Homily For Saturday Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 22nd June, 2024.

 

Reading: 2 Chron. 24:17-25; Ps.89; Matt. 6:24-34

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

DO NOT BE TOO ANXIOUS AND WORRIED ABOUT THE THINGS OF THIS PASSING WORLD FOR GOD CARES ABOUT YOU

 

The activities and life of the human person are always competitive and comparative, that is why we are often anxious to recognize or be recognized as the strongest, wisest, cleverest, and richest. We will always want to know the most beautiful, handsome, most talented and greatest in virtually everything.

 

Little wonder, the most lucrative businesses and adventures are found among those activities that are competitive such as sports, entertainment and politics because greatness gives more ego to our status and people are so anxious about them. This anxiety sometimes can lead to anxiety when people fail to achieve their plans because they have chosen to separate themselves from God.

 

Thus, this anxiousness that brings about a competitive and comparative way of life is what Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today when he said: “You men of little faith? Do not be anxious; do not say, “What are we to eat? What are we to drink? How are we to be clothed?” It is the pagans who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on his righteousness, and all these other things will be given you as well. So do not be anxious about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. For each day has enough trouble of its own.

 

Here, Jesus is calling us to reflect on our lives and our attitudes towards the material things of this passing world. We often stray from the right path because we are too distracted by our ambitions and desires for worldly pleasures and achievements which are serious obstacles that can prevent us from attaining our salvation, as we end up falling deeper and further into the path of sin which separates us from God.

 

Thus, we have to take a stand and choose firmly between serving God or material things, because we cannot serve both God and money, for sooner or later we will love one more than the other and the anxiousness to acquire more of it may lead us to anxiety. Hence the Lord tells us not to worry about our lives or other worldly desires for he shall provide all that we need.

 

Dear friends, why are we too anxious and worried about the things of this passing world? Why have we let this anxiousness separate us from God and his plan for us? So, today we so not be too anxious or worried about the things of this life for God cares about us despite all that we are going through. Hence, we have to make sure that we are not distracted by our over-ambitious desires for worldly things. We must let our focus be on God’s providence and not be like the Judaeans in our first reading today who abandoned the Temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, for the worship of sacred poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger fell on Judah and Jerusalem.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, we live a life of comparative and competition, and these have often led us to be anxious about tomorrow and our future, and when we cannot meet up with these desires we fall into anxiety. This is because we have chosen to separate ourselves from you. As we listen to your words today, may we not be too anxious about the things of this passing world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a peaceful weekend.

Homily For Friday Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 21st June, 2024. The Memorial St. Aloysius Gonzaga

 

Reading: 2Kings 11:1-4.9-18.20; Ps.132; Matt. 6:19-23

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

WHAT IS YOUR ULTIMATE TREASURE AND HOW ARE YOU SECURING IT?

 

Every day under terrible scourges of the sun and noisy streets, people struggle to acquire things that they value as treasures of life. The quarrelling and fighting, the early morning rush, the traffic jam, the aggressive words all just to acquire things of this life and people are never tired of acquiring properties for themselves and their generation yet to come, forgetting that all these things sooner or later pass away as we ourselves expire from this world.

 

Thus, in our Gospel passage today we are called to reflect on what should be our ultimate treasure and how we can acquire it. For Jesus said: Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and woodworms destroy them and thieves can break in and steal. But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor woodworms destroy them and thieves cannot break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 

Here, Jesus knowing how humanity is so attached to the things of this passing world, calls our attention to what should be our ultimate treasure. He made us know that the kingdom of God is the greatest and ultimate treasure anyone can and should acquire. It will be a waste of time trying to store up our treasures in this world because the world as we know is passing away likewise the things in it.

 

The world is not a safe place to store one’s ultimate treasures. The safest place to store our treasures is in heaven. For heaven itself is the ultimate treasure that cannot be compared to anything whatsoever we have in this world and it is so precious and great, that it is worth more than our entire life and our worldly possessions and treasures. This is exactly what we see in the life of St. Aloysius Gonzaga whose memorial we celebrate today. Though born into a wealthy family, he renounced the world’s riches and honour in order to live a life of service, simplicity, holiness and piety.

 

Therefore, we must do all that it takes to ensure that our focus is on things of heaven and how to acquire them. Because losing it over the temporal pleasure, vain glory, fame, power and influential things of this passing world will be complete foolishness. For none of them last forever and what good is it for us to gain the whole world but lose our soul out of God’s Kingdom just like Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah in our first reading today, whose selfish ambition led to the death of so many people including herself.

 

Dear friends, the questions we need to ask ourselves today are: where and what is our ultimate treasure in this life? if the Lord should give us the opportunity to request what our heart desires, what would you request? How many of us are paying attention to ultimate heavenly treasures? How many think and search for the ultimate treasure of our souls? How many desire to personally discover God in their life knowing that he is the ultimate treasure anyone can acquire in this world?

 

How I wish we would understand the shortness of this life, the emptiness of this passing world and the danger of losing our soul out of greediness for the things of this passing world. Then, we will sincerely desire to experience God personally, because in him lies the ultimate treasure of life. Discovering God personally is the greatest treasure one can ever have.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, the world is full of distractions coming from false treasures of this passing world. Through the intercession of St. Aloysius, give us wise and discerning hearts in order to give up all our attachment to worldly possessions in pursuit of the heavenly and ultimate treasure of your kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Thursday Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 20th June, 2024

 

Reading: Sir. 48:1-12; Ps.97; Matt. 6:7-15

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

LEARN TO FOLLOW THE LORD’S PATTERN OF PRAYER

 

Today, Jesus knowing how important the act of prayer is to humanity, taught his disciples the principle and pattern of all prayers as we have it in our Gospel passage today, when he said: “Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we also have forgiven all who trespassed against us. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from evil one”

 

Here, Jesus knowing that prayer is an essential part of our faith through which we grow in our relationship with God, and become more connected to Him, gave us seven principles that should guide all our prayers. This prayer contains a series of statements and petitions in which we affirm our relationship with God, with the people around us and with the world in general. It contains a statement of faith, obligations and commitment as the foundation through which these seven principles are fulfilled.

 

The first principle is to acknowledge God as “Our Father”. A call for unity that requires faith, obligation and commitment. Here we acknowledge God not just as my Father, but as Our Father and the ‘our’ includes every single person who lives or has ever lived on this earth. The second principle calls us to reverence the name of the Lord as we say: “Hallowed be thy name “Yes, God’s name is holy no matter what we say or think. However, we make this prayer for our sake more than for His. Because from the holiness of His name comes the root of our faith and strength, we are praying that God’s name be held in deepest respect by people everywhere.

 

The third principle calls us to have the vision of God’s kingdom, hence we pray to say: “Your kingdom come”, that is, we pray that humanity should consciously and willingly embrace the love and kingship of God which He is offering us. The fourth principle invites us to dispose ourselves to embrace the will of God as we pray saying: “Your will be done on earth, as in heaven”. This is very important because it helps us to discern and be disposed to pray and live in accordance with the will of God.

 

The fifth principle calls us to learn how to be contented with what we have against all forms of selfishness and greed as we say: “Give us today our daily bread,” of which God surely provides. The sixth principle calls us to make an examination of conscience and to seek reconciliation knowing how weak we are, hence we pray saying: “And forgive us our trespasses, as we have forgiven those who trespassed against us”.

 

Here we make serious commitment and obligation, asking that the condition for God’s forgiveness of our sins should be based on our readiness to forgive those who have offended us. Finally, the seventh principle calls us to have total confidence in God’s providence, protection and guidance as we pray saying: “And do not put us to the test, but save us from evil”, here we acknowledge our weaknesses and our total dependence on God’s help against all the evil forces of this world.

 

Dear friends, I have no doubt that we know our Lord's prayer, but knowing it is not enough, we have to pray it devotedly, but praying it is not enough, we have to believe in what we pray for, but believing is not enough, we must put it into practice in our daily lives. This is because, often time we say prayers wrongly when we consider prayer as a means to only achieve what we desire, without considering what God desires for us. Some of us spend lots of time reciting the prayers and yet we do not mean what we say because we have wrong dispositions born from unforgiving hearts which must be redirected before we can get a positive response from God. 

 

Therefore, it’s time for us to embrace these seven principles and change our perspective and wrong disposition towards prayers. It is time for us to spend more quality moments in prayer and be connected with God. We must let our prayers be meaningful and genuine from our hearts. It is time for us to improve the quality of our prayer life by imitating Jesus, who always prayed to his heavenly Father at every possible opportunity.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, in prayer, we communicate more closely with you, please teach us how to pray for we do not know how to pray as we ought, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a favourable day.

Homily For Wednesday Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 19th June, 2024

 

Reading: 2 Kings 2:1.6-14; Ps. 31; Matt. 6:1-6.16-18

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

THE RIGHT ATTITUDE TOWARDS RELIGIOUS PIETY AND HUMANITARIAN SERVICES

 

There are three principle disciplines that guide all our religious pieties, these disciplines include almsgiving, prayer and fasting. They can be rightly extended to every act of righteousness and service rendered to humanity. These disciplines have not been properly understood or implemented by people, for most people see these disciplines as an opportunity to display their piety in order to gain cheap human popularity and admiration.

 

The negative attitude towards these religious disciplines has been greatly adopted by many people including religious leaders who should know better. Therefore, it is this ugly and negative attitude that Jesus is addressing in our Gospel passage today when he warned his disciples not to indulge in any form of outward display of their religious pieties so as to attract the admiration of others. Here Jesus presents how we should properly carry out our religious pieties and obligations, and any service we render for the sake of humanity.

 

Using each of these three spiritual disciplines, he gave us the basic formula saying: That we should not blow trumpets in the streets to draw the attention of everyone when we give alms to the poor. We should not say our prayers in the most conspicuous places so that people will marvel at our holiness and when fasting, we should not put on gloomy and drawn looks so that everyone will know that we are fasting. Then he calls us not to be like the hypocrites who display their charitable deeds, for they have received their reward. After this, he instructed us regarding the secret practice of piety and promised us that God would reward us for any piety practised in secret.

 

Thus, Jesus calls us to carry out our religious pieties and obligations to humanity secretly, for when it is done in secret we will receive great rewards from God and as recipients of these rewards, we will be surprised, because we have no idea that we did anything remarkable or that anyone noticed our charitable acts.

 

For we certainly did not perform the charity to gain rewards. Rather, it is the combination of our selfless, sacrificial and unassuming attitudes that opens the channel by which God dispenses His blessings upon us. And this is evident in the life of Elisha who patiently and faithfully served his master Elijah and received as his reward a double grace of the spirit of Elijah as we have it in our first reading today.

 

Dear friends, we are called to cultivate the right attitude towards our religious pieties and carry them out with the right intention and purpose, and not just for any selfish purpose. Therefore, we must have the right disposition and direction towards our religious pieties and shun all forms of worldly interest or rewards, so as not to be distracted by the vanity of the things of this passing world. Let humility, faithfulness, and sacrificial love be the driving force towards all our religious pieties and every other thing we do for the goodwill of humanity.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, the strength of those who hope in you, graciously grant us the gift of humility and a sacrificial attitude towards our family, religious and societal obligations and responsibilities. May we carry them out faithfully and selflessly with the right attitude and good intentions? We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.

Homily For Tuesday Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 18th June, 2024

Reading: 1 Kings 21:17-29; Ps.51 Matt. 5:43-48

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

WHY SHOULD WE LOVE OUR ENEMIES AND PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE US?

Naturally, people desire to love and be loved, to relate and be in the company of those whom they love. Nobody enjoys being among those who detest them and cause them pain and sorrow. That is why people naturally sacrifice for those whom they love in order to keep their friendship and companion. But it takes great love and sacrifice to do good to people who detest us and cause us sorrow and pain since it is difficult and unnatural to sacrifice for such people

This sacrificial life of love is what Jesus calls us to embrace in pursuit of the life of perfection. Little wonder he says in our Gospel passage today: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. If you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect”.  

Here Jesus emphasises that though it is natural and universal for human beings to love those who love them. But what makes his disciples different from other people is the ability to love not just everyone, but to love their enemies and not take vengeance or bear grudges against one another. For by so doing they will be imitating the perfection of God our heavenly Father, who shows equal love to all and calls us to a greater life of sacrificial love and virtue towards perfection. 

This is what God did in the case of Ahab in our first reading today, a king who was cut up in his wicked act of killing Naboth and taking his vineyard out of his selfish desires. But when his evil deeds were exposed, he tore his clothes, humbled himself before God and Elijah, His prophet, and showed great remorse over his evil actions which God forgave him. Such is God’s kindness, mercy, compassion and love to every one of us, without exception, even to the worst and most wicked of sinners.

Dear friends, with the situation in our societies today why should we still love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us? Why should we make them our friends? This is because we are called to a sacrificial life of love and perfection, we are called to choose love over hatred and forgiveness over vengeance. For hatred breeds violence and other things that weaken the human soul, but love unites and heals. 

The fact is that God desires peace for humanity and this peace is what Jesus came to bring in the world, to restore the peace that God intended for all creation from the first day of creation. Today all of us are called to offer this peace to our world full of hatred, greed and violence. This we are called to accept and live out day by day in every way we can.

Therefore, it’s time for us to stretch out the hands of friendship and peace to everyone both friends and enemies alike, by investing more resources in things that bring about peace and friendship with one another, rather than building a nuclear weapon that breeds more violence and hatred in the world. For by so doing the world will become more peaceful and loving.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, the cross of sacrificial life of love is so heavy, give us the grace to truly forgive our enemies and strive towards the life of perfection that offers peace, mercy, compassion and love to distressed humanity through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.

Homily For Monday Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 17th June, 2024

 

Reading: 1Kings 21:1-16; Ps. 5; Matt. 5:38-42

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

CAN THE LAW: EYE FOR EYE AND TOOTH FOR TOOTH SOLVE THE PROBLEMS IN OUR FAMILIES AND SOCIETY?

 

The fragile and selfish nature of the human person, makes it seem natural and common for human beings to react positively or negatively to things that hurt them.  Little wonder one of our most influential scientists Isaac Newton, states in his third law of motion, that: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." This law describes what happens to a body when it exerts a force on another body. Forces as we know always occur in pairs, so when one body pushes against another, the second body pushes back just as hard and in equal magnitude.

 

This law truly explains why a hot slap given to anyone whether out of anger for the bad thing he/she has done or just as an act of wickedness and intimidation will naturally trigger in our consciousness an equal magnitude of retaliation and this has been the force behind the law that says: ‘ an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’

 

This principle was the basis for justice in the Ancient Near East. It was put in place to restrain unlimited blood vengeance. It limited what damages one could expect to what was considered proportional, equal and fair to any unjust act. However, in our Gospel passage today, Jesus offers a new dimension that calls for deeper virtue towards this law when he says: “You have learnt how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I say this to you: offer the wicked man no resistance. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; if a man takes you to law and would have your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone orders you to go one mile, go two miles with him.”

 

Here Jesus declares that the law had no reference to private revenge, that it was given only to regulate natural human conduct, but the Jews had extended it to private conduct and made it the rule by which revenge is taken. They considered themselves justified by this rule to inflict the same injury on others just the way they had received. Jesus then showed another aspect of the law which is more sacrificial and requires a deeper virtue, in which the old interpretation of the Law will no longer be valid.

 

 So Jesus reversed the attitude of conniving to see one’s adversary suffer, with the sacrificial attitude of love for enemies. An attitude that does not seek what one can get for retaliation but what one can sacrifice for the sake of peace and love. This attitude makes the disciples of Jesus different from other people since they will have to love not just everyone but also their enemies and not take vengeance or bear grudges against one another. And by so doing they will be imitating God their heavenly Father, who shows equal love to both the good and the bad, because his love knows no bounds.

 

Dear friends, can retaliation solve the problems of killings, wickedness and persecution in our families and societies today? Think about it, for today we are called to embrace a life of deeper virtue. A life of sacrificial love, for when Jesus told his disciples to offer the other side of their checks to be struck, their cloak when asked for tunic and to go even one mile further, he is calling us all to a new life of sacrificial love, one that is filled not with revenge or selfishness of men like king Ahab and his wife Jezebel in our first reading, who killed Naboth for refusing to give them his vineyard which he inherited from his ancestors in obedience to the law.

 

Instead, we are to reject all forms of violence, retaliation and vengeance but focus all our attention on forgiveness, mercy and peace in a sacrificial way so that the world will become more peaceful and loving.

 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, it is really difficult to live a life of non-retaliation in a world full of wickedness, persecution, and violence, give us the grace to resist all forms of violence but focus all our attention on the sacrificial love of forgiveness, mercy and peace. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed week.

Homily For Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, 16th June 2024

 

Reading: Ezek. 17:22-24; Ps.92; 2Cor 5:6-10; Mark 4:26-34

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

 

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF GOD’S KINGDOM

 

Using simple stories and parables to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson is one of the characteristics of Jesus in the Scriptures especially when addressing the people regarding very important things. So, by couching his teaching in parables, Jesus made certain points much clearer to his audience. This is evident in our Gospel passage today where he told us the parable of the mustard seed and used it to describe the nature of God’s kingdom which he came to establish in the hearts of humanity.

 

In this parable, Jesus said to the crowd:  “A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how he does not know”. Then he continued, “What can we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we find for it? It is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the soil is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade”. In a similar way we heard the Lord in our first reading saying: “From the top of the cedar, from the highest branch I will take a shoot and plant it myself on a very high mountain. Every kind of bird will live beneath it, every winged creature rest in the shade of its branches”

 

Here, Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed growing from the Word of God spoken to the hearts of his few disciples which will grow and spread to the hearts of all humanity. This analogy focuses on the size of the seed that grows to become a mighty tree that gives shelter and salvation to all. Here also, Jesus is not just speaking of the size of the mustard seed, but the size of the faith of the people as that of a mustard seed. Telling us that just as the mustard seed responds to the word of God and grows into a mighty tree, so will the faith of the people grow into great vessels through hearing the word and doing the will of God.

 

More so, this analogy of the mustard seed symbolizes the humble beginnings of the Christian faith which is well watered by the Holy Spirit to grow and give life and hospitality to all the people of the world. However, God has given humanity the freedom to choose whether to hear his word and embrace the faith so as to bear the fruits of the kingdom or to reject it and perish. For God knows that there are many bad seeds present in this world to deceive people from listening to his word, seeds such as fear, regrets, doubt, jealousy, hatred, disrespect, greediness, lying, gossip, impurity, wickedness, unforgiveness and all others of sinful actions.

 

Those who embrace these bad seeds follow the dictates of their hardened hearts and will soon be thrown away as good for nothing because they have not listened to God’s words. Hence, we can hear St. Paul telling us in our second reading that whether we are living according to the will of God in the body or exiled from it, we must make it our highest priority to please God. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and each of us will get what he or she deserves for the things done in the body, good or bad.

 

Dear Friends, what is your understanding of the Kingdom of God? How best can you explain to people about the Kingdom of God? Today we are told that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed which is different from every other seed because of its unique nature. So we can model our life and faith like that of mustard seed. No doubt that in our world today, we have different kinds of seeds good and bad. But the question remains, what kind of seeds are we embracing and watering in our lives today?  So, are we watering the valuable mustard seeds of faith and love or weeds of fear, regrets, doubt, jealousy, hatred, disrespect, greediness, lying, gossip, impurity, wickedness, unforgiveness and all kinds of sinful deeds that will destroy us?

 

Remember, whatever healthy seed you water grows and the seed you quit watering will eventually die and go away.  So, 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 those valuable mustard seeds of faith, love, holiness, hospitality, obedience, and charity and make them our values of life. When we feed and water such values, we will grow stronger like the mustard tree where people may find solace and so build up God’s kingdom.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as you sow the seeds of your word in our hearts today, give us the grace to water and grow it into the mustard tree of faith, love, holiness and hospitality that will usher us into your kingdom, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Happy Sunday and do have a fruitful week ahead.