Homily For Thursday Fourth Week of Lent Year B, 14th March, 2024

Readings: Ex. 32:7-14; Ps. 106; John 5:31-47

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

DO NOT BE A STIFF-NECKED AND REBELLIOUS CHRISTIAN

 

Humanity has always rebelled against God despite all his love, care and mercy for us. Sometimes it seems as if the more God cares, loves and blesses us the more we disobey and separate ourselves from him. This is obvious in our readings today. In our first reading, we heard how the Israelites rebelled against God in a very terrible manner, because they made for themselves a golden calf, as a god and worshipped it. while it was not too long before God had delivered them from the hands of the Egyptians and opened the sea for them to pass safely on the dry ground while destroying all the chariots and armies sent after them.

 

This happened just because Moses had spent forty days and forty nights on the mountain, trying to receive the commandments for them. So, the people being impatient and weak in faith, chose to take the drastic action of forcing Aaron to make for themselves a golden calf to serve as god over them. Hence, they committed all sorts of atrocities and terrible sinful deeds with the golden idol, and God was very angry with them and about to destroy them. But Moses interceded and pleaded on their behalf, for him to show mercy and forgive them. Of course, God spared the people but some of those worst offenders and the leaders of the rebellion were indeed not spared by the wrath of God, for it was by their instigation that the whole people of Israel ended up disobeying God and sinned against him.

 

This same attitude is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today, as he rebuked the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who opposed him just like the people who disobeyed God and hardened their hearts by making idols for themselves to be worshipped as their god. While the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law proudly claimed themselves as the sole guardians of the faith, they ended up idolizing their way of observing the laws of Moses to the point that they forgot why they had the Law in the first place, since they refused to listen to Jesus. Thus he rebuked and reminded the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law as he did the same to us, that we need to get rid of our pride, corruption and idolatry.

 

Dear friends, why have we remained stiff-necked and rebellious? Why do we often exchange the God of glory for the image of a bull that eats grass? Why have we let pride, greed and corruption take away our love for God? Why are we quick to forget what the Lord has done for us? Why do we prefer to offend him despite all his love for us? Today we are reminded of how merciful God has been to us, how patient he has been with our stubbornness, our constant disobedience, our sinful ways and our rebelliousness.

 

God has continually forgiven us when we seek his forgiveness and mercy. Because he has always loved us so much even when we have disobeyed him and committed so much evil before him. So, it’s time to return to God not forgetting that he still despises our sins and wickedness, for he loves us, though sinners but despises our sins. Because sin brings corruption to us, and no corruption and wickedness can remain in God’s presence.

 

Therefore, in this turbulent moment in human history, we are called to make good use of the opportunities we have received in this Holy Season of Lent, by ensuring that we approach the throne of God’s mercy and love. Let us humble ourselves before God and strive to repent from our mistakes and sins, knowing that God is always ready to forgive us if we are willing to change our ugly and sinful ways of doing things.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we are stiffed-neck and rebellious people who have often taken your love and mercy for granted. As we listen to your words today, may we repent of our sinful ways of life and sincerely embrace your words today. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful day.

Homily For Wednesday Fourth Week of Lent Year B, 13th March, 2024

Homily For Wednesday Fourth Week of Lent Year B, 13th March, 2024

Readings: Isaiah 49:8-15; PPs.145; John 5:17-30

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

LEARN TO MAKE YOUR PLANS PERFECT BY ALIGNING THEM WITH THE WILL OF GOD

 

The second stanza of one of the beautiful songs in our hymn book titled “By and By”, composed by Charles A. Tindley says:

Oft our cherished plans have failed,

Disappointments have prevailed,

And we've wandered in the darkness,

heavy-hearted and alone;

But we're trusting in the Lord,

And, according to His Word,

We will understand it better by and by.

 

This song will help us understand why Oftentimes when we have good and wonderful intentions, which we feel is the best thing in our life, does not work out the way we want it. This is because our intention may be good and wonderful but as long as it does not fall in line with the will of God, we may only struggle with them, but will not achieve the desired results. So for our cherished plans not to fail, we must learn to outline our intentions with the will of God, just like Jesus in our Gospel passage today.

 

We heard how Jesus outlined his intentions with that of his Father when he said ‘I tell you most solemnly, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees the Father doing: I can do nothing by myself, because I aim to do not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.’

 

Here, we see that Jesus' conviction came from within. That is from the will of God his Father, who sent him for the salvation of humanity and this was the priority of his life. Jesus spoke of God as a loving father with whom he related closely and confidently. The relationship was so great that the work of Jesus was the same as the work of the Father. But those who could not understand this relationship felt threatened. That is why they seek a way to kill him.

 

This should not be our attitude, rather we should seek to outline our intentions with that of God by building a good relationship with him. Though it may be hard to understand and build a relationship between divinity and humanity; through prayers, we can develop the willingness to do and fulfil the will of God. And when this is done we will surely achieve our cherished plans.

 

Dear friends, I don't know the cherished plans 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. Today Jesus is inviting us to make those cherished plans according to the will of God including all our troubles, all our challenges and disappointments and he will help us to succeed.

 

For we heard the Lord saying in our first reading: At the favourable time I will answer you, on the day of salvation I will help you. For a woman does not forget her baby at the breast, or fail to cherish the son of her womb. Yet even if these forget, I will never forget you. Therefore, we have to ensure that all our cherished plans are in line with the will of God, then we will tell the story of how we overcame our most troublesome and darkest moments, and then we will understand it better by and by.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we learn to outline our intentions with your will, may you direct our cherished plans to suit your will and so achieve the desired results. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you the best of God's favour.

Homily For Tuesday Fourth Week of Lent Year B, 12th March, 2024

Readings: Ezek. 47:1-9.12 , Ps. 46, John 5:1-16

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

DO NOT GIVE UP THE LORD WILL SOON INTERVENE IN YOUR SITUATION

 

In this life, there is a principle that we need to understand, that is, the principle that says that every day is a gift from God. Which of course is another great opportunity to experience and encounter the Lord. So, I don't know how you woke up today, I don't know what troubles your mind. But all I know is that today is another gift of God to us, I am excited, and hopeful and am going to live it with all joy, not trying to change things that I could not change or try to fix things that do not want to be fixed.

 

But I will do my best to overcome my daily challenges knowing and hoping that one day I will hear Jesus saying to me, do you want to be healed? Rise, take up your pallet and walk, just as he said to the sick man in our Gospel reading today. Here we see how a man who was struggling every day to overcome the ugly situation in his life was healed by a single command from Jesus. This happened on a day like every other day when he heard Jesus saying: do you want to be healed? As the man was busy narrating his past failed efforts of having no one to put him into the pool when the water was disturbed; Jesus said to him, Rise, take up your pallet and walk and immediately he was restored.

 

This great and miraculous event brought deep joy into the life of a hopeless man, who out of joy went about expressing the joy of his healing. And this draws the attention of the people who marvelled at what had happened to him. However, the Jews were more concerned about the Sabbath law rather than the mercy and love of God. An ugly attitude that sometimes happens among us where we disregard the good of others over laws and regulations.

 

Dear friends, the Lord wishes to heal us no matter the duration of the situation we are passing through. But we shall not let the ugly and failed events of the past distract us from receiving God’s blessings today. We should rather focus on the blessings that come with the gift of today. We must learn to follow the directives of the Lord, knowing that he will lead us to the healing water that flows east down to the Arabah from the sanctuary and in it, we shall find every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal, thereby making all things wholesome again as we heard in our first reading.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, a lot of people are passing through a difficult situation which has lingered for a long time. As we listened to your words today, may we hear the voice of the Lord saying: arise, take up your pallet and go home. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.  It's Tuesday, may the Holy Spirit guide your paths and bring your plans and purposes to a glorious end.

Homily For Monday Fourth Week of Lent Year B, 11th March, 2024

Readings: Is.65:17-21 , Ps. 30, John 4:43-54

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

GOD HAS NOT GIVEN UP ON US

 

The ugly situation in our world today, may seem to most people that God has abandoned his people. It may seem as if the Church is not doing enough for its people. It may seem as if our governments and scientists have failed. But the fact remains that God is ever and always closer to us than we can ever imagine. He has always desired that we pay attention to his teaching and directives through his Church, the scientists and those of our leaders who are making sincere efforts to ensure the good of the people.

 

But the questions we need to ask ourselves are: do we really listen and hear God speaking to us through the daily activities we experience? Do we still see the hands of God in what we do? Are we really convinced of what we do with the gift of knowledge, skills and talents God has given us? Do we pay attention to the word of God we hear every day in the house of God, on the streets and through other means of communication? Perhaps we are the ones who have abandoned God and now we are confused and afraid as a result of this ugly situation that is ravaging the world.

 

Dear friends, no matter how we feel about the situation we are passing through today, we are called not to give up on God or his Church or the human agents through whom his help comes to us, for God has not given up on his people. We all need to have our ears opened so that we can hear and understand fully the message God is communicating to humanity through the ugly situations we are passing through today.

 

For God is saying to us, fear not, come back to me, have courage for the storms will soon be over. And if you turn back to me with all your heart, I will restore your land, no more will the sound of weeping or the sound of cries be heard, no more will be found the infant living a few days only, or the old man not living to the end of his days as we have it in our first reading today. And in the Gospel Jesus says to the court official: “Go home, your son will live” and the man believed him and went home. By the time he got home, his son was healed.

 

Therefore, we must have faith in God and sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him, give thanks to his Holy name. For his anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life. At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn. Because with the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption. Our world He will redeem from the ravage of corruption, greed, pride, selfishness, sin and shame.

 

LET US PRAY Lord God, you are the source of all that is good, as we listen to your words today, may you grant our hearts desires so that we may obtain the Joy of your presence in order to build our faith strongly firm in your words. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful week ahead.

HOMILY FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR B, 10TH MARCH, 2024

Readings: 2Chron 36:14-16.19-23; Ps. 137; Eph 2:4-10; John 3:14-21

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT GOD STILL LOVES THE WORLD SO MUCH?

 

Today the Holy Mother Church celebrates Laetare ( Rejoice) Sunday, which occurs every fourth Sunday of Lent. It is a special Sunday when we have a brief pause on the penitential nature of the Lenten season to focus more on the joyful expectation of the glorious coming of Easter. Hence we are called to focus our attention on the joy that is to come in Easter in order to help keep our faith focused in the right direction. This we do, knowing that we are in God’s good hands despite whatever challenges we may be facing now. God loves us so much and will never let us be consumed by the ugly situation we are passing through in our world today.

 

Thus, in today’s celebration, we are called to have a little bit of relief from our disposition towards lamenting, regretting and being sorrowful over our sins in order to have a joyful disposition of hope towards the salvation and assurance of God’s love for us which will fully manifest at the resurrection of Christ at Easter. This atmosphere of hope and joy is evident in our first reading today, where we heard of the account of what had happened at the end of the southern kingdom of Judah in Israel.

 

This kingdom was destroyed by the Babylonians who overpowered them, because of their sins and disobedience against God. He made them suffer and endure humiliation, as they witnessed the destruction of their city, their temple and the loss of the Ark of the Covenant, as they were taken to exile in Babylon, where they suffered shamefully for many years under the reign of the Babylonians.

 

But God did not abandon them. For he brought light and joy into their heart when he brought them back to their homeland through King Cyrus of Persia, for God still loved them and wanted to reconcile with them since they were his chosen people. This no doubt shows how much God loves his chosen people and will always desire to reconcile with them.

 

Little wonder, our Gospel passage today, talks about the relationship between God and the world.  Telling us that God loves the world and the humanity living in it. He loved it so much that he gave his only Son, who died a shameful and terrible death on a Cross for the sake of his love for humanity. But the question we need to ask ourselves now is: do you believe that God still loves the world? In the midst of all the problems and disasters we face every day can we still say that God loves the world?

 

This is important because it will help us to understand the importance of remaining firm in our faith in God.  We must acknowledge that God loves the whole world, for his love is total and unconditional for every one of his creatures. This he demonstrated on the cross where he poured out his love for the salvation of all humanity.

 

This love is what we are called to bear witness to the whole world. So, as we prepare ourselves in this Holy Season of Lent in repentant and sorrow for our sins, we are also called to be joyful because, we now have hope once again in the everlasting life and eternal joy that Christ will offer us on the Cross, through his suffering, death and resurrection. Thus we rejoice because we have seen the light of our salvation rooted in the loving heart of God for all humanity.

 

Dear friends, we have in one way or another experienced the love of God greatly and personally in our lives. It’s now time to bear authentic witness to this love for all humanity. We are to tell the world how deeply God loves us. We are to demonstrate this love to the world and let this love be felt by those who have lost hope in God, especially at this time when humanity is struggling with the ugly situation of inflation and its effects on our economy. For we are the face of God’s love now, we are the channels of his love and grace now.

 

Therefore, let us extend this love in any form, gesture or manner possible to everywhere that it is lacking. A kind word, a single phone call, a text message, an act of forgiveness, a single prayer, sacrifice, patience and any form of generous act shown to anyone around us or as many people we can reach out to today, reflect this love of God for humanity through us. Let us make Christ our light and love as we embrace his words today

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we have come to know and experienced your love for humanity in your words today, give us the grace to reciprocate this love in the world through our ways of life using the gifts, talents and resources you have given us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. God bless you.

Homily For Saturday Third Week of Lent Year B, 9th March, 2024

Readings: Hosea 5:15-6:6, Ps. 51, Luke: 18:9-14

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

LEARN TO PRAY IN HUMILITY AND CONTRITION

 

One of the traditional dimensions of this Lenten season is prayer. Prayer is part and parcel of our Christian life. It is the act of raising our minds and hearts to God. But sometimes we find it difficult to carry out this exercise because we don't understand how or what is demanded of us or the best disposition to prayer.

 

Today in our Gospel passage, we heard how two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.”  While the tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Hence, Jesus said, the tax collector, went home at rights with God; the Pharisees did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.

 

Dear friends, in prayer, we are not to give God instructions or present our profile of piety, but our disposition should be that of humility and contrition like this tax collector. We are to present ourselves to God just like a good servant will report for duty and wait for instructions from his master. So, we are to respond in obedience to God's instructions in prayer for there we encounter God in the innermost of our being.

 

Thus, we are called in our first reading to return to the Lord in prayers, for he may tear us to pieces, but he will heal us; he may strike us down, but he will bandage our wounds; since what he wants is love, not sacrifice, humility and not holocausts. Therefore, we have to cultivate the right disposition and learn how to communicate with God the right way through prayer.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we do not know how to pray as we ought, as we listen to your words today, may we learn how to cultivate the right attitude and disposition towards prayers. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. It’s the weekend, wishing you a peaceful and joyful day.

Homily For Friday Third Week of Lent Year B, 8th March, 2024

Readings: Hosea 14:1-9, Ps. 81, Mark 12:28-34

Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia.

 

SHOWING AND EXPERIENCING LOVE IS THE GREATEST THING THAT CAN EVER HAPPEN TO US

 

Oftentimes, when we are faced with the realities of life, we want to know the things that should be our priority. What should be the most important thing to focus our energy on? What should become the foundation of all the things we need to do? In fact, we always desire to know what is required of us in this life. This is the deposition of one of the scribes in our Gospel passage today, who came to Jesus and asked him a question concerning which commandment is the greatest.

 

In response Jesus reminds them of the 'Shema Israel' - שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל, the prayer that they knew and recited from their earliest years from which they learnt that the most important thing in life is to love God with all their heart, and with all thy soul, and with all their mind; that is, with all the powers and the more noble faculties of the soul, the mind, the understanding, judgment, and will. Jesus then added that to love one’s neighbour is the second priority.

 

This is just very practical because, anyone who loves God will naturally love all God’s children who are, of course, in a very real sense our neighbours. We must love every single person because we are all created in the image and likeness of God. In other words, loving God with all our heart, with all our understanding and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves is what is required of us and it is the foundation of all the things we have to do. 

 

Hence, it is not possible to separate the love of God from the love of neighbour, for it is one commandment with two parts which will be the criterion for the final judgement of God. Thus, prophet Hosea in our first reading calls us to come back to the Lord our God, for our iniquity was the cause of our downfall. It is time to come back to the Lord, who loves us so much.

 

Dear friends, love is the centre of all the teachings of Jesus, for love is the purest gift that God has given to humanity. It is like the stream water, so innocent and pure. True love is not hidden, it radiates from the innermost being of a person who experiences it. If we love God, then, we will see him in others and treat them justly and honourably. We will not hurt our neighbours but do our utmost best to live in peace with them.

 

I don’t know if you have ever loved someone and you show it, or someone loves you and you know it. The fact is that it actually feels right and awesome because love brings healing and wholeness into people’s lives. Love is peace, Joy, strength and passion, love is stronger than death, it is that nature of God which we share.

  

Therefore, it is by loving God in our neighbours that we can share and experience this nature of God in us and by so doing we will conquer the world full of hatred, self-centeredness, greed and sin. The truth is that the absence of love is the cause of all the problems in our world today as most families exist by grace and not by love.

 

Imagine how wonderful the world would be if we all loved one another. How I wish we could invest our time and resources in ensuring love and unity in our dealings with one another. Believe me, we will not only be fulfilling the first and greatest commandments of God, but we will be building a happy humanity. Remember, God loves you so much. Do have a lovely day.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, in you, is the fullness of love, as we listen to your words today, may we truly love you and our neighbours and so conquer the world full of hatred, self-centeredness, greed and corruption, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful Friday.