yet understand? 

But they had been witnesses to two extraordinary events done by Jesus: the feeding of five thousand people with five loaves and four thousand with seven Loaves. Yet they do not seem to have grasped the implication of the miracle they had witnessed nor the divine identity of Jesus who had made it possible.

Thus, Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand?” This question, reveals that the disciples are really in need of the gift of understanding, which is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that is given to us to make sense of what is happening around us all the time. 

Dear friends, the fact remains that we all need the gift of understanding just like the disciples in our Gospel today.  For often times, we are confused about so many things going on in our lives even concerning our faith, our families, our work, our vocation and every other things around us. Little wonder St. James in our first reading today says: make no mistake about this, my dear brothers: all that is good, everything that is perfect, which is given us from above; it comes down from the Father of all light; with him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow of a change. By his own choice he made us his children by the message of the truth so that we should be a sort of first fruits of all that he had created. Therefore, let us ask God the Father to send the Holy Spirit for an increase in the gift of understanding.

LET US PRAY:  Lord God, you are the source of all understanding, help us to understand you better and as we struggle with our daily activities endow us with an understanding heart, so as to break down the walls of confusion that press on in our heart. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Do have a blessed day.

Homily For Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 14 February, 2022, The Memorial of SS. Cyril and Methodius, and St. Valentine’s Day

 Homily For Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 14 February, 2022, The Memorial of SS. Cyril and Methodius, and St. Valentine’s Day

Readings: James 1:1-11; Ps. 119; Mark: 8:11-13

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

VALENTINE’S DAY, A DAY WE CELEBRATE LOVE I A SACRIFICIAL WAY

Today all over the world people are celebrating especially young people, we are celebrating what they called the valentine’s day. A day we celebrate love. But today we are celebrating not just love, but the power and victory of love over human selfishness. The seed of this celebration comes as a result of the ugly event that happened on February 14, around the year 270 A.D.,  when Valentine, a holy Roman Catholic priest, who lived in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed. 

But the questions that comes to mind are: why was he executed and how does this ugly event related to what we are celebrating today? According to history, what happened was that under the rule of  Emperor Claudius II, Rome was involved in many unpopular and bloody campaigns and the emperor had to maintain a strong army, but was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. So the emperor discovered that men of Rome were unwilling to join the army because of their strong attachment to their wives and families.

Thus, to deal with this problem, Claudius banned all marriages and engagements in Rome. But Valentine a priest of Rome, realizing the injustice of this declaration by the emperor, defied this order and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, the emperor ordered that he be put to death. Valentine was arrested and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. This ugly event was carried out on February 14, around the year 270.

However, in 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius, in honour of this St. decided to put an end to the Feast of Lupercalia, which was a pagan celebrate of the god of fertility in the name of love, though in an immoral way that is not acceptable to Christian faith. So in order to replace this feast with something more acceptable, the Pope declared that February 14 be celebrated as St. Valentine's Day in memory of his sacrificial passion for love among the people. And gradually, February 14 became a date for the celebration of love which is often expressed in different ways such as exchanging love messages, poems and simple gifts such as flowers to our loved ones.

Thus, Valentine celebration reminds us of the gift of God's love to humanity. For God loves unconditionally and sacrificially, he loves us till the very end. So, we have to also love one another the way God loves us. We must know that Valentine day is not a carnal celebration of love. But more of sacrificial and spiritual celebration. That is why as Christians we do not celebrate Valentine in a carnal or selfish manner or the sinful way the world celebrates it in the name of boyfriend and girlfriend, committing immorality, fornication and adultery in the name of love, which of course is not love, but lust.

Therefore, Valentine’s day for us should be a day we protect and promote true love for one another. It is a day we remember how much we care for one another and what we are to one another. It is a day  we  build up and nurture long-lasting love, friendships and good relationships with one another.

This is what was lacking in lives of the Pharisees in our Gospel passage today, who were asking Jesus for sign in order to test him. But Jesus with a sigh that came straight from the heart said, ‘Why does this generation demand a sign? I tell you solemnly, no sign shall be given to this generation.’ This response was as a result of pride which has blindfolded the Pharisees who refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah that very sign that they seek.  And this same pride is what is destroying humanity today.

Dear friends, pride can make us blind in such a manner that we will continue to seek for signs even when things are clear and obvious in our lives. And Jesus is saying that in the midst of proud people no sign will be given. But, what signs are we seeing around us today? How can we interpret the signs of this times, the signs that tell us that this world is passing away? Do these signs make us to dread the second coming of the Lord or do we joyfully embrace it in anticipation? Let us learn to embrace true love for that is the only way we can conquer the ugly attitude of pride in us. Let us learn from SS. Cyril and Methodius and also St. Valentine whose memorials we celebrate today. For they are good example of what it means to embrace love in a sacrificial way.

LET US PRAY: Lord Jesus, you are the sign that we seek, as we embrace your word today calling us to embrace love in a sacrificial way, give us through the intercessions of SS. Cyril, Methodius and valentine the grace to be humble and to love in order to follow you our Lord and Saviour who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen. As we carryout our task this week, may God’s  favour be with us now and always.