Homily For Friday Seventh Week of Eastertide Year A, 26th May, 2023. The Memorial of St. Philip Neri

Readings: Acts 25:13-21; Ps.103;  John 21:15-19

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

DO YOU STILL LOVE GOD ABOVE THE THINGS OF THIS PASSING WORLD?

 

The ups and downs of life have been a great experience and challenge to humanity. Everyday is a new struggle. Struggles for life, struggle for survival, struggle against the manipulation of the evil ones, more challenging is the struggles of our own self especially our weakness and sinfulness. These struggles are evidence in the life of the disciples of Jesus.

 

All the time they were with Jesus they struggled to be like him, to follow his ways and to understand him and it wasn’t easy. In the cause of these struggles they failed, denied, forsaken, and sinned against the Lord Jesus despite their love for him. But this was well predicted by Jesus who warned them to remain steadfast even in the midst of these struggles.

 

However, after all the struggles and fall during his passion and death, Jesus now needed to strengthen his disciples for the great task ahead before departing from them. So in the occasion in Gospel passage today Jesus said to Peter the leader of his Apostles: ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep.’ Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.

 

Here  we can imagine the disposition of the disciples when seeing the Lord as they sat together round the fire, eating silently the meal which Jesus had prepared, and no doubt, gazing silently at the Lord’s silent. It must really be a great moment of tension as to how the oppressive silence was to be broken and how Peter’s heart must have been troubled when the great silence was broken with the words: Simon, son of John, do you love me?

 

These three times questions have a special force in the restoration of him who had three times denied his Master, and now three times declares his love for Him, and he is three times restored and entrusted with a great task of feeding his master’s sheep. A great moment of grace that Peter never think he deserved.

 

From this gracious act we see how God through Jesus treats a soul conscious of its  sinfulness and fault; and in Peter’s disposition we see an illustration of how a soul, conscious of its sinfulness and fault, should behave before God. This gracious event is very symbolic not just that the Lord had forgiven Peter for his threefold denial at the moment of His arrest and suffering, but also that, the Lord restored him again as the leader of His flocks and the entire Universal Church.

 

Dear friends, in our struggles in this life we have done ugly and sinful things that we are really regretting and don’t what to remember or talk about them just like St Peter. Wishing we could have change or avoid them, but there is nothing we can do about them anymore except to seek for restoration. And this restoration is what Jesus is offering us today as he says: my child do you still love me? Do you really love me? Do you love me more than all the things of this passing world?

 

All we have to say in consciousness of our faults and sinfulness is: Lord you know everything, yes I truly love you. And just like St Peter, the Lord Jesus will not only forgive us, he will restore us to a greater glory. So why struggling in silence, it’s time to break open at confessional the hidden wounds of sin in our hearts. For the Lord wants to heal and restore us once again so that we can be open and free to receive the Holy Spirit the promised Paraclete, who will restore us afresh to God’s greater glory, just like St. Philip Neri whose memorial we celebrate today. For he had a great devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and burned with an unbounded love for humanity.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we anticipate the coming of the Holy Spirit, we come to you today conscious of our faults and sinfulness. Grant us through the intercession of St. Philip Neri your healing and restoration through Christ our Lord. Amen. Remain blessed.

Homily For Thursday Seventh Week of Eastertide Year A, 25th May, 2023

Readings: Acts 22:30,23:6-11; Ps.16;  John 17:20-26

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

DO YOU KNOW THAT JESUS HAS PRAYED FOR YOU AND I?

 

Whenever we are passing through very difficult ugly situation, and feels that all hope is gone as our trusted friends have abandoned us. We actually feel great and relieved when we hear or remember that someone is praying for us. It feels right to know that someone is interceding on our behalf, it feels great to hear that someone is communicating with God on our behalf.  Yes, for few days now, we have been listening to the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus for his disciples who were with him at the Last Supper, how he prayed for their sanctification and unity.

 

However, in this final part of his prayer, Jesus now prays for all those who through the influence of his disciples come to believe in God and in him.  So, each one of us belongs to those whom Jesus is praying for when he said in our Gospel passage today, Holy Father, I pray not only for these, but for those also who through their words will believe in me. May they all be one. Father, may they be one in us, as you are in me and I am in you, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.

 

Here as Jesus prays for his disciples he also extended his pray to everyone who will come to believe in him through them. For he knows that we will all need similar grace and be exposed to similar trials. Hence he prays that those who follow him may be drawn into the life of the Holy Trinity. The Father sends the Son to humanity precisely so that the Son may draw all humanity into the relationship that exists with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

 

So this prayer reminds us that our unity, our “oneness” is to be a sign to the world of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is a thing of great joy to know that each Christian, no matter how insignificant, humble, unknown, poor, unlearned, or despised is been remembered in prayer by Jesus who is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, who will always grant his request.

 

Thus, if  we can value the prayers of our friends, how much more should we value the prayer of the Son of God. Because from this single prayer of Jesus, we Christians are infinitely more privileged then any other people of the world. So, in the midst of any difficulty, trials, and struggles, we should be more confident once we remember that the Son of God prays for us, and his  prayers will surely be heard by God.

 

It is this same confidence that St. Paul had when he testified before the tribunal of the chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin concerning his hope in the resurrection as we have it in our first reading, and next night, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Courage! You have borne witness for me in Jerusalem, now you must do the same in Rome.’

 

Dear friends, 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. All I can tell you now is that Jesus has not stopped thinking and praying for you and I.

 

All we have to do is to be confident and remain faithful like St. Paul and we will hear the Lord saying to us: ‘Courage my child! You have borne witness for me today through your struggles, patience and faithfulness, now I must do the same for you by restoring you to a greater glory.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we place our hope in You, grant that through the prayers of Jesus we may always come out victorious in all our trials and tribulations and so obtain the joy of your help through Christ our Lord.  Amen. Wishing you the best of God’s favour and blessings.

Homily For Wednesday Seventh Week of Eastertide Year A, 24th May, 2023

Readings: Acts 20:28-38; Ps.68;  John 17:11-19

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

SANCTITY, TRUTH AND ONENESS IS THE HALLMARK OF CHRISTIAN LIFE

 

Sanctity, truth and oneness are very vital concepts that any meaningful family, society, groups, community or religion will always need in order to achieve their mission and goals. These are very fundamental because of the role they play in ensuring that things are properly done in any environment they exist.

 

Sanctity which is the quality of being holy comes from the Greek word Hagiason which is related to hagios, which means holy, that is to set apart for God’s service. So the concept of Sanctity, sets one apart for the particular service he/she has to render. Truth on the other hand comes from the Latin word veritas which means a representation of things as they are.

 

This concept make one open to the really situation of the realities around him/her. And where these concepts are present openness and tolerance becomes possible, hence oneness and unity can be achieved. Therefore, knowing the important of sanctity, truth and oneness in achieving any mission and goal, Jesus in his High Priestly Prayer ask the Father to sanctify his disciples in truth and oneness.

 

This is what we have in our Gospel passage today, when Jesus prayed saying: ‘Holy Father, keep those you have given me true to your name, so that they may be one just as we are one… I am not asking you to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world, and for their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth'.

 

In a similar way in our first reading today, St. Paul prayed to the elders of the Church in Ephesus to be on their guard for themselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made them overseers. He asked them to feed the Church of God which he bought with his own blood and guide them against fierce wolves who will invade them and will have no mercy on the flock. For there will be men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the disciples to follow them.

 

So, from this passage truth becomes the midst by which the sanctification of the disciples will take place. But the evil in the world is a great hindrance to achieving this. However, their likeness to Jesus is the great ground of hope for they have been consecrated to the truth. And this is the real hope and holiness of all true Christians, for through this, the gift of the Holy Spirit is made available to the Church in order to be sanctified in the truth and so share in the oneness of which Christ prayed.

 

Dear friends, we are made to know that sanctity, truth and oneness is the hallmark of Christian life.  For these are what the whole Christian community has to achieve and sustain both in nature, will, affection and understanding. This is not only in their union with Christ, but to one another; abiding together, cleaving to each other, standing fast in one Spirit, having the same designs, and the interest of the mission of the salvation of humanity at heart.

 

Therefore, today we are called to embrace the divine truth by which we have been sanctified in order to achieve the goal of unity and oneness of which Christ prayed. This oneness is very important not only as Christians, but also as couples, families, communities, co-workers and friends. Hence, let us allow the Holy Spirit to sanctify us once more to the truth and so achieve the oneness of which Christ prayed.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, sanctify us once again in the truth of which Your Son Jesus has given us, so, that we may once again achieve oneness in our family, society, in the Church and in the world at large. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.

Homily For Tuesday Seventh Week of Eastertide Year A, 23rd May, 2023

Readings: Acts 20:17-27; Ps.68;  John 17:1-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

WHAT IS ETERNAL LIFE?

 

The notion of eternal life is one of the things in the consciousness of most religious people and more especially Christians. Oftentimes, we hear people talking about eternal life as if it is like a movie that will soon begin. But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: what is eternal life? What does it really mean to have eternal life? How can we obtain it?

 

The answer to these questions is found in the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus which we have in our Gospel passage today. In the beginning of this prayer Jesus said: ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.’

 

From this prayer we come to know that knowledge is very important to understanding the meaning of eternal life and knowledge as we are told is one of the gifts for the Holy Spirit. So here, Jesus is saying that eternal life which traditionally refers to continued life after death is only possible by the knowledge of the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He have sent.

 

The point here is that eternal life consists in the knowledge of the Father as the only Being answering to the ideal thought of God; and this knowledge is manifested in Him, whom God anointed and sent into the world to declare His attributes and character for the sake of redeeming humanity which was possible through the incarnation, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

 

Thus, eternal life which has been achieved for humanity has been given to believers who have been redeemed from sin and death. Their task is to communicate this to ignorant and sinful humanity. Little wonder we heard St. Paul in our first reading saying: I have preached to you, and instructed you both in public and in your homes, urging both Jews and Greeks to turn to God and to believe in our Lord Jesus.

 

This is humanity's journey and process to eternal life, and when this knowledge has been made perfect, holiness and happiness will be fully achieved. These holiness and happiness of the redeemed, are exactly what the glory of Christ, and of his Father signifies. For Jesus endured the cross and death and so ends humanity's sorrows of sin and death, thereby obtaining the victory and glory of eternal life for humanity.

 

Therefore, our glorifying God and His Son Jesus is needed as an evidence of our interest in Christ, through whom eternal life is given to us as an act of mercy, forgiveness, love, so that we become living souls with unspeakable joy. For his is the meaning of eternal life and the source and manner in which we can obtain it.

 

Dear friends, everyday of our life we struggle to know God, through different means and in the Apostles' Creed we often say: I believe in God and his Son Jesus, I believe in the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. But the questions are, do we really know God and His Son Jesus? Do we truly believe in Him? Do our attitudes, behaviours and decisions evidence of us knowing Christ, through whom eternal life is given to us as an act of mercy, forgiveness, love? Therefore we are called today to sincerely seek  to know God personally through His Son Jesus and so attain the eternal life which he has won for us.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, let us seek to know you more personally and so work hard to do Your will in order to attain eternal life, which You have given us through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Monday Seventh Week of Eastertide Year A, 22nd May, 2023

Readings: Acts 19:1-8; Ps.68;  John 16:29-33

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

OBTAINING THE COURAGE TO  CONQUERED THE TRIBULATIONS OF THIS PASSING WORLD

 

Tribulations and sufferings have been the hallmark of most people’s experience in the world, sometimes we feel overwhelmed by the level of sufferings we are passing through everyday, the sad news we hear and see in our streets, the television and in the social media. These often make us feel hopeless and fearful because the situation is beyond our control.

 

This kind of fearful situation is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today, knowing that very soon his disciples are going to face a worse situation, so he said to them “Listen; the time will come, in fact it has come already, when you will be scattered, each going his own way and leaving me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but be brave: I have conquered the world.”

 

Here Jesus is telling his disciples these not to discourage them but to prepare them for many troubles and tribulations they are going to face in the future, so that when the time comes they will find peace in him.  He told them not to worry because he has conquered the world, not in any political or economic sense but in overcoming the evil in the world and so, all the tribulations, sorrow, suffering have been conquered in Jesus through his passion death and resurrection. Therefore, his disciples can share in this victory, as long as they remain faithful and united in peace.

 

Dear friends, this same promise is available for us his disciples, who today are passing through great tribulations and sufferings in the world. We have to be courageous and find strength in words of Jesus who has conquered the world and all it’s evil and tribulations. For today, Jesus is reassuring us that no matter what is happening in our world, he is still in control and will always ensure that we come out victoriously.

 

Thus, as we prepare and wait patiently for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, let us take our fears, sufferings, tribulations, sickness and disappointments to Jesus and ask him to give us the courage and strong faith. This is what St. Paul remained the  people in our first reading today. For through the power of the Holy Spirit we will overcome all the ugly situations in our lives, families, societies and the world at large and so enjoy once again the peace of knowing that he is with us always till the end of time.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, may the power of the Holy Spirit come upon us, we pray, so that following your instructions, we may overcome the world and all the trials and tribulations we face everyday through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful week.

Homily For Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year A, 21st May, 2023

Readings: Acts 1:12-14; Ps.27; 1 Pet. 4:13-16;  John 17:1-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

A CALL TO WAIT PRAYERFULLY FOR THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

One of the difficult things we don’t like to hear when we are expecting something great to come our way is the word “wait”. The word wait can be very unpleasant to the ears of anyone who is desperately in need of something. Often times, we have little or no option not to wait, and in life we have a lot of waiting to do.

 

We wait for the day to break, we wait for the month to end, we wait for the traffic, we wait for our admission, interviews, jobs, husband, wife, children, we wait and wait and wait. In fact, waiting on God is a regular message of faith which we hear everyday. Waiting can really be difficult and uncomfortable, it can be suicidal for those who lack the virtue of patience.

 

However, good and great things are worth waiting for, just like the disciples who today are called to wait prayerfully for the coming of the Holy Spirit, the  promised Paraclete. For we read from the scriptures how the world pass through centuries of waiting for the Messiah, thinking that the waiting would be over once Jesus had come, but  the waiting have to continue till the coming of the promised Paraclete and even to the return of our Lord Jesus in his glory. Hence, today the Church waits prayerfully for the promised Paraclete.

 

Little wonder today, the seventh Sunday of the season of Easter, after the Solemnity of the Ascension last Thursday, we heard how the disciples went to the upper room waiting prayerfully for the promised Paraclete, as we have it in our first reading, “and when they reached the city they went to the upper room where they were staying... All these joined in continuous prayer, together with several women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.”

 

In our second reading, we heard St. Peter encouraging the faithful people of God to remain steadfast in their faith amidst the persecution and challenges that they are facing. He said to them: “If you can have some share in the sufferings of Christ, be glad, because you will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed. He said, it is a blessing for you when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ, because it means that you have the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God resting on you.”

 

This means that they have to learn how to wait patiently and remain strong in their struggle and sufferings for the glory of the Lord. While in the Gospel passage, we heard how Jesus knowing what the disciples are going to pass through on account of waiting and struggling with the faith they have found in him, prayed dearly for them and commit them to God His Father.

 

This prayer is called the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus, because in it Jesus consecrates himself to the sacrificial death which he offers to the Father for the salvation of humanity. Here Jesus prayed for his disciples that the Father should take care of them in the midst of the evils in the world, that they should be one as he and the Father are one.

 

In this prayer, Jesus shows us that prayer is a form of communication between us and God, Whom we should love dearly and wait patiently for His will to be done in our lives. This simply means, that we have to learn how to communicate regularly with God and wait patiently for His will to be done. And in like manner, we must learn how to wait patiently with our loved ones, our friends, our family members and relatives, our spouses and others who are dear to us. We must learn how to wait patiently with life activities and the challenges and struggles that comes with it.

 

Dear friends, today the disciples are waiting prayerfully at the upper room for the promised Paraclete. We too are also called to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Holy Spirit this coming Pentecost Sunday, we are called to go to the upper room of our hearts and conscience and wait patiently for the out pouring of the Holy Spirit.

 

We are called to prepare and wait on the Holy Spirit through the ongoing novena to the Holy Spirit. We are called to wait patiently for the fulfillment of God’s plan for each and every one of us. We are called to wait for God's time to come. We are called to learn how to wait for one another. We must learn to wait patiently for things to get matured before we use them.

 

Though waiting may be difficult, but good and great things are worth waiting and prepared for. But what are you really waiting for in this life? How prepared and ready are you for that which you are waiting for in this life? How is my way of life showing that I am waiting for the Holy Spirit? If the Holy Spirit comes today will he find a dwelling place in my life, that is filled with bitterness, anger, corruption,  unforgiveness and immoral thoughts and actions? As we are waiting, let us prepare our hearts for the Holy Spirit to dwell whenever he comes.

 

LET US PRAY: Graciously hear our supplications, O Lord, as we wait patiently for the fulfillment of your promise, grant that when the Paraclete comes, may we be disposed to receive him as our Advocate and let him teach us what to do, how to do it, when to do it and give us the grace to do it properly through Christ our Lord. Amen.  Do have a grace-filled Sunday.

Homily For Saturday Sixth Week of Eastertide Year A, 20th May, 2023

Readings: Acts 18:23-28; Ps.47;  John 16:23-28

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyi

 

WHY CONCLUDING OUR PRAYERS WITH "THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD”

 

People often asked why most of our liturgical prayers ends with the phrase ‘through Christ our Lord'. Is this necessary since God can here us directly? Anyway, the answer to this question is found in our Gospel passage today, when Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I tell you most solemnly, anything you ask for from the Father he will grant in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and so your joy will be complete... because the Father himself loves you for loving me.’

 

Here Jesus makes a solemn promise to his disciples that whatever they ask the Father in his name will be given to them. This is because in Jesus the disciples will experience a direct contact with the Father. His name becomes the link that will usher them into the divine relationship between the Son and the Father. For it is through this relationship that the disciples will come to experience the divine privilege that will give access to their request from God.   

 

Therefore the Greek word ‘dia’ which can be translated as both ‘by’ and ‘through’ can be linked to the words of Jesus when he said in John 14:6  ‘I am the way. No one can come to the Father except “through“ me’. Thus, Jesus is the way through which we can come to God. For through Jesus, we have obtained access to the grace of being God’s children.

 

This does not mean that God is inaccessible. Rather as we know God is spirit Whose nature is beyond our apprehension and different from our nature that are material and sinful. So to make himself known to us He sent His son to take our flesh upon him and to become human like us, in order to free us from the power of sin and death, so that, we can be more closer to Him through Christ His Son.

 

Hence, asking God for something through Christ ushers us into the divine grace that gives us access to divine relationship with God the Father and this has become the normal way for the Church to pray to the Father as we do in all our liturgical prayers. This is what see playing out in our first reading today when Apollos arrived Achaia and by God’s grace, he was able in energetic way refuted the Jews in public and demonstrated from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

 

Dear friends, God makes himself known to us through Jesus and we come to Him through Jesus. Thus, Christ Jesus has become the divine grace through which we obtain the divine access into the divine life of the Trinity. And this is the source of our joy as Christians. For this give us the divine access to include Jesus  in our daily decision making. And try to see things the way he does and when this happens we transcend ourselves into the divine relationship that will make us to be open to the will of God and so obtain from him whatever we need. This is why we conclude most of our prayer in the name of Christ Jesus.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we learn to present our needs to you through your Son Jesus, grant we pray that we may obtain through him the divine access to your will and so grant all our petitions according to your Holy will through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a grace-filled weekend.