Homily For Thursday Second Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 18th January, 2024

Readings: 1Sam. 18:6-9,19:1-7; Ps. 56; Mark 3:7-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

AND THEY WERE CROWDING FORWARD TO TOCH JESUS

Today in our Gospel, Mark gave us a summary of the activity of Jesus in the midst of people who came from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumaea and even from the pagan region of Tyre and Sidon. Telling us that Jesus is really concerned about the struggles of humanity and wishes to set us free from the shackles of the devil. 

So, as Jesus heals the people and performs great works, most people wish to see him and to touch him. The people were so numerous that Jesus himself was concerned with the danger of being crushed by the multitude.

 

Thus he asked disciples to have a boat ready for him so that the crowd would not crush him for they were crowding forward to touch him. And from the boat, he spoke to them and healed the sick, and set free those possessed especially the excluded and the marginalized who came to him with their ailments. Those who were not accepted in the society of the time were accepted by Jesus. The power of evil which causes great fear in people where overcome by Jesus, so we do not need to be afraid of Satan anymore.

 

Dear friends, Jesus wishes to set us free from sickness and the forces and manipulations of the evil ones. He desires to be with us as we struggle every day to overcome the forces of evil in our families, society and the world at large. Therefore, we should not be afraid to stand firm against the manipulations of the devil, because Jesus will not abandon us in this battle of life.

 

This is evident in our first reading today in the case of David and King Saul. For out of jealousy for what the women attribute to David as a way of praising God for the victory he gave them through David, Saul has a hatred for David to the point of planning to kill him. This should not be our disposition rather we should learn to appreciate what God has accomplished through other people and not behave like Saul who became jealous of David.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we struggle every day to do your will, may your presence be felt in our midst through Christ our Lord. Do have a blessed day.

 

Homily For Wednesday Second Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 17th January, 2024. The Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot

Readings: 1Sam. 16:17:32-33.37.40-51; Ps. 144; Mark 3:1-6

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE WELFARE OF THE HUMAN PERSON SHOULD NOT BE NEGLECTED BECAUSE OF LAWS AND REGULATIONS

 

From the scriptures, it seems like every encounter that the Pharisees had with Jesus was always aimed at finding faults with what Jesus was doing. But to their great surprise, Jesus will always escape and use that opportunity to communicate an important message to the people. Such was the occasion in our Gospel passage today.

 

When on a Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching him to see if he would cure the man on the Sabbath, hoping to find something to use against him. But knowing their thoughts he said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Stand up! Come out into the middle.’ Then Jesus said to them, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it? And said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was better. But they were furious and began to discuss the best way of dealing with him.

 

Here we see how Jesus demonstrated his compassionate care for humanity, for the most important thing for God in this world is the human person. That's why he makes all efforts to save humanity from damnation. He desires to see us making an effort to become faithful and holy. His mercy is so deep that he proposes it as the guiding principle for the perfect fulfilment and interpretation of the laws of life. Thus, Jesus in this passage has to teach us that humanity’s welfare should not be neglected because of laws and regulations. That nothing should restrict us from doing good to people not even the laws of the Sabbath.

 

Therefore, in as much as we desire to honour God’s laws we must seek the good of people as well. This is what the Pharisees have failed to understand, for they are rather fault-finders and self-righteous people, who only wish to mislead the people and suppress the truth and the good works of others, just because of their selfish desires to sustain their ego, pride and their worldly ambition.

 

But we should not be like them, rather we should be compassionate and merciful for that is what we are called to do. We should learn to be courageous and resist any law or people who use laws or their physical position to oppress others. We should learn from David in our first reading today who courageously confronted Goliath and defeated him despite his intimidating physical appearance and so brought victory to God’s people who were intimidated by Goliath.

 

Dear friends, today we are called to know that no law should restrict us from constantly doing good to everyone. We are called not to be fault-finders who are blindfolded by pride. We must also renounce all sorts of prideful actions and wickedness that may destroy our relationship with others and the purity of our souls. Therefore, let us be compassionate and merciful for that is what we are called to do in this life, especially in this moment when our societies and families are really in chaotic situations.

 

So, today we are called to imitate St.  Antony whose memorial we celebrate. For he is the originator of the monastic life. He was born in Egypt: when his parents died, he listened to the words of the Gospel about the rich man who walked away from Jesus because of his riches. So, 250 years later, St Antony hears this story, and does give away all that he has, and becomes the founder of monasticism. And then again, over 1,000 years later, St Francis of Assisi hears the story, gives away his possessions (and some of his father’s) and revolutionizes Christianity again.

 

St. Antony gave all his belongings to the poor. He went out into the wilderness to begin a life of penitence, living in absolute poverty, praying, meditating, and supporting himself by manual work. He suffered many temptations, both physical and spiritual, but he overcame them. Disciples gathered around him, attracted by his wisdom, moderation, and holiness. He gave support to the victims of the persecution of Diocletian and helped St Athanasius in his fight against the Arians. Today we are called to day this same.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we often fail to listen to your teaching because of our selfish desires and pride, help us to always listen to you and be willing to do good, especially in the interpretation and application of laws and regulations. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.

Homily For Tuesday of The Second Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 16th January, 2024

Readings: 1Sam. 16:1-13; Ps. 89; Mark 2:23-28

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

LAWS ARE MADE FOR THE WELL-BEING OF MAN AND NOT MAN FOR THE LAWS

 

There is no doubt that human life is guided by laws and principles, for in their absence we cannot survive or enjoy peace and harmony in our society. But it is so sad to say that we have lost the essence and spirit that governs the making of law, its interpretation and application. Little wonder Jesus in our Gospel passage today teaches us about the essence of making laws.

 

This is clear from the response of Jesus when the Pharisees criticized the attitude of his disciples who on the Sabbath were seen plucking ears of corn to eat because they were very hungry. This is so because the Pharisees emphasized on strict keeping of the law of the Sabbath while neglecting the spirit of the law which has to do with God’s love and mercy.

 

Thus, for the Pharisees, this would be a transgression of the law of the Sabbath which prohibits one from doing any work. Jesus responded by quoting the scriptures to indicate that their arguments have no basis. He recalls that David himself did something which was prohibited because he took the sacred bread of the temple and gave it to the soldiers to eat because they were hungry. Jesus ends his response with two important phrases: first, the Sabbath is made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Secondly,  the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath.

 

The truth is that the Sabbath was meant to be a day of rest when people would be free from work so as to think of God, to give thanks to God for his gifts, and to take care of their health and well-being. For laws are made for the well-being of man and not man for the law. However, some religious authorities gradually encroached on the Sabbath with so many regulations that it is no longer serving its true purpose. This is because they have failed to look at the true meaning of human life and the things that surround us.

 

But God will always remind us of the true meaning of life. And this he demonstrated in our first reading today, where we heard how Samuel saw the awesome appearance of Eliab and intended to anoint him but the Lord said: take no notice of his appearance or his height for I have rejected him; God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart. Thus, David was chosen and anointed.

 

Dear friends, the Lord does not look at the outward appearance of our lives, rather he looks at the purity of our hearts. For the Lord made laws for the good of the people, but often we find ourselves seeking more recognition by exercising too much control over other people’s lives under the disguise of laws.

 

This should not be the case, rather, we should always consider the essence and purpose of making laws, bearing in mind that human basic needs which supersede all other human interests should be the guiding principle of any law both social and religious. In fact, the ritual demands of the Sabbath encourage mercy, forgiveness and compassion which are at the heart of any true religion. Therefore, as we make laws and implement them, let these principles be our guide.

 

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

Homily For Monday Second Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 15th January, 2024

Readings: 1Sam.15:16-23; Ps. 50; Mark 2:18-22

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

PUTTING OUR NEW LIFE OF GRACE INTO THE FRESH SKIN OF RESTORATION

 

Reflecting one of my favourite communion hymn titled New Life, especially its chorus that says:

New Life! New Life, You came to bring us new life,

New life, New life, we find such Joy in your abundant Life.

 

This hymn calls our attention to the gift of New Life which Jesus is offering to humanity. A gift that differentiates his disciples from other people. This is evident in our Gospel passage today, where we read about the observation made by the disciples of John the Baptist concerning the relationship between Jesus and his disciples and their new ways of doing things. So they came to Jesus and asked him questions regarding their manner of fasting and feasting. Jesus used this opportunity to educate them about the New Life of grace which he has come to offer humanity.

 

He said to them: Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast. For no one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth onto an old cloak, because the patch pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; if they do, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are lost. No; they put new wine into fresh skins and both are preserved.

 

Here Jesus gave two responses to the question. First, people do not fast when they are in the company of the bridegroom which is a time for celebration. For Jesus is the groom and as long as he is around, it would be inappropriate for his disciples to fast. However, a time will come when the groom will no longer be with them, then they will surely fast, telling us that fasting should be done at the right time for the right reasons. Moreover, being in a relationship with Jesus is more important, because, what the bridegroom is to the bride, that's what Jesus is to the souls of all who believe in him.

 

Then, in the second response, Jesus shows that he is bringing something totally new which should not be mixed with the old way of life. He emphasized the importance of pouring new wine into fresh wineskins and the need to avoid using a new cloak to patch an old one. Here the fresh wineskins refers to a new heart that has put off the old cloak of sin and looks forward to the new wine of grace through the process of conversion.

 

So, as his bride, he loves us with a deep and everlasting love. He pays all our debts to God; he supplies all our daily needs; he sympathizes with us in all our troubles; he bears with all our infirmities, and does not reject us because of our weaknesses. He regards us as part of himself:  We share in the glory that he has received from his Father. These are the privileges of all true Christians who are called to the heavenly kingdom.

 

So, Jesus is teaching us that the Kingdom of Heaven is not a matter of ritual or ceremonious fasting or feasting. But is about building a personal relationship with God who loves us personally and unconditionally. Little wonder, we heard Samuel telling Saul in our first reading that, in our relationship with God obedience is better than sacrifice.

 

Dear friends, what is that old garment in our lives that we are patching with the new? What is that old wine of habitual sin that we are pouring into the new wineskins of our redeemed and purified souls? today we are called to a fresh response towards embracing the New Life of grace which Jesus is offering us. we are called to put our New Life of grace into the fresh skin of restoration. As we think about these, let us struggle to avoid our old sinful ways of life and fully embrace the new righteous way of life that Jesus is offering us.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, You are the source of our new life, for in your light we see light. Grant us the grace of true and total conversion so as to find such great Joy in your abundant Life of grace and mercy, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed and favourable week.

Homily For Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 14th January 2024

Readings: 1 Sam 3:3-10.19, Ps. 40, 1Cor. 6:13-15.17-20, John 1:35-42

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 A CALL TO ENCOUNTER AND FOLLOW JESUS THE LAMB OF GOD

Today is the second Sunday in Ordinary Time of the Liturgical year B, which began immediately after we celebrated the Baptism of the Lord on Monday. The beauty of this season lies in the fact that it invites us to live our ordinary life as a journey of holiness, faith, and friendship with Jesus in order to continually discover our vocation and mission which is rooted in Christ’s own mission. Hence, our readings today present to us a call to encounter and follow the Lord, which points out the mission of the Church in proclaiming the word of God and our part in this mission.

Thus, we heard in our first reading how God called Samuel and he was able to respond through the guidance of Eli. His call was to be a prophet, for he was to play a very important role in the history of the chosen people of God. In this mission, God initiates the call, but the response is to be made by us freely without cohesion. And in our Gospel passage, we heard how God has called us through John the Baptist, to follow Christ, the Lamb of God and Saviour of the world. This is clear when John the Baptist in our Gospel, saw Jesus passing by and declared: this is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Here he is pointing out the essence of Jesus’ mission, telling us about the great Servant of God, whose mission was to bring sinners back to God. Considering this great task of Jesus, John introduced him as the Lamb of God and not the Lion of God and described the Holy Spirit as a dove, not a hawk which is more powerful. why? Because, the Lamb is the most gentle, harmless, and loving creature of God while the dove is a gentle bird, a symbol of peace and goodwill. 

So, these images tell us about the person of Jesus and the approach by which he will carry out his mission. Consequently, Jesus, the gentle Lamb of God, gently died for our sins, so that we could live in joy and freedom of God’s children, teaching us to do the same in our relationship with one another. 

Also, we heard that one of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. For early next morning, Andrew met his brother Simon and brought him to Jesus, who looked hard at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’ meaning Rock.

So, like these two disciples of John the Baptist, we are called to reflect on our personal experience with God. How have we experienced God, when was your spiritual turning point, have you really experienced God personally? Can we share our personal convictions about God with others knowing that it is our mission to do so?

 

Thus, how to effectively carry out this vocation and mission is what St. Paul spoke about in our second reading as he addressed the Church and the faithful in Corinth and indeed to all of us Christians, who have been called to follow Christ and have been sanctified and blessed to be God’s chosen people, who are reunited and brought together from the world to bear the fruit of love and holiness of life. 

Thus, he reminded us that we are not our own property anymore; we have been bought and paid for. That is why we should use our bodies for the glory of God. So, our body is not meant for fornication: it is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. For God who raised the Lord from the dead, will by his power raise us up too. Hence, we must keep away from fornication. Because all the other sins are committed outside the body; but to fornicate is to sin against our own body. And our body, he said, is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in us to help us in our vocation and mission.

Dear friends, today there are so many things that are distracting us from our mission and vocation and are leading us into sin and we are so much attached to them because the world has sexualized almost everything around us. The television, the internet, the music, movies, cartoons, even our social and religious activities are corrupted by this sexualization motives which drive and tempt us to commit the sins of adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, and masturbation.

Because we have lost the control of our responsibility towards our sexuality, which of course is the cause of the increase in rape, incest, divorce, open marriage, and all forms of gander transformation going on in our society today. The main point here is for us not to indulge in sins that will ruin our souls.

Therefore, as the year unfolds, we are all challenged to live a holy life as the Lord has taught us. And as we carry out our mission, we are called to follow the way of the Lamb. That is, we are to be the most gentle, harmless, and loving children of God, we must be a symbol of peace, compassion, and goodwill. 

We are not to force people to believe in God using intimidation or force, nor should we use any forms of tricks or false persuasions. Rather, we should be more selfless and forgiving in our interactions with one another, putting aside our pride, ego, and selfish desires, knowing that the grace of God is always sufficient for us.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we struggle every day to do your will and respond positively in the mission and vocation entrusted to us, give us the grace to be responsible with our sexuality, especially in this time when the world has lost the true meaning and value of human sexuality, and as a result, so many lives and families are being destroyed. Help us, we pray to find joy, courage, and solace in your saving grace as you guide us through the year. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed Sunday celebration.

Homily For Saturday First Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 13th January, 2024

Readings: 1 Sam. 9:1-4.17-19.10:1; Ps. 21; Mark 2:13-17

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

THE GRACE OF GOD CAN CHANGE THE GREATEST SINNER INTO A SAINT

 

The mission of Jesus is often misunderstood by people who feel that they should be the one to dictate to God what to do. But Jesus will always surprise them and use them to set a good example for the rest of us. This is evident in our Gospel passage today, which presents to us the call of Levi who was a tax collector, a presumably public sinner. As Jesus passed by, he said to Levi, “Follow Me.” This is a present tense command which is a call for Levi to leave his old way of life behind and to begin a new life of following him.

 

But why would Jesus have any interest for a man like this? There is only one word that can answer this question, and that is grace. Despite his ugly occupation; his ugly lifestyle; his failures; and his sins; Jesus loved Levi and he called him to a new life. The fact remains that, Jesus never condemned anyone nor does he judge people by their past behaviour. He is only interested in what they can be now and in the future. There and then, Levi dropped everything and followed Jesus just the same way Peter and Andrew, James and John had also done.

 

Later, when Jesus was dining at Levi’s house, several known sinners and tax collectors were at the table with him and his disciples. This was a real scandal for the scribes and Pharisees. For them, if Jesus was a Rabbi he would have had nothing to do with such people. But Jesus replied: It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. I did not come to call the virtuous but sinners.

 

With this statement, we are meant to know that Jesus' whole mission is the salvation of souls and redemption of people to wholeness. And the best way to achieve this is by having direct contact with them. But we are often not present where people are most in need of hearing God’s message. Sometimes, we tend to side with the Pharisees and feel we should keep away from sinful and ‘immoral’ people.

 

Dear friends, we need to learn that the Gospel message can most effectively be communicated to those who have lost touch with God and the meaning of life by reaching out to them. We should not be afraid to reach out to people, especially those who have been captured by the things of this sinful world. 

For we heard in our first reading today, how Samuel encountered Saul and before anointing him said: Go up ahead of me to the high place. You are to eat with me today. In the morning I shall take leave of you and tell you all that is in your heart. It was after this encounter that Samuel anointed Saul, for the word of God is something alive and active: it can slip through the place where the soul is divided from the spirit and can judge the secret emotions and thoughts of every one of us.

 

Hence, Jesus calling Levi to follow him shows that with God there is great mercy to pardon the greatest sinners. There is grace to change the greatest sinners and make them holy.  This is a great sign of hope for anyone who thinks that God has abandoned him or her because of sin or past ugly ways of life. God is not interested in our past ugly and sinful ways of life. Rather he is interested in what he can make out of us now and in the future.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, your love and compassion for humanity is so great, even in our sinful and ugly ways of life, you never abandoned us. So Lord, when sin separates us from you, may your grace and providence bring us back. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful weekend.

Homily For Friday First Week in Ordinary Time Year B; 12th January, 2024

Readings: 1 Sam.8 4-7.10-22; Ps. 89; Mark 2:1-12

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

THE LORD HAS THE POWER AND AUTHORITY TO RESTORE HUMANITY PARALYZED BY SIN

 

The sin and evil going on in the world are putting our faith to the test and most people are giving in to this scheme because they lack the strong will to withstand the suffering, sickness and problems that befall us as a result of this evil. People are running up and down seeking solutions. while the evil ones are taking advantage of the ugly situation to destroy the faith of the people. In fact, one may begin to wonder if there is still hope for the restoration of humanity from this ugly situation. But the fact remains that God is able and willing to heal and restore humanity once again.

 

This is evident in our Gospel passage today when some people brought to him a paralytic stretched out on a bed. And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘Courage, my child, your sins are forgiven.’ But some scribes doubted his authority to forgive sins, and Jesus knowing what was in their minds said: ‘Why do you have such wicked thoughts in your hearts? Now, which of these is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ he said to the paralytic, ‘get up, and pick up your bed and go off home.’ And the man got up and went home.

 

Here we see the power and authority of Jesus towards the restoration of the paralytic man carried by his friends. A gesture that signifies the restoration of humanity paralyzed by sins and evil. So Jesus will always begin by forgiving our sins, for sin seems to be the root of the sickness. But sin may be pardoned, yet the sickness not be removed; the sickness may be removed, yet the sin not pardoned. But for Jesus, healing is holistic for those who have faith in God.

 

However, this is what the scribes and the Pharisees failed to understand as they doubted and opposed the power and authority of Jesus just like the Israelites in our first reading today, who rejected Samuel and the Kingship authority of God while requesting for human King. And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for it is not you that they have rejected; they have rejected me from ruling over them.’

 

Dear friends, have we rejected the authority and kingship of God in our lives? Don’t you think that the problem in our world today is a result of our rejection of God and his kingship in our dealings? So, today we are called to be submissive to the Kingly authority of God and not be like the Israelites and the scribes who were enslaved by their pride and desire to maintain their prestige in society. They doubted the power and authority of the Lord and rejected the message of truth. Jesus rebuked them, showing us that truly he has power and authority not just to heal and forgive us but to restore us and all humanity back to our formal glory.

 

Therefore, we are also called to imitate the great faith and love of the friends of the paralytic, the love and faith that radiate from the innermost being of those who exercise it. Let us like them, learn to love and help one another. Because the absence of love is the cause of all the problems in our world today. Most families exist only by grace because of the absence of love. How I wish we could invest our time and resources in ensuring love and goodwill in our dealings with one another, believe me, the world will be a temporary home for everyone.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we are paralyzed by the sins and evil we are committing against you and the world you created out of pride, greed and selfishness. As we submit to your kingship and authority in faith, forgive us our sins, and heal and restore us once again. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.