Homily For Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, 19th February, 2023

Readings: Lev 19:1-2.17-18; Ps. 103; 1 Cor 3: 16-23; Matt. 5:38-48

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO DESTROY MY ENEMIES?

 

The fragile and selfish nature of the human person, makes it seems natural and common for human beings to react positively or negativity to things that hurt them. Little wonder one of our most influential scientists Isaac Newton, states in his third law of motion, that: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." This law describes what happens to a body when it exerts a force on another body. Forces as we know always occur in pairs, so when one body pushes against another, the second body pushes back just as hard and in equal magnitude.

 

This law truly explains why a hot slap given to anyone whether out of anger for the bad things he/ she has done or just as an act of wickedness and intimidation will naturally trigger in our consciousness an equal magnitude of retaliation, and this has been the force behind the law that says: ‘ an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’

 

This principle was the basis for justice in the Ancient Near Eastern. It was put in place to restrain unlimited blood vengeance. It reduced damages one could expect to what was considered proportional, equal and fair to any unjust act. However, in our Gospel passage today, Jesus offered us a new dimension that calls for deeper virtue towards this law when he says: “You have learnt how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I say this to you: offer the wicked man no resistance. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; if a man takes you to law and would have your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone orders you to go one mile, go two miles with him.”

 

Here Jesus calls our attention on the need to love sacrificially and unconditionally. Just like God our Father who loves all his children, deserving and undeserving alike. We as well have to imitate this unconditional love of God. By this command,  Jesus declares that the law had no reference to private revenge, that it was given only to regulate natural human conduct, but the Jews had extended it to private conduct, and made it the rule by which revenge is taken. For they considered themselves justified by this rule to inflict the same injury on others just the way they had received it. Jesus then showed another aspect of the law which is more sacrificial and requires a deeper virtue, in which the old interpretation of the Law will no longer be valid.

 

So, Jesus reversed the attitude of conniving to see one’s adversary suffer, with the sacrificial attitude of love for enemies. An attitude that does not seek for what one can get for retaliation but what one can sacrifice for the sake of peace and love. For this attitude makes the disciples of Jesus different from other people since they will have to love not just everyone but also their enemies and not take vengeance or bear grudges against one another. And by so doing they will be imitating God their heavenly Father, who shows equal love to both the good and the bad, because his love knows no bounds.

 

Hence, in the first reading, the Israelites are told to be holy for the Lord their God is holy. They shall not nurture hatred of their brothers in their hearts or take vengeance or bear grudges against their own people. But shall love their neighbours as themselves. In this first reading the commandment ‘You must love your neighbour as yourself’ is restricted to fellow-Israelites. However, in the Gospel Jesus expanded the scope of the commandment to include everyone, believers and non believers, friends and enemies, thereby calling us for a deeper life of virtue.

 

Here Jesus emphasis that It is natural and universal for human beings to love those who love them. But what makes the disciples of Jesus 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 shows equal love to both the good and the bad, not because he is indifferent to morality, but because his love knows no bounds. So, we are called to be holy and perfect just like Him who has called us to sacrificial life of love.

 

Little wonder, St Paul in the second reading, gives us an outstanding reason why we must love and respect one another when he said:  “didn’t you realize that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you? If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple. So there is nothing to boast about in anything human: be it the world, life and death, the present and the future, for they are all our servants; because we belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God.

 

Dear friends, can retaliation solve the problems of killings, wickedness, scarcity of money, greed and persecutions in our societies today?  So 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 soul. That is why today we are called to embrace a life of sacrificial love.  We are called to holiness, we are called for a deeper virtue of love, we are called to perfection, we are called to choose love over hatred and forgiveness over vengeance. The truth is that our enemies are not necessary those who we are at war with, those making life difficult for us or those who hate us but, those whom we hate.

 

Hence, Jesus’ command to love your enemies is a radical call for a life of sacrifice towards perfection and rejection of violence and vengeance. But, what is the best way to destroy your enemies? The fact remains that, the best way to destroy your enemies is to discover how best to make them become your friend, not by hating or carrying out vengeance. If the world will embrace this principle of loving and stretching the hands of friendship and peace to the 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, then the world will become more peaceful and loving.

 

Therefore, we are to reject all forms of violence, retaliation and vengeance, but focus all our attention on forgiveness, mercy and peace in a sacrificial way so that through our sacrificial love the world will become more peaceful and loving especially as we participate actively in the up coming elections as we as  the Lenten season the week .

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, it is really difficult to live a life of non retaliation in a world full of wickedness, persecution, and violence, give us the grace to resist all forms of violence but focus all our attention on the sacrificial love of forgiveness, mercy and peace especially in this coming elections in our country. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday and God bless you.

Homily For Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 18 February, 2023

Readings: Heb.  11:1-7; Ps. 145; Mark: 9:2-13

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

ARE WE REALLY LISTENING TO JESUS THE BELOVED SON OF GOD?

 

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 really listening to Jesus the beloved Son of God? 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 through faith in God, change our mind for good. Little wonder we were told in our first reading that: only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen. And it was for faith that our ancestors were commended.

 

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 A, 17 February, 2023

Readings: Gen. 11:1-9; Ps. 33; Mark: 8:34-9:1

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

DO NOT LOSE OR RUIN YOUR LIFE BECAUSE OF THE THINGS OF THIS PASSING WORLD

 

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 said 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. Not like those in our first reading today,  who wished to follow their own selfish desires rather than the plan of God,  for they said: “Come, let us build ourselves a town and a tower with its top reaching heaven. Let us make a name for ourselves, so that we may not be scattered about the whole earth. But the Lord corrected this selfish desire by changing their language.

 

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 A, 16 February, 2023

Readings: Gen.9: 1-13; Ps. 102; Mark: 8:27-33

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF JESUS?

 

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 he 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 God said to Noah in our first reading today: See, I establish my Covenant with you, and with your descendants after you. I set my bow in the clouds and it shall be a sign of the Covenant between me and the earth and every living creature for all generations.

 

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 A, 15 February, 2023

Readings: James Gen. 8:6-13.20-22; Ps. 116; Mark: 8:22-26

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

SOME HEALING REQUIRES A CHANGE OF ENVIRONMENT

 

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 is 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 came.

 

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. This can be  likened to the situation Noah was struggling with in our first reading today. For God decided to destroy the face of the earth with flood in order to give Noah a new environment better than the formal environment corrupted by sins. And God said: Never again will I curse the earth because of man, because his heart contrives evil from his infancy. Never again will I strike down every living thing as I have done.

 

Dear friends, are we in suffering in anyway 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 Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 14th February, 2023 The Memorial of SS. Cyril and Methodius. St. Valentine’s Day

Homily For Tuesday Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 14^th  February, 2023

The Memorial of SS.  Cyril and Methodius. St. Valentine’s Day

Readings: Gen. 6:5-8,7:1-5,10 ; Ps. 29; Mark: 8:14-21

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

WHY WE TRULY NEED 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 learn. 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.

 

For this is what humanity in our first reading  were lacking, they failed to obey what God had instructed them, because they lack understanding of God and his ways as they continued to sin against God. Thus, when the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was so great on the earth, and that the thoughts in his heart fashioned nothing but wickedness all day long. He regretted having made man on the earth, and his heart grieved. Hence, he planned to get rid of mankind, though Noah found favour in God’s sight and he promised to preserve humanity and other creations through him.

 

In a similar way, 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, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you not yet understand? Have you no perception? Are your minds closed? Have you eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear? Or do you not remember?” 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. Therefore, let us ask the Holy Spirit for an increase in the gift of understanding.

 

And 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. 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. 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 God, you are the source of all understanding, help us to understand 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 truly love in order to understand and follow the examples of our Lord and Saviour who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE LOVE YOU HAVE SHOWN ME AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

Homily For Monday Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 13th February, 2023

Readings: Gen. 4:1-15.25; Ps. 50; Mark: 8:11-13

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

DO NOT LET PRIDE BLIND YOU FROM SEEING THE REALITY OF THE  SIGNS AROUND YOU

 

Oftentimes people want to see signs before they can accept or believe whatever we have to present to them. And sometimes people ask for signs just to discredit someone’s efforts. This is the case with the Pharisees in our Gospel passage today, who asked 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.  For Jesus presents to us the final recommendations of the end time, pointing out that he is the greatest sign of all time. But this is what the Pharisees wants to  discredit out of pride and ego. 

 

This same pride is what we saw in the life of Cain in our first reading today. For Cain overcame by pride and ego and he killed his brother because he saw that his offerings were not accepted by God while the offerings of Abel was accepted by the Lord. As a result, he fell deeper into sin.

 

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?

 

Hence, Jesus warns us not to waste our time seeking for signs, rather we should be prepared, we should remain firm in faith. He reminds us that he is the only sign that can be given to humanity. Therefore, we are not to be like the Pharisees who are looking for signs especially in times of trials, rather we should seek for wisdom to make things right.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord Jesus, you are the sign that we seek,  as we embrace your word today give us the grace to be humble in order to follow you our Lord and Saviour. And as we carryout our task this week, may your favour be with us now and always. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed week ahead.