Homily For Tuesday Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 25th July, 2023. The Feast of St. James, Apostle

Readings: 2Cor 4: 7-15, Ps 126:1-6, Matt: 20:20-28

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

TRUE GREATNESS CAN NOT BE FOUND IN DOMINATION BUT IN SACRIFICE, DEDICATION AND HUMBLE SERVICE TO OTHER

 

To be great is one of the desires of every human person, it is that which makes us to utilize the unique gift God has given us, from  which we serve Him and our neighbours responsibly. However,  human greediness and selfishness have made us to see greatness as domination and subjection of others in a competitive and comparative manner. Today as we celebrate the feast of St. James,  we heard in our Gospel passage how the disciples of Jesus were struggling with this competitive and comparative attitude.

 

This is because the mother of Zebedee’s sons came with her sons to make a request from Jesus saying, ‘Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at your right hand and the other at your left in your kingdom.’ And Jesus answered, ‘You do not know what you are asking’. ‘Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?’ They replied, ‘We can.’ ‘Very well,’ he said ‘you shall drink my cup, but as for seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been allotted by my Father.”

 

So, other disciples became angry because James and his brother John through the intercession of their mother desired to have key leadership positions in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus. But Jesus let them know that the transcendent power and authority to lead belong to God and whoever He wishes to share it with.

 

Here, Jesus prophesied that James and his brother John would "drink of the same chalice" of suffering as himself, since the two brothers had asked to be seated at his right and his left in his kingdom, and he told them that they would be with him in a far different way than they expected.

 

Thus, James suffering martyrdom for the sake of the kingdom, for he was beheaded in Jerusalem at the orders of Herod Agrippa. His death is the only biblical record we have of the death of one of the Apostles, and he was the first to give his life for his Master. He embrace true greatness not by domination and subjection, but, in service, sacrifice and dedication to the faith he has found in Jesus which he wishes to share with others.

 

So, today we celebrate the feast of a great man, who along with his brother John and Peter was part of the inner circle of Jesus. So like St. James, we are encouraged to seek true greatness in humility of service and sacrifice even at the point of losing everything.

 

 And St. Paul also encouraged us in our first reading to be steadfast for we are affiliated in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. Knowing that true greatness is found in humble service and not in domination or subjection of others. For good leaders serve the community, they subdue arguments and divisions, they maintain unity in times of distress and act as role models for the young just like St. James.

 

Dear friends, today, we all are called to seek true greatness in humble service of other and not in subjection and domination of others. We are called to utilize the unique gift God has given us and use it to serve Him and our neighbours responsibly in any capacity we find ourselves, bearing in mind that one should not strive to be a leader but a servant because leadership is a gift from God. Remember, true greatness is found in our sacrificial service to others, not in competitive and comparative subjection and domination of others.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you have taught us that true greatness is found in the sacrificial service to humanity, give us the grace to live a life of sacrifice and humility. And through the intercession of St. James my our lives be a good example of true greatness. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful day.

Homily For Monday Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 24th July, 2023

Readings: Ex. 14:5-18; Ps. Exo.15:1-6; Matt:12: 38-42

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

WHAT DOES GOD REQUIRE OF US IN THIS PASSING WORLD?

 

Listening to the conversation between Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees in our Gospel passage today as they asked Jesus for signs. He  said to them, ‘It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign! The only sign it will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah, telling us that, on Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here with us, that is, Jesus himself.

 

Reflecting on this, the question that comes to my mind is: where will me and you and the beautiful things of this world be in the next ten, twenty, forty, eighty and hundred years for those who are strong? The deep silence in my soul could not offer me any answer to this question rather, it exposed me to the foolishness of human greediness and selfishness. Hence, I asked myself what does God really requires from us in this world? This is what the Lord requires of us: only this, to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God.

 

Therefore, we must be courageous like Moses in our first reading today, who when the people of Israel was trapped between the red sea and the Egyptians army, did not begin to look for signs, rather he courageously said to the Israelites: ‘Have no fear! Stand firm, and you will see what the Lord will do to save you today: the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The Lord will do the fighting for you: you have only to keep still.’

 

Hence, as Jesus in this Gospel, presents to us the final recommendations of the end time, he insists that we should not be afraid, but we should pay rapt attention to the signs nature is giving us concerning the end time events, that these signs will make us to have hope founded firmly on the word of God which drives away fear and despair, knowing that the kingdom of God is very near to us.

 

He also warns us about following those who claim to know when the end is coming. For we may see many of the signs written in Scripture happening already in our time and people are terrified looking for someone to show them the way. We should know that Jesus is the only Way, the Truth and the Life.

 

Dear friends, what does God requires of us in this world? 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? However, Jesus warns us not to waste our time seeking for signs, rather we should be prepared, we should remain firm in faith.

 

So, Jesus reminds us that that he is not just the sign of Jonah, but something far greater than Jonah, and without him in our lives, we will be lost, because the future lies in his hands and nothing can destroy or hurt us as long as we remain faithful to his commands. Nonetheless, what he requires of us in this world is for us to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with our God.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we embrace your word today give us the grace to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with you 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.

Homily For Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, 23rd July, 2023

Readings: Wis. 12:13.16-19; Ps 86; Rom. 8:26-27; Matt. 13:24-43

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

WHY DOES GOD PERMIT ALL THE EVIL GOING ON IN OUR WORLD?

 

No doubt that our society is full of evil and wickedness and oftentimes, when we reflect on the ugly and evil events that happens around us, we wonder why God who is so good and all powerful permit the evil we see and experience in the world He created? And most times, the evil ones are so cruel that we wish that God should just wipe them away from the face of the earth and when this is not coming forth, we complain and even doubt the power of God over this evil, as so many good and virtuous people have been victims of these evil ones.

 

I remember discussing with someone who was so angry and grieved about the ugly situation in our country and he said that, he feels like gathering all the bad leaders and people in our country and delete them from the surface of the earth. Looking at the anger in his face, I struggled to smile and said to him, but God will not allowed that.

 

And he said, why will God not allow that to happen? Why? For today  we see the evil ones becoming more ‘successful’, more recognized, more powerful and honoured in the society while the virtuous and good people are rejected, maltreated and neglected. This raises a lot of questions of which the answer is found in the parables in our Gospel passage today.

 

For in our Gospel this Sunday we have three parables used by Jesus to describe the kingdom of God in relation to the ugly events that is happening in the world, beginning with the parable of the wheat and the weeds, the parable of mustard seed and the parable of the leaven. These parables are quite explanatory to his audience who were basically people living then, as farmers, shepherds, fishermen and others who actually understood the massage.

 

So, in the parable of the wheat and weeds, the sower has sown good seed of wheat in his field for a healthy wheat harvest. But in the dark of night an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. Here, the wheat represents the good things that God has created and handed on to humanity, Meanwhile, the weeds represent the wickedness and the evil brought by Satan, as well as those who have rejected the love and truth of God’s message.

 

However, what Matthew most likely refers to as weed is darnel or cockle, a harmful weed that closely resembles wheat and is common in Israel. The difference between darnel and real wheat is evident only when the plants mature and the ears appear. So, when the servants notice the weeds, their first response is to question the quality of the seed. Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?

 

When the master replies that an enemy has sown the weeds, the servants were anxious to take care of the problem, to root those nasty weeds out immediately. But the master restrains his servants, saying that, in gathering the weeds they would uproot the wheat along with them. So he orders them to let both grow together until the harvest. Then he will send out his reapers to collect and burn the weeds and to gather the wheat into his barn.

 

In this parable the one who sows the good seed is Jesus, the field is the world, and the good seeds are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. However, Jesus did not tell us whom the servants represent.

 

Perhaps they represent the disciples or anyone who has questioned why God allows evil to grow and thrive, and wished to take matters into his or her own hands and root out the evil around. But this will not be easy, because, it is not so easy to tell the weeds from the wheat as their roots are intertwined below the ground. Thus, rooting out the weeds would uproot the wheat as well, doing more damage to the crop than leaving the weeds to grow.

 

Therefore, we can say that this is why God is silent in the midst of all the evil going on in the world today. For he permits them for an appointed time when he will uproot and separate them without affecting the good and innocent ones who are attached and affected by their presence. Hence, Jesus wants us to learn how to be patient and trust God in times of trouble and tribulations for he alone knows the best time and how best to deal with the evil ones. For when that time comes He will gather all evildoers and throw them into the furnace of fire.

 

Little wonder in our first reading we heard that God shows His strength when men doubt the completeness of his power and so rebuke any insolence among those who know it, for he has power to act whenever he chooses. And St. Paul in our second reading tells us that the Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what we need.

 

Dear friends, the parable of the mustard seed symbolizes the humble beginning of the Christian faith which was well watered by the Holy Spirit to grow and give life and hospitality to all the people of the world. Thus, there is no doubt that in the world we have different kinds of seeds and weeds. But the question we need to ask ourselves are, what kind of seeds are we and what kind of seed are we watering in our lives today? Are we watering valuable seeds or weeds? Are we watering weeds that we do not need such as: weeds of fear, regrets, doubt, jealousy, hatred, disrespect, greediness, lying, gossip, impurity, wickedness and sin.

 

Today we are called to quit watering these weeds because that's what the enemies want and we must not fall into their traps. Rather we are called to water and nurture those valuable mustard seeds of faith, love, holiness, hospitality, obedience, charity and make them our values of life. For when we feed and water our value, our value will grow stronger like the mustard tree where people may find solace in the midst of all the evil and challenges of life.

 

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, you are full of mercy and compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love and truth, as we struggle like the wheat in the midst of weeds, guide and protect us from the malice of the evil ones. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a Grace filled Sunday.

Homily For Saturday Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year A. 22nd July, 2023. The Feast of St. Mary Magdalene

Readings: 2Cor. 5:14-17, Ps. 63, John 20:1-2.11-18

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

FROM SINNER TO SAINT: THE LIFE OF MARY MAGDALENE

 

Every human person has a past and a future, the past is gone we cannot change it, but the future bring hope alive, for in both past and future we make our history a reality that can change the world. Today we celebrate the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, a woman whose life history gives hope to sinners and sense of the past for saints.

 

Often Mary Magdalene is referred to as the woman from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons or the repentant prostitute, whichever one, scriptures and history point out that Mary Magdalene had been greatly transformed by her faith in Jesus and her life was changed after her first encounter with Jesus for she abandoned her past life of sin.

 

No doubt that May Magdalene was a serious sinner who ought to had been condemned to die by those who were also unworthy and sinful before God. But grace of God brought about the encounter that transformed her life and she was privileged to be the first to know about the resurrection of Jesus and to also encounter the risen Lord.

 

This is evident in our Gospel passage today, which presents to us the encounter of Mary Magdalene with the risen Lord. When the apostles have left the tomb, Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. In her devotion to Jesus, Mary seeks to learn where she might find Jesus’ body so that she might take him away, a task that would be difficult both emotionally and physically. But she was not even concerned with how she would convey the body from one place to another. She only believes that Jesus’ body has been dishonored, and she is determined to see that he is accorded the honor that it deserves.

 

So, she remained by the tomb, weeping. Her heart was in earnest to find Jesus. The angels asked her: why are you weeping? she was just busy trying to find the corpse of Jesus. But when she turned around and saw Jesus, her heart was filled with joy and peace. This courageous act of faith brought about her encounter with the risen Lord.

 

Thus, in Mary Magdalene we see a heart that truly repent of her sins and determined to find Jesus. A heart that truly loves Jesus, a heart that cannot give up the search for Jesus, a heart that listened and remembered the words of Jesus about his resurrection. A heart that moves from grave sinner to special Saint through God’s Mercy.

 

Dear friends, as we celebrate the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, we must learn to let go of our old sinful way of life and embrace the new life of grace and hope God is offering us. So, today we are called to imitate her virtues, knowing that God can use anyone as His instruments if we are ready to embrace Him irrespective of our past ways of life. For St. Paul tells us in our first reading that anyone who is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old creation has passed away, behold the new has come. For Christ died for all so that living men should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life for our sake.

 

Therefore, today, we are called to forget our past sinful life and embrace the Lord. We are called to seek the Lord with affection and tears. But often times the clouds and darkness of our sins blind us from recognizing the Lord who is always very close to us. The truth is that, the Lord’s way of making himself known to his people is by his word; his word appeals to our souls, speaking to us in a particular way that is unique to us. Are we ready to embrace the Lord once again and make our history a reality that will change this sinful world just like Mary Magdalene?

 

 LET US PRAY: Lord God, like Mary Magdalene our souls seek to encounter you personally once again, give us the grace and strength to always be ready to turn away from sin and embrace your word, that we may personally experience, fill and recognize your presence once again in our lives. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.

Homily For Friday Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 21st July, 2023

Readings: Ex. 11:10-12.14:; Ps.116; Matt:12:1-8

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

 UNDERSTANDING THE MERCY AND JUSTICE OF GOD IN THE APPLICATION OF LAW

 

One of the attributes of God is mercy, and this attribute run through the scriptures as it is actually the summary of most of the stories in the scriptures. Because at the end of everything it is the mercy of God that we need more than His justice. Little wonder Jesus in our Gospel passage today teaches us about the essence of making laws.

 

This is clear from his response to the Pharisees who criticized the attitude of his disciples who on the Sabbath were seen plucking ears of corn to eat because they were very hungry. So, Jesus corrected them on the right disposition concerning the application of God's law and any law at all, when he said to them "I desire mercy and not sacrifice". This is because the Pharisees emphasized on strict keeping of the law of Sabbath while neglecting the spirit of the law which has to do with God’s love  and mercy.

 

 This is also evident in our first reading, where we heard of God’s justice and mercy in dealing with the Egyptians and the Israelites. For the Egyptians he said: I will go through the land of Egypt and strike down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, man and beast alike, and I shall deal out punishment to all the gods of Egypt. This is God’s justice. Then he said to the Israelites, the blood shall serve to mark the houses that you live in. When I see the blood I will pass over you and you shall escape the destroying plague when I strike the land of Egypt. This is God’s mercy in action.

 

Dear friends, Law exists for the good of the people, but often times we find ourselves seeking more recognition by exercising too much control over other people’s lives under the disguise of laws. Hence, we should not lack compassion and mercy or close our hearts against our neighbour like the Pharisees, an attitude that reminds me of the words of Pope Francis when he said: "If our heart is closed, if our heart is made of stone, then the stones will end up in our hands and, then, we will be ready to throw them at someone.

 

Therefore, this should not be the case, rather, we should always consider the essence and purpose of making laws and applying them, bearing in mind that human needs which supersedes all other human interest should be the guiding principle of any law both social and religious. In fact the ritual demands of the Sabbath encourages mercy, forgiveness and compassion which are at the heart of any true religion. Thus, as we make laws and implement them especially in our country Nigeria, let love, compassion and mercy be our guiding principle.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you show the light of your truth to those who go astray, grant that we may always embrace your laws and apply them with mercy and compassion, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.

Homily For Thursday Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 20th July, 2023.

Readings: Ex. 3:13-20; Ps.105; Matt:11:28-30

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

COME TO JESUS WITH YOUR HEAVY TASKS AND MISSION OF LIFE AND YOU WILL FIND REST

 

Thinking about the ugly condition of our societies today, where the ugly and sinful attitudes of greed, corruption, pride and selfishness of humanity have places heavy burden and stress on us all and often times these burdens are so heavy that we don’t know how to carry them. The worst of these burdens are the sorrows we bear in our hearts: sorrows caused by our sins, unhealthy relationships we engaged in, unforgiven attitude and family problems as a result of the bad influence and policies in the society.

 

Thus, today in our Gospel passage Jesus says to us: Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’ This is important especially in our country today where people are suffering and helpless.

 

No doubt that everyone of us has a task and a mission to accomplish and these can be very demanding, just like Moses in our first reading today, for he encountered God who reveals his name to him as I Am Who I Am, and then commissioned him and gave him a task and the mission of bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt where they were treated badly. A task and mission which is really heavy and demanding. But God has promised be with him.

 

In a similar way, Jesus recognizes the sorrows in our lives, how we labour and are overburdened as a result of our tasks and mission of life especially in our country Nigeria today. Hence he invites us to come to him with all our burdens. Yes, it is in the nature of human person to think and worry about things of this world. Every human person thinks and worries about something. Only few people can sometimes find it easy to resolve their problems, but for most people their problems are too much that they move from bad to worst just like our country Nigeria.

 

Hence, today Jesus invites us to come to him with our burdens and challenges. An invitation that opens a refreshing space in our soul, by inspiring hope and drawing us into God’s loving and gentle presence where our souls find peace and solace.

 

Dear friends, what task and mission has God given to us in this life? How are we carrying out this task and mission? What are the challenges we are facing? Is the task and mission so heavy for us to bear? Are we carrying additional load apart from the one God has given to us? I don't know the heavy burden in your heart right now, I don’t know your cherished plans which have failed and it seems as if disappointments have prevailed, thereby wandering in the darkness of confusion and heavy heart all alone in this world?

 

Today Jesus is inviting us to come to him with all our burdens, all our troubles, all our challenges and  disappointments and he will give us rest. He says we should embrace his yoke, we should learn from him, for he is gentle and humble of heart and by so doing find rest for our souls. Then we will tell the story of how we overcome our most troublesome and darkest of moments, for when the Lord comes, we will understand it better by and by

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we come to you with our heavy burden and sorrows in our hearts, grant that we may embrace the yoke of Christ and so find peace and solace in our soul. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you the God's favour.

Homily For Wednesday Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 19th July, 2023

Readings: Ex. 3:1-6.9-12; Ps.103; Matt:11:25-27

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

INFANT HUMILITY IS A SURE WAY OF RELATING WITH GOD IN PRAYER

 

Gazing on the crucifix this morning, all I could see is the childlike humility of Jesus towards his loving Father. For he sacrificed himself on the cross for the sake of humanity. Thereby teaching us that our relationship with God in prayer requires the humility of an infant to his loving father.

 

This type of humility is not a way of glory, but a road of surrender that leads to passion and death of ones self. It is  a way of sacrifice, a service to others at the expense of the self. In prayer Jesus experienced God as his Father and approached him with a childlike humility, faith and confidence. Hence, in our Gospel passage today, Jesus after his reproaches towards unrepentant cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida, demonstrates to us a humble way of relating with God in prayer when he said,, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere infants. Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will'. 

 

Here Jesus is referring to those who claim to be wise and intelligent, self-sufficient and self-made, such as the Pharisees and Sadducees, Scribe and Lawyers who rejected his message. Also those who think that they don’t need God, for they can save themselves by their meritorious works. Thus, Jesus points out that there is a link between prayer and the inner disposition of being a humble child of God in communion with the heavenly Father, through confidence and total abandonment to God. For no matter who we are and what we have achieved in life, humility is the key and sure way to reach God in prayer.

 

Nonetheless, even those who are highly gifted and blessed, can become a "baby" who humbly depend upon God’s grace. While the uneducated and less privileged persons can be in the same undesirable company of the wise and intelligent if they are not humble in spirit in their relationship with God and their neighbours, because our natural and spiritual gifts are only useful in our Christian journey when we have a humble heart.

 

This is what God is teaching us in our first reading today, in the story of Moses and the burning bush. For God called him from the middle of the bush saying: ‘Moses, Moses!’ ‘Come no nearer,’ he said. ‘Take off your shoes, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. I am the God of your fathers,’ ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ At this Moses in humility covered his face, afraid to look at God, therefore, we can see that  humility is very essential in our relationship with God especially in prayer.

 

Dear friends, today God wants us to relate with him in total humility and obedience, just like the humility of an infant to his lovely father. For He is always with us in our daily troubles and struggles, He understands us more than we can ever imagine. Therefore, why not  humbly come to Him in prayers for He is always willing to help us in solving those difficult and challenging situations in our lives. Remember, our natural and spiritual gifts are only useful in our Christian journey when we have a humble heart.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we thank you for being with us in our daily struggles, troubles, joys and hopes, may you provide for the poor, console the troubled, heal the sick and put simile on the faces of your children who humbly come to your in prayers. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.