Homily For Friday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 29th September, 2023. The Feast of Saints. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels

Readings:  Daniel 7:9-10.13-15, Ps. 138, John: 47-51

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

ARCHANGELS, GOD'S MOST POWERFUL INSTRUMENT FOR SAFEGUARDING THE HUMAN SOUL

 

For us to be fruitful in our given vocation as Christians, there is the need for us to build a personal relationship with God and building this relationship is not as difficult as some people think, because God desires to have such a relationship with us and this he often manifested through the instrument of angels and Archangels. Little wonder we celebrate today the three great Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael who are God’s most powerful instrument for safeguarding the human soul.

 

In these Archangels, we have a powerful link to God, especially in our constant struggle and the spiritual battle for the sake of our souls. This Archangels are categorized based on their responsibilities. Archangel Michael is known as the Prince and defender of the heavenly hosts. He defends us in battle and helps us to be humble, so that we may not fall into pride, ambition, greed and vanity like the devil who he defeated and sent away from heaven so that we can remain firm in our commitment to serving the Lord.

 

Archangel Gabriel is known as the Messenger of God. He helps us to have faith in God through his Words so that we may always hope in God. While Archangel Raphael is known for the manifestation of the healing and mercy of God, especially for the soul corrupted by sin. This shows us the extent God can go for the sake of humanity. The fact is that God loves us so much and it is not about our love for him, but his love for us.  This is manifested in the life of Jesus who loves us personally and desires to share in our daily struggles through the angels and Archangels.

 

All The Lord demands from us is to acknowledge his presence in our lives and cooperate with his grace, and when such a relationship is established our lives will change for good just like Nathaniel in our Gospel passage, who acknowledged that Jesus is the Son of God, of which Jesus commended him for his faith and goes on to tell him that he shall see great things in heaven including the angels ascending and descending in the presence of God. Likewise, Daniel in our first reading, who saw a mission of one coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man. A thousand thousand waited on him, ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.

 

Dear friends, what is our experience of angels and Archangels? Is there any occasion where we can say that we have personally encountered or experienced the presence of an angel? What is our relationship with our guardian angels? If none we should desire to have one through our daily activities. For today we are reminded that God through the Archangels manifests his power and presence in human activities. So we are called to always cooperate with the will of God as directed by his angels and Archangels who minister to us. We are called to build a personal relationship with God through his Archangels, who are there to defend, guide and heal our souls from sin and death.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, you often send your  Archangels to guide and direct our affairs in life. Through their faithful direction and protection, may our life advance boldly along the path of salvation, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Homily For Thursday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 28th September, 2023

Readings: Haggai 1:1-8; Ps. 149; Luke 9:7-9

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

THE BEHAVIOUR AND CHARACTER OF A GUILTY CONSCIENCE

 

Oftentimes, we hear people expressing the phrase: guilty conscience, which is used to express the ugly condition of human conscience which is that part of our life that tells us whether what we are doing is right or wrong. For if you have a guilty conscience, you feel guilty about something because you know it was wrong. But if you have a clear conscience, you do not feel guilty because you know you have done nothing wrong.

 

This is the situation Herod finds himself in our Gospel passage today who out of pride and selfishness had killed John the Baptist thinking that by that he could silence the voice of truth, but when he heard of the great works of Jesus and could not comprehend it, he perceived that John the Baptist, the voice of truth had returned to life again, when he said: John? I beheaded him. So who is this I hear such reports about?’ And he was anxious to see Jesus. A situation that shows the behaviour and character of a guilty conscience.

 

Here, we see how the guilty conscience of Herod made him to shiver concerning the personality of Jesus in relation to John the Baptist. This is what happens to us whenever we try to take the role of God in our relationship with others or treat other people badly. And this ugly attitude is what a lot of people are practicing today and as a result, many people are suffering the consequences of a guilty conscience.

 

This is because most of us are so much attached to worldly things. We have let our pride, our ego and our selfish desires to blindfold us from the true realities of life. Little wonder, the Lord in our first reading said: Reflect carefully how things have gone for you. You have sown much and harvested little; you eat but never have enough, drink but never have your fill, and put on clothes but do not feel warm.

 

Dear friends, have you offended God or other people and you have a guilty conscience about it? What are the things that make us have a guilty conscience? What is the essence of our existence in this world at the expense of injustice to other people? What does God really require from us in this life? Do you know that without God everything in life is vanity vanishing?

 

Therefore, let us not be carried away by the beauty of the things of this passing world by hurting other people, for nothing lasts forever. Hence we should remain steadfast in our faith in God, who has called us to love him and to love one another. Let us remain faithful to Christ’s mission and be committed wholeheartedly to what God has called us to do.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we have come to you with our guilty conscience, for we are so much attached to things of this passing world, with little or no attention to your teachings. Help us to realise that without you life and all we have is nothing but vanity. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Homily For Wednesday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 27th September, 2023. The Memorial of St. Vincent De Paul

Readings: Ezra 9:5-9; Ps.Tobit 13; Luke 9:1-6

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

TAKE NOTHING FOR THE JOURNEY

 

The way things are going in our world today, we need to think twice about our faith as Christians, and whether we are actually ready to live out our faith in the midst of a hostile environment. Because the hostility, persecution and influential power of things in this world are not stopping soon, rather, it is getting tougher. Therefore, if we are really willing to live out our Christian faith and obligations towards the mission of Christ, then we need to make a radical decision towards our discipleship in a personal and radical way.

 

This is what Jesus is teaching his disciples in our Gospel passage today, when he called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, ‘Take nothing for the journey: neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money; and let none of you take a spare tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there; and when you leave, let it be from there. As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as a sign to them.’

 

Here, Jesus does not directly intend to cause tensions and divisions but he wants to expose the sacrificial nature of the mission. Hence, Jesus demands a total commitment towards the journey of discipleship once begun or has not begun at all. Because following Jesus demands the sacrifice of all that we have. For none of us can become his disciple if we do not give up our excess desire for worldly pleasures and possessions.

 

We must learn to pay our unreserved loyalty and allegiance to Jesus over all other competing loyalties in our lives including family, self-interest, and possessions, just like Ezra in our first reading who addressing the situation of his people said: My God, I am ashamed, I blush to lift my face to you, my God. For our crimes have increased until they are higher than our heads, and our sin has piled up to heaven. But now, suddenly, the Lord our God by his favour has left us a remnant and granted us a refuge in his holy place.

 

Dear friends, we are called today to make a radical decision to sincerely and faithfully carry out the mission of Christ entrusted to us. But how much are we willing to let go for the sake of the mission of Christ? Why are we finding it difficult to follow Jesus?  What are the habitual desires and possessions that are holding us for making this radical decision today? It is time for us to let them go in order to focus more on the mission Christ has entrusted to us.

 

Therefore, let us follow the examples of all those who had given their time, effort and even lives for the salvation of many souls just like St. Vincent De Paul whose memorial we celebrate today for he sacrificed his life to help the poor and through the virtue of charity conquered most of his oppositions and those of the poor around him.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, today we are called to a sacrificial journey of Christ's mission. Because our excess desire for the pleasurable things of this passing world has weakened our hearts towards our mission, give us courage and grace to let go of our ugly desires, so as to hold firm in our faith despite losing people and things that are dear to us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Homily For Tuesday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 26th September, 2023

Readings: Ezra 6:7-8.12.14-20; Ps.122; Luke 8:19-21

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

HOW TO BELONG TO THE TRUE FAMILY OF JESUS

 

One of the psychological and spiritual needs of the human person is the sense of belonging, this need is just like the need for food, clothes and shelter. The feeling of belonging is fundamental to our sense of happiness and well-being, for it gives value to life and helps us in coping with some painful emotions as it improves our motivation. Hence, we often want to belong and identify with one another, to our friends and families, to our culture and from one association and group to another.

 

However, one of the common and safest place to belong is our families, especially when it is rooted in the family of God. So today in our Gospel passage, Jesus speaks about belonging to his family and his relationship with members of his family. For when he was told that his mother and brothers were standing outside and want to see him’. He said : my mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.’

 

Here, Jesus speaks of two ways the people around him could be identified as members of his family. Firstly he talks about those who belong to the family of his birth that is, his mother, father and relations. Then his other family which is made up of those who do the will of God.

 

This family he says, is his true family where doing the will of God is the only way of belonging to this family. This is not to say that Jesus is rejecting his biological family; to do so would contradict his own teaching about loving one's parents and loving one's neighbours. However, Jesus is using this opportunity to emphasize that our relationship with God is more important and should be based on our total commitment to doing the will of God through him.

 

Surprisingly, Mary the mother of Jesus belongs to both sides of the family, for she gave birth to Jesus and also was the first to do the will of God when she said, “Let it be done unto me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). For this reason she is the first disciple of Jesus and a model for all Christians.

 

Thus, to be a Christian or a disciple is to enter into the family of Jesus and embrace a new relationship with God and with one another and this is the most important place to belong. All other bonds, including those of blood, should be considered secondary. Because, belonging to God is fundamental to our basic relationships, prior to all human relations.

 

For we belong first to God before belonging to our families, after which we all go back to God where we ultimately belong, which will be determined by how we have done the will of God here on earth. And our first reading we heard how the chosen people of God through the help of King Cyrus and Darius. Rebuild the Temple that was destroyed out of disobedience. And now they came back as one family to joyfully dedicate this Temple of God.

 

Dear friends, where do we ultimately and truly belong? Do you belong to the true family of Jesus? As Christians, we claim to belong to God, do our attitudes and decisions show that we truly belong to God? Do we not often commit ourselves to things contrary to the faith we professed in God? So, today we are made to know that doing the will of God is the ultimate way of belonging to the true family of Jesus. Therefore, we are called to do the will of God always in order to truly belong to that true family of Jesus where love of God and love of neighbour unite us together.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we truly belong to you, give us the grace to always do your will and as we carry out your activities today, grant success to the works of our hands, through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Monday Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 25th September, 2023

Reading: Ezra 1:1-6; Ps. 126; Luke 8:16-18

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

BE THAT PURIFYING LIGHT THAT ILLUMINES THE DARKNESS OF THIS PASSING WORLD

 

Light is a very familiar word in the scriptures, light is a symbol that represents awareness, knowledge, and understanding. Light clarifies, Illuminates, Inspires, defeats darkness, shines fully and freely, it guides, stimulates and motivates, provokes action, irritates those who like darkness, confirms truth, purifies, exposes sin, warms and assures us of safety and also facilitates progress.

 

Little wonder, Jesus in our Gospel passage today said: No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed. No, he puts it on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be known and brought to light.

 

So, as people who have been purified by the light of Christ through our baptism, we are entrusted with the mission of illuminating the darkness around us. For during our baptism, we were given a candle light which we are to keep brightly burning as a flame of faith in our hearts as we journey with others towards our heavenly kingdom. This, therefore, clearly defines our role in the mission of Christ, which is to illuminate the darkness and reflect the glory of God in the darkness of the passing world.

 

Hence, every Christian is called by God to influence the world positively through the light of our faith, just like Cyrus king of Persia in our first reading, who was the light that illuminated the darkness in the midst of the people of Israel who are in the darkness of exiles. For he ordered the people to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple of God and to free them from the darkness of exiles and slavery brought the light of hope to the people and illuminated the darkness of sin and wickedness.

 

Dear friends, the focus of today’s message is that all of us are called to positively influence the lives of humanity through our attitude and character which should be like that of purifying light. Where there is darkness we should let the light of Christ illuminate. Where pride, selfishness, corruption and greed have brought darkness, let the light of our good attitude and character illuminate it once again. Where sin and immorality have made humanity filthy and ugly, let our light of holiness purify and wash us clean. Therefore, we must not let our lights be hidden under the darkness of the passing world, rather we must let it shine anywhere we find ourselves.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we struggle every day to truly carry out the mission entrusted to us, give us the grace and courage to dedicate ourselves, our time, our energy and our effort to become the true light that illuminates our families, society and the world filled with the darkness of sin and evil. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful week.

Homily For The Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A, 24th September, 2023. Today Is My Priestly Anniversary (Please Keep Me In Your Prayers)

Readings:  Is. 55:6-9, PS.145, Phil 1:20-24.27. Matt. 20:1-16

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

GOD HAS TIME AND PLAN FOR EVERYONE, DO NOT MISS YOUR TURN

 

Oftentimes, when we are passing through the dark moment of life, it seems as if all hope is gone. We put up all our energy and enthusiasm struggling and hoping for better and brighter opportunities. Sometimes it seems as if that brighter moment won’t come. The truth is that, our time of favour and success is not determine by how long or strenuous we have struggled, but by our disposition towards God's time of grace and generosity, for God alone decides how to reward us for our efforts. All we need is to be available and disposed to doing his will at all times.

 

This is what the parable of the vineyard labourers in our Gospel passage today is teaching us, especially as regards to our disposition towards embracing the kingdom of God. For the vineyard owner went out at different times and gathered people to work in his vineyard. And as time goes on, he continued to look for more workers, and went out along the way to seek for unemployed workers even at the eleventh and final hour calling all into his vineyard.

 

At the end, the landowner went beyond justice. For motivated by compassion and having employed labourers at different times, decided to paid them the same wages as agreed with those who were hired first, of which they felt bad for the landowner’s generosity towards those hired last.

Here the human mind suspects injustice, while the heart of God sees only an opportunity to be generous. This generosity of God calls us to be generous too; but out of envy we often selfishly consider ourselves more deserving than others.

 

From this parable, the vineyard owner represents God Himself, while all the labourers represent all of us who are called to work in the Lord’s heavenly vineyard. Thus, we heard how God is reaching out to us at every moment and stage in our lives. He keep sending messengers, prophets, and teachers to call us and to remind us the need for us to be reconciled and be reunited with him.

 

Little wonder we heard prophet Isaiah in our first reading saying: seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near. Let the wicked man abandon his way, the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn back to the Lord who will take pity on him, for our God is rich in forgiving; and his thoughts are not our thoughts, his ways not our ways. This shows how God loves us so much that he constantly tried to call us and to bring us back to himself.

 

Dear friends, God has plan and time of everyone of us. But how are we responding to God’s call and plans? How are we waiting for God's time? What is our disposition towards God’s generosity to others? What is our attitude towards those whom God has lifted up to our level? What is our attitude towards those who are waiting on God’s time. Do you consider yourself more deserving than others?

 

From today’s parable, we can identify three kinds of persons. First, those who are like the landowner who hires people to get a job done, but with sympathies for those to be employed. Secondly, the unemployed waiting desperately in the market place and thirdly, the labourers who considered themselves more deserving than others. Thus, we all need to ask ourselves, among these three groups where do I belong?

 

This is important because the way workers and labourers are being treated in our societies these days are really appalling. But God is assuring us today, that even though we are the least, the nobodies and most neglected in the eyes of the world, he will not forget us, for he has time and plan for everyone and will continue to provide for our daily needs.

 

However, he warns those of us that are greedy and selfish to change from our greed and sinful ways, because when his time comes, the last will be the first and the first, last. For in his kingdom, there is time and plan for everyone with equal grace and equal status. But do not miss your turn out of inpatient. Wait on the Lord for your time and turn is very close.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, today we are reminded of your constant efforts to reach out to us at every moment of our lives. In the darkest moment of our lives, help us to realize that you are reaching out to us always even at the very last hour, as long as we are still breathing and living, for it is never too late for us to experience your generosity and mercy. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday and God bless.

Homily For Saturday Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 23rd September, 2023. The Memorial of St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Readings: 1 Tm 6:13-16; Ps. 100; Luke 8:4-15

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

MAKE YOUR HEART A FERTILE PLACE FOR GOD'S WORDS TO BEAR FRUITS

 

Our disposition towards whatever we do in life determines how successful we can be. And experience has shown that people’s disposition varies depending on their interests. So to be fruitful in whatever we do we must have to develop a right disposition towards it. Knowing how important this is needed in understanding his mission, Jesus in our Gospel reading today, used the parable of the sower to describe different kinds of human disposition and response towards the Word of God.

 

He said; a sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell on the edge of the path and was trampled on; and the birds of the air ate it up. Some seed fell on rock, and when it came up it withered away, having no moisture. Some seed fell amongst thorns and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell into rich soil and grew and produced its crop a hundredfold.’ Saying this he cried, ‘Listen, anyone who has ears to hear!’

 

In this parable Jesus categorized our different disposition towards the Word of God in relation to our interior life. Thereby giving us the guidelines that will help us to examine our attitudes towards the seed of God’s Word,  whether our soul is like dry rocky ground, whether our soul is full of the thorns of the things of this passage world or do we regularly seek to nourish our soul and prepare it to receive the Holy Word of God? So we are called to create a fertile disposition within our heart in order to do the will of God.

 

This is important because today and even in the scriptures, there are many who hear the words of Jesus and do not understand it because of wrong disposition. For instance, in the scriptures we have the religious leaders who are against the teachings of Jesus, the crowds that responded positively to Jesus, especially to his miracles of healing, yet turned against him at the end and demanded his crucifixion.

 

Also, some disciples such as Judas might also be included among those who fell away when trouble or persecution came on account of the Word. While the rich young man who was unable to part with his possessions, provides a clear example of one who hears the word, but the love for the passing things of this world and the lure of wealth choked the word, and it yielded nothing.

 

But what about the good soil? These are those who hear the Word, understand and internalize it, who indeed bear fruit and yield an abundant harvest. Our mother Mary and the apostles excluding Judas are good example of such people. Therefore, the different kinds of ground on which the seed falls represent different ways by which we receive the Word of God. And St. Paul in our first readings today says: I charge you to keep the commandment unstained with no faults or failures, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

 

Here, St Paul reminds us of our basic Christian faith which teaches that, in order for us to rise with Christ we must first die to ourselves. That is, those things which leads us to the ways of this world must die and we must be reborn to the life of faith. Then we will rise with Christ and share his glory, just as we read in the parable of the Sower. For the Sower being Christ himself, teaches us how to manage the challenges of life in order to yield a rich harvest of faith and attain eternal joy of heaven.

 

Dear friends, today, our hearts are the fields in which the Word of God is scattered, to which do our hearts belong? the path way, the rocky ground, the thorns or the good soil? Whichever one, we are called to pay attention and take some time to appreciate God’s Word in our lives by allowing it to bear solid root in us and germinate to bear great fruit. This is what we see in the life of St. Pio whose memorial we celebrate today.

 

For he made his heart a fertile place for the Word of God to dwell and bear great fruits as he embraced the sacrificial nature of the mission of Christ and lived by it. He remained faithful to Christ’s mission and committed himself wholeheartedly to what God has called him to do. Being a pious and devoted disciple, he never ceased ministering to the people and in being an exemplary person in faith. Many came to believe in God through him and many were strengthened in their faith through his works and piety. Though St. Pio experienced great difficulties in the cause of his mission, this was so serious that they almost have his faculty of hearing confessions taken from him because of his spiritual experiences and grace.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we are often distracted from hearing and assimilating your Word we hear everyday, give us grace to remain open to receiving your Word, so as to bear fruit abundantly. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed and peaceful weekend.