Homily for Thursday Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 6th October, 2022.

 Readings: Gal 3:1-5, Ps. Luke 1:69-75, Luke 11:5-13

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

PRAYER REQUIRES ASKING, SEEKING AND KNOCKING AT GOD’S DOOR PATIENTLY AND PERSISTENTLY

Have you been truly in need of something from a friend who is capable of give you what you need but he is so busy to give you what you need now? Or have you been in a situation where you needed something from a friend but cannot get it because you can not reach him easily. Such a situation can make one to be under serious pressure. Then the question that comes to mind is, are we going to give up or persevere in our struggles on waiting or reaching out to him? This kind of disposition is what we experience sometimes when we pray and our requests are yet to be granted.

And this kind of situation is what Jesus is addressing in the story in our Gospel passage today as he continue his teaching on prayer. Thus, telling us that we should approach God with confidence as a friend, persisting until we obtain what we need. We should keep on asking, seeking, and knocking in prayer until we obtain the answer we need. Just like a boy asking his father for a fish or an egg, knowing that his the father would not give him a snake or a scorpion instead of the fish or egg he had requested. With this illustration Jesus emphasized that if we, who are prune to evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more shall the heavenly Father give to those who ask him.

This is what the people of Galatia were lacking that made them to begin to quickly turn away from the faith and St. Paul in our first reading today chastised them for their ugly actions, in embracing the false teachings and ideas promoted by those who did not follow the true teachings of the Church but are quick to follow the ideas of the factions of the Church who taught something different for the true faith. Therefore we should not be like them. Let us learn how to be patient and persevere in our prayers.

Dear friends, prayer requires asking, seeking and knocking at God’s door patiently and persistently. Though, one may say I have been praying for God’s intervention in some ugly situations but it seems as if no answer has been given. The fact is that God answers all our prayers if we are patient with him. For he may not grant us what we want because as a caring Father, he gives us what we truly need, and not what we wanted. But are we willing to trust the Lord and be patient with him? Are we willing to seek the Lord and to make the effort to find him and to follow him wherever he leads us to? Do we have the courage and the love of God in our hearts.

No doubt we are full of energy, zeal and passion, ready to face the challenges and struggles of yet another day. But the question we need to ask ourselves is, what are we doing concerning the present situation in our lives, our family, societies and country?  It may seem as if all hope is gone, but  the Lord is saying to us today, that we should ask, and it will be given to us; search, and we will find; knock, and the door will be opened to us. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Let us all not be afraid to seek the Lord and ask him for blessings, protection and guidance.

LET US PRAY:  Lord God, we are struggling with so many ugly situations in our lives, families, societies and the world at large, as we pour out our hearts to you in prayer seeking and knocking, may you grant our heart desires according to your will and guide our ways today and always. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Homily for Wednesday Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 5th October, 2022.

 Readings: Gal 2:1-2.7-14, Ps. 117, Luke 11:1-4

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LORD TEACH US HOW TO PRAY FOR WE DO NOT KNOW HOW TO PRAY PROPERLY

Prayer is a means of communication between God and humanity. It is a close link by which we reach God who dwells in our hearts. It is through prayer we discern the will of God for us. Hence, if we have not been able to discern the will of God for our lives or have not had any personal relationship with God in prayers, then perhaps we should consider to examine our prayer life to know if we have been praying the right way. Thus we can learn the proper way to pray from the prayer Jesus taught his disciples as pattern of all prayers as we have it in our Gospel passage today.

In this prayer we have four traditional dimensions of prayer which includes: glorification of God, submission, justice and protection. Jesus begins by saying: Father, hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come, thereby teaching us that we begin any of our prayers by glorifying God. Following this is our total submission to God’s providence when we say: give us each day our daily bread. Then, we acknowledge the justice and mercy of God when we say: for give us our sins as we for give those we have sinned against us. And finally we ask for God’s guidance and protection when we say: lead us not into temptation but deliver us from all evil.

This is important because it is the means by which we communicate with our God. But often time we treat prayer wrongly when we consider prayer as a means to only achieve what we desired without considering what God desires for us. Some of us end up spending lots of time reciting the prayers and yet we did not mean what we say, because we have wrong disposition born from unforgiving heart which must be redirected before we can get a positive response from God. This is what St. Paul was emphasizing in our first reading today when he reminded the Galatians how he stood firm in defense of the Gentiles before Peter and the Jews.

Dear friends, as contingent being there are times when we asked and we received, sought and found, knocked and it was opened to us. But there were also times when we asked but did not receive, seek but did not find, knocked but the door remained shut. In such moments persistency and perseverance in prayer are what we are called to embrace. For they will help us to understand how to trust God knowing  that he does not need to be informed of our needs, thereby encouraging us never to lose heart. This is certainly one of the biggest challenges of our faith today. People are not just patient with God. We want to have everything right now as it is hot. Patient, persistency and perseverance are very difficult virtue for most people today.

Therefore, it is time for us to change our perspective and wrong disposition towards prayers. It is time for us to spend more quality moment in prayer and be connected with God. We must let our prayers also be meaningful and be genuine from our hearts. It is time  for us to improve the quality of our prayer life by imitating Jesus, who always prayed to his heavenly Father at every possible opportunities. But some of us end up spending lots of time reciting the prayers and yet we did not mean what we say, because we have not learnt how to dialogue with God in prayer especially when we have wrong disposition born from unforgiving heart which must be redirected before we can get a positive response from God.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, oftentimes we are not patient with you in our prayers, because we don't know how to dialogue with you in prayers. Give us the grace to learn how to dialogue with you and to persevere and be persistent in our prayer life and in every other things we do in life, especially in our relationship with others. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Homily for Tuesday Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 4th October, 2022. The Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi

  Readings: Gal 1: 13-24, Ps. 139, Luke 10:28-24

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DON’T BE TOO BUSY AND DISTRACTED WITH SO MANY THINGS OF THIS PASSING WORLD RATHER LEARN TO LISTEN TO GOD

Listening is one of the vital aspect of the human person, which is very much lacking in most of our communication this days. This is because, oftentimes, we worry about so many things in life, trying to let people hear us without taking time to listen to them. There are people who are always trying to satisfy everyone without listening to the real thing that matters. I have also come across people who are often worried about how to make others feel more comfortable without minding their own discomfort. They are so concerned with pleasing others even when they are not pleased. What a great sacrificial virtue that is not common this days. 

This sacrificial virtue is the attitude of Martha in our Gospel passage today were we have the story of how Martha was so busy trying to make Jesus comfortable when he visited them at their house in Bethany. But when Martha observed that her sister Mary was not helping out in the preparation, rather was busy listening to Jesus, she said to Jesus: “Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered: ‘Martha, Martha, you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her”.

Here, Jesus is not condemning this great sacrificial virtue nor condoning laziness. Rather, he is saying that busy without listening and listening without doing is worthless. Hence, he gently correct the impression of Martha who was too busy and distracted with so many things that she risks losing sight of what is really important, that is, listening to Jesus. This is because Martha gives the impression that Mary is just sitting there doing nothing. But, in fact, she was listening to Jesus.

However, Jesus is not telling us to be content with sitting down and listen to his word, for he always insists that listening to his word means putting it into practice. While his objection to Martha request is because she was too anxious and distracted by many things, that she was not able to really listen to him and for Jesus listening is the best option. Little wonder, St. Francis of Assisi, whose memorial we celebrate today, was known for his deep spiritual towards listening to the Word of God and his humble act of charity to the poor and needy. He once said we must not be wise and prudent according to the flesh. Rather we must be simple, humble and pure. We should never desire to be over others.

Dear friends, in our relationship with Jesus, are we more of listener or more of accommodating and caring? Are we more like Martha or like Mary, for they were both friends of Jesus? Today many of us are so busy and anxious of so many things that we have no time to listen to God speaking to us and addressing the situation we are actually busy trying to solve. Today we are called like Martha to pause and listen, so that we can hear God speaking to us and directing us towards the right path.

Remember, Martha who was known as a friend of Jesus, loved to welcome him into her home, let us learn from her, knowing that hospitality is perfected when we have a listening ear. For it is a great virtue to be hospitable and caring especially when we spend quality time to listen to God and letting him direct and guide us towards carrying out our daily tasks. Hence, let us learn how to listen to God just like St. Paul in our first reading who through listening to God changed from a persecutor to a preacher of the faith he had previously tried to destroy. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we are always so busy with the things of this passing world, that we often do not have time listen to you. Give us the grace like Mary to chose the better part which is to truly listen to your word and then be well disposed to be caring and hospitable just like Martha, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.

Homily for Monday Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 3rd October, 2022. The Memorial of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus

 Readings: Gal 1:6-12, Ps. 111, Luke 10:25-37 

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

LOVING GOD AND NEIGHBOURS ARE WHAT THE LORD REQUIRES OF US?

As humans we are always desiring to know what life requires of us, especially when we are faced with the realities of life. We often want to know the things that should be our first priority. So we always ask questions that will help us in addressing most of the challenges we encounter. These questions are sometimes meant to test our ability towards understanding the realities of life.   

This is the deposition of the lawyer in our Gospel passage today, who came to Jesus to test him by asked him question concerning the requirements for inheriting eternal life. This lawyer backing up his question with his knowledge of the ten commandment, made reference to the 'Shema Israel' - שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל, the prayer that the people of Israel knew and recite from their earliest years, from which they learned that the most important thing in life is to love God with all their heart, and with all thy soul, and with all their mind and to love their neigbhour as well. In other words, loving God with all our heart, with all our understanding and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves is what is required of us and it is the foundation of all the things we have to do. 

But this lawyer needed more clarification concerning this requirements, then he asked Jesus a second important question when he said: who is my neighbour? At this point Jesus did not just explained, he illustrated who a true neighbour should be with the famous story of the good Samaritan. In fact, from the story Jesus did not just answer the question: ‘who is my neighbor?’ He also demonstrate what a true and righteous neighbour should be like, thereby showing us that our neighbours are often those we least expect to be a neighbours. For our neighbour can be anyone even the ones we most despised or feared just like the good Samaritan and this tells us that a true neighbour shows compassion, love, care and makes sacrifice for others.

And St. Paul in our first reading addressing the people of Galatia concerning what it means to be a good neighbour spoke clearly against all those who misinterpreted the Scriptures and twist the truth for their own selfish purposes and by so doing sowed seed of divisions and confusions among the Christian communities. Thereby,  warning us that if anyone should preached a version of the Good News different from the one they have already preached to us, whether it an angel from heaven, he is to be condemned for committing such sin against God and against his neighbours. 

Dear friends, love is the center of all the teachings of Jesus, for love is a gift from God to humanity. It is like the stream water, so innocent and pure. A true love is not hidden, it radiates from the innermost being of a person who experienced it. If we love God, then, we will see him in others and treat them justly and honourably. We will not hurt our neighbours but do our utmost best to live in peace with them. 

The truth is that, the absence of love is the cause of all the problems in our world today as most families exist by grace and not by love. Imagine how wonderful the world would be if we all love one another. How I wish we can invest our time and resources in ensuring love and unity in our dealings with one another. Believe me we will not only be fulfilling the first and greatest commandments of God, but we will be building a happy community just like St. Theresa of the child Jesus whose memorial we celebrate today.

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, in you resides the fullness of love, grant that through the intercessions of St. Theresa of the child Jesus, we may truly love you and our neighbours and so conquer the world full of hatred, self-centeredness, greed and corruption, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful week ahead.

Homily for Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 2nd October, 2022

  Readings: Habak.1:2-3;2:2-4; Ps.95; 2Tim.1:6-8.13-14; Luke 17:5-10

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia 

HAVING THE FAITH THAT MOVES MOUNTAIN REQUIRES PUTTING INTO POSITIVE USE THE GIFT GOD HAS GIVEN US

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  used an analogy of mustard seed to illustrate the important of faith. This is very important for oftentimes, we think that we have faith enough to face whatever challenges that come our way.

 

But the fact remains that we can only know the level and capacity of our faith when we are truly faced with  situations that overwhelm our physical, mental and spiritual abilities. Then we will realize that what we think we have as faith is nothing but a shadow of the reality. That is why Jesus exposed the sacrificial nature of discipleship as regards to forgiveness, when he let them know that they must learn to forgive as often as some offered them. Realizing our difficult this may be his apostles said to him Lord increase our faith and Jesus using the analogy of the mustard seed said: “ if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’, and it would obey you”

Here, Jesus decided to use the analogy of a mustard seeds to give us lecture about having a perfect and complete faith that moves mountain. And mustard seed as we know is the smallest of all seeds which grows to produce the largest of all shrubs. So with the analogy of the mustard seed in relation to faith, Jesus emphasized that If we have the smallest faith that is genuine, we can do all things. Just like the mustard seed, so small but produces the largest of all trees. Therefore, If we begin to nurture our faith to grow and strengthened from small humble beginning, it will grow to the point that it can help us to perform and achieve greater things and conquer most difficult situations that at first would appear impossible. So faith moving mountains, implies that spiritual ability to make all difficult and stumbling situations to vanish. 

Little wonder prophet Habakkuk encouraging us in our first reading today says: that God will never abandon his people, for everything will happen in due time for those who have faith, if it comes slowly, wait, for come it will, without delay. For behold, he whose soul is not upright in God shall fail, but the righteous shall live by his faith. That is why we are told that faith is a supernatural gift of God, which enables us to believe without doubting whatever God has revealed. But  when a precious gift is given to us and we failed to put it into use, whose fault is it? They fault of the person that gave us the gift? No. The fault of the gift itself? No. Or the fault of the receiver who has failed to put the gift into positive use? Yes.

So, this gift must be nurtured and put into use if we want to gain from it. Hence, St. Paul in our second reading today said: Beloved, I am reminding you to fan into a flame the gift that God gave you when I laid my hands on you. God’s gift was not a spirit of timidity, but the Spirit of power, and love, and self-control. He continues: Keep as your pattern the sound teaching you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. For you have been trusted to look after something precious; guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in you. 

Dear friends, we must learn to put into positive use the gift of faith God has given us before it can move mountains . And if we want to grow in faith, we must cultivate the humble habit of a mustard seed, which though small but has the potential of becoming great when exposed to a fertile environment. For us to have the faith that moves mountain, we must be well deposed to embrace the power of God in our lives, we must desire to have a personal experience of the power of God at work in the world and acknowledge that in him comes our victory over every situation we encounter.

Therefore, we are called to let every moment of difficulties and trials lead us to grow in faith and knowledgment of God’s power and authority. So, I don’t know what you are passing through now especially as regards your faith in Jesus, I don’t know what you are asking God to do for you. I don’t know how ugly the situation in your life has been, I don’t know whatever sickness your are passing through or how abandoned and rejected you feel right now. I don’t know how stubborn and impossible your situation have been. All I have to let you know is that Jesus has not stopped thinking and caring about you. All you have to do is to be confident and put into positive use the gift of faith God has given you the day you were baptized. Do not let that precious gift waste while you suffer for nothing. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, faith is your supernatural gift to humanity, grant that we may embrace this gift even as little as that of a mustard seed, in order to move out of our lives the tough mountains that are crushing us on our daily lives. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday, wishing you a blessed Month.

Homily for Saturday Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 1st October, 2022. The Solemnity of Our Lady Queen & Patroness of Nigeria

 Readings: Is.11:1-10, Ps.72, Eph. 2:13-22, Matt.2:13-14.19-23

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

OUR COUNTRY NIGERIA NEEDS A RADICAL TRANSFORMATION FROM GREED AND SELFISHNESS 

The root of all the problems in our world today is the love of power. For people are ready to do anything to be on power and to retain that power. This is what we see in the life of Herod in our Gospel passage today, where the Holy family of Jesus have to flee away to Egypt, because Herod planned to kill an innocent child for the sake of retaining his power. This ugly attitude is not far from us today especially in our country Nigeria which is in the state of distress because of love of power and greediness among the people in power and even the common citizens.

The fact remains that the elements of good and bad seem inherent in human condition, little wonder the world involves both good and bad mixed together. This will help us to understand the reason for the corruption, greediness, immoral and social decadence in our country today. So as we are celebrating our country Nigeria at 62 since our independent, we thank God who has made it possible for us to witness the day. But today’s celebration should plunge us into deep reflection about the ugly condition of this country. We need to ask ourselves, what have we done right? What have we done wrong? How can we do better and what will the future of this country be like? This is because our country Nigeria needs a radical transformation from greed selfishness.

Dear friends, the rate of corruption and greediness in this country is so appalling. People are never tired of acquiring and embezzling public funds for their own selfish gain. The truth is that, we need a radical transformation. A transformation that will 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. And this is possible only when we understand the shortness of this life, the emptiness of this passing world and the danger of greediness, then we will be able to do things the right way and then our country Nigeria will be great again.

For this country will be transformed only when the power of love and goodwill supersedes the love of power, when justice and faithfulness becomes the habit of everyone of us in this country. Then, we can begin to experience that peaceful coexistence and blessings that prophet Isaiah mentioned in our first reading and so bring the hostility going on in our country to the end just like St Paul said in our second reading that we shall no longer be strangers in our own country but true citizens with the saints not just here in our country Nigeria but also in the kingdom of God. 

LET US PRAY:  Lord God, out of selfishness and greediness we have committed a lot of crimes and injustice against one another, grant that through the intercession of Our Lady Queen and Patroness of Nigeria, we may resolve to have genuine love and good will in carrying out our activities in the societies as you guide and direct us to learn how to do the right thing always by letting the power of love to transform the ugly situation in our country. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy New Month, wishing you a blessed Independence Day celebration.

Homily for Friday Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 30th September, 2022. The Memorial of St. Jerome

 Readings:  Job 38: 1.12-21.40:3-5; Ps. 139, Luke 10:13-16

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

DO NOT LET JESUS SAY WOE! TO YOU FOR FAILING TO EMBRACE THE WORD OF GOD

Reflecting on the ugly and fragile nature of our societies and the world as a whole, especially how the streets are full of people struggling and suffering, the markets are full of people buying, selling, cheating and manipulating others. Our leaders are so busy with acquiring, manipulating and embezzling the common resources, not minding the struggles, the tears, the disappointments that people are passing through everyday, as some people have lost hope in themselves and even in everything they do. We are  blessed with every good thing you can talk about but we have misused them and use them to abuse one another. We are just so busy with everything except the very essence of our existence, that is, the salvation of our souls. 

This ugly and fragile kind of condition is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today as he continues with his reproaches, this time to cities where he had done great miracles, yet the people failed to embrace the life of the Gospel he preached. Hence he reproached them saying: woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard on Judgement day with Tyre and Sidon as with you’. 

No doubt, Jesus has taught us about the kingdom of God and proclaimed a message of healing and conversion but his teaching and powerful deeds have not yet been embraced by humanity. Hence, Jesus in this Gospel is not just rebuking the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, but all humanity for not being open to the fruits of his Gospel, calling us to reflect on how we are losing out on what God is offering us. Because God will always have plans to correct us if we are ready to listen to him just like Job in our first reading today, who surrendered to the will of God after he realized the awesome power of God for he was ignorant of it before this encounter.

Little wonder, St. Jerome whose memorial we celebrate today says: that ignorance of the scripture is ignorant of Christ. Hence today, we can recall his great contributions to the Church and the Christian faithful especially for his compilation of the Latin translation of the Greek Bible. Jerome who experienced all sorts of worldly pleasures as a young student of philosophy. But later his conscience led him to conversion into the Christian faith as he renounced all of his past sinful ways of life and devoted himself deeply into the study of the Scriptures, from which comes all his great works we still study today.

Dear friends, we must not let Jesus say woe to us for failing to embrace the Word of God. Though, we might not feel very comfortable with the idea of Jesus rebuking and uttering terrible words of threats on these big and powerful cities that represents all of us and humanity at large. But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: have we really embraced the Word of God we hear everyday? Is the Word bearing fruits in our lives? Can we recognize in this fragile condition the great work that Jesus is doing to save humanity and the need to turn back to God? Do we think that repentance is for others and not for us? Jesus is saying woe to us for failing to embrace and live out the Gospel teachings, because he seem to expect some sort of changes in us when we hear his Words or when we encounter him in prayers. 

Therefore, God is calling us to repentance, He wants to come into our souls and dwells. Today He is rebuking all humanity, He wants us to come to Him for He comes to us more than we go to Him. Hence, if we believe in God, and put our trust in Him, we will have the assurance and guarantee of restoration, for God does not want us to suffer the consequences our sins, that is why He kept reminding us about the up coming danger. But, if humanity constantly refuse to believe in God, we may end up in self destruction. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we embrace your words today, may we experience your love, joy and healing both physically, materially and more importantly spiritually, as we wait patiently for the restoration of all humanity from the ugly and fragile condition of this passing world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.